Messages

Thanks!  I'm waiting on lab results now.

But unfortunately, I'm going to have to turn this into a reserve request.  I hate to do this, as you all have been so welcoming and nice, but I just have no passion for roleplaying anymore, and my life has gotten extremely busy.  My place is a mess because I have neglected it, and I'm not sleeping well.

So, please reserve Hebrin Relar, and drop me out of any threads I'm in.  I can't continue to keep up with any roleplay at all, unfortunately, with how busy things have gotten for me, and how unmotivated I am to write.

Character(s) affected: Hebrin Relar
Assigned ship(s): USS Discovery (also has NPC thread on Starbase Columbus)
Period of time absent: Rest of this week.
Date of last period of activity: July 30th
Date returning: End of this week, once I get meds.

Any relevant comments: I've got an infection.  I need time off from things I have to think too much about. :C  I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow.  Hopefully I should be up to speed.

I've also been way too busy lately to handle more than the mission thread, but regardless I still have time for the mission thread.  Should be back to activity in a week or so though.  I'm still able to participate in the mission thread, though.

["Yes we do young lady. We keep them close to our hearts during our long journey. And yes we too have experienced the shakes. In fact-"]

[Dorric village - Planet Surface]

The young woman crooked her head to the side in curiosity, trying to decide how to respond to the words from the strange man.  She thought for a moment, and then smiled.  "Oh, I see!  You must be from the Southern Kingdoms.  Welcome to the Kingdom of Farnam.  How are your kingdoms faring with the shakes?" she asked.

Almost as if on queue, the land beneath them began to rumble and shake, causing the populace to panic as they tried to hold everything together.  A crack from the distance alerted the village to one of the towers in the village; cracking and collapsing from the skyline.

"Thank the Giver we abandoned that one..." she said, standing back up once the shaking slowed and then stopped.  "It's been more and more dangerous to live in the taller buildings..." she said, looking back to the group.

"I hope you haven't lost your crystals... we need protection now more than ever in these trying times." she said, gesturing to the pendant she was wearing around her neck.

[Dorric village - Planet Surface]

Ian managed to keep his face neutral as he internally winced and dearly hoped the brooch containing their commbadges would be considered 'crystal' enough for the locals. Rather than risk the answer being no, he decided to try a plausible alternate answer.

"Yes we do young lady. We keep them close to our hearts during our long journey. And yes we too have experienced the shakes. In fact-"

The tremor interrupted Ian and he waited until the quake subsided before continuing.

"Your village elders provide wise counsel. Everywhere we have traveled has been beset by the shakes. It is most troublesome for us all, but the Giver will provide as always."

Ian hoped that was answer enough, it was always so much more difficult with a pre-radio society to know their culture as you couldn't simply listen in and learn what they thought and believed. With pre-electronic societies, the only way you could learn was to do exactly what the away team was doing. Getting close and talking to the locals, all the while hoping you didn't end up burned at a stake or something equally unpleasant for committing something culturally inexcusable.

[Dorric III — Kingdom of Farnam — Village ]

This was where his skills would come in most, so Relar was as observant as he could be.  The village was nice and quaint; having grown up in a world of technology, it was refreshing to be in a world free of that.  Even if some technology was still at his fingertips.

He listened to what she said, committing it to memory.  She assumed they were from the Southern Kingdoms.  They were currently in the Kingdom of Farnam.  There were earthquakes that they called shakes.  The world was shaking beneath them.  Relar has to steady himself after it came to an end; he could only imagine how much destruction it would bring.

No wonder many places had been abandoned.  Their god was the Giver, and they invoked the crystals.  They still seemed to have faith, despite the shakes.  His own brooch had a similar look to her amulet; at least they'd gotten that right.

Commander Galloway hadn't asked him anything, or to say or do anything, so he remained silent.

[ On the Way to Sickbay ]

"Sure, I'll give you what I have."  He had pictures of the clothing and items; he had those sent to her PADD.  Unfortunately that was all he really had; there hadn't been a lot in the castle.

[ Sickbay ]

Relar arrived at the sickbay.  He nodded to the chief engineer before heading over to Juraan to get himself altered to look like one of the natives.  Besides simulated practice at the academy, it'd be his first time having such an alteration, and being on such a mission.

After the surgery he reported to the transporter room.  They were transported to the planet's surface.  His first notice was how the native that approached them invoked the crystals like gods.

[[ Conference Room ]]

[Conference Room]

The commanders words gave Saya a better idea than trying to modify all of the combadges individually in the hour that Galloway had ordered.

That should be doable. I will meet you in the transporter room before the team departs.

Turning back into the conference room, Saya hurried over to the Bajoran-Cardassian hybrid. Ensign Hebrin, could you assist me quickly? I will follow you to Sickbay if needed. I am going to replicate a set of simplified combadges for the away team. It would help if they could be something that would fit in with the indigenous population, like a piece of jewelry.

Ensign Hebrin Relar
[ Conference Room ]

He was surprised that the Sub-Commander hadn't said anything up to now; he wondered what the Romulans would think of this.  And what was up with the Romulans that had followed them here...or already been on the planet.

He listened to the orders from the captain.  Observing these people...this is what he wanted.  He wanted to get to know who they were, and no matter what, he'd get a chance to do it one way or another.  As it was, he ended up being chosen as a part of the away team.  He'd be altered to look like one of them.  He would learn about them, by being one of them.  He had learned about methods of this in his classes at the Academy.  He would not fail.

As for the communication, it was probable they could alter the commbadges to take the primitive morse code, rather than depending on Addams.  He was sure the chief engineer could see to that.  She was in fact, asking him about hiding the communicators.  Replicating them to look like something the natives wore.  "Certainly," he said.  "I brought back some samples of clothing and pictures of depictions of the people from the castle.  These might help.  I think we can design some broaches that would work, in fact, or pieces of jewelry," he said as he started towards sickbay.  There'd be a replicator there, so they could do it there, most likely.  Time was of the essence.

[[USS Discovery - Conference Room]]

Ensign Hebrin Relar
[USS Discovery  -  Conference Room]

Relar hadn't yet spoken up, and was nervous as he tried to find an opening to do so.

He agreed with much of what was said here.  "I think we should do what we can to help these people," he said.  He had to give his opinion first; even though saving these people was something he obviously believed they should do, the crew didn't know him.  He was usually a stickler to protocol, but when it meant millions of lives?

The Petty Officer's idea was incredible.  None of them had thought of that, from what he could tell.  He nodded to her, smiled slightly.  Nervously.  "Petty Officer Torra here has a brilliant idea.  It would mean the preservation of these people, as well as the Empire getting the dilithium it needs, and then some.  And I have full certainty the Romulans can mine it without getting detected by the populace.  The Romulans would get their dilithium, all the natives of Dorric would be saved, and the Federation would benefit from better relations with the Romulans.  I agree that this is the best option."

He hoped he wasn't out of line for speaking up, and his heart was hammering.  They could very well be before a Federation tribunal later...though it wasn't quite as likely considering this was a Romulan affair.

Okies!

Also, minus the main plot thread, I'm going to be pretty slow this week and possibly for a few weeks.  But I'll still be able to keep up with the main plot.

I've just got a lot to deal with!

[[ Bajor - Hedrikspool Province - Abihl Resistance Cell Hideout - Year 2366 ]]

[ Bajor - Hedrikspool Province - Abihl Resistance Cell Hideout - Year 2366 ]

Tayel could completely understand Juraan's anger.  He felt it too.  He felt such hatred whenever he looked in the mirror; the face of the man who had used his mother.  Whoever that man might be, wherever he might be.

He deserved worse than death.  All of the Cardassians did.

He frowned.  "I was taken from my mother, to the labor camp," he said.  "The last I heard...she was taken to Terok Nor."  No doubt to be forced into serving more Cardassian scum.

"As for my father, if I knew, he'd wish I didn't know..."  His tone was cold.  He wanted that monster killed.

[ Coffee on the Corner ]

Tayel listened, interested.  One could have mistaken her for a Caitian, but there were surely differences, though he hadn't met enough Caitian's to be able to tell what those could be.

A people who had eschewed technology; who lived like those who weren't quite as advanced as others.  There were quite a few people out there that were like this; Relar would have known specifics.  But it wasn't a life Tayel was unfamiliar with.  He'd had to 'rough it' as a resistance fighter.

"I'm glad you had a chance," he said.  "How did you meet Judy?"

[[ Conference Room ]]

[ Conference Room ]

His first real mission on a starship, and they were being faced with a moral dilemma.  Relar in some cases hated the Prime Directive, but he also saw opportunities to bend the rules.

He worried about what the consequences would be, but between his career and the fate of a whole people?  What was it the Vulcans said?  The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few.

But he would wait until he was called upon before speaking his mind.

[[ DS9 - Replimat (Sometime in the Past) ]]

[ DS9 - Replimat (Sometime in the Past) ]

Relar frowned.  That was saddening, that a person would act in such a way.  His father would have said that's just how Cardassians were.  But the fact that this was a half-Cardassian still had him wondering.

"That's terrible that you had to go through that.  People can be so cruel."  He nodded to what she said.  "Of course.  If I ever do marry."

Though he still did wonder.  "He was half-Cardassian?  My father is half-Cardassian, but hates his heritage.  A...side-effect of the Occupation."

[ Coffee on the Corner ]

Tayel didn't know what to say.  He probably needed to see a counselor about it, but there was nobody he could truly trust about this.  He decided to drop the topic, in this case not saying anything about it.

He got up, smiling.  "I'll help too, if you need," he said.  "Descant, would you be willing to tell me more about yourself?  I've never met one of your kind before."

[[ USS Discovery - Deck 11 - Science Labs ]]

[ USS Discovery - Deck 11 - Science Labs ]
"Yes sir," he said to both things.  He was glad his report was satisfactory.  He'd make sure he was thorough enough.

Then the chief asked him to go sit in for him at the Senior Staff meeting.  He nodded, eyebrows raised slightly; a junior officer like himself being sent to the staff meeting?  Well, the chief seemed a busy man.

"Of course, sir.  I wish you luck on your experiment."

[ Conference Room ]

Taking a deep breath, he took the turbolift to the deck with the conference room, and entered, hope that he wasn't too late.  He waited for an opening, then he spoke, after Ozu had spoken.

"I'm sitting in for Lieutenant Cadbury, sir.  He's got an important experiment going on."  He took his seat, waiting to hear what the captain said.  He would be taking notes for Cadbury, of course.

[[ DS9 - Replimat (Sometime in the Past) ]]

[ DS9 - Replimat (Sometime in the Past) ]

Thankfully, the sweet treats were enough to quiet the young ones, allowing them to focus on their talk.  Though he had no idea what a 'knickerbocker gory' was.

It was a lot to take in all at once.  Hrafn tended to say a lot.  It wasn't particularly from what he knew of her species, at least the Trill half, so it must have been just her way–talking a lot without tiring.  She'd have made an excellent professor, the way she told her story was engaging and interesting.

He was curious about this half-Cardassian–as his father was half-Cardassian but he despised his Cardassian heritage–and why her mother was trying to force her into a marriage with him, but she didn't give him time to pause to ask a question, so he continue to listen.  He wouldn't have tolerated his mother forcing him to marry anyone; arranged marriage was a thing in some cultures though but he hadn't been raised that way.

It was so much to take in.  His mind was reeling from the overload of information; he wasn't his fast-minded father.  A fact that he was jealous of.  He took a long drink of Raktajino.

She'd lost her brother to this.  He didn't have the time to console her, as she continued her story.  Probably for the best, as talk of a sibling's life lost was always so hard.  He didn't know what the tales of the Vikings had to do with anything, though.  Another thing to ask about.  The name, in fact, sounded Viking.  Was Hrafn a Viking name too?

His mind was swimming at the end.  He wasn't sure what she meant there.  "Can you...slow down?  This is a lot to take in....no offense intended," he said.  His mind was still swimming.  "This half-Cardassian...why was your mother forcing you to marry him?  Who was this guy?  From what I know, Cardassians don't really care for 'muts'."  As evidenced by how the Bajoran-Cardassian children such as Hebrin Tayel would have been treated once they reached Cardassia.

[[USS Discovery - Deck 11 - Science Labs]]

[USS Discovery - Deck 11 - Science Labs]

Relar was glad that he had somewhere to report to, something to do.  He didn't like feeling useless, and his mind was racing with all he'd found.

He was more than willing to talk about what had happened on the planet's surface.  He took his tricorder to the front.  He'd had the tapestry itself brought to the science labs, but he had images he'd taken of it, and of the inside of the castle.  He could show these here.

"The Allegheny away team was composed of the Captain, two security officers, and myself.  We were to scan those areas of the planet that were dark zones, that we couldn't scan from the Discovery.  We were to avoid detection by the native populace at all costs, for on this planet is a pre-warp society."

He continued, "We were, however, attacked by a Romulan Scorpion-class fighter.  We crash-landed in an old castle, about fifty years old.  Thankfully it had been abandoned for a long time.  We set to work, re-establishing communications and unburying the runabout.  The other shuttle, as well as another away team sent by Discovery, eventually found and joined us."  He'd taken some pictures of the inside of the castle, and showed these now using the projector system.  "It was there that Captain Tekin found this–" He brought forth the image of the tapestry on the screen. –a tapestry made by the people of this planet."

The tapestry that Tekin had found was of a hand creating the world, dropping in the flora and fauna and the people.  Then this hand gave crystals that were buried deep into the ground.  Beyond a black line, lay green monsters, that were drawn with confusion, as if they couldn't find what they were looking for.

"My interpretation is that the hand is their god, and may be a more advanced society.  That entity placed these crystals here on purpose.  The barrier seemed to hide outsiders, some enemy, from these people.  Both the captain and I believe, however, the barrier is not natural, that it was set up.  We weren't, however, able to look at it further before we were attacked by the Romulans."

He paused, looking to see the response from the chief so far.  His heart was racing.