The Logic of Passion

Posted on Sat Dec 28th, 2019 @ 12:37am by Az'Prel & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Lieutenant Commander Sonak
Edited on on Tue Dec 31st, 2019 @ 11:42am

Mission: Neutral Zone Neutrality
Location: Romulan Reunification Colony
Timeline: 2396

The day was hot and sunny with a small breeze. Yet it felt cool, tranquil and comfortably lighted to Sonak. Despite decades aboard cold, dim-lit Human-manned starships, the Vulcan was still conditioned to the harsh, burning and overbright days of his homeworld. But the terrain itself, the community established between those distant and massive rock formations sculpted by sand and wind, reminded him much of the quiet small communities of his planet, despite being obviously built from out of the dismantled hull of starships. As expected, this one was mostly agrarian by choice, well supported by advanced solar and helio technologies by necessity but isolated and hidden not by a wish for peace but by a feeling of fear.

In a very traditional manner, the layout of the place was radiating from a center place where most business and official places were conducted; the so classic ''village square,'' a large open expanse surrounded by colorful buildings and filled with tents, stalls and pens, benches, fountains and shrubberies, all circling and wide circular space smoothed out of the living rock to a glassy shine with controlled wide-beamed disruptor fire. Those disruptors beams had then been narrowed to surgical precision to etch on the dark blood-green ground the Shavok, the falcon of Romulan pride, in exquisite details, down to the lining of every feather of it's spread wings.

There was one glaring difference from the imperial symbol though. Instead of the twin orbs of the Empire's core worlds, the talons of the raptor held them both in it's left; and in it's right was the IDIC symbol.

It was truthfully eloquent as it was quietly bold; the perfect expression of the nature, drives, and hopes of the people living here.

At the moment, Sonak stood alone before an empty plasteel bench, studying and reflecting upon the deeper meaning of the carving spread wide before his feet. He was not wearing his customary Starfleet uniform but a black slightly shimmery tunic made in one piece of a tight pair of thick socks and pants and an ample flowing vest with large folds dropping from his shoulders to his belted ahn woon, hiding his folded arms. Silver runes ran from the collar to his waist in front, and the IDIC symbol made of a platinum triangle pointing to a round ruby inside a thick circle of gold hung from a silver chain around his neck. A bit surprisingly, his modern Kolinarh attire blended him with the local population, making him look like some traveler from another community.

And thus he stood quietly in contemplation of the novel symbol, apparently in silent awe. However, all his attention was on the populace around him, studying their attitude, their behavior, listening to their voices... but restraining his awakening telepathy, both out of respect and out of safety.

As an infant, he had almost lost his mind drowning in the continuous errant and deliberate thoughts of everyone in earshot. Only the disciplines of Kolinarh had insured his sane, stable growth and a keen awareness of and control of his faculties. And so it was only through body language and attentive hearing that he observed the locals who were starting to notice him.

All reactions were not all smiles. And the bold engraving on the open ground of the town square kept one thought at the back of his mind; not just that there was pride and fear and boldness and passion in the people of this warrior culture, but also something much more practical.

There were weapons here.

It wasn't to be unexpected in a world under constant threat from the Tal'Shiar. But at the moment, no weapons were clearly visible among the crowd. At least so far.

The faces of the people in the town square were a mix of different emotions. There was fear and trepidation on some of the older Romulans on the edges of the plaza, dressed in simple robes or traditional tunics. But there were younger faces in the crowd as well, and those faces had the air of curiosity about them.

The colony had been here for four decades, so the young people were those born here and they were Romulans born knowing of their Vulcan ancestors bit never having seen one. And that curiosity could be heard in murmurs and whispers of surprise from the youth in the gradually growing crowd.

"Is that really a Vulcan?"

"What is that strange garment he is wearing?''

"I have heard it said that he is… a Kolinahr."

''Why are they here? Vulcans are Federation. They will bring the Tal'Shiar."

"They should not be here."

"I can't believe a Vulcan is here!"

The voices began getting a bit more audible, with a mix of skepticism and what could only be described as awe.

Sonak became aware of the effect of his presence. His first impulse was to quietly walk away to end the disturbance his presence was provoking. But then, this would be illogical. His presence and that of the rest of his delegation was already known all across this world. Avoiding contact would be counterproductive.

And so, he sat on the stone bench behind him and resumed his contemplation of the plaza symbol. He composed his face to show quiet acceptance and openness without searching anyone with his grey eyes and provoke anything. Like the sail of a sandskimmer, he would accept the wind and redirect it to move things forward.

On the edge of the town square from one of the many cobblestone avenues came a small family. A mother and her younger children, all dressed in simple farmers garments, clearly worn and weathered from working their fields. The two children, an older girl, and her younger brother looked to be no older than 14 or 15, but the girl bounced with the energy of a much younger child as she caught sight of the Kolihahr master sitting on the stone bench.

"Mother! That's him. The one Rita spoke of! Her friend!" She tried whispering, thought failed, while tugging on her mother's arm, though the sound carried wall across the courtyard over the murmurs, elevated by the volume of her enthusiasm. 

"Calm yourself, Rhae." The mother said, a hit of hesitance in her voice as she raised an eyebrow at her exuberant daughter. "Balance your passion. Yours is curiosity unbound, but it need not overwhelm you. Look to your brother's calm."

"Davan's not calm, Mother, he's scared. The girl said with the telltale smirk of an older sister, mocking her younger brother's behavior, "He's always scared of something."

"I'm not scared, Rhae! I'm... I'm..." The younger boy protested weakly as they moved as a unit across the outer rim of the bustling open plaza towards where Sonak was sitting.

"Fear has its place, Davan, when it informs due caution. But it need not be here." The mother said in a calming tone as they stopped. She knelt down to their level and looked the children in the eyes as she continued. "You need not fear knowledge, and that is what your friend Rita said he offers. I have tried to teach you what I know of our roots from the time before the Sundering. When Rihannsu and Vulcan were one people. But there is much I too am ignorant of as well. There are things we can only learn of our Vulcan ancestry from a Vulcan, and what have I taught you of ignorance?"

Sheepishly, the older Rhae answered, her eyes cast down as she recited a lesson she had clearly memorized. "Ignorance is only the absence of knowledge and only a fault when one chooses to embrace it in the face of learning."

"Very good, children. Now..." The mother stood straight again and turned towards where Sonak sat and took a breath, clearly a bit nervous herself, and spoke again. "Let us go and expel our ignorance."

As a group, the small family made their way to the side of the stone bench where Sonak sat and stood quietly for a moment. Rhae looked up at her mother, who simply nodded as the young girl stepped forward, folding her arms in front of her. "P... Pardon me, sir. A... are you... are you Rita's friend?"

''I am he who is her husband,'' Sonak said, rising his grey eyes to hers then looking at each child in turn.

He remained seated on purpose. He was of a good height and built and with his emotionless demeanor, his black garment and his steel-colored eyes, he knew he could be intimidating to emotional people and even more to their children. And Romulans were a most emotional people. He didn't need his reawakening telepathy to perceive their apprehensions, bordering on fear even.

Here of any place, he realized how his Starfleet career, decades among Humans, Andorians, and Tellarites, served him so well in this, possibly the smallest yet most significant moment of their whole mission; of the whole dream of two cultures.

He raised his hand in the well-known salute of his planet, addressing the woman and her children.

''I am Sonak. Peace and long life to you... and you... and you, '' he finished looking at the goggle-eyed boy.

Immediately, the older girl's eyes went wide and she froze. The younger boy fidgeted in place slightly before looking up to his mother with a searching expression, as if asking permission. As he did, his mother smiled lightly and nodded. With a gulp, he stepped slightly forward and looked at his own hand to make sure he was doing it right as he returned the gesture. "Live long and... um... prosper? I... I'm Davan. This is my sister, Rhae and my Mother."

''That is the correct ritual response,'' the Vulcan acknowledged the boy. ''You are well educated already, young warrior.''

"I am called Chian, sir. We welcome you here." The mother said, interjecting for her nervous children. "My children met your friend, Rita Paris, earlier this morning and she spoke of your presence here and that you might speak to the children regarding the principles of logic. Those of us that have tried have only... words on paper to call upon. The writings of Surak, but scarce further knowledge to share. An idea, but little more."

''In truth, there is but little more,'' Sonak answered. He looked at both children. ''What do you know about logic?''

The two children, acting a bit younger than their actual years which was common among Romulans who tended to mature a bit slower due to their longer life spans, hemmed and hawed for a long moment. Clearly, they were digging through their brains for what they hoped was the correct answer so as to not embarrass themselves. 

The older of the two, Rhae, began getting her courage up and cleared her throat nervously to answer first, "Mother said that... that... logic is the process of using rational thinking... reasoning... to come to conclusions and make decisions instead of relying on how you feel about something. Things either are or aren't something and logic tells us what is true by... uh..."

As she spoke, Davan blurted out loudly and enthusiastically, "DISCIPLINED THINKING!" Which caused a couple of light chuckles from the growing crowd of onlookers due to the irony of the moment.

Sonak nodded.

''So, you know what logic is. Now, do you understand what logic is? Can you use it?''

At that question, Davan started to answer and then stopped himself when he realized that he had no answer. As he looked down, slightly embarrassed, Rhae thought for a long moment before swallowing hard and replying. "I'm... trying to use it now to not be a... afraid to answer. Because... I know that there's nothing wrong with... with not knowing something if you keep trying to learn. But I'm still... scared of being embarrassed. But..."

Glancing back at her mother who nodded lightly, the young girl continued with a little more confidence as she worked it out in her head, "But Rita said you were here to help... and to teach. So... logic says that there's no reason for me to feel afraid. So... so even though I do feel afraid... I can still answer. And... that helps me feel less afraid when I do."

As the young girl spoke, more people began collecting around them curiously. A few sat on the ground in a circle near the bench Sonak was sitting at to hear what was being said better while others still stood to the outside, still skeptical of the mysterious Vulcan visitor. But skeptical or not, they stayed and they listened to hear what he would say next.

''You have presented a clear assessment of your position,'' Sonak told the girl. ''So, let's address it. There is an answer to find here; can you use logic? To answer the question, let us put that to the test if you will. Let's start with but one simple observation; did the sun appear from the east this morning?''

The children both nodded their assent, already frowning. Sonak went on.

''Was it the first time?''

Again they both reacted the same way at the same time, now shaking their heads.

''Are there any facts or observations to consider that it will not do so again tomorrow?''

They looked at one another, then at their mother before, once again, shaking their head.

''So, the sun appeared from the east this morning, as it did every time before that. No new fact or observation has come about to question this observation. What can you conclude from all of this about tomorrow?''

"The sun will appear in the east tomorrow morning too." Rhae answered, her confidence rising slightly while Davan nodded assent.

Sonak nodded.

''And so, you have used logic.''

"It establishes a pattern... that provides... data! To form a, uh, a.... a hypofesis!" Davan stammered as he attempted to frame the answer in a logical structure.

Again the Vulcan nodded.

''Indeed, a hypothesis; a possible logical answer to a question, based on observed fact.''

His grey eyes went to them both.

''You know and understand logic well enough to use it. Well done.''

Davan beamed with pride at the accomplishment while his sister tried her best to look impassive. It was clearly the face of a child trying to look like she could control her emotions which was not lost on their mother who smiled at them lovingly. 

But as Rhae was opening her mouth to ask a question, a voice rang out from the middle of the crowd. It was an older Romulan man, dressed in the garb and apron of a baker with short, curly brown hair and a thin beard on his round face. "So, children know the sun will rise. Will that enlightenment keep the Tal'Shiar from our borders? Is there any LOGICAL way that these TALKS won't end with them discovering we exist and coming for us again!?"

Sonak's face registered absolutely nothing. But he stood up slowly and his steely gaze went straight to the eyes of the man who had spoken.

''Come, Sir; let us try to find that answer together.''

The man was hesitant, knitting his eyebrows with the hints of anger about him as he did. "How is your logic supposed to protect us? We came here seeking logic, many of us believing it was the way, but here we are again, facing the same threat that almost killed us all then. How is knowing the sun will rise tomorrow supposed to..."

As he spoke, the pieces of the puzzle began to click in his mind as he saw the pattern through the fog of his fear, if only for a moment before his fear returned. "How will your logic protect us? Protect our children? Protect their future?"

The Vulcan gave him time to let his frustration out before replying in his usual calm, steady voice.

''That is a good question. Can a thought protect anyone? Can a thought shape the future?''

"One cannot build what one cannot first conceive," the young shy Romulan boy spoke, not with confidence but with rote, having recalled the lesson when asked the question.

The suspicious old man's brows furrowed at that. "Well... you can't bake a cake without a recipe. Somebody had to have the idea to bake a cake. That... does kinda make sense. But how's logic supposed to protect us from the secret police?" The old man redirected, voicing his true fear.

''By making all of us face reality with reason, '' Sonak answered bluntly.''Is it logical to assume that your secret police is here already?''

"Because of them, my crops failed last season!" called a farmer from the back of the crowd.

''You have evidence of this?'' the Vulcan asked then.

As a few murmurs passed through the parting crowd, the farmer tried to press his point, though it took him a bit. "Well... I uh... I guess..." A look of consternation crossed his face as he bit down on the farming implement he carried. Then it struck him. "Ah! It's 'cause we got no powered farm implements or chemicals! It's because of them Tall Shiar!"

''And what evidence do you have that the Tal Shiar is responsible for your needing materials missing?'' he insisted again. ''Is there no possible other cause for your lack of those?''

While the farmer did his best to think it over, another chimed in cheerfully. "It's 'cause of all the watchin' they do! Tryin ta brainwash our supply lines into betrayin' us!"

A third farmer pitched in his two credits as well. "Yeah, and we gotta stay hidden as well so they say we can't use no heavy machinery!"

"And if they find us they'll wipe our minds and turn us all inta gay miners!" declared yet another.

His flat tone was a sharp contrast to their excited voices.

''Let us assume that you are right; they know where you are; they have brainwashed your allies; they deprived you of what you need to live here. Why aren' they openly here among you? How is it that you are still here, free to voice your resentment and your fears? How is it that you are still free... still alive?''

There were a few of the dissenters that began to protest, only to find the words locked in them as the impact of Sonak's logic began to sink in, if only a little. But before any of the adults could say anything, the young girl Rhae raised her hand as if in school and spoke as her mother gave a hesitant nod, "We... we wouldn't be, sir. If they knew where we were... they would have come for us already, like they did when they found the founders of our first colony."

"You know she speaks the truth." Her mother said in a chastising tone to the irate farmers. "I was younger than she is now when our first colony on Furvas VI was discovered. When the Tal'Shiar came for us and tried to either brainwash us into compliance or destroy us. How many of our brothers and sisters did die in that attack before the rest of us escaped to found THIS world in secret?"

"You speak from fear and unfounded suspicion." She continued, staring at each of the fearful farmers in turn and calling them out, "You would blame a long winter on the Tal'Shiar? You would blame not rotating your harvest properly and letting your lands grow infertile on the Tal'Shiar? And you! You trust your aching knee over the seasonal forecasts and disregard them in favor of your feelings and are continually surprised that your fields yield poor crops when you plant too early or too late in the season? Logic can only work if you don't disregard it in order to feed the comfort of old fears."

"It's hard to get news out in the fields... We're only in town today because we saw the weird ship landin'... Thought it was a bad omen..." The first farmer admitted sheepishly as they all grumbled and admitted she was right. "Never seen no Federashun ships afore..."

"Now we all have, and it is for quite the occasion." The somewhat weary mother replied, choosing to not rub in that her farm is quite far from the city as well and she made herself aware of what was occurring regardless. "And we have a unique opportunity laid at our feet. The Federation is here, in Romulan space, on an invitation to help us broker peace with the Empire. And we have a Vulcan Kolinahr master to learn from. It is a grand day the Elements have given us ad I would avail myself and my children of it."

She stepped slightly back, placing hands on the shoulders of Davan and Rhae, deferring to Sonak to continue.

Sonak nodded to her then let his grey pupils scan the crowd.

'' I have nothing to teach you that you do not already know. The fact is, fear is the Tal Sh'iar's first, best weapon. If you fear them, they defeat you before striking the first blow. But logic dictates that, if there is no evidence of their presence or action, then there is nothing to fear. If you are attentive to their possible presence or action, then there is no need to fear. If there is evidence of their presence or action, then you can face it; thus, there is no reason to fear.''

He stopped his gaze in the eyes of the man who had first voiced their concerns.

''This is how logic can protect you.''

The simple farmer met Sonak's steely gaze and raised an eyebrow as he pondered the Vulcan's words, letting them sink in deep. As he did, murmurs and whispers spread amongst the interested crowd that had collected in the plaza. After a few moments, the farmer replied, quizzically. "So... it's the fear that's the... the real enemy? And LOGIC... keeps us from letting it get to us... so we can control it."

The Vulcan nodded to him.

That, Sir, is the first logical step.''