Career Paths

Posted on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 @ 12:20am by Lieutenant Mona Gonadie & Petty Officer 2nd Class Ila Dedjoy & Ensign Briaar Gavarus & Ensign Fiona O'Dell & Jaeih Dox-t'Aan
Edited on on Sat Jan 11th, 2020 @ 2:15pm

Mission: Neutral Zone Neutrality
Location: The Intel Pod, R&D Department
Timeline: 2397

Sitting in the small cubicle in the Intel Pod where she worked, Jaeih Dox was feeling frustrated. She had been busy working on a new model for an encryption code that would be harder to break and kept breaking her own codes. It was becoming slightly tedious and, in truth, her heart wasn’t quite in the task.

The Romulan woman was not a raw recruit, nor was she inexperienced. She was a 75-year-old former Tal’Shiar agent. A former Sub-Commander in the Imperial fleet, and she found that her tasks for the HERA’S Intel Department tended to lean towards code-breaking and tasks that would generally be considered paperwork. As a civilian asset, she also had no authority and she found that last fact was beginning to chew at her sense of pride.

While she was 75, by Romulan standards, she wasn’t even quite middle-aged, and her career was over in the Imperium. She was still legally considered a fugitive of the Star Empire, and while she served Enalia Telvan on the Hera with honor, she had no intention of flying to Earth to join Starfleet or go to the academy. She was still a very proud Romulan woman and, while she had betrayed that government, she would not betray her people. As a point of fact, her acts of betrayal were to serve the Romulan people who were being victimized by that oppressive government. But in her heart, she was not a traitor.

Sitting back at her cramped little desk, she let out the lightest of sighs and rubbed the bridge of her nose as her mind wandered. There was the Artan fleet to consider. As her daughter was a Baroness with her own ship, she had been named Mnhei’sahe’s adjunct. She had thought long and hard about transferring to Mnhei’sahe’s ship, the Golden Ghost. There, she could truly serve her people and have actual authority again. She could matter again.

But then, she would again be separated from her daughter. Separated from her new daughter-in-LAW, Mona, and the three grandchildren on the way, and she didn’t want that either. That was simply not an option. Turning off her workstation, she got up from the desk and adjusted the gray Intel uniform she wore that was emblazoned, not with a Starfleet delta, but the wings of the Romulan sigil as a comm badge. Stretching her back, she stepped away from her desk and muttered to herself out loud, “I need some fvadt coffee.”

The duty schedule for the day in the Intel Pod did not include her in it, but as usual Jaeih was working to avoid going back to her lonely quarters where she had even less to occupy her mind, so she put in extra hours on her tasks and overworked them, often on her days off like today. It was a trait that her daughter had inherited and one that was getting on her own nerves at the moment. Making her way to the empty break room, she ordered a tart, Romulan coffee from the replicator and sat down at the table furthest from the door to ponder her situation.

Of course, she didn't get to sit and ponder for very long before the comm badge on her chest chirruped gently, breaking the silence of her contemplation. As the call came in, she rolled her eyes and sighed as she tapped the badge, "Yes?"

"Jaeih, it's Mona. We here in the R&D department would like to speak with you about something and wondered if you'd meet us for lunch in Ten Forward. Ah... And yes, it's about official business." Though she was making a formal request, she also wanted to make it seem informal, so Mona hoped it came across that way.

There was a long pause as Jaeih considered the request. In truth, she was in a foul mood and wasn't feeling much like company and she knew that the reference to the R&D department and the words 'we' and 'us' meant that Mona was likely with Ensigns Gavarus and O'Dell. Regardless, she took a sip of her coffee as she got up to place the remainder of the unfinished cup back on the replicator pad for reclamation as she replied, "I shall be there presently."

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

"She sounded mad." Ensign Briaar Gavarus said as the R&D group settled into a large booth in Ten-Forward. Across from her was the department chief and freshly minted Lieutenant, Mona Gonadie and to her side was Gavarus' partner in crime and life, Fiona O'Dell. On Fiona's lap bounced their miniature minotaur babe, Minerva Moo. Next to Mona, was Yeoman Ila Dedjoy.

"What do you think, Chief? I mean, she's your mother-in-law so, you know her better than we do. Did she sound mad to you?" The twitchy Tellarite engineer asked nervously, still harboring more than a little fear of the intimidating Intel operative that was on her way.

"Pshaw, that's her default settin," O'Dell dismissed breezily as she held the bouncing boisterous bovine babe. "Granny Murderpunch's got R-B-F doown to a killin art. Hell's balls, when she's in a good mood she sounds like she's mad. Or aboot ta cut ye. Or snap yuir neck. Mayyybe alla the above. And that's when she's in a GOOD mood. She's as fine as she ever is, ye watch. She'll get doown here, look at us all disapprovingly as if we're all drunk on duty and wearin' party hats, then give that wee little smile that dinna reach her eyes and say somethin all dry an' witty. I'd bet the first round but we're on duty."

"We ARE on duty, aye Chief?" Fiona O'Dell, career alcoholic, checked just to make sure this wasn't a departmental outing including a 3 martini lunch.

"Definitely on duty. I'd normally say synthehol is ok, but not even that for you and you know why." As O'Dell shrugged to the fairness of the statement, Mona mused over the call for a moment, wondering about her mother-in-law as well. She had seemed a bit more grumpy the past few days, and she was barely middle-aged for her race. Perhaps she wasn't happy with what she was doing?

In the meantime, she ordered the usual round of entrees for the group from her PaDD so they wouldn't have to harass the wait staff, doubling her own order. "Our order is in so hopefully it gets here the same time she does."

The portly porcine engineer licked her lips as an audible rumble came from her stomachs. In between Gavarus and O'Dell, Minnie had begun to fuss and fidget slightly, leaning behind them and muttering as her heftier mother commented, "Well, if she doesn't get here soon, she may have to make another order because I'm about ready to kill me some lunch."

"And that's different from the norm how, Miss Gavarus?" Came the voice of Jaeih Dox, who walked up behind the touchy Tellarite completely undetected by the group at the booth. It was a stealthy entrance that elicited a shriek from Gavarus and Fiona, who both about leapt out of their respective seats.

"GYAAAAGH!!!! Sweet Christmas, where the hell did you come from!?!" Gavarus said, clutching her chest dramatically while little Minnie giggled maniacally. "Frickin' creepy-ass space Ninja BULL@#!+! Scared the hell out of me!"

Noting that Minnie was unfazed- if anything, delighted by the appearance of the Romulan soon-to-be-grandmother, the small stereotype settled down, deciding no harm had been done save to her hair, which was sticking out a bit more prominently after having been spooked.

Walking around the table toward the empty seat that had been clearly left open for her between Fiona and Ila, Jaeih sat down, crossing her legs and looking over the group. Aside from Yeoman Dedjoy, who was still in her Crimson tunic, the rest of the group were all decked out in matching unique hued blue uniform tops. Jaeih raised an eyebrow inquisitively, and let just the slightest twinge of the smile Fiona had predicted curl the edge of her lips. "Well... with the exception of Miss Dedjoy, you all seem to be decidedly more... blue than I remember. Even little Minerva. Is there something I should know about?"

"Other than the R&D department being officially recognized and organized under our own official colors?" Mona was grinning a bit as she let out a bit of the news. It was rare that she knew something that Jaeih did not, and she was enjoying it. "That's what we want to talk with you about. One of the conditions is that we have a full-time daycare person. We'd like you to be that person. Of course, you'll be privy to all of the tech that we're working on."

"Part 'a the team, aye? Get yuir own spiffy blue uniform, and run the daycare that's aboot to become a lot more crowded," O'Dell ventured, since the Chief had spilled the beans. "Tis orders, we have ta have a sitter fuir the kids, and ye know how choosy Minerva can be aboot whom she's left with. There's the Cap'n's baby too, I hear tell, as she an' Minnie like to tussle a bit. Rather fond of ye, named ye godmother, aye? Ah could be wrong, but it seems like yuir already headmistress of the nursery fuir exceptional children. We're joost puttiin it under one roof on the orders of the Captain."

At that, O'Dell beamed a wide grin that was meant to unsuccessfully imply innocence and the hopeful spread of good cheer. Plus she'd read somewhere that people were far less likely to punch someone when they were smiling. A minor part of her thought process, admittedly... but still lurking back there in her head nonetheless.

With a stone-like facade that gave away almost nothing, Jaeih looked at the faces around her. From Mona's loving smile to Briaar's slightly frightened grin to Fiona's aggressive over-compensation, they were all putting forth considerable efforts to convince her of this. Meanwhile, Ila looked slightly uncomfortable and Minnie had decided to read the tone of the table and was making with the biggest saucer eyes the tiny tot could muster. "You are all serious? You want ME, of all people, to run... a daycare? A daycare for actual children?"

There was a pause as she looked over to the bar and holding up a finger to the server with a half-lidded expression. "Coffee. Black. Now. Thank you."

"And I am... what... to forgo my... responsibilities to the intel department? In what capacity do you people think I'm fit to be around your children? "

"Are you happy in the intel department? Are you unhappy with children? Do you not want to see and have a chance to work on the things we're going to be creating in our labs?" Mona's smile faded as she turned more serious. "Go ahead and say no if it's the honest truth. I've seen how you actually smile around Minnie and Moira though. Yes, you smile. I want to see more of that smile and I want to see more of you. The chicks have already decided on you as well. They're not even born yet, and they've already decided that you're their best Nonala. I still have to tell my foster parents about that. I'm not sure how they'll take it, to be honest." Mona had used the Miradonian word for grandparent since that's how the chicks knew Jaeih and Mona's foster parents - actual names without sight were still abstract concepts for them at this stage, but they could tell the difference between people by thought patterns.

"Besides, yuir allays goin on aboot how bored ye are and how mooch spare time ye have as ye pace and look for more to do," O'Dell tossed in. "What's s'grand an' glorious aboot yuir intel job? Is it because ye dinna want to wear a brighter color...?" The last bit was a jab and she knew it, but O'Dell was a bit fired up. The Chief had a point, they'd all come into this thinking they were doing a good thing, and now it was looking like that wasn't so by Jaeih's reckoning. "As fuir yuir qualifications, ye raised the L-C and she turned out... good."

At Fiona's noticeable gap before saying the word 'good', Jaeih actually cracked a bit more of a grin and gave the Mariposian midget a side-eyed, sarcastic glance that said 'really?'. To anyone else, it might be interpreted negatively, but Jaeih, Fiona and Biraar had drank together enough for there to be at least the beginnings of an unspoken language and the red-headed pilot was beginning to get a firm handle on Jaeih's dark sense of humor. 

"Well... I shall spare you any further recriminations of my dubiously questionable parenting skills as you all have heard my protestations on that subject before, and have all worked quite diligently to debunk them as needlessly self-deprecating..." Jaeih said with a sigh as her coffee arrived and she took a long sip. "But... as you all have keenly observed, I am... unfulfilled in the duties I have accepted in the Intel Department."

Setting her eyes away from any of theirs and down to the cup in her hand, the elder Romulan looked almost wistful. "The missions where the Captain has need of my more... useful skills... are few and far between. And my duties on the ship feel... hamstrung by my lack of rank or authority. As I know better than to lie in the presence of my Daughter-in-law, so I shall not make any such attempt and simply say that yes, I am finding my work... frustratingly meaningless."

She didn't say as much in words, but there was an unspoken addition to that last comment that hung in the air between the group of women that seemed to say 'I need to matter again.'

"Tisn't spy work, and tisn't beating people oop. But... WE need ye," O'Dell volunteered, even as Minnie reached out for the severe Romulan woman. "We know yuir a spy and a smuggler and a dangerous woman... but maybe tis time for a new line o'work, aye? Havin authority over the wee ones might not be yuir dream job, but we all turn to ye for it, because ye've experience, ye dinna mince words and ye care. In fact, ye care s'much that should the ship come under attack, I'd worry least aboot our little ones- because woe betide any who came for yuir charges. Yuir a cross cranky scary old lady, and the kids love ye. There's no stranger we could assign who'd do the job better, nor keep the next generation safer, y'ken?"

With that, O'Dell hoisted Minnie up with a grunt, getting her off her bony lap and up toward Jaeih. A delighted expression on her face, the miniature Minotaur reached for the Romulan woman, making grabby hands as she cooed with anticipation of a hug from the grey-haired woman. O'Dell's skinny arms shuddered with the effort, as the bovine babe was getting too heavy for her to hold up for any length of time these days. But the alcoholic aviatrix refused to let the child down, literally offering her up as her final argument.

"Besides, where else can you go and immediately say that what you do matters? What's more important than the next generation?" Mona's innocent grin was widening just a bit. She wasn't psychic or bonded well to her mother-in-law, but the chicks were rather insistent, after all. And even without a psychic bond, Jaeih's sensitive ears were sharp enough to pick up on the rhythmic thrumming of the three children growing in Mona's belly that seemed to be directed straight at her.

Hesitantly, she looked from Mona to O'Dell and the furry bundle reaching for her and, after a long moment where she made Fiona's arms truly suffer for it, she let out an exaggerated sigh and gently took little Minnie in her arms. Immediately, the tiny tot cooed a strange sound that was somewhere between a purr and a moo as she hugged the Romulan spy tight.

"Far be it for me to argue in the face of such overwhelming odds. I would be a truly poor intelligence professional to not recognize what was directly in front of me, wouldn't I?" She said, looking over at Mona and legitimately smiling. That warm smile Mona had spoken of. The kind of smile that reached the eyes as she ran a hand across Minnie's head. "I... accept your offer."

That brought a cheer from O'Dell and Gavarus, half relief and half happiness. Minnie raised her arms in a cheer as well, articulating her emotional reaction to everyone else's reactions with a triumphant "Moooooo!"

"Noow, I've another thought to go along wi' this one,” O’Dell volunteered, surprisingly coherent for a change as she had not begun drinking yet. “The nursery... daycare... whativvir we're turning the breakroom into- needs to be spaceworthy, and ejectable like a lifeboat. On account ‘a I refuse to let our wee ones be a floatin target in case of emergency, so that lifeboat'll need thrusters, shields and weapons. Because if it comes to that, it’s another reason we chose ye, Granny. Because if they come on foot there’ll be pieces of ‘em scattered everywhere. And if it comes to the worst, ye’ll need a good sturd ship to get the children to safety, and damned if ye wilnae have it. They said we could have more space… let’s take oop some of it, aye? Chief?”

"Well, I have been working on a design for a saucer-shaped ship with arms..." mused the brightly plumed Miradonian. "It wouldn't take much to convert the nursery and lounge into it, really."

With Mona's loose description, Briaar's ears perked up and she smiled a bit. "Arms? Like... some kind of extendable servo arms or... retractable mechanical tentacles? And with where we're located, it would be easy enough to knock out the exterior bulkhead to space and install it as an ejectable component." The natural engineer was immediately interested.

As she bounced Minnie on her knee, Jaeih's own attention had been drawn into Fiona's blue-sky concept. After all, before she had been recruited by the Tal'Shiar, she was a talented engineer in training on Romulus and she too, was engaged. "I would like to review these plans, if possible. If I am, after all, to be a part of this team."

"Wot? Yuir nae joost the nanny on this one, yuir expected to fly the bluiddy thing. So that makes ye a test pilot, aye?" While her reasoning was simple, so too were the conclusions O'Dell drew. "So aye, ye get lots of input, as things go wrong and ye document and recommend solutions. S'a right loverly gig, and 'twill give ye somethin ta do between diaper changes and storytime, y'ken?"

The assurance from Fiona elicited the slightest of smiles and a light nod. "Very well, then. I shall endeavor to justify your faith in me in all regards. And for them. Is that not correct, Minerva?"

Looking down to the tiny tot, Jaeih's tone changed a bit to be even warmer as Minnie looked up and put one of her pudgy little, three-fingered hands-on Jaeih's cheek as she squeaked out, "Gamm!"

"I think that means the real boss has spoken." Gavarus grinned.