This could be considered a companion bookend to “Toil and Trouble,” I suppose.

You’ll see what I mean.

“Stand and Deliver”

By Joseph Manno

The door chime sounded.

Mantovanni didn’t bother looking up from his “paperwork.”

“Yeah?”

A moment passed; again, someone rang.

He sighed. What good was an open-door policy if people refused to open the damned door? Armed with a “this had better be good” expression, he resentfully trudged over and rapped the touch pad.

While Gabi’s exuberance had already infected a by-now-smiling bridge crew, Erika Benteen’s expression remained studiously neutral. Her daughter’s attire—a small Starfleet uniform, pips included—had been no doubt specifically chosen.

He wondered by whom.

Mantovanni’s lips quirked.

“Yes… Admiral?”

Her voice rang out.

“Trick or treat!”