Lt. Jona ch'Ranni - BACKSIM: Chill of the Wind, Part 3

[Jona ch'Ranni]

((Ranni Clan, New Sheras, Andoria))

((Three days after arriving on Andoria))

::Jona padded barefoot into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He stretched his lanky frame to work out the kinks of sleeping on an unfamiliar bed and smiled at Vexa who was sitting at the table with a steaming cup of srjula tea. He poured himself a cup and sat next to her.::

ch'Ranni: Morning. Been up long?

zh'Lev: About an hour. ::smiling impishly:: Mir had some wonderfully embarrassing stories to tell about you.

ch'Ranni: ::in mock horror:: Surely not!

zh'Lev: Your first day of school.

ch'Ranni: She loves telling that one. Gods, that was the worst day.

zh'Lev: And the time you fell from the ice sculpture in the clan square? How did you manage to end up naked?

ch'Ranni: That was not my fault. It was ... unavoidable.

zh'Lev: ::patting his cheek:: I'm sure it was, Jona. Now, what's on the schedule for today?

ch'Ranni: Lunch with Nota and Vorka. And then I thought I might show you one of my favorite museums in the city.

zh'Lev: Sounds nice. I can't wait.

((Timeskip: Two hours later))

Vorka: So there we were, facing the business end of a Nausicaan warship. I banked the ship hard to port and cut behind a slew of asteroids. We used a modified tractor beam to scoop up one of the large ones. ::The aging Andorian used his fork, in-between bites of food, to illustrate the path of the ship:: Then we slung it around in a wide arc, accelerating it as it went. Smashed those pirates right in the engineering deck. COM-pletely destroyed their ability to manuever. Let me tell you something, Little Miss, they were a lot nicer when Nota re-established the comm-link with them.

zh'Lev: ::patiently:: I can imagine. 

Vorka: And then there was the time we had a Tholian cruiser try to tear through our supply convoy...

ch'Ranni: Dad? Dad ... hold on a minute. I think Vexa has heard enough of your stories for right now. There will be time later to talk more.

Vorka: Hmmph.

zh'Lev: ::grinning:: Vorka, tonight I promise. I want to hear about those Tholians.

Vorka: Fine, fine. ::He stopped to look at his son before taking another bite from his plate.:: So, Jona, still in Starfleet?

ch'Ranni: Yes. A full lieutenant now. I'm serving as the Assistant Chief of Operations aboard the USS Columbia.

Vorka: Lieutenant? Took me three years to make that rank. And Operations you say? Well, its close to piloting at least.

ch'Ranni: I served as the Helmsman for nearly a year before taking on this assignment. ::beat:: Starfleet's been good to me. I've learned a lot.

Vorka: ::grunting:: Well, you were always one to make your own choices. ::turning to Vexa:: Wouldn't listen to a word we said.

ch'Ranni: I'm happy with my choices. ::looking sideways to Vexa:: All of them.

Vorka: Well, I suppose ... if you hadn't run off to Starfleet you wouldn't have brought this pretty young thing home for a visit.  Here, have some more tuber root.

zh'Lev: Thank you. Your family has been so hospitable these last few days. I can't believe we have to head back to the Sagittarius Reach tomorrow. It feels like we just got here.

::Jona smiled sadly and looked at his two parents sitting across the table from them.::

ch'Ranni: Listen you two. I know that you may not have always agreed with my pursuing a Starfleet career. But please remember, I'll always love you and nothing will change that. Maybe some day you'll understand my reasons.

Nota: ::nudging Vorka in the ribs:: Go on, tell him!

::Vorka gave his wife a dirty look and then stood up from the old belayla wood table. He stepped over to a cabinet and fiddled with the metal latch until it popped open. He retrieved a single PADD and handed it to his waiting son.::

Vorka: Here. You should read it on your trip back to the Columbia.

ch'Ranni: What is it?

Vorka: The ramblings of an old man. Communiques that I recorded over the last four years but didn't send to you. I was too caught up in what Spel and Mir wanted for you. I couldn't defy them. But now ... I don't care.

::Jona moved his thumb to the activation switch.::

Vorka: I said read it on your way home! Not before.

::Jona's eyes met his father's gaze and for the barest second he could see the pain and regret that filled the man's soul. The younger man gave a short nod of mutual understanding and set the electronic device on the table top.::

Vorka: Well, then. ::beat:: Where are you two off to this cold afternoon?

((TBC))

--

Lt. Jona ch'Ranni

Assistant Chief of Operations

USS Columbia (NCC-85279)

C239510JC0