The Heated Discussion Continues

[Capt Ayers 0]

By: Rear Admiral Meve

Captain Ayers

 

 

Nick's silver eyes take on a cold hard glint as he glares down at the shorter Andorian. It's not that Nick doesn't have a temper, it's just that he keeps control of it. However, that control was slipping in the face of what the Admiral was saying..the idea of clocking the Andorian was a temptation.

 

"With all due respect, Admiral, you need to get your temper and yourself under control. You're not even thinking like a Starfleet Officer at the moment. You're reacting and thinking purely because you're angry at me and you're projecting that anger on to the others and back on to me. At least I deserve some of it but none of the others here have done anything at all to deserve your wrath. Yes, I withheld information from you and for a damn good reason. If I thought you would have reacted differently then how you are then I would have told you. I knew though that the second I told you would be the second you'd start salivating over the prospect that that ship represents which is exactly what you're doing now. You, like the Admiralty above you, are not even bothering to consider the full ramifications of what you're trying to do. Hell, you're not even bothering to consider the fact that you don't even have a way to acquire that ship in the bloody first place. All you're considering is how much more powerful you think the Federation will be once you reverse engineer that ship and that come hell or high water you must have the shiny new toy despite the price the Federation and especially my people will pay for that desire."

 

"I did what I did because I was obeying the Prime Directive and my oath to protect the Federation from all threats..even itself. Beyond that, I did what I did because my people, long before yours, saw the wisdom that is embodied in what the Federation would call the Prime Directive. That to interfere in the natural development of a people would be wrong to the point of being criminal. That to give them, no matter who them was, everything on a silver platter would be to be playing God. If my people had wanted to interfere in the development of what would become the Federation, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Empire or any of the others we could have done so long ago and the Universe..or at least this particular corner of it would be very different from what exists now."

 

Nick turns and walks to the far side of the Control Tower. As he does so "When you have your temper under control, Admiral, let me know the answer to this question. While my people are eternally grateful for the Federation taking us in and while we want to help the Federation how we can and via our own choice...how exactly is the Federation any better then anyone else when it is trying to steal from my people at the end of a phaser? If you can honestly claim that the Federation is still better then everyone else while doing that then you are a far better man and far more intelligent then I am."

 

Nick says "Let me know when you get your temper under control, Admiral, and are prepared to be reasonable and rational. Until then, we're at a stalemate and I am going to go sit over there. Know this though. My people are eternally grateful for the Federation taking us in despite not knowing much about us and knowing that we had known of the Federation and it's member races long before you knew of us. And we wish to help the Federation how we can. However, how we help the Federation has to be our choice. If you hold, in effect, a phaser to our heads and demand to use us as tools and weapons.....then exactly how much better then the Romulans or the others are you?"

 

       Fred only shook his head and started to laugh, "You just don't get it, do you? Your damn right I feel the Federation is better than everyone else, that's why I took an oath to protect it. We aren't perfect, but find me someone who is. Oh, that's right, I forgot...your species seems to think they are. After all, having all that time to wonder the galaxy must mean you operate on a higher plane of mental existence than the rest of us mere peons."

 

       The Andorian lowered his antenna and stopped laughing, "And no one stole your property Nick. The problem is, you tried to play stupid and pretend you didn't know who's property it was...knowing all along it was your people's. Whether or not you want to admit it, Captain, that was a grave tactical mistake that probably just caused the thing you claim to have wanted to avoid."

 

       With that, Meve turned and approached Muon...clearly no longer in a mood to listen to anything else

 

Nick freezes in midstep and his hands ball into fists. Finally he turns and says darkly "No, Admiral, my people do not feel we are superior. There is no such thing as a superior race in this Universe..not us, not you, not the humans, not the Borg, not the Romulans...no one. Where the separation exists, Admiral, is age. And yes, the Federation is better but it isn't perfect and that is the reason I chose to join Starfleet and took an oath to protect the Federation. Case in point. The Federation finds a ship that represents a near quantum leap in technology and despite being told that they may not have it they try to obtain it. Yes, Admiral..that is theft. My people did not give Starfleet permission to salvage that ship, we did not give Starfleet permission to obtain that ship. In fact..I very much doubt anyone in the Federation or Starfleet even bothered to ask us. You just assume that it's yours for the taking despite the fact that my people don't represent a threat and we aren't enemies. And no, Admiral, I very much doubt that if I had told you from the start what was going on you would have acted any different then you are now. The only difference would have been is that you wouldn't have been acting out of anger. You still would be trying to jump through every rationalization and it's corresponding hoop in order to justify the Federation acquiring that ship. You still would have had to report it back to Command and we would still be in the exact same position we are now. And no...I wasn't playing stupid...I was obeying the oaths I took."