<Snips>

IC: Jazzin glanced from the frozen holodeck scene to his chief. “Really, sir? If I’m honest, I’ve heard stories that there’s a small, but significant number of Vulcans who are …” he shrugged, perhaps nervously. “A little … purist? When it comes to who trains in their institutions. But I would be fascinated to see it. Father always thought I would go on to study Pharmacology, rather than Medicine, and it was certainly a subject I did best in at medical school. But my mother’s influence on me meant that I wanted to be a position to care for people, and not just know all I could about medication and drugs.”

“There are… purists… in any culture, I believe. In any case, I have yet to see any evidence to the contrary. And you are correct, there are those who feel Vulcan education should not be shared outside of our species. I find that belief highly illogical, as do the vast majority of Vulcans. What good is information and discovery if it is not disseminated, after all. Scientific progress is not a single event isolated form the rest of reality. It is a series of events based on the events preceeding it. To isolate oneself from those past events is to limit one’s potential.”

“Perhaps you should have been a scientist, sir!” Jazzin smiled. “But you make a good point.”

An arched eyebrow was the only response from Vock.

He looked back to the scene. “However difficult that time might have been, it got me to the Asimov, so in a sense, I am grateful. If those other boys and girls had not been so hard on me, I would not have looked to Starfleet as a way out. And, I found much more than just a ‘way out’; I found a place where I was accepted … I mean, there’s always the odd officer who would prefer not to have a telepath treating them, but I had always known that would be the case. Some people aren’t overly keen on the idea that I might dig into their thoughts at any time.”

The Betazoid ran a hand through his hair. “Computer; end simulation.”

As the scene faded and the walls of the holodeck became visible. Jazzin took a deep breath. “It wasn’t very pleasant, seeing that again. Thankfully I couldn’t sense their dislike of me, because that was much worse than all the words they could throw at me.” He turned to Vock. “I suppose it’s your turn now, sir, or whenever you have the time. Unless you have any questions, of course?”

Ens. Lauren
Doctor

“I have the time now, Ensign.” Vock replied. “Computer. Run simulation Vock Bravo-Sierra-Zulu-Nine-Eight-Six-One.” There was a momentary pause and then the pair of medical officers were suddenly standing in a huge dark, stone room lit only by lights from various interface screens and the occasional overhead light. The screens were set in holes in the floor, each hole being a sort of roof-less ‘classroom’ for a single individual who stood in front of the displays. In each room, Vulcans ran tests, answered questions both verbally and in writing, and read copious amounts of materials on a wide variety of subjects. Instructors walked around, peering down into the holes and making corrections or answering questions. The speaking lent a low murmur to the environment, but there were no raised voices or arguments, although close observation would show when an instructor and pupil were not agreeing on a particular issue.

“This is where my studies began. The Vulcan Science Preparatory Academy. This is where all Vulcan youth go for education prior to moving on into their specialized fields, careers, or studies. This is a model of the classrooms as they are today. Little has changed since I was a student here. Feel free to look around. You can interact with the simulation staff and students, if you so desire. But know that I am showing you this because I want you to understand where we as a species are now. When you are done, I have another simulation for you to see.”

Vock, CMO

Lauren nodded as he looked around with wide eyes. He had heard of this place, of course. Vulcans were one of the more prominent members of the galaxy, and so it was difficult to go through a life in Starfleet without hearing about the Preparatory Academy. “I’ll look around,” he said. “Though it will be strange for me … as I won’t be able to sense any emotions,” he thought for a moment. “Though I guess, this being Vulcan, I don’t expect I would sense all that much.”

He wandered away, looking down into the holes. The fact they they were holes did raise a few questions. “Are they put in these holes for a reason? It seems a little … well, like showing them that they are ‘less than’. Is that the point? Humility?” He might be way off the mark, but he was here to ask questions.”

“It is to limit distraction. Minimize interference from other students. And, of course, to ensure that one’s work is one’s own. Remember that you are dealing with a culture very different from your own, Doctor. Humility is not something that Vulcans believe need to be taught in an academic setting. Meditation, introspection, self-analysis… these are areas where humility can be learned and integrated into one’s interactions.”

Each boy and girl he encountered seemed just like miniture versions of the few Vulcans he had met in life. Their faces blank as they answered questions or solves puzzles in a methodical and stoic manner. As one of the assistants passed him by, he knelt down to look at the young girl working inside. He didn’t want to tower over her; that felt wrong. “Hello.” He said. “My name is Jazzin. I’m a Betazoid here learning about your culture.” He realised he wasnt sure what even ask. “How are your studies going?” He settled on.

Ens. Lauren.
Sci

The small girl, probably no more than six or seven Earth years old, paused the simulation and looked up at Jazzin. “They are progressing at the optimum efficiency. Is there a specific inquiry you are pursuing with regards to Vulcan society, or are you performing a generalized study?” she asked in a flat and succinct fashion.

Vock, CMO

Lauren gave a short laugh. “A very … proficient answer!” He told her. “I’m taking some time to learn about your culture. I’m a Betazoid,” he explained. “I can usually tell what people are thinking and feeling, but not at the moment. So I am going to ask a few questions, if that’s okay with you?”

Still kneeling, he thought what he would ask a Betazoid of this girl’s age: How’s school? Are you enjoying your classes? Have you made any friends? Maybe that last one …

“I assume you’re not always in these … erm … holes,” he had no idea what to call them. “Have you made any friends here? And do you do anything fun … I mean, recreational, together?”

Ens. Lauren
Doctor

The girl responded flatly. “It is not a hole. It is a study center. It allows me to focus entirely on my studies with no distraction. I am monitored by the instructors, and I can request their assistance by pressing this.” and she indicated a single button set off to the side of the terminal. I have some regular acquaintances within my peer group. For recreation, I play baseball. Do you require any further information?” she asked.

Vock, CMO

Jazzin sighed, but gave the girl a smile. “no … thank you. You’ve been very helpful. Thank you for your time.”

Straightening up, he made his way back to Vock. “Well, sir …” he glanced around. “You have to understand that as a Betazoid, I don’t just take in informaiton with my eyes and ears … I would probably have gotten more from this if I was able to sense what a developing mind was experiencing. Holodecks are different for empathic races; the absence of emotion and thought is jarring.” He looked back to the Vulcan Chief Medical Officer. “What would you have liked for me to have taken away from seeing this?” He asked, honestly.

OOC; Don’t forget to sign off on your posts. Not a big deal, we all forget form time to time. Just a friendly reminder!

OOC: Blimey! It’s been MANY years since I made that rookie mistake! Thank you, kindly :)

IC: Vock paused a moment and then said “You rely a great deal on your empathic abilities, as one who posses those abilities should. But what I hope you take away from this section of my presentation is that emotional cognizance is not a requirement for all… indeed for some it could prove to be an impediment.” and for the first time, Vock looked at Lauren not as an Ensign or a Doctor or a coworker, but simply as one being talking to another. “We are all unique, Doctor Lauren. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses; each with something valuable to contribute to the whole of society. Where we come from, how we are raised, our very biological predispositions serve as a basis for what we become in life. The lack, or societal prohibition, of a particular trait you possess does not mean that the other individual is less than you. My race’s need to suppress our emotions does not put us at a disadvantage; just as your race’s comparative lack of training in logic does not make you less intelligent. They are simply two separate but equally valid approaches to how we answer questions and interpret our realities.” and he turned back and looked at the simulation. “All of these children you see before you are actual students at the Academy. And many will make great contributions to the Federation over the course of their lives. Those contributions would be lost if they didn’t contain their emotions…” and he turned and looked again at Jazzin, “… just as your contributions would be lost if you did the opposite. We all have our respective positions, Doctor. Our strength comes from acknowledging those positions and learning how to best utilize them for the greater good.”

Lauren listened intently as Vock spoke. The Betazoid had an air of the innocent about him; it was what made him an endearing character; instructors always gave him a helping hand, co-workers all helped him through the bad times, his patients took to him because of his earnest compassion. Right now, that kind of innocence was as plan on his face as he listened. This was not exactly news to him; that one species may possess abilities that strengthen them, but are not lessened by the lack of an ability possessed by another, but it was because Vock … his Chief … was taking the time to teach Jazzin. That is how he suddenly felt. He didn’t feel that Vock was the enemy, for the first time they had come aboard. He felt, even without his empathic abilities, Vock’s way of reaching out and working with his junior officer.

After Vock spoke, Jazzin looked around the room. He looked at the young Vulcans hard at their studies, with the overseers moving to and fro. “You know,” he said, after a while. “If you jumble this scene, then you could easily have a bunch of Betazoids sat in front of focusing stones, trying to hone their abilities … block out telepathic ‘noise’, become stronger.” He shrugged. “I guess every species works hard to help their young improve and contribute …” He wanted to say something more … and he would, but now was not the time. It did not stop the question buzzing round his head: Was telepathic ability the only thing that made Betazoids special, in anyway, especially when compared with species so advanced in science and technology. Was telepathy all a Betazoid was?

But he turned his eyes back to his Chief. “Thank you, sir. That was very … profound, and not something I shall easily forget.”

Once he and Jazzin had finished this section of the simulation, Vock said “Would you care to see the second half of the simulation? Or do you want to continue this at another time? I am somewhat certain the next section will be, perhaps, the most important… but also the most difficult… for you. Although that is most certainly not my intention.”

Vock, CMO

The Betazoid took a breath. “Well, we’re here, sir!” He said, trying to lighten the mood … despite the warning that it was likely to get a bit darker with the next simulation. “And I have the time, and I really do have an interest. If you are happy to continue, then so am I.”

Ens. Lauren
Doctor

Vock looked at him and simply said “Very well.” and he looked out over the scene before them, an odd look in his eyes just visible behind the stoic face. “Computer. End simulation. Run simulation Vock Omega-one.” and the scene vanished. Suddenly the two doctors were standing on top of a mountain, looking down on a vast forest. The scene moved quickly, as if it were some kind of time-lapse vid. Here and there, towns were sprung up, visible in openings in the canopy. Each town was unique in it’s layout. Some built out with low sprawling buildings of concrete, some built tall spired structures of metal and glass. But on feature each had in common was large walls and a heavy presence of military-like facilities. The walls were scarred with signs of battle, and patrols came and went from each place, and when they encountered each other there was fighting. This continued for some time, with the scale of the conflict growing ever greater.

Jazzin nearly lost his footing as the scene played before him. Though the ground beneath his feet was solid, the whirring of events made his head spin and he he had to tae a moment to steady himself.

But that was nothing to what he was seeing; a history lesson told in mere moments. A moving snapshop of Vulcan history, presenting a species so far removed from what the whole galaxy knew today. It reminded him of ancient history simulations of conflicts on various planets … even his own, though never to this scale.

Inadvertently, he took a step forward from Vock’s side, as if that one step closer could take him closer to what was happening … not that he wanted to, but he felt a compelling push. “By the Sacred Rings,” he breathed.

Suddenly, a flash of light and the forest and towns were gone… replaced by desert and barren rock. No signs of life could be seen. Things stayed like this for some time, until a lone figure could be seen moving from a cave opening below them. The figure moved from cave to cave, and soon some more figures came and began following him; moving back and forth between the different caves and now visible groups.

The Betazoid visibly flinched at the flash of light. Surely it could mean only a thermonuclear detonation? Or something similar. Something so powerful it had turned a planet to … this.

“This is the result of my species not controlling their emotions. We destroyed our ecology… and nearly ourselves. Surak’s teachings saved us, but not before we obliterated our planet with atomic devices.” and he paused and watched his planet’s history unfold. “It is, perhaps, ironic that Surak himself was a victim of the initial atomic attacks. But his teachings survived, and those teachings ensured the Vulcan species would as well.” and he took his eyes off the scene and looked at Jazzin. “You see, Doctor, Vulcans are not just emotional at our core. We are extremely violent. Overly aggressive. Indeed… even homicidal. Many of the ancient rituals were based on combat… to the death. Our ancestors prayed to gods of war and death. It is through logic that we contain these emotions, these… predilections for self-destruction and the drive to inflict pain. Betazoids are fortunate, I believe, in that your emotional range is much more… civilized… than so many others.” and he turned and looked back.

“Perhaps we are,” Jazzin said, at last. he took a moment, then looked at Vock. “When I am around Vulcans, I sense very little; your … suppression, of emotion means that I can feel your presence, but not much more. But … one time, in the Academy, I pushed a little deeper,” he cleared his throat, nervously. “Nothing invasive. I would never … anyway. What I felt was something … extreme beneath the surface. Something that made me a little uncomfortable.”

Vock nodded. “Not an uncommon reaction to those who delve into the mind of one of my species, from what I understand. I am surprised that they would allow such a… closeness. Unless they did not do well in their training in their youth. It happens, from time to time.” he said in agreement.

“It should be noted that the end results of our nature is not entirely negative, however. Vulcan has never, in the recorded history of any species we know of, been conquered. There were invaders, but they were always soundly defeated. Indeed, until the formation of the Federation, Vulcans as a species had no concept of what a conqueror even was, the idea was so foreign to us. So there is, at least, one advantage to our violent tendencies.”

Vock, CMO

That was not something Jazzin was aware of; he had never studied Vulcan history. “During the Cardassian War, Betazed was occupied.” He said. “I was a child then, so I have no memory, and our village was barely affected. My people used their telepathic abilities to fight back; we weaponised our ‘gifts’ … no decent Betazoid speaks very highly of that time.”

The planet was so desolate; such a a contrast to the rolling hills and valleys of his our country on Betazed. He turned away from it and looked to Vock. “If this is your past, sir … how much of it is truly gone?” He wanted to be careful not to be accusatory or imply anything, but … “If I were to dig deep into the Vulcan mind … would I find a homicidal brute just waiting for a chance to kill?” He meant no disrespect in his question. It was genuine. He was even afraid as to what the answer might be.

Ens. Lauren
Doctor

Vock arched an eyebrow at the question, and a look of deep thought crossed his features. “We reclaimed much of the knowledge, but we live in a much harsher climate now. That, in turn, I am certain led to our physical adaptation to the environment. But to your second question. Brute? I would doubt that term would be appropriate. Even within our past, we have always been a species that valued intellect. Brute force and raw strength is rarely the most efficient means of combat, after all. And what I have shown you here is millennia removed from the present. I would posit that we have evolved at least somewhat from those tendencies. But primal urges are ingrained in a species’ DNA. If you were able to push far into a Vulcans mind, do remember that we too possess no small amount of natural telepathy, I believe that you would find a well-spring of emotions kept in check by years of training and that cross the entire emotional spectrum; just as most species possess. And even in our culture, we have those whose goals are driven by emotional need rather than logic.” and he paused as the scene played itself out. “No, Doctor, I do not think you would find contained in the average Vulcan mind a monster chained and straining to break loose. To put it in a metaphorical tone, I believe you would find a vault inside of which is contained a primitive version of the person whose mind you are in. A being whose emotional state would be overwhelming to one as sensitive as your species. At least, that is what I would assume based on readings and interviews with those few who have undertaken that particular journey. There are not many. My people do not… appreciate… such closeness with non-Vulcans very often.”

Vock, CMO

“Of course,” Jazzin said quickly. “I would never … I mean, even on Betazed there were rules against delving into people’s mind without their direct, often signed, consent. I know well enough you are a telepathy-capable species, and,” he gave a smile, “with your people’s iron-clad grasp on their emotions, I wouldn’t want to mentally spar with a Vulcan.”

He took a deep breath. The holodeck had done a good job of replicating the situation, with safety protocols in place of course, and the air was acrid and stale. “This has been …” He searched for a word to describe it. “Informative,” he finished, with a glance at Vock that said ‘sorry I didn’t come up with something better’. “You’ve given me a lot to think about, certainly. All cultures have ‘a past’ but this,” he looked around again at the barren land that surrounded them. “Well … I suppose it gives me a little more insight into why Vulcans are so … Vulcan!” He turned back with a half-smile. “I appreciate that you took the time to do this with me, sir. I don’t suppose there are many department heads that would take the time to help a single member of their team gain an understanding that, I think, will ultimately help me in my practice.”

He turned to Vock, coming to attention. “Once again, thank you for this. And, with your permission, I would like to return to my quarters and give this more thought … maybe even read a few Vulcan history books. My personal log is likely to be quite something this evening.”

Ens. Lauren
Doctor