DISCLAIMER: The Star Trek characters are the property of Paramount Studios, Inc and Viacom. The story contents are the creation and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2001 by Djinn. This story is Rated G.
Reflections – Broken Bow
by Djinn
Greetings, T'Kan. I had not intended to contact you again so
soon, but I find, my cousin, that I need to speak of the things that have
happened, and there is no one I trust as much as you. As I told you, I have been serving as science
officer for this ship's first voyage. It
has been a challenging mission. Not at
all what I foresaw when
Truly, my cousin, I am at
somewhat of a loss to explain the conflicting nature of humans. You have been sheltered from contact with
those of Earth. I have found, since
joining them on this ship, that they are not entirely
as the reports say. Not that our
diplomats have tried to deceive us; I believe their reports reflect what they
see. But our ambassadors have been so
isolated, so cloistered. I was part of
that community; I remember how we kept ourselves so carefully separate and I
think that being apart is not the best way to understand the human
character. I have seen more in these few
days than in all my time on Earth with the diplomatic service. Seen, heard, smelled, tasted, even touched. A most intense experience.
Intense. The word is
apt when discussing a human. The very
atmosphere here is intense. Their
interactions are intense. Their likes, dislikes, biases, wishes, objections...all intense. They expend so much psychic energy on every
single act that one would expect them to eventually waste away from sheer
exhaustion. Yet they thrive on their
emotional excesses. They appear to enjoy
them. And enjoyment seems to be a factor
critical to everyday life. It is true
that these people are entranced by their own pleasures, their own urges and
desires. Yet, in a strange way, they do
exhibit a form of efficiency and cohesive discipline. They appear intensely loyal to those things
and people they care about. And extremely vocal in defending the same. Even to the commanding officer. Even to me.
I did not expect to be in
command of this ship, but I knew that if I was forced to step in, to take over
for some reason, that I would respond to the task in a logical manner. But cousin, I have not. I have responded to the emotions of my
shipmates. I acted in a manner at odds
with prudence. And yet, I do not regret
the action. I have analyzed the events
that transpired and my behavior. I did
not perform in a way that my superiors would have considered correct. But I believe that I acted in accordance with
the situation and what it required. The
world is different outside of the case studies...very different.
I find myself anticipating
learning more of these differences. I am
in a unique position, T'Kan. I have a rare opportunity to discover in an
organic way the differences and the similarities between the humans and
us. When I first boarded this ship, I
was sure that our differences would be far more apparent. But I am learning that we might have more
things in common than I ever believed. I
will tell you more when I contact you next.
For now, I must go. I promised
the communications officer that I would teach her our dialect. She is the first human I have met that does not
mangle our language. It is...refreshing.
T'Pol out.
FIN