Our Lady

Posted on 20 Aug 2024 @ 8:13pm by Lieutenant JG Hovar Kov & Lieutenant JG Selon Illialhlae

2,218 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 20 - Reconstruction
Location: USS Yuron - Officer's Lounge
Timeline: MD01, 1300 Hours

ON:

"So this 'Immaculate Conception' refers not to the virgin birth but to the birth of Mary without this 'original sin' you previously described?"

Selon's eyes narrowed, his mind deep in thought, his fingers at his temples braced his head against the chair arm as he his keen eyes stared across the table at perhaps the most singular person, other than himself, that he had ever met. A Klingon officer in Starfleet. A Klingon Chaplain. A Catholic Klingon Chaplain. And Selon thought he was unique. But then again they were alike in many respects. They both had a fondness for maintaining the ideals of tradition but also breaking its confines. An iconoclastic streak, so to speak, and in the months they had spent together aboard the Yuron Selon had learned they also shared more, like a deep-seated concern, both professional and personal, for the wellbeing of others. They were both creatures of supreme compassion and sympathy but also insatiably curious. That was how these conversations had come about, and how they were continually expressed. Both men kept coming back for more: more answers to more questions. Theology, in its more arcane form, was the subject of today's exchange.

"Correct. This is only really shared among Latin-rite Catholics. Other rites, including the various Protestant faiths, do not share such a belief."

The voice of the Klingon Catholic priest was gentle, and welcoming. In a way, the Klingon represented the complete duality of religious studies. The Priest was meant to nurture, to care, and to honor not only his god, but also to those who he considered brothers and sisters, of which there was an extremely small minority. Secularism took over almost every religious institution.

"If you look back at Creation, before the Fall, Adam and Eve were in union with God: body, mind, and soul. There was no such thing as suffering or death. At the Fall, that was when our souls were first corrupted, a tumor of which there was no cure. As part of the sin, God introduced death and suffering. Mary is the only human being that is not stained by death.

"Fascinating." Selon mused. It was an... interesting narrative development. If he found it personally, or intellectually compelling was another matter but he was not here to either be converted or to poke holes in the deeply held beliefs and dogma of others.

"To make a very long subject short, when Mary's time on Earth ended, there is the belief that she passed away like every other mortal. However, because Christians believe in the bodily resurrection at the end times, Catholics believe that Mary is the first participant of the resurrection of the body, and so far, she is the only one. This is why she is venerated so much."

"It seems only natural," Selon avoided saying 'logical'. "when you put it that way. Most religious figures are revered for similar reasons, what I find fascinating is that a central mystery of faith seems... ad hoc. Though I suppose that is the very definition of dogma."

Hovar leaned back as he thought about Selon's response. Of course, this was not a topic of evangelization. Rather, Hovar considered it a very light exercise in apologetics, or the defense of Christianity like Justin Martyr or St. Thomas Aquinas.

"I do not believe that any school of science or philosophy can exist without some fundamental dogmas."

Hovar then thought of a common interest that they both shared to a more even-level of degree.

"The philosophy of Surak has a curious dogma as well. It dictates the suppression of the emotional for the sake of the logical. I cannot because follow this, of course..."

Hovar waved his hand in front of him to highlight his Klingon biology, not so much his Christian religion.

"Yes."

Hovar then continued as he nodded, concluding his own statement.

"I believe that the sense of curiosity that drives every Vulcan I have ever met is an extension of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. I am not talking about the sense of curiosity is immaculate, but rather that curiosity itself is immaculate."

Hovar rubbed his hands together,

"Even the Virgin Mary, even though she is Immaculate from birth, still had the chance to refuse. She had free will just like us. "Let it be done according to thy word" was her response, confirming that her soul was able to abandon the ego-drama and instead submit herself to the theo-drama, which is abandoning the prideful will of "I'm staring, I'm producing, and I'm directing." She took her pride to the side and said, "God wills it." Believe me, as a Klingon, that is my biggest failing.

"You have trouble putting your destiny into the hands of another. Potentially at least." Selon nodded, confident he had arrived if not at the correct conclusion then somewhere near it. "Klingon society is individualistic, putting emphasis on the works and deeds one does that will eventually be called to account when one's life is over. Gods are dead, you have killed them, but metaphysics is not. Do Klingons not believe in destiny as a matter of theology? Even if it is not directed by a personal god?" Selon's tone was curious though his words had an incipient confidence in them.

Hovar narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought long and hard about an answer. He also made a note to have some kind of good friendship with Selon. He enjoyed conversing with him.

"As you stated correctly, Klingons do not like putting our fates in another's hands, temporal or divine. Klingons are meant to kill or die gloriously, either by a worthy adversary or by our own hand when we cannot kill. No matter how one might look at it, a Klingon's destiny is death. We therefore live by that ethos of kill or be killed."

A chuckle then escaped Hovar's lips.

"In fact, even Klingon romance is built around that ethos. I was told that when I have a woman, every day would be a fight to the death in a war that no husband has ever won."

A slight shake of the head reminded Hovar that he was wearing a collar. A frown escaped his once cheerful face.

"Obviously, adhering to Klingon philosophy to an absolute is not all that I gave up when I had the title of Reverend placed in front of my name.

Selon nodded. "But you appear to be at peace with that. I envy that..." He trailed off as he considered how to elaborate. "My relationship with traditional Vulcan philosophy is a little more fraught. Both of my parents rejected it, my mother implicitly by being Romulan and my father explicitly by turning his back on it and joining the V'tosh-ka-tur. Both abrogated the orthodox teachings of Surak but both the ends and means differed significantly. It's left me occupying a... curious other space. Not in the middle or in between, someplace... else." Selon wondered how far he wanted to dive down this particular rabbit hole in this particular conversation. The complexities and vagaries of how he identified culturally and with which elements of his heritage were not lightly discussed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that while it must be difficult, balancing two competing worldviews, at least yours are well-defined. I often feel like I'm pulling my ethos from dozens of different sources, none of them immediate, none of them firmly crystalized." Selon smirked as he finished his cerebral utterances, realizing how rambling and obtuse he sounded. "If that makes any sort of sense."

With a nod and a wide smile, Hovar considered everything that was spoken to him, as well as with certain truths about one's being that bares no business anywhere outside.

"I assure you in that respect, we are brothers."

Hovar then paused, thinking of his own circumstances.

"For me, it was during my Second Rite of Ascension, which I hope needs no explanation. I thought every blood cell in my body was going to explode. It was at that time where I was forced to come to a realization if I was to pursue the priesthood. As a warrior, I will kill for my brethren; as a priest, I will die for my brethren. They remain in conflict about many things, but to that, they agree."

Hovar remembered that pain very well when the Bishop placed his hands on his head, where Hovar rose a priest. The burn scars still evident on his hands.

"Have you ever considered doing something similar? No, I am not suggesting finding religion or playing with pain sticks. Rather, to determine what you are willing to fight and die for, at least on a metaphorical level."

Selon sat silently for a moment, giving the question the solemn consideration it deserved. "I've been taken hostage three times for almost the same reason: stopping alien influences on the cultures of the Recently Contacted." Selon uncurled himself from his repose to lean in closer to Hovar, emphasizing his lower tone of voice. "Each time I was confident I would make it out alive, though each time it seemed the hostage takers got more... competent." Selon recalled the difference between the gangly, long-limbed, erratic man who took him and five other members of the Oakland's crew on Trailion and the terrifying charismatic leader of the gunmen on Gekdtav. "It was more that I was putting my life on the line than being ready to die for an ideal, though as far as ideals go, bringing civilizations together isn't a bad one. I've similarly staked my reputation, my social life on ideas of fairness, of standing up to hypocrisy and inequality, but something I would die for... no I don't think I've found that. Explicitly that is. Being in Starfleet I'll be called upon to defend the Federation and its citizens, perhaps die, I signed up for that, but the circumstances in which that could happen are very broad. It might not even come down to an ideal." Selon's thoughts turned inward at that. It was a conversation he had often enough with himself, about just how dangerous his career could be and if he was truly prepared to die. Even a decade out of the Academy he wasn't totally convinced of his answer.

Hovar nodded, contemplating on what his new friend was talking about.

"It is one thing to die for our the ideals of our uniform, but we are not the sum of the uniforms we wear or our duties that we perform as officers. Your integrity and your vocation go far beyond any uniform or cultural background."

Hovar thought about what he was going to say next closely as he pointed at Selon's chest, specifically his heart.

"It is what is within your heart when you face those life or death situations, either within your head or in the face of our enemies, that will dictate who you are, regardless of theology or philosophy."

"An interesting way of saying 'you don't know what you're made of until you're put to the test'." Selon risked oversimplification but he felt it accurate enough in this case. He had never faced death before, not truly and did not have empirical evidence for what kind of person he was in those life or death circumstances. Few ever got the opportunity, but even fewer probably suffered for want of a near death experience to tell them more about themselves and the world. At least he could be proud that he was not actively seeking such an encounter in a reckless death wish.

Hovar nodded. For someone who was not born of Klingon blood, Selon understood Hovar's struggles. The benefit of that belief is that Hovar also understood where Selon was coming from. Of course, they were not the only two who felt what they felt. Naturally, Hovar's job would be to understand that with every person on the ship. He was glad that he was able to start with one.

"Learning about who we are in the core of our beings can threaten who we hope we are in the core of our beings. The important thing about that when we encounter them, we will encounter them as shipmates."

Selon nodded with a smile. That was indeed a comforting thought, that Hovar was not just a conversation partner on a long cruise to a far off destination, a way to pass the time. He was Selon's crewmate and brother in arms, so to speak. And a Klingon Catholic Priest felt like one of the best people one could have around in any situation, if not the most expected.

"I keep forgetting that's where all of this discussion ends. That we're not just travelers getting to know each other only to part ways at the end of our journey. We're going to be seeing a lot of one another and I very much look forward to serving with you, Father Kov..." Selon lowered his head in a knowing smile.

Hovar nodded back.

"Likewise, Selon. I look forward to our many conversations."

"As do I..." Selon responded with a smile.

OFF:

Lieutenant JG Selon Illialhlae
Anthropologist
USS Galileo-A

Chap (LTJG) Hovar Kor
Chaplain
USS Galileo-A

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