03-06-2026, 11:48 PM
Lt Gath gave a considered speech about the different forms of martial arts and their various strategies, finishing with ... ' I am asking if you might be able to provide such an evaluation.' Ava gave it several seconds of thought as she turned to face her superior officer.
"Considering that we know nothing about these creatures, except what we have in front of us, and the fact that they are very old, closer to ancient in fact, we have a number of courses of action we could pursue. Firstly, we could do nothing, leave them in stasis for the rest of their lives. That would negate any threat they may pose. Eventually, they would die as they would have if we had not come along. Also, for some, it would fulfill the prime directive, i.e., not engaging with aliens who have not achieved warp capability. But we don't know whether their civilization still exists or has achieved warp capability?"
"Secondly, we could keep them in stasis while we investigated and sought answers to our questions. But with very little to go on at this moment, we do not know how long that would take, unless, of course, we decipher the memory core brought back to the ship, which may or may not give the answers we seek. That may lead to the first course of action, or to a new culture we come to know and respect, or to somewhere in between. As to any threat to the crew and ship, this course may give us some clues. Do we have the time to do that?"
"Thirdly, and this would be my choice, we revive these creatures when it is safe, and we have sufficient information to do so. This would shorten the time for the answers we seek, possibly at a greater risk, but we would fulfill our mission to explore and discover another civilisation even if it be all but extinct."
"It comes down to letting them die, letting them live. I choose the latter."
"Is that the sort of evaluation you are seeking, Lieutenant?" Ava was very new to this ship and cautious about crossing boundaries.
"Considering that we know nothing about these creatures, except what we have in front of us, and the fact that they are very old, closer to ancient in fact, we have a number of courses of action we could pursue. Firstly, we could do nothing, leave them in stasis for the rest of their lives. That would negate any threat they may pose. Eventually, they would die as they would have if we had not come along. Also, for some, it would fulfill the prime directive, i.e., not engaging with aliens who have not achieved warp capability. But we don't know whether their civilization still exists or has achieved warp capability?"
"Secondly, we could keep them in stasis while we investigated and sought answers to our questions. But with very little to go on at this moment, we do not know how long that would take, unless, of course, we decipher the memory core brought back to the ship, which may or may not give the answers we seek. That may lead to the first course of action, or to a new culture we come to know and respect, or to somewhere in between. As to any threat to the crew and ship, this course may give us some clues. Do we have the time to do that?"
"Thirdly, and this would be my choice, we revive these creatures when it is safe, and we have sufficient information to do so. This would shorten the time for the answers we seek, possibly at a greater risk, but we would fulfill our mission to explore and discover another civilisation even if it be all but extinct."
"It comes down to letting them die, letting them live. I choose the latter."
"Is that the sort of evaluation you are seeking, Lieutenant?" Ava was very new to this ship and cautious about crossing boundaries.