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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Ch 5 S [ D02 | 0600 hrs.] Old Friends Die Hard
Last post by Ellen Fitz -His heart had been beating like the tiny, venomous nei'rrh since they passed into his home planet’s atmosphere. But not out of fear. No, Hirek was not afraid. Regardless of what happened to the Starfleet crew, he now considered colleagues, and regardless of what happened on these missions, Hirek did not feel fear. Ihir'aenha; he’d been destined to be here like this. His family had survived numerous terrors from the Tal’Shiar for him to be here at this time and in this place. So, if Hirek felt anything, it was a combination of elation and determination.
The entire time he’d piloted the flitter to Avra Tel, Hirek had fought against the temptation to lean back and fill the vehicle with his laughter. He doubted either the Andorian or the human would understand his mirth, not when so very much could go so very wrong and so very quickly. Every molecule of his body reveled in being once more under the Romulun sun, his senses filled with the sights and sounds and smells of the familiar. Just as he fought the temptation to laugh like a child playing in the surf of Uulma, Hirek similarly found the desire to turn the flitter northeast, touching down on the cliffside closest his ancestral home. To once more hear his father’s voice, feel his mother’s grip as she took hold of his hand, feel the warm sand of his home beneath bare feet…these were things he desperately craved but knew he could not partake of, not yet.
If they successfully connected with this reunification network, they could have more allies against the Tal’Shiar. And they would need as many allies as possible to take down the tyrants.
With these thoughts in mind, Hirek’s features were forcibly neutral as he led Nysari and Alana through the wet market area of Avra Trel toward their meeting point. It’d taken him the entirety of their flight to the city for Hirek to remember where he’d heard the name Belas tr'Rehu before.
He’d been a brief colleague of his mother’s before she’d been ousted from her position at the Imperial War College. As an assistant professor in the Reman affairs department, the two had rarely crossed paths; the only reason Vaed'rehai t’Aimne shared stories with her family regarding tr’Rehu was that he’d gotten himself removed from the college, most notably. After a public disagreement with one of the department lead’s decisions on the Reman curriculum, tr’Rehu had gone to the lead’s office and doused the man in Reman blood gathered from a Reman blood bank on campus.
Hirek had conveyed this history to his mission mates as soon as they’d landed at an out-of-the-way docking port. He’d had to use his cousin’s credentials to obtain the flitter and process the landing procedures and hoped that by the time his cousin took notice of this fact, their mission would be over, and there would be no risk in explaining to the man in person his reasons for doing so.
Pausing in their journey to study the wares of one of the stalls, Hirek spoke with the older woman manning the stall, seeking to haggle a price for the fish. He pretended to be dissatisfied with her ending price and dismissed the deal, leading Alana and Nysari further into the wet market. It’d be too obvious if they moved through the market without stopping here and there to haggle and study the wares. He was thankful the market wasn’t terribly full at this hour when Alana spoke. Hirek dropped his voice to a whisper when he responded to Alana’s question.
“The less talking, the better when we aren’t with tr’Rehu. Neither of you speaks fluently enough to pass as locals or visitors from another continent. At best, you could maybe pass as a colonist, but that presumption would go away mighty fast the longer the conversation took place.”
He again led them to a booth, this one with a number of different fishing hooks and other such paraphernalia on display. Hirek haggled again and, this time, purchased three items, passing the traditional hook dangling from a chain to Alana and the miniature bone dirk to Nysari. He kept the fishing line for himself.
“The area we’re meeting tr’Rehu in is a unique geographical feature for this area. It’s known as yy'a dochaisam cove, or dead speech cove. The materials of the rocks and the formation of the cove kill echoes, making it the perfect place to scheme.” Hirek smirked, tossing Alana a wink. “And fish in the tide pools.”