Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- Dinner with Kenzo

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- Dinner with Kenzo

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Dasca’s Apartment- Dinner with Kenzo
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Hyrushi took a sip and smiled softly. “There is a certain advantage to being the final authority sometimes. I have the rare privilege of simply mandating that certain people will not be involved in whatever business is at hand. Fortunately, I have not experienced the need to do so often. Only twice, and that was just after my arrival. There was a… how to say it diplomatically… a ‘clique’, if you will. Certain influential and established personalities that had managed to carve out their own small power base; and they felt that entitled them to try and tell the government how things would go. They created their agenda by ignoring facts and manipulating media reports. And they manipulated those things to only their own advantage. Our first meeting did not go the way they wanted. But our second meeting went very well… from my perspective. They chose to cherry pick data and manipulate statistics to try and show me that what they wanted was the best option for the colony. Unfortunately for them, I was apparently better at data and statistical analysis.” and he sipped his tea.

A sly grin slipped onto her face.

“I threw them out of my office and initiated a governmental investigation into their dealings. Four are now in prison for fraud, corruption, conspiracy, and bribery and two are in witness protection for turning on their comrades.”

Hyrushi

“Well, I feel in good company then,” Dasca said dryly. She sipped more of her tea and shook her head. “I don’t shy away from hard things, and I certainly am not easily intimidated, but there is something especially heartbreaking about having to bring light to the corruption and nepotism that hurt people and put so many others in danger. It’ll be a little bit longer before I can take everything to the JAG but there is that tiny part of me that resents having to be in a position to do so at all. It’s not that I think Starfleet is perfect and moral or whatever else people will assume of a career officer. It’s just that the ideals and value that we hold ourselves to when in uniform, that we fight for, they mean something to me Kenzo, and I cannot so easily toss them to the side even long after I stopped wearing the uniform. So it still shocks me when I learn that others can.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo’s head tipped slightly to the side and he said “There how many millions of individuals in Star Fleet? It would be impossible for all of them to hold those ideals and values as highly as most. The fact that so few are as corrupt as those you currently pursue is a testament to the Fleet Screening process.”

Kenzo

She snorted. “You’re right, of course. But it’s notoriously hard to get into Starfleet for a reason. And I spent many years as a psychologist sitting in people’s pain and uncertainties enough to know that people struggle. And I do allow for all of that. But I sat before Luis Vargas and saw that pain that had been inflicted upon him by people who cared only for their own achievements. It still enrages me,” Eela said softly. “For the record and all. In the last few days I’ve been face-to-face with my own anger and it’s the first time in long while that it felt productive. Took long enough,” she said, breaking into a tiny grin. This was the person he was getting as his support, his challenger (as needed), and maybe even some day a friend. For now though she was okay seeing these threads of her, the pieces that had woven a woman who had done and seen a lot (some of it terrible) and who still had the capacity to be surprised by people’s actions for one simple reason: she still wanted to believe the best of people. And Eela knew that if that ever changed, she was done for.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo smiled slightly and said “Of all the places in the galaxy I have seen, Oed is the most receptive to righteous anger. It has a way of making it… more formidable. And, as you said, productive.” He set his now empty cup aside and said “Sometimes I believe that this place may be far more than we can imagine. That perhaps it has a mind of its own, and it watches us and helps those that help it… and punishes those that seek to do it harm.”

Kenzo

Eela breathed in, as if she could pull those words within her and have them tell her something she needed to know. “It’s as if as the word becomes transformed by us physically, it returns the favour in other ways. Like we are all a part of an action we’re not even aware of just yet.”

For a moment the Haliian just gazed at him, finding her words. “Thank you for coming tonight. When I extended the invitation that first meeting, I was surprised you said yes. Most people would have simply saw it as politeness. But I’ve learned very quickly that you are not most people. And since neither am I, I foresee some very interesting times ahead of us, Kenzo.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo inclined his head in acceptance of the compliment. “I have much more hope for the future, now that you are part of the colony. I trust you will do yourself proud. And in doing so, we will all be better for it.”

Kenzo

The smile that spread across her face and lit up her eyes was warm and delighted. She lifted her tea cup in a final toast and tipped back the last sip before setting down the cup. A tiny content sigh escaped her lips as she pulled herself out of the corner of the rather comfy sitting area. She had no idea what time of night it was but the sky told her it was probably mid evening. Not too late but also it had been long enough that she felt like they had had a decent chance to get to know one another better as intended. All in all, Eela felt it had been a successful dinner. She stood and waited for him to do so as well before moving back through the kitchen and down the hall past the gallery of photos to the foyer.

“Next time, it’ll be your turn. I’m curious to see your sushi efforts,” she said. It wasn’t something she knew how to make, so it would be a nice change. Besides, it had been awhile since she had had decent sushi.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.