A Father's Revelation

[Nijil tr'Korjata 0]

 

A Father's Revelation

 

A Jylliene and Nijil Night Before Production

 

“You look tired Nijil,” Annisha said to the weary engineer. He did not speak as they walked through the midway back to his quarters. They were minus one person. Jylliene had an errand to run and would be running late. A relaxing walk alone with his new daughter provided the perfect venue to get to know her better. Her intelligence started to become a thing of legend to his small group of engineer friends. However she was still a ten year old Rihan girl; giggles and all.

Nijil answered after a time. “I am really very tired. Lots of cleanup and repairs. You were the real star today.” He rubbed her head. “You saw the faulty thermostat which caused the freak snow. Now I would have found it, eventually, but you saved me hours of time. Wait, speaking of time I need to run to a crafting shop on the midway. Looks like we are going to be late.” He smiled at Annisha.

Arriving at Nijil’s quarters, Jylliene entered the code and stepped inside, then stopped suddenly as she saw people within. “Jolan tru -” she greeted, a puzzled expression on her face.

Niilan, his father, had his back to the door, then turned, looking equally puzzled. “Jolan tru. Just who are you to have access to my son’s quarters?” He looked her up and down..

“Your son? I thought - Elements - Nijil is going to - I’m sorry; I’m Lieutenant Jylliene Kital. I’m his -” Elements. What do I say? What will they say? “- His consort.”

“Consort? Ah yes. His sister mentioned you after she found out. I’m Niilan. By the spots and stubby ears a non-Rihan.” His expression did not change. Voices could be heard in the other room, but she could not see.

“Ie, rekkhai,” she replied, expressing respect for the man. “I am of Trill.”

“Trill...how coincidental, nevermind. Nijil has not arrived with...Annisha is it? Sit I will get some tea.” A table sat in the corner with a teapot and cups. He filled two cups from the brew within, turned, then headed to sit in a chair next to her.

Jylliene took a seat, wondering if this was how Nijil had felt meeting her parents. She recalled the holosuite program, the farm, the appearance of Nijil’s mother within. “Hann’yyo,” she said, accepting the cup.

“You thought we were dead did you not?” He asked simply. The sounds of cooking could be heard from the other room.

She nodded. “Of course, there was hope that we might be wrong, but such wishes fade over time. I am glad to see we were wrong,” she said, with a smile.

“Nijil is to thank for us being alive. All four of us. His salvage yard shuttle got us off of Romulus at the very last moment. The fusion cells were dead though, I had spares. The transport with the tractor beam also had a significant role.” He smiled, relieved to just be alive.

She smiled, remembering the shuttle ride in the holosuite.

Sipping from his cup. “Have you both set a stardate so we can attend?”

A date? Wha- OH! “We have not made any official decision. We just returned from a trip to Trill for him to meet my parents,” she said.

Amazed, “He’s not even asked yet? I hope I did not raise a fool, and now you are in the same hot-seat, meeting his.”

She smiled. “There has been quite a lot happening. We have discussed things, but it just hasn’t come to that kind of decision yet,” she replied, calmly.

He laughed loudly. “You’ve not met my wife Barissa yet. I’m the easy one.” He sipped from his cup again.

“Then it seems much like what Nijil likely felt with my own parents,” she mused. “Hopefully he will be along soon. I’m not sure what would be keeping him, unless it snowed in the Children’s Center again…” She pondered the possibility.

“Children’s Center? I heard he has adopted a Rihan girl? I would have never thought.” Niilan looked into the distance.

She nodded. “Annisha is a delight, and quite fond of Nijil, and he of her. She’s very bright, inquisitive - we both adore her,” Jylliene replied with a look of affection.

“He’d never expressed an interest in children, let alone a family. It seems the Great Fire has changed many things.” Niilan chuckled. “Nijil knew enough to warn us about the Breen danger. Set up a pirate receiver for military channels. Had us prepare a small cargo container. Did he get one?”

‘Yes, and there was the oddest thing inside - a ring with matching inscriptions in Trill and Rihan?” Jylliene said, a quizzical look on her face.

Nijil’s father thought it would take much longer to get to that topic. “The ring. It was his biological mother’s ring.” His expression turned solemn. “His parents died in a shuttle crash on our farm. They were chased by Tal Shiar. Nijil was onboard, he was only months old. Barissa and I suspect he doesn’t know. Do you remember me saying ‘coincidental’? She too was Trill. How the universe is strange.”

Jylliene nodded, her expression taking on more surprise than she had shown upon entering Nijil’s quarters. “That’s...quite a revelation,” she said.

“I suspect it is.” He looked at Jylliene.” We had to have some genetic masking put in place so the Tal Shiar would not find him later through state records. How many Rihan/Trill couplings could there possibly be?”

“Well, another, now, I suppose,” she said.

“Oh, are you expecting?” He grinned, thinking she was not. “Don’t tell his sister, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

Jylliene chuckled. “No, no, not yet,” she answered. Where in Elements is Nijil?

From the back came another voice. “Niilan! Who are you talking to out there? Dinner is nearly ready.”

Quietly he spoke to Jylliene. “My wife...”

Acknowledging with a nod, Jylliene took a breath and whispered, “She would meet me sooner or later. It might as well be now.”

“As we say on the farm, sometimes you just have to plow through it.” Just as Niilan got up, the door opened. A little girl of only 10 years stood in front of a weary Engineer. On the opposite side of the room Jentela and Barissa came out to see what the hold up was all about.

Jylliene turned and smiled. “Annisha!” she greeted warmly, then looked up to Nijil. “There you are, e’lev. We were just talking about you,” she said, with a teasing grin spreading across her face.

“Jolan tru,” Annisha said in an excited voice. “Who are all of these people?” Her eyes were as wide as her expression.

“Nijil’s family,” Jylliene replied.