Posted by Civilian Rafael Torres (Resident) in The Quill & Parchment- Second Chances

Posted by Civilian Karilan Massat (Owner, Quill and Parchment Books) in The Quill & Parchment- Second Chances

Posted by Civilian Rafael Torres (Resident) in The Quill & Parchment- Second Chances
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Raf didn’t answer right away. In fact, he looked back towards the drapes that concealed their presence, letting his mind go elsewhere for a moment. But the discomfort that rose up was quickly quashed and stuffed back down so that he could look at Massat with intention. “I’m a no one from nowhere. A ship don’t care who you are or what you’ve done. And honestly? You can have all the fancy pilots and cocky captains you want, but you ‘ain’t going anywhere without a functional engine. But, even if the engine is the heart of the ship, it’s more than just parts. I dunno, but sometimes I think they have personalities. Quirk, just like people. They like what they like and you gotta get to know them or else you’re always fighting them. I’ve done enough fighting, you know, so I figure you do right by the ship, or it’ll do right by you.” He shrugged and drank from his cup, hoping his embarrassment wasn’t completely obvious.

~Rafael Torres

Karilan smiled inwardly in happy surprise. She simply nodded on the outside. After a moment, she said “Tell me… have you had the opportunity to work with the Applied Dynamic Autonomous Matter / Anti-Matter Calibration System? And if you did, what do you think of it?” Her questions tone was conversational, but the subject was important. Designed by Karilan themself, the system was now the high-end standard for mixing chamber systems found in most starship. But it was a finicky system and required a high level of skill, or a great deal of frustrating practice, to operate effectively.

Karilan

He shook his head, the embarrassment growing. “Nah. I mean, I’ve heard really good things about it, but, I uh, um…” Raf ran a hand over his head. “I only have a certificate. It’s just the basics. And we worked on smaller vessels mostly. You’re supposed to start there and work up. I can fix a freighter sure, but the fancier ships?” He gave a mirthless chuckle. “You think they’d let someone like me near one of them? Nah.”

~Rafael Torres

Karilan sat back, a stern expression on her face. “A certificate means that you did class work, nothing more. And the principles of engine function are the same regardless of the ship. The only difference is the parts and how they work together to make the ship go. And what do you mean… ‘someone like you’? Someone like what? Tell me.” Her words were direct, and she purposely projected a feeling of demand.

Karilan

It took a lot of control for Raf to keep himself from saying anything that might get himself into trouble, but somehow he managed it, though he did Karilan a Are you for real? type of look. “Look, I did odds jobs on ships for awhile. That’s why I did the certificate program. But I’m an ex-con and an addict. I barely managed to finish the certificate and even then…” His jaw tightened and he looked away. “238 days,” Torres said, looking back at Karilan. “That’s how long I’ve been sober. It’s the longest I’ve been so in nine years. I’m never gonna have one of those fancy engineering degrees people take seriously, but it’s like I told Dash, if I didn’t find good work, then it won’t matter. Don’t you get it? I was stupid kid and at 19 I did a terrible thing. And ain’t no matter how much time passes, or how much you did to repay your debt to society, or you keep yourself outta trouble, most people turn their noses up at yes, someone like me. But don’t worry yourself about it, I’m used to it. And you are giving me a chance. I appreciate that.”

~Rafael Torres

Karilan set her cup down, reached out and took Torres’s from his hand and set it aside and then she stood up. The look she gave him was one of almost anger… and disappointment. “If you only see yourself for your past, then that is all anyone is going to see. If you believe yourself the product of only your addiction and your criminal record, then that is all you will ever be. And until you can decide that you will no longer be judged nor beholden to what other people think and instead be true to yourself for yourself; you will be what they think you to be and nothing more. And if that is what you are, this opportunity is doomed to fail before you have truly seized it.” She reached under the table and set the pouch back on the table. “Take it and go. But for the record? I never saw you as your past. Perhaps someday you can give yourself that same grace.” and she inclined her head and walked out of rhe room.

Karilan

Sitting there, Raf just felt angry. Massat had asked for the truth and for once he actually gave it. He wasn’t great with words though. Hell, the words in all his textbooks never made much sense until he could look at a diagram and try and map it all out.

For a moment, he just sat there, trying to quell the shame and anger. After a few more moments, he got up and left the room, moving quickly through the shop to the door.

The bag was still sitting on the table.

~Rafael Torres

Five hours later…

The Gradient Hotel was not necessarily ‘seedy’, but it certainly wasn’t posh. Set in the middle of a block in an industrial part of Oed’s main city, the Gradient catered to transient laborers, those paying in untraceable latinum slips instead of credits, and those who were one step away from not having a place at all. It was into that place a figure in a dark blue suit and black shirt stepped.

The bald Deltan walked up to the desk and said “Rafael Torres. What room?” The clerk looked at the figure and said “We don’t give out room numbers.” The suited figured cocked their head to the side and the dropped five slips on the desk. “The room number… please.” The slips disappeared and the clerk said “18C.” and went back to the vid they had been watching.

A few minute later, there was a loud knock on the door of 18C.

Massat

A while of aimless wandering and Raf eventually had headed back to his hotel room, though not before grabbing something to eat from an inexpensive food stall. Even then it wasn’t going to last him all that long, and neither was his money. He’d spent most of what he had just getting to this rock and it was all for naught. Well, maybe not. He’d heard there was some potential jobs related to the mining going on. He didn’t have the specific training to do the actual mining, but there might be something else he could do. Maybe.

The knock startled him and he crept towards the door. He wasn’t expecting anyone and when he cracked open the door and saw a well-dressed Deltan there, Raf blinked. Wait, was that Massat? Huh, it was. His brown eyes were wary as he pulled the door open a little further, though his hand held onto the edge tightly. A pithy remark died on his lips, and instead he just looked at Karilan questioningly.

~Rafael Torres

Massat looked at him for a long moment. “I owe you an apology, and you owe me five slips. May I come in?” he asked.

Karilan