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#Post#: 3798--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: oskinalexander
Date: August 16, 2016, 6:38 am
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--- Quote from: Kelvan link ---
>
> "Moby Dick," Kelvan said, pulling the book out. "Of all the
emotions, I find vengeance the most fascinating."
>
> "A highly illogical emotional response," Kelvan said after a
few moments. "But necessary at times, wouldn't you agree
Ensign?" He turned to face his room mate directly.
>
--- End Quote ---
"Vengeance?" Oskin Alexander had finished unpacking and walked
over to the bookshelf.
"The occupation of Bajor and the Dominion War have given my
people great cause to explore that... emotion in depth," he
frowned. "A number of my relatives perished during the
occupation, most because of forced labour, some as resistance
fighters." He stretched out a hand to take the book from Kelvan
and looked at its cover, then handed it back to the Vulcan, "I
got this book as a seventeen year old young man in one of the
Bajoran refugee camps throughout the Alpha Quadrant... right
before the occupation ended. I grew up on stories of vengeance,
never had to act upon it."
Suddenly he grinned, "Unless you count slugging Korin in the
face after he had asked Nerys on date before I could when I was
twelve."
#Post#: 3799--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: lhommedev
Date: August 16, 2016, 7:19 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote ---
> "Vengeance?" Oskin Alexander had finished unpacking and walked
over to the bookshelf.
> "The occupation of Bajor and the Dominion War have given my
people great cause to explore that... emotion in depth," he
frowned. "A number of my relatives perished during the
occupation, most because of forced labour, some as resistance
fighters." He stretched out a hand to take the book from Kelvan
and looked at its cover, then handed it back to the Vulcan, "I
got this book as a seventeen year old young man in one of the
Bajoran refugee camps throughout the Alpha Quadrant... right
before the occupation ended. I grew up on stories of vengeance,
never had to act upon it."
>
> Suddenly he grinned, "Unless you count slugging Korin in the
face after he had asked Nerys on date before I could when I was
twelve."
--- End Quote ---
Kelvan returned the book back to its rightful position on Ensign
Oskin's shelf. He decided that until they were more familiar
with each other, commenting on another of his personal
literature collection should be left for a later exercise. Once
neatly tucked away, and satisfied that there was no trace of any
displacement, the Ensign turned to address the Bajoran.
"I wouldn't presume," Kelvan said, "to pass judgment on your...
pre-pubescent self. I am assuming of course that Bajorans share
a similar physiological profile as humans." He clasped both
hands behind. "However, I do wonder if your species'
pre-occupation with the ethereal had somehow diminished your
capabilities in science and technology, which may have allowed
for the development of advance weaponry to repel the initial
occupation."
#Post#: 3800--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: oskinalexander
Date: August 16, 2016, 8:12 am
---------------------------------------------------------
"Now really," Alexander held up one hand between himself and his
room-mate to generate a physical barrier between them. He needed
distance between himself and Kelvan who, for no reason he could
discern, resorted to fighting words.
It had taken Oskin Alexander a great deal of effort to learn to
control his temper. At times, it had threatened his chances of
graduating Starfleet Academy. Four years ago, Alexander would
have slugged Kelvan squarly on the jawline just as he had Korin.
He probably would also have broken his hand on the Vulcan, that
is if the Vulcan's superior reflexes could be caught off guard.
"I... " it had taken about five deep breaths for Alexander to
suppress his initial rage. This had happened before, all
throughout his years at Starfleet Academy, aliens challenged the
Bajoran faith in the Prophets even though Starfleet records had
empirically proven their existence as well as their intervening
in the development of Bajoran society over the course of tens of
thousands of years. "I do not think it is fair to blame one
planet's inability to defend itself against an malignant
interstellar empire on its system of beliefs. The occupation was
not a violent affair at first... only when the Cardassian
intentions became clear and they began to brutalise our people
did Bajorans find cause to rise up and resist. If anything, it
was our faith in the Prophets that gave us the drive to resist
and overcome."
Alexander took a few steps back, but kept facing the Vulcan. He
tilted his head sideways a little and thought back on the
xeno-anthropology courses at Starfleet Academy.
"Surak," he remembered suddenly, "Do not Vulcans reject violence
through the teachings of Surak?" He raised an angry index at
Kelvan as he continued, "I wonder how Vulcan would have fared
against Cardassian occupation if your people had tried to reason
them off your homeworld with logic."
#Post#: 3803--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: lhommedev
Date: August 16, 2016, 9:18 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote ---
> Alexander took a few steps back, but kept facing the Vulcan.
He tilted his head sideways a little and thought back on the
xeno-anthropology courses at Starfleet Academy.
> "Surak," he remembered suddenly, "Do not Vulcans reject
violence through the teachings of Surak?" He raised an angry
index at Kelvan as he continued, "I wonder how Vulcan would have
fared against Cardassian occupation if your people had tried to
reason them off your homeworld with logic."
--- End Quote ---
"Your inference," Kelvan said, "while a source of amusement, is
irrelevant." Of course, the heavy breathing and animated
gestures had not gone unnoticed. He needed to decide, and think
ahead, how he would like this relationship to take shape.
Bajorans were similar to Humans, perhaps slightly more
spiritual, but like any other species that have depended on
emotions to thrive in a complex society, can be unpredictable.
Ensign Oskin appeared to be easily agitated, but that doesn't
necessarily reflect his true propensity for anger.
"Vulcan intelligence would have conducted the necessary
surveillance prior and would have preempted the attack. Even if
they were successful in catching us off-guard, they would have
not been able to subjugate us like they did the Bajorans."
He had probably already antagonized his new room mate
sufficiently to solicit a real response, and from this, the true
nature of Ensign Oskin Alexander would be revealed. "One thing
remains irrevocable... we would have met the aggressors
directly, instead of wasting our time consulting an orb."
#Post#: 3804--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: oskinalexander
Date: August 16, 2016, 11:47 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Kelvan link ---
>
> "Vulcan intelligence would have conducted the necessary
surveillance prior and would have preempted the attack. Even if
they were successful in catching us off-guard, they would have
not been able to subjugate us like they did the Bajorans."
>
> He had probably already antagonized his new room mate
sufficiently to solicit a real response, and from this, the true
nature of Ensign Oskin Alexander would be revealed. "One thing
remains irrevocable... we would have met the aggressors
directly, instead of wasting our time consulting an orb."
>
--- End Quote ---
A sly half-smile enlightened Oskin Alexander's face. It took a
few moments for him to gather the line of thought he was on, not
as disciplined in the arts of logic as his Vulcan opponent was.
"The Bajoran people were objectionably subjugated, mister
Kelvan. It may have taken the Resistance fifty years to drive
the Cardassians off, but subjugated? Never."
He inhaled sharply. He had blurted it all out in one breath.
"And what if you had encountered difficulties meeting your
aggressors directly? Standing alone as Bajor did for decades,
that does not seem unlikely. How would you have carried yourself
when through failures and successes?" Again the young man raised
an index finger to stress the severity of his point, "Success,
yes, because when the Bajoran resistance was successful, the
Cardassians would round up innocent civilians and execute them
without trial. How would your people have carried themselves,
mister Vulcan?"
While not fanatically spiritual, Oskin Alexander was raised in a
time when hardship fell upon the Bajorans. Throughout the ages,
throughout the galaxy, whenever any people fell on hard times,
it was likely that they would turn inward to the cores of their
values and beliefs as a society to find solace and strength to
carry on. As such, sure, Oskin Alexander was raised spiritually
and from this background, he took an interest to the
spiritualities of other species. At Starfleet Academy he had
studied the histories of many major species, as well as their
spiritual frames of thought. Those had included Klingon,
Ferengi, Voth, Dominion and... Vulcan spirituality.
He left Kelvan no time to answer and continued as composedly as
subdued anger allowed for. "I will tell you how you would have
carried yourself. You would have gone back to the writings of
Surak. You would have looked for a logical reasoning on how to
carry on day after day after day..."
The name of the Kir'Shara, the artifact that contained the
complete writings of Surak, eluded the Bajoran at the time of
speaking. Nonetheless he clearly remembered the image of a
pyramid shaped vessel that contained the writings of the Vulcan
philosopher. “We turned to orbs, you would have turned to a
pyramid, the only thing we are arguing about is the shape of
what we believe.”
#Post#: 3814--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: lhommedev
Date: August 17, 2016, 3:07 am
---------------------------------------------------------
"Ensign Oskin," Kelvan finally said after contemplating the
Bajoran's response. "Your age betrays the conviction of your
beliefs. I deliberately provoked you to solicit a reaction, and
while I cannot speak on behalf of your species, I am inclined to
say that a lesser individual would not have done what you just
did. Or conversely, done more than what you did."
The Vulcan quickly raised a hand to stay any immediate response,
"This may appear arrogant on my part, but it was important for
me to discern if my time would be better spent invested in
something else. I know not if we would forge a fierce
friendship, but from what little I know about you, my instincts
tell me that it would be a privilege to explore that
possibility. However, if you chose not to, it would not offend
me either way."
#Post#: 3822--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: oskinalexander
Date: August 17, 2016, 3:36 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Alexander tilted his head sideways. At least Kelvan realised
what he had done, at the very least, appeared arrogant. Then
again, Alexander had yet to meet a Vulcan that had not come
across arrogant, patronising or condescending. Kelvan was the
first Vulcan he had met that seemed to be aware of how other
species perceived Vulcans.
"How about you give me some time to consider what happened just
now." As he spoke, he picked up the PADD he had been working on
when Kelvan entered the room and used it to motion around the
room at the final words of his sentence in emphasis. He needed
to clear his head. Consider what had been said between them.
Examine how he felt in the way that Kelvan had treated him. "I
will get back to you on what you propose, I just... need some
time to think."
The Bajoran annex Human looked away from Kelvin, took a few
steps and sat himself down again in the lounge chair. He
scratched his thumbnail across his chin in thought as he review
his petition to the Captain for special dispensation to wear his
Bajoran earring on duty.
#Post#: 3825--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: lhommedev
Date: August 18, 2016, 2:15 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote ---
> "I will get back to you on what you propose, I just... need
some time to think."
--- End Quote ---
Kelvan nodded. Ensign Oskin's response was not unexpected. At
least for now, he could safely assume that the Bajoran wasn't
going to engage in recreational activities that might disrupt
his meditation.
"Very well then," Kelvan said. "I shall leave you to your
studies." He gave Ensign Oskin a final glance and nod before
adjourning to his side to unpack.
#Post#: 3968--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: oskinalexander
Date: August 28, 2016, 11:42 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Junior Officers' Quarters, Deck 3
Several days later, during USS Atlantis shoreleave at Starbase
378
"Computer, Jumja tea..." Alexander gave his instructions to the
replicator and upon the materialisation of his order, he picked
up the mug and carefully turned around to face the room. There
was not much room left to manoeuvre inside the shared common
room.
A broad grin appeared across the half-Bajoran, half-Human man as
he reviewed his handiwork. Granted, the individual components
had been replicated using the blueprints he had acquired at
Zonka's Intergallactic Gaming Emporium, but several pieces were
far too large to replicate using the smaller replicator inside
their quarters. He could have had the entire thing replicated in
one piece at one of Engineering's hardware replicators, but then
he would not have been able to navigate it through the
corridors.
Suddenly, Oskin Alexander slapped his own forehead and almost
spilled his tea as he considered he could have tried to use the
ship's transporters to have it delivered straight from
Engineering to this room. It would have taken some tweaking with
the internal sensors to have it set up just right... and it
would still have been a lot easier than carrying the large
pieces here through the ship and assembling it here.
"Oh well," Alexander shrugged. The most difficult work had been
figuring out exactly how to optimally position the table so that
it left the maximum amount of usable space in the cramped living
room. There was only about 30 centimetres left in front of the
replicator. He had had to reduce the space occupied by his own
private corner by 60% so that he could justify having reduced
Kelvan's by 20%. The fastest way to reach the bathroom was now
to get down on hands and knees and to crawl over to the door.
When dignity took precedence over speed, however, the bathroom
was, of course, still accessible bipedally. It just... took a
little longer to get there... especially if someone was using
the replicator or looking for a book to read.
Just as Alexander turned back to the replicator to get the final
requirements for full use of his set-up, the outer doors of the
quarters slid open.
#Post#: 3969--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Lower Decks
DIR By: lhommedev
Date: August 28, 2016, 6:10 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
"Ensign Oskin," Kelvan said, then stopping mid-step to avoid
ramming his toe into the... whatever it was that the Bajoran had
invaded the living quarters with. "Judging by the appearance
your species' hieroglyphs advertised on this object, I assume
this is yours?"
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