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Voyager recruit

Opening Address

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We all have our histories....our respective cultural pasts. I'd like to tell you something about mine...about one that I share, with many of my fellow humans.... Four hundred and fifteen years ago, a group of rebels, men whom I suppose one could so categorize, stood up, and looked out upon the world they lived in..and decided that they were not happy with it.... These people-ordinary citizens, who worked the land, or fashioned the things needed for everyday life, were part of a population which originated on another continent, whose ancestors colonized a new territory, in the name of their mother-country. But, as the years passed, more and more of these colonists began to look at themselves as an overtaxed, and increasingly restricted society.Finally, the time came that they had had enough-so these simple men and women rose up, and turned against the political regime which they had once considered themselves a part of, determined to carve out a seperate future-together. After a long, and bloody struggle, the war to win their independence was won...and it truly was, as it was so named, Revolutionary....for, it changed forever the face of these Colonies....even the entire face of the planet Earth. The former fighters laid aside their weapons, and sat down, to create a document, that still stands as one of the preeminent pieces of human invention in all our history...the Constitution of the United States...to create ' A more perfect union'... Was it? No. After all, these were only mortal men, with flaws, and failings-even prejudices, which it took centuries to overcome. But they did. And, from those initial meetings, of men who aspired to a higher purpose, and calling,arose a noble, and lasting geopolitical organization, based upon equal repect, equal rights, for all humans...and, in our present day, all those who we would call Brother from worlds that the Founding Fathers could scarcely have imagined... As I stand here today, I do so with the blood of generations running through my veins-with the proud legacy, and, yes, the regrets, of countless human beings who came before me. But we've grown a lot, these past centuries...within, and without. Earth has expanded beyond its own shores, to meet races out there..in that Final Frontier Zephrem Cochrane helped us to explore. We've met the Vulcans, our nearest neighbors, to begin with. And it's true, that it has been a complex, and even contentious relationship, at times...for we are both very different species, in many ways...but we are also very similar in others. I personally have undergone my own growth, and learned these lessons, by friendship with a member of this noble, and honorable race..who has taught me what it means, to put one's trust-even one's life, and those of all humanity...in the hands of a fellow sentient being from that world nearby. And never has she let me down. Trust is a powerful thing; it can bond two people-or two worlds, and help them endure the most difficult, and dangerous of circumstances. As a Starfleet Captain, I have experienced, time and again, what it truly means, to have someone at one's shoulder when, as we humans say, the chips are down...when you believe, in your darkest moments, that you are alone..or so you think. And then, you emerge from the crisis, bloodied, perhaps, but unbowed...as those longago Colonists were, when they moved forward to fashion a new world, full of possibilities. Side by side. And, you realize, that you might well not have made it, had it not been for that partner...that friend. It is because of friendships made, with those from other worlds, that Earth is still standing. And I will never forget this fact. Nor should any of my fellow humans. We owe a debt to these allies... and it is that, yet so much more, which can, and will take our peoples, wherever one may hail from, into what can be a common future. My ancestors banding together may have been, initially, a military operation-a war of necessity-but that union of purpose evolved into something far more... a true coalition, of independently-thinking, yet like-minded group , who provided for the common defense, who shared their rescources in time of need, and plenty, who respected their differences, and embraced their similarities...learning and growing in scientific, and cultural pursuit. As I continue to refrain, it wasn't Paradise on Earth...but it was the next finest thing. It's continued, into this age, not simply because we humans are, I will admit, a proud, stubborn lot...but because we have, despite our flaws, had one another. We are, at the end of the day....united. And there, my fellow beings, is another powerful word. As we all are here today, contemplating the road that is before us, and considering, from our various perspectives, what it is we will do with this proposed alliance, if I may, I will put this to each of you....a challenge. And an honest, heartfelt request..from someone who has seen the power of friendship, and how greatly it can enrich one's life. Step forward with us. Dare to take that chance-on a future, that, to me, would be all the poorer...without others to share it with. To paraphrase my Vulcan neighbors...let us live long, and prosper. Let us have peace, and long life...together.Thank you. - Captain Jonathan Archer, address to the Coalition of Planets, Earth Year 2161

Edited by Voyager recruit

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THAAAANK YOU!!!I really appreciate the compliment. Actually, it's a bit of a rewrite on the fly...edited down for brevity, in part, but...again, much appreciated. See ya around the boards!

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