
From TTy99@aol.com Mon Jun  8 20:11:00 1998
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 09:03:38 -0600
From: TTy99@aol.com
To: INDIGO FLEET List Serve <indigo@cyberhighway.net>
Subject: [INDIGO] USS CONSTELLATION:  An understanding (of sorts) is finally reached

---OFFICIAL INDIGO FLEET TRANSMISSION---

Date: Sun, 31 May 1998 16:22:07 EDT
From: <TTy99@aol.com>
Subject: [INDIGO] USS CONSTELLATION:  An understanding (of sorts) is finally reached

SD 100531.2130 GMT

Scene: Holodeck 1, USS CONSTELLATION
FMD 6.0915

"Lieutenant, Ensign, meet Captain Norton."

The individual in question stood at parade rest position, staring blankly
across at the opposite wall. Since he was only a hologram, the grey-haired
officer was unnaturally still, waiting for the command that would bring him to
life.

Commander Bertoli smiled as he watched the reactions of the two officers in
front of him. Lt jg Kzar studied the hologram scornfully and sniffed in
distaste, barely biting back a growl at the thought of having to take orders
from some computer-generated fantasy. Ensign Ares Sindel, in contrast, looked
over her new "commanding officer" carefully, trying to take the measure of the
man from his appearance.

"Captain Norton," Bertoli informed them smugly, "was recently given command of
the CONSTELLATION because of Captain Paraskevopoulus' unfortunate illness. His
last posting was as XO of a starbase, and this will be his first starship
command. Because of his background, he is open, and even eager to accept the
suggestions of both his Tactical officer," with a nod to Kzar, "and helmsman,"
he added with another nod, this time to Ares. 

His gaze lingered for a moment or two as they roved over Ares' trim form
appreciatively. The Bajoran NAV officers' eyes narrowed slightly as she noted
the "Tactical Advisor's" appraising look, but she pretended not to notice his
unwelcome attentions. If he persisted, Sindel was confident she could find a
way to discourage him from pursuing the matter.

"Therefore," he continued, "in the following tactical situations, it is the
two of *you* who will be effectively controlling the action. Norton will only
refuse your advice when the mission parameters are ignored. The two of you
will have to work as a team to get the ship through in one piece. 

"Your mission is to escort the USS WILLIAM GATES, a cargo ship, whose top
speed, incidentally, is warp four, containing vital and irreplaceable computer
components to repair damaged starships. It is *imperative* that these supplies
get through safely, and may conceivably lose us the war if they do not.
Therefore CONSTELLATION has been assigned as escort to ensure her arrival. Any
questions?"

"Yes, sir," spoke up Kzar immediately. "How many other ships in the fleet are
running similar simulations?"

Bertoli frowned up at the big Kzin and responded sharply: "That is not your
concern, Lieutenant. It is enough that you are."

He could not miss the suspicious look that briefly flashed from Kzar's eyes,
but chose to ignore it. For now.

"Out of curiosity, sir," Kzar pressed, careful to keep a respectful note in
his voice,"how many of the other ships have also been assigned a *Tactical
Advisor*?"

"Your questions are not relevant to this exercise, Lieutenant," Bertoli
snapped. "Prepare to begin."

Turning on one heel, he marched over to the doorway, resolutely refusing to
meet what he was sure would be another challenging glare from the Kzin. Once
in position, he pivoted to once more face the two officers and hologram behind
him, then said in a loud voice: "Computer! Begin program Bertoli Alpha Alpha
Seven Two."

Suddenly the flat black walls crisscrossed with white lines dissolved into the
familiar surroundings of the bridge seven decks above them. With a quick
businesslike glance of understanding between them, Kzar and Sindel moved to
their accustomed posts, the big Kzin at the Tactical station and the Bajoran
Navigator to the helm console. Various crew also appeared around the
perimeter, each engrossed in their own tasks. 

The figure of Captain Norton finally came to life as the grey-haired CO began
rocking back and forth slightly on his heels, staring at the passing stars
illuminated on the viewscreen ahead with a self-satisfied smile playing over
his lips, and chest puffed out as if he was bursting with pride to be where
and who he was at the moment.

Strangely enough, Kzar noted, there was no sign of Commander Bochu in this
simulation, sitting in his familiar spot beside Norton. Probably didn't want
to put anyone between our "suggestions" and this joke of a holo-Captain, he
decided. Of Bertoli there was no sign. So he was probably masked somehow by
this simulation, perhaps posing as a piece of equipment or even one of the
anonymous-looking crewmen bustling around them.

Well, at least I get to fight something, thought the Kzin resignedly, though
it's too bad I can only blow up or kill holograms. Then again, that's the
*only* things I'm allowed to kill at the moment.... Maybe if I'm lucky, he
speculated wistfully, the holo-Dalriadans will board this vessel and I can
take them out hand to hand, along with some of my frustrations. 

He couldn't help but wonder, though, whether this ridiculous prohibition
against killing would cause him to hold back if such a situation occurred.
Kzar hoped not, but felt constrained and even a little hesitant, unfamiliar
and most uncomfortable sensations for him, even knowing that whatever he did
here could have no possible relation to the real world. Not as long as he was
effectively tied to a silly moral code that no self-respecting Kzin would ever
be able to understand. It was an order, though, and even as stupid or
senseless as it seemed, it had to be obeyed. No matter what the cost to him
personally.

With a heavy sigh, Kzar concentrated on his long range scanners, knowing
something would undoubtedly be popping up any moment. He did not have long to
wait.

"Captain," he announced in a penetrating rumble that snapped the hologram's
head around to stare up at his Tactical officer, "I am picking up an
unidentified ship at extreme sensor range, moving toward our position."

^QYellow Alert," called Captain Norton in a commanding tone, even though his
mouth tightened and Kzar could smell the beginnings of fear emanating from the
inexperienced CO. Grudgingly, he acknowledged the realism and detail put into
this simulation. Many never replicated smells properly, and usually missed the
subtle ones altogether, since most humanoid races simply did not have the
ability to detect them with their pathetic olfactory senses.

Immediately the strobe-yellow effect flooded the bridge, not quite as obvious
as the red alert lights and thankfully unaccompanied by the obnoxious klaxons,
but more than enough to cause everyone to tense at their posts. 

Kzar shook his head in disgust. Moving through territory presumably made
dangerous by Dalriadan incursions, escorting a vital cargo, and all this
weakling can do is call yellow alert. It was going to be a long day.

******************************************
Scene: Same place
FMD 6.1600

Ensign Ares Sindel walked out of the holodeck, carrying a large bag with a
shoulder strap.  As she moved down the hallway, she met the last man she
expected to meet.

"C..Captain Paraskevopoulus!"

"At ease, Ensign Ares.  Rumor has it that the SEC/TAC is in Holodeck A."

"Right, Sir.  We've been running combat sims in there."

"How are you two doing?"

Ares sighed.  "Bluntly...not well at all, Sir."

"Right.  Looks like I'll have to have a talk with Commander Bertoli after I
speak to Lieutenant Kzar.  And Kzar...is still in there."

"Yes, sir," the Bajoran NAV officer confirmed. "He intends to fight to the
last being.  However,.I have to meet with the shuttle pilots.  We might be
converting some of the shuttles to attack craft...."

"Good idea.  Talk to me tomorrow.  I don't want to take you away from your
duties, Ares.  Take care of yourself."

With the NAV officer dismissed, Paraskevopoulus had to get in to the Holodeck.
A quick call to Commander Bochu on the bridge overrode the code for him, as
none of Demis's codes were active.

When he entered the Holodeck, Demis saw what he had seen a thousand times
before.  A burnt-out bridge, obviously the result of an unsuccessful
simulation.  Several dead officers lay on deck at his feet, including Ares,
whom Demis had just left. 

The bridge wasn't empty, however.  Kzar and several Dalridians were fighting
it out hand-to-hand.  Demis wondered about the circumstances that made that
possible.  Six Dalriadans against Kzar. Not much of a fight for the Kzin, but
Kzar seemed to be having some trouble. He looked more spiritually taxed than
anything else.

"Freeze simulation." called Demis. 

The Dalridians immediately went still, and Kzar's claws passed through the
now-insubstantial attackers.  Kzar looked up, expecting to find Bertoli.

"Captain!", growled the Kzin.  "What are you doing here?"

"Watching.  I'm getting better, Mr. Kzar, and I'm allowed to observe." 

>From the look on Kzar's face, Demis could tell that the Kzin would rather have
the Captain somewhere else.

"I noticed something very quickly, Mr. Kzar.  For a SEC/TAC, you seemed
quite... tentative?...in your combat."

Kzar's ears flared back. The Captain had touched a sore spot. In one sudden
and astonishing leap, Kzar quickly covered the distance between
Paraskevopoulus and himself. Bearing down on the smaller human like an orange
furry sun, still Kzar managed to retract his claws just in time to end up
towering over the Captain in what was, for him, a non-threatening stance. 

"Permission to speak freely, Captain?"

Demis was about to say, "Of course," but he suspected Kzar would then unload a
lot of anger, and that was *not* what Demis wanted.  Kzar had taken his order
as a total prohibition against killing.  The Captain was sure that his order
didn't read like that...indeed, Kzar might have misinterpreted it. 

He had learned quite a bit about Kzin since Bochu told him the story about his
conversation with Kzar.  Hyperbole did not work with the Kzin.  If you gave an
order with wild flourishes, those flourishes would be incorporated into the
order.  Kzar and his kind took things quite literally -- undoubtedly, he had
listened to the first part of the order, and it offended his sensibilities so
much that he had blacked out the rest of it.  That had actually happened to
Demis one time as an ensign. 

And with Kzar, he had decided, it was the most likely explanation.  Demis was
being forced to think like a Kzin.  If *he* were a Kzin, he would have taken
such a no killing prohibition as an order of madness.  Demis sensed it when he
came on the holodeck. Kzar was holding back, somehow.  If Demis-Kzin had been
given an order like that, his mind would be tied in knots.

The proper thing to do was to find a way for both of them to save face. Demis
had used too much hyperbole and bombast in giving the order.  The order should
have been short and to the point.  Kzar's mistake had been in not listening to
the rest of it.  Ordinarily, someone would have to admit fault, and it should
have been Kzar.  However, Demis had not taken the sensibilities of his crew in
mind when he gave the order,.and that was just as egregious a mistake.

"No, Mr. Kzar, you may *not* speak freely.  I have decided to change my order
regarding you killing people."

This surprised Kzar.  "Might I ask why, Sir?"

"Why should you?  You have proven excellent in obeying my orders so far, and I
see no problems resulting from the new orders."

Demis handed over the PADD he had been carrying.  

"This is the new order.  It is simply a copy of the duties and
responsibilities of a SEC/TAC officer, with some notations regarding
Kzinti/Federation social relationships. I have simply decided to change my
mind.  I changed my mind, of  course, due to the war that has now become a
grim reality for us all.  After the war, the situation will be reevaluated."

That was the "saving face" part.  Demis had given a new order, not ever
stating the old one was being withdrawn.  Kzar would never have to admit that
he misunderstood the old one, because it no longer applied - for the moment.
It was simply a choice Demis had made because it satisfied everyone, though it
did have the side effect of making sure no one involved was quite happy with
the compromise either.

"My biggest concern, Lieutenant, is that you not offend non-Kzin. This will
require you to read up on humanoid sociology and philosophy. You probably
haven't had those subjects since the introductory courses at the Academy, and
I expect you've never studied them in the depth.  If you are ever to receive a
command someday, you will have to know more than you know right now.  The
reading of these texts is an order, Mr. Kzar."

"If I may make one brief statement?" asked Kzar respectfully.

Demis sighed.  The Kzin looked calmer, more at peace somehow, now that the
restriction on his snuffing out the existences of other sentient beings had
been lifted, which was kind of a frightening thought in and of itself.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"I have studied humans since I have arrived, though I have not read most of
the texts you speak of. But I find the lack of reciprocal interest or concerns
for *my* standards aggravating. Am I always going to be the one who has to
meet everyone else's standards?"

Demis held up another PADD in response.  

"'The Pecking-Order Dynamic in the Kzinti Patriarchy'.  More biology than
sociology, but it is a start. IDIC, remember?  Infinite Diversity in Infinite
Combinations.  This crew will make more of an effort to understand your people
and your behavior. You will do the same."

Kzar nodded slowly. It wasn't much of a concession, but it was the first he
had ever been offered. By anyone in Starfleet, so he was grateful for it.

"Return to your duties, Mr. Kzar.  And don't hold back this time.  If you have
any confusion about your duties, I would like you to listen to your heart
first.  That isn't an order, but it's something I'd like you to think about." 

With that, Demis left the holodeck, green feline eyes following him until the
last hiss of the door left the big Kzin alone once more..

There was so much Kzar had wanted to say, but couldn't.  "Hold back?" When had
a Kzin *ever* held back?  On Homeworld, it would have been considered an
insult, one that would have to be paid for in blood.

There, a young warrior who held back -- who pulled punches --  was given a
extra portion of food.  This usually resulted in the offender facing several
angry Kzin at once in ritual combat.  The survivors, few as they were, learned
two valuable lessons. First, when you hold back, your rivals are ultimately
the only beneficiaries. Second, it is you who eventually pay the price.
Repeat offenders didn't survive the second lesson.

Perhaps the Captain would learn that lesson, but somehow Kzar doubted it.  One
cannot cram a lifetime's worth of experience on a PADD.  He would read the
texts with skepticism.  Still, since the galaxy was infested with humanoids,
reading the texts might be worthwhile if only to learn about potential
opponents.

Kzar returned his attention to the frozen simulation.  The Holodeck wasted his
time, and Bertoli's theories had flaws the "Tactical Advisor" had not yet
realized.  He wished he could tell Bochu or the Captain that having Bertoli at
the tactical center during combat would be a mistake, but that would be
disrespectful and even worse, dishonorable. The Tactical Advisor was still his
senior, and one did not complain at unfair treatment. Or question their
competence.

Then his mind returned again to the Captain's words.  "Holding back"?

*No.  NEVER!*  

Kzar's roar filled the holodeck, but he felt better as the echoes slowly died
away. No more would he have to worry about which moves would be prohibited due
to the ridiculous restriction he had labored to understand and obey, or
practice how to pull his blows so he could make them non-lethal. Battle was a
deadly serious business for the Kzin, and to even think of entering into it
unable to do his best because of some trivial moral concerns had weighed
heavily upon his soul for far too long now. All of the sudden, it felt like a
heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Computer, restart the simulation," he ordered, a fierce grin coming over his
features for the first time in what seemed like forever. It had been in deed a
long day, as he had suspected, but now he felt re-energized and eager to once
again face this no-win scenario. 

Bertoli was gone, calling it quits after throwing more and more at Kzar and
Ares all day. First one Dalriadan ship, then, when they managed to defeat that
one after eight tries, two at once for the rest of the day. Only once had they
managed to defeat both ships, and it was at the cost of the cargo ship, so
Bertoli had cheerfully called it a failure as well.  Kzar suspected he would
have sent even three or four Dalridians at them if necessary to "beat" the two
officers, always making it impossible to win, no matter what they tried.

That did not bother the Kzin. There were only two options in combat: victory
or death. He had faced death far too often to fear it, and would accept it as
the will of the Fanged God when his time came. But when he died, Kzar would
make sure those who sent him there would remember his last stand.

It was time to teach some virtual Dalriadans the meaning of pain......

*************************************************************************
[NRPG]
Many thanks to James for writing the last part of that post, then kindly
giving me permission to carve it up and include it here. I wanted to get this
out quickly, though I had great plans for making this into a 30-40k post (I
heard that!). However, we are falling behind the rest of the fleet, given the
timing, so let's move on to day 7, shall we? (I say this not only as Kzar,
btw, but also the Captain of the PROMETHEUS, which should be visible outside
your window as it is repaired, and the fleet TAC officer. However, James has
the last word here, of course.)

FMD 6.0915    Kzar and Ares start simulations         Tim
FMD 6.1600    Demis visits Kzar in holodeck       Tim

James: Made a lot of minor changes, but pretty much preserved the vast
majority of your stuff. Hope you don't mind.

Mark: Sorry I didn't include you as promised, but finally decided this would
be better. As I said, I was in a rush to get this out and I procrastinated too
long to really make this as long as I would have liked. Oh, well, maybe next
time. Feel free to post Ares' take on the simulation, but you should try to do
so as memories so we can move on. Or backpost if you feel you really must.

Chris: Welcome aboard. Like your character. You've found a great ship, and we
all hope you enjoy your stay with us. Are you familiar with mission dates? If
not, let me know, and I have a document I can send to you e