Varaven's Log

[Varaven]

Journeyman Chief Operator's Log, Stardate 91571.07.

As a Federation Associate operating out of Starbase 332, it is expected that I keep a log that is publicly accessible.  I find the last requirement of this request curious: it seems that humanoid species in this Quadrant value their privacy highly and prefer to keep their secrets.  It is almost certainly a divergence in the proverbial evolutionary tree that a species develops a competitive drive against members of their own species.  In fact, those few biologists in the sector I have discussed the matter with seem to believe that such competition is the driving force behind evolution.  I would, without being a biologist myself, hypothesize that it could be possible for some species, dependent on their independent evolutionary and ecological histories.

The emphasis on privacy, while valued by many out here -- most notably the Romulans and the Cardassians -- is something of a discomfort to me.  This is something only the telepathic members of my crew seem capable of understanding to any degree.  The ability for my species to share memories is an oddity, even in my home sector, but having so few Bloom stationed aboard the Journeyman means that I am not capable of having any experiences in a day outside of my own.  In many ways, it is an unusual sort of loneliness and smallness that drives me to devote greater -- perhaps undue -- attention to my work.

The Journeyman was selected for the initial Beta Quadrant survey because it is one of the few fully autonomous ships in the Bloom Fleet.  Even so, merely maintaining a balance of resources will be insufficient out here: we will need to put in for repairs given the hostilities in the region, and we will need resources for the non-Bloom members of our crew that we are not producing.  I put in a request to operate out of Starbase 332, which was granted.  I believe we will be able to assist the Federation in their endeavors out here as much as they will be able to assist us with our mission; in fact, it seems our missions largely overlap.  Part of my "Associateship" with the Starbase mandates turning over any scientific survey data we collect.  At first, they seemed to hesitate to ask for the data... another example of their near-obsession with privacy.

In order to maximize perspective and neutrality in our mission, I have collected members from no fewer than forty species to serve aboard the Journeyman as independent consultants.  These consultants are free to come and go as they choose, and to communicate with whomever they choose, though some still attempt to conduct observations aboard the ship undetected.  Several have even tried to enter areas of the ship that are not habitable to humanoid life; they do not accept that I have crew members from my home sector who would not fare well in their environment.  The idea that all sentient life must be a carbon-based, bipedal, oxygen breathing, seeing, hearing, humanoid is one of the reasons I take such effort to maintain this uncomfortable form.  Perhaps I am only playing into their stereotypes, but for the moment it has been deemed a necessity.

This process of dictation of thought is tiring.  I will remark lastly that our long range scans have detected an anomalous star cluster, and we will be setting a course once our initial shore-leave at Starbase 332 is ended.  The Federation claims that their primary mission is to "seek out new life and new civilizations", but lately it seems their focus is war on several fronts.  Perhaps the Journeyman can pick up some of the scientific slack in the meantime.

Computer: end log.

[Varaven]

Journeyman Chief Operator's Log, Stardate 91594.5

I have recently submitted a new Stellar Cartography report to Starbase 332.  While apparently appreciated, I can't help feel that the task is small in light of recent reports.

While administering aid to a Defera Ship in the Orellius, the Bloom Survey Vessel Saproling was compromised by the Borg and towed in for assimilation.  Chief Operator Atolvol, a former associate of mine, issued the command to self-destruct, reportedly taking the Borg along with them.

** long pause **

I understand the necessity of not allowing assimilation; we have been briefed on it thoroughly.  The fact that my kind shares memories is one of our greatest strengths, but it is also one of our greatest weaknesses against these Borg.  Should even one of us be assimilated, the amount of information gained might prove too much to overcome.  Furthermore, if one of our ships were assimilated, we might have to actively participate in this war: it would be our technology, our weaponry, turned on the Federation and the Klingons, and -- whether or not that would actually change the balance of power -- we would be obligated to act.

** another pause **

"The Balance of Power."  Our resident Deferi physician tells me that he believe such a phrase is an "oxymoron"... that power unmakes Balance, rather than creates it.  Of all the races in the Alpha Quadrant, the Deferi philosophy is most like our own.  It is, or perhaps should be, significant to us then that it is the Deferi homeworld that is overrun by the Borg.

I have never tried to hide desire to take a more active role in the Borg problem; perhaps that is why I have been assigned to the region farthest from the confrontation.  I take that back: the Journeyman truly is the best-equipped vessel for this job.  

** another pause **

I have had to delete and retry expressing my thoughts several times in this verbal format.  Suffice it to say, my frustration sometimes gets the best of me.  Perhaps it is best to let this grief pass before going too much further.

Computer: end log,

[Varaven]

Journeyman Chief Operator's Log, Stardate 91651.1

Our three-week survey of Sector 14 is proving fruitless. We have cataloged a dozen stars, with thrice as many unremarkable small planetoids and moons. There are some strains who seek to find beauty in all shapes, but more often than not, I find that a lifeless rock is just a lifeless rock. Only one has shown genuine potential for terraforming, but its position would make it little more than an oasis in a vast sea of nothing. Maybe the term should be 'island'. A vast island in a lifeless nothing sea of rock.

My translation software is acting up again. Computer: pause recording.

*three blips, indicating a gap of 30-40 minutes*

As it turns out, the human language lacks the specificity to differentiate subtleties in landforms as my species categorizes them. I should also, apparently, attempt to refrain from gardening analogies for the same reason.

Where was I? Right. I had been discussing the lifelessness of this sector. Statistically speaking, less than 1% of sectors will be suitable AND interesting for terraforming... another 1.3% will already contain life. That leaves 97.7% of missions like this one. I cannot say I am looking forward to that. I am not really a surveyor or an explorer... I am a terraformer. I like my work hands on instead of merely "eyes on". I hope that translates correctly.

The point to stating my discontentment is thus: I am postponing the completion of this mission. Should anyone wish to debate my choice, they should be presented with ample evidence of my dissatisfaction with which to charge me. My choice may admittedly be in part be due to that dissatisfaction, and in part due to recent news from Defera -- all bad -- but I believe that this is the right thing to do in light of other events.

Specifically, I am receiving sporadic reports that Starbase 332 may be experiencing some type of biological event following an archaeological expedition. I have only read about the expedition, but a few dozen Journeyman personnel remained on the station to assist, and we left before the expedition began. If the reports are accurate, a sickness is spreading on 332, and it may in fact have spread to ships in their Fleet. If so, the Journeyman may be one of the only "clean" ships in the Khazan Cluster.

I have ordered a series of long range probes launched to run preliminary scans in the systems we have not surveyed, and then we will return to the base at high warp. I hope that I have canceled our mission prematurely and that we arrive at Starbase 332 and find the situation resolved. That said, I cannot in good conscience leave sentients in potential peril for the sake of exploration.

To be so obsessed with what can be that we forget what is... that was Ulden's Folly. I... remember me remembering it well.

Translation software is failing again. Will never learn the limitations of this language.

Computer: end log.

[Varaven]

Journeyman Chief Operator's Log, Stardate 91670.59.

This will be a technical entry, but should it be necessary, the Bloom will want this record. That record is, of course, being transmitted in our native language. It strikes me, however, that Starfleet may want a record as well, and it is my responsibility to provide it.

I have received reports of deaths on Starbase 332, and I have ordered our velocity increased. Doing so has put increased strain on the Particle Scoop system: traveling in the Khazan Cluster is not like traveling in deep space. The nebular particles, even several lightyears from a dense event, means that the Scoop has to work almost three times harder to maintain the same velocity here. Without the Scoop, however, we would not be able to maintain any high speed at all. It was posited that the Scoop would be inferior to the Warp-Bubble type drives in this quadrant in a number of ways. Despite its advantages, I would really prefer a Warp-Bubble right now.

Increased strain on the PS Drive has forced us to increase our take from the Quantum Lattice. Based on reported solar conditions, I have been advised that our maximum yield is approximately .65. Right now, we are holding at .62, which is more than 30% above our general maximum use, and 5% above our capacitance. If the PS Drive fails, therefore, we'll likely suffer a cascade overload as we effectively evaporate the Tri-Hig Convection System. That said, it's really a matter of playing the odds. Chief Technician Twitch tells me that the chance of blowback is approximately 20%, and that it will result in a weeks' worth of repairs. On the other hand, since advanced Warp speeds increase exponentially rather than linearly, the boost in power will cut almost two days' off of our return trip to 332. He also felt obligated to inform me that there is a small, but not negligible, chance that we could experience a Quantum Rechanneling Event when we maintain this sort of draw from the Lattice. I trust his assessment and probability evaluation: after all, he is the Technician, not I.

Those two days might save lives... of course, they may make no difference. I won't pretend that our understanding of humanoid physiology isn't vastly inferior to their own. Still, we have a responsibility to try. I suppose that is what this all comes down to: responsibility. Command may not see my course of action here as the responsible one with regard to... well, everything. That said, in the matter of responsibility, I believe that I will have a clear conscience.

Unless, of course, we QRE ourselves out of existence, the chances of that happening are very small. Less than 50%.

Sidenote: I am attempting to better understand humanoid humor. According to my Advisor, Thea, that joke would be bad for morale. I'm not sure, based on that assessment, that it even qualifies as a joke.

Computer: end log.

[Varaven]

Journeyman Chief Operator's Log, Stardate 91686.32.

The Journeyman successfully returned to Starbase 332, although we will have to remain here for at least a week to get all of our systems back online. The Particle Scoop functioned adequately in the various nebulae, but we are going to attempt to retrofit it with Federation Deflector Dish technology to help us through some of the denser areas of space. Normally the Particle Scoop is an all-in-one FTL engine and Deflector, and it is perfectly capable of navigating a nebula, but doing so at high speeds put quite a strain on our systems. Short response times might be the difference between life and death out here.

That said, I'm not certain that our efforts were really worth that much. Other than providing Tribbles for experimentation -- and insisting on said experimentation rather than allow Cmdr. Kingston to be the first test subject -- I don't believe my contributions were particularly meaningful. Perhaps Kingston might feel differently: based on what happened to the first Tribble, I imagine that the effect on a human would have been... unpleasant.

Still, this little "test run" has revealed weaknesses that we can correct. I cannot discount the possibility that our help might actually be needed in the future. Perhaps that is wishful thinking. These humanoids seem to primarily keep to their own philosophies and methodologies. Perhaps we make them uncomfortable.

Perhaps we would feel the same if they were so close to our star systems.

Computer: end log.