Posted by Ensign Jazzin Lauren (Medical Officer) in Holodeck 1 - Attn. Vock

Posted by Lieutenant Seddk Vock (Chief Medical Officer) in Holodeck 1 - Attn. Vock

Posted by Lieutenant Seddk Vock (Chief Medical Officer) in Holodeck 1 - Attn. Vock
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Having spent most of his afternoon off the day before tweaking the program, Jazzin was finally pleased with what he had put together. It wasn’t much different from the simulations he would often spend his off time inside. But he wanted this one to be a bit different; not just a get away, or a nostaligic view of home, but something a little more … informative.

He grabbed a PaDD and started compiling a message to Vock (he didn’t want to call him over the comm, in case he was doing something more important than an invitation to a holodeck simulation).

-Lieutenant Vock, Chief Medical Officer.

-Good morning, sir. I hope you are well today. I just wanted to let you know that I have finished putting together a simulation, based on the idea you brought up over our last talk. I have booked a slot for this afternoon at 1500 hours. If you are busy, I am quite sure someone will happily snap up my time, but if you can make it, just let me know and I will wait for you there.

-With regards,

-Ensign Jazzin Lauren, Medical

With that he put some music on and took to cleaning his room, which he always let get quite cluttered (especially now he was not under the scrutiny of the inspections of the Academy), to while away the time. He couldn’t deny he was nervous. The scenarios he had created were quite personal, but hadn’t that been the point? Or was Vock likely to be taken aback at such a candid look on the life he had had before joining Starfleet?

Lauren shook his head, as if that could shake out the doubts, and got to cleaning.

A few moments later, the PaDD beeped with a received message. It read:

Ensign Lauren, Medical Section

I am well, thank you for the inquiry. I have cleared my schedule for that time. I will meet you then.

Vock, CMO

*

Although he assumed Vock would come in uniform, he himself dressed once again in clothes of his home province on Betazed, sash included. He made his way to the holodeck, stopping briefly to chat to a medical technician about nothing in particular, before hurrying along to ensure he wasn’t late.

Arriving early, he gave a quick, knowing, smile to a Human who had stepped out, his clothes and hair quite ruffled and his cheeks flushed. “Commander,” he inclined his head, respectfully. He didn’t need to be telepathic to know what kind of simulation had just taken place.

The senior officer cleared his throat. “Ensign,” he said, moving off quickly and straightening his uniform.

Biting his lip to resist a chuckle, Jazzin waited for his chief to arrive.

Ens. Lauren
Doctor

Vockk arrived exactly on time. Lauren had guessed correctly, Vock was in uniform. Stepping up to the doctor, hands clasped behind his back, his inclined his head slightly and said simply “Doctor.” in acknowledgement. “Thank you for taking the initiative and preparing the program. I am looking forward to learning more about you and your culture.” he said flatly.

Vock, CMO

Lauren nodded in return. He was getting used to the flat tone of his superior, and it was grating on him less and less, though he still wished the Vulcan could have shown a little more enthusiasm at this little project. “Not a problem, sir. It will be good to be back on Betazed, even if it’s a holodeck simulation.” He turned to the small console beside the door pressed a button and said: “Computer, begin simulation Lauren Alpha 6, scenario 12.”

As the computer affirmed activation, Jazzin took a deep breath, but turned to Vock with a smile. “Shall we, sir?”

“Indeed.” came the single-word reply.

The doors swooshed open onto a scene that one might expect from a gentle race, such as the Betazoids.

It was a village, judging by the short buildings and wide streets. People went here and there, all wearing a variety of colourful clothes. It was oddly quiet, even though there weren’t that many people around. The only voices consistently heard were those of children.

Jazzin stepped through with Vock. “This is Tarran. It’s the village I grew up in. I brought a Human friend here once and he said the quietness was ‘eerie’, but that is because everyone, other than children who haven’t developed their abilities yet, speaks telepathically. Tarran is part of a province that is very … traditional.” He explained, as they made their way down a road.

“Silence can very well make some species quite uncomfortable… both emotionally and in some cases physically.” Vock observed. He was looking very intently around him, as if he was in the process of trying to see everything and analyze it in some fashion.

People wore a variety of clothes with little consitency. Lots of colours and intricate patterns. The women wore their hair in elaborate braids and even the men seemed to have taken quite a lot of time on their appearance. If one noticed, you could see that younger adults wore sashes; silver, just like the one Jazzin was wearing at the moment.

“I wanted to take you to a place that is important to me, Lieutenant.” Jazzin said, as they passed a couple walking hand in hand. The looks they gave the two didn’t say much. “I’ve switched off interaction for the time being. This is more of a scenario I want you to see. Ah,” he said. “There.” He pointed across the road, along which cylinder shaped transport vehicles moved slowly past.

There was a two adults, one male, one female, and a teen boy.

“That’s my father,” he said, motioning to the older male. Unlike like the rest of the people around him, he had the visible markings of a Trill. The boy beside them, dragging his feet a little and complaining about something, also had similar markings, but seemed ‘faded’. “His name is Tashan. He looks older now but, still retains that posture.”

The posture he was referring to was straight-backed and almost a little angry.

“Similar to the posture of most of my people.” Vock observed with just the faintest hint of irony.

As they got closer, they could hear the conversation.

“I don’t care if they look at me like that,” the teen said, defiantly. “Papa can’t hear us without trying and it’s not fair.” There was little doubt that the teen was a simulated version of Jazzin, himself.

“You have to keep practising, Jazz.” The female spoke. She wore her dark hair in a long braid. It seemed Jazzin had inherited his blond hair from his father. “So it comes easier. When you speak with your mind, you tend to shout, darling. You don’t want everyone listening in. What if you have something private to say?”

There was a moment of silence.

“Oh,” the real-Jazzin said. “I forgot this bit. Computer, change parameters so that telepathic communication is audible.” He glanced at Vock. “Though I can’t be completely sure what they said, I made some guesses based on what I was told later. This is mama and papa talking to each other, mind to mind.”

• ‘I don’t see why he has to go to this damned thing, Linia. He can learn everything he needs to at home with you.’
  His father didn’t seem happy to be going wherever it is they were walking to.

• ‘When children develop their abilities, it’s important they learn to control them. The teachers here will do a better job than I can.’
  Linia, Jazzin’s mother, reached out to stroke her son’s head affectionately.

• ‘They’ll tease him.’
  Tashan replied, pointedly.

His mother did not reply.

Real-Jazzin watched the trio as they neared a larger structure, just off the main road. It was bound by beutiful gardens filled with muktok plants; a common species of flora that existed all over Betazed but was much sought after on other worlds. Their colour ranged from deep purple to a dusty blue. When Linia reached out and brushed her hands against the flowers, they let out a soft chime. “This is a training centre, sir.” He said. “Not all villages as small as ours had one, but all towns do. We were lucky, but I didn’t think so at the time.”

“Such infrastructure I am sure requires significant resources. And children, regardless of species, are not known for their ability to recognize what is uncommon for those they do not know.” he said in an agreement - type fashion.

The trio made their way to the entrance, a set of doors painted with various abstract characters, four prominent ones of striking colours stood out. “The four deities of Betazed,” Real-Jazzin pointed out. “Our village was very traditional, even though most of the planet was mainly an atheistic one. My mother used to pray, something that my father never bothered with, even though he was born on Betazed himself.”

Vock remained silent, but cocked an eyebrow in response.

They followed the family through the doors and into a wide reception area. It was all very beautiful, with holo-pictures on the walls of stunning vistas, waterfalls and forests scenes. A man stood behind a desk and gave them a smile, as they entered, though it slipped slightly when he looked at Tashan.

• ‘Good morning. We have an appointment under the name Lauren. This is Jazzin.’
  His mother said.

The man glanced to the teen, that same half-smile on his lips. “We actually communicate verbally here, until the children are ready to speak exclusively by mind,” he glanced between Tashan and Jazzin. “Provided they can, of course.”

This seemed to touch a nerve with his father. “We manage just fine, thank you.” Tashan replied, irritably.

Real-Jazzin spoke up. “Computer. Skip to scenario 15.” The scene changed before them and the two officers found themselves in a food hall.

Teen-Jazzin was sat at a long table with other young adults around his age. All of them wore simple clothes of teal. The young Jazzin was eating his food, looking entirely miserable, and it soon became clear why.

“Hey Jazzin,” a girl sat a few places down called out to him. “You have a little something on your face.” This brought a round of cruel laughter from the teens sat with her.

Real-Jazzin turned to Vock. “My Trill markings were a constant source of torment for me as a child. Tassan is a very traditional village, like I said, and people didn’t hesitate to point out their opinions on mixed-race individuals. Look …”

Teen-Jazzin said nothing, though his face flushed with either anger or embarrassment.

“I hear most mongrels can’t even speak telepathically,” she said, loud enough that Jazzin would surely hear. She looked back down the table. “Can you? Or are you a mute?”

• ‘I can.’ Teen-Jazzin, replied, defiantly.

“Ugh!” The girl made a noise and screwed up her face. “It sounds terrible!” Another wave of laughter. “Your tainted blood makes you sound like a baby!”

“Why would anyone breed with someone who isn’t even a Betazoid?” Someone else asked. “It’s creepy.”

“It’s unnatural.”

Real-Jazzin spoke up. “Computer, pause simulation.”

As everything around them went still, real-Jazzin took a moment to look at the teen version of himself, sat alone, his eyes fixed on his food. “I could show you a hundred more examples. My father went through the same when he was being trained. I suppose they were ‘purists’ …” He shook his head, sadly. “For a species known for their empathy … literally … there were still cruel people on Betazed. Some of the other medical students I trained with were surprised by this; as if Betazed were some paradise where everyone hugged each other and got along all the time.” He turned to Vock. “I just wanted to show you this because … I don’t know, really. Maybe to show why I can be defensive, at times. I felt like I had to earn my place on Betazed more than other people, and maybe that defensive nature has stuck with me somewhat. Do you have any questions? Is there anything in particular you’d like to see?”

Ens. Lauren
Doctor

Vock looked intently at the simulated teen Jazzin and the surrounding students. His hands were still clasped behind his back and his face was expressionless. There was however a hint of something around his eyes… resignation? Sadness?

“Children and adolescents are also not known for their empathy with others… especially those different from themselves.” and he paused, still looking at the simulated scene. “It seems it would be most problematic, being of a race known for empathy, to experience such lack of understanding and compassion. Perhaps it is because being empathic does not necessarily mean a being is empathetic. Simply because one has the capacity to do something does not necessarily mean they are something.” he said, his eyes still never leaving the paused scene. “For instance. I have a personal acquaintance, a Bolian. As I am sure you are aware, that particular species has the capacity to ingest and digest almost anything for sustenance. Spoiled meats, raw minerals, rotted vegetation. But this individual, a Star Fleet Engineer, is a renowned chef as well. He has the ability to eat anything. He chooses to refine that into something special.” and he took his gaze away from the scene and looked directly at Jazzin.

“I hope that your classmates chose to refine themselves in a similar fashion. Although I have found institutionalized racism is a difficult thing to overcome.” The statement was worded harshly, but there was no sense of animosity or even real emotion behind the words. He was simply commenting on the overall, not judging the specifics.

Vock, CMO

Jazzin tried his best to mask his surprise. He wasn’t surprised at the Vulcan’s insight; Vock was articulate, extremely intelligent, and despite Lauren’s reservations, really seemed to be willing to go a bit extra for his staff. His analogy using the Bolian was simple, but it fitted near perfectly.

“Well,” he wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Thank you, sir, for … well … getting it!” He glanced back at the frozen scene. “Things didn’t really get better. My Trill markings were a constant cause of derision from the other children, but you make a good point … an excellent point about the difference between empathic ability and the ability to be empathic.” He looked back to his chief. “My father doesn’t like Vulcans; he actually advised me not to even go through with this, but he was a complicated man who had suffered a great deal of discrimination during his time on Betazed. He was very cynical about people … all people. I didn’t agree with him, especially as I got older. While he insisted on staying here, I looked to Starfleet, where my racial heritage didn’t matter one bit.”

He glanced down. “I fear I may have been … influenced by him, more than I know. Growing up with a man so bitter made me not want to be like him, and yet I suppose the imprint your parents have on you as a child stays with you … at least in my case. I am also sorry that I had a preconception that you, well …” he shifted, uncomfortably. “Wouldn’t understand. But you seem to grasp it better than most of the people I grew up with who had the ability to sense emotions and probably should have gotten it more.”

“You’ve certainly given me pause for thought, sir.” He said, giving a tension relieving chuckle. “There are other scenarios I had had in mind, but this one … it has stuck with me through all these years.” He looked up to Vock. “I hope that when it’s your turn to show me something on Vulcan, I can be as insightful. Thank you, sir.”

Ens. Lauren
Doctor

Vock again nodded once, but it was slower… almost as if it was almost a bow of respect. “Offspring incorporate the views of those who raise them without knowing it. It is difficult to sometimes know where that influence ends and our own agendas begin. It takes time, and perspective, to know where that change lies.” and then he turned and looked at Lauren.

“It is… unfortunate… your father takes such an ill view of Vulcans; although he is not alone in his mistrust of my species. It is not hard to grasp that we tend to make others, especially the more emotional species, uncomfortable. An unfortunate repercussion of our teachings.” and he looked back at the scene, but his vision was somewhere else entirely. “I have often pondered how some of Vulcan’s historical figures would view the repercussions or their teachings. Whether they would believe them to be worth the… tension… our ways instill in others. That is not, however, a question that can be answered by logic.” and he looked back at Lauren. “It would take a much more empathetic point of view to intuit the potential solutions to that question.” and he again looked back at the scene.

“I am sorry your classmates could not see beyond their own small perspective. It is unfortunate that such narrow-mindedness is still taught by some. Perhaps one day you can study at the VSA. You can rest assured, your race is of no consequence within that educational entity.”

Vock, CMO

Bump

OOC: Thank you

IC: Jazzin glanced from the frozen holodeck scene to his chief. “Really, sir? If I’m honest, I’ve heard stories that there’s a small, but significant number of Vulcans who are …” he shrugged, perhaps nervously. “A little … purist? When it comes to who trains in their institutions. But I would be fascinated to see it. Father always thought I would go on to study Pharmacology, rather than Medicine, and it was certainly a subject I did best in at medical school. But my mother’s influence on me meant that I wanted to be a position to care for people, and not just know all I could about medication and drugs.”

“There are… purists… in any culture, I believe. In any case, I have yet to see any evidence to the contrary. And you are correct, there are those who feel Vulcan education should not be shared outside of our species. I find that belief highly illogical, as do the vast majority of Vulcans. What good is information and discovery if it is not disseminated, after all. Scientific progress is not a single event isolated form the rest of reality. It is a series of events based on the events preceeding it. To isolate oneself from those past events is to limit one’s potential.”

He looked back to the scene. “However difficult that time might have been, it got me to the Asimov, so in a sense, I am grateful. If those other boys and girls had not been so hard on me, I would not have looked to Starfleet as a way out. And, I found much more than just a ‘way out’; I found a place where I was accepted … I mean, there’s always the odd officer who would prefer not to have a telepath treating them, but I had always known that would be the case. Some people aren’t overly keen on the idea that I might dig into their thoughts at any time.”

The Betazoid ran a hand through his hair. “Computer; end simulation.”

As the scene faded and the walls of the holodeck became visible. Jazzin took a deep breath. “It wasn’t very pleasant, seeing that again. Thankfully I couldn’t sense their dislike of me, because that was much worse than all the words they could throw at me.” He turned to Vock. “I suppose it’s your turn now, sir, or whenever you have the time. Unless you have any questions, of course?”

Ens. Lauren
Doctor

“I have the time now, Ensign.” Vock replied. “Computer. Run simulation Vock Bravo-Sierra-Zulu-Nine-Eight-Six-One.” There was a momentary pause and then the pair of medical officers were suddenly standing in a huge dark, stone room lit only by lights from various interface screens and the occasional overhead light. The screens were set in holes in the floor, each hole being a sort of roof-less ‘classroom’ for a single individual who stood in front of the displays. In each room, Vulcans ran tests, answered questions both verbally and in writing, and read copious amounts of materials on a wide variety of subjects. Instructors walked around, peering down into the holes and making corrections or answering questions. The speaking lent a low murmur to the environment, but there were no raised voices or arguments, although close observation would show when an instructor and pupil were not agreeing on a particular issue.

“This is where my studies began. The Vulcan Science Preparatory Academy. This is where all Vulcan youth go for education prior to moving on into their specialized fields, careers, or studies. This is a model of the classrooms as they are today. Little has changed since I was a student here. Feel free to look around. You can interact with the simulation staff and students, if you so desire. But know that I am showing you this because I want you to understand where we as a species are now. When you are done, I have another simulation for you to see.”

Vock, CMO