[Saru] Since I was a boy,
whenever I looked up, I saw hope.
But this is not how I was raised.
When my people look up at the stars,
they see only death.
And they welcome it.
They do not question it.
Sister.
[Saru] Because when they are called,
when it is time for the Harvest,
they march willingly toward it.
They say that when they take you, the pain of Vahar'ai stops.
The priests teach us that this preserves
the Great Balance of Kaminar.
[deep rumbling]
[all speaking indistinctly]
[Saru] This is the life of a Kelpien.
Impatience will not bring him back any faster.
[rattling]
Father, what is that?
It fell off the Ba'ul ship, as pieces sometimes do.
[Aradar] We thank the Great Balance
for replenishing the gift of light and warmth, and for this food.
You will dispose of the Ba'ul fragment tonight.
Of course, Father. As soon as my work is done.
To keep it is forbidden.
Father...
what is out there, beyond the skies?
The Watchful Eye rules the skies. You know this.
But what if we had the means to reach the skies?
What if there are others beside the Ba'ul?
If the Great Balance had meant for us to fly,
we would have been given wings.
But does the Watchful Eye have wings?
We sacrifice our own kind to the Ba'ul
instead of asking if we could be like them.
[dish slams]
The Balance must not be upset.
Those who offer their lives do so, so that the Ba'ul can be sustained.
So that the rest of us may live in peace and comfort.
The time will come for each of us. That is the Balance.
That is how it has always been.
And you will question it no more.
Yes, Father.
We all of us have our place in this world, Saru.
One day you will understand...
as I do.
[Saru] I did not understand.
Why was it forbidden to keep their technology?
Why did Balance mean that we could not ask questions?
I needed answers.
So, I sent out a message,
hoping there was someone out there to hear it.
Hello?
[all chattering]
[Saru] I waited…
not knowing if I would wait forever.
Not knowing if any answer would come too late for me.
[device beeping]
Father...
what if I were to reach Vahar'ai for the next Harvest?
Then it will be your time.
And you should be honored
that the Watchful Eye chose you
to maintain the Balance.
[Saru] How could this life be enough for them?
To simply wait to be taken?
[thrumming]
Father would not approve of us wandering so far from the pack.
My senses would agree with him. I have the urge to run back to safety.
Yes.
Safety.
You should head back while the night is still young.
You are not coming?
No, I—
I want to watch the stars for a while.
For night-blooming flowers.
Look down every now and then.
There's beauty there, as well.
Stay safe, Siranna.
You too, brother.
[engine firing]
It's a pleasure to finally put a face to the name, Mr. Saru.
An entirely new face at that.
[communicator speaking in Kelpien]
[speaking in Kelpien]
[communicator, in English] I was not certain you would come.
You contacted us with technology that doesn't belong to your species.
- It was stolen from the Ba'ul, wasn't it? - Yes.
And you turned it into a beacon.
The first and only Kelpien with the ingenuity
to manipulate technology that advanced.
You are extraordinary.
Thank you, Lieutenant Georgiou.
Don't thank me just yet.
If you come with me, everything you know will change.
Will I be able to return one day to help my people?
It was difficult enough for me to convince Starfleet
to make an exception for you.
You caused quite a stir.
It's not every day we get a "hello" from a member of a pre-warp society.
There are many complicated rules that prevent me from doing more.
I'm afraid that means you will never be able to come back home.
Are you prepared for that, Mr. Saru?
My place is no longer here.
[Saru] I saw hope in the stars.
It was stronger than fear.
And I went toward it.