To Storm Heaven - Esther Friesner [7]
Hara’el stared after his father’s violent departure.
The younger 0rakisan male looked ready to sink into the floor. Ambassador Lelys patted his arm.
“Proceed,” she said.
“But—but if he’s gone how can I?” “The purpose of this meeting is purely informational. All Star fleet personnel crucial to the success of our mission must have a complete view of the situation on S’ka’rys. While your father has served Orakisa capably for many years as a diplomat, he has never been able to present the facts as they are, without benefit of emotional coloration. An unfortunate shortcoming, and probably the reason why he’s still a legate. Since we don’t need to reach any sort of decision or accord at the moment, we don’t need him.” She spoke with a cool, logical detachment worthy of a Vulcan. “Go on with your presentation, Hara’el.” Hara’el took a deep breath before obeying his superior. “As I was saying, Orakisa was one of the last colonies founded before the fall of Skerris IV. In time, we came to think of the motherworld as a legend, but a legend that might have some basis in reality.” “Atlantis,” Captain Picard murmured.
“What?” Ambassador Lelys’s luminous amber eyes were suddenly on him.
“A legend of Earth,” he explained. “Supposedly all early cultures were colonies of a superior civilization that was lost when the continent of Atlantis sank into the sea.” “And did any of your people believe that this Atlantis was more than just a legend?” Picard nodded. “Many. Some even mounted diving expeditions to locate the sunken land. Unfortunately, most of their discoveries were of dubious scientific worth. Some legends are merely legends.” “Ours was not,” the ambassador said demurely.
She indicated to Hara’el that he should go on.
By now the younger male was so ill at ease that he adopted the terse, thoroughly unemotional delivery of someone reading aloud from an encyclopedia: “The first Orakisan expedition to Skerris IV revealed planet-wide extinction of our founding civilization, but also that the motherworld was on the path to ecological recovery. The expedition’s report caused a great stir on Orakisa. Once it was determined that the legendary motherworld did exist and that it was once more capable of supporting life, there was a great movement to reclaim and resettle Skerris IV.” “I remember reading about the medical aspects of the Reclamation movement,” Dr. Crusher said. “I can’t say I approved of some of the more radical adaptation procedures your people used.” “We had no choice,” Hara’el responded. “Even though the motherworld was no longer barren, the radiation levels were still somewhat heavier than our people could bear.” “They could have chosen not to go,” Dr. Crusher pointed out.
“Out of the question, Dr. Crusher,” Lelys said.
“Well, perhaps not so, if viewed from a strictly practical standpoint, but in the days of the rediscovery and the Reclamation no one on Orakisa was in a strictly practical mood. The Reclamation was not a sober, carefully considered undertaking. It was a crusade. Those who decided to resettle S’ka’rys were willing to have their bodies genetically altered so that they and their descendants could survive existing conditions on Ihe motherworld, even though the procedure meant that they would be unable to live anywhere else. As you yourself said, Dr. Crusher, it was a radical adaptation, a strain that no body could undergo twice and survive, but the colonists had no intention of going back. They were determined to take an irreversible stand. They said that S’ka’rys gave Orakisa birth and now it was time for Orakisa to give S’ka’rys rebirth. True, nothing forced our people to return to the motherworld. Nothing but a dream. But we will give up much for the sake of dreams.” Dr. Crusher was silent.
“The Reclamation enjoyed great initial success,” Hara’el resumed. “The Orakisan crops and stock animals that the settlers brought with them did