Rendezvous with Al'Thindor

Posted on Sat Sep 28th, 2019 @ 12:29pm by Captain Enalia Telvan & Commander Rita Paris & Artan Pirate Helev t'Liun
Edited on on Mon Sep 30th, 2019 @ 12:49pm

Mission: Family Detention
Location: Neutral Zone
Timeline: 2396

After about a week at warp 9.8, the USS Hera was strangely silent. Towards the end, even Enalia wasn't sure if the engines were going to keep going or melt into slag, but she kept up her faith not only for the crew, but for Mnhei'sahe and Jaeih as well. They had to beat the kidnappers to Romulus so they could be in place to rescue them.

And the engines did hold out. Magnificently so, thanks to the diligence and skill of Lieutenant Commanders sh'Zoarhi and Sonak. The newer Venture series nacelles had performed magnificently. If this weren't a classified vessel, they would have been able to publish the new speed record they had made crossing the galaxy in a Nebula class, but alas... Top Secret, so they could not.

For now, at least, they could relax for a few hours, gather themselves, and perform repairs. Most importantly, they had a rendezvous to attend to. Enalia had already undergone her own cosmetic surgeries to make her look and scan as Romulan and her new ridged forehead and pointed ears framed her chosen hairstyle, the 'bun of steel' quite well. She still wore her Starfleet uniform and though her newly tinted olive skin clashed miserably with command red, she thought she would cut a fetching jib in a Romulan uniform.

Arriving on the bridge, she surveyed the assembled crew as she relieved the Ensign in the center chair. "Thank you Ensign Willaby. I'll take it from here."

"Aye, Captain," he responded, doing his best to maintain his composure at the captain's new look. "We received a message from the Golden Ghost, and they should be arriving any moment now."

"Excellent. Thank you." Enalia almost gave her usual lopsided smile before recomposing herself and gave what she thought was the normal Romulan tight-lipped nod. Best to start fitting in before it's needed.

Striding onto the bridge in her usual gold minidress, the throwback fashion on the throwback officer, Commander Rita Paris had also undergone similar cosmetic surgeries, as well as a fresh haircut to enable her to emulate the ‘pointed bangs’ haircut favored by most Romulans. ‘Rihannsu’, she corrected herself, proof that the Romulan memory inlays were taking hold. Having eschewed the ridged forehead, Paris from the neck up looked the part- her blue eyes would set her apart, but they happened amongst blonde Romulans, who were a rarity apparently. In point of fact, she looked somewhat related to one of the more infamous Romulan commanders, Sela.

Far and away Rita was prettier and curvier, but to someone unfamiliar with the Romulan commander, the mistake could easily be made. Stepping onto the bridge, she found herself in the habit of rubbing the newly-pointed and tapering pointed ear tips she now sported, which were elegant, but definitely took some getting used to seeing in the mirror, and feeling when she flexed the scalp muscles that moved her ears.

That was when the Ensign at ops called out, suddenly alarmed. "Captain! Ship decloaking! Dead ahead! It's... Ma'am, it's the Golden Ghost. They're hailing us." The panic in the ensign's voice dropped to relief as they figured out who it was.

On the viewscreen, the shimmer of a cloak disengaging filled the view, revealing the underbelly of a pristine 2270's T'liss Bird of Prey, complete with full regalia art. Indeed, it looked as if Al’thindor himself were about to swoop in and catch the crew in his claws.

"Now that... That is a beautiful ship..." Enalia muttered at the sight.

“Agreed, she’s a beauty all right. Classic lines, and back when starships were designed with a little style, and not just for form and function,” Rita agreed, coming to stand beside the captain’s command chair to her right, the ‘traditional’ locale for the First Officer when standing by at the Captain’s side.

"On screen, Ensign. I'm looking forward to this,” Enalia ordered.

In front of the Hera, the Romulan Bird of Prey was comparably tiny, but it’s posture made it seem much bigger than it actually was, hovering ahead and above the bow of the pearlescent black Intel Starship proudly. As the screen activated, there was the image of a Romulan woman in her 40’s with short-cropped, dark brown hair, prominent forehead ridges and wide-set, almond-shaped green eyes.

Behind her was a much more modern-looking bridge than the ship’s exterior would suggest. Consoles that had equipment that looked snatched from a more modern Warbird glowed green in the background. The woman wore a Romulan military uniform and the rank of a Riov but sported a slight smile as she looked Captain Telvan over with a half-lidded expression of amusement.

Then, the woman gave a bow and spoke. “It is with honor that I address the ruling Queen of the Artan family. On behalf of my Baroness, I bid you welcome. I am Maenek Helev t’Liun, in command of the ‘Isahj’ey Aehallh’... ‘The Golden Ghost’. This ship, her crew, and I... are yours to command.”

The woman spoke with incredible reverence and respect through a thin accent in Federation standard as she bowed. ‘Maenek’ translated as ‘Doctor’, which wasn’t the standard command structure of a Romulan ship, but in truth, this was an ARTAN Privateer ship and very little about those were particularly common.

"Maenek Helev t'Luin of the Isahj'ey Aehallh', you, your vessel, and your crew honor us and your Barony," Enalia replied with a respectful bow of her head. "Our cargo is ready to be received and our crew will be ready shortly. I assume you have the standard Artan transport systems installed?"

Nodding respectfully, the woman on the screen replied. "Beyond standard, your Majesty. We have also realigned and tuned all of our transporters to the specifications your Science Officer provided. We also have several transport Flitters and shuttles in our docking bay as required for ship-to-ship transport as needed."

"I have also prepared my Medical crew and myself for the specific requirements of the transferred crew as may be needed. Though, may the Elements have no need for my services in this endeavor." The Rihannsu doctor added.

"Excellent. And just Captain will suffice. I'm here in my role as a Starfleet Captain, after all." Enalia then turned to Rita. "Though I forwarded them all the details of your quantum transport allergies, I'd feel better if you took one of the Cyclones over. I'm sure you would too, plus how often do you get a close up of such a magnificent starship like that?"

“Far be it for me to pass up an opportunity like that. I’ll get my gear and fly the getaway Driver over,” Rita replied with a grin, waiting for the nod of dismissal to begin making her way down to the flight deck, where she already had her small gear bag stowed and the flight crews has the formerly golden Cyclone, newly repainted to match the standard Scorpion fighter craft.

From the screen, as Rita left the bridge, Maenek t’Liun smiled ever so lightly. "We shall put the running lights on for the Commander, then, Captain."

"Thank you," the formerly spotted captain replied with her usual lopsided grin. "We'll coordinate transport of the other Cyclones as well as our personnel and equipment immediately. I look forward to working with you."

Nodding again, Maenek t’Liun replied, "And I, you Captain. Once aboard, I would request each crewmember transferring to the Aehallh report to me in the medical bay. I will require extensive bio scans to ensure that we are completely prepared for every potential crisis. The replication of healthy, species-specific plasma and the like."

"Better to double-check and all that, I presume? Some of our crew aren't having the procedures done and will be along in support roles." Enalia did her best to mimic the common jade faced statuesqueness of a Rihannsu commander as she continued her reply, now speaking the language."However, in the interest of expedient medical care, I will have them report as well in case they are injured. After all, Cardassian and Andorian physiologies aren't the most common in the Imperium and having a prepared physician is a boon." It had been years since she'd had both the Klingon and Romulan cultural and language brain dump but she hoped that she could still pass as well as she did when she was sixteen.

"Thank you, Captain. Once aboard the Golden Ghost, these crewmembers will be under my care as both Commander and Doctor, and our is a small ship. Even crewmembers not on the away mission will face threats if we are forced into a battle that my mnhei'sahe demands I be prepared for. And I am the type to insist on preparedness in all things." Maenek t'Liun replied, now speaking in her own native Rihan to match Captain Telvan's efforts.

"Perfectly understandable, Maenek t'Luin. I would do no less if I were in your position. I assume that cabin arrangements are double or quadruple bunks for everyone, including myself?" Enalia continued in Rihan, smoothly enunciating the language, though she was fairly certain her accent would place her as a somewhat outdated and old fashioned spacer.

Tilting her head slightly, t'Luin looked around slightly. "Most crew quarters couch no less than two crewmembers. Lower ranking ones, four to a cabin. We've cleared some space for your arrival and will be able to accommodate a number of cabins with twin couches for your crewmembers. I have cleared the command quarters for yourself, however, and it will be available upon your arrival."

Enalia shook her head, her facade cracking as she grinned. "Please, you don't have to go through any trouble. You may quarter me as you would anyone else."

"The arrangements have been settled, Captain. We were using the quarters as a conference room, so you will have to account for a mid-sized table in the room we had no room for elsewhere. Besides, I have a couch in my office in the Medical Bay and take my rest there. I may be the ship's Commander, but I'm a Maenek first and that's where I prefer to be." The Rihannsu doctor nodded respectfully. "It is no trouble, I assure you."

"Very well, in that case, I'll bring along a case of something I recently discovered on a trip to Earth called Mike's Hard Lemonade as a gift to you. It admittedly pales in comparison to kali'fal, but for a human drink it is surprising." Even speaking Rihan and mixing in a few english words, Enalia rolled the languages back and forth like a seasoned veteran, just as she'd done all her life and for once, she thanked her mother for all those nights of language training.

"I look forward to it, Captain. Now, if you will excuse me, my Erei'Riov can attend to the specifics of the remaining transfers, but I have some final arrangements to attend to and must be off to the shuttlebay to greet the Commander." The respectful Maenek nodded as she spoke. "Jolan'tru."

"Jolan'tru," Enalia replied with a nod. As soon as the viewscreen cut back to the view of the other ship, Enalia couldn't help but let slip a small sigh. "Well, it seems someone else will be in charge of the old girl for a while. Ensign Willaby, the bridge is yours."

As Enalia stood and headed for the door, the Ensign took over. "Aye, Captain. She'll be here in perfect condition when you get back."

As she stepped into the turbolift, Enalia turned back for one last remark before the doors closed. "I'm counting on it."