[snip]

The man seemed to consider the request. He did not seem exactly against it but more like he was caught between a rock and a hard place wishing to carry it out. His glance back at the taller woman and her supporters who seemed more keen to beat up the landing party if given the chance seemed to echo this. Turning back to Pashi he continued, =/\= I see, it is true that through Va’s agents from the stars, up till their recent return to His Heavens we have expanded greatly on our deep rock mining across much of our known living space. Some say it has not been a kind experience to Va’s body..=/\= He said gesturing indicating maybe that Va’s body related to a religious view of the planet. Much like humans would view ‘Mother Earth’ in some ways. =/\= However, those like myself who say such are fewer then those who took a stronger belief in Va’s agent teachings of hard work, and strength. Perhaps though if you and say another one or two of your party were willing to meet in our village for further discussions I could convince those with me to take your interested party member to our nearer mines. Would this be agreeable to you? =/\= He asked.

Glen found this turn of events interesting. His very first thoughts here; his Plan A if you will, was to try to convince the native villagers that no loving God could have destroyed their environment as it had been over exploitation and pollution, but it had seemed they were too hostile to Fedoomers to ever reach a point where such a dialogue could take place.

“Yes, yes!” Glen told Pashi, “Tell him that is agreeable to us, and that we can tell them about Earth, and how that planet was almost laid waste by Nuclear War and Pollution. When we meet them, we can tell them how it was brought back from the brink only by the discovery of a unique alien organism that proved instrumental in the creation of technology and methods to solve Earth’s pollution crisis. Show them that contact and alliances beyond Va could protect Va from harm, and help improve their own condition too, but we’ll need to be very careful around anything of religious significance to them. Try and understand this Va worship a little more first.”

Joe being some distance from the UT’s and the conversation in general stood waiting. Although he couldn’t understand the language he could tell by the tone and body language of the villagers that their attitudes for the most part seemed to be softening so he kept his eyes shifting back and forth between the villagers and the landing party awaiting any forthcoming orders from the captain.

=/\= Joe, the attitude of the villagers may be softening. Your suggestion of visiting the mines went down well. We will split into a team to visit the mines and another to go to the village centre. We’ll need to secure the shuttle or take it back. Glen out! =/\=

After hearing the CO’s orders, Verity looked at Joe and said, “Pashi, Dr. Hunter and I should go to the village. There Dr. Hunter can collect blood samples and I can run an analysis on them. Pashi can be a translator to ensure the villagers that we are a friendly presence and are trying to conduct some research on a bacteria. This will give me an opportunity to observe the effects of the bacteria on some of the villagers who have been infected longer to determine the residual effects on physiology.

‘’I have no problem collecting blood ‘’ Hunter replied ‘’But I’m not so sure they will co-operate ,its too soon to tell if they have complete trust in us ‘’.

Joe listened intently to Verity. She seemed to know what she was talking about. Of course, science type always seemed to. It was their stock in trade since science first began. Give them what they wanted, and they’d turn all that unwanted lead into gold for you.

He did listen however to every word she said and when she was finished, he turned every sentence around in his mind as if he were looking for pin holes in a coolant hose. He nodded then at Verity as he scratched his chin. “Sounds good Lieutenant.” he said. Keep Lieutenant Del Wolf with yourself and the captain as well. Lieutenant Mullins to the mines and I’ll let him have the two engineering officers I came down along with the security officer. I’ll just get back to the ship and secure the shuttle before Cross makes a wrong turn with the ship.”

Joe paused and looked around at everyone listening for objections or other suggestions as he licked the remainder of a chicken leg from his fingers.

Lance and his team where keeping a sharp eye out for the away team they know that a security officer will go with them split off group.

Pashi, tilted her antennae forward “Aye, Sir.” upon hearing the plan. Oh boy, sure hope I do not screw this up. she thought.

Once everyone had broken up into their groups, the CO and company with him were led by the unhappy more militant like followers with the smaller somewhat peaceful/religious minded followers to the village. The ramshackle assortment of scrap metal, wood, and such made it more like a shanty town that the older Merrimack crew would reflect had begun to spring up on one of their last missions on the planet which had been visited by an early 22nd century Earth ship that had gotten lost far flung from Earth and had no way home, so settled on the planet becoming like gods to the locals. The planet as they recalled when they had arrived looking for parts to repair the Merrimack’s damaged deflector dish and replacement dilthium crystal had descended into all out nuclear war with the two split factions of the natives and descendants of the Earth ship with only as the Merrimack crew left with what they needed resulting in further destruction across the planet which wasn’t their fault. Thankfully given the locals here lacked such technology there was little chance of such happening again.

The natives seemed split between both groups in belief going down a muddy lane, as they got closer to the center of the shanty town the conditions got a little better, with evidence of left behind Klingon devices for basic water purifying mixed with crude water filters using fire to boil water and cook food. A stall or two seemed to be used for simple tailoring or tool selling/maintenance showing some kind of economy if you could call it that was going on. Rounding one last corner the group came to the open arena they had seem the natives arguing in earlier come into view. It seems this arena was also used as a sort of public town meeting area, given shortly shouts from the shorter man and the larger woman drew in most of the town folks to hover about 50ft or so off. A pair of men brought in a large rough looking wooden table with metal and plastic barrels of klingon make probably once used for mining, water, or such storage as chairs. Gesturing the man from before indicated for everyone to take seats. =/\= Sit yes? So we may discourse the truth and lie within Va’s wisdom. =/\= He said the UT not quite yet fully locked on to the language it seems yet.

OOC: Confused as where Hunter should be ? Around the table with the rest? Until the time comes for him to be allowed to take bld samples?.
marthese

Glen indicated that everyone should sit down. It was best that they accepted the hospitality and didn’t rock the boat at the moment. These people had still not become relaxed about them, but at least things were going in the right direction.

“Hunter, I agree with you about the blood samples,” Glen told him. “Wait a while… until they trust us more and will be more open to our explanations of what we are going to do.”

Pashi nodded and took a seat. Thank you, you are most gracious in your hospitality.” She then looked at the others and stated “Best to take a seat and be at ease, looks like we will be here for a while as we sort out the truths and lies, which lie in the Wisdom of Va.” Pashi knew better than to mock a cultures religion and beliefs. They would be testing the limits of the Law of Parsimony; Occam’s Razor as the Terrans knew it.

“Do these UTs now work adequately?” Glen asked Pashi, “Or, do you think you should continue to ask the questions for us? I’d like to ask them more about Va. What I really want to ask is whether Va is something like the Gaia paradigm. Does Va propose that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings to form a synergistic and self-regulating, complex system? A system of feedback loops that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on this planet? If so, then it must be clear even to them, that what has happened here under the Klingons is clearly an about face to those principles, and Va has been damaged, possibly irreparably. I wish Cara meow was here too, because I’ve no idea if pointing out such a thing would be okay.”

-Glen, CO