USS PATRIOT: Various (Disaster on my watch")

From: Alix Fowler (selyara_at_hotmail.com)
Date: Fri Feb 09 2007 - 10:19:05 PST


"Disaster on my watch"
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Location: USS PATRIOT
Stardate: 2.70209.1316
Scene: Captain's ready room

Some say that hearing voices is a sign of insanity. Others say it's only a 
problem when you start answering them. Of course, by either definition, 
Helice was crazy.  She stared at the pile of reports on the table and back 
at Ben and then at the High Priest who was sitting across from her.

"So, what now." Helice said, rubbing her head. "I'm not sure we've stopped 
anything at all, if anything, our presence has really just created more 
problems, especially since we were unable to stop the assassinations."

**If you ask me, which, I notice you haven't.** Tarnak's voice entered into 
her mind in that obnoxious pushy way it had **This sort of religious 
zealotism can only be counteracted one of two ways. One, you find someone of 
sound and reasonable mind, and you go and find someone who you can hold up 
as their 'nearly perfect one' and have them work to restore the government 
and balance of the planet. Two, you assume that the basis of their religion 
is not complete allegory and examine the literature and see exactly why and 
how this last system of government was created, and if, indeed there was a 
real historical figure whose works were attributed to the 'nearly perfect 
one'.**

"I didn't ask you!" Helice gritted out in frustration. Kenta make a low 
chuckling noise, guessing at the reason for his CO's sudden outburst, while 
the alien stared at her like she had suddenly sprouted an extra head. 
"Sorry. I just... Well, I sometimes talk to myself... But I suppose it was a 
valid point. Listen, you guys have tried fighting this in a sectarian way, 
but just look how ingrained religious perspectives are in your culture, 
perhaps the best way of beating down the rebel uprising and restoring peace 
is to look at the way your religious texts say that order was restored by 
this 'nearly perfect one' and why exactly it worked. Or..."

"Or?" The priest prompted as Helice trailed off.

"Or else you could always find someone to pretend they're the 'Nearly 
Perfect One.'" Helice said quietly. "It's underhanded, dishonest, and no 
doubt herecy, but it might be better than just letting the situation 
degenerate any more than it has."

"We could, but it would be a disservice to everyone. Besides, I think that 
the Nearly Perfect One still exists." The Alien folded his arms. Helice 
sighed and massaged her temples, biting back the urge to voice Tarnak's 
sarcastic (one of the first human traits he'd managed to pick up to her 
dismay) remarks about the logic in believing that some being lived in the 
center of the planet and came to bail them out of trouble like a sort of 
world nanny.

"Right. Well I'll tell you what." Helice sighed. "You come up with evidence 
to support that theory, have Catherine help you, and then I'll consider 
sending another party on your wild goose chase. In the meantime, I want the 
rest of our team and security members to go down to the planet and start 
negotiating a temporary cessation of hostilities and rioting, and I want the 
remainder of the government to sit down and hear from the people exactly 
what they want. Get Half-tail to sit in on this, even if you have to 
separate his signal and beam him to the sit down, get Jarvis to sit down, 
and we'll try to talk some sense into all of them. Meanwhile I'd like Daniel 
and Kel to see if they can't track backwards and find out who *is* 
responsible for this mess. If it's Half-Tail, then we need to know that and 
we need proof to show the public, we need to show them that this is the 
machinations of an opportunistic *mortal* not signs of the apocalypse."
&* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NRPG: Sorry this took so long to get out, I had minor issues with a sudden 
deadline for part of my thesis, and major problems in the lab. It's short, 
but it gives us an end in view. Basically we're winding this mission to a 
close, I expect to end it in the next week and a half or so, so this is one 
last push for posting :) Good job everyone!



Alix Fowler
<selyara_at_hotmail.com>
Captain Helice Jones
CO
USS PATRIOT

"A dew sufficed itself
And satisfied a leaf,
And said
How vast a destiny
How trivial is life."
-Emily Dickenson.

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