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

(snip)

There were, of course, acceptable answers one might give in an interview. The basic sort that conveyed something personal but maintained a level of distance and professionalism. That was not what he wanted and this was no interview, or at least not the traditional kind. And Eela sensed that such an answer would be a waste of breath and time. No, Kenzo wanted the truth, and truths were a complex set of circumstances and beliefs all rolled into a personal perspective. But she had just spoken about connection and the need for it. To deny him something real now would halt any progress they might have made so far.

Eela allowed herself to settle back into the chair, to relax into it though her back protested slightly. She brought her tea cup with her holding it in both hands, her head tilted downwards ever so slightly as she contemplated how to even begin. This was not the kind of story you usually told in an office. Then again, she had never told this story to anyone, not even Cory or Roger. What made her feel the need to tell him now? The exact point of the story of course. With a slow and deep breath, she began.

“It was a couple years after my accident, and a year since I had recovered enough to go back to some sort of work. That turned out to be the Federation Diplomatic Corp, in part because of my experience as an officer, but more because I had started out in psychology and been a practicing psychologist. So it was a couple of assignments in and they had been going well, but then myself and a team are sent out to the Gamma Quadrant. We had made first contact with a species that had no prior experience with the Dominion so we didn’t risk conflict there. I went in as a follow up to build up ties. It did not go well. At least in terms of the outcome my bosses had expected.

“The planet was extraordinarily beautiful, the ocean the city was situated on the most intriguing shade of green I’d ever seen in water. And the people”-she shook her head-“lovely. Profoundly optimistic. Lighthearted. I asked about it at one point, about the overall positive feeling and it was described to be a part of the planet and they had never known different. To be honest, I was envious. And another part of me instantly felt guilty. Here was I, a person who had experienced some really difficult things, who represented an alliance that had gone some very difficult things and I was there to what? Teach them something? Share our learnings and wisdom? It felt like I would taint this place simply by my presence.

“After a confusing day of discussions where they did not understand the concept of war, and more internal conflict on my part, there was a special event planned. A musical performance followed by a dinner. The music moved me and I was silent the entire time. I just took it in. And then came the dinner and I sat at a large round table with several important people, who would come and go as they mingled.” Eeela looked up, gazing at him intently.

“Suddenly, this very old woman came and sat next to me and I didn’t recognize her as someone I had met already, but everyone greeted her with deep reverence, so I followed suit. We went through the whole dinner and she didn’t say a single word, though every now and then she’d just gaze at me deeply. It could have felt uncomfortable, but for reasons I couldn’t explain, it didn’t.”

Eela paused to sip on her cooling tea. “Finally, near the end, the old woman rests her hand on mine on the table, pressing her fingertips into mine and she stares right at me, no… right though me and she says something that someone else at the table translated to, ‘Every seed needs roots or it will whither and die’. Then she smiled, got up and walked away. The others explained that was a spiritual person, their closest word to Standard was mystic, and that they rarely spoke. I never saw her again, despite trying to find out where she might be, because I was desperate for her to tell me what she meant by her words. Why she told me that.

“And honestly, after that I just carried on. The assignment wasn’t an outright failure but I felt weird about it and communicated my concerns and that was all I could do. I went on to other assignments. And during all of this, I was still adjusting to life post-Starfleet. And trying to be someone everyone expected me to be. But the truth is Kenzo, a part of me did die on that ship. And after I woke up from my coma I had to deal with the consequences of having a brain injury. Despite all the healing and surgery and treatment, one thing was very clear: I was not the same Eela Dasca that I had been. Parts of my personality had changed. I struggled to control emotions, especially anger. And after several years, despite a lot of hard work to temper a lot of my reactions, it was too much for my husband. For me too. He wanted me to be the woman he married and I had changed too drastically for him to catch up, and I haven’t known exactly who I am anymore. Who this Eela is. We’er expected our official divorce decree to be granted in the next few weeks.

“When my friend Roger told me he had tossed my name onto the list of candidates for this position, I thought he was crazy. But later that day I suddenly thought about that old mystic and her words. I haven’t had roots in a long time. I quite happily set them down on every Starfleet assignment, but it’s not been an option. My kids and grandchild are on Earth, but I don’t feel connected to Earth. It’s not home. Quite honestly Kenzo, I am no different than so many of the colonist who come here on a whim, looking for something they can’t quite name, a place they can call home. Maybe it’s all folly, maybe it’ll be terrible, but all I do know for sure is that when I sat down for my interview with the Senate, that same strange feeling flowed over me that I had felt when that old woman placed her hand on me.” Dasca shrugged. “I have no explanation other than I think I’m meant to be here, and I think if I give Oed a chance and truly embrace life here I’ll finally find out who Eela Dasca is now. And I suspect I’ll really like her too.” Was it a bunch of sentimental nonsense? Maybe. But as Eela gazed at Hyrushi with her teacup still firmly between her hands, there was a mixture of hope and yearning in her eyes.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo was silent. Even as Eela spoke, he was like a statue. But his eyes never left hers. He listened to each and every word… carefully… and paid attention as if she was the only speaking person in the galaxy. He remained silent onc she had finished, but finally moved enough to puck up the tea in front of him and take a sip. He regarded Eela… this new woman who was sent, like so many others, by an administrative force that had showed the colony more contempt than care. Finally, after several minutes of silence, he spoke.

“First, allow me to say that I am honored by your candor. I know that sharing such thoughts with a stranger was not easy… but I appreciate your openess. Second, please accept these words of caution as they are intended… not as a judgement… but as an honest warning based on my desire to see this relationship succeed. Be careful, Eela, in searching for yourself and seeking to discover who you are here. Oed can show that to you, yes. But Oed is honest… sometimes brutally so. It will test you like no other place. I believe you when you say you think if you give Oed a chance and truly embrace life here you will find out who you are. And I sincerely hope you do like that person. But keep in mind… even if you don’t… there will still be almost five million people relying on you. So, liking the new you or not, you have a job to do. And everyone here, myself included, would like to see you be successful. Because your success is ours.”

Hyrushi, Gov

Eela smiled. Not a polite one, or a diplomatic one, but a genuine smile that touched her eyes. “I agree. And I hear your warning and be sure to take it in as I go through this process. Regardless of my personal reasons for being here, you are correct. But dedication to the people who rely on me is something you don’t have to worry about. It’s probably the largest piece of me that still exists from before. But I can’t guarantee I won’t stumble. To make such a promise would discount people’s nature and reality. Decorated like I am and with the clout I’ve explained, at the end of the day I’m still just a woman doing her best to find her way in this galaxy. Have high expectations of me, Kenzo, but also allow me to not always meet them. And I will do the same for you.”

Taking a sip and setting her tea cup back on the desk in front of her, Dasca considered this man and what she knew of him, both from his file and her assessment thus far. “Tell me who you see when you look in the mirror. Who is Kenzo?” Was it asking too much, too soon? Perhaps. But something about the urgent situation she had arrived within and the parade of predecessors who had not been able to stick it out told her that the sooner they had more than a basic rapport the better off they would be. Also, Eela was not afraid of taking risks.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.