tushanshu | oo1

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[ It's a little too late to adhere to that whole non-interference clause of the Prime Directive, being the subject of an alien-napping and all, so here is Spock in all his pointy-eared glory. Looking as straight-faced as possible. Unlike Kirk, he didn't part from their meeting and then drink himself under a table, he stayed up all night watching network conversations and Sciencing. It would be illogical to... wallow, and he refuses to acknowledge that he even has the urge. ] ... Fascinating.

[ For such ancient technology, this thing appears remarkably serviceable. ] Greetings. I am Commander Spock, of the United Federation of Planets. If I understand correctly, then you are my fellow... detainees. [ There, that's politic enough. ] I would like to request information on what is being done with the crashed satellite debris. In return, I may be of some assistance in constructing something useful from it, as I am familiar with this level of technology.

In addition, any information on the turtle itself would be appreciated; the scans I have taken of the creature only tell me so much, and the indigenous people seem... disinclined to reply to my queries.

[ Aaaand he'll just give a sharp nod and the Vulcan Salute on his way out. ]

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[ There's an equally pause on this end because he finds the switch, the encryption and the question all to be... strange, but not suspicious enough to stop him from answering entirely.

He's just slightly cautious about it. ] Yes, I am familiar with him. Why do you ask?

Uh - he's here. In case you hadn't found him already. [His tone is still perfectly neutral and warm.]

I have met with him. [ Spock's tone on the other hand is somehow both highly suspicious and entirely deadpan, as usual. ] I am sure you did not add considerable encryption to this conversation simply to tell me that.

[He's sharp, he picks it up.] No, just to say that time and multiversal displacement is very common here. From personal experience, that sort of matter should be breached... privately.

[And then he clenches his fists, because of course he had to go be blunt about it all.]

But you are familiar with him, yourself, if mention of Starfleet caused you to inquire. [ He's not going to just let this go, buddy. ]

I am. We have a similar organisation in my universe, called the Green Lantern Corps, except we place more emphasis on peacekeeping rather than the exploring. We don't have any alliances like the Federation. Too much clash of civilisations.

[Kyle's a pro at poker, Spock, you cannot break this calm, businesslike tone. And he knows to distract you with INFORMATION.]

[ You fiend, it's an effective distraction. ]

Then diplomatic efforts have been ineffective?

[Inner evil cackle.]

Unfortunately, yeah.

[Because he was the last one, and he could not do everything, or make everyone work through it. He wasn't trained as a diplomat.]

There's no central authority and no one civilisation has enough power or influence for that kind of thing to work long-term.

The Federation began with four separate worlds coming together on equal terms. Perhaps if it were approached with no one civilization attempting to exert control through power or influence, efforts would see more success.

[ Because Spock has a hard time believing there are Universes where no one sees the logic in coming together for mutual benefit rather than being in constant conflict. ]

That's a good idea in theory, but pretty hard to work with in practice. There's too much variation in technological advancement, not to mention difficulties in translation, as well as constantly shifting power balances. [He thinks of the Reach empire, and he is quiet, for a bit.] Arguably more planets have treaties with the Corps than they do with each other, but we're working on that.

[A pause, and he says genially-]

You're an optimist, huh.

[ Technological variation? Well, it makes sense that not all organizations would have come up with something like the Prime Directive, which puts almost all of the Federation planets on equal or nearly equal footing. ] The Federation has a strict policy against interfering with civilizations that have not yet achieved warp capabilities. [ A pause. Maybe he should elaborate on that. ] The ability for interstellar flight.

[ His brow quirks. Most people don't see it past his Vulcan demeanor. ] I have never been accused of optimism before.

[Kyle is not 'most people'.]

That makes sense - and unfortunately really can't apply in my universe. Almost all civilisations are in regular contact with or are aware of the existence of sentient life elsewhere in the galaxy. [Most aliens he knows would laugh in the face of the Prime Directive, sadly.] Interstellar flight is common enough but infrequent [the people with the biggest ships also happen to have the biggest guns, and more often than not are pretty willing to use them, too.]. The Corps hasn't reached some of the frontier worlds yet but that's another work-in-progress.

[A pause.]

'Accused'? Sorry, is this a translation error or a cultural misunderstanding? Where I'm from there's no value judgement placed on that sort of thing. [Wryly:] I just don't encounter many optimists.

[Which makes Spock the first person in well.. ever, to get Kyle to imply that he is truly a pessimist, and not the dreamer people make him out to be.]

Is that not... messy? [ Just the idea of the things a Constitution Class starship like the Enterprise alone could do to a world without space travel capabilities and the defenses developed alongside that kind of technology is disturbing to Spock. ] If there is no central power, under whose authority do the Corps run?

[ Don't think Spock doesn't make note of that implied admission, buster, because he totally does. ]

Not as such. Rather, the judgement lies in that optimism is an emotional outlook, and not a logical one. My people place significant value in being without emotion.

[ Likewise, Kyle is one of the only people to get Spock to imply that he lacks perfect emotional control. ]

Very messy. [He sounds a tad irritated by that, because it makes his job very difficult.

A pause.] We're under the authority of an independent council known as the Guardians of the Universe; they created the Corps to establish order and peace. A Green Lantern's mission is to ensure that [very slight emphasis on this word:] all sentient life in the universe lives and dies free of fear. [Which, again, outs Kyle as an idealist, even though he thinks this is a losing battle, he is still hopeful, and he fights for it.] I don't know if you're familiar with Earth's history, but it's not dissimilar to the United Nations peacekeeping force.

[And then, he's about to remark that building a future based on hope and a positive outlook is far more logical than emotional, but Spock's comment and its implications hit him like a sledgehammer. He can't understand why somebody would want to be without emotion unless--]

For safety?

[ That's interesting: very interesting. ] I am familiar with Earth's history; or rather, a version of it, as I cannot say in which ways the one I have studied diverges from yours. In my own Universe, it is another of the four founding worlds of the Federation.

[ And, since being familiar with Earth undoubtedly means Kyle is familiar with humans-- ]

Indeed. Vulcans feel emotion far more deeply than humans do. Such that in the ancient time it brought us to the brink of self-destruction through war, and only in suppression and logic were we able to truly find peace. To thrive.

[ He understands that most humans find the idea repellant, but so few of them have any real idea what Vulcan emotion is like. ]

Honestly, I suspect it diverges a lot. A few hundred years into my future, there's finally something like your Federation - called the United Planets, consisting of a lot of worlds I currently know to be at war, or on very unfriendly terms with each other. [Hope like a warm sun shines through in these words.] Somehow, they did it.

[Kyle, however, knows one or two things about controlling your emotions, because his ring works on his and it's vitally important that such a powerful weapon be kept in check. He'd like to ask a bit more, but he holds off. Instead, quite mildly, he states:] Personally, I find meditation a lot simpler.

[We can teach each other, if you like.]

Edited 2013-06-03 11:16 (UTC)

What is the year, as you are aware of it? [ Because he wouldn't admit it aloud, but that sound of hope means something to him. It always does. Sometimes a species just needs a few hundred years of evolution before it is ready to join the rest of the universe. ]

I do so myself, on occasion. [ Common ground is nice. He tilts his head, though Kyle can't see it. He would very much like further exchanges, and all the help he can get with his own emotions. ] You did not give your name.

[A silence that's heavy with sadness, because he wants to add to that hope. It's something he's always had to fight for, and more of it always needed.] I don't actually know. I've been on tour of duty and haven't been home for-- I think it's almost two years now. It's the early 21st century, I can tell you that much.

[And then he laughs. It's genuine, but one gets the feeling that he doesn't laugh like this very often.]

Aw jeez. I knew I forgot something.

[He switches to video. He is seated in a room in the Fire Sector. It is well-lit, quite clean, but lived in. Easels, paintings in various states of completion can be seen in the background, finished ones near the window. He is wearing his uniform, the mask on the table, off-camera. On his right hand, there is a green ring with the same insignia. There's a small, rare smile on his face, and his eyes are bright, his expression curious. He's twenty-five but looks a lot younger, and definitely too young for the rank he's about to state.]

Kyle Rayner of Earth, Illustres Honour Guard of the Green Lantern Corps. Atcher service.

[A small salute, playful.]

Edited (fills your inbox with edits) 2013-06-03 11:55 (UTC)

[ Spock's eyebrows go up, and just in time for them to actually be seen; he switches to video as well, as it seems the polite thing to do. Besides, he is more used to face-to-face communication, with the majority of Federation business being handled through video calls. ] Another of the benefits of the Federation is a standardized galaxy-wide stardate system which accounts for time distortion at high velocities and in gravity wells. [ Bro you guys need to get on this, there's nothing to lose. Except when your superiors betray you. Which actually seems to happen a lot. ] Fascinating. Earth's first contact with an alien species did not take place until 2063, where I am from.

[ He gives Kyle a quick look of appraisal, almost calculating, filing all those little details away for consideration later. He appears very young - it almost certainly stands to reason that he is exceptional in some (or multiple) ways, then. Spock does not return the smile, but it is intriguing that he has found a human who doesn't want to strangle him after half a conversation. Nice, even.

While Spock himself doesn't look nearly as young, himself, his relative age (being that Vulcans live twice as long as humans on a conservative estimate), he is no stranger to seeming out of place for it in his fields.

But that's neither here nor there. He may have already introduced himself in the original broadcast, but he hasn't revealed what his relationship to Kirk actually is. After only a moment to consider, he gives a slight but respectful nod and dispenses with the earlier caution. ] Commander Spock, First Officer of the USS Enterprise. [ He is hazarding a guess that Kirk probably told everyone who would sit still long enough just which star ship he is (was) Captain of, being as proud of it as he is. ] You have already met my Captain. [ He is still quite curious about that. ]

[Kyle's more at ease with audio, because his ring frequently functions as a phone, he multitasks a lot so it's easier to just talk while one works. Even when seated, there appears to be a restless energy to him, akin to water being held back from flowing by a hand. Muted, and not immediately noticeable, but present nonetheless.]

Again, excellent idea in theory, but reality shifts and interference from the multiverse makes that difficult to put into practice long-term. There is also technology and beings with the ability to alter the fabric of space and time. Makes it more... fluid.

[Essentially what he's saying is his resources are limited so he's putting his effort where it's needed most. Maximising utility, as it were, but he senses he does not need to state that directly for it to be understood.]

The Corps has been in existence for three and half billion years; Earth has had aliens - science teams, scouting missions, advance infiltration forces from various civilisations but only became more aware of them fairly recently. They reacted... well I don't think that changes across universes.

[Bitterness. Even he wants to believe, and can't, not right now.

He studies Spock, not calculatingly, but as someone who would appraise a work of art before moving on to the next one in the gallery. This is the first time he's meeting a Vulcan so he takes in all the cues, filing them away. He's almost pleased at the stoicism. It's comforting, adding to the familiarity he already felt when he first opened a channel. Somewhere out there, in another universe, they could be serving together.

Also curious that it's 'my Captain', instead of 'the Captain', for somebody who appears so formal, combined with the earlier discrepancy in tone--.]

I have met Captain Kirk, and I'm pleased to meet you. Do you shake hands, or have a specific greeting I can use?

[ Spock's brow creases again. There are problem worlds, yes, however First Contacts as a whole tend to go well in his own universe. Probably because the science teams, scouting missions and infiltration forces are all led by Starfleet in an attempt to assess before engaging directly whether or not the people and their societies are ready to meet with extra-terrestrial life yet. Hostile incursions led by the various Galactic empires (namely the Klingons, lately), are generally not targeted at more technologically primitive worlds, unless they are rich in some resource of import, because they offer little in the conquering.

However, Kyle's tone suggests no such thing, rather it carries an ominous implication. ] ... How did they react?

[ Spock nods, either way. For a species of natural touch-telepaths, shaking hands is an intimate act; Vulcans consider a "kiss" to be the touching of two of one's own bare fingertips with another's, after all. He has learned to adjust while living among humans, of course, but Spock still avoids that particular form of greeting whenever possible.

He lifts up his left hand, fingers parted in the middle. ] The standard greeting is "live long and prosper." It is also the standard farewell. [ Really, wherever you can fit it in works just as well. ]

[Simply:] It varies, but on the whole, people tend not to like those who are different from them. [A light shrug, and he adds-] They're getting used to it, they'll manage.

[Hope, to balance the pessimism.

Kyle leans forward and studies the hand movement, before he lifts his own right hand (with the ring) and attempts to mimic it. He appears to have some difficulty so he switches and holds up his left hand, in a perfect Vulcan salute.]

Does it matter if it's my right hand or my left?

Edited (spelling my eternal nemesis) 2013-06-04 12:55 (UTC)

[ There's a pause on his end again. He knows that, intimately enough; not that he would describe the majority of his Vulcan acquaintances as not liking him, that would be far too emotional, they simply... did not treat him as though he was one of them, no matter how strictly he adhered to their ways. He was too different. ] Then I wish you luck. [ Vulcans don't believe in luck, but you don't work under Kirk for a year and some change and not start to give a little credence to the concept. ]

Either hand is sufficient. [ He's interested in something else already, though. ] What is the significance of your ring? [ It looks Important. ]

[Gently teasing:] Success depends on a well-structured plan which accounts for over ninety percent of variables, not luck.

[At mention of the ring, he holds it closer to the screen for a few moments so that Spock can see it.]

It's a power ring. It can do almost anything: it's fuelled by my will and limited only by my imagination.

[Then he simply flicks his wrist, and creates a perfect construct phaser.]

Ta-dah!

Edited 2013-06-04 22:58 (UTC)

[ Spock's lips twitch. Very, very slightly. You're alright, human. ] Then good planning.

[ He leans in closer, studiously. ] Fascinating. [ Omfg Kyle you have no idea how badly he just wants to hold you down and tricorder you into oblivion right now. ] It must have tremendous energy output. What input is required? [ Yeah definitely more interested in how exactly it works than what kind of damage you can do with it. ]

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