Seeking Divine Favors

Posted on Mon Mar 30th, 2020 @ 2:20pm by Hera & Commander Rita Paris
Edited on on Mon Mar 30th, 2020 @ 5:12pm

Mission: Born and Reborn
Location: USS Hera, Deck 8, VIP quarters 11
Timeline: 2397

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and as always when it came to life on the USS Hera, it was never dull.

The very pregnant Lieutenant Mona Gonadie, who had been making the best of her overstuffed and waddling increased girth these past few months was now ready to give birth. Or at least close enough that she had been cleared by Sickbay to travel, because it was her wish that her children be born on her home planet of Miradon. As a native of planet Earth, Rita also had plans to continue her spacefaring career until it was time for her to give birth, in which case she too planned to travel to her homeworld to ensure her children would be Earthborn, if not human.

After all, Vulcanoid genealogy tended to be remarkably strong.

Which led her to the other parent of the pair, Mnhei'sahe Dox. While Mona had come from a tragic upbringing, as the Gorn captured and ate her family while she watched, Dox was a Romulan, related to a Senator of a high social caste. With enemies she had made through her association with the Hera which had led to kidnapping, brainwashing, and a sworn blood oath of vengeance with a Zhat Vash named Rendal. Which was, in truth, more than a little bit the fault of Rita Paris, as she had bested and humiliated the proud and haughty Romulan Tal'Shiar operative. Thus she felt obligated to protect the officers under her from what revenge may come.

However, the USS Hera was on assignment, and Mona's timing had turned out to be less than optimal. The chicks had dropped, in position, low in her belly, and any day now they were coming. But Rita was needed here, beside her Captain, supporting the 748 other souls on board. Thus, she needed a plan. Because in her heart of hearts, Rita knew that if the GoDox family left the Hera and any harm befell them, Rita would blame herself for the rest of her life.

Besides, Mona was an endangered species, and while the triplets that were coming may have those aggressive Vulcanoid genes involved, they would still be at least partially Miradonian. Thus preserving an endangered species of the galaxy was also forefront in her mind. Her own husband had once been a member of a species with no more homeworld, limited to the 10,231 souls who were off-world when Nero struck.

That was then, in another life, in another galaxy. But she had known the sorrow of a lost culture, of a people who had to learn to live amongst others because their own world had been destroyed, their own bloodline almost extinguished. She would be damned if she would allow such a fate to befall Mona Gonadie.

Plus, Dox was like a sister to her, and if anything happened to Mona or the children, it would break her. So much of the progress Dox had made in her time on the Hera, learning command, learning confidence, healing the scars of her past to build a promising future for herself, was due in no small part to her loving and supportive relationship with the kind and patient avian officer. Who had seen those scars and embraced them, teaching Dox that love was not a weakness as she had been raised to believe, but a wellspring of hope, strength, and endurance greater than the Romulan pilot had ever known.

As with so many things in the universe, this was beyond Rita Paris's control. Just as she could not be there personally to ensure their safety in what might just prove to be a challenging cross-species birthing was beyond her control. But that didn't mean that Rita didn't have a plan, and that she wasn't going to stack the odds in the favor of those she would protect.

Which brought her to the door of the VIP quarters where an honor guard of gold-clad Security officers stood, coming to attention as she approached.

"At ease, petty officers. Anything to report?" the mod minidress-clad commander asked, hands folded behind her back and chin up. After all, she had to look up to make eye contact with one of the officers in question. Petty Officer 'Big Ethel' Jablonski was a large, wide farmgirl from Cestus IV, a high gravity planet in the Omicron system who had joined Starfleet to escape the doldrums of farm life. While she was an avid fan of diet and exercise, when Hera had come aboard and been placed under guard, Jablonski had found herself drawn to the goddess in the stateroom, and found herself volunteering for more and more guard duty shifts. When the Commander had explained that the Security forces were to consider themselves an honor guard, and not prisoner guards, Jablonski had felt a swell of pride... and that wasn't all.

The occupant of the quarters was none other than the goddess of old Greek Earth legend, Hera, mother of the gods. As a goddess, although her powers were greatly diminished with age and circumstance, her aspect still functioned, as a side effect of her existence. Amazons were attracted to serve her- thus 87% of the Hera's security force were female, despite Starfleet's assignment process. Said females had available to them greater strength, speed, and stamina if they so chose to accept it, even more if they chose to honor the goddess.

While Paris might be considered Hera's priestess in the modern-day, Jablonski was clearly her general. The good-natured giantess believed in Hera- she had witnessed miracles, and she genuinely loved the kind, maternal figure who appreciated her guardians as much as they appreciated her. Simple acts like giving them cookies, listening to their troubles, offering advice and sometimes just being there to comfort them when they needed her were all the responsibilities of motherhood, and Hera treated all of her honor guard as her daughters in spirit, and many responded. None so much as Big Ethel, though, as she had grown a half a meter in height and put on 90 kilos of solid muscle over the course of the past year.

The gifts of Hera were there for the faithful, and Jablonski was easily Hera's most fervently devoted defender. And it showed. Mighty, massive and muscular while still feminine and easygoing, Jablonski understood her relationship with the goddess perhaps better than anyone, and there was no question that were Hera in danger, the mighty maiden would lay down her life for the goddess, just as she would for her duty to Starfleet.

Beside her on duty today was Petty Officer Akane Liu. The taciturn and inscrutable Li Liu seldom spoke- a fireplug of a woman, barely 164 cm tall and nearly as wide, she preferred working with Jablonski. As the big woman was loquacious, cheerful and friendly, it enabled the more introverted Liu to be observant, silent and unsociable. Nodding to the Commander, Liu's eyes watched the corridor, wary of trouble, and ever vigilant.

Both of the non-commissioned officers made Paris proud. When she had taken over the Security department from the previous officers, it had been a motley collection of toxic masculinity and MACO dropouts who were ill-disciplined, poorly motivated and rather frightening in their casual attitude toward crew deaths. Now, in these two officers, Paris had fine examples of efficient, dedicated protectors who stood in harm's way to protect others- the way Security forces should comport themselves, according to the thinking of the old-fashioned officer.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Commander. I think Hera's experimenting with some sort of lemon cookie recipe this morning and it's frustrating her a bit. Otherwise, nothing to report, ma'am. We came on duty at 0:800, relieving Helenus and Davis, we're on duty until 16:00, when Ballak and Smithers will be relieving us. Is anything up, ma'am?" While Jablonski had spent plenty of time interacting with the curvaceous commander off duty, she still assumed no familiarity with her, as she was a dyed in the wool professional. Yet she was ever alert to the possibility of trouble.

"Not today, Miss Jablonski, but an away mission may be in order. I'll keep you posted," Paris replied with a smile, indicating that while there might be something afoot, it was far from negative. of course, before she could confirm that away mission, she needed to beg a favor of a goddess. Entering the quarters, Rita stood in the foyer they had constructed to give the goddess some privacy and a way to prepare herself for visitors who did not need permission to enter her doors.

"Hera? It's Rita... are you decent?"

"I am but these cookies are not," Hera replied, sliding an entire batch into a dust bin as she stepped out of her kitchen into the sitting room, setting aside both the tray and her apron with a bright smile. "Maybe it's the butter... Anyway, what may I help you with, my dear?"

"I have come to ask a boon of the Goddess, this time around," Rita admitted, stepping in to give Hera a hug. While their relationship was not one that Rita would have predicted in a million years, the matron goddess had filled a niche in Rita's life she had never even considered, yet clearly needed. That of a maternal figure, absent from her own life since the age of six.

While she was feminine and moved with a fluid grace both physically and socially, there was the touch of the tomboy in the last surviving member of her branch of the Paris family tree. Which came from having to live her formative years amongst men and boys- a far cry from the femme-centric starship upon which she served in the modern-day. So it was clear to any who understood such things that sometimes, perhaps because she had lived so much of her life without one, Rita still needed a mom.

Today, however, she needed something more.

"If it is within my power, then it is yours," Hera replied, motioning for Rita to sit with her.

Releasing the hug, Rita stepped into the living room and sat down, smoothing her skirt around her hips as she did so in a maneuver perfected through years of practice. "It's the GoDoxes... Mona and Mnhei'sahe. Their triplets are going to be born soon now, and they plan to travel back to Miradon so that the checks will be Miradonians, regardless of the infusion of Romulan heritage. Jaeih is coming with them, so they should be safe from the Romulans... hopefully. But this is an interspecies birth, and Mona's first. All nativities are important, but... this one. This one has a lot of lives tied up in it. If something were to go wrong..."

Leaving that statement hanging in the air for a moment, Rita drew herself erect, then let out a long sigh. "I can't be there, and frankly, even if I were, all I could do is cheerlead and keep an eye out around them, then share in their joy. But if something goes wrong with the birth..." A frown settled in then, with an expression of concern. "I'm probably being silly, but... please, Hera. Would you go with them to make sure everything goes alright? I'd ask you to midwife, but that's not my call. What I can do is ask you, as the most experienced mistress of maternity in the known galaxy, would you please travel with them to Miradon, to watch over their children's births, and make sure nothing happens to them?"

"I'm probably being silly, but..." Rita cut off any reply with a dismissal of her own concerns. "If anything happens to them, I'm afraid it would destroy them. All of them, in different ways. Jaeih would find herself cutting herself off emotionally again and growing distant. Mona would likely fall into a depression from which she might never recover. And I fear it would push poor Dox over the edge, and I think her rage would become her defining characteristic. I... I can't let that happen."

"So I am officially coming to you- offering of wine from actual grapes, and with an open hand and my honest promise. I will pay whatever price you ask, but please, Hera..." Those big blue eyes of the Earth girl started filling with tears as she moved to bended knee to take the hand of the ancient power of the galaxy. "Go with them to Miradon, and see their children safely into this world, I beg of you."

"My dear..." the matronly goddess began, lowering herself to her knees as well to take Rita's head in her hands and place a kiss on her forehead. "For all that you and everyone here has done for me, I would do this and more without hesitation. Just please promise me that you and your captain will be safe while that I will be away."

That brought about a smile of relief from Rita Paris, which quickly turned into a sarcastic grin. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! As for us... we'll be just fine, Hera, rest assured. While you may not be here, we've still got your namesake. She be mighty and quick, and we're ready for just about anything. What we're not ready for, we'll improvise! So, yes. I promise I will keep Enalia and myself safe. Or at least we'll still be fine when you return- that I can promise."

"Then I'll hold you to it," Hera replied standing back up and pulling Rita back to her feet as well. "Now... Tell me about this trip. I know Mnhei'sahe and I've met Mona but I know little about the Miradonian people other than that they have two goddesses that watch over them, they're very colorfully feathered, and that some races find them delicious."

"Then I think you know about as much as I do," Rita admitted, settling back into her seat. "I'm not certain of the travel arrangements, but I think they may be taking the Artan bird of prey, the Golden Ghost, to the planet. So they'll have orbital support, which is a huge plus if we aren't going to be there. beyond that, I'm sending Jablonski and Liu with you. They are two of your most dedicated defenders, and I know Ethel wouldn't let a single hair on your head to be harmed, nor anyone else that's going along. So this way while you are there doing what you do best, I can rest easy knowing that your back is covered."

"Are there any messages you would have me deliver?" the elder woman asked mysteriously. "I foresee the convergence of many beings on Miradon. If there is anyone you would have me send a greeting to..."

"I don't know that I am in pressing need of getting a message to any cosmic forces of the universe but you, Hera. I just regret that I won't be able to be there for them," Rita admitted. "After all, the last time they took a family trip it was out to dinner, and they got kidnapped and it took us a month to track them down and get them back. This is an expedition to a home planet. Seems those missions tend to be so eventful the Captain has tried to swear off Earth. You saw what happened at Mariposa. Last time we vacationed on Vulcan I ended up on Kathoom for a few months. As convergences of forces go, when we go home, it tends to be very eventful."

"But there's no way out of this. We can't take the chance that the location of Rendal we got isn't accurate, and we have to try to capture her. If she keeps tinkering with forces beyond her comprehension we're liable to all end up regretting it. Unless of course, this is a ruse to get us away from Dox and family so she can recapture her 'apprentice'," Rita actually used air quotes and a disdainful expression to emphasize her feelings on the matter. "So, much as Enalia and I would prefer to be there, duty calls. Literally, in this case."

"You must do as your duty calls," Hera acknowledged, nodding sagely, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "And I assume this Rendal is the one that is messing with primordial forces she should not be. In that case, I will indeed do all within my power to ensure the safety of all those in my charge."

"You just worry about the babies and their mothers. Between your honor guard, Mrs. Dox and Az'Prel, woe betide any who threaten your little birthing party." At that, Rita snapped her fingers. "Actually? Please say hello to Mammy and Pappy, Mona's adopted parents. They are the sweetest folks, and I have to admit, I'm going to regret not having gotten the chance to see them again. I should send a gift, but I've no idea what, I've been so distracted."

"If it's from the heart, it's always a wonderful gift. You know this," Hera prompted with a bit of a sly grin. "However... If I may recommend a traditional Earth gift of artistic ceramics or glass work depicting family? They were fairly common when last I was there, at least."

"Everything I have is replicated- wait, Hera, you're a genius!" Rita snapped her fingers and grinned. "Dox's grandparents had all of their household goods in storage, and she let me pick through it all. One of the pieces I took as a sort of whimsy was a ceramic mixing bowl decorated with running chicken designs that would make a perfect gift for them. Thank you!" The ancient astronaut grinned broadly, pleased to have found the right gift for the country couple of whom she was quite fond. "I'm going to take a guess and say you wouldn't mind delivering it, hm?"

"It would be my divine pleasure," Hera replied with a bow of her head. "I do believe that sounds like a wonderful gift idea. I will gift them with one of my blessings as usual."

"That sounds perfect. So... you will return to us safe and sound as well, yes?" Rita rose, intending to go fetch the mixing bowl and inform Hera's honor guard of their assignment. Plus she needed to track down Az'Prel and ask her for another favor, which made her realize that she didn't spend much time with the solitary Vulcan, and that she should.

"Without a doubt," Hera replied, with another bow of her head. "Do not worry on that, my daughter. I will ensure that both I and my charges will return safely and those that guard me will do so as well. You've trained them well."

Your lips to…” Rita began, then realized the absurdity of the axiom she was about to use. “Well. Yes, I have every confidence I am deeply overpreparing and being entirely too cautious. Which should ensure that everyone comes home safe and sound, with three new little birds in tow.”

“So pack your bags, Hera,” Rita added with a grin. “First vacation you’ve had in a while, even if it is a working one…”