[G] Lt. JG. Alora DeVeau - "Unsatisfactory Leadership" (Away Team)

[Amanda Nordstrom]

(( Temple Antechamber, Rho Aurigae IV ))

EGAN MANNO: More information is certainly necessary -- specifically if
we are to undergo any actions with the name 'trials.' Otherwise, this
contact ends here and now.

::Wow. Really. /Really?/ Alora's features betrayed none of her
innermost thoughts, but oh if she could express herself, she had a
feeling that she'd be thrown in the brig for insubordination. As it
was, her mouth remained in a pleasant state of neutrality while her gaze
offered nothing but curiosity as it shifted from humanoid to humanoid.::

ANANJA: I believe it has gone too far for that.

::As the sneeze indicated that someone was hiding, Alora's attention was
distracted by the sight of the child she had seen previously. Well,
someone was curious, wasn't she?::

ANANJA: {{/Come out, Kamari./}}

::And true to form, Kamari peered out from behind the curtains. She
scurried over, head bowed, stealing the occasional peek at the alien
party.::

KAMARI: {{/I am sorry, Kharanavala./}}

ANANJA: {{/You should know better. These are the Vidyadenai's chambers,
they are his sanctuary. They are not yours to wander into on a whim./}}

KAMARI: {{/I wished to see the newcomers./}}

::Varistha chuckled, and Alora cast a glance at the older Kubarey.::

VARISTHA: {{/She reminds me of you, Ana. Asking forgiveness and not
permission./}}

::Her lips thinned as she looked him and she shook her head in response
to whatever was spoken.::

ANANJA: {{/Don't encourage her./}}

SHRYKER: Do we frighten you, child?

::Ananja did not seem pleased at the attention Shryker paid to the child
and she shepherded Kamari behind her, stepping in front of the young
girl. Of course, the child leaned over to peer at them from behind the
robes of Ananja, first to Shryker, then to Alora. Despite her annoyance
with Captain Egan Manno, the science officer couldn't help but smile and
wiggle her fingers playfully. Kamari's answer was a smile of her own.
Score.::

ANANJA: She can't understand you.

::Varistha beckoned to Kamari with his free hand, leaning heavily on his
cane.::

VARISTHA: {{/Come with me, child. Help me with my preparations./}}

::Kamari opened her mouth as if she might protest, but then closed it
again and reached up to allow her small hand to be swallowed by the old,
wrinkled one. As he led her away, the child craned her neck back to
soak in one last glimpse of the aliens before the doors hid them from
view.::

Kamari: {{/Most of them seem angry./}} /

/::Even a child as young as she could make such an observation when such
emotion was so palpable within.::

VARISTHA?

OOC: If you wanna continue in a separate sim, I wouldn't mind that at
all. :)
/
/::As the older generation led the younger away from the strangers in
the room, Alora watched the two, opposent ends of the age spectrum,
until the doors closed behind them. Then she turned her attention back
to Ananja, Kitan, and her fellow officers.::

JOLARA: ::softly:: She meant no harm.


SHRYKER/JOLANA/MACKELLAR:

EGAN MANNO: Tell me, did you intend this child to enter this room?

::Ananja's expression was coloured in confusion once more and Alora was
hard pressed to understand the significance herself. Why did it matter?::

ANANJA: No.

EGAN MANNO: Again, we will need to know more about these trials before I
even begin to agree. Also, I will note that I am quite interested in the
fact that only you spoke to us before, Ananja -- but now all your
associates, save for the child, seem to understand our languages well
enough speak them so that we can translate. Interesting, because you
could not have even spared a recorded message warning us not to disturb
this planet during your ritual?

ANANJA: Those who know your speech consist of myself, one of my people's
greatest leaders and most renowned minds, and the guard who is with us
always, even as we learn an alien language. Three is not so great a
number as to be suspicious.

::It was getting worse and worse. Alora swallowed her annoyance and
carefully schooled those features so they would not betray her
thoughts. She didn't want to add to what was already an unpleasant
situation.::

ANANJA: We did not think that we needed to warn you away. ::She paused.
What would analogy would they understand?:: If a new neighbour knocked
on your door and you chose not to answer, would it then be acceptable
for them to break into your home because they wanted to say hello? If I
understand your people correctly, I believe it would be considered a
serious violation. As it is with us.

::EXACTLY. Why didn't the Captain get it?::

EGAN MANNO: Then I am afraid this meeting is over. You will escort my
officers and I out of this place immediately and return us to our ship.

::That earned a startled look from Alora, a slip that was a whisper of
an instant before she managed to regain her composure. Something needed
to be done. Someone other than the Captain needed to do something. She
glanced at Shryker, but Alora wasn't so sure she was the best one for
the job. Mackeller had fainted and that didn't really warrant much
confidence. The Counselor? Of them, she seemed the most likely, but
Jolara remained silent. Alora was beginning to wonder if she should
break her own.::

ANANJA: I will not, and you will not attempt to give me an order again.
You entered our territory of your own free will, and you are subject to
our laws. ::She sighed, sagging a little.:: Even if that were not the
case, I couldn't return you to your ship if I wanted to. It is being
held by the Vala, and I have no authority over them outside of this temple.

::They were being held by the Vala? Evidently a sect within her people,
though what sort of position they held in the Kubarey society wasn't
explained. It did explain, however, why their ship hadn't answered.
Alora's teeth worried her lower lip and she glanced over at her captain
again.::

EGAN MANNO/SHRYKER/MACKELLAR:

JOLARA: Captain...


ANANJA: I am trying to help you. If I wanted to see your people harmed,
I would have done nothing and allowed the Vala find that weapon. But if
you are correct, Captain, and the blame is shared, then so must the
solution be. You cannot abdicate responsibility for the damage you've
caused.

::Someone had to do something. Diplomacy was being trampled and if they
were going to salvage the mission, that was what they needed most.

DeVeau: So...we need to prove that we have a right to be here?

EGAN MANNO/SHRYKER/JOLANA/MACKELLAR:

ANANJA: If you have the right to be in this place, then there was no
intrusion, and the Vala have no reason to claim your ship. Hence, the
Trials.

::Alora nodded. It was their way, how things worked in their society.
And since they had come into their culture, they needed to respect and
adhere to their rules - within reason.::

JOLARA: If I may ask, what is the purpose of the Trials?



EGAN MANNO/SHRYKER/JOLANA/MACKELLAR:

ANANJA: They test the Four Virtues. It is... hard to directly translate,
but rough equivalents would be wisdom, courage, honour and beauty.

JOLARA: What do the Trials consist of?


::Alora was grateful for Jolara speaking up and from the expression that
had crossed over the Counselor's face, it seemed she also was of a
similar mind to her. That, in her mind, was a very good thing.::

EGAN MANNO/SHRYKER/MACKELLAR:

ANANJA: They are different for everyone. Even if I told you what I
experienced, if Kitan or everyone else in this place told you their
stories, it would not help you. You would not be allowed any of your
equipment -- technology is forbidden -- and while it's not usual for
people to undertake them as a group, it is not prohibited.


JOLARA: Captain, this may be our only chance.

CAPTAIN? ANY?

::Honestly, Alora wasn't seeing a whole lot of wisdom from her Captain,
the one person she felt should have exhibited that trait above the
rest. For her own part, Alora could not see any harm in going through
the trials. If anything, it would help them in their present situation.::

DeVeau: Miss...I'm sorry, I don't want to be disrespectful so I hope
you'll forgive me for the usage of a Terran title...would you please
allow me to approach my captain and speak with her and the others privately?

ANANJA?

::Well that pretty much meant she couldn't talk to her Captain without
undermining her authority in front of the Kubarey woman. Alora opened
her mouth, then closed it and merely nodded. If only she were Betazoid,
then she could project her thoughts and speak in ultimate privacy.::

DeVeau: I can only speak for myself, but I would be willing to undergo
the trials. My intent and purpose was to come here, meet you, greet you
and learn about you and your ways. I would still like to do so. If
that means undergoing a ritual that is customary to your people, then I
think that can only benefit both of us by allowing me to understand more
about you and yours.

::And yes, her only chance. Thus far they'd done a terrible job of
endearing themselves to those people - and the Captain had only made
things worse. Perhaps it was time for someone else to take the lead on
the mission - someone who held things in quite a different perspective
and who would deal with them in a more respectful manner. Despite their
actions, Ananja had treated them with patience and courtesy, considering
the situation.::

ANYONE?

EGAN MANNO/SHRYKER/JOLARA/MACKELLAR:

--

Lt. JG. Alora DeVeau
Science Officer
USS Mercury