[center][h1]AMINA GALAL[/h1]
[h3]”ROGUE”[/h3][/center]
[hr]

“I think it goes without saying that… it would mean everything to me if you could help me with this, Mister Saracino.”

Amina and Charles Saracino walked side by side down a hallway, just down the way from where the meeting had been. After everyone else had dispersed to gear up and handle any last minute affairs Amina had stayed back, getting Charles’ attention with a hand on his shoulder and asking him to walk and talk with her. It felt a bit strange in truth, Amina really did not [i]know[/i] Saracino and while certainly far from being a shy sort she found herself a bit stuttery and hesitant on her words here and there. Nevertheless, she had finally delivered her request to Charles - that favor she had been meaning to ask him.

“I would owe you much,” Amina stopped and turned on her heels to face the SRN President, “honestly; everything.”

Charles crossed his arms, eyes downcast as he turned to face Amina. She felt a nervous tingling running up her spine, her breath was coming slightly quicker but not noticeably so. She held her own arms firm against her sides as she looked Saracino in the face searching for some preemptive suggestion to his coming response. He looked up, Amina’s throat tightening as he did,  he smiled and met her eyes saying, “I will do everything I can.”

Amina resisted the urge to exhale loudly. No sense in doing something as rude as suggesting with her body language that she did not expect him to actually help her. Amina swallowed, the nervous feeling now a sudden surging of anticipation and eagerness. SRN had the personnel, resources, and money to do what she could not. Impulsively Amina stuck her right hand out, Saracino clasped hold of it and the two shared a firm handshake.

“Thank you, sir.” Amina said as levelly as she could.

Saracino nodded, “I will have to wait until after the memorial but I give you my word that I will have people looking into the possible whereabouts of your family.”

That was it, what she needed - Charles’ word that he would help Amina in finding her parents and brother. Amina felt her chest swell slightly and a surge of anticipation roll through her gut at the prospect of getting to see her family again, and hopefully very soon. Of course Amina knew it would take some time, maybe weeks or even months. Not to mention the channels necessary and any leads to be dug up and followed. But right now this was enough to give the woman hope. She had given Charles her families’ names and last known locations and anything else she could remember, now the ball was in his court, as they say. All she could do now was wait and what better way to pass the time than with missions?

“Thank you.” Amina said a second time before gingerly pulling her hand away from Saracino’s, he gave her a knowing nod still holding his smile. “You should go prepare yourself for departure.” Saracino said to which Amina nodded, stopping herself from saluting, and briskly started to walk away. She was about ten feet away from Charles when she stopped in her tracks, there was something else on her mind she wanted to ask Charles - something from the meeting. Amina sighed internally and urged herself forward deciding it was nothing worth discussing now though the thought still lingered. [i]Why did he let the other team leader just appoint Nadara as our team leader? Since when does this man have more push and authority than the president of the organization?[/i] What was also eating at Amina was how Charles had started to address her - “Leader” he nearly said before “Slim” decided to assert himself over Charles and name Nadara head of their team. [i]He almost picked me and then and Slim decided Nadara the better candidate? Why her? Why not Solveig? Why not Kysar even? Nadara could screw this whole thing up. Her mother may be asari military but I see no essence of a tactician within that green tentacled head. And what about me? I have commanded a unit before, not just three people in a search and rescue.[/i]

Amina felt that familiar welcome flush of heat across her face and in the pit of her chest that generally came when she was brooding her outright angry. She decided it best to drop it for now, clear it from her mind rather, and just focus on getting things done on Mars. [i]How much of this is just jealousy that you were nudged aside at the last minute? Or an innate inability to take orders given by aliens.[/i] Amina gritted her teeth and grudgingly acknowledged both of those things as possibilities. She would so as expected then and follow Nadara’s lead on Mars. But she had every intention later on of bringing Nadara’s pick for team leader to full question if this operation was a flop.