[edited to add in Cross’s reply (I thought she left?) and make my post make sense now. Sorry, I took too long to write my original post!]

‘’I am not inquiry anything , I simply want you to remember what you have long forgotten ‘’ Cross replied ‘’Have you forgotten what love is? Love is fundamental. There is a great deal to say about love it takes many forms interchanging depending on the context , some of these words mean ‘affectionate love’ others indicate “friendship” and still others, a sexual love between a man and a woman. There is also a distinct word and it refers to a benevolent and charitable love that seeks the best for the loved one ‘’.

’‘ There are many examples of love , the caring provision of the family, the deep friendship, passionate love of the enduring commitment and of course, the sacrificial. The benevolent, selfless love that is patient and kind , love doesn’t envy, boast, or dishonor others , love is not proud or self-seeking , love is not easily angered, doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, and doesn’t delight in evil ,rather, love rejoices with the truth, love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres , love never fails . Of the greatest of gifts, faith, hope, and love, the greatest . . . is love ‘’.

‘’Josan you and the others have created something wonderful ,the inhabitants feel that love each and every day .They mentioned their deity called Va, they believe that it would protect them and…and yet it wants to destroy them , for to you they are nothing more then a mere experiment .Josan in your Ascended forms have long forgotten what love means ‘’.

‘’We can do nothing to stop you but can you see the sorrow on our faces or perhaps that is also something you don’t need and have long forgotten ?’‘.

The doctor had nothing more to add, a tear ran down her cheek she gave Josan a slight bow.

Josan regarded Cross, “..You speak and assume, that I and the other Ascended have forgotten these emotions, or feelings of love and the like. In this you are incorrect, Doctor Cross. While the feelings and desires you speak of are no longer experienced by us in a mortal form such as I have assumed, we still do partake and feel such things in our energy forms, they are as I said however, beyond that of an organic’s understanding to comprehend. Please, do not presume to know what we feel or do not feel or that we have lost something during our Ascension of development from the physical plane. If there is one thing we have learned in our studies is that eventually all form of organic life will ascend beyond the physical to the plane we now dwell upon. So do not presume that we have forgotten anything on our feelings or desires, they are still residing within us, however, their effects upon us would be alien to your organic bodies to comprehend..” Josan stated simply, not angry or anything just again stating facts as they saw it.

‘’I am not assuming anything ” Cross replied ‘’It would be nearly 4,328 of your years since I was last in an organic form such as this. So no it is not a new sensation for me, just one that I have not needed to experience in some time ,your words Josan not mine and so is the same with the feeling of love ,in your Ascended form you have no need for it’‘.

Rising from the chair they went over to the nearby small viewport looking down upon EP19, “..Our planets which house our experiments are for a long planned purpose. The life that dwells on these planets barring in some cases native plant or animals that would not in the station’s estimations of study impact the specific created life that will dwell there for our studies are not a natural evolving life form, nor is their culture or to a degree process of thought or development.” they said turning to regard Cross again, “..they are preprogrammed into their genetic markers, they life they take, the culture they will tread down upon, their own development is extensively and minutely planned for each cycle of an experiment. They are not like your people, nor like we were once. They are artificially created life, organic yes, but they overall do not have a sense of free will of a naturally developing life form as you would consider it. You see the populace of EP19 as being endangered by us, useless, or something else misguided in your view in how we use them. But they are no different then tools created to answer a purpose. You may in your morality consider what we do wrong or misguided and that is your right as living beings, but so too is our choice in this matter. We would no sooner wish to impose our views upon you then we would ever wish for you to impose them upon us.” Josan stated then glanced to Glen. “..your Federation can not stop what we wish to do to our planets, and as I have said so long as you do not interfere with EP19 you are free within the bounds of what was stated before agreeable to interact with them or not. If ever the time comes that EP19’s inhabitants must be put to sleep by the station and replaced with another that is our choice and as I have said it is not something they would ever suffer from, they would seem fall asleep and as simply as slowing their heart and body functions pass away and drones then would eliminate any remains to clear the way for the future experiment. It is unlikely that such will happen within the next many hundred or more of your years. From what the station has shown over many cycles these inhabitants have much more to provide in data and gathering. Should your Federation near or in the future interfere that too is your right as a living being. Such is our own right to defend what is ours and our beliefs to this end, just as we did when those you call Klingons attacked our station directly and their claim upon EP19 endangered soon after the experiments stability.” Josan went on.

‘’Misguided ? I beg to differ those inhabitants are capable of thinking and reasoning .They have their own viewpoints,belief, are capable of judging and rationalize ..if it was not so they would have still thought of us as the devils but realized it was what the Klingon’s led them to believe....shall the Ascended take credit for that cause they do not have a sense of free will of a naturally developing life form !’‘ .

Cross had had enough , she had tried to reason with him but realized in their Ascended form they either could not grasp the meaning of being organic or where so full of themselves and where hell-bound on playing Gods.

The doctor had nothing more to add and left the room without saying another word.

Fully regarding Glen then he finished, “..It would seem Captain that we are at an impasse on this matter, one that will not be resolved by further talks. Again if you and your Federation abide by the limits of interaction with EP19 as I said before, you are free to do so. If you do not wish to abide then I suggest for your safety you cut ties fully. The remains of what the Klingons left behind do not interfere with the station’s experiments and if they ever do then drones will handle such a clean up after putting the inhabitants into a brief sleep and their mental imprints removed of such knowledge selectively. Again a process which is quite harmless to them. If then there is nothing else I suggest you and your Federation make your choice on how to proceed and let the VA station know your intentions one way or another to pass on after I leave. We do hope your own development continues peacefully and productively for your own evolving as life forms. Rest assured one day long after you and everyone here has passed on to dust even your bodies of your descendants will ascend to the next plane. It is not something to fear, it is just something that we learned is part of the natural order of evolution. But with that said there is also so much more to learn and experience on your own mortal plane, so do not try to rush it…” Josan said.

Glen agreed with Josan, that they had reached an impasse. He would never understand the viewpoint of the Ascended, and it appeared that they had no wish to understand theirs. These god-like beings all had the same attitude which came about because they were never forced to consider their own actions in any other light than that which they shone themselves. The Federation rightly considered all intelligent humanoids to be worthy of protection, whether they had Warp-drive technology or not. However, back when Earth still had religions which worshipped gods there was the story of Noah’s Ark, an impossible and implausible voyage based upon unscientific principles, but notable for the animals that were not included when Jehovah set forth his requirements to his followers, just as much as for those animals who were included.

Glen thought that Miriam’s interjection about the merits of ‘Love’ in all its many splendid ways, was useful, but it was quickly dismissed by Josan in the way that all god-like beings did when they explained their divine interventions. If Miriam had not left, as she is wont to do, but had pushed it further, he thought that it would have made little difference anyway. Still, he would try just one final time to make the case.

“I think that what my doctor meant to go on to say, was that all living humanoids can love and also can suffer in the same way, and to the same degree, no matter whether they were created by an Ascended being or not. They all feel pain, pleasure, fear, frustration, loneliness, and motherly love to the same degree. If you really believe yourselves to be a superior stage in existence, then whenever you consider doing something that would interfere with their needs, you are morally obligated to take them into account. I do understand that you believe that it makes a difference that you treat them with kindness and compassion, and that their euthanasia would be painless, but that is not sufficient. You believe that you are a higher stage in the natural order of evolution? There is also a duty on beings as powerful as yourselves, to treat others with respect too. Unless you acknowledge the inherent worth of every intelligent humanoid, then there can never be a harmonious coexistence between us, and we must withdraw just as you have suggested. Under such circumstances, I will recommend that the Federation cut ties fully.”

• Glen, CO