K'Normia Memories

[rosetto 0]

Sal walked over to the open-air café setting his communicator to courtesy alert should Harriet return to Robinson Bay. He wanted to catch up with her when she returned and find out more about the other night's grand finale. With only ten more nights he wanted to spend as many as he could with her on his arm. She looked good there and he looked better with her there. It was a mutual thing for Sal. He mused to himself as the server met him at the counter. Sal ordered coffee and eggs. The male server grabbed a quick cup from under the counter, "Cream, Lime, or Spice?"

 

"No thank you. Black is fine."

 

Sal set down at the counter on an open stool and spun slowly around as to watch the morning sunrise over the Camelback Mountains. The cocoapalm trees that lined the foothills looked like a million umbrellas with the light coming from behind them. On K'Normia, there was a wide variety of flora. Much of it was natural however the climate was suitable to most alien plants as well.

 

There was also mixture of cultures. While it was part of the Federation, many people of different species came to visit and live. Sal was one of millions from the Terran colonies but there were also a large number of Betazoids and the Talarites had even found their place here. The Regulians, who looked like Vulcans, had come to colonize as well. The ones who Sal had met that seemed to stay away were the Cardassians, the Nausicans, the Orions and Klingons.

 

K'Normia, however, was not a tourist planet. Many of the inhabitants were just regular folks trying to eke out a living in a semi-peaceful environment. It was a nice place to raise a family. Educational systems were above par, crime non-existent, the Federation uninterested, the perfect place to be until the secret gets out.

 

As the eggs arrived, Sal picked up his silverware and began to eat. The Westen were a very unique culture and although it didn't seem to most tourist, they were also very prude. They accepted other people and their culture openly, however, kept their own to themselves which was how they felt most comfortable. The server refilled his coffee and then disappeared back into the kitchen area. He felt the alert vibration of his communicator. He reached into his pocket and opened it up. It was a recorded message:

 

"Hi hon. Sorry that I have been gone. Miss you… Please meet me at Angelo's tonite at 15 dami. I will explain everything. I promise." Then he could here her speak to someone else with her hand over the speaker, "Yes, I'll be right there." She then continued, "Gotta go baby. See you soon."

 

"Good, she at least checked in," he thought. This was 2406 and he had only Harriet, here. They'd only been married since Daba but that was nearly a full earth year. The last thing he wanted was for this marriage to go south on him. Her father and he had plans for expanding the untamed lands in lower Roseland where it met with the Javian continent. He was also thinking about family… His family… They had spoken about it and she knew that he wanted children. He'd make a good father but she did not get pregnant easily. Harriet would be 13 annuals, crossing that imaginary boundary into thirty-something on the 42^nd of next month. He didn't want to pressure her but thought they might think about settling down.

 

Sal finished his eggs and looked out into the busy plaza, watching the random passer-by tourists with their shopping bags and little ones in tow. He smiled as one such little one just sat right down on the pavement in the middle of where people were crossing with her arms crossed, lips pursed and a stern look on her face. "Apparently, she was 'DONE' for the day," he thought, chuckling to himself audibly to the couple who sat next to him.

 

"Yeah, they're feisty at that age," commented the gentleman who also presented a smile, "I can remember when Kara, our little girl was three. She would do the same thing."

 

The two men laughed as Ceri approached from behind. Sal didn't see her come up but noticed the gentleman looking behind him. He nodded to her as Sal spun around and then asked Sal, "Your wife?"

 

Sal stood up and extended a hand to Ceri while introducing her to this stranger, "Nah, we just met a few moments ago. Ceri, this is…" He paused, "I'm sorry, your name?"

 

Then he turned back to Ceri trying to explain but she figured it all out and added her own greeting. Then she looked at Sal, "So, are you all finished here? We need to get going if we're going to catch the speaker."

 

"Well, nice to meet you, Susan, Karl. Perhaps we'll see you guys around. The wife and I will be here for another ten days."

 

They left the café and began walking briskly down the plaza away from the beach areas. There were shops on either side of the street selling mostly touristy items. The convention hall where they were bound was not that far away; only a couple of blocks down tucked between two tall municipal buildings. Ceri was quite talkative which was unusual for a Westen and Sal finally got a word in, "Ceri, I realize that Westen don't normally, but you don't seem too, er, Westen to me."

 

He was hesitant to say anything but thought it was polite to at least add something to the conversation. Ceri was not offended at all and she returned a smile, "Very astute, sir. As a matter of fact I am only half Westen. My mother was an offworlder from Niburon II. Unfortunately she fell ill when I was young. I was raised here by my father who was not so traditional and strict to follow the Westen ways. I know the culture first hand but have also been exposed to the vast cultures that he had learned about. It's why I'm genuinely interested in this exhibition, Mr. Rosetto."

 

"We've know each other for nearly a dami. You can call me Sal, okay?"

 

She smiled and nodded as they approached the entrance and walked into the building.

Edited June 28, 2010 by rosetto