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Ben Livingston

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Everything posted by Ben Livingston

  1. Some really great work from everyone on these images! It's always a surprise to see the skills of our Image Collective, and you've left me looking forward to seeing some more creativity!
  2. ((USS Columbia - Deck 8 - Carson's Quarters)) ::It had all come down to this; the evidence had all fallen into place and with equal parts luck and skill, Tyler was moments away from a slam-dunk arrest. He could almost feel the pats on the back he'd receive for this one, he could imagine the the pretty little notation in his Starfleet record. What he didn't know was that the universe seemed to have other plans.:: Kelly: Starfleet Security! ::He knocked strongly door 3 times:: Come out now or we will force entry. ::A voice came through the door, sounding mildly perturbed..:: Gerard: What is the meaning of this? ::Tyler recognized the voice of Carson's aide, though he didn't have any cause to arrest him, he had gotten a very strong impression that Gerard had been a party to Carson's misdeeds. Both of the men were pompous, arrogant thugs that thought they were too smart to get caught. Tyler's resentment for them was all-encompassing. Even now with the impending arrest of his employer, Gerard sounded almost bored.:: ::Refusing to acknowledge the smug, glorified man-servant, Tyler ignored him:: Kelly: Robert Carson, come out with your hands where we can see them. ::He heard foot steps in the distance, his men weren't far now.:: ::Tyler was about to give a final warning, when Carson emerged. The man's face was far too calm for the circumstances, but Tyler figured he'd continue his act, and ignored it.:: Kelly: You're under arrest for the murder of Aiden Richardson and Karen Stone. Do you understand that anything you say after this point can be used against you in any trial that may result from this arrest? ::Tyler made every attempt to speak in a calm, matter of fact tone, but the contemptuous look on Carson's face nearly sent him over the edge. Carson shoved a PADD in Tyler's direction, but Tyler just let it fall to the deck as he pulled his wrist restraints of his belt and began to secure the murderer's wrists. All at once his four crewman arrived on the scene and Carson called out in protest, his pompous tone caused Tyler's blood to boil, pushing him ever closer to the edge.:: Carson: Before you dig a bigger hole than the one you are already in Lieutenant you better check those credentials. ::Tyler nodded his head towards Carson, motioning for his crewman to secure him as he retrieved the dropped PADD. Tyler was livid. This man had come onto his ship, murdered two people and now he thought he could present some "credentials" and make it all go away. Tyler replied, making no attempt to soften his tone. He was no eternally placid Vulcan and in this moment, he was no longer the neutral professional he always tried to be, he was human with flaws and weaknesses and he HATED Robert Carson.:: Kelly: oO Before I dig a bigger hole? Who does this clown think he is dealing with?Oo Kelly: I am entirely uninterested in your [...] credentials Mister Carson. ::If words could kill, Carson would be a dead man.:: You know what you have done and there is nothing here that means anything imp-... ::Glancing down at the PADD as he spit his venom, he realized that it did appear to be an official document. Even as the security officers had him cuffed and restrained, Carson continued smiling, obviously under the impression that he had it all figured out. Tyler's hands clinched so tightly around the PADD that he felt the boronite casing flex as he read it's contents. Tyler's mind was racing, considering options, following all the different choices he could make to all of their possible conclusions.:: Carson: It means that no matter what proof you might think you have it is worthless. ::He smiled at Tyler.:: I have diplomatic immunity Lieutenant. I am Ambassador at Large for the Son’a Solidarity. Now I suggest you leave before you make a worse figure of yourself. ::He tilted his head slightly.:: We will arrange for your apologies later. ::In his minds eye, Tyler imagined his hands around Carson's neck, giving it a good squeeze. Shaking clear of the deranged fantasy, he made his decision acted without hesitation.:: ::In one smooth motion, Tyler threw PADD hard into the deck with all of his strength, shattering the screen and rendering the device unusable.:: Kelly: Oh no! How clumsy of me! ::He offered Carson a smile that nearly matched his own smugness.::These credentials will have to be verified through proper channels now! There's no telling how long that might ta- ::He was interrupted again, by Gerard this time. Tyler Turned slightly to face the man, with no shortage of disdain for him either.:: Gerard: Perhaps it is best we call on Commander Livingston Sir. ::Turning towards Tyler.:: I am sure the ship has a diplomatic officer that can testify for Mister Carson’s credentials. Will you call them or shall I? ::Tyler's eyes narrowed slightly, he had enough. If they wanted to play rough, he could play right back. Maybe he was making a mistake, but he had a hard time coming up with a scenario where securing a murderer was the wrong thing to do.:: Kelly: oO Even if we have to turn him loose when we get to the colony, there won't be a killer loose on my ship... Oo Kelly: You are quite right Mister Gerard, but I'm afraid all of the Senior staff were called into a very important meeting that starts in minutes. ::He faked an apologetic tone:: However, I'll be sure to present this matter to the Captain and CDO at my earliest convenience. Gerard: I will see the Captain myself Sir. Carson: I know you will Gerard. But don’t worry, I am sure the Lieutenant will take good care of me. Kelly: I believe we're done here. ::He turned to his crewman.:: You two take Mister-er, sorry, ::He emphasized the next word:: "Ambassador" Carson to the brig. ::Tyler turned to the remaining two crewman.:: Kelly: You two confine Mister...::He shot Gerard a glance:: or are you an ambassador as well? Nevermind. Confine Gerard to quarters, until further notice. ::The men acknowledged his orders and set about completing them. Tyler found Carson and Gerard's reactions to this move be particularly satisfying.:: Gerard: I must protest Lieutenant, you have no grounds to confine me. I believe you are making a huge mistake. Carson: Come now Gerard, the Lieutenant is an intelligent, I am sure he realized already this is a mistake and he can’t do things like that. Kelly: We shall see gentlemen, we shall see. ::With that, Tyler strode away heading for the bridge. He'd taken a gamble, but in his heart he felt he'd made the right choice. He only hoped the Captain that he'd yet to meet would agree.:: ::As he headed for the meeting, he did know one thing was certain; It had been one hell of a first day.:: ======//////======> Lt. Tyler Kelly Security Officer USS Columbia NCC-85279
  3. Unbelievable! I couldn't believe all the rooms they included.
  4. Congratulations to both of you! I look forward to reading more!
  5. Congratulations to both of you! Best of luck as you continue into the fleet.
  6. Downloaded my copy! Great idea. I'm looking forward to reading these on a kindle rather than an LCD!
  7. This round featured great writing all around -- and I'm always surprised by the interpretations of the themes. Thanks, everyone, for the great reads!
  8. Congratulations, Pontus! We look forward to simming with you in the fleet.
  9. The price of ignorance is extinction. When a person grasps that truth –not comprehends it but truly appreciates its intricacies and its final implications – when a person realizes that, there’s nothing else to do. Knowledge must be sought wholeheartedly and without reservation, shedding the blanket of ignorance that, though warm and comfortable, offers no true shelter. My father learned this through experience. He, like so many others, perished on Sherman’s Planet during the famine before I was even born. As did so many like him. And is that fair? Was he truly less suited to life there than any other? His refusal to eat – so that my mother could, so that she and I would survive – was the death of him. Is this noble quality to be rewarded? No. It is shunned by the universe. In life, it is not the chivalrous but the selfish who survive. We have been abandoned and betrayed by the laws of nature, and therefore man cannot afford to play by the rules. The house always wins. To survive, we must break the rules – rewrite the rules. And by doing so, we can be greater than nature ever intended. Perhaps this is the mark of greatness: to see the universe as it is, to recognize its depraving nature, and to not allow oneself to succumb to it. It is not laudable to survive long enough to pass on one’s genes. Any scum swimming in a vast and empty ocean can replicate itself, make an error, and die, leaving nothing but a flawed copy. But for mankind, evolution was only the first step. We developed civilization, developed culture, developed technology – and these things gave us the power to subjugate and kill and devastate without limit. But these same tools, when we shed our narcissistic nature, propelled us forward at a rate unprecedented, adapting to the world around us faster than biology would otherwise allow by passing on to the next generation not just genes but ideas. The transmission of ideas was the first step we took toward breaking free of the shackles of the natural order. As we would eventually break the so-called sound barrier and the so-called light-barrier, so too did we break the evolution-barrier. But it did not stop there. The passing of knowledge from one generation to the next gave us tools with which to overcome our weaknesses. But man himself was still weak. And our weakness was the inspiration for those men who first set out to change humanity. From the turbulence of the twentieth century arose – first slowly, then rapidly – a new breed of warriors and warlords, of thinkers and leaders. They might have been Philosopher Kings, but the world banished them . What went wrong? I have spent many evenings pondering this over an Acamarian brandy, thinking on the fates of those lost souls, lost to space. The nearest to an answer that I can offer is this: the same drive that pushed them to succeed is present in ordinary men. But to ordinary men, the terms they offered appeared as a kind of death, against which every living thing revolts. That is the one natural law. Thou shalt survive, at whatever cost. And so, with the failure of those most superb persons, man’s potential was forgotten – but it was not lost. If there were a world now that faced Sherman’s famine, what would happen? Fathers would still die. Children’s growth would be stunted. Society and all its benefits would grind to a halt. To this day, man remains weak. We had a chance to transcend these perils. We refused it. Instead of adapting himself to thrive wherever, man turned to adapting wherever to himself. And so was born a new science. This, was readily accepted where genetic engineering was shunned. It offered the same new hopes and new horizons offered by self-improvement, and it did so without the need to admit any flaw or weakness in ourselves. This is the genius of it. The genetic engineer and the terraformer were both as gods; the difference is that the terraformer offered to remove obstacles where the geneticist offered strength to overcome them. And which of these is the greater? That is to be decided not by those alive today, but by those men and women who come after us. For my part, I shall say only this. One approach must be repeated over and over at each impediment. The other allows each generation to grow upon the other, each effort further extending man’s reach; this is much the same as the passing of ideas from one generation to the next, which is the very adaptation that first allowed us to thrive. The path to this objective is to reach inside ourselves. We must study ourselves, learn how we are built and how we work. It is by studying the blueprints of humanity and then rewriting them that we can develop more efficient bodies and quicker minds by taking ourselves down a path that evolution never intended. Nature is not fair, and it is not good. It falls to us to survive; we receive little assistance from our environment. Our locus of control lies within. Physics has no care for dignity. We strive against nature. From the moment when man first looked upon the world and decided to change it, the path of the universe was forever altered. One day, the universe shall no longer be the master and life the slave. We have remade Earth to our liking. We have the power to remake other worlds into new earths, precisely as we want them to be. But this is not enough. Imagine a time when we do not need an earth. Imagine a world where man has naught to fear. Imagine these things and they shall be so. Have the strength to let go of what is today. We must continue down this path, or we are doomed to die, as all creatures do. But the strength and intelligence with which we imbue our children grows exponentially each generation. We cannot imagine, now, how far this will take us. Do not let the ignorance of unexceptional men deter you from your efforts, but strive always with your fullest vigor toward our goal. We have revived our heritage from the dust of the past. Continue our work, and we shall be the heroes of future generations. We shall be the gods who took mere dust and created something worthy of life. Lieutenant Ben Livingston Assistant Chief Engineer USS Excalibur-A
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