Chapter 4 & 5 Intermission 3: Unwelcome Reunion I

[Ray of Meep]

Co-authored by: Ray of Meep (GM), Ikate Keda Studios, TheCountryWarrior

???? A.D, Three weeks after arrival at the capital

Silbern System, Stahl Belt, Nikolaus Otto dwarf-planetary system, Magnuski Station

The Hings ring of the station was its youngest, completed only a couple of Earth-years ago. Thus, there was a mix of both residents from other rings who wanted a less crowded environment, and a steadily increasing immigrant population from all sectors of human space. Regardless of origin, most of this population was well-educated and worked maintenance, entertainment, education, and business.

The simulated time was evening now, with the center shaft of the ring lit with a soft, orange glow, and the temperature of the air artificially decreased. Joan was stationed at one of the few market centers of the Hings Ring, between the main entrance and a railway that looped around.

She was bored. She had probably answered thirty requests for directions, taken ten complaints for little things, someone cutting another person off while they were walking, simple bumps and accidents, things that really had no fault to lay on anyone. She sighed, writing in a little notebook while listening to a complaint. She was glad for the helmet she wore covering her face so the person didn't see her roll her eyes. "Ya said, 'e bumped inta you," She said, keeping her voice professional, but not believing someone would actually bring something like this to the police.

"Bumped into me?" The man asked rhetorically, sounding offended. "He attacked me with my coffee! I'd consider that assault!"

"I said I was sorry!" The other man, the "Offender" said, now sounding frustrated. "Officer I swear, it was a complete accident," He explained to Joan.

Joan sighed, putting the pad back into a pocket in her vest. "Look. Sir," She said, looking at the one filing the complaint. "If ya wanna press charges, ah kin do dat, but it'll require ya ta go ta court, make yer case, and dere is a chane dat dis... violent assault wif yer own coffee could be frown out in ya could be charged with Frivilous Litigation. Would'cha like ta press charges?"

Both men stared at her for a moment, confused. Then the complaintant pointed at him. "Can't you just, take him to jail! Give him some time to think about his carelessness!"

"No..." Joan said, looking at the man. "Ah cannot just arrest people. Ya need ta press charges. Ah legally cannot do nuffin," She said. "Ah weren't dere ta watch, so ah kin only go off wha'cha say," She sighed.

"Waste of a uniform," The man scoffed, crossing his arms. "You know, you would probably get further if you did your job properly," He snapped, starting to walk away. "And learn how to speak!" He shouted back, storming away.

Joan groaned, letting it go and turning to the "defendant." "Kin ya watch where ya go from now on eh? Ah git it was an accident, just... Try in learn from it yeah?" She asked.

"Yeah," He said with a nod. "Sorry bout all this, have a nice day," He said, leaving her alone to hate her life a little.

There was a beep in Joan's earpiece and a map popped up on her head with a red, highlighted waypoint. It wasn't clear yet what's going on, but she was the closest officer most nearby.

So, she started a leasurly run to get there. Just cause the job Ulrike sent her on was dumb didn't mean she couldn't do it right. It took her less than a minute to respond, and she could see a man sprinting down the street. Alost like a movie, a shop keeper came out, looked at her and pointed. "Go get him!" She shouted, and Joan sprinted.

He kept running, and Joan wasn't used to how the surveilance tracking worked, so it was on her to keep up. Being up and able to work didn't mean she didn't hate this person more for making her run on a freshly healed leg, but she didn't let it stop her from running him down. She finally closed the distance, tackling the runner to the ground, struggling a bit.

Joan was surprised. This guy clearly knew how to fight her, but she could tell the experince was old and untrained, and fitness wasn't exactly high on this guys priority list, but he continued to struggle. "Stop... Fucker... Ah will taze ya fucker!" She growled, pushing him into the ground to give her the space to breath to grab her tazer. The only 'weapon' she had.

"Alright!" The guy shouted, putting his hands out. "Alright, ya caught me okay?" He said, giving Joan the ability to cuff his hands behind her back. "I just wanted to eat, things haven't been going great," He muttered as Joan got up, ready to pick him up.

"Dat doesn' mean ya kin knick ovah people stuff," She growled, picking him up and turning him around. The second she did she froze.

The man looked confused. "Do I know you?" He asked, looking Joan up and down. "I swear I heard your voice before," He added. Joan didn't say anything as she tried to wrap her brain around who she was seeing.

"T-Tyler?" She asked. It was her Ex.

"Joan?!" Tyler asked, perking up a little. "You have to be Joan, you're the only person I know who has that accent," He said with a smile as Joan took off her helmet. "I was actually heading back to Earth! Funny running into you here, are the kids with you?" He asked.

Joan just looked at him, feeling a weight in her stomach. She thought back on the custody agreement, then slowly nodded her head. "Uh... Yeah, yeah Jacob in Mandy are back at da ship..." She said, still trying to process the likelyhood that the father of her children was standing right in front of it, in hand cuffs.

"I'd really like to see th-" He started before Joan punched him in the mouth hard enough to send him to the ground. Several people stopped to watch what just happened. "Yeah..." Tyler muttered, squirming into a sitting position. "I deserved that."

"Ya fucking well know ya did!" Joan shouted, dragging him back to his feet. "Ya put me in yer dusties frough fuckin 'ell, abandon dem ta go cross da fucking galaxy fer a stupid fuckin bar, in now yer 'ere shopliftin! You lowlife piece o' dirt!" She snapped, balling her fists up again.

Someone grabbed her by the wrist. "Woah! What the hell is going on here?!" Behind Joan was another police officer in a helmet, her captain. "You've been on the job for three days, Page, and now you're breaking rules? Get him back to the precinct. You and I are going to have a conversation after." At this point a crowd gathered. A couple were videotapping the unfolding drama.

"Don't get her in too much trouble!" Tyler shouted as he was pulled away. "I definately deserved that!" He called out as he was pushed into the car.

Joan growled, glaring at the car. "Favvah of me kids," She said pointedly. "Ah won't deny ah 'it 'im. Do wha'cha needs ta do," She growled, putting her hands behind her back.

 

[Ray of Meep]

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Joan found herself in an empty interrogation room. Her hands were ziptied and her helmet was placed on the table. Her "Captain" walked in, followed by a familiar figure. He took out a pair of wire cutters and split Joan's bounds. "I'll leave you two to talk." He commented flatly, then left and closed the door behind him.

"Alright, what did you do?" Ulrike let herself have a seat and pushed up her cheek with a hand. "This isn't like you, Joan, I figured you were pretty disciplined."

"Ah punched Tylah in da face," Joan said flatly, looking at Ulrike. "Ah know ah shouldn' 'ave, but ah did," She said simply.

"Uhh... what?" Ulrike's eyes widened and raised her head. "Him? On this station?"

"Arrested 'im meself," Joan grumbled. "Ah wasn' expectin it, ah turned meself in, ah didn' cause no strife fer nuffin 'aving dem bring me in," She added. "Da first fing outta 'is mouf was wan'in ta see me dusties like 'ee gives a damn," She growled, her mood getting fouler by the second.

Ulrike gave an uneasy chuckle. "What are the odds. Him being on this station and you finding him shoplifting." She then looked at Joan sincerely. "What do you want to do? You're in your full right to forget about him and move on."

"Ah can't," Joan sighed, leaning back in her chair, frustration clear on her face. "Da courts gran'ed 'im visitation so long as ah wasn't required ta disrupt da lives of meself er ma kids fer dem ta see 'im. 'e's 'ere, ah kin't stop 'im from seeing Jacob er Mandy," She said, taking a deep breath and letting it out heavily. "Ah jus' gotta suck it up ah s'pose."

"And we don't have a reason to leave." Ulrike gave a brief, frustrated look in response. "You'll have to let him see the kids. I'll arrange for a hotel you can stay in for a few days."

"No," Joan groaned, crossing her arms. "Ah... Ah dun know," She said, her hands going wild, opening and closing. " 'e was knicking food ta eat," She said, looking at Ulrike. "Ah don' speak da grea'est o' 'im, bu' ah know 'e wouldn' start knickin food if 'e 'ad anovvah choice," She frowned, her fingers going white with her grip.

"What are you implying?" Ulrike raised an eyebrow and asked apprehensively.

Joan frowned. "Ah'd feel terrible if Jacob in Mandy saw 'im 'omeless..." She said, laying her head down. She was silent for a minute, before she let out another heavy sigh. "Can ah ask a favor..." She finally said, looking up at Ulrike.

"I get it, you want him on the ship." Ulrike sighed. "You know the situation we're in, right?"

"Ah know!" Joan groaned, covering her eyes. "But ya know Tylah! Is not like 'e's some random shmuck! Ya said so yerself! 'e might be a useless favvah, but 'e ain't a useless 'uman!" She argued, still conflicted. "Ah dun like dis at all, but ah kin't let me kids fink dey are related ta a to'al failah," She pleaded. "It'd crush em Ulrike..."

"I'm mostly concerned for security." Ulrike explained. "Here's the deal. I'm going to keep you and him in a hotel room for a few days while I run background checks on him. After that, I'll hire him, mostly for your sake. Are we good?"

"Sounds good ta me," Joan sighed. "Ah'm not da biggest fan, but... Ah 'preciate da 'elp..." She sighed.

Ulrike waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. Safety aside, it seems Eberhard and I will have to talk to Juan at some point."

"No," Joan said, sitting up quickly. "If dis is gonna affect anyfing between me an im, den ah'm gonna tell im. Ah ain't a coward." She said, sighing. "Ah'll talk ta 'im when I get ta da ship..."

 

[Ray of Meep]

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Joan stood outside Juan's room, building up the courage to knock. She felt terrible, but the conversation had to happen. So she knocked. When Juan opened up the door, he could tell something was up. "Can ah come in?" She asked, hugging herself, avoiding eye contact. "We... Need ta talk..."

Juan had been chilling in his room, when the knock had come. The sight of Joan made him smile, but her stance and how she said what she did set him on edge. He answered worriedly. "Okay... come on in. I hope it's not too bad of news."

Joan nodded, walking into the room, not sitting down anywhere. "Ah really like ya..." She started, biting her lip. "But somefing came up. I... Ran into Tylah earlier, in a fink wif everyfing going on ah... Ah 'ave ta pump da breaks a li'el on me in ya. Jus' till ah figure out wha ah'm gonna do wif 'im. Ah dun wanna rock da boat wif 'im right yet, in a new rela'tionship wif ya would really stress me out," She sighed, finally looking at Juan. "Ah understand if yer upset... Ah know ah would be, aftah everyfing we said and done..."

Juan stood there, mouth agape. His heart sank into his stomach, and all he could do was stare for a second. His head leaned down to face the floor, and he closed his mouth to stop looking like an idiot. He stammered for a bit, and didn't really know what to say. "I... uhhh." He looked around the room, and just felt his mind try and work around this. Tyler? Really? In this section of space, at this particualr time, he just happned to be there?

"Ya kin yell at me..." Joan sighed, looking at Juan. "Ah've really treated ya terribly, in ah'm not sayin ah'm takin 'im back, but ah 'ave ta let 'im see Jacob in Miranda... In 'e's in a bad way," She said, hugging herself tighter. "Ah know it's stupid, ah know it's a mistake, but..." She groaned, covering her face. "Ah can't let me kids fink 'e's a failah!" She broke down. "Ah dun want Jacob finking 'e's gonna grow up ta be 'omeless, fucking stealin ta eat!" She heaved, leaning on the wall as she cried. "But ah can't 'andle da argament wif 'im if 'e finds out ah'm seeing ya, and..." She trailed off, her shoulders slumping. "Ah just don' know..."

He really couldn't fathom how to take this. "I... I..." He trailed off, and shook his head. "Come on, Jacob's smarter than that, We just need to remind him that if he's not stupid he won't turn out like his deadbeat dad. He abandoned you Joan, you and the kids, for a pipe dream. He sent you into debt to pay the damn legal fees, after he took everything he could and booked it to the far ends of the universe!" He felt himself shaking, in anger, sorrow, desperation, he wasn't sure. "Tyler is a failure, and he almost took you and the kids down with him!"

"Ah legally 'ave to let 'im see dem..." Joan said, avoiding the points Juan made. "Ah dun 'ave a choice. Ah nevah said ah'm takin 'im back..." She added quietly, looking at Juan. "Ah 'ave ta bite da bullet 'ere," She sniffed, rubbing her nose with her arm. "Ah could nevah forgive meself if ah jus' left 'im ta rot... Ah just... Ah see 'im an ah can' 'elp but see Jacob..." She said. "Ah jus' need some time ta git Tylah up ta speed... Ya know... So we kin avoid da arguament. In ah dun wan' 'im fillin Jacob in Mandy's ears wif bad fings about ya, so ah 'ave tah be dere... an Ah dun want dem gettin mad at cha fer makin dere dad angry... Ah just..." She trailed off, looking at the floor. Despite usually being so strong, she looked thoroughly defeated in this moment.

He stares at her, hurt, angry, sad. His breath comes heavily, and his fist clenches. "Having him here is already causing more problems than it's worth. Look at yourself Joan, you are hurting yourself by having this problem here! What sort of lesson does this show the kids huh? 'It's okay if you fail, because the people you wronged beyond simple wrongdoing will take you back?' That's not a good lesson!"

"Ah don't 'ave a choice!" Joan suddenly screeched,glaring at Juan with a fury only a mother could muster. "Ah dun let 'im see them, ah could fucking loose dem and not a single fucking person, including you, is werf dat to me!" She snarled.

Juan stepped back, and inwardly smacked himself. "That's... fair enough. I overstepped. But you don't have to keep him here. Quick visit, and then we forget about this, right? He can go his way, the path of broken dreams that he built by almost crushing your family, and we can go our way, the path of constructive relationships."

"As long as 'e's 'ere, on dis station, ah 'ave ta let 'im 'ave access..." Joan said, crossing her arms, looking down again, looking meek after her outburst. "Custody agreements are 'ard work, in it was fine fer da moment cause 'ow could ah 'ave known any of dis was gonna 'appen?" She asked, looking at Juan. "Until ah know 'ow Jacob in Mandy feel, ah can't do nuffin..." She said, looking at Juan. "I suffah every day ta make dem 'appy, in ways ya can't imagine. Ya made dat easah fer me, and it means a lot, but ah will suffer da fury o' 'ell itself tah make me kids 'appy..." She frowned. "If 'e kin prove ah'm breakin da custody agreement, 'e kin take me ta court again, in win custody of dem an ah kin't let dat 'appen..." She frowned. "Ah just can't..."

He paced about the room, desperate to find anything to say to keep this going, fearing he was running out of arguments. "I... I know. And I don't want you to lose the kids. I don't want to lose them either, they're just a staple of living on the ship now. Another plus to this job, that sat right beside you when I looked at whever this job is even worth it. I..." He growled, and moved his hands around, so much pent up energy channeling itself out. "I... damnit Joan..." He sat on his bed, staring at the ground. "I just got you... I thought this was something solid. It's hard to let go, even if it's possibly only temporary."

"Ah know..." Joan said, frowning. "Ah nevah expected dis of all fings ta 'appen. One second, ah'm dealin wif a shopliftah, next fing ah know ah'm face ta face wif 'im..." She said, not getting off the wall.

"So I'm right. He's already a failure. The kids will see that. Jacob can remember his dad choosing a pipe dream over him, and he's old enough to hold a grudge now. No amount of window dressing is gonna make an outhouse smell any better."

"Juan," Joan said, looking at him. "You 'ave no idea 'ow much ah 'ope yer right... But ma 'ands are tied til Miranda turns firteen. Ah may 'ave ta deal wif dis fer seven more years... Give me a few weeks ta see if 'e's gonna run off again..." She said. "If 'e does, Ah'll scratch up da funds tah request da agreement be modified, in ya will be right dere. If 'e doesn't ah'll set 'im straight, tell dem 'bout us, and work frough it," She said softly. "Ah jus' can't 'andle dis all 'appening right now," She said, looking back at the floor.

"That's a terrible plan. The last part anyway. He didn't work through his last problem, he abandoned his family, and flew across the galaxy. Sure, he can see his kids, but anything more than that is far more than he deserves." His fists clenched and unclenched, and he looked up at her with a searching face. "Why are you bothering to help him beyond the bare minimum? He didn't think too hard about your well being did he? When he gallavanted off to follow a dream with a quarter chance of working anyways! He had his chance, he had two kids with you, and then abandoned them and you! You are being too easy on him, and I'm worried you know it."

"If ah can't fergive 'im fer what 'e did," Joan said, pointing out the door. " 'ow kin ah come close ta fergivin meself fer torturin a civilian in fucking executing 'er?" She asked, visibly trembling now.

He stood up, now exhasperated. "Those are two entirely different lives and situations."

"Yeah!" Joan said. " 'e fucked me over good but Ah'm no fucking sweet'eart evah! Ah cae ta terms wif 'aving blood on me 'and a long time ago, but dese las' few missions 'ave put blood on ma 'ands dat still keeps me up at night!" She gasped. "Please... Ah know it's dumb, but ah can't sleep ovah it... Let me try, an if ah'm wrong in 'e fucks off again, 'oo cares? Ah dun wanna be wif 'im again, 'e leaves evah on 'is own, er cause ah'm wif you laytah, makes no difference. Ah need ta be da bettah person!"

"That's all well and good, until he fucks you over again because you had to be nice to him. He's a leech Joan."

 

[Ray of Meep]

"An dis time 'e tries it," Joan said, looking at Juan. "Ah'll burn 'im off fer good. Ah'm aware o' 'is tricks, ah'm already on da watch fer dem."

"That feels like it can go so wrong so fast."

"Ah won't 'old it against ya if ya fink ah'm dumb..." She said, looking at him with a sigh. "But dis is mah plan a'ead. If 'e's 'ere ta fuck me ovah, den 'e'll try ta rob me for 'e runs off again. Dats wha' 'e does. 'e nevah gave a shit bout family before, so ah know what ta look fer if dis is a trick," She finished.

He growled with impatience, and he stared at the cieling, dumbstruck. "You just said it yourself! He doesn't give a shit about family! Yet here you are giving him a second chance! He lost the rights to have you be the better person and help him when he abandoned you! You aren't just talking about him seeing his kids, you're talking like he's going to be staying for the foreseeable future! You're talking like he actually has a shot at weasling his way into your family, after everything he did!"

"SHUT UP!" Joan screamed, again, standing straight up. "Ah fuckin told ya what ah'm gonna do knowin ya were gonna be upset cause ah've been playing red light green light wif our relationship, and ah was prepared ta 'ave ya angry bout dat, but ah will not let ya tell me 'ow ta go bout dealin wif mah nippahs!" She snapped, face hot with anger. "Ah fought if ya were good wif waitin a bit, dis could work, but now ah'm ntos sure," She said, storming off. "Ah've gotta go git da kids ready," She growled, the only thing stopping her from slamming the door was her physical inability to do so.

Juan felt his anger melt away, and just felt hurt. He stood up and locked the door, and moved back to his bed. Breathing heavily, he covered himself up and hid, like a child hiding from responsibility. All he felt was hurt, his chest hurting, his head hurt, and his just tried to block everything out. How could he have been stupid enough to think it would have ever worked.