The Kital Bunch

[Nijil tr'Korjata 0]

The Kital Bunch

Jylliene, Annisha, and Nijil

 

Midday turned into late afternoon at the Kital’s. Never in so many years has the playground had such a workout. Nijil watched Annisha climb, jump, and play for close to two hours now. No playmate of course, but every so often she would repeat a name or two; Romulan names. He needed to remember to send a message to Aegis regarding the names. With not a care in the galaxy, Nijil was content to let her play.

 

The weary engineer swirled the bubbly brew around in the green-hued glass. The ale tasted light and airy. It traveled across his taste buds with the same satisfaction of lying in the lounge chair watching the sunset. However, something, or someone, was missing. Jylliene had not made a sound for a good half hour. She was not there. Instead, her parents seemingly flanked him; Mother on the right, Father on the left. Had they covertly studied him? No sooner had thoughts of Jylliene’s parents crossed Nijil’s mind did a blur race towards him.

 

“Nijil!” the Rihan girl shouted as she jumped.

 

“Ow,” Nijil cried, having the wind knocked out of him. A single tear ran down his cheek. Annisha’s jump landed her squarely in Nijil’s lap.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked.

 

“Oh,” he said gratingly. “I’m fine. Are you finished playing?” He closed his eyes from the pain.

 

“Yes. I jumped, climbed, ran, hung, and swung...all kinds of things.” Annisha had a real glint in her eye. “I’m worn out. Can I rest here?”

 

He grinned. “Sure. I’m not going anywhere.” Before she got her answer, she tucked her head against his chest. She closed her eyes and smiled.

 

Lanyi glanced over and saw the girl’s rhythmic breathing indicating that Annisha had fallen asleep. “She played hard,” she commented.

 

“Annisha has not played since being on the station,” Nijil said in a hushed tone.

 

“So you knew her on the station? How did she come to be rescued on your way here?” she asked, gazing at Nijil.

 

Najin glanced at his wife. Interrogating a Romulan, he mused inwardly, with the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes. A strange situation they found themselves in, but then, Jylliene had not been one to do things in the expected way since leaving the preparations for symbiotic joining. That this man would be her apparent love should not, in that sense, be a surprise.

 

The officer in him thought for a moment. “She rescued herself at a most improbable time. She stole a small cargo ship.” He let the answer hang in the air a bit, as he remembered the events.

 

She peered at him quizzically. “But how did she get from the station to a place where she would steal a cargo ship to escape?”

 

“A slick couple posing as adopters took her off of the Romulan government’s hands on the station. They prepared their backgrounds very well. But...part of it was when Annisha asked me if I would watch after her I said I was too busy.” He felt ashamed at that revelation, but it was true. “They took her to their ship and implanted a control device en route. They used her to mine highly valued crystals. She could crawl into dark places expensive machines could not.”

 

“What happens next?” she asked.

 

“I complete the paperwork to adopt her, make her a space to sleep in my quarters., then report to the Captain my findings. I intend to raise her as my own, even though I’ve not imagined having a child of my own until recently.” He had not thought so far ahead. Now he was.

 

“It looks like you already have her, whether formally or not,” she commented, gazing forward. “I will say this,” she continued. “Even those who think they are prepared for a child find that there are things that they did not consider. Perhaps knowing at the outset that you may not be as fully prepared as you could be is not a weakness, but an asset.” Pausing for a moment, she asked, “Where does this leave my daughter?”

 

Nijil audibly cleared his throat at the question. “She’s a very capable woman, patient, smart...bit of a temper. We have not been dating for very long, but enjoy each other’s company. I am a bit struck by her interest in a simple Rihan engineer. I am not a high-ranking officer, not particularly charismatic...a bit of an outcast by many Rihan standards. I… we need each other’s comfort and strength.” He paused, wondering if he answered the question. “I guess to answer your question; I do intend to ask her for a bonding, but only with your approval.”

 

Najin quirked a slight grin at the mention of Jylliene’s temper, then spoke up. “None of us ever do understand it,” he ventured as he took a sip of his ale. Considering the man as a possible son-in-law - well, he was nothing like who Najin expected his daughter to take an interest in, and at the same time, exactly what he expected; perhaps the better thought was that he was exactly what Najin expected, but in a different appearance.

 

Lanyi started to speak, but stopped as she saw Najin give her a calm look. “You have shown much initiative in arranging this journey, in wishing to present it, as I understand, as a surprise to our daughter. You seem to be taking on the responsibilities and sacrifices of a family already… and you seem to have won over our daughter. She has not asked our approval of anything she’s done since leaving Trill; but in this, she would have it,” he said, leveling his gaze at the Romulan beside him.

 

Lanyi glanced at Najin, but nodded slightly; she looked at the sleeping child in Nijil’s lap, and then returned her eyes forward.

 

 

Nijil stared ahead. “Hann'yyo. I don’t know what her answer would be as it feels too soon to ask.” Their answer was a great comfort and lifted a weight off his shoulders. Now, something in his pocket reminded him of something else he wanted to ask. He squirmed and contorted to reach into his pocket and pull out the ring found on the small cargo container back on the station. He stretched out his hand toward Lanyi. “This was in my parents’ possessions back on Romulus.”

 

Lanyi accepted the ring and glanced at it briefly, then more intently, as she saw the writing. “I recognize the Trill script - the other is Romulan, yes?”

 

“Correct,” Nijil answered. “The Rihan portion is: ‘Only the Brave Love.’”

 

The woman nodded. “As is the Trill,” she stated. “What would something with a Trill inscription be doing out there?” she asked curiously.

 

He shook his head. “I was never told about this ring. I did some digging and it’s not my mother’s ring size, nor my sister’s.”

 

“Someone farther back, perhaps?” she asked, the researcher in her emerging at the mystery. Najin grinned slightly as he sipped his drink.

 

“No one I know. If only I could speak with my mother, but she is either missing or dead. At any rate, it is a nice ring. Jylliene has seen it, but I think I will offer it to her later.”

 

Lanyi nodded, and then paused. “Offer a ring…?” she peered at Nijil. “I thought you felt it too early for that?” Najin took a very long sip of his drink.

 

The revelation hit him just then. “I mean later… much later, but not too long.” Nijil face palmed himself. “Thanks for the translation.” Annisha moved around in Nijil’s lap. She had become a very toasty sleeping girl.

 

Lanyi nodded. “When you do find out, I’d be interesting in knowing.”

 

“I will let you know.” He looked down at the girl fast asleep. “Having Annisha here reminded me of something your daughter said. She would have adopted Annisha had I not, however…”

 

Lanyi looked at the girl, then back up at Nijil.

 

“A lot of the paperwork seemed to consider bonded couples more suitable as adopters. We may adopt this girl together if my qualifications are not enough.”

Najin gazed at his drink. “I know you said you were considering asking her for bonding later...but make very sure that you do not end up rushing to a decision you might not otherwise have made.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“Now then,” he said, standing, “Maybe we should see where Jyll has gotten to. You can lay Annisha down, and we can have some dinner.”

 

 

Alternate Trill/Romulan Ring Inscriptions

 

She read, “One ring to rule them all…”

She read, “Winner of the ch’Rihan cookie bake-off of 2317”

She read, “Sunday Sunday Sunday!”

She read, “Made in ch’Rihan.”

She read, “WWJD?”

She read, “I’m Too Sexy for This Ring”

She read, “I fell into a burning ring of fire”

She read, “Over hill over dale our love will ever fail.”

She read, “99.95% silver plated over nickel, guaranteed hypoallergenic”

She read, “Romulan Military Academy, Class of 2300.”

She read, “Not to be used internally.”

She read, “Did you find the other one?”

She read, “This message will self-destruct in 30 seconds.”

She read, “I liked it, so I put a ring on it.”

She read, “+10 to FABULOUS!”

She read, “If you can read this, you’re too close.”

She read, “Wherever you go, there you are.”

She read, “Authentic Super-Rihan decoder ring!”

She read, “The only thing that will last longer than their love is this ring.”

She read, “Remember the Alamo!”