Lt. Lhandon Nilsen - Peaceful contact with us
Lhandon Nilsen
((OOC: aiming to round this off over the next round or two. Maybe bring both scenes back together for the final round, but no promises. I’ll see what things look like when we get there.))
(( Diplomatic Conference Room 1, Deep Space 14 ))
This could have gone a lot worse. While there were some things to give Lhandon pause — in particular, Dolce's comment "This one would need an indoctrination camp to help all the Cheydalanga. These ones need an almost complete cultural shift" — such a thing was repulsive to the Federation. Such a shift cannot happen through those methods.
But that was the thing: to reach the goals Dolce had of a complete modernization of the Chey'd, the entire civilization would need a massive cultural shift. But these things, to do them the right way, took time, patience, and in some cases, generations.
With Dolce's group being this far out, it showed that some Chey'd wanted something different, so at least for those individuals...
Lhandon did, however, offer reading and educational resources. These were things that he could most certainly acquire without any difficulty, and there would be no issue handing over publicly available materials or even some of the textbooks that one might find in a further education social science course.
Nilsen: This one must ask, however — is such a move on your part one to be, erm, embraced by those ones' people?
He wasn’t sure what face Lohkina gave but it wasn’t one of a disapproval.
Dolce: This one’s people would have some who would much appreciate it, like these one’s current leader. The leader wants to modernize Chey’d.
Lohkina: That one is attempting to do so for the good of that one's people. (beat; slight emphasis) All that one's people?
Dolce: Like this one said, not all of these ones want that.
For Lhandon, that made everything click - it explained the feeling he had gotten from Achi'Trinot, one that had said that one was not meant to be there, or at least that was what Lhandon had inferred. But more troubling was the understanding made earlier that Dolce had almost not made it.
Lohkina: Even so, some do, it seems.
Nilsen: Quite, and that one is evidence of that.
Dolce: However, there are many that do want to modernize. These ones are not solely at the whims of those of the former King’s Path.
There, Dolce represented progressiveness and modernization. Tenets that would make the Cheydalanga more aligned with the Federation.
Nilsen: The question remains, how many of those ones want to modernize and can it be done peacefully? This one knows that these subjects can take a long time.
Dolce: This one understands, but this one thinks that with more help there will be more people willing to accept it.
Lohkina: And that one's people will welcome outsiders, should they come to Cheyd'lang?
He hadn't considered it from the other side. The ideals of the Federation had been that all were welcome, even if some people's opinions to the contrary had grown stronger after the Synth attack.
Nilsen: This one does hope it will soon become a two-way street. Those ones' people were pulled up by the former dominion before those ones were ready some decades ago — there was nothing those ones could do — and now those ones are here, those ones cannot be ignored.
Dolce: Response
Lohkina: That is the question, is it not? Ultimately, are the Cheydalanga ready for their world to expand?
Lhandon had paused to consider what to say next. He had gone through a few options in his mind. The first had been "yes of course they are, look at Dolce before us" - a fully optimistic outlook but one that had been unrealistic, as one person did not represent the whole. He had also thought about saying "what if we were there permanently" but that wouldn't have worked for several reasons: Chey'd was on the far end of the Kissoben Reach, and even the Butler took a week travelling at high warp to get there, and a permanent presence there would have said a lot to the wider gamma quadrant community and was an expansion of Federation influence that was beyond Lhandon's ability or current understanding of the topics those higher up had.
Nilsen: Ultimately, it was up to those ones to tell them, and perhaps show that they were ready for their world to expand. Like this one had said before, what has happened to those ones people in the past forced those ones onto the galactic stage was not those ones fault and was unfair to those ones.
Dolce: Responses
Lhandon nodded; it was the right answer at the right time. He saw something of himself in Dolce, who was trying to push things forward ready to charge ahead, even if it was not the perfect time - but then when was there ever a perfect time?
Nilsen: This one thinks that by coming here, and being willing to engage in dialogue, that one has already started showing readiness. This one sees much potential in building bridges between our peoples, perhaps specific areas where that one's people feel most ready to embrace change?
Unsure if that was the right thing to say, he glanced at Lohkina for an assessment.
Dolce/Lohkina: Responses
He had to stop himself; he was getting ahead of himself. He felt a little frustration — not at Dolce but at some of the more stubborn Chey'd who refused to change, what did they not get??? He also contemplated the violence and actions Dolce had hinted at, which had not yet been witnessed by the Federation or any officer present. He wondered if he could act on what Dolce had told him about how they had almost not made it to DS14.
Nilsen: Yes, yes, this one realizes the most important point: it cannot be these ones dictating that direction. Those ones have to make that move by those ones' selves.
The frustrations, which he felt Dolce shared, were aimed at those who didn't seem to get it: the Chey'd were here now, unwilling as they were, and their reality was that they were now a player on the gamma quadrant stage — they cannot go back.
Dolce/Lohkina: Responses
Nilsen: Well, there is one thing this one can guarantee: any Chey'd who comes to DS14, or any Chey'd who wants to have peaceful contact with us, will be welcome. After all, DS14, while a Federation starbase, is open to the entire quadrant to come here to do business or, in our case, diplomacy.
He had known he could offer that, as it was DS14 policy after all, a diplomatic outreach, not just a federation starbase. Countless people called this place home, and countless more came here to do exactly what Nilsen had just described.
Dolce/Lohkina: Responses
Lhandon had known he was in over his head, as he was not ready for this high-level discussion. Yet, no one had come in to pull him away, no well-meaning senior diplomat tapping him on his shoulder, giving him a nod to say "I'll take it from here." He had known half the corps was listening in, eager to learn what was next, some more ambitious members of the corps perhaps hoping that he would fail so the hundred or so who were waiting in the wings could jump in.
But no one had come to take his place.
He had known for certain, however, that Lohkina was there to support him. Loq had known what he was doing and Lhandon hoped both of them would be sticking around with him forever; he liked this little team he had…
Tags/TBC
Lieutenant Lhandon Joseph Nilsen
Diplomatic Officer
USS Octavia E Butler
O240007LN1
He/Him/His (Both player and character)