The Meditation Gardens (Open Post is Open!)

[sehlatbear]

If Spock had been prone to think of such things in such terms, he would have thought it funny (if he had been willing to acknowledge such a human thing as humor) that a place so unlike his native Vulcan would most remind him of it. The meditation gardens were lush, greenery in abundance organized along classic Vulcan aesthetic principles of order,

Comments

[sehlatbear]

"Perhaps you would do well to offer self-defense lessons? It is reasonable to expect that others on the ship would wish to improve their training with techniques that are not native to this universe."

[gold_ambition]

The suggestion was so damn sensible James could not believe, for a moment, he'd heard it correctly.

"Huh," he said. "You really think that'd go over?"

[sehlatbear]

Spock nodded. "It is human nature to be drawn to that which appears extreme and or dangerous and exotic. If you were to offer something along the lines of advanced Terran Empire hand-to-hand combat techniques then you would draw a number of ensigns from all departments and, evidence suggests, a vast majority of the security personnel."

There were some things that were constant about human males.

[gold_ambition]

James sat a little straighter, even leaning forward in unconscious interest.

"You," he said, "have outdone yourself. As an iteration and representation of Mr. Spocks, I mean."

It was brilliant. It was status. What was more, it'd be fun.

[sehlatbear]

James seemed pleased and it warmed some small part of Spock, a corner of his mind that was always occupied with his own Jim's well being.

"The power of logic is thus once again demonstrated, James."

His eyebrows all but laughed aloud.

[gold_ambition]

James did laugh. This Spock invited it--some resonance of his own, but with something added, something more open and willing and considerate. He was not aware of his response, or the fact that it was partially due to the absent relationships on both sides.

"I'll have to reconsider Surak, then," he said. "T'Vau tried to sell me on him the other day, and I'm afraid the lesson was lost."

[sehlatbear]

"I have not yet made the acquaintance of T'Vau, it must be admitted."

Spock gestured at the garden, looked around at its peacefulness.

"This is Surak, in part."

[gold_ambition]

"Half of what she says doesn't make sense," he said. "I'd put it down to the Vulcan thing, but I think she's just crazy."

Then again, Spock was half-human, he'd heard. Maybe that mitigated the crazy. He followed Spock's gesture with his eyes.

"Gardens are all right, I guess," he said, "but I figure any philosophy that objects to me asking what's in it for me probably isn't for me."

[sehlatbear]

Now Spock was quite curious. "I shall look for the opportunity to converse with her."

He shook his head, now, in negation. "On the contrary, James, it is imminently logical to ascertain the benefit to one's self in a given situation. However, it is not logical for that to be the sole motivating factor under consideration exclusively in all circumstances. The good of the many, James, outweighs the good of the one. Life is precious in equal measure, both yours and mine."

[gold_ambition]

James eyed him.

"No offense," he said, "but that's probably not going to work for me. I'm not saying I'm that selfish a bastard but the good of the many?" He shrugged. "Can't see how that motivates anyone."

[sehlatbear]

"There is no offense given where none is intended."

If James had behaved like this upon his initial arrival on Spock's Enterprise, he mused, things might have proceeded quite differently.

"Civilizations rise and set on the good of the many. Do you suppose your Empire will last forever?"

[gold_ambition]

James served the Empire, of course. He followed its rules, because not doing so didn't get you very far. Of course, many of those rules were unwritten. But in his mind, he served himself first and foremost. Which, the way the Empire worked, served it just as well.

"Will your Federation? We've made a good show of it so far."

[sehlatbear]

"The Federation is stable. Power might shift within it from one organization to another or one species to another but its foundation is strong."

Vulcan was, itself, slow to change. But the Federation responded well to the shifting tides of galactic politics.

"Should we achieve peace with the Klingons and the Romulans, it will further ensure the Federation's survival."

[gold_ambition]

James shrugged.

"If we conquer the Klingons and the Romulans, likewise," he said. "Your way... you absorb, and everyone changes. There's no consistency there, no... No legacy but this mixed up amalgamation of peoples."

[sehlatbear]

"Do you not find that the mixing of cultures brings strength where there was none?"

[gold_ambition]

"I find that their resources do," he said. "How can the Terran Empire be considered anything but strong? Vulcan gave way, as did Orion, as did countless other planets. Your Vulcan gave way too, didn't it? I see very few Vulcan officers--and the argument that their planet was destroyed is invalid, as they'd have been off it at the time. I see you existing in a primarily Human world. I see the Federation itself strongly disposed towards Earth and humanity."