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rosetto

Nine Days of Tsubar

On Fesoan we have our companion of the heavens. We call him Tsubar and he dominates our skies like a father sheltering us from the cosmic bombardments beyond. He is larger than anything else in the heavens and he has a sword or sash that passes through his belly and can be seen clearly at night during certain parts of the year. This is the one constant that binds us to our world.

This is what we were taught as children. Now we know that Tsubar is a planet, one of many in the Andorian System. Fesoan, or Andor as the offworlders call it, is but a satellite of this planet. The sword is in reality a planetary ring or belt of icy particles that glow in the night but the image of the sword still lingers in my mind. Only one with an iron will could survive with a sword piercing one's stomach. That is life on Fesoan. That is my father, proud and bold, always protecting us from the unwanted elements that were a part of our lives.

For half of the year Tsubar is a huge pail blue disk slowly migrating across the day. But as he rises later and later he becomes increasingly more powerful. His blue hue fades to a bright white and soon he lights our nights. The torrid storm clouds that that whip through his atmosphere perform a dance familiar to me every evening. As is the cycle of life, soon the sun catches up with him and we know that its days are now numbered. Day by day the sun approaches. When our sun completely disappears behind the great planet our skies are darkened.

These are the nine days of Tsubar. They are the Andorian New Year. This period of time, this cycle between eclipses, is just over three standard years and for nine days during the eclipse Fesoan becomes cold and stormy. The average temperature plummets 40 degrees across the planet. Many Andorians and Aenar become depressed during this time but I think of it as a time of renewal and rebirth. Every Con Tsubar, which is what we call it and roughly translates to Tsubar's Rule, I follow an ancient tradition of cleansing and spend the days at a beach in the warmth of the waters there. I prefer the Sea of Hoshi probably because it was where I grew up. As an adult, however, I have spend many Con Tsubars in the glamorous island cities of Deonis with my family. The islands are usually warmer during these days because they are surrounded by the ocean and the ocean has retained its warmth from the long summer suns.

By human standards, even the blistering heat of a summer on Andor is frigid and cold to that race. I am Aenar and we prefer the warmer more stable climes. My family, however, were not as affluent as I would have preferred and so I led a sheltered life in the City-caves of North Umbregal where we get heat from the internal warmth of the planet. We are by nature an extremely reclusive race and so life in caves is really not a far stretch for us. Also, many of us do not have vision; our eyes are much too sensitive to the wavelengths one assumes to be standard. It is not that we cannot see rather that we see too much. It is actually painful for us and over the many passed milleniums we have learned to block it out entirely for fear of insanity.

I, Kyron Dansit, am a rarity among my people and proud of it. Perhaps it is due to a strong will or just a freak of nature but I can control and maintain my visual perceptions much the same as the Andorian or other human life forms. It makes me some what of an outcast with my people but it isn't as if I had asked to be this way. My immediate family understands however I am not welcome in extended family gatherings and have spent much of my learning years alone with my link-pad exploring other worlds, imaginary or not so imaginary. This was my only comfort, to learn of other cultures and races, to know that being different was not dangerous or even unpleasant. It is simply, different.

It was once thought that I was a product of interracial breeding. This has been practiced since I can remember although most Aenar find it repulsive. It has be found that the majority of offspring between the Aenar and Andor have a greenish flesh. Some have unique birth markings of Andorian blue or Aenarian white. Green, however, is usually their dominate skin tone. Mine is most definitely pearly white, even pink in places. There is not one hint of green or Andorian blue anywhere on my body. I've checked... Not out of vanity, but assurance of my sanity. I have looked at every inch of me be certain. My hair is reddish brown and my eyes are like ekrl gems, green within green which also differs from my bretheren. However, there is no trace of Andorian blood within me and the elders could find no trace of residual Andorian memories either. Of course, they could not (or would not) see that my flesh was as white as theirs. Alas, I was different and due to that fact I have been considered other-than-aenar.

And so as Con Tsubar approaches I find myself travelling again but this time it is for real. Two weeks ago I had contacted an offworlder named Susan Blake and she had some very interesting things to say. I am going to meet her in the Fesoan City of Poldar on the island of Deonis. I have been there before. It is probably the largest city on Andor and definitely one with frequent offworlder visitors. I believe that there is even a terran embassy somewhere although I have never had a need to seek it out.

Perhaps this is to be my destiny, a life in Star Fleet, aboard a great starship traveling the galaxy. I have read quite a bit about this organization and the United Federation of Planets. It is common knowledge as we had been a member for nearly two centuries, but I have done extended research as well. The Aenar in general, however, tend to shy away from direct contact with the offworlders. We gathered most of our information from the minds of the Andorian. It was an alien culture; they were all aliens with many customs that are just... er... different from our own. Many of our elders are agast by some of these behaviors and we preferred to remain recluse. Alas, I am different but I rarely speak my mind aloud or otherwise. I have had fantasies as a young woman though, dancing with dark strangers on distant worlds. I often dreamed about what it would be like to travel the heavens and visit other cultures first hand. I never imagined that it would really happen to me. We could hardly afford the k-prime education required much less the housing costs while I learned. Susan, however, knew of a short-cut, had offered a fast track that I could take. This is what had peaked my interest in our sub-space conversation.

The Federation had always been curious about our race and very few of us have ever remained outside of the collection for very long. Their fates were varied and most simply returned to Fesoan and retreated into the hive-culture. They did not even shared their experiences for fear of rejection. That part of their minds was slowly erased and buried, repopulated with traditional soup.

What Susan was offering was a chance to join Star Fleet as a civilian, travel with them and help them to understand and negotiate agreements with other cultures. Unlike the Betazed, our mental capacities could reach out beyond a local environment and across light-years of empty void. They are also different, so am have learned than the Betazed and other races akin to them. Without a frame of reference its difficult to describe our senses but I guess they are similar by comparison to vision that speaks. This is why Star Fleet has been interested in our race. Our telepathy can go beyond words and cultural barriers and visit the very essense of souls.

Well I guess I have to cut this log short because we are nearing the harbour were I will catch the next vessel traveling to Deonis. It is quite a long journey traveling alone. The last time I came I was with my brother. He provided a buffer between the realm of the Aenar collection and the vast populous in the Andorian metropolis. But I have been focusing my thoughts as he had taught me and I got to say that it's not all that bad. I could get used to walking among the multitude of mental traffic and refraining from direct interaction. It was actually relaxing to be able to sit back and watch the show for a change.

Well, I hope this is a good enough introduction, Susan. I hope it was what you had requested. Honestly, I am not used to vocallizing my mood like this. It is just not something that we do, or have to do, wile within the Aenar collection. I know that you don't completely understand, but suffice it to say, what you have proposed is very intriguing to me and I look forward to meeting you in person soon.

 

Kyron Densit, Deonis, Summer of 2385

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CONTINUED....

 

I put down my link-pad and began to think about what I had recorded and where my life was taking me. This was to be a new beginning, a clean slate I thought, a way to finally be able to express myself openly without the fear of condenscendence from those who shared my thoughts. Away from the collection was like swimming naked in the pool for the first time. No one around you knew that you had slipped off your suit. It was only two quick pulls on the straps and the garment would drift off with little effort remaining suspended from your finger tips just under the water. Only the bust of your figure bobbed above the surface for all to see, but you felt a freedom that you had never experienced before. There were no longer any restraints and the cool water stirred every part of your body. But it was more than the freedom that one feels because there was a selfish mystique remaining; the thought of you fooling everyone else in the pool. You were free and they were not.

 

I had been chatting with a fellow passenger before I recorded my log to Susan. Mr. ch'Zara sat across from me in the compartment in business dress and sachel. It was obvious that he was attracted to me because of the way he fussed with his garment; aways adjusting and readjusting as if it were uncomfortable to wear. Because my body carries eggs I am referred to as shen and therefore my proper name is Kyron sh'Dansit, however, due to the uniqueness of my genes, mating for me has been categorized as taboo. This is, and was, not always apparent when I mentally introduce myself to Aenar. When Mr. ch'Zara asked, I simply responded with Kyron. He knew that something was wrong when I refused to acknowledge sha. It was the polite thing for me to do and since it was not forthcoming I had been considered rude in his mind. He immediately quit fussing with his suit, pulled a link-pad of his own from his sachel and has basically ignored my existence during the rest of the trip from Umbregal. As our journey was coming to an end I felt an urge to at least apologize to him, however, from passed experiences, any attempt at explaining my situation had resulted in disgust. So I left it 'hanging' so to speak and sat with my legs slightly crossed and hands in lap, admiring his stable shoulders and the stern concetration of his brow. He was obviously on his way to an important meeting in g'Clirith. I sighed audibly as the tram came to a stop.

 

There was a cold wind that lifted my hair like a scythe through wheat when I exited the tram at the station near the habour. My belonging were stowed in a compartment toward the rear of the craft and so I casually started down the platform. To my suprize, I was soon walking along side of Mr. ch' Zara who was apparently headed to the same place. I broke the silence and audibly spoke, "You have business in g'Clirith?"

 

"As a matter of fact, this is home. I am on my way to Deonis to finalize a construction contract, you?"

 

I didn't want to just start blurting out that I was meeting an offworlder. That was just unacceptable to Aenar. At the same time, however, I did want to clear up my perceived rudeness. He was, afterall, fairly attractive, headed in my direction and if he was interested enough to actually speak with me then I needed to provide conversation.

 

"I like to spend Con Tsubar in the city. "

 

It wasn't much, but I thought it might lead to a follow on. We both stopped as we came to the impromptu carrousel that was being fed passenger luggage. "What color are yours?", I asked without even thinking and we both laughed at the implied inuendo, knowing that I was referring to his garment bags and nothing else. It was the first time that he had smiled and that felt comforting to me. He looked longingly at those on the carrousel already and then at the line of items coming off the craft.

 

 

"Obviously my bags were tossed to the back of the compartment. They're black, but I'll know them when I see them."

"I hope you didn't think me rude back there. I am a bit embarrassed by my behavior earlier. It's complicated."

 

"Well, perhaps you'll get a chance to beg for my forgiveness on the shuttle", he replied as I caught one of my bags dropping down from the hold. He looked quite impressed that a woman of my stature could handle such a large item. I just smiled.

 

"The shuttle doesn't leave for an hour. Perhaps we could get a bite. I know a little cafe that serves fresh gristhera not too far from here."

He agreed as we collected our bags, placed them together on a cart and proceeded off the busy platform. Lunch was delightful and he finally accepted my apologies. Quup, as he liked to be called, was a pleasant sort for an Aenar. The work to which he had referred was a new library in Umbregal. He wasn't the architect, but he was very familiar with the zoning issues even though he was actually only working in Umbregal. He knew that the school which was right across from the site was in desperate need of a new asset like this. I could not agree more, having grown up in the area. The old library had been lost a year back; something to do with the foundation. Anyway, it just sank into the soft ground and soon it was condemmed and torn down.

 

After a healthy lunch we were soon on the shuttle to Deonis only this time I had someone with which to converse. It was a 2-hour flight from g'Clirith and so we had drinks from the bar and he really talked my ear off. I thought I talked a lot for Aenar. Quup was a regular mouth piece. I think he was much younger than he appeared and perhaps a bit nervous still. I didn't mind. It was much better than sitting there alone with my thoughts, or worse, in the heavy mental conjestion of the Aenar collection. This way I could process them in my subconscience while I kept up with his banter.

 

There was a commotion in the forward compartment so we both got up to see. It had begun. The sun was now hidden by the Great Tsubar and it looked like we were headed for some rough weather. You could tell the temperature dropped because all of the color paled. It wasn't like twilight with its deep reds, greens and burnt orange. Everything had a gray-blue wash and looking down I could see that the ocean was disturbed. This was why so many people got depressed during this time. There was a powerful gloom that hung over the planet. Ice particles from the water vapor in the air began to cling to th hull of the craft and perform their sparkle dance glittering like diamonds. We'd be in Deonis within the hour and you could see the coastline dotted with man-made structures that rose out of the cliffs. Their gleaming metal surfaces were in contrast to the dull brownish-grey limestone from which the emerged.

 

"Where will you be staying while you are in Deonis?" He asked. I didn't know whether he was inviting me to stay with him or was genuinely interested in my accomodations. Susan had set up lodging for me at a local inn near the space port. It was nothing fancy but I really didn't require luxury. I hadn't told him anything about my meeting; didn't know his politics. Even me thinking about it now would raise his suspicions of me and so I decided that I would tell him about the meeting.

 

"I'm meeting a friend from Star Fleet. She has made arrangements at the 'Theekh uk Thethaa Zeev' (which loosely translates to the crossing of shallow breathing). I'm guessing that they are referring to the view as being breath-taking. I have never been there. It's somewhere near the space port though."

 

"Eh, I have never heard of it either. However, the inns in that area are usually clean and safe. Will you be staying until ngiCon Tsubar? We could meet up again if you like."

"That sounds nice. Give me your contact and I will let you know if and when I can be available after I get settled in and meet with my friend. Okay?"

 

Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Susan Blake walks into Admiral Brett Monroe's office onboard the USS Mason-Dixon which is in a parking orbit above Deonis. She is a bit apprehensive because she doesn't know what the Admiral knows or even why he had asked to see her on such late notice. She was to meet with the operative on the planet within the hour. Susan was not even in uniform. Although it was customary for people in her division to vary their dress according to their missions, she was meeting the admiral. Regardless and in an attempt to hide her nervousness, she stood at attention before the admiral's inspection, her arms stiff at her sides and eyes forward looking out the portal in his office, trying not to look at him directly. The admiral rose slowly and walked around her with his arms loosely draped behind his back. He was a man of moderate stature with dark almost black hair and eyes like beads. The metals on his uniform were quite impressive to Susan, the Star Cross, Metal of Honor, to name a few that had caught her secretly wandering eye. This removed any doubt within her that the admiral was well respected in the fleet. He began with a stern burly voice,

"So... I gathered from your report that this operative could easily pose as either Andorian or Human?"

 

"With minor surgery sir... yes. Her skin is pale but pink. Her hair is auburn and her eyes are 'normal' by our standards; highly unusual for her species. The antennae may be removed, however, will grow back in a matter of months. Their purpose may be compensated through cortical stimulation. Kryon, the operative, has already expressed a desire for their surgical removal to be performed."

 

"Hmmm...", The admiral continued around the lieutenant and them returned to his chair standing behind it. "At ease, lieutenant. Please, have a seat..." He extended a welcoming hand and thin smile. Susan quickly abliged him. He sat down only after she got settled, brushed his bare chin and continued,

"This Kryon, you say, she is a social outcast? A loner? Intelligent, though lacking in higher education? Interesting..."

 

"Yes sir. ", she paused, "I am to meet her within the hour admiral."

 

"Relax leiutenant. We will have you there in plenty of time for your rendezvous. Let's talk about what you know about her on a personal level. Does she have family? Where do they stand with the..."

 

His questions continued for what seemed like hours to Susan, however, she was finally released and made her way to the transporter room. She would be meeting Kyron in an open public reception area of the local space port. It had been arranged that Kryon would recognized her by the orange and bright green scarf that she wore.

Edited by rosetto

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CONTINUED...

 

I had my luggage sent directly to the Inn when we arrived in Deonis. I thought it would be easier that way to find Susan. The transit shuttle dropped me off on the north side of the complex. I stood there for a moment to get my bearings looking around for a sign or placard. There had to be a locator map near by. Across the causeway the buildings rose with there glimmering steel and glass superstructures piercing the darkening sky. The air was populated by personal transits traveling in almost every possible direction. This was the heartbeat of the Andorian culture. Everything that happened here effected the entire planet. Decisions being made in lofty board rooms pathed the way of progress; determined whether this plot of land was to be cleared for a new man-made structure or reserved torward the redemption of Andoria.

Looking back torward the terminal I saw a small illuminated vertical arrow pointing downwards. Above it was a glowing symbol that indicated 'map'. It was about 35 meters away and so I crossed the street and walked in that direction. The port was layed out in four pentagonal terminals equally distributed and radiating outward torward the south. The central hub was the control center and it was surrounded by a spotted incomplete inner ring of commercial shops and vendor mock-ups. The eateries were in in three distinct areas in an outer ring of shops. I was to meet her in the southern-most eatery area named ub Zooph Voom (the pearl strip).

I proceeded torward the Pearl Strip looking left and right. It must have been obvious that I was lost because I was approached by a kind andorian youth. After a brief salutation, he pointed me in the correct direction. He even saw Susan with her orange scarf in the small crowd of people.

"That must be the woman!" He said, "Not too many humans come to Andor during Con Tsubar."

"Yeah, I supposed not." I replied, "Thanks for your help kind cha."

 

I walked over through the crowd and extended a hand as I had read is customary to humans, "You must be Miss Susan Blake?"

She recipricated with her own hand gripping my firmly, "Indeed. And you must be Kyron Dansit."

Indeed I was and I smiled and nodded in confirmation.

 

Susan's appearance wasn't at all what I had expected. Honestly, I don't know what I had expected. She was the first human that I had ever met face-to-face. Her hair was light yellow with spots of grayish tan, like andorian hair only softer and with more depth. She was about 10 centimeters taller than I, just bigger all around. Her skin was almost as dark as a daak (equestrian beast of burden), much richer than I had imagined. She wore a simple drab overcoat draped with that orange scarf and tight fitted gray pants and black shoes.

 

"Please have a seat. Would you like a beverage?" She seemed polite and we both sat down at a table in this open cafe style eatery. A young andorian servant who must have been watching us came to the table almost at the same time as we got settled.

 

"The specials today are 'broiled bool in zeb sauce' and 'warm phuun with spiced poob'."

 

Susan gave the andorian a queer glance and I raised my hand to politely interrupt, "We are not eating, thank you. Some hot ziim tea with two cups will suffice."

 

"You'll like this tea. It's mild but will warm your insides nicely," I assured her. Susan nodded. After the servant left she started,

"So, have you been to the inn already? I don't see any garment bags."

 

"I had them delivered directly to the inn. I thought it would be better that way." I replied.

 

We exchanged small talk for about fifteen or twenty minutes as we sipped our tea. Susan had been to Andoria on several occassions but never during Con Tsubar. I assured her that it wouldn't get too cold for her as long as she dressed appropriately. I let her know that I had some extra zhaah-cloaks that she could borrow. And so the basics got settled as to who was staying where and itinerary Susan had planned. There were a couple of tests that she wanted me to complete and papers to sign but she assured me that none of it was vital for my acceptance as a impromptu liason to Andoria. She was a little hesistent to discuss anything in detail concerning the surgery and if fact she hushed me twice when I had brought up the topic. There were ears everywhere. It was already unusual for an Aenar to be seen with an offworlder in such an intimate setting with out an andorian present. We decided that it was best if we left and went back to the inn to finish our discussions.

Edited by rosetto

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