Posted by Lieutenant Kohana Black Wolf (Intelligence Officer/Helm) in An offer of help (Tag Calloway)

Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in An offer of help (Tag Calloway)

Posted by Lieutenant Kohana Black Wolf (Intelligence Officer/Helm) in An offer of help (Tag Calloway)
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

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“Yes . . . I did,” he began. “I still do.”

Taking a deep breath, he began his story. . .

“I was 16 years old my first time. My parents had just been killed in a robbery attempt. I had no other family around, a few friends, but not real close. I was lost. I didn’t know what to do, where to go, where to live. I started living on the streets, stealing, fighting, whatever I had to do to survive. I was arrested a handful of times. The last time,they were going to charge me as an adult for armed robbery, the same thing that got my parents killed. A friend of my father’s finally stepped up, got me out of jail, took me in, but most importantly taught me about the purification ceremony.”

“Odakota was a shaman, or a medicine man. He performed the ceremony for me and turned my life around. My first ‘sweat’ showed me my destiny, it lead me to the stars. That’s where my path lay. In Starfleet. I’ve never looked back.”

Lieutenant Kohana Black Wolf
Intelligence Officer/Helm USS Asimov

Shara nodded, appreciating the story. She believed that that was true for him, but Shara was a skeptical person by nature. Or perhaps by experience. Still, she had travelled three quadrants and seen things that could not always be explained. “What’s the process? Walk me through it.”

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“The hardest part is preparing the lodge and getting everything set. That’s nothing you would need to worry about. You really have the easy part.”

She snorted but still maintained her deep gaze. Somehow she didn’t think delving into her inner world would be ‘easy’.

Seeing the seriousness in her interest, Kohana continued eagerly.

“Once the scene is set, you enter the lodge, which is completely dark, except for the glow from the pit in the center. Oh, contrary to popular belief, you are NOT naked inside the lodge. Light loose-fitting clothing is recommended, because it will get hot, and you will sweat. . . A LOT. Once inside, the medicine man will already be in there waiting for the participants, whether that’s a group, each with their own reasons for the ceremony, or just a few people, say yourself and your husband, or simply just yourself. You make an offering to the spirit world. This is usually done with tobacco, which can be sprinkled into the pit, on the ground, or smoked; the smoke is believed to carry messages up to the spirits. Sweetgrass and other herbs are used as well to create a relaxing aroma around the lodge.”

“Hot stones, that have been heated in a fire outside the lodge are brought in by the medicine man’s helpers. They also bring in water to pour over the stone, during the ceremony. This obviously, creates the steam. This is the steam that purifies and heals. The sweat lodge symbolizes the womb of Grandmother Earth and the heated stones represented her body, which supports all life. The fire used to heat the rocks represented the light of the world, and the source of all life and power.”

“Any questions so far, commander?”

Lieutenant Kohana Black Wolf
Intelligence Officer/Helm USS Asimov

“It seems straightforward enough. We just sit there and… wait for something to happen?” She could see how the heat and steam could triggered some sort of foggy state, but beyond that wasn’t quite sure how this would help her.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“Sorry. While you’re in there, you’re focusing on a goal, regaining balance, purifying yourself, a course of action . . . guidance in whatever it is you’re hoping to achieve. Between the herbs, chants and prayers, and the steam, hopefully, you receive a vision of what you need to do, a vision from ancestors, earth spirits, or maybe someone you’ve lost.”

“For this ceremony to work, you need to go into it with an open mind, though. Don’t hope it will help, bur believe that it will. . . “

Lieutenant Kohana Black Wolf
Intelligence Officer/Helm USS Asimov

She shifted her gaze away, contemplating his words. While Shara wasn’t the most trusting person from the get-go, she did maintain a thread of awe about the universe. It was the result of seeing things beyond her understanding and knowing that not everything could be explained. When her eyes fell on him again, Shara nodded. “I understand,” she said softly. “Is there anything I should do in the days or hours leading up to this ritual?”

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“Keep yourself hydrated, and think about what that goal of yours is going to be. At least have an idea on what you hope to achieve. During the ceremony the rest should fall into place. Leave the rest to me. I’ll contact the medicine man and by the time we get to South Dakota, he’ll be ready for you. Being in Intel does have its’ perks, I can requisition a shuttle for Earth and we can be on our waywithin a matter of hours.”

“Actually, Micah and I will be on Earth for our own R&R. Send me the coordinates and the day and we’ll be there. I suspect my husband will join me in this, for moral support if nothing else,” Shara said.

“Commander, I have no ulterior motive here, except to help you. With your experience in the field, I feel that I can learn a lot from you, and I’d like that to be when you’re at your best. So, yes, maybe I do have something to gain from this, but I feel it’s more important that you do.”

Lieutenant Kohana Black Wolf
Intelligence Officer/Helm USS Asimov

She actually offered him a smile. It wasn’t that Shara didn’t smile- she did- but to have reasons around those she didn’t know all that well was rare lately. “When it comes to these personal discussions, why don’t we drop the ranks? I never cared much for mine anyway.”

“Kohana, the thing you need to know about me, above all else, is that I have been more than most and lived to tell tales I’m not even allowed to utter. I’m highly determined, but I’m not foolish. I’m not an impulsive person and weight things out carefully. If I thought for a second that you were trying to manipulate me into a vulnerable position for your own gains, I can assure you you would come to deeply regret it.” Shara was utterly sincere. It wasn’t a threat but a reminder. There was no malice in it either. Shara also suffered no fools and there was no way they would have had this conversation if she did not trust him on level.

~Shara Calloway, CIO