JL | Arrain tr'Verelan, Princess Xue'Daio - "The Devil Went Down To The Observation Lounge" pt I/II

Posted on 241503.18 @ 4:53am by Arrain Maec tr'Verelan & Civilian Xue'Daio Nox

Mission: Holy Cow
Location: Observation Lounge

It should have been one of the greatest days of her life, one of the brightest and most glorious – but all Xue’Daio could see were other days. Days not blighted by her own mother’s hand. Overweening pride always carried a price. She knew that, as everybody did, and yet she had striven, had thrown aside all in her path without mercy, had shattered the lives of so many, and all for what? Garlands, streamers, petals littering the stones of the great courtyards and cobblestone streets of Aliene. A bloody crown she’d soon wear as Empress.

High events as these strike those that make them.

Taking on the Federation, infiltrating them with pretty smiled and the flash of her rose hued eyes, should have been a defining achievement. They let her wander without care, practically gave her the keys to their cold steel and carbon fiber kingdom. Her mother would be proud. Like the dregs of even the sweetest wine, she knew she’d curried her mother’s taste and favor for the unknown and the different. The stories had gone that the first time the midwife placed the little albino child in her arms, she had gazed at her mother without crying and in return her mother had allegedly loved her beyond all reason. Even then, she was a mystery. A quiet baby who saw far more than she ought to have done. Not like her mother, whose face revealed everything. Psy’Daio had always been a dreadful liar; Not Xue. She knew she could have imagined her youth, when she’d been a good, honest girl – sweet and loyal.

Staring at her glowing reflection in the highly shined clear aluminum windows of the ship’s observation lounge, she hardly recognized herself now. She’d rarely smiled when she was little, but now she was a statue; cold and unchanging. It was her mother’s doing, of course. No point in dwelling on there; there was nothing to be done for it, but she was to blame. What choice did she have, really? She’d never have survived being weak and soft like Alira, or so she’d told herself. Yes, her mother had used her and she had used her mother in return. The Empress sending her to Cardassia and then to Enterprise… Xue would have her revenge, and it was yet to be satisfied. Her thoughts, however, were to be quickly scattered and thrown into proverbial drawers as she became acutely aware of the burning of corporeal eyes boring into the delicate bare skin of her back.

The peach, yellow, and egg shell saree she’d been carefully draped in did little to conceal her womanly figure, much to its wanton delight, nor the beautiful lines of faintly glowing spots as she stood in the dim late night lighting of the lounge. At least she wore a nearly ever present hood, hiding her pixie-like face from this new fiend. They were all fiends. Pathetic. Found wanting the minute they looked on at her as if she were some circus animal. It didn’t stop her from shivering, the soft clang of her gold bangles coming together serving as an early warning system as she rested her hands at her sides, the perfect place to put them if she needed to quickly move to defend herself from behind. She didn’t want company, not from any of the boorish creatures the Federation’s ship had to offer, and now she stood all alone having drugged Pal’Maar’s drink in order to give herself a chance at being alone.

Big mistake. Not that she couldn’t defend and protect herself, even at standing barely five-feet in height and weighing all of wet dandelion fluff, but it was to prove to be a big mistake – one she’d soon realize in harrowing detail.

Rattling. The distinct sound of metal impacting metal could be heard echoing through the deserted caverns that lead to the Enterprise’s observations lounge. The clanking slowly grew until a twin pair of olive vulcanoids entered the lounge- except they were not Vulcans. Absent was the harmony of logic etched into their expressions. The tallest of the pair tossed the glowing woman a passing glance showing very little interest while the shorter one gawked until a hand repositioned his gaze. Her jerked nervously, seemed to preen, and then finally looked away sheepishly as a pair of sheathed blades rattled into each other from the loose straps holding them to his back.

“Ihir au uhtra aeivha?” Fveirrolh leaned a bit to peek over Maec’s shoulder at the glowing creature.

While poor Fveirrolh seemed mesmerized Maec’s own expression was a bit more demure. He knew what it was- knew it was one of that spook’s ilk but determined himself to show little interest in it whatsoever. He had read the dossier about her arrival- she was some princess from Tierney’s home world. A gnat on a planet of gnats. Fortunately she had her own guard and Maec was more than content to let her be. What she was doing alone in the lounge was anyone’s guess and an issue that did not involve him. “What were you saying about this earth dish?”

“Ohhhh…” The mention of food reoriented Fveirrolh’s mind and he clapped his hands excitedly “waffuu. It was suggested by the blue creature.” He held two fingers behind his head simulating the antennae of an Andorian “a delicacy I am told. I have looked over the recipe and it seems rather intricate. Would you be interested in sampling this cuisine master?”

“It sounds…strange.” Maec said, imagining this weird dish in his head. No doubt if the Andorian suggested it the dish must lack any flare. He frowned recalling their interactions on the planet and was still at conflict about deciding whether he liked her less than Tierney- the pair of them were a nuisance he had yet to figure out how to properly deal with. Now one of them was seeding poor Fveirrolh’s mind with seditious cuisine. “Perhaps, I can give it a try…”

“Good!” Fveirrolh’s head bobbed happily “I can get started immediately!”

A tiny ear twitched beneath her hood in irritation, the raucous sounds being produced by the men behind her enough to firmly set her on edge and tease her annoyance. Clangs gave way to bangs gave way to rattles and rattles gave way to the snaking hiss of grinding metal on metal. She knew what it was; armor. Lots of it. If Xue hadn't known better, she’d have sworn there was an entire contingent of ornamental Makta foraging behind her like a herd of beasts, grunting and stomping as they huffed about the open plains. The reflection cast in the translucent aluminum windows, however, painted a much different picture – one her odd eyes followed and studied with avid interest, though the rest of her stood like stone.

There were only two of them. One tall and stuck in the gangly phase of youthfulness, the other much shorter and vaguely reminiscent of a yenkukhu with the way his head bobbed to and fro ever so nervously. The tall one feigned disinterest and moved with a self-righteous air of importance that made her smirk, while the shorter one was obviously a lesser being altogether, babbling about food and something about blue aliens while calling the man-colt ‘master’. What Xue’Daio couldn't quite determine was the nature of their origin. There had been only the briefest muttering in a language that wasn't Federation standard, but the servant’s tongue had muddied those waters significantly enough that she couldn't quite pick up on it beyond the fact it wasn't one of the Terran dialects.

She turned, no longer feeling comfortable enough to show them her back, and the big reveal of their genetics left her with an up-swept brow. Romulans. Her little gig playing pretty princess aboard the big giant spaceship couldn't have gotten any worse if it tried. They had pet Romulans. Egotistical, side, green blooded, elf-eared Romulans – and these stunk to the high heavens of man odor like she’d never encountered before. Wrinkling her nose wouldn't have been dignified, nor acceptable in any forum regardless of how offensive the scent of the sweating males happened to be. While a daunting sight, given the Ascendancy’s new found ‘alliance’ with Cardassia, she knew that the filthy creatures could be of use to her in the long run. A lot of use. Two birds with one stone kind of use.

“Waffles.” Xue's voice broke the din, soft and succinct against the bitter sounds of their voices and attire. “Terran dish of iron fried dough with syrup or jam. I know it.” The yenkukhu servant was her target. He’d preened like his namesake the moment he’d seen her standing there, and he hadn't even yet had the blessing of seeing her face. Pretending that he meant something more than just a set of calloused hands ordered about to do his master’s bidding, Xue honed in on her mark – the weakest link that had already shown not one, but two, proverbial chinks in his armor.

‘Master’ was effectively ignored as she covered the ground between herself and the pair of Romulans to stand before the servant. Pal'Maar would have lost his mind the moment she removed her hood and engaged them instead of taking leave with his hulking frame lodged between her and them. Approaching them would have made him come completely unglued. She didn't care and she certainly didn't fear them. They were effectively nothing more than barbaric, emotionally impotent vermin stuck playing a perpetual game of centurions and Caesar. Nothing more. Nothing less. They held no magic, no sorcery, no voodoo – just blades and a never ending dialogue of self-entitlement that would have made most old Terran dictators blanch. At least, she thought, they were pretty to look at with their sage and olive skins and shining onyx manes. Far prettier than the Cardassians.

Shorter than his liege, Fveirrolh was still taller and stronger built than the delicate little princess and while it boiled the pink blood in her veins that she, again, had to look up at the lower class, she did so with a smile. Her slender fingers removed her hood with well-practiced grace, effectively revealing the albino’s large almond shaped pink eyes and the daintily tapered features of her face. Without the dark veil of the hood, the glowing of Xue's mottled skin lessened to more of a passing gleam, ethereal and soft as she blinked and allowed her eyes to adjust to the new level of light afforded to them. “I know it.” She repeated, ever so demure. The game was afoot.

“Waffu.” Fveirrohl’s vain attempt at the pronunciation elicited a scowl from Maec who kept his back towards the Princess. Poor Fveirrolh however was less composed. The Romulan’s eyes had widened into saucers and his expression probably resembled that of a thief who had stumbled upon a treasure trove. It wouldn’t do. Not at all.

Maec’s own expression darkened into a shadow and he intervened before Fveirrolh could fall under the creature’s spell “hfeh'rhe na sienov-a.” Fveirrolh’s gaze broke away from the glowing creature and looked at Maec. He immediately recoiled at the darkness and bowed his head deeply. Retreating away he disappeared into the empty corridor from which they had arrived leaving Maec alone to deal with the glowing monster behind him. “Forgive Fveirrolh- he has duties to attend to.” Maec turned and look at the Princess “quite cultured you are. Though I guess that is to be expected of aristocracy.” There was a slight tinge of mockery in his tone- a sliver of that well-honed arrogance of his people.

The albino canted her head to the right and blinked as she watched the little servant shiver and rescind into the hallway as if he’d been slapped across the face. The action hadn't been there, but the voice and posture said it all. ‘Master’ had displayed his dominance and chased the lesser being off the new toy that hadn't seemed interested in playing with him. Glittering, the bright amber pink of the ’toy’s’ eyes watched Fveirrolh disappear and she didn't return them to the scene of such testosterone induced exuberance until she heard ‘Master’ address her directly.

“Pity.” She replied, slowly bringing him into the focus of her attention. The storm of his dark eyes did very little to intimidate the glowing child of the stars. Though she stood nearly a foot beneath the top of his skull, she was far from troubled by it. Up close she could see that the awkwardness of youth was quickly blossoming into the power that came with manhood, even under his chain mail he seemed to bristle with masculinity – and Xue couldn't have cared less. A single touch of her finger against the bare olive of his skin, and she’d have him dropped to the deck like a bad habit. In fact she wondered whether the electrical charge she could generate would kill a Romulan or not. After all, the copper in their verdant blood was so much more conductive than the iron running through hers… Or one of those feeble bodied humans. Part of her was curious enough to find out right then and there, protected by her diplomatic immunity and the fact there were no witnesses she’d likely get away with it without so much as a second glance in her direction.

Her fingers twitched as he spoke again, this time, she couldn't help put allow her lips to quirk into the wriest of smiles. He was toying with her and she didn't appreciate it. “A noble having knowledge of other cultures is important, yes.” Xue nodded in mild agreement, her hands coming to fold together in front of her. “More people outside of the aristocratic population of this universe would do well to learn themselves a thing or two about such things.” She added, slowly lacing sweet imperceptible poison into her own words. There was more to this Romulan than met the naked eye.

“Why bother people with triviality? The peasants should be left to tend their fields not their minds as much as weak Empires should know their place in this universe.” A dark expression deepened the shadow over his face as his lips coiled into a callous smile that seemed to lower the room temperature by a few degrees. “You are quite different than Tierney- that creature is aloof. Foolish. Weak. You…” His voice drifted iciness- but he could sense it in her. A feral ferocity kin to that of a hnoiyoka. Her lips imparted something else but her eyes betrayed the truth. He was intimidated- slightly, but enough to deploy that veneer of ice he had long honed into an art. “A vicious creature resides in your soul. I can sense a dark and brooding stench around you, Princess, one so strong that your flowery words are having difficulty masking it.” A smirk played out as his eyes carefully watched her.


-- to be continued in part II --

Arrain Maec i'Ahaefvthe tr'Verelan
Chief of Security & Tactical
Exchange Officer
USS Enterprise

&

Xue'Daio Nox
Crowned Princess of the Stenellian Ascendancy
Lady of Aleine
Regent of Apsha
Stenellian Ambassador to the Federation