Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Tennessee, Earth - Home Sweet Home

Posted by Civilian Micah Pikelsimer (Federation Security Agent) in Tennessee, Earth - Home Sweet Home

Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Tennessee, Earth - Home Sweet Home

(snip)

Nicah led Nadine outside and said “Okay. Today we are going hunting and gathering. Gathering will be nuts, berries, mushrooms, wild onions, potatoes, and some herbs and medicinal plants. Hunting will be whatever we come across. Rabbit and other small game; then maybe some bigger stuff if we’re lucky. Feral hog. Deer. There’s even elk up here. Just stick by me and you’ll do just fine. But pay attention, ok? I’m not showing… I’m teaching. Today you get to be student and I get to be teacher. Peer review for my educational technique comes later.” and he smiled and started walking towards the shed. “Now go grab those packs and we’ll get ready.”

Micah

Nadine snapped off a salute. “Yes, Sir!” she said with mock seriousness, heading for her quarry.

A minute later, she had hefted the pack onto her pack and had the other slung precariously on a shoulder with a walking stick in each hand. Each step was punctuated by the base striking the ground. “Lead on, Stepfather, and show me your ways.”

~Nadine & Shara

Micah grinned and reached up and took a pack and stick. He whipped the pack onto his back with practiced ease and then slung the rifle on his shoulder. “Pack is for when we find things. Stick is for the snakes.” and he turned and headed to the tree line. “And you know, if you want, you can call me Micah… or dad… or whatever… I’m easy like that.” and he led her into the trees.

Nadine smiled but didn’t reply. A part of her felt so at ease with Shara and Micah that she could probably slip into those familial references without thinking about it. And then there was the reality of the couple back in Portland who had raised her and loved her, and she felt torn. Nadine felt very strongly that there was room for everyone but she also knew that there were deep feelings all around that people might not have control over and she desperately wanted to avoid hurting anyone.

They walked in quiet for a few minutes and then Micah held up his hand and said “Here we go…” and he pointed at some mushrooms. “Lion’s Mane. Good eating. I bet we can find some shitake around here somewhere as well.”

Micah

She harvested the mushrooms and studied them. “Nope, would not know which ones to pick. I bet you anything I’d pick something that resembled something I’d eaten before and it would turn out poisonous.”

“Fungi is complicated to forage for. Basic rule: If you don’t know what it is… leave it alone. Most of the stuff around here is edible, and only a few will kill you outright. But there are enough that’ll make you sick enough you’d want it to kill ya.” Micah said and laughed.

As they moved along, she was aware of how Micah was looking at the land differently and she quietly observed him for a bit. “Shara seems rather worked up about this meeting. She mentioned it was about the assignment she requested, but the way she’s been talking about it it’s like she’s facing a firing squad. Why the drama?”

~Nadine

Micah shrugged and thought how best to answer the question. “So here’s the thing… your ma and me, we are really good at what we do. Like… really really good. The good thing about that is that gives us a lot of freedom in how we do what we do. The problem comes in when we don’t want to do it anymore. Your ma… she’s asked to come in from the field. No more long term undercover assignments. No more months or years without contact with Faye… and now you. And don’t you go feelin’ guilty about that, either. She made that decision months ago. Anyway… this is where we get screwed. We’re valuable assets… while we are working. When we don’t want to work like that, we aren’t nearly as valuable to our respective overlords. Well, at least thats how they see it. So when she asked for a standard Intel assignment, she’s looking at it as a step towards the beginning of the end of her career. And the powers that be don’t want to lose such a valuable tool. But that’s always the disconnect… to them we’re tools. To us we’re people. So that meeting is about trying to find a balance between her value to Intel, and her desire to be a person again.”

Micah