JP Lt. JG Rhodium Wells, Cmdr. Avander Promontory, Lt. Jack Kessler, Lt. Cmdr. Nesre Salo, Lt. Cmdr. V'Len Kel - The Trilldorian Upgrade Bacchanalia Part 2
Joel Cannistraro
((Lumina Coves Ecological Retreat, Lolagi IV))
V’Len turned and gave Nesre a warm hug while Avander made his way over, which was returned in kind. It was always a little awkward when Jack was around. At one time they had both had feelings for Nesre Salo and had been enthusiastic competitors for her attention. Now V’Len thought of Nesre as more of a trusted friend, but perhaps not completely so.
Rhodium glanced over curiously, as a young man approached, but the curiosity shifted to suspicion and a vague recognition. Her grey eyes narrowed in calculation as she tried to place why the man looked familiar. Where had she…?
Wells: ::to Nesre, lightly conversational, though her eyes remain fixed on Avander:: I do enjoy a party. Getting out and seeing more of the galaxy this century has already been a great deal of fun. Tell me…do you find the resort agréable? Or perhaps… too humid? ::gesturing at the dense botanical displays around them::
Salo: I find it quite enjoyable. I’ve never been bothered by humidity, really.
V’Len smiled, He really needed to take Nesre to Ferenginar some time. He had spent a shore leave there and to say it was humid was an understatement.
Perhaps that was because where she had been born and raised on Orion was quite humid. She was used to it, even though it seemed to bother certain other humanoids. For Cardassians, such an environment was ideal, though even they liked it warmer than Nesre did.
Jack had not seen Avander since he left for the Ronin and this was another great surprise even for him. Together with V’Len and Nesre, the four had served aboard the Ouamuamua and the Butler together. As Avander stepped up Jack reached out to shake hands with his former shipmate.
Kessler: Avander, how have you been?
Jack was not the only one familiar with the Intelligence officer. Nesre smiled at the familiar face, one whom she had not seen since his transfer which occurred alongside the relaunch of the Thor where his brother had taken the chair.
Salo: Hello again, Avander.
Promontory: Nesre.
Avander gave the green counselor a small head nod before grabbing Jack and embracing him in a bear hug.
Promontory: Jack!
He broke off from hug to give the man of the hour a more formal, but still warm handshake.
Kel: ::giving Avander a firm handshake:: It’s good to see you Avander. I was just at the Academy leading a class with your brother. A very serious fellow I’d say.
Avander gave a sly smile at the invocation of his three-quarters brother. The older Promontory had a lot going on.
Trake Promontory probably needed to be serious given his role as Captain of the USS Thor. V’Len had served briefly on the Thor out of the academy. It had been severely damaged and had been undergoing refit for some time. It was good to hear it was back in action.
Wells merely leaned one shoulder against a sculpted pillar, arms crossed, looking like she was narrowing down a calculation in her head. Under her breath she hummed a few notes of a very very old Earth song, trying to place a thread of familiar resonance in the long, long memory characteristic of her people.
Wells: ::half humming, almost under breath:: Oh neon angel…hmm mmm. Every wandering soul, every lonely one, still learning how to grow beneath a borrowed sun…
Tilting her head, Nesre caught bits of the words, though the song was not familiar with her. Turning to the biologist, she smiled again and leaned over to murmur softly to the woman.
Salo: It’s hard being someone amongst a group of people who are friends and haven’t seen each other for a while.
She glanced over at V’Len and arched an eyebrow. He had introduced her to Wells, and likely would do so again.
Kessler: ::nodding slowly in agreement:: It really is.
Rhodium gave them a wink and a subtle shake of blond head as if to say “All is well”. In truth, the El-Aurian appeared to rather enjoy the listening and people watching.
Promontory: And who might this be?
Besides and beyond the excitement of seeing his old friends, something, or rather, someone, else had grabbed his attention
Kel: Avander Promontory this is Rhodium Wells, our xenobotanist. I believe you may share some ancestry.
Shared ancestry? Probably not-on the human side–that must be what Avander had sensed–he was in the presence of another El-Aurian.
And there, the Trilldorian proved Nesre right.
Wells: ::a quick sharp, glance at Kel:: That is a shrewd guess. Promontory…Avander Promontory does not immediately resonate…::tapping finger to chin:: But Kel is right, there is something about you that…:: light inhale:: seems familiar.
Jack eyed Wells and Promontory as the exchange started between he two and leaned over to Nesre very slightly and chuckled.
Kessler: Never a dull moment with the whole gang around.
Salo: Are you complaining?
V’Len grabbed a drink from a passing waiter and stood back to listen to the continued conversation. It was nice to have So many people together who he hadn’t seen in some time.
He wasn’t, she knew that, and it was good to see old friends again. While Nesre loved her crew with whom she currently served, she missed those who had gone down different paths. V’Len was on the Ronin, as was Jack, and Avander was on Deep Space 14. That was life, but she always appreciated the opportunity to spend time with those whom she cared about.
Promontory: ‘Promontory’ is my human ancestor’s name. My El-Aurian Grandfather was Endic. Do you know him? He was born on Sol III circa 1980 on the old calendar.
Wells: Ahh…Endic’s grandchild? That would make me your great, great, great…well that is a bit much, no? Rhodium will do. Aunty in a pinch.
Jack was grinning at the thought of Avander calling Wells ‘Aunty’. He glanced over to his former crewmate and gave Avander a slap on the shoulder.
V’Len looked between Rhodium and Avander. The El-Aurian people had a storied and fascinating history. Even after centuries they remained vivacious and energetic. He doubted that either he or Jack could keep up with Aunty Rhodium for long.
Kessler: Ah, you have an Aunty that you didn’t tell us about?
Salo: Ah, an El-Aurian then?
Or half of one. That explained some of the ‘strange’ behaviour that she witnessed.Were they really related, however?
Avander gave his friends a half shrug. He had lots of Aunties they didn’t know about. In fact, after the diaspora, younger El-Aurians tended to call all other older members of their species ‘auntie’ or ‘uncle.’ It was more often than not somewhat literal as well as honorific and Avander sensed that that was the case here.
Avander did some quick counting. Blood-aunts were sisters of parents, great-aunts sisters of grandparents. Two more greats meant the sister of his great great grandfather or, in other words, his grandfather Endic’s grandfather. That could actually make her quite old, but Avander would have to go back and look at his own family tree. Before the family was on Earth they were on the home work and records from there got a little hinky after the Assimilation.
Promontory: Yes, It’s a big universe, but gets smaller when two El-Aurians meet.
He gave his newly discovered relation a slight bow.
Rhodium stepped forward, reached up with both hands to gently frame his face, stretched up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on her great great great nephew's forehead.
Wells: ::warmly:: So very good to meet you, chéri. Already my association with the Ronin and Commander Kel has brought me good fortune. How do you know this fascinating creature?
V’Len was not sure how he felt about being a fascinating creature, but he’d been called worse.
Promontory: My first assignment out of the fleet, on the ‘Oumuamua.
It was turning out to be quite a reunion.
As Wells continued to speak to Avander and V’Len, Jack turned slightly to Nesre and smiled very slightly as their eyes met.
Kessler: It’s so great to see you. How have you been doing? I know our correspondence tries to fill in the gaps but I feel like I have missed so much with you and Krsytal.
Nesre smiled a little. Jack had given the choice of where to go to Krystal, and Nesre had agreed in order to lessen the change. Over the last couple of years, the child had endured a lot of trauma, and while Jack was family, the stability of a place to call home seemed far more paramount. Looking back, however, Nesre wondered if that had been a wise decision. Regardless, it was done, and the counsellor would do whatever she could to help Krystal, and Jack.
Salo: It’s hard not seeing you in person, but I’m glad for an extra excuse to visit.
They tried, but scheduling was difficult, more so than Nesre would have liked. That was how things were, though, and as much stability as she tried to give Krystal, she also understood that Starfleet was not the most stable environment. Yet, there were no other family members, and sending her to foster care would have been even more traumatic. Of that, at least, Nesre was certain.
Kessler: I can imagine and I am so thankful that you are there. I am not sure the Ronin would be the best for her.
At that admittance, Nesre arched an eyebrow. Why would the Ronin have been any different? From what she’d heard, Niac was an exemplary Captain. V’Len was familiar to Krystal, and Jack was there. As much as she wanted to ask, Nesre made a note to do so later, in a more private setting.
Salo: Well, all things considered, she’s doing well.
Avander eyed the Trilldorian slyly.
Promontory: A lot of bad influences on the Ronin, eh?
Wells: ah, but bad influence is Kel’s middle name. No? And speaking of…::somehow snagged four champagne glasses from a passing server:::
Now V’Len spoke up.
Kel: I’m a very good influence thank you. Just look how well Jack turned out.
Jack looked back over to V’Len and chuckled. He had not meant for his statement to be taken in that context and a faint laugh hefted forth as he tried to explain.
Kessler: No, no. Not the crew buddy. Just meaning that being in the Alpha Isles probably isn’t the best place for a teenager on a starship.
If he was honest V’Len was unsure if it was the best place for adults, but still Kirsty had made work her ward. That mean it was at least possible. Toryn had his kids aboard as well.
Not that being in the Gamma quadrant had been much better when she first arrived. Jack’s parents and Krystal had gone missing after a horrific Zet attack on the USS Caboto. Now his sister resided aboard the Butler with Nesre to whom he had asked a great amount from while he took on this role on the Ronin. It was more than he should have asked and he wanted to show Nesre how much he appreciated all that she was doing for his sister.
Salo: Perhaps. She’s doing all right where she is at least.
All right for someone who had gone through all she had. She was not fully healed, and Nesre knew Krystal would bear the scars for the rest of her life, but that didn’t mean she couldn't live a full, productive life and thrive. It would just take time.
Promontory: Not all ships allow families. And a little stability is probably helpful too.
The girl had already been through quite a lot.
The El-Aurian had gone quiet, her head tilted slightly as though she were listening very carefully to the conversation and the conversation beneath the surface, taking in the information about what she assumed was a human child.
Wells: ::speaking slower and less flippantly than she had previously, looking to Jack:: I’m sorry for what you and your kin have been through. Children are all different, but resilient like no other substance in this universe. They bend, they adapt… they survive in ways we cannot predict. She will tell you what she needs… when she is ready. ::flicking her own earlobe:: When she does, you must only… listen.
Silence held for a breath. Then Jack broke it.
Kessler: OK, ok. Change in conversation. ::glancing to Avander:: Been in touch with Moira recently?
Jack threw a wink to Avander and let a sly grin creep across his lips at the mention of someone he and Avander had met during shore leave last year. Someone Jack was for sure Avander would have gone back to see a time or two.
Salo: Moira?
Kel: ::smiling:: Who’s Moira?
Wells: ::ears perked slightly, playful again:: Mm… that was some interesting inflection you put into that name, non?
Promontory: (stammering) I… uh… I’ve been busy…
Pausing a moment to consider the many adventures they had been on, Nesre knew that was one she hadn’t been present for.
Salo: Was that when the Vineyard owner was killed?
That answer, at least, had a much more straight-forward answer and Avander was relieved for the shift in the conversation.
Promontory: It was!
[TBC]
Science Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
R240107T14
&
Cmdr. Avander Promontory
Intelligence Officer
Quadrant Chief
Deep Space 14
O239910AP4
&
Lieutenant Jack Kessler
Chief Tactical/Security Officer
USS Ronin
T239901JK1
&
Lt. Commander Nesre Salo
Counsellor
USS Octavia E. Butler
M239008AD0
&
Commander V’Len Kel
Chief Science Officer, Second Officer
USS Ronin NCC-34523
T239811VK2