Ferri Emlott - Happy Place

[LCDR Aine O. Sherlock]

This is how you start a story arch. Takes place today but both it and the flashback timeline end with a cliff hanger. Makes you want to know more.

((Somewhere on Cardassia Prime))
((Time Index: During Shore Leave, after Lukin and Arys leave Cardassia))

Ferri knew it well - that moment between being not awake and not truly asleep, where the images that filled her mind were neither thought nor dream.
Often times her mind sought refuge in what it knew best, where it felt safe and happy, and where the situation was one she had control over.
The Cardassia of her childhood was that happy place. They didn't have much, but they had all they needed. Or rather, the child Ferri was back then didn't understand that the odd-looking people were Federation citizens, rendering aid to a people who had, only weeks ago, been their enemy. The child Ferri was back then didn't understand how her people's rich culture and history had burned to ash with the libraries and museums, and suffocated beneath the rubble with those who had hidden from the Jem'Hadar.
All she knew was that they - Ferri, her mother, her father, and her sister - had each other, and that was enough. 

Today, she found no such respite. 

((Flashback, four years prior))

Broadcast: ::mid sentence:: ....Nal and Irrot were both found dead in their apartments, with no signs of forced entry. Authorities however have decided to investigate. Their deaths have roused suspi-...

Ferri switched off the broadcast, unsure what she had expected to hear. Cardassia was obsessed with the thousands of news channels that had popped up over the past decade, and between the weather and the results of the hound racing, the seemingly random death of two upstanding Cardassian citizens was surely worth reporting on. 

For a few moments, the young woman stood by the window, wrapping her hands around a cup of tea, trying to soak up its warmth. What was she expecting to see? There was nothing out of the ordinary. Below her, the city was still pulsing with life as last-minute purchases were made, and people returned home to their families.
Perhaps that was what was bothering her. How could everyone else go on about their day, when she couldn't even bring herself to leave her apartment. 

Though, even if she did, where would she go? She missed her family, but Arla, her father, wouldn't speak to her. His new wife forbade it, and Ferri didn't blame her. 

KNOCK. 

KNOCK. 

KNOCK

Ferri froze, barely realizing that she dropped the cup she was holding. It shattered, spilling the hot liquid on the floor, and spreading the accompanying scent of different herbs and spices in the room.

It sounded like someone was hammering against the door. Metal against metal, almost deafening. 

KNOCK. 

KNOCK. 

KNOCK.

Ferri could feel her heart beating out of her chest, mimicking the knocking on the door, and surely pounding loud enough to hear for whoever was standing outside.

Finally, Ferri could move again. She took one step, then the next one, one foot in front of the other foot, away from the door, and towards the controls for the window. Her hand stretched out to touch the cold metal, and her fingers pressed the button that disabled the security setting. 

A moment later she could feel the last rays of the setting sun on her skin while the crisp air filled her lungs, and for the first time in days, breathing came easy.

KNOCK. 

KNOCK. 

KNOCK

Of course, the thought of jumping crossed her mind. An easy way out of a difficult situation, but nothing she would seriously consider. She didn't regret what she had done. Nal and Irrot had gotten what they deserved. 

There was no further knock. Instead, a quiet clicking sound, followed by a hiss that indicated the door being opened, and a the sudden draft that caught her hair. 

Ezak: Miss Emlott. 

Ferri turned, finally, to face the two men who had entered her apartment. The first one - she would later learn that his name was Ezak - spoke quietly, his voice gentle and unexpected from someone with such harsh features. 

Ezak: I am sure you know why we are here. 

The man next to him was taller and broader, and while he remained quiet, he seemed to be ready to move within the blink of an eye, should the girl decide to do something stupid.

Emlott: I-.. 

What was there to say? She nodded meekly, trying - and failing - to be brave. Ezak gestured for her to lead the way, through the door, out of her apartment, and into a skimmer that stood ready. 

TBC

---

Ferri Emlott
Cardassian Visitor
Starbase 118 Ops
J239809TA4

[Alcyone Brennan]

Thanks Sher ❤️
 

[Sal Taybrim]

Now I wanna know what happens...!!!