The Restless Shades of the Past - Part Four

Posted on Fri Mar 6th, 2020 @ 5:36pm by Commander Tienn Iteela & Commander Franklin Davis & Lieutenant Commander Michael Emerson & Tienn Jaina & Almar Pettar

Mission: Mission 66: Double Helix
Location: Tuanko Colony - Planet surface - Tienn Homestead
Timeline: 1700Hrs Local Time - Feb 24th, 2392

The main sitting area was quite well appointed with several plush chairs and a couple of sofa's. Tienn Jaina slid her slender form into one of them as she watched the woman who claimed to be her child slide into another chair across from her own.

Corat, her eldest son from this relationship came into the room but he sat down where he could watch both women. "Who are you?" he demanded of Tienn Iteela."

"I am Tienn Iteela." Iteela responded as she placed her medkit on the floor, just then the back door opened and in came another Cardassian, this one was smaller then Corat and was a girl.

"Oh... hey... we have guests.... wait.. whats going on?" the small child inquired.

"Go back into the kitchen Ulani." Corat growled.

"Wow... You get worse all the time." the female Cardassian was clearly having none of her brothers attitude. "You forget jackass that this is my home too...." and in came Ulani, she was wearing denim clothing as she shrugged off her boots at the door and then came through the kitchen and into the main sitting area, where she sat down not far from Tienn Iteela.

"You look like mom..." Ulani commented to Tienn Iteela.

"Well... there is a reason for that. Your mother is also my mother."

"Really?" Ulani smiled. "Cool. I had heard of you..."

"Wait... Mom spoke of us?" Iteela inquired softly.

"She did, yes." Ulani nodded. "Wait... have you come to take her away?" the younger child quickly inquired.

"No." Iteela responded with a smile. "But I need to check you both over.." she regarded Corat who was gazing at her with a sullen look, clearly he thought he was protecting his mother. "Then I'll handle you." Iteela turned to her mother.

"Alright... Ulani?" Tienn Jaina inquired of her daughter.

Ulani hopped up out of her chair as Iteela retrieved her medkit case, she cracked it open before placing it onto the table. "I'm going to give you a standard physical," Iteela explained what she was doing for the benefit of all gathered. "How often do you see a Doctor?"

"About four times a year... once every three and a half months or so, same as everyone in the school." Ulani explained. "Other then that, I am in good physical health..."

"Good... but not excellent.?" Iteela inquired.

"I live on a farm, muscle aches and strains are part of life here..." Ulani explained.

Just then Davis came back into the sitting area. "Ma'am. Your other two children are going to be alright, its just a mild case of the chills."
he explained while the back door opened and in walked another Cardassian.

Davis growled. "YOU!" he glared at the older Cardassian, rage clouding his tone.

Iteela spun as she narrowed her eyes. "Oh ...wow.." she paused. "Right." she came back to herself moments later before resuming her work.

The male Cardassian regarded Davis with a measure of trepidation and suspicion. "Who are you.?" he inquired quietly.

"I am Commander Franklin Davis of the USS Rawalpindi..... and you... have much to answer for." he growled softly.

"Wait... Hold it..." Iteela's voice sounded off with the crack of a whip. "What's this about?" she asked, much more softly this time.

"This man killed my uncle during the Dominion War.." Davis reacted. "His name is Skrain Pettar."

The older Cardassian sighed as Ulani growled. "Stop attacking my father!"

Iteela saw this entire situation going to Khosst very quickly. "Commander... Please... Ulani, Nobody is attacking anyone." as Tienn Jaina added. "Enough... There will be no fighting in my home." she added in no uncertain terms.

Corat meanwhile had leapt out of his chair and was now preparing to square off against this guy of unknown strength, power and intent. "Leave my father alone."

"Commander... If you would allow me to explain.... I can resolve this quite easily." the older Cardassian male responded as he shrugged off his jacket before he draped it over the back of a nearby chair.

"Alright." Davis responded. "This I'd like to hear."

"Well... the story is simple... I am his twin... but I am not Skrain Pettar... I am Almar Pettar. The younger brother.." he smiled. "Skrain... I have to clean up after him yet again... Its almost a monthly ritual."

Iteela turned to Ulani. "Right.. anyway, yes you are in excellent health. I'm going to do a DNA test on you all.... So we can indeed out this matter to bed of our relations." she regarded the child. "Would anyone mind if I proceeded?"

"Mmm... yes please." Tienn Jaina responded. "Then maybe we can have some peace here.."

Pettar went over to the massive fridge. "Anyone want anything?"

Davis paused. "I'll have a soda if you have it."

Pettar nodded. "Soda...what about you?"

Iteela paused. "A water for me please."

Just then the door opened and in came an Andorian and another human. "Hey guys... we heard raised voices, is all well?" Emerson inquired in flawless Cardassian.

Pettar raised an eyebrow. "I was just getting drinks so we could sort the matter out... Welcome to my hearth and home."

"We thank you for your hospitality." Emerson responded with a nod.
"Just a water for me please."

"What of you?" he inquired of the Andorian.

"A cold iced tea please." she smiled zestfully. "Several of the crew of my ship introduced me to it."

"Okay. done and done." as Pettar went about getting the drinks. Iteela nodded. "Okay... You're up handsome." she regarded Corat.

"It'll be fine son... You should relax..." Jaina responded. "I didn't know any of my previous children were alive."

"Did you ever look mom?" Iteela inquired. "We're all alive but we all fled underground to get away from the Cardassian revenge strike we knew was coming."

"I did look... I heard you all had been killed in the massacre to follow."

"Well... No Tienn's died that day... and we're all alive and well. Many of us with families and children of our own.... You can meet them mom, you can all be a part of our clan."

Pettar was dishing out the drinks. "Would a Bajoran family accept Cardassians.?"

"It matters not where the blood comes from, only that you are kin." Iteela responded with a smile as she accepted her drink. She took a sip of the drink as a soft sigh escaped her lips. "Mmm... I thank you for your hospitality." she said to Pettar in passable Cardassian.

Pettar sat down in a chair as he smiled. "I was assigned to Bajor when I met your mother at the tender age of eighteen, she was in her late thirties at that point."

Iteela settled in, she knew this story was going to be good, while she sipped her drink.

Everyone else had begun to settle into chairs as Pettar explained his tale. "I was a lowly ranking Lieutenant in the Cardassian guard... I didn't hold with the Union's ideals of strength through control and stealing what other people had.." he sighed softly. "I know that Jaina had a family at that time and she was trying to provide for them but when I heard they were from Lamar Province.... I assumed they had been slaughtered by the guardsmen..." he sighed. "You mother had no cause to trust me... so I went absent without leave, I went and took her and never looked back... What kind of state was it that I served that ordered the murder of children..." he then sipped his own drink.

Emerson listened in silence as did Davis. "You... look like Skrain... the resemblance...."

"Ahh yes... Skrain, a proud, strong and fierce Cardassian warrior.." there was something off in his tone. "He would have killed a thousand babies if he thought for one second it would get him what he wanted. The man was a butcher.... A murderer and he's also dead... good riddance."

"I can't believe you just said that..." Franklin said quietly. "Cardassians are very big on family."

Yes we are.... I consider it one of our better qualities... " Pettar responded. "My family is here, two of my children stand before you and the other two are probably sleeping off the chills... Cardassians are immune and I have no idea why..." he sighed. "So I help others where I can.... Because the kindness of strangers is what allowed Tienn and I to settle here.... the kindness of my enemies allowed me to live in peace... The Federation have given me everything I could ever want..."

Davis regarded the older Cardassian. "You've given me much to consider."

"Good... Thats my stock in trade... I help out wherever I'm needed on the colony, sometimes its in the medical center and other times its in one of the restaurants or its in the school. I help where needed and these people don't judge me because I am a Cardassian.... We've lived on this colony for almost twenty years and... I'm still not used to that fact, its a blessing..."

"I apologize for my outburst..." Davis responded.

"Do not be troubled by it, your reaction was understandable.."

"Fair enough." Davis said quietly.

Iteela meanwhile smiled as she brushed Corat's hair out of his eyes. "Yep... You are likewise in excellent health.. Minus your case of the chills."

"Yeah. mostly I feel groggy and hungry all the time."

"I've had the chills myself, Don't worry. it'll pass in a couple of days.."
Iteela smiled. "I'm going to leave you guys some supplements to take with your food and some water purification kits. Its my belief that this bug is in the colony's water supply, my other siblings are working the problem."

Jaina blinked. "Ezas, Nerra?"

"Yeah, there're here along with Kerris. I didn't come alone."

Tienn Jaina paused, a look of longing crossed her face.

Pettar noticed. "You and your kin will always be welcome among mine.." he said to Iteela.

Davis nodded as he finished his drink. "We've imposed on your hospitality far too much as it is..." he paused. "Tienn... Do you want to remain a while?"

"Can I be spared sir?"

"Of course. I'll met the ship and colony operations know... call us when.... when you're ready to leave." Davis responded.

"Thank you sir... I will."

"Enjoy yourself Lieutenant.." and with that Davis tapped his combadge. "Davis to Rawalpindi."

"Rawalpindi. Smith here sir."

"Bring the away team up but leave Lieutenant Tienn here... she will call for beam up when she needs it."

"Understood sir... I have a lock on you all... bringing you home now." and with that Davis, the Andorian and Emerson all disappeared in a transporter haze as Iteela turned. "Well... Its been twenty five years... Let me catch you up on what the rest of our family has been doing." as she smiled.

She watched as her newly extended family took seats each as she settled in to begin her tale. "Well.... You see... It begins like this..." she smiled as she began her tale.