Star Trek: Shaping a Cardassian - Among the Dragons

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction' started by Gul Re'jal, Sep 24, 2010.

  1. Nerys Ghemor

    Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I know we don't have Karama's point of view here, but do you think that he realized he was in much deeper trouble than he thought when the knife came out? I wonder how he felt about that moment. Do you think he realized that by that point he'd gone too far and that even if he stopped he wasn't going to get out of it unpunished?
     
  2. Gul Re'jal

    Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

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    I don't think he was realising how far he had pushed her. He surely didn't expect to be attacked with a knife. Kapoor was reckless and she didn't think that inviting Karama to their quarters would be anything special, she thought that "all has been fixed". He went there, because he didn't expect Ullmann to take everything so seriously. He thought once he stopped paying any attention to her - no more problems.

    And then suddenly this. I'm sure he was surprised. He didn't want to provoke Ullmann, so he just backed out and left without a word. Maybe that was the moment when he realised what his "jokes" really meant to her, that she really believed everything he had said and she still believed it.

    If he expected she would tell Jarol? I don't know. I don't think so.
     
  3. Nerys Ghemor

    Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Kapoor definitely does have a tendency to speak and act without thinking...and THAT is even by human standards. Maybe some Cardassian discipline will be a good thing for her. ;)

    That said though...for Karama not to understand or think through the implications of what he had done definitely demonstrated how bad his judgment was.

    I don't know how he could make a comment like saying he wanted Ullmann to live in her "hell" and not think that she believed every bit of it. I had thought he WANTED her to believe everything. The one thing I don't think he was expecting was that she'd be driven to the point of a breakdown.

    Did he figure she'd be too scared to say something?
     
  4. Gul Re'jal

    Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

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    Do you think there still is a chance to "train" her? ;)

    You're right. Good point. You know him better than I do ;)

    But I still think he didn't fully realise how much he had scared her. He was very careful not to physically touch her. From where he stands, he thinks he didn't cross some lines. He just didn't understand it from her point of view, not to full extent. And surely didn't think he had brought her to a point where she would try to attack him (or defend herself, because she surely saw it as defence).

    He knew she assumed all Cardassians were bad. He probably assumed Ullmann would think the same about Jarol and wouldn't expect Jarol to understand her problem. He didn't think Jarol would see his behaviour as a problem.
     
  5. Nerys Ghemor

    Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Not in Starfleet... ;)

    Now THAT isn't true. :p He lives in your mind, not mine. ;)

    I take it sexual harassment against males isn't something their culture commonly addresses in the open, then. After all, contrary to what some people like to say, men do have lines they don't want to be crossed without their consent, too.

    Ouch...I'm not sure whether that says something worse about Karama's own judgment, or if there's some other reason he would get that impression about Jarol! :cardie:
     
  6. Gul Re'jal

    Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

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    And that's the problem. I know him better and I like this fellow.

    You stand and observe him from a neutral point of view. You notice things I don't ;)
    I didn't think about it, actually. But I know that men have clearly defined lines, just as women do. Touching neck ridges would be as violating and offensive for both sexes. There's no such thing as a "he's guy, he would like it if a pretty girl would do it". No, he wouldn't.

    My Cardassians treat physical relationships very seriously. Of course, there are many, who ignore those social rules and chase every girl (or every comfort woman), but as a rule they don't just jump into each other beds. That would be indecent. For both boys and girls.

    It's his bad judgement. She was furious. And even for a second she didn't think that he did something innocent, or there was any justification to his behaviour.

    It's not even that he had thought she would understand he wanted to punish the human, it's more like he expected her to understand that the human had to be punished for her ugly thoughts "about us, Cardassians".

    I don't think he understands what he has done. He accepts the punishment, but did he say he regreted his behaviour? He regrets, because he was caught and he disappointed his Gul, not because he scared a woman to death.

    Still, from his point of view it was a game. He didn't really want to hurt her, so he thinks he wasn't so wrong. Now, if someone would be really harassing her - he wouldn't condone that either. He wanted to "punish" her, not harm her. For him it's a difference. He can't see things from her point of view, he just doesn't get it.
     
  7. Nerys Ghemor

    Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I have a thought on that part in my next PM, about points of view...

    My Cardassians are also very serious about what physical relationships mean, too. I think that many more decent Cardassians would think of Gul Dukat as...well, "loose," to use a delicate term for it.
     
  8. Gul Re'jal

    Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

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    Sometimes I wonder what Jarol thought of Damar in this aspect. Because she most likely knew about his lady-friends, especially since at one point he told her about it (so that she could pretend to be one of them).

    But that is another story ;)
     
  9. TerokNor

    TerokNor Captain Captain

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    About that I wonder too... *sits down and waits for story*

    Poor Karama. I feel sorry for him. He wasn´t behaving nice (though in that situation he did nothing and only wanted to be helpful), but the lady was really overreacting. Ok...fear is a strong emotion...

    I wonder how a male Gul would have handelt that situation?

    TerokNor
     
  10. Gul Re'jal

    Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

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    I didn't mean I'd write a story, I meant that discussion about this would be completely another subject and doesn't really belong here.

    I foresee no story about it. I think Damar has been beaten by women enough, including Jarol's fists ;)
     
  11. TerokNor

    TerokNor Captain Captain

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    But...but .... *gets all puppy dog eyes*

    TerokNor
     
  12. Gul Re'jal

    Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

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    No way! Your avatar expressed his opinion on the subject clearly. He says: Don't you dare!! :klingon:
     
  13. TerokNor

    TerokNor Captain Captain

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    You missinterpret that. He says: Dont you dare NOT to write a story! (he likes it when someone writes stories about him...his face expression might not always say that, but...it warms his heart ;) ).
     
  14. Gul Re'jal

    Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

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    The words "Damar" and "warm heart" don't appear in one sentence.
     
  15. TerokNor

    TerokNor Captain Captain

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    :P Do you always have to have the last word? ;)

    TerokNor
     
  16. Gul Re'jal

    Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

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    Yes, I do :::stamps her foot:::::

    ;)
     
  17. Thor Damar

    Thor Damar Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Thor Damar, God of thunder and monologue..
    ^ Which is a right a proper response for an officer of the Cardassian Union!

    As for my namesake (pre and post Halloween) and his sensitivity, I personally believe that there was always more to Corat Damar than meets the eye or ears. He truly loved his world and his people and when he could not meet the high standards that he set he turned to drink and other self destructive tenancies So he could have been able to show tender feelings towards others, it was the negative influence of the Cardassian system and his poor choice of mentor that perhaps crippled his emotional makeup.

    Mind you, I did once state that there might be a number of Cardassians with serious psychological problems due to the stresses of living in the Union. After all going from a peaceful spiritual civilization to a military dictatorship has to have serious repercussions.

    I'm impressed by the huge amount of work you are putting into your Cardassia's Gul Re'jel and Nerys Ghemor:bolian:. Makes this Cardassian feel a little ashamed of himself for not matching your brilliant eloquence as a true son of Cardassia (or for that matter Terra) should.

    Please keep up the good work.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2010
  18. Gul Re'jal

    Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

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    Chapter 7 – Day 20​



    It was so darn boring. Ullmann was starting her duty when I was finishing mine, so we barely saw each other. And she stopped coming to the mess hall. Each time she entered and chose a table to sit at, everyone in the vicinity was moving away. No one spoke to her. They clearly ostracised her and I felt sorry for the situation. I had asked her about it once and she had told me they behaved professionally on duty, but off duty everyone avoided her. Actually I thought she preferred it that way.

    But I had no one to talk to and I didn't prefer it at all. Kamara still had his lower decks duty, Zamarran wasn't exactly material for a pal, so I spent most of my off-duty time alone. I hated to be alone; I hated to eat alone.

    That evening the mess hall was as busy as usually. I looked around to find a place to sit and noticed that next to Dja Ma'Kan, who was having her supper, was an empty chair. She was my age, I outranked her, so there wouldn't be anything wrong if I started to talk to her, would there? I decided to take a risk.

    “May I sit here?” I asked.

    She only nodded, as her mouth was full, and I sat with my plate. She eyed my dish curiously and seemed to be surprised by my choice. Zog soufflé.

    “Dja,” I started, hoping I wouldn't do anything wrong... again. She looked up at me. “I read in your bio that you won some literary competition.”

    “That was long time ago,” she said but a tiny smile played on her lips.

    “So I take your language command is perfect.”

    “Oh, I don't know if it's perfect...”

    “I ask... because... I wondered... if you'd like to give me some lessons.”

    Her hand with a spoon froze in air, half-way to her mouth. She looked at me with those pretty, black eyes of hers.

    “You want to learn our language?”

    “Basics at least.”

    “Seriously?” her tone of voice gained a new, friendlier tone.

    I smiled and nodded.

    “Why?”

    “Because I want to understand better. I know from my own experience that speaking a language gives you a different perspective and lets you understand certain things better.”

    “Fine. But I have time only two, three times a week.”

    “That's great! Thanks! When is the first lesson?”

    “Now.”

    “All right. What should I do?”

    “Listen. Let's start from the easiest thing. Numbers.”

    She finished her food and pushed her plate away.

    “Turn off your translator and repeat. Yat. Yi. Sam. Sei. Nei. Luk. Chat. Bat. Gau. Sap.

    I repeated each word and she corrected me if I got it wrong. Then she made me repeat it a few times.

    “All right. Now you can understand our dates. Each day of the week is a combined word, like number four – 'sei' – and the word for 'day' – 'yat'. 'Seiyat' is fourth day of the week.”

    “Thursday,” I said.

    She smiled. “Let's try this. Yatyat.”

    “Monday.”

    Yiyat.”

    “Tuesday.”

    Samyat.”

    “Wednesday.”

    Seiyat.”

    “Thursday.”

    Neiyat.”

    “Friday.”

    Lukyat.”

    “Saturday.”

    Chatyat.”

    “Sunday.”

    Batyat.”

    My eyes opened wider.

    Gauyat,” she said after a moment. Someone started giggling. “Sapyat,” she smiled.

    “You have ten days in a week?”

    “That's right.”

    “Ok, that makes some things clearer,” and it really did. “How many months do you have?”

    “Nine. The word for 'month' is 'yut',” she pronounced it 'yoot'. “And the names are created the same way as the days of the week.”

    I showed my teeth in a smile.

    Yatyut, yiyut, samyut, seiyut, neiyut, lukyut, chatyut, batyut and gauyut.”

    A few Cardassians clapped. I was sooooo proud of myself.

    “Good!” Ma'Kan praised me. “Now the year. The current year is 514, which you say 'nei yat sei'.”

    “Each number separately?”

    “That's correct.”

    “Easy. Why your year is so... young? Our year is 2378.”

    “The years are counted since the establishment of the Cardassian Union.”

    “Ah, of course.”

    “How do you count yours?”

    “From birth of the Son of God.”

    She stared at me surprised. “From what?”

    “One of our religions believes He was the Son of God.”

    “Do you?”

    “I was raised in another religion.”

    “But you use the same calendar?”

    “Yes, with time whole Earth adopted it.”

    “Interesting.”

    “Do you have any religions on Cardassia?”

    “One. The Hebitians believed in Oralius.”

    “Do you?”

    She shook her head. “It's just superstitions.”

    Wait a second, wasn't religion forbidden in Cardassia? She wouldn't tell me even if she was a believer, would she? Or was it allowed since the end of the war?

    “There's one very important thing you should also learn,” Ma'Kan said. “It's how you address other people.”

    Ah, yes. “Is it difficult?” I asked.

    “No. Of course you have to use a proper tone of voice, different for your superiors, different for your subordinates and so on. But there is a grammar particle, which we use at the end of every sentence or group of sentences, like a spoken paragraph.”

    “Particles?”

    “Turn off your universal translator.”

    I did what she asked; I was getting tired of fidgeting with it. She said a short sentence. Then she motioned to my commbadge, so I turned my translator back on.

    “Did you hear '-go' at the end of my sentence?”

    “Yes. What does it mean?”

    “It doesn't have any separate meaning. It's a 'relation particle', which I used, because your rank is higher than mine. You would use particle '-ga'. If you speak to our Gul, or any Gul, or a Legate, you use '-gul'. There are different particles for parents, older and younger siblings, people of equal status and so on.”

    “How many particles are there?”

    “Relation particles...” she thought for a second. “A dozen? But there are also other particles we use.”

    “A dozen?” I asked surprised.

    “Relations between people can be complex.”

    “How about a husband and a wife. Do they also use particles?”

    “Yes. They both use '-ses'.”

    “So none is more important than the other?”

    “No,” she seemed astonished by the notion. “Why would they be?”

    “Good question, why would they. What would happen, if someone wouldn't use a particle, if they'd forget.”

    She smiled. “It doesn't happen. Particles are always present in our speech. Sometimes there are two or three at the end of one sentence. If no particle is needed, and such cases are really rare, we still add a neutral '-a', because we have to end a sentence somehow. Otherwise it would sound strange.”

    “Fascinating,” I said.

    One of Cardassians at nearby table waved to me to draw my attention. He pointed to my commbadge, so I turned the translator off again. “Jiyat het lukyat go,” he said.

    I looked at Ma'Kan, turning my translator back. “Did he just say it's sixth day of the week today?” I asked.

    She didn't reply for before she managed to open her mouth all six Cardassians at the table, at which the Garesh who had spoken to me sat, applauded.

    “How do I say 'I am Lieutenant Kapoor'?”

    “'Iji het Glen Kapur',” Ma'Kan said. “If you try to 'translate' your rank to the closest thing to its equivalent.”

    I repeated the sentence, trying to memorise it. I looked at the other table. “Iji het Glen Kapur ga!” I said to the Cardassians that were sitting there. They all started to introduce themselves, laughing and clearly enjoying it. Where they really those terrifying Cardassian troops? Those troops that plundered, murdered, raped, tortured, abused and destroyed? What I saw here in the mess hall were young men, who liked to laugh and have fun. And they weren't laughing at me, they were laughing with me.

    I was probably the only non-Cardassian in the whole galaxy that had a chance to see the... oh, sweet irony... human side of the dreaded Cardassian ground troops.

    But should I forget that they could become the dreaded Cardassian ground troops once an order came?

    No.


    tbc
     
  19. Nerys Ghemor

    Nerys Ghemor Vice Admiral Admiral

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    What a nice moment for Kapoor!!! :) Learning a language really goes a long way to bring people together.
     
  20. TerokNor

    TerokNor Captain Captain

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    Excellent chapter!

    TerokNor