Starfield:Companion - Sarah Morgan/Story SG06

Quest:	COM_Companion_SarahMorgan
Scene:	COM_SarahMorgan_Story_SG06

Sarah Morgan:

"I received a message from my mother a few days ago. She's returned from another one of her sightseeing cruises."

...	Player	Response	Reaction
	I wasn't aware your mother was still alive.	Of course. I'm sorry, we never discussed this, did we?	The thing is, my mother and I don't talk very much. We're not estranged or anything of the sort, we're just... far apart.
	Oh, well... this is a surprise.	Ah, that's right. I haven't really spoken about her to you, have I?	My mother lives in a fairly remote location, so we rarely speak. Tends to keep her out of my mind.
	Afraid I'd be an embarrassment to the family or something?	Why would you be....? Oh I see. We never talked about this, did we?	The truth is that my mother lives in fairly remote location, so we rarely speak to one another.
🗣︎	Sightseeing cruise?	Yeah, you know, one of those luxury liner journeys that shows off binary stars, gas nebulas, asteroid fields... pretty photogenic stuff. Apparently, it's my mother's new favorite pastime.

...	Player	Response	Reaction
	[+Neon Street Rat?] You should be happy you have a family at all.	I'm sorry if I've dredged up painful memories.	To be honest, I envy some of the freedom you experienced. Living on your own, no parents trying to control your life.
	That's a shame. Family is important.	Sure, when you're younger.	But as soon as you get older, and they begin controlling your life... that's when you need to strike out on your own.
	I understand.	Good. When I say that to most people, they look at me like I'm crazy.	I don't think they realize how much control parents can exert on your life, especially when their dreams conflict with your own.
▲	Makes sense. Family life can slow you down.	Yes. Yes, exactly.	Everything's puppies and ice cream when you're young. Then before you know it, you've grow up to find your parents in control of your life.

...	Player	Response
	I'm sure your parents meant well.	Oh, I'm certain they felt they were doing the right thing.
	We can drop the subject if you like.	No, we should have discussed this a long time ago.
	What you call "control," others would call "guidance."	In some cases, perhaps. In mine, not so much.

"You see, both of my parents were diplomats working under the flag of the UC Administrative Division."

"After I completed my basic education, they signed me up for a one-year apprenticeship in their department. Without bothering to ask."

...	Player	Response
	Sounds like they wanted you to follow in their footsteps.	"Wanted" isn't the right word. "Demanded" would be more appropriate.
	You could have simply refused.	I was young, and I didn't know better.
🗣︎	You had no say in the matter whatsoever?	Look, I was eighteen years old, fresh out of school, and I idolized my parents. I trusted them. I'm certain they felt they were doing what was best for their daughter. Who was I to argue?
🗣︎	What's the Administrative Division?	It's the governmental arm of the United Colonies. You know, the politicians, the diplomats, the ambassadors. Imagine having to spend most of your career hovering behind a desk. I can't even fathom anything more boring.

"For my apprenticeship, I was sent to Cydonia. My job consisted of drafting political policies and arbitrating trade disputes."

"The silver lining of the job was that it allowed me to spend time exploring every square inch of Mars."

...	Player	Response
	So that's where you were bitten by the exploration bug.	I was swallowed by it.
	I can't imagine a more dull apprenticeship.	Then you understand why I had to leave that all behind.
🗣︎	Why was exploring Mars so fulfilling?	You have to understand, this was my first time I was alone on another world. Now don't get me wrong, Jemison is an amazing place, but for me, it was the old neighborhood. Mars was like a new frontier. I spent every waking moment I could exploring the planet.

"Months before the apprenticeship ended, I dumped my diplomatic certification and joined the UC Navy."

"Of course, my parents didn't approve. We had a huge argument that resulted in all ties being severed between us."

...	Player	Response
LOOP5	[+Starborn?] That's right before you lost your father.	Yes... that's right. He was killed during the opening shots of the Colony War. I returned to Jemison for the funeral, and reunited with my mother. After that, we vowed to stay in touch.
	That must have been a difficult time in your life.	Well, that wasn't the worst of it.
	Good, you were better off without them.	Perhaps, but at too great a cost.
	It took a lot of guts to do something like that.	Yes, I was proud of myself... for a while.

"You see, my father was... killed... during the opening shots of the Colony War."

"I returned to Jemison for the funeral, and reunited with my mother. After that, we vowed to stay in touch."

[LOOP5]

...	Player	Response	Reaction
	▲ [-Starborn?] I'm sorry to hear about your father. [+Starborn?] I was sorry to hear about your father.	Aren't you sweet... always concerned with how I'm feeling.	That's why I fell in love with you. Your smile, your caring... it brightens even my darkest days.
	As if you hadn't had a difficult enough life...	It's fine... I'm fine. I promise.	No matter how difficult my life's been, it doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that you're here, with me, right now.
	You should have told me this long ago.	You're right, I should have.	I'm so grateful that I have you in my life. You have no idea what your closeness means to me.
🗣︎	How exactly did your father die?	After the Freestar Collective starting farming Vesta, and the UC pushed back, my father was one of many diplomats sent in to arbitrate. After the talks broke down, war broke out on Vesta, and all of the UC diplomats were evacuated from Freestar space. Unfortunately, my father's transport was caught in the crossfire...

"Listen. I'm going to be completely up front with you. All this talk of family... it makes me wonder where our own relationship stands."

...	Player	Response	Reaction
	[Commitment] I'd like to spend our future together, forever.	You mean that? You'd do that? For me?	I've been dreaming about this moment, and still, I don't know what to say.
X	I'll always be madly in love with you, Sarah.	And I love you, too.	And who knows, maybe one day we can discuss how we turn that love into a future for the both of us.
🗣︎	Why, what's the worry?	I don't know. Maybe I regret the family life I left behind when I took off for the stars? If there was ever a chance for something like that between us, I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity. I love you too much to allow that to happen. That's why I asked about our future, and where we stand.

...	Player	Response
	How about "yes"?	*Laughs* Yes, yes... of course... yes!
	You don't need to say anything.	Then you know my answer is "yes." A thousand times repeated. Yes!
	Just promise me that our love will last forever.	I swear I'll love you until forever itself ends.

"I just need a little time to think about the ceremony. I have some thoughts about how we should move forward."

"You know, I used to dream about finding the love of my life, and here you are. All I ever needed was you, right here beside me."