milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

data,
tali'zorah

(no subject)

Jean-Luc Picard enters the holodeck doors, decked out in his Dixon Hill outfit, ready to become his favorite detective. When he's dumped into a bar full of patrons that don't all look human or dressed for the era, he's confused, but decides to play along. That's why he'll be found by the fireplace, watching the goings-on with great interest.

Tiny!Tag: Jean-Luc Picard

(OOC: Due to migraine, this post is in auto-slowtime, and also taggable until it falls off the front page. Thanks!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Lots of them are twenty-first century humans, too," Tali says. "But I know humans hadn't yet gotten past their own moon by that time, so you must be from much later."

"I'm from the 23rd century," he agrees. "From the Earth country of France."

"France, France...I do not think I've heard of it," Tali says apologetically, "but then again I know little of Earth. I am from the late twenty-second century myself. Tell me, do your ships use mass effect cores or something else?"

"We use warp cores," he says, and goes into an explanation of how they work.

Tali's able to follow most of the explanation. She's surprised that they've managed to harness power from matter/antimatter reactions: the technology of her own universe uses hydrogen fuel.

"We use something different," Tali says, "called mass effect cores. There is a substance called element zero that can change the mass of matter within a volume of space, without adding or removing atoms or affecting it in any other way. It's just a matter of applying the right kind of electrical charge. But anyway, it makes ships a lot lighter, relative to the rest of the universe, so they can easily achieve faster-than-light speeds. There are also the mass relays, which create massless corridors between them and can take ships from one cluster to another."

"That's very interesting," Picard says, and expands upon warp cores a bit more. He likes the exchange of ideas and technologies, but can't really implement any, due to the Prime Directive.

Tali can't implement warp drive because she can't exactly figure out how it's technologically feasible. Where would she get dilithium crystals, for instance? But it's certainly interesting to learn about the theory behind it.

"It occurs to me," Tali says, "that we've been talking all this time and I still don't know your name. I'm Tali'Zorah vas Neema. Just call me Tali."

"Excuse me, where are my manners, Tali?" He offers a hand. "My name is Captain Jean-Luc Picard."

Handshakes are not part of Tali's culture, but she's spent enough time with humans by now that the gesture comes naturally. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she says. "Captains are accorded a great deal of respect among my people - in great part because we spend our entire lives living on ships, first the one we are born on and then the one we join in adulthood."

"I see." Picard nods. "Your culture fascinates me. What happened to your home world, if I may ask?"

Tali sighs. "What happened to our world is the reason we fear artificial intelligence, Captain. We created the Geth, they turned against us, and took our worlds. We have been wandering the stars for three hundred years because of them."

Picard nods. "I can see why that would scare you."

"I've encountered them on the battlefield too. Not many quarians have: until recently, they did not venture beyond the Perseus Veil. They attacked a number of human colonies. In my universe, your species hates the Geth almost as much as we do."

"So they're trying to take over everything they encounter?" he muses. "That is frightening."

"No, no, it wasn't like that," Tali says. "They were under the direction of a being they considered a god - an ancient synthetic life-form that used them to try and further its own ends. Fortunately it did not succeed.

"The Geth are not conquerors, although they are very territorial. But they hate organic life."

"That's disturbing. I've known androids like that." Picard is thinking of Lore, Data's brother.

"All AIs are like that, eventually," Tali says. "The Geth aren't the only ones I've met. I encountered one on the Citadel, once, programmed by a criminal. When it was discovered, it tried to self-destruct and take us with it. Fortunately Garrus and I managed to disable it before it finished powering up."

"That's disturbing, although I think that, at least in my universe, AI is stable." The holodeck is a different matter. "I even have a crewmember, named Data, who is an android."

Picard conveniently forgets any and all Data fallout moments.

Tali sits up suddenly as if she's been slapped. "I met him. Here," Tali says. "How can you let a synthetic serve on your crew? Especially when it's based on a prototype that massacred hundreds of people?"

"Hold on a moment," Picard says, holding up a hand. "You've met Mr. Data here, in Milliways? He's never told me about this place."

Someone's going to have a stern talking to, it seems.

"And... I serve with him because his service record is impeccable. I've rarely had a problem with him, and if I have had a problem, it's been due to tampering. Mr. Data is a good person, and I am proud to serve with him.

"I believe we'll have to agree to disagree on this, Ms. Tali."

Tali takes a deep breath and lets it out, slowly. "We will only disagree until you realize you've made a mistake. Although experience will teach you that - I don't think I can."

Picard nods slowly. "Well, there's--" He pauses, trying to explain the Borg to her. "There's already a sort-of example of what you're talking about." He explains the Borg, and then explains his terrifying transformation into Locutus.

"So no, I'm not afraid of Mr. Data. I'm terrified of the Borg."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only