Vulcans! (Part 2)

Posted on 08 Nov 2012 @ 3:42pm by Crewman Athlen
Edited on on 08 Nov 2012 @ 8:47pm

6,172 words; about a 31 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 4; Chief Science Officer's Office
Timeline: MD6 1620 Hours

[ON]

Previously on Vulcans!...

"I bet you sucked as a teacher."

"That is a logical fallacy," Liyar shot back.

"You are suggesting, then," Athlen started, "That sentient ingenuity should only ever be prompted on the basis of compensation, and not on desire!"

"Desire for compensation does not count? Why do you do anything that you do? No one would complete any task if they did not get something out of it."

"VULCANS." Athlen threw his hands up. "You know, I think he just enjoys provoking people."

"Enjoyment is an emotion."

And now the conclusion...

Maenad watched them go back and forth, saying the same thing in different ways and neither gaining any ground. "There is such a thing as post-scarcity, Mister Liyar," she corrected, her voice subdued. "And the Federation has achieved it. Not to its fullest extent, but by and large we are living in a post-scarce society. There is no poverty or hunger on Earth, or many Federation worlds, because of replicator technology. Before I entered Starfleet, I lived in a modest home in a rich city that I had not paid for. The menial jobs that used to exist to create society's goods are obsolete; our resources are extracted by machines and holograms. Our power is managed by computers. Our goods are created out of thin air, or by artisans who make them only to please themselves. A hand-woven quilt made by a skilled artisan is not paid for, it is given away. The compensation that you speak of is not financial, but emotional pleasure. An artisan no longer produces for financial wealth, but for the pleasure received when seeing someone appreciating their work. People are free to pursue whatever they wish; academia, agriculture, exploration, culture, the arts. That we have engineers is no sign that we are not living in scarcity, it says rather that we are an ingenuitive species that enjoys hands-on experience. Our structures could be entirely conceived, designed, and built by androidal or holographic lifeforms. The same could be said for non-sentient machines, instructed and programmed by a sentient lifeform."

Changing one crossed leg for the other, Maenad touched her nose with an index finger as she went on. "We do not construct the things that we do because we seek compensation; we do it for personal satisfaction, personal fulfillment. Doctor Soong constructed Commander Data not because he wanted recognition, not because he wanted to create androids to sell, but to create a sentient being from artificial means. He did it for no other reason than to please himself and to contribute to a greater whole. We are given credits in Starfleet only for our needs when travelling to or interacting with societies who have not yet abandoned their feudal economic systems; for me, my account of how many credits I have, I could not tell you how many I have saved because they have no effect on my life whatsoever. I joined Starfleet because it gives me personal fulfillment; I am doing what I want to do, as are the both of you. Farmers on Earth farm because they want to; there is no longer any need to farm. Everything they do can be accomplished in seconds by that replicator over there." She nodded at the replicator in the wall on the far side of the room. "We can even create the resources we need by a simple verbal command, yet we still mine asteroids and we still refine fuels. People do the work they want to do, Mister Liyar, but I think we mixing meanings. All work is, in fact, a hobby. Whether I 'worked' in a public school, here on the Galileo, or on a mining colony in Sol's asteroid belt, I would still have the same life opportunity as I have now."

"As you say," Liyar replied, "Not to its fullest extent. Post-scarcity is not a Federation concept. As you acknowledge, the Federation is not the only component of the universe we survive in. Poverty will always exist. You attribute poverty to lack of resources, and in essence you are correct, but you discount personal fulfillment as a resource. Do you believe that you have everything you need? You want for nothing, desire nothing, work for nothing? It is a gestalt that can never be achieved. When we run out of material goods, we will inevitably make the shift more permanently. There is never an inevitability that we will run out of requirements. But we are not yet there, to begin with. As you admit, currency still exists, resources are still traded and valued, individuals still desire and want and need. On Earth, antiques are still sold and traded. Why, when they simply could be replicated? Why does anything have value? It all leads back to the same thing, in the end. To suggest otherwise would be to indicate that there is no value in anything, because it can be achieved instantaneously," he pointed out.

"Our universe is not designed for it. We will always find something to strive for, something to reach for. We will never run out of potential. It is an impossible ideal, and one I would think to be dangerous. Should we want for nothing, we would stagnate. Therefore, there will always be a momentum to be gained by compensation. As you indicate, whether or not this is monetary is of little consequence. The point is made, compensation is still wrought in some capacity. What do you gain by existing? That is the study of economics. I should think that is hardly archaic. As you acknowledge, people do things out of a desire to do them. However, were that desire not indicative of motivation, they would not do it. For every action you take, there is a reason. To deny this would be to deny reality. There is a difference, as Crewman Athlen mentioned in his discourse regarding a requirement to succeed as a basis of force, between desire and slave labor."

"So you would acknowledge that technically, needing compensation to survive is a form of force. For someone who supports voluntarism, that is rather bizarre," Athlen said.

"If you choose to view it that way," Liyar responded, "Then you would concede that in some capacity, you are being forced to survive, by giving value to the things that you need. I support voluntarism to a degree." His tones remained flat the entire time they spoke, dispassionate as ever. "I would not deny reality by suggesting that everybody should only do whatever they want. Society would fail to be contributed to. By having something of value to gain, you essentially do what you need to get what you want. For most Federation worlds, this has begun to coincide as society advances, but it will never line up exactly. People will always have to do things they do not wish to. It is imperfect, but such is life."

"I disagree. I think you should strive to live in a society where people will be able to do what they desire, that they have the opportunity to do what they like, without needing to worry about having their needs met just so they will do it," the Rigelian said, gesturing a little. "And I think that because we strive to live in that world, that is why the Federation has advanced as far as it has, and will continue advancing. What you are saying sounds like you think people will only ever act if they have something to gain, but how can you know? You only have a basic sample to compare from, there are surely other life forms it does not apply to. For example Commander Data as Lieutenant Panne brought up," he looked to her slightly, "Did not have an emotion chip for many years, but was classified as a sentient life form. How did he make his decisions if not for personal fulfillment, which would be classified as an emotion? If he were just a computer, then he would not have been sentient. It was obviously something more than programming. You can't say you understand how the entire universe works, that is seriously arrogant in the extreme. If no one believed that it could be done, then we would still be much more impoverished than we are now," Athlen pointed out. "Like you said, if we do not try, then we will stagnate. All people want in general is fulfillment, whatever that is, so to maximize that for every person is a good goal."

"Indeed. I have not stated otherwise. I have simply indicated that it would be illogical to deny that there is value to the things which we seek, making them resources, and thus compensatory. I fail to comprehend why this concept offends you when you have both have admitted its veracity." Liyar's words seemed almost puzzled, but he had noted her gesture which seemed to distract him. He rose his finger to the tip of his nose in imitation of Maenad. "What is this?"

Maenad blinked, not understanding the vulcan's question. Why was he touching his nose? Then, she realised, he was imitating her. Embarrassed, she flushed a little, and returned her hand to her lap. "I do that sometimes," she grinned. "When I'm thinking, I guess I touch my nose," she shook her head. "Just ignore it," she was still smiling at herself; Liyar was not the first person to mention that she was prone to that.

"Mister Liyar, I still disagree with you," Maenad's smile gradually faded. "Having an attachment to an antique is not an attachment to literal value. It is emotional. An attachment to, say, my grandmother's quilt is strictly emotional. An attachment to an original film-printed photograph is both emotional and historical; I find that analogy flawed, and somewhat bizarre for a vulcan to make. Value is, in terms of economics, is strictly based on financial gain. Emotional value plays no role in economics whatsoever. I may love something that I own, but the amount of love I have for it will not effect how economically valuable it is. A twenty-second century shuttlecraft is now obsolete, completely worthless. But, to someone who has an interest in older shuttlecraft, to a museum, to an historian, the shuttlecraft has immense emotional value to it."

Maenad sighed quietly. "And, you know what? Personal fulfillment is all that a person can achieve. What is value, what is gain, but achieving fulfillment? We were talking of economics and personal drive, I thought - compensation. The drive is to achieve, to achieve one's desires. If I desire to create, then that is what I will do. My compensation will be the satisfaction of having achieved the desires that I set out to accomplish. I need not place value, economic value anyway, on my achievements. Perhaps if I were to create something for someone dear to me, say my mother or father, it would hold a unique value for me - but that value is purely emotional. Compensation in our post-scarcity society is the satisfaction that we receive from achieving the goals that we set out for ourselves."

She tilted her head, frowning. "And I take issue with your suggestion that the universe has been designed. Design requires a designer; the universe is completely random. Everything that exists is only by happenstance, right down to mathematics, chemistry, physics, and all levels of each other therein. They are all based on a completely random and entirely unlikely spark of events that have led up until now, beginning and ending who knows when - if either beginning and ending has any meaning in the cosmos."

"All value is emotional," Liyar said. "There is no difference. Monetary compensation is not something mystical that is given due simply because it is regulated by the government. Money has value because you are conditioned to value it. That does not make it mean anything other than what it is. A stick, a piece of paper, a plastic credit chip. Anything can be used as money. Talar Prime is an extreme example of this. They do not possess a regular currency. Their currency is in the form of whatever two individuals see fit to subscribe value between at one time. Value is subjective, and therefore individual. It is by necessity emotional. You are subscribing to a stereotypical complex by which logic is narrowly defined by only binary information, Lieutenant, and not by how facts are utilized, nor by the value of subjective interpretation. I regret that the Vulcans you appear to have spent time with have been entrenched into their own stereotype so deeply that they willfully perpetuate it, but I assure you, it is incorrect. Vulcans comprehend emotion as well as any other species that experience it. We simply do not comprehend it the way that you do. I would suggest considering my words alone, and not weighing them against what you believe a Vulcan should only be capable of."

Liyar tilted his head. "The fact of the universe is that there is more than simply what is. Your desire to create, or your desire to achieve, is one such thing. Where do these desires originate from? You suggest every single event can be defined, you interpret c'thia as fact, when it is truth. A fact is a fact. A truth is composed of facts filtered through individual analysis. We only arrive at truths by discerning them. We discern. That is the definition of the word. The truth of the matter is that individual analysis is equally as important as what already exists. Were the universe to merely run based on what is, and not on what could be, I should think we would be supremely bored. As you say, what is valuable to one person is not valuable to another. You are repeating my statements. Therefore, I do not understand where your contention lies," Liyar said, arching an eyebrow. "Furthermore, your assertion that I believe the universe is designed is untrue. This was my error in wording. My intention with the word design as I used it was to convey a sense of how the universe works, not that it has been deliberately designed. I apologize for the confusion. Like yourself, I concur that a design implies a designer, as you say. A designer would imply a sentient being, and I do not subscribe to that belief system."

"But if you say that the universe works a certain way, then you admit that the universe can be defined," Athlen pointed out. "So that is a contradiction."

"Indeed." Liyar apparently had no problem with this. "I admit that there is definition to many things, and I also admit that many things are exempt from it. Such as your example of Commander Data. We cannot have this conversation and include every statistical anomaly, else we would get nowhere. Our universe is not comprised of Datas. It is comprised of beings who benefit from their own existence, subjectively. The few universal truths that do exist apply to any being who stands to lose something by not following them. As I have said several times, there are always going to be exceptions, which is exactly how I know that not everything is composed of binary information. Information contains the value we provide it. The value that we derive from our actions is the compensation for our actions. What would you do to eat another day? To drink? To sleep? To know friendship? To have shelter, or fulfilling work? This is what moves people to cooperate with each other. This is how we function despite having distinct free will. Even aboard the Galileo, people will inevitably antagonize one another, and yet there is something greater that will pull them to work together when the time comes. That is the study of economics. How people will derive motivation to do what must be done. Everything is a resource. I am uncertain why you derive nobility from one and not from the other. There is little difference. Whether or not someone provides something because it feels good or because they receive resources which make them feel good is irrelevant."

"I think that, you should not dismiss the idea that maybe, the universe could be created," Athlen mused thoughtfully. He had grown somewhat quiet over their exchange. "What about the Q Continuum? They are clearly capable of creating universes and realities and anything they like. Who is to say they simply did not will us into existence? If you admit that, you cannot define everything, then you have to admit that anything is possible. So saying that something is impossible is a logical fallacy on its own," the Rigelian said triumphantly. "So, saying that something is impossible or that to deny it is to deny reality, is to suggest that ultimately reality can be mastered, and that there is inherent value, not just rational or emotional value."

Liyar steepled his fingers in front of his chest, in a gesture Athlen had recognized as thinking mode. "I think," Liyar finally said after prolonged silence, "Impossible is perhaps an illogical word choice. It is my understanding that you use this word to indicate that you emphatically believe something is improbable. As I have said, which you are aware, I believe in possibility. I also believe that the majority of how societies function as a whole are due to the inherent value of life within. Of preserving one's self, and one's existence. Those around you, as well, as we have a need for socialization. Even the Borg require other beings. If there were nothing to interact with, they would have no purpose. Protecting your own kin, seeing your surroundings flourish. I think that is an objective value, yes. We would not seek to survive if we did not want to survive, if there were not something driving us to survive. Why would we have a survival mechanism if there were no need for it? We exist to perpetuate ourselves. I think that is objective."

"Except when it could possibly not be." Athlen grinned. "I think my brain is melting."

Maenad shook her head, still on Liyar's contention against what she had said. "Mister Liyar, you cannot make the assumption that you can know the universe based only sampling a tiny fraction of it in our galaxy. We do not know, nor can we, if there are entire races of Datas. There might be galaxies full of artificial lifeforms; we just don't know."

She scratched the side of her head. "You say that you do not understand what I am contending, but I see the contention very clearly. I say that we live in a post-scarce society. We have everything that we need at no cost. We live in wealth, though we no longer have a scale of what is wealthy and what is not. At one time wealthy meant to have more than someone else; today, having wealth means to have an abundance in material or knowledge - it is no longer a means of classification, but a simple adjective to describe a feeling or something immeasurable." She sighed.

"The Federation is entirely self-sufficient. We trade with outsiders because we have something they want or vice-versa. Our money is worthless to us because we can make it at will, but it has value to those who have no yet achieved our level of prosperity. Any one of us could go to a world that still functions in the past, and be the richest person their world has ever seen by creating an essentially infinite supply of their money for us to live off of. For us in the Federation, I am saying that the concept of money is so distant and so meaningless, it even carries negative connotations. One of the first things we tell species that we contact is that money no longer has any value. We can have whatever we desire just by desiring it."

Maenad stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the colony off in the distance. "I am saying that value is no loner defined by an agreed worth of currency, but strictly emotions. Twenty dollars was not emotionally twenty dollars, it was dictated to be that value by a central bank. There was no say in the matter; if I willed a twenty dollar bill to be worth fifty, it could not be. Now, however, I can attach whatever value I want on anything I want. The value I place on something is personal. Again, if my grandmother's quilt is valuable to me, it may be worthless to someone else. It has no dollar value. The value is emotional. A twenty dollar bill has no value more or less than twenty dollars. If something is valued at more than twenty dollars, I cannot buy it. Today, I could simply replicate whatever I want at no cost, giving it no value, and rendering its money value to zero. I am speaking solely within the Federation, of course. I could replicate something and sell it to a Ferengi, but the money given to me would be worthless. I could not replicate something and sell it to someone else, either of you let's say, because you would not have to buy it - you could replicate it yourself."

Maenad turned away from the window and looked back to Liyar. "The only profit in the Federation is emotional, and emotional profit has no meaning when discussing post-scarcity, Mister Liyar. Post-scarcity refers strictly to economics. A post-scarce society is one that has an infinite supply of physical resources that can supply an infinite number of people. At present, we have that. There are more worlds in our space than we can inhabit, or have discovered and explored, we can eat as much as we want, when we want it, how we want it. I can do whatever I please because I have and infinite number of resources at my disposal. I have literally no limits but myself, and that is how a post-scarcity society is defined."

"However, you indicate that we live in wealth, without having a predetermined understanding of what wealth indicates. This cannot be sequentially true. Either we are wealthy, or we are not," Liyar said. "Either we comprehend the value of things, or we do not. You also presume that replicators are capable of creating any material good, but this is patently false. Our replicators are designed for a great multitude of things, but cannot create at will any immutable substance. Gold Pressed Latinum, for instance, is incapable of sustaining a pattern. When the Dominion attacked my homeworld, we were unprepared for defensive action, and many of our vessels not on the front lines were substandard. The materiel required to produce them was legitimate. While some was replicated, we were incapable of producing an entire serviceable vessel on replicator patterns alone. The same is true of any other Federation vessel. Why do you think Moore's Law still exists?" he asked.

Liyar continued on. "Why would the Galileo be our primary planetary survey vessel, if every other vessel could easily match it? Why not have an infinite supply of Galileos, to utilize whenever we like? Why not replicate five thousand cloaking devices at will? Why not simply make a cloaking device that could never possibly be detected, as we can create whatever we like? The Pegasus Accords not withstanding, our cloaking technology is inferior. Why are there inferior and superior resources? Why do the Borg threaten us? Why can we not simply create the tools necessary to defeat them permanently? I cannot understand. You believe that every person on Federation soil is capable of producing any substance in the universe at will? That is undeniably false. For instance, our vessel has required some trades with the Vegan locals to facilitate repair. We lacked significant replicator ability for some time. This colony had goods which we required, and so we came to an economic agreement. We could have been charged to land on the planet itself, and we would have had to abide, as we had an emergency crash landing with no alternatives at hand. Therefore, even this colony ground exists as a resource. It is only a matter of what it is we require at any given point. You assume there to be a stable flux of events, but as the Galileo's recent mission proves, parameters often change to the point where it is a requirement to adapt to the resources at hand. Captain Janeway required to trade and bid for goods and rations as well, despite having a ship full of replicator technology, due to her circumstances in the Delta Quadrant."

"But those are outlier situations. Non-generic. Like you said, we can't just speculate on events that except the rule. Captain Janeway's situation was not the norm," Athlen said. He had looked down at his book and begun reading, but still followed the conversation somewhat.

"Indeed not. However, it is certainly the norm that missions go awry, that we require to compromise to survive. That is the nature of living in a galaxy with other societies. Were the Federation the only society to exist, I might be inclined to agree with you. However, this is not the case."

Shaking her head slowly, Maenad realised that she had definitively won. Like at the reception, Liyar was expanding his words to more than what they were talking about, and attaching her words to entirely separate contexts. Maenad had thought that she had said that they were only talking about a post-scarcity society, and indeed they were. She never made the implication that replicators could produce anything, merely the necessities of life. "Mister Liyar, do not put words in my mouth. I said that we live in a post-scarce society. Within that context, that would mean that we can create all of our necessities of life without worry, with replicators. And we do that. If for a moment we are on a ship without power, that does not mean that our society is not one of post-scarcity." She shook her head, a grin on her lips. "No. As for thousands of Galileos or instantaneous fleets of battleships, don't be absurd. While we can create any abundance of things, it takes time to do so. Time is not a prerequisite in defining what makes a post-scarce society. We could produce a fleet of a thousand battleships if we wanted to, but we would need time to produce them. The power required would be immense, but we could do it. We could even have those ships entirely ran by computers, if we wanted. I didn't say that we live in a society of magic, Mister Liyar, where we can just imagine and instantaneously have what we want there in front of us."

"Which would indicate rather imminently the concept that labor is still definitively valued. Also, the idea that you can simply create new money and live amongst a world in the past would be indicative of counterfeit, and certainly does not rely on replicator technology," Liyar pointed out, before adding on, "What is 'putting words in your mouth'? That is anatomically impossible."

Athlen snorted, looking up once more from his novel. "She means you are twisting her meaning to suit your own needs."

"Why would I do this?"

"To win the argument, I guess."

"I was not aware it was a contest. I simply wish to comprehend Lieutenant Panne's logic."

"Well, it is difficult for people to assume that, when you engage in that kind of behavior. I think it's because you actually are not understanding her, but Terrans have a term for that sort of logical fallacy, called a strawman argument. You exaggerate her claims to impossibility and then argue that case alone."

"For the purpose of winning."

"...Yes."

"Is it not more important to discern truth? I assure you, I do not engage in this practice knowingly."

"Most people don't. It's ingrained, and it usually precludes the concept that the other person is attempting to win."

Liyar looked back to Maenad as she continued talking, curious to hear the remainder of her response.

"And," Maenad sighed, "Just because we do not understand how to travel to the other side of the galaxy in the blink of an eye, or that we rely on resources to get us the things we need and want, does not suggest that we are not in post-scarcity. I emphasise that you are taking this argument somewhere else; post-scarcity simply means that a society is entirely self-sufficient, can create whatever it needs to sustain itself, and can function without fear of shortages, famines, or disasters. We have all the resources we need, and can create them from matter-assemblage if need be, we have an infinite supply of food and water, we can control our weather, disease has been mostly eradicated and those that have not are manageable. We are still not infallible, but that does mean that our society is not in post-scarcity."

"But yet, you have admitted that we are not entirely self-sufficient, as there are always requirements precluded by inevitable circumstance," Liyar said, arching an eyebrow.

Still looking toward the vulcan, she thought of her words carefully. Liyar had a way of mixing what she said in order to attack something that she had never said, nor implied. "Because I cannot replicate a bar of gold latinum does not mean that the Federation is not post-scarcity, either. A bar of latinum is inconsequential to anything in my life. There is nothing that a bar of latinum can do for me within my society, the Federation, which is what we are talking about. Therefore a bar of latinum is utterly worthless unless I've an emotional attachment to it, which I do not."

"Perhaps, but a Defiant-class warship was certainly valued in 2375. You misunderstand my meaning by presuming my example pertained only to itself."

"As for wealth," she continued, "You are arguing on semantics of language. Wealth, in a society where material goods are worthless, having no value beyond emotional, is just another word. Wealthy means abundant, rich, plenty. But not in a financial sense. I would not say that someone in the Federation is wealthy because they have a nice home. I would not say that someone is wealthy because they can have material things that I cannot, because I can have those same material things should I want them. I might say a person is wealthy in love, compassion, knowledge. I am speaking entirely within the context that this conversation was born of: is the Federation post-scarcity? The answer is yes."

Athlen took a deep breath. "I have noticed that from what you have said, Liyar, you and Lieutenant Panne agree to a point, but you contest her words even when she says the same thing as you do. You both believe that the Federation is post-scarcity."

"But --"

"As you said, there are exceptions to every rule, and for the Federation, this is the rule. It's a telepathic linguistic thing," he said over to Maenad. He got out a PADD as he spoke. He tossed the PADD to Liyar, who caught it reflexively. "Don't just bypass your translations, actually go over the meanings themselves, directly. You will always miss a part of her statement if you don't because the one thing that you use to rely on that gestalt translation is basically useless here."

Liyar thought a moment and then began, translating the majority of the last thing she said in the space of a few minutes directly into Standard. "The majority of your statements mirror similar sentiments to my own beliefs." he said. "My intention in declaring there is no such thing as post-scarcity was to indicate that it is not a universal precept, and therefore people will always have need of one another. The Federation is impacted by the fact that the universe around us does not conform to similar standards. Even if our society has evolved past material need in general, we do not exist in isolation. The Federation has achieved a state beyond the requirement of material items when our society is stable, but does not exist in a post-scarce universe, which means our society is always at risk of becoming unstable from outside influence, and has in the past. It matters that we do not exist in a post-scarce universe, and it affects us, which was my contention during this conversation." He attempted to give some emphasis to his speech, realizing he sounded flat and maybe that would stick out to her as important. "When our society is stable, it does not matter to us, but because our society exists in the universe, we are impacted by the needs of others, including the needs of others to conquer us and deplete our resources. After the Dominion War, the Federation began an economic council to assess the damages incurred."

Liyar stared at his PADD once more for a while before continuing. "We lost many serviceable ships, land, and supplies, including many of the industrial replicator facilities necessary to replace them. In fact, Latinum was valuable in Federation territory for some time due to being of value to people who could assist us in attaining many resources in a short period. You believe I was suggesting the Federation itself utilizes money and resources in the same way as the Ferengi on a regular basis. I do not. I indicated only that the Federation is not exempt from these practices simply because we are self-sustaining, because of the impact of other societies on our own, our ability to sustain ourselves is not infallible, and Federation citizens are thrust into situations every day where they face this infallibility. The crew of the Galileo have been, only days ago. If the Federation were the only society to exist, then we would be a post-scarce universe, and the Federation would be completely beyond material need. Our state as it is now only means that we have evolved past material need when our society is not tampered with. It is an important distinction to make. I regret to have taken up your time with Crewman Athlen, and that I have offended you once more. I will depart." He left the PADD with Athlen and placed the book he had held on the table, and moved to leave with a cursory nod in Maenad's direction.

Maenad watched the damaged vulcan stride out of the room. This man was more emotional than he thought, she concluded. To her, it seemed as though he were genuinely sorry for all that had just happened, but she was not upset. After the doors slid closed, Maenad looked to Athlen with an expression of surprised confusion. "I am not offended. I enjoyed that," she said to him. "And correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that he apologised," she added with a smile. "I think he is more... human than he realises."

"I think he did," Athlen said with a nod. "This communication thing is frustrating him. I thought it was great. You both have fascinating perspectives. I think he was just mad that he wasn't making any sense. At this point, he might consider human a compliment," Athlen revealed drily. "By the way, the word here was definitely merger," he said, reading down the book he'd been engrossed in before. "But they erased it, or tried to. I wonder if it has anything to do with the other document I have. Would you like me to forward you the translations for this?"

Maenad leaned against the window for a moment, looking up at the ceiling. Her face was pensive as she considered all that had happened, making a conclusive and quiet laugh to herself. "Yes, please," she replied, then walked to her desk and sat down. "I have some reports to read, but you're welcome to stay." Maenad activated her desktop computer and leant over it, resting her ch in in her palm as she began to read.

Athlen plopped himself on the couch contentedly, apparently under no such compunction that she might have only offered it as a nicety, and settled himself down to read through the book while utilizing a PADD in his other hand to compare things.

OFF:


Lieutenant (JG) Liyar
Diplomatic Officer, SDD/VDF
USS Galileo

Crewman Athlen
Sociologist, SCC
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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