Tranquility 18+

Posted on Thu Sep 5th, 2019 @ 8:19am by Lieutenant Mona Gonadie & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Jaeih Dox-t'Aan
Edited on on Sun Sep 22nd, 2019 @ 6:24pm

Mission: Family Detention
Location: Moon of Enox VI
Timeline: 2396

The modified, J-Type freighter called the Khallianen warped silently through space while it's owner and pilot, Lieutenant Mnhei'sahe Dox of the U.S.S. Hera set the controls on automatic so she could sit back and relax for the short remainder of the two and a half hour trip at the ships cruising speed of warp six.

The Khallianen was on its way to a small resort moon in the Kabul system called Enox VI and a Romulan restaurant named Saith, the Rihan word for Tranquility for a brief bit of shore leave. A very brief personal respite on their way to pick up Rita Paris, Sonak and Az'Prel from their own shore leave: a pilgrimage to Vulcan.

Smiling slightly, Dox was hoping that their trip had been a good one as she silently lamented with just a twinge of jealousy at not having gone with them. For months, longer that she had been with Mona, the young Romulan woman had also been Sonak's pupil, training to develop and control her nascent, if still largely dormant, mental potential, discipline, and defenses.

Many times in the Holodeck or within the theater of her own mind, she had climbed the steps of Mount Salaya at the instructions of her master and wondered if she would ever do so for real. But what abilities she had nurtured where what enabled her to bond so strongly with Mona, and for that she would always be grateful.

Turning around in her seat at the helm, Dox was wearing a casual, loose-fitting dark green blouse with a wide, open neck and wide-legged black pants. Behind her in the body of the ship was a long bench seat along the port-side bulkhead. And sitting on that bench were two women who were two of the most important in the galaxy to the red-headed Romulan pilot.

Sitting with her back to the cockpit was an older Romulan woman in a simple black turtleneck and dress pants with her hands held in the upturned hands of the other woman, a brilliantly colored Miradonian woman wearing a deep purple and blue jacket and pants combo with a pink long sleeve blouse covered in yellow birds of some sort.

The Romulan was Mnhei'sahe mother, the former smuggler, and former Tal'Shiar agent, now working with the Intel department of the Hera, Jaeih Dox. And the woman with the rainbow of feathered plumage was Mnhei'sahe's wife and bond-mate, Mona Gonadie.

Smiling, the younger Dox leaned forward in her seat and chuckled. "Are you two still at it back there?"

Mona nodded excitedly. "I think we've almost got it! I think I can feel her a bit, at least."

For her part, Jaeih turned towards her daughter with a raised eyebrow. "Your wife clearly has nigh-infinite patience, my dear. She's been at this with me since you were on your away mission and I have yet to feel anything. Whatever mental skills you have developed were not inherited from me, I'm afraid."

Chuckling slightly, Mnhei'sahe walked back past them, leaning in to place a kiss on Mona's cheek as she did. In that instant of physical contact, the two women were instantly bonded and felt each other's thoughts and emotions clearly. As Dox continued walking back to the cargo hold, she smiled. "It's... worth trying, Mother. When the chicks develop enough, Mona and I apparently will be able to feel their feelings as well. I know we'd both like to be able to share that with you, and since you have a genetic link to them, it should be possible. Plus, Rihannsu are essentially identical to Vulcan's on a physiological level, so we have the same potential."

Returning with her duffle bag, she stepped back to sit in her chair. "Or something like that, right Mona?"

"It doesn't always work, but with races with latent telepathic abilities, it's normally worth the effort," the brightly plumed aviatrix replied, redoubling her efforts. "Just stretch out with your feelings and open your mind to mine."

"My dear, my mind is as open as I know how to make it." Jaeih replied with a sly grin. "Which, admittedly, for a former Tal'Shiar agent, is NOT an easy task. I'm quite well trained in keeping people out of my mind, so this doesn't exactly come naturally to me. latent abilities, or not."

It was clear that Jaeih wasn't giving the effort much serious attention and was humoring Mona at best as Mnhei'sahe went through her bag. "She's not going to meet you halfway, Mona. Who do you think taught me to be somewhat... edgy around telepaths. It wasn't easy for me to get over that, and I suspect she isn't going to budge."

Responding with false indignation, Jaeih smirked. "I'm exceedingly happy you two have what you have. But you do not want me in your heads and you absolutely do not want me in the children's heads. But I promise to be tremendously embarrassing and detrimental to your parenting efforts the old fashioned way."

"You'd better be. Normally chicks are raised by a community family, though it's not always the case. We'll need all the help we can get, especially once they start to fly." Mona looked between the two of them, realizing she'd forgotten to mention something important. "Oh yeah, Miradonian toddlers can kind of fly for like two years. It's often when we figure out who we are."

Dropping her duffle bag back to the deck in surprise, Mnhei'sahe's jaw dropped as she processed that new bit of information. "Imirrhlhhse... What?" She cursed in Rihan before shaking her head and sharing a stunned glance with her mother.

"Okay, okay, okay.Three questions from that. 'Fly'? 'Kind of'? and 'it's when you find out who you are'?" The Red-head at the helm asked of her new bride.

"Yeah... It's rarely a full flying - more like a hop-flutter up to high places or around the room? But like me, sometimes a chick will be able to actually full-on fly like a bird. Our adult personality traits tend to form around then as well, like I did my best to not hurt anything or anyone, but I loved flying and would do anything to just feel the wind in my feathers. My siblings..." Mona cleared her throat and looked downcast before speaking of them. "Ah, my brother would hop up into the coconut trees and beat on the bugs in them, pretending he was fighting Jem'Hadar. My sister enjoyed art, but would make a mess doing it."

Without hesitation, Mnhei'sahe stopped what she was doing and got back up to sit next to her bond-mate. Jaeih could tell the subject of her family was clearly difficult to speak of and she knew the broadest strokes of the story. That slavers came and took everyone in Mona's colony. That her family was caged and taken one by one, roasted alive and eaten alive by Gorn mercenaries. That Mona was to sole survivor and watched her beloved family die one by one.

But Mnhei'sahe knew it intimately. Mona said that the empathic and telepathic bond that the two shared was unusually strong. The kind of bond that took most Miradonian couples a lifetime to build, and even then was exceedingly rare. But for Mnhei'sahe and Mona, it had become an intrinsic part of who they were. And it was through that bond that Mnhei'sahe had experienced that horrible trauma with Mona, through her memories and nightmares, as surely as if she had been there herself.

Sitting next to Mona, Mnhei'sahe put an arm around Mona's middle and leaned in tight. The more physical contact, the deeper and easier it seemed to make the energy of their bond flow and the red-headed Romulan woman wanted to give her wife every erg of her love in that moment.

As Mnhei'sahe rested her head against Mona's, she spoke softly, not of the tragedy, but of Mona's flights. "I'd seen this. Felt the memories through our bond. Beem there, feeling it through you, but always assumed they were just wonderful dreams I got to share. That's... beautiful. You flew."

Listening, even Jaeih's cynicism was weakened by her affection for her Daughter-in-law as she held Mona's hands tight and unconsciously lowered her own guard.

And Mona thrummed her deepest and did her best to bring them all together in the bond, pulling them in together as one family.

Before their bonding ceremony, Mnhei'sahe could visualize their bond in her mind's eye. She saw it represented as their separate energies, Mona's a deep teal-blue and her own a rich red, coming together in swirls of purple. But since then, the young Romulan only ever saw the fused purple energy, even when they were apart. A thought that gave her impossible comfort. But at that moment, she sensed something else.

The faintest presence of a new color. A coppery green twinge on the corners of her mind. As she did, with her eyes closed and her head still resting against Mona's, she smiled. "Feeling anything, Mother?"

"I feel Mona's hands. I feel that... vibration she's making. But no, nothing... magical." Jaeih replied flatly. "Should I be? Should this be doing something, Mona?"

"Try focusing inside yourself. Looking deeper." Mona could feel a hint of Jaeih as well and had faith that she could eventually feel it as well.

Remembering the lessons Sonak had taught her, Mnhei'sahe added, "Close your eyes, Mother. Focus first on a fixed visual idea. I practiced with a Vulcan Brazier, looking at its flame until I could picture the flame clearly in my own mind. Try that. Visualize a flame. A small flame and nothing but that until there's nothing else in your mind. From there... from that place of clarity... it should be easier to look deeper. To see yourself, as Mona said."

This time, Jaeih made a bit more of an effort. Less concerned with placating Mona and more desiring to connect, seeing how that connection with Mnhei'sahe helped her in her moment of sadness. She closed her eyes and focused as her daughters instructed. She did her best to clear her mind, but a lifetime of training and cynicism kept creeping in around the edges to disrupt her focus and concentration. After what felt like close to three minutes, Jaeih opened her eyes in mild frustration.

"I appreciate the effort, but I fear this old mind is simply too closed to manage this." She said with just a hint of barely perceptible sadness in her voice. But she covered it by shifting to a smile. "But thank you, my dear. I really do appreciate the effort. I shall continue those... meditation techniques and perhaps one day we will be able to manage this. But for now, I fear I'm too distracted to concentrate properly." It was unusually honest for the woman accustomed to living with lies, but she was working to be better these days.

"Distracted?" Mona tried to get something about the distraction from the bond, focusing on the coppery green trace she could feel a moment ago, but it had slipped away, never realizing that that same distraction might be in her Minay's mind as well. "Is something wrong? Is there something we can do to help?"

Tugging down on her simple black turtleneck as though it were her gray Intel tunic, Jaeih cleared her throat and recomposed herself. "No, no. Nothing is wrong, my dear. Simply work-related issues. Actually having work to focus on again is both a pleasure and a mental task. But both welcome."

It was a lie of omission that the seasoned liar hoped would fly until Mnhei'sahe got up to walk past to the helm again, commenting. "She's... preoccupied with that latest Kodria message I told you about."

The younger Dox was referring to a message from the Android Kodria sent to her and her mother days ago now that both made Jaeih aware of the prophetic idea that her time might be limited with her Daughter and that Mona would soon face a challenge that would require her to place her faith in the crew of the Hera.

But Jaeih scoffed indignantly at the mention. "Really, Mnhei'sahe? I asked you not to let Mona know that I knew about that. I don't want her worrying."

Sitting back at the helm and fishing a small least wallet from her duffle bag, Mnhei'sahe smirked lightly. "Ahh, there it is. Mother, half that message was about her, and a bit of trivia... It's functionally impossible to keep things from someone who shares a psychic link with you. But remember the other part of Kodria's message... Nothing is set in stone. There's no fate here."

"Yes, well considering what the fate in question hints to, I'm understandably distracted. Nevertheless, you could have at least tried to not..." The frustrated Romulan woman rolled her eyes and looked back at her Daughter-in-law. "I apologize for not wanting to talk about this with you my dear. I know how you worry."

Mona patted the hands of her mother-in-law gently. "Things are less worrisome when you share the burden, you know. But, I understand perfectly and I forgive you. Just remember that we're a family now, ok? We're one."

Feeling just a twinge of shame, Jaeih was again taken aback at how openly Mona accepted her. From the tension and hostility of their first holographic communication, littered with venom, to where they were now was an expanse Jaeih would not have believed possible with anyone but the brilliantly colored Miradonian that was now her Daughter-in-law.

She didn't feel worthy of that acceptance at the moment but quelched it quickly enough. "Thank you, my dear. I will endeavor to keep that true."

Then, the elder Romulan turned to her daughter, changing the subject. "So, where is it that we're heading, Mnhei'sahe?"

"Well, taking advantage of the slight downtime while Commander Paris, Lieutenant Sonak and Az'Prel are on leave to Vulcan was Mona's idea, but she encouraged me to pick the destination," Dox replied.

"Anyway..." Mnehi'sahe continued from the helm, "At the Captain's official coronation as queen of the Artan family, there was a banquet afterward with the Captain, Captain Magnus, Commander Paris, and the Baronesses. As such, I had to be there and was... well... I was doing my level best to be social in that ostentatious white uniform I was terrified I was going to spill something on."

It was clear, the young, socially awkward woman was nervous recounting the evening where she was clearly out of her element. "For most of the evening I was sat next to Baroness Sarika, since she will be taking over Baroness Von Alcott's duties as the Captain's adjunct with the family, and I suppose there's some idea that we should become accustomed to working together. But after a while, the group began mixing a bit after dinner and Baroness Nei'rrh of the Romulan Refugee Corps came over to talk."

Interjecting, Jaeih perked up slightly at the familiar name of the woman she had once helped free from Romulus when Mnhei'sahe was young. "Ahh, I only got to see her in passing at the Tribunal? How is she?"

"She seemed well. She asked the same of you, actually." Mnhei'sahe replied. "We had a... pleasant conversation. She thanked me for my part in the Tribunal and in helping depose the Captain's mother, as she had her own suspicions about that link to the Orion Syndicate but couldn't act on them until we provided proof. And to make a long story short, she is part owner of a restaurant that serves hand-cooked, traditional Romulan dishes on Enox VI. To say thank you for our assistance, she gave me a card for dinner on her. I checked it out with the Captain and she said the business was legitimate and as safe as anywhere else in the system."

"So, in the interest of doing something together as an actual family, I got us two adjoining rooms at the resort on the Moon for the evening and made dinner reservations for tonight." Mnhei'sahe smiled, hoping the plans would go over well.

"I have not had real Rhiannsu cuisine in... well... since perhaps... before you were born, Mnhei'sahe. That actually sounds quite lovely, thank you." Jaeih replied with as much external enthusiasm as she ever allowed herself to show.

Turning to Mona, Jaeih smiled lightly. "I know that of all the skills I shared with my daughter, the culinary arts were not among them. Have you ever had Romulan cuisine, my dear?"

Mona shook her head sadly. Cooking was one of the things she loved to do and without a steady source of Romulan foodstock or even recipes, she'd not been able to make headway on that front. "I've tried cooking with some of the ingredients, mostly replicated... Other than that, unfortunately not."

"Well, hopefully, you enjoy it. Our palates are a bit different and much of our cuisine tends towards the tart and salty. But I will help you through the menu." Jaeih replied with a fairly warm smile as she turned towards Mnhei'sahe at the helm. "How much farther do we have to go?"

Checking the instruments, the red-headed Lieutenant smiled as she ran a hand through her freshly re-cropped, shorter hair. "At current speed, we're twenty minutes out. If anyone needs to use the reclamator, now's a good time."

-----------------

As the Khallianen entered the Kabul system, the younger Dox put the small ship in to land at the docking station on the surface of Enox VI. Locking up the private vessel with DNA scan coding that only the three women could access, the three women who were now the beginnings of a new family made their way through the town square of the mildly extravagant resort community.

The Main Street was a shopping promenade not unlike the one found on the luxurious Artan Fortress the Hera had been docked at for weeks now. Surrounding the trio was shops of every sort and a near cacophony of life and activity that naturally made the two Romulan women slightly anxious.

But Mnhei'sahe and Mona we're also newlyweds and newly expectant mother's with Mona now pregnant. With that emotional excitement still strong in her heart, it was easy for the red-headed Romulan pilot to overcome her anxiety as she and her bond-mate walked hand-in-hand, from shop to shop happily.

As the love birds bounced casually, window shopping at the various kiosks and pavilions, pointing and smiling together at various knick-knacks, jewelry, and clothes, Jaeih walked a good two meters behind them. He arms folded behind her back, the seasoned Intelligence agent was cautious and observant as she scanned the crowd with her eyes as subtly as possible.

The marketplace was open-air, which put Jaeih on edge as she tried to keep track of all the faces while trying to not look too much like an agent on the job. This was supposed to be an enjoyable family getaway, after all.

But if anyone was watching then, Jaeih couldn't spot them as, after am hour of wandering and just a little bit of shopping, the trio arrived at the restaurant.

The establishment, with a rustic sign over the entrance that read "Saith in both Common and Rihan characters, was in raised, gold-leaf letters. Saith was located on the edge of the bustling market with half of the restaurant being in what closely resembles a classic Romulan structure. A circular, stone building with cool stone walls, high stained glass windows near the domes green roof and green, industrial fittings throughout the slightly austere space. For a Romulan themed restaurant, it was decidedly familiar to her, but modern and slightly more inviting, Jaeih thought as they checked in and we're lead to their table.

Their table was on the exterior patio. A broad, open-air platform that went right to the edge of the plateau of the moon that the shopping promenade was located on. There was a light tan canvas awning covering the seating area, lit by soft green lights on the columns. The seating was more spread out on the patio than on the inside giving them a bit more privacy as they were seated by a young Romulan man with a short-cropped haircut and a pleasant enough smile.

While shopping, Mnhei'sahe and Mona picked up a few items and the young Romulan, who was carrying the rainbow chromed bags set them down beside the table as she pulled out the seat for her brilliantly hued bride at the seat closest to the polished stone rail at the edge of the patio. The edge was overlooking a gently swirling sea several meters below them, not of liquid, but of dense, colorful gasses. It was a breathtaking sight and Mnhei'sahe hoped she had picked a good getaway for the three of them as she pushed Mona's seat in before she and Jaeih sat themselves.

"I must say, this is quite lovely, Mnhei'sahe." Jaeih commented first. "It's… somewhat reminiscent of some establishments in the Capitol of ch'Rihan. Although considerably more pleasant and relaxing as it's not located in a police state.

Scootching her own seat in as the greeter set down a pitcher of ice water and poured three glasses, he said "Welcome to Tranquility. We hope you have a wonderful evening. Your server will be out momentarily to take your orders."

As he left, he handed them three printed menus and left them to appreciate the view and the night air.

"I… hope you like it, Mona." Mnhei'sahe said with a twinge of nervousness in her voice.

There was no hint of hesitation or anxiety in Mona's voice, however. "it's marvelous. I can't imagine a more delightful place to visit with the two of you and I'm really looking forward to dinner. Are appetizers a tradition in Romulan cuisine?"

With an awkward expression, Mnhei'sahe shrugged slightly and grinned. "I honestly have no idea. Growing up it was either the replicator on the Forager or eating at whatever refugee camp we were dropping people off at. This is almost as new of an experience for me as it is for you>. Mother?"

Rearranging the place setting more to her liking, Jaeih replied with a light smile. "Traditionally, yes. But currently uncommon I'm afraid. But that was a cultural artifact of a repressed, fascist culture. There were ornate, high-end restaurants with many courses and appetizers, but those were reserved for higher-ups in the Senate, powerful figures and the elite of Rhiannsu."

Glancing around a bit, she commented before bothering to check the menu and smiling at mona. "But we passed a number of tables and I spied a plate of fried, salted lehe'jhme slices. Definitely an appetizer, my dear, so I'd assume yes."

"Excellent! I look forward to trying everything with both of you. Our pallets are in your hands." Mona grinned widely as she glanced over the menu, recognizing very little on it from her studies.

"Very well... let me see." Jaeih said with a light smile, thoroughly enjoying the maternal role her life had allowed her to finally embrace as she looked over the menu.

"For an appetizer, I would actually recommend the aforementioned Fried lehe'jhme slices. They actually looked quite well prepared." Jaeih ran a finger down the menu. It wasn't huge which left the options limited, but she was confident that it had enough options to provide for the group.

"Mnhei'sahe, I know you like Viinerine. Our replicators never did an adequate job recreating it, however. So you may especially enjoy the real thing." The elder Dox commented, and then made an aside to Mona, "It's what gave her her love of the human equivalent, Beef stew."

"They have an excellent vintage of Kali-Fal. 2262. But for non-alcoholic options, I would recommend the Tarka or the lehe'jhme juice. I know Mnhei'sahe enjoys that even on the ship. Now, normally, I would not recommend meat options, but since you've told me that your pregnancy has given you quite the change in appetite, then you might enjoy the Grilled Travit or even the... no. Not the Hlai'vnau." Jaeih stopped herself as she remembered that Hlai was, in fact, a particularly large Romulan BIRD and didn't want to upset Mona.

Placing the menu down in a confident manner, Jaeih looked up. "Yes. I would recommend the Viinerine for you, Mnhei'sahe and the Grilled Travit for you, Mona dear."

Smiling, Mnhei'sahe nodded. "Sounds good to me, Mother."

Mona nodded as well, a bright smile on her face. "It sounds wonderful to me as well. I can't wait."

"Excellent," Jaeih commented as she looked for their server who had yet to make an appearance. Taking a light sip of the water that had been poured for them, the middle-aged Romulan woman turned her attention back to her Daughter and Daughter-in-law.

"So, your quarters are more than sufficient for the two of you and even, perhaps, three infants. But not I imagine for long once the children begin to grow. Have you begun making any plans for this?" The new Mother-in-law asked with a raised eyebrow.

Running a nervous hand over her ear, Mnhei'sahe stammered for a moment. "Uh... I... I... I have no idea how we're going to manage that. We haven't really talked about it. I suppose we can convert the living room area?" The younger Dox said in a questioning tone towards Mona.

The brightly plumed Miradonian of course already had a start to those plans - she had plans for plans that most people hadn't even thought of yet. "Some of the quarters will have to be converted for families. I know the Galaxy-class has some on decks 8, 9 and 10, so it shouldn't be hard for us to do the same. When the time comes, if we're still stationed on the Hera, we'll have to move to one of them."

Slowly, the smile on Mnhei'sahe's face shifted slightly to an expression of contemplation. "It's strange. In all of this..." She turned to Mona, "Meeting you. Our bond... Starting a... a family."

Then the young Romulan turned to her mother. "Rediscovering family. But in all of that, I've never considered... NOT being stationed on the Hera."

Mona slowly nodded her head, thinking on the subject with a bit more concern than she was normally prone to. "Life has a way of taking us to unexpected places at times. We may spend another twenty years on the Hera or we may find ourselves living somewhere else in a year. Either way, it will be as the Moon Goddess wills it." Then she grinned mischievously. "Or one of the deity class beings riding along with us."

"Well, none of them had any objections at the wedding, so we have that in our favor." Mnhei'sahe replied with a light smile. She knew that they wouldn't be on the Hera forever, after all the Android from their future referred to Mona as "Professor Gonadie", implying a return to a planet with a university of some sort was at least in her future and the young Dox could no longer even conceive of life without her.

Nevertheless, she reached a hand over to take Mona's in her own. She had found that no matter how minor the anxiety she was feeling, it was greatly lessened when the two touched. That bond between them that had become so strong so relatively quickly had become an essential part of the red-headed Romulan. So the two touched and that energy between them flowed freely again as they smiled silently.

From across the table, Jaeih smirked lightly. "No telepathic conversations, now. I'm still here, after all."

"We're not doing that, Mother. I Promise." Mnhei'sahe replied with a slight grin that betrayed that they likely were to some degree regardless. But she straightened up slightly anyway so as to not exclude her mother.

Raising a suspicious eyebrow, Jaeih simply scoffed as she replied. "Of course you aren't. Before too long you'll both be talking like Mona's parents, I surmise. So... as a Grandmother to be, I'm quite curious. Have you two discussed names yet?"

"We've come up with a great number of them..." Mona grinned knowingly. "But I think we've narrowed them down to three or so. The last names will be a combination of ours for tradition. We decided on Godox."

"As for first names, since the odds are almost certain they'll all be girls, that's what we focussed on. Amihan is the name of the bird that put the moons in the sky in Miradonian mythology so that's the first one. The second one is Tala. It means daughter of the moon in Miradonian and I think 'Duty' In Rihan? Then Hlai'vana is close to 'Old Forest' in Miradonian and I understand that it means "wild bird' in Rihan. I have a list of other names, but those are the ones I think we both like."

"Hlai'vana was actually on my list for names when I was naming the Khallianen. I always loved that name, and I suspect "wild bird" will be a good description, considering who the parents are." Mnhei'sahe said, almost sheepishly. "We looked into names that had similar analogous meanings in both cultures. Turns out a culture of birds and a culture that worshiped birds... kind of has a lot of similar words in the roots of the language."

Jaeih sipped her water and chuckled. "No room for a 'Jaeih' in there?" But as she faux-protested, she looked around the room again. "Seriously. Where is the server? The restaurant is hardly even busy this evening."

"I think you've been spending too much time consorting with Gavarus and O'Dell, Mother." Mnhei'sahe chuckled. "They're rubbing off on you."

Looking back, Jaeih rolled her eyes slightly. "Don't be judgmental, Mnhei'sahe. They are... quite interesting. It might do you good to try and get to know them instead of just... terrifying them. They are... inordinately intimidated by you."

Blushing a light green, Mnhei'sahe fiddled with her own water. "I'm... trying to be less... severe with the department. I'm just not... comfortable with telling people what to do." Then she looked at Mona, who commanded the R&D department seemingly effortlessly. "I don't know how you do it? Why Commander Paris seems to think I can pull this off is beyond me."

"Just think less 'Murderpunch' and more 'Lovetap' and things will follow," her avian bondmate replied with a teasing grin. "Seriously though, you're doing well. Just try scaring them a bit less. Show them your more mortal side now and then. Though, right now, I have to agree. Our server is taking way too long... I'm starving. I'm eating for four, you know."

"Now, it's not my fault that Gavarus and O'Dell decided to watch me spar with S'Rina and the security team in the gym. But it's not as if I'd ever touched either..." But Mnhei'sahe cut herself off as she spied their server coming from the back of house. "Oh, good. Here we go."

The server was a tall, well built young Romulan man. He looked a slight bit disheveled as he adjusted his apron as he reached the table, pulling out a PaDD. "Greetings and welcome to Saith. My name is K'Nan and I will be taking your order this evening. Would you like to hear our specials?"

As he spoke, Jaeih immediately noticed that across from her, Mona was taken aback. She seemed almost afraid and it put the seasoned intel officer on edge as she began scanning the area visually. "No, I think we know what we would like, please."

With a smile, the server replied plainly, "Excellent. Go ahead then." As he raised the PaDD to take notes.

At this point, Mnhei'sahe also noticed the shift in the tone at the table, but as the server was standing between her and Mona slightly, she couldn't touch her bond-mate just yet to telepathically see what was wrong as Jaeih continued, making their dinner order.

"Yes. I would like a glass of Kali-Fal, and the ladies two glasses of Tarka, please. An appetizer of the salted lehe'jhme to start with. Then, I believe... two orders of the Viinerine and one order of the Grilled Travit, please."

"Taking the order down, the server nodded politely. "Excellent. I'll be right back with your drinks, ladies. Thank you." Then, with a turn, he stepped back and headed back towards the rear kitchen. As soon as he was away, Mnhei'sahe reached under the table to take Mona's hand to find out what was wrong, keeping an eye on the now-suspicious server.

And as soon as he was out of earshot, Jaeih replied in a low tone. "You picked something up from him with those senses of yours, didn't you Mona?"

Her plumage felt like it was on edge and her eyes had dilated fully as she nodded. "Everything about him screamed that he was lying. He's not a server, that's not his name, not even his hairstyle... Nothing about him is honest."

"Hnaev... Keep smiling, everyone. Stay casual." Mnhei'sahe replied with a fake smile on her face as she lightly tapped her comm badge and whispered, "Dox to Khallianen." But there was only silence as she attempted to reach their ship's computer. Not even the light chirping sound, indicating the source of the problem.

"There must be a dampening field in place. Likely transport inhibitor as well." Mnhei'sahe replied, keeping the friendly smile on her face as she looked over to her mother, who was side glancing as she took a drink of her water to survey the room.

Observing, Jaeih smiled and spoke normally as if their conversation was perfectly casual. "Our server is still in the kitchen. The greeter at the door has been replaced by someone else and I've noticed two other so-called servers with similar builds glance our way. At least four potential hostiles. Likely more in the back. Looks like your Baroness friend may have sold us out. Or another lingering machination from our former Artan Queen set in motion before her death."

"Mona. Am I correct that you are... not adept in combat?" Jaeih asked, a concerned tone in her voice.

"I passed phaser training but with hollow avian bones..." Mona glanced around, identifying the people that carried themselves with falsehood now that she was paying more attention to their surroundings and passed that knowledge on to her Minay through their bond. "I barely passed the judo classes at the Academy. The look in their eyes and the way they carry themselves... They remind me of some of the Romulans we took aboard after the Starbase 336 incident."

"Tal'Shiar." Jaeih's eyes narrowed as her pulse quickened. Old fears began to bubble to the surface for her as she unrolled the napkin surrounding the utensils and slid the knife up her sleeve in one simple, concealed motion as she dabbed the corners of her mouth. "If this becomes violent, say behind Mnhei'sahe. Promise me that, my dear."

"I promise," Mona replied without hesitation, knowing that it would very likely come to violence.

On their end, Mnhei'sahe squeezed Mona's hand just a little tighter. Their bond was strong and through it, she told her wife in an instant what was likely about to happen. The young Romulan woman had desperately tried to keep the violence in her heart from ever tainting Mona's. She never wanted her to truly see what she was capable of, but she knew in that moment that she might not have a choice. Then, Jaeih reached into her pocket and pulled something out in her palm and laid her hands across the table for Mona.

"Hold my hands, dear. Take this. It's an intel issued transporter tag. I used them on our last mission and they can cut through industrial-strength signal inhibitors. Tap it and you will be instantly back on the ship." Jaeih said plainly. She only had the single transporter tag that she always carried with her out of habit, but before she could hand it off to Mona, the false server reappeared from the back with a tray of drinks.

Pulling her hands back, she re-pocketed the tag quietly. "Ladies, your drinks." He said as he placed each drink in front of each woman. There was a moment of silence as he waited, tucking the tray under his arm, watching with a fake smile of his own plastered on his face.

Picking up her glass of Romulan Ale, Jaeih raised it, glancing to the side and noticing that the two other servers and the replacement greeter were watching on the periphery. Taking a light sniff, she swirled the glass under her nose. "Ahh, smells like a lovely vintage. What year is it?"

Pausing, the server thought, trying to pull the information that Jaeih pointed out to the others earlier was printed on the menu. "Our Praetor's Reserve is a... 2250."

"2262." Jaeih said as she slid back in her seat slightly, pouring the obviously drugged Kali-Fal onto the table. As she did, the fake server dropped the tray under his arm and let slip a small baton with a charged tip into his hand to raise towards Jaeih. But the pouring of the drink was a feint. A distraction as Mnhei'sahe moved quickly and dug her foot into the back of the man's knee and jabbing at his elbow to force his hand open, dropping him to the ground in one motion as the small baton dropped from his grip and hit the ground, sliding away from the table.

Immediately, the other three men and two more from the back that had been watching came rushing their position with similar batons raised. "Not disruptors. Interesting." Jaeih commented. "The dampening field, no doubt."

Scrambling, the server rolled forward to grab the charged baton as Mnhei’sahe stepped back, putting herself between them and Mona. After a quick second, the skilled attacker rolled back to his feet as the others closed in. Three attackers for each Romulan Starfleet officer or agent.

“This need not be messy, SubCommander t’Aan.” The faux-server said in a taunting voice. Jaeih took a step back and her face went white at the evoking of her former name and rank. In that moment, her greatest fears were realized. She had been found by the Tal’Shiar. Mnhei’sahe had been found, and the warriors of the Hera were nowhere near to help.

In that moment, Jaeih desperately wished that her bond-sister, the Vulcan Refugee Az’Prel had been with them instead of exploring Vulcan with Rita and Sonak. But in that same quick moment, she knew that she couldn’t let the Tal'Shiar get their hands on them, and thankfully, the skilled Vulcan had taught her a move or two.

Waving the charged baton tip from mother to daughter, the leader grinned with a glint of cruelty in his eyes. “We simply want to take you…” But those were his last words as Jaeih, in one swift movement, swung the hand with the dinner knife palmed in it and let the blade fly where it lodged itself in the attacker's throat with a wet sound, not unlike the sound of a Mellon being cut.

Mona seemed to turn a bit grey at the sight, a bit of bile rising in her throat as she tried to put the table and chairs between her and their attackers.

As he crumpled to his knees, grasping at his throat in shock, his baton fell to the ground in front of Jaeih, where she slid it with her foot towards her daughter. A more fitting weapon for the Starfleet officer trained to fight with similar lengthed Caitian short swords. Gurgling, green blood ran down the servers throat as gasps of shock were let out from the handful of patrons still in the restaurant.

There was a moment of eerie silence as he fell, face-first to the deck of the patio, dead. As he did, Mnhei’sahe reached down and grabbed the baton to face off with the remaining attackers who stood at the ready. For what felt like an eternity, they stared at each other before the red-headed pilot made the first move.

Swirling the baton expertly with the months of sword fighting training she had accrued as an Artan Baroness, the younger Dox reached behind her and grabbed the back of her wooden chair and swung it around, flinging it at the nearest attackers. There was a scream from one of the patrons as the battle was joined.

As the remaining diners began rushing for the doors in a panic, Jaeih and Mnhei’sahe rushed forward while the attackers were ducking out of the way of the flying chair. Jaeih, in an act that surprised even her hardened attackers, reached down and grabbed the dead man by the neck, yanking out the small dinner knife and rushing them with it.

“Under the table, Mona!” Mnhei’sahe yelled as her baton met one of the attackers while she lobbed a hard sidekick at one of the others. But the men were clearly Tal’Shiar and well trained in much the same fighting arts as Jaeih brutally taught her daughter. Brutal training intended for this very moment. The attackers countered Mnhei’sahe’s moves deftly as she did her best to keep the two men that were focused on her at an arm’s length.

Mona nodded and whimpered slightly, ducking under the table, knowing that even a blind Romulan would be able to spot her brightly plumed butt sticking out from under the tablecloth. Still, she hoped it would offer some semblance of cover at the very least and knew her mother-in-law and wife would do everything in their power to fight off their attackers.

Meanwhile, Jaeih wasn’t acting as delicately as her daughter, taking a much less defensive position. Her fear of capture transformed her posture into one of attack. She was committed to ensuring that not a single man there would lay hands on her daughters while she lived. And as she thought of the three grandchildren growing within Mona Gonadie, the rest came easy.

Running in under the swing of the baton, Jaeih slashed up with her dinner knife and severed the tricep of the nearest attacker. Crying out in pain, he dropped his baton over Jaeih’s shoulder where it slid under the table towards Mona. As as he winced, she brought her blade back up, digging it into his armpit and then into his neck. She was stabbing with clear intention and a fury she had not felt overtake her in a lifetime. But her mind was on autopilot. She would protect those she loved at all costs. As her attacker bled over top of her she shoved his squirming form off of his feet and into the other agent advancing on her.

As he stumbled under the weight of the now limp form of his former compatriot, Mnhei’sahe brought her baton in a high swing for her attacker's heads. But as they leaned back to avoid the charged tip, the younger Dox moved in low, digging her free hand into a knife thrust just under the nearest man’s right rib cage. It was the location of the Romulan heart and he made a low grunting sound as he began to seize up, turning a deep shade of green.

It was a potentially deadly blow if left unattended, but the anxious pilot was distracted, knowing Mona was near, and only applied enough force to incapacitate. But she didn’t waste the opportunity, kicking the struggling attacker over causing the other man to stumble away.

Enough of a stumble that she was able to connect with her charged baton, and with a loud crackling sound, the second man crumpled into a ball, stunned. But it was a move that left the younger Dox open as the man at her feet, still clutching his own baton and struggling to breathe as his heart seized in his torso, managed to jab the lieutenant in the leg with the charged end before passing out.

There was the same loud snap and a whiff of ozone as Mnhei’sahe crumpled backward, collapsing on the edge of the dinner table, then rolling limp to the ground in front of Mona.

"No! Minay!" Mona was frantic as she pulled her love to her and checked her vitals, finding them there but weak. "She needs a medic!"

Turning with a shock at the sight of her now unconscious daughter, Jaeih stood with the knife in her hand dripping green blood and two armed men still standing. The one nearest her lunged at her with the charged baton tip, forcing her backward, while the other man ran over to the table, kicking it over and reached for Mona.

Grabbing over Mnhei'sahe's limp, stunned form, he lept around and put the panicked Miradonian in a hold, with an arm around her neck and the baton's charged tip up to her quickly breathing chest.

She emitted a shocked squawk which was a cry for help in her native language before switching back to common, her hands futilely scrabbling at her attacker's arm around her neck. "Mom! Help!"

Watching, Jaeih's eyes went blank and flat. Staring at the attacker on Mona, she flung the knife down to the ground where it locked itself into the shin of her attacker. With a winced yell, he dropped his guard just long enough for Jaeih to grab him by the head, pull him down and, clutching the baton in his own hand, force it up to his own temple.

There was that familiar snapping sound that, this time, lingered for a solid 5 seconds as his body shuddered in Jaeih's hands. Then, with smoke coming off the side of his head, the former Tal'Shiar operative simply dropped the man who fell limp and dead at her feet.

"It will be okay, Mona." Jaeih said with a voice that sounded cold and dead itself. Her cold eyes never wavering from the attacker who had her daughter-in-law. "He won't hurt you."

"By AREINNYE, I won't! Don't take another step or she is dead." The attacker yelled back, showing fear in his voice now.

"No, you won't." Jaeih took a single step forward, taunting him. "You won't because if you hurt her, you know that there will be nothing left to stop me from inflicting the kind of pain you can only imagine on you. I'll have nothing left. You will long for the comfort of Areinnye. Do they still teach to old ways on Ch'Rihan? The ways to reach your fingers under the skin at the base of the neck and flay away the nerves one by one? How to make your ribs compress your lungs or make you choke on your own bile? They taught me that. Would you like me to show you?"

The attacker stepped back, dragging Mona with him. "I... I'll kill her. They don't want her. Only you and your daughter."

"Then take us. That is my offer to you." Jaeih stated plainly, blood still dripping off of her hands. "Release her now. Let her leave here UNTOUCHED, and I will give myself up. I will put up no resistance. You will live and bring home your prizes to your masters. You have ten seconds to reply."

Mona was motionless and silent, holding her breath as the villain holding her made his decision.

Stepping forward again, Jaeih was now in arms reach of her Daughter-In-Law, and it was all she could do to resist the urge to try and kill the attacker there. But she remembered the words that the android, Kodira has said to her and her daughter in the holodeck only days ago. Words she repeated now.

The skilled intel agent spoke, not in common, but in Mona’s own tongue of Miradonian, trusting that the comm interference also meant the Romulan attacker didn’t have access to his universal translator. “My daughter. You must remember what Kodria said. You are important. The children are important. Trust in Paris. Trust in Enalia. Don’t come after us by yourself. Promise me this.”

Slowly, Mona released her breath and replied in Miradonian, relaxing slightly as she did so. "I promise. Promise me you'll both survive long enough for us to rescue you."

Speaking again in common, Jaeih replied first to Mona with what she knew may very well be a lie, "We will." then to the man holding her. “Your time is up.”

Slowly… the anxious Romulan man pulled the baton from Mona’s chest and released his grip on her and stepped slightly back. “Go, woman. Go, now.”

“I… should have tried harder to feel you, my daughter. To let you in.” Jaeih said. Her expression one of sadness now as, in one motion, she reached out and slapped the emergency transporter tag on Mona’s arm. And in an instant, the young Miradonian woman vanished in a shimmering wave of blue sparkles, leaving Jaeih alone with her attacker and the limp, unconscious form of Mnhei’sahe at her feet.

Stunned by the sudden change of location, Mona almost wasn't sure what to do for a moment before she leapt into action, heading to the controls of the small ship, slapping her hand on the DNA lock and waiting for the seemingly painfully slow system to verify that it was her.

As soon as it was done, tears were streaming down her face as she fired up the systems and started cycling the sensors to scan the restaurant they had been eating at only to find that the entire area was still under a heavy enough sensor scrambler to block the Khallianen's attempts to see what was anywhere near the site.

Banging on the panel like a child against a duranium hull, she let the tears flow, her face scrunching up at her powerlessness as she sank to her knees, realizing there was nothing she could do now. By the time she got the ship off the ground and got clearance, they would be off-world and long gone. The only thing left now would be to report in to the Hera.

Wiping enough tears from her eyes to make out the comms, she tapped in the direct subspace codes for the Hera and keyed the lines open for a message to Enalia, letting it all burst forth as soon as the spotted captain appeared on screen. "They have her. They have both of them. The Tal Shiar. They took my Minay and Jaeih."