Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Oed Museum- A Diplomatic Gala- The Vren Arrival (OPEN TO ALL)

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Oed Museum- A Diplomatic Gala- The Vren Arrival (OPEN TO ALL)

Posted by Civilian Jeannette Mathis (Federation Ambassador) in Oed Museum- A Diplomatic Gala- The Vren Arrival (OPEN TO ALL)
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

At their assigned table, Erin watched in awe at the Vren’s official party. It wasn’t the first time she had seen a member of the Vren, but it was the first time she was seeing them live.

Sitting next to her, Erin heard her sister clear her throat, and felt a soft bump on her elbow. “You’re staring, Erin.” Came Molly’s voice. “As a member of the cabinet, you should probably refrain from doing that.” Erin sighed, looking instead around the room. She spotted her uncle with his new girlfriend coming in. “There’s Uncle Lucas.” She pointed out, hoping that her sister would stop mothering her, even though Erin knew she was right. After living apart for so long, Hazen had forgotten how overbearing Molly had been in the past, and she could only hope the trend was not going to come back. Still, she couldn’t help but feeling like a child on Christmas morning. There was so much to take in, so much to learn! As a scientist and researcher, meeting a new species was a dream come true, but Erin knew that it wouldn’t be very polite if she made their new guests feel like they were animals in a zoo. It was especially worse given her current job.

Looking around the room once more, and at all the familiar faces, Erin let her gaze fall on the podium where the speeches would soon be starting.

Erin Hazen-Cooper, Director of Terraforming

“Jal’na.” She said as though tasting the name on her tongue. Her French lilt combined somehow easily with the consonants and vowels. Astrid smiled warmly, obviously genuinely pleased by the compliment of familiarity that knowing someone as their first name implied. “Thank you. You may call me Astrid and I believe we too shall be friends.”

Jal’na inclined her head slightly, “I would be honored to count you among my friends, Astrid.” Such a strange twist her life had taken. Making friends with politicians. Jal’na found it amusing.

“If I remember the seating chart, we are at separate tables but they are side by side and the chairs are quite close. Please, come with me and we shall take our seats before the Governor’s assistant makes death glares at us all.”

Rousseau

The idea amused her of the formidable Ms Fen glaring at them. Everyone knew of the confrontation between Fen and Yavia. Jal’na admitted to herself that she was quite curious about who would have won. Jal’na walked beside the woman to their adjacent tables. She found her labeled seat beside Urg’s. It seemed to her that things were a little too controlled by assigning seats, but she wouldn’t speak of it. She was not a diplomat, nor did she wish to be. Urg was deep in conversation with the Vren captain discussing things to which she should probably pay attention; ships and weapons and power systems or something.

Jal’na, Lady Duroc

Harris glanced up at the pair as they approached with a warm smile. “Well, won’t cya look at you two…” He beamed wider as he stood to greet the couple, first taking Alexis’ hand… then Lucas’. “… I didn’t know if you all would make it.” Alexis smiled brightly as she took Calvin’s offered hand. “It’s great to see you too Calvin.” She then looked past Calvin to the rest of the party. “Molly, you look great! Director Hazen, I’m so happy you and Commander Cooper were able to enjoy the evening out together.” The greetings were warm and sincere. She then motioned to a table a few spaces away and turned to Lucas. “Sweetheart, I’m gonna go grab our seats. I’ll see you in a minute.” With a loving kiss, she was gone.

Harris & Bruner

Lucas smiled, looking slightly punchdrunk, as he kissed Alexis and she glided away. Turning to Calvin, he just smiled as he shook his hand. “Calvin, Gracie… it’s good to see you both. It really is.” He then looked at Erin & Gavin. “Good evening you two. Erin, sweetie, you look lovely. I know you all have more things to worry about tonight than me…” He chuckled. “… so I’ll let y’all be about it. Hope you all have a great night.” With that, Lucas went to join Bruner.

Lucas & Alexis

After everyone had settled in their seats, a Human male dressed in a tuxedo approached the podium. “Good evening everyone,” he said with a smile and waited till things were quiet. “I am Dominick Bridges, Director of the Oed Museum. It is the great honour of myself and my staff to host this very special gala to officially welcome the Vren to Oed Five . This museum is more than just a collections of objects and stories. It is a testament to the hopes and dreams of every person who finds themselves calling this place home. After the speeches and you have had something to eat, feel free to explore the exhibits. Our feature exhibit is a new one on the terraforming of this colony. Unlike most exhibits where all the information is there already, this one will continue to grow as we make decisions about the way our planet, and we as a people with it, will evolve. Much like the reason we are here tonight, there are many unknowns, but that is the beauty of life. Please take in the past with curiosity as we navigate the future.”

“And now I’d like to invite a few key people to say a few words. We’ll start with our Ambassador to the Federation, Jeannette Mathis. Ambassador,” he said, gesturing the to podium as he took a step back.

~Director Bridges, Oed Museum

With a smile on her face, Jeanette swept up to the podium in her caped gown and gave Bridges a gracious bow of her head as he stepped to the side. “Thank you Director Bridges.” She looked over the crowd and her smile deepened as she radiated serenity. “Good evening. You’ll be glad to know I prefer to keep my speeches short,” Mathis said, drawing chuckles from the crowd.

She found Ren’s gaze and used their look of reassurance to bolster her before she continued. “It is my deep honour to be here on Oed for these historic events. I’ve been a representative of the Federation for many years and have attended many such gatherings as this, but tonight we find ourselves in a more rare situation. It is less common for people who were once at odds to be celebrating a way of moving forward while also meeting for the first time. Tonight’s event speaks to different people coming together to try something new, to put aside old hurts in favour of cooperation. And as I look around this room I am awed by the determination of everyone here to make this work.

She turned to the head table and smiled at Kek. “On behalf of the Federation I welcome our new Vren friends. Ambassador Kek, I look forward to working with you and your people to find solutions to the crisis on your world. We too have faced times of great challenge, and it is my dearest hope that in the days to come together we will find some way to give Tutsikara a true measure of hope that things can get better.”

Mathis shifted her gaze back over the tables. “In my short time here on Oed I have come to learn how unique a place this colony is. It is resilient and honest. It suffers no fools. And in the same breath it is compassionate and creative. Its people seek solutions outside the norm to meet the needs of a place that has thrived despite any who doubted it could. The people of Oed are varied and have differing ideas about how things should progress. We do not all agree on many things and yet most people work together for the betterment of their society. Tonight is an opportunity to get to know each other better, to exchange ideas and ways of being, and it is this richness of culture that I believe holds the key to making the future discussions and negotiations here successful. We are all in this together, and it is together where hope and true peace will be found. Thank you,” she said with a bow.

Jeanette waited a moment for the usual bout of clapping to subside and made her way back to the table, giving Kek a warm and encouraging smile as she found her seat. She also caught Dash’s eye and he gave her a subtle wink that made her grin. One might not know it, but Jeanette hated making speeches. She had learned to do so because it was often required, but for her that was never where the real work was done. For her it happened in genuine and honest conversations where people laid things all out on the table and truly wanted to find a way forward. She could only hope that she was right that that was the situation here. For the Vren’s sake, and all of theirs.

~Ambassador Mathis

Director Bridges made his way back to the podium. “And now, it is with great anticipation that I invite our own Governor Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi to the stage to say a few words.” There was small round of applause as Hyrushi stood, nodding to Ambassador Kek and then to Ambassador Mathis. He moved to the podium and looked out at the crowd.

“Change. It is something we here on Oed V have become used to. Sometimes begrudgingly, but always with an eye to what change would bring and how it would make Oed V a better place to call home.” He looked at Eela and then to the crowd again. “Chnage is in our DNA… the very fabric of our being. Because change breeds resilience; and there no society more resilient than ours.” There were some claps at the words, and Hyrushi paused while they played out. “We have suffered great loss. We have watched destruction on a global scale. We have lost family… friends… lovers… and more. But never once have we quit. Never once have we buckled under the pressure.” He paused for a moment… “Never once have we allowed ourselves to give up.” He stood a bit taller as he continued to speak, and a wave of pride washed over the crowd. “And we have also never allowed others to suffer if we could help. We have offered help to ships in distress. To refugees whose homes had been lost. To those who simply had lost their way in the vastness of the galaxy. We are a place of hope. Of sanctuary. We are a people who defy events that would topple other communities; and we share that defiance with those who need it. Now we are asked to embrace change once again… to look past the transgressions of history in order to prevent the utter annihilation of an entire species. Such change would be beyond belief to most. Other places would be shocked at the mere thought of such a request. Change of this scale and magnitude would be unfathomable to almost anyone. They would call it impossible. They would call it inconceivable…” He looked around the room for a long, silent moment; taking in each face as if they were the only ones in the room.

“Here on Oed V we call it Tuesday.” and the crowd immediately stood on their feet and applauded long and loud.

Hyrushi waited for the applause to fade naturally before resuming his speech. “The Vren are here… and they need our help. I cannot begin to imagine the courage it took for Ambassador Kek and his government and people to ask for help from those they had seen as a threat not long ago. To turn to one’s enemy for aid is a remarkable act of strength. They did not let their history dictate the future of their people… and Oed V will not let that act go unanswered. Today, we the people of Oed V pledge our aid and our strength to the individuals of Tutiskara. Together we will forge a future of hope. Of friendship. And of mutual aid. Together we will see to it that their civilization is not lost to the galaxy. This we pledge.” and the crowd stood and applauded again as Hyrushi inclined his head and moved off the stage and back to his seat.

Hyrushi, Governor

Eela smiled deeply at her partner-in-governance. It was a very Kenzo speech and so far everything seemed to be touching on and balancing the different perspectives and issues. Contrary to the original plan, it was now Eela’s turn. She wasn’t giving a full speech but introducing the Vren ambassador. This was a last minute switch that might have flustered someone else, but all her experiences simply allowed her to adjust. Eela rose carefully, mindful to keep her posture as straight as she could so her brace didn’t need to compensate as much. Flanked by the two Vren support staff, they wouldn’t be able to help her and she really didn’t want it, not with everyone’s focus at the front as it was.

Moving with graceful strides to the podium, she swept the trailing skirt of her magenta gown around her legs so she wouldn’t inadvertently step on the small train. “To echo the words of the Governor, change is inevitable. As Lieutenant Governor, I’ve personally experienced a great deal of it in moving to Oed and accepting this job. When I first arrived I wasn’t fully sure what to expect. I think it’s fair to say that has Oed surprised me at every turn, and it still does on the daily. It’s one of its more endearing and important characteristics. There were many times when I expected to not find my place here, but one of the surprises was how much the people of this colony have come to welcome me home. But I believe they have done so because I sought to learn from them, to listen, and act for them. In each our own way, this is our constant task as we propel the colony forward.”

Eela turned her gaze back to the head table and to Kek. “Like our next speaker and honoured guest, I too have been a diplomat. It’s why I know intimately how important these forthcoming discussions are. As a former Starfleet captain, I’ve been fortunate to have had a few first contacts and they are always a unique and important experience. Today is no different. And now it’s my pleasure and honour to introduce to you all the Ambassador for the Vren, Braak Griget Kek.” Was her approximate pronunciation of the Vren word for ‘honoured one’ accurate? Not really. But she had tried, and it was pretty damned good for someone who didn’t speak the language at all. She stepped to the side and as Kek approached, she placed her hand on her chest and bowed her head in the manner greeting the Haliian child had demonstrated earlier.

Dasca slipped back to her seat, giving Kenzo and then Dash a smile in turn. Not bad, Dasca, not bad at all.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kek stood and began walking to the podium. As he took the stage, all voices stopped. The only sound heard was the soft whir of holo-vid cameras hovering all over. Kek set his gloved hands on the side of the podium, and he took a breath.

“I am named Griget Kek. I am an Ambassador from the Vren to the Federation… but specific to Oed V. We, the Vren… and you, the peoples of Oed V… have long been at hostile to one another. For that history, on behalf of the Vren government and all Vren, we apologize. Our past actions to yous give you great cause to not help us. But you do. And that means much. It shows your hearts to be true. To be strong. And to be far more than we Vren thought.” He was silent a moment and then said “Governor Hyrushi was right when he said it takes strength to ask one’s enemy for help… but it takes much more for that enemy to agree. So today… no longer are Vren and Oed V in conflicts. And we look towards tomorrow to do everything we can to help Oed V. Perhaps by helping repair our twin pasts, we can build something bigger than the parts used to make it. Thank you.” And there was round of sincere applause.

Kek, Ambassador