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Main Sim - The Alien Ship Bridge

Posted Dec. 3, 2020, 4:09 a.m. by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) (David Fergusson)

[snip]

After a moment the First replied =/\= In truth, Captain Glen. I am unsure what to ask! I am still coming to grips with the idea that we will not perish alone and forgotten out here in the void of space. As it might seem that is what happened to our cryo sleeper exploration ships years before. I am also trying to comprehend the scope of your Federation. It boggles my mind truly that so many races, even ones with more then one sex could cooperate on the scale you had painted for me. The sheer diversity you mentioned is alien to me almost. While our species works in harmony for the betterment of all of us, and while we have suspected for some years that life beyond our own existed, I truly was not prepared for it to happen so soon. Yet you take this in stride like it is a commonality for you! How do you cope?=/\= She asked.

“Man discovered long ago that diversity gives you access to a greater range of talent, not just the talent that belongs to a particular worldview or ethnicity or some other restricting definition. It didn’t come easily or quickly though, we fought many wars on old Earth because of the fear of the ‘other’. When we finally made it into space, we already had that ethos to carry forward. The first race that introduced themselves, the Vulcans, have a philosophy based upon Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations and upon Logic. Their idea of IDIC celebrates the vast array of variables in the universe, and so it was a good fit when it came to writing the Federation charter. It doesn’t make it any easier in practise. Quite recently, we made a peace with the Klingons, a warrior society with a long history of conflicts against us. However, a cabal formed of disaffected officers from the Federation Starfleet, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Star Empire, attempted to undermine those peace talks. They failed, but despite our better nature, it seems xenophobia lives on. We are not perfect beings.”

The First seemed to take this in, =/\= I see so there are other races out here which could be hostile. Even in your own Federation. That is a bit troubling to hear but understandable. Despite novels of our own culture painting this era of space exploration as a key to a new era of Utopia. I personally think it’s just wishful thinking. What can you tell me about these other races then? It will surely be needed in my report to the Council =/\= She asked.

“Bur the galaxy is a huge place; everywhere we have explored we have met other races, and we have not even fully explored one quarter of the galaxy yet. At the present time, there must be almost 100 member worlds of the Federation and rising. Those that border known space are rarely seen. They are secretive and self-isolating. We have little contact with the Romulans, and rarely any at all with the Tholians, so I’m afraid I cannot tell you very much about them. The Klingons have a vast territory of their own and are a proud, tradition-bound people who still value honour and combat. However, their aggressive culture has been somewhat tamed, and we believe that we have now made a true and lasting peace with them following the recent signing of the Khitomer Accords. I’d like to tell you that all wars are a thing of the past, but history shows us otherwise. We’d like to think that an organisation such as the United Federation of Planets is part of solution to maintaining galactic peace and security. Only by developing friendly relations among worlds, achieving galaxy-wide cooperation, and promoting the harmony in the actions of worlds can we ever hope for a galactic peace.”

Glen wondered if his words had caused the First to become concerned about Contact. He hadn’t meant to worry him about war or invasion. It was very rare, certainly among Federation members. The whole idea of the Federation was to bring peace and co-operation, but he couldn’t honestly say the chances were zero. However, isolation didn’t work either. “Worlds who have chosen to instead create a ‘bubble’ of isolationism, and to limit their galactic involvement to avoid being drawn into dangerous and otherwise undesirable conflicts, find instead that they have no influence over events and have no real friends to call upon as other worlds grow even more powerful. An old Earth philosopher once wrote, ‘ No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main,” and went on to make the point that we are all washed by the same seas: that no one is self-sufficient, everyone relies on others.”

The First seemed to take all this information in, and so she was quiet for a few minutes as she paced her bridge, checking read outs and the like. =/\= It sounds like the Tri-Council will have a lot of think and debate on once we get back to Altair Prime. Does our area of space border near any of these hostile forces you mentioned?=/\= She inquired.

GM CockRoach

OOC: Checks notes… …you’ll need to correct me if wrong!

IC:

“Your own region of space has never been visited by us before,” replied Captain Glen. “It is totally unexplored, so we have no know ledge of any worlds or civilisations, either hostile or friendly in this Sector. if we hadn’t received your old radio transmissions it is highly unlikely we would have explored this way at the present time.”

-Glen, CO


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