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As long as there are good reasons for you to act like an unconscionable barbarian. Civilized people have to struggle not to give into thuggish instincts when it all seems grim, but you're either a person who feeds a coat hanger down someone's throat if you thinks the ends justify the means or you are not.
I have never fed the proverbial coat hanger down anyone's throat, if an individual wishes to act aggressively against my ship or a member of it's crew, then they should expect no less than retaliation.
Not talking about a proverbial Coat hanger. A literal one. So you'll zealously defend yourself against any man tied to a chair you feel threatened by? Do the bound offer a special fear for you only exceeded by the comatose and already dead? But the Eqinox wasn't aggressive to Voyager, everything they did, even firing you, was all part of a strategy predicated on fleeing. meanwhile the beasties were also killing your crew. two proponents both obsessed with killing each other, any one who gets in their way, and running away from you, and you decide to run the buggers down. You were in freespace 40 years travel from the letter of federation law. the only thing endangering your crew is your pride that refused to allow you to drop the matter.
During Voyager's Conflict with The Equinox, Lessing was not harmed, I may have pushed the boundaries in trying to obtain the Equinox's position but any other captain would have done the same. I have never killed anyone who has not posed a direct or indirect threat to my ship and crew.
You still really haven't explained how Tuvix was a threat to your crew when you murdered him?
No, there's no proof that he does or doesn't and there's no proof that you didn't flush him and the other four out the airlock before you got home under orders from the federation Council to avoid a political cluster fuck.
I believe this extract from Voyagers logs proves otherwise,
"The last time we welcomed you aboard you took advantage of our trust. You betrayed this crew. I won't make that mistake again. Noah Lessing, Marla Gilmore, James Morrow, Brian Sofin, Angelo Tassoni, you are hereby stripped of rank. You'll be expected to serve as crewmen on this vessel. Your privileges will be limited and you'll serve under close supervision for as long as I deem fit. This time, you'll have to earn our trust. Dismissed."
And the next two years before you triumphantly arrived home and delivered the marquis and Equinox 5 to their respective docks and penal colonies, as they wondered wny they served you so loyally if all Voyager ever was was just a prison transport?
Was there a reason we didn't see him for the next two years?
I care for all my crewmembers, perhaps I do care for Tuvok in a different way, but let me ask you this, do you care for your closest friends and fellow workers whom you have known, for the sake of this argument, for two years?
That's the burden of being Captain. Being fair and just. you have to suff your own feelings and needs down some where cold and dark, so that the ship can run clean and free.
I don't think you do, and I believe that it is human nature, whether one is conscious of it or not, to treat individuals differently based on your relationship to each. The bottom line being that if situations came down to a matter of life and death, each one would be treated the same in that I would fight tooth and nail to prevent harm coming to them, as would any Starfleet Officer.
And the rest of your crew? Or just the orfficers?
Not understanding this basic tenant is why when you got marooned on a backwater with a bunch of cave people that they got your pet Vulcan to start sharpening spears to kill all the xenocromagnoms taking turns trying to invent for a war to end all wars.
In this situation I believe you will find that it is Starfleet Protocol to defend yourself by any means necessary in a hostile situation. I had Tuvok construct weapons for defence, in the event that we encountered dangerous lifeforms, the odds of which were high.
You're quoting Ransom.
You pissed off the natives.
Rather than walking for a couple days in one direction to the village over, and see if they're more amenable, or make peace with the ones you've aleady started off to a rocky start with, something Chakotay achieves almost effortlessly, you prepare for war. A war you cannot conceivably lose by the way.
Just like Ransom.
There are many variables in Voyager's position and to lead a ship through unknown, often hostile space with no reinforcement of any kind is a tough break. I have only ever acted to the best of my ability, perhaps this ability isn't up to the standards that a superior being as yourself is used to but I am willing to put my neck on the line and suggest that you would find it difficult, as I did, had you been in my position.
Kirk was in almost the same position. Well, one episode they said that it would take months to get a message home, when they were trying to figure out what to do, which is marginally different from every one already thinking that you're dead.
I'm not enlightened. You're just a monster half the time. I mean, you'de be a splendid pirate, a fantastic Romulan or Klingon, but frankly there are some righteous reasons why you should have failed your psyche evaluation at the academy or been dismissed from your captaincy of Voyager early on because of continued trend of disreputable behaviour unbecoming a decent human being god forbid a captain of a Federation Starship.
The fact of the matter remains that anyone in this position would have observers question every decision they make due to the fact that the observers haven't got all the knowledge or the personal experience to understand the situation in totality.
Um. Geordi and Data just said "wow, the Delta Quadrant. How cool. Lets g home." And they did. Twice I think. And you ma'am didn't even have the gumption to read up on their adventures in the Delta Quadrant which predate yours by half a decade as you're gazetting that you're the first ever Humans in the Delta Quadrant.
It's easy to sit and say "why didn't you do this?" "Why did you do that?" when you haven't been through the same situation yourself.
It's intolerably easy after I manage to lift my jaw from the ground from the shock in trying to understand some of your more dubious decisions.
I must say, Captain, I'm very much enjoying your posts here. They show the thoughtfulness, articulation and strength of will appropriate to a Starfleet captain. You're really selling this!
I thank you for your comment, I try my best.
Actually, you're holding character very well. Great job.