Making Time, Part 3

Posted on Wed 28th Aug, 2019 @ 4:34pm by Elizabeth Anderson M.D. & Lieutenant Damion Ildaran

1,337 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Damion Ildaron's Quarters, Deck 30
Timeline: MD 10, 1756

Previously ...
"The flaw in your statement is that I wasn't acting on anything, merely throwing out a suggestion as it occurred to me. All's well that ends well. If your family isn't likely to leave, even given a chance, then there's no need to contact a pirate to see if his heart is made of gold."

Elizabeth thought of his family and did a lightning quick search for any information on news out of Turkana IV. "Your planet doesn't make the news, really. I'd guess that no more information gets in than gets out? Possibly your mother and sister are more comfortable staying with what they know than trying something about which they know nothing. As far as they are aware, the rest of the Federation could be the same as your planet. When you were saying there must be something better, how much hope of that did you have? Maybe you are the only one with the adventurous gene."

Now she's changing the subject, Damion thought. How do I get her to talk? "I had hope that there must be something better because I knew things had been better on my world before. Once, we lived in the open air. Once, there weren't cadres. Once, in that time when we lived above-ground with no cadres, we were part of the Federation. I wanted to understand why everything changed, and I knew I would never get the truth from the cadre leaders. They had their story that they told all of us, and if we never questioned it, that was our truth. I even believed it--until I started going topside on hunting trips, and began thinking about it and asking myself questions."

Anderson listened attentively, paying no attention to the constant flow of information that came from dozens of subroutines running inside her database. "So ... you sneaked above ground? Your family never lived in that above-ground time, right? Were there clues there that made you ask questions or doubt the official story?"

"Didn't have to sneak. It was common to hunt or fish, topside. Turkana City is on a short peninsula that juts into the Graygor Sea. Dangerous as hell, from the swamps and wildlife, but you might go every few months or so, unless it was monsoon season," Damion said. "By the time I signed on with the Ferengi crew, I could barely stand being outside, though. I made myself useful in the hydroponics labs and mechanic shops, and let other people do the hunting." He sipped from his water. "My grandparents did live on the surface during the cadre wars. I found the house that one of my grandfathers grew up in. That was a thing that made me question. How could the cadres claim that the way we live now and the ruins on the surface were better than the way things were before the wars?"

"Is the surface unlivable now?" Elizabeth asked. "You told me some of the history when we first met, but it would seem that the two factions who govern don't agree on much, so I'm curious why one didn't stay on the surface and let the other have the underground ways. And by the way, also out of curiosity, do you have any trouble with Tivoli Gardens? It appears to be outside, but you know it isn't, so I'm not sure which would take precedence. Humanoid psychology doesn't work exactly the same in any two, even of the same type."

"It's livable, but we've no longer the technic or the know-how to clean up the mess and rebuild. More important, I think most lack the will. Bad as the tunnels are, they're more solid and safer than reclaiming the surface." Damion got up and checked on the syrup mixture, stirring it some. "This is boiling nicely and getting thicker." He re-covered the pot with the lid most of the way and returned to where Elizabeth sat. "Tivoli Gardens appears to be outside, but the lighting isn't the same, even though it's a canny piece of work. I know it's several decks inside a huge starbase, so I don't feel as nervous."

"Ummm, I understand. I've noticed the lighting differences, but I haven't spent years living on the surface of a planet, so it doesn't affect me in any way. I suppose that living in your tunnels is not that different from living on a ship ... minus the danger factor and politics, of course. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. I hope yours is satisfied as well?" She made it sound like a question, inviting an answer or revisiting wherever he still needed reassurance given.

Damion hadn't really responded to what she said, and she wasn't completely satisfied with the entire conversation, but there would be another time ... perhaps. Or perhaps she would learn to understand emotions better, read his body language, which was sometimes a puzzle to her still.

"And how long until ... jelly? Is that the right word?" the not-quite-a-human asked him.

"Preserves," Damion said, smiling at Elizabeth. "This will have identifiable pieces of tomato in it. A jelly tends to be all one smooth consistency." He rejoined her where they sat and looked at her. "Elizabeth, would you tell me what it is you're afraid of? Maybe that's too great a thing to ask you to do. Maybe it's prying too much--and if it is, I'm sorry for asking. It's just--I feel as if you're afraid of me, somehow, and I want to understand why."

Anderson looked at Damion in surprise. "Afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you? And truthfully, fear is still undeveloped in my emotion set, even if I should be afraid of something. I can tell that you are concerned, but I don't know ... I can't quite put my feet on the ground here and understand what it is that I did or said that you think shows a fear of you. Maybe we should back up a little and find the disconnect?"

"When you said that perhaps some part of me still fears you'll go rogue, that you thought I was afraid that because you can overcome your programming, that you would, in a harmful way. I felt that you wouldn't have said that if you weren't afraid of me in some way. Or afraid of a fear that you think I have." Damion rolled his eyes. "I'm nae making any sense, am I? The grammar in that seems all bolluxed up, and I've not even the excuse of whiskey."

"Well, it is a bit hard to follow, even for me. No, I'm not afraid of you. I was questioning whether you are afraid of me. Hmmm, I guess that comes out to me thinking you have a fear, but I'm not afraid of it. I was wondering if fear of me was the source of your questioning my thinking. If it is, you'll work on it, and I will help you, if I can. If you isn't, then this Gordian knot of a conversation can just end," Elizabeth laughed.

"Any way you look at it," she shrugged, "I think it's a conversation which has lost its point, and we'll have to move on from here."

Damian nodded. "I was probably startled when you told me you could overcome your programming; it brought home to me how very human you are capable of becoming--and humans are not always good people. But I trust you. And I trust that, if you ever have to decide to override your programming and be, shall I say, not nice--that you will do it for a reason that I will likely find understandable and acceptable. So I do not lie awake nights, worrying about you going rogue."

Damion squeezed Elizabeth's hand and smiled at her. "With that said, I think it's time I added the tomatoes. We should have preserves within the hour."

 

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