Ninth House of Betazed
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The 9th House of Betazed is one of many ancient houses on Betazed. To be a member of such a social class in Betazoid culture is to be considered descendants of the Goddess, Karawati, herself and a part of influential ancestry. The Ninth House is known as the House of Wealth - between 2340 and 2399 it was known the "House of Agriculture"[1][2][3].
Whoever is the matriarch (or patriarch) of the Ninth House of Betazed holds the title of "the Holder of the Noble Currency Chest of Rixx, and keeper of the Noble Lands of Betazed"[1].
While Vaxa Ral was the matriarch of the Ninth House in title, she only regained operational control over the house in 2399[2]. Prior to late 2399, in Earth terms she would have been considered the matriarch in absentia.
Until 2399, the Ninth House was run under a board of administration consisting of Fourth House employees, the last lead administrator being Kyri Taival. The board was commissioned by the Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Tenth and Twelfth Houses for the purposes of dissolving the house[4][5]. The dissolution was put on hold when Keehani Ukinix lodged a petition with the Reconciliation Forums of Betazed[2]. The adminsitration was disbanded in 2399 under instruction from the Reconciliation Forums of Betazed after Keehani Ukinix was successful in her petition.
History
The Ninth house traditionally had owned the largest amount of land by far compared to the other houses. In 2300, The Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Tenth and Twelfth Houses of Betazed claim that they loaned some of their undeveloped land to the Ninth house centuries before first contact with the Federation, for the purposes of developing the land agriculturally - to the benefit of those houses and the Betazoid population in general. However there is no record of this ever happening, and the Ninth house, specifically the Ukinix family (which had a reputation for being ruthless) denied this claim. It became a political issue between the houses, who demanded "their" now agriculturally rich land back[1].
Over the course of the 2330s, there were rumours the then Matriarch Kirilow Ukinix and her husband Alacem Ukinix tried to influence the opinion of other houses, and even attempt to take them over, by offering their daughters for arranged marriages with members of the other houses. Record of this happening, however, is scant and has never been proven. No female members of the Ukinix family ever married into other houses[6].
In 2341, to force the Ninth house to "return" their land, the Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, Twelfth houses joined together together to begin legal action in the Betazoid Government Council against the Ninth house, which was unprecedented. Rumours began to spread that the only male sibling of the Ukinix family, Astradem Ukinix, was ordered to temper the attitude of some of the other houses in whatever manner necessary. This came to a head when it was discovered that Astradem was having an affair with the matriarch of the Tenth house. Subsequently, the Fifth house, being the house of nobility, warned all of the house matriarchs not to engage in "unsanctioned and secret romantic relationships" with members of other houses. This resulted in the Matriarch of the Fourth house confessing to having an affair - also with Astradem Ukinix[1].
The Fourth, Sixth, and Tenth houses threatened further legal action against the Ninth house unless land was "returned" to them, and Astradem had no further contact with the other houses. The Ninth house still refused to return lands, however it is alleged that The Ukinix family negotiated a marriage for Astradem with one of the members of the Sixth house in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Astradem refused, so was stripped of his title and nobility by his parents[7]. The fate of Astradem was unknown until 2396, when it was discovered he had moved to Earth, and had started a family[6][5].
After Astradem was stripped of his title, his parents offered their oldest daughter Vaxa for betrothal to a member of the Sixth House of Betazed along with a large amount of land. This arrangement fell through when it was discovered that Vaxa was pregnant to an employee of the Ninth house, an agricultural scientist named Itum Ral. Kirilow and Alacem threatened to strip Vaxa of her title, but with mounting legal action involving the other Betazed houses, Vaxa's parents feared that would have weakened the Ninth House legally and politically. Instead, Vaxa was forcibly offered a plot of land owned by the Ninth House in the Piri Islands, effectively placing Vaxa in exile[7].
The Ninth house did eventually become weakened when legal action against them finally succeeded. They lost most of their land to the other houses. This was compounded during the Dominion War when the Ninth House Estate, located on the Araraniax Village outskirts at Arandel was destroyed, killing Kirilow, Alacem, Reayi and Teaxixa. As a result, members of other houses took unofficial administrative control of the Ninth house in 2375 given that Vaxa Ral was in exile. Representatives of some of the other houses asked Vaxa Ukinix to abdicate her Matriarchy. When she refused, they threatened to take her plot of land away from her. Eventually after multiple protracted legal battles, Vaxa and the Houses settled on letting Vaxa retain her land and her title, provided she changed her and Keehani's family name. Vaxa chose the name "Ral", the family name of her dead de facto partner Itum. Other houses, led by the Fourth House, officially took administrative control of the Ninth House in 2376 for the purpose of slowly dissolving it[5].
It was found many years later by Ninth House auditors that Astradem Ukinix had stolen a prototype water and nutrient containment technology (codenamed "Project Blue") before he left Betazoid for Earth[8][9].
In 2396 Vaxa Ral's grandaughter Keehani Ukinix was told the secret of Vaxa's title[10]. In 2397 Keehani lodged a petition with the Reconciliation Forums of Betazed for the "rightful re-establishment of Vaxa Ral, formerly Vaxa Ukinix, as matriarch of the Ninth House of Betazed"[11]. Keehani was ultimately successful in her petition, when Reconciliation Forums Adjudicator Izemu instructed in Keehani's favour.
Change of Name
In 2337, the Ukinix family applied to the Fifth House of Betazed to change the name of the Ninth House from the "House of Wealth" to the "House of Agriculture". As the majority of their wealth was from farm lands and agricultural practices on Betazed, representatives of the Ninth House claimed that the change of name was to "reflect the original true intention the Four Deities had for the Ninth House". However, it was seen largely as a public relations exercise.
In 2340, after intense lobbying, the Fifth House approved the name change. Many members of the other houses considered the name change blasphemy. It ultimately served to draw further derision of the Ninth House.
In late 2399, the Reconciliation Forums of Betazed, as part of its decision to restore administrative control back to Vaxa Ral, instructed that the Ninth House must be renamed back to the House of Wealth.
Ninth House Estate
The Estate of the Ninth House is situated in a clearing in a forest on the outskirts of Araraniax Village, in Arandel. The estate was formerly three gigantic mushroom shaped buildings. One of the buildings used to house "The Grand Chamber of Nobility", a chamber that centuries earlier used to entertain nobles from the many houses of Betazed when the Ninth House was then in favour with them. The paintings on the ceiling of the room showed a depiction of nobles past from many houses, the artwork rivaling the apparently famed “Sistine Chapel” in Italy on Earth[12].
In 2374, the estate was destroyed during the Dominion invasion. There is no record of the circumstances of its destruction. Kirilow Ukinix, Alacem Ukinix, Reayi Ukinix and Teaxixa Ukinix all died in the attack, along with 32 Ninth House employees. Remaining are the aged and very badly damaged shells of the three buildings. Inside the shells, any rooms that were still in tact have long been stripped of whatever was inside of them. On the ground lies a vast pile of rubble, that is very dense and high in some places. Plant life has grown around and amongst the rubble, which hides much of it[13]. There are scorching and phaser marks on the rubble and the remains of the shell structures. On the far side of the ruins is the mostly black and twisted remains of part of a Starfleet shuttlecraft[14].
The ruins are accessible via a winding gravel path that runs through the main grounds. The beginning of the path is surrounded by well manicured trees and plants. It runs adjacent to fields growing different types of mostly Betazoid crops, but some alien crops including Earth crops (such as wheat). The path follows into a forest of thick trees, which eventually gets thicker before leading to a hairpin[15] just before the site of estate ruins[14].
The estate was not rebuilt after the Dominion Invasion. The Reconciliation Forums of Betazed in 2399 instructed that the Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Tenth and Twelfth Houses assist the Ninth House in the reconstruction of the estate.
Known members
- Ukinix Family
- Vaxa Ral (formerly Vaxa Ukinix) (Matriarch)
de facto with Itum Ral (deceased)- Cigrun Ukinix (deceased)
de facto with Unknown- Keehani Ukinix (Matriarch Ascendant)
- Cigrun Ukinix (deceased)
- Astrad (formerly Astradem) Ukinix (Son)
m. Hayley Ukinix (Human, nee Cullen) (Daughter)- Sally Ukinix
- Anacem Ukinix
m. Stacey Ukinix (Human, nee Williams)
- Reayi Ukinix (deceased) (Daughter)
- Teaxixa Ukinix (deceased) (Daughter)
- Vaxa Ral (formerly Vaxa Ukinix) (Matriarch)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Patriarchy", Alacem and Astradem Ukinix
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Section 44 eligibility", Ral/Ukinix, SD239612.29.
- ↑ "In your kitchen or in mine? (Part two)", Cmdr. Kelrod & Lt JG Wil Ukinix, USS Veritas, SD239606.16.
- ↑ "The Rules and protocols of a noble house.", LtCmdr Sky Blake & Rivi Vataix, SD239602.22
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Message in a Bottle (Part 1)", Lt JG Wil Ukinix, USS Veritas, SD239605.07.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Royals", Ensign Wil Ukinix, USS Veritas, SD239602.26.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Rabbits", Lt JG Wil Ukinix, USS Veritas, SD239605.13
- ↑ "Early Riser", Astrad Ukinix, SD 234201.27
- ↑ "Renuionogram (Part 2)", Stacey Ukinix, Astrad Ukinix, Keehani Ukinix, Vaxa Ral, SD 239608.22
- ↑ "Circles of Delight", First Secretary Keehani Ukinix, Amity Outpost, SD 239901.04
- ↑ "Gossip", Esion Akoibo and Nivoxi Unaa, SD 239707.22.
- ↑ "Patriarch Ascendant (Part 1)", The Ukinix Family
- ↑ "Site Inspection", Vaxa Ral & Hayley Ukinix, SD239612.11
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Roots (Part 2)", Ens Addison MacKenzie and Lt JG Wil Ukinix, SD239605.26
- ↑ "Roots (Part 1)", Ens Addison MacKenzie and Lt JG Wil Ukinix, SD239605.26