Well, now's the time to see if I can live up to the original or whether I'm
a one-hit wonder.  :)
Comments, constructive criticisms and people pointing out gramatical fluffs
welcome.

And now, another sleepless night has brought you:
Title: Sunset
Author: Dr. Jekyl
Email: doc_jekyl@hotmail.com
Size: 8K
Rating: G
Codes: EMH
Summary:  Kind of a follow-on from "Remembrance Day".  More musings from the
Doctor.

Disclaimer:  Paramount is all-mighty... I bow down before their
collective feet and humbly acknowledge that they own Voyager and her crew,
etc, etc.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunset
---------

Much as I personally dislike the woman, I am forced to admit that Crewman
Telmarr does possess an almost unsurpassed eye for beauty.  Sitting here
admiring the view as I am now, it's practically impossible to think
otherwise.  Hundreds of meters below my feet, endless tides of surf and
spray pound the red cliff-face, slowly but inexorably wearing the rock to
sand, while above and to the west, the huge golden disk of the sun slowly
sinks below the horizon, lending the very air color and painting the clouds
stunning shades of pink.  It's an awe-inspiring site, enough to humble
almost any one.  Even me.

I lean back against what presumably is a tree of some sort and watch as the
sun sets further, shafts of light appearing as a light, warm wind kicks up
specs of red dust and scatters them across the sky.  After a while, I close
my eyes and relax, enjoying the warmth of the fading sunlight playing across
my body, listening to the strangely soothing boom and surge of the waves,
the feel of warm earth beneath my fingertips and legs and the rough texture
of the tree at my back, reveling in the feel of the teasing wind which
carries strange and exotic scents in from the east.

For this moment, as I sit alone on the deserted outcrop of stone and earth,
for this moment, for the first time in a long while, I am content, happy
just to be here, enjoying the sunset.  Happy just to be.

But the moment is over all to soon, and shortly I must return the humdrum
and tedium, not to mention the suppressed frustration of my everyday
existence.  I briefly wonder what Telmarr would make of me using her
holodeck program.  She and I have never gotten along.  She is one of those
fortunately few crew members who still can't seem to wrap their heads around
the idea that I might be more than just your standard holodeck character,
that I might in fact have feelings too, simulated though they may be.  What
may just be a collection of complex algorithms to her are real to me, in
just the same way as what I see as a series of complex chemicals and
electrical triggers, she sees as her 'emotions'.  If it weren't for Kes, I
have a feeling that Telmarr and many others would still be talking over and
around me, not to me and deactivating me in the middle of a sentence or just
generally treating me like a walking, talking hypospray or tricorder.  In
retaliation, I tend to be more surly and brusque and sarcastic with her than
most.  Petty, I know, but I have few weapons in my arsenal.

With that in mind, it's strange to think that we have something in common -
a shared appreciation for beauty.  I probably have at least one thing in
common with each person on this ship, not that any one is really interested
in taking the time to find out what it may be.

It has occurred to me of late that the worst sort of prejudice is unknowing.
I see it almost every day now, in the little things.  Hasty comments,
condescending attitudes, delays in fulfilling basic requests.....  I think
that the vast majority of them believe that they do treat me as an equal, at
least in their conscious minds.  The unconscious, however, is a funny thing
and subtle in expressing itself.  I think that while they may consciously
believe that I am their equal and that they treat me as such, they
unconsciously regard themselves as superior beings, and act accordingly, all
unawares.  I can't fault them for it.  It's hard to fight a battle against
yourself, especially when you don't realize that there is a battle to be
fought in the first place.

Racism has always been a part of most societies, human society in
particular.  It's deeply ingrained in their social conciousness.  Conformity
is good and differences are not to be tolerated.  All you need do is briefly
scan back through the history of their or any civilization and you will find
race wars, or documented instances of segments of a race being marginalised
or even enslaved merely because of slight physical differences.  Or even
killed.  In my own database I have horrific records of racial wars from many
societies; civil wars, battles for 'human' rights, retaliations for
suppression or even genocides or ethnic cleansing conducted by the victors
or the powerful.  However, I've noted that along with the bad, you do get
the one or two good, the person or people who are willing to stand up for
the oppressed, if they are unable to do so for themselves, or are there to
assist those segments of society to claim their rightful place.
Unfortunately for me, I am now on my own in this struggle, alone and
alienated, and I know not if I have the strength to continue  past this
stalemate.  It's certainly a lot easier when you have help, someone willing
to support and encourage.  I miss her more every day.

It's funny you know, but sometimes, in a way, I find Telmarr's open dislike
of me refreshing - at least with her, I *know* where I stand, no beating
around the bush or fencing with words.  But then, I've always been blunt.

I stand and slowly make my way over to the edge of the cliff and look down,
surveying the now dark ocean.  The surf pounds the rocks, heedless of me and
my thoughts, like a primeval heart-beat.  For a long moment, I stand there
on the very edge, the boundary between land and air and water, and wonder
what it would be like to step off into that empty space, to fly, to be
completely free for the few fleeting moments it would take to reach the
bottom.

I sigh to myself and linger for a few moments longer, thinking of nothing in
particular until an emergency call beckons me back to Sickbay.  Alone, I
face a new day.