Views Past and Present

[Capt Ayers 0]

Have you ever wondered why there are so many dead worlds out there, let me tell you why - its because despite the best advice of people who know what they are talking about, other people insist on doing the most massively stupid things.

--Galen, Babylon 5

 

 

 

Nick hands the PADD containing the Admiral's orders to Ethan before stepping down to the large windows off to one side of the Control Tower. The Admiral's timing couldn't have possibly been worse. Nick didn't need the responsibility for the entire system laid on his shoulders when actions he had just taken put the fate of an entire civilization up in the air.

 

When he had found the information regarding the Rixians and their origins he had found himself facing what could only be described as a Kobayashi Maru scenario. Though it was no longer used in the Academy due to the scenario being long outdated, the grief and consternation the Kobayashi Maru had inflicted on Cadets had caused the "no-win" scenario to take on infamous and legendary status, to the point that each scenario that was developed after it to take its place quickly earned the nickname of "Kobayashi Maru." It had become the classic no-win scenario against which all others had come to be measured against.

 

He had watched the recording more times then he cared to remember. Not that he needed to, each detail of it was etched in his mind from the first viewing. Like with his memories from the Battle of Wolf or the Cardassian War, it would not fade from his mind no matter how much he may wish it would.

 

On one hand he could have withheld the information and watched the Rixians slowly die off one by one in ignorance of what was actually afflicting them. And that choice did have it's rational appeal. It's not like he owed them anything besides basic compassion. They were a sentient, if lesser developed, race and according to his beliefs, both as a Starfleet Officer as well as an El Aurian, they had the right to their natural development and their own choices. Even if those choices did lead them to destruction it was not his place to interfere. His people had watched countless races die out, they had watched humanity itself nearly die out due to its World Wars and they had not lifted a finger because they understood they could not. That it was not their place to decide who lived and who died. Unlike the loathsome Q, the El Aurians did not suffer from delusions of godhood.

 

On the other hand, over 1000 years earlier the pre-Rixians had come to the El Aurians asking for help and his people had attempted to give it. Nick doesn't know the reasons behind the choice his people had made then and it doesn't really matter as he would likely never know. As close a relationship as he had with his Uncle and "Godfather," to use the human term, there were things..secrets and information that he knew they knew that they would only give up reluctantly. And he would more likely understand the choice the El Aurians had made then long before he would understand the choice to reject the help that the pre-Rixians had made.

 

The real problem was that Nick is almost certain that history would repeat itself and that the Rixians were a doomed race no matter what he did. He knows how hard the information he had given to Dr. Lanvin would be to accept and granted Nick's experience with the Rixians was limited to the four that had visited the station but open-mindedness did not seem to be a trait that was all that common among the genetically engineered species. They were far too proud of their accomplishments to easily accept the fact that it was their genetic engineering...their winnowing of their original genetic breadth that was causing their destruction. Their narrow-mindedness coupled with their inherent xenophobia was not a recipe that led to being able to think for oneself. Captain Nurani was proof of that and Nick was certain that Captain Nurani, when he found out what the datachip contained, would at the least label it a forgery and at worst consider it an act of aggression. Even Dr. Lanvin had the same cultural blindspot that the Captain did and Nick had seen and sensed the anger in her when he had pointed that out.

 

In reality Nick hadn't done any more then what his people had done a millennia earlier. Whether the Rixians listened or not was their choice and the responsibility for it was theirs and not his. Perhaps it was a bit cold but it was the reality of the situation. At least that is what he hopes.