Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It...

Posted on Fri May 10th, 2019 @ 4:42pm by Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Lieutenant Mona Gonadie & Jaeih Dox-t'Aan & Az'Prel

Mission: Fractured Fairy Tales
Location: USS Hera, Deck 3, Upper Flight deck
Timeline: 2396

Pacing the upper flight deck on Deck 3, Commander Rita Paris was going over plans in her mind. While there were a great number of variables and unknowns in the mission that lay ahead, she was taking steps in the present to attempt to produce results in the future. Planning. Strategizing. Plotting.

A conversation with lieutenant Dox had inspired her, and currently she was working in the undercover Starfleet operation she would be carrying out with as few people as possible aware of it. Some parts of the plan she was being open with deliberately to appear to have her usual ‘above board’ appearance so that no one would suspect what else she was up to. But with the piratical Tribunal ahead, the Pirate Queen had already made it quite clear that she had no intention of playing it straight, nor of losing. So it was going to be Rita Paris’ job to ensure that she never learned what Rita was up to, so that she could not anticipate nor counter it.

The curvaceous chrononaut was accustomed to being an x-factor, a variable in the formula. In this matter, she intended to capitalize on it and insure what the Pirate Queen lost because she did not expect an old-school Starfleet officer… particularly Rita Paris.

One part of her plan that she had shared with more than one person, which to her mind was tantamount to blatantly advertising it, was to send Az’Prel and Jaieh Dox off to get evidence that the Queen of the Artans had cut a deal with the Orion Syndicate to accomplish her goals. That would make her a pariah amongst the pirates, although it would be insufficient to tip the scales, as the pirate would still press things to a bloody conclusion to win a pyrrhic victory if she had to. But that proof needed to be secured, as playing the long game it would be important. Rita knew better than to put all of her eggs in that basket, however, and she was preparing a number of contingencies for this event.

As she had for months now. As she would until the moment arrived, in which case she would default to her strength, and improvise, adapt and overcome.

For now, she was pacing the flight deck, waiting for the arrival of others who were aware of this plan. She had made the arrangements, and let people in on her machinations. Now she would watch for betrayals, to watch for the leaks which were evident everywhere in how the Pirate Queen had been maneuvering thus far. Rita disliked paranoia- but then, it wasn’t paranoia when they were genuinely out to get you.

Emerging from the Fight Control Office door at the far rear of the flight deck was the aforementioned Lieutenant Mnhei'sahe Dox. As always, the young Romulan Flight Chief was finishing up work on a PaDD as she walked. It was a habit that she had picked up emulating Paris herself while on the job and one she didn't even think twice about now.

Walking towards the gilded Commander, Dox's uniform was sharp and looked freshly tailored as the accomplished pilot, in preparation for the upcoming mission, had been working out and training quite extensively. She knew that the tribunal would no doubt require extensive hand-to-hand combat along with actual swordplay. As such, the portly pilot was getting a fair bit less round in the middle and was tightening up.

Her thick, wavy red locks had been recently trimmed back down to the short pixie cut she usually wore it in and she seemed in fairly good spirits, all things considered. A state of being almost odd in and of itself considering the almost perpetual state of anxiety the Red-headed Romulan seemed to exist in.

"Commander." The alert Lieutenant said as she came to a stop next to the Hera's First Officer, standing with her hands folded behind her back and still seeming to be far less nervous than was usual for her.

“Lieutenant,” Paris responded with a nod. "Will Ensign Gonadie be joining us?”

"Aye, Commander. Ensign Gonadie is finishing up in the R&D department on the project revisions she's consulting with my Mother on. She said they would be here within five minutes." Dox replied.

The project in question was an improved cloak that would add layers of stealth to already cloaked vessels… which was technology Paris in particular saw only as a negative since Starfleet did not use cloaking devices, this such improved technology would only be used against Starfleet personnel in the future. But like the tribunal itself, Paris didn’t get a vote- all she would be left to do was try her best to ensure it never saw the light of day, and ensure that Starfleet had the information and tools to combat it moving forward.

Spending so much of her time at odds with her own people was exhausting, but it had to be for now, at least until the Tribunal was past. Rita missed the good old days when it was a joint team effort and everyone was on the same page. But the future was too complex for that sort of simple honesty, and she’d been forced to accept it.

For now. Rita Paris had very long-range plans, however, and she was closely watching every detail in the moment. When her time came to make sweeping policy changes, her arguments would be unshakable after having been thought out years in advance. Shunted to the future, Rita was determined to build a better one for the next generation.

Outwardly, she said nothing. After all, there was nothing to be gained by creating strife in the here and now. The future, however, was taking root in the present.

Mona was next to step out onto the upper flight deck, stretching as she did so. "Well, it took some doing, but the new ship should be ready."

At her side was Mnhei'sahe Dox's mother, and former Romulan engineer and Tal'Shiar agent, Jaeih Dox. As the pair entered, the two bulky security officers that followed the elder Romulan about the ship stay outside the door at their posts, waiting.

Walking with her arms folded behind her back, Jaeih nodded to the pair of officers as the four women converged. Rather than her usual gray Starfleet Intelligence uniform with the customized Romulan sigil comm badge, Jaeih was wearing a nondescript black outfit. Black cargo pants and a strapped black tunic with a high neck. And in spite of familial relationships, since her Daughter was on duty and so, technically, was she, she simply said, "Greetings, Commander... Lieutenant."

It was neither cold nor sarcastic, but simply a show of professional demeanor to which Mnhei'sahe had the slightest of smiles as she nodded back to the pair.

“I had the utmost faith in you, Miss Gonadie,” Paris observed as she addressed the Romulan agent. “Mrs. Dox, I assume you have been familiarized with the craft in question?”

"I have, Commander. Ensign Gonadie brought me up to proverbial speed quite effectively." Jaeih replied.

“Excellent. Miss Az’Prel should be along momentarily, so that the two of you can get acquainted and on your way,” Paris replied with a nod. “I’ll brief both of you once she arrives. Have you gathered the supplies and armor you’ll require?”

"I have, Commander. I have already loaded the appropriate supplies and armor in the ships hold, replicated and weathered to specifications for mission purposes." Jaeih replied with a nod.

"The enemies in this universe are not as obvious as they were in mine," Az'Prel commented as she stepped out of a nearby turbolift, her newer red armor weathered and donned and a red rugged duffel slung over one shoulder. "However, I will do all that I can to complete this mission successfully."

"I have the utmost faith in you, Miss Az'Prel. May I introduce Mrs. Dox... I'm sorry, Jaeih Dox. Somehow Mrs. Dox just sounds like a character from a spy thriller in my head. The two of you will be partnered up for this mission, should you choose to accept it, which is to follow the trail of who paid who to attack the Romulan faction of the Baronesses. Hopefully to trace it back to the Pirate Queen, in time for the Tribunal. So, no hurry. And no leads in particular. But as I said, I have confidence in you both. You are both singularly capable and competent women, after all."

Saving any pleasantries for later, Jaeih simply offered a respectful nod to the Vulcan refugee from another reality.

"If you make it back soon enough, there's an infiltration mission I've planned as well, but... it's a lit fuse, getting shorter all the time. Which means we'll have to play this by ear. So, without further ado... if you are captured, Starfleet will officially disavow any knowledge of you or your operation. As Starfleet Intelligence we need to succeed in this mission, but you can go where we can't and do what we cannot right now. Do you accept this mission?"

"I do, Commander." Jaeih replied as she then deferred to her new partner.

"Of course, Commander. This is one of the reasons I'm in this universe, after all," replied the displaced Vulcan with a nod to both the voluptuous angel in gold and her new Romulan cohort. "It is a pleasure making your acquaintance."

Raising an eyebrow ever so slightly at a Vulcan referencing pleasure in any way, the elder Dox replied. "For myself as well. The Commander and Lieutenant have spoken of your skills, but little else. I look forward to speaking with you during our journey."

The displaced Vulcan's eyebrow then raised as well. "They haven't informed you of my origins? Curious. I shall have to remedy that on our trip."

Looking over toward Paris, then at her own daughter, Jaeih replied with a slightly amused smile. "Indeed." Her response was brief to allow the Commander to continue.

"Better to let you tell one another your own stories, I am thinking, rather than filtering them through our experience," Paris offered honestly. "Well, no time like the present. Bon voyage, bon chance... and I need both of you to return to us safely after the mission. I have confidence that you will watch one another's backs and ensure the success of the mission and personal safety on both your parts. Meanwhile, tempus fugit, ladies... where is the Nihroi, anyway...?"

Mona pulled out a small remote and clicked a control on it, the modified Scorpion design shimmering into existence before them. She then handed the control off to Jaeih as she grinned like she'd achieved perfection. "I think I've proven that my cloak has zero spatial distortion. If it's removed from the housing though, it'll automatically destroy itself without my special tools."

Taking the remote, Jaeih added, "One of just a few precautionary measures to ensure that the technology is secure and unable to be replicated or stolen, Commander. What Ensign Gonadie has engineered is many steps beyond what even the Romulan Star Empire has been able to manage in generations."

“Advances in cloaking technology are never a positive to my mind, as it only encourages the shadows to grow deeper, and for those who wish to hide in them to retreat even further,” Paris observed, sharing her less than positive view of cloaking technology. “But the galaxy is what it is, and I appreciate you taking pains to ensure that your work cannot fall into the wrong hands, Miss Gonadie. So ladies… off you go.”

With a slightly pensive expression, Jaeih glanced over to her daughter who had been observing quietly, then back to Paris. "Commander... would you permit me a brief... indulgence before Miss Az'Prel and I depart. It will not take long." Her expression was more plaintiff then was usual for the normally stone-faced Romulan, but as she and her daughter had been working quite hard to repair their once-fractured relationship, it was clear that she wanted to bid farewell.

Reading the room, as it were, Paris took the hint. “Of course, Mrs. Dox. Miss Az’Prel, Miss Gonadie, if you would join me in the office, I should tend to something as well.” Shepherding the other two women toward the R&D office, Paris offered a subtle nod to Lieutenant Dox, indicating that the two women would have a moment of privacy.

As they began to step away, Jaeih reached out and took Mona's hand, keeping her from leaving as well. As the Miradonian engineer and Jaeih's daughters were bond-mates,that made the young ensign her daughter-in-law. She nodded with a smile to the accommodating Commander and spoke quite sincerely as Rita and Az'Prel continued. "Thank you, Commander. I appreciate this, and you."

As for the Commander in question, a simple smile and a nod of acknowledgment was sufficient. For one so verbose, Paris also knew when to let silence speak instead.

Turning back, Jaeih looked at her daughter, who only a couple of weeks ago she worried she would never speak to again with a blend of pride and love that the usually closed down Romulan woman didn't quite know how to process. When she spoke, it was in her Native language of Rihan. "Mnhei'sahe... Have no fear. I have not come this far with you to let it slip away now. We will succeed and I will be returning to you, my daughter. I will be returning to you both."

Taking her mother's hands in her own, the young Romulan woman's eyes shined slightly as a tight, emotional smile crept across her cheeks as she nodded, replying in Rihan as well. "You had better, Mother. When... when we start this family, those children will need a grandmother."

Glancing over to Mona, Mnhei'sahe shot her bond-mate a slightly awkward smile and the slightest of nods as well, with the subtle but clear meaning that the brilliantly plumed pilot understood. As the two seemed to speak without words, Jaeih was both overwhelmed by what she had just heard and yet suddenly felt self-conscious, speaking now in English.

"Oh, my dear. I apologize..." She spoke awkwardly, "I simply said..."

Mona shook her head and in her best broken Rihannsu interrupted her. "You will make a wonderful grandmother and we will both be fruity parents." She then scrunched up her face, knowing she messed up a word or two, but not knowing exactly how to fix it.

With which, Jaeih Dox uttered a sound neither woman was accustomed to hearing from the generally confrontational and distant woman: a genuinely warm,.if short, laugh. "You continue to both surprise and impress me, my dear. And my Mnhei'sahe has clearly chosen very well."

Stepping slightly back, and clearing her throat as she adjusted her top, Jaeih didn't want to allow herself to get overly emotional, though she was clearly putting effort into in. "Thank you, both."

Smiling broadly, nodding and understanding her mother's need to maintain her composure, the young Dox tapped her comm badge. "Commander Paris, Miss Az'Prel… all is ready."

In the R&D office, Paris had taken advantage of the moment to present Az’Prel with an odd gift.

“It’s a phaser of my day, updated to modern specifications. It can still be set to overload like we could back in my day, and to me, the pistol grip is superior for aiming purposes. You might not need it, and it’s… well, I will admit that it isn’t exactly the most conventional of gifts. But I can’t be out there with you… so the least I can do is send you with my weapon of choice to defend yourself.“ Paris’ brow contorted and wrinkled a bit, as she fought a surprising wellspring of emotion within her.

“I haven’t had a long time to get to know you, Miss Az’Prel. But I feel I am responsible for you, and your well-being. My people have a lot to make up for with you, and I think maybe that’s part of why the Prophets sent you with me. So that maybe I can help you see that we’re not all bad, and that you can build a life here, have some security, and be who you want to be, not who the universe makes you.” Staring at the pistol-grip weapon of her day, Paris smirked. “So a phaser might not be the best way to convey that, but if I can’t keep you safe out there, maybe this will.”

The displaced Vulcan accepted the gift and checked it over, going through the controls and settings systematically like a pro before twirling it in her hand like a well-balanced knife and tucking it into her belt. "It is excellently balanced and of exquisite craftsmanship. Thank you, Commander. I will treasure it and I know it will be a good companion. I never would have imagined that a... Human... Would become my guide and mentor someday, but you have become more than that. You have become my friend and shall always be so."

She then brought her right hand up in the Vulcan salute, which she had only done twice now since coming to this universe - in her own universe it was instant death to do so in front of a Terran. This was how much she trusted Commander Rita Paris though. "Peace and long life, Commander. I will return as soon as our mission is complete."

Raising her hand in response, Paris offered the same salute as she had offered to the Vulcan woman when they had first met on the floor of a shuttlecraft exiting the Celestial Temple of the Prophets above Bajor. Splaying her fingers in the traditional style, Paris raised herself stiff and erect. “Live long and prosper, Az’Prel of Vulcan.”

Unlike her stoic husband, though, Rita Paris was emotional to a fault, and lowering the salute, she gently moved in to hug the slight Vulcan woman. Although she understood the Vulcan prohibition from physical contact, she did so all the same. Knowing that despite their friendship Az’Prel was a shell-shocked survivor, Paris moved slowly but deliberately, wrapping the slighter woman in a hug.

“Be safe out there, Az’Prel,” Paris whispered, then patted the back of the refugee of a hellish reality. Stepping back, she wiped away a few tears she couldn’t help but shed. She was sending the two women on a dangerous mission with no backup. But they were both very dangerous, very competent individuals, and this mission would play to their strengths. There was no call for her to be concerned… yet she worried all the same.

The displaced Vulcan returned the hug in kind as best she could, though a bit more stiffly than her human counterpart, a slight greenish coloration gracing her cheeks as they parted. "I will be vigilant in all aspects."

“I know you will. You both will.” Stepping away, Paris exited the office, to reunite the two unlikely partners in espionage with their equally as unlikely spacecraft to begin their away mission.