Personal Dilemmas

[conjuredskies]

Hey, did you know there’s a way to broadcast messages to the Nexus at large? Anyone might be forgiven for forgetting that, since it doesn’t happen too often these days. And yet, on PINpoints and phones and convenient computer screens alike, people might find an unexpected question incoming:

Given a choice between leaving a friend badly in the lurch, or forcing someone you love to revisit a very painful place, which do you pick?

It’s entirely anonymous and quite untraceable, though it seems certain that the culprit will be able to answer any reply sent. He’s actually hanging out in the bright, luxuriously upholstered environs of a particularly upscale café that offers free computer access, waiting for his IT consultant to come back with the drinks. It doesn’t feel very clandestine to him, but maybe Felix just isn’t used to the ways of the Space Age yet. That’s why he has a consultant.

Comments

[sordiddetails]

She didn't know how human computers worked quite yet. She has only been working with the technology for a couple weeks and figures this is just someone her husband knows messaging for advice. Between her husband and son, it felt like they knew everyone, at least on Earth. Why not here too?

This question is close to her heart and on her mind a lot. Coming to Earth was a big choice and caused riffs to open she would eventually have to repair.

My family is in a bind. I chose them over my partner for a long time. I think I was wrong and recently moved to be with him and our son. Both choices have a burden.

[conjuredskies]

Families like to be hidebound about these things. There's nothing more natural, though, than a woman going with her husband and child.

[sordiddetails]

The real world is rarely that straight forward. There are a lot of complication surrounding my choice. Are you faced with a similar decision?

[conjuredskies]

Not exactly. A friend is in a rather bad position because of my actions. I can repair the harm, but only by putting someone I love through great pain. Either way, one of them suffers.

[sordiddetails]

If you have time to ask others, could you talk to the loved one first? At least they'd understand the pain when it came if you choose to help your friend.

A Consultant who should Really be charging for this

[betashiftblues]

"...Did you get it working yet?"

It's taken a long, long time for Kav and Felix to find a place that actually caters to their level of technology. Kav's, not Felix's. The Human might have learned enough not to get himself killed on a space ship in the most idiotic ways possible but it's remarkable how much basic knowledge he still lacks. Then again, having visited Felix's homeland once the Andorian is pretty certain he wouldn't last a day if the roles were reversed so it's a fair struggle he supposes.

Coming to the Nexus was no trouble at a glance but much of the technology here is centuries out of date by the Andorian's standards and nearly as unrecognizable as the rest to Felix so its taken some serious scouting around. In the heat no less. Felix is lucky he's a good friend. Kav sets down a couple of cold glasses on the table next to his companion before he pulls up a seat.

"It's a chilled fruit drink the lady at the counter recommended. I think I smell lavender but the juice is a mystery. She let me try a sample and it's....different. But good." A cousin to lemonade perhaps but a rich shade of pink in the glass.

Jim owes him a mage-sitting bonus

[conjuredskies]

“Of course I did.” ‘Of course’, like Felix’s misadventures with technology aren’t a semi-regular feature of Norn’s week now. Maybe that’s why he’s so satisfied to have it working this time.

“Thanks for the help, though. And the drink.” Felix doesn’t suffer with an Andorian constitution, but the summer heat of the Nexus had him sweating uncomfortably in his shipboard outfit, too. The last time he spent any significant period off the climate-controlled ship, it was in the Jerrall Mountains in the dead of winter. He pulls his glass over to take a curious sip, then a deeper one with a sigh of relief for the cool fruity liquid.

“I think that is lavender. Good choice, especially here.”

[betashiftblues]

The number of times he gets up well before his shift to his comm sounding off at him and the greeting of 'Kav, I need a favor...' is higher than the captain is aware. Luckily, not everything needs to make it up to a level such that Jim Kirk needs to be aware of it. The communications officer is a discreet guy. Easy to be when one values his privacy so much.

"It's a cafe, they wanted to recommend a coffee but the idea of drinking something hot after walking all the way out here was making my insides boil in protest." A deep sigh makes its way across the table before Kav wraps a napkin around the glass to soak up the moisture as best he can before he starts to sip the drink.

"Mmh." The fruit is acidic but not overly sour. Sweetened perhaps. "You know...I'm not objecting to doing this somewhere with climate controls..." Or safely away from direct conversation with strangers. "But most people just go right up into the Plaza to bother the locals with their questions."

[conjuredskies]

"Agreed. Anyway, I'm starting to tolerate coffee but that doesn't mean I'd willingly choose it."

Felix glances at one of the responses already trickling in, pauses to tap out a reply. He has gotten much faster at typing, thankfully: watching him pick out message after message with two fingers would be a special kind of torment for the comms officer. His eyes snap back to Norn at that implied question, however. The Imperial reaches for his drink again, nursing it as he turns his full attention back on the other man.

"And you know I do love attention." His smile is wry. "Unfortunately, some questions reveal far more about the asker than he wants revealed in public."

[betashiftblues]

"I'm sure we can find a variation you find palatable. If we keep trying eventually we'll know what you can ask the replicator for and you'll be set." Not taking things plain is a big part of enjoying replicated meals in Kav's experience. He'd much rather come here and get Fresh and new foods of course but he gets by alright back on the ship. "What do you want to eat, by the way? It's mostly fruit or sweet pastries but I think I spied a few savory scones up for grabs too."

If Kav's going to be spending his Pre-Shift hours hanging around the Nexus with Felix he's damn well going to make the most of it. This includes feeding himself (and by proxy Felix).

Kav nods. That's half of why he's so suspicious about this setup. But Felix's rebuttal is about what he expects. It's not something he wants public knowledge that he's asking, which means he's either gotten himself into some kind of trouble or its embarrassing.

"So....how mad is the captain going to be if he finds out we were here...?"

[chiaro_oscuro]

Ben is probably the last person in the Nexus to ask about relationship issues, something he himself will admit. He has plenty of those himself. However, he saw the message on his PINpoint and decides to bring what experience he has to bear. He considers his answer for some time before he types a reply into the PINpoint. He has no idea who's texting him, so he gives general advice.

It's a question he's been thinking about. Both he and Rey have painful pasts and an extremely complicated history with each other. While they're making steps, it's a process. They still have difficult issues to deal with and conversations to have.

Honesty and communication with your partner and friend is important, as is being on the same page. Sometimes it's better to deal with a potential problem up front rather than to let it fester.

[conjuredskies]

No talking is going to get me out of this one, I'm afraid. My friend needs something from me which I can't obtain without making my loved one revisit a terrible wound. Either physical consequences for one, or emotional suffering for the other.

[chiaro_oscuro]

No easy answer, then. If you are going to help your friend, and to do this you must revisit old pain for your loved one, then you will be hurting someone either way. Between two bad choices, you might have to pick the lesser evil. Is your friend in danger?

If it can't be painless, you can still take steps to limit the pain. Do either of them know about this problem? I would make sure that both of them know what you're going to do and why, so they understand.

[conjuredskies]

I doubt his colleagues would kill him, but he might prefer that to being thrown out to scrape by on his own. Assuming they don't get inventive with his punishment.

Explaining to them beforehand is out of the question. My friend knows all he needs to about the situation. And if I tell my loved one he'll only volunteer himself to suffer without regard for the consequences.

[chiaro_oscuro]

Your friend's colleagues sound harsh. If he was in physical danger, I would have suggested helping your friend first, but social consequences are bad, too.

[This is coming from somebody who doesn't do well with rules or discipline in general, so Ben can't really be neutral here. He doesn't know anything about this person's culture or universe, so he tries not to sound too judgmental.]

Ah, so if you tell him you think he'll take the choice into his own hands. I've known people like that. This is a difficult call. You might just have to do what you think is best and weather the storm.

I'm sorry I can't be more useful to you.

[chiron_survivor]

Once upon a time, Adia broadcast a message to the Nexus at large, although it was entirely unintentional. When the anonymous text pops on the terminal she sits behind in the Plaza, she doesn't think much of its origins. She simply reads it over, a thoughtful frown on her face.

That sounds like a difficult situation to be in, I'm sorry. Can you find someone else to help your friend? At the very least, I would explain why I couldn't help them. I hate letting down a friend, but my loved one's mental health has to come first.

It should be noted that Adia's message is not anonymous in return. Not that it matters, she stands by what she types.

[conjuredskies]

Self-serving, but honest. I can respect that. But no, there’s nobody else to do the job, and explaining the details is out of the question. In any case, since he’s facing being kicked out of his guild and losing his career, I doubt he’d be understanding.

[chiron_survivor]

I think it'd only be self-serving if it was my own mental health? Having to decide between the welfare of two people I cared about is a terrible choice.

Especially now that more details have been added to the scenario. Yikes.

Could you make it up to your friend somehow afterwards? Or, actually, have you spoken to your loved one about all of this? They might be more resilient than you think.

[conjuredskies]

And you didn't hesitate to choose the one closest to you. Self-interest isn't mutually exclusive with benefiting others, you know.

Bold to assume he'll want anything further to do with me. Anyway, I haven’t anything like that kind of money or clout. And since my loved one is the kind of compassionate self-sacrificing idiot who’d sooner feed themselves to the fire than see anyone else suffer… no. Talking to them is the same as having made the choice.

[chiron_survivor]

That's fair. It's not like I'd feel great about letting down my friend, but I would feel worse about hurting my loved one.

I just think if you at least try to help your friend in another way, even if it's after the fact, he might be less upset with you. You have access to the Nexus, maybe that can help him out in some way? I was dirt poor for a long while, even in the Nexus. I still don't have money, but it turns out agate is worth quite a bit to some of the people here. It's worth looking into. Better than to just ghost on your friend completely.

Well, you know your loved one better than I do.

[rogueinladysclothing]

An anonymous message to her phone is the last thing Amelia is expecting while she's taking care of errands, but it's an interesting enough question that she'll take a break for a cup of coffee while she answers it.

Leave your friend behind. You may love them, but if you're speaking of them as separate from a friend, your attachment to them is stronger. Never force those you love to go back to memories that hurt them.

Pragmatic as always, but would Amelia ever be any other way?

[conjuredskies]

How ruthlessly pragmatic. No matter the consequences for your friend? What if there’s a chance they could seek revenge, later?

Her answer is getting taken on board, anyway, but what if there are complicating factors? Or does she consider those irrelevant?

[rogueinladysclothing]

Anyone can seek revenge for any number of slights, big or small. If you spend your time worrying, you'll miss your opportunity to act.

The one you love could fall too. But if you love them you'll try. So make a decision and act on it.

Come now, Felix, you know Amelia never looks back at her decisions once they're made. One can only ever move forward and the most pragmatic of Nexus rogues won't ever let herself regret a decision.

[conjuredskies]

I mean this would really be a very big slight. Big on the order of ‘nothing left but vengeance’. But maybe that just means I’ll have to be thorough in my betrayal.

[rogueinladysclothing]

There are consequences no matter the action. Choose who you care about most, and make your choice.

If your love is great enough to call it out over your friend, the choice seems obvious.

Whatever you do, don't look back.

That is her choice and she will always make it. If someone asks for her advice, the answer will always be the same. Family, love, over all else.