Chapter Text
The packaging raises alarms in Una’s brain the moment she picks it up from the Academy mailroom. She had been somewhat confused at first, when the message had come through that there was a package waiting for her. Other cadets receive packages from home, of course. Her roommates over the years have all made guilt-driven offers to share various baked goods or tchotchkes with her. But as far as the Federation is concerned, Una Chin-Riley is an orphan with no family to speak of. And, consequentially, a general lack of incoming mail.
She gets the offers all cadets at the top of their class do, research fellowships and detailed outlines of what various outpost scientists are doing along with invitations to join them. She ignores them all. She didn’t join Starfleet to languish in a lab.
But form letters aren’t packages, and Una doesn’t get packages.
Ostensibly, there's nothing untoward about it. Nothing to make anyone look twice, recipient aside. Just patternless brown wrapping paper with no return address, no name attached other than her own. She’s seen dozens of packages exactly like this one in her life. Just, none of them since she left home.
She bites down the rising tide of panic. No one would be stupid or malicious enough to send her something damning, would they? She hasn’t heard from her parents or her brother in years now. They don’t like it, but they do accept her choice. Which only leaves…
The card confirms it.
In looping, handwritten Federation Standard script, are the words “Congratulations on your graduation, Ensign Chin-Riley. - N”
Heart in her throat, Una recycles the rest of the package sight unseen.
But she keeps the card, tucked away in a bio-locked box, far from where anyone who might ask questions could stumble upon it.