Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Lounge- Meeting with Calloway

Posted by Lieutenant Daggum Hammor (Chief Operations Officer) in Lounge- Meeting with Calloway

Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Lounge- Meeting with Calloway

(snip)

“Alrighty then,” she said. Standing at the replicator, Faye took calming breaths to try and remove any possible tension from his body. She was enjoying the conversation with him and there was something compelling about the man. But much like her reaction to the Cardassian, the irrational impulse she was fighting down was something from the past and had no bearing on her life here. At least that was what she was forcing herself to remember.

When Faye returned later, her tray held a large bowl of broccoli and cheese soup, hasperat, an Altair sandwhich and a glass of kava juice. Settling into her seat, she sipped n her juice and eyed her food. “No matter how many replicators I order it from, they never get hasperat to taste just right. And yet I still keep trying,” she said with a grin.

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist

“What is it they say about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?” Daggum said and laughed. “All right. Let’s do this. I’m starving. Yelling at idiot Quartermasters makes me hungry.” and he picked up half of the Reuben and took a big bite. After chewing and swallowing, he said “So tell me about yourself. And yes, that sounded better in my head than ‘What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?’.” and chuckled a bit a filled the two glasses with the strange yellow and red-swirled liquid. He slid one closer to Faye and added “If the juice isn’t to your liking, you’re welcome to some of mine.”

Hammor, Ops Chief

She was about to make a remark about her already being crazy and it being something of a poorly kept secret, but decided that the moment passed too quickly for her to sneak that tidbit in. Instead, she snorted at his off the cuff attempt at banter. “I like kava juice, but I am curious what’s in that jug of yours.”

“Orange juice and grenadine. I save the hard stuff for when I wake up.” he replied with a smile.

“Anyway. Me… what could you possible want to know about me,” Faye said with feigned innocence. “It depends on what you’ll believe from the grapevine really, but when it comes to me a lot of it is true. I’m not really all that nice most of the time, and in general I don’t like people. If they don’t annoy me right off the bat, then there’s a chance I’ll care to get to know them more, like this-” she said gesturing between them-“turned out to be. You don’t annoy me, just in case you were wondering.”

“If you haven’t heard yet, it won’t take long for you to find out that I grew up on a colony in the DMZ and my parents became Maquis, and me along with them. I’ve had a pretty crappy life so far, with a few small moments that weren’t so terrible and it’s only in the last while that things have actually been more than bearable. I’m not terribly fond of Cardassians, Orions or Romulans, and yet at the docking port I stood next to and spoke to a Cardassian and here I am having lunch with an Orion. I think any of the many therapists I’ve seen in my life would probably called that progress and growth.” There, the first test was delivered. It was never meant as a tit-for-tat contest about life, but more as a gauge to see how much effort she should bother putting into a conversation with someone. It could be seen as callous, but Faye couldn’t care less. Either they passed her test, or she failed their own and things would evolve or devolve from there.

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist

Hammor listened and as she described her past, he nodded absentmindedly. Not in a ‘yeah -yeah-blah-blah-blah’ kind of way; but more as in an empathetic fashion. When she finished, he looked at her intently for a few moments, then he leaned back and nodded as if he had come to some sort of conclusion. He looked around to make sure no one was around. Leaning forward again, he drew up the sleeve on his uniform.

His arm was covered in tattoos, brands, and scars. Where some may have thought he was bragging about the ‘decorations’, there was a look on his face that said otherwise. “This one..” he said, pointing to a brand burned into the inside of his wrist, “… was the first stable who owned me. These…” and he indicted another half-dozen or so, “… were the others I was sold to. I got the first one when I was around four years old. Not a real fan of Orions either, to be honest about it. Or anyone who thinks slavery is an acceptable practice. Cardassians included.” and he pulled the sleeve back down. “But I gotta say, Star Fleet has opened my eyes quite a bit. I was, unknown to myself, actually pretty racist when I managed to get into the Academy. But I learned that people are not their governments, and governments don’t necessarily reflect the people you meet. You gotta take people as they come.” and he took a drink. “Hell, I figured you for some sorta egghead with no personality when I read ‘Mission Specialist’, but here we are.” and he laughed.

Hammor, Ops Chief