What are these? (Part One)

Posted on Sun Nov 23rd, 2025 @ 9:50am by Consul Andrinn Orin

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Andrinn's Quarters
Timeline: Between Missions
1276 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON:]

Andrinn had finished talking with Teevs earlier in the day and they had been going over some important diplomatic work. But, something that came up was how various species have their own ways of doing things and their own idioms. Humans say that you might have butterflies in your stomach when you're nervous or excited about something. Or how the cookie doesn't crumble too far from the tree or something.

The talk had gotten Andrinn interested in the various ways that species try to put emotions to words and how they might express it through their own eyes and language. Something that Andrinn had loved for a while was language, no matter what that language might have been. His native Trill and El-Aurian languages were something that he cherished since he was a young man working with his family in the diplomatic corp, both for the Federation and the Trill homeworld.

So, once Andrinn returned to his quarters, he decided to look into it and compile a list of known idioms and cultural quirks that might confused people from other species. It would become a little bit of a pet project for him and he thought that he would show some of it off later to Teevs, if the man was amenable to it. Sitting at his desk near the far wall and near the windows that allowed for him to look out into space, Andrinn turned back to his computer console and brought it up.

With a simple tap, it was ready for Andrinn to start looking stuff up. Yet, when he thought about it, Andrinn didn't know exactly where to start. Humans, maybe? No, they would take a long time to get all of theirs down, since they've got so many different ones. Vulcans didn't really have times for many idioms or they were something that came out of some offhand remarks. Romulans? No, they're so secretive that Andrinn wasn't sure if he could he could believe the idiom was true or not.

Then, it hit him like a sack of bricks. How about the Bajorans? They were similar to the one species that was around here in these parts. The A'jaine? I think that was the one species. But, it would be something that maybe Teevs and Andrinn could use to help bridge some of the gaps in idioms.

Andrinn was starring at his computer console when he said, "Computer, look up the idioms and cultural sayings of the Bajorans."

The computer chirped to life and said, “Accessing cultural database. Bajoran linguistic idioms and spiritual sayings are derived from various sources, including but not limited to ancient agrarian, religious, and resistance-era traditions. Displaying first batch of results."

The computer quickly spit out several idioms and cultural sayings from the Bajorans from various parts in their History. As Andrinn was looking it all over, it was all fascinating. "I knew that the Bajorans were an enlightened people, but I never knew that they had so many sayings like this."

The sayings included stuff like “The Prophets speak in the spaces between.” The computer gave the meaning for each idiom or saying underneath the saying themselves. The meaning for that one was basically that sometimes, you don't need words to understand people. Silence could be the best answer for understanding.

Another one down the list that Andrinn found quite enlightening was the one that said, "A closed hand cannot receive the light of the Celestial Temple.” Basically, don't be a closed minded person and you'll be enlightened. Andrinn had heard Sam say something similar to that before he left. A Human idiom. Andrinn snapped his fingers as he was trying to remember the saying. He leaned over and said, "Computer, find a Human idiom that matches as closely as possible to 'A closed hand cannot receive the light of the Celestial Temple.'"

The computer said, "Working" while it was thinking and working the request. This was truly starting to rack Andrinn's mind. Sam had given Andrinn several idioms or said them over the course of their relationship. A chirp from the computer brought Andrinn back out of his thoughts that he had gotten a little bit lost in. The computer came back and said, "The closest idiom or saying that could be comparable to the saying you gave me could be as follows: you cannot fill a closed cup. The sayings according to the cultural databases are the most alike."

The lightbulb went off in his head. While it wasn't the exact same quote that Sam used, it was pretty comparable and alike. "While that's not exactly it, it still works!" Andrinn whispered out loud to himself. Looking back at the computer console, Andrinn said, "Redisplay the previous Bajoran sayings and idioms, please."

The computer instantly blinked back to the other sayings from Bajor. However, the computer chirped and said, "Note to user: Bajoran idioms show high correlation between spiritual belief and historical trauma. Language serves as a means of preserving cultural survival." That's when Andrinn saw one of the last few sayings and idioms on the screen, which probably probed the computer to mention what it just did.

“We survived because we remembered who we were," was the saying and Andrinn instantly knew around what time that saying came from. Around the time of the Bajoran occupation by the Cardassians. Looking at the screen, Andrinn said, "Computer, do we know who authored the phrase 'We survived because we remembered who we were?'"

“Searching Bajoran historical and cultural archives. Please wait for search results," the computer responded as it searched through all available records on the subject. It only took a few seconds before the computer replied, “Phrase origin identified.” The computer quickly identified that the phrase wasn't just from one person, but many. "Computer, cross reference the phrase with records from Bajoran resistance leaders of the time. Is there any correlation that they used it in some way?" Andrinn asked of the computer.

"Correlation confirmed by both Bajoran and Federation officials. The phrase was widely utilized in the Bajoran underground resistance transmissions, recovery journals, and post-liberation records during and after the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor. Analysis indicates the phrase functioned as both a coded morale reinforcer and means for emotional grounding during tough periods during this time. Conclusions indicate a high probability that the phrase was used deliberately as a method of cultural preservation, communal healing, and restoration of shared identity," the computer replied as though it was reading off an analysis that it created over that of a person.

Andrinn sat back in his chair and thought about it for a little bit. Some of these sayings, especially for people like the recent Bajorans, could have been something that they used for cultural identity during a period during which their culture was pushed away or to the side. Looking back to the computer screen, Andrinn said, "Computer save all of this information. Create a new directory in my personal database called: Cultural idioms and sayings. Save under a specific sections just for Bajorans."

The computer instantly replied and took mere seconds to get the work done. When it was completed, the computer said, "Work is now complete." For the time being, Andrinn was happy with what he had found. Bajoran History and culture was amazing, but it could also be heavy if you were looking towards the Cardassian occupation of their world. For now, Andrinn was happy with what he had found. He knew that this was far from over and he was glad he started looking into all of this.

[OFF:]

Consul Andrinn Orin
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Elysium