Tanya looked up from her work to see Mark standing across the table, holding one of the old omni-tools like it was some kind of alien relic beyond comprehension. "It's like my old boss used to say, 'If it's not blowing up in your face, you aren't learning.'" she replied dryly, writing into a notepad, [I]Serrice Council model phase emitter NOT compatible with Kassa Fabrication frames!!![/I] "There's a reason there's a big ass disclaimer about not altering or tampering with omni-tools, because shit like that happens. Rule of thumb; just because it fits doesn't mean it works. In this case, the connectors are reversed between two of the different models and it overloaded it, kind of like if you put a battery in backwards." she said, turning down the music to levels it was easier to converse with, the holographic dial on the stereo control calibrated to be a perfect fit for her hand. "You managed to endure and pass my first line of defense. Time to retreat to the trenches." she said, opening up another omni-tool casing and laying out the parts across the rubber surface on the work bench. 

"You're quick to jump to assumptions about my history, but consider it your lucky day I'm actually in a good mood today and I've been trying to follow my list of resolutions a bit more closely this year." Tanya said to Mark, glancing up and taking note of the old Mattock he must have discovered that was never unpacked or stored properly. She returned to sorting components from various other omni-tools, parts so small and fragile they looked like watch components. "63rd Expeditionary Division, attached to the 6th Fleet. Not to be confused with the 63rd Scout Flotilla. Instead of being a colony garrison, our regiments were stationed primarily ship side as a reactionary force. Plenty of planet-side deployments and training exercises, some combat deployments that didn't amount to anything, one that did. Not something I care to talk about. If you pan out, get on my good side, and probably get an irresponsible amount of liquor into me, then maybe. Let's just say I've seen shit that nobody ever should and leave it at that." she said, closing up her latest creation and powering it up. 

The omni-tool activated, and to Tanya's credit, didn't immediately explode in her face. However, it was much dimmer and pulsing like a fluorescent light bulb on its last legs. Deactivating it, she disassembled the omni-tool with deft, practiced hands that worked with Keeper-like coordination and efficiency. She looked up at the omni-tool in Mark's hand and a moment of revelation hit her. "Pass that here." she said with a hint of excitement, taking it and quickly tearing into it. 

"Anyways, don't take offense to my lack of transparency. Most people on the team know next to nothing about my past with a few notable exceptions, and it's kind of an unspoken rule that we don't go digging into each other's closets, so to speak. If you want to stick with Nova, you need to understand that it's a fresh start for pretty much everyone. You don't end up here unless you're trying to discard some baggage that's been haunting you for a while for the most part. Why else take a chance on a small team of misfits instead of joining an established outfit? I wouldn't have it any other way." she said, reassembling the omni-tool with the new components, powering it up. Almost immediately, it materialized with a solid, stable glow. Tanya quickly ran through it's functions, grinning at her handiwork. "I'll credit you with the assist for this one. The parts I plucked out of that Nexus tool have very little resistance from the power source to individual components, so the Ohms rating is optimal. This piece of Frankenstein shit will work for now, until I can buy a new one, but at least it'll be mission worthy. Anyways," she turned her attention to Mark. "You strike me as a fellow marine. What the fuck happened there?" she asked. "You claim a lot of combat experience, and yet we find you shitfaced at a bar instead of doing your job guarding some asshole. Times are rough?"