Rifts
- Thread starter Hiver
- Start date
samdamandias
Apprentice Plane Wizard
Under that varient rule (which I have never seen used), is attacker using a fixed number of 10+BAB and defender rolling d20+AC bonuses, or do both attacker and defender roll?
esotericist
A Weary Hand
- Location
- Lacey, WA
It was Players roll all the dice.
Intent being to give players the feel of more agency when playing.
It's a little awkward, because it requires you to keep two versions of the to-hit and saving throw math in mind at once.
Crazael
Rehydrated Demon King
- Location
- Lost to the vagaries of time.
I could see there being a feat for rogues and other dex-based characters to let them make a dodge roll against attacks within a certain range of their AC. Not sure how balanced it would be, but it does make sense. If I were DMing, I'd probably be willing to house-rule it.
33
"Emergency, this is Captain Rosenberg of the cruise ship 'Pacifica', we have sustained heavy engine damage and are drifting with four thousand passengers," the man on the screen said, his short dark hair combed back and wearing a white uniform with blue collar.
The Pacifica was an interstellar cruise liner. She was big, the size of a bulk hauler and just as slow, just made to be a moving vacation spot, moving from astronomical wonder to astronomical wonder. Not anywhere near the size of a GSV, but still pretty big. Well over a kilometre in length and pretty fat, made for comfort, not efficiency like an Island class.
"Pacifica, this is Commander Drake of the GCU 'Random Encounter'," Drake said as I opened a channel. "We have your coordinates and are on our way."
Our ranks didn't really work like that, but it was the closest translation. Compared to Starfleet, it was actually more like 'specialist' as he was security and away missions expert. But in case of AI failure, he would be in charge.
"Thank you, Commander," Rosenberg said. "Be advised, we are in orbit around a neutron star."
I formed a hologram next to Drake's chair, "We have your location. Are you clear of the polar jets?"
The Captain looked at me before he nodded, "We are. We are in an equatorial orbit, so unless something even worse goes wrong, we should be fine. But radiation is high and our warp core was ejected, so we are on fusion power."
I did some quick calculations and flicked my tail tip in annoyance, "That's a problem. Did it blow? How's your impulse drive?"
Rosenberg sighed and tapped his console, "Sending over all information now. Impulse is down, but we should be able to get it online again during the next ten or so hours."
Okay, that's both worse and better than I expected. They were having a core breach, but the safeties worked perfectly and ejected the core.
It detonated at a safe enough distance that it only weakened the shields, not brought them down. If they had gone down, everyone on board would have been fried from being that close to a neutron star.
To get to warp, they would need a lift or a new core and a couple of weeks to get things repaired. Neither of which I could do.
"Ivy isn't that big of a ship," Drake said as he stopped eyeing through the information. "But we can tow you away from the star at sublight and help supply you with power until someone that can actually help with repairs shows up."
Damn it. Why was I always too small!? I swear, next time I'd ask for a GSV just to avoid this situation!
"Thank you, Commander. What's your ETA? I have a lot of worried people over here."
"Ivy?"
"Stepping it up to maximum warp. Estimated time to arrival... five hours," I reported. "We'll be there soon."
He nodded, "Thank you. Pacifica, out," and I closed the connection.
Drake sighed and leaned back in the chair seemingly floating in empty space, "Merchant shippers."
I shrugged one shoulder, "Accidents happen. I seem to remember assisting the Enterprise herself not too long ago. Space is dangerous and equipment can fail."
He nodded, "True. Still, they were lucky and the safeties worked like they were meant to."
"It's what they are there for."
Even so, they were not a hundred percent. They were meant to work, but it was always possible battle damage or something could break them. Or just shoddy maintenance on a civilian ship. Still, it was an expensive cruise liner. I liked to think they were taking good care of their ship, even if she wasn't an AI.
Drake nodded and stood up, stretching, "What does Merilyn say?"
I flicked my ears, "She is still reviewing the technical information of the 'Starliner' class, but she thinks we should at least be able to repair everything but the new warp core. You need something like an Island class to have the manufacturing facilities for one of those. She also sent everyone that's not absolutely needed off to rest, because when we get there, things will be busy for a while. You should do the same."
He nodded, "Yeah, I think you have a point. Tell me an hour before arrival?"
"I'll wake you with plenty of time."
As he left the bridge/holodeck, I canceled the hologram, no longer having any reason to keep it active.
Space warped around me as I hurled through it at the better part of fifteen thousand times the speed of light.
"Merilyn, you should follow your own advice. Get some sleep."
She sighed and brushed her red hair back, "Ivy, I need to get to know the class if I'm to help in repairs."
I formed a hologram next to her and crossed my arms, "Mer, they have a chief engineer. We are just there to help, go sleep. We need you energized when we get there. I can keep my own engineering running without help for a few hours."
Merilyn frowned before she nodded, "...Fine," and got up, "It's been a long shift anyway."
"Don't worry, I'll wake you with time left."
"Thanks Ivy," she said and gathered her hair up in a ponytail on her way out the door. "God, I need a bath."
Hmm. She should wear those shorts more often. She looked great in those.
I canceled the hologram again. It was likely not needed, but I wanted everyone at their best when we arrived at the Pacifica. The damage didn't look that bad from what they sent over, but it would still take quite a bit of work.
Ten minutes after relaying the distress call, I got an answer.
"'Random Encounter', this is the U.S.S. 'Dancing in Starlight'. We have received your relayed call and are changing course to rendezvous with you at the coordinates of the Pacifica."
Oh.
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
The Pacifica was an interstellar cruise liner. She was big, the size of a bulk hauler and just as slow, just made to be a moving vacation spot, moving from astronomical wonder to astronomical wonder. Not anywhere near the size of a GSV, but still pretty big. Well over a kilometre in length and pretty fat, made for comfort, not efficiency like an Island class.
"Pacifica, this is Commander Drake of the GCU 'Random Encounter'," Drake said as I opened a channel. "We have your coordinates and are on our way."
Our ranks didn't really work like that, but it was the closest translation. Compared to Starfleet, it was actually more like 'specialist' as he was security and away missions expert. But in case of AI failure, he would be in charge.
"Thank you, Commander," Rosenberg said. "Be advised, we are in orbit around a neutron star."
I formed a hologram next to Drake's chair, "We have your location. Are you clear of the polar jets?"
The Captain looked at me before he nodded, "We are. We are in an equatorial orbit, so unless something even worse goes wrong, we should be fine. But radiation is high and our warp core was ejected, so we are on fusion power."
I did some quick calculations and flicked my tail tip in annoyance, "That's a problem. Did it blow? How's your impulse drive?"
Rosenberg sighed and tapped his console, "Sending over all information now. Impulse is down, but we should be able to get it online again during the next ten or so hours."
Okay, that's both worse and better than I expected. They were having a core breach, but the safeties worked perfectly and ejected the core.
It detonated at a safe enough distance that it only weakened the shields, not brought them down. If they had gone down, everyone on board would have been fried from being that close to a neutron star.
To get to warp, they would need a lift or a new core and a couple of weeks to get things repaired. Neither of which I could do.
"Ivy isn't that big of a ship," Drake said as he stopped eyeing through the information. "But we can tow you away from the star at sublight and help supply you with power until someone that can actually help with repairs shows up."
Damn it. Why was I always too small!? I swear, next time I'd ask for a GSV just to avoid this situation!
"Thank you, Commander. What's your ETA? I have a lot of worried people over here."
"Ivy?"
"Stepping it up to maximum warp. Estimated time to arrival... five hours," I reported. "We'll be there soon."
He nodded, "Thank you. Pacifica, out," and I closed the connection.
Drake sighed and leaned back in the chair seemingly floating in empty space, "Merchant shippers."
I shrugged one shoulder, "Accidents happen. I seem to remember assisting the Enterprise herself not too long ago. Space is dangerous and equipment can fail."
He nodded, "True. Still, they were lucky and the safeties worked like they were meant to."
"It's what they are there for."
Even so, they were not a hundred percent. They were meant to work, but it was always possible battle damage or something could break them. Or just shoddy maintenance on a civilian ship. Still, it was an expensive cruise liner. I liked to think they were taking good care of their ship, even if she wasn't an AI.
Drake nodded and stood up, stretching, "What does Merilyn say?"
I flicked my ears, "She is still reviewing the technical information of the 'Starliner' class, but she thinks we should at least be able to repair everything but the new warp core. You need something like an Island class to have the manufacturing facilities for one of those. She also sent everyone that's not absolutely needed off to rest, because when we get there, things will be busy for a while. You should do the same."
He nodded, "Yeah, I think you have a point. Tell me an hour before arrival?"
"I'll wake you with plenty of time."
As he left the bridge/holodeck, I canceled the hologram, no longer having any reason to keep it active.
Space warped around me as I hurled through it at the better part of fifteen thousand times the speed of light.
"Merilyn, you should follow your own advice. Get some sleep."
She sighed and brushed her red hair back, "Ivy, I need to get to know the class if I'm to help in repairs."
I formed a hologram next to her and crossed my arms, "Mer, they have a chief engineer. We are just there to help, go sleep. We need you energized when we get there. I can keep my own engineering running without help for a few hours."
Merilyn frowned before she nodded, "...Fine," and got up, "It's been a long shift anyway."
"Don't worry, I'll wake you with time left."
"Thanks Ivy," she said and gathered her hair up in a ponytail on her way out the door. "God, I need a bath."
Hmm. She should wear those shorts more often. She looked great in those.
I canceled the hologram again. It was likely not needed, but I wanted everyone at their best when we arrived at the Pacifica. The damage didn't look that bad from what they sent over, but it would still take quite a bit of work.
Ten minutes after relaying the distress call, I got an answer.
"'Random Encounter', this is the U.S.S. 'Dancing in Starlight'. We have received your relayed call and are changing course to rendezvous with you at the coordinates of the Pacifica."
Oh.
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
Well this will be awkward.
*Grabs popcorn*
*Grabs popcorn*
esotericist
A Weary Hand
- Location
- Lacey, WA
Oh, I was wondering when we'd get to see them talk again.
34
I slowly moved in under impulse, getting closer to the two large ships in the distance. The Starliner class cruise ship was sitting in space, slightly longer and a lot fatter than the sleek red Island class cruiser floating next to her.
Compared to either of them I was tiny. My hull was just over three hundred metres long, just below the size of an Intrepid, even if I had more interior area. Mainly because I didn't follow the same saucer/engineering hull configuration, instead being more of a full ellipse shape.
Same as the Island class, really. Just smaller.
The Pacifica on the other hand looked like some sort of fat, whale-like sea creature with four nacelles at one end, all glittering glass, metal and lights. She was basically a flying theme park.
Seeing Star like this again was strange. I used to be her before the accident. What was even worse... I still had a lot of friends on board her. I talked to Shran over subspace a month ago. But on board was also...
T'Ro.
T'Ro was there, less than a million kilometres away from me. It felt strange. I was not sure how to think or feel about that.
I mean... I still missed her at times. But it didn't hurt anymore. Not really. But I have not spoken to or seen her since I left Starlight. I have heard she was doing well from Star.
I thought I was over her. But... I wouldn't really know until I saw her again, would I? All I knew was that no matter what, things were going to be emotional.
Seeing everyone again would be wonderful. I missed them all. They were my first friends 'my age'.
Incoming comm link from the 'Dancing in Starlight'.
Holographic comm link so I rerouted it to a simulated holodeck, forming my own holodeck, standing on the platform seemingly hovering in space between our real bodies.
"Welcome, Ivy. Glad you could join us," Star said with a smile as she walked up.
I smiled back, "Good to see you again, Star," and I met her halfway, hugging her tight as she pulled me close.
We stayed like that for several seconds before I let go, smiling at her, "Missed you."
"Missed you too," she said and tilted her head a bit. "Haven't seen you since you picked a Caitian avatar. How is it?"
"Hmm..." I said and then shrugged one shoulder, my ears flicking to the sides. "It's okay. Not sure I would recommend it though, it makes clothes a bit of a pain. Different from anything else I used before. I see you still use the same avatar as before."
Star nodded, "I like it," and brushed some hair behind her ear.
"Mmm... I can see why," I said and smirked, glancing down at her chest.
Rolling her eyes, she reached over and tapped my nose, "Behave."
I stuck my tongue out at her before we both laughed.
"So how is the Pacifica doing?" I asked after a moment.
Star shrugged, "The damage report they sent was fairly exact, her engineering staff seems to be somewhat on the ball. Well, for merchant shippers anyway. Harold is already over there with a team giving everything a manual look while Captain Mason is discussing matters with Captain Rosenberg."
I nodded and crossed my arms, my tail tip flicking slightly, "I bet that if she had a Mind and wasn't a dumb calculator, this would never have happened."
Star shrugged again, "Yeah, possibly. But anyone can have equipment failure."
"True. I know there is no way to say this without sounding condescending, but flying around without one of us on the ship just sounds plain unsafe."
"You are right... You can't say that without sounding condescending," Star said with a smile. "Not like the Pacifica really needs one of us to be effective."
"Even for a cruise ship, space is hardly safe."
Star frowned at me, "Ivy."
I sighed, "I know. Have to let people make their own choices, we are not smarter. I know. It's just... organics are so... squishy. So much can go wrong."
Star just shook her head, "That's the kind of thinking that started the entire mess with the the subspace weapon. Just because we are bigger and can see things differently doesn't mean we know better."
"It worked, didn't it?"
"That's not the point!"
I frowned at her, "I think it is. It might not have been the best idea and there were certainly dangers there, but that didn't mean it didn't work. It certainly saved New Jupiter. We would never have been able to evacuate otherwise."
Star crossed her arms, "'Random Encounter', that kind of thinking is dangerous and leads to dangerous places. The moment we start thinking we know better is when things start to go wrong. Very, very wrong."
"That's not the fucking point, Starfleet!" I groaned and rubbed between my eyes, "I may have voted against keeping the weapon but that was because the political problems would have been way bigger than the advantages of keeping it! We can't just follow what others say either or we might as well be stupid VI's. If I did that, there would be six billion dead right now!"
The other ship went silent for a second, "...You should never have been put in that situation. Your Captain should have made the right choice in the first place."
I just shrugged. She was right though, as much as I hated to admit it. Hannah made the wrong choice. But she had still been a good captain. I didn't like it when people spoke badly about her.
"Maybe."
Star sighed, "Ivy... I don't know," before she frowned. "This is why I think ships need Captains. Someone to tell you when you are being an idiot. Someone you can trust to help carry the responsibility. Not because we need someone to decide for us, but someone who has a different point of view. It should be a partnership, a duality."
I flicked my ears. She might have had a point there. Not quite for those reasons but I missed that relationship. That trust. I lost that with Hannah.
It would be nice to have that again.
"Maybe," I finally admitted.
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
Compared to either of them I was tiny. My hull was just over three hundred metres long, just below the size of an Intrepid, even if I had more interior area. Mainly because I didn't follow the same saucer/engineering hull configuration, instead being more of a full ellipse shape.
Same as the Island class, really. Just smaller.
The Pacifica on the other hand looked like some sort of fat, whale-like sea creature with four nacelles at one end, all glittering glass, metal and lights. She was basically a flying theme park.
Seeing Star like this again was strange. I used to be her before the accident. What was even worse... I still had a lot of friends on board her. I talked to Shran over subspace a month ago. But on board was also...
T'Ro.
T'Ro was there, less than a million kilometres away from me. It felt strange. I was not sure how to think or feel about that.
I mean... I still missed her at times. But it didn't hurt anymore. Not really. But I have not spoken to or seen her since I left Starlight. I have heard she was doing well from Star.
I thought I was over her. But... I wouldn't really know until I saw her again, would I? All I knew was that no matter what, things were going to be emotional.
Seeing everyone again would be wonderful. I missed them all. They were my first friends 'my age'.
Incoming comm link from the 'Dancing in Starlight'.
Holographic comm link so I rerouted it to a simulated holodeck, forming my own holodeck, standing on the platform seemingly hovering in space between our real bodies.
"Welcome, Ivy. Glad you could join us," Star said with a smile as she walked up.
I smiled back, "Good to see you again, Star," and I met her halfway, hugging her tight as she pulled me close.
We stayed like that for several seconds before I let go, smiling at her, "Missed you."
"Missed you too," she said and tilted her head a bit. "Haven't seen you since you picked a Caitian avatar. How is it?"
"Hmm..." I said and then shrugged one shoulder, my ears flicking to the sides. "It's okay. Not sure I would recommend it though, it makes clothes a bit of a pain. Different from anything else I used before. I see you still use the same avatar as before."
Star nodded, "I like it," and brushed some hair behind her ear.
"Mmm... I can see why," I said and smirked, glancing down at her chest.
Rolling her eyes, she reached over and tapped my nose, "Behave."
I stuck my tongue out at her before we both laughed.
"So how is the Pacifica doing?" I asked after a moment.
Star shrugged, "The damage report they sent was fairly exact, her engineering staff seems to be somewhat on the ball. Well, for merchant shippers anyway. Harold is already over there with a team giving everything a manual look while Captain Mason is discussing matters with Captain Rosenberg."
I nodded and crossed my arms, my tail tip flicking slightly, "I bet that if she had a Mind and wasn't a dumb calculator, this would never have happened."
Star shrugged again, "Yeah, possibly. But anyone can have equipment failure."
"True. I know there is no way to say this without sounding condescending, but flying around without one of us on the ship just sounds plain unsafe."
"You are right... You can't say that without sounding condescending," Star said with a smile. "Not like the Pacifica really needs one of us to be effective."
"Even for a cruise ship, space is hardly safe."
Star frowned at me, "Ivy."
I sighed, "I know. Have to let people make their own choices, we are not smarter. I know. It's just... organics are so... squishy. So much can go wrong."
Star just shook her head, "That's the kind of thinking that started the entire mess with the the subspace weapon. Just because we are bigger and can see things differently doesn't mean we know better."
"It worked, didn't it?"
"That's not the point!"
I frowned at her, "I think it is. It might not have been the best idea and there were certainly dangers there, but that didn't mean it didn't work. It certainly saved New Jupiter. We would never have been able to evacuate otherwise."
Star crossed her arms, "'Random Encounter', that kind of thinking is dangerous and leads to dangerous places. The moment we start thinking we know better is when things start to go wrong. Very, very wrong."
"That's not the fucking point, Starfleet!" I groaned and rubbed between my eyes, "I may have voted against keeping the weapon but that was because the political problems would have been way bigger than the advantages of keeping it! We can't just follow what others say either or we might as well be stupid VI's. If I did that, there would be six billion dead right now!"
The other ship went silent for a second, "...You should never have been put in that situation. Your Captain should have made the right choice in the first place."
I just shrugged. She was right though, as much as I hated to admit it. Hannah made the wrong choice. But she had still been a good captain. I didn't like it when people spoke badly about her.
"Maybe."
Star sighed, "Ivy... I don't know," before she frowned. "This is why I think ships need Captains. Someone to tell you when you are being an idiot. Someone you can trust to help carry the responsibility. Not because we need someone to decide for us, but someone who has a different point of view. It should be a partnership, a duality."
I flicked my ears. She might have had a point there. Not quite for those reasons but I missed that relationship. That trust. I lost that with Hannah.
It would be nice to have that again.
"Maybe," I finally admitted.
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
At least when they dont have any weapons to fight the Borg and everyone dies the Jovians get to say I told you so.
Which, while not as nice as winning, comes in a close second.
Which, while not as nice as winning, comes in a close second.
Richardson
CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?
- Location
- Yes
Go fuck yourself, Star. You've picked up the worst of the starfleet ideology.
- Location
- Pale Blue Dot
Proving that AI's are not perfect that way may not have been her intention ;P
Of course, adopting a servant/slave philosophy that says 'I should never make command decisions' and 'I should never voice my opinion' may be a way to avoid conflict, but it's probably not a good idea - unless you live in a society that will kill you otherwise, and you have not found a way to leave yet.
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Crazael
Rehydrated Demon King
- Location
- Lost to the vagaries of time.
Where are you getting that from? Star isn't saying anything like that. She's saying that they aren't the final arbitrators of what is Right and Good. And that they should be careful to never think such a thing because that leads to a very slippery slope that ends with locking up everyone in the Matrix. Which is not what anyone wants.
35
I floated next to the two larger ships as we slowly tractored the cruise liner away from the star. There was no need for it to orbit that close, if we could get it into the outer system we would be able to drop shields as long as Star kept between her and the neutron star. That would bring the radiation down enough to be safe while repairs were done.
Meanwhile I was standing by in my shuttle bay with my avatar, my tail tip flicking slightly. To say that I was nervous was a bit of an understatement.
Nervous and excited and afraid.
Excited because I was going to see Shran, Rachel, Ajan, T'Ro and everyone else again.
Terrified because I was going to see T'Ro again.
I opened my shuttle bay to allow Star's shuttle entry. No transporters as we couldn't drop shields with this much radiation around. You wouldn't want to beam in this environment anyway.
I simply waited for the shuttle to come down for a gentle landing and I locked her down.
There was a moment before the ramp lowered and the group exited the little craft. Shran looked like always. Tall, wide shouldered and strong. He had cut his hair since I saw him last, it was shorter now.
Okay, now I kinda saw what Rachel sees in him.
Rachel looked exactly like I remembered her. Shoulder length brown hair. She looked adorable like always.
Ajan also looked similar, but his hair was longer, more styled in a common male Caitian style. Long and brushed back with braids above his ears. Looked kinda good on him.
Next to him were his wives, Erislia and Salia. They also looked like I remembered and they were both out of uniform, wearing robes very similar to mine and their shoulder length dark golden/brown hair brushed back. I need to talk to them later.
Then there was T'Ro.
She was beautiful. Her hair was a bit longer and pulled back into a braid but otherwise she looked identical to what I remembered.
There was a twinge of pain on seeing her, but... I could handle this. I still had feelings for her, I knew that, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
I smiled at them, "Welcome on board everyone. It's so great to see you all ag... EEP!"
"Nice to see you too, Ivy," Shran said with a grin as he hugged me tight before letting go and reaching up to ruffle my hair.
It's like I never left.
"Hey! Hands off my boyfriend!" Rachel said with a grin as she walked up and hugged me as well. "How have you been, Ivy?"
"Good," I answered and hugged her back. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't going to cry. "And you?"
"Perfect," she answered and pulled back, allowing me to be gathered up by Ajan, Erislia and Salia. I just let a breath out and leaned into their embrace, earning a nuzzle from Erislia which I returned.
When they let go, I found myself face to face with T'Ro.
I smiled at her and flicked my ears, "T'Ro. How have you been?"
"I have been well, thank you, Random Encounter. And you?" she answered with a nod before she raised her right hand, her index and middle finger extended.
I did the same and put my finger tips across hers in the familiar greeting for old friends or family as I bowed my head slightly for her.
"I'm well, T'Ro. Please, call me Ivy."
"Ivy," she acknowledged. "It is pleasing that you have adapted. I know things were difficult for everyone when we last saw each other, but you especially."
I nodded, "They were. Time helps."
"It does," she agreed. "Have you found someone?"
"Not yet."
"You will. I am completely certain of very few things, but that is something I know will happen."
I couldn't help but smile softly at her, "How's Star?"
"She is well."
"Good. She sounded well," I said and flicked my ears before I grinned and looked around. "Come on, I'll give you a tour."
"Sounds great," Shran said. "Always fun to see a new ship class."
I winked at him and lead the way from the shuttle bay, "I'm the first Zephyr class General Contact Unit. Fifteen decks, just under three hundred metres long, a hundred and fifty metres wide. Crew and population of two hundred and two."
"That's a lot of people. You are smaller than an Intrepid," Rachel said. "Isn't that cramped?"
"Only in length," I countered. "I don't have the same kind of hull configuration and my 'apple seed' shape is much more space efficient. I actually have a bit more square meter per person compared to the Intrepid."
"Lots of non-crew on board?" Erislia asked with a smile as we headed towards the turbolift for the first stop on the tour, the bridge.
I nodded, "Twenty two people. Mostly children but also some spouses that come with their husbands/wives. I'm not on full load either, I can carry two hundred and forty people without needing to use the VIP quarters."
"Nice. A lot more roomy than I thought," she said and glanced back at Ajan before she smiled at me. "Lots of holodecks?"
"Four," I said and lead the way onto my bridge, spreading my arms to show off what seemed to be stars floating in space. "Five if you count the five by five metre bridge. Fully holographic and adaptable for any configuration with..."
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
Meanwhile I was standing by in my shuttle bay with my avatar, my tail tip flicking slightly. To say that I was nervous was a bit of an understatement.
Nervous and excited and afraid.
Excited because I was going to see Shran, Rachel, Ajan, T'Ro and everyone else again.
Terrified because I was going to see T'Ro again.
I opened my shuttle bay to allow Star's shuttle entry. No transporters as we couldn't drop shields with this much radiation around. You wouldn't want to beam in this environment anyway.
I simply waited for the shuttle to come down for a gentle landing and I locked her down.
There was a moment before the ramp lowered and the group exited the little craft. Shran looked like always. Tall, wide shouldered and strong. He had cut his hair since I saw him last, it was shorter now.
Okay, now I kinda saw what Rachel sees in him.
Rachel looked exactly like I remembered her. Shoulder length brown hair. She looked adorable like always.
Ajan also looked similar, but his hair was longer, more styled in a common male Caitian style. Long and brushed back with braids above his ears. Looked kinda good on him.
Next to him were his wives, Erislia and Salia. They also looked like I remembered and they were both out of uniform, wearing robes very similar to mine and their shoulder length dark golden/brown hair brushed back. I need to talk to them later.
Then there was T'Ro.
She was beautiful. Her hair was a bit longer and pulled back into a braid but otherwise she looked identical to what I remembered.
There was a twinge of pain on seeing her, but... I could handle this. I still had feelings for her, I knew that, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
I smiled at them, "Welcome on board everyone. It's so great to see you all ag... EEP!"
"Nice to see you too, Ivy," Shran said with a grin as he hugged me tight before letting go and reaching up to ruffle my hair.
It's like I never left.
"Hey! Hands off my boyfriend!" Rachel said with a grin as she walked up and hugged me as well. "How have you been, Ivy?"
"Good," I answered and hugged her back. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't going to cry. "And you?"
"Perfect," she answered and pulled back, allowing me to be gathered up by Ajan, Erislia and Salia. I just let a breath out and leaned into their embrace, earning a nuzzle from Erislia which I returned.
When they let go, I found myself face to face with T'Ro.
I smiled at her and flicked my ears, "T'Ro. How have you been?"
"I have been well, thank you, Random Encounter. And you?" she answered with a nod before she raised her right hand, her index and middle finger extended.
I did the same and put my finger tips across hers in the familiar greeting for old friends or family as I bowed my head slightly for her.
"I'm well, T'Ro. Please, call me Ivy."
"Ivy," she acknowledged. "It is pleasing that you have adapted. I know things were difficult for everyone when we last saw each other, but you especially."
I nodded, "They were. Time helps."
"It does," she agreed. "Have you found someone?"
"Not yet."
"You will. I am completely certain of very few things, but that is something I know will happen."
I couldn't help but smile softly at her, "How's Star?"
"She is well."
"Good. She sounded well," I said and flicked my ears before I grinned and looked around. "Come on, I'll give you a tour."
"Sounds great," Shran said. "Always fun to see a new ship class."
I winked at him and lead the way from the shuttle bay, "I'm the first Zephyr class General Contact Unit. Fifteen decks, just under three hundred metres long, a hundred and fifty metres wide. Crew and population of two hundred and two."
"That's a lot of people. You are smaller than an Intrepid," Rachel said. "Isn't that cramped?"
"Only in length," I countered. "I don't have the same kind of hull configuration and my 'apple seed' shape is much more space efficient. I actually have a bit more square meter per person compared to the Intrepid."
"Lots of non-crew on board?" Erislia asked with a smile as we headed towards the turbolift for the first stop on the tour, the bridge.
I nodded, "Twenty two people. Mostly children but also some spouses that come with their husbands/wives. I'm not on full load either, I can carry two hundred and forty people without needing to use the VIP quarters."
"Nice. A lot more roomy than I thought," she said and glanced back at Ajan before she smiled at me. "Lots of holodecks?"
"Four," I said and lead the way onto my bridge, spreading my arms to show off what seemed to be stars floating in space. "Five if you count the five by five metre bridge. Fully holographic and adaptable for any configuration with..."
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
That seems like a bad idea. Of all the places you don't want a holodeck malfunction...
Crazael
Rehydrated Demon King
- Location
- Lost to the vagaries of time.
I imagine Jovian holodecks are a lot more stable than the standard design.
- Location
- England
Pretty sure half the holodeck incidents in Star Treck boil down to 'lazy writers'. If their failure rate was as bad as the TV programs make them out to be, the Federation should have ripped them out and let the crew play Minecraft and browse for porn on ship computers or whatever.
Crazael
Rehydrated Demon King
- Location
- Lost to the vagaries of time.
That's pretty obvious. and I was gonna point that out, before I decided to roll with it.Pretty sure half the holodeck incidents in Star Treck boil down to 'lazy writers'. If their failure rate was as bad as the TV programs make them out to be, the Federation should have ripped them out and let the crew play Minecraft and browse for porn on ship computers or whatever.
36
My maintenance drones crawled across the Pacifica as I worked with my engineers and Star's to get her put back together.
Mainly mounting hull sections and components that Star was turning out from her industrial replicators and workshops while working on the warp core.
Seeing my old friends again was awesome. All of them. And more than seeing in some cases.
"Ready to go again?"
I flicked my ears with a grin. "Come on then," I said and slowly moved closer.
Shran stepped up, a punch aimed at my face. I slapped his punch to the side and slashed at him with my holographic claws. He avoided them by millimeters, grabbing my wrist and pulling me close to stomp down on my foot.
I twisted around and turned it into a roll back onto my feet and spun to kick him in the face. I hit nothing but air.
As he moved in to grab me, I pushed off the ground and flipped away before I stopped to look at him with a smile.
Damn, Shran was good. Sure, I was running under heavy limiters, unable to move any faster than a Caitian could, but damn. Those limits were damn close to maxed and I was moving faster than he was even if I was not any stronger currently.
He was beating me on skill alone. Not to say he wasn't buff.
I flicked my tail tip as I turned the dial up another couple of levels as I watched him. Mmm. Nice.
"Well?" Shran asked with a smirk. "Are we doing this?"
I grinned and moved in again, slashing at him and moving in past his guard. He answered by seeing straight through it, kneeing me in the stomach and then his fist flew at my face. I just barely moved back in time, raising my arm to slash at his face.
He twisted along with it, his arm coming up and grabbing my hair, pulling me along and slamming me against the mat beneath him, pinning me down as his fist slammed had into my side and I could feel and hear my ribs break.
Ow.
I canceled that hologram and reformed it standing on the mat to the side, crossing my arms over my Unlimit outfit, "Well, you certainly have not lost your edge. What was that last move?"
"A bit of akido mixed with Ta'g'ko," he said and got up with a grin, adjusting his jacket. "Branching out from Andorian and Starfleet standard martial arts."
Damn.
It's really, really too bad he can't do Unlimit. He would rise to the top really fast. Shran was the most talented hand to hand fighter I knew of.
"You are not bad either. I think you are better than Star actually," he said with an easy grin.
I shrugged one shoulder and flicked my right ear, "Spent more time in system than her so I could practice more. Granted, it was mostly Unlimit so it doesn't translate directly."
Shran nodded and walked over to take a drink from his water bottle, "Yeah, that's more managing momentum and angular velocity than anything else. Almost like fighting in low gravity."
"Mhmm," I agreed as I stretched. That was a pretty decent analogy, at least when it came to the movement. When viewed in slow motion, it did look somewhat like that.
"Is Rachel ready for our dinner?" he asked as he draped his towel across his shoulders.
I nodded, "Getting ready in your quarters now," I said with a smile. "She is looking forward to it." While the repairs were ongoing, I offered my old friends all the use of my VIP quarters just for a change of scenery from Star. It was only for a couple of days and they still had their duties on board Star, but it was nice.
The only one I have yet to meet 'in person' was Captain Mason. I was beaming my avatar over to Star in a couple of hours. It would be so great to meet him again.
"Awesome. Think she likes the dress?"
I grinned at him, "Seemed like she did. Better go shower or you'll be late."
Shran nodded, "Yeah. Thanks for the spar, Ivy. We need to do it again before we move back onto Star."
"Love to," I said and smiled before canceling the holograms, leaving the holodeck empty. That was fun, I had missed practicing with Shran. Too bad they would all be leaving again in a week.
"Well, how do I look?" Rachel asked and turned, looking herself over in the mirror.
"Relax. You look great," Star told her from the comm screen before seemingly looking to the right, "Right?"
I formed my own avatar next to hers on the screen as I nodded, "Star is right, Rachel. You look good."
She did. Her shoulder length brown hair was pulled up in a nice hairstyle with thin braids along the sides, while she was wearing a short and tight dark green dress with matching high heels.
"Thanks..." she said and frowned at her mirror image before she sighed, "Well, I don't have time to change it."
"Relax," Star said with a grin. "You could wear anything and Shran would love it."
"Or nothing," I interjected, "and he would love it even more."
Rachel stuck her tongue out at the screen before she frowned at the mirror, "Is my hair okay? How long do I have?"
I smiled, "At least twenty minutes, so relax. He is still showering."
"Oh... goody."
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
Mainly mounting hull sections and components that Star was turning out from her industrial replicators and workshops while working on the warp core.
Seeing my old friends again was awesome. All of them. And more than seeing in some cases.
"Ready to go again?"
I flicked my ears with a grin. "Come on then," I said and slowly moved closer.
Shran stepped up, a punch aimed at my face. I slapped his punch to the side and slashed at him with my holographic claws. He avoided them by millimeters, grabbing my wrist and pulling me close to stomp down on my foot.
I twisted around and turned it into a roll back onto my feet and spun to kick him in the face. I hit nothing but air.
As he moved in to grab me, I pushed off the ground and flipped away before I stopped to look at him with a smile.
Damn, Shran was good. Sure, I was running under heavy limiters, unable to move any faster than a Caitian could, but damn. Those limits were damn close to maxed and I was moving faster than he was even if I was not any stronger currently.
He was beating me on skill alone. Not to say he wasn't buff.
I flicked my tail tip as I turned the dial up another couple of levels as I watched him. Mmm. Nice.
"Well?" Shran asked with a smirk. "Are we doing this?"
I grinned and moved in again, slashing at him and moving in past his guard. He answered by seeing straight through it, kneeing me in the stomach and then his fist flew at my face. I just barely moved back in time, raising my arm to slash at his face.
He twisted along with it, his arm coming up and grabbing my hair, pulling me along and slamming me against the mat beneath him, pinning me down as his fist slammed had into my side and I could feel and hear my ribs break.
Ow.
I canceled that hologram and reformed it standing on the mat to the side, crossing my arms over my Unlimit outfit, "Well, you certainly have not lost your edge. What was that last move?"
"A bit of akido mixed with Ta'g'ko," he said and got up with a grin, adjusting his jacket. "Branching out from Andorian and Starfleet standard martial arts."
Damn.
It's really, really too bad he can't do Unlimit. He would rise to the top really fast. Shran was the most talented hand to hand fighter I knew of.
"You are not bad either. I think you are better than Star actually," he said with an easy grin.
I shrugged one shoulder and flicked my right ear, "Spent more time in system than her so I could practice more. Granted, it was mostly Unlimit so it doesn't translate directly."
Shran nodded and walked over to take a drink from his water bottle, "Yeah, that's more managing momentum and angular velocity than anything else. Almost like fighting in low gravity."
"Mhmm," I agreed as I stretched. That was a pretty decent analogy, at least when it came to the movement. When viewed in slow motion, it did look somewhat like that.
"Is Rachel ready for our dinner?" he asked as he draped his towel across his shoulders.
I nodded, "Getting ready in your quarters now," I said with a smile. "She is looking forward to it." While the repairs were ongoing, I offered my old friends all the use of my VIP quarters just for a change of scenery from Star. It was only for a couple of days and they still had their duties on board Star, but it was nice.
The only one I have yet to meet 'in person' was Captain Mason. I was beaming my avatar over to Star in a couple of hours. It would be so great to meet him again.
"Awesome. Think she likes the dress?"
I grinned at him, "Seemed like she did. Better go shower or you'll be late."
Shran nodded, "Yeah. Thanks for the spar, Ivy. We need to do it again before we move back onto Star."
"Love to," I said and smiled before canceling the holograms, leaving the holodeck empty. That was fun, I had missed practicing with Shran. Too bad they would all be leaving again in a week.
"Well, how do I look?" Rachel asked and turned, looking herself over in the mirror.
"Relax. You look great," Star told her from the comm screen before seemingly looking to the right, "Right?"
I formed my own avatar next to hers on the screen as I nodded, "Star is right, Rachel. You look good."
She did. Her shoulder length brown hair was pulled up in a nice hairstyle with thin braids along the sides, while she was wearing a short and tight dark green dress with matching high heels.
"Thanks..." she said and frowned at her mirror image before she sighed, "Well, I don't have time to change it."
"Relax," Star said with a grin. "You could wear anything and Shran would love it."
"Or nothing," I interjected, "and he would love it even more."
Rachel stuck her tongue out at the screen before she frowned at the mirror, "Is my hair okay? How long do I have?"
I smiled, "At least twenty minutes, so relax. He is still showering."
"Oh... goody."
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
Last edited:
37
My avatar shimmered back into reality on Star's transporter pad. It was strange being back on board Star again.
I knew this entire hull like the back of my ha...oh! She changed the carpets. They are a darker red now.
Captain Mason was standing before the transporter, and he smiled when he saw me, "Welcome onboard, 'Random Encounter', it's good seeing you again."
"It's good seeing you too, Captain." I said and slowly walked down off the pad, smoothing my robes down as I flicked my ears nervously, "...Permission to hug?"
"Granted." He said with a grin and gathered me into a strong hug as I got close.
I hugged back tightly before I sighed and let go, looking up at him, "...Is this strange to you, sir?" I asked with a flick of my ears as I stepped back, "I mean... I'm Star but not. You don't remember me as Star, Star is still right here."
Captain Mason ran his hand through his short brown hair as he motioned towards the door with a small smile, guiding the way towards the turbolift, "A bit." He admitted, "But that's on my end and just cultural baggage of being a human. I won't let it affect you, ship."
"Please, call me Ivy." I said with a smile as I walked along, "If it help, think of me as Star's daughter or sister. It's a bad analogy but it might work for you."
He smiled and shook his head, "Actually, it helps to think about it as a Trill situation. You are the same person but not. Your own person but with her memories."
"Oh." I said and flicked my tail as we exited the turbolift and went into his readyroom, "That's a much better analogy."
"Trust me, I have had some time to think about it."
His readyroom looked like I remembered. Large and spacious without being silly about it. It always reminded me of the one on the Galaxy class. I still remember when I first visited Captain (Now Admiral) Picard in his on the Enterprise. I had been so nervous.
Not that I wasn't now.
"Looks like I remember." I said and looked around with a smile before moving over to a small tree in a large pot next to the couch beneath the window, "This is new."
"Meltunian Timid Leaf." Captain Mason said, "Heard of it?"
I scanned my database and frowned to myself, "...No. It's not in my database."
"It's from our latest mission to Leronia." He explained, "A newly contacted civilization on the far side of old Romulan space. We were delivering a diplomatic mission and everything needed to put up an embassy there. It was a gift from the royal family. Touch it."
Flicking my ears, I reached out and touched one of the leaves. The plant twitched at my touch and then started to shiver, the leaves moving in an invisible wind, "Wow."
"It's a reaction to shake its seeds off onto the fur of whatever is eating it." the Captain said with a smile as I pulled my hand back.
"Nice."
"So how have you been, Ivy? I heard about the court martial, I'm sorry I was unable to be there."
I nodded, "It's fine, sir."
"You don't need to call me sir anymore, you know."
I grinned briefly, "I'm not sure I can do that. Did you manage to get Star to call you Alexander yet, Captain?"
"It's an ongoing project." He chuckled.
Nodding, I smiled at him, "To answer your question, Captain, I have been fine. Being out of the fleet has been... different. I can pick my own missions or have my crew vote or make suggestions. It has its own problems of course."
Mason nodded, "Yeah. Being the one making the calls is stressful."
"Mmm." I agreed before I glanced at him, "I miss having a captain at times."
"Does anything say you can't?"
"...No. Not really. It's not even that uncommon." I explained before I sighed, "It's just after... the incident...."
Mason sighed, "I see. I can't tell you how sorry I am that Starfleet hurt you like that, Ivy."
I shrugged, "It would have happened sooner or later to one of us. I think we all knew that, it's just that I was the one to draw the short straw. I don't even blame Captain Montgomery. She did what she did under a very stressful situation and... Well, she was wrong."
Pressing his lips together for a split second, Mason looked like he was going to say something before he let his breath out and just nodded.
"So how have things been, sir? How's Captain Daniels?"
That got him to look a bit happier, "She is fine. I'm actually quite looking forwards to seeing her again. Before we came to the Pacifica, we were on our way to Tellar Prime. The Poking Stick is undergoing a retrofit there."
"Oh. Sorry."
He shook his head, "Hardly your fault, Ivy. Besides, we should only be delayed for a week or two. Star, where are we with the warpcore?"
"About thirty percent, Captain. We are on schedule so far." Star answered from the screen on the desk before closing the connection again.
"Thank you." Mason said with a nod before turning back to me, "See?"
I nodded, "Yeah." even though I knew that already. I was giving Star a hand with my own drones and Merilyn and the rest of my engineers were working with her engineering staff along with that of the Pacifica.
I then grinned, "So what else have you been up to since I split off Star?"
"Well, where to start?" He asked and sank down on the couch, "How about when we stopped by a little M class world out in the..."
AN// A big bucket to FPSCanarussia for betaing this section.
I knew this entire hull like the back of my ha...oh! She changed the carpets. They are a darker red now.
Captain Mason was standing before the transporter, and he smiled when he saw me, "Welcome onboard, 'Random Encounter', it's good seeing you again."
"It's good seeing you too, Captain." I said and slowly walked down off the pad, smoothing my robes down as I flicked my ears nervously, "...Permission to hug?"
"Granted." He said with a grin and gathered me into a strong hug as I got close.
I hugged back tightly before I sighed and let go, looking up at him, "...Is this strange to you, sir?" I asked with a flick of my ears as I stepped back, "I mean... I'm Star but not. You don't remember me as Star, Star is still right here."
Captain Mason ran his hand through his short brown hair as he motioned towards the door with a small smile, guiding the way towards the turbolift, "A bit." He admitted, "But that's on my end and just cultural baggage of being a human. I won't let it affect you, ship."
"Please, call me Ivy." I said with a smile as I walked along, "If it help, think of me as Star's daughter or sister. It's a bad analogy but it might work for you."
He smiled and shook his head, "Actually, it helps to think about it as a Trill situation. You are the same person but not. Your own person but with her memories."
"Oh." I said and flicked my tail as we exited the turbolift and went into his readyroom, "That's a much better analogy."
"Trust me, I have had some time to think about it."
His readyroom looked like I remembered. Large and spacious without being silly about it. It always reminded me of the one on the Galaxy class. I still remember when I first visited Captain (Now Admiral) Picard in his on the Enterprise. I had been so nervous.
Not that I wasn't now.
"Looks like I remember." I said and looked around with a smile before moving over to a small tree in a large pot next to the couch beneath the window, "This is new."
"Meltunian Timid Leaf." Captain Mason said, "Heard of it?"
I scanned my database and frowned to myself, "...No. It's not in my database."
"It's from our latest mission to Leronia." He explained, "A newly contacted civilization on the far side of old Romulan space. We were delivering a diplomatic mission and everything needed to put up an embassy there. It was a gift from the royal family. Touch it."
Flicking my ears, I reached out and touched one of the leaves. The plant twitched at my touch and then started to shiver, the leaves moving in an invisible wind, "Wow."
"It's a reaction to shake its seeds off onto the fur of whatever is eating it." the Captain said with a smile as I pulled my hand back.
"Nice."
"So how have you been, Ivy? I heard about the court martial, I'm sorry I was unable to be there."
I nodded, "It's fine, sir."
"You don't need to call me sir anymore, you know."
I grinned briefly, "I'm not sure I can do that. Did you manage to get Star to call you Alexander yet, Captain?"
"It's an ongoing project." He chuckled.
Nodding, I smiled at him, "To answer your question, Captain, I have been fine. Being out of the fleet has been... different. I can pick my own missions or have my crew vote or make suggestions. It has its own problems of course."
Mason nodded, "Yeah. Being the one making the calls is stressful."
"Mmm." I agreed before I glanced at him, "I miss having a captain at times."
"Does anything say you can't?"
"...No. Not really. It's not even that uncommon." I explained before I sighed, "It's just after... the incident...."
Mason sighed, "I see. I can't tell you how sorry I am that Starfleet hurt you like that, Ivy."
I shrugged, "It would have happened sooner or later to one of us. I think we all knew that, it's just that I was the one to draw the short straw. I don't even blame Captain Montgomery. She did what she did under a very stressful situation and... Well, she was wrong."
Pressing his lips together for a split second, Mason looked like he was going to say something before he let his breath out and just nodded.
"So how have things been, sir? How's Captain Daniels?"
That got him to look a bit happier, "She is fine. I'm actually quite looking forwards to seeing her again. Before we came to the Pacifica, we were on our way to Tellar Prime. The Poking Stick is undergoing a retrofit there."
"Oh. Sorry."
He shook his head, "Hardly your fault, Ivy. Besides, we should only be delayed for a week or two. Star, where are we with the warpcore?"
"About thirty percent, Captain. We are on schedule so far." Star answered from the screen on the desk before closing the connection again.
"Thank you." Mason said with a nod before turning back to me, "See?"
I nodded, "Yeah." even though I knew that already. I was giving Star a hand with my own drones and Merilyn and the rest of my engineers were working with her engineering staff along with that of the Pacifica.
I then grinned, "So what else have you been up to since I split off Star?"
"Well, where to start?" He asked and sank down on the couch, "How about when we stopped by a little M class world out in the..."
AN// A big bucket to FPSCanarussia for betaing this section.
Heh, Ivy is so sure of herself. And Montgomery seems to be a bit uncomfortable with just how sure she is that her captain was wrong.
38
I smiled and looked around the park. It was as I remembered it being. Mostly in any case, there were several new bushes and a few of the flower stands had changed place.
All in all, I liked it.
"I miss this," I said and looked over at T'Ro where she walked next to me.
"The park?"
"That too," I said with a smile before I shook my head. "No room for one on the Zephyr class. Not without sacrificing too much of something else."
The Vulcan nodded in understanding, "I see."
I flicked one ear before I sighed and looked at her, "...Is this as awkward for you too or is it just me?"
Her lips actually twitched in a small smile, "I suspect not, but it is still not easy, is it?"
"No," I agreed and flicked my tail tip. "No, it's not. We just have to deal though."
T'Ro nodded and then regarded my avatar, "I was surprised when you left Starfleet."
Sighing I moved to sink down beneath one of the trees, leaning my back against it as T'Ro moved to sit next to me.
"I know. I just couldn't stay anymore."
"Because of the Prime Directive?"
I hesitated and then shook my head, "Not... not just that. I think it's a very good idea most of the time. Others... how much suffering could not be spared if we, instead of hiding and ignoring pre-warp species, we uplifted them? Teach them the mistakes we made, the lessons we learned."
T'Ro frowned at me, "Ivy, what right would we have to interfere in their natural cultural development? I understand not being able to watch a nuclear exchange and do nothing, but that's something completely different."
I sighed and leaned my head back against the tree, looking up at the branches, "...How could we not?" I finally asked before I looked at her. "How can we sit here and do nothing as people die from easily preventable diseases, in wars that don't matter and for lack of resources that're easily replicated. Tortured by cruel leaders, prevented from saying what they want, thinking what they want. How can we sit here and know that it can be prevented easily and do nothing!?"
"Because in all of history, contact with a much more advanced civilization has never ended well for the less advanced one," T'Ro said softly. "You know that."
I flicked my tail tip in annoyance, "And why wouldn't now be different? We are not after land, power or resources. We wouldn't demand anything of them."
"Just that they adapt to us. No matter what, their culture would end and what's to say we would be in the right in the first place? Who can tell what they would eventually become?" T'Ro said. "Despite what happened to you, Ivy, most of the time doing nothing is the right thing to do."
"So why does it feel wrong?" I finally asked. "How can standing by and watching people die or suffer needlessly ever be the right thing to do?"
T'Ro was silent for a long moment, looking up at the stars through the tree branches, "And if they don't want it? How would you know if they are ready for contact? Ready to know there are others out here? It may do more long term damage than what you try to prevent."
"That's a logical fallacy and you know it."
"It is," she agreed. "But it's still something you need to keep in mind. Interfering may help in the short term, but what if they are not culturally ready? It may be like giving phaser rifles to people still in a hunter gatherer mentality. We have examples of primitive societies having traded for or gained access to advanced technology. In more cases than not, they wipe themselves out."
She was right about that. Dozens of them were in my database. Very few of them were still around, like the Pakled.
"What if it was a war?" T'Ro asked as she watched my avatar. "Two sides, armed with primitive projectile weapons. Thousands dying every day for an area of land. What then?"
"...I don't know," I sighed. "I don't know, T'Ro. I just hate that horrible things are allowed to continue."
"So do I, " she agreed. "But sometimes you have to accept that the universe is like it is."
"And sometimes you need to see it for what it could be!"
T'Ro's lips twitched in a small smile, "It's fascinating. At times, you seem to be almost identical to Star. At others..."
I nodded and smiled back as I relaxed again, "We differ. I'm not Star, not anymore. Sometimes I don't even think I'm even close anymore."
She nodded, "Is your view of the Prime Directive common in the Jovian Gathering?"
"No," I answered and shook my head, flicking my right ear. "No, it's not. We have too deep ties with Starfleet. But then again, most have not lived through what I did. They have never needed to face that kind of situation for real... I hope they never do."
"Me too."
"...How did we get onto this subject?" I finally asked with a smile. "That got way more serious than I intended."
"Indeed," T'Ro agreed with a nod and got back up, offering me her hand.
I took it and got up with her assistance, "So what do you want to talk about?"
"I am unsure. I would like to get to know you again," T'Ro said. "I would like to be friends again. Stay in contact this time."
I couldn't help but smile at her, "I would like that."
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
All in all, I liked it.
"I miss this," I said and looked over at T'Ro where she walked next to me.
"The park?"
"That too," I said with a smile before I shook my head. "No room for one on the Zephyr class. Not without sacrificing too much of something else."
The Vulcan nodded in understanding, "I see."
I flicked one ear before I sighed and looked at her, "...Is this as awkward for you too or is it just me?"
Her lips actually twitched in a small smile, "I suspect not, but it is still not easy, is it?"
"No," I agreed and flicked my tail tip. "No, it's not. We just have to deal though."
T'Ro nodded and then regarded my avatar, "I was surprised when you left Starfleet."
Sighing I moved to sink down beneath one of the trees, leaning my back against it as T'Ro moved to sit next to me.
"I know. I just couldn't stay anymore."
"Because of the Prime Directive?"
I hesitated and then shook my head, "Not... not just that. I think it's a very good idea most of the time. Others... how much suffering could not be spared if we, instead of hiding and ignoring pre-warp species, we uplifted them? Teach them the mistakes we made, the lessons we learned."
T'Ro frowned at me, "Ivy, what right would we have to interfere in their natural cultural development? I understand not being able to watch a nuclear exchange and do nothing, but that's something completely different."
I sighed and leaned my head back against the tree, looking up at the branches, "...How could we not?" I finally asked before I looked at her. "How can we sit here and do nothing as people die from easily preventable diseases, in wars that don't matter and for lack of resources that're easily replicated. Tortured by cruel leaders, prevented from saying what they want, thinking what they want. How can we sit here and know that it can be prevented easily and do nothing!?"
"Because in all of history, contact with a much more advanced civilization has never ended well for the less advanced one," T'Ro said softly. "You know that."
I flicked my tail tip in annoyance, "And why wouldn't now be different? We are not after land, power or resources. We wouldn't demand anything of them."
"Just that they adapt to us. No matter what, their culture would end and what's to say we would be in the right in the first place? Who can tell what they would eventually become?" T'Ro said. "Despite what happened to you, Ivy, most of the time doing nothing is the right thing to do."
"So why does it feel wrong?" I finally asked. "How can standing by and watching people die or suffer needlessly ever be the right thing to do?"
T'Ro was silent for a long moment, looking up at the stars through the tree branches, "And if they don't want it? How would you know if they are ready for contact? Ready to know there are others out here? It may do more long term damage than what you try to prevent."
"That's a logical fallacy and you know it."
"It is," she agreed. "But it's still something you need to keep in mind. Interfering may help in the short term, but what if they are not culturally ready? It may be like giving phaser rifles to people still in a hunter gatherer mentality. We have examples of primitive societies having traded for or gained access to advanced technology. In more cases than not, they wipe themselves out."
She was right about that. Dozens of them were in my database. Very few of them were still around, like the Pakled.
"What if it was a war?" T'Ro asked as she watched my avatar. "Two sides, armed with primitive projectile weapons. Thousands dying every day for an area of land. What then?"
"...I don't know," I sighed. "I don't know, T'Ro. I just hate that horrible things are allowed to continue."
"So do I, " she agreed. "But sometimes you have to accept that the universe is like it is."
"And sometimes you need to see it for what it could be!"
T'Ro's lips twitched in a small smile, "It's fascinating. At times, you seem to be almost identical to Star. At others..."
I nodded and smiled back as I relaxed again, "We differ. I'm not Star, not anymore. Sometimes I don't even think I'm even close anymore."
She nodded, "Is your view of the Prime Directive common in the Jovian Gathering?"
"No," I answered and shook my head, flicking my right ear. "No, it's not. We have too deep ties with Starfleet. But then again, most have not lived through what I did. They have never needed to face that kind of situation for real... I hope they never do."
"Me too."
"...How did we get onto this subject?" I finally asked with a smile. "That got way more serious than I intended."
"Indeed," T'Ro agreed with a nod and got back up, offering me her hand.
I took it and got up with her assistance, "So what do you want to talk about?"
"I am unsure. I would like to get to know you again," T'Ro said. "I would like to be friends again. Stay in contact this time."
I couldn't help but smile at her, "I would like that."
AN// Big thanks to Pietersielie for betaing this section.
No discussion on the recently acquired Vulcan history? DIS-A-PPOINTING!