Cultural Exchange (Part 3 of 3)

Posted on 06 Jun 2012 @ 2:10pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant JG Kestra Orexil & Ensign Im'er Mor'an & Ambassador Si'tar Del'an & Ansen Pawlak

2,170 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD 05 - 2000 hrs

Previously...

"I've had the pleasure of seeing her in action many times during tactical exercises; she's quite keen," Kestra smiled at Mor'an as she spoke. "Is that what you mean?"

"It depends on what she has chosen to reveal," the woman's eyes turned to Mor'an questioningly.

Lirha finished a forkful of food and looked up from her plate with an inquisitive look directed towards the young cadet. She was now interested to know what secretive knowledge Mor'an possessed about combat techniques. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she took a long drink of ice water then clasped her hands together in her lap in curiosity.

If there was one thing Mor'an did not like about her mentor, it was when Del'an put her on the spot. It kept her on her toes, to be sure. The young Tarkannan sat for a moment in thought as she normally did before speaking in front of Del'an. "Combat is not all physical," Mor'an said eventually, "Most think that it is, but in reality everything is in your mind. Your mind is the most difficult part of yourself to train, but once it is, it is also the hardest for your opponent to overcome. A strong mind and a strong will turns into a strong body. As long as you remember that, you will be a formidable foe."

Del'an nodded her head in consent, granting her student a smile.

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

Ansen made another turn around the table, refilling wine and water glasses, and taking away finished plates. Listening to their conversation was utterly fascinating and he was finding himself pleased to be able to orbit the interaction.

The Orion captain smiled up at Ansen and nodded her head in thanks as he made his rounds. She then leaned back in her chair and turned her green eyes towards Mor'an. "Spoken like a true tactical cadet." she mused, then elaborated. "Starship combat is a combination of general strategy, situational tactics, and experience. All of which require mental training and discipline." she said. Though tactical and combat techniques were not one of Lirha's strong points, she was still a Starfleet captain and had gone through considerable training, as well as real-life engagements.

"You misunderstand me, ma'am," Mor'an said, "Everyone must utilize their minds to some extent, but to a Tarkannan the mind is everything. We are trained from the day we are born to use our minds in every aspect of our lives, including in combat."

"I understand." Lirha replied with a sideways grin. "I would like to think that all species had a similar focus, however the truth is that different societies, races and cultures are all unique." she said.

Mor'an inclined her head towards Lirha, deciding not to press the matter. It would take more than just a dinner to make someone understand her race.

Kestra glanced between Del'an and Mor'an. There was something else, something more than a simple mental acuity. Mor'an had shown skill in the training simulations, yes, but she hadn't shown any particular abilities beyond those that any well-trained cadet might possess. Kestra hadn't felt anything from her beyond that on-going still pond silence. Something else beneath the surface? Was it a surface at all, or was it truly a pond as deep and wide as her awareness? "I believe we all have a great deal left to learn of the Tarknannan," she met Del'an's eyes, "when they elect to share their culture and experience." Her gaze held for a long moment, before flicking playfully to Mor'an, then to the captain and the XO. "And when we are open and receptive to the wisdom that culture and experience will carry with it."

"Perhaps I will show you," Del'an told Kestra. "But you are not Ta'rkan, I cannot teach your people. If there is need of my knowledge, I shall be there to wield it."

"Learning too soon our limitations, we never learn the true extent of our aptitude," Kestra said, folding her hands in her lap. "If the prospect of educating one who is not Ta'rkan interests you, Si'tar Del'an, you will find me a willing student." She bowed her head respectfully. She could only say what she thought, what she believed, honestly. To do anything else would have been against her nature.

Lirha had always found it difficult to understand reclusive cultures. Perhaps it was the way she had been raised, aboard an Orion trade ship traveling to every known part of the Beta Quadrant, but in her heart she truly enjoyed the exchange of information and ideas when different races assembled together. It had been one of the strongest reasons for her joining Starfleet. That, and of course the opportunity to travel. "Would your customs ever allow an outsider to visit your homeworld to train or study? Perhaps an exchange program of sorts?" she asked Del'an while glancing at Mor'an.

"Our Orders are independent," Del'an said, "though Arun R'lantha is a united world. Students have never been chosen from outsiders. If such a thing were to happen, it would be under the most unusual of circumstances. I am not convinced many species besides what you call Vulcanoid have the capacity to learn our ways."

"Vulcans?" the captain asked curiosity, then deduced what she thought was the logic behind the Ta'rkan woman's statement. "Because of their mental discipline and use of logic?"

"The Ta'rkan are classified as vulcanoid by your scientists," Del'an replied, "Our brains, our minds, work much the same way. We are created to be the way we are, but not every species is. Many are not."

Lirha nodded and prodded at her food as she listened to Del'an explain the similarities between their two races. "We have a Vulcan crew member serving aboard Galileo." she commented. "Warrant Officer T'Paaru works in Security with Lieutenant Orexil. Have you had a chance to meet her yet?" she asked, glancing between the two Ta'rkan women and the security chief.

Ansen re-entered, exchanging the finished dishes with the next course. "Palamarian sea urchin," he explained the plate quietly. "On a salsify pure with a moon grass-parsley-lovage sauce. And to go with that, I brought an excellent bottle of Anaxagoras Vineyard Rose, from Luna." He poured the next glasses, took away the plates he hadn't yet cleared, and excused himself as unobtrusively as possible.

"I have trained with her," Mor'an said, smiling in thanks to Ansen. "Very capable."

"I have not met this Vulcan," Del'an replied. "Though I have met others. Their devotion to pure logic is commendable."

The captain looked down at her new course with much anticipation and she first took a long sip of her new wine, taking note of the new flavors tickling her palate. She politely wiped her mouth then replied to Del'an, "Yes, it has served their society well for quite some time. Though they did not always embrace logic, and their species' early history is riddled with conflict." she said in a somewhat quiet voice.

"I have heard of this," Del'an said in reply, "though I am no great historian of the Federation. The Ta'rkan have not always been a what we are today. There are many stories." She did not seem likely to elaborate as she delicately picked at her food with a fork.

"I think almost every species I can think of has a dark secret hidden in it's past" John spoke up, acknowledging the arrival of yet more food from the rather expansive menu. Mentally, he made a note to make sure he spent some extra time in the holodeck working off such a large meal before he needed to requisition a larger uniform.

"Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, we were all violent, war-torn people at one point or another...I imagine your people were much the same once upon a time?"

Kestra enjoyed the new offering from the chef in silence, listening to the conversation with interest. She wondered if all Tar'kan were as secretive as Del'an; if they were, she wondered how exactly they'd come to the Federation. They didn't appear to relish the sharing of their own knowledge and experience, only the gathering of others'. The imbalance made Kestra uneasy, as did the wall of silence both the Tarkannans' minds presented, but she breathed low and kept her mind and heart steady.

Lirha poked at an open sea urchin on her plate and scooped out the roe with the tip of her knife, then brought it to her lips to enjoy the texture and flavor. Quietly, she glanced around the table once more, her eyes settling on Kestra and giving her a small smile. The captain was happy she had invited her, even if it had been at the last moment. Though her official position aboard the starship was not an diplomatic one, she had proved herself to be well cultured, and Lirha welcomed her company.

"What about the Trill, commander?" Del'an asked of John, "I admire them for their foresight and the reliance on the wisdom of experience. It has served them well. One of their kind claimed that there has been no War in Trill in the known history of their planet. Is this true?"

"Unfortunately ma'am, there are always exceptions to every rule....the Trill just might happen to be one of them....without further study however, I can neither prove nor disprove their assertions"

It would indeed have been interesting to have been able to get up and disappear from the room to access the federation library before continuing the conversation, but sadly this was not a luxury that the XO had at his disposal right now. He knew that the Trill were well known for being a relatively peaceful race, but to be able to say that they had never once experienced war on their homeworld would have surely made them an unusual people.

"Suffice to say - more than most species have had to go through some sort of....awakening...before taking their place in the interstellar community, and we are no different."

"There are many ways to avoid war," Kestra asserted, adding on to the XO's statement. "Not all of them are benign." She took a sip of her wine, "Peace comes rarely without its shadows."

"However it comes about, peace is generally the preferred answer"
John retorted to his Tactical officer. She was entirely correct that peace could come around in many different ways, sometimes inspired through fear, through the joining of two cultures or families, or sometimes by the pursuit of a common goal. Whatever the reason, he could think of no world that would actively pursue warfare as a final goal.

"The galaxy is hostile enough without having to worry about who's going to start shooting at you next."

She smiled, meeting Holliday's eyes across the table. She wondered if he realized that he'd been carried from one opinion to another. Less than an hour before, he'd been encouraging hostile considerations for the Klingons. Now he was preaching peace. She hoped that he'd actually seen the truth of that and that it would stick with him beyond this dinner. That it wasn't just words to win an imagined debate. "Truer words were never spoken, Commander," she murmured. "We are willing to suffer immeasurable tortures as individuals and nations for the sake of war, yet we allow peace to shatter for the sake of pride and pin-pricks. Let us forgive the pin-pricks before they pave the way to cannon fire," she lifted her glass. "To pure love, long life, enduring peace, and boundless liberty."

The captain raised her glass at the toast, her green eyes surveying the others at the table and finally settling on the Betazoid security chief. "I couldn't agree more." she said to Kestra with a small smile, one which carried more meaning than its size. Though diplomatic and first contact situations were a standard part of any captain's duties, this was the first opportunity Lirha had had to participate in any such event, and she was greatly pleased that all of the different races at the table were engaging in such a productive discussion.

Matching the sentiment of his shipmates, John raised his glass in agreement, glad that those assembled around the table had found such common ground over something as simple as a shared meal.

Del'an too raised her glass, her eyes passing over each of her dinner companions in turn. "To all those," she said solemnly, "and to our eyes, that they may see the truth of the universe and guide us safely along the path to them."

[OFF]

----

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lt Cmdr Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Kestra Orexil
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

Ansen Pawlak (pNPC Lilou Peers)
Chef
USS Galileo

Si'tar Del'an
VIP
played by Chauncey William Remington III

Cadet Senior Grade Im'er Mor'an
Red Squad Intern
USS Galileo

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