The Other Side of Family

Posted on Sat May 11th, 2019 @ 9:17am by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Captain Enalia Telvan

Mission: Fractured Fairy Tales
Location: The Captains Ready Room
Timeline: 2396

It was nearing the end of her shift and Lieutenant Mnhei'sahe Dox, Flight Control Chief of the U.S.S. Hera was cleaning up her office. Over the last few days, stress with her mother having come on board lead to the usually very organized officer to leave her desk something of a mess.

But with her Mother and the Vulcan dimensional refugee, Az'Prel now well on their way on their mission to infiltrate and Investigate the Captain's Mother's illicit business dealings with the Orion Slave Syndicate, things were getting very close to coming to a head.

The Hera would be arriving shortly at the Artan Family Fortress and very soon, the long-lingering Tribunal between the Captain and her Mother would begin. It was a tribunal Dox herself would be playing a key roll in as an Artan Baroness and a role she had been preparing for extensively with both physical training and studying of the legal protocol that governed the family.

Family was a word that popped up a lot for Mnhei'sahe Dox. The Artan Pirate Family. Her new family here on the Hera. Her Mother and the grandmother she had only just learned existed. And family was what was weighing on the red-headed Romulan's mind as she organized the PaDD's on her desk when a message came through.

=^=Lieutenant Dox. Please report to the Captain's Ready Room.=^= Chirped the even-toned voice of the ship's computer from overhead. Instantly, a knot of anxiety curled up in the notoriously nervous young officer as she replied. "Aye. On my way."

Closing up her office, Dox took a PaDD and made her way to Deck one and the Captain's ready room. Stepping off of the turbolift, she glanced at the bridge. Sitting at the helm was her bond-mate Mona Gonadie. The impossible love of her life that she spared a smile for as she pressed the chime on the Captain's ready room.

"Come in," called the Captain, looking up from the report she was reading. "Ah, just who I was hoping for. Please, have a seat. I have something you might be interested in." She slid a PaDD across her desk and waited for her Romulan Flight Chief to have a seat before going into any details.

"Thank you, Captain." The anxious aviatrix replied as she took the offered seat. Pausing for a second, she hessitantly picked up the PaDD as her heart sank deeper in her abdomen. On the PaDD was a picture of a face she had only just learned about, but knew all too well regardless.

It was a middle aged Romulan woman with long black hair pulled to the back, with the pointed bangs characteristic of the people. She was a thick built woman with almond shaped eyes and a chunky face, wearing a black military uniform. For all the world, it looked almost exactly like Mnhei'sahe herself might look when older, with black hair instead of red. It was the face of her Grandmother, Verelan t'Rul.

"We didn't have much in the way of a file on her but the Commodore was able to pull some strings and get a bit more data on her. She was able to corroborate your mother's story as well, which is good. I trust Mona's senses, but I like to trust multiple sources as well, just in case. Especially when Romulan mind control devices are involved." Enalia pulled up a few different files on her own PaDD and looked them over. "The Borg attack, the incidents she described... They all match up from several sources.

Looking up at the Captain, Mnhei'sahe had a trained neutral expression on her face, doing her level best to maintain a professional facade as she looked down at the PaDD and read over the information provided.

There were pages and pages of data, but what caught her attention first was a simple timeline. A list of dates matched up with her Grandmother's career with the Romulan Star Empire.

=°=Verelan t'Rul- born 2298 in the Borath Provence of Romulus. Currently 98 years old.

Married Gorath tr'Rul in 2319. First and only son, Daralath tr'Rul born the same year.

Gorath tr'Rul died 2322 of unknown causes.

Served in the Romulan military began 2324.

In 2340, ascended from Sub-Commander to Commander when her Commander was killed in battle against a Klingon incursion into Romulan space. Taking command of the ship, she effectively destroyed three Klingon Birds of Prey in battle.

As a commander for 20 years, won battles against Klingon, Cardassian and Breen forces.

Served as military fleet commander in 2350. Is responsible for the orders that lead to 26 military campaigns to expand the Star Empire, subjugating 14 worlds in total.

Made the Director of the Tal'Shiar in 2354 - Notable orders during this period are the eradication of 2 Reunification colonies resulting in the deaths of 325 Romulan citizens. With the use of her Neural Technology, instituted a "reeducation" program that has "serviced" over 16,207 Romulan Citizens to date. Ordered a self destruct of a Romulan Warbird that had been commandeered by separatists. Destroyed with 176 Romulans on Board in 2358. Largely considered responsible for much of the Tal'Shiar's authoritarian rise over the military.

Elected Deihu t'Rul (Senator) in 2380.=^=

Tens of thousands of lives stolen or destroyed, listed off as dry statistics. All the while Mnhei'sahe stared at the image. At the cold eyes that looked just like her own staring back at her.

Sitting in the seat across from the Captain, her professional facade was gone as she sat, curled forward over the PaDD like a child, her eyes shined with barely contained tears. "Nouhha... She's... she's a monster."

"Almost reminds me of my mother..." Enalia growled, tossing the PaDD on her desk. "We've dealt with worse. Not by too much, but worse. I'm going to leave our course of action in regards to her up to you though."

"My... my Mother's fear was that if she found out about me, that she would stop at nothing to possess me. Apparently, she's more than a little possessive and control where family is concerned, as I understand it." Mnhei'sahe replied, almost flatly. Her emotions overwhelming her to the point of going somewhat numb for it.

"My mother had my father's DNA repressed and covered up to try and hide me from her. But that's gone now... those changes repaired." Thinking long and hard about it, Dox continued. "I suppose there's nothing for us really to do unless she... Unless she finds out about me. Makes a move. Is there... anything in here about that?"

Enalia shook her head. "We know that Rendal works for her and we suspect that she might have seen you in our recent altercation with Starbase 336, however, there's no evidence that she's linked you to your parents. Neither do we have any evidence that they know that your mother is here, though we suspect that they know she's alive and in Starfleet custody on Earth."

"Then...there's really nothing to do but hope it stays that way, I suppose. But... thank you, Captain. This will... answer a lot of questions for me and I appreciate it." Mnhei'sahe replied, pulling her eyes up from the PaDD and regaining her composure.

"You're very welcome. And thank you. Intel Command will keep their operatives focused on her for a while since she's likely to be a threat in the future, but this is considered a personal issue, so please don't expect reports like this in the future." Enalia smiled softly and reassuringly, hoping she was at least coming off as comforting.

Nodding, Mnhei'sahe replied somewhat quietly. "I understand, Captain. And I appreciate you doing this much. It's more than I could have expected."

Enalia nodded and motioned towards the door. "I'd want the same if I were in your position. I'm sure you have a lot to think about. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"I will. Thank you again, Captain." Dox replied. Then as the shaken young Romulan officer headed to the door of the Captain's ready room, she looked at the picture again, with that face so similar to her own and whispered under her breath, quietly, in her native Rihan. "You're not her, Mnhei'sahe."

Enalia was only conversational at best in Rihan, but she caught it and whispered back. "No, not you..."

In the small room, Mnhei'sahe's keen hearing picked up the Captain's whisper easily. She paused, turning back towards Enalia and smiled, thankfully, before stepping back out onto the bridge to consider the information on the PaDD in her hand.