Popular Post Toryn Raga Posted April 8 Popular Post Share Posted April 8 ((Special containment cell, Brig, Deck 11, USS Ronin)) Alieth: Spunau bolayalar t'Wehku bolayalar t'Zamu il t'Veh: The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. If you do not prove useful to us, I will make you a useful asset. The Tholian scientist remained silent for an achingly long time. He weighed what he knew of them, the stories he'd heard, what he knew of their actions on the planet's surface. He was… not entirely certain he could take this one at face value, though even among the Tholians it was known that Vulcans did not lie. Likewise, he was also certain he could not simply capitulate without ensuring their survival. B'ek: So easily, you threaten to let her die, to dissect her. What assurances do I have should I cooperate? The knowledge I offer is worth more than any one life - in truth, knowing what I know now, it is worth at least several hundred thousand lives. I will not fail again, I assure you. In this thing … what do you call one with no mortality? Surely sapient or individual was too limited a word for such malice. Luxa could see in it, an ego. A hubris that had no limitations. He truly believed that what he had done on GB3 was the work of a god. In his view, he has become a self-appointed deity to an entire world. Regardless, they had lived mere minutes. She stepped forward, her furred features almost touching with the specially adapted containment shielding. Her whiskers bristled against the heat. It was a well established fact, throughout thousands of civilizations, that there was one enemy to false gods. Ciencia. It was time to offend a god. Lorana: I can assure you pitiful, low caste Tholian B’ek. Traitor to your kind. Failed scientist. We will cure Tetra, she'll go on to live a fulfilled, wondrous life as a miracle, an accident of science. A new subspecies of Tholian, born in spite of your errors and vast theoretical flaws. She'll show you and the rest of the Alliance that we, Starfleet, always win. Your name will be nothing but a footnote in history. :: to Alieth :: This fool has nothing to offer us. I suggest we turn him to the Tholian Assembly. Although he would never admit it out loud, she was… not wrong, in many regards. Her attempts to insult him, at least regarding his standing among his people, didn't work, if only because he had never had a choice in the matter until the Lattice Alliance. He stood by that choice, even amid failure. And he was proud to be a traitor to his kind for the very same reason. Considering the abject failure of his experiment, there seemed to be little choice, or else he lost the only surviving youngling from his brood. Still… This one he felt was easier to read than the Vulcan, at least in the way she presented herself. Her form was… different, however, which still confused matters. He stood tall despite her insults, tipping his head upward defiantly. B’ek: Failure is common and even expected when one is performing experiments, especially of this caliber. One that is not resilient in the face of it is a poor scientist, indeed. ::pausing:: So which is it? Kill or kidnap? I do not believe you can do both. Either way, you lose everything regarding the terraforming process. Alieth: No kill or kidnap, doctor, it is merely an "equivalent exchange". If you do not supply us with adequate information, we will look for alternatives, which, in all likelihood, you will not find agreeable. The slender Caitian turned away, allowing the Vulcan room. They shared a glance that felt like a plan, a change of tact. Alieth: Moreover, you know that knowledge about your so-called terraforming process is ancillary. We are seeking intel on the Lattice Alliance. The lights making up his eyes shifted to follow the Caitian's movements, the tips of his fingers clicking together with only mild anxiety before his gaze flicked back to the Vulcan. B’ek: That stands to reason. The point still stands - if I am unsatisfied with your 'alternatives' regarding my offspring, you lose everything. Lorana: :: growls lightly :: Give him to the Tholians. He knows nothing. The Vulcan's eyes turned away from the Tholian scientist, and at last she moved, a few short steps to one side of the narrow passageway and then back again. At the turn, the Commander's eyes lingered on a very specific spot on the wall for half a second longer than necessary. B’ek: I know more than you, Caitian Lorana. ::to Alieth:: Again, I ask. What assurances do I have should I cooperate? Alieth: Things would be different in that case, indeed. We would work on sustaining the life of their progeny, indefinitely, if possible. We would provide you with the means to get to a neutral location, well away from the Federation and the Lattice Alliance. A neutral ground, transportation and supplies. You can disappear forever if you so desire. Lorana: :: locks eyes with the Tholian :: I know what he wants. What little could be seen of his colours grew muted. B'ek: I wish to see my child. Then I will answer your questions. A dangerous gleam appeared in the Vulcan's dark eyes. The glint of a predator that knows it has its prey cornered. Alieth: Doctor B'ek, you are not in a position to make demands. B'ek: That is what I require to cooperate. If you will not allow me to see 'Tetra', as you call her, I will assume she is dead, and I have no reason to answer your questions. The readings you have shared are old by any standard. Alieth looked at Luxa, but said naught. Lorana: That may be what Tholian B’ek requires. He forgets that he does not have the advantage. An exchange is required. That exchange is information. We receive the information and we provide access. B'ek: A scientist is prepared to face failure, but they also seek proof. The CSO gave a small nod and finally turned away from the Tholian. When he looked at her subordinate, there was fire in her eyes. Alieth: All right, if that is your choice. ::Turning to Lorana:: Shall we go, Lieutenant? Lorana: He gives us nothing because he is for nothing. There was a small nod of agreement from the CSO. Alieth: And therefore, nothing will come of it. A few steps towards the door at the end of the corridor took them away from the prisoner, plain their intention to left him isolated for an undetermined number of days, once more. Behind them, B'ek fumed, his colours growing ever more muted. B’ek: ::indecipherable clicking noises:: Very well. I will provide limited information on the Lattice Alliance for our first exchange. Luxa and Alieth looked at each other, both aware that they had won that small but important breakthrough. It was the first time they got him to consent to something they asked for, the first hint that they could get ANYTHING from him. ================================ Lieutenant Commander Alieth Chief Science Officer & 2O USS Ronin USS-34523 E239702A10 & Lieutenant JG Luxa Lorana Science Officer (Astrometrics, Meteorology, Xenobiology) USS Ronin A240004LL2 & Terraforming Specialist V't'r'us B'ek Former Lattice Alliance Territorial Reclaminator as written by Ensign Quentin Beck Medical Officer USS Ronin NCC-34523 A238810SA0 2 3 Quote Link to comment
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