"Contemplation Of Life"
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This is the journey you've always been destined to take.
-Kai Opaka.
--==(/\)==--
Stardate: 60322.1600
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 13, Stellar Cartography
Oltharians have, since the dawn of their civilization, believed in the
sanctity of life in all of its shapes and forms as well as the natural
cycles that all life experience. To them, death is only a point on a
never-ending circle which leads back to life. As difficult, and
sometimes painful as it may be to deal with, most Oltharians have long understood that death is a simple step on an eternal journey.
Members of the Religious Circle believe that death is a period of
transition between the physical and spiritual forms, and although the standard
concept of reincarnation is foreign to the believers and follower of this path, the idea that they do accept as true is actually very similar. To an
Oltharian of the Religious Circle, the essence of any living entity is returned to a larger consciousness upon it becoming free of its physical form. There it merges with other essences becoming one with the whole before a part of it is taken away and placed inside a form in the process of being born or created. Although this concept is difficult to grasp at first, it
grants those left behind after the death of a friend or relative to seek
comfort in the belief that the spirit of those who have died are still with them, as part of an everlasting universe and in all things around them.
For those more accepting of the ideals of science, the cycle of life
holds an entirely different meaning although it maintains the path of a
circle, returning to its point of origin to start anew. Members of the
Scientific Circle do not believe in an eternal spirit able to exist outside of the physical form, but instead have irrefutable proof that the decomposing
matter left behind by a dying form is recycled into the ecosystem and
is essential to the creation of new life.
Although opposite and conflicting in many ways, these views cherish the
same general idea that life emanates from death. On a spiritual level, the
essence of a star, flower or creature is passed onto a newly born or
created entity while on a scientific level the matter of a exploding star,
withering flower or dying creature is recycled by the natural forced into new
life. Either way, the circle is completed and life continues.
Elan might have been able to understand this parallel between the two
circles better than most because he had been one of the few to believe
in one while belonging to the other. Since a very young age the Oltharian
had wished to follow in his uncle's footsteps and take his place amongst
those of the Religious Circle, but as a young child Elan had been unable to
pass one of the more important tests - to kill a creature and understand
through the action the fundamental truth about life.
Maybe it had been because of this experience that the Oltharian had
been more sympathetic to what Lieutenant Dawson had been going through, and
certainly why he had tried to convince him to not venture on the path
of vengeance. Life being the circle that is was, interlinked with all of
the circles of those whose lives were touched by the first; the action of
one could be felt by all others for years to come.
While watching Annie exploring the holographic stars that Elan had
called up for her to study to further her increasing knowing of a universe she
knew nothing more than what had been in the databanks she had been linked
to, the Oltharian tried to resolve a conflict that he had unexpectedly
discovered. Although the Robotics Engineer accepted that the ANUBIS' Avatar had been a remarkable creation, he found it hard to believe that she possessed the same *spirit* as the ship or any other inanimate object due to the machine
displaying so many *living* qualities. Annie's awe for the universe
had truly been remarkable and endearing, making the time spent with her
something that the Oltharian could not stop enjoying.
"Lieutenant Fairborn," the Avatar began, her gaze locked on a single
star at the centre of a little known star system. "Why do people write poetry
about stars? I have cross-referenced all available information between star
charts and the collected poetic works of over three-dozen civilizations, and I am unable to explain why these poems were written."
The Oltharian smiled as he approached the simulacrum which he could no
longer look upon as a simple machine. "Why are you looking at that
particular star instead of any of the others?" Was the reply of the
Robotics Engineering Officer as he joined the Avatar in her awe-stricken
observation.
"The isometric isolation of the thermal and radiation energy is strange
and defies my ability to predict it accurately for more than a few seconds
at a time," Annie replied. Although the answer given lacked the emotions
required to explain why poems had been written about stars, Elan had
been more than happy that the answer had given him something to work on.
"Then you could say that the star has caught your attention," the
Oltharian grinned. "Maybe even your fascination?"
Annie nodded, her artificial eyes never leaving the object of her
interest.
"The reason for the fascination may be different, but it is that
attraction to one or more of these stars that have inspired countless to write
about them and to even give them properties that reach far beyond the
confines of science," the Oltharian explained thinking about how the Religious
Circle looked upon stars - the representation of a spirits which had in
another form lighten the way for others.
"Amazing," the Avatar said, shedding more of her inhumanity with each
new experience. "This also helps me understand why people write music or
express themselves through art. Yes, it is truly an area which will
demand a greater amount of investigation on my part."
Like a father watching his child take their first step, the Oltharian
looked onto Annie with unequal admiration. Now if Elan could only make the
ANUBIS' CEO look upon life with such innocence, the question of his departure
from the ANUBIS would be made void and null.
--==(/\)==--
Lieutenant Junior Grade Elan Talak Fairborn 2005 post #233
Francois Charette {f_charette@hotmail.com}
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
