The characters contained herein are not my intellectual property. I have experienced no fiduciary gain from this literary excursion.

I was careless. It was unintentional. It has marked me for life. I still cannot believe it actually occurred, despite the scarring. I requested the surgeon leave a small reminder somewhere discrete. She did wonderful work. Brilliant. To look at my face you would never know the extent of the damage. You would never even realize there had been any to begin with. How, you ask? It ws a jealous lover. No, not her. I haven’t seen them for quite some time. I believe her to be past jealousy, as is appropriate. This was unexpected and caught me completely unawares. My apologies. I should begin at the beginning. I was on a moon away from the Central Planets. Yes, I know. You’ve told me there is no good reason to venture away from the Core several times. I still maintain there is much to be learned in distant regions. I was on this particular satellite for the wedding ceremony of two friends. It was the bride’s home world. The son of a neighbor had been quite taken with me. I did not actively encourage him. I concur, it would have been cruel. Young men need very little encouragement, and I tried to avoid encouraging anyone there. It would have been pointless. Truly, I did no more than smile and use commonplace civility towards the boy. I was careless and failed to notice the unintended effect it was having. He was really very sweet, if a bit uncouth. His sweetheart grew jealous of the attention he was paying me. She felt he should be looking at no one but her, ever. I was told all this after the fact. If I’d had any inkling that she even existed I would have been more careful, more reserved around him. Unfortunately this is not how events unfolded. It was two days after the wedding. I was walking back to my shuttle. No, it’s not actually my shuttle anymore. I still think of it as mine. It was my home for over a year. I was quite fond of it. To continue, it was midday and I was enjoying the pleasant summer weather. I heard an unfamiliar voice call my name. I turned to see who was addressing me so familiarly, thinking perhaps it was a newer acquaintance. I saw the weapon as it was raised and discharged, almost simultaneously. I remember being quite surprised, and the rather unpleasant sensation of being forced to the ground by the blast. I remember pain and confusion, then recall nothing until I awoke in the local hospital. Witnesses gave statement that the girl was insanely jealous of the boy already. They told the local constabulary that she had been screaming incoherent obscenities and had to be restrained from further attacks on my prostrate form. There was, apparently, quite the commotion. Luckily the vessel I had arrived on had medical staff on board. They were able to stabilize me and transport me to the local medical facility. They saved my life, but could do nothing about the damage. I needed reconstructive surgery as well as dermal restoration. It was fortunate my eye on the affected side had been largely unharmed. None of the projectiles penetrated my cranium and they had been able to stanch the bleeding from the major vessels in my neck. How? I was told the ship’s nurse quite literally held me together until more help arrived. The doctor was occupied with administering medications to treat my shock and blood loss. As I said I really don’t remember the episode. I have been advised I may have been conscious at some point. What happened then? It was ascertained that the local surgeons were not sufficiently qualified to perform the needed services. Once I had recovered enough to travel I was transported to one of the finest facilities in Alliance space. The damage was horrifying, especially given my profession. I wore a full veil until they were finished. It was... unpleasant. As I said, the surgeon is brilliant. The scar? It’s in my hairline. You would have to search for it. She didn’t want to leave it at all, but I persuaded her. A small reminder to caution when outside our normal environs. The girl? She was incarcerated, then sent to a specialist for treatment. Poor creature. No, I am not required to give testimony. Yes, that is a relief. Their names? I cannot say, the trip there was too brief. I did wave the ship to request that their captain give them full commendations on my behalf. Not for a while. Eventually I do intend to return to the Border Planets and the Rim, yes. I have obligations to fulfill. That specific moon? No. No I really don’t think so. It would take something extraordinary indeed to convince me to step foot in that place again. Thank you, you are kind. I’m fully recovered, as you can see. It was lovely chatting, but if you will excuse me I must prepare for class. I’m lecturing via a Cortex link until I can return to the Training House. Duty calls. Good day to you as well.