Set Aside Some Time For Tea

Posted on Mon Jan 7th, 2019 @ 1:15am by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Captain Enalia Telvan & Baroness 2nd Class Schwein von Alcott

Mission: Section 31-B
Location: RRW Fluffernuttenfaust
Timeline: 2396

It was that time of year again for Enalia to go off and buy some rare and exotic tea set to add to her already expansive collection and this time she needed someone she could trust for the clandestine mission. She'd already put in a few days of leave with the crew and while they were travelling, Commander Paris would be handling day to day operations. She and the Baroness Schwein von Alcott would be heading out shortly, but they needed one more person for this little trip...

"Computer, please inform Lieutenant Dox that her presence is requested in shuttlebay three immediately." Enalia grinned widely as she stepped out into the small secret hanger deck. Normally it was reserved for cargo and workbees, but on the USS Hera, it was a secret hangar deck with a holographic door that they launched stealthed ships from. And the Baroness happened to have a Romulan shuttle with a working cloaking device.

Pulling out her keyfob, Schwein clicked it and the hatch unsealed, opening with a slight groan as the pair approached. "I will start the preflight checks." As she entered, she tossed her duffel in the back before heading to the cabin and started up the singularity drive.

"And I'll wait here," Enalia replied, tossing her own bag just inside and waiting by the hatch.

Meanwhile, in the cooridors of the mighty Starship, Lieutenant Junior Grade Melaine Dox was walking from the ships main Sick Bay back to the Flight Control Office of which she was the department chief. She had just completed an overdue appointment with the Chief Medical Officer, Asa Dael, and completed a detailed series of genetic testing. Tests to determine if the surgery she had recently learned had been performed on her as a child to make her appear more human and less Romulan extended deeper that just the cosmetic alterations to her ears. In her hand was a work PaDD where she was already hard at work on updating the flight crew rotations.

Looking forward to the welcome distractions of her duties, Dox was lost in thought when the summons chirped over the comm system.

=^=Lieutenant Dox, report immediately to Shuttlebay 3.=^=

Her head whipped up at the sound that snapped her out of the focus of her work and replied directly. "On my way."

She saved the information she was working on and hit send to inform the rest of the flight crew their schedules for the week, paused in the middle of the cooridor and looked up. A quizzical look appeared on her face. "Shuttlebay... Three? We don't have a..."

Stelping over to the nearest wall panel, Dox calledd up a ship schematic. "Computer... What is the location of Shuttlebay three, please."

=^=There is no Shuttleby three on the HERA.=^=

"What?" As the chief of flight control, Dox was confused. She should know if there was an additional shuttle craft Bay. And, immediately her brain popped open with a memory. It was a hobby of hers to walk along an extremely detailed holographic recreation of the exterior of the ship. She did this to relax quite regularly and recalled that there was a large section of the largely undefined hull just below Shuttlebay two that didn't match the ships specs. Something hidden. It piqued her curiosity at the time, but she had never followed up on it until now.

"Computer, from whom did the order to report come, please?" She looked up to address the ship.

=^=Captain Enalia Telvan=^=

"Computer, please tell me the location of Captain Telvan." Dox figured this was a bit of a mystery she needed to solve quickly. In her short time on the HERA, she had learned that the ship was riddled with mysteries and you needed to think quickly.

=^=Cargo area, deck 23=^= the Computer replied.

Transferring the data to her PaDD while walking to the nearest turbolift, Dox called up the schematics of the ship. There was called cargo room on Deck 23 right below Shuttlebay 2 that seemed to take up a bit more room than your average cargo room. That must be the mysterious Shuttlebay 3 she had been called to, she figured. At least she hoped she was right.

Within a few moments, she was at the cargo room she hoped was correct. As she stepped to the door, her comm badge chirped and the door wooshed open. She stepped in to reveal the secret shuttle bay as she smiled slightly. In the center of the room was a mid sized Romulan shuttle craft that Dox recognized immediately. Its Nacelles gave off the familiar green glow against its dull greenish grey hull.

"Welcome to shuttlebay three, Lieutenant. Mind going on a small away mission for a couple days with Schwein and I?" Enalia asked with that lopsided piratical frin of hers. "We could use someone that knows her way around a cloak and can read Romulan." It was a bit of a trick question since she knew Dox's background, but she figured she'd ask anyway.

Smiling, Dox replied enthusiastically. "Absolutely not, Captain." Pulling the PaDD out from her back at the ready, she asked a follow-up question. "Would we be getting underway immediately?" Everything she saw indicated as much, but Dox wanted to be sure.

"We leave in ten minutes so if you need to pack, it needs to be fast. I'll let Commander Paris know you'll be with us." Enalia left it at that and headed into the shuttle, knowing that she wouldn't be late.

"Excellent. Thank you, Captain." Dox replied as she punched in instructions and a message to Ensign Gonadie that she would be in charge of the Flight Control department until her return.

Then, Dox tapped her comm badge and it chirped its customary response. "Computer. Please initiate a site to site beaming. Deck 8 crew quarters, Lieutenant Melanie Dox. Bug out bag protocol."

Moments later, a mid sized Starfleet duffle bag materialized at her feet. Growing up on smuggling ships, Melanie was accustomed to the idea of being ready at a moment's notice to run. And while this wasn't exactly the same scenerio, it was something that she had made preparations for a few weeks ago.

Lifting the bag strap offer her shoulder, she followed the Captain into the shuttle, stopping at the door frame, less than a minute later. The moment struck her with a wave of memories as she ran her fingers along the door frame. There was even a still faint smell that reminded her of her mother's cooking that lingered ever so faintly on the shuttle. It was a moment of mixed emotions, as we all memories related to Melanie's turbulent childhood.

"Reporting as ordered. Permission to come aboard." Dox asked from the door of the shuttle.

The Baroness didn't even pause in her preflight checks as she replied. "Permission granted. Welcome aboard the Fluffernuttenfaust."

"Thank you." Dox replied as she stepped in.

Enalia just shrugged as she sealed the door behind Dox. "It's her ship. You pack fast. Anyway, the mission. Every year there's a black market auction and every year there's a tea set that I bid on and try to add to my collection. This year it's the Hen-sin-fee tea set used by the third emperor of Cait. I intend to make it mine but flying up in a Starfleet vessel, they'd cancel the auction."

As Dox entered, she looked around the shuttle as the Captain talked, absorbing both their surrounding as the information. "That makes sense. They aren't exactly advertised events."

While it had been half a lifetime ago for the young pilot, her childhood growing up as a smuggler flooded back to her as unexpectedly easy as had the Romulan tongue she spoke for that same first half of her life. "This is a... Charon class, right?" She put effort into not looking uncomfortable with her memories. "Their cloaks were always solid."

"One of the reasons we have it." Enalia replied as she plopped into the command seat and motioned to the copilot seat. "Though I admit that the prior owner wasn't the most willing to part with it."

"He owed us enough for two shuttles, but we gave him a discount." Schwein chuckled at the memory. "And a free ride home in a spacesuit."

"He broke the code so we liberated him of his property and... Ah... Handled him in piratical fashion..." Enalia explained.

This was certainly not a business as usual discussion for Starfleet, but was nonetheless familiar enough for the young daughter of smugglers, raised in that world.

Placing her bag in a storage alcove, Dox slid into the co-pilots station as indicated to by the Captain. The young lieutenant took in the Romulan ships controls for a moment before performing a basic systems check of her station, as was standard operating procedure in Starfleet and beyond.

"All systems green." Dox stated plainly, doing nothing further without instructions. After all, the Captain made a point of saying that this was the Baroness' ship and Melanie deferred to her, knowing full well to not overstep her bounds on someone else's ship. The two had only met in passing as the Baroness would utilize the flight sims in the flight control office on occasion, and Melaine Dox didn't want to get off on the wrong foot.

Schwein called out a couple orders to finish up launch. "Singularity core and engines stable. Cycling thrusters to standby and retracting landing gear. Bring the cloak online, Miss Dox. Then open the bay door and notify the bridge of our departure."

It had been years since she had worked with a Romulan cloaking device, but the memory came right back to her as if it had been only yesterday. "Cloaking system online and ready." Dox replied to the Baroness. Then, flipping a few switches overhead, she spoke out to the ship. "Shuttlecraft..." pausing for the slightest of moments to remember the name. "...Fluffernutten... faust, ready for departure. Requesting clearance, bridge."

In spite of the unusual vehicle, Dox maintained procedures without actually mentioning Shuttlebay three by name.

The reply was swift and familiar. Yeoman Dedjoy was on the comm channel ready to grant clearance, thankfully. "Fluffernuttenfaust, this is the bridge. you are cleared for departure. Safe journeys." And with that, the inner doors silently slid open to reveal the inside of the hull...

Schwein grinned at Melanie as she hit the thrusters, pushing the Romulan shuttle right through the wall as if it wasn't even there. "Permanent holographics, ja? Secret ship, secret shuttle bay."

Feeling a little anxious about exactly how to react as she didn't want to come off as too familiar or personal as she was unsure of the dynamic of the mission, Dox aired on the side of caution and responded with an authentic but slightly nervous smile. Second guessing interpersonal interactions was something Dox did almost as well as she flew starships and she didn't know quite how to react here.

But feeling that some response was required beyond a simple smile, she said the first thing that came to mind. "So far, this ship never fails to surprise."

It was an honest statement that she immediately worried might be inappropriate in the presence of the Captain.

Enalia just chuckled softly and looked out the window at the receding beauty. "Yeah Intel packed her full of surprises. I added a few of my own as well though."

"Like the distillery and food pantry you converted the quarters between yours and the first officer's into?" Schwein added helpfully. "Or maybe the private holographic dining hall that you hold fancy dinners in."

"I haven't held a dinner in there in a while. I should do that soon," Enalia mused, wondering what kind of setting her wife would come up with for the next one.

Meanwhile, Melanie Dox sat monitoring the various readouts at the co-pilots station, completely lost in monitoring the ship's systems.

It was silent for a while as the ship went to warp. The Baroness checked over some of the readings, logged their heading, and basically just grunted at the controls for several minutes before sighing and excusing herself with some generic excuse to head into the back.

A few moments after she left, Enalia spoke up again in a soft voice. "I met your mother once. It was right after we'd done a job and we'd pulled in to the pirate base, Tortuga Station. Back then I was being groomed to be the Heiress to the Artan Pirate family so... Yeah..."

Like a proverbial deer in headlights, Dox froze in her seat at the Captain's words. Staring blankly into literal space out the forward viewscreen, her eyes were wide as her jaw clenched as tight as the ball of ever present anxiety in her stomach.

Of all the things she thought that might be said during this journey, the mention of her mother, Jaeih Dox, wasn't even a consideration. She had become aware that her new Captain had an interesting past as a pirate, but the idea never had occurred to her. Slowly, Melanie turned in her chair towards Captain Telvan, the look of immediate shock replaced by a mix of confusion, surprise, and deep sadness.

"Y... You did?" Melanie could think of nothing else to say in spite of the plethora of questions beginning to crest in her mind.

"Yeah, she had something that my own mother was interested in and..." Enalia herself was clearly not too fond of speaking of it either, but she pressed on. "That part doesn't matter though. She seemed like a shrewd smuggler and while I'm not sure I got a great deal latinum wise, it got my mother off my case for a while so for that, I owed her. I don't exactly have the best relationship with my own mother."

The knot in Dox's stomach loosened a bit as Captain Telvan talked. Realizing she had something in common with the Captain helped her relax, if even just a bit. Her formally rigid posture slumped slightly as she talked. "We've been... I don't know... trying to reconnect. As much as pre-recorded messages can do. But there's... Well... there's still..." Melanie's mind went back to the memories that had been swirling in her mind as she nervously ran her fingers over an ear. "We have... things to... work out."

Trailing off as she talked, Melanie's mind wandered slightly, thinking about the message she had recorded prior to the HERA's last mission and glad that she had survived so that it didn't need to be delivered. After a moment, she continued.

"She was... focused... When it came to smuggling. It was a means to an end for us to fund what she did towards reunification and..." Melanie's eyes, which had floated to the floorboards of the shuttle cockpit lifted to look towards Captain Telvan. "At least that's how it started... but..." Melanie trailed off again, this time lingering longer as her head sank.

Sitting up a bit more, trying to center herself a bit, Dox forced herself to try and lift her tone. "Anyway... I'm sorry, Captain. They're... Not always the easiest memories." Melanie paused, trying not to think about those particularly painfully memories she had forgotten that had recently been unearthed psychically by the god, Anansi. "But I... I miss her."

"Family can have that effect in our line of work. My mother is a bitch, but I still miss her now and then. My father and I were close... But he was killed on a mission I was on and I was kidnapped. Then I was rescued by my bitch of a younger sister... Who died recently helping Intel Command with a favor... I miss both of them more than I'll admit." Sighing heavily, Enalia motioned around the cabin aimlessly to illustrate how disorganized her thoughts were right now. "I think what I'm trying to say is that you're not alone in this whole shady past thing. If you ever want to talk about it, just let me know, ok? Or if you want someone to disappear, I can make that happen too. I do technically have a pirate fleet at my command."

The last comment pushed a laugh out of the awkward pilot. "Heh." Dox smilied a bit, relaxing a bit more, thinking of her own father locked away in a penal colony that she now imagined being drawn and quartered by pirates. "Thank you, Captain. I... I appreciate it. I have to say... If I'm not speaking out of place... that my time on the HERA has been the first time in a long time where I've not felt... judged for... everything about me."

Running a finger over the top of an ear and flinching slightly, Melanie finished her thought. "My past... My... heritage. All of it." Her smile turned back into a half-awkward grin. "I apologize if I'm rambling."

"Don't worry about it. In fact..." Reaching into her pocket, Enalia pulled out an ID booklet for Dox and offered it to her. "Since we'll be going as pirates bidding on exotic and rare artifacts, I took the liberty of having an Artan ID prepared for you. Congratulations, Baroness Fifth Class Melanie Dox of the Artan Family, you can ramble all you like. Now... Tell me more about how you feel."

"Right now I'm feeling overly emotional and kinda good, Captain." Dox's awkward grin opened up into a full on smile again as she let out a laugh as the emotion of opening up being released. She looked at the ID that had been prepared for her and shrugged lightly. "It's a good thing my bug out bag isn't all uniforms."

Turning slightly to look back out the window, Dox thought for a moment before continuing. "It's been years since I've done anything even kind of like this. I'm almost a little excited. It's..." She turned back to Telvan. "It's reminding me my life wasn't all bad memories. There had to have been some good times... At least for a while."

"It's best that we cherish the good times and learn from the bad times. Then look to the future, keeping mindful of what we've learned." Enalia smiled softly, remembering her own good times. "As for your mother now, I've reviewed her file and had her transferred to Intel Command's control. They tend to be a bit more lenient and understanding. Your messages to and from her also won't be scrutinized as closely but they'll still be reviewed of course."

For a moment, Melanie was lost in thought pondering the Captain's words about being mindful to what you've learned when the context of what else she had said punched through Melanie's brain. All things considered, it was a moderately ironic moment as the young pilots eyes went wide and her jaw dropped open.

"Intel co... you had..." Melanie put her hand on her forehead trying to process the statement for a moment, stuttering like an anxious child, barely believing what she had just heard.

"I can't... I don't... I..." Melanie fought back a swell of emotion to keep tears from bursting out. "T... Thank you, Captain."

"I figure it's the least I could do. Her good behavior and dedication to reunification helped in that transfer as well. In time, she may even be allowed visitors. Holographically, but visitors, nonetheless." Enalia smiled softly. She knew the importance of family, even when they're not at their best.

A single tear escaped Dox's defenses and she let out an awkward chuckle. "Hol... Holograms are awesome."

Schwein chose that moment to return from the back with a tray of some sort of honeyed Romulan fruits from the replicator. "Ja, holograms are awesome. Did I miss much?"

Enalia grinned a bit wider. "We were just talking about family, new and old. Next time we're at the fortress we'll have to have an induction ceremony for our newest Baroness, if she decides to keep it beyond this little trip."

Schwein's eyebrows shot up as she sat back down in the pilot's seat. "Congratulations are in order then. Welcome to the Artan family."

Blushing now, in the deep tan color that her unique blend of Romulan and Human blood created, Dox smiled a little awkwardly, lightly scratching at her cheek as a way of making sure she still didn't have a visible tear on her face. "Thank you. It's an honor."

Inhaling deeply at the all too familiar smell of honeyed Romulan fruits that were a rare treat in her childhood, Dox followed up on her last statement. "Although, in regards to our mission, what does being a Baroness fifth class of the Artan family mean? What do I need to know?"

Enalia cleared her throat. "Well, Baroness, as fifth or fourth class you would normally be given command over a ship of the line and placed under the command of a third class Baron or Baroness and become part of a raiding group. From there you would have to build a crew and become a cohesive flanking unit for your group."

"As a Baroness Second class, I would normally be in charge of a fleet, but the Third Fleet is being rebuilt after some recent losses so my assignment as adjutant takes priority," added Schwein.

"Right. First class tends to the overall activities of the family and is currently held by Captain Magnus." Enalia finished up. Then there's the actual head of the family, which since my mother is retired, is technically me. However, since I'm currently serving in Starfleet, Captain Magnus is handling most things for me. Anything he needs from me, Baroness von Alcott relays my wishes as my adjutant."

Glancing over her shoulder at the shuttle controls for a moment, Dox was making mental note of what she had just learned. "Looks like we have about 12 hours until we arrive, so that should be plenty of time for me to familiarize myself with all of this, churn up whatever memories might be useful and go over whatever else we..." She smiled somewhat awkwardly for a moment as she paused on we. "...well... really I need to know."

It had been years since Melanie had been a part of this world and didn't want to do anything to screw up the Captain plans. But she had to admit to herself that she was just a little excited.

----------

About twelve hours later saw the trio docked to an old Rigelian bulk freight hauler and having paid the bribes for the auction. Enalia was dressed in the finery of her station as a pirate queen - namely a white silk uniform with a cloak and gold trim and tassels and shoulder boards you could land a shuttle on. She even had both of her 22nd century phase pistols strapped to her hips. The only thing missing was her cap.

As for the Baroness Schwein von Alcott, she decided to dress down and wear just her grey dress jacket with a half cloak. She had her short sword on her back under her jacket.

Meanwhile, the newly rechristened "Baroness" Melaine Dox came out from the back of the Runabout in the least official outfit that she had packed in her bug out bag. She wore brown cargo pants tucked into black hiking boots with waffle tread soles thick enough to elevate the diminutive pilot a good two inches taller than normal. A casual khaki colored, button down top and a short, dark brown leather jacket that she has had for years that was extremely well worn.

As for a weapon, all she had available was a standard issue STARFLEET phaser still in hand.

Turning to Melanie, Enalia grinned brightly and handed her a card. "Here's a line of credit in case you want to bid on anything. The family is good for quite a bit, but I'd recommend trying not to go over a dozen bars of latinum if you can. it might seem out of place."

"Maybe I can find something less conspicuous than this." Dox held up her starfleet issued hand phaser and waved it lightly in the air as she took the card with a grin. "But, actually, thank you."

"You're very welcome," replied Enalia, a twinkle in her eye. "And don't worry about your weapon being standard loot. A lot of people will have stuff like that. Bidding on the first lots should start in a few minutes so we should head to the main hall. And try not to bid against me."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Captain." Dox grinned as she tucked her hand phaser up the left sleeve and tugged her jacket down, straightening it out. She took a deep breath and let out a slight chuckle.

Before long they were inside and clustered around a tiny table with a built in replicator, watered down synthahol at their beck and call as cheap trinkets came and went, warming up the crowd. Schwein threw in a few bids on an old collection of interesting looking bottles from the Rigel system, but was quickly outbid by someone that was obviously a collector. Other than that, none of the high dollar or interesting items had been brought out yet.

Standing slightly back from the table, nursing a drink that the former smuggler would barely qualify as a drink, Dox watched the table intently. Every minute or so, she took the lightest of drinks as a way of watching the room without looking like you were looking.

"Hwiiy dyypan VERUUL!!" Was yelled from the back corner of the room, causing Dox's head to snap rather quickly around to its source. In the rear, Melaine watched as a fat, disheveled Romulan wiped a spilled drink off of his already stained tunic, yelling at a passing bidder who had bumped him.

"Not that much of an incompetent fool... They just picked his pocket." Dox whispered faintly, as her eyes followed the thief circle the room to the other side of the table. In the din of activity in the room, Melanie knew it was a statement that only the augmented ears of the Baroness standing slight in front of her would hear.

Turning slightly back at the irate and visibly drunk Romulan who had just replaced his drink, Melanie watched for a moment. It had been half a lifetime since the young officer had been a part of this world, but she couldn't help the feeling that he looked familiar to her. The thought sent a chill down her spine as she wondered how many other memories she had burried growing up. But she was there on a mission and turned her attention back to the table.

The augmented Baroness had indeed heard, and noticed a few other clandestine activities that had been happening around them. She'd been keeping her eye on several thieves in the crowd in fact. The auctions were starting to get a bit more interesting though and the first item worth more than a single mar had just been sold. The next series of lots were all weapons, both classic and rare. Elbowing Melanie, Schwein pointed to some of them. "Does anything there catch your eye?"

Weapons, by and large, weren't all that big of a deal to the young pilot and she didn't want to waste the money the Captain had allotted her. But one batch did catch her attention on a largely nostalgic level.

There were some vintage swords and Spears in one lot that included a Romulan Teral'n. A staff with retractable blades at the top shown resting with the blades revealed. But it was a simple assortment of hand disruptors that caught her eye. Melanie's mother had had precious few items from her own life as a Romulan engineer before her defection, but for a standard issue disruptor she wore on her hip and seeing the same make and model available brought back a few memories for her.

Gesturing toward the familiar side arm, Melanie made an entry bid.

Most of the weaponry went for low bids, including the piece Melanie was bidding on. There were a few quick exchanges, but in the end she won it without any real trouble. After a few minutes a beep was heard at their table and an auction chit materialized on it with the lot registry on it so she could claim her winnings afterwards.

"Congratulations," Schwein said with a pat to her back. "Just be sure to give it a look over to make sure it isn't trapped or useless before accepting it."

"Thanks." Dox replied, with her somewhat standard awkward smile. "Yeah, I definitely will. I'm glad it didn't go too high." She took another glance over her shoulder as she talked to Schwein, noticing that the drunk Romulan she had noticed earlier had left.

A few more lots went by before an announcement was made - the high latinum lots were starting to roll out now and many of the lower class clientele had been weeded out. The first item that was brought out was a single painting and within minutes it had been sold for just over thirty bricks of latinum.

"Now we're into the good stuff." Enalia grinned like a sehlat with a canary in its teeth as a few more lots came and went. None of them interested her. She was here for one specific item and was waiting for it.

The energy in the room seemed to change for Dox as she watched the Captains excitement grow. The earlier chaos seemed to be a bit more focused as the bidding got more serious. As a girl, her mother would never allow her off the ship for high end auctions, so there was an element of excitement she was enjoying.

After a few more pieces of art, a rather sturdy case was brought out on a cart and carefully opened to reveal an exquisite tea set. On the monitors closeups of the masterfully rendered artistry could be seen, revealing Caitian warriors and royalty and other scenes, each individually hand painted and each one unique. As the auctioneer listed off the details of the Hen-sin-fee tea set used by the third emperor of Cait, bidding began at ten bars, but thanks to Enalia and two other collectors, quickly reached a height of several bricks of latinum in no time. Each one showed no signs of backing down though, and soon the tension in the room was high as it was obvious a bidding war was in progress.

Trying to not get too caught up in the energy of the moment, Melanie stood slightly back from the action. And while she was fairly certain the Baroness von Alcott was more than capable of handling any ten problems that could occur, she still wanted to stay as vigilant as possible.

As the bidding waged on, it came down to two people - Enalia and a nobleman that looked to have it out for her. Leaning towards Melanie, Enalia whispered to her. "I wonder if he's still upset about his mansion being painted in mayonnaise..." She then raised her bid to twelve bricks in an attempt to flat out outbid him in one go. Unfortunately, it didn't work and the bidding kept going up in one bar increments for a little while longer.

The nervous knot that lived in Dox's stomach was getting tighter. She was familiar enough with the mounting tension in the room to have a good idea what was coming and she slid the small hand phaser that had been tucked up her sleeve into the palm of her hand subtly.

At twenty-one bricks, it was obvious that the other man wasn't going to give in and tensions were getting higher. Hands were resting on weapons and all but those with the two bidders had found cover, just in case a firefight started. Then Enalia raised her bid to thirty bricks and the nobleman's eyes seemed to pop out of his head with rage and he reached into his jacket, pulling out a small disruptor.

Before he had it pointed at anything, Enalia and Schwein were moving, firing at anyone pulling their weapons out and in less than ten seconds, they had stunned seemingly half the room, including the nobleman and his entire entourage, who were all armed with very lethal looking disruptors.

Melaine was, first and foremost a pilot and not a warrior, but at the instant weapons were drawn, she had whipped around so her back was to the backs of the Captain and Baroness and raised her own weapon, though she had never gotten a chance to fire before the action had calmed back down.

Once silence had fallen over the room and they were sure no one else was going to make a move, the auctioneer declared the tea set sold and Enalia returned her phase pistols to her holsters and Schwein returned her hold out phasers to her sleeves.

Enalia grinned to her two companions. "Now we have to get out of here alive. I recommend we collect our winnings and leave as fast as possible. Baroness... Was it me, or were you a bit slower than usual on a few of those shots?"

Grunting slightly, Schwein pressed one hand to her abdomen, trying to hide the pain she was clearly in. "Let's just get out of here fast, ja?"

Tucking her phaser into the palm of her hand, Melanie nodded her head in agreement and responded under her breath. "Fast we can do, Captain. My mother knew an old Ferengi transport signal frequency that could get through almost any shield. While we were in transit, I... took the liberty of preparing a site to site beacon." The young pilot gestured to her comm badge, hidden in her jacket pocket. "On your orders, we can be very gone."

"Then let's collect our winnings." With a lopsided grin, Enalia strode up to the collections booth next to the stage and presented her chit and payment card for the tea set and motioned for Melanie to do the same for her winnings. As soon as the payments were arranged and goods were inspected, Enalia nodded and took receipt of the once again sealed case with the tea set inside. She then nodded to Melanie.

With her newly acquired and inspected Romulan disruptor in hand, Melanie nodded, tapping the comm badge hidden in her jacket pocket twice in quick succession. Seconds later, a swirl of Amber light quickly swirled around the trio and they vanished.

An instant later, they appeared on the deck of the Fluffernuttenfaust as the systems flared to life. Relieved that her rig worked as planned, Melanie sighed and muttered under her breath, "Jol hwi arhem lhoirhe, Ri'ranov." thanking her mother for teaching her that trick.

Enalia cracked open the tea set case one more time just to make sure it was still safe. satisfied, she rolled it into the back to secure it in a stasis pod while Schwein and Melanie got them out of there.

"You take the helm, I take the conn, ja?" Schwein slipped into the copilot's seat as she spoke, checking the singularity reactor and the cloak to make sure both were warmed up. Then she saw trouble on the sensors. "Bogeys inbound. Three Peregrine mods. Weapons hot."

At the helm, Dox smirked as she glanced over the pre-flight readings. "Peregrines flanking our rear, moorings disengaged, inertial dampeners to full... No need to rattle the cargo unnecessarily." Dox tilted her head slightly towards the Baroness, "Your targets will be in front of us shortly, Baroness." Turning back towards the rear of the ship, Dox called out. "Cargo secured, Captain?"

"Yeah, all secure!" Enalia called from the back.

Schwein's hands flew over the sensor and weapons controls, targeting the three inbound fighters. "Plasma cannons ready. Targeting scanners locked on their engine manifolds."

With that, Melanie slammed the ship into high impulse, pulling backward directly towards the incoming fighters. "Hold on." She spoke calmly, putting the Fluffernuttenfaust into a tight roll to tilt just between them. Seconds later, she disengaged the throttle and brought the ship to a slower speed leaving the rears of the attacking vessels exposed in front of the small Romulan shuttle.

As green pulses of energy flew past the Romulan shuttle, Schwein initiated her alpha strike, firing a fast and steady stream of plasma bolts into the shielding over the engine manifolds of all three fighters so fast that it all but melted them through the shields themselves, overheating and disabling the fighters within seconds.

The down side was that a small spray of sparks erupted from the weapons control relays behind Schwein. "Weapons offline, but all three bogeys are disabled. Engaging cloak."

"Course laid in," Melanie called out flatly as she spun the ship around toward their heading as the small Romulan vessel seemed to shimmer into nothingness.

"Take us home, Baroness," the silver-haired Baroness said with a grin as she leaned back in her chair and slipped a hypo out of her jacket, injecting herself with it hopefully without the other two noticing. "You did both the name of Artan and Hera proud today, I think, ja?"

"Thank you, Baroness." Melanie, the freshly minted Artan Baroness herself for the mission replied with an awkward smile. She activated the ship's engines and she blasted into warp. "Engaged."

"I knew I picked you out of the potential crew rosters for a reason," Enalia chimed in, coming from the back.

Blushing her characteristically deep tannish hue, Dox smiled awkwardly. Praise was something she had never been particularly comfortable with but she was trying to not be at neurotic in regards to the Hera or her new crewmates.

"Uh... Thank you, Captain." The nervous young pilot replied.