Lt. Nesre Salo - "Fruit of Life"
Amanda Nordstrom
(( Ualara's Office, Maiton Jewelry HQ, Maiton, Koreli IV ))
They hadn’t really gotten too far with Ualara, although she had provided some interesting information. When Nesre had heard that the Danni had signed a contract, she couldn’t fathom why they would do such a thing. However, the chairwoman was chattier than the Orion counsellor had expected, and she wasn’t going to attribute it to any skill she had. No, this woman wanted to tell them, wanted to give the information to them. Why, she couldn’t be certain, but what she said next certainly surprised her.
Ualara: …The Danni people have been promised to be given the technology to transcend death.
From what she saw on the faces of others, that surprise wasn’t limited to just her. The ability to transcend death had been something sought out by many cultures over the years. On Earth, there was the fabled fountain of youth. On Orion, the Angala dant Forisia - the fruit of life. Stories of explorers who sought out the seemingly magical vine and the fruit it bore were told to children for entertainment. If she looked hard enough, she would likely find similar stories on other planets and in other cultures.
Herrick: ::turning to Richards:: So indeed, ever after. ::beat, turning back to Ualara:: though from what I’ve seen of the Zet, happiness is in short supply.
Richards: They hadn’t mentioned that they made any sort of deal like this.
No, they hadn’t, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t true. After all, Ualara was a Danni, and she was higher ranked than others. From where Nesre sat, she couldn’t see why she would lie about that aspect of the deal.
Salo: Why do the Danni want this?
There was more to this deal than met the eye, and Nesre began to see the darker connotations of it. Ualara’s attitude did not improve, but she did answer the question.
Ualara: It would change everything and make the Danni capable of being an actual presence in the galaxy as opposed to a footnote to the number of cultures currently ruling in the United Dominion of Planets. When you stand among species who can live for hundreds of years longer than yourselves, who’s shapes can change at will, the way to cement your people’s legacy… permanence is the ability to stand the test of time, to assure no one can write the story of your people but them.
So it was all about taking control and power, as such things usually were.
Salo: Chairwoman Ualara….such a thing is unnecessary. Eternal life does not guarantee what you seek.
Herrick: ::nodding:: Ideals outlast even the longest of monarchies, or dictatorships. There’s a reason that the Federation has stood the test of time for over 240 years. Immortality is not worth the benefit if you’re just going to end up king of the hill upon a bed of battered and bloodied bodies. ::shaking his head:: You should’ve just waited.
Ualara: Waiting for the Federations application to process versus the immediacy of the Zet’s presence… an individual is intelligent at what might be best for them but together, in hardship, people want comfort immediately, thats what the Zet gave them. ::She reached to take one of the combadges off her belt:: Besides, they came with Federation technology, how could we trust the Federation to protect when the Zet had evidence they’d beaten you on several fronts.
Richards: Certainly on the stealing technology front.
They were impatient, which would ultimately prove their doom if something wasn’t done.
Salo: Short term victories do not win a war. The Zet have certainly taken us by surprise, but those they fought were singular vessels. They aren’t any match for the entire Federation.
But she realised Ualara had distracted her. Nesre took a deep breath and steadied herself.
Salo: You say that the Zet offer comfort, but the people are not comforted. They are suffering.
Maxwell: Response
Ualara: A period of discomfort for the price of immortality is a small cost… ::she looked at the combadge thoughtfully:: If those old bitty luddites at the Garden of Harmony could practice patience, we could secure means for them to continue their teachings directly for generations. Instead they run counter intuitive operations that are just going to cause the Zet to punish the Danni as a whole.
They would be punished, yes, for entering into a situation where they didn’t have a full understanding of what they were doing. Their greed would get them into trouble, but even as Nesre thought that, she couldn’t help but wonder who had really negotiated the deal? Was it put to a vote? Or was it simply decisions made by a few people at the top who didn’t consider how it would affect the everyday person?
Maxwell: Response
Richards: And you?
Ualara: I want the crown, no matter who ends up ruling, to carry out their promise… and if there is a renegotiation option, I want to be at the table for it. ::She pauses:: and assurance that the planetside resistances such as of the Harmony are convinced to play along for the greater good. I'm sure the Federation could pacify them quite easily with their words.
No, she didn’t think so. And Richards didn’t particularly like the suggestion Ualara made.
Richards: We don’t pacify stuff.
The way he spoke was sharp, spicy in a sense. She could tell he was quite perturbed by the entire situation. Even though it had been only a few minutes, the view of the dead, particularly the children, had greatly affected them all.
Salo: You think we can convince them?
Maxwell: Response
Beside her, the other stood, and among them she knew Richards struggled the most - or at least, struggled the most visibly. But when he spoke, she couldn’t help but glance over at him.
Herrick: (wryly) How do you know…?
Nesre couldn’t help but wonder that herself, and she whispered, only Richards able to hear her.
Salo: That’s a good question.
Maxwell/Ualara: Response
Richards: … You were saying?
Herrick: I mean how do you know this rehusking process won’t just shuck the life outta you and send you to the afterlife. Pretty convenient disposal mechanism once allies have served their purpose.
Herrick also asked a very good question and Nesre really wanted to know the answer to it.
Richards: Yeah and just because it works on the Zet, what makes you think it’ll work for you guys?
He made a gesture toward Ualara to help emphasise his point.
Maxwell//Ualara: Response
Suddenly, a display screen appeared, casting a morbid glare over the room. As Nesre watched, several Danni were enclosed in tanks, but she couldn’t tell if they were dead or alive.
Herrick: And you’ve had success? Because that ::pointing his finger to the tanks:: looks like a bunch of dead canned bodies. Gods knows how many are going to suffer for you.
He wasn’t wrong, and she had thought along similar lines herself.
Richards: Are they… alive?
Salo: If they are…would you call that living?
Maxwell/Ualara: Response
Shock registered over Nesre’s face. Who would volunteer for that extreme of an experiment? Nesre knew they wanted eternal life, but to risk your current one for something like that?
Richards: How long does someone have?
For the moment, Nesre went silent, but as Richards asked his question, she glanced over at Ualara.
Herrick/Maxwell/Ualara: Response
Richards: No like, How long after a Danni dies can they be revived?
She thought about speaking, but once again, she waited. Ualara was still revealing information, at least hints of it, even if it wasn’t as detailed as Nesre would like. She wanted to know what the woman would say.
Herrick/Maxwell/Ualara: Response
Richards glanced around, his eyes darting from one place to another, then finally he made an offer.
Richards: We could try to save her y’know.
Salo: We could…try.
Nesre pointed out. The last thing she wanted to do was have them enter into some sort of promise when they weren’t even sure they could keep it.
Herrick/Maxwell/Richards/Ualara: Response
So it wasn’t so much one thing but the other. Nesre considered the situation and all that Ualara had told her. Finally, she made up her mind.
Salo: All right. I can’t simply sit by as a doctor and let you try this without assistance.
She shifted then, uncrossing her legs, only to cross them again, though in switched places. Levelling her gaze at the woman on the other side of the table, she wanted to make certain Ualara understood her words clearly.
Salo: We did not come here to help the Zet. We came here to help the Danni.
The Orion glanced at Herrick and waited a moment, then resumed.
Salo: That is our task. That is our mission. So, Ualara, I would like to invite you to our ship. I would like to see if what they have shared with you is valid and scientifically sound.
Herrick/Maxwell/Richards/Ualara: Response
Salo: Because, we consider life precious, and if we can preserve life, we will do so. Rather than risk and sacrifice lives, let us assist you and make sure that it’s done in a safe way for your people. But…I ask that you connect with your people in person and let them know what you are doing for them.
Nesre had no idea if they could. In fact, she had no certainty of anything. Her hope was that if Ualara came and saw what had become of her people, she would rethink. Either way, if they could find a way to help the Danni, even if it was to give them the ability to rehusk, then maybe that’s what they had to do. She didn’t know. All she knew was she and her fellow officers were stuck there, and if they could get Ualara out and open her eyes, maybe they stood a chance. Then again, perhaps it was a foolish chance she took. She hoped not, but it would all depend on the woman in front of them.
Herrick/Maxwell/Richards/Ualara: Response
-- Lieutenant Nesre Salo Counsellor USS Octavia E. Butler M239008AD0