Fic: The Summer Intern (cont.)

[jeriendhal]

TRANSCRIPT START:

LOCATION: FERIN RESERVE COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE, HOLOGRAPHY ROOM C
TIME: 1600 LOCAL TIME, 0816 GALACTIC STANDARD

ACTION: The First One is sitting in a leather upholstered chair set to one side, a pair of does fussing over his hair, weaving in fresh jewelry beads, combing and spritzing it with hair spray, while Ranger Freya observes from a corner.

First One: A'right, enough!

Hairdresser (backing off with her colleague): Yes, First One.

Director (off screen): Thirty seconds!

Freya: Try not say anything provocative, would you? This network is supposedly one of the more liberal ones.

First One (rolls his eyes): This isn't the first time I've done this y'know.

Freya: Yes, sir.

First One: I'm here to get people to like ferin, remember?

Freya: Yes, sir.

First One: I won't even scratch myself on the air.

Freya: Yes, sir.

First One: Quit that, Freya.

The ranger waves and back off.

Director: Ten seconds!

First One (muttered): Den Mother give me strength.

Director: Clear the projection area, please! Linking transmission in five, four, three...

The First One puts a cheerful smile on his face as the show's theme music pipes in. Beside him the holographic image of a human of Indian extraction, with dark skin and white hair, appears, making it look as if they were sitting together in the same studio.

Announcer: You're watching Galaxy Morning. Give us thirty minutes and we'll give you the universe. Sponsored by Qantas.

Cokie: Welcome back to Galaxy Morning. Even if it's not morning where you are, it's morning somewhere! I'm Cokie Ranimishra and we're talking to the ferin Terinu, also known as the First One, who was one of the major figures in the Second Dominion War, longtime companion to Col. Matthew Townsend of the famous White Knight Mercenary Corps., and is now the administrator of the Ferin Autonomous Region on Newspring, which the Vulpine government claims is proof that the ferin are an independent sentient species, and others claim is an elaborate piece of vulpine propaganda designed to restrict use and breeding of ferin to vulpine space. Good morning, Terinu. How are you today?

One hundreds years of maturity allows the First One to remain remarkably bland during Cokie's introduction. Fortunately the microphones aren't sensitive enough to pick up the grinding of his teeth.

First One (still smiling): Good morning, Cokie. I'm fine.

Cokie: Great. Now I'm told you don't actually use the name Terinu anymore. Is that right?

First One: That's correct. It was given to me by the human pirate that found me when I was a small child, and it wasn't meant to be flattering. I gave it up after the war, when the Autonomous Region was being set up.

Cokie: Is it true that other ferin don't use names at all?

First One: Some don't. Our use of bion allows us to identify each other without requiring a vocal component, a sound associated with our identity rather, just our unique energy pattern. Many choose to take names however, when they're working closely with non-ferin, just to make things easier.

Cokie: That's really interesting! It must make things hard when you're wearing a name tag!

First One: We manage.

Cokie: Well, we'll be getting to the really important stuff in a moment, but I did want to ask something I'm sure our viewers will be interested in. Have you had a chance to see Mel and Ru yet?

First One: The vid? Yes, I have.

Cokie: What did you think of it? Especially given that its about the vulpine that raised you.

First One: Well, like everybody else I was pretty leery when I heard that Snowleap and Longtail had been cast as the leads. I like their music, but I didn't think they could pull off acting in a serious romance picture. But in the end I was pretty impressed with their chemistry. I think the real Melika and Ru Ofanious would have been pleased were they still around.

Cokie: And what about the decision to portray you with a CGA?

First One: That I was a lot less happy about. There are plenty of skilled ferin actors out there. Being entertaining was part of our design specs after all. Using a computer generated actor was an insult to the real ferin who have worked so hard to advance themselves in the industry.

Cokie: Well, you could understand the producers' reticence after The Gray Secret came out.

First One (rolls his eyes): Look, I want to make it clear, I never personally blamed Ralph for appearing as me in that piece of... entertainment. He had no control over either the script or Max Schreck's direction. In fact there were a lot of questions about whether he had been bonded to Schreck, inadvertently or otherwise, towards the end of the production. Furthermore, at this point in my life I'm not really worried about how I'm shown on the screen. I know what the truth is. Federation propaganda like that production is nonsense and everyone with half a brain knows it.

Cokie: I'm guessing you still don't agree with the portrayal of your relationship with Matthew Townsend?

First One (takes a deep breath): It was a complete insult to Matthew and a pack of absolute lies. He never, ever hurt me. The idea that he ever would, or worse, that I would turn to Marva Chan for protection from him, is so ridiculous that I can't address it properly, at least using words permitted on the air. Though it does bring up the subject I came to discuss today.

Cokie: Oh, yes, the Ferin Protection Bill. For those viewers who don't know, this is a bill currently running through the Federation Senate that would allow closer cooperation between the Federation and Vulpine governments in the matter of tracking down illegal ferin poachers. First One, I'm sure this is an important matter for you.

First One: Indeed it is. The abusive treatment of ferin in the Federation has been a long point of contention with Vulpine Council of Farmer Lords.

Cokie: It is unfortunate, but I'm sure you agree that the incidents that come up in the media are generally isolated.

First One: No, I don't. The ferin are a sentient race, which are kept in bondage by the Federation. They call it "protective guardianship" but the plain fact is that it's slavery by any definition.

Cokie (still smiling): Well, the official Federation position is that the ferin aren't actually sentient. Extensive studies, sponsored by both the Federation and the Vulpine governments, have established that the ferin don't have free will as defined in the Alliance charter.

First One (another deep breath): Yes, but when the Alliance charter was established, the ferin were still believed to be extinct. The only examples of sentience were the races that had been discovered by the Dominion, none of which had the disadvantages that had been deliberately designed into the ferin by the Gene Mage. I consider the Free Will Problem a separate matter to the one of sentience, and so does the Council of Farmer Lords. Ferin are thinking, feeling and most importantly creative individuals. That last one is the most important definition of sentience in most experts' opinions.

Cokie: But the ferin have no culture of their own.

First One: Let me correct you there. We never had a culture before, because we were never permitted to have one. It's only in the past century that we've even had the chance to develop one ourselves, and that's only in Vulpine space. In Federation space and elsewhere, ferin in bondage aren't allowed to develop any form of creativity. How can they, when they spend their entire lives trapped in kennels, leashed to their masters or stuffed in power cells?

Cokie: Well, nevertheless, I'm sure you'd be happy to see more cooperation between the Federation and Vulpine in capturing ferin poachers.

First One: I would, but...

Cokie: And that's all the time that we have unfortunately. First One, I want to thank you for your time, and I hope you have a great morning!

First One (grinding teeth again): Thanks, Cokie.

Cokie: Next up, we'll be talking with the Artist Formerly Known as Bob Johnson about his latest sensie sculpture...

ACTION: Cokie fades out.

Director: We're off air.

Freya (walking back in): Well, that went pretty well.

First One (growling): Am I getting old, or did we spend more time talking about the fragging vids than we did the bill?

Freya: Well that was just a morning news program.

The First One gives her a nasty look but doesn't say anything.

Freya: I suppose now I'd better tell the groundskeepers they can go ahead, now that the interview is over.

First One: Tell them what?

Freya: The big tree out in front of the building is all rotted out and punky. They were going to cut it down as soon as they knew it wouldn't interfere with the show.

First One: Really?

Freya: Yes, sir.

First One (sighs and stands up): You're a real gem sometimes, Ranger Walklong.

Freya: I do my best sir.

They walk out of the studio. A few moments later there's a loud kaboom from somewhere outside, shaking dust down form the ceiling.

TRANSCRIPT END