Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Governor’s Office- New Partnerships

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Governor’s Office- New Partnerships

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Governor’s Office- New Partnerships

(snips)

Hyrushi leaned back in his chair and looked intently at Dasca. A chime sounded and the door swung open and the receptionist came in with a tray carrying a pot, a brown box, two cups, and a small pitcher. She set the tray down on the desk and left without a word.

Hyrushi, still silent, stood and put the brown box in front of Dasca. Inside were assorted teas from all over the Federation. He silently poured the two cups full of steaming hot water and took a cup for himself and sat back down. He reached down and opened a drawer and brought out a small white-ish metal box and opened it; dropping loose tea leaves into his cup.

Lifting the lid, Eela flipped through the teas, and occasionally one would tug her mouth into a smile. But eventually she selected a jestral tea from Betazed that she had always enjoyed. A light fruity, a little spicy. Always delightful. She set the bag in the hot water, dunking it up and down a few times to encourage osmosis.

He say back and regarded Dasca for a long moment and then said “The biggest obstacles we have faced is the lack of attention from both the Federation and Star Fleet. When we are useful or they need something, we are paid attention to. Otherwise… little to nothing. Thus we are striving to be able to operate independently, without the constant need for Star Fleet or the Senate to feel the need to swoop in every ten months, make an absolute disaster of whatever we were trying to do… or just telling us ‘no’… and then flit away again until they need our resources or a staging area.” He stirred his tea a moment and then said “This is not a convience store for Star Fleet and the Federation to just stop by when they are feeling peckish, Captain. This is a colony of millions who live, work, eat, sleep, love, and die to call home. My vision is to give them just that.”

Hyrushi, Gov

Long fingers wrapped around her tea cup, Dasca had listened intently, not just to his words but the way he said them and what that might imply. “And I think that is a worthy vision. But call me Eela, not Captain. I have reasons for that that actually relate to what you just said. I will utilize my experience and connections to oversee the Starfleet contingent, but I’m not, nor can I be their Commanding Officer. I’m not officially on-duty anyway, so I will function more like a Commander-In-Chief.”

She sipped on her tea carefully, not wanting to take too much right away and burn her mouth. “I’m retired. Have been for five years now. But all cards on the table? I was proud to be a Starfleet captain and had fully intended to die in my command chair. I was supposed to go down with the ship, the way it’s so poetically put. But that’s not reality and that’s not what happened. And for the last five years, I found something else I’m quite good at and have bene fortunate to have travelled all over the galaxy, save the Delta Quadrant. Never did make it there, though not for lack of trying,” she said with a glimmer in her hazel eyes. “The point is that I’m very well travelled and I’ve dealt with many types of people. In each their own way, they look for connection. To their world, to the people around them. To the Universe. That connection, in whatever form it takes, is what makes a place. What I hear from you is that there is a connection forming but it is often disjointed. So our goal should be to encourage and actively help create that connect here on this colony for all those that seek it. Would that be a reasonable interpretation?”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Hyrushi was thoughtful for a moment and then said “Actually… no. It would not. You are correct in the connection aspect. Myself and the entirety of the colonial government have actively tried to instill a sense of belonging and identity. But, as has happened quite often in the past, for some reason the Federation- and Star Fleet imparticular- try to quash that at every turn. I do not know why, but they seem to actively want this planet and its people to be overly reliant on them. To the point of being penalized for attempting self reliance in almost any form. And what they fail to realize, and I hope you grasp sooner than later, is that it is no longer looked past that this is happening. Oed V is becoming a beacon, Eela. In science, terrforming, industry, higher education, resource development.. even culturally. And that, for some reason, is not something that the Senate nor Star Fleet Command is fond of. And that is why, for the past year, I have simply stopped asking for permission to do the things we have done. We just do them… ourselves. And that is why. For the past year, I have seen a constant flow of candidates for your current position flow in and out of here.” He paused and tapped his fingers on the desk and then said “Were you told how many Lieutenant Governors this colony has had over the past two years, Eela?”

Hyrushi, Gov.

There was reaction to his correction, in fact if anything, Eela welcomed it. She had put forth an image and asked him to correct it for her if necessary and that is what he had done. And in the spirit or reaching understanding, Eela was taking her time to understand the perspective he was coming from. Starfleet and even the Federation leadership were proving to be obstacles. That might very well be true and so she could understand his frustration and resolve to not have Oed be held back any longer. On the flip-side, there was both room and perhaps even a necessity to ease whatever underlying conflict might exist. That might be where she came in but for the time being she would let it be. “I saw the list in the reports I read on the trip over, yes. Various reason why people left, but I suspect you’re going to tell me the real reason, the truth as you know it to be.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.