New Quests MISSION END

Posted on Tue Aug 17th, 2021 @ 1:29pm by Captain Rueben Gregnol & Executive Officer Jake Ford & Liha t'Ehhelih

Mission: Mission 13: Stowaway
Location: Deck 3 - Mess Hall
Timeline: MD10 20:00
1883 words - 3.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Gregnol was not nervous about the conversation at all that he was about to have with Liha about her Fenris Ranger friends. He was thinking with his heart and for once it seemed to be matching his head. He saw the woman across the empty med bay and indicated her to Jake. He held up the bottle of nectar he had taken from the wardroom when the men had come to their conclusion and formed a plan.

Checklist item 1: Talk to Liha and find out what she knew about them.
Checklist item 2: Talk to Lil and let her in on the big change.
Checklist item 3: Get Michael Roberston to inquiry with the crew
Checklist item 4: Become Fenris Rangers.

“So I hear I owe you your weight in booze for saving my ship?” Gregnol said by way of greeting as he slammed the bottle down on the table and himself down on the protesting chair.

"Only my weight?" Liha asked with a quick grin, then laughed. "I just killed a few pirates - it was a nice bit of exercise really. You should save some booze for Nollel. She took the worst of it for alerting the rest of the ship." She snatched the bottle off the table. "Not that I won't accept a bottle of good nectar for my part."

"Sounds like you deserve it. You were like a Romulan Ellen Ripley, the way Curtis tells it," Jake noted. Although the tension between himself and Liha had been palpable lately, he couldn't escape the knowledge that the stories were unlikely to be that overblown. "I'll let you understand that reference later. It's a compliment, trust me."

"Okay..." Liha shrugged, resolving to ask Burnie about the reference later. "But all I did was stab and shoot a few people. Pretty standard response to boarders. Honestly, for all that he can't really fight, I'll give Curtis credit for trying and for keeping his head when Xander grabbed him."

"I am pretty sure Nollel would prefer chocolate than booze but I will enquire." Maybe Jeassaho would lend him some decent stuff until he could replace it. The woman was perfect for acquiring the decent stuff, he often wondered how she got ahold of it. But he dared not ask encase she stopped, it was not black market so who was he to judge? "But either way you guys saved the ship. If this was Starfleet there would be awards but this is not so there is booze." It was better than awards anyway. "I will speak to him and offer some congratulations and potential advice on how to fight."

"I could show him a few things too, but if we're going to be hanging alongside the Fenris Rangers for a bit, I'll throw him to Taev," Liha offered. Her mouth flattened in a somewhat wry smile. "He's better at not breaking students."

"Speaking of hanging with the Rangers..." Jake replied, seguing the conversation in their desired direction. "You seem to see them as trustworthy, right? What do you think of them? Their cause?"

Liha cocked her head to the side, sensing there was more to the question than mere curiosity. Perhaps some degree of Romulan canny vigilance had rubbed off on Jake after being in her body. While she trusted the rangers more than most other beings in this galaxy, one never knew... "Have they done anything to make you think them untrustworthy?"

Gregnol look at Jake and rolled his eyes at the phrasing the man has used. It would quip her interest instantly. “No. We just want your opinion.” Gregnol assured quickly. “We are trying to figure out in their cause is worthy enough to our cause,” Gregnol explained knocking back his glass barely wincing at the sweetness.

"I thought our cause was hauling goods to make money," Liha smirked and took a swallow of the drink. "Their cause is keeping some order out here; doing what Starfleet and the rest won't lower themselves to do." She tried to keep the note of bitterness out of her voice, but it was there. Desperate refugees fell prey to every pirate and slaver and con artist out here, but only Fenris seemed interested in doing anything about it. "I only know a handful of them, but the Romulans among them I would trust with my life." And in fact, she had a number of times.

Gregnol looked at the bottle and poured a larger glass. It was going to take a great deal of courage to take this route. "So you cannot see it being our cause?" Gregnol challenged in a soft tone as he noticed the bitterness in her voice. it was there in the undertone, barely hearable but the former security officer noticed it, it was the same infliction he felt sometimes before Starfleet for abandoning him.

An eyebrow angled upward. After working with them to rescue the refugee ship and Taev dropping not-so-casual remarks, she had privately been considering if it might be her cause again, but it had never occurred to her that this ship might consider it. "Are you saying that you would consider joining them?"

Reuben could almost see the cogs whirling in her head as she realised what he had said and what he was suggesting. It had been a thought that had been rolling around his head since November, interrupting his sleep. It had taken all his willpower to not approach Kaylin, Indigo and Taev back then and discuss it all. "I need a cause other than credits and latinum and I cannot think of any other people who I would find a cause with." He said with a shrug. He had been toying with it for far too long and it was almost a relief to have it off his chest now.

"Not to mention we could use some reliable friends right about now. And they showed up when we needed them." Jake watched Liha intently for some indication of whether she was being earnest with them. Had he always taken that approach? Trying to gauge intent hiding beneath the surface? He put that notion to one side quickly. He looked at Gregnol. "If she thinks they're worth it, then I'm convinced."

That was a surprising affirmation from Jake considering how often they were at odds. Still, she was weighing the unexpected proposition. She could easily see Gregnol as a Fenris Ranger, Jea too for that matter. But the rest of the crew... Burnie avoided actually hitting anyone, but he had no problem shooting, or - Elements knew! - blowing things up, and that was a skill that could be useful to use. Jake might take a bit of training, but he could get there. Eden though... her brain stalled at Eden as Fenris. "I certainly think they are worth it, and I'd gladly align to support them, but how far have you discussed this? Have you considered how this ship and her crew would fit with them? Most Fenris Rangers can operate solo, and indeed many preferred that. The former Galae like Taev tend to work in small teams, or at least pairs, since having backup was part of their earlier training. And the Mary Rose is not exactly typical of their ships - not that she couldn't be useful. A merchant is good for gathering intel, or for cover to drop off operators, but she's a bit..." Liha paused a beat searching for a diplomatic term, "...conspicuous to operate openly as a Fenris ship."

"I would be hurt if anyone else searched for a diplomatic term to describe my home," Gregnol said with a grin on his face despite the exhaustion that was obvious around him at the moment. "We would not be a typical Fenris Ranger ship but the cause needs not just normal ships anymore." He said quickly thinking about what else to say. He knew not everyone was like Taev, Indigo or even Liha but that did not mean they could not have uses. "We have spoken to just you. Not even Lil knows my thoughts yet." He admitted. They had discussed a plan to find out the rest of the ships felt over the possible change but for now, it was just between the three of them.

"Yeah, better mention it to the wife, hadn't you?" Jake asked in a low voice, the faintest grin on his mouth as he pondered the prospect of Jeassaho finding out later.

"I see my lack of discussion with my wife as a commitment to the cause. Plus she will already know, she humours me with pretending she does not know my mind, just like I do not know hers until it is discussed aloud." The Captain replied instantly. They might not understand his relationship with Jeassaho but she would know, she would have caught a stray thought and if she was really concerned she would have brought it up already.

Liha shook her head. Having a mate who was a telepath had to be weird, and disconcerting. "I have no doubt that Jea would make a good Ranger," she offered by way of semi-consolation for her assessment of Mary Rose. "For myself, I support their cause and will support joining, but it has to be with buy in from enough crew to man the ship for this to work."

"Which is why we are not doing this fast. I am going to get Roberston to talk to everyone and gauge their interest he needs something and it is a matter of security after all." Gregnol said trying to not look too gleeful that it had been so easy to get Liha to buy in even if it was a matter of securing enough crew. "And the beauty of this ship is the Collector made it possible to work this ship on very little crew." He reminded pouring more of the betazoid nectar into their glasses.

"I don't expect many people will leave," Jake said. "Maybe the passengers might want to jump off at some point. Future ones might need a bit more vetting." He glanced at Reuben. "We should think seriously if we're going to be talking about ferrying refugees. Not that I'm against the idea, but it might rub some folks up the wrong way."

“Why Robertson is going to have a list. We need to ensure everyone’s security.” Gregnol assured. He was not going in half cock and why he was bringing it to them after months of contemplating and overthinking.

"Fenris does not entrust refugees to just anyone," Liha remarked with a nod. She frowned to herself at the idea that people might leave or even be rubbed the wrong way over the idea of transporting refugees. But if those people wanted to leave, in her opinion good riddance, even if she understood the concern in part - she knew infiltrators could hide among refugees and would be vigilant herself if they transported any. "The more we can vet people to be sure of everyone's safety, the better."

Gregnol nodded. It sounded like they were all on the same page at the very least. “It sounds like we are all on the same page then.” He said sounding far more positive and upbeat than usual.