Perspective of a Bajoran

Posted on Thu Oct 22nd, 2026 @ 1:28pm by Mora'thil

Mission: Season 6 - Episode 8- The Price of Home
Timeline: During the event in "A Little Diplomacy."
1183 words - 2.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Mora'thil spent the first half hour circling the mass of people, watching, listening, laughing at the occasional comical moment. She acknowledged those who were familiar to her, and greeted new faces who approached. But, like so many here, she was most curious about these strangers from another galaxy.

Their emotions were... noisy. And complicated. Fear, excitement, determination, exhaustion, joyous, sad, often some combination. No two felt the same, even within the same species. And there were quite a few species representing this Federation. A few of these individuals seemed almost alien in comparison to the overall delegation, emotionally speaking.

Her long, pale fingers gripped the handle of a glass similar to an Earth tankard or mug. The liquid inside was almost black, but with a iridescent shimmer, almost like oil.

She picked out one of these Federation members to speak with. Not their leader. She would have plenty of time for that. Not the diplomats. No, one of the officers.

"Greetings, I am Mora'thil. Would you have time to speak?"

Naxea turned and took in the tall slender woman in an very impressive robe. Certainly not one of the assistants. "Yes," Naxea replied looking up at the taller woman. "I do. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Azhul, the Elysium Marine Detachment Commander."

"A pleasure to meet you, Colonel. A... marine... can you explain that to me? My translator thinks it has something to do with fish."

Naxea was unable to keep a grin from the corner of her mouth. "Ah, I suppose the best description is a soldier. We're trained to handle combat situations that our Security forces cannot."

"Do you find that often necessary? Whether here or at home. I would love to hear more about your travels."

"Unfortunately, yes. Especially since we've arrived in the Circincus Galaxy," Naxea began. It seemed like it was a constant battle ever since they arrived. "We've been through a lot in the past year. What would you like to know?"

"What do you think is important for me to know?" Mora'thil asked. "Forgive me, I do not mean to be cryptic. I am a keeper of memories. To ask for what might interest me personally is doing you a great disservice. To understand your travels, I would like to know what parts you think I should know. It might be personal, a struggle, a triumph, a loss, or perhaps all of those. You are the best tellers of your own story. Does that make sense?"

Naxea gave a slight nod. "It does," she paused as she thought over all that had happened in the past year. "Well, I suppose my greatest joy was the birth of my daughter, Sle'anna . I gave birth to her the day we arrived from our galaxy. I had to navigate down five decks while in labor."

Mora'thil looked thoughtful for a moment, strands of bioluminescence softly flowing just beneath what appeared to be fragile skin. "What would you want for your child? How would you like her to grow up? If it was completely up to you?"

Naxea paused for a moment as she thought about how to answer. "I suppose myy home planet of Bajor. It's much safer there than on a Starship and she'd have plenty of room to run, explore and learn "

"What is the purpose of your starship?" Mora'thil asked. "It's heavily defended, you have soldiers, yet....you also have children aboard. There are cultures here which train their children very early in their disciplines, whether it be science, soldiering, or whatever. Is that what you do? Are the children on board Elysium in training? I saw some of your cadets earlier. My impression is they are older than children, but perhaps not by much?"

Naxea could understand the confusion. "The Elysium is foremost an exploration vessel. Yes, we're heavily armed but that is so we are prepared for any contingency, as we also have state of the art science and medical labs. We have an Academy on board to teach and train those old enough to become Starfleet Officers. The Academy is voluntary. We don't draft our children. Most join Starfleet because they want to explore, others join to better their lives."

"I see." Mora'thil paused, "Do you have questions I can assist with? I don't mean to interrogate."

"I would like to know about your world. What is it like?" Naxea asked after a brief pause.

"We are not a numerous species. We claim one world - our homeworld - but many of us are on the move. I suspect you would find us quiet. Many find us emotionally reserved, which is not quite correct. We are introspective. But if you ever witness us debating something of import, you might not have the same opinion of us." She smiled, perhaps at a memory, as she took a long pull from her mug.

"We are primarily scholars and scientists," Mora'thil continued. "I personally am a historian, specifically a Keeper of Ethical Memory. I record - with permission - the emotions of someone I interview. It provides insight to a testimonial beyond what is put to words. Our experiences are far more than what we can express verbally. "

"That's interesting. I never heard of a species recording emotions of others," Naxea commented. "My people, Bajorans were once scholars, artists, and scientists, set apart in castes. Meeting the Cardassians forced my people to become survivors and fighters."

"I'm sorry," Mora'thil said. "Was your Federation unable to repel them?"

Naxea shook her head slightly. "No, not directly .My people weren't members of the Federation at that time. We drove them away ourselves by causing enough of a strain on their resources, though there was political pressure from the Federation did play a part as well."

"Why did your people join the Federation afterward? Did they have interest before the encounter with the Cardassians?"

"That's ...a complicated question. Before the Cardassians, no, we were an Independent, if naive people. Afterwards, many of my people didn't trust the Federation after dealing with the Cardassians but due to receiving aid from the Federation and being in poor condition militarily and economically, the Bajoran Government and the Federation took joint control of a space station, renaming it from Terok Nor to Deep Space Nine.

"Are you personally glad your world is part of the Federation? Do the benefits outweigh whatever you had to give up?"

That question was often one she wondered herself. What would Bajor be like had her people not joined the Federation? "I often wonder about what Bajor would be like had they never joined the Federation. It was not being a member of the Federation that saved Bajor from the Dominion, but I do believe we are better as a people for it.". Betazed hadn't been as lucky, as Master Sergeant Gami could attest to.

At that moment, Gami approached Naxea. "Excuse me, Colonel. There is a situation in Marine Country that requires your attention."

Naxea nodded. "Thank you, Master Sergeant. If you'd excuse me Mora'thil, I have business that requires my attention. It was a pleasure to meet you "