094 | [Video]

[with_discipline]

Science has been my area of interest since childhood, but I do find the history of other cultures to be of great educational value. With that in mind, I would prefer any such future lessons to be less interactive. [Yes. This is said extremely dryly. No, she doesn't expect to get her wish. OPEN LETTER TO THE ADMIRAL, the undercurrent of which is, he's a dick.]

[Private to Trip]

You compared us once to Romeo and Juliet. Do you still feel that way? [She is vaguely amused about this whole thing. Vaguely.]

[Private to Snape]

It's been a good deal more than an hour. Are you still upset you suffered a coma over this breach?

[Private to Slade]

What happened to you during the breach?

Comments

[truth_is_cold]

The Majorum. Though my clan name is Rhade. [He's happy to talk about his culture. It's more comfortable than the Magog.]

[with_discipline]

Is a clan name the equivalent of a surname?

[truth_is_cold]

Yes, essentially. Do Vulcans have surnames?

[with_discipline]

We do not. Traditionally, we cite our ancestors during formal occasions.

[truth_is_cold]

Are there houses or family lines within your culture?

[with_discipline]

They are not named. I am T'Pol, daughter of T'Les, daughter of T'Lan, daughter of T'Mir. We trace our histories through our ancestors.

[truth_is_cold]

We announce ours as a part of our introduction. Most of us have family lines memorized back for a few centuries. I am Gaheris Rhade out of Morgause by Lot. "Out of" indicates the maternal DNA, the giver of the maternal genes within the egg. Not necessarily the actual mother. The giver of the completing DNA, the "by".

Hybrids are uncommon because breeding is very important to Nietzscheans, but I personally have no problem with it. Our original stock was engineered from many people and being so exclusive when a child might lead a better life for the union seems irrational.

[with_discipline]

You are not typically raised by your biological parents?

[truth_is_cold]

We are commonly. But if we aren't, we still address our actual lineage. For example, a woman that wants to achieve higher rank but doesn't want to marry a man who's earned a higher rank, and isn't necessarily competitive herself, might agree to carry the children of a fallen alpha.

[with_discipline]

A fallen alpha?

[truth_is_cold]

Survival is a high priority for Nietzscheans, but some of us still occasionally die in defense of our Prides. Or as with the Magog, where once they were infected if they didn't receive immediate treatment- the results were unpleasant. Often their families would raise young for them.

[with_discipline]

And they don't lose their cultural standing, when this happens?

[truth_is_cold]

No. Then their sacrifice is seen as a way to help everyone else survive, rather than a failure to compete.

[with_discipline]

I see. And competition is the basis of your entire culture?

[truth_is_cold]

Essentially, yes. Though I know it's not one shared with others. Yours is modelled after logic, yes?

[with_discipline]

Yes, it is. We accept logic over emotion.

[truth_is_cold]

An admirable mindset. [Robot-man approves.]

Competition is a way of self-improvement to us. Not only physically, but mentally. I regularly play go and other strategy games. It's also the basis on which men are chosen as mates. The more you win, the more likely you are to be found to have good genes.

[with_discipline]

Then, more than competition, you act to ensure the best possible life for your progeny.

[truth_is_cold]

We do. Absolutely the best. The honor of fatherhood is the greatest title, and the mother to be respected for her strength.

[with_discipline]

I see. [She wants to study his people. :|] Your culture is fascinating.

[truth_is_cold]

[He likes his culture himself, and in his time it was pretty awesome.] The Augments you mentioned. You said "attempt". They no longer exist?

[with_discipline]

That's correct. There are embryos kept in stasis, but the majority were killed during the Eugenics War.

[truth_is_cold]

Was it a war designed especially to destroy them? [That seems sad. Poor little babies.]

[with_discipline]

No. The Augments were intemperate; many had dangerous tempers, and high ambitions. They sectioned large parts of Earth to rule; eventually, the humans rose up against them.

[truth_is_cold]

It seems as though we were fortunate in the time we kept to our own world. [This is why his genetic reincarnation ended up an isolationist.] Those genes, did genetics ever advance to a point that their errors in temper could be corrected?

The first 4,000 of us were engineered. We had no boneblades in the beginning. It was a mutation that was encouraged.