The Mother in Law

Posted on Tue Apr 16th, 2019 @ 9:01am by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Jaeih Dox-t'Aan & Lieutenant Mona Gonadie
Edited on on Sun May 5th, 2019 @ 5:07pm

Mission: Detours
Location: Crew Quarters, Deck 8
Timeline: 2396

It was an exceedingly pleasant day on Earth. The sun was shining, there was a mild breeze, and Jaeih Dox was miserable.

Misery wasn't a new state of being for the indentured Romulan woman, as she looked out the window of her rather spacious quarters in the security wing of Starfleet Intelligence. Jaeih Dox was a former Romulan engineer and an expert in Cloaking technology, and her services were extremely valuable to Starfleet. So she found herself in the middle of an uncomfortable deal.

Sixteen years ago, she was a smuggler. She, the human she was married to out of convenience Declan Dox, and her teenage daughter 'Melanie'. In order to keep her daughter's record clear, Jaeih made a deal when Starfleet captured them. Her knowledge and service so her daughter would have no criminal record.

In the intervening years, the young Dox had made a career for herself in Starfleet and had begun reclaiming her heritage and past. She restored her given Romulan name of Mnhei'sahe and her appearance, which had been surgically altered as a child. Mnhei'sahe Dox was now a Lieutenant, and it had been months since she had last spoke to Jaeih.

During a shore leave visit, things went very badly. Lies were told and harsh words exchanged. Mnhei'sahe had recovered memories of a Romulan man named Dralath tr'Rul that she could not reconcile. In a panic, Jaeih lied and told her he was just a smuggler and nobody of importance.

But it had been a test. Mnhei'sahe already knew that the man had once been a Tal'Shiar agent. A member of the Romulan secret police. But the lie drove a deep wedge between the two.

The elder Dox had made many attempts to call her daughter in the months since then, but Mnhei'sahe never answered. Refused to talk. Jaeih spent that time desperately wishing she had just told her daughter the truth. That Dralath tr'Rul was, In fact, Mnhei'sahe's true father. But she had panicked and lied and it had cost her the already fragile relationship with her daughter.

But the tall, stern-faced Romulan woman refused to give up. So again, she stood in the center of the gilded cage that was her quarters and opened a comm frequency for Holographic communication, hoping this time, her Daughter would answer.

When the call came in, Dox was off training with the Commander and the security department, but Mona was at the desk in their quarters working on the Thunderchicken schematics. As she had the power to accept the call on her Minay's behalf now, she tapped in her code and stood up, stepping into the holo-call area. As the Romulan woman flickered into existence, she smiled and bowed politely. "Hello, I'm Mnhei'sahe's bond-mate, Ensign Mona Gonadie. You're her mother, right?"

On the other side of the quadrant, in her quarters on Earth, Jaeih watched the Holographic image of Mona Gonadie appear. The elder Dox was expecting either her angry daughter or nothing yet again.

At the sight of the brilliantly colored Miradonian, Jaeih Dox stood up a bit straighter, startled slightly, as she processed the introduction.

"Y... Yes. I am Jaeih Dox. And you said you are my daughter's... what now?" The elder Dox replied, incredulously.

Mona grinned wider, gushing happiness. "Bond-mate? How about we go with wife - most cultures understand it a lot more. So... That makes you my mother in law."

Mona then waved sheepishly. "Hey, mom. It's nice to finally meet you. When we finally get time to have a ceremony, I'll be sure to send you an invitation."

The Holographic projection of Jaeih stood there, with her jaw hanging open slightly. Her arms still folded behind her back, she simply stood there staring for a moment in shock.

"Wife? My daughter... You are..." Jaeih put her hand up to press her sinuses and collect her thoughts. "So... you and my daughter are some sort of... couple. I can see her tastes toward the... exotic... haven't changed."

Mona held out her arms. "Do you need a hug? I'm quite soft... Plush... Cuddly..." Mona also wanted to get a baseline for her MiL's vitals through the holographics and touch was the best way of doing that. She too could be a bit deceptive.

With an indignant look on her face, Jaeih cricked her neck slightly, "What? No. I do not need a... Hug. What I need is to speak to my daughter, but she has refused my messages since we spoke here on Earth. Since you and she are apparently so close, maybe you know something about this?"

Mona dropped her arms and nodded solemnly, her pleasant demeanor draining away. "Yes, I know much about it. As her bond-mate we've shared many memories. Is there anything you would like to say about it first? Some truths you would like to admit that you know we likely already know?"

"What I tell my daughter is my own business. We had words and I chose to keep certain information to myself for reasons that are..." Jaeih began speaking in a hostile tone until the gravity of what Mona had said had gotten through.

"Tell me she hasn't begun investigating... him?" The tight-lipped Romulan woman was visibly nervous now as she actively avoided saying the name of the man that both women knew to be Mnhei'sahe's real father.

Inside, Mona was giddy, but outside, she clasped her hands behind her and mimicked her MiL's posture. "Dralath tr'Rul, her real father? We didn't need to. The truth will always be revealed on this ship."

A galaxy away, Jaeih's jaw dropped a second time. "She... knows. She can't... I need to explain to her. You begin investigating a member of the Tal'Shiar and you attract the attention of the Tal'Shiar. It was the only way I could protect her. Keep her from digging any deeper, if she thought he was a nobody. Just another smuggler that didn't mean anything."

In the emotion of the moment, Jaeih kept talking as the words just began tumbling out. "We had to hide her, protect her from..." But before going too far, she cut herself off and locked back down.

"Protect her from what?" Mona pressed, leaning forward, her eyes opening further to reveal multiple irises. "We've dealt with worse than them and walked away, mother. We've snatched their prizes from them. We've defeated beings that they feared with glee and decimated their worst nightmares. Do not doubt your daughter's allies."

"You fear the enemy you know..." Mona let a merry grin spread across her face as she tilted her head a bit, still not blinking. "We've eaten enemies far worse that have never seen the light of any sun."

Watching the bizarre display, Jaeih resumed her cool facade, though she had no idea what to make of the bizarre Miradonian woman she was speaking to. "Whatever relationship you think you have with my daughter, do not presume that familiarity extends to me. I am not your Mother."

"You are my mother in law," Mona replied, simply stating a fact. "That means that you are, undeniably, family. As is Dralath tr'Rul. You'll have to accept my apologies though. My entire family was eaten when I was young so I'm not entirely sure how to treat you. My mother and I were never able to discuss it."

"Eaten?" The elder Romulan tilted her head as an eyebrow went up. "Ah, you're Miradonian. That explains... much. I know nothing about this 'bond-mate' nonsense, but Mnhei'sahe's childish desire to... construct... A facsimile of a family is quaint, but wearing thin."

"A facsimile of a family?" For the first time in a very long time, anger was building within Mona. She could count the times she'd been actually mad in her life on one hand and this woman knew how to push her buttons. "I see now why my Minay is so angry at you. You spit in the face of her life and think only of yourself and your own life. You want to protect her but all you do is wrap your secrets in stinky layers of onion and cabbage and won't even reveal what's at the core even though you know we could find out in a few days if we dedicated the resources to it."

Mona gave up pretending to be composed and gesticulated with her hands. "She's made a life for herself now, you know. We do good work protecting not only the Federation but the galaxy as a whole and it's very rewarding. Just remember that you're even where you are now because of her and the multiple times this crew has saved not only Earth, but Romulus and dozens of other planets. She knows who she is and where she's going and she's got confidence in that now and if you so much as think of threatening that, so help me, you will rue the day you pissed off a Miradonian."

Recomposing herself, Mona tugged down on her uniform top and straightened her skirt and nodded curtly. "So, now that we have a mutual understanding and dislike of each other..."

The image of Jaeih Dox allowed the slightest edge of a smirk to curl the corner of her lips. "What makes you think I dislike you?"

Tilting her head, the Romulan manipulator continued. "You're passionate, but easy to push. But it's obvious you care about her, so you have that."

"And that's why I now don't like you. But keep in mind that Miradonians are notorious for seeing through lies and I have both eyes on you." Mona sighed heavily, trying to steer the conversation to more pleasant places. "That being said, I'm not sure if the Captain or Minay has told you yet, but we need you in an upcoming operation. If you're interested in trading your prison cell for a pirate ship for a while, that is."

"No. As I said, I've not spoken to her in quite some time. And I've no idea who the Captain of that oh-so-top secret ship of yours is, as we've never spoken. So what's this business about a pirate ship?" Jaeih responded, curious now.

Now it was Mona's turn to quirk a sly grin. "Really? Because rumor has it that before she joined Starfleet, you had a great many dealings with her family. She's the Artan Family Pirate Princess, Captain Enalia Telvan. Perhaps you dealt more with her mother, whom we need you to help us depose."

Tilting her head back slightly, Jaeih let out a mirthless chuckle. "Enalia Artan. Now it all makes sense. So, Arenara and Enalia are finally having it out and she thinks recruiting my daughter is going to bring me over to her side? Your Captain certainly has her mother's ambition if she thinks that."

"And it certainly explains Mnhei'sahe's rather... rapid promotions. But you should know that Arenara Artan was my client, not your Captain. So hopefully there's a better pitch coming to sway me."

Mona shook her head. "Minay's promotions are based on merit and skill - I was one of the people that saw to that. If there was any favoritism because of family, neither she, nor I, nor the first officer would have allowed it." She then motioned with her hands a bit. "As for the pitch, I don't know all the details, but there's a lot of suspicion and coincidence that points to Arenara tipping off the Syndicate and letting them in past the defenses on a mining colony staffed by Romulan refugees that you helped bring across the neutral zone so she could conveniently show up after the raid to help them."

"Minay could tell you more though," Mona added, waving one hand towards the door. "She should be home from combat training any time now. I just hope she doesn't hurt our new Klingons too badly today."

Standing for a moment, Jaeih's face shifted to one of slight anger at the mention of the Orion Syndicate. Instead, she changed the subject. "Minay? Is Mnhei'sahe too much for you?"

"Minay means NightFeathers in Miradonian, the name of our smaller moon and protector of lovers. It's my name for her. She calls me Jhu Dhael." The brightly plumed Miradonian paused long enough for that to sink in before continuing. "Do you know what it's like to love someone so much you have a name for them like that?"

"Yes. And I took that name away from her once and hid her with the name..." But Jaeih was cut off, mid-sentence, as the door wooshed open as Mnhei'sahe walked in.

"...Melanie." the elder Romulan finished her thought as the room went quiet.

Stepping slowly in as the door closed behind her, Dox was wiping sweat from her brow, dressed in a black tank top with the gold Starfleet delta embroidered on its breast and a pair of black sweat pants. Her left eye was nursing a mild, greenish bruise.

"Mother." Mnhei'sahe hissed before turning towards Mona, with a slightly resigned expression, sighing. "Well, that's her. What's going on?"

"We were getting to know each other, my Minay," Mona explained as she grabbed the medkit on the desk and pulled out the dermal regenerator. "Apparently she doesn't like hugs and is one of the few people to be able to piss me off. We were just discussing our names for you and she was just telling me how much it pained her to hide you with the name Melanie. After all, Mnhei'sahe is so much more beautiful, isn't it?" As she spoke, she gave Jaeih a meaningful look and motioned for Dox to let her work on her bruised eye.

Looking over at the hologram of her mother, the young pilot stood still as she knew Mona wouldn't stop fussing over the bruise until she let her take care of it. As she stared, she thought back to the evening that she learned that Dralath tr'Rul was her father. And she thought back to the words of the woman that had revealed that truth to her. Masato Rei, Death herself, who told the young Romulan to not speak with hate in her heart when next she spoke with her mother.

"So, you two have met, now. This is the woman I've chosen to be with, Mother. So... she's part of the deal now when it comes to me." Mnhei'sahe sighed slightly.

"So I've been told, Mnhei'sahe. I've been told... many things. Things about you and her. And things about this captain of yours." Jaieh replied, flatly.

As she spoke, Mnhei'sahe looked back to Mona, who was finishing up, and smiled slightly. "Catch me up, here?"

Mona smiled lovingly as she worked. "Of course, Minay. I let her know we know about Dralath tr'Rul and about us. Who the Captain is. What I know about the Tribunal, which I admit isn't much. The attack on the mining colony. She knows about my family. General mother-daughter in-law chit-chat, I think."

"Thank you, Jhu Dhael." Mnhei'sahe leaned in and kissed Mona lightly. She knew it would irritate her mother though she didn't do it for that. But she wasn't going to not do it because of her either.

Turning, Mnhei'sahe now faced the hologram of her mother. "So... wasn't quite how I imagined this meeting going, but I also couldn't imagine any way that it would have gone well, regardless."

The elder Romulan moved to speak, but was cut off by her red-headed daughter. "I understand that you felt that you needed to lie to protect me. I do. And I understand that you feel like you still need to protect me. And that being said, I'm not going to ask you anything further about him, or you or my past. You'll tell me what you choose to and I have to accept that and move on."

"Do you remember Sienae Nei'rrh?" Mnhei'sahe asked.

Knitting her eyebrows as she thought for a moment, it was in those subtle peculiarities of her eyes that the mother/daughter resemblance was most pronounced. "I do. We ferried her and seven other Romulan women from Romulus to an Artan cruiser and freedom. You were...at the most... Twelve at the time. She claimed me as a blood-sister and pledged herself to repay me one day."

"Well, she's now Baroness Sienae Nei'rrh of the Romulan Refugee Corps. And Captain Telvan's mother has sided with the Orion Syndicate to sway her loyalty against the family and what it stands for. She wants to force Enalia to give her a child and give it up to relinquish control of the family. It's wrong, and I will be standing by her in an upcoming tribunal to try and rectify this matter peacefully. To do this, we need more of the Baronesses on her side, and Sienae Nei'rrh's oath to YOU could turn that tide."

There was no shift to the expression on her face as Jaieh listened, but she was clearly processing the information. "YOU will stand by her? How will you be doing this, I wonder?"

Mona couldn't help but point this part out casually. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that you're a Baroness now as well because of... Was it the trip to the black market auction with the Captain and Schwein?"

Looking somewhat embarrassed, Mnhei'sahe shuffled slightly as Mona talked about her status. "So, I will have a vote in this tribunal, Mother, as a Baroness. Which means I have my own ship and can pick my own crew."

"The Captain is willing to talk to Starfleet about your sentence in exchange for your... assistance in talking to Baroness Nei'rrh to try and get her support, which may influence some of the other Baronesses that are on the fence. Otherwise, the Captain's mother rests control of the organization and it becomes yet another slaver fleet in service to the Orion Syndicate... or worse."

Watching her daughter talk, Jaeih was blank faced, standing with her arms behind her back. She stood there thinking for a good minute before speaking again. "You may tell your Captain, that I am not unsympathetic to her situation. That said, I will have... criteria that must be met in order to assist her in this tribunal of hers. And those criteria are to be discussed with her and her only."

Pausing for effect, Jaeih nodded her head slightly. "And discussed face to face, not with a hologram."

"I will pass that message along, Mother. Thank you." Mnhei'sahe replied, matching her mother's flat tone as she spoke. "And... regardless of the situation... I'm... glad to see you."

"As am I, Mnhei'sahe." The elder Romulan nodded, keeping her expression blank as she stepped forward slightly, turning her attention back to Mona.

"You love her?" She asked the Miradonian pilot plainly, with an arched eyebrow.

Miradonians were simple, romantic, gullible folk at heart and Mona was no different, so she placed one hand over her heart and declared her love. "She is my light in this world and my inspiration as both a pilot and an inventor. She takes me to levels of joy and happiness that I never thought possible in my life and shows me that there is yet hope every day that I know her. Every time we touch I feel as though I have become whole and everything is right with the universe. She fulfills my heart's and soul's desires in every way and I would be lost without her. She is my Minay. Yes, I love her. Every fiber of my existence screams for her when we are apart."

Looking deep at the Miradonian woman, Jaieh squinted slightly as she thought. Allowing the slightest of smiles to crack her facade, she replied. "Well, a simple 'yes, Mother' would have sufficed."

Then she turned back to Mnhei'sahe, "Relay my message to Enalia. I will be waiting for her response. Jolan Tru."

And without waiting for any responses, she stepped out of range of the holoscanners and vanished and the message ended with a chirrup. Dox and Mona stood there for a brief moment watching the space where her hologram stood.

"Well... that just happened." Was all Dox could think to say.

"You should be proud of her, Minay," Mona said softly as she kissed her love. "She didn't lie once and almost slipped up and told me what in the Tal'Shiar she was trying to protect you from."

"I'm not giving her points for being honest for a change. Hopefully, the Captain will be able to convince her to help, but beyond that... I just don't know, Mona." Mnhei'sahe walked over and flumped on their plush couch.

"I want to let her in, but every time I do, she reminds me why I shut her out before. Ya'know?"

"Well, if she can piss off a Miradonian, she has some skill at that..." Then another thought struck the brightly plumed pilot and a look of horror spread across her face as she joined her love on the couch. "She doesn't eat chicken, does she?"

On the couch, Dox snuggled up against Mona. Their contact re-establishing their empathic bond the two had been working to strengthen it back up. It was a slow process, but they were making progress as the days passed. "When she went all in on Vulcan/Romulan reunification, she made us both go Vegetarian. I... gave up on that when I went to earth, but I think she's still vegetarian. Not that she wouldn't do that just to get under your skin."

"Yeah, I understand why you don't like her now," Mona replied, snuggling in tighter. "I'm so glad you're better than that."

Resting up against her bond-mate, Mnhei'sahe Dox didn't say what she was thinking. Instead, she just held Mona tighter, hoping deep down that she was better, but fearing that ultimately, she wasn't.