LtCmdr Sky Blake & Rivi Vataix, "First impressions." (Part 1)

[Deliera Jay]

((Alpha Starlines civilian quantum slipstream starliner Andorian Rose, en route to Betazed))

::Alpha Starlines was too comfortable.::

::Plush seats were one thing, plush bedding another. But the space onboard was starting to get to her. She wouldn’t be on the ship long, and she had no real intent to go exploring it. It was just too *large*, bigger than Veritas and unnecessarily populated. So she spent a significant amount of time with her head buried in a PADD, reading up on legal documents that had been sent to her by Eislas, Astras Teitut, and now from Rivi Vataix. She had not yet met *any* of these people in person - but if Jhalib was to be believed, then they were legitimate.::

::That felt strange, though. Relying on people she’d not seen in person.::

::Zhou walked down the aisle in the lounge of the starliner, carefully holding the two drinks he’d procured from the bar, only one of which was alcoholic.::

::He set the drinks down on the small side table in between two chairs, one of which was occupied by a Sky Blake.::

Zhou: Here you go… one mineral water for you. ::He grabbed the other glass.:: And one mint julep for me.

::He took a sip, exhaling sharply as the taste lingered on his tongue.::

Zhou: Ah, that’s the stuff...

::He looked over at her and smiled.::

Zhou: Oh, and I checked on Ayden. He’s still asleep in the cabin.

::She gave him a side-eye, taking a reluctant sip of her mineral water that was definitely not spiked with vodka, the traitor.::

Blake: If you’d have told me two years ago that I was related to some Betazoid royalty, I’d have told you you were reading a scam email and that you were an idiot.

Zhou: ::takes another sip:: To be fair, you probably would have called me an idiot for something else.

Blake: I *did* call you an idiot for something else.

::He chuckled before putting his glass down.::

Zhou: So then why are we going, Princess?

::Her eyebrows rose, her lips pursing into a thin line.::

Blake: You are a *brave* little man, calling me that.

Zhou: ::returning an insulted look:: “Little?”

Blake: I’m not talking about that.

::He shook his head.::

Zhou: I was gonna say… ::He took a deep breath.:: Ahem. And you’re dodging the question.

Blake: We’re going because my daughter is still in the Delos system. The Federation won’t do anything - I’ve tried every trick in the damn book. Not even being a Starfleet officer has convinced them to put pressure on Brekka.

Zhou: Right. And now you’ve found out you have a cousin on Betazed that might be able to help.

Blake: It just . . . seems a little surreal, is all.

Zhou: Eh, I might agree, but then… I have a cousin on Betazed, too, so…

::He shrugged and grinned slightly. He was planning on meeting his cousin Tenzin once they arrived at the planet. He hadn’t seen the good doctor in years and was overdue to see Tenzin and Yasmin’s youngest daughter Desriel, who’d been born a few years ago.::

Zhou: Hey, it’ll be fine. They know this is all new to you. And they want to help.

Blake: I know. ::She sighed, putting the PADD and glass down onto the table.:: But it’s *after* Faith is returned to me that I’m worried about. I don’t know what I’m signing up for, what I’m signing my children up for.

Zhou: You’ll figure that out once you get there. Right now, she’s been separated from her mother, and this is the first step to reuniting the Blake family.

::She misunderstood his words.::

Blake: Blake’s the Brekkian name. ::She corrected.:: And I’m sure as hell not taking on “Vataix”.

Zhou: I’m talking about you, Ayden, and Faith. Let’s get the three of you back together first. That’s what you’re signing up for now.

::She gave a breath of relief, nodding at the idea.::

((Ohmallera, Betazed, several days later))

::Zhou had left to visit his cousin’s family, taking along Ayden at Sky’s request. Fortunately, Dr. Tenzin Zhou and his family also lived in Ohmallera, which still bore the scars of the vicious attack from eight years ago when a hijacked USS Constitution had fired upon the city, killing 1.2 million. In the time since, however, the city had slowly been rebuilt, and the Vataix family had been one of the leading champions of its reconstruction.::

::Upon hearing of their guests’ arrival, Rivi Vataix walked through the opulent chambers of the Vataix estate, checking that the servants had put everything in its proper place. Rivi wanted to make a good first impression on her cousin.::

::Firstborn daughter of the Vataix family, Rivi (full name Niarivi, although only her father called her that) was a cheery young woman who was destined to be tasked with the duties of head of the house once she assumed the title from her mother, Naminae Vataix. Until then, however, Rivi had been working on rebuilding the Eleventh House of Betazed following its losses sustained from the Dominion War and the attack on Ohmallera.::

::Once she reached the foyer of the estate, she clasped her hands together and nodded for Haveg to open the door.::

::Rivi offered a broad smile to her cousin, the blonde Betazoid woman communicating to the new arrival telepathically.::

Vataix: ~~ Sky, welcome! ~~

TBC…

Rivi Vataix

Daughter of the Eleventh House of Betazed

Sky Blake’s Cousin

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&

Lt. Commander Sky Blake

Chief of Security

USS Veritas

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