A Friendly Face?
Posted on Fri Oct 18th, 2024 @ 8:07pm by Cassandra Frost & Pepper
Edited on on Tue Oct 22nd, 2024 @ 9:17pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Sins of History
Location: The Sidebar Lounge - Deck 5 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD011 0900 hrs
While Pepper traveled to meet up with the Artemis, she took part of the time to review the personnel. It was partly because she was curious and partly because she always like to know a bit about the people she'd be working with. One name caught her attention. Cassandra Frost. It wasn't a particularly unusual name, but reading over her files, she was certain it was the Frost she knew. She'd worked with her before.
Once she arrived on the ship she arranged for her baggage to be sent to her quarters and went in search of Cassandra. That would give ops time to get her stuff to her room and might also give Pepper time to get her bearings. She checked the computer to find the other woman.
The computer had indicated that Cassie was currently in a bar called ‘the Sidebar Lounge’ on deck 5. She’d been in the lounge for the past few hours sitting alone nursing a second bottle of blood wine trying to relax. Her last away mission had drudged up a few memories from her early bounty hunting days, memories of an old motley crew she’d joined while finding her feet. Taking a deep breath in, Cassie slowly released it as she stared at the unopened bottle in her hands.
The Sidebar lounge was one of the places Pepper wanted to visit right away as you never know who you might run into in a place like that, so it was a perfect place to say hello to an old acquaintance. She headed for deck 5 and made her way to the lounge. She walked in the door and took a step to the side while she looked for Cassie. Spotting her, she smiled and went over to the table. "Of all the bars on all the starships, I had to walk into yours."
Looking up at the new arrival, it took Cassie a moment to recognise Pepper, but the moment she did Cassie gave her a smile, “well well, if it isn’t the P.I. herself. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
"I hear you guys are in need of a good PI," Pepper said, smiling back as she crossed over to her. "But you'll have to settle for me. Nice to see a friendly face here."
“They are few and far between in our line of work” Cassie said before she motioned to the seat across from her, “care to drown your sorrows? I promise it’s the good stuff this time”
"Sure." Pepper sat down across from Cassie. "So, what do you consider few and far between, good PIs or friendly faces?" she quipped. If the drinks were any good, she could see herself spending more time here. As lounges went, it was pretty decent.
Cassie gave Pepper a sarcastic grin, "these days, either answer would be right" she said before sliding the bottle of blood wine over to the P.I. "why don't you wet your whistle and tell me what's actually brought you here"
Pepper took a drink and grinned. "Curiosity and change. This is a unique ship with unique opportunities--even for a civilian. And I was looking for a change of scenery. It was starting to feel like too much of the same stuff every case. What about you? What brought you here?"
"Poor choices, unfortunately," Cassie said, sitting back in her chair, "I got arrested by Starfleet after one particular job and thrown into a penal colony. I was offered this chance by an admiral and I figured it was better than hitting rocks. and for the most part, this assignment hasn't disappointed. while I’m technically not back in Starfleet, if you ask the Captain it's just a technicality on this ship"
She handed the bottle back to Cassie. "At least you landed on your feet. I was lucky in that I didn't get caught after I became a teenager. I decided to switch sides when I found there were more possibilities on the legal side." She couldn't help a half smile as she added, "But I do keep my skills up to snuff. You never know when they'll come in handy."
"Oh, I don't know. Living a life on your own without the rules of Starfleet holding you back can be a little more fun than you think" Cassie said as she picked up the bottle and took a swig, "I do miss that ship of mine, even if it doesn't hold a candle to this ship"
"Well, having your own ship and the freedom of the stars is definitely better than being planet-bound. But I've grown like the freedom of not having to constantly look over my shoulder." She chuckled softly. "And as a PI, I can still utilize many of my old skills. What do they say...it takes a thief?"
Cassie smiled, “I don’t think I could ever truly settle on a planet. For me life planet side becomes too static, too boring. I like to keep on the move”
"While that's true, staying in one place gives you the freedom of knowing where every nook and cranny is, every escape route, and all the best hiding places." Pepper laughed softly. "That's only helpful when you can't get lost in the vastness of space."
Cassie nodded, "that's true" she said before sitting back in her chair, "have you ever sat in the pilots chair and just turned everything off so you're simply drifting? no noise, no engines. just silence"
Pepper thought about it for a moment and smiled. "Once. It's incredible, isn't it? The absolute silence. I could hear my heartbeat."
“Really? For me it was my breathing.” Cassie responded, intrigued by Peppers answer, “i guess the experience Is different for everyone” she said before giving a sigh, “well that’s something I won’t be doing again for a while. They took my ship and I can’t get it back”
"I'm sorry about that." She really was. For someone like Cassie flying was a need, not a want. "Remember, I've spent most of my life either on a planet or a station, so flying is relatively new. I still feel more comfortable with my feet firmly planted on soil, but I'm still adjusting in some ways."
Listening to Pepper, Cassie got an idea, "well, if you're going to be around for a while, maybe we could borrow a shuttle and take it for a spin?"
A slow smile spread across Pepper's face. "Sure. That does sound like fun." She hoped she'd be around for a while. She liked the idea of working on the Artemis--especially now that she had a friend here. "I need to check in with my new boss, but after that, when I know how much time I'll have, we can plan something."
"Sounds good to me." Cassie held out her hand, "Good to see you, Pepper."
"You, too." Pepper took her hand. "I will definitely see you soon." Smiling, she left to meet her new boss.
A Joint Post By
Cassandra Frost
Criminal Apprehension Officer, USS Artemis
Commanding Officer, Emergency Services Unit
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Pepper
Private Investigator, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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