Once Upon a Time...

Posted on Sat Feb 14th, 2009 @ 7:18pm by Captain Elsie Halliwell

702 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Citadel Prime
Location: Lane's Quarters
Timeline: Current

Lane entered his unusually unoccupied quarters to the stark and deafening sound of silence. The stillness that had settled in the air seemed almost unsettling to the Trill. With having an eleven year old and her governess, Nana Gray, usually breaking through the peace and quiet of this sanctuary, it was a rare occasion when he returned to the nothingness that was waiting for him today.

He undid his boots and, slipping them off by clipping the back of his heel with his other foot, he took them in his strong hands and walked through to his plush bedroom, placing them near to the foot of his bed. As he stood there, surveying the room and its glass-like atmosphere, he inhaled deeply and pressed at his eyes with the tips of his fingers.

He removed his combadge and placed it with a dull ‘clink’ on top of his bedside table. Bending down to the old fashioned, conductive bulbed lamp, he reached into the mechanism through the tasselled shade and clipped it on. The muted, soft glow fell onto the bed and across the side of his room. It somehow comforted him more rather than the overhead, harsher lights used as standard.

He walked though to his bathroom, showered and returned fresh and almost vibrant with his new found cleanliness; changing into his tattered and worn Academy Track attire. As he sat on the edge of the bed, he picked up his dusty copy of an old piece of Earth literature. With Rory, his daughter, never having been to Earth, he always thought that he should expose her to its history and culture as much as possible to keep her accustomed to her own racial heritage. In doing so, he also exposed himself to these customs. One particular fondness he had stumbled across was the works of classical fairytales. Reading them, sometimes, more for his own satisfaction than Lorelai’s, he found the imaginative works inspiring and moving.

Breaking open the copy of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the musty smell filled the Trill’s nostrils and it delighted him. As his eyes fell onto the first line of his marked opening, the doors to the quarters rushed open and the footsteps of his daughter could be heard rushing into his bedroom.

“Daddy,� she said, jumping onto the bed with a bounce and wrapping her little arms around his strong frame. “We’ve just been with Doctor Halsey in the medical bay,� she continued, with a flurry of excitement.

Following her on into the room after a brisk and redundantly ceremonious tap on the door frame, was Mrs. Gray, a comforting smile glowing from her warm face.

“I trust this little tinker hasn’t caused you any trouble today, Mrs. Gray,� he asked, tickling his daughter as he spoke.

“Oh, Heavens no, dear,� she replied with a chuckle. “She never is, you know that…�

The Commander smiled and winked at her. “I know,� he said. “Anyhow, how about, Mrs. Gray, you take the night off? I’m in for the night this evening what with Commander Arkham on the Bridge and there’s not a great deal to so while en-route to the Citadel Sectors, so, why don’t we leave you to it? What do you say?�

The governess smiled and nodded. The old lady, more one of the family than a mere hired hand, crinkled her nose to the suggestion. It was wildly evident that she was more pleased with Lorelai spending the evening with her father than being allowed to conduct her own affairs in relative peace.

“Of course…� She walked over to the bed, kissed both of them on the forehead and wished them a goodnight, leaving the room with a beaming smile.

Turning to his daughter, who was now sat comfortably in his lap, the Trill spoke in an affected and gentle tone; one that his crew would never hear in all their service with him.

“Now, then… How about a story?� he asked, as she nodded emphatically. “Yeah?�

Finding the beginning of the chapter, he began as she nestled into her usual place, lying across his chest…



Commander Coltan Lane
Commanding Officer
USS Archimedes

 

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