New Beginning... Trust me
Posted on Sun Feb 4th, 2024 @ 12:53am by Lieutenant Vincent 'Ghost' Zandrell
Edited on on Sun Feb 4th, 2024 @ 2:27am
1,382 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
The Sins of History
Location: Zandrell Family Manor on Betazed
Timeline: MD001 0600 hrs station time
The doors to the Zandrell Family Manor opened and Vincent walked in. Behind him was Loktor who made sure to shuttle him home himself. On the way to the manor, Vincent was told all about his new duty assignment. The Emergency Services Unit and how it worked. He was even told about the CO of the Unit, Provisional Lieutenant Cassandra Frost, and what led to her having her current status in rank. It was a lot to take in, but he was determined to get it all straight before stepping foot on the Artemis.
"Daddy!" A little girl shouted as she ran down the stairs and into Vincent's arms. She gave him a firm embrace before turning her sights on the Ferengi. "Uncle Lok!" She against shouted as she went over and embraced him.
"Hey, my little marauder!" Loktor said happily as he lifted the little girl up, holding her in his arms. "How's my favorite sidekick."
"Ready for another adventure to obtain profit and wealth, Captain." She replied, giving him a salute.
Loktor laughed as he put her back down on the ground. "Did you get the next Marauder Mo comic I sent you, Cassie?"
"Yeah. Do you want to read it with me?" Cassie asked with a big smile.
"No. No. No Marauding tonight, Cassie James." Came another voice as a woman in a long dress walked down the stairs. "I promised you could stay up waiting for your father and, now that he's here, you are going to bed."
Cassie looked up at her grandmother as she let out a disappointed moan. "But, Grandma..."
"No buts, little one. You need your rest and there will be plenty of time for you to run around on an adventure in the morning." She replied as as she reached the foot of the stairs and folded her arms in front of her. "Maybe your father can tuck you in now that he is here."
Vincent nodded his head, with a smile, and looked down to Cassie. "You heard your Grandma. Go upstairs, Cassie. I'll be right behind you."
The little girl smiled and hugged her grandmother before rushing up the stairs.
"Slow down." Vincent shouted slightly before looking over to Loktor. "Marauder Mo?! Really?! What are you doing to my daughter?" He chuckled slightly before walking up the stairs.
"Hey... I grew up on Marauder Mo and I turned out just fine." Loktor chuckled as he watched Vincent go up the stairs.
"Try not to kill each other while I am gone." Vincent shouted back as he reached the top and walked out of sight down the corridor.
Cassandra Zandrell, the matriarch of the Zandrell family and daughter of the tenth house of Betazed, looked over to Loktor with an odd look. She turned her head slightly towards the stairs, before looking back to the Ferengi. She slowly began to approach him, hands folded in front of her, before asking him softly. "Where was he this time, Mister Loktor?"
"Ferengi Recreational Bar. Belogg's something or other." Loktor replied softly back. "He was playing Tongo with a bunch of Ferengi patrons. Drinking of course."
Cassandra let out a sigh and shook her head in disapproval. "How much?"
"I didn't get an accurate count, but it was a lot of strips of Latinum, Miss Zandrell. He managed to irritate a Ferengi named Froogg." Loktor said, taking a step toward her as he continued in his soft voice. "The Ferengi accused him of cheating so I stepped in. Pulled him away from the table and made sure to collect his winnings." He let out a sigh and smiled a bit. "The orphanage is going to get a large anonymous donation tonight."
Cassandra placed her hand gently on his arm and smiled. "Your generosity never ceases to amaze me, Mister Loktor." She removed her arm and nodded her head before taking a step away. "How did he take the news?"
"Hopeful." Loktor replied as he put his hands behind his back. His eyes quicky shot up towards the top of the stairs to see if Vincent was returning before looking back to Miss Zandrell. "After a mug a coffee and some convincing words. Let's hope this helps him." He paused a bit, raising a brow, before asking. "How did you manage to do it, by the way? I was convinced they were going to turn it down again."
"Thankfully, Orion, still has some friends who owe him a favor or two." She paused for a moment before adding softly. "God rest his soul, dear."
Loktor nodded his head, letting out a deep sigh, smiling a bit. "He was a good man. If it wasn't for him I don't think I would have ever made it into Starfleet."
"He saw something good in you, Loktor. It was his gift." Cassandra smiled, looking over to him. "For a human, he was very empathic and could read people as well as any Betzoid."
Loktor nodded his head just as a door could be heard closing upstairs. The two began to step away from each other just as Vincent appeared up the stairs.
"No yelling. No blood. That's always a good sign." Vincent said with a chuckle as he made his way down.
Cassandra shot Loktor a quick smile before turning to face Vincent. "If you had told me the Ferengi was going to be here I would have had the gardener collect all the bugs from the garden."
"Mother?!" Vincent replied quickly. "Can you, for once, treat him with respect?"
"Well... if I knew I would have been served high class bugs I would have sharpened my teeth before I came." Loktor replied with a smirk.
Cassandra rolled her eyes in disgust before walking away. "Good night, Vincent." She said as she crossed her arms under her chest and began to walk up the stairs. An amused smirk on her face, hidden from the two as she walked up the stairs. "Good-Bye, Ferengi."
Vincent shook his head, "Good night, Mother." He said before turning to face Loktor. "Sorry about her. She-"
"Yeah... yeah." Loktor replied, waving it off, as he smiled a bit. "It's not just me its all Ferengi she wants to cut the lobes of."
"She said that?!"
"It not so many words." Loktor replied before chuckling slightly. "It's okay, Man. Don't worry about it." He turned to walk to the door. "Talk to her about the job, at least. She and Cassie need to know." He stopped and turned around to face her. "Don't say I was involved or else she will accuse me of throwing latinum at them in order to get you the job. Just tell her they are finally giving you a chance." He turned back to the door and continued to walk to it again.
"Lok..." Vincent raised his voice and bit before asking. "My winnings?"
Loktor opened the door before turning to face Vincent. "Don't worry. I'll put it in a safe place for you." He then gave him a wide smile and added. "Trust me." Before walking out the door, closing it behind him.
Vincent shook his head and chuckled. That could only mean a million of things, but that was tomorrows problem. Tonight, he was about to go to bed. Tomorrow, it was time to tell his mother and daughter the news about his new assignment. It would be a big conversation and probably make them both happy, but it was a conversation he needed to have. Cassie might not be pleased with having to leave Betazed after being on it for so long, but he wasn't about to leave her behind. His mother may not like it, Artemis being part prison ship and all, but it was a necessary part of the job. He would keep her safe. He had to. He wasn't going to lose her too.
A Joint Post By
Vincent Zandrell
Tactical Officer, USS Artemis
Executive Officer, Emergency Services Unit
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Commander Loktor
Starfleet Intelligence
REDACTED
Cassie James
8 Year Old
Cassandra Zandrell
Daughter of the Tenth House of Betazed
Zandrell Family Matriach
RSS Feed