Dr Telano

“Blessings on the new Kai!” The voices were happy and jubilant and surrounded him, filling him with warmth and comfort. He looked around the room at the faces of all the Vedics who had just completed their voting process and elected him to lead them into a new era. Kai Wynn had died under mysterious circumstances. Few really knew what had happened, but it did not matter. A new Kai had been chosen to lead Bajor into a new and prosperous future. Kai Telano, would usher in a new age of Bajor, an age of peace, prosperity and hope. It was everything he had ever dreamed of.. “This is not your path” The voice pierced the din of happy well-wishers and brought total silence as it pierced Ren’s heart as well. He turned to see a new figure stepping thru a nearby doorway. “Opaka…” Ren whispered in reverence mixed with fear and trepidation. “I.. I don’t understand..” Kai Opaka stepped forward and smiled “You DO understand, this is NOT your path, you have chosen another.” Ren began to disagree but before he could he looked down to see he was no longer wearing the robes he had been adorned with, instead he was wearing the dingy tattered clothing he had worn as a member of the resistance. He also noticed his hands, which were bathed in blood. “NO! NOOOOOOOO!” Ren dropped to his knees with a blood curdling yell. “Oh by the Prophets no.. this was not the path I choose.. Please help me!” He looked back up but instead of the friendly face of Kai Opaka he was confronted with a face that had tormented him all these years. A nameless Cardassian soldier, staring at him with pained eyes as a disruptor blast smoldered in his chest. A disrupter blast Ren had shot. The first person Ren had ever killed. The first of many, the first of far too many for him to ever forget. “You did choose this path, you choose it when you killed me.” Ren lowered his head to the ground, tears streaming down his face. “Prophets no.. not this.. please.” “You have walked this path for some time now, it is the path you have chosen.” Ren looked up again and released a plaintive sob at the sight of a wide field of bodies. All dead, all killed by his hand. Ren lowered his head to the ground again as guilt and shame washed over him. So many dead, so many killed by this so called man of peace. He had betrayed everything he was brought up to be. All his hopes and dreams shattered. The path he had chosen was death and murder. “NO! This is not your path.” Ren looked up at the familiar voice and saw that the field of corpses were gone, replaced by an array of smiling familiar faces. The closest belonged to Hayden Dacotah. “Hayden?” The nearby woman smiled and helped Ren to his feet. “You save so many more lives than you have taken. You bring life. THAT is your path.” Ren looked down again and saw that his ragged garb had been replaced once again, this time with his Starfleet Uniform. “This is your path.” BJ Honeycutt said as he stepped from the crowd, gesturing back at the sea of smiling faces, all people he had saved or helped in some way with his medicine. Ruca Netani appeared out of the crowd “Focus on the Lives, not the deaths. Accept the path that you have chosen.” Ren let out a soft gasp as he removed his hands from the carved wood of the Orb’s box. Before him the orb sparkled and hummed as it spun slowly in it’s finely crafted case. He closed the doors to the case and stood slowly, tears slowly running down his cheeks. “Did the Prophets grant you what you wanted Ren?” Ren turned and noted that Vedic Marna had returned, as if she had known when he would be done with his Orb Experience. “No, not what I wanted.. but what I needed.” Ren said softly. “Such is often the way of the Prophets Ren.” Ren nodded and smiled. The Orb had given him clarity that he desperately needed. The path he had chosen WAS the correct one, and the good he had done these past years far outweighed the necessary evils. “It’s been wonderful having you at the Monastery this past week Ren, but I feel your visit is coming to an end.” Ren took her hands in his and smiled “Yes, I am needed elsewhere. I have to Rendezvous with the Arcadia before it leaves P’jem.” Marna smiled and walked with Ren back to the room he had used during his stay. “I am glad you choose to come home to us instead of visiting the Vulcans on P’jem Ren.” “As am I, though I respect the Vulcans, I doubt they could have helped me as much as my stay here has.” “It has truly helped then?” “Yes.. I am still absorbing what I saw in the vision, but it has brought me clarity. It has reaffirmed my faith in the path I choose all those years ago when I left you.” “You did the right thing.” Marna said “I’ve never understood why it’s been so hard for you to accept that. It’s always been apparent to me.” Ren shook his head “We don’t always see our own lives as clearly as we see those we seek to help, but I understand and accept it now. I’m no Vedic, but I am a Doctor, and it’s what I am meant to be.” The old woman nodded and smiled “Yes, now that we have that cleared up, I have this nagging pain in my back that I’ve been meaning to speak with you about..” The two of them laughed as they continued down the hallway. Ren was happy he had returned to Bajor, but was anxious to return to the Arcadia and resume the path that he had chosen.

All the sights she could have seen in New York and Dac had to see the Nekid Cowboy. Of course I believe I know who her tour guide was so it doesn't surprise me as much as it should :D Dr Telano Ren

So, basicaly you are arresting someone for something they haven't done. That just seems wrong to me. You could say you are saving the life of the person who was supposedly going to be murdered, but I just don't buy it. If you propose that they were "meant" to kill this person, then you also have to accept that this person was "meant" to die. Again the idea of "Time Cops" become ludicrous. Dr Telano Ren

Well, if you ask me the entire concept of "Temporal Police" is ludicrous. "Oh look, someone mucked up the timeline. Lets go mess with it some more!" As to the question would I change yesterday to alter tommorow.. well, Telano Ren would tell you it's pointless to attempt to alter what the Prophets have set before us.. Speaking as a previous character tho.. Yes, I did. Took it upon myself to change the entire timeline of our sim to bring back a friend and crewmate who had died. Dr Telano Ren Chief Medical Officer USS Arcadia

Is Columbus a hero? Absolutely not, everything he did was based on money. As has been mentioned he wanted a faster route to the east and the lucrative trade exports that could be obtained there. (I suppose one could offer that his pursit of profit would make him a hero to the Ferengi? :D ) I was watching The History Channel the other day as I'm known to do now and then, and they made an interesting point I had never considered. Columbus was an Italian, and in his day Venice Italy was THE trade empire in the world. They had built a huge fleet and were the hub of all trade coming into Europe from the East. In fact the only city that rivaled them for the longest time was Constantinople, and low and behold when the Crusades came along the Venitians were only too happy to help finance the French Crusaders and carry them to the Holy Land.. on the condition that the crusaders attacked Constantinople first. Today the greatest treasures of Constaninople can be found in.. that's right.. Venice. But I digress. What's interesting is Columbus was indeed an italian, but the Italians would not sponsor his voyage. Ol' Chris went to other nations, promising that any nation that supported him would become THE new merchant power in the world. The spanish agreed, Columbus went and did his sailing thing, and his discoveries shifted importance from the Mediteranian to the Atlantic. Atlantic nations like England, Spain, and Portugal quickly surpassed Venice as the merchentile powers of the world, all due to the discovery of an Italian... Okay long winded but interesting, at least I thought so.. :D

I find it interesting that Star Fleet is considered "The Military". While Star Fleet does indeed provide protection from threats such as the Dominion and the Borg, it's primary function is Exploration, which would greatly appeal to many Vulcans. Also you cannot group all Vulcans as pacifists. If protection of the Alpha Quadrant is the only reason a Vulcan would enter conflict, then why were there Vulcan members of the Maqui? Surely they found no logical reason to join such a cause, I propose they joined for the same reason everyone else joined the maquis. They felt that the plight of the colonists in the DMZ was wrong, and in fact they felt strongly enough to act upon those feelings. Yes, Vulcans do have feelings and emotions that guide them just as they guide any other race. Vulcans simply have more control over those emotions and usualy think things through a little more than most races would (or a lot more as the case may be). As for Caitians, yes I agree that the Animated Series is "canon" or whatever we need to call it. I also agree that the cat faced aliens on the council would be Caitians, while the hissing creature that attacked Kirk is questionable. There are in fact several felinoid races in the galaxy, Jurag for example is not a Caitian but indeed a Felinian as mentioned. Actualy 1/3 Felinian to be exact. This is a similar but completely seperate race of feline humanoids. Dr Telano Ren Chief Medical Officer USS Arcadia

Ren stood silently as the turbo lift swiftly descended from the bridge to lower decks. There has been an explosion in the cargo bay and sickbay had to be prepared. As much as he trusted his staff, as the Chief Medical Officer he felt he had to personally oversee the emergency. Chief Medical Officer.. How had that happened? The shock of it was still settling in, and he blamed that shock for his inability to recognize a slowly developing pattern in their opponent’s strategy. He was sitting right there on the bridge, watching the ship on the view screen as it made a sharp turn and warped off. Why didn’t he see it coming? That turn and warp maneuver was an easily recognizable maneuver, as was the mine that was waiting for the Arcadia when they tried to follow. The shuttle explosion, which of course killed no one and was meant to keep the crew busy investigating when we should be pursuing. These were all familiar tactics, all used by the Maquis in their fight against the Cardassians. So who were we up against that knew old Maquis tricks? Those Maquis who were not captured by the Federation as Ren had been, or sent to the Delta Quadrant in the Voyager mishap were all dead, Slaughtered by the Dominion. To the Dominion, the Maquis that had plagued their new Cardassians allies were but a minor nuisance. Between founder infiltration and Jem’hadar raids, not a single Maquis cell survived; save those few smart enough to surrender to the Federation when they saw what was happening. So who was it? Who knew all the old tricks and what purpose could they have for being in this region, let alone fighting against a Federation Starship. Was it revenge? To what purpose? The Cardassians are a shattered people now. The Dominion War left them in even worse shape then they had left Bajor, an Irony Ren tried best not to enjoy. Revenge against the Federation for not helping us when we needed it? Again, to what purpose? They did what they had to just as we did what we had to. Ren had never blamed the Federation, the Maquis had simply done what their rules and regulations wouldn’t allow them to do. The purpose is the key, because understanding that and understanding what they want would give insight in how they would most likely seek to achieve it. Whoever is behind this is relying on old tricks, knowing as Ren does that there are few people still out there who would recognize them, let alone know how to counter them. He also recognized some creativity in the use of these strategies. They were dealing with someone who uses established strategy, but has enough creativity to expand and improve on them. Going down a list of survivors Ren knew of, he came across a few notable individuals who fit that, but there was no way to know who without more information. Ren would have to think on that, and speak with the Captain. He had no idea what kind of experience Captain Moose had with the Maquis and the kind of tactics they used. He had to be ready for the kind of unorthodox tactics that they would continue to use against him. First however, Ren had to know what they wanted. Ren had devoted his life to the Maquis, had admired their conviction to go against public opinion to help the Bajorans and the innocents in the border regions. What were these mysterious Maquis remnants up to? Were they trying to free the slaves on that resort planet? Could Ren truly act against that cause? Was helping the Captain and Crew of the Arcadia the right thing to do? That would all have to wait however, for the Turbo Lift had reached its destination, and Ren could already hear the commotion of preparations down the hall in Sickbay. Thankfully there was plenty of work for Ren to do, plenty to help him ignore the troubling questions brewing in his head.

Name: Telano Ren Rank: Lieutenant Race: Bajoran Planet of Origin: Bajor Sex: Male Age: 32 Height: 5' 6" Weight: 130 lbs. Telano Ren was born on Bajor and chosen early for life as a Vedic. He was sent to a monastery to be trained before his 5th birthday. While he grew up during the occupation, his sheltered childhood made for a more pleasant life than others his age were experiencing. It was not until his mid teens that he was able to see what was happening outside the monastery and truly understand the horrors of the Cardassian Occupation. As he began to realize how bad things were outside the monastery, Ren began to question why he lived a privileged life while others suffered horribly. The Vedics scolded him for questioning the will of the Prophets, and Ren quickly learned to keep his concerns and questions to himself. At the age of 18, Ren was allowed a sitting with the Orb of Prophecy. He has never told anyone what he saw that day, but it disturbed him greatly. He became even more convinced that it was wrong for him to be safe and sheltered while thousands of his people gave their lives struggling against the occupation. A turning point came when he received a visitor one day in the garden he was tending. "Why are you here?" The question took him by surprise, but the fact that it was Kai Opaka herself that spoke them surprised him even more. He stammered an apology and tried to explain that he had been asked to work in this garden, but she simply smiled and stopped him. "No child, you do not belong HERE, you path is elsewhere." Ren did not understand, but when the Kai approached him and gently grasped his ear, he was suddenly flooded by images from his Orb experience, and suddenly gained new understanding of them. "The path you walk has been chosen for you, you must find your own path." The very next day, ignoring the protests of his mentors, Ren packed up his meager belongings and left the Monastery. He wandered blindly, not really knowing where he was going, until he stumbled onto a battle between Bajoran Dissidents and Cardassian Forces. He was injured and lost consciousness. When he awoke, an elderly Bajoran was tending to his wound. The two spoke, and Ren learned that the woman had been a farmer's wife, but her husband had been killed in the fighting and her home had been destroyed. As she told him about how she had come to join the dissidents and use her knowledge of plants and herbs to heal, Ren realized he had found his path. He requested that she teach him all she knew about the healing arts. He learned quickly and knew that he had indeed found his path. When his cherished mentor was killed in battle a year later, he was ready to take her place as the cell's medic. Ren was a pacifist, and was happy to treat the wounded and care for the injured. He was troubled by the violence around him, but knew in his heart this was the path the prophets had chosen for him. Even after the Cardassians left Bajor, he and his friends continued the battle, leaving Bajor and venturing into the disputed territories between Federation and Cardassian territory. They were among those who first came together and called themselves the Maqui, fighting Cardassian aggression and terror in the Demilitarized zone. The fighting was harsh and Ren's pacifistic principles were put to the test, and finally broken. During the evacuation of a Maqui base, a squad of Cardassians arrived and fighting ensued. Ren was simply trying to move the wounded to safety when a Cardassian broke into the room and leveled his weapon. Ren had but an instant to act, he grabbed a weapon and fired. He knew nothing of weapon settings, and killed the Cardassian. He was horrified at first, but quickly realized that this too was the will of the Prophets. He could not protect those he cared for if he was unwilling to fight for them. In his years with the Maqui he learned more about combat medicine than most doctors can even contemplate. His pacifistic nature was buried beneath his need to protect and defend those under his care. Eventually, Ren and several of his Maqui Cell were captured by Federation forces. He was deported back to Bajor, where he was set free. The Bajoran government did not look upon fighting Cardassians as much of a crime. Unable to return to the life of a Vedic after all that had happened, Ren decided to pursue a medical career. Despite his Maqui involvement, he was able to gain entry into Starfleet Academy where he excelled at his studies and impressed his instructors with his experience. Upon graduation he served a short tour of duty on the USS Ranger, but was called back to Starfleet Medical a year later. The instructor of Starfleet’s limited combat medicine training had been impressed with Ren's experience, and more impressed with Ren's comments that the training had been inadequate and totally unrealistic. With the Dominion War looming, Ren's combat experience was critical in developing a more "down and dirty" kind of combat medical training. The first students who went thru Ren's newly developed courses were horrified by the conditions he created (Replicated from his own experiences really), but many later appreciated the preparation when they went off to serve in the Dominion War. When the war ended, Ren tried to remove himself from combat and choose to pursue research instead. It was his breakthrough work with newly discovered Borg technology that got him noticed. He had worked with material brought back by Voyager from the Delta Quadrant. Recognizing that his work would be better suited out in the Galaxy rather than sheltered on Earth, he was assigned to USS Arcadia as head of medical research.