A Birthday Surprise

Posted on Sat Jun 22nd, 2019 @ 11:50pm by Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Jaeih Dox-t'Aan
Edited on on Sun Jun 23rd, 2019 @ 1:41am

Mission: Fractured Fairy Tales
Location: USS Hera, Deck 10, Ten-Forward
Timeline: 2396 - June 22nd

In the Flight Control office of the U.S.S Hera, Lieutenant Mnhei'sahe Dox was hard at work adjusting files and finalizing reduced crew rotation for the next few days while the mighty but battle-scarred starship would be hard docked at the Artan Family Fortress for repairs.

In a few days, the young flight control chief was going to have her bonding ceremony to her partner in both life and in the flight control department, Ensign Mona Gonadie, and as such, there were at least four days in which the aforementioned department was going to be short-staffed.

Having already sat Ensign MacNielle down to go over her responsibilities as the acting chief for the next few days, Dox was putting the finishing touches on some crew rotations. Mona had requested leave time for Ensign O'Dell and her engineering partner-in-crime Ensign Gavarus, for the same 4-day gap in order to ensure the rambunctious pair would be off-ship for the actual ceremony. Which of course Dox had approved.

So, as Mnhei'sahe was finishing up her work for the evening, with one day of work to go before taking a brief break herself, a call came over the ships comm system.

"Dox to... um... Lieutenant Dox... this will become mildly irritating... Are you available?"

It was the voice of the red-headed Romulan's mother, Jaeih Dox, who had become a resident of the Hera herself not too long ago. A former Romulan smuggler, Jaeih had been serving what was to be a life sentence under the aegis of Starfleet Intelligence due to another of her former jobs: that of a Tal'Shiar agent AND a cloaking device expert.

Tapping her commbadge, the younger Dox replied. "I'm almost done with my shift, then I was going to meet Mona for dinner when she gets off in two hours. Is everything okay?" Mnhei'sahe had her suspicions regarding what might be happening, but kept those thoughts to herself.

After a second, a reply chirped through. "All is well. I was simply going to the Ten-Forward and hoped I might be able to meet with you for a bit before you embarked upon your plans."

Rolling her eyes, the anxious aviatrix sighed silently. On the calendar, the federation standard gave the date as June 22nd. On the Romulan calendar she grew up with it was quite a different name and number. But whatever it was called, it was Mnhei'sahe Dox's birthday, and while it was something that was rarely acknowledged growing up, much less celebrated, she knew that must be the reason for this particular vague request. Tapping her badge, she replied. "Yes. I'm off duty in 15 minutes. I can meet you there afterward."

"Very well. I shall meet you there and secure a table. Thank you. Jolan'tru, Daughter," Jaeih replied with a somewhat formal Romulan greeting, which just made the entire affair seem that much more suspicious to her daughter. Who, as it turned out, wasn't particularly excited by the concept of a birthday. So far, only Asa Dael had made anything of it.

Asa had brought over a moderately enormous chocolate chip cookie with the words "Happy Birthday, Mnhei'sahe" written in green frosting on the top in the morning before Dox had left her quarters, along with an enormous and extremely fluffy, rainbow-colored blanket.

As she was shutting everything down to hustle across the starship, the door slid open to admit Commander Rita Paris, the anachronistic first officer of the Hera and the chosen family of the renegade Romulan. In her hands she bore a green box the color of a Romulan starship hull, wrapped in a brighter green ribbon that glowed and pulsed, which was tied in a bow. Attached to the bow was an envelope, all of which she crossed the room at that efficient martial pace to hold it up by one corner to present it to Dox.

"So physically we're around the same age. But your lifespan is much longer than mine, so does this mean you're still just kind of in puberty?" Rita teased gently as she handed over the gift. "Or is this the birthday where puberty ceremonially ends with a gong and some rattling chimes on an abacus?"

While she wasn't officially off duty, this was clearly a casual visit and Dox treated it as such as she looked at the box in Rita Paris's hands. "Hello, Rita. You really didn't have to do anything."

"It's your birthday, Dox. Birthdays are special, because they mark an anniversary, and they are significant. It's impressive that I can say I was born on February 13th, 2233. Your birthday means that you survived, you are still here, and this is the anniversary of your arrival into the universe. Never discount the power of a birthday. Because I don't know about you, but mine all sucked growing up," Rita rolled her eyes at the memories. "Besides, I can only celebrate it for so many people. Sonak still doesn't get birthdays. I missed Enalia's on New Year's Eve, so damned if I'll miss yours."

Awkwardly, she took the box and placed it on her desk. The same desk that had been Rita's when the now slightly less young Dox came aboard. Chucking, she replied, looking at the envelope. "Uh, well, Romulan's generally have puberty near the same age as humans. Thanks to my DNA being messed with, my actual puberty as a teenager was extremely mild. Then Asa fixed my DNA a few months ago and, well, you've seen it first hand. So, technically I'm still in my first, full on Romulan puberty, but it's under extenuating circumstances."

Gently, she opened the envelope and pulled out the contents. It was a linen stiff fabric card, upon which was embossed the modern 'dual tower' Starfleet logo. Looking up with a slight smile for her chosen sister, Dox began to read.

"One’s sister is part of one’s essential self, an eternal presence of ones’ heart, soul and memory. ~Susan Cabil."

Reading the card, Dox's eyes started to water slightly, though she stifled any actual tears with an awkward chuckle. "Imirrhlhhse... Thank you. Seriously."

“You’re welcome. I don’t know if cards are a thing in your culture, but it is in mine. Now open your present- I’m sure you’ve got places to be I am making you late for,” Rita hypothesized as she urged Mnhei’sahe on.

"Cards were..." The perpetually anxious young Romulan paused for a moment. "Not growing up on the Forager, no. But, my grandparents... Hnaev... no matter what, they were still my grandparents... they gave cards all the time. I wish I had kept..."

Then Dox stopped herself, straightened up and cleared her throat with a slight smile, shaking off the brief moment of introspection. "Yeah. Yes. You're right. I'm meeting my mother in Ten-Forward in a bit, yes. Okay."

Placing the card delicately on her desk, she undid the glowing green ribbon with a quirky grin and pulled the lid off the box. "Taome dynt..."

Grinning, she reached in as she muttered 'how wonderful' In Rihan. Gently, she pulled out a small model of a ship, in the same scale as the model of the U.S.S. Exeter on her desk that Rita had left there for her when she had bequeathed the office to Mnhei'sahe. The model was of the 23rd-century Romulan bird of prey, the T'liss-class Light Warbird. It was a very detailed model, perfectly reproduced to feature the golden wings of Al'thindor on the belly stretched out between the nacelles. Rita had always encouraged Dox to explore her heritage, and this gift was no doubt, another part of that ongoing mission.

At the gift, Mnhei'sahe could help but let out a joyous little laugh. A throaty, honest thing as she looked at the miniature vintage ship. "This is... this is amazing. Thank you again, Rita. I love it."

"I had it replicated with lights that run on random patterns- we don't have any sort of records of the operations of those class of vessels. But the nacelles light up and the power supply is supposed to last forever. Oh, and the base is a grav magnet, just hit the button and she's anchored for the next time the inertial dampeners get overloaded." The officer of long ago's eyes misted a bit.

"This was the IRW Raptor's Star, commanded by Commander Artorius. We had both escaped confrontations with the USS Conquest, sister ship to the USS Vengeance- big rogue dreadnaught class vessel," Rita summarized, although to her knowledge no such vessel had ever existed in this timeline. "We bridged the gap- the Romulans had saved some of the crew of the USS Colombia, who the Conquest had already destroyed, and the human crew pitched in with the Romulans, with a human engineer leading damage control."

"It was the first time I'd ever seen a Romulan. I asked Sonak about it, and he explained the Sundering, and expressed his own desire for reunification, even back then. To him, it was simply logical- there were only 10,000 Vulcans left, and their race had to go on." Rita chuckled at that. "I was ready to give him up to save his people. Glad that didn't happen."

"In the final battle with the Conquest, we interposed and expanded our shields to protect the Raptor's Star, but their armaments were attuned to our shield harmonics, and she was lost with all hands aboard. But they were noble, and they were merciful, and they were our allies in that battle... we felt their loss as one of our own. Nero might have been a murderous ass, but the Romulans... those Romulans, that July day in 2266..." Rita looked back up, returning from the memory of her story of the past, that now had never happened.

"Those were your Rihannsoo," Rita intoned, mispronouncing the word, but at least recognizably. "Your ancestors who were my friends. I thought you might appreciate a tribute to them."

Listening intently , as Dox always did to Rita's stories of her remarkable career, the young pilot smiled and continued to keep any tears from escaping as she held the model of the IRW Raptor's star in her hands.

Without thinking, she picked up the small but heavy base from the box and set both in place on the corner of her desk, side by side with the model of Rita's former ship, the Exeter. Once in place, the nacelles began to hum and glow as the ship hovered in place.

"It's... It's perfect, Rita. And amazing." Dox had a broad smile across her thick cheeks. "I... I really appreciate it. I appreciate everything. Thank you."

Pulling the smaller redhead into a hug, the blonde bombshell sighed. "Happy birthday, Mnhei'sahe."

"Now, go, go, you're late!" the emotionally expressive executive officer exclaimed, releasing her shipmate from the hug and scooting out the door, picking up a PaDD as she did so.

Smiling lightly at the gift, Dox shut down her computer and locked up the office as she made her way to Ten-Forward.

A few minutes later, the red-headed Romulan pilot stepped through the double doors of the Hera's primary lounge. She noticed only one guard on duty and didn't see the pair of security escorts that followed her mother wherever she went. But sure enough, there she was sitting at a table at the end of the room near the windows. Something absolutely felt different and it was making Mnhei'sahe that much more nervous.

Making her way across the room, Mnhei'sahe took the seat opposite her mother and nodded curiously, "Jolan'tru, mother. You wanted to see me?"

Sitting slightly back, Jaeih raised an eyebrow. "Did I give you the impression that this was to be some sort of… trial? You seem exceedingly nervous, Mnhei'sahe. Moreso than usual, which is saying much."

Sighing slightly, Mnhei'sahe didn't mention her birthday, but instead brought up the concerns in a broader aspect. "Well, your words and tone were excessive… cryptic. I'm understandably concerned. What's wrong?"

At which point, the two were interrupted by the server, who can over to take their orders. A young Bajoran woman in a beige server's uniform. "Good evening, ladies. Can I get you anything?"

"Uh… Yes. A Brhon caelis. Black, please." Mnhei'sahe replied, ordering a particularly strong blend of Romulan coffee.

Nodding, Jaeih smiled ever so slightly and held up two fingers. "The same."

"Excellent, I'll be right back with your orders, ladies." The server said with a practiced smile as she left to fetch their drinks, leaving the mother and daughter alone to talk again.

“So…” Jaeih said with a slightly haughty manner, indicating something she was proud of, “Have you noticed?”

Rolling her eyes slightly, Mnhei’sahe hadn’t had to figure out one of her mother’s riddles in years. But growing up, it was a regular occurrence in which Jaeih would test her daughter's observational skills with little riddles or tricks around the smuggling ship she grew up on. Jaeih would take a component out of the engine and wait for Mnhei’sahe to notice that something was wrong and fix it. Things of that nature. When she would complain about it, her mother often remarked, 'Life is a test, Melanie'.

However, she hadn’t missed a beat in the years the two were separated, and if anything she was far more observant these days. “Your guards aren’t here. This isn’t something I need to contact security about is it?” Mnhei’sahe replied with a grin.

“Oh, security will no longer be escorting me about the ship, my dear.” And with no small amount of pride, Jaeih tugged slightly on the bottom of her gray Starfleet Intelligence tunic. As she did, the server returned with their coffees.

Taking the coffee, Jaeih thanked the server then took a sip before continuing. “I had an… extended discussion with Commander Paris this afternoon. It appears that the Captain is working on securing… a pardon for me. And the Commander assures me it is all but a certainty at this point, to the degree of officially changing my ‘guest’ status here on the ship.”

Taken slightly aback, Mnhei’sahe set her coffee down with a surprised expression. “Really? That’s… that’s wonderful. What happened?”

Continuing, Jaeih leaned forward slightly, “The Captain and Commander felt that my involvement in her tribunal, my work with miss Az’Prel and my assistance in defending the crew during the… unfortunate dealings on the station… merited a change in my status. I am, of course, grateful.”

The observant Romulan Lieutenant noticed that while her mother was wearing the same gray Starfleet tunic and the silver Romulan sigil on her chest that she had since coming aboard, she was preening over them just a bit more than usual. “So, what does this mean, then?” She asked, already suspecting the answer.

Looking at her daughter with an ever so slightly wry grin, Jaeih replied. “Will I be leaving the ship? Is that what you’re wondering?”

Rolling her eyes, Mnhei’sahe took a sip of the strong, tart coffee before continuing. “Really? You can’t just tell me? Very well. No, you’re not leaving the ship. You’re fussing over that uniform top and all but bursting at the seams. Rita offered you a job, didn’t she?”

The wry grin spread into a proud smile. “That she did indeed. As of today, I am officially assigned to the Intelligence department of the Hera. While I am classified as an independent consultant, I shall be remaining onboard to put my skills to use here. I am… quite excited by the prospect to be able to work towards goals that I… can respect.”

Taking another sip, Mnhei’sahe now had something of a smirk. “See. I told you Starfleet was worth it, Mother. We do good work on this ship and I’m glad that you’re... finding a place here.”

“Well, obviously, I’m not IN Starfleet. I didn’t go to your little school and all. But I will be able to continue working with you, Mona and the Commander indefinitely.” Jaeih replied, sitting back again and picking up her cup to nurse as they spoke. “But I am very glad that you find this to be… good news.”

“I do, mother.” Mnhei’sahe replied. In spite of the somewhat prophetic words from both Kodria and Death herself that her time with her mother was limited, the young pilot was relieved. Whatever time they had left would be spent serving together on the ship she called home. It was something worth being happy about. It would be time well spent, regardless of what was potentially to come. “This is yet another piece of good news for this week.”

Now it was the younger Dox’s time to be vague and cryptic, which caused Jaeih to arc and eyebrow and tilt her head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well…” Mnhei’sahe got to the point quickly. “In a few days, before we depart from the station, Mona and I… well… we will be having an official bonding ceremony.”

Looking for some kind of reaction, Dox was slightly bemused to notice nothing but that same wry smile on her mother’s face, as she reached to pull something from her back pocket. “Then it’s good that I brought this with me. Happy Birthday, my paenhe.”

Using the Rihan word for ‘daughter’, Jaeih handed Mnhei’sahe a small black box with a green ribbon on it. Slowly undoing the ribbon, Mnhei’sahe opened the box to reveal several squares of pearlescent black durasteel. With a confused expression, Mnhei’sahe cricked an eyebrow and looked up at her mother.

“Rhiannsu ceremonial bracelets for a marriage are usually forged from a precious metal from ch'Rihan. But in spite of my best efforts, I was never able to take you there. So, I spoke with the ships maintenance department and secured this. It is metal taken during repairs from the Hera’s hull.” Jaeih took a brief sip of coffee as she spoke. “This ship is your home. You’ve said so many times, and said so with great conviction. So this seemed… appropriate. There are several reputable jewelers on the Artan station that can forge this as needed with time to spare, I presume.”

Staring at the glimmering metal plates, Dox’s eyes began to water as she considered everything. “Heh… of course you knew.” Then, with a tear escaping her eye, she slipped into a near whisper in Rihan, “Khnai'ru rhissiuy, Ri’anov. Jol hwi arhem.” A simple enough statement that was difficult to get out under the circumstances of, ‘Thank you very much, Mother. I love you.’

Allowing herself a warm smile, Jaeih leaned in and put her hands on her daughter's knee. “Jol hwi arhem, paenhe.”