Spiritual Advice

Posted on Tue Mar 15, 2016 @ 7:21am by Lieutenant JG Rhe'la Daughter of the Forty-ninth House & Civilian 'Arrival' Krell Antos

1,481 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Bajoran temple
Timeline: MD 11 1550 hours

ON:

She didn't know where to turn. She used to be able to go to Drakt with her problems, or Commander Wyman. But both of them were light years away dealing with who knows what. For the first time since coming aboard DS5, Rhe'la suddenly felt very alone in the universe.

Still carrying the PADD with her two ideas on it, she had been wandering the promenade for about twenty minutes. Her sudden moment of gusto had faded right after she powered down that horrible orange juice. When it came right down to it, she wasn't entirely sure Lieutenant Reynolds would be able to help, as he was but a small cog in the massive Federation diplomatic apparatus.

Finally her meandering brought her to the Bajoran temple/embassy. She didn't believe that the Prophets were anything other than extra-dimensional, non-corporeal aliens with a limited grasp of temporal mechanics. But the Bajoran people revered them, and she didn't begrudge them their faith. If anything, she envied the strength it gave them.

Though she knew the Vedek would be about as familiar with the faith of her people as she was with his, she still thought that maybe he could provide a wise ear. With that in mind, she stepped through the doorway and glanced around. "Umm... pardon me? Is anyone here?" she asked timidly.

Acolyte Kar Oryn looked up from the scrolls he was studying. The young Bajoran was knelt behind the grand staircase that led out of the Temple and into the Diplomatic offices, the only quiet place he could find to read.

"Hello." he called, emerging from his spot. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Bowing slightly to the humanoid, Rhe'la tried to be as deferential as possible (as they were standing in a sanctuary). "I'd like to speak to the Vedek, if that's all right. It's... a personal matter."

Vedek Krell descended the stairs and smiled at the sight of one of his Acolytes engaging with the Station crew.

"Your Eminence." Oryn said, bowing his head out of respect for the older man.

Where she had only bowed a little for the younger Bajoran, Rhe'la prostrated herself to the point of her snout nearly touching the deck when the Vedek appeared. "Eminence; I'm Ensign Rhe'la - the station's chief engineer. I'm here with... I suppose one could call it a crisis of faith."

Antos smiled at he Zarnac. Silently he applauded his young Acolyte for his calmness in meeting the reptilian Engineer. Many young Bajoran's, especially those in the faith, are not accustomed to encountering such different races.

"Pleased to meet you Ensign." The Vedek continued his smile. "Why don't we speak in the holo-terrace?" He ushered Rhe'la towards an archway, through which a green garden could be seen in front of a formidable mountain and blue sky.

"Oryn, I believe you have studies to attend to." The Vedek said before also exiting to the Terrace.

Following the towering humanoid to the terrace, Rhe'la was instantly taken aback to suddenly find herself among babbling brooks and lush vegetation. It took a moment to register that Krell had said it was a holographic terrace.

Finding it soothing, she fell into step with him. "Eminence, thank you for speaking with me. We... don't even come close to worshiping the same gods. But, but you're still a holy man; and those are rather hard to find in Starfleet. The Humans and their allies are almost alarmingly atheistic. My people don't go the whole... counseling route. But priests are as respected as teachers and doctors."

"I'm sorry, I'm probably rambling..." She trailed off. She knew Antos wouldn't know her backstory or that of her species, and wanted to quickly fill in some pertinent information. "My house has lived as refugees for over ten years. They huddle in cramped transport ships, rarely able to set foot on a planet or starbase. The Federation protects them, but blanches at offering them a new planet to colonize. And the other great powers aren't any help either. They're all sympathetic, but... not enough to want to offer us aid. And now, Pangaea is just... THERE." She gestured off into the distance, intending to indicate the mysterious planet DS5 now orbited.

The Bajoran nodded, "Why is it you and yours haven't settled on a member planet?" He gestured to an simple bench, and sat himself."The Federation is very open to all new races joining the population."

"The Federation is an ideal that all races should aspire to. But... by and large the member races all look vaguely Human. Even the Caitians are bipedal and fairly anthropomorphic. My people are... so different. Plus we're not Federation members, and as a whole my species has been antagonistic. When it comes down to it, I can't blame the member worlds for being nervous."

Hopping up on the bench, Rhe'la looked up at Antos with a mournful look in her eyes. "There aren't that many of us left. And all we ask is for the chance to stand on our own, not beholden to anyone. Granted, we need the Federation's protection from the Empire, but... not for our own day to day survival." Looking down at the ground, her feet dangled limply. "I'm sure you understand. After the occupation, your people were ready to stand toe to toe with the Cardassians, but you still had the Federation backing you up, defending the Celestial Temple until Bajor was ready to join the galactic stage."

Antos pondered her words for a moment, and tried to back track."Are you looking at the possibility of your house settling on Pangaea?"

The little engineer nodded furiously. "It came to me during a religious ceremony the other day. My eyes sort of wandered toward my window, and I saw the planet... and it sort of clicked. I really should have thought of it sooner. But... knowing that all of the major powers are jockeying to take over Pangaea, they're almost certain to squeeze a little band of exiled refugees out."

"Honestly, Eminence... I don't even know why I'm bothering you with my problems. I guess I just wanted someone to talk to that wasn't in Starfleet. Because... I feel conflicted between my loyalty to my family and my oath to the Federation." Absently, she scratched the end of her snout.

"It is the Unknown which defines our existence." he looked into the engineer's eyes. "The Prophets tell us this, and I think it perfectly describes your situation."

"To be quite honest, I've always thought my skills as an engineer were what defined me. I'm good at what I do, and it's allowed me to serve both my family and Starfleet. But, in this moment, am I the daughter of a fallen house, or a Starfleet officer?"

For a moment she looked down at her feet dangling a few centimeters above the ground. "I've never been particularly... spiritual. Gritty pragmatism has always served me better in my line of work. But in a time like this I really wish I understood my gods as well as you understand the Prophets."

"I don't think one necessarily needs to be spiritual to find themselves, and to find their answers." Krell smiled at her warmly.

Rhe'la shrugged. "It certainly can't hurt..."

A silence fell between them for a moment, as the young reptilian looked off into the simulated distance. "What would you do? In my situation? Would you just sit on this and not say anything in the interest of interstellar security, or try to help your people?"

"Listen to your Pagh." Krell shrugged. So far his hadn't steered him wrong, and he assumed her's wouldn't either.

That threw her for a loop, as she wasn't THAT familiar with the Bajoran faith. She knew she'd heard the term before, but it took her a minute to remember. "That's like a soul, right? And according to custom, one can feel the strength of someone's pagh by squeezing their ear?" In spite of herself, she let out a hissing chuckle. "I don't have ears, so I guess we'll never know how strong my pagh is."

"If it has brought you this far, I would think it is extremely strong." Krell said, peering into the Zarnac's eyes. "I think you know what you need to do, but are unsure how to proceed."

Thinking about what he said, Rhe'la hopped down from her seat. "I think you might be right, Eminence. Thank you so much for your time." She bowed again, her tail swishing slightly. "If you ever need anything around here fixed, you let me know." She couldn't smirk, and winking wasn't something she'd quite figured out, but her forked tongue flicked a few times.

"Glad to have helped." He stood as she departed.
OFF

Vedek Krell Antos
Ambassador
Bajoran Republic

Ens. Rhe'la, Daughter of the Forty-ninth House
Chief Engineering Officer

 

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