10-27-2025, 03:38 AM
The view of Riani through the grand window of Ten Forward was quite striking. Dawn had broken over Saule, the most populous city in the Tanndi nation. Through the grey clouds that covered most of its surface, a desert of black sand glittered in the morning light. All three of the planet’s three oblong moons were now in view, the pair that lingered closer together having not yet disappeared along the far side of the planet.
“I’ve spent so many years looking up at those moons, I forgot what they looked like from above,” he stammered, his voice thick with admiration. “It’s rare to see the Three Sisters — our moons, I mean — all together like that. The twins are playing a game, hiding from their eldest sister in the night sky, but she always comes to find them. I used to read that story to my children when they were little.”
Jonas looked greedy as he entered his order into the replicator. He raised an eyebrow as Cindy’s order arrived seemingly unbidden. His concentration was broken for a moment by the materialization of a generous slice of German-style cheesecake with extra blackberry drizzle. He dug a fork in quickly, as if it might escape just as quickly as it had appeared.
“Amazing! It really does taste just like I remember,” he cooed. “Federation replicators have come quite some way, or I suppose this is your own invention?”
He seemed to hold onto that thought a while longer as he savored another bite. His table manners were less like a seasoned diplomat and more like a young boy celebrating his birthday.
“My, you have a way with machines,” he mused after a while longer, his voice getting quieter. “First my new implant, now this. Not many people in the galaxy can compete with Riani engineers when it comes to cyberware. I’m almost tempted to ask if you have some gear of your own, though I’m not sure if it’s polite. Of course, on Riani, it isn’t rude at all to ask.”
He let the question hang in the air like it was made of sheer paper, not wanting to interrogate.
“I’ve spent so many years looking up at those moons, I forgot what they looked like from above,” he stammered, his voice thick with admiration. “It’s rare to see the Three Sisters — our moons, I mean — all together like that. The twins are playing a game, hiding from their eldest sister in the night sky, but she always comes to find them. I used to read that story to my children when they were little.”
Jonas looked greedy as he entered his order into the replicator. He raised an eyebrow as Cindy’s order arrived seemingly unbidden. His concentration was broken for a moment by the materialization of a generous slice of German-style cheesecake with extra blackberry drizzle. He dug a fork in quickly, as if it might escape just as quickly as it had appeared.
“Amazing! It really does taste just like I remember,” he cooed. “Federation replicators have come quite some way, or I suppose this is your own invention?”
He seemed to hold onto that thought a while longer as he savored another bite. His table manners were less like a seasoned diplomat and more like a young boy celebrating his birthday.
“My, you have a way with machines,” he mused after a while longer, his voice getting quieter. “First my new implant, now this. Not many people in the galaxy can compete with Riani engineers when it comes to cyberware. I’m almost tempted to ask if you have some gear of your own, though I’m not sure if it’s polite. Of course, on Riani, it isn’t rude at all to ask.”
He let the question hang in the air like it was made of sheer paper, not wanting to interrogate.