It's me
29 Nov 2020Mina Angura
I suppose I've been around the metaphorical block of the Bubble long enough to introduce myself, especially since I've made something of a name for myself in both Imperial and Federation space.I am Minara Angura. Mina, for short.
I don't dislike my name. It's just... not me. And also a mouthful.
I'm from Hooperport, in the Arcturus system, originally. My dad was a miner at Richardson's Mine. Not much to write home about there. And mom was a mechanic in the station. Mostly general upkeep around the station. Sometimes she got her hands on some of the old mining equipment Dad could procure on the surface, refurbish and upgrade it, and resell it to other miners. It was a nice little side hustle, I guess. Never had to worry about food, clothes, any of that, despite having two blue-collar parents.
Then she was gone.
I'm not sure what happened. Did she get untethered and drift off on a maintenance walk in the black? Did she run off with someone, the strain of only seeing Dad twice a month if we were lucky finally straining their marriage to the breaking point? Did she join the NMLA? Whatever the case is, I'm over it.
I'd like to think she's still alive, still out there, fighting for a cause she believes in. I hope she's happy. Because I'm pissed. If I ever run into her in the black, she's taking a long walk out of a short airlock. Without a spacesuit.
Due to the nature of Dad's work, joining him on the surface of Arcturus 6 was not really an option for us, and without any family around, I was left at the age of 14 to company care for single parents onboard the station. It strained his finances (you'd think after literal centuries we'd have all figured out the capitalization of social care is shitty?), and between his old debts and the new burden of having my room, board, and various living expenses directly drained from his paycheque with no say in the matter... Gotta love growing up in a corporate dicatorship.
I helped as much as I could. Odd jobs under the table until I was old enough to follow in Mom's footsteps. I apprenticed as a Mechanic as soon as I was able, enlisted with my skills into the Alliance military, and ended up on a megaship primarily working on weapons power distribution. It wasn't glamorous, but it got me off that godforsaken station. I was able to travel a bit and see beyond Arcturus for the first time ever. And...
Well, it's one thing to know we're all insignificant specks of dust whirling around on rocks and hunks of metal and in boats powered by chemical reactions that push them in the general direction the pilot would like to go. It's a completely fucking different thing to see it firsthand.
I'm not sure what you'd call it. Not quite wanderlust (though I have made long expeditions to Colonia for the hell of it, and unironically flew out to Hutton Orbital for a cup of coffee and the mug - no free Anaconda though, sigh), but seeing a literal universe of possibilities ignited a fire in me. I didn't just want to ride on a boat. I wanted my own.
As soon as my contract was up, I joined the Pilots Federation and soaked up as much as I could. I don't mean to brag, but I don't think anyone in my courses wanted this as bad as I did. I imagine this is how people my age felt on Earth back in the 2000s, getting their first... What were they called? Damn, my history is rusty... You know what I mean though. The freedom to go anywhere you want. That little loaner Sidewinder wasn't much, and I regret selling it, but it was the first taste of something much bigger...
I'm still not super sure what I want to be doing out here. I joined an old commnet friend, CMDR Valanga, in her little startup squadron in an administrative role. The Macho Gang. A bit ironic, seeing as we're both women and not particularly macho. She says it has something to do with her archeological research. I'll take her word for it. I'm not super interested in relics of a bygone era, myself, but if it pays the bills and helps me see more of the galaxy... Well, I'm not above swallowing my pride for a paycheque, and the money's good compared to what I'm used to. REALLY good. If banking regulations in the PF weren't so tight, the two of us alone could buy a Drake, but you know how tight those paper-pushers are about our funds.
I'm not really sure what I want to be doing out here. I'm not sure I'll ever REALLY know. But I'm having a hell of a time figuring it out. And if I never figure it out...
Well, it's about the journey, right?
-M