A/N: Prompt from tumblr; set early/mid chapter two of the agent storyline.
As soon as the call ended, Zaara leaned forward onto the holoterminal, squeezing her eyes shut in a desperate attempt to keep from being overwhelmed.
Her mind rolled through a mental checklist, noting the seemingly endless list of things she needed to accomplish. Check in with everyone I need to check in with: done. Brief the crew on tomorrow's missions: done. Check up on Cori: too risky at the moment. Check inventory–
"You still owe me a drink, Agent."
At Kaliyo's voice, Zaara snapped to attention, standing up straight as she turned to face her. "I do?"
Kaliyo stood in the doorway to the bridge, leaning against the side with her arms crossed. "Sure," she shrugged. "If you really want a reason to buy me a drink, I'm sure I can figure something out."
Zaara didn't bother hiding a sly grin. "And here I was afraid I'd lost a bet or something."
"I couldn't keep count of the bets you lose to me if I tried." Kaliyo was silent for a moment, expression uncharacteristically thoughtful as she watched Zaara. "It's creepy, you know."
"What is?"
"You." Kaliyo pushed off from the wall, taking a seat in one of the empty chairs. "You call your SIS friends and you're the most obedient little Republic spy. Here on the ship you're a hard ass. Off duty…" she paused, shrugging, "you're the kinda person I'd be alright hanging around with."
Waving off her comments, Zaara pointed out, "I am undercover. Having a reliable alias is the whole point."
"But just like that? Flip of a switch, and you're someone new?"
Burying her annoyance at the questioning – considering the circumstances, that particular subject was a rather raw one – Zaara plastered a grin on her face and turned so she was facing Kaliyo again. "If that's what the job requires. Didn't think that would bother you."
"It doesn't bother me. Just makes me wonder who I've really signed on with, you know?" Without another word, Kaliyo stood and stalked off, leaving Zaara alone again.
"I think I should get some sleep," Zaara announced to no one, sighing. Maybe the constant switching of identities didn't bother Kaliyo, but it was beginning to wear on Zaara.