08-06-2025, 01:01 AM
"This intimidation shit has to stop." Robin paused. "Anyway. How are you feeling? I know that probably wasn't the conversation you wanted to have. Do you want to talk about it?" She took a sip of her coffee. "I know I've failed in my official best friend duty of nagging you. You've had a lot on your plate lately, much of that my fault."
Beka sighed.
“I don’t even know where to start,” she admitted. “You know my attempt to go and rescue my family went horribly wrong. Wrong enough that a team had to come get me, and they got Calleja to lead it. And she did, even though we’d never met at that point. It was going so well until… Well. Until I decided to start freestyling to take back my old disruptor. That’s what brought the station guards down on us. And ultimately it’s why I got hurt. I know I’ve blamed Calleja a lot for that, but it was never really the root of the problem.”
She took another sip of coffee, green eyes flicking up to her boss and best friend.
“Promise me you won’t think any less of me for this?” Beka asked before sighing again. “I dreamed for years about what it would be like to bring the Sydesh clan back together. You know when you’ve got nothing else to do, and your mind wanders? Mine would always go to seeing my brother again, or my sister. What were they like after all this time? How would they react to me? How could I make them look at me and think ‘wow, she’s come good!’ And I finally had one of those moments right in front of me. But it wasn’t me that saved the day. It was Mara Calleja. And I hated her for it. 15 years of dreaming and poof, I was the idiot sidekick in my own fantasy.”
The doctor shook her head and looked away.
“You know how selfless Calleja actually was about the whole thing? My brother, sister-in-law and niece are still living in her apartment on Earth. And she’s never told anyone. Didn’t do it for the clout. Just did it because she thought it was the right thing to do. So yeah. She had every right to be furious with me. And I think I pushed it too far. I caused the blow-up just now. So that blame needs to be coming my way, not hers.”
Beka looked back.
“Calleja is a hothead. Not arguing that one. And when she turned up behind me earlier I nearly needed new pants because being the focus of that megawatt stare is terrifying. But there’s a lot more going on there than what she lets us see. And I’m hoping that’s one bridge I don’t have to rebuild again. Now I just have to fix the rest of my terrible mistakes with people. And hope Aeryn will talk to me again at some point. She really didn’t deserve how I broke that off. At all. And again, she was way classier than me. Hasn’t gossiped. Hasn’t told anyone what an absolute bitch I was. Just got on with life.”
Her shoulders rose and fell as she drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“So when it comes to who causes all my problems right now, it’s absolutely me,” Beka added with a faint smile. “You’re some way down the list. Actually giving me some responsibility to earn my keep around here is really, really welcome. I’m not just drama and chaos, I can actually do good shit too.”
The roguish grin on Beka’s face was back for a moment.
“Sorry you asked yet?” she asked.
Beka sighed.
“I don’t even know where to start,” she admitted. “You know my attempt to go and rescue my family went horribly wrong. Wrong enough that a team had to come get me, and they got Calleja to lead it. And she did, even though we’d never met at that point. It was going so well until… Well. Until I decided to start freestyling to take back my old disruptor. That’s what brought the station guards down on us. And ultimately it’s why I got hurt. I know I’ve blamed Calleja a lot for that, but it was never really the root of the problem.”
She took another sip of coffee, green eyes flicking up to her boss and best friend.
“Promise me you won’t think any less of me for this?” Beka asked before sighing again. “I dreamed for years about what it would be like to bring the Sydesh clan back together. You know when you’ve got nothing else to do, and your mind wanders? Mine would always go to seeing my brother again, or my sister. What were they like after all this time? How would they react to me? How could I make them look at me and think ‘wow, she’s come good!’ And I finally had one of those moments right in front of me. But it wasn’t me that saved the day. It was Mara Calleja. And I hated her for it. 15 years of dreaming and poof, I was the idiot sidekick in my own fantasy.”
The doctor shook her head and looked away.
“You know how selfless Calleja actually was about the whole thing? My brother, sister-in-law and niece are still living in her apartment on Earth. And she’s never told anyone. Didn’t do it for the clout. Just did it because she thought it was the right thing to do. So yeah. She had every right to be furious with me. And I think I pushed it too far. I caused the blow-up just now. So that blame needs to be coming my way, not hers.”
Beka looked back.
“Calleja is a hothead. Not arguing that one. And when she turned up behind me earlier I nearly needed new pants because being the focus of that megawatt stare is terrifying. But there’s a lot more going on there than what she lets us see. And I’m hoping that’s one bridge I don’t have to rebuild again. Now I just have to fix the rest of my terrible mistakes with people. And hope Aeryn will talk to me again at some point. She really didn’t deserve how I broke that off. At all. And again, she was way classier than me. Hasn’t gossiped. Hasn’t told anyone what an absolute bitch I was. Just got on with life.”
Her shoulders rose and fell as she drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“So when it comes to who causes all my problems right now, it’s absolutely me,” Beka added with a faint smile. “You’re some way down the list. Actually giving me some responsibility to earn my keep around here is really, really welcome. I’m not just drama and chaos, I can actually do good shit too.”
The roguish grin on Beka’s face was back for a moment.
“Sorry you asked yet?” she asked.