Prani/Prani Meets Chirakis

[Nijil tr'Korjata 0]

Prani

Nijil tr'Korjata

Th'Prani'Liloo. 

Her friends just called her Prani. Now, centuries later, she had no friends. The people on Sky Harbor Aegis were overwhelmingly friendly, but until a short time ago no one knew she was here. Her closest friend of the last few years died long ago. The research outpost may still be around, but it only needed to be functional in the distant past. She could not affect the past, so she had to look at her future. Their future.

Occupying Nijil's body at first was extremely disorienting. Organs and structure were basically the same. The gender was unexpectedly male. The odds always remained 50/50, but she had hoped another woman would be on the other end of the experiment. Another fellow engineer made up for it. meaning he had access to similar equipment and technology. The paths her people and this Federation took bore some similarities as well as differences. Scientists here had no method to generate a wormhole, precise or not. The mind transference technology, while similar to the matter transportation devices, medical science only just walked that path.

The switch went wrong. Prani walking around as Nijil succeded just as it had forty-six times before, but there was no return trip on the forty-seventh. "I'm an engineer, not an actor, no matter how good a show I put on," Prani thought. Thoughts of the experiment going too far crossed and double-crossed her mind. What was it? The cooking? Wait, the braids? He'd not likely know how to do that for his daughter, at least not typically. In the end the pressure of lying to these people just got to her. It was not in her nature and keeping something as big as "hey, I'm not your bondmate," proved to be a burden too heavy to carry.

Why was she not in a cell yet? Not as if she could take a shuttle home. Home is here, more or less, just the wrong time. A time so distant that the stars were the same, but those orbiting around them were new. One thing nagging in the back of her mind brought her a chuckle each time she watched the station's occupants: her people towered over most everyone here.

Annisha.  Getting to know the shortest person in this future made her smile. Prani had no children of her own, but would take the spry Rihan girl in an instant. The child could not undergo the transference since her mind was still developing. Prani’s associate back in her time mentioned unforeseen consequences at such a trial.

Prani peered into the distance to see a cluster of armed security making their way to her, but no one came. She looked down at her chest. It was the communication device tracking her movements. The scan of the translator embedded in this Rihan's skull showed it lacked tracking capabilities. No matter, it has been very fast at learning her language, no doubt helped by the computer processing the broadcast from her people. The technology was so pervasive the surely different accent did not tip anyone off.

Some minutes had passed and she grew increasingly hungry, no doubt his mate and daughter would not wait much longer either. The less stressful path may have been just pretending to be their engineer until it became second nature. Would that have meant she was no longer Prani? How deep does the body and mind connection go before you are someone else?

Prani Meets Chirakis

Nijil tr’Korjata and Chirakis Kirel

“Hello, Commander,” said a voice behind her, drawing Prani’s attention. Lost in her thoughts, she did not immediately respond. The translator took a moment to make the proper word in her native language.

"Oh, Captain Chirakis," she said in response, shaking herself away and eyes up. "I am afraid I am easy to sneak up on and did not hear you approach." Prani stood up. "I thought you'd watch from the command deck."

“Oh, I often take a break.  Please sit Commander,” she said with a slight hand wave.  “Or would you rather be addressed as Prani?”

She fretted a moment. "Either is fine, but I am not part of my military or yours. I'd like to think our two groups could have worked together if only the timing was right." She dropped back to her chair.

“I agree,” she said as she settled next to Prani.  “Sitting and waiting can be more of an ordeal than actually working to produce an answer or technique. Do you mind if I join you?” she asked congenially.

"By all means, Captain. If the work here was not so essential, at least to Nijil and myself, the science here may be a bit lengthy and dry. It's not science the Federation has had much experience with from the records I have surveyed. That's even with the only known stable wormhole in the Bajoran system. I wish I had time to see it." She looked down playfully. "Mine are so small," she said, pinching her fingers together closely.

Kirel gave a slight chuckle. “And that, Commander, is why I am not an engineer. Their language, their techniques….”  She sighed minimally. “Working as an engineer is beyond my imagination.” 

"As I have read, engineers work on the shoulders of giants before us."

“Indeed they do.  As for Bajor,” Kirel continued, pointing in the direction of the distant Bajoran system. “You just might have a chance to see the wormhole in their system. One never knows what one might experience in a lifetime.”

Prani looked in the direction Chirakis pointed. "You think I have the time to see it? Getting readings may help them form one here at this station.." She smiled. "I go back and tell my people of the wormhole before it is rediscovered? Sounds like an interesting temporal paradox." Prani folded her arms in front of her.

After studying Prani for a moment, Kirel’s expression changed from casual to serious.   “Commander,” she began thoughtfully. “Prani… may I suggest that you focus only on this moment.  You must get home.  After that is accomplished, consider coming back to investigate the Bajoran wormhole. O course, going back and forth in time is an interesting concept, but at the moment, we must get you home, and Commander Korjata should return.  We do not have the technology of your species. We need your assistance to retrieve our engineer.”

"I would never reveal things I have found out here. One price of the isolated nature of our lab is lack of contact with people on my world that would make much difference." Prani frowned. "I've been in several moments, no more so than now. There's only one thing moving forward and back in time gives you...headaches. The death of my people though seems to indicate we had no lasting effect in this part of the galaxy. It's a shame and fills me with dread the more I contemplate it." She wanted to jump off the subject of her people. "So, you know Nijil. How do you think he is handling being me? I hope he is open to new experiences."

“Nijil. Yes, I know Commander Korjata, and know him well.  He has dealt with many situations, some extremely dangerous. However, would he be open to a new experience such as this?  Considering that he has never experienced what you have—moving back and forth through your wormhole and getting used to it—I cannot imagine that it would be easy.”

"Doubt he's been female before either, nor so tall and walking on his toes." She laughed. "Muuhi will have acclimated him as best she could. As long as he did not freak out he should be fine. As for understanding my work...that's another matter. There's something to not contacting them too soon in their timeframe. It could be months relative to this last trip trapping me here and him there."

“Agreed, Prani. Your experiences are quite overwhelming to species in our side of the wormhole.” A chime alerted Kirel to CnC, forcing her to stand. “If you will excuse me, Prani, I have something to attend to.” She offered her hand for a handshake. “As Terrans like to say, good hunting.”