Teacup Terror

Posted on Mon May 22nd, 2017 @ 11:15pm by Captain Enalia Telvan & Staff Warrant Officer Nexi

Mission: Death is in the Details
Location: Various
Timeline: Three weeks after the Cardassian Station Mission

This was Enalia's life. This was what she did. She collected teacups. Mostly Trill teacups, but her collection included several hundred Earth, Bolian, Andorian, and other teacups from dozens of other races. She drank tea in some of them. Most she kept in storage on Earth, which they were close to at the moment.

This is what brought her to Nexi's ship with an overnight bag over her shoulder. Tapping out an entry request, she waited for Nexi to let her in.

Normally, Nexi kept the hatch open in case Aewia wanted to stop by, but she had just returned to the Hera after taking care of a job and had neglected to open the hatch before turning in for some sleep, thus demanding that Nexi get out of bed now to see who was bugging her. Running a hand through her sleep tousled curls, she offered a heavy yawn, then tapped the controls on the access panel to open the hatch.

"Hey you," Nexi said sleepily when she saw Enalia. "You want some coffee?" she offered, nodding her head towards the kitchen as an open invitation to enter. "And by coffee I of course mean sex," she added jokingly.

Stepping aboard, Enalia grinned wickedly. "My wife might take you up on that offer. I'm here for another reason, though. I want you to take me to Earth so I can get a teacup."

"The Louvre, right?" Nexi said, making her way to the kitchen and started to make some coffee. "I looked into it, security is tight, and it's high profile; I can get in there and get that teacup, but it's gonna be tricky."

Enalia was still grinning. "I don't think that'll be a problem. I finished the purchase of it yesterday and now I need you to take me to Earth so I can take delivery and transfer it to my private collection in Sweden and act as private security."

"Ah, well... I feel somewhat cheated, I was looking forward to breaking in there," Nexi said candidly, pouring coffee into a couple of mugs, then handed one to Enalia. "If you wanna do this now, I need a few minutes to wake up before I jump into the cockpit," she warned Enalia.

"The sooner the better," Enalia replied as she looked for a place to stow her bag. "I'm on three days of leave so we'll have to be back in 72 hours. Sorry for waking you up, by the way. If I thought I could trust Securitech, I'd have gone on my own with Ensign Radcliffe and let him regale me for hours on end about a culture of Andorian mold found in some ice shelf."

"Enthralling," Nexi replied with a huff, then nodded in the direction of her bunk. "And you can put that bag in my room, if you want. I'll start warming up Star, we'll leave once I've had a couple cups of coffee," she added.

"Thank you," Enalia headed off to the bedroom and stashed her bag, retrieving a bottle of irish hazelnut cream from it before heading back to Nexi's kitchen area. "I brought this for you, if you're interested. It's a liqueur for coffee."

"I-rish," Nexi read from the bottle, "thems the hu-mons that like to drink, right? Fucking amazing people, mixing alcohol and coffee," Nexi said with a chuckle, pouring some of this hazelnut stuff into her mug and then giving it a taste. "Fucking hell, that's... that's life-changing right there," she said, giving the gift an approving nod.

"We'll have to get a case of it when we're on Earth. Congrats on being assigned a team leader in the next mission, by the way. Big responsibility." Enalia headed to what she guessed was a living room and sat down.

"Ain't like it's the first time I've led a team, just the first time in Starfleet," Nexi said with a shrug. She put the bottle of Irish cream away and led Enalia to the cockpit where they could continue talking while she warmed up her ship. "Wasn't too keen on the Orion disguise idea, but I know we gotta blend in."

"Yeah... On top of that, I have a confession to make. We're going to violate the temporal prime directive." Enalia pulled out a PaDD with her accounts' entire history in it and offered it to Nexi. "I wondered who in 2160 would open a high interest rollover account in my name with some crazy message. I'm pretty damn sure it was you."

Nexi snickered. "So this is how you can afford to pay me for all these crazy tea cups you're having me acquire," she said with amusement as she looked at the PaDD. Then she started laughing her ass off when she read the message that had been left for Enalia:

'Enalia, if she hasn't already, your girlfriend is going to dump you because she likes dick in her ass. Don't get rid of the dress you bought for her, you'll find a use for it later. Also, get used to the name Telvan, and when you're in orbit of Faltan 3, take a chance on the stranger in your cargo hold, it'll pay off big time.' Nexi read from the PaDD amidst continued snickering. "Fucking hell, so that's why you asked for my help?! Oh man, I had no idea you were sitting on this, you hid it well."

"Explains a few things, doesn't it?" Enalia asked with a chuckle. "Anyway, for temporal BS reasons you'll have to use latinum obtained in 2160. You'll also have to do it in the week we're sitting around monitoring things between your team's shifts."

"Ain't a problem, I can get this much latinum easy, no problem," Nexi replied, looking at the deposit used to open the account. "Anything else I need to be aware of doing this?"

"No idea. You now know as much as I do." Enalia replied.

"Fair enough," Nexi replied, pocketing the PaDD so she could commit to memory all the tiny details so she would be ready when they made the trip back through time. Having consumed enough coffee to be alert enough to fly, Nexi started warming up the Star and requested clearance from the Hera to leave. While they waited for the doors to open, Nexi looked back at Enalia. "You sure you don't want me to steal this tea set?"

Enalia shook her head. "I've already bought and paid for it and it's non-refundable. The Yakuza are likely going to try to steal it anyway. Plus we'll have to use transport scramblers for the safety of the set."

"Great, Yakuza..." Nexi replied with false enthusiasm. "Well, let's get this show on the road; the sooner we get there, the sooner we can kick some Yakuza ass," she added, trying to look on the bright side. The bay doors finally opened and the Wandering Star lifted off the landing pad and glided out of the bay. "Alright, well make yourself comfortable; ETA on Earth is better part of the day," she said as she took the ship to warp.

"Thank you for this, by the way. The last thirteen owners have been killed and you're the only one I can trust." Enalia headed back into the ship and settled in for the trip.

"What's the hu-mon phrase, unlucky thirteen? At least that wasn't you," Nexi stated.

"Yeah, there is that at least. Fourteen is an unlucky number for my family though, so who knows." Enalia replied.

"Yeah, but you got me to help you out, where could this go wrong?" Nexi said with her trademark lopsided grin.

"Thank goodness..." Enalia muttered as she dozed off where she was.

Nexi smirked, stepping away to get a blanket from her bedroom and draped it over Enalia, then she returned to the helm to keep an eye on their heading...

Some time later, they arrived at Earth and received special clearance to land in the Louvre shipping lot, right up against one of the delivery docks.

Nexi plotted the course through the atmosphere and started to take them down, peeking back at Enalia who was still sleeping at one of the rear consoles. "Hey girly, time to get up, we're almost there," Nexi called out.

Starting slightly, Enalia woke up to find she'd dozed off and been covered with a blanket. Quickly folding it, she set it aside and headed to the cockpit. "Excellent. Soon the tea set will be mine and I'll be able to laugh nefariously for some reason. Just wait until you see this thing in person."

"Anything that requires this much effort has got to be worth seeing," Nexi remarked as they made it through the upper atmosphere. The clouds parted and there was Earth, or to be more specific Europe with a direct heading for France. "We'll be touching down in 5, so if you wanna go wash those crusties out of your eyes then you'd better hurry."

"Thanks. I'll be in the fresher then." Enalia replied, turning and heading to use the loo.

Nexi nodded and guided the Star along to their, landing at the Louvre shipping lot without any incident. So far so good... She put the shuttle in standby mode so that it would be ready for a rapid departure if such was required, but also locked down all the consoles so no one could mess with her ship, then she proceeded to get ready. She hadn't put on much since Enalia woke her and she'd only had a few cups of coffee and decided she now needed a little something to eat, so while Enalia was still freshening up Nexi replicated something to eat while she got dressed in her 'kitchen'.

Enalia wasn't long and when she came out of the fresher, she was at least a little made up, her hair in a bun and her uniform replaced with a Tholian silk pantsuit of a decidedly victorian leaning. "Ready when you are."

"Wow, I feel underdressed," Nexi said around a mouthful of some kind of ration bar. She hastily swallowed her food with a wince, quickly taking a swig of coffee to help wash it down, then finished putting on her jacket and then weapons. "Ready," she then said with a grin. "I'll follow your lead, boss."

"There's no real dress code for security, though you might be overarmed for that," Enalia added as she headed to the main hatch and activated it. The administrator and two very large men were waiting for her.

"Princess! It is so good to see you again!" the man exclaimed, motioning to Enalia for a hug.

"Monseirre, you persist with that even now?" Enalia replied, seemingly with a royal air about her as she went in for a hug.

"Of course," he replied, breaking the hug and motioning towards the doors close by. "Everything is ready for your inspection. I assume it will be heading to your private collection on Trill?"

"Thank you, and yes, I do plan to have it transferred to the libraries there for public exhibition." Enalia replied, following along into the property transfer bay.

And there it was. The tea set. The administrator spoke up as Enalia admired it and pulled out a specialized scanner to verify it. "Created by artist Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio. It consists of 16-pieces carved with ruby matrix and decorated with 18K gold vermeil mountings and accents.The set includes a covered teapot with a carved dragon on it, four dragon-carved teacups, a creamer, a chocolate pot, four claw-foot small dishes, some serving accessories and a carved dragon centerpiece. It also includes a tray made out of ruby zoisite."

Wow, this was it? Nexi was afraid to touch it, let along drink out of these dainty little cups! She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched with a predatory gaze as the administrator handed over the scanner to Enalia so she could verify it. Her senses were open and wide, cautiously searching for any sign of foul play; everything seemed on the up and up, but after what Enalia said, Nexi wasn't taking any chances.

Scanning the set, Enalia nodded in satisfaction and handed the scanner back. "Everything checks out. Monseirre, thank you. If you would be so kind as to pack it up?"

"Of course, Princess," he replied as he snapped his fingers to call over an assistant who then gloved him and brought the packing crate closer. He then began packing the pieces in very carefully, one at a time. "You know, we still have that Bolian lazurite piece you were so interested in. I would allow you to take it for a significantly lower donation than usual, if you like."

Enalia chuckled softly as she watched the packing with eagle eyed precision. "If that donation wouldn't wipe out my entire remaining fortune and force me to sell an entire library, I would consider it. See Monseirre? royalty has no limits to their wealth. Mine is and I know those limits. No, this may be the last piece I rescue for some time, I'm afraid."

"And I know how you loathe the loans system, Princess. I can't blame you. Interest was outlawed and yet here we are asking for compounding donations." As the administrator finished packing away the last piece, Enalia pressed a rather understated signet ring into the locking mechanism and the crate sealed itself up tightly. They then offered the hovercart and all to Enalia and Nexi. "You will have to excuse us, but with how the rumors have been around this particular piece, our services and involvement will have to end here."

"Perfectly understandable. Until next time, Monseirre." Enalia gripped the rails of the hovercart tightly as she motioned for Nexi to lead the way. The once sunny day was now deeply overcast and there was a low growl of a hum coming from the sky. The Yakuza were fast and they had a modified air-schooner hovering a hundred meters over the Louvre, clearly violating airspace restrictions. No one was doing anything about it though. "It's your show now."

"You know, I miss the days when I used to steal things all quiet-like..." Nexi said with a sigh. "Let's go back inside where it's safe and I can torture whoever they bribed." And with that, she practically pushed Enalia and the hovercart back inside the building.

Once the doors were safely shut, Nexi led Enalia back to where they had inspected the tea set with the administrator, looking intently for said administrator. "Monseirre!" Nexi called out, not realizing that was not his name. "Mr. Monseirre, you have a problem! Someone on your staff is taking bribes from the Yakuza and I want to know who!"

Nexi was taking a huge chance on this tactic as opposed to facing the Yakuza directly; she was banking on the fact that the Yakuza weren't going to risk a protracted battle or that they weren't willing to attack the Louvre directly, otherwise they wouldn't have waited until the tea set was on the move to finally steal it. But Nexi wasn't going to start her new career with Starfleet by killing Federation citizens, and Yakuza or not they were still Federation citizens, so if she didn't have to kill them then she was going to avoid it as long as possible. Besides, this way was more her style anyway...

"Considering he and security were the only ones that even knew what day the transfer would take place, odds are good that he's the one that took the bribe," Enalia commented, noting a distinct lack of any members of the Louvre staff.

"Yeah, that had occurred to me," Nexi said as she looked around. "Enalia, do they store any of the exhibits back here or do we have to go into the Louvre?"

Enalia motioned to a few doors with hefty security systems. "They keep artifacts being transferred in those rooms and do the transfers in this room. Considering none of the force fields are up, this tea set is the only artifact being transferred today. Likely to not endanger the rest of the artifacts..."

"Well, if Mr Monseirre thinks he's gonna get away with getting in bed with the Yakuza, he's got another thing coming," Nexi said with determination. "Looks like I get to break into the Louvre after all," she said with glee as she looked around for anything that resembled a security terminal. "Okay, while I'm working on this, I want you to take the tea set out of the nice box. We're gonna put something else in there and pass it off to the Yakuza. I'll put the tea set in a bag and put my cloak on it; it won't be as safe as the nice box, but it should allow us to get back to the Star before they notice we pulled a switch on them."

Enalia peeked into a storage closet and found a knapsack big enough for the tea set. As Enalia unsealed the crate, the sound of low yield disruptor fire against duranium could be heard. "I think they're getting impatient," she quipped as she started transferring the wrapped pieces into the knapsack. "You realize they won't be happy until I'm dead, right?"

"You know I won't let that happen," Nexi said as she worked at an access panel that led to the Louvre. These Yakuza were determined, she'd give them that, but would they really risk attracting the attention of the local officials or even the Federation military presence on Earth? Something like this was bound to stir up media attention, there was no way this was going unnoticed!

"Got it!" Nexi called out with success as she broke through the security and opened the door into the Louvre. "Alright, go find something that will fit in the box, the more expensive, the better," she said, then started bagging up the tea set and setting her personal cloaking device on it. The bag disappeared and she tucked the back into the back of her belt.

Enalia headed out into the Louvre and grabbed a Ming vase that was over six thousand years old, disconnecting the security on it as quickly as she could before returning. "Will this work?"

"If it fits in the box, it will work," Nexi said with a grin. "See, I'm turning you into a proper criminal!" she said with a chuckle, but then grew serious. "Okay, when we get out there, try to protect the box like it's your tea set; this is your tea set, your pride an joy... You have to believe it or they won't," she said as Enalia put the vase in the box and locked it back up. "Now, I can't do a site to site transport in here, there's transport blockers, but if we can get close enough to Star, then I can beam us to safety and we can get out of here. With any luck, they'll be happy with their score and won't come after us, and if they do, well, I can cloak us and haul ass. Sound good?"

Enalia nodded as she tucked the vase into the box and resealed it. "Just try not to let me die, ok?"

"Of course not, who else would I pester if you died?!" Nexi replied with a grin, a grin that diminished somewhat as she heard more disruptor fire. "Damn, this is pretty ballsy of them to be sticking around this long! Even if they bought off Louvre Security, there's no way the local authorities ain't seeing this!" she remarked as she cracked the door ever so slightly to take a peek outside.

After a few more disruptor blasts to Nexi's ship, the air-schooner started circling the landing pad and warming the area with their engine wash. Catching a whiff of the fumes, light as they were, Enalia wrinkled her nose. "They're going to try to fumigate us, aren't they?"

"Yeah, looks like..." Nexi said. She zipped up her jacket and then pulled up the collar to cover her nose to help giver her some reprieve from the fumes, watching as Enalia did the same. "Okay, forget the trolley, grab the box and run, I'll cover your escape," Nexi said, fully prepared to take a disruptor blast for dear friend. Though she did draw her shiny new gun, meaning she wasn't going down without a fight! "Okay, whenever you're ready, and I've sent a signal to Star to begin transport as soon as we're out of range of the transport inhibitor, so just run."

Enalia nodded and grabbed the box, diving out of the doorway and running towards the Star amidst poorly aimed stinger laser fire.

Nexi was right behind Enalia, covering her escape with fire from her shiny new gun, and in that moment she decided that she needed a second one, one for each hand; she'd always been partial to her pike and assorted bladed weaponry, but this damned gun was so fucking satisfying to use, she just had to have another one! The Pirates were swinging down on repelling lines, going after Enalia and the box she guarded. Nexi picked them off one by one, avoiding lethal blows by shooting out knees or taking out their repelling lines until there was a trail of bloodied pirates behind them.

One lucky pirate make a mad dash and actually managed to lay a hand on Enalia, grabbing her by the arm and causing her to drop the box; such an offense deserved a head shot, spraying a fine mist of blood and brain matter over Enalia. Free of the pirate, Enalia did her part and tried to retrieve the box like it was her precious tea set, but Nexi grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away.

"Ain't worth your life, let's go!" Nexi said, just loud enough she knew at least a few pirates would hear, popping off a few more rounds as she pulled Enalia closer to the Star. Finally leaving the transport inhibitor field, the Wandering Star was able to lock on to Nexi and Enalia and begin transport, and the last thing they saw as they were enveloped in the blue matter stream was the remaining pirates going after the abandoned box.

Finding themselves once again in the Wandering Star, Nexi held Enalia for a moment, checking her over to make sure that the blood on her was only from the enemy.

"Hey, you alright?" Nexi asked, but without waiting for an answer she pressed her lips to Enalia's, delivering a smoldering kiss in her relief that Enalia was okay. Reluctantly pulling her lips away from Enalia's, she retrieved the cloaked bag tucked in her belt and decloaked it, handing it to Enalia. "Make sure your prize survived, I'll get us out of here," Nexi added, then quickly turned for the cockpit.

The kiss seemed rather electric mixed with the taste of blood after that excitement. She set to work examining the tea set with the scanner she'd lifted off the Louvre immediately though.

Firing up the engines, Nexi quickly lifted off and guided the Star out of the port, but they were not alone; one of the skiffs was in pursuit, firing on the clearly superior vessel without regard for the safety of the surrounding structures.

"Fucking Hu-mons, I thought they were above all this bullshit," Nexi grumbled as she took the Star up higher into the atmosphere to take them away from populated buildings, cloaking the ship as she did so. The skiff was able to stay on their trail, following the vapor trail from the atmospheric thrusters. "Shit, these guys ain't as dumb as I thought they were. They must really want you something fierce!" she commented as she increased her speed; this skiff was pretty maneuverable and fast and had some decent weaponry that could really put a hurt on the Star if she wasn't equipped with the best shielding that Starfleet had to offer, but as the air thinned out and Nexi switched to impulse engines, the skiff no longer had a trail to follow and soon they were left behind.

"Sending a notice to the local authorities, but I ain't sticking around for an official investigation, if that's alright with you," Nexi called back to Enalia as she took the Star to full impulse to take them out of the Sol system.

After having checked her tea set, Enalia packed them back up in the bag and stashed them in a safe place in the hold. Heading toward the cockpit, she saw they were headed out of the Sol system. "Per contract, they're supposed to be stored on display at my Sweden castle, but considering the circumstances, I think a breach of contract is worth it. It'll have to stay on the Hera until I can relocate them to my floating fortress over Manech Nine. Also, I'm going to have to ask you to set up a second account... under a different name and setup... And I don't know about it yet..."

Nexi nodded at the mention of a second account; she had already planned to set up several accounts, not just for Enalia, but for herself and Aewia as well. "If you wanna go back, we can," Nexi said. "We lost our tail and we're cloaked, so they shouldn't be able to follow us. On the other hand, if they knew to wait for you at the Louvre, they could just as easily hang out at your place in Sweden... But I'm good to turn us around if you wanna go back, or I can lay in a course directly for Manech Nine."

"No, I'm betting they have people waiting everywhere but on the Hera itself. We'd best head back to the ship for now. Besides, this tea set cost a tenth of what my floating fortress did. I'd like to fondle it for a few days, if you know what I mean," Enalia replied with a sly grin. She did indeed have plans for it - like removing the deadly neurotoxins the teapot was laced with.

"Okay," Nexi replied with a nod. "We'll be out of the Sol system shortly, then we'll jump to warp, should be smooth sailing from there." Nexi paused, then looked over at Enalia with some hesitation. "And sorry about letting that one guy get to you; I didn't mean to let him get so close and I definitely didn't mean to make such a mess of it when I took him out. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Perfectly fine. And thank you. It's just too damned hard to hide any weapons on me when I visit these places. I'm expected to be a princess and all that, you know," Popping the hidden buttons on the back of her outfit, Enalia practically let it fall off of her, nothing but her 'restraining undergarments' holding her back as she let out a sigh of relief. "That feels better..."

"What are you?" Nexi asked curiously. "Joined Trill and Starfleet, even the Intel work I get, but why do you seem to be so... connected?" Nexi had been curious about this for some time, but out of respect for their friendship, she had refrained from nosing around too much, choosing instead to place a greater value on Enalia's privacy.

Enalia chuckled softly as she folded her outfit and stashed it in her bag and pulled out her uniform. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you, yadda yadda yadda... Anyway, if I actually told you, I'd have to induct you into the Order. Are you willing to fight for the preservation of historical artifacts and possibly even give your life for a teacup?"

"Seriously?" Nexi said with unconcealed surprise. "I like you, woman, but I don't like you that much," she continued with a chuckle and an amused shake of her head.

"Fair enough," Enalia chuckled softly, pulling on her uniform and zipping it up. "If it's ok, I'll still inform them you're an ally of the Order of Whispering Willows. You might get a few odd job requests from some very obsessive people, just as a warning."

"As long as they know and accept my rates, I don't mind running a few errands for your 'order'," Nexi said with a grin. "At least it's honest work compared to what I'm leaving behind," she mused aloud as her console chirped at her; they were clear to go to warp, so she engaged the warp engines to take them back to the Hera. "Alright, course is laid in; same as before, we'll be in transit for a while, so get comfy."

"Thanks again. I really appreciate it." Enalia headed into the back to get comfortable and wait until they made it back to the Hera.