Words of Dissent

Posted on Mon Dec 23rd, 2019 @ 11:59am by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Commander Rita Paris

Mission: Neutral Zone Neutrality
Location: Mol'Krun'chi Colony
Timeline: 2396

The morning air was cool and crisp as Mnhei’sahe Dox looked out to the nearby hills, framed by the dawning light cresting the rolling hills of Mol Krun’chi. The sky was a golden sapphire color that seemed to stretch out forever above her.

The negotiations, debates, and discussions of the past day had made the young Rihannsu Starfleet officer’s head feel as though it had been filled with so much cotton, and the break for evening and some rest was exceedingly welcome to her. In truth, she had no idea what she was doing, trying to represent the interests of a homeworld she hardly knew, thanks to the position of her grandmother in the Rihannsu senate back on ch’Rihan. But she was doing her best, saying what came to her heart in the interest in fostering peace between the reunification colony and the Hearthworld they had left to practice their beliefs and try and reconnect with their Vulcan roots. HER Vulcan roots, as well.

There was distrust and fear built over seemingly countless generations and she knew that she, Commander Rita Paris and Lieutenant Commander Sonak alone would not solve all of the problems in a single visit, but she at least hoped she was making some progress in the task she was wildly unqualified to manage.

Walking through the small village of ch’Saithe, Mnhei’sahe wondered just how much like ch’Rihan this small world might truly be. It was a largely agrarian culture here, favoring farming and simple pursuits that allowed the small population of just under four thousand to study and grow. The houses that lined the small avenue from the center of town were small, mostly single-story dwellings made from the red clays farmed from the nearby hillsides. The people had modern accouterments such as a centralized energy grid and hover flitters for transportation. Advanced tilling machines, plows and the most up-to-date security and defense technology available, but still the village felt like a throwback to a different era. For every flitter Mnhei’sahe saw hovering about, she saw someone riding a wheeled carriage pulled by Shaill. The horse-like mounts were native to ch’Rihan, but the colonists clearly brought enough with them to serve their needs and the animals were well integrated into the lifestyle like something out of a picture book.

And it was a world that Mnhei’sahe now knew was where she was born. From the woman named Nurema ir-Korthre the night before, she had learned that this was the world formed by the survivors of the reunificationist colony her mother went to prison to defend. And when Jaeih had been pregnant with her, this is where she came to give birth. For the first year of her life, this world had been her home. It was a shocking revelation, but not an unwelcome one.

There was a sweet smell over the wind that Mnhei’sahe couldn’t quite place that, nonetheless, gave her a smile as she walked by herself through the edge of the village. Scent memory was, of course, a powerful thing and the blossoms of the nearby trees were perhaps a smell she knew as an infant. Rita, Sonak and the rest were, no doubt, preparing for the day in their own ways. But Mnhei’sahe needed some air and a little quiet to think. And quiet was something that Mol Krun’chi had in abundance. After cleaning herself up in the morning, she decided to go for a walk wearing a long green, hooded coat that covered her crimson uniform and similarly bright hair that wasn’t an uncommon thing to wear in the colony.

The day before, there had been small groups of protestors outside the assembly chamber, but with the dawn, the town had seemed to calm down and there was a serenity that the anxious young woman had wanted to soak in for herself. This had been her home once, and she wanted to get to know it again in the brief time before they were to leave again.

Walking, she was not completely alone, a few locals passed her as they walked and they exchanged friendly greetings and hesitant smiles for the stranger from Starfleet AND ch’Rihan. But Mnhei’sahe welcomed the moments to connect with faces that looked a bit more like her own than she was used to these past sixteen plus years of her life.

On the edge of town, she walked along an old, wooden fence. On the other side, a field of lehe'jhme trees grew in perfectly ordered rows. It was a flowering plant that was native to ch’Rihan that yielded a tart, almost sour fruit used to make wine, juice and various treats, all of which the red-headed Rihannsu woman loved, and it was yet another sign of how well this colony had flourished in the four decades since her mother had freed these people.

Pausing, Mnhei’sahe leaned against the fence, looking out into the field with a light smile as the morning breeze washed over her face. On her first day here, she didn’t understand why she felt oddly comfortable. Why it seemed almost familiar. But now that she knew, it only enhanced her feelings about the place. Here, on this hidden world in Rihannsu space, her people proved that they could thrive and succeed. They proved that they could embrace the lessons of their Vulcan ancestors and find a way to integrate logic into their lives without abandoning Rihannsu passion. There was a sense of contentment that she felt, that she knew she would have to let go of soon enough.

She may have been born there, but it was no longer her home. Her home was the HERA, and she was there with a job to do. And to protect this world and her people, she would have to return to the Hera. And she would eventually have to return to the other home she had learned to fear: ch’Rihan. Taking a breath and letting out a long sigh, Mnhei’sahe knew that when her grandmother had named her to represent the Senate in these talks, that it was, no doubt, also partly the clever Senator’s way of ensuring that Mnhei’sahe would have a valid and positive reason to return to ch’Rihan. A purpose worth fighting for and a purpose that would link her to the Hearthworld in a way she couldn’t say no to: responsibility. There was something both insidious and noble in what her grandmother had done, and Mnhei’sahe knew it.

Kidnapped and forced against her will, Mnhei’sahe fought to escape ch’Rihan. That way, she would never stay and once Verelan knew that, she shifted her tactics. The two women mind-melded and in doing so, discovered the truth of each other’s hearts. Verelan t’Rul meant everything she had said to her grandaughter. She truly wanted the best for her and she truly wanted to see her again on ch’Rihan. And in naming Mnhei’sahe as her voice in these meetings, she provided a means by which to see her again where the young Starfleet officer wouldn’t have to give up her life or wife or duty. Verelan provided a path ironically, towards reunification of her own family and Mnhei’sahe smirked as she thought of how clever it really was.

As she thought, she kept walking. The village was designed from what was called a wheel and spoke design, where the streets radiate from a central point at the center of the city. Ch’Saithe radiated like that from the government plaza. The building constructed using the ship that had brought the colonists here about forty years ago looked far older than it was, as did most of the homes and buildings. Once of the ruling council members said that the winters here were particularly harsh and weathered things considerably and Mnhei’sahe could see that in the pitted exteriors of the faded red clay walls of the nearby homes. This far from the center of town, about three miles, the houses were the smallest and most modest, none taller than a single level, with large stretches of land between them devoted to small farms and community land. This place worked.

In many cases, like in Nurema’s home, the houses had independent generators for basic electricity and very few seemed to have access to much more beyond that. Living simple, she was told, not only allowed them to focus on their study of Vulcan history and the teachings of Surak, but served the more practical function of making the colony that much harder to detect from space. And considering that until Mnhei’sahe’s motion had passed in the Rihannsu senate, this world had been classified as illegal, it was a very prudent precaution. But in her heart, Mnhei’sahe deeply hoped that their efforts might eventually allow these people to reveal themselves freely.

Sooner or later… Mnhei’sahe thought, someone smarter than me will fix these problems. Someone like Sonak or Char or Rita will say the right things and make the right decisions to help.

Walking, Mnhei’sahe began making her way back towards the city center and the government plaza, constructed using the remains of the ship they had used to travel here. It was a wonderful symbol of the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the people that she wanted to do all she could to protect. But as she made her way down the pitted, cobblestone path, she heard raised voices ahead and knew that more protestors were likely collecting, also on their way to the capital.

As she approached, a few of the protesters noticed her. Given that the colony was so small, visitors were easy to spot, even with her overcoat. While they were arguing with one another, those who noticed her drew the others attention to the approaching newcomer, and the small crowd of protestors turned to confront her.

“Here, this is the one! The Starfleet officer who purports to be representing Hearthworld in these ‘reunification talks’. The talks that are yet another attempt to betray our colony to the Tal’Shiar!” Another protestor added their own thoughts. “You wear a Starfleet uniform and claim to represent ch’Rihan in negotiations. You don’t even have a clue what this is all about, do you?”

Maintaining a neutral stance, Mnhei'sahe stepped up calmly to the small group. She had known that something like this was all but inevitable, and in fact, on some level she had to admit that she wanted it happen so she could see for herself where the people of ch'Saithe stood. She met the eyes of the person who had questioned her and did her best to reply calmly, thought anxiety was twisting at her insides.

"I know that the Tal'Shiar wants to destroy this place and every colony like it. You are all proof that Rihannsu people can reconcile our differences with Vulcan and function without the control they want to maintain." Dox replied, "I also know that there are voices in the senate that want to see what can be accomplished if our people are free to explore your path. I will be making my report the them. Letting them know that we can be more as a people together."

“What do you know about it? You’re Starfleet. You don’t represent the Senate. You don’t represent us. You represent the Federation, just like the Vulcan and the Human,” one protester added, even as another chimed in, mockery clear in his tone. “Another hollow promise from the benevolent Starfleet, deigning to help those in need by pretending to represent all sides, when really all they want to do is subsume all other cultures into their own bland brainwashing.”

"You're right, I am a Starfleet officer. And I don't know exactly what all you've accomplished here. But that's what we're here to discover." Mnhei'sahe said, nodding slightly. "So, yes, I'm Starfleet. I'm also Rihannsu and here on the request of the Senate. And I also grew up knowing the fear of the Tal'Shiar and know exactly what they're capable of."

"Ultimately, it isn't the goal of this mission to bring this or any other colonies into the Federation, but to allow you all to be a protected part of the Imperium, free of the fear you currently live under." Dox continued, "And the Federation has had peace with the Klingon Empire now for decades without subsuming them in the slightest."

"You," one of the small crowd sneered derisively. "You speak for the Senate. We're to believe that the Senate of the Star Empire sent you. Not a senator, not an ambassador, but you, Starfleet, to represent their interests. You can't even see how offensive that is, can you? How insulting to our intelligence, forget about how dismissive it would be if true. The Star Empire cannot speak for themselves. They must send the Federation to cross the Neutral Zone and speak for the Senate of the Imperium? That's really spectacularly tone deaf if it's true, beyond how amazingly unlikely it is to BE true."

The tone of the crowd was becoming more than a little disturbing and Mnhei'sahe began to realize she might be in a little trouble. Tactically, she was looking at the numbers and trying to suss out routes if she had to run, but she was hoping it wouldn't come to that. But that might all depend on her, as she struggled to find the right words, and knew that meeting their anger with anger would only make the situation worse. So, when she responded, it was with calmness and certainty, her anxiety well covered. "You have every right to doubt me and my mission. Were I you, I would do the same. Who is this Starfleet girl that thinks she can come and speak for the Imperium?"

"The senator who proposed these talks... the senator that put forth the motion for the experiment of peace knew that she needed someone who would be independent of any influence from the corruption of the Tal'Shiar, which has permeated too much of ch'Rihan. Someone who has the most to gain from peace." Mnhei'sahe relaxed her stance and looked around at the angry faces, so much like her own. "I was chosen because Senator Verelan t'Rul trusts me and knows that I need this to work as much as she does to help fix the problems that kept ch'Rihan isolated and, like me, she believes that reunification may be the key to that."

"She chose me because we are blood. She is my grandmother. She chose me because together, we suffered at the hands of the Tal'Shiar, and together we overcame them. She knows that if these talks fail, I can never return to ch'Rihan. Because before I was Starfleet, for half my life I was a smuggler who, with my mother, rescued those who sought freedom from the Imperium to worlds just like this in the cause of reunification." Mnhei'sahe said, impassionately, praying she wasn't making the situation worse, "I'm here because my mother... Jaeih t'Aan... spent seven years in prison to ensure that THIS colony didn't die before it could take root back on Furvas VI at the hands of the Tal'Shiar. Because you are worth the risk to protect at all costs and because I will fight for you."

At that, while the crowd seemed to want to turn ugly, the words penetrated their collective anger. With the addition of guilt to the mix, what had been looking like a forming angry mob began to disperse, muttering amongst themselves, even as an old woman stepped up. "Is her blood not green as ours? If you prick her, does she not bleed green as do we all? Shame on you all... this one has come far and braved many dangers to be here, to try to sue for peace. For us not to be outcasts. To not live in hiding, in fear from our own people. If you do not give peace a chance, then you are cowards. Cowards, says I!"

Wanting to let out a sigh of relief, Dox instead kept her face neutral and calm as the tension began to release in the early morning street.

Turning back to Dox, the aged and wrinkled old woman turned a bleary eye up to the young pilot, and when she spoke, it was in a hushed tone, that all could hear all the same with their sensitive hearing. "You had best be true, young woman. You come bearing hope, and that is a dangerous thing. Because when there is hope, people begin to look up, to consider more... and it is that much greater the tragedy when hope is dashed."

Looking at the woman Dox offered a respectful bow as she replied somberly, remembering her own time in captivity and the power of what the woman had just said, "Believe me when I say that I know the value of hope and the cost of hope lost, telaet." Using a Rihan world for a respected elder, she continued, "I and those I came with will do everything in our power to protect the peace you have made here and allow it to grow. And I will take what I've learned here... and what you've shown me... back to the senate so they will know as well what our people can be. You honor me with your trust, thank you."

“I give you that trust, yes…. So be sure to earn it,” the old woman poked the Romulan Starfleet officer with a bony finger. “There are more colonies than this, and they will be watching what happens here at Mol Krun’chi. So you had best be as good as your word, because there are lives in the balance.” With her reprimand of the crowd and her reminder of duty complete, the old woman wagged her finger at Dox before shuffling off to finish her morning chores.

"On my mnhei'sahe." The young officer said with a light smile as she turned to resume her walk back to the government plaza. The old woman and the other protestors never heard her name, so here it meant nothing more than what it did to all Rihannsu: the name of their Ruling Passion. The honor they chose to live and, if necessary, die by.

As for the young woman burdened with that virtue as her given name, she looked around her at the homes she passed as she walked, taking stock of the lives that had been built here that would be in risk if they were to fail. Like many she had taken on since joining the Hera, it was a responsibility she would shoulder to the best of her abilities.

At least she knew it wasn't one she would be shouldering alone.