Academic Collision

Posted on 24 Nov 2014 @ 1:43am by Chief Petty Officer Lyras Ueda & Lieutenant Oren Idris Ph.D.

2,285 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Starbase 84, Hallway
Timeline: MD 06 :: 1438

ON

"Oof!"

Lyras may have noticed the innocent passerby if he didn't have a large number of ancient tomes and scrolls in his arms. There was a chance he wouldn't have dropped them all over, scattering them across the hallway, if they hadn't obstructed his view. Perhaps if the diplomat had made an attempt to alert everyone of his presence as he walked down the hall, this whole thing would have been avoided.

Instead, Lyras found himself falling backwards, watching with dismay as his valuable volumes lay on the hallway floor. He frowned in disapproval, pausing only to sigh heavily, before scooping up what he could, eyes kept to what was on the floor as opposed to what was in front of him. "Apologies, I seem to be in a much larger hurry than I originally intended to be."

The last thing Oren expected on his first day on the base was to be picking himself up after such a collision. And with Lyras, his away team buddy, as he'd come to remember him. Staring for a few moments as the diplomat went to pick up his books, Oren jumped forward to help. As he carefully picked up some of the scrolls, he inspected them carefully for signs of damage. He knew just how fragile such things were and was glad to see only a minor tear on one scroll, caused by a book falling on it at the wrong angle.

"It's alright. No major harm done," he assured Lyras, unable to keep himself from reading the covers of the books on the floor.

The gathered tomes, primarily in Romulan, had various titles on subjects of cultural etiquette and what Lyras would have described as 'cuisine.' The books detailed a numerous variety of methods on how to create the 'perfect' Romulan Ale, but the titles of said written texts could have been vague enough for the question to be posed.

The diplomat had a stack of them in his arms, ready to heft them up and off again. Relieved, a light smile crossed his lips. "Indeed, but I am still perfectly capable of paying attention to where I was going." A moment of hesitation followed as he recognized the other. "Ah, Dr. Idris, I almost didn't recognize you."

"Well, I do hear that being in deadly situations adds ten pounds," Oren joked, smiling up at the man. "And the less said about how unflattering that EVA suit is, the better," he added, then looked down at the books again.

"Brushing up on your Romulan studies? I've always loved Romulan culture, it's really something else. Books hardly do it justice."

"It only adds ten pounds if you are stuck in that unflattering monstrosity for a large portion of a 'deadly situation'." Lyras hoisted the books up once more, shifting them as so they were evenly level and he could just barely see over the top of them. "Books have never done Romulan culture justice, but I have never once met a Romulan who received my hospitality well. I cannot imagine why that is." He rolled his eyes.

"The books are a rare find, however. It is difficult to find such ancient tomes outside of the Romulan border, and it is likely that if there are any Romulans in the vicinity, I may end up without a head... or at least without my ears."

"Why do they always go for the ears first?" Oren asked rhetorically, shrugging as he continued to look at what little of Lyras' face he could still see, which was just his forehead and eyes.

"Do you need help with those?" Oren asked, glancing at the mass of books. "I can carry half to wherever you're going and then I'll leave you to your studies," he added, not wanting to intrude on Lyras' time.

Lyras missed the tone Oren took, opting to answer the question anyway. "I was never certain as to why that was. The Romulan culture had always been quite odd... though it never ceases to amaze me how similar it is to Vulcan culture as well.... Ah, help would be greatly appreciated." Lyras hadn't realized how heavy his new finds were until he had to heft them back up again. "I only mean to get them back to the Diplomatic Office, or as close as I can get before they release their decontamination order on the Galileo."

After he had rearranged his load and handed half of it to the helpful El-Aurian, Lyras continued. "If you'd like, there are plenty of books back on the Galileo that I've been hiding from the Science Department. They mostly detail Romulan culture and the origins of their cuisine, but I've managed to pick up texts on Denobulan society as well. I managed to get lucky, and I may be luckier before we leave for the next mission."

"Oh? Do you have something planned? Or is it a big secret?" Oren asked with a slight grin, balancing the books with practised ease. If there was something he had experience with as an archaeology student, it was lugging old, half-torn books, paper around by the dozen.

"I'd love to take a look at what you have," the El-Aurian said excitedly, glad to have something like it to take his mind off his troubles. "It's strange, being an archaeologist and anthropologist on a ship. I'm so used to throwing myself into a culture or an excavation that I'm not sure what to do with myself on the ship half the time," Oren admitted. "Felt a bit sad that we didn't stay to examine the non-corporeals in the cave. Well, I was sad about it after I'd gotten over the shock."

"I was charged, unofficially, with documenting it all and throwing it at some diplomatic colleagues of mine. I have a friend and an old crewmate who is currently aiding in negotiations with hostile parties of various races all over the Quadrant. She is more proficient than I am at adapting to situations and talking it out, but even she can appreciate quite a bit of research."

As they continued down the corridor, Lyras chuckled. "It is. I used to be in that position quite a time ago. It is amazing what you learn about a race, both culturally and biologically, out of language and mannerisms, and how little of that you find on a starship, despite exploration into new territories. The non-corporeals would have been wonderful to study and explore. I have never encountered a race of pure energy, and it would have been quite the experience.... but, we cannot win them all, I suppose."

Oren shook his head. "Honestly, I'm not sure anyone was interested in trying to win that one. In my experience, the natural sciences have always gotten more attention than the social ones. It's like ones health, no one really pays attention until something goes wrong. Then, when there's a diplomatic incident, suddenly everyone is interested in history and why certain people act the way they do," he explained, walking next to Lyras. "Well, to be exact, they seem to care more for why other's don't act the way they themselves do."

"Natural sciences are more tangible. Rocks are easier to study than a culture's belief systems, or even the hostility some races have towards others. It is an ignorance that is, ironically enough, all but ignored up until necessary. I suppose Starfleet is attempting to make that less of a problem, but even adding whole departments that specialize in cultural differences and communication create more ignorance... A vicious cycle, one might say?"

"One that seems determined to keep on spinning," Oren agreed, sidestepping a group of Starfleet officers as they passed by. "I think it's one of the rare things many races have in common, though. I sometimes feel that people are afraid of being able to understand another race's beliefs or motivations. As if that would make them less than what they are."

Oren himself had never had that problem, because he was never sure what being El-Aurian even meant on a personal level.

"Understanding is more difficult to pull off than ignorance. It is easier to dislike something for a difference in society, as accepting a different culture into a community requires the general agreement of a majority of the community's populace. It is a task that is much easier said than done, despite the enrichment another culture has to offer, even interracially." He stopped himself from continuing, giving a little chuckle. "I seem to have managed to run off into a complete ramble, I apologize deeply."

Shaking his head at him, Oren smiled. "No need to apologise. I like listening to people talk," he admitted. Walking, the two fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments before Oren spoke again. "Do you have any plans for shoreleave? Or is this is?" He indicated to the books by giving them a slight wiggle.

"It seems beneficial that we are friends, then. I appear to enjoy talking about subjects that are of interest." Lyras stopped in front of the Starbase's Diplomatic Attachment Office, smiling. "The only plans I have involve these books and a post-tribble resettling of the Diplomatic Office."

"Some would say you should get out more," Oren commented. "I think it's admirable to be so committed," he added with a smile. "But it would do you good to out and have some dessert once in a while."

As the door slid open, Lyras continued walking through, shaking his head. "I would very much like to, but there is not much for someone like me to do that does not involve a book or a tea ceremony. I suppose I could have joined the party frolicking off to Rigel, but I feel that would have been more trouble than it was worth. Too many pheromones in one place."

"I feel the same could be said about where we work," Oren said with a small chuckle. "What do you mean by 'someone like you'?" he asked, curious at hearing such an odd statement from someone.

Lyras stopped in front of the desk, setting his pile of books down upon it and nearly startling the attendant, who had been nose-deep in some odd document or another. "A bookworm, I suppose I could say. I am not one for parties and celebrations, or vacations... Another term I've heard is 'workaholic'."

"I completely understand," Oren said with a nod. "If you're interested, I have some Romulan literature in storage that I'm sure I can dig up and have transported to Galileo. I lived on a Romulan colony for six years and I have lots of notes too," he offered.

All but ignoring the attendant behind the desk, who was attempting to hand him a PADD to sign, Lyras smiled at the idea. "I would love to see what you have. Maybe we can compare notes and compile ourselves a database on Romulan culture?" It was only then that Lyras took the PADD from the attendant, though only seemed to be half paying attention to the documents he needed to sign.

Biting his lips, Oren watched with amusement at the exchange (or lack thereof) between the attendant and Lyras, feeling a sudden fondness for him. "That would be great! I love Romulan culture, it's so rich. It's really a shame what happened to Romulus, though." He frowned at the thought. "It's always terrible when a culture is forced into such a change." Being from a culture like his own, Oren felt great sympathy for Romulans, especially those that would be born after the planet's destruction, like he was after El-Auria.

You just didn't fit in anywhere, not among aliens or among older El-Aurians, who either clung to some aspects of their culture that had no place off the actual planet, or told you that the old culture didn't matter, which also wasn't true.

Not for him.

Lyras might have sympathized with such a plight if he was in a similar situation. All he knew of not fitting in were cultural gaps between one small Earth culture and a Vulcan culture that, despite small details, were oddly similar in nature. He knew very little of losing a planet, as he never called one of his own home. "Indeed. That's why such a rare find must be cherished at all costs."

"Sir, I have to ask that you give me back my important documents, before you catalog them with the rest of your Romulan books." The attendant took the moment to snatch the PADD back, huffing at him and grumbling about how absent-minded a Vulcan he was. "Stupid, pointy-eared elves."

At this, Lyras merely chuckled, motioning for Oren to follow him deeper into the office.

"You're a very strange person," Oren observed, walking by Lyras' side as he was led around. "I like that."

"Strange?" This prompted Lyras' prominent brow to quirk in amusement. "... Is this an instance of the pot calling the kettle black, because only strange people seem to like other strange people."

"That is exactly what this is," Oren confirmed with a nod. "Now come on, let's put these books away and I'll tell you this great story from my days in the Romulan colony, you'll love it!" As the two made their way further into the offices, Oren couldn't help but already begin to regale Lyras with the story of what it meant if you wore a specific shade of red to a Romulan wedding.

OFF

Oren Idris, Ph.D.
Archaeologist/Anthropologist
USS Galileo

&

CPO Lyras Ueda
Diplomatic Yeoman
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Kita]

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