Credit Where Credit is Due

Posted on Tue Dec 31st, 2019 @ 12:15pm by Lieutenant Mona Gonadie & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Ensign Briaar Gavarus & Ensign Fiona O'Dell
Edited on on Tue Dec 31st, 2019 @ 12:17pm

Mission: Neutral Zone Neutrality
Location: R&D Department
Timeline: 2396

"Okay, Fee. I know this is gonna sound weird, but I actually need you to do a little dance here." Ensign Briaar Gavarus said from the control console off to the port side of the elevated flight deck where the R&D Department of the U.S.S. Hera made its home.

In the center of the deck, the red-headed Ensign, Fiona O'Dell, sat in the snug but comfortable cockpit of the silver-skinned transformable mech called the Banshee. A variable mode fighter designed by the R&D Department chief, Ensign Mona Gonadie, and built by Gonadie and Gavarus. The canopy of the cockpit was retracted into the body, which was angled slightly to the deck, but mostly horizontal as the mech was its most successful mode: The "walker" mode where the body of the ship was in fighter mode, but the arms and legs were extended. In the cockpit, O'Dell was decked out in her crimson-hued EVA Armor that enabled her to better interface with the ship's customized controls. The helmet, like the canopy, was retracted.

"I just installed new internal enhancements that should make the joints smoother and inertial dampening fields throughout the leg joints to make walking even smoother and quieter. You should be able to sneak up on shit in that baby now." Gavarus grinned proudly as she entered some data into the decks tracking sensors. "But we need to see if they're working, and a little dance should do the trick."

Their chief, who had been removed from active flight duty, thanks to being almost five months pregnant with three girls, was in her office working on some revised designs while her favorite Engineer and Test pilot were largely free to build and test as needed. It was a freedom both women did enjoy, and a perk to working in the recently formed R&D on the Hera.

A mischievous grin crept across the face of the pixie pilot, and the right arm of the mech shot up to the overhead with one finger pointed at the sky. Even as it did so, the ’hips’ of the mech shifted, and music began to stream from the external speakers as an ancient ballad of O’Dell’s people began to play… and the silver experimental spacecraft began to perform the dance associated with the song, ‘The Hustle’. Which was quite the energetic dance, involving complex foot maneuvers as well as animated hand gestures, all of which were highly improbable for a mechanoid fighter to be performing.

However, while Gavarus’ engineering had helped bring the project to life and continued to improve it, the skill of it’s pilot could not be denied as she put it through it’s paces. Spinning in place then dropping the mech in a split, the tiny test pilot was slowly raising the banshee up from said split when she noticed the Chief Flight Officer on the Deck 3 R&D flight deck, Lieutenant Commander Dox. Hastily she cut the music off, and urgently made eye contact with her partner to warn her of an officer on deck, in the silent communication the pair had mastered over time.

Immediately, Briar's eyes went wide as she began moving her hands over the console, pretending to push buttons in a desperate attempt to somehow look busier that she actually was. As the stout Romulan Flight Chief in red walked past the console to the center of the room and the Banshee, she raised an eyebrow at the portly porcine and nodded, "It's a good thing you're not actually pressing those, Ensign. You would have just vented the room into space."

"Huh?!" Gavarus muttered, looking down at the console controls as it slowly dawned on her that the notoriously stern chief they once nicknamed 'Lieutenant Murder-Punch' had just made a joke. But Dox didn't linger at the console as she stopped right in front of the Banshee which, as it usually did, was perfectly matching Fiona's own movements and thoughts. As such, the enormous silver mech had its arms folded behind it's back and seemed to be fiddling it's thumbs as it shifted it's weight from foot to foot, looking for all the world like it had to go to the reclimator. For her part, Mnhei'sahe's hands were folded behind her back as they usually were, as if she were hiding something.

Looking the machine up from the feet to the cockpit, Mnhei'sahe smiled lightly as she looked at O'Dell. "Ensign O'Dell, just the person I wanted to see. I hope I'm not interrupting the motion tests?"

“Ah… well, no mum, y’see, ah…” The mech spread it’s hands and, palms up, it began pleading with the flight chief. “Ensign Gavarus had asked me to put her through her paces since she joost installed some joint enhancements, so she wanted to ta poot ‘er through it, and since dancin’ seems ta be somethin’ she shouldn’t be able ta do, but she can, I joost, ah figured if she could do the Hustle, that ought to give all the stress test data needed, mum. It was, uh, twas me who did it mym, so dinna blame the engineer, aye?”

Tilting her head slightly, Dox smirked a bit but kept her attention on Fiona the whole time. "Blame her for what, Ensign? You're both doing your jobs very well. The way I see it, sooner or later a pilot like me is gonna be in one of these cockpits and I'll need to know I can punch or kick with ease and fluidity, and as I see it, those particular moves seem an ideal way to prove it's range of motion. Miss Gavarus, did that dance get you good data for what you're doing?"

"Uh... yes Sir... ma'am... Chief... Commander?" Gavarus said awkwardly shooting a look at Fiona and shrugging her shoulders. As she did, Dox shook her head slightly and decided to shift her approach a bit.

"Please, at ease Ensigns. We've been over the names thing. Any of those except for 'sir' I'm fine with. I promised you both that if I had an issue with either of your performances, I would tell you. And this is not me telling you that." Dox said a bit more casually as she walked up and ran a hand admiringly along the nose of the cockpit. In her heart, she was still a pilot, and she couldn't help but love the work they all put into the craft of which the miniature Mariposian was the test pilot. "I'm actually here for quite the reverse. Specifically, in regards to you and your performance at the helm during the battle in the Aldeberan Nebula, Ensign O'Dell, from which I just finished reviewing the reports and files."

The Lilliputian lass’ natural reaction was to be suspicious and defensive, but in truth, she’d done pretty well in that battle, except for letting the other vessel get away. Given that the L-C was trying to take a less scary approach these days, O’Dell took what she was saying at face value, and grinned. The mechanoid parked one fist on it’s hip and offered a thumbs-up. “Aye mum. I did alreet then? I dinna embarrass the department in front of the captain, then?”

"The only person embarrassed is me, Miss O'Dell, for never having considered a move like that three sixty axis rotation for firing." Dox replied with a significant laugh. As Dox spoke, Mona came out from her office to watch with a smile as her wife had come to deliver well earned praise to the tiny test pilot of whom she was quite fond.

"You not only performed above and beyond the call of duty, you performed beyond any expectations I could have set, Miss O'Dell." Dox said with a sincere smile. "So, how did you like flying her for real?"

Bringing the hand of the mech up under the nosecone, O'Dell considered the question. "Twasn't quite the same as the simulations, ye know? And twas different havin the captain give orders, and be workin' with tactical to maintain firin' arcs. But that interface, it's like flyin' one 'a these instead of a great bloody starship." As she spoke, the mech's ringer tapped the nosecone just for of the cockpit.

"Indeed. Simulations are very useful, but they simply can't really replicate the feeling of moving something like the Hera through space, where you can feel the engine hum through the deck plates and your console." Dox waxed poetically, speaking that emotional language that pilots tended to about ships when they loved them.

"Ah hafta admit, alla them drills ye had me do did coom in handy. I dinna hafta consider which control did what, which control accessed which system. I nivvir got lost in the controls, so that was huuuuge to joost keep in the zone, aye? Nothin like looking for the aft inertial dampeners when ye want teh do a drag maneuver, and ye canna remember where they are, aye? So I got ta admit, ye were toof on me, but it paid off, y'ken? So thenkye, Chief!" The walker mode mech raised it's arm up to the canopy in a salute.

"No thanks required, Ensign. You handled the drills professionally and aced them, all without actively trying to murder me for putting you through them at all hours of the day and night." Dox returned the salute respectfully, then smirked a bit mischievously. It was a cockeyed thing that made the flight chief look remarkably like her mother, who the odd couple of R&D liked to go drinking with from time to time. "I wanted to let you know that I have written a glowing statement expressing my thoughts on your performance, with my recommendation that you be placed on the roster directly under me for any and all combat flight requirements from here on out. Along with a recommendation that you receive official commendations for your exceptional performance under intense pressure."

The mech's hands came together, fingers interlacing under the cockpit as the wide feet shuffled a bit awkwardly. "That's... vurrah kind of ye, mum. I appreciate yuir only reccomendin' me for whan fancy flyin's needed... because I'll still be assigned down here in R&D, aye?" O'Dell looked past Dox to where her very pregnant chief stood, eyes searching for confirmation.

While their relationship was improving, Ensign Gonadie was the one who had created the department, and to whom Gavarus and O'Dell both reported and still maintained a rather deep streak of loyalty. While the pipsqueak pilot was flattered, she also wanted to ensure that the position she loved, working with the genius innovator on experimental spacecraft wasn't going away, and that she would still be working with her engineer partner. The work which had brought them all together, forged the bonds of friendship between themselves and their chief, and eventually blossomed into a relationship between the unlike pair of the little leprechaun and the stocky space swine. Both the pilot and the engineer were both rather protective of the cheerful, warm and enthusiastic Miradonian, particularly now that she was heavy with child. Mona Gonadie had inspired that loyalty with her words and deeds, her encouragements and direction, and while being recommended as the chief pilot's second was an honor, Fiona needed to ensure it wasn't going to break up the good thing they had brewing here in Deck 3.

Reading the conflict on Fiona's face, Dox looked over to Mona and smiled warmly, and that same warm smile was turned back to Fiona. "Absolutely, Ensign. This team does amazing work, and doing anything to disrupt that is the furthest thing from my mind, or... I suspect... the Captain's. And I am more than aware that what you bring to the team here is above and beyond just being a test pilot."

"Ensign Gonadie's department reports are detailed enough for me to know that you are a vital part of the problem-solving process, having contributed many of the core ideas that she and Ensign Gavarus can then implement. As far as I'm concerned, you are a part of the R&D department, first and foremost. But, when the ship needs a pilot that can do the impossible and that's not me, the Captain and I agree that it should be you. That's all."

That settled the issue for O'Dell- the L-C had been straightforward and honest to a fault about everything, and her word was her bond. A smile lit up the face of the little lass they called leprechaun, and the nosecone of the mechanoid bobbed, nodding in agreement. "Alreet! that's settled then! When ye need me on the bridge... well, when I AM needed on the bridge, I'll be happy to serve, mum. At the Captain's pleasure, as 'twere. S'long as we dinna hafta stop improvin' the wave of the future doown here in R&D, that's alreet wi' me." The hand of the mech reached out to gently poke the shoulder of the tall Tellarite engineer, who, as she tended to do, was remaining silent as the ranking officer spoke so as not to draw attention to herself. The act was telling on a number of levels- it was Fiona trying to nudge Briaar back to calm now that the potential crisis had passed, it served as a demonstration of the precision control the pipsqueak pilot had over the mech as she could do such a thing with servos that could punch through the spanner jockey, and it reinforced that the two were a team, a pair in all things that it would be folly to separate.

The subtlety of the action was not lost on Dox, who raised an eyebrow, impressed with the dexterity and control O'Dell was exhibiting. Smirking a bit, the crimson-clad Commander had an idea to test that dexterity a bit more in a way that might help relax Gavarus a bit too. As such, she unfolded her arms from behind her back, revealing that she had been holding a bottle in them the entire time. "Indeed. We like you three where you are, making the ship and what we do better. Now, my Mother tells me she told you she had three bottles of Jameson from..."

Glancing at the old bottle for a second, Dox continued, holding it out just far enough to offer to the pint-sized pilot to take with the hands of the massive mech. It was a maneuver she had no doubt O'Dell could handle with ease and was a way of Dox showing that she trusted in the miniature Mariposian's incredible skills. "...2343... that were yours if you got the Hera through that minefield without taking a hit from one. You not only succeeded, but figured out a way to use those mines as weapons against our quarry. So she asked me to bring you the first of them."

As she held out the bottle to the silver-skinned mech, the Romulan pilot turned towards the twitchy Tellarite and nodded. "The rest, she said, she would like to present in Ten-Forward at the end of shift."

"Well this is a merry day fuir a celebration indeed, mum!" O'dell not only deftly plucked the bottle out of the hand of the commanding officer of the flight deck, but tossed it into the cokpit, where her hand disengaged from the controls to catch it out of the air. "That's a right beauty, right there! I'll hafta save a drop to share wi' me old dad when we swing oot that way sometime. but for noow..."

Pausing, the right hand of the mech frozen with a bent elbow and a hand closed in a fist, O'Dell looked about the small flight deck that served as the home of R&D, parked atop the maintained bays and the office of the lieutenant commander herself. The happy, brilliant inventor stood with her hand on the shoulder of her redheaded Romulan partner, the next generation coming along inside her. In the break room, Minnie was sleeping off a bottle in her playpen, which was expanding every day it seemed. tapping away, following the shutdown sequence her fingers were tapping out even as the took in the scene, remembering the moment, Fiona smiled at her off, tusky, prickly partner.

The midget Mariposian had never had a friend like Briaar Gavarus, and the more she'd gotten to know her, the more she'd realized she never would. They were an odd couple- a leprechaun and a leviathan, raising a monster of myth and legend between them, while becoming swept up in times and events two obnoxious drunks should never have qualified to perform.

Yet here they were, doing just fine. Doing great, really.

Catching the eye of the tall Tellarite, O'Dell grinned as she plucked the bottle from her right hand with the mech's left hand and high-lob tossed it to Gavarus, giving her ample time to catch it.

"I could be wrong, Gavarus me old mate, but I'm pretty sure that was the boss tellin' us tis quittin time today!"

The bottle thumped hard against the middle of the portly porcine who fumbled slightly, only barely not dropping it, awkwardly. "Whew... uh... I guess. uh, Is it, Commander?"

Chuckling lightly, Dox nodded slightly. "It is, indeed. I believe my mother has a table in Ten-Forward waiting." Then, leaning slightly into Mona, who was beaming a warm smile and proud of her team, Dox turned her attention back to Fiona. "Celebrate, Miss O'Dell. You've more than earned it. You and Miss Gavarus are a credit to the Hera and I wanted to make sure you both knew it."

Shutting down the mech, powering down the systems and setting the parking brake, the stunt pilot sprite slid out of the cockpit, to slide down the fuselage of the craft to land nimbly on the deck. Absently patting the spacecraft fondly as she passed, the helmet retracted and the curly-haired officer pulled off her cowl, which kept her mass of curls at bay. Scratching her head, she grinned at the flight chief and offered her hand. "Thankye, mum. Comin from ye, tis high praise indeed. With a party and liquor to boot? Tis... well, tis an honor, L-C."

"It's well earned, Ensign, and the honor is mine. You two have some fun." Dox replied, meeting the offered handshake with the customary two pumps. Across the bay, Gavarus saved her work data, filing the results as she shut down the control console for the evening.

"I'll put this in the diaper bag and go get Minnie Moo ready to go while you're getting out of your EVA suit, Fee." The towering Tellarite said as she headed off to the break room, bottle in hand.

As the deck quieted down with O'Dell and Gavarus away, Mnhei'sahe turned to her wife, and the department head, with a slightly awkward smile. And while they weren't physically touching, in her pregnant state, Mona's empathic bond to Mnhei'sahe was strong enough to pick up her feelings from where she stood with ease. "Well, that was easier than I was worried. I'm glad I decided to talk to her while she was in the Banshee. Like you said, she's got more self-confidence in there. Thanks, Mona."

"No, thank you," Mona replied, pulling her bond-mate into a gentle embrace. "You've supported my dreams and this new department from the start and if it weren't for you I'm not sure we'd be even a fraction as far as we are now."

Now touching closely, Mona could clearly feel that Mnhei'sahe was nervous for some reason, but as they hugged, that reason became apparent quickly. "Always. In fact, now that I've talked to Fiona, there's something that she brought up that's relevant to something we need to talk about. Something the Captain wanted me to talk to you about."

The brightly plumed Miradonian pulled back slightly - enough to look into the eyes of her lover and confirm what she was sensing. "Then you can tell the Captain the answer is still no."

The number of times that Mona had turned down promotions on the Hera had becomes something of the stuff of legend, remaining an Ensign when she likely should have been a lieutenant Commander by now. But it was a responsibility she had refused every time she had been offered. "Okay... I knew that was coming. But hold on."

Looking deep into Mona's eyes, Mnhei'sahe smiled. "You've told me many times that all you want to do is help people to fly. That you didn't seek promotions or command. But you are in command here and you're amazing at it. Those two rely on you and you've nurtured them remarkably well. This department and the work you all do here is turning heads and making a real difference that you saw all the way back on Earth. This is where the Captain thinks you should be full time, and I agree."

"She wants the R&D Department to move beyond the experimental phase and reclassify it as all three of your permanent stations. No more splitting duties unless absolutely necessary. Meaning, you and Fiona would basically flop your current responsibilities to Flight Control and this would be your primary duty: doing exactly what you love. Inventing the future."

Frowning, which was not a facial contortion that was common or natural to Miradonians, Mona could kind of see where this was going, but wasn't entirely sure so continued listening. "Go on..."

"All accepting an extra pip on your uniform would mean is that it's easier for you to do what you're already doing. Working in here with O'Dell and Gavarus and whoever else you need. You could pull more resources and personnel as needed and you would have the authority to make this department exactly what you want it to be." Mnhei'sahe tilted her head and smiled. In her heart, there was nothing but love and admiration for what Mona has achieved in the R&D department and she hoped that came across.

"It's not a demand, it's a request. The Captain and everyone involved thinks you deserve this and THEN some. You're already doing the job, this would just codify it."

Mona could feel the love and support through their bond and even the chicks were all for it, but she was still a bit skeptical. She realized that she'd been maneuvered into a position where she was doing the job of a full lieutenant, but she was worried about if she was transferred to another command and they didn't see things quite the same way. She'd have to resign and try to find a job with a civilian development corporation somewhere.

Pursing her lips, she debated it a bit further. She could always accept the promotion with the stipulation that she could refuse it at a later date. Sort of a probationary promotion. "I'm not saying yes... But I'll consider it... For now."

In truth, there was a part of Mnhei'sahe that was as scared as Mona was of their career advancements. The fear that transfers and the like might force them to choose between their careers and their growing family was a very real one for the young Rihannsu woman, but one she worked to control. But through their bond, Mnhei'sahe was aware of all of the thoughts and concerns Mona was considering as she leaned her forehead against her bond-mate. 

"I think that the Captain will probably be fine with that, though I can't speak for her, obviously." Mnhei'sahe said softly. "I'm just the messenger, here. It will fall to someone else to enact it."

"And that someone is?" Mona asked, glancing around expectantly. It felt like she was being set up for one of those famous Commander Paris speeches that would leave her questioning why she didn't accept a promotion sooner...

“Who else?” came the familiar cheerful voice of the full-figured first officer of the Hera, Commander Rita Paris. Climbing up the last few rungs of the ladder from the Deck 4 flight control office, either she had unbelievable timing, or she’d been waiting in the wings, listening and observing… which was not that hard to believe, somehow. As she stepped onto the flight deck of R&D, Paris smiled, that million-watt smile of hers that could light up rooms and melt hearts. Sashaying across the deck at a casual pace, she eyed the two officers, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Yes, Miss Gonadie, the captain would like for you to accept promotion. While the two junior ensigns have never challenged your authority, your department may expand, and this will enable you to maintain military decorum. Additionally, the captain has been fielding quite a few queries as to why her aerospace developer who is making such amazing strides is ‘still an ensign’. And I suspect she honestly wishes to reward you for your hard work and ingenuity.” Gesturing to the experimental mech standing on the landing pad, and the unusual engineer packing up her child from the break room, Paris brought it back around.

“You’ve collected misfits to forge a cohesive team which has accomplished wonders, Miss Gonadie. You’ve created wonders, refined them and made them safer as you worked, and you have inspired those under you to be their personal best. You’ve worked wonders, and you deserve this. Just as Lieutenant Junior Grade Dox earned her way to Lieutenant Commander. Leadership, dedication, bravery, loyalty, honor… these are the earmarks of a great officer, not one destined to pass quietly into history without so much as a footnote.” Holding her hands out palms upward, Paris shrugged, somewhat seismically.

“You don’t have to accept. But you certainly have earned it, and I think our two roustabouts would agree. The Lieutenant Commander clearly agrees. The Captain agrees. While I appreciate your position… well, the best leaders are those who never wanted the job, but they did it all the same.”

"And I'm certainly already doing the job..." Mona sighed heavily and rested her forehead against Dox's forehead, her engineering mind going into overdrive, calculating every angle and possible outcome of such a future promotion. The parallel planning of scenarios and details was dizzying even to her, but she completed her scenario and looked back up at Commander Paris. "I'll accept on three conditions. We need double the lab space. The storage locker next to us is barely being used and that's not unreasonable. Second, I need another person of my choosing. I have a list that I'll forward you. Third, We get our own uniform color to differentiate us from the rest of the crew and our primary duties are to the R&D department. With that... I'll accept it. I'll accept your promotions for five years."

"Promotion, singular," Paris corrected. "Just to Lieutenant, I believe, was the discussion I heard. Double the lab space is pending approval from the flight control chief, who will do an analysis and report on it. But considering that any other option would have you move out of this space, I doubt it'll come to that. I think we rather prefer our experimental birds in their own roost, perched up here atop the chief's office," Paris grinned. "Submit the color- I'm rather fond of primary colors myself, but by all means figure out your department's unique uniform color. I strongly suspect the Captain will approve- she has been known to show considerable leeway in such arenas," the anachronistically-uniformed officer swept her hand over her own uniform, then wrapped it up.

"As for one more to add to your collection of uniquely skilled research and development team, again, please submit your request. The command team trusts your judgment, so choose your personnel. However, I'm assigning a nanny. If you are expanding, we're fine with the break room being turned into a nursery. But someone needs to be on duty watching the children, and I would prefer it not be R&D. Having the kids where you can keep an eye on them is a good plan. Particularly with our little antisocial missy, there," Paris waved in the direction of the break room, where Gavarus was holding Minnie aloft. "But with three more on the way, I want a dedicated nurse on hand. So add that to your recruitment list, please- exclusive of any medical personnel you assign as a flight doctor, or any other billets you see fit to fill. Agreed?"

Mona was serious as she nodded and reached out a hand for a handshake to 'seal the deal', as it were. "Agreed. And for the next five years, I won't decline any promotions that you or the Captain see fit to bestow upon me. As for the color... True blue - the same as used by Starfleet during your early career, if I'm not mistaken. As for added personnel, you'll have the requests on your desk in the morning."

"Five years, no more promotions- you have my word," Paris agreed, taking the hand to shake and seal the deal. "We were... well, Science and Medical were powder blue back in my day, so bear that in mind. Like I said, just submit a color choice to the Captain for approval, Miss Gonadie. I'll happily review your choices, but- as I said, the Command team has great faith in you, and we trust your judgment."

"We're looking forward to great things from your department, Ensign Gonadie," Paris said as she began to walk away, through the pressure doors to Deck 3. "Because what we've seen so far is pretty darned spectacular."

Suddenly weak in the knees and a bit light-headed, Mona leaned heavily on Dox. "Ooph... I think I need to sit down... Also, I think this means that my next experimental craft just got greenlit."

"I have you." Mnhei'sahe said as she helped her pregnant, soon-to-be-promoted bond-mate to the chair behind Gavarus' command console. "There we go. Just breathe, Jhu Dhael. You've got this."

The red-headed Romulan pilot was all smiles as she ran her hands across Mona's back, lightly massaging her. And as she did, she leaned down and gave Mona a gentle kiss and smiled, "But maybe... one bird at a time..."