Convict On Probation
Posted on Thu Sep 22nd, 2022 @ 9:02am by Captain Marc Kidd & Cassandra Frost
Edited on on Thu Sep 22nd, 2022 @ 9:04am
1,732 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
The Hunt Begins
Location: USS Artemis Various
Timeline: MD001 1530 hrs
Walking onto the Artemis from Poseidon Station between two rather burly security crewmen, Cassie looked around at the flurry of activity as the ship prepared to depart. “Well it seems they’re a little too busy to take over guarding me. Guess we’ll have to turn around and go back to earth” she said as she tried to turn around and head back into the station.
Stopped by the guards escorting her, the two of them grabbed one arm each and pushed her into the ship, “nice try Con, we’ll just take you to find the CO”
The stress of an imminent combat had begun to weigh on Marc. So, he decided to do what he was told a lot of Captains did when they faced what he faced. That was take a long thoughtful stroll around the ship and see the crew. Allow the crew to see him and hopefully take courage from seeing him about the ship. As he walked Deck eight and passed the docking airlock he noticed two officers in security gold with a woman in civilian clothes and cuffed. "Welcome aboard the Artemis. What can I do for you?" Marc asked the two security officers.
One of them took notice of the pips and knew who they were talking to. "Captain Kidd sorry to come to you like this but with all that is happening on Poseidon we wanted to get this inmate checked in before anything started. This is Cassandra Frost and by order of Admiral Ford she is to be put into your custody for service aboard this vessel." Marc knew this was coming and he did not necessarily like the idea, but as Marc knew now more than ever Declan Ford got what he wanted. "Alright I will receive the inmate, you two can return to the station." With a nod the two security officers left. "Well Ms Frost welcome to the Artemis." Marc spoke with a neutral face and motioned that she should follow him on his walk. For the time being he chose to not remove the cuffs.
Cassie gave Marc a half smile, “thanks. Starfleet must be in real trouble if they’re recruiting their own prisoners” she said as she looked over at the two security crewmen that brought her in, “those two weren’t any fun. Barely got them to talk” turning back to Marc, she gave him a look over, “so, shall we go visit my 8 by 10?”
It was Marc's turn to smile. "Let's go for a walk first. Tell me did the Admiral explain why you are here, why you are being released into my custody?" Kidd knew that he would stroll with her around the ship and then if all went well he would end the walk at her quarters, if all went bad he would end the stroll on the prison deck.
Cassie gave a shrug, “probably, I wasn’t really listening. He said something about a criminal force or something like that and that it might lead to a second chance for me to straighten my life out. If you ask me, the criminals are those admirals sitting on their fat arses doing sweet fuck all about half the crimes committed under their enormous noses” she said as a sneer came to her face, “no, they’d just prefer to blame their failures on anyone operating outside their little fan club. To be completely honest, I haven’t the faintest idea why he wants me here. Maybe he doesn’t like you”
"You have been placed here because simply put you are the best for the job. You will be serving as the Criminal Apprehension Officer, and the Commanding Officer of the Emergency Services Unit. More on that after... First you should know that this ship and its mission is different than any other ship in the fleet. We are charged with hunting down, arresting, and prosecuting the worst criminals that the Federation has ever seen. This is the path back to Starfleet, and out of prison for you." Marc glanced at her as he spoke the blue glow from the cuffs made her features all the more interesting. He could see that she was interested in what he said, but Marc was unsure if she would actually take the job.
Listening to Marc’s words, Cassie paused for a moment to process what he’s just told her before looking back at him, “this is a joke right? I’ve been dragged out of a penal colony, where I’m serving a 10 year sentence for multiple crimes, to be given the job of chasing down to use your words ‘the worst criminals that the Federation has seen’? What the hell do you think I was doing before Starfleet threw me in prison? I claimed 15 separate bounties on wanted people in Orion space, 8 of which were jobs posted by the Federation and now I’m here in irons for doing your job and you expect me to believe that Starfleet wants me of all people to help you?”
Marc's face turned dour and his tone more official with a slight tone of superiority. He wanted the woman to understand the gravity of what they were going to be doing. "The people you chased down are petty in comparison to who you are being asked to chase now. We are going after serial killers, rapists, and pedophiles. Your days of chasing pirates is the minor league in compared to what we are going to do. You are being brought here well because you were so good in the minors. Add to that the fact that the powers that be do not want the civilians to know anything about us or the criminals we apprehend. For the record Starfleet is happy to keep you locked away, I want you to help." The more he spoke to her the more he realized that she was perfect for the job, despite this all being Declan's idea.
Letting Marc’s words sit there again, Cassie’s expression softened from one of anger to one of resignation, “well you’ve already spent the effort getting me out here so why the hell not. Beats braking rocks in prison” she said before holding out her hands. One was held out straight as of for a handshake while the other was balled up in a fist, but not clenched. Cassie was doing this to keep her other hand clear so the potential handshake could happen, “so, where do you want me to start?”
"Go see the Quartermaster and get quarters assigned, then you can settle in and replicate yourself a uniform." Marc said and then took the hand offered. "Welcome aboard the Artemis, and Cassandra I think you are going to find that this is not like the ships you were on previously. It is my sincerest hope that you will eventually be reinstated."
Giving a smile, Cassie glanced down at the shackles still around her wrists, “so can I get those taken off now or am I to wear these the whole time? I mean they are stylish if you like that kind of thing, but it will make doing my job harder”
"I will take the cuffs off, but try not to get your hands too dirty." Marc said with a smile. He reached down and entered his command code into the cuffs small keypad, the blue light blinked off and the cuffs opened. "There you go. And I am not going to sugarcoat it, it is not going to be easy. I am sure there are those who will not like you being here."
“Captain, if I had a problem with people not liking me, I wouldn’t have been so good in the minor leagues as you put it” Cassie said as she gave her wrists a bit of a rub, “so do I get my own command codes?”
"Not at the moment, but you do get your own quarters. For now any command function you need access to goes through the Security Chief." Marc paused as he felt if this was going to work then Frost is going to have to be treated like any member of the crew. So, she deserved an explanation. "You are going to have to prove you're trustworthy. I read your file, and if it means anything I am on your side. However, there are those who think you a murderer. If you can bear with me and them you may have your access and your rank."
“I didn’t kill…” Cassie started to say before catching herself. This was going to be a sore spot for her for a while and with her fiery temper she was going to have to keep herself calm whenever the subject came up, “I’m sorry Captain, I’ll keep an eye on that and try not to shove any of the crew through a bulkhead or out an airlock”
"Judging by yourself and your file it is not the crew that I am worried about. It is the inmates that we are going to house on this ship." Marc said with a smile, he simply ribbed her.
“Hey, every bounty I collected was delivered alive. A few of them may have had some broken bones here and there but they were alive” Cassie replied, returning the smile
"Good now keep it that way. I will leave you to go check in with the Doctor and the Quartermaster. Then I will see you on the Bridge Ms Frost." Marc smiled and turned toward the turbolift. He already could tell that Cassandra would fit in fine although she would have some work cut out for her.
Watching her new boss walk away, Cassie couldn’t help but smile. Although she had her concerns about what she was being asked to do, or at least the restrictions that she now had to work by, Cassie was sure that even if she never got that reinstatement, this could be somewhere she could start over.
A Joint Post By
Captain Marc Kidd
Commanding Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Cassandra Frost
Criminal Apprehension Officer/CO ESU, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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