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Work Defines Us

Posted on Fri Jul 12th, 2019 @ 12:30pm by Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi
Edited on on Mon Jul 22nd, 2019 @ 9:09am

Mission: Fractured Fairy Tales
Location: USS Hera, Deck 13, Sickbay maternity ward
Timeline: 2396, post Tribunal

Thex’s andorian nature had always made her grumpy when she was unable to do her job. That had made the hardest part of her career in Starfleet the time she would be confined to sickbay. It drove her mad to be confined to the biobed with the drip in her arm without even some paperwork to keep her occupied.

At least now she had the images of her twins to give her something to keep her occupied, so it wasn't all bad. Both of them had emerged from their eggs, and were now attached to Tathaa, where they would spend the last three months before emerging from her pouch.

She was looking at the images of her perfect girls when she heard the medbay door opening. A smile spread over her blue face as she saw Rita step into the medical bay and come towards her. "Hello Rita, how are you this fine day?" asked the chief engineer.

“I am doing fine… I heard you were laid up, so I figured you were likely going stir crazy,” the gold-clad commander in the mod minidress explained as she entered the room, pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bedside of the sapphire-skinned sprite of the Hera. “So I thought I would come by and drop off a few technical problems that have come across my desk lately that a talented engineer ought to be able to fix while flat on her back.”

With that said, Rita produced a stack of PaDDs from behind her back, settling them down on the bedside next to Thex. While one data device could hold a library’s worth of information, Paris was unsurprisingly old school about such things, and tended to keep issues separate by keeping them on separate data devices to work on. Which was a habit she continued when handing out assignments.

Thex let out a chuckle and a grin. Her best friend could read her like a book. "Thanks. Those will keep my mind occupied for a while... thank you, my friend." She placed the padds on her side table before turning back to her friend.

"Rita... I'd like to apologize. I know you've been wanting to ask me questions about andorian biology, and I'm sorry for not being willing to answer them. It's just..." The andorian girl said as she began to fiddle with her hands. "Well, I've been absolutely terrified about the transfer. I didn't want to lose my girls and the last thing I wanted was to be reminded about it. I'm sorry if I appeared rude."

Handing the engineer a fidget cube, Rita sat down on the edge of the biobed. "You weren't rude, Thex- honest. It was just- you were so exasperated about it, and I'll admit I was curious. I mean, your culture wasn't super well known back in my day. You're my friend, these are your babies, I want to be here for you, but bringing it up made you touchy, so... I kind of didn't know what to do. So I avoided you, and I'm sorry for that. It was just so awkward, sorry."

"Are you okay now, at least?" the buxom bombardier swept the blonde hair from her eyes as her eyes scanned the biobed's monitors, realizing they were... very complex.

"Yeah, just need to get my blood levels back up. I did lose a bit when the eggs ripped up my uterus on their way out. According to the doc it's rather a common result from the first time a bond transfers the eggs." Thex explained. "Um... as you don't know much about us, would you like me to start at the beginning on how it all works?"

"In for a penny, in for a pound. Sure," Rita offered with a good-natured smile. "Something tells me this isn't going to be the last time I encounter Andorian reproduction, so I may as well get the hang of it now. Besides, I'd like to understand what you went through. Culturally sensitize me, Thex!"

"Well, as you already know, andorians have four separate sexes. The chan and the thaan are equivalent to human males, with each providing half of the chromosomes needed to fertilize an andorian egg. When an attempt at making children happens, they take it in turns to fertilize the egg, which is carried by the shen. They will also do the same to the thaan which will start pheromone production on her for the eventually carrying off the zygote. The eggs grow in the shen until the period roughly 3.6 months later, in which time the transfer happens." Thex explained pausing every now and again to take a drink of water.

"The transfer is actually the dangerous part. The chan and thaan will start it off by fertilizing the egg again which will cause it to start to break. Then the shen and the zhen must remain in contact for several hours whilst the eggs are transferred into the zhen. At such time the eggs should have broken, allowing the zygote to move up into the zhen pouch which will open up three months later when they've fully developed." Thex finished.

“So we’re at the ‘just moved’ part now… so all four of you had a long night here in Sickbay then?” While Paris was of course easily able to access the duty logs, in this case it was more important to keep expecting mother engaged.

"No, we did the transfer down in our quarters. Everything seemed to go well, except my private parts didn't stop bleeding. Thav brought me down here- he was so worried due to our species’ low blood clotting factor. The eggs have been safely moved to Tathaa, and our girls are now out of the eggs, and in her pouch," Thex explained. "I'm just in here until my blood gets back to normal levels, and to make sure the bleeding has stopped."

“Well, I’m glad you are okay, as well as the rest of the family,” Rita offered with a smile, taking the brilliant blue hand in her own pale pink hand. “So, now that they are out of the eggs and out of you, how’s pending motherhood feeling?”

Thex let out a slight joyful sigh as she leaned back against her pillow. "Terrifying. It's only three and a bit months before I'll be able to hold them in my arms, and the thought of it is terrifying. I don't want to hurt my little girls," she said, looking at the image on the side table. The two zygotes were perfectly healthy other than one being a heterochromia iridium.

“Not sure if it’s the same thing but…. I worry about that with kids, too,” Rita admitted. “I do okay running a starship and keeping the crew in line, but what if I turn out to be the same sort of parent as my father? What if all I do in trying to be a good parent is screw them up? Is that what you’re worried about, or is it more a physical thing for you?”

" Yeah, that's what I'm terrified about. I can fix a starship, ancient god superweapons, dance as well as any orion and I can fight anything the galaxy can throw at me, but I don't know how to raise kids. Hell, my own parents were dam cultist who believed the vulcans were putting sterilization fluid in the water. What if I turn my girls into them?" Thex said clearly concerned.

“Sonak has a theory,” Rita began. “Of course, when does my logical spouse NOT have a theory? But the relevant theory in this case is that our 7upbringing will always attempt to inform how we interact with children. However, we have grown so much from those experiences and come so much further as people than our parents ever did, that it is practically impossible for us to repeat the same mistakes with our kids. Because in emulating our parents, we would immediately recognize such a pattern and course adjust.”

“Not the most emotionally reassuring state, but as the man says, ‘Logic does not reassure. Logic simply exists as fact.’ So take that for what it’s worth,” Rita chuckled.

"I guess and he does have a theory about everything, and I do have you to watch over me. Promise me you'll kick my blue ass if I start screwing them up, won't you Rita?" Thex said with a grin forming on her face. Her human buddy from another time could always cheer her up.

At that, the human girl scoffed. "Are you kidding me? You have three, count them, three other parents involved. You have a wealth of experience and culture to raise them with, and plenty of spare hands, as you pointed out. An old Earth saying is that it take a tribe to raise a child. Andorians build a tribe to raise a child. So you are going to do great- in that I have every confidence. You'll give your kids a home, stability, love and make them feel special- all the things you never got in your childhood."

"Which is another theory of Sonak's, but you have to admit- one that's not so bad if you think about it," Rita offered with a grin. Picking up the top PaDD from the side table, Rita handed it back to Thex. "This one is games. Puzzles, visual cue games and reflex testers. Let your mind wander and relax for a little bit while you are laid up. hm? It doesn't have to be boring- just not work. And just a suggestion, by no means an order, workaholic."

"Will do, commander," Thex replied with a grin. Her friend always did know what to say to settle her mind. Hey, when I've recovered from this, you want to book a holodeck? Would be nice to go swimming again."

“Sure, of course! We can go surf the Great barrier reef in Australia if you like- it’s a beautiful beach, and the water and the waves are amazing. I’d like that a lot!” Leave it to the girl from the polar world to want to go somewhere warm to enjoy her spare time. But Rita was grateful for it- she loved the oceans of her homeworld, and visiting them always made her feel a connection to her planet of origin, which she loved dearly. Despite her proclivity to wander away from it for years on end, exploring the stars.

“So what’s the verdict, how long do they plan to keep you in the Gulag here?” Rita joked, hoping the Sickbay personnel would not hear her joke and be offended. “And speaking of, how’s Tathaa holding up?”

"Tathaa's doing fine. Helps when you're an empath- she knows exactly how our daughters are feeling. Though according to Oribiar, she's eating like crazy. As for me, the doc wants to keep me in here till the end of the day, just to be safe," Thex said a happy grin on her face.

"The end of the day? I brought you enough work for like a week!" Rita joked. "Well, good to know that all is well with you and your family. You'll be the first among us all to have little ones. Unless the birds beat you to it- I have no idea how all of that works either, but apparently they're working on it too. And of course there's the captain's little orphan, which doesn't exactly count but kind of does, in the 'first of the next generation' theme we seem to have going on here on the Hera."

"Hey, everyone on this ship is family. A large, manic family that messes around with section 31 tech and ancient god weapons. Knowing the universe, our kids will be following in the family footsteps," Thex replied with the grin still plastered on her face.

"We'd better hope so..." Rita replied with a thoughtful frown.

"Indeed. Now the big question we're looking at is what to call our two girls. We have a list, but it keeps going up," Thex said, grinning to her friend.

"Well, in our case, if it helps," Rita explained, offering her thoughts on the matter. "In true logical fashion, we pre-chose for the first 3, boy and girl names. The criteria were that they got one human and one Vulcan name, and they could chose to go by either or both, same with my last name. But we're a cross-cultural marriage, so it's a little different for us. My family's rule has always been keep it short and simple. It has to be culturally appropriate, but no more than two syllables and keep it direct. Our first, if it's a boy, will be S'kon Jack Paris, named for Sonak's father and a tradition of my people. A girl will be named T'Ping Valentina Paris, after both our mothers."

"Which Valentina is three syllables, I know, but I gave it to her as a middle name, and it's easily shortened if she wishes. Besides, the women in our family always seem to screw with one another when it comes to middle names..." Rita admitted with a bit of a chuckle. "So does that give you any ideas?"

"A little, but it doesn't really help when my species only has two names and one of them is the clan name. Two of the names we'd been looking at is Tothye and Decises. They were two nymph children of Hephaestus's according to the legends." Thex spoke thinking of the suggestion her anear and her operations officer had suggested. It did seem rather appropriate give what Thex and got working.

"Classical names are very evocative and powerful. Name a kid Sampson and he'll show you his strength. Ah, that's another Earth legend. Another one where the woman is painted as the villain and betrayer, come to think of it. My culture was pretty misogynist for a very long time. Some of them still struggle with it."

Lost in reverie for a few seconds, Rita refocused. "Point being, yes, those sound like lovely names. Whose, ah, whose family name do they take? All four of you still have your own individual family names still, according to the manifest."

"The clan name?" Thex asked before realizing that that was what Rita was asking about. "We plan on letting them decide which one they wish to take, although we'll use mine until they can decide which one to adopt."

“Not dissimilar in our case… if the children decide they don’t want to be of the Paris clan, they can opt for the Vulcan last name which is unpronounceable by humans, or choose to use their middle names, or whatever they choose, we'll honor it. Come to think of it, I still don’t know what that Vulcan last name is… Sonak was happy to let me just be Mrs. Paris, and that was that for him. Having a logical spouse is a huge time saver, I must admit,” Rita added with a grin, as speaking of her own somber scientist always brought a smile to her face.

"I know the feeling. It does help when your spouses are bonded to you," Thex said feeling slightly happier with herself. "I just hope that lasts when the girls arrive."

"What do you mean, Thex?" Rita asked. "Do they not stick around or something?"

"No, they're sticking around," Thex replied. "It's just... you can read about how to look after kids, but nothing prepares you for it. I just hope it doesn't change us, is all. I love all three of them Rita, more than my own soul."

On the one hand, it seemed as though that was a very bold statement to make after such a short time. But, it had been like that for her as well with her logical lover as well. They led elaborate lives, and their passions often defined them. Large emotional commitments came with the territory, and who was she to judge. Patting Thex's leg in the bed, Rita shrugged and rolled her eyes skyward. "I imagine kids do change us. We're responsible for an entire person- we've brought them into this galaxy, now we have to teach them how to live in it. Hopefully to be good citizens and build on our accomplishments, so we create a legacy that spans the centuries."

Rolling her eyes back to the Andorian shen's polar baby blues, the bombshell bombardier beamed a brilliant smile, cover girl worthy. "Life is change, Thex, good and bad. But change is good- it challenges us, and teaches us how to be better at being ourselves, doing our jobs, being good citizens of the universe. If we fear changem, we fear the universe. And I have it on good authority that the universe is not unkind, Lieutenant Commander sh'Zoarhi."

Rising from the biobed, Rita smoothed out her dress, her finger lingering at the hemline to tug it down in a gesture she'd been practicing since she'd started wearing the classic minidress uniform nearly a century and a half ago. "So... you, I have no doubt, will be well and you'll be up and about as soon as Doc Dael signs your release to light duty for 48 hours- you know it's coming, so don't even try to argue with the doctor. Once you are back on your feet and we're in a calm moment, let's get our families together for dinner. I'll make something big and hearty and we can catch up. Deal?"

"Deal." Thex said with a grin on her face as she leaned back on the biobed. She was feeling rather tired all of a sudden.

"I'm off for a cross-country run- I'm going to try polar conditions, just for you," Rita said with a grin and a wave. "Patience, my friend. The joy of a linear existence is that whatever point in the future you are waiting for, it will arrive due to the inevitability of time. Thus nothing lasts forever, including your stay in sickbay. See you soon enough, hm?"

With that, the golden girl of the Hera made her exit, leaving the antennae of the Andorian girl sagging as she relaxed, surrounded by reports and comforting work.

" Take care Rita. " Thex said as she leaned back against her pillow and picked up the padd her friend had left her.






 

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