Blue ball #24 "A lesson in emotion."

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[Petrova's Quarters, U.S.S. Pegasus] [On]

Sulan stood outside of Petrova's quarters. She gently pressed the chime.

Kristiana cursed under her breath, checking the time, then cursing again, in russian, klingon and - why not - some cardassian thrown in for good measure. She groaned, pulling her pillow over her head, hoping that the evil chime-ringer would simply go away and be eaten by a grue or something.

Outside the door Sulan presses it again, twice in rapid succession.

A dull thud against the door announced her pillow slamming into it, fresh from her bedroom. "WHAT ?!" she yelled out, half in anger, half still asleep, as she dropped out of bed, reached for a robe, and stumbled towards the door to open it. Hearing noises from inside, Sulan waits silently for the Commander to open the door. A few moments later the door would slide open with it's trademark hiss, revealing Kristiana Petrova, in a foul mood, looking dreadfully exhausted. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she saw who it was. ".. Lieutenant." she spoke with a hint of venom. "Didn't they teach you to not to disturb sleeping XO's in bad moods ?"

"Forgive me, Commander, I have forgotten about the length of human sleep cycles." She steps past the commander, moving to a chair. "Lights." She order the computer and the room lights brighten to full intensity. Sulan sits, crossing her legs. "I have prepared the newest security report. Miller once again shows promise."

"G'ah !" She exclaimed as she was half blinded by the lights. "Computer, lights at sixty percent !" after which she could atleast see a bit more. She muttered, turning around, watching Sulan just invite herself into Kris' private domain. ".. Can this wait, Lieutenant ? We're on bloody shoreleave, and I'm sure your reports will still be there when I wake up again."

"Never the less-" She pauses, her keen nose detecting the scent of Cait lingering on Petrova's flesh. "Ah, I must once again apologise. I was not aware you had mated recently. If I were, I would have waited till you'd regained your senses." She stares at the woman, looking for injuries. "All is well with you, physically?"

Petrova's mood dropped even more into the red, now. "My love life is none of your concern, Lieutenant, and I'll thank you to keep your nose out of it from this moment onward." For future reference, I will also strongly appreciate not having my private quarters invaded in the middle of my sleep just for bloody reports. Now, what was this about Miller ?" She figured that since she was awake - or what passed for that, atleast - and with Sulan here anyways, she might as well get these reports over with, so she could get back to her warm bed again. Sulan is confused for a moment. "How can I ignore the obvious information delivered by my perceptions?" She continues, ignoring the illogic of the situation for now. "Ah yes, I beilve that given time, Miller would be quite capable of commanding a small team. Also, I wished to know your feelings on Lieutenant O' Driscoll."

"My feelings on O'Driscoll ?" She smirked a bit, settling down on a chair. "Since when do you care about feelings, Lieutenant ? And in what way are they relative to a report on your security teams ?"

Sualn bows her head slightly. "It has come to my attention that I lack... cirtain skills in dealing with emotion-based minds. Thus, I wished to 'befriend' human member of the crew, to correct this. O'Driscoll and I share a similar background. I'd assumed she would be a proper candidate, though I find her lack of human agression somewhat diconcerting."

".. Hm." Petrova sighed softly and regarded Sulan. Was the vulcan actually showing a measure of weakness ? This was a memorable day, indeed. A biting remark or two was lingering on the russian woman's lips, but she bit them back, preferring to remain calm and in charge instead of lowering herself to the level of a bully. ".. I've not spent a lot of time with the Lieutenant yet. But I believe she is a capable officer, and I am glad to have her as part of my crew. As for her lack of aggression - not all humans are barbarians, Lieutenant."

"I must disagree." Says Sulan flatly. "For example, were I to comment on your realationship with the Cait, it is logical to assume that you would react in violence. On the other hand, it is also logical to expect such actions of a young culture. Yet, while the overall culture can be logically mapped, individuals are harder to map. You are easier to speculate at logically, because you are older for a human, and set in your ways.Whereas O'Driscoll, is younger and still not fully mentally developed. Truly, a difficult situation to understand, correct?"

".. Your first assumption is wrong, Lieutenant. I'd react by demoting your ass and have you hauled off to the brig for racism and insulting a fellow crewmember before I'd resort to violence." Kristiana replied. "Chalk that one up to a combination of experience, age and a sense of duty that my rank brings with it. As for your other point .. Why try to analyse us like that, at all ? By doing that you are assigning a measure of logic to human behaviour that does not take things like emotional state and mood into account. Yet, our emotional state and our mood influence our behaviour and our decisions and reactions almost as much as core personality does. So, by approaching a human from a purely logical standpoint, you cannot completely understand and therefore predict the human's responses." She furrowed brows a bit, more awake now, finding this conversation pleasantly challenging. "I'll not say that this is a weakness of logic .. But I do consider it a bit of a limitation."

Sualn nods. "You are correct Commander, I had inadvertanly asigned logic to a species which has little capacity for it. To use a phrase: 'You cannot judge gods as men.' Though I must confess the diffuculty at thinking down to such a level." She steeples her fingers in her lap. ("Oh we have a capacity for logic .." said Petrova, " We just don't let it rule our lives, on the whole we find an existance with emotions and feelings more rewarding." Petrova replied. "But none of this has anything to do with any report about security teams, Lieutenant .. "

"And that, is one of many human failings." She said ansewering her last statement. Sulan glances at the at the PADD. "I would like you to appeal to Commader LaBrie on my behalf. He recently changed the security configuration I had set up, and I disagree with it. Yet, I know he will not listen to me. I thought perhaps that he would relate better to another human detailing my plans to him."

"Failing, in your eyes, Lieutenant. We consider it our greatest strength." Petrova's eyes narrowed a bit again. "And if the Commander has changed your configuration, I am sure he had good reason for it." Not mentioning that she didn't think he's listen to her, anyways.

Sulan nods. "I cannot help but see your species as children in need of guidance. What you see as strength, is in reality the source of all human suffering. You would gladly remain locked in an emotional tumble just to feel the occasional positive emotion. If I felt emotions, I'd be feeling pity for you now, correct?"

I don't know, you tell me .." She frowned a bit, pondering. ".. Yes, our emotions can, in a way, be considered the source of all our suffering. But, in the end, I'd rather lead a life with highs as well as lows, than without any highs at all." She'd ponder a bit, trying to explain more. " .. There's an old saying where I am from. 'Without darkness, who can appreciate the light' .. Imagine, if you will, two people. Doesn't matter what race, as long as they are of equal race and equal personality. One works on a farm-land, and sees the sun every day. The other works in a mine, and hasn't seen the sun in several weeks. Then they meet, in the morning, on a field, and watch the sun rise. For which of the two men do you think the sun shines brightest and most pure ?"

"The miner. For his eyes are unaccustomed to sunlight and face the possibility of damage. As far as 'purity' of light goes -by which I assume you mean radiation level- It would depend on the thickness of the atmosphere." She pauses for a moment, thinking. "I was once as you were, Commander. When I was 12, I went for a time, without controlling my emotions. it was... quite..." She searches for a word. "difficult."

"I never said that life was supposed to be easy, Lieutenant." A smile "Only that we humans don't shy away from those challenges." Kristiana would sigh softly before explaining her earlier point. "You were right, by saying the miner. His eyes are unaccustomed to the light. Therefore, it feels more special to him. Another scenario. Two ferengi. One is incredibly rich, can buy space stations and not care, the other is poor and has only a few strips of latinum to his name. Now, both these men find a single bar of gold pressed latinum, on the streets. Which of these two ferengi will be happiest with his bar of latinum ?"

"The one that manages to obtain it from the other. Assuming of course he is not heavily injured in the fighting." she considers. "And further assuming a stable latinum-based economy exists in the area."

Petrova sighed. "Why are you bringing ifs and buts into my hypothetical situation, Lieutenant ? I gave you a situation, and asked for an answer to that specific situation, without twisting and turning it to suit your superiority complex. Can your logical mind answer a hypothetical situation without pulling in new dependencies, rivalries and economies ?"

"The data you've provided was insufficient, so I had to form a logical hypothesis on unverified data." She says simply. "If my conjecture was incorrect, I can not be to blame for lack of data on your part." She looks at the Commander's face, studying it's lines and emotions. "But I believe I understand what you are trying to convey. Going back to my earlier point about my emotions during childhood, I can only really remember three strongly. loneliness, beauty, and anger. My sojourn into emotion was ended, when in a rage, I nearly slew my mother. It was then, I saw the necessity of a logical mind, Commander."

"The necessity for control, Lieutenant. However, to the exclusion of all emotions ? That's a big step. If it works for you, then I respect that. But it wouldn't work for me, nor I assume, ninety nine percent of humanity, or most other species." Petrova leaned forward a bit. "But back to the point I was making .. I can't tell you how to live your life, Lieutenant. But I take offense to the thought that wanting my sunrise and my bar of latinum to MEAN something, being 'proof' of my inferiority. By your own words, you cannot understand human behavior and emotion, by approaching it purely by logic. Which means that logic is insufficient to explain the behavior of Every Single Species in the universe, except for Vulcans and androids. I don't think that this insufficiency makes you any less than I am. In fact, I merely think that it makes you different from me, neither inferior nor superior, but a unique race. But I am tired, Lieutenant. Leave your report, I will read it when I wake up again. Dismissed." as the Russian woman rose from her chair.

"I-" Sulan immediately freezes her rebuttal at the word 'dismissed'. "Understood Commander." Sulan stands, and exits Petrova's quarters, immediately. Wondering why the Commander would hide from her argument by dismissing her. Apparently, her efforts at understanding Petrova had failed, and she was at a loss to explain why.

Kris suppressed a mighty yawn while Sulan was still in the process of leaving, then simply let it go when the Vulcan was actually gone. "Computer .." she weakly spoke, stumbling a bit. ".. Lock the door, disable chime, disable comm badge except for emergencies. Dim lights." She staggered back to her bed, there to collapse. Being awake and active for twenty hours, including a several hour long lovemaking session would exhaust ANYbody - even a Vulcan - and being woken an hour and a half after getting back, didn't help either.

She was asleep the moment she collapsed on her bed.

[Off]

An enlightening joint post by:

Lt. Cmdr Kristiana Petrova Executive Officer U.S.S. Pegasus "Can these bloody reports wait ti - *thud* zzzzzzzzzz "

&

Lieutenant (JG) Telek Sulan (Acting) Chief of Security U.S.S. Pegasus "How did the early vulcans manage to deal with humanity?"

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