Lt. Commander V'Lar - Statistical Outliers
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Chris M
Dec 22, 2025, 5:52:58 PM (4 days ago) Dec 22
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((Aithela Cove, Deluvia IV))
V'Lar had observed the crowd transitioning into a state of rhythmic synchronisation. She recognised the potential disparity in their species' social requirements, and she had offered the First Officer the opportunity to participate without the burden of Vulcan stoicism anchoring her.
Standing amidst the celebration, V'Lar felt the distinct weight of her own composure. It was a shield, but occasionally, it felt like a cage. For a brief nanosecond, she calculated the probability of joining them, but the equation quickly resolved to zero.
V'Lar: I do not possess the capacity for the necessary abandonment of control. However, I have no desire to be the anchor that restricts your own experience should you wish to take part. How would you like to proceed?
Tahna: You might be amused to uncover another contrast in my character, but I have no desire to partake in a dance that is so…subjective.
V'Lar raised an eyebrow at the word "amused." Typically, this would warrant a correction regarding Vulcan emotional suppression, but Tahna had wisely employed the conditional "might." It framed the emotion as a theoretical probability rather than an assumption. V'Lar appreciated the distinction.
The First Officer was proving to be a curious anomaly; a scientist who did not seek command yet held it, and a Bajoran—a species typically associated with spiritual expression—who rejected subjective movement.
V’Lar: As a Vulcan, I am seldom amused. Intrigued would be an accurate descriptor.
V'Lar's gaze followed Tahna’s gesture towards an unoccupied area of the beach.
Tahna: Would you be interested in making closer observations of the plankton?
The secluded section of the beach offered two distinct advantages: it was removed from the chaotic nature of the crowd, and it provided a direct line of sight to the bioluminescent phenomena.
oO Social variables decreasing. Scientific engagement parameters increasing. Outcome: favourable. Oo
V’Lar: Indeed. While the species is likely well-documented, the efficiency of their reaction is... fascinating in its simplicity. I have always found simple organisms to be undemanding subjects.
oO And generally preferable company to humanoids. Oo
Tahna: Response
As they moved away from the main cluster of the Tidesong festival, the chaotic noise of the music began to fade, replaced by the rhythmic lapping of the water against the shore. The bioluminescence was far clearer here, unpolluted by the artificial lights of the festivities.
V’Lar: It is curious. A Bajoran who avoids the dance, and a Vulcan who attended a festival. We appear to be a pair of statistical outliers.
There was a distinct efficiency in their shared non-conformity. Usually, V'Lar functioned as a solitary variable struggling to integrate into a social equation involving non-Vulcans. Walking alongside the Bajoran—another outlier who preferred the scientific discussion to social events—V'Lar detected a rare sensation: the absence of social friction. It was agreeable.
Tahna: Response
The anomaly of Tahna Meru's position, however, remained unresolved in V'Lar's analysis. Starfleet hierarchy was typically a function of ambition multiplied by time—a formula in which competence was, regrettably, not always a required constant. For a scientist to ascend to the First Officer position without the first variable suggested external factors were at play. To fully understand the Bajoran—and perhaps her own potential trajectory—V'Lar required the missing data points of that transition.
V’Lar: You stated earlier that command was not your intent. May I enquire, by what mechanism did your elevation to the position occur? Was it a matter of necessity, or a direct selection?
Tahna: Response
V’Lar: I see. Do you find that your scientific background makes the ambiguity of command difficult?
Tahna: Response
V'Lar had observed the crowd transitioning into a state of rhythmic synchronisation. She recognised the potential disparity in their species' social requirements, and she had offered the First Officer the opportunity to participate without the burden of Vulcan stoicism anchoring her.
Standing amidst the celebration, V'Lar felt the distinct weight of her own composure. It was a shield, but occasionally, it felt like a cage. For a brief nanosecond, she calculated the probability of joining them, but the equation quickly resolved to zero.
V'Lar: I do not possess the capacity for the necessary abandonment of control. However, I have no desire to be the anchor that restricts your own experience should you wish to take part. How would you like to proceed?
Tahna: You might be amused to uncover another contrast in my character, but I have no desire to partake in a dance that is so…subjective.
V'Lar raised an eyebrow at the word "amused." Typically, this would warrant a correction regarding Vulcan emotional suppression, but Tahna had wisely employed the conditional "might." It framed the emotion as a theoretical probability rather than an assumption. V'Lar appreciated the distinction.
The First Officer was proving to be a curious anomaly; a scientist who did not seek command yet held it, and a Bajoran—a species typically associated with spiritual expression—who rejected subjective movement.
V’Lar: As a Vulcan, I am seldom amused. Intrigued would be an accurate descriptor.
V'Lar's gaze followed Tahna’s gesture towards an unoccupied area of the beach.
Tahna: Would you be interested in making closer observations of the plankton?
The secluded section of the beach offered two distinct advantages: it was removed from the chaotic nature of the crowd, and it provided a direct line of sight to the bioluminescent phenomena.
oO Social variables decreasing. Scientific engagement parameters increasing. Outcome: favourable. Oo
V’Lar: Indeed. While the species is likely well-documented, the efficiency of their reaction is... fascinating in its simplicity. I have always found simple organisms to be undemanding subjects.
oO And generally preferable company to humanoids. Oo
Tahna: Response
As they moved away from the main cluster of the Tidesong festival, the chaotic noise of the music began to fade, replaced by the rhythmic lapping of the water against the shore. The bioluminescence was far clearer here, unpolluted by the artificial lights of the festivities.
V’Lar: It is curious. A Bajoran who avoids the dance, and a Vulcan who attended a festival. We appear to be a pair of statistical outliers.
There was a distinct efficiency in their shared non-conformity. Usually, V'Lar functioned as a solitary variable struggling to integrate into a social equation involving non-Vulcans. Walking alongside the Bajoran—another outlier who preferred the scientific discussion to social events—V'Lar detected a rare sensation: the absence of social friction. It was agreeable.
Tahna: Response
The anomaly of Tahna Meru's position, however, remained unresolved in V'Lar's analysis. Starfleet hierarchy was typically a function of ambition multiplied by time—a formula in which competence was, regrettably, not always a required constant. For a scientist to ascend to the First Officer position without the first variable suggested external factors were at play. To fully understand the Bajoran—and perhaps her own potential trajectory—V'Lar required the missing data points of that transition.
V’Lar: You stated earlier that command was not your intent. May I enquire, by what mechanism did your elevation to the position occur? Was it a matter of necessity, or a direct selection?
Tahna: Response
V’Lar: I see. Do you find that your scientific background makes the ambiguity of command difficult?
Tahna: Response
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