What are these? (Part Four)

Posted on Tue Feb 3rd, 2026 @ 11:42am by Consul Andrinn Orin

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Andrinn's Personal Quarters
Timeline: Between Missions
1075 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON:]

Andrinn was laying on his bed while he was looking over all of the cultural idioms from around the Milky Way that he had collected thus far. Trill, El-Auria, Bajor, and Betazed were the first four that he had worked with and started working on for this little passion project that had come about.

It had started with him and Teevs talking about dating, especially for Humans. They had talked about the various ways that Humans talked and what kind of idioms that they might have had. So, Andrinn decided to start looking. Idioms. Sayings. What have you. Andrinn was just looking to see what made people tick. Especially since he was the Chief Diplomat onboard, it just added another layer onto understanding those around him and who he might interact with.

However, Andrinn was thinking about who he could look into next. Which species? Then, it hit him like a brick because for this species, they were more about actions and their idioms definitely fit with that.

The Andorians.

The Andorians were one of the founding members of the Federation that were never subtle. That was definitely not a criticism. Just something that Andrinn had picked up early on in his diplomatic career. Where other species wrapped meaning in metaphor or memory, Andorians tended to sharpen theirs until it could cut cleanly. It was almost a kind of mercy in that. You never had to wonder where you stood with an Andorian. They made sure you knew.

Andrinn got up from his bed and walked over to the viewport in his quarters. The transparent aluminum made it easy to look out onto the distant starts that the Elysium was circling. Andrinn had been working with some of the local species and the others that had been taken from the Milky Way Galaxy. Trying to bridge some gaps and get everyone back home to their own neck of the woods.

That is when and why the Andorian idioms came to mind. He turned back to his desk and sat down, activating his console. "Computer," Andrinn said calmly, "Access my cultural idioms database. Create a new subdirectory for the Andorians." The conformation came quickly, followed by a familiar flicker of text populating the screen and filling this subdirectory of the database.

The first idiom that caught Andrinn's eye was simple. "A dull blade is more dangerous than a sharp one." It was simple, but effective. Andrinn exhaled softy through his nose as he thought to himself, "Of course it was."

Andrinn read the accompanying explanation that noted that the Andorians used the phrase as a warning against indirectness. Hesitation, avoidance, or half-truths. They created more harm than direct confrontations. A sharp blade ended a fight cleaning, while a dull one prolonged suffering.

Another idiom appeared directly beneath that one, which read as the follows. "If you mean to strike, stand where you can be seen." According to the database, the phrase emphasized accountability. Conflict was not something to be hidden or outsourced to someone else. If you were going to oppose someone, whether it be politically, socially, or physically, you did it openly. To act from the shadows was considered cowardice, not strategy.

As Andrinn read that one, he chuckled to himself as he said, "The Andorians should tell that to the Romulans. They definitely like hiding away in the shadows. Might help if only they came out into the open on that one." That one definitely lingered with Andrinn for a bit longer than he expected, mainly because of everything that he had been through as well.

Scrolling further down, Andrinn found himself another one that caught his attention. It read as follows...."Ice does not apologize for being cold." He smiled faintly at that one. Reading through the meaning on the screen, the meaning was blunt, even by Federation standards. Nature, and by extension, truth, did not owe anyone or anything comfort. An Andorian was expected to speak plainly, even the words were unwelcome. Offense taken was not the speaker's responsibility. If the statement itself was honest.

Andrinn leaned back into the chair that he eventually found himself in. As he thought about it, so many diplomatic incidents he had witnessed had come from not from malice. But, from the refusal to say the hard things early enough. He could almost hear an Andorian Commander scoffing at the notion of 'softening' reality.

The next idiom that caught his attention made Andrinn wonder if it truly came from Andoria....or a Klingon saying. "Honor is carried, not claimed." That one didn't need an elaboration. Honor was something that you could get or give like a title. It was something that others recognized through your actions, especially under pressure.

The computer chirped as Andrinn got to the bottom of the list of the idioms. Andorian idioms demonstrated a cultural prioritization of clarity, confrontation, and personal responsibility. Conflict was viewed as a natural state, not a failure of civility.

For some reason, that sat with Andrinn for a little bit as he thought that one over. So many species sought peace by avoiding any and ALL conflict altogether. Andorians almost sought it out by forcing conflicts, either directly or indirectly. Then, they would resolve it with integrity. Different paths to the same end....or at least, that was the hope and outlook of the Andorians.

“Interesting,” Andrinn murmured to himself. He saved all of the entries into the database, making sure to label each one carefully before closing the subdirectory and files. As the console dimmed, he found himself thinking about each of the cultures that he had studied thus far and their idioms. He was starting to get a fuller understanding of the people and places that he was studying.

The Bajorans definitely listened for the divine in the words of their world. Trill learned to wait for meaning to arrive, while the El-Aurians waited and listened for the world to shape itself in others. Betazoids named what others tried to bury. Andorians...Andorians insisted you stop circling the truth and step into it directly.

Andrinn rose from his chair and returned to the gaze that he had of the stars outside his viewport from earlier. Diplomacy, he told himself, was about being seen. Not having that dull blade and understanding that sometimes the truth hurts. But, it's necessary to make sure there are not misunderstandings.

[OFF:]

Consul Andrinn Orin
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Elysium