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Old-Fashioned Fleeter

Posted on Sun Feb 10th, 2019 @ 6:21pm by Commander Rita Paris & Baroness 2nd Class Schwein von Alcott

Mission: Earthly Visitation
Location: USS Hera, Deck 8, VIP quarters #11
Timeline: 2396

It had been a tumultuous shore leave, filled with exciting adventures, emotional reunions and bittersweet memories. It had also nearly gotten the Baroness von Alcott killed, although it had ended with a positive result- it seemed the Baroness and the god of thunder, The Mighty Thor, were indeed hitting it off. Which meant that sometime in the near future the Baroness would be leaving the Hera for a new life amongst the Aesir.

With an eye to that development and her need to reassure herself about the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of those closest to her who seemed to endure more than mortals were meant to bear, the all-too human Rita Paris had come to call upon the pirate adjutant of whom she was quite fond, and going to miss terribly when she left. But her life was moving in a positive direction, and while the Baroness had never breathed a word of it, Rita had sensed that she was lonely and despaired of ever finding a man who could withstand her genetically augmented strength and endurance. Her current beau more than measured up, so there was a potential happy ending in sight for her.

The fact that it would tear apart the Pirate and the Prinzessin was another matter. But Rita hoped it would solidify relations with the Asgardians at least, and love was something one could not be selfish about. Thus she stood once more outside the quarters of the silver-haired supersoldier, to spend some time with her before she departed soon for her new life. Pressing the door chime, the gold-clad commander waited for the response.

"Ja! Enter!" called the silver haired pirate, whom was sprawled out on her couch and grinning like some love struck teenager. She was once again wearing her usual blue and silver Baroness garb and eyepatch and a pair of half filled mugs of mead were sitting on the coffee table.

"Well, you look back to your old- no, scratch that, you look better than I've ever seen you. Why Baroness, you are practically glowing!" Rita commented as she entered, a bag draped over one arm and one of those million-watt smiles spreading across her face. She'd never actually seen the Baroness full-on happy, and it was a bit of a delight for the cheerful commander to witness.

Schwein rolled her head to look at Rita and grinned wider. "I feel wunderbar. Thor came by and we spent the night together talking and snuggling and we drank mead together..."

"Because he can Bifrost onto vessels moving at warp because it's magic, or technology sufficiently advanced blah blah blah. Well, the structural integrity field generators work well, because no one complained. I think they are reinforced in the VIP cabins, but I really cannot keep track of all that. Look at you, you punchy pirate," Rita stepped in to place her fist alongside the arm of the swashbuckling supersoldier and noodged it off.

"I'm happy for you and sad for us because you'll be leaving us. I mean, you're sticking around for the tribunal at least,l right? If ever she needed you she'll need you then. We all will. You'll be here, won't you?" Paris fairly pleaded with the cybernetic corpsman.

"Ah sheizer..." Sitting up, Schwein lost her good mood and became instantly worried. "With all the duel and wedding plans I have completely forgotten about it... Freyja wants to test my mettle soon and Odin is rallying the Valkyries for something that even Thor does not know of..."

"Uh uh uh... you still have a commitment here, Baroness. I'm not going to lecture you about commitment and honor, duty and loyalty. I daresay you understand those principles better than I," the Starfleet siren admitted. "But you can't leave us yet. Freya can want what she wants, you still have a duty to see through here. The Tribunal. The Captain cannot see her way through this without you there. Dox will help, but she doesn't know the players, the lay of the land, who's in with whom. She'll be all alone out there, and she's not a politician. Von Alcott, a lot is at stake for more people than just the Prinzessin. This is all of us in, because sink or sail we're in this together."

"What about you?"

"Ja, I have to be here. Asgardian things take ages anyway. I would like to confer with another of her former Lieutenants though. If you would permit another pirate aboard?" Schwein looked up with hope in her one uncovered eye.

"Thank you, Baroness. That's a huge load off my mind, and I was hoping that would be the case. Thank you, thank you," It was clear that this had been weighing heavily on the mind of the buxom bombardier, evidenced by the relief on her face. With then turned to something of a smile of smug smartassery. "Another pirate, eh? You have to train your replacement, don't you? Because she still needs an attache to the Artans."

"All right, you know the rules- she's your responsibility. You clean up after their messes, you are responsible for his words, deeds and actions and it is your responsibility to teach them the art of being a pirate attache in Starfleet and working with the old-fashioned fleeter." Rita took a half-bow. "Who are they?"

"Baroness Sarika 3rd class. The Prinzessin and I rescued her on my first mission out together from Syndicate slavers. She became our science officer aboard the Manticore." Schwein looked up at Rita suddenly worried. "Ah, she's a much more... Cheery fraulein... Despite how she dresses. She's also a perfect marksman and her cybernetic arms will be full of weapons."

"I have seldom found you to be anything less than cheerful, Baroness. Aye, bring her aboard, better she learn from you while you are here and learn who we are under duress so that she'll know our mettle. Now, all of that aside, I have a couple of gifts for you. Call them early engagement presents, or souvenirs of a sentimental old sot who doesn't want you to forget us."

Reaching into the bag, Rita produced a wooden box. Removing the lid, she pulled out an ancient sailing ship that was contained within a glass bottle with a mouth too small for the ship to have passed through it. The lid reversed to form a stand for the bottle for display purposes. "This is a ship in a bottle, an art form practiced by some of my people that involves building a miniature ship model inside a bottle. It would be simple with replication technology, but this is hand crafted the old-fashioned way. It's an antiquity to remind you of your pal the antique. I found it in Dox's grandparents junk, and I thought it might be something you would appreciate."

"Oh my goodness..." Schwein took the bottle and stand and gingerly carried them over to her one shelf which she had a few small knick-knacks on and settled it into the center next to a picture of her, Enalia, and a few other strangely dressed people. "Danke schoen. I will treasure this."

"You go run off and marry a god, I need to make sure you remember us little people," Paris replied. "Which is why I also got you... well, she ship's computer replicated it for me when I asked, but still..." Rita produced a small round base, larger than her palm. Triggering the device, a holographic representation flickered into being of the USS Hera in all of her top-secret glory. "The old ways and the classics are important, but it's just as important to remember the living and those still here for you... even when you are far away."

"I'm the sentimental sort, Baroness. I like seeing where I've been so that I know where I'm going. I thought that might be something for you to consider as you go through the trials ahead- you have a whole ship full of 'Fleeters back here cheering you on, ready to drop it all on your say-so and come a-running, schnell!" Rita added. A word or two in German was easy enough for her somehow, yet she still couldn't tell you the word for making haste in Vulcan.

"Oh my! Is so tiny and cute and wunderbar!" Schwein accepted the small hologram as well, placing it next to the old ship in a bottle before turning back to Rita, happy tears in her eye. After a bit of a pause she decided to go in for a hug, easily lifting the golden clad chrononaut off her feet and spinning her around. "Danke. You hast been truly a great friend through all of this. And I was wondering... Will you be my maid of honor? You'll get to keep the spear."

Laughing gaily at being effortlessly spun about by the jubilant pirate, Rita was all smiles and surprise. "Me? I am deeply flattered and honored, Baroness, but what about the Prinzessin, would she not be offended to not be your second?" Unless bridesmaids had changed a lot through the centuries this was one duty Rita knew pretty well. Although participating in an Asgardian wedding did sound intriguing to say the least, and it would most likely be a very exciting affair.

"Who do you think is walking me down the aisle?" Schwein grinned wider, having already planned that part out.

Rolling her eyes, Rita groaned. "Thaaaat I shoulda seen coming. Then yes, Baroness, I am flattered and deeply honored, and I will be there to serve as your shieldmaiden for your wedding to a teutonic god. Sounds pretty funny when you phrase it like that," Rita chuckled. "So you gonna put me down now that I agreed or are you planning on toting me around the ship like this all day?" the career fleeter girl asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"Excellent!" The augmented human pirate spun the 'fleeter around again before setting her down and releasing her. "Now I have a gift for you."

Running off into her bedroom, she opened an antique wood trunk bound in durasteel banding with a creak. It was even locked with what looked like a keyed padlock from an ancient sailing vessel. Moving a few trays around inside, Schwein found what she was looking for and gingerly carried it back to Rita.

"This..." she began, uncovering the long, thin, velvet wrapped object with great care. "Is my first pirate blade. Ze Prinzessin reached out to me, offered me this knife, and told me 'Come with me if you want to live.' After you saved my life, I want you to have it as a token of my gratitude."

While her instinct was to point out that the Baroness had saved herself, Rita had only helped, she realized that protesting diminished the gift and would be rude. While the pirate was as sentimental as the soft-hearted sailor of the stars if not moreso, that meant that this was one her greatest treasures. So, eyes wide with surprise, she accepted the blade gingerly from the Baroness, then unwrapped it gently, exposing the blade. "Baroness, I don't know what to say.... are you sure? This is something very precious, irreplaceable... like you."

Tears welled up in the eyes of the Starfleet siren as she smiled at the bombastic buccaneer.

The silver haired woman nodded solemnly. "Ja... I have no greater gift for the one that restored my will to live."

"You honor me, Baroness. I will treasure this by displaying it in my office, where one of these days it's liable to save my life. Just like the woman who gave it to me." Rita realized in that moment just how much she was going to miss the loyal pirate who had so good-naturedly taught her the basics of swordplay and accepted her as an equal, despite her inherent distrust of 'fleeters'. The woman who had taken a knife to the guts to stop the summoning of a demon, yet had fought off Death herself when her princess had called for her to return.

"If all pirates were like you, Schwein," Rita admitted, actually using the woman's first name she abhorred so much, "I'd have to quit Starfleet and join."

"And if all 'fleeters were like you, I'd have to apply for a commission." Schwein grinned.

 

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