B'Hala Reborn Pt 2

Posted on Wed Oct 14th, 2026 @ 9:36am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Remal Kajun

1,609 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Character Development
Location: B'Hala - Bajor

The stone walls glowed with an intricate pattern, illuminated by some kind of bioluminescence sat idle for tens of thousands of years. Outside the storm began to wane, the rolling of thunder distant as it moved north away from them.

Remal stood near the ancient wall, Patina settled securely in his arms as he studied the intricate patterns of blue-green light spreading across the chamber. With his own light lowered, he could see how the glow traced the inscriptions and continued across the stonework, revealing a design far more extensive than he'd first imagined.

He followed the lines with quiet fascination, searching for familiar symbols among the thirty-thousand-year-old markings, though he knew better than to assume he could decipher their meaning. Whatever the builders had intended, the chamber was revealing only a little of its secrets at a time, and Remal was more than content to learn.

Patina had all but forgotten her earlier reluctance, her attention captured by the luminous wall. She shifted against her father's chest, her little fingers opening and closing as she followed the glowing lines with her eyes, occasionally leaning toward a particularly bright section as if she wanted to reach out and touch it.

Remal kept a gentle hand around her, allowing her to look while making sure she stayed safely in his arms. There was something captivating about the way the ancient light held her attention, and he couldn't help wondering whether she found it beautiful or recognized something in it that the adults could not yet see.

Rhenora look holo images of the walls, hoping to capture and study the inscriptions later with Remal. Patina seemed to be captivated by them, and felt along them for another magical stone. Rhenora was cautious, her fingers tracing the ancient stone in an effort to gain understanding - or at least some inclination as to why they were brought here. The cabinet below the alter beckoned, yet the feeling of dread remained. For better or for worse there was something there that demanded to be found - the reason they were brought here.

" I need to see what's inside" She said simply, despite the look of shock on Remal's face. Thankfully the rest of the people bar the Architect had retreated back to the outdoors now the storm had well and truly past - leaving the 4 (or 5) of them alone within the stone walls.

Cautiously she approached, both drawn and repulsed at the same time. A curious feeling had she not become fixated on the object before her. The doors to the cabinet were ornately carved, small wooden handles at the bottom resembled the doors of an Orb. With a trembling hand she opened them, not knowing what to expect within.

A book lay within, it's pages yellow and decayed with age, the leather binding it stiff with disuse. She reached for it - feeling as though she had to touch it, to hold it. A jolt of energy jarred her fingertips as she reached, knocking her backwards - a warning or something else?

Patina cried out, "Ma!" before recoiling into Remal's chest.

He gathered her close, one hand cradling the back of her head as she buried her face against him. "It's all right, sweetheart. Da's got you," he murmured, rubbing slow circles against her back. His gaze had already snapped toward Rhenora, concern tightening his expression as he checked that she was all right. He wanted to go to her, to make certain she hadn't been hurt, but he wasn't about to leave Patina feeling frightened and unprotected either.

"Careful, Rhen," he warned gently, keeping his voice low. "I seem to recall Sisko getting thrown against a cave wall when he touched the Kosst Amojin tablet." His eyes moved toward the book, then back to his wife. Whatever had just happened, he had no intention of assuming the next attempt would be any kinder.

The Architect interjected himself into the conversation. "Yes, well, the Sisko wasn't prepared for what his duty was at the time. That mistake was rendered. You understand. You know. A scientific mind gets it right the first time. Eh?"

The Architect's interjection drew Remal's attention, and he turned to regard the peculiar man with a distinctly unconvinced look. "First time?" he repeated, one eyebrow rising. "That's a rather limited view of science."

"The book is not for me, it is for the Emissary, it's for Patina. Only she can touch it" Rhenora dusted herself off and rose to her feet, giving Remal and look that said 'shit just got real'. "The book will be safe until she is old enough. Only she can control the entry to this room." She looked at the Architect "you will have to wait for your studies"

Remal wanted to ask how Rhenora knew the book was meant for Patina, and the concern was evident on his face as he looked from his wife to the ancient volume. After nearly ten years serving at her side, he had learned when to question her instincts and when to trust them, even when he couldn't begin to understand where they came from.

He wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of leaving the book here, especially after the energy that had thrown Rhenora backward, but he knew better than to dismiss what she was feeling. The Architect, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter, as was the strange bioluminescent path leading deeper into the chamber.

His gaze returned to the cabinet, his brow furrowing as he considered the possibilities. "You're certain about this? Just leaving it here?" he asked, his voice echoing softly against the ancient stone. "What if... ?"

He never quite finished the question. The Architect seemed ready to interject, his mouth already opening as though he had some further piece of wisdom to bestow upon them, when Patina let out a tremendous little yawn against her father's shoulder.

Remal paused and looked down at her, the tension in his expression giving way to a fond, almost incredulous smile. "Oh, I see. Ancient mysteries, dangerous books, and mysterious old men are all very exhausting, aren't they?" he murmured, adjusting her gently in his arms.

He pressed a kiss to her nose ridges, then glanced back toward Rhenora. "I think someone's decided we've had quite enough adventure for one day." His smile softened, though his eyes still held a measure of concern. "Perhaps we should get our little explorer somewhere comfortable before she falls asleep right here."

"Let's head back to the ship, if that book can knock me on my arse just touching it, it'll look after itself" Rhenora agreed, seeing Patina snuggle in against Remal's neck. They headed back down the passageway, the stones reassurting themselves closed again just after they had emerged, as though sensing Patina was leaving.

They emerged into daylight, the storm long gone and puddles of rain on the grpund the only evidence it had been there at all. The Architect seemed to know his time was up and headed back to his tent, leaving the small family alone. In the distance, one with red eyes watched as they beamed away. The Emissary had been.

Faro watched the last shimmer of the transporter beam fade from the rain-soaked ground, her red eyes fixed on the empty space where the Emissary and her family had stood only moments before. Every instinct urged her forward, her weight balanced and her muscles tense, ready to spring into action. She had been close enough to strike. Close enough to take the child before either parent could react. The thought lingered, tantalising and bitter, as she watched the puddles ripple beneath the last drops falling from the trees.

Not yet. Our time will come. The Wraith's voice curled through her mind, patient and assured, carrying the weight of a promise Faro had long ago made her own.

She clenched her jaw, frustration simmering beneath her stillness. "Why not now?" she demanded under her breath. "We could have ended it here, while they were vulnerable inside that cavern. They didn't even notice me amongst all the commotion. I could have snatched the child and made her my own." Her fingers curled at her sides, imagining the small prize within her grasp, the child who might one day become the key to everything they had lost. "They walked right past me. I was there, and they never even knew."

We have waited this long. We have endured. We cannot grow sloppy nor complacent now.

Faro's gaze remained on the place where the family had vanished. The Wraith's restraint tasted like cowardice to her, though she had learned enough to know better than to dismiss its counsel outright. Patience had kept them hidden, allowed the pieces to move into place while the Emissary followed the path laid before her. Still, the image of Patina nestled safely against her father's neck stirred something fierce and possessive within Faro, something that made waiting feel almost unbearable.

"Then tell me what we're waiting for," she whispered, her voice edged with resentment. "How much longer must I watch them carry her away?"

The answer did not come at once. Only the wind moved through the wet grass, carrying the clean scent of rain across the ruins of B'Hala. Faro stood motionless, her eyes glowing red in the fading light, while somewhere deep inside her the Wraith's silence settled like a hand upon her shoulder. It was a warning, perhaps, or a reminder that the moment she wanted was not necessarily the moment they needed.

For now, she remained where she was, content in her resentment.


TBC

 

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