Lessons in Being Rihan

[NDak 0]

N’Dak sat sullenly in the br’teth, he was starting to get comfortable in the br’teth—scary. As he sat contemplating his future, a bright light flashed in his cell. His first reaction was that the Khre'Riov was just going to come down and yy’a him herself. But as the light dimmed and the figure materialized, he quickly realized this was na the Khre’Riov.

 

A confused and disoriented tr’Vosh looked around his surroundings. “Whaaa??”

 

Destorie lifted his brow quizzically at the little Erien. “And who are au?”

 

Vosh realized where he was and laughed a bit. “Well, I was Daise Dheno, but now I am a th’ann.”

 

Destorie lifted his brow further. “Daise’Dheno, eh?” he said, then mumbled, “t’Rexan IS getting desperate.”

 

Placing his hand on the butt of his Kaleh, he looked the man in the corner over a bit. “And aus must be, how did t’Vixen put it, the vile little Rihan N’Dak?”

 

Destorie had slid his hand over the Daise badge on his uniform. “Na, I am Ma’lyn, I know na of this N’Dak.”

 

“Oh, pitty,” Vosh said relaxing a bit and grinning. “I had wanted to meet any io that wretched female hated more than me.”

 

“And why are aus a th’ann may I ask?” Destorie said letting Vosh’s remark pass with little reaction.

 

A short pause followed as Vosh contemplated the question. “My best guess is that the Khre’Riov was fed up with the altercation in ME and beamed us all here.”

 

Grinning ever so slightly and keeping one hand over the Daise badge, “What of t’Vixen, I was under the impression that she was now Daise’Dheno.”

 

The remark seemed to go through Vosh like lightening through water. “BAHH!! She was when I first arrived...tried to make my life hell! However, the Khre'Riov believed her to be...unfit...as do I...sorry if she is aus friend.”

 

Destorie looked over the little Erien again and grinned. “Na she was na my friend.”

 

He stopped and moved his hand off his shoulder allowing a glint of the Daise badge to catch Vosh’s eye. “And what is aus name, little Erien?” Destorie said with a hint of mockery.

 

Vosh, being as observant as he was saw the badge and recognized his new roommates true identity. The game is afoot, he thought, I might as well play along. “Vosh...Saek tr'Vosh....Ma'lyn was it....is that na a girls name...na offense intended...,” he said grinning toothily, na expecting the result he got.

 

Lifting his hand from the Daise badge, he glared at Vosh. “Aus would be advised na to insult those who rank above au, h'nah wipe that grin off aus face before I do it for au!”

 

The shoe was on the other foot, for the moment. Vosh was secretly pleased to have gotten a reaction out of N’dak. “I am sorry Ma’lyn, do aus often masquerade as a th’ann?”

 

“Na, but when aus is being put on trial for trying to yy'a the Khre'Riov...io does na have many options for where to go,” Destorie said, emphasizing the yy’a the Khre’Riov part.

 

“Na matter, rekkhai...the enemy of my enemy is my friend...and as much as Vixen bad mouthed au...pleased to make aus acquaintance...”

 

“Do na think a hatred of t'Vixen will bring aus favor in my eyes.”

 

Vosh dismissed Destorie’s remark and continued. “I honestly do na care right now...I have had ..far and away the worst day of my life....”

 

Destorie glared disdainfully at being cutoff/ignored and then rolled his eyes at the next comment, the little imp was beginning to annoy him. “Whiney little erien, aus is Rihannassu!”

 

Vosh seemed a little taken aback by this outburst. “Ie, I am Rihan,” he said. “But if aus dislikes me, what of it?”

 

Destorie barely heard the remark, this little erien needed a lesson in what it meant to be Rihan, obviously. “Have au na knowledge of what aus ancestors suffered through during the Sundering so that aus could have aus bad days???”

 

Before Vosh could answer, the now seething Destorie launched back into his tirade. “Aus has na knowledge of bad days! Have aus ever been taken prisoner aboard a Lloann’na Trashship? NA. Have au ever been controlled by a Squid and held the hand of the Khre’Riov while they bit it off??? NA!!!”

 

That icy cold glare of Destorie’s flashed and narrowed on Vosh, who by now was getting a bit irked himself. “I act like a Rihannassu and I am chastised!” he said bellowing back at the seething N’Dak. “I will tell au what I have na knowledge of, I Have na knowledge of complete and utter treachery...na knowledge of constantly looking over my shoulder...”

 

Destorie glared at the little imp. “Silence....I will na have some puny fresh little welp back talking me!”

 

“Bahh....When we leave this cell...I may answer to au...” Vosh said interrupting Destorie once again.

 

That was about as far as Destorie was in a mood to be pushed. “Just because I have lost my favor with the Khre'Riov doesn't mean aus will na show me respect!”

 

With one quick motion, he back handed Vosh, then glared with all the hate and fury that had been welling up in him for that past few days. “H’Nah aus may now speak.”

 

Vosh seemed a bit shocked that Destorie had actually struck him, for a few seconds he did nothing just blink. “Finally, some io on this ship will listen to me.”

 

He stopped and licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, “Hann'yyo...rekkhai...but I have learned my lesson about REACTING emotionally...I was Daise less than twenty minutes before someio tried to yy'a me... I realize this means little to au, but I joined to serve the Empire, out of a sense of Honor and duty...”

 

Destorie’s eyes narrowed. “And what is that supposed to mean, does au not realize that everyone on this ship joined the Galae for the same reason?? Aus is na special.”

 

“Really...do au honestly believe that,â€? Vosh said almost laughing, “If so....why the treachery and backstabbing? Why na work together?”

 

“For all Rihans mnhei'sahe (the Ruling Passion) demands us to serve with honor and duty to the Empire,” Destorie said lowering his voice from the earlier bolero that he had used.

 

Vosh sighed and sat down next to Destorie. “Perhaps I am too Idealistic, or worse, perhaps my father was right about the Galae.”

 

“Aus obiviously does na understand aus people,” Destorie said with a hint of disdain.

 

Vosh picked up on the tone of Destorie’s voice, but did na feel like arguing anymore, “I know only what I have seen.”

 

“Then au have misunderstood.”

 

“It is true that personal advancement is important in honoring aus family, however only the most vile of Rihans put themselves before the Empire.”

 

Vosh hissed the word ‘Vixen’ under his breath.

 

“Na, even the ambitious t’Vixen would na place her own ambitions before the Empire.”

 

“Perhaps...but I believe she would yy'a the Khre'Riov…given the chance...,” he said thinking out loud, “and any io else that stood in her way.”

 

“Ie, but so would many others on this ship.”

 

“That is what I do na understand,” Vosh said. “I do na have any love for the Khre’Riov, but she is my commanding officer, and I learned from Maenek t’Ratchet, some respect must be observed in the chain of command.”

 

Destorie nodded. “Ie, that it must. And t’Rexan is my commanding officer as well, and I would na try to challenge her. She is too powerful. And most of us obey her, out of fear.”

 

“I completely understand that…she is...ominous...”

 

Destorie grinned slightly. “I have a hologlyph of her standing amongst many yy’a Jem’Hadar holding the head of a Vorta,” he paused to let that mental image set in. “And if nothing else, it is her ability to inspire that fear that must be respected, give the woman credit, she na to be trifled with.”

 

“Aus is quite right,” Vosh said shivering despite himself. “As I found out first hand.”

 

“Aus is na the first io to feel the wrath of t’Rexan,” Destorie said dismissingly, “nor the last.”

 

Vosh gulped and the smiled a bit, “Poor souls, may elements have mercy on them.”

 

“But there is more to that fear, that respect that au can and must learn,” Destorie continued. “For example, the Kling’hannsu and the Lloann’na believe and say that Rihannsu are with na honor, but they do na understand. Kling’hannsu and Lloann’na can be themselves with out honor, but to be a Rihan is to be io with honor, aus is na Rihan if aus has na honor.”

 

“Ie....I was taught that much...” Vosh said.

 

“And aus must treat all Rihans with honor,” Destorie said growing introspective.

 

“Ie, that was a lesson I had forgotten,” remembering the scene in Medical Vosh sighed,

“But thanks to the Maeneks I have been reminded of that.”

 

Destorie nodded to the Erien setting next to him. “As for aus earlier question, what au did na understand, see if this helps,” he paused then continued, “We Rihannsu honor power as much as we honor loyalty. The goal of each Rihannsu is power—if not for themselves or their House, then always for the Empire.”

 

“I know that....that is why I am here instead of Maenek School...,” Vosh said.

 

Destorie glanced at Vosh then started again. “We are always loyal to the Empire itself not any io person in particular, we can however go against the “official” government if we feel it benefits the people or is necessary to satisfy Mnhei'sahe”

 

Vosh perked up a bit and started paying attention, realizing Destorie was actually trying to help him.

 

“The Power we seek can na be defined in the Lloann'na terms of monetary wealth, it is the power of Mnhei'sahe, and it defines the structure within our society,” Destorie said getting caught up in his rhetoric, “And Mnhei'sahe is not a vague or academic term. Wars, executions, and even the deaths of entire Households can be required to satisfy Mnhei'sahe. Remember that if Mnhei'sahe is always intact within the Empire, we can na ever fall. Do aus understand h’nah?”

 

“Ie,” Vosh nodded, “I do.”

 

“Aus realizes why backstabbing is permitted and practiced then?”

 

“Ie, it makes sense, I guess,”

 

“Then aus should understand why I am here then,” Destorie said quietly. “I am here because I acted for the betterment of the Empire, my decision was wrong, but know I am na traitor.”

 

“Ie, aus is here for a far more honorable reason than I,” Vosh said quietly. “My reasons were na that noble, if t’Temarr had been assaulting any io else, I would have disrupted her without hesitation...”

 

“Then aus is weak,” Destorie said, “But aus is still young.”

 

He smiled a bit at Vosh. “Laeh is lucky then, she should thank Elements that it was au and na me.”

 

“But I must admit, I took satisfaction in watching her pummel Vixen,” the epiphany hit hard with Vosh, “It was na weakness...it was selfishness...and that put the ships safety in danger.”

 

“Perhaps, but aus has learned aus lesson, it seems, a lesson that will cost some one dearly, t’Rexan will be furious.”

 

“Time will tell,” Vosh said, laying his head back against the wall.

 

“Enough for H’Nah, I need rest...”

Edited May 30, 2004 by Ern_Ndak