Ensign Spelvan - A Rededication to Logic

[Tara Miner]

((Skyhigh Arcade Lounge & Cafe, Midtown District, Adamas))

Spelvan had been opening up to his colleague V'Lar somewhat as they began preparing to play a game of weiqi together. 

Spelvan: It is an adversity that I am sure will pass with time. ::He handed the pouch with the white stones to V'Lar,:: This time, I will go first. If that is acceptable. 

V'Lar took the pouch of white stones from Spelvan, setting it down on her side of the table before making eye contact with him. 

V’Lar: The processing of such intense and anomalous stimuli is seldom achieved instantaneously. That is not a failure, Spelvan. ::She inclined her head.:: The board is yours. Make your opening move.

The white-haired Vulcan took a deep calming breath as he thought about what V'Lar had said. He had been an impatient child who had grown into an impatient adult, who had, in turn, grown into a somewhat undisciplined Vulcan. Spelvan glanced at the painting of ShiKahr, a symbol of what Vulcans had built and what his ancestors had spent years and generations raising from the earth. 

He looked back at the weiqi set, debating his first move. The doctor had reviewed the rules, watched some tutorials and played a few practice sessions, but he did not expect to win. Though he was impressed that the game's structure was very Vulcan-like. Humans could be quite logical when they put their minds to it.

He placed his first stone on the board.

Spelvan: I am not as patient a person as I would like to be.

V'Lar: Are you satisfied with the traditional 7.5 point Komi in my favour? If not, I am agreeable to reducing it to 0.5 purely to break a deadlocked final score.

Spelvan: The traditional komi will be adequate.

V'Lar: While we proceed with this game, I am amenable to talking. If vocalising your thoughts will assist, I am prepared to listen.

This surprised him somewhat, even if Spelvan understood her motivations. A crewmate in distress was an inefficient one, and inefficiency led to mistakes.

And mistakes in their line of work could be a life or death situation.

But V'Lar knew everything that had happened to him, had certainly read it thoroughly. Talking about how it made him feel would make Spelvan, well, feel too vulnerable.

Spelvan: Thank you. That is thoughtful of you.

The two Vulcans lapsed into a placid silence. Five minutes passed as the board began to become speckled with the black and white game markers. Spelvan focused on the corners, trying not to attack V'Lar's positions right away. There were so many things to consider in weiqi, he was learning.

Even so, his mind wandered to his previous machinations about his brother and also the mission. Two situations in which he felt powerless.

He thought of the meditation mat in his quarters, displayed out of obligation, gathering a thin layer of dust. He considered the peace that was present in V'Lar and Valek, in their manners and in their speech.

oO I want that peace. Even if I must be patient and strive for it. Oo

Spelvan: My brother is here for a visit. He is more... illogical than I remembered.

V'Lar: Response 

Spelvan: I am thinking, also, of what we discussed at N'Vea Hospitals. I asserted that logic was like the light of the moon. It may be that my affirmation may have been misguided.

V'Lar: Response

V'Lar had stated that logic was analogous to the sun, without whose brightness they would all fall into chaos. Spelvan wasn't fully convinced of this yet, but he was coming around to her perspective.

They paused their conversation as a Spelvan captured a group of V'Lar's stones, rendering them "dead." Whether it was a trap V'Lar had laid for him or a lapse of attention, he had yet to tell.

The white stones made a satisfying plink as they dropped into the bowl set aside for such an event.

Spelvan: Perhaps it is time for me to more wholeheartedly regard Surak's teachings in my daily life.

V'Lar: Response

---

Ensign Spelvan

Medical Officer

USS-Gorkon

G240208S11