Lucio "
By: Patia Zoei, Chief Counselor, [PC]

Stardate: 58204.21 0600

Zoei walked along the quiet station. She had no purpose in being off her duty station, other than a strange pull to Qul Tuq. She had no need for any different clothing, no desire for new scented lotions or powders, no one to lunch with or gamble with at any one of the numerous recreational places and, truth be told, no real reason to leave the security of her quarters at this obscenely early hour of the day. However, today was the day the Zion was leaving and if she was going to get here, it best be before her work day started.

As she walked, thoughts of her childhood randomly popped into her mind. Memories she hadn't thought of in years were as vivid as if they happened yesterday. She could hear Lucio's voice in the countless letters she had received from him. Smiling to herself, she allowed his child's voice to play on the sensitive nerve endings of her soul. To someone who hadn't lost a bonded partner, the loss of a childhood "love" could be equated with the loss of a friend, or a "crush" that was felt especially because the person was no longer accessible and therefore bigger and better in memory than he had ever been in life. She had heard it before from others, that were not her kind, when she had been asked about any boyfriend she might have. This was different, though. He was her soul mate, chosen by her parents, bonded by ritual, forever her partner.

Thoughts of Lucio were bittersweet. She had resisted her parents attempts to bond her to another, which had not been that strong in the first place. Actually, their attempts had seemed more due to the norms of their culture than any true desire of theirs for her to have a new bonded mate. This resistance of hers, could prove to cause her to be alone for the remainder of her life. It was not unheard of for Betazid people to choose a life partner in adulthood, but it was certainly not common. When she reflected on it, as she did today, she wondered if adult based relationships could ever be as strong or defined as a bonded relationship. Knowing the intensity of the emotional connection with her bonded mate, she wasn't sure she would ever want to settle for anything less than that again.

The memory of the missive from Lucio's parents, detailing the accident, still hurt like a fresh, raw wound. What hurt worse, was the memory of the day when she inadvertently walked in on her parents discussing what had happened to Lucio. Finding out it hadn't been an accident at all, but rather an attempt to weaken her father's position on Earth, had been heart breaking. Even though, rationally, she knew it was not her father's fault Lucio's killer had struck, it had made her feel as though the family Zoei was directly responsible for her mate's death. When she had confronted her parents about it some years later, the true story came out, in all its grizzly, gory, evilness. Little Lucio has been abducted, tortured and murdered, all in the name of politics. Sometimes, in her dreams, she could Lucio's cries for mercy.

At that thought, she stopped abruptly. Her head ached, a throbbing pain lancing through her temple. His cries for mercy louder and clearer than they had ever been in any dream, echoed in her ears. She reached out to the wall of the building next to her. The throbbing in her head keeping tempo with the pulsing of the glass in the window. Glancing up, she saw the infamous Quarks. Zoei shook her head, attempting to clear the reverberating screams from her mind. She closed her eyes briefly and allowed them to flutter open. Raising her eyes, she saw a man exiting Quarks. He turned toward her, dark eyes flashing. Lucio's cries reached a fevered pitch and she knew, without a doubt, this man was Lucio's killer.

She shook her head again as the man approached her. From the early haze of morning, in a soft voice, the man asked if she was all right. Looking into his eyes for the first time, she nodded without speaking. She felt as though her voice was lost forever. Tha man patted her on the shoulder, told her to be careful and walked away. He didn't glance back.

Zoei stared after him until he was gone from her view. The man had given no indication he was a killer, not that she expected him to wear a name tag proclaiming this for all to see. She wasn't even convinced he was Betazid. There was certainly no empathic communication attempted. She shook her head again and turned to follow him. She walked quickly, her stride sure and confident. In moments, she could see the man's back. Zoei watched him closely, looking for a sign, any sign to confirm he was the man she thought he was, but nothing materialized. As she neared the docking area for the Zion, she paused to watch him continue out of sight. Her headache was clearing and she felt calm for the first time since the Zion had returned to Qul Tuq. It might be time to ask her father for information regarding the man who destroyed Lucio.