Calista sat in one of the many observation lounges of Antares Base, staring out the window towards the iridescent purple nebula near by as she cradled a cup of cocoa in her hands, her thoughts else where as she ran a finger idly around the from of her cup while steam rose into the air from the surface of the hot liquid. Being off duty, the ADD Agent was dressed much more relaxed with her blond hair hanging free, she wore a loose emerald shirt that hung off of one shoulder, with a long flowing black skirt with her bare feet tucked beneath her while her sandals sat beside the chair she occupied.

It took a moment before she realized that someone was talking to her, she looked up and saw a red haired woman staring at her "I'm sorry I was kind of spaced out...what did you ask?"

Minerva had to notice the new person in Antares Base even if she did appear to be off duty. She seemed to be enjoying the view of the nebula in the window while drinking a cup of cocoa. It was always nice to meet a new person on board the Antares. She maybe a new recruit, she just maybe someone that just arrived from a long mission. Either way it was someone new that the redhead could learn about. The young agent got herself a cup of coca and made her over to finely dressed woman. Minerva said something but the distracted agent wasn't really paying attention asked her to repeat the question.

The redhead still in her red dress uniform, as she had just gotten off duty, repeated her question with a smile. Hi, my name is Minerva Rocha, would you mind if I joined you...Miss?

"Age-, I mean Calista Cole," She replied as she corrected herself, more a reflex than a conscious thing that had been drilled into her at the academy, just as it was with all Agents, though Minerva seemed a bit more relaxed. She waving her arm to indicate the abundance of chairs surrounding her as she smiled "Take your pick, not like anybody else is clamoring to sit with a Special Talent."

It was true, many of the mundane Agents weren't comfortable being near her, afraid she was reading their thoughts despite the regulation prohibiting her from doing so or that she was one step removed from the alien scum that they all fought against. She turned to her cooling cocoa as she looked back to the window "So Minerva, what decided to make you want to talk to me?"

While it was obvious the blond agents attitude was hostile, it was overly so, as if designed to try and push someone away or offend them.

Minerva walked over and took a seat when the blond agent offered the seat, or rather of seats. The redhead body tensed a little bit when she heard Special Talent. Special Talent was a polite phrase for psychic, someone that most agents avoided. The other agents often avoided those with Special Talents often afraid of what such a person could learn about them, and most agents had plenty of secrets, experiences, and desires they wanted to hide.

Of course that made such an agent like Cole, a lonely person. She had no one to talk to, no one to confide in. It was rather unfortunate, already the blond haired woman had put a hostile tone, a defensive mechanism designed to protect her and other agents from the possible threat of friendship. After all if she hand no friends, she couldn't accidently betray that friendship. That was a horrible existence.

No that was going to happen, she was going to have at least one friend in this base. I have never met you before, and I like to know a little about my fellow agents I work beside. She smiled as she sat down nearby. The nebula is very beautiful, is it not?

Calista considered Minerva for a moment, sensing a genuine desire to give the psychic at least one person she could talk to and an intriguing curiosity about her, this softened the blond woman's mood a little as she considered the nebula outside the transparisteel separating them from the hard vacuum of space, taking a sip of her drink before she replied in a softer tone than she had greeted the other agent with "It is...I always try to make time to look at it even for a moment when I am here at Antares...it reminds me a lot of where I grew up,". She knew Special Talents weren't supposed to talk about their pasts with anyone not authorized to know, that generally included anyone NOT part of the program, but right at the moment the blond haired woman didn't care as she was enjoying the personal connection being made.

"I suppose this is where I ask you some deep probing question about your life or such..." She said while trailing off, really actually very unsure of how to carry on a conversation with a mundane since most people she dealt with spoke via telepathy or though projection "Have you ever had a telepathic conversation with someone before Minerva?"

Interesting, I was born on Earth. Most sights here are still not familiar to me. I should have realized that some women were not born on Earth. The redhead smiled a bit sheepishly, as she watched the blonde agent take a sip of her drink. Still it does not make the sight any less beautiful. The young agent was not really sure what to say as it had been a bit awkward, still the reporter inside of her told her to press on regardless as it was clear that the agent in front of her needed a friend. It was then that Calista asked if her she had a telepathic connection before.

The redhead sighed for a moment. Yes, yes I have. It was with an alien, it was very weird experience. The woman then smiled at her fellow agent, regardless if she was one with a special talent or not. Still I think the experience would be alot more pleasant with a fellow agent.

The blond haired agent gave the red haired woman a slight smirk as she took a deep breath before she continued their conversation, her voice drifted more like a warm summers breeze into her companions mind than an intrusive probing more akin to an aliens attempt to connect with a human mind...many of the Special Talents handlers suspected that the reason for this was because of the subtle differences between the minds connecting. ~I actually prefer to speak with a normal agent this way...there isn't as much noise as with another talent...is it anymore pleasant than the aliens?~

She instinctually blocked out any stray thoughts or memories from her missions, that she knew any of her other Talent would have likely delved into it and discovered their hidden shames for use against them later...Calista didn't share that philosophy and instead limited herself to what a partner wanted to willingly share.

Minerva didn't initially feel the blond agent thoughts enter her head. It was like they slowly came into being inside her head, like turning up the volume of a speaker from off to make it slowly louder. It bothered the agent a little on how easily Calista was able to project her thoughts into the redhead's head. It is a little weird, but your right it is alot more gentle and pleasant when you do it over an alien. So does that mean I can just think and you would be able to read them in response?

The agent was curious on how well these talents work in the field and how the two of them can use them to their advantage. Still Minerva was just going to get use to it, because she wanted to make her fellow partner comfortable.

~It is just like a regular conversation, think what you want to say and I will reply,~ The blond replied with a reassuring smile, she had sensed the ease with which Minerva's mind had let her slip into it, he privately pondered whether this alien had conditioned the woman's mind to respond more readily to psionic commands...something she might have t delve deeper into, though that was hardly something for the time at hand. She could sense the other woman's desire to know what kind of advantages the Special Talents abilities gave her in the field. She gave a smile that she hid behind her mug before continuing their conversation.

~To answer your unasked question, in the field I can sense most enemies through telepathy as well as attacking in a similar manner, though I can also strike out at them via telekinesis,~ as if to demonstrate the ability, she plucked a magazine from a nearby table up and placed it gently in Minerva's lap and if the red haired agent looked down she would be able to see that it was one that she was wanting to read ~Sorry if I pried...but I figured I could kill two birds with one stone.~

Minerva took a moment that to let what Calista comments sink into her mind. It was a bit surprising to see how easily that her blonde woman was able to enter her mind. However, the redhead was not prepared for how simple her mind was for a Special Talents Agent to read. It began with the blonde agent saying (is that the right term?) that she had answer for Minerva question even though she hadn't ask yet.

It was then that a magazine floated over from a nearby table and landed on the redhead's lap. The young woman looked down and could see it was an issue that Minerva was looking for. The agent looked shocked. [i]~How much of my mind can you read? Can you read all of it?~

Any of your thoughts or memories if I forced my way into your mind...but that would be painful and possibly fatal...and I'm only allowed to do so while interrogating special prisoners, but I mostly stick to surface thoughts and such when "speaking" with someone else.

She took a sip of her drink and arched her eyebrow at the red haired woman as she continued A Televian Slime Devil...that must have been...an interesting encounter, especially by the way you are blushing over there.

Ah I see ....well I'm glad then you stick to just surface thoughts then. Minerva could only imagine how painful such a probe would be if could kill someone. Fortunately none of that would happen today. It was then that the her new friend mentioned the creature. Well no it was not a Slime Devil...it was something that was much much weirder.

[i]~Hmmm...well if you want to share, I'm willing to listen...I might even be able to help if you'd like me to try.~[i] Calista replied to the red haired woman, curious about the experience as she secretly found such situations rather...arousing but it was her one deep seated secret that she kept hidden away from her fellow Talents and the other agents.

She smiled reassuringly to her new friend as she waited to hear if she would share or if the pair were going to be pursuing a different line of conversation for the rest of their talk.

Ummmm....okay...I never really done this before....especially telepathically...bit I guess I can try. The young woman was a bit uncomfortable with discussing what had happened that day, she kinda shifted a bit in her chair. Still at least no one else would be able to listen in on the tail.

So it started while the I was chasing a slaver by the name of Goro. I had chased him to the planet to Kimball where I had him pinned down in a valley. Then he teleported into the middle of the firefight...

Calista settled in to listen to as much as the red haired agent was willing to share and would not for a word or thought more from her than she felt comfortable sharing.

~We don't have to if you aren't comfortable with doing...I know I have a few encounters that have left me with some...less than pleasant memories Minerva~ She replied telepathically to the woman and gently implanted in her mind a sense of safety and warmth, that if little else would be something that she could return to in times when she needed it.

~Though if you don't mind me asking...why did you become an agent...not exactly a glamourous lifestyle we lead.~