Escape Plan

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 5:04am by Cailus Griffin & Veronica Kiley
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:30pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Corridor - Deck 14

ON:

Mom was busy doing doctor things, and school was out. There was no time to lose. Veronica knew what to do. Well... almost. If she can reach the station, she might find there a suitable ship which can carry her to... well... somewhere... Maybe she can find the Benecia and request herself back onboard, or go back to Earth or start a new life as an Andorian pirate. Anything was better than being stuck on this horrible ship, among all these strangers. However, she needed to be sure they won't catch her, or else, she'd be in detention in her room for a month, at least.

The girl packed up some sandwiches, a bottle of cola and a muffin, so she'll have something to eat and drink, and also brough her small PADD, which she used to study, write and draw, with herself, just in case. She then sneaked out of their quarters, and headed towards the turbolift. She realized she should somehow sneak into the shuttlebay, get on board a shuttle heading for the station, and then start her new life. She asked the computer, where's the bay located, and entered the turbolift. However, after wandering up and down on board for half an hour, she realized, she's lost. She couldn't ask any of the grownups, since she knew they'd ruin her plans and tell everything to her mom. What to do, then? First, she needed to find out where she was exactly. She decided it's time to rest a while, and think things over, so, she picked up the muffin from her backpack, and began eating it, while staying out of sight in a corner.

It was perhaps inevitable that on a starship, with everyone hustling to or from their duty shifts, it took a few minutes before anyone noticed the eight-year old in the corner, and even it happened, it was accidental. For Ensign T'Kemi, the Vulcan security officer strolling down the corridor, she noticed the oddity with her nose rather than her eyes. While long used to the odd (and typically less-than-pleasant) scents of the humans aboard the Pandora, she was less accustomed to the smells of food.

Thus, wrinkling her nose at the far-too-sweet smell of chocolate in an area where no food was typically permitted, T'Kemi followed her nose to a small accessway adjoined to the corridor. She had intended to politely inform the miscreant that consumption of food was not encouraged in the corridors, but the ensign's words died in her throat as she found the criminal: a small, dark-skinned human child.

"Hello," T'Kemi said, mystified. "Do you require assistance? Pre-pubescent children are rarely permitted to travel the ship without supervision."

Veronica suddenly shuddered, as she heard a voice addressing her and a figure looming over. Pre... pub... whaaaat? She looked up and saw a grown-up woman, apparently a Vulcan, like her mom's old boss. They were the worst of all the grown-ups. That's not exactly the best prospect, she sighed. She had to come up with something. But what?

"Errr... Hello.", the girl stuttered, "I just.... I'm.... I'm looking for... the ship's lounge.... I heard there's some... programs there...." Really, you can't come up with anything better than that?

"Programs?" T'Kemi repeated skeptically. She glanced at the backpack without comment, seemingly made a decision, then tapped her combadge. =/\=T'Kemi to Griffin. Lieutenant, I shall be late for the forensics briefing. I have encountered a child on Deck 14 who requires assistance.=/\=

=/\=Very well,=/\= A deep male voice replied from T'Kemi's badge. =/\=Do you know the child's name?=/\=

T'Kemi glanced at the child, her eyebrow raised in a very Vulcan manner, seemingly expecting the girl to answer the question.

Veronica felt her heart beating as fast as a drum machine. She had to come up with something, and rather quick. The woman asked her name. Well, she shouldn't give her real name, of course. But what other name she could tell her? She tried to remember something suitable, and spoke out the very first thing which came to her mind.

"Amelia... err.... Amelia Earhart.", she uttered, then realized she was incredibly stupid for not giving some other, less obviously fake name. Defensively, she slowly began backing away, "I... I find my way, thank you. Really... thank you for your help. Bye!"

"Please, Miss Earheart, stay," T'Kemi insisted with her eternal Vulcan patience, moving to physically stand in front of the little girl. "I am unaware of anyone onboard with that last name, Lieutenant."

=/\=With good reason, Ensign,=/\= came the weary reply through her combadge. =/\=Stay where you are. I'll be there in a minute.=/\=

The Security Chief was as good as his word, striding down the corridor towards T'Kemi and 'Amelia' with purpose. Upon arriving, the gruff man assessed the little girl swiftly before glancing at T'Kemi. "Go ahead and run the drill without me, Ensign." Not needing much encouragement, the Vulcan swiftly left, leaving the very serious man with Veronica. He raised a distinctly unimpressed eyebrow as he looked down at her, noting the backpack and half eaten muffin in an instant. "Amelia Earheart? Really?"

Veronica knew she was in deep trouble. When she heard the booming voice through Ms. Vulcan's combadge, she realized she's just made the worst mistake of her life. Her mom will be so angry at her, then, she'll make a long long speech about how she disappointed she is, and finally, she'll end up with no soccer and no holodeck allowed for weeks. She felt so stupid and so angry at herself.

When the strict-looking man arrived, who seemed to be even worse than the other grown-up, the girl knew she was even in even deeper trouble. "No, no!", she said, "You've misheard it. I'm not Amelia.", she tried to explain herself, "I'm an orphan... Looking for... a home... Yes, that's right." That was even more stupid than the things she said before, she thought.

The Security Chief looked distinctly unimpressed, crossing his arms. "Well, my name is Cailus," he said with surprisingly gentle tone. "We're a very long way from the Federation, and humans like us are very rare around here. Can you tell me how you got here?"

Now that was a tricky question. Veronica didn't know how to answer, so she just went on with whatever came up on her mind. Again. "Errr... right... rare...", she mumbled, "Well... I was at home, when I saw a giant flash of light, and then some weird stuff happened... and I just found myself here."

"Uh huh," Cailus said noncommittally. "So if I were to ask the computer who you are, Miss, it would tell me...?"

"The computer... well, it knows nothing, right?", the girl tried the last desperate measure, knowing she has lost, "Anyways, who listens to cheap old computers nowadays?"

Finally the grim old man smiled, his severe veneer cracking. "Computer. Please identify the person standing directly in front of me."

The response came immediately, the soft feminine voice betraying the girl's identity without hesitation. "Individual identified as Veronica Kiley, civilian passenger and daughter of Lieutenant Alexandra Alves, Chief Medical Officer."

"Veronica... Kiley??", the girl looked at the man with a fake surprised look, "Never heard about anyone with such a name!"

Cailus' eyebrow shot up, and now, the look he gave Veronica was distinctly unimpressed, his tolerance reaching an end. He didn't say anything more. He simply stood, watched and waited, arms crossed, looking down at the eight year old who'd been caught in the act.

Okay. She gave up. With a heavy sigh, the girl signaled that all her defenses are gone. Now she had to resolve to another tactic. "Please, sir.", she looked up to the man with begging eyes, "Just don't tell my mom, pleeeeease! She eats kids for breakfast!"

"Does she, now," Cailus said gently, glancing at the backpack on Veronica's small shoulders. "Are you angry with your mother, Miss Kiley? Is that why you were trying to leave the ship?"

Veronica sighed, and looked at the man with apologetic eyes. "No.", she said quietly, and with an honest look, "I... I just... don't like this place."

"I understand," Cailus said with an entirely serious look. He glanced down the corridor and sighed before looking back at Veronica. "You've talked to your mother about this?"

"I have.", the girl replied, "She says this place is great and that I'm gonna like it."

"By my reckoning, you've only been here for a few days," Cailus said quietly. His smile was understated but kind, and he held out a hand to Veronica. "Let's make an agreement, Miss Kiley. If you promise to try to be patient with your mother, to give this ship a chance, I see no reason to tell your mother about this little adventure. So long, of course, that you promise not to try and leave again without permission. Nobody on the ship besides the captain, even adults and senior officers like me, are allowed to leave without the Captain saying that it's okay. Deal?"

Veronica had to think this over. She was surprised on the man's sudden change of tone, and realized he might not be such a bad person, afterall. He has to do grown-up stuff sometimes, which means he has to act like if he were cold and heartless.

"Okay.", she said on a low voice, and shrugged, "But... but... I miss my friends. And I miss my school.", she admitted, looking up to the man with sad eyes, "And what if I won't like it here never ever?"

"How will you know until you try?" Cailus said with a bemused smile, raising an eyebrow. At a private realisation, his smile sobered, and he knelt down on one knee, looking Veronica in the eye. There, hidden behind the smile, unbeknownst to Veronica (and, indeed, most others) was a kernel of deep sadness and pain. "You know, a very long time ago, I was a daddy too. My daughter's name was Victoire. She was about your age. Back then, she wasn't allowed to go on starships like you can. Sometimes I'd have to go for months without seeing her."

The girl listened through the man's story, who now seemed even more of a regular person than an evil grownup. "I... I haven't seen my dad for years.", she then spoke up quietly, "My mom and my dad... they don't really like each other anymore.", she said, looking into the man's eyes.

That little admission surprised Cailus, and he sighed. "I'm sorry," he said gravely. "That must be difficult. Do you miss your father?"

"I do.", Veronica admitted with a slight shrug, "He works on another ship, far far away.", she explained, "On the other side of the quad... quad... rant... That's why I can't see him."

"I'm sure he misses you too," Cailus reassured her quietly. A passing security officer in the corridor stopped, looking askance at the odd scene, before being dismissed by a pointed look from Cailus. "When I was away from my little girl, I missed her more than anything. I still do." He paused, realising that he had said too much, before shaking the momentary melancholy away. "But I'll bet that your mother would miss you, too, and you would miss her. it's not fair, Veronica, not even a little bit, but at least you have your mom right here, right now, and she has you. Trust me, that matters a lot more than what planet or ship you're on."

The girl looked at the man, and knew that he feels sad about his daughter, wherever she is now. "My mom is awesome.", she admitted with a shy smile, "But please don't tell that to her." She then paused for a few seconds, before looking at the man again, "I'm sure you're an awesome dad."

"Thank you," Cailus said, smiling gently again. He held out his hand again, raising an amused eyebrow. "Now, shall we go meet your awesome mom? She should be on duty right now."

"She's always on duty...", Veronica claimed, and then, with an agreeing nod, took the man's hand, "Let's go."

OFF.