The Journal of Orzal Dax.

Ranih arrived home this morning from her trip to Bajor. When I opened the beautifully wrapped present she brought with her, I was completely taken aback by what rested inside. Two beautiful Bajoran wedding drinking vessels. Traditional vessels like these are crafted from precious metals and adorned with sacred Bajoran symbols. The paired design represents the union of two souls, while the arch connecting them symbolizes shared destiny and spiritual alignment. Seeing them in person—knowing she chose them for us—struck me deeper than I expected. I was right about what I’d said before. I smiled, tears in my eyes, and wrapped my arms around her, holding her as close as I could. In that moment, I felt the truth settle over me with absolute clarity: I have found the one person in the entire galaxy who completes me.

Ranih sent me an image this morning — a small, beautifully wrapped present sitting on a café table on Bajor. Copper ribbon, Bajoran charm, the whole aesthetic practically whispered “thoughtful surprise.” She captioned it with nothing but a wink emoji and the words “For you, my symbiont-bearing mystery.” Naturally, I’m now left to ponder the possibilities. Should I be worried? Is this a romantic gesture, a cultural token, or some elaborate prank involving spring-loaded hasperat? I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s got that quiet mischief in her smile, the kind that makes you double-check your seat before sitting down. Still, the wrapping is elegant — too elegant for anything explosive. Unless it’s emotional. That’s the real danger with Ranih: she knows how to wrap meaning into the smallest things. I’ll probably open it and find something that makes me laugh, then cry, then want to marry her twice. Until then, I’ll keep the image saved and speculate wildly. If it turns out to be a pair of ...

James is doing extremely well with his vegetable patch. Instead of placing it in his garden, as he originally planned, he’s using a plot of land near the colony’s science station. Either way, it’s looking great. I had the impression he wasn’t very good at gardening, but I think he underestimated himself. He’s even added flowers as a decorative touch, and they work beautifully. All of them are native to Docosie III. Some of the vegetables are native as well, except for the broad beans, carrots, and cabbages. The science team is helping him, since it’s a great opportunity to study how non‑native plants grow in the Docosie environment.

Next week, Ranih and I will be visiting Grand Nagus Rom and Leeta on Ferenginar. A lot has changed since I last saw them as Ezri. There have been some reforms in Ferengi society, though not as many as Rom or Leeta would have liked. It can be difficult to push against centuries of tradition and deeply held beliefs. People can be frightened of change—or simply stubbornly resistant to it. One major change involves Ferengi women and clothing. They can now wear clothes if they wish, but from what I’m told, the vast majority still prefer not to. Mostly it’s out of respect for tradition, but amusingly, many say it’s simply easier. Rom has assured us there shouldn’t be any issues with Ranih wearing clothes. Even so, Ranih told him that if it makes things easier for any Ferengi men present at the time, she’s willing to respect their wishes. It’s one of the many things I adore about my fiancée. She’s so open‑minded and respectful of other cultures and traditions. It’s probably one of the reasons...

Well, that was most unpleasant and distressing. As one of the lead administrators for the colony, one of my roles is dealing with the captain’s of non‑Starfleet vessels—the ones that deliver supplies and transport colonists to and from Docosie III, both existing and new residents. Today I had a run‑in with the captain of a cargo vessel, a man by the name of Deca Inkel. We have very strict protocols we must follow, and I don’t know what his problem was, but he was in an incredibly disagreeable mood. I tried my best to explain everything—protocols he clearly already knew—but for some reason, today he was determined to be unreasonable and argumentative. He was also quite insulting, which was entirely uncalled for. He even suggested that I didn’t know what I was talking about and that I was simply being a hindrance. I disagreed with every one of his points, but he was so stubborn that reasoning with him was impossible. I’ll try to learn something from the experience, though I’m honestly no...

Every effort has been taken, during conceptualisation, construction and continual day to day running of the colony, to ensure that we do not have a detrimental impact on the environment and ecosystems of Docosie III.  Hard lessons have been learnt on countless worlds across the Federation and throughout the centuries of what happens when too little action is taken too late.  The waste management systems and policies of the colony are some of the most advanced and sophisticated of any colony in the Alpha Quadrant, a everyone takes great pride in being part of this achievement.  James's project to grow a selection of vegetables in his garden is another great example of saving the energy to replicate said vegetables with the added satisfaction of knowing they were freshly grown.  I will be helping James with his project as I remember, when I was Audrid,  growing various vegetables and fruits my back garden on Trill and the pleasure and pride I got from it. I saw my...

From the picture Ranih has sent me, it certainly looks like she and her two friends are having a good time. They are currently visit a city in the Kendra province, which looks so vibrant.  The two ladies she is with, both work at the school. It's good to see she has made friends since we moved to Docosie III from Trill. Moving somewhere new and different can often be quite daunting. It helped considerably to have two good jobs already in place for when we moved.  I have made some good friends at work, particularly James, who is quite a character but is honest, decent and trustworthy. 

So, it seems that James as being doing some homework since getting to know me.  We were chatting this morning and he asked if I had done the Trill Rite of Closure, the zhian'tara.  I was, I must admit, surprised by the question. I didn't know he knew about it.  For anyone reading my journal in the distant future, the  zhian'tara , also known as the Trill rite of closure, is a ritual in which a joined Trill meets with the previous hosts of their Symbiont.  All of my previous hosts have done the zhian'tara so I guess I will as well, at some point. I get the feeling that he might want to be involved. I think, if I do have a zhian'tara, it won't be for a few years. 

With Ranih away with friends on Bajor, I am sat on my own in my favourite coffee shop and I thought, what would Ranih order and so that's what I have. A luxury hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  It's not as busy as it normally is which is kind of nice. It's been an ok week so far, except for the power outage on our orbital station, which I am pleased to report, was not caused by another Cardassian Vole infestation. James explained it in much more detail but basically the issue was caused by several relays going bad. He has since replaced them and is, systematically, running a high level diagnostic on every other system to check for any signs of other potentially problematic relays.  Back to my hot chocolate. 

After James and his team restored the power to the station, things pretty much went back to normal. They are still investigating what caused the black out.  Hopefully is not something serious. Either way, I'm confident James and team can handle it.  On a brighter note, that evening in the station messhall was chilli night. I haven't been able to partake recently due to not being on the station for the previous three chili nights, so I made the effort for this one. 

Not a good morning. James and his team were running frantic on our orbital station from 0600 when power failed. Luckily, emergency lighting and minimal gravity was operating nothing else, so untill they got things going, oxygen was limited.  Not sure what causes the outage. I'm sure James will let me know sometime. I'm grateful I wasn't stuck in a turbolift and just my office, but still in relative darkness and unable to do anything. I was able to get out as the doors can me manually operated with a lever.  I have to admit, I did wonder if the Cardassian Voles we dealt with on the planet surface were the only group and if some were on the orbital station. I seriously hope not. However, I have experience in dealing with them on a station setting.  All is good now, though. Back to work. 

The sheer sophistication of the holographic program of our cat, Jodo, is truly remarkable.  There is that ever present need to remind myself that Jodo is not a real cat but he truly feels like a real cat with a real loving and often mischievous personality.  Today, Artificial Intelligence is woven and integrated into every day life but fifteen hundred years ago when Trill was achieving warp powered space exploration, AI was still very much in its developmental phase. Back then there were some serious concerns, and rightly so, regarding it's use and it's future. Captain James T Kirk, although speaking about a future of peace with the Klingon empire, stated a truth that is still with us today...  "People can be very frightened of change"  - Captain James T Kirk. "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."  - James Baldwin 

As I predicted, James was thrilled when I asked if he fancied going on a hiking trip to the forest and mountains that are roughly an hour’s shuttle ride from the colony. Obviously, this will be after Ranih and I return from our honeymoon, but James didn’t mind the wait. It will give him ample time to plan the trip down to the minutest detail. When he works on any technical project for the colony, he’s well known for going to extremes with the finer points. The area where most people go for hiking and camping is a beautiful part of the continent where the colony is located. It’s a large wooded region with streams, lakes, rivers, and a massive mountain range. We will have to take a few precautions regarding certain wildlife, making sure we bring the anti-venom for Docosie’s most venomous spider. We definitely do not want to run into that thing. Along with the anti-venom, we can set up a device that emits a frequency we can’t hear but that will deter the spider from encroaching on our cam...

Despite Docosie III being a colony, it does have certain qualities that lend themselves to attracting tourism.  As I mentioned previously, there are many areas outside of the colony which are excellent for leisure activities and it's not just the colonists that take the advantage.  Not only that, Starfleet Academy uses the planet for training exercises.  A recent picture was captured of the colony for some promotional material and it really captures the picturesque nature of what has been created here.  I won't point out my home, as I like my privacy.

The weather is starting to improve on Docosie III. Well, on the continent the colony is situated anyway.  I've been looking at the recent developments in trips to other parts of the planet for recreation. Apparently there are now three, very popular, lakes people like to go boating on and camp by.  I might look into them once me and Ranih have returned from our honeymoon. I wonder if James would be up for a camping trip. He does like hiking in the near by mountains as much as I do.  I will have a chat to him at work tomorrow.