I've been thinking about how Rusty would've gotten in on in the twenty-or-so years between Jesu leaving for the Academy and the two of them getting assigned to the same ship. If it's alright with you, I think I'll whip up a short story putting Rusty on the Wolfram at the end of his time at the Academy. Assuming of course that the Wolfram would have been active in 2390.
I won't even start on this until after The Road ends, and I have a lot of other projects I want to get done, but I'd like to keep this in my back pocket as a concept to revisit in a later LC.
Sorry, but it won't work.
The Wolfram was freshly built and commissioned for Nanoha in 2409--until then, she'd been using her previous ship, an Advanced Escort named the Excelion (which she still has, for if she needs a smaller ship without using a shuttle). And she only got command of that in 2405, in one of the first battles of the war with the Klingons.
So, yeah, you'll need to go back to the Drawing Board, maybe come up with another Drill Sergeant Nasty to have trained Rusty.
The Wolfram was freshly built and commissioned for Nanoha in 2409--until then, she'd been using her previous ship, an Advanced Escort named the Excelion (which she still has, for if she needs a smaller ship without using a shuttle). And she only got command of that in 2405, in one of the first battles of the war with the Klingons.
So, yeah, you'll need to go back to the Drawing Board, maybe come up with another Drill Sergeant Nasty to have trained Rusty.
Sorry about that.
No worries! It was just an idea.
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
This is more of an aside than a part of the overall narrative. There is definitely still an epilogue to come, and I think now one more chapter, to resolve the Rusty and Eighty-Six arcs. (patrickngo sent me a very interesting bit of the story that happened to match an idea that had been knocking around my head for a while.) Between these two characters I have too much material left over to package into a tidy epilogue.
So... yeah, look for Part X in a week or so, and the epilogue a week after that.
Omid Enfanfar made an appearance in LC #41 as the Tib's third "ops guy" (after Fozz and Barrister, who were both off the ship) and since I didn't have anything for him to be doing this time around, I decided to spice him up a little for later. You never know when an LC will call for a Simon Tarses sort of character.
Absolutely so, it'll be interesting to see how his situation resolves itself :cool:
Quick idea, advanced tactical training at West Point as Amanda had to get her MACO rating... It would certainly explain his improvisational skills in combat, rather than purely ship-based expertise (Amanda's ship-based skills come from a career of Ops duties before being elevated as an executive officer)
It was definitely a welcome change to see than Alyosha's continual defensiveness, I hope we will see more of Berat in the future
Of course, as the saying goes, "It's not paranoid if they really are out to get you." And there are some people who really have gone out of their way to give Alyosha a hard time. T'Nae's behavior really was quite off, for instance.
But Berat has a type of openness that makes people feel comfortable around him.
I wouldn't say that she feels the sins of the Cardassian people in the way Alyosha does with the Devidians, but was simply raised entirely surrounded by Human culture, and treated no differently than a Human child, so she had always experienced a body dysmorphia/disconnection between her Cardassian appearance, but Human outlook, hence why she elected to retain the Human appearance following her trip to the sixties
Berat, however, would see it through the lens of his own experiences and attitudes--which can be quite disillusioned with and sickened by the Cardassian power structure (both what it was pre-war, and the True Way that is trying to go back to those ways).
That's true, he definitely had a jaded view of Cardassians because of what he witnessed during the occupation, but, the mission which wound him and Siri in the Cardassian gulag was essentially a mercy mission, to investigate and prevent (what he was told was) a resurrection of the Obsidian Order, so he was clearly still able to extend them assistance and trust if the situation called for it. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he hated them as a species, as he was no speciesist, but he did hate what he witnessed, and what they were capable of, so I can only say that he was cautious about them.
While Berat's ascension to rank in Starfleet happened with freakish rapidity due to the circumstances described (basically, Starfleet's besieged on all fronts and desperate), I know Berat had reached the admiralty during the final year or so of Marcus Kane's life.
How would Marcus have received Berat as a colleague?
And what would his reaction have been to see a Cardassian so conflicted about his own people? Would he have seen it as just deserts, or recognized instead that it is a source of turmoil within Berat that isn't all that pleasant to endure?
@gulberat - thank you for that fascinating introduction to Gul Berat! I especially enjoyed his description of life on Mol'Rihan...
Thanks. I couldn't help but think Berat would feel something of a personal identification with the situation on-planet. He is also a scientist-engineer at heart. Being there gives him the opportunity to really indulge in those interests. A lot of people describe New Romulus as an intolerable grind, in the game, but it worked when I played it with Berat because I could actually see how he would engage with his surroundings, and how he would enjoy "playing" in the river.
And I also couldn't help but think that he would know just how inadequate the dialogue options provided to you in the game are for a situation like that.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-) Proudly F2P.Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
Of course, as the saying goes, "It's not paranoid if they really are out to get you." And there are some people who really have gone out of their way to give Alyosha a hard time. T'Nae's behavior really was quite off, for instance.
Oh for sure, there are definitely elements and factions within Starfleet who would want to see Alyosya in a lab, or cashiered as an ununexeceptable risk to those around him, but not everyone is out to get him, and I suspect that if he was publicly 'outed' the favorable reactions would outweigh the negative ones...
Berat, however, would see it through the lens of his own experiences and attitudes--which can be quite disillusioned with and sickened by the Cardassian power structure (both what it was pre-war, and the True Way that is trying to go back to those ways).
How would he see it? Of course, one could quite rightly say that Meliden's parents could/should have made more effort to make her aware of her Cardassian heritage, rather than just treating her like a Human baby. Had she been adopted as an older child, like Worf was, she would likely have had no issue with her Cardassian appearance, but as it was, she pretty much couldn't stand the sight of herself, even going to the length of wearing her hair to deliberately cover her forehead/eyes 'emo-style'... Ironically, she does live up to the stereotypical Cardassian female, in her aptitude for engineering
While Berat's ascension to rank in Starfleet happened with freakish rapidity due to the circumstances described (basically, Starfleet's besieged on all fronts and desperate), I know Berat had reached the admiralty during the final year or so of Marcus Kane's life.
How would Marcus have received Berat as a colleague?
And what would his reaction have been to see a Cardassian so conflicted about his own people? Would he have seen it as just deserts, or recognized instead that it is a source of turmoil within Berat that isn't all that pleasant to endure?
The fact that he had gained rank within Starfleet would certainly have earned him 'the benefit of the doubt' (where Cardassian rank would mean less than nothing to Marcus) rather than just initially viewing him as 'some cardie rapist', and given that Berat is a fellow engineer, I think they would have had enough of a common interest to be able to interact easily. Equally, I wonder how Berat would have felt around Marcus and Siri, knowing that they had spent five years in a Cardassian gulag for his killing two Cardassians during the occupation (a glinn and a dal) who had been attempting to commit r**e on a Bajoran child and woman, because as Marcus' attache, any contact with him (other than corridor/admiral's mess pleasantries) would have meant going through her first, and while the charge against her of espionage was certainly legitimate, Marcus' actions against the Cardassian officers were certainly justifiable, due to the atrocities they were committing.
I think if Marcus knew Berat's internal turmoil, as someone who had undergone extensive psychotherapy himself, he would have certainly felt a kind of empathy or pity.
My views may not represent those of Cryptic Studios or Perfect World Entertainment. You can file a "forums and website" support ticket here Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Yeah, the inspiration came a little from Lovecraft, and a little from Dr. Who. The main inspiration, though, came from Event Horizon (re: the idea of supernatural horror on a spaceship)
@sander: Very nice follow up to The Road to Ruin! You've left things pretty ominous, with half the major characters on the Tiburon either seriously injured/dying or psychologically unstable. What I find myself wondering, though, is what will become of the Tiburon herself, given how badly the Fek'Ihri maimed her.
@dojegun: Interesting variation on the "there are 47" title. The dialogue was really well-written.
@marcusdkane: A nice bit of action there. Admiral Kane 1, a lot of very confused Romulans 0.
@patrickngo: I always appreciate that your stories delve into the darker bits of the Star Trek universe that are rarely touched upon. Darker bits like small unit ops, war crimes, and things like seemingly upstanding Federation officers defecting to the other side. Well done, as always.
A short one, a personal log entry from Captain Kyle Sinclair.
I had a very different story in mind for the last week or so, involving S'rastaa taking possession of and naming his new Risian corvette. However, a recent mission undertaken as part of an ongoing RP plot (and if anyone happens to be looking for an excellent roleplaying fleet, may I recommend the 26th?) gave me something else to write about.
@sander: Very nice follow up to The Road to Ruin! You've left things pretty ominous, with half the major characters on the Tiburon either seriously injured/dying or psychologically unstable. What I find myself wondering, though, is what will become of the Tiburon herself, given how badly the Fek'Ihri maimed her.
Oh, she'll be rebuilt. Frank Grimes and the Hammerhead will tow her back to some secret base somewhere where our friends from New Romulus will give her a major upgrade.
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
A short one, a personal log entry from Captain Kyle Sinclair...
Simply brilliant. The final line hits like a knife to the kidney.
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Oh, she'll be rebuilt. Frank Grimes and the Hammerhead will tow her back to some secret base somewhere where our friends from New Romulus will give her a major upgrade.
@wraithshadow: Ah, Q. Irrepressible as always. (Even when it's another Q. No, not that one. Or that one.) And the stuff with the eggs was very nice, reminding me not only of "Tin Man" and all the Gekli missions in-game, but also the classic original, the "Devil in the Dark" (really just a desperate mother).
@superhombre: A farewell well made, and I think Everitt would have appreciated that bit of rank-pulling. The ensign needed to learn a few lessons, too.
@danqueller: As I believe I said before, magnificent. (Mark Lenard always classes things up. )
@azniadeet: A fascinating blend of a very early (and memorable) TNG episode with all that was developed in later series regarding 'photonic' crew. Great read, thank you.
@jonsills: Grunt is always a pleasure, and I see he's still collecting strays... Also, a well-told encounter with everyone's "favorite" silent enemy, the creepy creepy Elachi.
@cmdrscarlet: Ludicrous ideas that work are the best ideas. And it was nice seeing the Nausicaan eat his proud words, along with a few kilotons of nickel-iron.
@patchouili: I'm still not sure that introducing the ISC at this juncture is a good idea, or that "Fantasy Nature" is the kind of name Starfleet would give a Galaxy-class, but I'm still reading...
@gulberat: At last, your namesake. And yes, I agree that he would have a different, and perhaps more useful, perspective to share with the New Romulans than the usual well-meaning platitudes and naivete of the Federation...
@malkarris: "It matters to this one." *wipes at a tear and smiles* (if you've read my entry for #38, you'll know what I mean.)
@ambassadormolari: That was wonderfully spooky. Along with all the other references cited, I found myself thinking of the mysterious fate of the Androsynth (from Star Control)... Amazing atmosphere, and Brax demonstrating the difference between being afraid and being useless. (Fear can be good as well as bad. It can make us act stupidly, or keep us from doing so.)
@sander: Like the Ambassador's entry, that was a morbid but fascinating read. All the ways that death (or injury) can come in space and/or battle... and Drake, up to no good as usual.
@dojegun: a tense little drama, and I don't mean the one on the stage. I encourage you to save as plain text, though, before pasting into the forums.
@gulberat: At last, your namesake. And yes, I agree that he would have a different, and perhaps more useful, perspective to share with the New Romulans than the usual well-meaning platitudes and naivete of the Federation...
He is a very AU version of a character I write in other fanfics--a character who originally came from Lois Tilton's very good DS9 novel Betrayal. He still will not be my main character in the LC's but I'm glad you liked meeting him.
Oh for sure, there are definitely elements and factions within Starfleet who would want to see Alyosya in a lab, or cashiered as an ununexeceptable risk to those around him, but not everyone is out to get him, and I suspect that if he was publicly 'outed' the favorable reactions would outweigh the negative ones...
I don't have that much faith in human nature, to be honest...not even in the 25th century. I tend to think there's still a lot of speciesism, suspicion, and generally base motives in people: they're just good at hiding it. Even a significant minority of nasty reactions could be enough to intimidate or sway the weaker among the good into making a decision against weak principles. :-/
How would he see it? Of course, one could quite rightly say that Meliden's parents could/should have made more effort to make her aware of her Cardassian heritage, rather than just treating her like a Human baby. Had she been adopted as an older child, like Worf was, she would likely have had no issue with her Cardassian appearance, but as it was, she pretty much couldn't stand the sight of herself, even going to the length of wearing her hair to deliberately cover her forehead/eyes 'emo-style'... Ironically, she does live up to the stereotypical Cardassian female, in her aptitude for engineering
Berat probably would see her parents as having contributed--though unwittingly--to the problem. :-/ He'd at least have sense enough to realize the Bowens were acting out of love rather than maliciously, but he would've preferred she be adopted by Cardassians on the Federation side of the border, such as one of the DMZ colonies that was given over to the Federation in the treaty.
But I suspect his first and foremost thought would be to see the sins of the Cardassian people and assume that was what drove Meliden's shame in her features. It is a reflection of his own perspective, that would cause his mind to go there first.
Unfortunately I suspect Meliden would notice and assume his reaction was for unkind reasons (revulsion or racism of some sort), rather than figuring out that it's because of Berat's own inner turmoil.
The fact that he had gained rank within Starfleet would certainly have earned him 'the benefit of the doubt' (where Cardassian rank would mean less than nothing to Marcus) rather than just initially viewing him as 'some cardie rapist', and given that Berat is a fellow engineer, I think they would have had enough of a common interest to be able to interact easily.
Marcus would figure Berat passed a background check?
Berat's an engineer but also has skill in the theoretical side of things too, which is why I play him as a science rather than engineering character in game.
As far as Cardassian rank goes, the way I get the idea the STO universe works, the Cardassian Defense Forces are something like the Japanese Defense Force--kept extremely small by treaty and limited in their powers. I tend to think the Federation had a heavy influence on who could stay and who had to go, or be punished, hence the formation of the True Way by some who resented that. So at least the way I'm looking at the STO universe, Berat would've been vetted three times: once by the "occupation" authorities to ensure that he was not a war criminal or Mitlaeufer who ought not be allowed to retain his commission or access to military assets, and a second time for entrance into the Starfleet-Cardassian exchange program, and a third time when the rapid promotion started.
In such a context, I wonder if Cardassian rank might mean a bit more given that in order to keep your commission you would've had to satisfy the provisional authorities as to your character.
Equally, I wonder how Berat would have felt around Marcus and Siri, knowing that they had spent five years in a Cardassian gulag for his killing two Cardassians during the occupation (a glinn and a dal) who had been attempting to commit r**e on a Bajoran child and woman, because as Marcus' attache, any contact with him (other than corridor/admiral's mess pleasantries) would have meant going through her first, and while the charge against her of espionage was certainly legitimate, Marcus' actions against the Cardassian officers were certainly justifiable, due to the atrocities they were committing.
Berat would've felt like TRIBBLE. He would be ashamed to be seen as affiliated with the soldiers who did those things and doubly ashamed that someone managed (possibly without the sanction of the official government) to punish them for what he would see as a rightful execution.
Berat is still Cardassian in some ways: he most definitely does still believe in the death penalty, and I think that in his mind sexual assault AND child abuse are both crimes deserving of capital punishment. (Even non-sexual child abuse he would view that way...his opinion is that if you intentionally harm a child, you deserve to die.) He would feel anger and shame that some Cardassians did that to Marcus simply because he did what justice should have demanded.
I think if Marcus knew Berat's internal turmoil, as someone who had undergone extensive psychotherapy himself, he would have certainly felt a kind of empathy or pity.
In the book where I got Berat from, the government slaughtered all but two members of his family on trumped-up political charges back in 2369. He was even forced by torture to cast a stone at his own father, and he was then put on a ship with an abusive commander who had him beaten, worked, and nearly starved to death and tried to use him as a fall guy for a scheme that ultimately backfired. While he was exonerated and restored to grace, this time, then followed by the Dominion War, destroyed any blind loyalty he could've had. There are still things he loves about Cardassia...but not its political structures.
Though this happened to him as an adult, giving him more stability than Marcus, this is part of why he cannot trust his people's capability to self-govern and why for a long time he wouldn't maintain a permanent residence in Cardassian space. While he may have one now, it's very close to the former DMZ, so that (as he sees it) he can make a quick run for the border should he be caught on the wrong side if something goes wrong.
He doesn't make a big advertisement, but if asked about his family, he will answer honestly as to what happened, so I suspect the death of the Berats in the purge would be known to Marcus or could easily be found out.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-) Proudly F2P.Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
The Lord English is getting ready for a diplomatic mission, but before they can start, things happen.
@hfmudd: A short and bittersweet piece about trying to save the day and coming up short. An enjoyable read.
@dojegun: That was an interesting piece, weaving the falsehoods of the theater with the all-too-real attempt at assassination.
@sander233: A good use of the 47 motif by creating a casualty list. It highlights the crew of the Tiburon better than I can hope to do.
@ambassadormolari: Creepy doors are creepy. The story was captivating to the end.
@gulberat: Mentioning the Lone Drone and Call to Arms LC's gives this story both good continuity and a very enticing draw. Giving both stories closure in this one is a splendid technique that I should give a try.
The Lord English is getting ready for a diplomatic mission, but before they can start, things happen.
Though the plot was predictable, it was well delivered and the entire story was so wonderfully absurd (especially the names of the rhyl's) I could not stop smiling. I still haven't.
PS: if the FBI knocks on the door with questions about my search history, I'm blaming you.
@sander233: A good use of the 47 motif by creating a casualty list. It highlights the crew of the Tiburon better than I can hope to do.
Thanks! One of the main goals was to point to a major element that I always leave out when writing about the crew of the Tiburon - the air wing. She's a carrier, after all, and the flight officers make up about 1/4th of the total crew. I thought some of their stories needed to be told.
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Though the plot was predictable, it was well delivered and the entire story was so wonderfully absurd (especially the names of the rhyl's) I could not stop smiling. I still haven't.
I don't have that much faith in human nature, to be honest...not even in the 25th century. I tend to think there's still a lot of speciesism, suspicion, and generally base motives in people: they're just good at hiding it. Even a significant minority of nasty reactions could be enough to intimidate or sway the weaker among the good into making a decision against weak principles. :-/
Sad as it is to admit, I think you're probably right there...
Berat probably would see her parents as having contributed--though unwittingly--to the problem. :-/ He'd at least have sense enough to realize the Bowens were acting out of love rather than maliciously, but he would've preferred she be adopted by Cardassians on the Federation side of the border, such as one of the DMZ colonies that was given over to the Federation in the treaty.
But I suspect his first and foremost thought would be to see the sins of the Cardassian people and assume that was what drove Meliden's shame in her features. It is a reflection of his own perspective, that would cause his mind to go there first.
Unfortunately I suspect Meliden would notice and assume his reaction was for unkind reasons (revulsion or racism of some sort), rather than figuring out that it's because of Berat's own inner turmoil.
It definitely sounds like they would misunderstand each other... :-\ It was my understanding of Cardassians, that although they are very big on family, orphans are considered total non-entities and essentially abandoned... That's why I figured the orphans from the destruction of the hospital were put up for adoption off-world, rather than staying closer to home. On the one hand, I would love to see Meliden dig more into her biological family, but I know that she simply has no interest in them, and views the Bowens as her only family. But on the other, as seen in the LC Interquel, she was very insistent (snappily so) that she is Cardassian, when Fletcher was confused, and not ashamed that that is what she is (like Alyosha is clearly ashamed of being Devidian) Growing up, she simply hated that she did not look the way she felt she should look, which is why she refused to have her Cardassian appearance restored, but insisted on retaining her Human 'camouflage'.
Marcus would figure Berat passed a background check?
Berat's an engineer but also has skill in the theoretical side of things too, which is why I play him as a science rather than engineering character in game.
As far as Cardassian rank goes, the way I get the idea the STO universe works, the Cardassian Defense Forces are something like the Japanese Defense Force--kept extremely small by treaty and limited in their powers. I tend to think the Federation had a heavy influence on who could stay and who had to go, or be punished, hence the formation of the True Way by some who resented that. So at least the way I'm looking at the STO universe, Berat would've been vetted three times: once by the "occupation" authorities to ensure that he was not a war criminal or Mitlaeufer who ought not be allowed to retain his commission or access to military assets, and a second time for entrance into the Starfleet-Cardassian exchange program, and a third time when the rapid promotion started.
In such a context, I wonder if Cardassian rank might mean a bit more given that in order to keep your commission you would've had to satisfy the provisional authorities as to your character.
What I was meaning, was that for many, rank carries an assumption of good character, and adherence to a certain moral code. Marcus saw Cardassian officers violate that code in the worst possible ways during his time on Bajor, not just with the attempted TRIBBLE he intervened in, but on countless other occasions, and was then imprisoned by the Cardassian judiciary of a different political structure, so he would not view Cardassian rank/authorities as anything more than costume, something bullies hid behind to justify their behaviour. The fact Berat was cleared by Starfleet, as you say, on numerous occasions, would have put his mind at ease that Berat was a decent man
Berat would've felt like TRIBBLE. He would be ashamed to be seen as affiliated with the soldiers who did those things and doubly ashamed that someone managed (possibly without the sanction of the official government) to punish them for what he would see as a rightful execution.
Berat is still Cardassian in some ways: he most definitely does still believe in the death penalty, and I think that in his mind sexual assault AND child abuse are both crimes deserving of capital punishment. (Even non-sexual child abuse he would view that way...his opinion is that if you intentionally harm a child, you deserve to die.) He would feel anger and shame that some Cardassians did that to Marcus simply because he did what justice should have demanded.
Indeed, it makes me wonder how much of it was a sanctioned trial, simply due to the length of time took for 'action to be taken' against Marcus, rather than simply requesting his extradition when he was recalled from Bajor and returned to active service. However, for Glinn Turan's son to stage a trial and have Starfleet officers indefinitely imprisoned, that would take a ludicrous amount of political clout, which I simply doubt Gul Turan had... I suspect he developed enough of a reputation and position that he gained some 'influential ears', and was able to manipulate things into occurring rather than directly orchestrating and enacting himself. Essentially the very kind of insidious deviousness Marcus warned Alix that Cardassians possessed. If Berat represents the best in Cardassians, the Turan's certainly embody the worst...
In the book where I got Berat from, the government slaughtered all but two members of his family on trumped-up political charges back in 2369. He was even forced by torture to cast a stone at his own father, and he was then put on a ship with an abusive commander who had him beaten, worked, and nearly starved to death and tried to use him as a fall guy for a scheme that ultimately backfired. While he was exonerated and restored to grace, this time, then followed by the Dominion War, destroyed any blind loyalty he could've had. There are still things he loves about Cardassia...but not its political structures.
Though this happened to him as an adult, giving him more stability than Marcus, this is part of why he cannot trust his people's capability to self-govern and why for a long time he wouldn't maintain a permanent residence in Cardassian space. While he may have one now, it's very close to the former DMZ, so that (as he sees it) he can make a quick run for the border should he be caught on the wrong side if something goes wrong.
He doesn't make a big advertisement, but if asked about his family, he will answer honestly as to what happened, so I suspect the death of the Berats in the purge would be known to Marcus or could easily be found out.
I suspect that their own internal issues would have made them avoid each other socially beyond what official business may have required of them, but I think they actually had enough common ground to have probably gotten on quite well with each other had they taken the time to do so
A short one, a personal log entry from Captain Kyle Sinclair.
I had a very different story in mind for the last week or so, involving S'rastaa taking possession of and naming his new Risian corvette. However, a recent mission undertaken as part of an ongoing RP plot (and if anyone happens to be looking for an excellent roleplaying fleet, may I recommend the 26th?) gave me something else to write about.
I don't have that much faith in human nature, to be honest...not even in the 25th century. I tend to think there's still a lot of speciesism, suspicion, and generally base motives in people: they're just good at hiding it. Even a significant minority of nasty reactions could be enough to intimidate or sway the weaker among the good into making a decision against weak principles. :-/
My assumption has been that in the spirit of Roddenberry's original utopian vision, progress has been made; however, humans (and other intelligent life-forms) are not angels, and some of them will be as we ever have been. That's why I gave such beat-up ships to Grunt the first two times - both because of the humor factor involved, and because I figured he'd run afoul of someone in Command who had a preconceived notion of what "those slippery Ferengi cowards" were like, and was blocking him from any of the good ships. Fortunately, the same sort of person made sure he got the "dregs" from Personnel, so he got "stuck" with the Pakled engineer (who turned out to be bloody brilliant), the depressive Andorian pilot (who did much better when accepted at face value), and the rest of his rag-tag crew.
OTOH, I also think there's a strong reaction against that (in my headcanon, Adm. Quinn is doing his best to stamp that sort of thing out, while still dealing with the political realities of Starfleet), which is why Grunt eventually got the Bedford and his newest ship, the Ambassador-class refit USS Claymore.
Of course, Alyosha and Berat are going to run into a lot more of that than Grunt - the stereotype of the Ferengi is the greedy, underhanded coward, not the semi-intangible psychic vampire, and the Ferengi Alliance has never actually been at war with the Federation...
Comments
Sorry, but it won't work.
The Wolfram was freshly built and commissioned for Nanoha in 2409--until then, she'd been using her previous ship, an Advanced Escort named the Excelion (which she still has, for if she needs a smaller ship without using a shuttle). And she only got command of that in 2405, in one of the first battles of the war with the Klingons.
So, yeah, you'll need to go back to the Drawing Board, maybe come up with another Drill Sergeant Nasty to have trained Rusty.
Sorry about that.
No worries!
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Gotcha.
If you want my help designing an alternate idea, just let me know. :cool:
Absolutely so, it'll be interesting to see how his situation resolves itself :cool:
I liked it, especially the idea of Ben and Maria collaborating over her treatment :cool:
Of course, as the saying goes, "It's not paranoid if they really are out to get you." And there are some people who really have gone out of their way to give Alyosha a hard time. T'Nae's behavior really was quite off, for instance.
But Berat has a type of openness that makes people feel comfortable around him.
Berat, however, would see it through the lens of his own experiences and attitudes--which can be quite disillusioned with and sickened by the Cardassian power structure (both what it was pre-war, and the True Way that is trying to go back to those ways).
While Berat's ascension to rank in Starfleet happened with freakish rapidity due to the circumstances described (basically, Starfleet's besieged on all fronts and desperate), I know Berat had reached the admiralty during the final year or so of Marcus Kane's life.
How would Marcus have received Berat as a colleague?
And what would his reaction have been to see a Cardassian so conflicted about his own people? Would he have seen it as just deserts, or recognized instead that it is a source of turmoil within Berat that isn't all that pleasant to endure?
Thanks.
And I also couldn't help but think that he would know just how inadequate the dialogue options provided to you in the game are for a situation like that.
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oh wow, Lovecraftian horror in space. Love it.
"he's as dangerous as a ferret with a chainsaw."
Oh for sure, there are definitely elements and factions within Starfleet who would want to see Alyosya in a lab, or cashiered as an ununexeceptable risk to those around him, but not everyone is out to get him, and I suspect that if he was publicly 'outed' the favorable reactions would outweigh the negative ones...
How would he see it? Of course, one could quite rightly say that Meliden's parents could/should have made more effort to make her aware of her Cardassian heritage, rather than just treating her like a Human baby. Had she been adopted as an older child, like Worf was, she would likely have had no issue with her Cardassian appearance, but as it was, she pretty much couldn't stand the sight of herself, even going to the length of wearing her hair to deliberately cover her forehead/eyes 'emo-style'... Ironically, she does live up to the stereotypical Cardassian female, in her aptitude for engineering
The fact that he had gained rank within Starfleet would certainly have earned him 'the benefit of the doubt' (where Cardassian rank would mean less than nothing to Marcus) rather than just initially viewing him as 'some cardie rapist', and given that Berat is a fellow engineer, I think they would have had enough of a common interest to be able to interact easily. Equally, I wonder how Berat would have felt around Marcus and Siri, knowing that they had spent five years in a Cardassian gulag for his killing two Cardassians during the occupation (a glinn and a dal) who had been attempting to commit r**e on a Bajoran child and woman, because as Marcus' attache, any contact with him (other than corridor/admiral's mess pleasantries) would have meant going through her first, and while the charge against her of espionage was certainly legitimate, Marcus' actions against the Cardassian officers were certainly justifiable, due to the atrocities they were committing.
I think if Marcus knew Berat's internal turmoil, as someone who had undergone extensive psychotherapy himself, he would have certainly felt a kind of empathy or pity.
Very sinister, I like it :cool: Brax is certainly proving himself nicely :cool:
Wonderful! I really enjoyed this one
...still reading others...
Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
@dojegun - work in progress, I hope?
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Yeah, the inspiration came a little from Lovecraft, and a little from Dr. Who. The main inspiration, though, came from Event Horizon (re: the idea of supernatural horror on a spaceship)
Thanks!
As the story indicated, sometimes it comes in handy to be Ferengi/have an overdeveloped sense of paranoia.
And now for some reviews:
@sander: Very nice follow up to The Road to Ruin! You've left things pretty ominous, with half the major characters on the Tiburon either seriously injured/dying or psychologically unstable. What I find myself wondering, though, is what will become of the Tiburon herself, given how badly the Fek'Ihri maimed her.
@dojegun: Interesting variation on the "there are 47" title. The dialogue was really well-written.
@marcusdkane: A nice bit of action there. Admiral Kane 1, a lot of very confused Romulans 0.
@patrickngo: I always appreciate that your stories delve into the darker bits of the Star Trek universe that are rarely touched upon. Darker bits like small unit ops, war crimes, and things like seemingly upstanding Federation officers defecting to the other side. Well done, as always.
I had a very different story in mind for the last week or so, involving S'rastaa taking possession of and naming his new Risian corvette. However, a recent mission undertaken as part of an ongoing RP plot (and if anyone happens to be looking for an excellent roleplaying fleet, may I recommend the 26th?) gave me something else to write about.
This is her new loadout.
This a pic of her the ship yard.
And this is a pic of the final result.
She'll be back in action soon enough...
EDIT: by the way, what'd you think of Part IX?
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Very nice.
Do feel free to shoehorn a certain Romulan intelligence operative into that particular story if you so wish.
Ed: and I'll be commenting on Part IX in its own thread in just a few seconds.
@aten: nice to get Skippy, er, Son'aire's List.
@wraithshadow: Ah, Q. Irrepressible as always. (Even when it's another Q. No, not that one. Or that one.) And the stuff with the eggs was very nice, reminding me not only of "Tin Man" and all the Gekli missions in-game, but also the classic original, the "Devil in the Dark" (really just a desperate mother).
@superhombre: A farewell well made, and I think Everitt would have appreciated that bit of rank-pulling. The ensign needed to learn a few lessons, too.
@danqueller: As I believe I said before, magnificent. (Mark Lenard always classes things up.
@azniadeet: A fascinating blend of a very early (and memorable) TNG episode with all that was developed in later series regarding 'photonic' crew. Great read, thank you.
@jonsills: Grunt is always a pleasure, and I see he's still collecting strays... Also, a well-told encounter with everyone's "favorite" silent enemy, the creepy creepy Elachi.
@cmdrscarlet: Ludicrous ideas that work are the best ideas. And it was nice seeing the Nausicaan eat his proud words, along with a few kilotons of nickel-iron.
@patchouili: I'm still not sure that introducing the ISC at this juncture is a good idea, or that "Fantasy Nature" is the kind of name Starfleet would give a Galaxy-class, but I'm still reading...
@gulberat: At last, your namesake. And yes, I agree that he would have a different, and perhaps more useful, perspective to share with the New Romulans than the usual well-meaning platitudes and naivete of the Federation...
@malkarris: "It matters to this one." *wipes at a tear and smiles* (if you've read my entry for #38, you'll know what I mean.)
@ambassadormolari: That was wonderfully spooky. Along with all the other references cited, I found myself thinking of the mysterious fate of the Androsynth (from Star Control)... Amazing atmosphere, and Brax demonstrating the difference between being afraid and being useless. (Fear can be good as well as bad. It can make us act stupidly, or keep us from doing so.)
@sander: Like the Ambassador's entry, that was a morbid but fascinating read. All the ways that death (or injury) can come in space and/or battle... and Drake, up to no good as usual.
@dojegun: a tense little drama, and I don't mean the one on the stage. I encourage you to save as plain text, though, before pasting into the forums.
He is a very AU version of a character I write in other fanfics--a character who originally came from Lois Tilton's very good DS9 novel Betrayal. He still will not be my main character in the LC's but I'm glad you liked meeting him.
I don't have that much faith in human nature, to be honest...not even in the 25th century. I tend to think there's still a lot of speciesism, suspicion, and generally base motives in people: they're just good at hiding it. Even a significant minority of nasty reactions could be enough to intimidate or sway the weaker among the good into making a decision against weak principles. :-/
Berat probably would see her parents as having contributed--though unwittingly--to the problem. :-/ He'd at least have sense enough to realize the Bowens were acting out of love rather than maliciously, but he would've preferred she be adopted by Cardassians on the Federation side of the border, such as one of the DMZ colonies that was given over to the Federation in the treaty.
But I suspect his first and foremost thought would be to see the sins of the Cardassian people and assume that was what drove Meliden's shame in her features. It is a reflection of his own perspective, that would cause his mind to go there first.
Unfortunately I suspect Meliden would notice and assume his reaction was for unkind reasons (revulsion or racism of some sort), rather than figuring out that it's because of Berat's own inner turmoil.
Marcus would figure Berat passed a background check?
Berat's an engineer but also has skill in the theoretical side of things too, which is why I play him as a science rather than engineering character in game.
As far as Cardassian rank goes, the way I get the idea the STO universe works, the Cardassian Defense Forces are something like the Japanese Defense Force--kept extremely small by treaty and limited in their powers. I tend to think the Federation had a heavy influence on who could stay and who had to go, or be punished, hence the formation of the True Way by some who resented that. So at least the way I'm looking at the STO universe, Berat would've been vetted three times: once by the "occupation" authorities to ensure that he was not a war criminal or Mitlaeufer who ought not be allowed to retain his commission or access to military assets, and a second time for entrance into the Starfleet-Cardassian exchange program, and a third time when the rapid promotion started.
In such a context, I wonder if Cardassian rank might mean a bit more given that in order to keep your commission you would've had to satisfy the provisional authorities as to your character.
Berat would've felt like TRIBBLE.
Berat is still Cardassian in some ways: he most definitely does still believe in the death penalty, and I think that in his mind sexual assault AND child abuse are both crimes deserving of capital punishment. (Even non-sexual child abuse he would view that way...his opinion is that if you intentionally harm a child, you deserve to die.) He would feel anger and shame that some Cardassians did that to Marcus simply because he did what justice should have demanded.
In the book where I got Berat from, the government slaughtered all but two members of his family on trumped-up political charges back in 2369. He was even forced by torture to cast a stone at his own father, and he was then put on a ship with an abusive commander who had him beaten, worked, and nearly starved to death and tried to use him as a fall guy for a scheme that ultimately backfired. While he was exonerated and restored to grace, this time, then followed by the Dominion War, destroyed any blind loyalty he could've had. There are still things he loves about Cardassia...but not its political structures.
Though this happened to him as an adult, giving him more stability than Marcus, this is part of why he cannot trust his people's capability to self-govern and why for a long time he wouldn't maintain a permanent residence in Cardassian space. While he may have one now, it's very close to the former DMZ, so that (as he sees it) he can make a quick run for the border should he be caught on the wrong side if something goes wrong.
He doesn't make a big advertisement, but if asked about his family, he will answer honestly as to what happened, so I suspect the death of the Berats in the purge would be known to Marcus or could easily be found out.
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@hfmudd: A short and bittersweet piece about trying to save the day and coming up short. An enjoyable read.
@dojegun: That was an interesting piece, weaving the falsehoods of the theater with the all-too-real attempt at assassination.
@sander233: A good use of the 47 motif by creating a casualty list. It highlights the crew of the Tiburon better than I can hope to do.
@ambassadormolari: Creepy doors are creepy. The story was captivating to the end.
@gulberat: Mentioning the Lone Drone and Call to Arms LC's gives this story both good continuity and a very enticing draw. Giving both stories closure in this one is a splendid technique that I should give a try.
Literary Challenges Entries- Star Trek Online: Lord English
Dramatis Personae of Star Trek Online: Lord English
PS: if the FBI knocks on the door with questions about my search history, I'm blaming you.
Thanks! One of the main goals was to point to a major element that I always leave out when writing about the crew of the Tiburon - the air wing. She's a carrier, after all, and the flight officers make up about 1/4th of the total crew. I thought some of their stories needed to be told.
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Gotta catch 'em all.
No that's it. I hope there aren't too many problems with grammar and spelling.
Would you add, correct something or are you referring to the end?
I forgot that some punctuation marks are replaced when you copy-paste from Word. Thanks for reminding me. I'll go back and correct the mistakes.
It definitely sounds like they would misunderstand each other... :-\ It was my understanding of Cardassians, that although they are very big on family, orphans are considered total non-entities and essentially abandoned... That's why I figured the orphans from the destruction of the hospital were put up for adoption off-world, rather than staying closer to home. On the one hand, I would love to see Meliden dig more into her biological family, but I know that she simply has no interest in them, and views the Bowens as her only family. But on the other, as seen in the LC Interquel, she was very insistent (snappily so) that she is Cardassian, when Fletcher was confused, and not ashamed that that is what she is (like Alyosha is clearly ashamed of being Devidian) Growing up, she simply hated that she did not look the way she felt she should look, which is why she refused to have her Cardassian appearance restored, but insisted on retaining her Human 'camouflage'.
What I was meaning, was that for many, rank carries an assumption of good character, and adherence to a certain moral code. Marcus saw Cardassian officers violate that code in the worst possible ways during his time on Bajor, not just with the attempted TRIBBLE he intervened in, but on countless other occasions, and was then imprisoned by the Cardassian judiciary of a different political structure, so he would not view Cardassian rank/authorities as anything more than costume, something bullies hid behind to justify their behaviour. The fact Berat was cleared by Starfleet, as you say, on numerous occasions, would have put his mind at ease that Berat was a decent man
Indeed, it makes me wonder how much of it was a sanctioned trial, simply due to the length of time took for 'action to be taken' against Marcus, rather than simply requesting his extradition when he was recalled from Bajor and returned to active service. However, for Glinn Turan's son to stage a trial and have Starfleet officers indefinitely imprisoned, that would take a ludicrous amount of political clout, which I simply doubt Gul Turan had... I suspect he developed enough of a reputation and position that he gained some 'influential ears', and was able to manipulate things into occurring rather than directly orchestrating and enacting himself. Essentially the very kind of insidious deviousness Marcus warned Alix that Cardassians possessed. If Berat represents the best in Cardassians, the Turan's certainly embody the worst...
I suspect that their own internal issues would have made them avoid each other socially beyond what official business may have required of them, but I think they actually had enough common ground to have probably gotten on quite well with each other had they taken the time to do so
Very nice entry :cool:
I like it :cool:
OTOH, I also think there's a strong reaction against that (in my headcanon, Adm. Quinn is doing his best to stamp that sort of thing out, while still dealing with the political realities of Starfleet), which is why Grunt eventually got the Bedford and his newest ship, the Ambassador-class refit USS Claymore.
Of course, Alyosha and Berat are going to run into a lot more of that than Grunt - the stereotype of the Ferengi is the greedy, underhanded coward, not the semi-intangible psychic vampire, and the Ferengi Alliance has never actually been at war with the Federation...