"So, would you like some avian roast or should we do the kids a favour and eat the veggie-mix they seem to despise lately?"
She looked at him with a mother's stern look, "Ben knows better! I'll have a little talk with him in the morning!"
"For now," she sighed, "I guess we can have some.
She sat across from Erik with a glass of wine as they started discussing Tau 44. She was in thought as she spoke about it.
"Being new to the Republic, I have much to learn about Tau 44 and Planet Borneo. Of course, having never been past Tau 29, well, I really haven't gotten close to it."
She paused a moment and took a sigh before looking at Erik. "I sometimes feel guilty. Sure, I took an oath to save lives but having had divided loyalties when Rhienland and Liberty were at war, having been rescued in a radiated war zone and patching up those fighting for my new homeland, I feel as if, well, I should do more. I mean, I don't even carry my sidearm most of the time and no one ever taught me how to fly something more than a transport."
She gave a "hmph" and a shrug, "Probably would look better when I finally can file my citizenship paperwork in a few years now wouldn't it?"
She then took a quick look to where Ben was sleeping. "It's Ben I worry about. Now, Peter too. I can't fathom how Ben would be if I got killed in a war zone."
She turned back to Erik, "Nor would I want you to go through that again." The very thought of it all brought her to silence as she looked down for a moment.
She quietly took a bite of the veggie mix. It was quite good. She then looked back to Erik, "Just one thing with this cruise. No talk of work or even of war. I, for one, will be leaving my pager here. I think the staff that I've built will do quite fine on their own." She finally smiled again, admiring Erik's nightware.
"Neither one of us get loose enough or relax enough."