[Round 4] Who I am

[Cura1]

Lt. Cmdr. T'Lea

Starbase 118 Ops.

Historian and Archaeological Officer

((Hanger Bay - Executor ))

:: The tour continued. The group now stood amidst a massive deck

bustling with activity. Several fighter craft were up on lifts

getting an oil change… or whatever it was that maintenance crews did,

thought T'Lea.::

Cura: Fascinating. They look fast and agile. Boy, I'd love to take a

spin in one of those.

:: T'Lea's eyebrow sure was getting a workout today. Strolling over

to a fighter that was sitting on deck, she and the others circled it,

appreciated it, and examined it closely. The Romu-Vulc even climbed

up the short ladder to the [...]pit and took a look inside.::

Alexander: These are the latest fighters modern technology can put

together. Designation WMVII. We like to call them Wraiths.

Disruptors, phasers, and photonic missiles. Each of them are equiped

with a small warp engine. We have about 200 hundred fighters onboard.

T'Lea: I see that even your smaller craft have multi-cultural

technology integrated into the systems. Impressive. I'm surprised

you haven't assimilated the Borg yet. Your R&D department must be

busy.

:: She climbed back down the ladder, glancing at Cura as she climbed

up for a look-see.::

Alexader: We got a few other projects back home developing single man

crafts like these and others.

T'Lea: Tell me, do you have cloaking technology on board?

:: Blunt, but maybe her straight forward question would earn a

straight forward answer. Truthfully, she was getting a little

restless, or was it tired… both? Anyway, the need for a meditation

was creeping up on her, which is why her last two comments had been

on the verge of snarky.::

Alexander: The Principality isnt part of the Federation. We dont

abide by some of the treaties. That doesn't mean I'll tell you

everything we have in the closet.

::That didn't answer T'lea's question, but that was the point.::

:: As Cura bombarded the Admiral with questions, the Romu-Vulc took

the opportunity to step over to Lt. Jacen Fanel. He'd been observing

and listening as a Starfleet Officer. She wondered just how Starfleet

he would be once they left the station. At least she could count on

Adarnis to have her back if anything should happen… and probably her

front too.::

T'Lea: ::to Jacen:: Lt. you look as amazed as we do. Shouldn't you

be used to all this… ::waving her hand around, indicating the ship:: …

by now?

Fanel: I've never been on a ship like this. It's my first time seeing

something like this. It's pretty big. I've been on plenty of ships,

but nothing like this. It seems very familiar, but very alien all the

same.

T'Lea: By the looks of things your family name has been busy

building an empire.

::Jacen doesn't want to call what his family built an empire, but that

would be the best word to call them if any. They control an entire

system with their firm beliefs and with powerful technology and lots

of guns, they seem very imposing, yet it doesn't take them away from

their noblity.::

Fanel: My family's done much, that I'll admit.

T'Lea: ::quieter:: Has the Admiral given you any indication as to

why you've been recalled home?

Fanel: No, Alex hasnt said anything. I guess he doesn't want to share

with me until we reach Gaia.

T'Lea: I'm curious, Lt. Why would you leave all this and join

Starfleet? I mean, you would probably be captaining this ship by now.

Fanel: I dont see myself as a Captain of a ship. Too much

responsibility on my hand. A crew that looks up to you, being lonely

at the top like that, every decision you make affects the ship and

your crew. I dont think of myself as captain material.

:: The Romu-Vulc nodded and listened to Jacen, but she was also

watching the others as they examined the fighters sitting on deck.

His answer was humble enough, although she thought she detected a

hint of fear in him. Perhaps that's why he ran away from all this

and now hides in Starfleet, she wondered. Of course, she didn't know

the man that well and could be completely wrong about him, which is

why she kept listening.::

Fanel: A lot of my family joined the Federation, leaving the home

system because they were recommended to. To spread around the galaxy

instead of being shealtered like others. I joined the military of

Earth and Starfleet because I felt like it. I didn't want to be under

the weight of my own people. The pressure can sometimes be a little

big.

:: Ah, there it was in his last comment, a hint that maybe her

intuition was correct. The pressure got to him and he ran from it.

Then again, maybe he just had a rebellious streak in him. Maybe

defying the King gave him pleasure -- opposing daddy gave him

strength. She was familiar with those concepts of a rebellious

nature and what it could do.::

T'Lea: Your people don't practice isolationism. That is good to

hear. ::pause:: But is it possible that you've isolated yourself

from Gaia?

:: She shook her head at herself. Suddenly she was a frellin'

counselor? An easier question was due.::

T'Lea: Don't you miss it there?

Fanel: I never thought much of home, but seeing something like this

coming out of the cloud, it makes me wonder what the direction of my

House. The warrior motto is always prepare for battle even in times

of peace...

T'Lea: Then when do you ever truly have peace if your mind is always

preparing for war?

:: She decided to play devil's advocate just to hear his response.

She understood the philosophy behind the motto, even agreed with it

to some extent, but the Vulcan in her also saw the danger in it as

well. That was a new outlook she hadn't expected.::

Fanel: Well, as history tells us, there will always be battle. It's

the order of things. And with that, the need for...all of

this.::Jacen waves his arms around.:: It's natural for all races to

develop weapons, ships, ways to fight better, to kill better.

T'Lea: To protect better. ::she added to make a point.:: History

also has a way of glorifying the battle. Few are interested reading

about the peace that came before and after. But perhaps if people

listened to the sound of peace more often they would be able to speak

the language and prevent conflicts from erupting into war.

Fanel: I dont support war or fighting, but I believe that it is

needed...progression only happens through conflict. Tranquility is

just a pause break from another battle. There's an old saying from

old warriors of Earth called the Samurai. They say "When the battle

ends, tighten the straps on your helmet."

:: T'Lea's brow spiked at him. The debate had told her much. She

hoped that it was just that… a debate, otherwise this trip had the

potential to get really ugly, really fast.::

Fanel: It means you shouldn't relax after a battle. There is always

something else that might get you the moment you drop your guard.

T'Lea: ::a slight grin:: That sounds positively exhausting, Lt.

:: Unfortunately, she knew all too well how exhausting it could be.

Her past had encompassed everything Fanel was telling her now.

Battle, power, killing, paranoia… somehow though that force of hatred

didn't seem to drive her like it used to. Maybe she'd mellowed.::

T'Lea: Do you think it would be rude if I parted from the tour and

headed back to my quarters to rest?

Fanel: If you are tired, T'lea, then get some rest, we have a journey

ahead. You can explore more when you are more rested.

T'Lea: We should be getting underway fairly soon, correct?

Fanel: I think so, but it looks like Cura is going to take awhile,

especially with that fighter over there.

T'Lea: Then perhaps I'll see you in the lounge later. Give my

regards to Cmdr. Stone, if you can pry her away from that fighter

craft over there.

Fanel: Heh, yeah I will. I'm going to go check on them now.

:: She gave him a soft nod and headed out. Finding her way back to

her quarters would be tricky. Luckily a guard pointed her the right

way.::

::Jacen walked back to the group to see Cura inside one of the

fighters. He hasnt seen much of any new technology that his home had

built. Everytime he would come home or encounter people from home,

they always seem to have more fancy stuff. He looked up at the figher

Cura was now sitting in and wondered again. What is the direction of

his House. Where is it going with all this?:

TAGS

Lieutenant Jacen Fanel

Chief Tactical Officer

Starbase 118 OPS

Edited March 28, 2008 by Cura1

[Ilene Torza]

Overall a solid post. I like the way you two tackle the philosophical discussion of war and peace. There were some typos, so it's not quite a 5-star SIM, but it was certainly well-done. Nice job of balancing dialogue, thoughts, and feelings.