I'm Trill

Posted on 05 Feb 2013 @ 8:00pm by Lieutenant Kiri Cho & Lieutenant Lilou Zaren

3,344 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 3, Cho's Quarters
Timeline: MD2 2100

[ON]

Kiri had read all the information that Liyar had given her about rules for telepathy. She had also read a few books about Trill but there wasn't very much about joining. Once she felt she was going in circles she finally asked Peers if she could call her father without intruding. Now, she didn't really know what to say.

Dressed in a new uniform, her hair washed and pinned back and even a little touch of make-up around her eyes and lips. Making the effort to make as good an impression as possible. To talk to a Trill, a real Trill, it was her first time and she wanted it to go right. Taking a deep breath she opened the channel and waited for a reply.

The face that appeared on the vidscreen wasn't old; he actually looked rather vigorous. Hanor Peers was a Trill in his prime, with only a slight speckling of grey at his temples, and piercing eyes the same grey-blue as his daughter's but far sharper. Those were eyes that saw further and more. There were lifetimes behind those eyes. He studied her for a long time without saying anything at all. When he'd first answered the call, he'd been looking away, writing something off screen - a note, a memo, a scientific calculation - there was really no way of knowing. "Miss Cho," he said finally. "Lilou mentioned you might be calling."

She looked slightly uncomfortable that he wasn't giving her his full attention, "Thank you giving me some of your time." He was older than she expected, older than her father. It started to dawn on her that she didn't know very many parents.

"It is no trouble," he focused on her through the screen. He spoke the way an drill cuts through metal; low, rumbling, and to the point. "I'm given to understand you have questions. Ask. If I can answer, I will."

"Thank you," Kiri bowed her head slightly, "I have found out that I have some telepathic abilities, that I can communicate with Symbionts. Do you know anything about that?"

Hanor's gaze softened, if that was possible. "Yes." His lips quirked sideways in an engaging smile. "Some. Have you had occasion to have contact with one of the symbionts?"

"Not yet, I don't think so," She wished she did know more about her abilities but her lessons in that regard had only just begun. In turn she looked quite small, her expressions soft and purposeful.

"Well then," his gaze was alive and intense, studying her expressions as they shifted. "Lilou mentioned you were born on Luna, is that correct?"

"Yes," How much had she told him? Kiri wasn't sure about talking to strangers about her personal life but having other people do it for her made her even more uneasy. Shifting in her chair a little she watched, not sure what he was asking.

"And your interactions with other Trill have been... limited?" He smiled at her, "It's all right, Miss Cho. This isn't an interview. I'd just like to understand what it is you want to know. I could give you a lecture on Trill history, but you can find that on an LCARS."

"Okay, well." This wasn't going as well as she would have liked, "I haven't really spoken properly to a Trill before now, not counting your daughter," Who didn't really count. Kiri had read some of the Trill history but there was a lot, it was also a little boring. Human history to her was also boring in quite a few bits, but at least it felt somewhat relevant to her.

He rubbed his hands together, "Then we have a lot to discuss, you and I. But your interest lies with telepathy for the moment, so we'll start there. There is a long history of telepathy among our people. Oh, the Vulcans like to tout their skills over others and the Betazoids are famed for their empathy. But our people have just as rich a culture. Only we aren't so noisy about it. When did you first begin to notice your skills developing?"

"I haven't yet," Kiri felt that she should be further ahead in her studies and training before calling now, "I undertook some testing on the recommendation of a Vulcan Officer and he said that I was a P3 Projection Telepath." That still felt rather odd to her, so far it didn't seem to mean anything.

"I see." Hanor studied her. "P3. Vulcans." He sighed. "Their terms mean very little in the scheme of things as relates to our particular subset of skills. I honestly don't think there are any Vulcans who completely understand what it is that we do. What gave this officer the impression that you required testing, do you think?"

"He was talking to me about Kal-toh'haulat, then that turned to psychic powers, I asked if there was a way to test and then he offered." Kiri swallowed hard. "So is it something that is normal?"

"Moreso than the Trill government likes to admit," Hanor assured her. "Theirs is a habit of secrecy and veils. Secrets have their place, of course, but personally I always found their insistence on hoarding the potential for our race in the caves beneath the surface and the hallowed halls of the Science Ministry rather fatiguing."

"Sorry, they put them in caves?" Kiri thought that there would be choice in such matters than something they were made to do. She didn't exactly like the prospect of having to do something like that.

"Where else would they commune with the symbionts?"

Yes that was a stupid question, "Oh, but, aren't there other things they do?" Was that a foolish one too?

"Oh, certainly. They meander around the Ministry, as I've said. Studying themselves a great deal of the time; a heartily narcissistic course of study if I've ever seen one. Or they train to aid in the selection process for the Symbiosis Commission, which is largely political. Or they simply use their talents for their own means. But, like all skills, it isn't what others have done before you that matters. It is what you choose to do for yourself. The smartest thing you could have done was avoiding the viper's nest on Trill. Better to make a life for yourself based on your own will and strengths."

Even Kiri could detect a hint of bias from his words. After a pause to consider she replied, "Okay, so there aren't very good job prospects in that field then, for me?" She wanted to be clear on that, it didn't exactly sound remotely nice.

"Of course there are. Guardians serve an impressive role in communing with new symbionts, conducting rituals to allow Joined hosts to communicate with their fellow travelers, selecting new symbionts to be conducted into above-ground existence by the Commission. They're very selective. And it takes years of training. But it's a perfectly valid life choice if one enjoys caves and fragrant oozes. A surprising number of young hopefuls seem to. And the research at the Ministry is, I'm sure, stimulating to those who choose that for themselves." Hanor smiled at her, "But then you have job prospects already, don't you?"

"Yes, but if it was different I might have liked to help people, I don't really like caves, or oozes." Kiri shifted herself it was becoming clear at least from what he said that this wasn't something she wanted to do. Time for a change of topics maybe, if he wanted to answer her questions, "What is Trill like compared to Earth?"

Hanor chuckled. "Not all caves are the same. Nor oozes. Primordial oozes have a particularly decadent scent. Trill," he continued thoughtfully. "Well. It's... a planet. A Class M planet, to be precise. Rather watery, not unlike earth. Rather more blue than green. Different animals, different plants. Beautiful. Oceans like gems. Beaches like velvet. Mountains that stand as proud bastions. Cities of copper and glass. And also obvious. Homogeneous might be another way to describe it. It's a well-ordered planet, you see. Very clean, very precise, but all so very similar. I have not been to Earth myself, not for quite some time, but the history of the planet since your first experience of other warp-era cultures has been enormously welcoming. Trill to outsiders and those who prefer to live as outsiders, by comparison, is quite like putting your foot in a puddle of tepid water."

"I see," It sounded nice but the culture he gave was quite different from the books. To not be welcoming, would that mean they wouldn't like her? Was she right not to go, "So I wouldn't be welcome?" Lilou had said about visiting on the holodeck and that might lead to a real visit maybe. Would it be horrible?

"I don't see why you shouldn't be. You are Trill, after all. You'd get along fine. So long as you were all right with folding in with the lay of the land and following the social edicts as they're proclaimed. Oh, and avoiding the taboos, of which there are many and always seem to be more. They're almost like laws, but generated by public interests." Hanor shook his head, sighing, "It used to be a glorious nation, a den of mysteries and the hidden treasures of the scientific world. But it corrupts, that sense of secluded secrecy. Perhaps one day it will come to pass that those who have been driven from Trill's shores will return and bring back the furious freedoms of its past." He smiled at Kiri through the screen, "Perhaps you will bring some light into its shadows."

Now he was starting to sound like a wizard in a fantasy book. Kiri looked sceptical without intending to, "What kind of Taboos?" Laws she could read about but social things were much harder to find information. It was starting to feel as if she was talking to someone who didn't like the government very much.

Hanor frowned thoughtfully. "Not to eat while standing or yawn in public. Not to share food from the same plate. Not to re-associate with the family of one's past host. Then there is the whole language of flowers which can get you into a great deal of trouble if you're not a botanist or a sociologist."

"That doesn't sound very different from Earth, other than the plate thing," At least how she understood Earth. The rest of it seemed exactly the same as a politeness.

Hanor flexed his hand, a gesture he'd never noticed his daughter had learned from him. "They are similar and dissimilar places," he agreed obliquely. "With similar and dissimilar cultures. You'll have noticed that there are commonalities in all the Federation empires."

Kiri wasn't sure that empire was the right word but she wasn't going to bring that up. Instead rather quietly she asked, "Your daughter said that being telepathic might make me a better candidate for joining."

Hanor smiled rather grimly. "My daughter does seem to enjoy talking to you," he murmured, and it wasn't clear whether or not he was irritated that Lilou was speaking to this subject. "There are many factors taken into consideration by the Symbiosis Commission when considering a candidate for Joining. Education, training, physical fitness, mental wellness. Family history." His expression brightened somewhat. "Telepathy, as I've said, is very useful to the Guardians, who select and commune with the symbionts before they are Joined. And as Joining is, as we've discussed, a highly selective and political process, being able to communicate with the symbionts puts one in a position of being able to advise the Commission and can, sometimes, be used as a means of oneupmanship in the race for candidacy."

"I see, so it is like cheating," Kiri had thought it was more of just a bonus than something that let her take advantage of a situation. As far as joining went she met some of the requirements but in several of them she fell short, "So how does one try to become joined, do you just apply and wait?"

"As I said, it can be quite political," Hanor spread his hands apologetically. "The Commission likes to bandy about the idea that only one in a thousand Trill is even capable of being a host. It helps them keep control over the general public. And as such, they take their job of selecting appropriate hosts very seriously. When this host was selected, Hanor held two doctorates from the Institute of Sciences, one in physics and one in xenosociology. I'd also been a practicing stationary emissary for two years. Many go through years of training, preparing them to accept new perspectives and ideas outside of themselves for the benefit of a smooth transition. The Commission will want a recommendation, a psychiatric evaluation, a testament of a physical fitness examination... So you are correct in a way. It's a rather involved application, but yes. Although sometimes they will decide to send a field docent to evaluate the prospective host's suitability for Joining in person." He shook is head, "It's all quite unfair, really."

"How is it unfair?" Kiri didn't really gather that from what he said, "Doesn't providing limited symbiont to those best skilled to make use and develop them help everyone in the long term?" Or had she missed the point entirely?

"Certainly, yes, but the means by which the Commission goes about selecting 'appropriate hosts' are often far more stressful and sanctioning than the Joining itself. Those who we Join with are, by the end of their Initiation, changed. Different than they might have been, had they not undergone such rigorous testing and judgement. Many symbionts never experience the freedoms one might wish for another species. I have always believed that it should be for us to choose, and not the other way around." He smiled, "Is it your wish, to return to Trill and take a place among the initiates?"

"I don't know."

Was it a place she belonged? If she had still been with her birth parents would she had been part of that system? Would she be anything like she was now? She didn't know Trill, she didn't know anything, it was something she was finding out about. "I think it's a possibility." Being able to tap into someone else experiences of people might help her a lot and there would always be something to talk about. That wasn't even counting being able to augment her abilities as a Science Officer. Though was it a process that was worth it? "How, I mean did you go through the process?" He must have done to become joined but she wanted to make sure.

"I was accepted into the initiate program and the Commission elected that Peers and Hanor should be as one. And so I am. It... took some time for us to find a balance. Thankfully I have never been at risk of rejection. Strong will, you see. It's very useful." He watched her intently. "One should always be open to possibilities, Miss Cho."

"I try to be," Kiri managed a small smile. Most of the time, she was quite strongly willed. When she really put her mind to something it happened and she wouldn't give up. Is that part of what counted towards being a host? Then she was reminded of the physicality of it, that something would be living inside her. It would be alive and depend on her like a child, only it would never come out. That was a little squicky, "What does it feel like, physically when you are joined?"

"Physically..." Hanor considered this. "What does it feel like to have intestines?" he asked her in return. "You don't think about them often, I presume, but you know they're there, and occasionally you might feel a shift, but its nothing really. Normal processes. It's very much the same. And also not."

"I've always had intestines though," That was the practical answer, having a symbiont was a change and that would be different. It was also alive, "Does the symbiont move?"

"Sometimes. But so do my lungs, my heart... it isn't something I notice particularly. And, if I do, it's not entirely unpleasant."

People made comments when babied kicked so was it the same? Asking a man about that didn't make sense to her. It was interesting, having an organ that could move, or was it weird? Most of the questions she had for now on joining were answered now, "Do you have anywhere on Trill you would recommend visiting?"

"Oh, absolutely. The Tenaran Ice Cliffs were quite beautiful. And I spent some pleasant days in my youth visiting the Hoobishan Baths. I, myself, was born quite near the Sea of Arlibath and the beaches there were quite rewarding."

Ice Cliffs sounded cold, beaches were something she had recently done though Lilou hadn't. She was thinking of her maybe friend now, what they could do together, "What are the Hoobishan Baths?" If it was an actual bath then that was also ruled out to her.

"They are... difficult to describe, actually. Rather like an Orion pleasure garden, but more guarded and sophisticated than hedonistic and crass. Some pleasant days," he said, almost wistfully. For all his opinions, he clearly held a great love of his once-home. "Worth a visit if only for the water features. Indoor waterfalls. Streams through tiled courtyards."

"I like the sound of the water, but I'm not sure about it," Kiri took a deep breath it really shouldn't be a problem but, "I don't like showing my skin." It wasn't as if it was really a secret but she didn't bring it up a whole lot. Trill was starting to sound like a nice place.

Hanor drew himself out of his reverie. "Oh?"

Kiri didn't know how to answer that, was it a question? Pausing for a moment she bit her lip, "It's silly I know."

"Personal preferences," he shrugged. "There are bathing uniforms that cover the skin. Surely you've seen them?"

"Yes, I have one," Kiri felt very odd talking about this, "But are they acceptable socially? Wouldn't people stare?"

"I don't see why they would." Hanor studied her again. "In any case, the matter now rests in your hands. If you do go to Trill, may I give you some advice?"

"Of course," That was the entire reason Kiri was talking to him wasn't it?

"You mustn't let them try to change you. You are an officer of the Federation. You don't need their permission for anything."

"Okay?" Kiri hadn't really thought about it like that, she didn't want to change from what she was like that. She was a Trill but she was also a human, at least sort of. Softly she smiled, "Thank you, I'll remember that."

"It has been a pleasure meeting you, Miss Cho. Feel free to call on me again, should you have further need."

"Thank you," Kiri bowed her head and smiled, "I enjoyed talking to you, I'd like to again." It seemed easier to talk to middle aged men than younger ones, he also knew a lot about Trill. What she didn't ask though was about his work. Maybe next time, Lilou hadn't really said anything about it.

"Then I shall look forward to our next conversation. Until then." He bowed his head with a slight smile and blinked off the screen.

Putting the things she had learnt together in her head she looked at the dark screen. That had been quite a long call, about lots of things. Trill, joining, places to visit, it was nice to talk. If he didn't mind maybe next week wouldn't be too soon. There would be other things to read about, and ask Lilou about where on Trill she would like to go on the Holodeck.

[OFF]
--------------------
Lieutenant (JG) Kiri Cho
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Hanor Peers
Physicist
Qin-Harbinger Federation Research Station
(pNPC Lilou Peers)

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