Escaping My Shadows

Gone to Texas

"Come on lady, give us a break," the man says to the attractive yet very annoyed-looking woman. "We've been out in deep space for a long time, with no one to keep us company. We're just looking to have a little fun and want to invite you to join our party."

The woman looks at the three slightly drunk men with a mixture of disgust and pity. She has been trying to avoid any issues since leaving Mars and arriving on Victorious Station. She had hoped to be able to get away from humanity but even in deep, deep space she runs into, what was it her great great-grandmother had called them? Male Chauvinist pigs. She's tried to be polite but the three deep space miners have not taken the hint.

Before she can say anything she hears a male voice come from behind the three miners.

"If I were you I'd leave her alone."

The three men turn to see a relatively young, pale and thin man with no hair standing there, smiling at them and with his tan-gloved hands at his side.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do if we don't?"

The miners ball up their hands and begin to tense up. The bartender sees the possible confrontation and grabs his communicator to get security here.

"Oh, I'm sorry if you misunderstood my words." The man raises his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not threatening you. I'm just warning you."

"Warning us? About what?"

"Well, you see," the man looks around the bar to see who might be listening. He begins to talk softly. "She's not your normal woman. She's a Space Marine. And take it from me, I know she's been involved in some pretty rough stuff."

The miners turn around and take a another, more careful, look at the woman. Though she wears loose clothes that partially hide her figure, the way she sits upright, having slightly broader shoulders than a woman normally has, and having a firm jaw that has several light scars running up the sides, she doesn't really look like the type of woman who would take crap from men like them. They realize that the pale man is more than likely correct.

"Oh, we're sorry, ma'am. We didn't realize. We, uh, apologize, right fellas?"

The other miners rapidly nod their heads. They quickly back away while still apologizing and then turn to quickly leave the bar.

The woman looks at the pale and thin man standing before her. He gives her a friendly smile.

"May I join you? I can understand if you don't want me to."

She shrugs her shoulders. "Sure, you kept me from having to kick their butts. Least I can do is let you have a seat."

"Thank you," the man nods and sits down.

She looks closely at the man. He looks young enough to have served in the military and looks tall enough to possibly have had special physical augmentation. However, he looks way too thin to have received any military augmentation or to have actually served in a combat unit. Yet for some strange reason he looks familiar.

"What's wrong, Katherine?" the man asks. "Sorry, I can call you that, can't I?"

She nods but is a little surprised that he knows her first name. "You know me?"

The man nods. She looks closely at him.

"Did you serve under me?"

"No, ma'am."

"I swear I've met you before, but if you weren't on the T'Shara or after I transferred to the Agamemnon...." she lets her voice trail off. She tries hard to remember where she could have met him.