Kelly Brown works at Equifax and plays the communications officer aboard Diana at BridgeCon, a spaceship-simulation convention in Las Vegas. She wears her hair in a beehive, has slightly crooked teeth and favors vintage styling. Ben Etxina meets her through Jacaranda Rosenbaum-Josselewicz’s crew while investigating Jordan Damour.
Kelly flirts with Ben during a group dinner and joins the gathering in Jacaranda’s suite. Both have been drinking, and Ben earlier notices her slurring. When the suite party turns sexual, Kelly tells him she wants to spend more time with him but finds the group scene overwhelming. They choose a separate bedroom. She says she is on birth control, and they have intercourse. Her Terran slogans carry the convention’s roleplay into the encounter.
Jacaranda interrupts with news of a break-in at Ben’s room. Kelly follows him there and lends him her phone to contact Lin Jiao. Ben locates Lin’s work address through RunTrains, a transit-advocacy organization, and sends an urgent email from Kelly’s account.
Kelly offers to leave while Ben deals with the burglary. He asks her to stay for more sex, and she does. On leaving the next morning, she adds him on LinkedIn and later endorses his skills. Lin notices the new connection through her alerts and questions Ben about Kelly during their subsequent work together.