Post by Tahp on Aug 14, 2020 14:27:38 GMT -8
She stood in the middle of the rocky terrain, astounded. No one was there, and there was no indication that anyone had ever lived in the formations made of sandstone. The carved entrances were gone, the only remnants being rubble.
Tahp picked her way through it all, searching for signs as to how it had been destroyed, but her skills were limited. “Tek would be able to tell,” she whispered to the wind. Distracted by thoughts of the young Bajoran, she stumbled, mildly twisting her ankle in the process. Sitting down on a nearby boulder, she rubbed the ankle, willing the tears away from her eyes, not from pain, but from memories.
Regret about her trip consumed her. Her own people had become distrustful of outsiders and there were rumors that Etimon was considering withdrawing from the Federation. The future of Starfleet’s Academy on the planet was hanging in the balance and admissions had been cut back considerably.
She really didn’t care about politics, all she wanted was to see her friends again, the ones who had taken her in despite her limitations. All of their encampments, seasonal and defensive, had been visited by the young Etimonian, all with the same results. They were all gone. Tahp had visited others, too, affiliates of the outcasts, only to have them freeze at the questions and send her away. Attempts to contact Ahska, whose children Tahp had saved at the expense of her own, remained unanswered. She was tempted to visit the Compound, but knew it would be useless. Once again, she was an outcast among her own people, but this time there was no reason.
Deciding on further investigation, she walked several hours to Retanya, hoping to find that the outcasts had been reintegrated to society, finally accepted, but her intuition told her otherwise. In the main square, she stood for a moment, debating whether or not she could stand another heartbreak.
“I have to know,” she decided.
With credits she had stolen from William Hunter, she bought a data device and access to the news hub. Blinking a couple of times as she accustomed her eyes to reading her native language again, she fidgeted in annoyance. Having been abandoned at birth, she never had her proper seasons of knowledge, thus she read Etimonian at a very low level; in fact, she read Universal Standard better so she was delighted to find a small icon that allowed translation.
What surprised her the most was the amount of news about Hezak Ahska’s upcoming Primary Alliance. Tahp searched for a photo, but found none. Frowning, she pushed her curiosity aside and switched to more important news items, then quickly sighed in frustration. From all appearances, the planet was perfect.
Giving up, she shoved the device in her bag and began wandering aimlessly throughout the city she had never know, except for raids to acquire food in the middle of the night. Was it her imagination that the expression on every face was, well, bland? No one was smiling, no frowns, no reactions at all. Hugging herself, she slipped behind a large translucent sign in order to compose herself.
Tag: Any who might be hanging out on Etimon
Tahp picked her way through it all, searching for signs as to how it had been destroyed, but her skills were limited. “Tek would be able to tell,” she whispered to the wind. Distracted by thoughts of the young Bajoran, she stumbled, mildly twisting her ankle in the process. Sitting down on a nearby boulder, she rubbed the ankle, willing the tears away from her eyes, not from pain, but from memories.
Regret about her trip consumed her. Her own people had become distrustful of outsiders and there were rumors that Etimon was considering withdrawing from the Federation. The future of Starfleet’s Academy on the planet was hanging in the balance and admissions had been cut back considerably.
She really didn’t care about politics, all she wanted was to see her friends again, the ones who had taken her in despite her limitations. All of their encampments, seasonal and defensive, had been visited by the young Etimonian, all with the same results. They were all gone. Tahp had visited others, too, affiliates of the outcasts, only to have them freeze at the questions and send her away. Attempts to contact Ahska, whose children Tahp had saved at the expense of her own, remained unanswered. She was tempted to visit the Compound, but knew it would be useless. Once again, she was an outcast among her own people, but this time there was no reason.
Deciding on further investigation, she walked several hours to Retanya, hoping to find that the outcasts had been reintegrated to society, finally accepted, but her intuition told her otherwise. In the main square, she stood for a moment, debating whether or not she could stand another heartbreak.
“I have to know,” she decided.
With credits she had stolen from William Hunter, she bought a data device and access to the news hub. Blinking a couple of times as she accustomed her eyes to reading her native language again, she fidgeted in annoyance. Having been abandoned at birth, she never had her proper seasons of knowledge, thus she read Etimonian at a very low level; in fact, she read Universal Standard better so she was delighted to find a small icon that allowed translation.
What surprised her the most was the amount of news about Hezak Ahska’s upcoming Primary Alliance. Tahp searched for a photo, but found none. Frowning, she pushed her curiosity aside and switched to more important news items, then quickly sighed in frustration. From all appearances, the planet was perfect.
Giving up, she shoved the device in her bag and began wandering aimlessly throughout the city she had never know, except for raids to acquire food in the middle of the night. Was it her imagination that the expression on every face was, well, bland? No one was smiling, no frowns, no reactions at all. Hugging herself, she slipped behind a large translucent sign in order to compose herself.
Tag: Any who might be hanging out on Etimon