by Jariel Camen
80825.2000
One day after No More Pretend
-=Bajor=-
80825.2000
One day after No More Pretend
-=Bajor=-
The journey from Betazed to Bajor was, fortunately, a short one. The long journey was still ahead, and Camen was anxious to begin. He would start where his memories started, at the orphanage in Altaan province.
Vedek Timal was still in charge of affairs there, after all these years. Camen could think of no better place or company to be in as he sorted out the conflict in his mind. There was no better place to stand on his own for the first time. Everything he had always considered to simply be a matter of destiny was called into question by a lifetime where all the choices and decisions had been different.
He needed time, he needed independence, and he needed clarity of thought to sift through it all to see what of Jariel Camen was real and would emerge on the other side.
He owed that much to any woman he had ever or would ever love, and to himself. He had to be sure of who he was and what he wanted in life. He could not go on wondering if he was merely a victim of the machinations of people like Vox. Before Camen could know how he should feel, he needed to learn to feel all over again. Once the slate was clean, his heart would be free to lead him to what he truly desired.
But he could not do it alone, and that was why he needed the wisdom of someone like Timal, and the innocence of the children at the orphanage for inspiration.
He materialized on Bajor now, far from Altaan province however. He had another stop to make before returning there.
The central city was abuzz with activity these days. Bajor became more and more a part of the alpha and gamma quadrant communities each day. With the threat of the Dominion erased, Bajor had taken its place as the gateway between the two quadrants, and its position of influence soared. Alien races filled the streets of this once strategically insignificant world.
Camen was happy to see so many conducting peaceful business here with the Bajorans. The more important Bajor became, the less likely there would ever be a repeat of the horrors of the Occupation. Once people had a vested interest in Bajor they would be less likely to stand by and allow another genocide to take place. It was unfortunate that it took other races having something to lose to care about what happened to Bajor, but it was what it was. If only they had something to offer for those 50 years the Cardassians butchered and raped Bajor and its people, perhaps someone would have intervened on their behalf long before.
He opted for simple civilian clothing for his return to Bajor. His typical black outfit was packed away in his duffle, as were his orange Vedek robes. He was not quite sure what to wear for an earring, so that remained packed away as well, along with his pip, comm badge, and the betrothal bracelet, a keepsake from Jariel’s family that Timal had given him years ago.
He looked like any other Bajoran you would see walking along the streets, wearing a simple orange vest with a gray shirt underneath and matching pants with a low slung belt and a large dark metal buckle. Only the black Starfleet issue boots would have identified him as anything other than a civilian, if anyone bothered to look down that far.
Camen spied his destination, the Starfleet recruitment and education center in the heart of the city.
"Pardon me? Did you lose your earring sir?" Camen turned to see the female merchant, who stood before an open case with several earrings on display. She smiled broadly, no doubt because a Bajoran man without an earring was as close to a potential sale as one could hope to get.
"No, I did not, but I am in the market." Camen said. He dropped his duffle on the sidewalk next to her stand.
"Then it is a pleasure to meet you." The woman extended her hand and shook Jariel's. She then retrieved two more cases from below her stand and opened each to show him the rest of her offerings.
"I make these all myself. No replicators, no patterns, no D'Jarra influence. Everything is an original design."
"I can tell, they are all quite lovely." Camen said.
"Thank you." The woman blushed. "I do most of my business with non-Bajorans. They like to have a trinket to remember Bajor by, but they don't really understand the significance of the work that goes into these."
He picked up one earring with hues of gold, blue and purple on each metal bead that ran along the length of the chain.
"The wormhole." She said simply.
Camen set it back down, and fingered his way through the other offerings.
"I am Delana Pren, by the way." She bounced nervously on her toes. Jariel began to wonder if she were more concerned with making an impression on a fellow Bajoran than making a sale.
"And you are?" She asked, in answer to his silence.
"Jariel Camen." He answered, wondering if the name would spark any recognition in her.
"Oh, oh my." She placed her hand over her heart. "Vedek, I am honored to have you at my humble stand."
"It's all right Pren. I carry the title but I have not served in the Assembly in a long time, you don't need to treat me differently than anyone else. What about this one?" He asked, picking up an earring with several small spheres among other beads of varying design.
"A New Day, I call it. The central sphere represents a star. It is highly polished so that it reflects the light of the real sun onto the other spheres to illuminate them, bringing their darkness into light."
Camen clipped the cuff to his ear, to test the fit. Satisfied, he reached down into his duffle in search of latinum. "How much?" He asked.
"For the Vedek, no charge. Please just wear it with pride and tell them the name of the artist you got it from."
"I will do just that." Camen set ten strips of latinum down on her stand, an amount he would have considered fair for the work she put into the piece. "If you will not let me pay for the piece, at least let me thank you for the hospitality."
Pren relented, and accepted the latinum, her oft-empty stomach winning out over any sense of pride she may have held in giving her work out for free. Her eyes sought out his hands and wrists, looking for any sign he may be spoken for. It was an action Camen would have been too naive to recognize until recently. He decided now would be the best time to take his leave, before she decided to make another sales pitch to him. He thanked her for the earring, and slung his duffle back over his shoulder.
Camen crossed the street, and entered the Starfleet center. There were several stations set up at the entrance, where Bajorans were enlisting to join Starfleet. The Federation flag hung over the far wall, where a waving hand got Camen's attention. "May I help you?"
Jariel crossed the room, and sat at the man's desk. "Yes you may. I already have an honorary Ensign rank, but I'd actually like to take some courses."
"Let's see what we can do. Are you thinking of basic courses, or enlisting at the Academy?"
"Basic. I plan on staying on Bajor for a while before I return to my ship, and I'd like to enrich myself a bit."
"Name?" The man prompted.
"Jariel Camen."
The officer typed into his terminal for a few moments, looking for Camen's records. "Ship's Chaplain, USS Serendipity? I haven't heard of that one."
*I'm not surprised.* Jariel thought.
"I imagine you must be looking, perhaps, for some courses in counseling to supplement you position as ship's Chaplain?"
"Engineering actually. I'd like to spend some time with the ship's systems. I believe you have a non-commissioned personnel program for people to perform basic routine maintenance aboard the Starfleet vessels. I'd like to expand my horizons a bit and at the same time free up the engineering staff to perform more important work."
Camen had given that matter some thought on the way to Bajor. As much as he loved serving as a spiritual guide for the crew, along with his gardening in the arboretum, he felt like he wanted to branch out into something completely foreign to him. Working a few shifts in engineering every week would give him a chance to get to know Rada Dengar better. If he performed his duties well, he may even get to spend some time with Salvek and Kellyn in the Alchemy bay to work on their pride and joy.
Regardless of where he worked he knew if the engineering staff had someone they could give tasks to like cleaning injection ports, replacing burnt out relays, or repairing jammed doors, it would free everyone else up to work on tasks more vital to keeping the ship up and running.
Even if he did not return to the Serendipity he knew the knowledge could prove invaluable.
"You can take the basic engineering courses right here on Bajor. Just so you know, to actually move up in the ranks and serve as a member of the engineering department, you would have to pass the full courses at the Academy. Our program here only qualifies you to perform routine maintenance of Starfleet technology."
"That's exactly what I'm looking to do." Camen said, with a nod of his head.
"All right then, Jariel Camen. The group meets three times a week for three hours over a two-month period. There will be an exam at the end of the course, as well as a one hour troubleshooting lab each week where you'll be expected to follow procedures to maintain a piece of technology you would run into aboard a starship. For example, you may need to calibrate and align a phaser emitter, or clean an impulse manifold. Where are you staying on Bajor?"
"I'll be in Altaan province."
"Then you'll need this." The man set a card down on the table. "This affords you unlimited use of the transporters to go back and forth for your classes. You'll begin in two days, third floor room 367 of this building. See you then."
Jariel shook the man's hand, took his duffle, and departed the building. The transported hub was only three minutes away on foot. He handed his new card to the operator, and told him his destination. Like magic he was standing overlooking the orphanage a moment later. He walked down the path he had treaded upon so many times in his life, in so many timelines, for so many reasons.
It was mid afternoon, and the children were enjoying the summer sun. There seemed to be so many here now, more then he remembered last time he was here.
He walked through the children, and pushed open the large wooden door.
"Jariel Camen!" Before Camen could even set his duffle down, Timal's hand was on his hear, gauging Camen's Pagh.
"Hmm." Timal said. "Your Pagh is...not so strong." Timal looked over Jariel's shoulder and back outside. "You come alone, my friend?"
"I come alone."
"Has something happened? Are you all right?"
"Yes, and I don't know. I'm looking for my path, I seem to have lost it."
"Zanh Liis?"
"She and I have parted ways."
Timal opened his mouth, the surprise apparent on his face, as if someone just told him the sky was actually yellow. Camen raised his hands, calming him down with a single word.
"Amicably."
Timal nodded, accepting that Jariel would discuss it when he was ready.
"You say you've lost your path, why is that?"
"I had an awakening of sorts, Timal. One that threw into question every belief I've ever held."
"A vision from the Prophets?"
Camen shook his head. "The Prophets had nothing to do with it. Suffice it to say I need a place where I can clear my head, and look for answers to my questions."
"What kind of questions?"
Camen sighed, "Questions about love, questions about understanding myself."
"Oh, that's all." Timal said. "At least you are looking for answers that have not been the subject of debate among scholars and philosophers for as long as our people have been capable of speech."
"I know the path will present itself to me, with time and patience. What I need more than anything is to be able to stand on my own two feet here, and your counsel will help as well Vedek. I know you and Bajor have the answers, I just don't know the questions yet."
Timal opened a closet, and tossed a pair of overalls at Jariel. "The first thing you need to do is get to work. We're adding a new classroom for the children. Wood construction, nothing replicated, just like we've always done it. If you are going to stay here, you know you'll be expected to work your fair share. You can start by helping us build, after you've prepared morning meal for the children of course."
Jariel nodded. He was no stranger to hard work and the expectations of the adults at the orphanage. This was what he needed right now, to immerse himself in hard work, here and with his Starfleet training.
--------------------
Jariel Camen
Seeking a Path
Bajor
Jariel Camen
Seeking a Path
Bajor