Stardate:71011.22
Title: Into Focus
Author: Vedek Jariel
Scene: Independence, Chaplain's Office
Time: Following Tour Guide
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Jariel Camen sat in his office, at his desk, pouring over the sacred Yensuli texts Zanh Liis had provided him to review.
He found that looking at PADDs in situations like this took away from his focus, so he had the computer replicate a distressed antique looking book with worn yellow pages and a musty cover with the text printed within.
He dimmed the lights and flipped through the pages by the light of a candle. He was looking for a clue, any clue as to what the Yensuli intentions might be in asking for Federation admission so suddenly, as well as general insight into their beliefs and values.
The characteristics of their belief system were far more reminiscent of a cult than an actual religion. There was little that went on on Yensul that wasn't directly influenced by the word of the "Exalted Ruler." Camen could find nothing in the text about this Exalted Ruler however.
No mention of where he came from, what his teachings were, or how his teachings ended up transcribed into this text. The Exalted Ruler merely seemed to have always been, and it was simply accepted that if you knew what was good for you, you would follow the rules he set forth. The benefits of following his teachings were slim to none but the punishment for disobedience was severe. Requirements to find one guilty of heresy were little more then "The word of an upstanding male".
Jariel had seen groups like this before, where fear and ignorance were used as the tools of control, rather then the more enlightened philosophies of teaching love and compassion for one's fellow man to enrich not only your own soul, but the lives of all around you. This was the fundamental mentality of a cult. Make people believe they will lose everything by disobeying you, and they will never dare stray from the flock. The attitude that women were inferior was common in these groups. Among the Yensuli, the treatment of women was particularly harsh, even for a cult.
He flipped the pages in his steady hands, growing more and more frustrated with the inequities of the Yensuli system. Finally he slammed the book shut. He could take no more for now. He rose and paced about the room, replicated himself a cup of tea, and walked to the small Bajoran shrine he set up. He bowed his head in silent meditation for a few moments.
*Focus, Camen. The Captain gave you a job, you can't let her down. She's counting on you.*
Despite the knot in his stomach he opened the book once again and began reading. The texts made it clear that any widow or female orphan of a deceased male would be a sign of a faulty female, and would require banishment and isolation from the general populace. However the book made no mention of where exactly they were to be banished to.
The book seemed to drone on forever with justifications for the treatment of these widows and orphans. It was mostly all double talk, designed to provide an answer to any question one might have, without actually giving a rational or relevant reason.
He continued to read...
Camen closed the book once again after marking the passage he had just read. After reading for hours, he believed the intentions of the Yensuli were finally coming into the light. He tapped in a text message asking to see Zanh Liis, which the computer delivered to the bridge."The Exalted Ruler understands that the female is an inherently inferior creature, and at some point, for the good of the Yensuli, the number of females that need to be banished for our protection may become so great, that there simply are not enough females to provide for the mating needs of the males. The Exalted Ruler will provide the Yensuli with a means to solve this problem, once the inevitable failure of the females forces us to look for others.
The Exalted Ruler is disappointed that the females shall force us to resort to these drastic measures, but rest assured, goodness and decency shall prevail in the end.
When the crisis comes, the Exalted Ruler commands you to look to the skies, where more females will arrive to carry on walking the Bright Path. Be forewarned, those who come may be faulty in their thinking and unenlightened in their philosophy, but with time and patience any intelligent being will learn to speak the Word of the Exalted Ruler.
Enlighten them, and teach them to live by codes of the Exalted Ruler, and Yensul will once again thrive."
[I have my hands full at the moment, my ready room, OK?]
"Agreed" he typed into his console. He straightened his black tunic, and picked up the text, a ribbon marking the page he wished to show her. He stepped onto the bridge from the turbolift, smiling and nodding at his crewmates before stepping into the ready room. Zanh Liis followed him in. He flipped the book open and pointed, indicating for her to read. Liis scoffed, not believing what she was reading.
"Are you kidding me?"
[[No Liis, I'm not.]]
"They want Federation membership so they can use our female citizens for breeding stock?"
[[I believe the term they would use is, conversion to insure the future of the Yensuli ideals.]] Jariel signed, and Liis felt her head begin to pound. She really thought for a moment that she might have heard the cracking of the last straw of her self control.
"What have they done with them, Camen? Where have they all gone?" Her hands started to shake, and she wrung them as she imagined what might have become of the women and children discussed in the texts.
"Did they kill them outright? Did they send them off into that undeveloped wilderness land of their planet that they're so proud of?"
She walked away from him, staring out the viewport at the planet beneath. "How many bodies line the way along their Bright Path?"
She lowered her head a moment, not sure she could bear to know the answer.
She finally moved over to him, and not knowing what else to do with her unsteady hands, she started to sign. [[I know how hard this is for you. But I have to ask you to keep reading. Keep searching the texts, for any clue as to where these women might be. Some may still be alive, maybe we can help them somehow. We have to find out. We have to try.]]
Camen nodded, and turned but stopped mid-step. [[What about the Prime Directive, Captain?]]
"Hey, they are the ones who invited us here, and the Federation sent this ship to assess the situation. So we're going to assess the living hell out of it." Zanh answered with determination, finding her voice again. "All bets are off."
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Vedek Jariel Camen
Ship's Chaplain
USS Independence NCC-90791