Commander Beldas Tol

I don't think I'd choose to be anything but what I am...but if I had to pick? I'd be fully Romulan.

I don't really know, though...I don't know what it would really feel like, if that makes sense? I know what it feels like to be me...I don't feel mixed, I feel like me with confusing urges.

I can understand that, forced devotion...such a cruelty inflicted upon you and your people

It is hard to fight your DNA, and your prior lifetimes. I cannot imagine how that must feel, the cultural imprinting is difficult enough to overcome...having that built into your genes, I don't know how it truly must be for you

I am glad to hear you have been accepted by the people.

The Bajorans have suffered greatly, yet do not seem to have learned compassion from this. Their gods manipulate them, continually, it is disturbing. I keep being told I should see about Orb visions, or go to temple, or this or that...nope

I hope you will be able to find peace, it is what Romulans all seek.

D'Tan is more radical than our leaders, but there are advantages to both ways.

All I know for sure is I do not wish to be with the Bajorans, they are my blood but not my people...if that makes sense

- feel this is so.

I do not want to give up my culture, it is what has helped us to rebuild and endure. Not everyone wants to copy the Federation.

The Dominion doesn't want you back? I thought they always wanted their Vorta to return to them?

Our society has been very strict, structured, it has changed a lot in many places since the Great Loss, but there are many who demand we throw everything that we are away before we are acceptable.

I don't see why it is wrong to think this is unjust, and to resist it...yet there are many here that-

-them, not really...yet I never claimed to be? If I say I don't consider myself Bajoran I get grief and the aunties all huff and sigh and cluck their tongues how I am missing out or turning my back on my people...but I also am told I'm not ever going to fully understand.

It's frustrating.

-never really thought much of it, but here I am stronger and faster than most Bajorans. It's strange.

The cultural part is hardest, to me. Not the biology. I am constantly compared to full blood, Bajor raised Bajorans, or those raised in Bajoran outposts...it shows that they don't think I'm one of-

That is good, you should be respected. You had no choice in being created, being a Vorta is not something you can control.

I am a little heavier built than most Romulans, I'm not as heat tolerant, I'm a bit weaker. It is the Bajoran part, so I needed to try harder just to fit in with the people. I-

I can understand that, especially here. They all like to make out how horrible the Romulans are but that Kira running this place? So high up in the Bajoran government?

She's a fvadt terrorist...but the Federation was fine with over looking that if it served their purpose, same with the Bajorans.

𝑆𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑒𝑎, 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑡.

𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔

>:/

-Bajoran descent, not Bajoran, and that is not something a lot of my father's people readily accept.

The Bajorans are very...ahh...nationalistic? I guess? They are very quick to be offended but then turn around and cry to their gods for things they themselves did. I find it...unsettling...at times.

-our own enclave, I suppose you could say. Followed a lot of Bajoran culture, but...it isn't like here.

We are the diaspora, I am accepted in some ways but I get told I am not a real Bajoran, or hear that I need to spend time on Bajor and follow true Bajoran ways. I see myself as a Romulan of-

My father fled Bajor during the Occupation, ended up in Romulan space, served the D'talla, and met my mother.

We live on a colony world, society was, and is, far less strict than it was on ch'Rihan. Romulan lite, you know? Anyway, there were other Bajorans that settled there, had families, we have-

I think culture can play a big part in how it feels. My family and people always accepted I was a hybrid, so were others...hybridization is very common in Romulan society...especially given some of our distasteful history.

I run into more issues here than at home, Bajorans are...errr...opinionated

"Me too, but there is so much to do before then. Seems impossible sometimes, yet I have hope."

"I imagine a future where I will be able to sit in the sun, watch my grandchildren playing on the grass, knowing we are safe. That I won't need to command warbirds and negotiate endlessly. It might happen, it might not. Only time will tell...I don't suppose it matters, in the end."

"There is much to be done at home, we are working at rebuilding. There's no reason to stay."

"That's true...don't worry though, we will be leaving soon enough so things can go back to whatever is normal here."

"People look at us and all they see is 'Romulan', not that we are all different, have different goals and lives...that we are actually people. We are boogeymen meant to scare children and used as scapegoats. Yet if we complain we are labeled as baselessly crying we are victims. Yet we are."

"See? We aren't so hard to understand. Most people and Houses are still quite traditional, we value family...but things like the D'sora have fallen away. People still must serve five years to be a citizen, but it can be military, or as teachers, medical; the Senator has proposed other public works!"

-we are. I rather like the idea that I can choose a spouse and the Empire can't step in and say no, and arrange a match for me."

𝐻𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑟𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒, ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑚 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠

"At least on colony worlds life wasn't quite so strict, thankfully."

𝐻𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑑, 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠.

"That is one of the reasons we are determined not to fall under Imperial rule again. I hear people say they do not understand our faction's goals...it is pretty clear cut. Freedom to be ourselves, to live as we wish, to be who-

𝐻𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑙𝑦, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑙 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑡.

"We follow our passions, we are warriors...we are lovers...not living automatons that seek to purge such things. We embrace them...and now, in the breakaways, we are free to love who we please...it's a revolution...in more ways than one."

"Whatcha doing?!"

"Oh, a lot more than that distinguishes us." ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑑, 𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑙𝑦, 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑠𝑜 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚. 𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔...𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑜ℎ 𝑠𝑜 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒

"But there is more to life than just duty...we must try to take pleasure where we can...Fate may be unfeeling but we are not. What is life without little sparks of joy?"

"That is good, you are fortunate to see them often. I don't get home anywhere near as often as Father wants. So it goes when one serves the people, though."

"I can believe that...we are a very long way from Romulan space here."