Class Reunion

Posted on Sun Feb 14th, 2021 @ 3:06am by Centurion Nancy Gable & Sublieutenant Renee Hernandez

1,906 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Chapter III: The Hunt is On
Location: Mess Hall, I.R.W. Ourainavassa
Timeline: 238702.03

"Right in there," Nancy said, ushering T'Ango and Arnason into the Mess Hall. It was hours yet to dinner, so it was largely empty, but she could hear activity in the kitchen. "Renee! Guess who I found?"

Renee peeked out from the kitchen as she wiped her hands dry, grinning ear to ear seeing old familiar faces, "T'Ango!!! Gunnar!!!" She rushed to them and gave them both tight hugs. She looked at the trio and felt a wave of nostalgia. It was a surprise to have run into Nancy on the ship, she was a face she didn't expect to have seen again, but a definite welcome one. Now T'Ango and Gunnar were a different story. They've kept in touch off and on when everyone went their own separate ways. But it had been such a long time, she wasn't sure if they would actually come help.

"I can't believe you're here... I thought it'd be a long shot to get your help," Renee said. "But I'm so glad you are. When's the last time you had a home cooked meal?"

"One I didn't cook? A long time," Gunnar replied with a laugh. "I have missed your cooking - not that we wouldn't have come anyway."

T'Ango nodded, beaming at Renee. A few messages across subspace was no substitute for seeing friends in person, and she was delighted, especially given such a good excuse for a reunion. "How could you even think we wouldn't jump at the chance to come?" Her smile somehow got even wider. "What Dosadi could pass up a chance to raid Romulus, and for the very most honorable reasons!"

"I'm sure the cooking is an added bonus," Renee smiled. "Nancy, you're welcome to stay and help us save Romulans... free meal for you too, for old time sake?"

"You know I'm on board for saving Romulans, fine meals or not," Nancy replied. "But I can't stay too long. There's no telling what trouble 'the best doctor in the quadrant'," Nancy rolled her eyes, "will get into if he's unsupervised for too long."

Renee sets her friends up at a table and proceeds to set it while talking, "This space is secure, I've made some upgrades here... so we can talk freely." She paused and looked at them... she thought of them as friends still after all this time. They were there for her back then and here they are again. Granted, this time there are much bigger stakes. "So like my message to you said, I've been working with some of the Romulans on board to help them get their families off of Romulus... our commander on the Ourainavassa pledged to help, but we want to make sure we have all our bases covered. There are so many lives at stake..."

"Completely understandable," Gunnar agreed. "You can't have too many contingency plans for something like this. Especially now that the Empire has been getting more paranoid about defection."

"We have a couple lines on inside information," T'Ango explained. "The leaders don't want to admit what's happening, whether out of fear that enemies will see weakness or chaos if people know and panic or both. Unfortunately, the harder it gets to deny, the more they're doubling down on suppression." Her whiskers flicked back with an expression of disgust at such dishonorable behavior. "But we've made it through before. I had the Cat Dancing upgraded just for this kind of smuggling. How many are we talking about?"

"We definitely need all the help we can get..." she slid a PADD with the details that Hatham had shared with her as she got up to go to the kitchen to finish cooking. "A little over 200 people. More than we can sneak off with a couple of runabouts, and it's not like we can park this ship in orbit either. So you see our dilemma?" she continued the conversation over the clanging of pots and pans. "How many can you fit on the Cat Dancing?"

"Hrrmm..." T'Ango drummed fingers lightly as she began thinking out a plan while Gunnar looked over the details. "We might be able park the Cat Dancing in orbit. She's an Orion freighter-hauler, so if we can swing the paperwork, we can arrive with supplies - the changes in their sun have been driving drought and crop failures, so they've been 'quietly' buying from independent traders.

"Realistically, that limits us to at most two drops, opposite sides of the planet or nearly so to justify it, but we could take pick up..." she looked to Gunnar.

"Seventy if we're going to hide them in case of inspection," Gunnar supplied, turning the PaDD to show his hastily scribbled calculations. "120 if we're going to grab and make an emergency jump to warp-and-run. Might be able to squeeze a few more, but it'd be tight - we'd be straining environmental systems and going quarter rations until we make it past the Neutral Zone. Provided we could out run warbirds."

"Out run warbirds? In that old bucket?" Gable asked, astounded they'd even consider it. "I'm amazed she can still go to warp."

"Divash didn't come with us, but she didn't stop helping. Between some favors from a ...grateful... foreman at the Beta Antares shipyard and some input from Caruch, she's fitted out for proper smuggling," T'Ango replied smugly.

Renee smiled at the banter, she had missed this. Who knew that all it took was everyone walking away from Starfleet to really make a difference out in the galaxy. She started to see that maybe Ash did do the right thing... her methods left a lot to be desired but here they all are. "70? 120? That's a good start... but what about the rest of them? Think we can pull off a couple of runs without getting caught? And then maybe when push comes to shove... we cram the rest on the ship and run like hell?"

Gunnar pursed his lips. "Might be able to manage it, provided no one notices the first one. If the ship gets flagged, we'll need to find another and other cover IDs for ourselves as well." He looked at T'Ango. "Any chance Va'Tek could lend a hand?"

"Maybe." The way her ears flipped back indicated just how little she liked the idea of asking a favor from her cousin in Imperial intel. "We should try Kali first. One of the cousins she got out might be able to reach her mother's Senate contact." She frowned a beat. "If she's not under close surveillance by now."

"I feel like Raven could be persuaded to have the 'Vassa right in the neutral zone for back up, and maybe hand-off, if there's need for a fast run back," Gable mused. "But even if we can get them all, there's a question of where all these people can go."

Renee bit her lower lip in thought, "Now that is the million latinum question... although, I'm not even sure a million latinum can solve it. There are going to be so many refugees spread across the galaxy. Stashing 200 of them might actually be the easy part..." The timer dings in the kitchen and Renee goes to check on the cooking food. She returns shortly with a multicourse meal that she places in front of her friends. "Eat up," she said. "Well... I can always talk to my father. No one knows where to hide from the universe like a former Section 31 agent that doesn't want to be found...."

"We will need that in place. Based on past experience, getting Romulans to trust you to help them is at least as hard as actually doing it," Gunnar remarked, hen looked down at the plate appreciatively, inhaling before taking a bite. "Mmm. Just as good as I remember." He glanced over at Renee. "I can't tell you how much I've missed your cooking."

"I'd be insulted, except he's the cook." T'ango said flashing a grin. "But at least I know he won't be insulted if I second the motion."

Renee continued to smile, "I miss cooking for all of you too... it's been too long..." She sat down and made herself a plate as well, "I can reach out to him and see if he can help find us a planet... or maybe see if he's willing to share his hidey hole with 200 Romulans..." She was only half kidding... her father would do anything for her... which isn't an exaggeration. She's merely learned to not ask any questions. "You guys have any ideas on where to stick 200 Romulans? I doubt Raven needs 200 extra crew members... and I'd need a bigger kitchen."

"Can't imagine Raven would object to expanding your options for cooking," Gunnar quipped between mouthfuls. He swallowed, and tapped the PaDD. "But not many here would work as crew members. There are at least 60 children - not that Romulan children aren't unusually capable," he added, thinking of Kali's little sisters, "but Romulan ships aren't set up for families."

T'Ango's tail was swishing slowly as she savored the meal, thinking of the old times when they'd eaten together like this. All that was missing was Divash and Rogers. "We should probably talk to the others involved. Who's leading the effort here?"

Renee grimaced slightly at the mention of Ash. She did not expect to see her again after Ash had left and she certainly did not expect to work on the same ship as her... nor have the incredibly awkward encounter a week or so ago when she found out about Xia. Of course their old friends would want to see her.... "I've been working with one of the Romulans on board. He was Ash's right hand man in security before she somehow got promoted. His name is Hatham. I think he would definitely want to meet with you before committing to anything. Like any true Romulan, he's a bit paranoid. Can't blame him though..."

"Even paranoids have real enemies," Gable remarked matter-of-factly. "Romulans more than most."

"If he can work with Rogers, I'm sure we'll get along just fine." T'ango smiled optimistically. "Where is she? I haven't had a really good sparring session in ages."

Gunnar dropped his head. "Gods help us... " He looked up at Gable. "I guess I should ask for a tour of your medbay."

Nancy chuckled. "Let me get dessert first."

"Ash is probably in the shuttlebay working on a little ship she bought with this teenaged girl named Mila," Renee looked at Nancy, "I don't think I've ever seen her as protective of anyone as she is with those twins..." She gets up to get dessert from the kitchen. "I'm sure she'll be glad to see you again... I don't think she has had a sparring partner like you in ages either," Renee said coming back with a cake. "I'm also sure after you try this cake, we will all need to be in the medbay because we will be comatose..."

Gunnar blinked. "Ash has a maternal streak?" The moment of shock abated when T'Ango backhanded his arm. "Um, I mean, of course. We always knew she did. I'm just surprised she's showing it."

"Maternal Ash does take some getting used to," Nancy chuckled. "Now give me a nice big slice of that cake. A coma might be just what I need before I have to deal with Kaol."

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