PL - Thinking Of Home (First Assignment Part 2)

Posted on Thu Jan 19th, 2023 @ 11:56am by Ensign Kato Reon
Edited on Thu Jan 19th, 2023 @ 2:48pm

1,209 words; about a 6 minute read

PL - Thinking Of Home (First Assignment Part 2)
By Ensign Kato Reon

It was the next morning. Reon had said goodbye to his friend, Ensign Rylo La Croix, before he transported up to the USS Kingsley. He had also said goodbye to his friend, Ensign Murvis, who left to go to her first posting as well, shortly after. Each time he had to say goodbye, he also was hit with the realization of how much more attached he was to them than he thought as well, but he knew that came with the territory of being a cadet. He walked over to a quiet place in the quad where there was an open bench with some shade from an oak tree that had leaves which covered it. He decided to sit down and just stay there quietly.

Three weeks ago on Bajor.....

      Reon was at his home in Sentha, a small town in Dakor Province. It was a quaint but spacious enough stone home with a solid brown roof and chimney. There were three rooms, one for his parents, and one for him and his sister, Bemal. He was reading a PADD in his room when suddenly he could smell the aroma of something quite pleasant. It totally had to be his mother's Rotumba Stew. In reaction, he put the PADD down, then went out to the kitchen and saw his mother working effortlessly over the stone top oven they had there, "Rotumba stew?"
      She turned around and smiled at him, "Of course."
      "Great! My favorite." Reon replied excitedly.
      "I know you're studying for your finals at the Academy, my soon to be graduate son. So I figured I should make some wholesome home cooked food, but food that's healthy for the mind as well as the body and the pah."
      Reon smiled, then walked up to her and gave her a peck on the cheek, "You are the best, mother."
      "I know." she replied, then proceeded to continue stirring the stew in the pot in front of her.
      Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Reon turned and proceeded to answer it. When he opened the door, it was none other than Vedek Nasun Prem. One of the province's most prominent and well-known religious figures. There were many rumors of him putting his name in to succeed Kai Winn Adami as their planet's religious leader after Winn was pronounced dead at the end of the Dominion War, but he decided against it and publicly told the people that it was not the path the prophets laid out for him to run for Kai at the time, thus allowing his fellow Vedek and friend, Pralon Onala, to run and ascend into the position some time later. He was an older man, old enough to be in the generation before his parents. He was tall, had deep set eyes, and a very assuring smile that made everyone respect him and embrace him so freely.
      "Vedek?" Reon said.
      "Hello, Reon," Nasun said, "I know it has been some time since I have last seen you. I hope I did not come at a bad time."
      "Hello Vedek!" said Kato Bana from the kitchen, "Pori went shopping with Bemal. They'll be back shortly."
      "Actually, I came to see Reon." said the Vedek.
      "Me?"
      "Yes," said the elder gentleman, "Would you care to take a walk with me?"
      Reon looked back to his mother who gestured for him to proceed with the Vedek, then turned to look forward towards him again, "Uh, sure. Of course."
      "If you come back soon, please feel free to join us for dinner, Vedek!" said Bana, "There is always room for you at the table."
      "I'd be delighted. Thank you." the Vedek said, then gestured to Reon to start outside, then they did.
      "So.... What can I do for you, Vedek?" asked Reon as they started out the doorway into the main road.
      "Actually, I was wondering what I could do for you."
      "I don't understand..." Reon had to admit to him.
      "Your parents tell me that you are about to graduate from Starfleet Academy."
      Reon nodded, "That's right. In about three weeks. The day after I return, I have my first final."
      "It is nice that you have come back to visit your family, knowing you had that last trial ahead of you."
      "Absolutely," he assured the Vedek, "I felt that since I had no idea where I'll be assigned, there's no way to really know when I'd have free time to come back here and visit my family."
      "A very considerate gesture," Nasun commented with a smile, "You've always been a very considerate person, Reon. Even though I have not really seen you immerse yourself in the studies of our practices as many others within your family have, you have exercised a great natural approach to life that parallels with the will of the prophets."
      He had to take a moment to think about what he meant by that, but he realized he had to think carefully about how he would respond to that without seeming disrespectful to him, "Uh... yes, well, I hope you don't think I do not embrace the prophets, Vedek."
      "Oh, not at all," Nasun assured him, "I normally have this kind of conversation with people who are about to embark on some kind of prolonged journey in life that can potentially cause them to divert from any path the prophets have laid out for us. I remember having this conversation with your cousin Ty before he left for Starfleet many years ago. I will admit, he gave me a response that was more in tune with what I would expect from someone who walks a more obvious parallel to the prophets."
      "Well, for what it's worth, I know to a degree I can seem like I don't believe like I should, but I hope you understand that I do. And I intend on staying on the path of the prophets while doing my duties once I'm assigned somewhere."
      "I don't doubt it. I just want you to know... If you ever feel you wish to talk, for any reason, my commlink is available to you."
      Reon nodded, "Thank you, Vedek. I appreciate that."
      "Good," he stopped walking, which prompted Reon to stop walking as well, then he clapped his hands together, "I don't know about you, but I'm famished. How about we enjoy some of that food your mother is cooking?"
      "Sounds good to me."

Now.... Present day.

      "Reon?" came a voice from behind him.
      He turned around and saw Umak and Gela, two Orion females who were security officer students in his class and twin sisters, calling out to him from farther down the walking path. They were waving to him gleefully. He waived back to them. They both gestured for him to walk over to them. He pretended to look from left, then to right, acting as if he were trying to make sure, jokingly, that they were referring to him, then pointed to himself with his eyebrows raised. They both nodded. He smiled, then stood up, tugged down on his uniform jacket, then proceeded towards them.

TBC

 

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