Bennu Station, 428:6

12 Oct, 2025

For moving to the edge of the known, I am spending a surprising amount of time off of Bennu, mostly because Shah doesn't want to go on the trips our office is obliged to go on.

This one was a quick half-day shuttle trip inward, to try and find consensus on the minutiae of Ship Compliance, so that docking at Bennu and other core-controlled stations remains permitted. This meeting was all about Chapter 3 of the core statute, and the goal wasn't even to come to any decisions, it was just to establish a working group with members from all of the three closest outer-concentrics. There were around fifty participants, and I was there to provide the Bennu perspective and why compliance with the articles in Chapter 3 is important.

The meetings were fine and I got along with most of the delegates, but a poorly timed lift ride instigated one of the most awkward situations I've ever been in. On the last day of the meeting, I decided to splurge and exceed the per diem expense limit that Bennu provides and treat myself to breakfast in the Solar View restaurant; it's expensive food with a nice view of the local space, and they do a good job with some of the core dishes that I haven't had in a long time. After hearing delegates rave about the klets---a childhood favourite---for two days, I decided I deserved one helping on my last day.

The lifts to the Solar View are quick, so I didn't expect to be sharing one on the way to breakfast, but when the door opened, dey themselves were there, both heads smiling in welcome. dey are the leaders of the second concentrics and we chatted politely, but they rarely engage in idle chatter with someone as low-ranked as me.

The Solar View was basically empty when we arrived. I had come early so I would still have some time to prepare for the final meeting back in my room. dey said they were meeting the other concentric leads for a breakfast conference. Despite the difference in our positions, it was still awkward being seated by the host. dey asked for a table for three or four, and I could tell they were considering asking me to join. To avoid the awkwardness, I blurted out a request for a table for one and was whisked away to enjoy my breakfast.

Thankfully, I was seated with my back was to dey and the view was nice, so I could lose myself in my klets experience. I had just ordered when I heard Athay, one of the core delegates that I had spent the last two days working closely with, come in. He is more outgoing and forward than I am, so when he noticed dey waiting alone, asked if he could join. dey acquiesced of course, and the nucleus of friendly faces attracted all subsequent delegates who had decided on breakfast at the Solar View. It turned out to be quite a few.

I never turned around to look, but I was only a few tables away so I could make out most of the conversation. It wasn't until I was halfway through the klets---which was delicious, the fry on the crust reminded me of the way my mom prepared it---that someone from the core asked the assembled group in a moderately quiet voice if that was me eating all alone. No one asked me to join, but I was already eating, so moving would have been awkward.

As their group kept growing, their food delivery kept getting delayed. After overhearing the comment about me, I couldn't enjoy the experience anymore. I should have simply turned around and said something about not noticing such a big group and made some joke about how compliance officers are supposed to have high levels of awareness.

Instead, I tried to rush through my coffee just to extricate myself from the situation. It was too hot, and I ended up leaving some in the cup and charging the meal to my room rather than paying the server, and I fled, my face and tongue burning all the way back to my room.

#bennu #eblo #writing