[sb118-darwin] LtCmdr R'Ven - Shake hands with the new Merrick

[Merrick R'Ven]

((USS Darwin-A, Deck 6, Natural Selections))

::Merrick had been in a deep and personal conversation with Sindrana when Lieutenant Shayne had called to talk with him. The call had given Sindrana the excuse she needed to make her escape. And so with a promise of more talking Merrick was suddenly left with time on his hands to talk with Shayne and receive his apology.::

::It was something that affected Merrick in an odd way.::

R’Ven: It has been an adjustment for me as well. As we venture out into space, we are changed by it in unexpected ways. Some more completely than others.

::Was that Merrick waxing somewhat poetic? Whatever it was it seemed to relax the voices in his head. One of them was of a young Sikaran girl who could remember the moonrise on Binos IV.::

::But Merrick had been changed. When he had first arrived on his fiorst ship, the Apollo he had been little more than a Rodulan version of a Vulcan. Almost no outward display of emotion, his inductive and deductive reasoning skills were razor sharp. But then Merrick had met different ones. Vulcan’s who were very unVulcan. And then he was assigned to the Darwin and his changes kept coming. Especially when he found the sentient exBorg nanoprobes. They had changed his life in a way more profound the he had ever known. They caused him to question not only who he was but who he had been and who he would become.::

Shayne: Indeed. I just wish I had a more open mind about everything. Despite my beliefs- and my training- I still feared you.

::He was not sure how much of the changes that had happened to him Shayne knew, or suspected, so Merrick was loath to reveal just how much he knew of 6of7. But he felt the need to speak of her coming from within. But someone being afraid of him was amusing, and strange.::

R’Ven: In my . . . studies of the beings that had been trapped inside the Borg bodies. I believe that they would be pleased of the efforts that you and Brell, and the others on board the Darwin had made in trying to save them.

::With the access to the machine he had all the records of all the beings that had been on board the Borg Sphere. However as time passed he came to realize that he did not need it. Each one of them talked to him day after day, relating their stories, their memories of what it had been like before they were taken.::

::They were free now. That was something.::

Shayne: I put myself in their place- as much as anyone can. Confused, ruined, alone and yet not. I can't imagine. And no one should have to. You were just as helpful.

::The urge to shut down, to flee this exchange was becoming more and more urgent. The flood of conflicting emotions from within was difficult to ignore.::

Shayne: I...appreciate...you being so understanding.

::Anger was not logical. It was something to be controlled, redirected and used. To give it free reign would mean to give it control over you. The mind is dominant, rationality is the key. This among others were the beliefs that Merrick had ascribed to when he came on board the Darwin. But things had happened to him, things that had began to mold and modify those beliefs in some fundamental ways. He could understand Shayne and Traenor because he knew what it was like to be wrong . . . and to be wronged.::

::He could also hear Six of Seven.::

::No, Merrick did not have the firsthand account of her  demise, she had already lost her nanoprobes before that time. But he had her older memories and her idea of how she would have felt in that situation.::

::How could Merrick fail to understand? But what to do with that insight? How to make a response to Shayne?::

R'Ven: What you have done is . . . apparently what others have done as well. To include our previous First officer. ::thoughtful pause:: . . . and perhaps how I would have thought had I been in your place.

::Merrick had no choice but see things from other viewpoints, they were being shown to him over and over. Fear, like anger could not be allowed to reign but it could not be ignored. Even the fear of others.::

::And that was one of the changes Merrick was undergoing. Empathy.::

Shayne: You'll be going to the Blackwell, I'll be going to Atlantis. We might not see each other for some time. Until we do...

::As Shayne held out his hand to Merrick he found himself staring at it as if unsure what to do with it. He may no longer be telepathic, but reflexes reinforced over years of repetition had made him warey of handshakes. Then he reached out and gripped it and gave it the requisite three pumps. Merrick was not nearly as weak as he looked having grown up in a heavier gravity environment.::

R'Ven: It will soon be time, but first I believe we will have to rendezvous with the Starbase in that region. i am sure we will see each other again.

Shayne: Response

R’Ven: I have had the chance to . . become aware of most of the denizens of the Borg Sphere. If you have any questions, I would be pleased to answer them if I am able.

::Of course Merrick had no memories of any of the Borg once the Nanoprobes had left them, but the lives and people they were before, he had those. There was a time when he would cared less about what others were feeling. Now he would help if he could.::

::One of the many changes Merrick was feeling these days. Sometimes he felt like a new man. He just wondered if that was a good thing.::

Shayne: Response

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LtCmdr MERRICK R'VEN - Science/Cybernetics Officer

USS Darwin-A    Training Team       A239210MR0