A Quiet Moment

Posted on Wed Oct 23rd, 2019 @ 11:08am by Captain Enalia Telvan & Commander Rita Paris
Edited on on Mon Oct 28th, 2019 @ 9:57am

Mission: Family Detention
Location: The Golden Ghost shuttlecraft bay
Timeline: 2396

As they prepared to board their respective Cyclones, the customized versatile small fighter craft that Mona Gonadie had built as vast improvements over the small Romulan Scorpion class fighter design, Commander Rita Paris paused to eye her captain. Debating her instincts for a second, and only a second, she committed and pressed on.

"Enalia? Before we get back to the Hera... let's talk. It's just you and I and the pirates here, so it seems as good a time as any. Would you mind?" Rita was forthright as always and realized after she'd said it that her phrasing made it sound like a 'trouble in the relationship' talk, although that was far from what she intended. Fortunately, Enalia tended not to pick up on such things, having not led that sort of life for the most part.

Though the spotted woman recognized the tone and was curious about the particular phrasing, she just assumed Rita had something to get off her mind and nodded, her usual lopsided grin on display as she popped the hatch on the blue cyclone and took stock of the interior. "Away from the bustle and prying eyes of Starfleet? Of course. What's on your mind?"

"This..." Rita circled her upraised finger in the air. "This was all very personal. Rendal might have been after Genesis secrets for the Star Empire, but there are other ways to pursue that. No, she kidnapped our two Romulan crew members and hauled them off to break and brainwash them. Her 'apprentice' she said? No, this was very, very personal. She's got an axe to grind with you Captain, and I suspect this isn't the last we've seen of her."

Enalia paused in what she was doing and turned grim, nodding her agreement. "I concur. Everything was too well planned and too well laid out to be simply a member of the Romulan Senate discovering she had a granddaughter and wanting to get her back. She knew my fighting style. She recognized your voice. I'd say she's been planning this at least since the Starbase 336 incursion and she likely had pieces of it in place before then."

"You're right that we'll see more of her. The problem is... Where and how?" Enalia ran one hand along the cockpit seal of the cyclone she would be flying, considering what Rendal's next move would be.

“That’s going to take some work to figure out, and I suspect we’ll likely end up being reactive a few more times until we get enough data to be proactive. But this… this is very personal, and someone on a vendetta is someone to be taken seriously. I’m guessing me giving away her space station and her captive titan likely didn’t set well with her. I wish I had more than that, but… this is a storm on the horizon, cap’n, and I’m afraid it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” Paris shrugged, a seismic motion. “I wish I had more positive in that, but… I’m worried what she might choose as her next target or scheme or plot, if she’s trying to hurt you.”

The unspoken part of the statement was that Enalia had a lot to lose these days, and Paris was concerned that the crew of the Hera might not be able to protect them all. In actuality, she was worried because Enalia had slowly been coming to care much more about those around her, after a lifetime of keeping to herself to protect herself from just such an eventuality. The old-school officer wished she had some good news to bolster her captain, but in this case, all she had were observations and questions.

“We’re headed back to Starfleet command for the debriefings. Ideally, we and the crew should be safe on earth… as much as I know you don’t care to go there. Oh, and given that somehow it turns to chaos every time I set foot on my homeworld. So we need to find a way to get ahead of her… I just have no idea how at this point,” Paris admitted.

The spotted woman nodded thoughtfully. The gears had been turning in her head for some time now and this was as good a time as any to bring up what she'd been thinking on. "I've been considering that. We have a lot more resources than most would in our position, but you're right. We're going to have to be reactionary for a while yet."

"For now, I'll be asking the Artan fleets to monitor for activity while conducting normal smuggling business with the reunificationists. They're normally a good source of intel. Admiral Meowlith has informed me that her ship will be escorting us back to Earth while the Persephone monitors the neutral zone. If we are able to get ahead of her, we will."

"As for the Sol system... The Hera will be staying at Jupiter station and we'll be ferried to our... Debriefing sites." Enalia was convinced they were actually interrogations, but she decided to stick with the wording the admiralty chose to use.

“Yeah, I am SO looking forward to those interrogations,” Paris rolled her eyes and sighed. “At least this time I didn’t screw with time and space, so there’s no reason for the DTI to get involved, unless a future version of me shows up to warn me of the past about something and close a time loop or create a paradox or whatever it might be.” It sounded as though she were joking, but when it came to the life of Rita Paris, she discounted nothing. The universe had proven to her, time and again, that the impossible, in her case, was merely improbable.

“Maybe… maybe we can use this to our advantage, though,” Paris’ eyes roamed the overhead as an idea struck her. “I’m not connected like I was back in the old days, but we do have an awful lot of intelligence we gathered on that trip- ancillary things like traffic patterns and comm traffic and such, which should be a wealth of information to intel Command. Maybe we can parley that for some good will and a bit more of a heads up as the next crisis rears its head?”

Leave it to Rita to think like a fleet politician. Back in her day, the ‘good old boy’ club that comprised the Starfleet brass was a collection of men who knew one another, drank together and shared information and resources with their chums. As most of her old contacts were long gone and their grandchildren were approaching retirement age, she couldn’t move and shake as she once could. But the principles of mutual backscratching still held true in much of the fleet, and this was something which Enalia had no taste for, but at which Rita excelled.

"I've always tried to leave fleet politics to others and just... Ahem..." Enalia actually blushed at what she was about to admit and looked rather sheepish. "There's a group of lesbians in the admiralty... and I leave politics to Admiral Meowlith now that Admiral Johansen is no longer directly on top... ABOVE!"

Her blush deepened and her spots were absolutely burning at this point. "Anyway, Admirals Johansen and t'Chonk used to be who I dealt with before Farenia made Commodore, so I'll leave politics to you. I have a feeling you're better at dealing with the men anyway." Enalia didn't feel that she had to mention that she came from a matriarch dominated offshoot of Trill society after all they had been through.

"Oh, I'm sure I can get along with the ladies in the admiralty as well. I'll see what I can get us for some intel and some maneuvering," Rita added with a smirk of her own. The faces changed and the names, but the games of fleet politics, she suspected, hadn't changed that much since her day. "Meanwhile, how about the Dox's? We're not letting them off the ship, I assume- in this we're agreed? the Lieutenant's terrified this is going to cost her commission, and I'm determined that's not going to happen. If anything, I think it's time we promoted her."

Doing her best to recover from her admissions, Enalia cleared her throat. "I agree on both. Jaeih, we can get away with keeping on the Hera, I think. Lieutenant Dox... She's got requests for debriefings across all of Starfleet now that her ties are known. I've also already filled out the promotion forms and pending the results of the inquiries, I don't see anyone objecting too much. If they do, well..."

As a couple of the Ghost's crew passed by, Enalia got an idea and a grin slowly grew on her face. "Please remind them that the Artan Privateers are now a legitimate government that has offered stability and relative safety in a pirate filled area of space for some time now and would love to open proper negotiations with the Federation."

"I'll keep it in my hand for when I need it, thank you. So, last item on the first officer's checklist- how are you? Through all of this you've run on exhaustion and sleep deprivation and nerves. Now going to Earth, and debriefings and harassment as they try to trip us all up... how are YOU, Enalia?" It was an honest question, and given the circumstances, not an unwarranted one. The captain of the USS Hera tended to take things like her personnel being kidnapped rather personally, and now that it was over, Paris could inquire into her mental and emotional state without having to worry about throwing her off her game.

"Honestly? I feel like I could sleep for a week and I just want to see Maica and Moira again. Do you know when the last time I actually took a break? I mean an actual break to relax? No monitors, no reports, no reading, no emergencies..." The spotted woman stared across the deck out the bay doors for a moment, trying to remember herself. "I can't remember. When my sister passed on, I tried to take a few days off, but... My XO at the time chewed me out and I was forced to..."

She hung her head for a moment and scratched the spots on her temple for a moment before looking back up at Rita. "Once these debriefings are over I'd like to take a couple days off. Just Maica, Moira, and myself reconnecting for a couple days, if you think that's ok."

Draping her arm across the Captain's shoulders, the first officer smiled. "Once this is all done, take a week off on Earth. There are a lot of tropical paradises out there, weather of whatever sort you fancy in a resort or roughing it, your choice. But yes, Captain... you have more than earned a vacation. Go take one. That's an order from your current first officer, hm?" Hugging the woman's shoulder, Rita Paris grinned at the spotted captain.

"Thank you," Enalia replied with a soft and sincere smile that looked almost out of place on the woman's face as she returned the hug. "I haven't been to my castle in the Swiss Alps since the Academy. I think the holographics are compatible with Maica's matrix, so we might just spend time there. Oh, and we have our formal wedding invitations for Schwein's big day waiting on the Hera. Ila said she left outfits for each of us and that we might want to spend some time in the ship's gym."

Shaking her head, Paris raised her hands to the sky. "See? Victim of my own success. I convinced her to chase after a god and finally lie with someone who could take it, and now we're going to be standing at the altar for her. I'm going to miss having that one-eyed pirate around. She really is something special, and I'm happy for her, but... it's selfish, but I'll miss her being on the Hera."

Heaving a sigh, Paris nodded, then ran her fingers through her hair to get it out of her eyes, a movement she performed regularly when it got too long. "But people move on, and she's happy, so I'm happy for her. You said whatsername, Sarika, the one with the foul mouth was going to be taking over the Baroness' position as adjutant?"

"Yeah, I'll miss her too. She's one of my oldest friends and confidants. As for Sarika, I've told her that fleeters tend to take a dim view on crass language like hers so... Hopefully, her time in the brig is minimal." With a heavy sigh, Enalia tucked some stray hair behind her ear. "I should recruit people to my Artan crew so they don't insist on assigning me a full Baroness from my former crew. Sarika has enough on her plate as it is and she's not the most diplomatic."

"I've a suggestion, if you'd care to hear?" Rita remarked as she leaned against the teal hull of Curiosity, folding her arms beneath her improbable bosom. "Why not assign Sarika to recruit you a crew and find you an attache? It needs to be someone who knows your organization inside and out, knows the players involved, the traditions and is familiar with your personal history as well as current events... I got it." Rita's eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers then wagged her index finger.

"What about one of those catgirl holomaids from the Fortress? They're all a hive mind, and they fulfill all of the requirements. And it means the AI that drives them all in the Fortress will get to experience a little bit of life outside the station. Is it feasible? Is it something you'd even want to do? I'm just brainstorming here..." Given to sudden inspirations and instinctual navigation, Rita's plans weren't always gold, but they were usually unconventional.

The spotted woman thought it over, a look of consternation crossing her face as she considered the option. "Their programming is still relatively basic and really only covers security and services right now. I'd have to have their programming expanded quite a bit, at the very least. It's not a bad idea though. I'll see if Maica can pull some strings with her family. Thanks for the idea."

"Either that or put in the order for Sarika to handle it all. A flesh and blood humanoid might avoid some of the problems of a photonic life form, but really, the Baroness' shoes are going to be hard for anyone to fill. So whoever they assign is going to face some challenges. Von Alcott was very well-liked amongst the crew, knew you like a book and her loyalty was unquestionable, as long as she wasn't possessed." Rita rolled her eyes a bit at the memory of that particular affair. "Or if you make the call, we'll work with Sarika and help her acclimate. Just offering ideas, Captain. It's what you pay me for, after all."

"Speaking of which, how is Maica doing with Moira? Is that going well? I assume she can download skills, so that must be handy for a sudden mom..." That was a topic Rita hadn't approached much, as the Captain didn't mention it, so Rita made the effort to respect her commanding officer's privacy. But while she was checking on her, the feisty first officer figured she should cover all the bases.

"Well..." This was a conversation Enalia somewhat feared to discuss and was really worried about. "Like I said before we left the ship, she's got the knowledge of thousands of worlds... But none of the experience... Or maternal instinct... She, ah..."

The spotted woman scratched at the spots on her temple again - they'd been itching since she'd had the prosthetics and makeup removed and the focus on her personal life didn't help any. "When we left she was starting to get the hang of it, but she can't just check the bottle like you or I would, the blankets have to be perfect, every vital sign has to be triple checked and investigated, she has checklists for everything... Half the time when she gets started trying to figure out why Moira is crying, I've already changed her diaper, fed her, and danced around the quarters singing her a lullaby."

"This is nothing new though. When she first arrived, her first few weeks of runtime she could barely cook. She had all the instructions, but simple boiling water surprised her to the point she burnt three pans just watching it and trying to figure it out. She just needs time to learn. Unfortunately, Moira isn't the patient sort." Having admitted all that, Enalia felt a bit relieved. Then she got a bit of her old piratical grin on her face as a thought occurred to her. "With all the newborns on the ship, don't tell me you're feeling in the motherly way too?"

That got her a grin in return. "No, I have my five-year plan, and I am sticking to it. Sonak and I can't conceive without medical intervention, so it's a pretty safe bet it'll be on my timeline. Besides, I can't go getting knocked up. You need me on the Hera, and I promised you I'd be there for you. Once I start with the next generation, I'm going to be Earthbound for a few years at least. So no... while I am all about babies and legacies and making sure Starfleet continues to have Parises in it, for the next few years at least, I'll leave the breeding to everyone else."

"But that doesn't mean I can't help out. You want to drop your little one off for some babysitting so you and Maica can get some time alone or just some peace, I am happy to play Auntie Rita. And for that matter, if Maica needs some help I can try. I mean, I'm no expert, but I did basically raise my little brother Albert, so I have a few practical skills. If it will help you with the adjustment I'm happy to help." Pausing, Rita considered her course, then committed, as she tended to do. "Don't imagine for a moment I am judging- all new parents tend to be a bit adrift, so they tell me, and Moira's a special kid, as is Maica. So what help I can offer, it's there, okay?"

"Thank you, Rita. We both appreciate it. On that note, Maica and I were talking about naming Jaeih as Moira's adopted grandmother. I think she's really come out of her shell and settled down since living a few doors down from you know who." Enalia was, of course, referring to the goddess of motherhood and the namesake of the ship, Hera. "I trust your instincts on this sort of matter, so what are your thoughts on it?"

Frowning, Rita looked up and away for a moment before shaking her head slightly. "Mmmmno, not grandmother- that may be the role she fulfills in your family structure, but at least in my culture, she'd be the Godmother of the child. She is the one you turn to for help, and should anything happen to both of you, she would be the one left to raise her. Again, that's the way it works in my culture, but we're kind of experienced at this patchwork quilt family assembly, you may have noticed."

"But to answer your question, I'm sure it's fine. She's going to be grandma to what, I heard triplets? Does Mona lay eggs, is that how that works? I am dying to ask but I don't want to be insensitive. Point being that she's going to be helping out with three already, so one more into the mix won't hurt. As a bonus, it'll get Moira some early socialization and give Jaeih something to do with her time. She tears through work, so she's often bored I think- this'll cure that in a hurry," Rita laughed musically, then narrowed her eyes at Enalia.

"You're still terrified of screwing this up, aren't you? It's like life handed you your own mother and challenged you to do better, like some great cosmic test, isn't it, and you can't shut up the voice in your head that tells you that you are going to make the same mistakes and create a monster. How'm I doing?" The command team had remained behind for privacy, and Rita was taking advantage of it. They could easily discuss all of this on the Hera, behind closed doors. But here, now, at the end of a long hero's journey was the right time to probe Enalia about one of the things that Rita suspected weighed heavily upon her.

"Logically, I know she'll turn out fine and be herself, but with the history of either being crazy or amazing in my family..." Enalia looked a bit sheepish, finally admitting one of her biggest worries. She'd met the young Moira in the future already, and she knew she'd turn out just fine, but the worry was still there, ever-present in the back of her mind. "Yeah, I think I worry unnecessarily. Godmother... I'll have to do some research since I'm not familiar with the term."

"My culture is nothing if not obsessively cataloged, my friend. C'mon," Rita wrapped an arm around the shoulder of the captain and shook her a bit. "What do you say we get back home to that holographic hottie you married and your bouncing baby girl, and that hearty crew you assembled oh so carefully to serve on your mighty starship of secrets, eh?" That million-watt smile that could light up a room and melt the heart of a glacier beamed from the human explorer, to her friend and captain whom she had come to know, trust and love like a sister in the year they had served together.

"Let's go home, Captain."


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