Last Minute Jitters

Posted on Tue Mar 31st, 2020 @ 1:36pm by Captain Enalia Telvan & Lieutenant Mona Gonadie & Az'Prel & Kodria Mizu & Hera & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Ensign Weiaex & Ensign Briaar Gavarus & Ensign Fiona O'Dell & Petty Officer 2nd Class 'Big Ethel' Jablonski & Jaeih Dox-t'Aan & Artan Pirate Helev t'Liun
Edited on on Tue Mar 31st, 2020 @ 1:37pm

Mission: Born and Reborn
Location: U.S.S. Hera
Timeline: 2397

The generally anxious young Lieutenant Commander, Mnhei'sahe Dox, was running a good degree more anxious than usual. In the quarters she shared with her extremely pregnant wife and bond-mate, Mona Gonadie, the red-headed Romulan pilot was muttering to herself out loud as she packed.

The timing for a vacation was poor, and she found herself torn between her myriad responsibilities and struggling to keep track of everything that was on her overburdened shoulders as she rifled through her closet, looking for her rare few personal items of clothes that weren't uniforms. As she did, she continued to mutter, her words a near-incomprehensible mix of Federation Standard and her native Romulan tongue. "Imirrhlhhse! Where are my kreldanni hiking boots?! I thought I left them here? UUUGH!!!"

Standing back up, she brushed her slightly-too-long red bangs out of her face and took a breath. "I should've gotten a haircut before... Okay. You're overthinking, Mnhei'sahe. Eiheu.Arhem'hna i'ihir eiheu. Arhem'hna eihev'le. I'm overthinking everything, aren't I, Kodi?"

Standing by the large, feathered nest that Mnhei'sahe and Mona shared as a bed stood the holographic representation of the android known as Kodria Mizu. While Mnhei'sahe futilely expressed a need to 'calm down' in her native tongue, her Romulan accent was particularly thick.

"As one that has been known to build a predictive algorithm based on my memories of the future..." Kodria replied with a wry grin, "I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer that. But I would probably worry a little less, Aunty. Everything is being planned for."

"Did you get that from me?" Sighing, Mnhei'sahe stood there for a moment and took a breath to think. The accent she usually kept in check thanks to years of practice was leaking out in the moment, but she wasn't even thinking about that as she talked to her young niece from the future. "I... I'm sorry, Kodi. I'm just... I'm trying to keep my head on where it needs to be with this, but I can't seem to shut down all the other thoughts all fighting for attention. All the different responsibilities. Again, the ship has a mission and I'm prioritizing my own life. Obviously, we can't postpone a birth, but I don't... I don't know how to turn off the part of my head that knows that the Captain is going to follow a lead on a mission as soon as we're safely away, and I can't help feeling like I'm failing by not... being everywhere for everything."

"A wise woman once told me that sometimes the best thing you can do for others is to take care of yourself," the young holographic android replied softly, stepping up to comfort the aunt she knew to be so much more mature in the future. "She taught me a lot of things like that and I found out that she's right. She was nothing like your stereotypical Rihannsu most of the time."

Turning, Mnhei'sahe raised an eyebrow at Kodria and let out an awkward chuckle. "Well, she clearly sounds like an obnoxious know-it-all."

Then, the wry grin faded just a little. "I suppose I'll have to figure out how I'm going to become her, eventually. And hopefully, before I screw up three lives trying. I... I'm not her. Not yet. This me... has no idea what she's doing, Kodi. And... I'm scared."

"It's ok though, because I know you'll be her eventually. There's no need to rush." Kodria wrapped her arms around Dox and gave her a hug as best she could. "And you're not alone. You're never alone. You know this. Even when I was alone on that station, trying to get a signal out, surrounded by monsters... I wasn't really alone even then, was I? So you're not alone now or ever."

"I know that, at least up here. " Mnehi'sahe said, pointing to her head as she returned the hug, "And here, in my kahlan'soh" she said, leaning back and putting her hand under her right breast, where the Romulan heart was. "I know I have all of you to help us. I know we're not doing this alone. I'm just..."

Listening to herself, Mnhei'sahe cleared her throat and centered herself, the accent reducing back to her normal, more controlled timbre as she took a breath. "I'm sorry. I'm being foolish and letting my emotions run away with me. Spiraling. But... thank you for listening, Kodi. I truly appreciate it."

"That's what I'm here for," Kodria replied with a smile. "Now how about we finish packing and get everything to the ship? I'm sure the Golden Ghost is likely already here."

"The Captain said she'd message me when the Ghost arrived, but you're right." Mnhei'sahe said as she pulled out a stack of fresh underwear and folded them into the shoulder bag on the bed while Kodria called up a holographic display that hovered around her head with the checklist for the trip.

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

On the far end of the newly remodeled family quarters on Deck 8, in the room that would soon be home to three newborn children, their mother sat on a massive, bean-bag like pillow of sorts, designed to be as comfortable as possible for a pregnant Miradonian woman carrying three chicks.

As Mona went through the somewhat oversized, yellow and orange printed diaper bag that Fiona O'Dell and Briaar Gavarus had custom-designed for her, her unconventional mother-in-law, Jaeih Dox, pulled out a large box of custom made diapers and specially designed wipes to put in the bag from the dresser in the room. "So, my dear, I must imagine that befeathered posteriors must offer just as many challenges as little Minerva's furry bottom when it's changing time. Miss Gavarus said that these cloths we use to clean Minnie were, in fact, designed for Miradonian needs?"

"Oh yes, I remember that we kept a rather large stock of them at the orphanage. I'm told the smell can be a bit much for some races, but they're quite good with fur and feathers alike, it seems." Mona was at the point she could only walk for short periods of time and even the largest maternity uniforms no longer fit her so she was relegated to custom-sized Miradonian jumpers. The one she had on was a pink, orange, and green pastel number that would blind most civilized person's sense of style. However, with her colorful plumage, it looked right at home. "Don't worry about packing too many though, there'll be plenty available freely at the Aerie and my foster parents will have plenty I'm sure."

"Indeed. But it's not Milla and Mardo I'm worried about. I'm fairly certain my daughter's Artan ship will have somewhere between zero and less than zero." Jaeih looked over with a light, friendly smirk. "And Mnhei'sahe didn't develop her ability to over-plan out of the ether, after all. That said, how are you feeling, my dear?"

"True enough..." With a sigh, the gravid avian rubbed her belly and rolled her eyes. "I feel like an overripe rafa fruit about to burst. As much as I want to see my homeworld again, I'm not sure if I'm going to be up for much sightseeing. I think I might have overplanned that..."

Zipping up the bag, Jaeih made an exaggerated 'Tsk tsk" sound as she shook her head at her daughter-in-law. "Well, that will be quite disappointing for Ensign Gavarus. After all the work she put into manufacturing you a hover-chair for your trip that will convert into a hover pram for the children once they are born, it would be a pity for it to go to waste."

As she spoke, the slightest of curves creased her patrician facade as she let one of her surprises out a little early to try and lift Mona's spirits. "In truth, if Miss O'Dell could take the time, I think she would have volunteered to walk you around holding you in the Banshee's hands like a child. They are quite endearing."

"Oh, they are. However, they'll likely be needed here so there's no hope of that happening. Besides, Briaar has to run the R&D department for me while I'm away. After all, the Warchicken still needs a lot of simulation testing before we can even get approval to replicate the first part. On top of that, Nursery One still has a lot of work left." Mona waggled a finger in the air, a wide grin on her face. "Plenty of work to be done. But... I will make good use of the chair."

"Indeed. And I expect a thorough tour when we arrive, my dear. Now, I'll have this bag and your personal luggage beamed directly to the Khallianen's hold momentarily. But Mnhei'sahe mentioned that the children had stopped singing for a period after the last mission. I can feel them thrumming from here, so can I assume you've all recovered well?"

"Then I'll be sure to show you the spires of Quen'tar, the arch of Quen'sourri, the mountains of Quen'tassee... And especially the orphanage I grew up in... on the outskirts of Quen'toukie. The Aeries aren't far from there, but we'll be making landfall and processing through customs at Quen'Quen, almost on the opposite side of the world.

Tilting her head, Jaeih's eyebrow raised and the faint smile on her lips dropped slightly. "While I look forward to that, you evaded my question, my dear. Are you and the children well?"

"Ah... Well... I think the attack separated their minds early... I mean, they're thrumming again, though softly, but they're not singing anymore..." Mona was fidgeting, wringing her hands and her eyes trying to find something on the floor to focus on. It was obvious she was either worried or lying - perhaps both. "I'm sure they're fine, but with so many variables..."

Reading her daughter-in-law's body language, Jaeih simply crossed her legs and sat on the ground in Mona's field of view. As she did, she placed a hand gently on Mona's belly and met her eyes. The patrician facade was gone, replaced by a genuinely soft expression that Mona had rarely seen on the formerly hardened Romulan woman. "I can feel them thrumming. Tell me, can they still feel me?"

"I... know that I don't have Mnhei'sahe's strength. Her abilities. But... this. I treasure this sensation. And... they can feel that, can't they?" Jaeih asked, a leading question. "Show them. Show them we are here for them."

Mona sighed softly and placed her hands on top of Jaeih's, breathing steadily. "I can feel you. I can feel that they feel you. They know we're there for them. I'm told that this separation of their minds like this isn't supposed to happen until the toddler phase, but they're already forming unique thoughts and being silent to each other and... And to me... And it's... I don't know if it's because of their lineage or the recent mission or a combination of the two..."

Mona nodded and rubbed one hand a bit lower. "But two of them know we're all here for them. The third... she feels rebellious."

"Sounds like my granddaughter," Jaeih said with an awkward, nervous chuckle that, to Mona, sounded bizarrely similar to the same kind of laugh that Mnhei'sahe made when she was uncomfortable.

"Perhaps it is, as you said, a little bit of... lineage. Romulans actively chose to close our minds off to each other thousands of years ago. Our people gave up our abilities." Jaeih said, her voice getting a little quieter, "But your mothers did not, children. They opened their minds to each other. And their hearts.  If you can hear me, then know you are together. We are all together. And we will wait for you to understand that."

The brightly plumed avian stared down at herself for several long moments before replying. "I'm not sure, but I think something may have changed. Which is odd since for the past several months I've known their every thought. Now I hear their surface thoughts, but not their deeper ones... but they feel... more open. Less reclusive and silent. Thank you."

"Give it time, Mona, my dear." Jaeih said. "They are unique. There has never been their like before in this galaxy. There will be much we will all have to learn along the way. But we shall do so together."

At which point, the door to the room opened with a gentle hiss, with Mnhei'sahe and Kodria on the other side. "Kodria says that the Golden Ghost is in the system for the rendezvous." Her anxiety from earlier evaporated at the sight of her bond mate, and a broad smile stretched across Mnhei'sahe's cheeks. "Are you ready, Jhu Dhael?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, my Minay," Mona replied with a soft smile, reaching up to her lover. "They're not going to make us sleep on traditional Rihannsu ship beds, are they?"

"No, our accommodations should be a bit closer to what we're used to. I mean, the Ghost is technically my ship, so I made sure to tell Maenek t'Liun what to expect." Mnhei'sahe said with a grin.

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"Captain, We're being hailed by the Commander of the ARW Golden Ghost." The young Bolean woman at Opps said as the vintage T'liss class Romulan Bird of Prey from another era uncloaked right on schedule on the main screen of the U.S.S. Hera. 

"Punctual as usual," Enalia said with a grin. "On screen."

On the viewscreen, the image of a familiar Romulan woman with a mostly serious expression, with just a hint of a smile behind her eyes appeared. Unlike the Dox's, Helev T'liun had the characteristic forehead ridges of a good percentage of the population, but her dark brown hair was simply pulled into a ponytail without the military bangs. "Captain Telvan. As always, it is my honor to serve."

"Doctor t'Liun, it's good to see you again. Thank you for your support in all of this. The happy couple and their entourage should be signaling their readiness at any moment now." Enalia'a grin widened a bit at Helev's concession to finally call her Captain as Enalia wished, so she called her Doctor rather than Commander in return.

"Entourage? The party has grown, I suppose. We, of course, have full accommodations prepared and the main shuttle bay has been prepared for the transfer ship." The doctor turned Commander that hated the title replied. "And I swear to you on our honor, that they shall be safe and afforded every comfort under our aegis, Captain."

"Thank you," Enalia replied with her usual lopsided grin. "I'll have to warn you though. One of your guests is an ancient being known as Hera. She has an aversion to replicated food and her aura... You might have a few more pregnancies than the average while she's aboard."

"Hera? Like..." t'Liun said with a slightly raised eyebrow and surprised tone before composing herself again. "Huh... it appears this journey is to get more and more... interesting. Thankfully, we have a full galley aboard and it is well stocked as the ba... the Lieutenant Commander informed me of her wife's preferences for non-replicated meals."

The slightly off-guard Doctor stumbled a little this time remembering the correct Starfleet rank of the woman she knew as an Artan Baroness first and foremost, but corrected herself quickly. "As for my crew, I shall have to trust them to maintain... their discipline for the two days travel time to Miradon. But... what do you mean, 'aura'?"

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As the two ship's Mistress talked, the two Dox's flanked the exceedingly round Mona as they very slowly made their to the Hera's main flight deck. Their bags had been beamed to their personal ship, the Khallianen, which they would be using to transfer from the Hera to the Golden Ghost, and again from the Ghost to the surface of Miradon once they arrived, as beaming was considered an unnecessary hardship on the children this close to their delivery.

On Mnhei'sahe's request, Kodria had gone ahead to run a last-minute check on the refurbished J-Type freighters systems before flight. And, it gave the women a chance to have a moment alone before the transfer. Mnhei'sahe was aware that Rita was preparing additional security for them, with the threat of Riov Dalia Rendal ever-present, but she wasn't aware of the full breadth of the retinue that was being assembled as the trio gently waddled from the turbolift to the main flight deck of Deck 4.

"We're almost there, Jhu Dhael." Mnhei'sahe said gently, her arm wrapped around Mona's own as she referred to her with the Romulan term for 'Angel Bird'. "Do you need to rest again for a moment?"

Mona gave her lover a weak grin and a soft chuckle as she paused a moment. "Well, let's just say I miss my youth when I wasn't so bound by gravity."

Smiling, Mnhei'sahe nodded her head slightly. "That's still something, I admit, is hard to process. That you could actually fly. That the children might be able to as well. It's... amazing to me."

"Oh, you're simply jealous, Mnhei'sahe." Jaeih said with a smirk from the other side of Mona's prodigious paunch. "Not that I blame you. I am a bit as well."

As they approached the double doors to the flight deck, the children began thrumming a bit louder then they had been. It was a sound that seemed to encapsulate the excitement of children anticipating something wonderful and Mnhei'sahe looked down at Mona's belly. As they were touching, the full strength of their empathic bond was intact and both women could feel the ramping emotions of their three children at the door.

As the pressure doors to the flight deck opened, standing beyond was an assemblage of people, a surprise to the small family unit that was making their way to their craft to depart the USS Hera. In the back was the hulking Petty Officer Jablonski, flanked by the much shorter Petty Officer Liu, both of whom were standing protectively close to Hera herself, who was dressed in her finest white toga with a blue accent and some lovely gold filigree embroidery. Beside her were the unlikely pair of Gavarus and O’Dell, both of whom looked to be on the verge of a happy cry for their very pregnant chief and her wife, little Minnie parked on the generous hip of the tall Tellarite.

Standing in front of all of them was Rita Paris, clad in her anachronistic gold minidress uniform from 130 years ago, hands clasped behind her back and a warm smile on her face. While beside and slightly behind her was Az’Prel, the Vulcan freedom fighter who was clad in a dark grey outfit reminiscent of the Intel uniform covered by her Vulcan Meditation robes.

“We thought we would take advantage of the moment to remind you that you’re not allowed to just slip off the ship without saying goodbye,” Paris offered with a grin. “Also, I’ve assigned a few extra personnel for your away mission… I hope you don’t mind.”

In the moment, Mnhei'sahe gave her wife's hand a squeeze as her own face blushed a noticeable shade of green. She couldn't help but let a smile cross her cheeks as she looked over at the assemblage of her friends and crewmates and spoke, a laugh in her voice. "A few? That's a bit of an understatement, Commander."

Immediately, Mnhei'sahe knew exactly what had been going on in her friend and commanding officer's mind as she continued. "This is certainly ONE way to stack the proverbial deck in our favor against the strange tendency of something always going wrong whenever any of us visit our homeworlds."

“Well, R&D is just here to see you off,” Paris specified. “Hera, Security and Az’Prel, I will admit, are here to stack the odds in your favor. Just in case. Not that I doubt anyone’s capability,” Paris added, offering meaningful glances to Dox and Mrs. Dox. “Of course, I’m also stalling so that the Captain has time to get down here from the bridge to see you off as well, so look surprised when she shows up.” Opening her arms, Rita stepped forward for a hug or two.

"Heh, really? I'm the worst liar of any Romulan you will ever meet, and I need to 'look surprised'?" Mnhei'sahe joked as she met Rita for a hug that, in spite of her light tone, was just held a bit longer and closer than normal. The emotions were clear in the moment as the anxious Romulan whispered faintly in Rita's ear, her voice a little cracked, "Thank you."

“I can’t be there to watch your back,” Rita whispered back, low enough that only the sensitive ears of the intended audience could hear. “To make sure nothing goes wrong, and I am not entirely convinced we are not going on a wild goose chase after Rendal, as this might be a plot on her part. So be careful, Mnhei’sahe. I am sending every precaution I can, short of convincing the Captain to turn the Hera around or sending a pirate fleet to accompany you, but… duty calls, and we have to investigate this lead.“

It was abundantly clear that Rita Paris was fretting, in her own way, over the safety of her friends, who were her shipmates and her family. A woman of action, she was accustomed to handling situations in person, issuing orders and improvising on the spot when needed. Now she was sending the Romulan/Miradonian family off on their own, and she couldn’t help but recall the last time she did such a thing, which resulted in a chase across the Neutral Zone and a battle on Romulus itself to bring their people home safely once more.

"We will, Rita." Mnhei'sahe replied, maintaining her whisper. "We have... an abundant amount of back up to watch out for us. You be careful too. Don't underestimate her."

Then, pulling back slightly, the young Romulan's eyes were clearly watery as she cleared her throat and tugged down on her uniform top. "Anyway. I've got Ensign Wieaex up to speed on the department needs and she won't let you down. As for the helm, if it gets to that, there's very little I can do in that chair that our Miss O'Dell can't, except maybe curse in Romulan."

Nodding, it was clear to Rita that Mnhei'sahe was saying so to assuage her own nerves as much as anyone else. In the crowd of friends and family, the portly porcine with the baby Minotaur on her hip smirked and called out, "Yeah, but she can make up for it in Gaelic, L-C!"

“Aye mum! Dinna ye worry- if fancy flyin is called for, I’ll be sure ta throw in a few 'immerse ahram draed’s' fer ye!” the cheerful Leprechaun chimed in, even as she and her porcine partner moved in on their section chief for some hugs all around. “Ye take lotsa holos and send ‘em, aye? We’re lookin forward ta seein yuir wee bairns, and that tropical paradise ye call home, y’ken?

"OOH, OOH, yeah! There's actually a holo recorder built into the hover-pram. It's all strapped down on the Kaa... the Ka.. hail... uh, the L-C's ship, but there's a PaDD with all the info on how to convert it from the pram to the chair for you an' shit. It's decked out. Even used some of the inertial dampening fields we've been working on for the WarChicken in there." Gavarus said, proud of her invention for her Chief, who the Towering Tellarite admired greatly. "We wanna see it all, chief!" 

Mona frowned slightly - something she rarely did. "I'll take what images I can. Holography is pretty restricted on Miradon because of hunters though. I mean, I don't think they've gotten past the defenses or customs in... at least a hundred years... But still. When you were hunted to less than a million people by scale-skins only a few generations ago, things are slow to change."

"Joost bebeh pitchers'll do, mum. Dinna break inny laws, we're joost excited fuir ye is all," O'Dell reassured the chief, her brogue thickening a bit as the emotion swelled within her.

Fidgeting, little Minerva O'Dell wriggled enough for Briaar to finally let her down on her own little hooves. "Dammit, wriggler. There ya go. You're down."

Without missing a beat, the miniature Minotaur toddled over to Jaeih, who spent much of her time watching over the fuzzy little child when her parents were on duty, and wrapped herself around the legs of the stern-faced Romulan woman. "GAMMY!"

"Yes, my dear. I shall not be long, I promise. We shall all return soon enough, and when we do, you will have three wonderful new friends." As Jaeih spoke with a warm grin, she knelt down on one leg and gently placed a hand on Mona's belly. As she did, Minnie's eyes went wide with wonder and a smile stretched across her fuzzy face as she ever-so-gently hugged up against the avian aviatrix's pregnant belly, being surprisingly careful to keep her horns away as she let out a sound that was a cross between a purr and a moo.

With a bright smile, Mona scritched on Minnie a bit. "They're excited to meet you in person too, Minnie. You and Moira both."

"An' Hermoine!" Minnie nodded, referring to the newest addition to Daycare 1, with whom she also felt a kinship of sorts.

As Briaar picked Minnie back up, Mnhei'sahe turned to where the Goddess Hera, Petty Officer's Liu and Jablonski, and Az'Prel were all standing together. "Before we head out, I just wanted to thank all of you. None of you are required to accompany us on this trip, of course. But all things considered, I know we will rest easier knowing you will be there. You have.. all of our thanks, beyond what I can say in words. Thank you."

"I'd like to echo those thanks," Enalia added, coming up on them from the flight deck main entrance. "None of you had to say yes, but you did, and for that you have our eternal gratitude." She then turned to Mona and Dox, taking them both into as much of a hug as she could. "There are a dozen Artan system patrol craft monitoring the known hotspots in the area for trouble so hopefully there should be less trouble than usual planetwide."

Nodding, Mnhei'sahe smiled at Enalia, returning the hug. "Thank you. Thank you, Captain. I... I can't believe all of this. All of you"

As they pulled apart, Mnhei'sahe kept her arm tight around Mona as she smiled at the assembly of friends and family that she still didn't quite believe was real as she half expected to wake up somewhere else. But instead, she was there in that moment. "I sure with all of you, we'll... I don't know if there are any other precautions we could take."

Reaching behind her, Rita Paris produced a Type 2 phaser of her era, the classic black and dark blue model that had tamed the wild frontier of space, and tossed it at the Rihannsu pilot who certainly didn't need it, but Rita figured, What the hell. "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this."

Catching the vintage-style phaser that the young Romulan woman knew all too well from her time serving with Rita, she couldn't help but smile. Looking at the weapon a moment, she chuckled lightly as she afixed the phaser to her belt and smiled back at her friend. But before she could reply, the goddess of women and family's face lit up with recognition.

"Oh! I get that reference!" blurted out the matronly Hera, a wide grin on her face as she rested a hand on Dox's shoulder. "Ah, sorry... I got excited. It's not every day you... Nevermind. A mutual acquaintance wanted me to tell you that she has no plans on visiting Miradon on the day your daughters are born, if you catch my meaning."

Smiling, Mnhei'sahe nodded. Of all of the friends and crew members there, she was the most surprised by the presence of the matronly goddess. They knew each other and Hera had assisted the young Romulan before when her mind had been compromised, but they weren't as close of friends as Dox thought they probably should be. But the acquaintance in question, the young pilot knew well: Masato Rei. The woman known as the embodiment of Death, who was not with them there on the flight deck.

Of all the friends Mnhei'sahe Dox had made since joining the Hera, she might have been the most unusual. But a friend she was, and Dox knew the nature of Rei's job very well, and thus understood exactly what Hera meant. It was, in effect, a blessing to her children. Bowing lightly, Mnhei'sahe replied to the goddess, "Thank you, Hera. That is... very comforting to know."

"And... I'd like to thank you specifically for coming. I would never wish to ask you for your blessing, but with everything that's happened and everything that could, I... WE... are in your debt." Mnhei'sahe said, a bit more formally than normal, as she tended to be around the Goddess she respected.

Hera bowed her head respectfully, a bright smile on her face. "The debt is mine to repay, my dear. For the second chance I was given at life and to be the goddess worthy of tales told to your children and your children's children."

Smiling, Dox caught Rita's proud smile out of the corner of her eye. The Romulan pilot had never met the former tyrant goddess of Meroset. The first time she had met Hera, the goddess was a very different woman. Not quite as matronly or happy seeming as she was now, but still willing to put herself between Death and Rita Paris with all of her strength. On a ship of redemption, Hera was perhaps it's greatest success.

"It is my intention that our children will know you well, Hera. As it should be." Mnhei'sahe replied warmly.

With that, final hugs and warm wishes were expressed, particularly from Fiona and Briaar, who were edging over into blubbering territory for their beloved section chief. After a few minutes, Enalia and Rita said their goodbyes and returned to the bridge of the mighty starship as the entourage boarded the small craft to transfer over to the Golden Ghost. It was a good thing that the Ghost would be doing the bulk of the two-day trip to Miradon as the cozy personal craft wasn't quite spacious enough to properly carry a group of seven comfortably, and there was only the one bed on the Khallianen.
Petty officer Jablonski and the Vulcan Az'Prel helped Mona onto the ship as they were the physically strongest women there and made the boarding as easy and pleasant as possible, making sure the pregnant Miradonian was well secured while the rest of the passengers strapped themselves into the bench seats for the short, ship-to-ship trip. Meanwhile, Mnhei'sahe took a last moment to take a visual inspection of her ship before they departed. 

It was the first quiet moment of the last hour as she had the flight deck to herself as she looked over the nacelles and the landing struts. he checked for visible leaks or any problems but, of course, the prep that she, Mona and Briaar had done had made sure the ship was in exceptional condition, so in truth, it was just to give the anxious Romulan a moment to catch her breath. But in the moment of silence, she could sense something she couldn't sense before in the presence of Hera and with Mona so near. It was a familiar presence that she had learned to feel, even when she couldn't see her.

Looking around for a moment, Mnhei'sahe smiled and chuckled lightly as she felt the very unique aura generated by Masato Rei and her pale horse, Taxes. Though normally, Mnhei'sahe could see the woman tasked with the job of being the embodiment of Death, it was obvious that Rei didn't want to worry Mnhei'sahe unduly and was making herself invisible. But the two women shared a unique connection, and Dox's nascent senses could feel the presence of her friend, there to see her off.

With a light nod, as the Romulan mother-to-be stepped on the ship's ramp to depart, she whispered to the seemingly empty room. "Thank you, Rei."

And with that, she boarded the craft with a smile and the Khallianen departed for their future.