JL | LtCMDR Hunter, Princess Xue'Daio Nox - "When The Bough Breaks"

Posted on 241503.16 @ 2:21pm by Civilian Xue'Daio Nox

Mission: Holy Cow

Klaxons blared, the ship rocked, and deep in the nighttime darkness of one of the diplomatic suites a single amber eye opened, peered out from under their blankets, and shut. The body that eye belonged to muttered something in a language other than Standard, quick and harsh with no small amount of frustration and colorful flourishes as it threw the blankets off shortly after the last volley.

The hallways were alive with people as the muttering, silk robe clad albino took to them with resentment hot on her lips. She hurried, not away from the saucer section, but towards it. It had only taken her a day or so to learn the lay out of the vessel, an eidetic memory came in handy that way. To say that Xue'Daio was pissed off would have been the understatement of the century. She was living, hot, and piping raging mad. Her sleep had been disturbed and that was enough to send her over the edge of the deep end when it came right down to it. "You! Commander! What is the meaning of such a disturbance?" She bellowed.

Adrianna was on her way to check on her son, "Your grace, if you are will to follow me, so I can check on someone, I will be willing to answer your questions, but right now, I have higher priorities than a disturbed slumber."

"You have a lot of..." Xue stilled her tongue, "Of course. Priorities are priorities. We can discuss my grievances after you've... checked on your someone."

Briskly walking, almost running down the corridors, Adrianna finally came to her door, on opening them she heard her little boy screaming. Searching frantically she finally found her son with the programmed nanny. With a sigh of relief seeing he was ok she reached out and held him close in her arms, lovingly, "Shh, it's ok Matthias, Mummy's here now."

Keeping up with the mud-haired human was a small feat, but she refused to jog or walk faster than her irritated gliding. Forcing her to do more than that would have simply made her free fall into a form of disgruntled anger that wouldn't have brought about a happy end for either one of them. She stood, clasping her hands in front of her as she watched what should have been considered a touching scene between mother and child. Xue only saw the next generation of the weak and feeble as they openly wept and screamed in their mother's arms. He was, however, precious. For as cold was the Stenellis Princess was, she still somehow managed to harbor a maternal instinct strong enough to quell her rage... For the moment. "I take it your son is unharmed? Scared?" She asked, looking the whelp over with almost concerned eyes.

"This is his first ship," Adrianna replied as Matthias started to quieten down as she rocked him, holding him close, "He's fine, probably frightened. Anyway, to answer your question, I'm afraid when you joined us, we were on a mission, that of course we have to see through. Unfortunately it had to come to arms. We sustained a few hits, obviously. This was not our fault, and you won't be the only one who had a rude awakening."

"Frightened." Xue nodded, "but not hurt." A careful eye watched the infant hide against his mother's chest. Her wn mother would never have allowed such a thing. Coddling was considered growing and conjuring weakness and a ruler must never be weak, according to the woman. Even the Makta Caste, warriors that could rival the Klingons in their aggression, when provoked that is, were often seen loving on their children and bestowing affection as if it were going out of season. It was a strange thing, so foreign to the albino. "Oh I'm sure of that." She answered with a huff. "You should install some kind of preliminary warning so we're not thrown from our beds without so much as a... a..." Tiredly her mind spun as she sought the word, snapping her fingers in a slow circle. "A... Taba... How do you people say it... Word! Yes. Without a word."

"If we had the ability to see into the future," the woman replied, "I think we would have avoided this situation in general."

"Certainly you can tell when someone is being hostile." Xue shot back, flustered.

"Doesn't mean they will attempt to fire," Adrianna replied, "a shot, that knowingly won't be lethal, would be stupid to fire, in the knowledge that the person would be out gunned by us."

"How about you just come across your com systems saying that there's a potentially hostile situation and to prepare accordingly? I know your people on Earth warn about bad weather whether it comes or not. Storm watches or warnings or whatever it is that you call them. We do the same for the big ocean storms that come across." The Princess fired back with a heavy sigh. "The maybe less people would be injured by falling out of bed."

"It would also cause widespread panic, which can cause more harm than good," Adrianna replied handing the baby back to the virtual nanny and leading Xue out of the nursery, "For some, who work day shifts for example, they would have needed sleep, so if nothing came about of the shots, then our shift would not be running efficiently come their shifts."

The Albino's large pink eyes rolled in their sockets and her silvery brows knit tight in a scowl, "Ridiculous. There has to be some sort of warning. Being thrown about without one could cause unnecessary injury that could ruin your efficiency anyway." She muttered, pensive as she tucked her hair behind her ears and followed the woman back into the main living area of her suite. Loosened from it's normal braids and elaborate fixings, the woman's mane trailed behind her. Step backwards, and she'd likely had trod on it to some painful and awkward result, and it only served as further proof of her mid-slumber harassment.

"Life in Starfleet is one where you must always expect the unexpected," Adrianna said, "All I can tell you, is welcome on board the USS Enterprise, this is what being on an adventure is. Now if you don't mind, I have to get an away team together and salvage what is left of our crew on the ground." The acting XO barely gave a chance for the princess to reply as she headed out the door of her quarters.

"Komoul, ferji eranko." (Run, foul beast) The Princess hissed as the XO disappeared from sight and cast a quick, sharp glance in the direction of the man-whelp's now silent bedroom before departing on her own. If she were a lesser creature, one with little impulse control or decorum, they'd all be dead and rotting in their ridiculous uniforms and helpless little starship as it plummeted towards a black hole, never to be seen again. Lucky for them, Xue could bide her time knowing her little recon mission had barely begun. Barely.

---

Lieutenant Commander Adrianna Hunter
Acting Executive Officer
USS Enterprise

&

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