Episode #10: Inconvenient Refugees 10: Amira and Amastan

Apr,24 2025

Amira

Yesterday, all the new refugees got the skin cancer vaccine, except for those who already had it, of course. I visited everyone, but I realized that I needed to speak with Amira and Amastan, since I didn't hear from them yet.

Amira was a police officer, and I intend to use her as a border guard. From the interview, I learned that she was in the drug fighting squad as a junior officer, but that more than qualified enough to check identifies with a computer.

As for her husband, Amastan, he is a farmer, but unlike our others, he actually has a diploma. He knows how to use fertilizer and such.

Their only kid is a son, who is barely 8 months old. Conceived and delivered on the boat.

Amira didn't mind the naturism, she was mostly relieved to be able to raise her son in a safe place. Amastan didn't mind being nude, but he had an issue with Amira being seen nude by other men. A sort of misplaced jealousy.

When I didn't wee Amastan in the farms, and when Amira didn't come see me, I began being afraid.

When I knocked, Amastan opened the door, but only lightly cracking it.

"Amastan? Is everything ok?"

"We spoke to Fatima already, Amira is having a reaction to the vaccine. It's supposed to pass, but it still hurts"

"Did Clark, the doctor, come?"

"He did. He said it's not a common reaction, but it occurs. Sorry, we can't work"

"No, that's fine, could I speak with her?"

"Maybe when she is better?"

"Amastan, my job is to check on everyone, the only time I can't, is when they are in a hospital room. If she is there, I need to talk to her, make sure she is okay"

"I am not okay, Dave", yells Amira, without me seeing her.

"Can we talk about it?", I say

"I don't want you see me, I am hideous"

I think. "Oh no, don't tell me that your skin got dark like for Terry?"

"I don't know who Terry is, but I wouldn't mind it if my skin got dark. I had a dark complexion already"

"So?"

I can hear her sigh.

She got to the door, her husband moved aside, and I saw her, and instantly realized what's wrong.

"Oh shit, I see what you mean"

"I am hideous"

All the pigments are gone from her skin. She now has almost white porcelain skin, but more than that, her lips are so pale, they look almost white.

"Ok, but the doctor says you are okay?"

"He gave me pain medication. I fought the drug trade, and I am now a junkie"

"How bad was the pain?"

"I felt like my whole skin was on fire"

I read the documentation on the side effects, and this, sudden albinism, is very rare. Like 1 in a million rare. On the plus side, the main issue for Albinos is sun sensitivity, but the vaccine still works. It doesn't kill the melatonin, it just sort of bleaches it.

"He told me that for 1 in 4, color returns in a few months, and another 1 in four, in about 2 years.", she says.

"Yeah, but it's still 50% of permanent loss"

"I don't feel like me anymore"

"You could put lipstick"

"Dave, my lips are the least of my worries. I might have white hair"

"Wait, not always. The vaccine is very targeted"

"Ok, fine. I might have my deep dark hair, and keep my skin this unnatural white. And I can't tan, because of the same vaccine"

"Well, we still tan a little"

"Ok, will I be as dark as I was?"

"No"

"I can't wear clothes, I can't have my skin. I can't fight the drug trade. Dave, I will never be myself anymore"

"You can still be a mother"

She laughs. "My son shared my skin color. Not anymore"

"He is still your son. Listen, I wanted you as one of our border control agents. I am putting you on leave for medical reasons until you feel better."

"I am on bed rest for 3 more days"

"So be on bed rest. And then, think about your future. You still have a bright future"

"I do, my skin reflects the sun so much now!", she says, sarcastically.

"Amira... You are in shock. Do you want to speak to a therapist?"

She thinks.

"Yeah. Good idea. And can you tell my husband that he can start his new job?"

"Someone needs to take care of our son", he says.

"I can get him to a day care"

"Nope, I will take care of him. Send the therapist. And Fatima if she has nothing to do. I like her"

"Ok, I will do that"

I leave them, and find Amanda instead, by pure luck. I ask her to send a therapist and Fatima to go see Amira, and she decides to keep her company until they arrive.

Sara

I then made it to the music factory, where Sara began 2 days ago, and Sekkura and Brahim began yesterday. I got Sara in place faster to get her to test her character with Stew.

"Hello, Sara", I say, when I see her in the loading dock, reviewing something on a tablet.

"Dave! How are you?"

"Good, I wanted to see you yesterday, but I was swamped"

"Oh, well, yesterday wasn't a good day anyway. Today it better"

"So, are you getting along with Stew?"

"That asshole? Not at all. And he hates me too, by the way. It's a mutual hatred of each other. He gets under my skin in a way that makes me want to swallow bleach. And apparently, he would rather die than spend an hour with me in an office."

"Oh, so sorry to hear that, do you want another assignment?"

"What? Why?"

"The idea was for you to become his assistant, until you can replace him"

"Yes, so? Why move me around? I can do this job."

"But you don't get along with Stew"

"Dave, when Stew looks out his office window onto the production floor, do you know what he misses? What he fails to notice?"

"No?"

"Nothing. Stew has perfect control over his factory. And when he gets to the shipping dock, do you know what slips from his attention in the dock?"

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. And when he is in the storage zone, what escapes his eyes?"

"Nothing?"

"Exactly. So do you see where I am useful?"

"No, he seems to see everything"

"Thinks harder Dave, you are more intelligent than that"

I look at her. All I can see, is how good she looks nude compared to the rags she was wearing at her interview.

"No idea"

"He can't be in the three zones all at once, so, I now patrol the shipping docks and the storage zone, and he focuses on the factory floor. When I see something, I report it to him, and he comes check here, while I take his place. We never talk, we never met, but we get the job done. He thinks I am the best assistant he ever had because I am never in his way"

I laugh.

"Ok, I see it."

"And Dave? I am always that abrasive. That's who I am"

"I am fine with that, as long as Stew is, you have a place here. When he gets tired of you, some see me, I will have another position for you"

"Thank you, Dave. And my husband is happy at his job. You are taking care of us well"

I nod, and return to the factory floor.

Sekkura

I spot Sekkura first. She is wearing a protection apron and is sanding a piece of a flute. Next to her, are 2 more copies, already finished.

"Hi"

She stops the machine, and when the noise died, she salutes me.

"Hey Dave, how are you?"

"Funny, I came to ask you and Brahim"

"Oh, we are great. He loves his jobs, and soon, I will adore mine. If I can just get the hang of these machines, we will have professional recorders soon in our catalog"

"Nice. I got a report from Stew via Amanda about that. We will gage interest."

"Thank you for everything"

"My pleasure. I love when people find a job they love"

"I just have one question..."

"Just one?"

"About Stew, we heard he lost his leg at the border of Andorra, hit by a train while fighting slavers, all while saving orphans and papers? And he was either a marine or a blue helmet, I am all confused"

I laugh.

"Ok, I don't know the whole truth either, but you are mixing up multiple stories. So first, the train incident? That wasn't at the border. The train incident happened later, after he'd already rescued those orphans. As for the amnesty documents? Different year entirely, way before then and not even in the same country. He wasn't a blue helmet, he stole a uniform to hide, and no one caught him then or shot at him for the documents. But for the orphans, years later? He did fight slavers to rescue them. Broke one's jaw with his elbow, if you believe the story. But he was never a marine, he would have a tattoo otherwise. I think they all get a tattoo? Anyway, he was never in an army"

"Ok, so why the other stories?"

"Well, people hear part of it, and combine them. Not that I am sure 100% of each of them, but I heard them as 3 separate incidents. The train was in Costa Rica, it's how he got to us, he needed a prosthetic, but it was well before my time, so I don't know the details. The orphans were in Mexico, but the papers, that was in Andorra, but not for the blockade, he was young then. Had nothing to do with the oligarchs or anything"

"Ok, thank you for straightening it out"

"No worries"

But as I got back, I bumped into Amanda, who confirmed that Amira now felt better. That the therapist was with her, and that the pain medication might have made her grumpy.

"Good. Hey, do we have on file how Stew lost his leg?"

"No, his file is redacted. But you know, I heard the stories. You know how stories go. Maybe he did save a kid or two, perhaps he just got his foot stuck like a fool. I heard he was delirious from a fever, and fell asleep on the tracks. All I know, is that it's not from him. He won't talk about it. It's just gossips running their mouth"

Back home

I came back home with a box of paperwork, which hid my most precious smuggling: a pregnancy test.

Cathy was excited and kissed me. She drank water and waited to need to pee.

"Hey, while we are waiting, do you know how Stew lost his leg?"

"Do you know Richard? Dick?"

"The old farmer?"

"Yeah. Him. He says that he was with him when they fought the slavers. He even lost a tooth in the fight, not Stew, Dick"

"Yeah, he is missing a tooth, on the left side"

"Exactly. The two were in Vietnam, trying to save about 200 war orphans from a refugee camp taken over by slavers. They even save a girl in a rail triage yard, but both of them, and the girl, make it out intact, except for that tooth. Dick said he lost contact and only heard from him when he had already lost his leg"

"Well, that doesn't help us"

"Well, I heard from Jill, that she read in the papers, that he did deliver the amnesty papers everyone is raving about, but he mailed them. He just entered in the courthouse, and dropped them in the mailbox with stamps. No one thought to look in there. They make it out. It was everywhere, and it's what got him on the anti-slavery UN task force with Richard"

"Ok, that's wild"

But it was now time for Cathy to pee, and for us to wait for the result, which, were positive. Cathy, was pregnant.