<USS Avalon> Mogul Diamonds by Kaera Ashayu & Ming Kabuki

***this would take place before that minor quarantine melee

Ming didn't care what his cousin said.  Avalon's computer might be a 
veritable store house of knowledge but he wasn't used to doing research on a 
computer. 
 He was used to the cavernous libraries in Los Angeles and San Francisco and 
their real books.  He stared at the directory screen until he saw the entry 
for Information Services.

"What can they do?" he asked aloud.  "Laugh?  I already know I'm 
technologically backward."

He put on his jacket, straightened his collar, then picked up the PADD Vilya 
left him.  "Somebody is going to get a good laugh at my expense today."

It was Alpha shift, and Kaera was at the main library console, without a 
whole heck of a lot to do.  As a department head, she had the perk of working 
the 
day shift, and her assistant, Miriam (who seemed like a very nice girl, if 
even quieter than Kaera herself) took Beta shift.  Gamma shift was unstaffed 
except in emergencies.

It wasn't nearly as nice a perk as having private quarters, and she was very 
grateful to have those.  But at least Kaera was working the same shift as Cam, 
so they could spend time together when they weren't at work.  She was musing 
over the things she wanted to do with him tonight, when the doors swooshed 
open and someone entered the library.

Kaera looked in that direction.  It was a Human, of the type they called 
'Asian' -- on the tall side for that genotype, and with dark hair in a braid 
that 
matched her own.  He made a beeline straight for the desk.

"How can I help you?" Kaera asked.
 
Ming smiled.  This had to be the same lady Vilya told him about.  After all, 
how many Cardassians could there be in Starfleet, never mind on this ship.  
 
"Well, as a matter of fact, you certainly can," he said brightly.  "I may 
have brought a ton of information and books with me but both my cousin and my 
wife assure me that computers are store house of knowledge...except they both 
think I'm technologically backward.  I have no idea how to access anything on 
the 
ship's library computer."
 
He held out a hand and offered her another smile.  "My wife told me who you 
are but let me introduce myself since I'm going to be quite the pest.  My name 
is Patrick Kabuki but most people call me Ming."

Kaera took the offered hand, still not entirely at ease with this type of 
greeting, but she was at least used to it by now.  She searched her 
near-photographic memory for a rank for this gentleman, but didn't remember his 
name from 
any of the crew manifests and reluctantly concluded he must be a civilian.  
Avalon had very few of those on board, but there were some.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Kabuki," she said.  "Is it that you don't know 
how to use the interface, or that your cousin and wife don't trust you to do 
so?"  She was puzzled.  Any child of ten could use the library interface.  
"I'll be happy to give you an access code and any help you need."
 
"I'm fairly sure neither of them trust me on using the computer but it's 
mostly that I don't know how," Ming explained.  He thought she looked a bit 
doubtful at that and felt an explanation was required.  "Even though I can 
trace my 
family tree back to the sixth decade of Earth's twentieth century, to a man 
who was a computer programmer, we didn't grow up with computers in our home 
except for the comm.  I'm used to doing research by hand."  He offered her a 
slight shrug.  "If you've ever been to the libraries in Los Angeles or San 
Francisco, you've seen me or one of my brothers."

She hadn't been -- she'd never seen a reason to visit a city library, when 
the Academy libraries had all she needed.  So she simply shook her head 
slightly.

"Do you have a user ID?" she asked.  She didn't see a comm badge on him, but 
that didn't mean it wasn't in a pocket or something.  "Were you issued a 
communications frequency when you came aboard?"
 
Ming shook his head.  "My being here is all very last minute," he explained.  
Even if this whole computer thing was very frustrating, being near Vilya was 
worth it.  "Vilya told me to get that done, too, but I came here first.  
Studying for a doctorate in theology is going to take relatively forever and I 
want 
to get started."
 
He couldn't quite put his finger on it but it seemed to him that she was 
uneasy with him and that made him unhappy.  Unless he was truly angry at 
someone, 
he never wanted people to be that way.

Sensing an odd sort of unhappiness from her visitor, Kaera wanted very much 
to put him at ease.  She was a little concerned that he didn't have in ID or 
comm frequency, because it meant she had to order one for him and that would 
delay his access to the library systems.  

It was difficult deciding what to do about that.  Finally she just took a 
deep breath and got on with it.  "We will have to order an ID for you first," 
she 
said brightly.  "Fortunately, I have the scanner technology close by, so if 
you'll step into my office, that can be done immediately."  

She led him across the library's carpeted reception area to her office.  She 
had the equipment here because she was responsible, in theory, for ID-ing 
anyone who didn't need security clearance.  Which meant civilians and guests, 
of 
which there were few at the moment.  

Powering up the machines, Kaera smiled at Ming.  "I'm sorry," she apologized. 
 "It's just that the terminals won't work for you if you don't have 
clearance, and the clearance is coded into your comm badge -- or ID pin, for 
those who 
don't have communications privileges."  Forestalling the inevitable question 
of whether he had those privileges, she went on, "When we run the retinal scan, 
the computer will either clear you for communications, or not, depending on 
your general security clearance."
 
"No need to apologize, ma'am.  I understand the whole process, I just never 
had to go through it.  My oldest brother seems to find it pretty funny that I 
married an engineer considering my degree of technical illiteracy," Ming said 
with a smile.  He shook his head and added, "God works in mysterious ways, 
though.  He, or the Prophets in Vilya's case, hasn't been lost through all the 
mechanical trappings.  It has to be something of a miracle that people can even 
be out here..."

Vilya.  Now Kaera knew who Ming was, why he was on board.  "I am 
inexperienced in religious matters," she said, a trifle apologetically still.  
"Perhaps I 
should make a study of religion, since it seems to be important to many 
people.  So much so," she added, "that I am now surprised that only one course 
in 
religions is required at Starfleet Academy.  Ahh ... the scanner is ready," she 
noticed, and picked up the hand piece to scan Ming's retinas.  That would be 
followed by his hand prints on the flat pad on the desk.

 
"Personally, I agree with you but I also know that it's a very private matter 
for some cultures," Ming replied.  He held still, knowing the measurements 
had to be exact.  Nevertheless, he was still half smiling.  "Some people don't 
know and don't care, some don't know and want to care, some care and don't let 
others know, and then you have people like me--I care and I wear it on my 
sleeve.  Or around my neck as the case may be.  To me, nobody's beliefs are 
right 
or wrong--just different.  A lot of problems might have been averted over the 
years if people could grasp that idea."
 
Now he definitely smiled.  That was one of the things that attracted him to 
his wife.  Her beliefs might have been different but she still had faith.  
 
Finishing with the retinal scan and associated input, Kaera gestured for Ming 
to place both hands flat on the reader pad.  "I was taught as a child," she 
said, "that deities are fictitious, a crutch for the weak to blame their 
problems on.  Yet..." and she drew out the word slowly, "I can't help but 
feeling 
that there is Something in the universe greater and more powerful than we 
people, Something that transcends pettiness and unbelief."  She smiled, and it 
was a 
wistful smile.  "It's odd," she said, but the times I feel that most clearly 
are times when I'm not thinking about it."

The computer terminal beeped and flashed a midlevel security clearance, 
flagged for civilian use only.  "You're cleared for communications," she said, 
her 
smile brightening, and reached for the keypad.  "I'll just order a frequency 
for you, and then it can be attached to a comm badge and you'll be set to go."
 
"I thank you very kindly, ma'am.  You've been very patient," Ming said with a 
slight bow.  He liked her and he liked the honesty with which she spoke. "You 
know," he said quietly, "I don't think it's odd at all.  You've heard the 
expression about wolves in sheep's clothing?  The same can be said about 
belief.  
It's what's in the heart, in what we feel and do, and not in what we can 
spout off or make others think.  You're a wise lady."

Finally, she felt, he had relaxed.  It made her feel good to know that, even 
though she blushed at the compliment.  "I don't know how being direct makes me 
wise," she said.  And then added, with a half-grin "Though many people have 
had less-complimentary terms for it."  A few moments later, the replicator 
bleeped and opened to reveal Ming's shiny new comm badge.  She took it from the 
slot and handed it to him.  "And now you're ready to take on the library 
terminals."
 
He pinned the unit to his jacket and had the momentary thought that it looked 
out of place.  "Thanks," he said with a grin.  "Tell you what.  Whenever I 
publish my thesis, you get the acknowledgment for technical support."

I wasn't aware that theses had acknowledgments for technical support, Kaera 
wanted to say.  But that would be far too flippant, with someone she'd just 
met.  She'd have to tell Cam -- she was discovering her own sense of humor.  
"I'm 
sure that won't be necessary," she demurred, and made to lead him to a 
library terminal.  "Would you prefer to learn the manual mode first, or voice 
command?"
 
"Manual, please.  I don't particularly care for talking to machines," he told 
her.  She probably thinks I'm crazy, he thought.  "I don't even like using 
PADDs, to tell you the truth, but at least the stylus feels like a pen."  
Another thought occurred to him and he give her a mischievous smile.  "Does 
this 
thing understand Chinese?  I can see getting kicked out of a document for 
swearing at the thing."

Kaera laughed softly.  "Of course our terminals have universal translation 
built in, but it's simple enough to deselect voice mode entirely.  Here," she 
said.  "Sit down and I'll give you the basics."

She spent a short while showing him how to use the touch screen and keyboard, 
and where to find a flat tablet to connect if he wanted to write by hand.  
"As you see, it sounds much more complicated to explain than it actually is to 
use," she shrugged.  "I learned it quickly enough myself, and Federation 
Standard isn't my native language, either."  She paused, half expecting him to 
comment on Cardassian memory.  Hers was fairly normal for her race, but 
languages 
were not her specialty.  Which was why, when given a choice of assistants and a 
handful of their resumes to look at, she'd asked for Miriam Francher.
 
"In our house, you might find English, two forms of Chinese, some Thai, and 
some Japanese.  Not unusual to start a sentence in one language and end it in 
another but I always save my expletives for Chinese," he said with a grin.  "It 
just sounds so much better.  If you don't mind my saying so, I'd never know 
you weren't a native speaker..."  Well, that was just the stupidest thing to 
say, he told himself.  Of course she isn't, idiot. He felt his face flush.  
"I...um...I'm sorry, I hope you know what I meant and not what came out of my 
mouth."

"Well, thank you...although I learned it in my late teens and I'm afraid my 
accent is still strong when I'm tired or feeling exceptionally emotional," 
Kaera admitted.  "My..."  What was the word she wanted?  Was there a Standard 
word 
for 'bedmate' that didn't sound crude?  "My friend ... boyfriend, I suppose 
you would say...claims that I babble in Kardas'si' during passionate moments."  
Or was that too private a thing to say, in this culture?  Now she was 
confused and a little embarrassed, but pretended not to be.  "Anyway, you can 
use the 
terminal now?" she asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.
 
"Yes, I do believe I can, ma'am.  Thank you for your help again," he said 
with another smile.  He didn't think Vilya would mind.  She might have been 
afraid of the woman when they met but she'd also admitted to genuinely liking 
her 
at the end.  "One day, when your schedules and Vilya's coincide, you should 
both join us for dinner."

"Thank you," Kaera said, more smoothly than she felt in her surprise at the 
invitation.  Could it be that she might be finally beginning to develop what 
her Academy advisor had called a 'social life'?  "That would be very nice, I 
think.  If you need any further assistance with the terminal, I'll be at the 
desk," she indicated it with a tilt of her head.  "Or my assistant, Yeoman 
Francher, is here through Beta Shift.  Gamma Shift is unattended, but the 
facility is 
still available," she added with a smile, and went back to her desk to let 
him begin his exploration of the library.

Readers may be divided into four classes: 
1.) Sponges, who absorb all that they read and return it in 
nearly the same state, only a little dirtied. 
2.) Sand-glasses, who retain nothing and are content to get through a book 
for the sake of getting through the time. 
3.) Strain-bags, who retain merely the dregs of what they read. 
4.) Mogul diamonds, equally rare and valuable, who profit by 
what they read, and enable others to profit by it also. 
         Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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