Thinking in Three Dimensions

Posted on Mon Nov 23rd, 2015 @ 8:29am by Captain Charybdis MacGregor

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: Taking Chances
Location: USS Bonne Chance, Deck 7, Rec Room
Timeline: 2265
Tags: bonnechance,Suval

In meeting the senior staff for her check in to her new duty station, the one that Lieutenant Charybdis was dreading most was meeting Lieutenant Suval... the Chief Science Officer.

Vulcan. Oh so very, VERY Vulcan. This was the mold that other Vulcans were stamped out of, and this was likely going to be a chore. He would argue with her- dispassionately, of course- and attempt to prove that logic without emotion was superior to passions embraced. He would remind her that she lacked the abilities available to all Vulcans; the melding of minds, the non-lethal incapacitating nerve pinch. He might even wish to link minds with her... THAT would certainly go well.

He was a traditionalist, an actual Kolinahr, right there in his service record. Vulcan Science Academy AND Starfleet Academy. It had been her experience that the Kolinahr tended to regard V'tosh ka'tur such as herself to be embarrassments to the culture... and this one was her immediate superior, her department head, so it would be hard to stay away from him. He was three times older than she... three point four six one five three eight four six one five three eight four six three, just dividing the years and discounting the variables of the hours of their births. She crossed her eyes in frustration and groaned... she hadn't even met him yet and she was already trying harder to conform and be what was expected of her.

This would not do.

Food first, she decided. She was always more at ease and less self-conscious when she was digesting meat protein, and being social with the crew would make her feel more at ease when dealing with the stiff-necked traditionalist. She would just have to be sure to do something about her breath afterward...

Entering the mess hall she moved to the line and quickly came to the point to make her selection. Gathering some unusual choices for a Vulcan- she wasn't sure who had invented the 'cheeseburger', but she knew that she was quite fond of it- she moved to find a place to sit, and was taken aback suddenly to spot Lt. Suval sitting alone in the corner. A few choice phrases about fate seemed to be ideally suited to the moment. As luck would have it, as she moved towards him with her shoulders low, he got up with his tray and moved to the receptacle.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She would at least be able to eat in peace... though now suddenly her appetite was somewhat lacking.

Twenty minutes later Charybdis entered the rec room looking for a little entertainment to take her mind off the impending task. As fate would have it, she immediately spotted Suval sitting at the chess board playing a game with a human ensign. She took a deep breath and sighed, drawing no small degree of attention from a few of the male personnel in the area. Deciding that there was no avoiding it, she decided to move to the game and attempt to engage in a simple conversation with her immediate superior. Approaching, she took note that the game seemed to be coming to... correction, WAS at an end.

"You're an amazing opponent lieutenant. I've never lost that quickly."

"You simply require a better grasp of three dimensional tactics. Logic dictates that my experience would trump in virtually any game such as this." said Suval in an even tone.

"Yes, well, maybe you should seek out a more challenging opponent," said the ensign nervously.

"If you have someone in mind, I will look into the suggestion, ensign."

"Perhaps I can offer you a more suitable challenge," said Charybdis as she sidled in behind the ensign, hand on her hip in a sultry pose.

Suval looked up and saw the young Vulcan. He arched his eyebrow in the traditional Vulcan way, indicating intrigue. "By all means."

The human ensign scrambled to get out of the chair as if it had suddenly become warmed by a plasma conduit, and Charybdis slid easily into it with almost feline grace, maintaining eye contact with her opponent. She had not offered the traditional greeting, because that would have required for Suval to stand, and instead they were both now seated- etiquette would dictate that the greeting was now delayed and instead could be overlooked so long as the traditional farewell was observed.

She began arranging the pieces... she was sitting on the white side of the board, so the first move would be hers. She debated internally for a moment before deciding that the conversation should have a modicum of privacy; after all, this was liable to draw some attention, and the fewer quotes understood by the crew, the better. Thus when she spoke, she spoke in Vulcan. Her accent would sound 'sloppy' to an outsider... to Suval, it was the use of contractions and familiarities that were standout points that were not uncommon for the V'tosh ka'tur... who were simply uncommon unto themselves.

"I greet you in peace and long life, elder. I'm to serve with you aboard this vessel, amongst outsiders who are barely familiar with our culture. So they find me odd, but not so, perhaps, as you find me. I desire for us to work harmoniously... assuming that's possible."

She opened with the Sicilian Gambit, a broad offensive maneuver often embraced by amateurs who had been defeated by it previously.

Suval recognized the strategy immediately and opened with a personal variant of the Perenyi Attack, a strategy devised specifically to handle this gambit. It would look like she was succeeding until the last minute, and then he would dash her hopes.

"Logic dictates that if you eliminate all other possibilities, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. That will be the likely outcome between the two of us. It is my hope that you will help set a proper example for the department, rather than the sloppy work given to me by the rest of the department. I expect work of the highest quality from them, and you will be set to an even higher standard if you expect to remain in my department in good standing." His tone was cold and even, devoid of any emotion, just pure logical sanctimony.

Charybdis made her next move, continuing with her strategy while trying to keep her cool. The emotions were already beginning to push up to the surface.

Suval was quite aware of the emotional affect he was having on the young Vulcan. Human emotions were volatile enough, but a Vulcan that had yet to purge emotions was even more dangerous, and he knew it. While she might not like his mindset, may even consider it archaic or draconian, he knew all too well the destructive nature that emotions had on Vulcans. Those few that refused to honor the code of Surak he looked at as little more than Romulans in disguise. A perhaps cruel comparison, but apt nonetheless.

Charybdis smiled at Suval... sweetly, if he read the expression correctly. "My record speaks for itself, Lieutenant. While I may not be an expert in xenobiology, xenolinguistics and archaeology, you'll find that what I don't know I learn rather quickly." It was not lost on him that these were three areas in which he himself was an accomplished expert- obviously she had researched him before approaching him. She moved her knight up two levels... a move entirely outside her displayed strategy.

"You can hold me to whatever standard you like. And I expect my standing with you to be judged fairly, according to the same standards as any other Starfleet officer. After all, you would never show favoritism... or prejudice. Would you, Lieutenant?"

If the smile had begun with cheer, it had definitely altered subtly... now it looked, if anything, predatory.

He gave her an indifferent stare. He moved his rook taking her bishop and leaving her in the position to either sacrifice her queen next or forfeit the game. Looking at her, "I show no favortism, only professionalism. I do hope that you will not continue to take on the emotional weaknesses of our contemporaries moving forward."

His logical jabs were ripe with condescension, or at least that was what was perceived. She made her move on the board, taking the rook with her queen, knowing it was going to be sacrificed. To her surprise, Suval didn't take her queen. Instead he moved his bishop to the second level. The move left her puzzled. She thought she had spotted his strategy and had made the needed sacrifice to have the chance to win, but he didn't take the obvious move. Between that and his smug Vulcan look, she was feeling quite vexed.

Staring at the board, she considered a number of strategems, then slid her queen back in to guard her king. She switched to Human when she spoke next. "Interesting that you consider the emotions of your shipmates, your contemporaries, to be weakness, Lieutenant. By contrast does that make you superior, I wonder?"

The strategy was subtle as a Mugato, but it was effective. A few crewmen had been watching the game, but with that statement considerably more attention suddenly focused on the gaming table, and the participants.

He moved his knight in and took her rook that was protecting the king on the third level. He had suddenly eliminated any chance for her to castle and had left her open to attacks from multiple vantages.

To her surprise, he joined her in speaking Federation standard. "My physical superiority as well as mental are well known and established facts. All that remains then is morality, which is open to interpretation."

The answer was perfect. Factual and direct, it left little to the imagination. Worse yet, it put the crux of the argument back in her court to either handle or mishandle. While no love loss was had between humans and Vulcans, an understanding between the two races had been made long ago and relations were rather stable. It wasn't as volatile a relationship as between Andorians and Vulcans. Suddenly it became apparent that she was not only losing the chess match, but the verbal joust with Suval as well. He looked so calm, unphased by anything she said or did.

"And so by virtue of your 'superiority' you imply the inferiority of anyone who is not, in fact, you. Very impressive, Lieutenant. You have definitely lived up to everything I assumed that you'd be, and reminded me of my duty." There was obviously more, but she bit it back as he watched fury build behind her eyes. She scanned the board, looking for some sort of strategy, some move that might give her an unexpected advantage, her eyes darting from piece to piece. He could practically feel the anger and frustration radiating from her and he awaited the inevitable explosion that was certain to occur.

Then she stopped, cocked an eyebrow, and with a smirk tipped over her king.

"Forfeit."

With that she stood and made to leave the lounge, he suspected while she still had a shred of self-control left.

"I look forward to a rematch in the future." he said in an even tone. The sound of her teeth grinding was audible, and her fists were balled tightly as she paused... then stormed away.

Suval stood calmly and made his way to the mess hall in search of a Vulcan spice tea. In his wake, conversation began, starting in hushed tones and building to a conversational level and beyond amongst the crew. Some could see his point, some saw it as elitism, and some saw it as downright bullying, while a more lively topic of debate was just how close the hotheaded new Vulcan lieutenant had come to losing it right there in the rec room. She was definitely not a representative of the legendarily stoic Vulcan self-control and lack of emotion, that was for certain, and she seemed almost the diametric opposite of the Chief Science Officer in every way possible.

One thing that all of them could agree upon was that the deployment for the next few months was certainly going to be interesting ...

 

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