Helmets, Blades and Beers
Episode Name: Helmets, Blades and Beers Written By: Free RP Cast: Balin, Idisha and Medes. Produced By: Starfleet Directed By: Starfleet Aired On: Thu Jan 09 11:41:00 2003 Stardate: 52913.6
Time: Thu Jan 09 11:34:14 2003
Stardate: 52913.6
It's not Stonehenge, nor any of the other major monuments on the Isles carved from stone. Rather, a barrow decorated with spiraled earth-mound patterns overlooks a hollow beneath it, the latter ringed by relatively small standing stones. While practically minature compared to their larger cousins at more famous locales, this grouping is by no means comprised of pebbles. Each of the granite standing stones which surround this hollow stands at least five feet tall and weighs at least a thousand pounds; they rise straight up out of the earth, their triangular shape giving way to slightly rounded edges which gives them the appearance of nothing so much as massive teeth. The inward edges bear some sort of man-made marking, lines running perpendicular to the earth, each of them crossed by a series of hashes, some paralell to the earth, some turned at various angles.
Outside the hollow and the barrow's immediate range, a low, rolling expanse of moor stretches out indefinitely. Skulks of foxes chase after hares and voles unthreatened by the red-jacketed hunting parties that would come in later times, competing occasionally for their food with kestrels and hawks. Starlings and wrens flitter in easily scattered flocks from shrubby patch to shrubby patch, picking out lavendar seeds and searching out small yet delectable insects. The entire scene is overlaid with a thick blanket of silvery fog which dampens sound and turns the standing-stone hollow into a natural echo chamber, stifling all exterior noise but amplifying and refracting that created within the circle itself. The temperature is pleasant to Terrans, approximately seventy degrees Farenheit.
When Idisha comes into the holodeck, Thea's already got her program loaded, and is sitting with her back against one of the standing stones. She's also wearing... a kochek helmet? Sort of. It's metal, all silvery with coppery tracings and shaped for an Andorian, except that where the holes for antennae would be, two fake silver antennae instead rise to about half the height of an Andorian's as 'place holders'. Also, she's got a cup of jumja tea in her lap, cradled by her stubby-fingered hands.
Idisha enters and immediately has the most curious expression on his face. Then he laughs. Pointing at the helmet, he shakes his head. "You've got to be kidding me..."
"Isn't it the greatest thing? Now I'm pseudo-Andorian. I even have antennae!" Thea hops to her feet and bops her head around a little. The helmet fits well, apparently, because it stays in place. "Ghorev made it for me. Initially, it was a joke. He was going to make me wear it while I was on duty on the 'Paine. Y'know. 'Cause I was getting hurt a lot for a bit there. But then he decided to make it pretty." It's obvious that Medes is totally enamored of the gift.
Idisha covers his mouth and does try to stop laughing. Really he does. "So where's the rest of it? Left it in your quarters?"
Cue blank look. "The rest of what?" Blink blink. Thea pats the top of her head. "The antennae didn't fall off, did they?"
Idisha gestures feebly about the ground. "Well... the armor. I mean... you're going to play kochek right?"
Blink. Blinkblink. "No. See. Thaal'vor. I was given this helmet to keep me /out/ of the infirmary, not put me back /in/ the infirmary." Thea shakes her head and reaches up to remove the helmet. This precedes the return of her earpiece to her head after she's set her helmet down on the holographic Scottish grass, right next to the standing stone. It's an interesting image, really.
Idisha ahhs. "Right. A little out of regs...but. Whichever." He's a little too confused now to laugh I guess. "But its nice. This much is true." Ghorev makes good armor. Maybe a collaboration is due... "So. About this.. chat." He flops down on the grass opposite you with a few feet making a nice comfy distance.
"Oh. I don't think I'll actually wear it on-duty. Even /I/ can't take me seriously when I'm wearing it. But it's really funny." Thea pats the top of the helmet as it sits next to her. She picks up her tea and sips at it again. "So. Yeah. You wanted to know about what happened?"
Idisha gives a sort of 'if you like' shrug. "Well. A significant event in the life of someone I care about usually catches my interest, yes." He smiles.
Medes scratches behind her right ear and looks down at her hands. "Well. Yes. I guess that's... I guess that's probably so. Uhm. I guess. I guess the easiest way to start to explain is... did. Did I show you the personal log I wrote right after it happened? Back when I still couldn't hear. Again?"
Idisha looks curious now. "No. You hadn't. Not that I'm in the habit of trying to hunt down personal logs of people."
"Well. I. Hm. I figured. But. Well." Snagging her PADD from her pocket, she brings up the personal log and hands over the device.
Personal Log, Ensign Alethea Medes. Stardate 52873.6. Text.
Ten Things I Learned While Dead.
1) My father was not assimilated by the Borg.
2) He's dead. For sure. And not assimilated.
3) He's actually listening. And watching.
4) My dad likes Kusto.
5) The Prophets are Really Really Really REAL.
REALLY. Really really really. For sure entirely definitely.
6) Starting to die is much easier than stopping dying.
7) Coming back isn't too hard when you're coming back following a tie to someone.
8) There's this song behind everything. Like a bazillion voices. I can't hear it now. I want to hear it again.
9) Your life really /does/ flash before your eyes.
10) I belong.
Idisha regards the PADD for a moment. Obviously with the flitting of his eyes he's done with it in a matter of moments. But something about it all really sort of...hits him. He hands you back the PADD and procedes to stare at the grass. "It fits... you know. I'm not sure how. But... it fits. The 600 gods... Borvaism... hastra bei hastra... Umarinism is more a philosphy but..." He looks up to you with contemplative, soulfull sort of eyes. "It fits."
She clears the PADD's screen and sets it down next to her helmet. "How do you mean?" Thea picks up her tea again and sips at it, glancing off into the foggy near distance as one of the fox kits stumbles too far away from its burrow and is promptly scruffed and carried back by the female looking after the kits. The corner of Thea's mouth quirks up at this, and she turns her attention back to Thaal'vor, then.
Idisha crosses his legs and leans forward. "Well... I'd mentioned once. I was in an accident right? Well. Not really an accident. But still. It was in battle over Betazed. There was a hull breach and the fields were set. We were trying desperately to get things patched together when an eps conduit ruptured from another impact. The explosion blew a piece of bulkhead out of shape and it hit me. Rather pinned me against the floor across here." He makes a cutting sort of motion across his lower abdomen. "I was almost bisected. It was only providence that my spine was untouched. So anyway, I'm laying there in shock and the only person able to cut myself free as the other two people in my team weren't so lucky. By the time I picked up the arcwelder and turned it up, the pain was becoming blinding and the second team that was down the corridor came to my aid. I passed out from loss of blood about the same time they got the piece of bulkead moved and the last thing I remember was our assistant CMO putting me in stasis." He exhales. "At least that I remember of the Carolina anyway. I haven't told many people about this. But. My Forebears. My line of the Idisha. They were all there. Bearing their hammers with pride. And I, a master smith, was going to join them. I talked to a grandfather for a time. We walked the wilds outside of our home village talking. And yet... he and I both knew I couldn't stay. Not with my family. Not with Theel having been born not a month before. And I hadn't even seen him. But. I had. When I finally saw him it was like I'd seen him before. But in a dream. And... anyway. I don't know how long that was. I woke up in San Francisco in the Fleet medical facility there. I'd been in a coma for weeks. The rehab was hell. But. Holding my son in my arms... it was all worth it."
Blink. Blinkblink. Thea takes a long while to absorb all of that before nodding and looking down at her hands, into the cup of tea she holds. "Yeah. It was kind of like that. Only there were Prophets. And the Chorus. And my Dad. And. Ehm. We were at Wolf 359. Floating in space. But otherwise, it... sounds kind of like my vision. I didn't. I didn't see anyone else. Which would make sense, because. My parents were the first Medeses."
Idisha nods a few times. "There was music. All the time. Like a song of joy playing in the background. Everything was springtime. A few patches of grass here and there fighting their way out of the winter snows after the first thaw... Maybe the Prophets wore the guise of my ancestors. I don't know. But..." He points at your PADD. "Its all there."
"Wouldn't be the first time. As a matter of fact, from what... little... I understand of the Prophets, that's their MO. Taking the form of people you know. Everything I've ever read indicates that this is how they give visions." Thea picks at the grass a little and watches one of the adolescent foxes sproing up out of a patch of heather and bound off into the fog. "They're my favorite part of this sim. I'm proud of creating them. They have proper fox behavior. And they've had kits." Quirking up one corner of her mouth, she wonders, "Are the, uhm, six hundred gods, are they prone to visions? I admit I know absolutely nothing about Andorian spirituality. I think I'd actually properly /met/ /one/ Andorian before I was stationed here."
Idisha muses with another heavy exhalation. "Well. Yes... and no. The six hundred gods... they're a bit of a metaphor. Sure, some are literalists in their interpretation...but then what religion doesn't have its interpretations." He shrugs. "Anyway... six hundred isn't so much the thing. What they are is a manifestation of all things. Every concept. Every...thing... has a...deific oversight as it were. The principle being that there is a god of revenge, a god of honor, a god of love, a god of slippery ice..." He tosses that one in for humor, and perhaps make a point. "The real lesson is that one should hold a reverence for all things. So its very much like Umarinism that way only without the phobia of technology." He looks over at the foxes and smiles faintly. "I guess the one where there are the most claimants to visions is Borvaism..."
Medes nods thoughtfully throughout the entire explanation, that is, until he gets into Umarinism and Borvaism. Blink blink. "Hunh?" Blink. "You're going to have to actually /explain/ that one to me, Thaal'vor. What's the difference? You have to understand, there are really no organized religions at all on Terra anymore; I grew up cheerfully agnostic. Tolerant of alien religions and those of the offworld humans, but really, I had no desire for or understanding of religion until I came to 419. Which, I suppose, makes sense, because I'd never really spoken at length with a Prophet Worshipper before."
Idisha smiles. "Well. Borvaism is a bit like the terran..." He muses a moment. "Well. There really isn't a cultural similarity to any terran. But the principle is akin to Christianity I guess. Where a person transcended mortality into deification." He cocks his head. "Or was that Budhism? Anyway, Borva represents the Andorian ideal. Keen in his righteous fury. Kind in his care of his family. Honorable. Forthright. Faces every challenge with indomitable spirit." He makes a few random gestures with his hands as if trying to think of other ways to describe him. "But anyway, you get the idea I'm sure. Borva was a historical figure and now people swear oaths in his name. Myself included." He muses a bit. "Religion on Andor is different than most cultures I think. Because they aren't exclusive of one another. In fact, its not unheard of for an Andorian to practice more than one. Like myself for instance. I guess that's why I'm able to accept the Prophets the way I do. But despite our casual molding of religion to the individual's tastes...its a very important aspect of our culture."
Medes clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, nodding a few times and wrinkling up her nose as she thinks. "Yeah. I guess the closest I ever came to religion before was a brush with my own brand of totemism. Enh. Hm. Well, people on Terra, from what I understand, used to form religion to their own tastes back a couple of centuries ago, but then... it kind of became unimportant. So I do respect forming the religion and all, I'm just glad to hear that despite that -- or maybe because of it? -- it's still important. I never really realised how much was missing not having a spiritual aspect of my life until I had one." A shrug, there. "Go figure, right? I just wish we still had a Prylar on station. And, honestly, I wish I knew more about Prophet Worship, so that I could tell you more. I really don't. Most Bajoran schoolchildren know more than I do. Though, truth be told, that kind of makes the things that I saw and heard while I was dead more. Well. Jimmy was trying to dispute them. Not dispute them so much as. Well. He doesn't believe, really. And he was really nice about it, but I think that he thinks that the Prophets are just my brain being oxygen-deprived. He's quite the atheist... which, I guess, is fine. Regardless... " She stops, and rolls her shoulders. "There are aspects to what happened to me that I didn't know about. That I'd never been /told./ And when I described them to Kusto later, he explained to me what they were. So. It makes it more real, you know? Because. Am I making sense?"
Idisha smiles fondly. "Don't worry. I'll stop you when you start rambling." He nods thoughtfully though. "I quite understand. I think Serendis is a little jealous maybe? Of my spirituality. No. Jealous is the wrong word. Its just that having a near-death experience sort of...grounds you. In a way that others don't have. People respond in different ways, Thea. As you say, religion has sort of died out on tera. So its no surprise that James maybe feels a little threatened. Or... maybe he's afraid you'll try to foist 'god' on him." He grows silent a moment. "Don't get offended when I say this. Its just my first impression of him. I'm not sure that he himself is centered. He's still. I think, insecure with himself. Its the only thing I can think of as to why he so flagrantly thumbs his nose at authority. And what greater authority is there than a deity?"
"No. It's nothing like that, with Jimmy. He's very respectful, and he knows I'm not evangelical in the least. Honestly, if Kusto had /tried/ to convert me, I'd have run /screaming/ in the other direction. But. He didn't. Jimmy's actually very secure in his atheism. I'm not sure if that's something /I'm/ happy about, but it's not my business, really." Thea pauses for a long time and considers his words. "Well. Yes and no. Jimmy has... Jimmy. I think it might be a little of that, but it's also. It's also because he's really just not comfortable with people at all. I mean. When you're a sniper, you know. It's not easy to be comfortable with people. I mean, really. I would be. He's just not very social by nature."
Idisha shrugs. "Fair enough. I'm coming from a culture that is rather extreme in the opposite bent. So you'll forgive me if I'm off base occasionally." He grins. "Anyway, feel free to keep rambling. I'm all ears. Four of them anyway."
Deep breath in, deep breath out. "Well. Can. I. Hm. Can I sort of. Sidetrack the conversation a little, then? There's. I. Hm. I kind of want to explain to you... why. What happened. With the drinking, and me acting all. Hm. Yes." Thea coughs, then, and looks down at her cup again before finishing off the jumja and setting it aside.
Idisha furrows his brow a bit and nods. "Its just us. So take as much time as you need."
A long, long pause, as Medes starts to sort everything out in her head and try to find a way to put it all together. "Well, it's like this. It's. Hm. I. Hm. Kusto and I... at first. We. When we started seeing one another, before Occa, we. We knew that we might one or both of us die in the course of Occa. That it was very likely that one of us would. So we didn't... we didn't talk about what was going on with us, or. How we felt. We said we wouldn't, anyway, but. I couldn't handle that. Even though, and I'm sorry if this is too much information, even though we were already sleeping together, and fairly regularly. I mean. He slept at my quarters, or I at his, pretty much every night. And, also, the, uh, the other meaning. Of. That." Cue brief redness of the ears. "So. Anyway. I couldn't. I couldn't really handle the idea that. That he'd go off and I'd go off and one or both of us might die and nothing would have been said. And. So. The night before Occa, I. I told him I'd fallen in love with him. And. He said the same. And yes, I'm rambling, but this is all important. But now I have to stop to breathe." And so she does.
Idisha smiles warmly. These aren't details that bother him in the least. For one, sexuality is a rather blase thing in Andorian culture when you watch people change in the morning as part of ones daily activity and well... there's the having sex in a room with twenty people hearing you with ears that are /very/ keen indeed. But he's been around humans enough to know telling Medes that would be way too much information for her. Especially right now. So he jsut nods. "Like I said, Thea. Its just us. And unless you told me you were pregnant, I doubt I'd be shocked. And even then I wouldn't be so much shocked as happy for you and Kusto."
"Okay, no, that I am not. I am /definitely/ not pregnant. Kusto wants kids, and so do I, but I'm not pregnant, and I'm not having children at /least/ until we're married, and probably not for a long time after that. I'm enjoying being Thea with Kusto without any other responsibilities. Though I'm sure half the station is probably waiting to see if I suddenly develop morning sickness. Or start sneezing." Pause. "Do you think I'd sneeze? Probably not. That probably has to do with being Bajoran, rather than carrying a half-Bajoran baby. Which I'm /not./ Anyway, that's not the point." She clears her throat a couple of times, then. "Anyway. So. We. When. Hm. Well. With. Everything that happened... romantically... with Kusto... in the last year. Clough." Ouch. Venom, much, there? Hate, much? Oh yes. With the hatey-hate. "And. Umanah." A pause. "I've been. Pretty stand-offish about our relationship's progress. I gave him a bracelet on my birthday. A pledge bracelet. And that... that was pretty risky. I was afraid he'd run away... or turn it down. But he didn't. And." Another long pause. "This is all tangled up. Relationships are more complicated than machinery. They're so self-referential."
Idisha laughs lightly. "Yes well. That is rather an understatement. Try having a relationship with three people sometimes. The dynamic... something to see. Sometimes I do rather beat on steel than beat out a problem in the family. But then. That's why we love each other. It will get better and worse after you get married. And children just make things more complicated. I've long considered myself the lucky one with Serendis."
"Well. There's. More." Thea takes all of that in and breathes out slowly. "And getting married is really the problem. Y'see. I. Hm. Kusto... wants to. Kusto wants to do this purification ritual thing before he feels like he can go on. And. Honestly. I don't know if I can stand it. It's all. I mean. We can't. Touch, or sleep in the same bed. For a month! And. I was okay, I could stand it, when I thought it was just sex, but. I'm. I'm a very... physical person. Touch, and comfort, they're. They're very important to me. Critical. And. To live in the same space with him, for a month, to see him and smell him and not be able to touch him?" Thea shakes her head. "I couldn't stand it. I know I couldn't stand it. But that's what he requires. And so I've been. Waiting. Hoping I could be strong enough to handle that. But now... " She breathes in, and breathes out. Her words come more unsurely now, choked a little as she bites them off. "They had a knife to his throat, and a phaser to his head. And all I could do was sit there and watch. I couldn't /do/ anything. They clubbed him in the back of the head and he collapsed on the controls. And I was in command. And all I could do was watch. And if he'd died?" A brief shake of her head, and the little Engineer sniffles repeatedly. Not. Going. To. Cry. Damnit. "If he'd died, I'd have been... I'd have been his paramour. His. Girfriend. His pledged. And Havaris Mar would have turned up her nose at me, and... and no one would treat me like what I know. When I came back, Thaal'vor? I followed the tie that my soul has to Havaris Kusto. The Prophets know we're married. But no one else does." And then she picks up her cup of tea, finds it empty, and puts it down again. "Not even him."
A hankerchief appears from one of the many folds of Thaal's robes and he offers it to Thea. "So... you'll forgive me if I'm clueless here. What exactly constitutes a Bajoran marriage?"
Medes accepts the handkerchief and rubs her eyes with it before blowing her nose and crumpling the cloth in her right hand. "Well. It's. Pretty simple, from what I understand. Were. Hm. Were you at Dakin and Leah's wedding, by any chance? That was a Bajoran ceremony. It's very simple. You just... drink from the same bowl, and say specific words, and there you go. Terran marriage is longer and usually much more complicated. I prefer the Bajoran ceremony. Though. I do want a Terran ring."
Idisha frowns a bit. "Actually, I missed it. I was on duty. I made it to the reception briefly though. Hardly informative save that Mr Leah is a little... much." He shakes his head as that's not an important detail. He smiles fondly at some thought. "I'd be honored, Thea. If you'd let me craft the rings for you... so much of my smithing has been turned to the forging of death... to make a symbol of such a union for two of my closest friends would mean much to me." He smiles fondly on you a moment. "Andorian weddings are... rather businesslike. Keth politics gets involved sometimes. Its a legally binding thing with spirituality rarely entering into it. I'm beginning to wonder at that model though. I don't know. I'd have to see how Serendis feels about looking into something religious. Borvaism...or at least a sect of it anyway... is the only quasi-religious ceremony we have. They believe in a greater unity... and as such have 6 member marriages."
"Well. You'd have to tell Kusto that. Despite the traditional Bajoran view of things, I. I won't be the one asking for marriage, even though I desperately want it. And that's really the problem. This might sound weird, Thaal'vor, but. I'd be more all right with facing my death and his if. If we were. And I faced the possibility of having to order his death last Sunday. In order to preserve the technology." Thea rolls the cup a bit, until its handle stops it. "And I would have." Then? She rolls her shoulders. "It sounds like old Terran marriages in some cultures. Clan politics, nationwide politics." Pause. "/Six/ member marriages?"
Idisha chuckles. "Yeah. Even I balk at that one. But it does get the point across nicely. Six people getting along to the point of loving one another really do get a lot accomplished. I have to hand it to them." But returning to your previous words, Thaal grows silent. "Is this... your choice? Or is this another Bajoran custom? There's no such animal on Andoria. Once you know you want to get married you generally spend the rest of the time trying to find another couple you can live with. Let alone love." He grows silent now. Almost wanting his hankerchief back. Rather he stares down at the shimmering cloth of his robes. In that silence, a single tear drops from his face and lands on his knee. The shimmering cloth causing the droplet to shine like a diamond in the holoprojected light.
"What? No. No, actually I believe that normally I'd be the one asking. Matriarchy, and all that. I'm the one who gave Kusto the pledge bracelet, I got my tattoo later. But I'm not the one who's not ready to get married. I'm not the one with... issues." Thea smirks at that, then adds, "Well, okay. I don't have the kind of issues that are keeping us from getting married. So he'll have to let me know when he's ready. Which. Won't be until after this horrible month that I won't be able to stand. So. We're never getting married. We'll just continue along in this little limbo until one of us is killed on a mission, after which we'll be treated by Starfleet and his relations as if we were nothing at all." Once Thaal'vor starts crying, however, Thea stops, and scoots across the intervening space, leaving her helmet and mug over by the standing stone. She scoots up next to him and wraps her arms around his neck. Hi, packmate. We're both sad, so I'm going to snuggle with you, now.
Idisha reaches up and snakes an arm about you, pulling you closer. "You know Thea." He says after a moment of free flowing tears. "There is one thing I would love to see more than anything else. I want to see you married. You love Kusto. He loves you. And if he feels as if this purification will bring him closer to you...or clear something up. Or... make things right in his mind. Then there's little else you can do but... do it." He smiles faintly. Trying his best not to think of Talesh and Les'fala. "So... has it started already? The month? Because if you want to move in with the Lodge..." Nah, you'd never survive the cold. "...or maybe have Serendis and I move in with you guys temporarily... whatever. I want to see you happy. And if I can survive being away from my family for two years... three really. Then just imagine how short a month will be. And its not like you can't see him. Or talk to him. We can just do group hugs or something. With Serendis and I in the middle." He snugs you at that.
"I'm just afraid that it's going to wreck things on my end. That I'll get. Bitter, or. Resentful. In fact, I know I will. I know my own mind, Thaal'vor, and. It's a rock and a hard place." Sighing, Thea shakes her head and curls it against her friend's shoulder, sniffling quietly. "It's not quite that easy. But thank you. Besides, we'd never fit everyone in our quarters. Maybe if we had command quarters, but. No. I mean. That's the thing. It's. I can't touch anyone, if I go through it. He won't be able to touch anyone. Except for as duty calls for it. It's not just each other. It's. Everything. It's aceticism. Drink only water, eat only foods that sustain you. No sex, no masturbation, no alcohol, no... nothing. That. Is just pleasurable. And. I think it'll be worse. If I can see him. And I won't be able to live with him. And. If I move out. Thaal'vor, I know I won't move back in."
The door chime sounds from the direction of Out.
Idisha frowns a bit. "Thea... I can't tell you what's best. I'm not Bajoran. I'm not Terran. I'm this strange blue fellow with a penchant for large families and a tendancy for public nudity." Well. Not really. But walking the mall in your undies doesn't help the rumors. "What I do know is that you'll regret ending your relationship with Kusto. Despite all of the hardship. The pain. The loss..." He swallows and takes a few breaths lest he break down into tears again. "I had the best four years of my live with Serendis, Talesh, and Les'fala. And if I knew what would happen to me...would have happened... I doubt I would have joined Starfleet. But... I don't regret it. And neither will you." He sighs and looks to the arch. He almost proclaims an epithet in the name of the Prophets, but rather looks to you to see if you want to answer that.
Medes jumps up, and goes to answer the chime, rubbing her hands over her eyes.
Medes says into Out comm, "Come in?"
Balin steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
Balin has arrived.
It's apparently been an emotional few moments here in the Holodeck. Medes stands next to one of the standing stones, rubbing at her eyes, which are reddened, with all the little bits of puffiness about them that come from crying. An empty mug and an odd kochek helmet with antennae on it where Andorian antennae would be sits next to the stone on the grass. In the fog, a pack of foxes poing about.
Balin steps inside and takes a look around. He takes a step forward so the door will slide closed. "I apologize for interrupting," he says as he approaches the stones. He looks around at them and nods appreciatively. "Is it Earth?" he asks.
Idisha is seated as he turns his head leisurely to the door and blinks. He's speachless. Shocked. Stunned. Standing, wiping the tears from his face and composing himself into a semblance of dignity. "Yes. Sir." He looks to Medes for further description of the simulation.
. o O Idisha is in a turmoil of emotions. One the one hand is loyalty, loss, grief, support, loneliness, hope, fear, concern. On the other is the hand of reason beating them all into submission so he can think clearly.
Blink. Blinkblink. "Uh." Whoever it was that Thea might possibly have been expecting, Balin was /certainly/ not it. "Uh, no, sir, that's. That's fine." Blink. Blinkblink. Brain rebooting. Please wait. Reboot complete. She fiddles with her earpiece for a moment before nodding and clearing her throat. "Well. It was. Uhm. About eleven hundred years ago. At least. This is what I imagine the place in question looked like. I. Reverse aged it. It's. Scotland, to be specific."
Balin grins broadly. "Wonderful, I love Scotland," he says genuinely. "I'm especially fond of Tayside. Some wonderful golf courses there."
. o O Idisha is officially confused now.
Idisha looks around a bit. Tayside obviously holding no meaning to him. "Golf? Sir?" Think man. Think. That's the bat with the ball...and the diamond? No. The...racing cars? No.... with the stick? Oh I give up.
"It's a Terran sport, Scottish in origin. Which probably means I should know something about it, but I really don't." Thea offers lamely. "Mostly, I rock-climb, actually, or surf, so... It involves a lot of walking, and hitting a ball around. That's about all I know. And. Yes. I'm. Very fond of Scotland, myself. Jimmy. Uh. Ensign Stewart and I are... both from there. In the familial sense of not actually being from there at all, but. Ancestrally so." Witness the Shuffling Foot Dance of Thea Nervousness. Big. Alpha. Wolf. Guy. Aiee!
Balin chuckles softly. "Understood. I should ask Mr. Stewart if he plays and maybe your Betazoid Commander could teach you something about your culture one day," he teases. He glances toward Idisha and says, "It's actually you, Mr. Idisha, that brings me here. Something has been brought to my attention, and I'd like a word with you on it if you don't mind."
Idisha is a mask. A well practiced mask from his childhood acting. But it doesn't fool a Betazoid. And he knows it. But whatever reaming he's about to endure, he'll endure it like a man. "Aye, Sir. At the Commander's pleasure." Meaning perhaps, lead the way or eject Medes or whatever it is you have in mind. And well. Heck. If it is a reaming. And he's booted from Fleet for it. Great! Because then he can open up his smithy and... back to task Thaal. He blinks. Because, well. Eyes need moisture like that.
. o O Idisha feels like he was just hit by a large truck. Again. Stunned isn't the word. But he recomposes himself like a man weathering a gale and braces for impact.
"Uh. Well. Right. I'd... appreciate that, sir. And... I think that's my cue to return to Lieutenant Junior Grade Weekly Head Trauma and look after him." Thea quirks up the corners of her mouth in a half-smile and nervously gathers up her present and the mug she brought with her. "With... your permission, sir?"
"Actually, you can stay, Ensign Medes. I would rather you did," Balin says, gesturing for her to stand her ground. He places his hands on his hips and looks at Idisha. He says, "Mr. Idisha, part of my job, under General Orders, is to ensure the protection of certain rights of all Federation citizens."
Idisha raises a brow warily. There is only one right he can think of as an Andorian that has been infringed upon. And that brings with it a rather weighty topic indeed. He doesn't need to say anything. A slight nod is all that is needed.
. o O Idisha is instantly wary.
. o O Idisha feels rage broiling beneath the surface calm. A rage that had been before controlled and is now dangerously near to the surface. But it is a patient sort of rage. A rage that can wait for its target.
... oh. Uhoh. Whatever this is, it's not going to be good. Thea stops in her tracks, looking less like the wolf she fancies herself to be and rather more, briefly, like a deer in headlights. "Uh. Okay." With that, she falls silent and backs herself up against one of the standing stones, there to place her back. I may not be able to leave, but I'm going to back up. It's kind of like hiding. Only. Not. Exactly. Really.
"Do you feel, Ensign, that your rights are currently being violated?" Balin asks Idisha.
Idisha grows thoughtful. At least that's his appearance anyway. He already knows his response to the Commander. Its how to phrase it that is taking the time. "Sir. In accordance with my current orders and the support of the Federation Council in regards to those orders, it is my Duty to Andor to obey them. Given the circumstances of my my current duty, I feel that my right to duel is a secondary thing to my responsibilities to the Federation." He takes a deep breath. "Many an Andorian would indeed feel as though his rights were infringed upon. And I will not lie to you and tell you that I liked it. But I've had time to reflect upon a great many things. I've sacrificed much to be here. Lost much more than that once I got here. If I had it to do all over again there would be many changes. But I don't. And here I am. And so I am. Serendis understands. I understand. Many others in the Lodge do not. But their understanding is not required." There is a pause and he breathes again. "I will tell you this much. If it were not for my love for Les'fala, I would not have been able to come to this point. I would have come to you immediately with my grievances. But that is not how life would have it be. And so in this I must thank her. For in death, she has given me a perspective I lacked in life. And it is my hope that Lt P'trell can respect that. For it was her last request to me." Even to the non-Betazoid in the room its clear that Thaal is holding together right now by an emotional shoestring.
. o O Idisha feels the rage subside now as thought and reason and most importantly...love and memory take a hold upon him. And set him quivering upon the verge of tears.
She's supposed to be here. She can't very well do what she'd normally do in a situation like this (REPORTS! The saving grace of any awkward situation. You just turn off your hearing aid and do reports on your PADD!), and so, after clearing her throat once, Medes looks off into the fog, and watches the foxes. Poing. Sproingpoingsproing! Yip!
Balin nods once in understanding to Idisha. "Your cultural rights are every bit as important as the Federation, because the Federation does not strip its citizens of fundamental rights," Balin says quietly, yet sternly. It's still loud enough to be heard by Medes in the still air, unless she's been fiddling with that earpiece of hers. "So it breaks down right there, Ensign, and I'm not going to allow that to happen. I'll abide by whatever choice you decide to make in the matter. But the option of a duel is open to you. It's a protected right in the Federation."
Idisha exhales heavily. This was the exact thing he was afraid of. But then. Not. "Sir." He pauses. "I understand and appreciate your consideration in this matter. However, the spirit of those orders still stands. As of this moment, I am the acting team commander for the RRT on station. If I were to request a duel at this moment that would leave Ensign Malloy in charge. And he already has a work load I do not envy. But that is not the sole reason I am reluctant to duel. Les'fala's last living words to me were that I do not fight him. And as I loved her enough to marry her, I love her enough to honor her wish to me even into dishonor. But there is also my responsibility to Serendis. And Theel'zin. And my love for them both. And my friends. For you see Commander. If I were to duel him. Only one of us would leave the linens alive. I would not do that to Serendis. It is a selfish thing the desire for vengeance. And it has taken me many years. An honor duel to the death. A sworn enemy. The death of my husband and my wife. To give me this lesson. I am Andorian, Sir. And proud of it. But no more will I throw away life for something so trivial as honor."
. o O Idisha feels as though a great weight has been lifted from his body. As if he has achieved some sort of epiphany. A transcendance as it were.
Nope. Hearing aids are triggered by the left ear, so even when Medes fiddles with her Bajoran earpiece on her right ear, she does nothing to interfere with her hearing -- a fact that the Betazoid Commander should hear from her brain, loud and clear. She's hearing all of this, even though she's staring at the foxes. Of course, it's just then that her combadge goes off. "Shuttle Bay to Ensign Medes." Rather apologetically, she glances at the Commander before tapping her combadge. "Medes here." In a clipped manner, one of the crew members from the shuttle bay explains that Something Terribly Important That Requires Her Attention has happened on level 21. And thus, she glances to Balin. "Sir, with your permission?"
Balin looks at Idisha and is quiet for a long time after the Andorian speaks, even through the interruption. He weighs the man. Nodding once to Medes's question, he says, "Granted, Ensign."
"Thank you, sir. Thaal'vor, hail me later? Computer, archway." And with that, Thea skedaddles. Scoots. Vamooses. Zoom!
Medes steps out of the holodeck.
Medes has left.
Balin finally speaks. "I respect that, and I respect you, Mr. Idisha."
Idisha simply stands there. Waiting for the Commander's reply. And oddly, there is no longer any sign of discomfiture. Rather a stoic expression that says 'do your worst, its already been done'. He nods with a smile to Thea and returns his attention to Balin now. A deep breath the only real sign of life except the passive and yet...defiant gaze. "Aye, sir." He replies.
Balin says, still watching the Andorian. It's not a challenge. It's indeed respect - the body language screams it. "I'll respect whatever decision you want to make in the matter. But should you ever feel your rights are violated, I would like to be informed."
Idisha nods once. "Of course, sir. I will be the first to inform you. There is however a matter of Lodge Elder that is causing some strife within the Lodge. With Prythra's removal of himself from the Lodge he has expressed his lack of commitment to its needs and therefore relinquished his role by default. The next ranking officer within the Lodge is Lt Idrani. Who... due to keth politics would be a controversial choice even though I support her in this. With your allowance, I would duel for the position. Or stand by your selection of Lodge Elder from among the Lodge population."
Balin shakes his head at the latter suggestion. "I'm not going to draw myself into Keth politics," he says. "That's strictly a civilian matter, and should be handled according to your customs. I'm not going to grant you permission to exercise a right that you already have. You do what you have to do, and anyone who has a problem with it can answer to me."
Idisha nods again in curt fashion, clearly obedient to your will. "Aye, sir." He gives pause for a moment now as he really has no idea where to go from here. "Sir. If I might be so brazen. I would be honored if you allowed me to buy you a drink? I would craft you a blade the likes of which I might only match by Utlara... but as my understanding of your culture is that you do not wield such weapons..." He's not sure it would be appropriate. "If I am mistaken, you have only to say the word and it shall be done."
Balin offers the man a smile. "A blade? I would be honored, but it would find no use in my unworthy hands," he says, showing Idisha his paper-pushing-golf-club-swinging hands. "But a drink would be welcomed, indeed."
Idisha returns the smile genuinely. "A drink it is then." Standing a bit straighter, Thaal straightens himself up a bit. Adjusting something in his jacket and what is obviously a tricorder concealed under the jacket at his hip. If one were a calculating fellow, one would expect a phaser in there somewhere. Even offduty, Thaal is an officer. "After you, Sir."
