Conversation

Posted on 07 Apr 2023 @ 10:27am by Lieutenant Commander Elodin Devan MD & Captain Bane Plase

2,453 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Timeline: Morning of "Patient Zero"

Nilani Oromani, Tashi of the Antiocian people, stood out on the balcony adjacent to her office, taking in the fresh morning air. She used to enjoy a moment out in the gardens behind the government building, but the place had been requisitioned for the Festival, and maintenance crews were still cleaning up after the previous week's festivities. She secretly envied the public who had benefited from the entertainment, since she herself hadn't had much chance to partake in the Festival. Aside from a few urgent internal matters, most of her time had been spent...

She looked up into the sky, knowing that with the rising suns it would be impossible to see the ship. But that was where she'd spent most of her time over the previous few days. Out there, in space, looking down at her home. If she hadn't been there physically, she'd been there in her thoughts. Now that the Festival was over, today was supposed to be the day to break the news to the public. The Antiocian people were not alone in the universe.

She heard the familiar clink of a food cart, and knew without turning back to look inside her office that a staffer had just wheeled in her morning tea, and left. She wrapped her paluma tightly around her, as the morning was a bit chilly for this time of year, and decided to take in a few more minutes of the early sunlight before turning back inside.

Her reverie was broken by the now familiar whine of a Cygnus transportation device, the high pitch of the process causing her ears to ache. The Tashi might be getting used to the sound, but that didn't make it more tolerable.

From Bane's perspective, the sight of the Transporter Room shifted immediately to that of the Balcony, and beyond it, the park and the city. The Tashi stood there as well, looking at him. Bane inhaled deeply, and exhaled loudly. "The scent of the air here is always pleasing. It has a sweetness to it that I have not ever encountered in my travels." He smiled and cocked his head to the side just slightly. "How are you this fine morning, Madam Tashi?"

Oromani tilted her head at the unfamiliar address when the universal translator failed to find an appropriate equivalent to "Madam", but she understood the meaning of Bane's inquiry. "I am well, Captain, thank you." She inhaled, and took in the scent, which she seemed to have taken for granted lately. "Yes, the air does carry a certain sweetness these days," she confirmed. "The pen'shara trees should be in bloom very soon. They already would be, but it's been unseasonably chilly these past few days."

She shrugged the subject aside. "And I trust you are well, Captain? This is a major step for my world, but what of you? I would imagine this to be a routine assignment for you?"

Plase stepped up next to her, first looking out to the city, then craned his neck to look up to her considerable height. He shook his head. "Quite the contrary, Tashi. For a Starfleet Captain, First Contact is considered the highest and most important duty. It is what encompasses our entire reason for exploring the stars, to seek out new civilizations, new worlds, new people, and to learn from them, and them learn from us, if they so choose. So no, this is not a routine assignment at all, but a fundamental and paradigm shift in our own understanding not just of the people we are meeting, but the cosmos, and indeed even ourselves."

He inhaled the sweet air again, then continued. "It is a big day for your world. But you are ready. Your people are ready. And we will be here to help out however we can, or leave you alone if it becomes your wish. I know you likely have many questions, probably a great deal you cannot begin to articulate. I thought it would be nice to have a chance to ask those questions before you announce the existence of intelligent life outside of your own world."

Oromani led the way back inside her office and walked over to the teas et that had been wheeled in. She poured two cups, and tried to refrain from smiling in amusement at the sight of the oversized cup in Captain Bane's small hands.

"Tell me, Captain. In the short time that you've been here, what have you learned about yourself, from us?" she asked, taking his statement as a starting point.

Instead of answering right away, for he did not want to seem like he had an answer for every single question she had (he likely didn't), he took a sip of the tea. It was unlike anything he had ever tasted before in way of tea, and found it appealing and delicious. He wondered for a moment if the Antiocians would allow for the crew of the Cygnus to analyze the chemical makup of it so he could have it aboard ship once they left the planet. He also noted, with amusement, that the top of the cup covered almost his hole head while he drank. Setting the very large cup down, with a bit of a clatter because he wasn't used to the weight nor the size of the cup, onto the table, he sat back in the chair and responded. "The thing that I have learned about myself, specifically, while watching you manage your advisors and the news of this very mind-bending reality you now find yourself in, is how to take altogether unexpected situations with grace, poise, and with high intellect. I am not infallible. The United Federation of Planets is not infallible. We are only mortal, and we make mistakes. By watching you and learning from you how you handle things, it increases our understanding of not just how the planet you are from works, nor of how the galaxy and the universe works, but how I work and respond to things as they come to pass. You have taught me a great deal already, Tashi. YOu have taught me how to better handle unexpected situations with grace."

"You are too kind," replied Oromani. "Our history has taught us to be mindful of excessive compliments, for they may also be used to conceal deception."

She watched his reaction carefully before smiling. "But I don't believe this to always be true, and I certainly don't believe it in this case. Tell me, Captain, how long have you been travelling the stars?"

It was a good question. "I have been in Starfleet, which is the exploration arm of the Federation, and exploring the galaxy for thirty-four standard years." He noticed the look of confusion on the Tashi's face. "Ah, a standard year is the standardized year in the Federation, about one point zero-six of a year on this planet." The Tashi nodded in understanding. "The Federation is made up of over 200 worlds now, and almost every single one has different rates of a standard year. So the Federation has come up with an arbitrary timeframe that is the standard year across all worlds in the Federation. Anyways, I have been doing it for thirty-four years. Starfleet and the Federation has been exploring the stars for about 200 years. My people, the Bajorans, started exploring space in our own star system almost a thousand years ago."

"I can't even begin to imagine the wonders you must have seen in thirty-four years in space," said Oromani, her gaze lost in her teacup. "Do you ever get lonely travelling to the stars? Or do you have family on board?"

Bane shook his head and smiled. "I do not have a family on board, like in the way of parents, a spouse or children. However, I tend to think of my crew as my family. We are very close," he said, thinking of several members of the crew specifically. "We work together, sure, but we also spend a considerable amount of our free time socially on the ship, and when the occasion affords itself, off ship on a planet we are visiting. My crew is my family, and I never feel lonely."

"Then you're fortunate," replied Oromani, a certain nostalgia in her voice. She smiled, and took a breath. "Tell me about some of the wonderful places you've seen."

Plase took another sip from his comically large mug, sat it back down much more gingerly this time and responded. "Earth. Earth is everything you could ever imagine what paradise would be. It is also the seat of the Federation and Starfleet, and the principle planet in the Federation. The air is clean, the water is pristine, there is no strife or hunger, no want nor need. Several hundred species of peoples live on that planet in perfect harmony, all working towards the betterment of the Federation, and people not even in the Federation. Another planet that is incredibly nice is Betazed. It is a great deal like Earth, peaceful and serene. However, the Betazed's have a unique ability where they can actually read the minds of other sentient beings. We have a few aboard the Cygnus, but I made sure they remained onboard the ship during this mission. Finally, another world that I have visited, as have most Federation citizens, is the Planet Risa. It is a vacation planet. The temperature, tectonic activity, weather and volcanic activity is tightly regulated. The native Risans derive pleasure from pleasing other people. It is their highest aphrodisiac. There are many more, but those three stand out to me as the finest I have visited in my travels."

"How long would it take for your ship to travel from one end of your Federation to the other?"

Plase whistled through his teeth. "The Federation is big. Almost 10,000 light-years across. The Cygnus can maintain a maximum speed of warp 9.1. At that speed and that distance, it would take..." he said, trailing off, doing some quick math in his head, "Just under six and a half years, I am pretty sure." The questions she was asking interesting. He wondered for a moment where she was going with it, or if she was scratching a curiosity itch she had personally. "I have never been to all of the worlds in the Federation, nor have I been to every corner of it. I am not sure anyone in the Federation can claim that," he said.

"A few years ago," said the Tashi hesitantly, "some of our scientists detected strange signals coming from deep space. Very faint, but clear enough not to be dismissed as background noise from the galactic core. From that moment on, we knew we were not alone in the universe."

She got up and walked over to her desk, retrieved a personal electronic device, and returned to her seat. She pressed the screen and accessed an audio recording. There was a great deal of static, but a voice managed to break through. Or rather, a chorus of voices.

"... We will add your biological and techn.... ... ...to our own. Your culture... ...service us. Resistance is ...." The rest of the words were lost to static.

"Obviously this recording was never made public. Our scientists assured us this was coming from a place over thirty light-years away. Those words were spoken approximately thirty-five years ago. The Warp program was meant to launch a network of telescopes and warning beacons at the outer edges of our solar system. Using traditional propulsion, it would have taken decades, or even up to a century, to deploy such a system. We felt we simply couldn't afford to wait that long."

She placed the electronic device down on the table. "Tell me, Captain. You've told me about some of the wonders that are out there, but I also have to ask... What should we be afraid of?"

Bane visibly tensed at the all-too-familiar declaration from the Borg as soon as the first word crackled over the primitive listening device the Tashi used to play the recording. He had to force himself to relax, but knew that he would need to report this to Commander Larsen, and to Starfleet, as soon as possible. Thanks all to the Prophets that the Antiocians had been too primitive for the Borg to take interest in. Even with their warp capability, they were likely still too primitive, but still, Starfleet would need to keep an eye on this area. He was surprised that the Antiocians had picked up the transmissions at all, what with the sophistocation of the Borg transmissions. That would also be something he would report back about; the Antiocians seemed to be masters in communications.

Forcing the feelings and the thoughts down, he responded, "'The only thing to fear, is fear itself.' An important leader in the history of Earth said that four centuries ago, and it still holds true today. Will there be challenges and pitfalls while your people explore the stars? Absolutely. Will some of your people get hurt? Yes. Will some even die or become lost to you? Without a doubt. Space exploration is dangerous and unforgiving, but it is rewarding in ways that you can scarcely imagine right now. You will find wonders and experience exploration and discovery that has not been seen since your ancestors started exploring your world all those many millennia ago. The Antiocians are nothing if not resourceful, imaginative and hearty. Your species reminds me a great deal of the Tellerites in that regard."

The Tashi was silent for a few moments as she considered Bane's words. "If that is to be the case..." She took a deep breath and raised her cup to her lips, taking another sip of tea. "I think we will need all the friends we can find."

Plase mimed the action with his own cup. "I would like that very much Tashi." For several moments, the two sat, comfortable with the silence between them. Bane then moved on. "Shall we introduce the idea of..." Bane coughed once, just a little. It was probably from the exotic tea he was drinking. "Please, pardon me. As I was saying, shall we introduce the idea of intelligent life to your people?"

Oromani opened her mouth to speak, just as the doors to her office opened. A junior aide stepped through at a brisk pace, and gave a short bow before the Tashi.

"My apologies for the interruption, Tashi. We've just received word, there might be a problem at the Medica."

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A post by

Captain Bane Plase
Commanding Officer
USS Cygnus

and

Nilani Oromani (played by Lt. Temerant Bast)
Tashi of Antioch III

 

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