Origins

Posted on Mon Aug 8th, 2022 @ 6:59am by Consul Andrinn Orin & Captain Samuel Woolheater

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Vulcan
Timeline: Year: 2080
2669 words - 5.3 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON:]

THE T'PAU ENLIGHTENMENT CENTER - VULCAN


Vulcan graduation ceremonies are a little different. The graduating classes tend to be smaller, the students excelling in their disciplines and definietly no throwing of mortarboards at the end of the ceremony. Today's graduation ceremony would be no different. However, it was very special. Tonight, the guest speaker and honorary degree conferment was Ranul Orin all the way from Trill. Yes, that Ranul Orin. There were perhaps as many as one-hundred students and their guests, families and friends. The commencement was already in progress and Ranul Orin was asked to come to the front of the dais to recieve his honorary degree - which was no small matter when it comes to Vulcans. He was being honored with an honorary doctorate for he and the Orin symbiant inside him for previous work done on Vulcan in years past.

"Ranul Orin, recieve from the trustees, the board of educators, the staff and students of the T'Pau Enlightenment Center this honorary doctorate in Diplomatic Relations" said the highest ranking educator at the center. Ranul was dressed in the traditional flowing robes of a Vulcan ambassador and the honorary sash was affixed across his shoulder. There was enthusiastic applause and then Doctor Ranul Orin gave a short speech, as was customary. And the ceremony went on with the graduation. It was later, in the courtyard, under the hot Vulcan sun and near the lilly pond that the students could gather and talk with Doctor Ranul Orin.

One student said, "Doctor Orin? Please tell us about the symbiant that you are in partnership with? I am curious to know, are you able to discern your thoughts apart from those of the symbiant?"

Ranul looked back at the Vulcan and simply smiled back at the Vulcan. While he knew that the Vulcans were a people of very little, if any emotions, he couldn't help but to indulge in a few emotions of his own. Ranul loved to tease the Vulcans that he encountered, as they were a passionate people.

Watching the Vulcan student that asked the question, Ranul asked, "Do you even know what a joined Trill looks like? Are we spooky? Are we without spots? Please enlighten me."

The student apparently unphased, raised one eyebrow as he considered the response, "A curious response to a simple query. Does your redirection of my question come from you or the symbiant?" A few Vulcan heads turned in Ranul's direction to hear a response.

Wagging a finger at the student, Ranul replied, "It comes from both of us my dear student. We are both separate, but equal. Two parts of one whole picture. But, understand that we are both emotional creatures and aren't entirely comfortable talking about our joined species just yet. Give it time and you may find out more information as it becomes more commonplace...assuming that it does."

Another person asked, this time a teacher, "How old does one have to be to become a candidate for symbiosis? Can anyone become a host with the proper training?" she asked.

Ranul looked down at his feet and was quickly realizing that he couldn't do his normal deflection of the subject with outsiders. He wasn't comfortable with telling people, especially emotionless Vulcans about his people's joinings. He looked back up at the Vulcan student that asked him about the joining process and said, "Uhm....if you can excuse me for a moment."

Ranul walked back out the door and pushed up against the wall, letting himself slide back down against the warm surface. This place was literal hell, Ranul thought to himself. He didn't want to live with people who didn't care about emotions or feelings. He enjoyed his emotions and the connection that he had with his symbiant.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Ranul opened them back up after a moment as he saw the Vulcan student that had asked him about the joining process and said, "Kid, if you're that desperate for an answer, send a message to the Trill homeworld and they'll give you all the answers that you'd like. For me, it's a very...emotional journey and very....personal one. I went through heck with my mentor, who also happened to be the last host of the Orin symbiant."

The kid, was a teenager but he took no offense to Ranul's statement. "You are our elder and our instructor told us that you have years of experience from which to draw on? Yet, you do not seem so learned to me sir? It is not logical your answers to my query. I wish to know more. Do my questions offend you sir?" The young man sat down opposite from Ranul. The sunlight, bright and hot from the Vulcan sands bathed them both in warm light.

Looking up at the teenager, Ranul just shook his head and said, "Well, then why don't you enlighten me on that little Vulcan mind trick? Hmm? The thing that you guys call the Mind Meld? I've heard that's fun, but you shun the people that do it because it's so unnatural and yet, they're not."

Pushing his head against the wall, Ranul kept speaking, "What you don't know is that while we have a joined species, we don't talk about it with outsiders because they wouldn't understand and it's such a bond that's special, even within Trill society. We're almost shunned if we talk about it with outsiders, especially the Vulcans."

The young Vulcan face was expressionless. For a moment he said nothing. "We learned that the symbiant is older than you? And lives longer than you. Is that true?"

Looking over at the young man, Ranul said, "Yeah, they live for centuries and are passed from one host to another. Usually when they die, so that person can connect with the symbiant and that's where their thoughts come into play. They retain the thoughts and experiences from the previous host, much like you would do pictures and stories."

Ranul walked back out the door and pushed up against the wall, letting himself slide back down against the warm surface. This place was literal hell, Ranul thought to himself. He didn't want to live with people who didn't care about emotions or feelings. He enjoyed his emotions and the connection that he had with his symbiant.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Ranul opened them back up after a moment as he saw the Vulcan student that had asked him about the joining process and said, "Kid, if you're that desperate for an answer, send a message to the Trill homeworld and they'll give you all the answers that you'd like. For me, it's a very...emotional journey and very....personal one. I went through heck with my mentor, who also happened to be the last host of the Orin symbiant."

The kid, was a teenager but he took no offense to Ranul's statement. "You are our elder and our instructor told us that you have years of experience from which to draw on? Yet, you do not seem so learned to me sir? It is not logical to my query. I wish to know more. Do my questions offend you sir?" The young man sat down opposite from Ranul. The sunlight, bright and hot from the Vulcan sands bathed them both in warm light.

Looking up at the teenager, Ranul just shook his head and said, "Well, then why don't you enlighten me on that little Vulcan mind trick? Hmm? The thing that you guys call the Mind Meld? I've heard that's fun, but you shun the people that do it because it's so unnatural and yet, they're not."

Pushing his head against the wall, Ranul kept speaking, "What you don't know is that while we have a joined species, we don't talk about it with outsiders because they wouldn't understand and it's such a bond that's special, even within Trill society. We're almost shunned if we talk about it with outsiders, especially the Vulcans."

The young Vulcan face was expressionless. For a moment he said nothing. "We learned that the symbiant is older than you? And lives longer than you. Is that true?"

Looking up at the young person, Ranul just stared at him with a face that just read total emotions. Ranul wasn’t sure what to think at that exact moment, but he wasn’t feeling up for a million questions. He just looked back at the young man and said, “Well, it depends. Most of the sybiants are born and they have to wait for a bit before they can be joined with someone. So, it honestly just depends. Also, this isn’t going to be published somewhere, is it?”

The Vulcan student was as giddy as a chunk of concrete. And as expressive as a stone. He seemed ambivalent to the cues that Ranul was sending out. He simply started back at Ranul. With dark eyes that seemed rather unimpressed with him.

“You have nothing to teach me then? Nothing to publish means nothing to learn. If my queries are upsetting to you sir, then I will stop and wish you well.”

“Literally, kid. I know that you want to learn, but nothing can be learned by trying to publish something in some article. I’m not some scientific experiment that you can learn from. I’m a living creature. Know that!” Ranul yelled back at the Vulcan, clearly angered by the fact that they weren’t taking the cues and were exactly what Ranul heard about back on Trill. They were emotionless and didn’t care about anything but their scientific inquiry.

The young man stood to his feet, gave a gentle nod and then left Ranul sitting there again. The younger man strode away, turned a corner and was walking down the path to join the others. He thought Ranul was most strange. His emotional outbursts seemed out of place and, well, illogical. He was walking towards a group of students and faculty and almost gave this no thought. He stopped, cocked his head to one-side as he thought about his conversation. One day, he would join the Vulcan Science Expedition. One day he would have to deal with emotional beings. Like Humans and other emotive beings. Why not start today with a tough case like Ranul?

It wasn’t long before he rounded the corner again to look at Ranul.

Ranul was still sitting on the floor and had his head in his palms. Hearing the footsteps back towards him, he looked back and saw that the student was walking back towards him. Looking back towards the student, Ranul said, “What? Wanna scold me on my planet’s ability to travel space? Tell me how bad my people are?”

Ranul just shook his head before getting back to his feet and making his way back towards the lecture hall, only stopping to look at the student and realizing that he had his head tilted in a certain way, as though he was going to ask a question. “What is it?” Ranul asked, taking a seat on the bench that was nearby.

“Why is it distressing to talk about the symbiant? You are both rational, intelligent beings. But your actions are not rational. And you are not Human.” He said the word Human with a taint of disdain in his words.

“What is a human? As for my emotions, I don’t care. I’m emotional and I use them quite often. You guys could totally use some of them sometime! You are just so…..logical!!! I don’t know how to even talk to you guys!” Ranul said as he looked over at the Vulcan teenager, offering up the seat next to him.

As he waited for the teenager to take a seat, Ranul just thought about it for a few moments. He was thinking about so many things going on the Trill Homeworld. As he thought about everything, Ranul said, “Well, we don’t like outsiders knowing all of our secrets, you know. We don’t know everything about the Vulcans, so how is that fair?”

“Vulcan society is very transparent. We are honest people, we seek only to learn and improve ourselves. Do you not think so sir?” he asked by looking directly at him.

Ranul looked up at the Vulcan teenager and he couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Well, you know something. You’re the typical teenager!!! You’re just wanting to know stuff you’re not ready for. Just be prepared for the life ahead of you. 200 years sounds like a long time…” Ranul said with a chuckle, waiting for the young man to sit down next to him.

Cautiously, he sat down next to him. He wondered why the need to sit. But, he had learned that sometimes it is best to simply follow the flow. That is to say, “go with the flow” he inwardly corrected himself. “You do not know Humans? Then you may not like them at all sir. In the archives we learn that Humans are so emotionally immature that they borderline cannot govern themselves. Fortunately for them, we shared our experience with them and helped them. Did you know that they irradiated their planet with a nuclear weapon on more than one occasion?”

Ranul looked over at the young Vulcan and didn’t say a word for a moment. He was just in shock at the sheer fact that this young person called another species immature just because of their emotions. While he never condoned nuclear weapons, Ranul knew better than to have called an entire species immature just because of their past.

Otherwise, the Vulcans would be lumped into that classification. Ranul decided to keep quiet about it all though. Looking over at the young man and thinking about what to say, Ranul replied, “Well, the truth be told, not all species are logical like the Vulcans…you know?”

“That is correct,” the young man said. “When I am a member of the Vulcan Science Expedition and master of my own ship, I will find new places, new things that we have never seen before. I am confident not because of precociousness; rather certainty. I trust Science and the Universe. Is this not a wise policy for learning about the world around us?” He asked, dripping with unrecognized arrogance.

Looking at the kid and listening to how highly he thought of himself, Ranul went from being bitter and upset, to that of holding back boughts of laughter. Looking over his shoulder at the kid, Ranul asked, "Then, explain why time travel exists, even when your science directorate has said it wasn't provable?"

Several well armed Vulcan security guards entered and went to Ranul, "Ranul Orin? You are hereby under arrest. For violation of your extradition terms on Earth. You will come with us immediately."

Looking at the Vulcan security guards and scratching his chin, Ranul thought about it for a minute and didn't have any extradition terms that he could think about with Earth. Standing up, he looked at the Vulcans and said, "What are you gentlemen talking about? I haven't been on Earth for a while, as they've just started coming out into the stars. What's this all about?!"

"For violation of First Contact Protocols and for the theft of new technology. Particularly plans for a warp capable engine to Humanity. You are under arrest sir and your diplomatic immunity has been revoked."

The Vulcan guards grabbed ahold of Ranul and took him away, as he was kicking and screaming.

"How dare you guys take me away!! MY DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY CAN'T BE TAKEN AWAY!!!" Ranul said as he was dragged down the hall, knowing full well that he didn't steal anything from anyone. He was ready for his day in court.

To be continued....

[OFF:]

"The Kid"
played by
1st Lt. Samuel Woolheater

&

Ranul Orin
Played by
Consul Andrinn Orin