#v: nithe

His mission was a simple one, and a welcome break from the war effort. Playing Jedi Protector reminded him of the old days, of when the Jedi’s role was firmly rooted in diplomacyand peace.

Not that he could relax, accompanying Luken along a potentially dangerous route famed for pirate exploits. Luken didn’t appear to come alone, however, accompanied by a young woman who he was offered little introduction to. Yet, now he catches her alone gazing out to the stars as the ship breaks atmosphere and they leave the planet behind. It grows smaller, almost insignificant as they gain speed and distance.

❛ If I had to guess I would say you have never travelled off-planet before, ❜ it was as good an introduction as any to break the silence. ❛ Beautiful, isn’t it? I remember the first time I left Coruscant – reading that there was a whole universe beyond the planet was one thing, seeing it was quite another. ❜

Nithe women weren’t allowed to be alone. It was dangerous, it put themselves and everyone around them at risk, should they lose control of their pheromones. She’d been assigned to be Luken’s ward, and she would go with him wherever he went.

Especially if it meant off planet. Ruby could not pry herself from the windows and viewports, watching as the blue atmospheric sky of Nithe gave way to the blackness of space, dotted with thousands and thousands of stars. And there, miles and miles below her, was Nithe itself, her entire world up until now, and getting further and further away. She never wanted to go back.

@empathicstars

She’d never left her planet before. Nithe had only recently reached warp travel, and they were so restrictive with where their females traveled. It was the ability they had -- to give off pheromones that induced attraction, lust, and, every now and then, obsession. Ruby was one of those individuals, who could alter the chemicals of another’s brain so strongly, that they could think of her and her alone, for hours on end.

There were customs, sexist and outdated, but there all the same. A female could not go too far beyond sexual maturity without a spouse or a keeper -- a guardian who ensured her safety when walking around unaccompanied, and to ensure she did not misuse this ability in public. Massu Luken was her keeper, and an ambassador for Nithe. He couldn’t leave Ruby behind, nor was he allowed to marry her himself. They had to choose another, an upstanding member of Starfleet who could be trusted.

Aelliana Moore was chosen with consent on all ends. She seemed to be a kind woman, if not distant and perhaps stoic, and she had practice dealing with alien cultures. While this may not have been Nithe’s first contact, it would be their first extended meeting with Starfleet, wherein cultures and histories would be discussed and exchanged.