Hello!
You mentioned Shral having siblings in a previous ask and I was wondering if we could get more of his childhood and home life, and if we’re ever going to meet any of his family in the story!
Hope you’re doing alright!
Hello, hello!
Shral's family is a decent size, as Andorians consider such things, and while we'll be meeting some of them in Emigre we likely won't meet all of them. Part of the reason for this is that many of them are scattered around the quadrant in various Imperial Guard postings or as civilians.
In list format, here are Shral's parents! (Ages are as of Ch 1 of Emigre.)
Pekel zh'Hrisvalar - Andorian, 60; Shral's biological/birth mother, nee Hrisvalar. Information broker, civilian.
Zhyrah sh'Hrisvalar - Andorian, 58; Shral's secondary mother, nee Tesaal. Former science officer in the Imperial Guard, medically discharged to due injuries sustained in the line of duty.
Gelsyrn th'Hrisvalar - Andorian, 62; Shral's biological father, nee Sannev. Duelling master, noted for mastering multiple Clan styles.
Tovar ch'Hrisvalar - Andorian, 59; Shral's secondary father, nee Ivos. Weapons specialist in the Imperial Guard, active.
Shral's siblings are as follows: (Ages are as of Ch 1 of Emigre.)
Enan Hrisvalar - Andorian, 28; Shral’s youngest brother. Imperial Guardsman, logistics, located in the Northern Wastes.
Dalrhyss Hrisvalar - Andorian, 29; Shral’s youngest sister. Imperial Guardsman, nurse, posted to the IGS Nichaa.
Thithta sh’Hrisvalar - Andorian, 31; Shral’s older sister. Chirurgeon, neurosurgeon specialist, located in Laibok.
Shyranni zh’Hrisvalar - Andorian 34; Shral’s oldest sister. Imperial Guardsman, academy trainer located outside of Laibok.
Anlel th’Hrisvalar - Andorian, 37; Shral’s oldest brother. Master Duellist, mobile/on Andoria.
As you can see, three of Shral's siblings simply aren't in the general area, and aren't likely to be able to show up to visit outside of getting leave, which can be kind of random depending on their jobs, their postings, and how much leave time they're owed.
As for Shral's childhood... it was relatively decent. As Shral would tell it, he was born to a good family, and during his childhood suffered no deprivation or major losses. He might go on to point out that all of the children born to his family unit survived to adulthood and went on to become respectable members of society. Indeed, his extended Clan was prosperous, though not so much as to be gauche. His parents, Shral might continue, were stern, but fair, and none of the children ever doubted that they were loved.
What Shral would not say was that he had the misfortune of being born an introvert in a species that cultivates extroversion and robust social connections. He would not mention feeling overwhelmed by his relatives on a daily basis, or haunted by the powerful need to escape somewhere quiet and still. He would certainly not speak of how his elder cousins seemed to know that there was something a little bit different about Shral almost as soon as they met him, and that they dedicated a remarkable amount of time and energy to 'fixing' him, or that they failed to do anything but reinforce Shral's introverted behaviours.
Shral's parents, biological and secondary, all knew that their middle son was born a little different from the others. Not strange, precisely. Not ill-formed of mind or body, certainly - if anything, their son was a little too smart at times and perfectly healthy. It was just that... well, Shral was a little different.
They worried - of course they did - but ultimately it was Shral's biological father who sat him down one day for a talk when Shral was about eleven years old. Gelsyrn asked if Shral was happy as he was, if he was lonely at all; if he wasn't getting something he needed from them; if he needed more space, or less, or something else entirely; if, most importantly, Shral needed help. (It was no secret that Shral's older cousins were a menace and regularly interfered with Shral's lessons, from schooling to duelling, but the boy had yet to ask for any kind of help at all and that concerned Gelsyrn. Perhaps, his father thought, the boy simply needed a nudge.) Shral just asked his father to look over his twenty-year career plan - which he'd finished that morning and was very proud of. Of course, that hadn't been what Gelsyrn meant at all, but nevertheless he took the datapad and reviewed everything. He'd expected to find a rough, choppy outline with vague notions of how much time should be dedicated to equally vague goals. Instead, he got a nearly professional outline detailing certifications, acceptable competency levels and grades, and a full battery of extracurricular coursework, including preferred instructors based on their specializations, notable accomplishments, and career histories. All of this, from a ten-year-old. "It looks good," was all Gelsyrn could say. "Very thorough - but, son, this isn't quite what I meant." "I know," was young Shral's response. "But you can't fight my battles for me, and you can't fight my cousins at all. This is something you can do. I thought it would be more helpful than listing all of the things I have to do by myself." That was about the time that Gelsyrn figured that Shral didn't actually need anyone's help at all most of the time. If anything, it was starting to look like all Shral needed was for people to get out of his way. That, at least, was something Gelsyrn could do something about. "I'm going to have a word with your duelling instructor," Gelsyrn decided then. "And have you placed solely under my tutelage so you can learn in peace. Let's give your cousins a nasty surprise the next time they decide to throw their weight around." "Oh," Shral blinked, surprised. "...I hadn't thought of that." Both parties walked away from the conversation reassured, if somewhat exasperated.
Shral's cousins did indeed get a nasty surprise the next time they tried to 'help' their cousin about a month later, and Gelsyrn was smug about it for a week.
Shral ended up helping his siblings figure out their career paths, too, once they figured out that constantly meddling in his affairs and trying to 'help' was only irritating their brother and driving him away, rather than acting as a bonding experience between siblings.
(His eldest sister Shyranni actually uses the career plan Shral drew up for her when they were young as an example for her students at the Imperial Academy. His youngest brother still refers to his career plan religiously, because sometimes Shral accesses the file remotely and updates it with current postings and opportunities as they crop up. Their brother is weird, but he cares, in his way. All they ever wanted to know was that he cared.)
