The Meaning of Honor
Posted on Tue Jun 13, 2017 @ 6:56am by Lieutenant JG Rhe'la Daughter of the Forty-ninth House
963 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Rumours
Location: Ambassadorial section
Timeline: MD 5 1745
“When you said you needed my help, I figured you needed me to review some tactical data or assess the feasibility of an idea for a defensive system. Under the table, obviously; or you’d go to your chief of security.” An’ta mused as he and Rhe’la walked slowly through the corridors of the ambassadorial wing.
His younger cousin wasn’t entirely listening – her eyes darting back and forth from the tricorder in her right hand to the PADD in her left. “Nothing personal, but I needed a valid excuse for being in this area during a yellow alert. Having a relative who’s an ambassador and requested my presence is as good a reason as any.”
A hissing laugh emanated from the older Zarnac. “You’re the chief engineer. You could have just said there was a strange power fluctuation you were trying to track down. Or you could just lie and say you’re a security officer.”
”There are so many things wrong with both of those plans. First – I’m the only Zarnac on the staff. Everyone knows I’m not a security officer. And even then, I’d have to carry a weapon and you know I’m not comfortable doing that. And the first one would require me to falsify the internal sensor records. And, during a yellow alert – wouldn’t I send a more junior engineer to search for phantom power fluctuations? Regardless, either of those would require me to lie. There’s no honor in that.” With that, she paused and looked up at the other reptilian. “You used to understand that.”
”I still understand honor. But the Empire didn’t give a damn about it, and we had to do whatever it took to hold out as long as possible. The Federation was dying, Rhe’la. There was no time for honor.”
Now the engineer came to a complete stop and stared defiantly at her elder cousin. “Do you not remember what Grandfather always told us? ‘Honor,’ An’ta, ‘No matter how dire the battle... never forsake it.”
As the two resumed their supposed leisurely stroll through the ambassadorial wing, An’ta thought on that old saying. He hadn’t heard it in decades, but Rhe’la brought those memories back. Their grandfather was the most honorable male either of them knew. But, ultimately, his desire to maintain honor had been what had drawn the Zarnac to the Alpha Quadrant in the first place. If the Empire hadn’t been hunting for the fallen house and their noble leader, they may never have been tempted to engage in a war of conquest against the great powers.
Silence fell between them as Rhe’la’s words hung in the air. As they passed through section after section, Rhe’la continued to study the readings she was getting as An’ta silently watched her. It was fascinating to see her mind at work; she wasn’t a warrior like he and the rest of their house. But her skills with a tool kit were no less valuable than theirs with a disruptor or a battle pike. If anything, her expertise had been more useful in protecting them during their long period in exile than every warrior in the family combined.
He had to find the words. He’d had twenty years to think of what to say in this situation, if he had the chance to do it all over again. And yet, he couldn’t. He wasn’t supposed to be here; only a fluke of temporal intervention had brought him back to her, rather than bringing her back to him. “Rhe...”
”This is it. This is it!” she exclaimed, interrupting him. They came to a stop outside of the Lissepian embassy. Sure enough, there were signs of a transport inhibition system in use; one which hadn’t been recorded with station command. She wasn’t reading their comm badges, but there were four faint Human life signs within the embassy. She doubted they were in any peril, and were more likely behind some heavily fortified bulkheads which were interfering with the tricorder’s sensor suite.
Without thinking, she grabbed An’ta and yanked him around a corner. “Rhe’la to engineering. I need a sensor sweep of the Lissepian embassy. Tell me anything you find.”
+”But that’s a violation of diplomatic privilege, Lieutenant. The embassy is considered sovereign Lissepian territory.”+ Webber protested.
“I’ll take the fall, Chief. Just trust me and do it.” Rhe’la looked up at An’ta nervously. If she was wrong, she’d be creating an interstellar incident. The last thing they needed was another one of those right now.”
After a moment, Webber’s rumbling baritone came back over the open comm line. +”They have a transport inhibitor running in a compartment near the rear of the embassy. That same area contains power flow indicative of containment fields, as well as four Human life signs”+
“Just what I thought. I’ll be in touch – Rhe’la out.” Beaming at her cousin, the little lizard felt rather proud of herself. “I need to get to Ops. Thank you again.” With that she hugged him.
If he could have blushed, he’d have been the same shade of red as a command division uniform collar. “Anything in the service of the Federation, Lieutenant. And in the service of my House, cousin.”
Once more, Rhe’la skittered off toward a turbolift, leaving An’ta to watch her go. But where he was silent last time, this time he just muttered in defeat. “Damn it...”
Lt. JG Rhe'la, Daughter of the Forty-ninth House
Chief Engineering Officer
Deep Space 5
An'ta, Son of the Forty-ninth House (NPC)
Ambassador of the Forty-ninth House
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