Meet the locals: Part deux

Posted on Sun Aug 31st, 2025 @ 2:51pm by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Petty Officer 1st Class Yoshika Miyafuji & Commander Thomas Johnson & Lieutenant Ralen Trellis & Lieutenant Takina Inoue & Lieutenant JG Connor Carey

1,906 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Preserving The Past
Location: Amerind village
Timeline: Current

Last time on Star Trek Tokyo:

Thomas's comm badge was still vibrating in his top pocket, not enough to be noticed from the outside, but enough to be of annoyance to him by now. It was still vibrating to indicate that he should contact the Tokyo when he had the chance to do so.

"If you will excuse me Elder, I do have something I have left in the woods as a precaution. We did not know if we would be greeted as friends or foe." He turned to his tribesmen. "I am sure my people would love a long and detailed story of how the god Kirok appeared."

The Elder raised an eyebrow. "You may attend to your precaution." He said raising a hand allowing for Thomas to leave.

"My many thanks Elder, I will just be a moment, it is not too far off." He gave a bow to the elder before departing the tent.

"Do think this Tahuna girl had a run-in with Commander Nishikigi's team?" Mizuki whispered to Yoshika with a look of concern.

"I don't know..." Yoshika whispered back. She then turned to the man with the symbol on his head. "You are the Medicine Chief correct?"

The man nodded. "Yes. I am the one who heals. I am the village medicine Chief."

Yoshika bowed her head. "In my village. I am a..." she thought of the best way to explain her role. "Apprentice to our Medicine Chief. Would you allow me to observe your duties?"

"You may observe on the rising of the sun," he replied.

Yoshika looked over at Mizuki and gave her the snuggest of smug looks.

Mizuki rolled her eyes.

Taking a good 15 minute walk from the village, he tapped his badge location, where it was sewn in the fabric. "Johnson to Tokyo, this better be good. I was in a meeting with the village elder. I doubt he liked me leaving in the middle of greetings."

Taiga's vouce responded, eminating from his comm badge. "We have a problem Commander. Your mission just got ten times harder..."

And now the continuation...

As the tent flap closed behind Thomas, Ralen kept his eyes on the elder, but his peripheral vision swept the room, cataloguing subtle details—a shift of weight from the guard outside the entrance, the faint rustle of movement from someone behind the central hut. Jaret would say they’re still assessing us, he thought. Every word we speak is part of that test.

“I understand that strangers can bring both opportunity and danger. In my own people’s history, some visits brought friendship… others brought harm. I would not want your people to mistake our intentions for the latter.” The Counselor spoke.

Ralen softened his tone, inclining his head slightly in deference.

“If there are customs you wish us to follow while here, we will do so gladly. If there are places we should not go, we will respect them. You have my word on that.”

Inside, Jaret’s voice was quieter now, but still there: Good. Make them feel they’re the ones setting the rules—that’s how you keep the peace.

Ralen let the moment breathe, ready to listen for the elder’s reply, knowing that what came next could either deepen the welcome or quietly close the door.

[Forest near the village]

"That doesn't surprise me, considering we do have a young member of the tribe going to the temple which I suspect is what they call the obelisk. Tell me thats not the case." Thomas replied looking at his surroundings.

"Well, we have her up here. We're keeping her sedated whilst we attend to her injuries. Once she's able to be beamed back down, we're going to need to co-operate with the away teams. For now, play ignorant about the girl." Taigas voice said. "Maintain prime directive protocols."

"There is a second on the way to the temple to find her. Be aware, perhaps vacate the obelisk until they are gone."

"Our teams have entered the Obelisk, so hopefully they're out of sight." Taiga responded. "Comms are 'choppy' to the away team. But you still need to keep them from entering the Obelisk if they know how. Or diverting them elsewhere."

"I will see what I can do." Thomas replied, "Can you replicate a ceremonial pipe, and make it extra intricate."

A few moments later the pipe was transported down in front of Thomas. "Good luck down there Commander. Once the girl is ready and cleared to return we'll wipe her memories and beam her down to you." Taiga said before the channel cut off.

[Elders Tent]

It didn't take long for Thomas to reach the elders hut once again. "My gift to you, my ceremonial pipe, it has been in my family for some time, my forefather said I will know when its time to let it go. I think this is the right time." He took out a pouch of tobacco. "If you would do the honours."

Yoshika looked mortified at the idea that they were about to actually smoke tobacco. Humans had stopped smoking such stuff hundreds of years ago due to how it affected their bodies and health. However the Elder seemed pleased at the suggestion.

"Ah, so that is where you went. To collect this." He said. "We shall share your brown leaves before the evening meal."

Ralen Trellis stood quietly near the doorway, hands clasped behind his back as the elder accepted the pouch with a satisfied nod. The pipe passed between them like a sacred relic, and the mood in the hut softened with ceremony.

Outwardly, Ralen remained composed, offering no objection, no visible sign of discomfort. But inside, a tension wound through him.

Tobacco.

He understood what Thomas was doing—building trust, offering something tangible, symbolic. A gesture to bridge cultures. But even so, the idea of introducing a narcotic, however mild or ceremonial, to a population unfamiliar with its long-term effects gnawed at him.

It wasn’t his place to intervene, not yet. The mission required flexibility, diplomacy. Still, as the elder spoke warmly of sharing the “brown leaves,” Ralen couldn't shake the sense that this was a subtle shift. A line crossed, quietly, politely.

He said nothing. Just watched. And noted.

[An hour later]

The hut was filled with pipe smoke and the sound of talk when three young women carried in carved wooden bowls. They each had a selection of fruits, vegetables and meats on them.

The Elder took his bowl as the others were handed theirs. "Our evening meal is simple and honest. May you enjoy." He said to the visitors. "Upon the rise of the sun we shall discuss your trade."

"Otsaliheliga, Uku," Mizuki expressed in gratitude before shifting her attention over to the... eclectic assortment of foods. "Now, let's see... where do I begin?"

Noticing her hesitation, one of the local women got up and made her way over to where Mizuki was seated.

"I take it this isn't your usual fare where you're from?" she observed with a polite smile.

Mizuki glanced over her shoulder. "Well... yes, but it's a little complicated trying to explain what exactly we eat..."

"Well, if you're unsure of where to start... might I suggest the bean bread?" the local woman suggested, motioning towards what looked to be a bowl of dried hickory leaves tied off with a strand of river grass.

"Bean bread?" Mizuki remarked with curiosity.

"No meal in our tribe is complete without an offering of bean bread," the local woman explained with a wistful gleam in her eye. "It's made with two of the Three Sisters- corn and beans- which are staples of our agriculture. On a deeper level, it is our way of expressing the sacrifice of Selu, the First Woman, so that corn could be provided for her descendants- where her blood falls, corn shall grow."

"That's... mildly macabre," Mizuki surmised.

"But also an expression of the sacrifices that we make for our children, and that they, in turn, shall make for theirs," the woman replied. "Food is not simply given here- it is earned through hard work and perseverance, and for that we must be willing to sacrifice time and effort, to learn the traditions of our ancestors so they may in turn be passed on to their descendants and further the cycle of life."

Yoshika nodded slowly, she understood this way of life. It had some similarities to the traditional culture of her own heritage back on Earth. She could appreciate hard work and a connection to the land.

"I apologize for sounding concerned, has there been any word on the young warrior that went searching for the young girl, or the one that had went to seek her." Connor inquired looking around. "Perhaps we can assist with the search?" He turned to Thomas, and judging by the look on his face, something was up.

"Your place is not yet to speak." Thomas answered, "If the elder wanted assistance he wouldn't hesitate."

"Everyone is free to speak," the Elder said. He turned to Connor. "The child is known to be curious. She is a child of the village. Her father left this life many days ago, her mother recently in the great flood." He explained. "It is likely she will return upon the sun rising."

"If she doesn't." Thomas replied as he conceded turning to the Lt, giving an apologetic look.

"She has always returned," The Elder replied with a smile.

"Is this the usual for her?" Mizuki asked. "Wandering off for an entire day, only to return the next morning?"

"Tahuna is guided by the stars." The Elder explained. "She speaks often about past lives, visitors from the sky and an ancestors who once visited us as one of the gods." The Elder seemed a little agitated if not annoyed, it was obvious that Tahuka had been the 'annoying kid' of the village. "Her parents pass down these tales of a man only known as Kirok who appeared from the Temple as a God. How he was a visitor from a far away land in the sky, a god who used a sky-boat to reach us." He paused. "I can assure you, there are no truths to these tales."

Thomas turned to the group. could this 'Kirok' the talk about be James T Kirk, likelihood was evident "So tell us more about this temple and this Kirok that appeared."

"The tales tell us of a man named Kirok. He was a visitor from the stars, and set to be married to the priestess." The Elder said. "He emerged from the Temple and stayed for many sunrises. However upon a great storm he delayed in clearing the sky." The Elder looked around them for a moment. "The tales tell us that strangers appeared and returned Kirok to the stars. But these are old tales only told to children."

After finishing the meal, the Elder slowly rose to his feet. "We retire as the sky grows dark. Upon the rising of the sun we shall discuss your trade." He said. "You may rest here. Our people shall attend to any need you require."

With that said, the Elder and his two companions left the tent leaving the away team alone.

To be continued...

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