Lt Commander Ava Munro - Parallels to the Past
Ava Munro
(( Reception Room - Halls of Andorenne, The Golden Spire ))
Munro: I want to be honest with you. The Yurum Leader, Luirétt, has requested asylum for their people from the Federation. Part of why I'm here is to assess and report back in order for our government to make a decision on asylum.
Nothing.
The Advocate was still. Too still, her unblinking eyes focused squarely on Ava, who only returned the look and placed both her hands on the table in front of her in a gesture of transparency.
She was reminded of tense conversations with her father when she was a teenager. He would sit the same way while her mother launched into a sermon. In those final years the lectures were the same.
oO how could they leave us? Oo
And then…
oO how could YOU leave ME? Oo
Chavrainne: Captain Munro, I honor your transparency. And I recognize that your duty compels you to investigate such a request. ::gently:: I have no doubt you will fulfill that obligation with the Federation’s renowned impartiality… ::tilting her chin:: and with the respect for cultural sovereignty for which you are so justly known – even when that culture's values differ, or even conflict, with your own.
Points made, noted and taken. Luirétt was not wrong about the Advocate and her skills. Ava felt like she was playing a delicate game of poker but she had no idea what the stakes were. And her opponent had no tells and Ava had a whole Federation law book of nothing but tells.
Chavrainne: Still, I must speak plainly. The Yurum are not victims. They are not hunted, nor persecuted, nor harmed. ::more candidly, with a soft sigh:: If anything, they are revered too much – shielded from that which might dull their brightness and distract from their sacred role.
When the Advocate leaned forward, Ava kept her position still even when Chavrainne spoke quietly.
Chavrainne: If they now speak of asylum, it is not born of persecution, but of a conflation between ‘duty’ and ‘captivity.’ That misunderstanding – sincere though it may be – must not be mistaken for harm or persecution on the part of their society.
Ava remained still, a mental image of her mother appeared in her mind again. Stood, alone and defiant. Much like Chavrainne she remained steadfast against the tide of change that had been a dark cloud over Naura IV for decades. The children were leaving them and that left one solitary question: what did you work towards when the ones that its supposed to be for didnt want it?
Ava always felt small in those moments, where she remained still and quiet beside her father. Hands on table, a silent peace offering to a woman who faced the slow demise of her world and raised a fist against it.
Cole: It must be difficult, seeing some of your people seek protection elsewhere. What does that mean for Boraxian society?
Chavrainne shifted her gaze to look directly into the young Ensign’s eyes. There was no performance in her voice – only bone-deep truth.
Chavrainne: ::softly, plainly:: It is not difficult, Ensign Cole. It is devastating. The Yurum are not merely ‘some of our people’ – they are the root system of our entire society. Without them, our society does not shift or stumble. It withers. Existentially. Irrevocably.
K'Wara: The Yurum have spoken plainly. They have never insinuated that they were afraid of harm from the Boraxians, and Luirétt themself made it plain that they were not captives in any way that was detrimental to their health. ::sip of tea:: Their happiness, however, is another matter…
Ava finally leaned forward, again she mimicked her father. A dose of hard truth was what was needed here.
oO Mom, I’m leaving Oo
Munro: As it stands the Yurum have no interest in returning. According to Luirétt, and their second VahlJean, they don't believe they would be treated fairly if they were to return to the cityship.
Chavrainne: Then I grieve twice over – once for their absence, and again for the fear that compels it.
Ava observed the woman carefully as she considered her next move.
Chavrainne: I do not doubt our Luirétt’s sincerity. But perception, Captain, is a cunning architect – it can build prisons where none exist, and paint shadows over what is, in truth, sunlit sanctuary.
K'Wara: Shadows are always much starker when seen from the light, Advocate.
Chavrainne: ::serenely:: No one among us has ever wished a single Yurum harm. Quite the opposite – their well-being is upheld with reverence, their care entrusted to the most capable, their needs met not just with compliance but with celebration. That they believe they would not be treated fairly… ::a pause, choosing her words carefully:: that is not persecution. That is misalignment. And it is our responsibility to them – not punishment – that awaits them when they return.
K'Wara: I’ve known Luirétt for a very short time, Vahljeahn only slightly longer, but I do not believe it is punishment they fear. It’s stagnation. They’ve tasted freedom, Advocate, and once that’s happened, going back inside becomes more difficult. Even if that freedom comes with dangers.
There had been something itching at the back of Ava’s mind since she had sat down for the most unusual tea party she had ever been involved with, and Harper once made her have tea with a holographic Flotter.
Munro: Why did you fire on the New Hope? That’s the part I don’t understand. You say that you wish them no harm but you fired on a ship full of Yurum, knowing they were poorly equipped to defend themselves. It’s only good fortune that it was Starfleet they encountered.
K'Wara/Cole: Responses
The advocate lowered her chin by a degree, as if absorbing the weight of the words that had been spoken.
Chavrainne: I shall speak very plainly on this – firing on the New Hope was a tragic mistake. Knowing the Yurum had no training in spacecraft operation, we believed – in earnest – they had been taken by force. We aimed merely to disable their engines, and only then discovered that the ship had never raised its shields.
A tragic mistake. This was the crack in the door she had hoped for. An admittance of fault allowed for scope to discuss change, particularly for the Yurum.
Chavrainne: We acted in haste and out of fear, and in that we erred – grievously.
K’Wara: In fear of what? Surely the cityship would be capable of catching up to New Hope, even if it wasn’t damaged?
Ava noticed the movement of Chavrainne’s hands, she didn't know what it signified only that it seemed important.
K’Wara/Cole: Responses
Chavrainne lifted her tea once more, holding it for a beat before bringing it to her lips – not a delay, but a deliberate turning of the page.
As she set the cup down, the silence stretched only a moment longer before she met the delegation’s gaze anew.
Chavrainne: To serve as the living heartbeat of a society exacts, undeniably, an immense cost. I know well the scales that balance duty and sacrifice – and how their shifting weight can tug at the seams of one’s soul. ::a significant pause:: As, I’m sure, you do.
Another image of her mother, set apart from them. This time, a slight snow had settled on the ground and she stood watching as Ava left. Neither of them cried. Neither of them said goodbye. Duty and sacrifice, a balance that once broken was hard to repair.
Can you put the genie back in the bottle?
K’Wara: The difference between us and the Yurum, Advocate, is that we chose our duty. They did not.
Munro: Do you believe they should be given a choice?
Cole/Chavrainne: Responses
Ava focused on Chavarainne but she felt a shift in the room, from Chavrainne’s aides.
K’Wara: I suppose, but-
Ava stood as the ground beneath her rumbled and then momentarily there was an explosion and for the first time she thought of the decking below her, and as the room shuddered she knew it was a ship. An enormous, wondrous creation but a ship nonetheless. And ships could be destroyed.
K’Wara: What’s happening!?
Munro: I’d say someone wanted -
A gun was pointed at her and then Tamio as they stood up One of the aides was armed.
Cole/Chavrainne: Responses
The other aide removed a weapon, they also aimed this at the Advocate.
Aide#1: Sit. Down.
Ava remained standing.
Munro: :: calm :: I understand that this is a tense moment -
The second Aide moved quickly, placing the weapon to Ava’s head.
Munro: Okay, I get the point.
She took her seat.
Weapons remained trained on them as the two aides had a whispered conversation.
Cole/K’Wara/Chavrainne: Responses
Ava felt a small breeze waft into the room, quickly followed by the instantly recognisable scent of smoke.
Munro: :: whispered :: What are they waiting for?
K’Wara/Chavarainne/Cole: Responses
The two aides rushed forward.
Aide#1: Move. All of you.
She urged them to their feet and to one side of the room.
Munro: :: spreads hands :: Let my officers go, they serve no purpose to you -
Aide#2: :: begging :: Please, just do what we say :: to Chavrainne with hatred :: We want you to see. All of you need to see.
The Aide seemed to unlock a secret latch, and a door slid open and revealed a secret passageway. Inside they saw the eyes of several Boraxians, all armed. As Ava and the others were urged to enter, they rushed into the Halls.
K’Wara/Chavrainne/Cole: Responses
Tags/TBC
