Sleepless in Stalingrad - Part Two

Posted on Thu Mar 19th, 2020 @ 10:44am by Captain Tienn Ezas & Tienn Jaina & Almar Pettar & Lieutenant Colonel Tienn Nerra

Mission: Mission 102: Sic Transit Tienn
Location: Various Locations - Utgarde IV
Timeline: 1045Hrs - July 25th, 2393

Pettar sighed softly, he had been caught by surprise with his eldest daughters antics and while he was not happy about it, he was also not surprised either as Corat tended to be blunter in his dealings with others and Ulani was far more subtle. A commotion at the door caught his attention as a large Caitian male came through the door, carrying the third and last crate for this room. "Where.. does this.. go?"

"Right over here big guy." Pettar came over towards Balin. "I'll take it. The floor is a little crazy at present," he commented, referring to the state of the kitchen area at the present time. Balin simply handed off the crate to Pettar without argument or comment. "Thank you," he commented.

"No worries. Nerra considers you her son and that's enough for me, you are kin in this house and we take care of each other. Even though at times, it's a major challenge."

"Yes, I heard. Ulani is kinda hard to not hear," Balin answered, a subtle smile playing at his lips.

"Yes, well... I have a request to make of you Balin, if I may?" Pettar inquired.

"What's going on?" Balin responded as he regarded Pettar with his full attention.

"I sent Ulani into town right before you walked in, would you mind going after her, just to make sure nothing stupid happens, call me paranoid if you wish but you look different enough so she won't suspect you," he commented. "Maybe I am overthinking it but I want some insurance. Would you mind terribly?, I'll clear it with your mother."

Balin nodded. "I'm on my way. We will return soon." and with that Pettar handed him a tricorder and a combadge, both of them were of civilian issue but were also Starfleet surplus from twenty or so years earlier, Balin turned and departed without another word, he nodded to Nerra who was coming in as he was departing.

"Hey, Dad, what's happening... What was all that about?" Tienn Nerra inquired, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a light golden t-shirt that really helped with her looks.

Pettar regarded her "Huh...Oh.." he then sighed softly. "Sorry, Nerra. I thought you were Ezas."

"Its okay, we get that often. Some think me and my sisters were clones," she explained as she waited for his explanation.

"Ulani said something incredibly stupid about Corat regarding Ezas, which caused the issue."

"Corat likes Ezas, its because she is able to reach him on a level that, I or Iteela simply lack. She's a doctor and a good one." Nerra answered with a nod. "I assume Ulani said as much. Something about how Corat wants to bed her?"

"No, she didn't go that far but Ezas was in the room, she was not amused." Pettar sighed. "I didn't need to resolve that issue. I'm glad Ezas let me handle things."

"Nice of her," Nerra answered. "Well I look enough like Ezas that I am confused for her on a regular basis, she and I once changed uniforms and pranked her husband, he thought I was her but that was before she decided to start with dreadlocks and I cut my hair really short," she explained. "So where did Ulani go?"

"I sent her into town to pick up some food," he responded. "I wanted her to reflect on what she had gone and to give Corat some time to calm down without her present." he paused. "I hope you don't mind but I asked Balin to shadow her. Call it an old man's paranoia."

Nerra knew what he was saying and why he was sating it. "No, it's okay. Balin wanted to go and explore the area and he was asking me about it, I was going to ask him to help with a few more crates and then send him loose." Nerra responded. "I'll get mister angry to help instead. Either one will work."

"How are your children doing?" Pettar asked with a gentle smile.

"Mom is presently watching them and K'taro will pick them up later tonight with all the other kits, I imagine they are driving mom insane," Nerra explained. "Having K'taro in my life has been such a blessing. I honestly don't think I could do this without him present."

"Well, with your mother and I present, maybe we can assist you with your burdens. I also think the kits would benefit from having real ground to visit rather than being cooped up on a small space station all the time." Pettar commented.

"I have a home in the city but... If you are okay with me putting my own dwelling here, then I'll flog that one off and build a new house here." Nerra commented.

"Your mother was the one who mentioned it to me, I wanted to see how you felt on the subject before I made things official," Pettar commented.

"Well, I really appreciate you guys thinking of me and mine." Nerra smiled warmly at him. "I'll talk to K'taro and get back to you okay. I can't make this decision without consulting him on it."

"Of course, that sounds good," Pettar responded with a smile before he plugged in the replicator into the power supply of the home. "Let's test this thing," he commented as he tapped a button. "Computer, one glass of water, five degrees" he paused as the desired beverage appeared, he lifted it before he took a sip, right before he dropped it, the glass impacted the floor and bounced as it did not shatter, the water in it, however, splashed everywhere and Pettar clutched at his throat as he gasped.

Nerra screamed loudly. "Medic!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs as she went to assist him.

Pettar gagged before he suddenly stopped and smiled. "Gotcha."

Nerra blinked as she felt relieved and angry at the same time. "I can't believe you did that..."

Just then the door opened as a second tall Bajoran female came running in, followed by Corat. "What's going on, we heard a scream."

"It was me, being pranked," Nerra answered in a dry tone. "Almar is a rather evil prankster, it would seem."

"Oh, that explains the puddles of water," Corat commented as he sighed. "Nice Dad... Real nice."

"He made me think the replicator was glitched and he was having a seizure from the water," Nerra answered with a sigh. "Well played sir."

"Oh my," Ezas answered. "Nerra, you alright?"

"I will be when I have a moment to calm down and sit down. Excuse me." and with that, she went into the next room as Ezas watched her leave, Corat watched in silence. "Nice one dad, didja have to prank her like that?" he inquired.

"Well, it was kinda unplanned," Almar admitted. "I will apologize to her later."

"Nah. Don't bother," Ezas answered. "Nerra will be alright, she's just had a lot happen recently, she did just have a baby a few days ago."

Pettar sighed. "Yeah, I forgot about that." he sighed. "Let me clean up this mess." as he went to work, while Ezas went to see to her sibling, only to find that Corat had beaten her to it. He was sitting next to the older woman who was old enough to be his mother. "Hey, Nerra." he addressed Nerra.

"Corat, what's up?" Nerra knew what he wanted from her so she decided not to be difficult on the subject. She turned to face him.

"Are you alright?" Corat inquired. "Dad didn't mean to scare you like that."

"No... It's alright." the tall Bajoran answered in a quiet tone. "He took me by surprise, that's all. I just had a baby a few days ago and its all been a lot to take in, all at once." she sighed while she explained herself.

"Ahh," Corat answered. "Had dad known... He wouldn't have done what he did."

"Its no big deal. I myself got into a similar situation last year, only I lost my temper and assaulted three people. I very nearly lost my career as a result, but I lost my job, I was sent somewhere else... Where I met my husband and got married. You could say that I was rewarded for being a bad girl." Nerra explained.

"Wait a moment, you lost your job and found your husband?" Corat paused as he processed that detail.

"I did. I was rewarded for being a bad girl. Don't follow my example Corat, your family won't like it." she explained. "I got stupidly lucky." she sighed softly.

Corat nodded his head. "Alright." he paused as he fell silent, wanting to enjoy the moment.