BAJOR – The long-awaited return of the ancient sculpture “Ohalu’s Light” to Bajor has been met with distrust and protests after it was revealed to be a forgery.
The sculpture, believed to be a representation of a long-extinct ancestor of the Bajoran people and bearing the last prophecies of Ohalu himself, was eagerly anticipated by members of the Ohalavaru sect and hotly contested by Vedek protesters.
Among the countless artefacts and artworks stolen during the Occupation and sold to the highest bidder, few can be considered as valuable and controversial as “Ohalu’s Light” – an ancient sculpture of a long-extinct ancestor of the Bajoran Pachitrod underneath which Ohalu himself etched the last of his prophecies.
Ohalu’s Light’s return to Bajor and display in the newly erected Unity Temple has been anticipated by many – members of the Ohalavaru sect were eager to attempt a translation of the millennia-old symbols, while several Vedeks protested against the sculptures exhibition.
But when Torjer Lah, Professor of historical anthropology and self-confessed Ohalu truth-seeker, travelled to Raijalla Valley’s Unity Temple, he quickly determined that someone had aged artificially the displayed sculpture and therefore was not Ohalu’s Light.
Is this a simple misunderstanding? Has the priceless artefact never been recovered, or has it been stolen and exchanged for a forgery?
“I can certify that what we sent to Bajor was, in fact, the sought-after piece of art.”, claims Professor Eko Hagatua, who headed the taskforce responsible for recovering Bajoran artefacts. “It is probably worth mentioning that Ohalu’s claims that the Bajoran Prophets are an alien species and not ‘Gods’ are considered heresy by many and that there are certain individuals on Bajor who would prefer Ohalu’s Light to remain lost.”
The protests have been overshadowed by the celebrations of Bajor’s eleventh anniversary of joining the Federation, giving the Vedek Assembly and the Chamber of Ministers time to issue an official statement. It remains to be seen if the Ohalavaru will accept their explanation.
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