Lt. Commander Jona ch'Ranni - Two Grains of Sand on a Seashore, Part 1

[Alleran Tan]

A lovely little sim from Jona ch'Ranni, continuing his long-term plot with Vexa zh'Lev. A short one, but lovely to read.

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((Cafe, Iyira, Deluvia IV))

 

Jona sat lightly in the spacious underwater cafe. The transparent aluminum bubble that held the ocean water at bay domed to a peak thirty meters above. Artificial light mixed with the dreamlike illumination from the outside waters danced and played across the faces of the patrons.

 

The Andorian sat at the small table near the edge of the glass wall and he let out a tiny smile that played at the corner of his mouth as a bioluminescent eel drifted languidly past. The sight of an insectoid creature staring back at it from the other side of the glass must have startled it as it darted quickly away. He shook his head in disbelief at the marvel of engineering that the Selkie had accomplished with their beautiful city.

 

He'd taken refuge in the city below the waves as a compromise. The sunny beaches were far too warm and the more rugged and frigid wilderness had proved a bit dangerous as evidenced by his fall during a climbing outing. The submerged city was a bit cooler than the tropical surface and he found it pleasant enough. He hoped his companion would too.

 

zh'Lev: Jojo?

 

He was pulled from his musings and his hint of a smile grew into a full goofy grin.

 

ch'Ranni: ::rising from his seat and moving to grasp the woman in a tight hug:: Vexa! It's great to see you. How have you been?

 

The energetic young zhen released him from the hug and Jona could see the genuineness of her delight at being there. Being with him. Their paths had crossed years before at the edge of the Milky Way near the Galactic Barrier when he was stationed on the USS Columbia. The sudden end of the ship's tour in the Sagittarius Reach had left the civilian scientist at Dehner Base and ripped him away to a new assignment on the Gorkon. Their stilted and awkward attempt at a long-distance relationship had eventually ended in failure. But now she was here.

 

zh'Lev: ::taking a seat opposite him and speaking after a brief pause:: Things have been rough.

 

Jona nodded in understanding. She had come to him nearly a year before, requesting help from Starfleet. Dehner Base was under repeated assault by pirates and the Losarian Commonwealth - the first friends they'd made in the region - had been unable to provide consistent protection to the fledgling compound. Though an effort had been made to reinforce the protection, Starfleet had made the decision that the base would be mothballed. It had been a difficult transition for the small family of scientists back to the core worlds of the Federation and he imagined the woman sitting across from him was feeling lost and frustrated at the perception of failure surrounding their mission.

 

ch'Ranni: I'm so sorry, Vexa. I wish there was more that I could have done.

 

zh'Lev: ::with a steely gaze and sense of determination:: No, Jona. Don't do that. It isn't your fault. You did what you could. ::face softening:: Anyway, I'm here now.

 

ch'Ranni: Yes, you are. ::pause:: Why is that exactly?

 

zh'Lev: Oh? You don't want me to be here?

 

ch'Ranni: ::raising his hands in a defensive posture:: No, no, no! That's not what I meant ...

 

She reached across the table and playfully swatted at his arm. 

 

zh'Lev: Relax. I'm kidding. Like I said in my communique, I wanted to see you. ::backpedaling:: But there's a lot to do in the sector for an esteemed energy field expert, too. The New Horizons conference, Palanon in the Tyrellian system has some amazing research facilities that are looking for directors -

 

A look of shock whipped his antenna back and he supplemented it with an eyebrow arch that would have made a Vulcan proud.

 

ch'Ranni: Wait, you're thinking of relocating to this sector?

 

TBC

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Lt. Commander Jona ch'Ranni

Chief of Operations
USS Gorkon (NCC-82293)
C239510JC0