Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Posted on Fri May 17th, 2019 @ 4:45pm by Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi

Mission: Fractured Fairy Tales
Location: USS Hera, Deck 24, Main Engineering
Timeline: 2396, docked at Artan Family Fortress

On the list of a hundred and one things she still had to do in order to prepare for the upcoming Tribunal, Commander Rita Paris realized she was going to need some help from the USS Hera's chief engineer. Given that she had fought tooth and nail against involving any more of the crew, only to discover that many of them had already committed on their own, Rita had leaned into it. Now this was a Starfleet operation, and she was making her plans and moving pieces into play on the board, as she prepared for the conflict she had been assured was coming despite- or perhaps because- of the political machinations of the head of the Artan family of pirates, Arenara Artan, the Captain's mother.

The US Hera, named for the goddess of women, motherhood and family, did very much seem to be more often than not involved in generational stories of the ties that bind. Which could be faulted to Rita, as she was the one whom had chosen not to kill the goddess when she was overthrown on Meroset 347. As well as when she had accidentally summoned the goddess, spiriting her away from her imprisonment with the Asgaardians, then installing her on the Hera as a guest and advisor on matter seemingly supernatural.

But Rita didn't believe any of this was Hera's doing. Instead, this was people's choices, and the universe doing what the universe did. Enalia's mother wanted what she wanted and was tired of her headstrong rebellious daughter who wanted to buck family tradition and join Starfleet. The elder Artan wanted a granddaughter to raise, and she wanted it over Enalia's dead body if need be, it seemed.

Thus, as said Tribunal neared, Paris found herself down in Main Engineering, seeking out the resident fix-it gal of the Hera- the slender and agile yet perennially cheerful Thex sh'Zoarhi. Newly bonded and now with child- twins, no less- Thex had more to lose than ever. As she had agreed to aid the captain as well, there was nothing Rita could do to stop her. So instead, today she'd come to tack into the wind, and enlist Thex's aid to insure that the Andorian engineer had that much more of a fighting chance in the upcoming battle.

Because Rita Paris was determined that they were all coming home from this one, no matter what it cost the pirates.

Thex was whistling to herself as she worked at her personal workbench. She didn't know why, but since finding out she was pregnant she had been in a permanent happiness state. Despite her condition, her quad knew that she had to help her friend. There were no arguments in there strange little family and for that she thanked whoever int he universe had given her that.

Even still she was going to make sure her unborn had as much protection as possible which was why she was adding a few more bits of armor to her personal armor. Better safe than sorry. Hearing the knock on her wall she looked up giving her friend a happy grin. " Well hello, Rita how are you this fine day." said the sapphire engineer.

“I solemnly swear I am up to no good,” Rita replied with a half-smile. “I understand you’ll be helping us with the Captain’s tribunal?”

" Yeah, it's why I'm adding more shielding and armor to my armor." The andorian said as she put down her tools. " Looking over the captain's own ship as well. She's sure jury-rigged her. Federation, Romulan and Klingon parts with other races mixed in."

“That’s what I came to talk to you about. We’re going to need to booby trap the hell out of that Miranda-class bridge, and I am going to need it done quickly and under complete secrecy. I’m going to be frank here, Thex,” Paris spread her hands as she spoke, and her tone became more direct than normal. “If they aren’t Starfleet, I simply do not trust them. Anyone who is a pirate is suspect, and I expect betrayal at any moment from any of them, from the lowliest cabin boy to their captains. If you aren’t Starfleet, you are not to be trusted, period."

"Which means I need your crews working out my plans, and no one- and I mean NO ONE, not even the Captain herself, is to know what you are doing or why. And if they have a problem with it, you send them to me. But I will expect your people to be armed and prepared to defend themselves at any moment. If anyone wants to push the point of them being allowed to do their work unimpeded, feel free to shoot to stun and call me. Am I understood?”

The sapphire engineer nodded slowly. She trusted the captain, but other than a few encounters with the Baroness she hadn't met any of the others pirates apart from one who she'd kicked in the face whilst on her first shore leave here. "Of course Rita. What traps would you be after? I know a few things that I could easily rig up that wouldn't take to long to do or are likely to be noticed."

"Computer, please project Repel Boarders before me here, 1 meter size." As the holographic map of the bridge appeared, graphics began to appear. "I need magnetized rings on the bridge, levels of defense from the viewer in waves to the turbolift," Rita started off, as the model showed concentric waves on the bridge of the Hera. "If we can change their personal gravities with the inertial dampeners that would be handy as well, but that's... harder I assume? And on those same waves from fore to aft, preprogrammed and independently powered forcefields. Because even doing them as a dry run on the bridge of the Hera, I can't think of a time when I would not want these things if I could have these things... thus I find I want these things."

"What are some of your ideas, Thex? What's that fertile brain of yours concocted?" Rita grinned at her pregnant pal. Twins... damn Thex, you instant family like a champ. Look at you headed for your happily ever after and a legacy. "Keeping in mind, the objective is to deal with boarding parties who are theoretically trying to take the Bridge."

"Hum." The pregnant andorian said as she looked and moved the hologram around slightly. " I think I can do that. The academy training ship has gravitational field rings built into the floor and ceiling to simulate the loss of gravity. It wouldn't be hard to install them on the bridge. I could add in some of the devices we have in the brig to keep rowdy prisoners under control."

"Good, good. What other anti-personnel features come to mind?" Rita liked where Thex's head was at- how to make it happen. The affable Andorian's wheel were turning- now to give them a nudge. "Do we have some of that flame retardant foam that hardens a second after contact with air? I seem to recall we have that down in the brig."

"Well, there is something," Thex said as she ran the idea through in her head. "I could alter a few Houdini with the sealant form core's instead of the stun feature...." It was just then that the blue girl remembered Rita would have no idea what a Houdini was. "That's a subspace mine we first encountered from the Dominion. Starfleet xenobiology modified the design to be non lethal after the war and now use it for monitoring devices and to help protect the hides from dangerous wildlife."

Not entirely sure just what Thex was trying to say, Rita just nodded along. "Okay, I guess? How long do you think it'd take your engineers to install all of this on the bridge? Keeping in mind, we'll be docked at the Artan fortress."

"Not long- around two hours. I'll clear the current replenish order from the industrial replicator and get on it as soon as possible. " Thex said with a grin on her face.

"Brilliant. Thank you, Miss sh'Zoarhi," Rita smiled, nodding. Leave it to Thex to make it sound simple. "Also, keep an eye toward doing the same things on a Miranda class bridge, if you please. We will likely need your crew to reproduce these safeguards on another starship before we're through here."

"Will do." The andorian nodded as she began to type in the commands into her work benches computer. " The Miranda class bridge is easy enough to modify, especially for a girl like me."

"How's that, Thex?" Rita inquired, curious what 'a girl like me' referred to.

"You have the best engineer in the fleet working on it!" Thex responded with a grin on her face her pregnancy having left her in very confident mood.