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Main Sim - Academy Hall 1a - Tinga's Lecture

Posted Jan. 10, 2019, 2:35 a.m. by Lieutenant Tinga (Communications) (Catt Bennett)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Kord (XO) in Main Sim - Academy Hall 1a - Tinga’s Lecture

Posted by Lieutenant Mthunzi Nkosenye (Chief of Security) in Main Sim - Academy Hall 1a - Tinga’s Lecture

Posted by Lieutenant Tinga (Communications) in Main Sim - Academy Hall 1a - Tinga’s Lecture
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
[snip]
Tinga walked onto the stage and began arranging things for a large lecture. She was pleased to see some of the crew had come. Turning to face the nearly empty hall, she smiled realizing that this was as prepared as it was going to get.

First Cross wondered what the hell William was thinking playing with his cards,she then made eye contact and gave Tinga a thumbs up.Now all that was left was to see how much the Cadets were attentive and focused on the Lt’s lecture .

”..Sure ma’am!” They both said one moving eagerly to comm the cadets =/\= Attention all cadets of class 2301 the first lecture will begin by the USS Merrimack crew in Academy Hall 1a in 5 minutes, please report!=/\= The announcement said.

Almost immediately the hall began to fill from both ends until the entire seating of 50 some cadets plus a few standing in the back came in all eager eyed and hopeful to learn and listen.

As soon as the Cadets started piling up William gathered his cards and placed them back in his pocket, slightly disappointed as he hadn’t finished his game. However, he did memorize the layout of the cards to finish later.

Glen thought he had seen a similar model of communicator before. He thought he might have used one on his first Command posting on the USS Yorktown. That thought only made him feel old; he was only 35. How quickly technology changes! And how young some of these cadets looked. He had never been that young!

Then he realized that it wasn’t a communicator, just a universal translator… as large as a brick! He had never seen one that old before.

Nkosenye looked around at the incoming Cadets. Many looked excited, some bored, some busily tapping on PaDD’s getting in some last minute work before it was due. He remembered his time at he Academy, it wasn’t that long ago at all. He had enjoyed his time there, but it was colored with a sense of regret. Up until recently, Mthunzi had regretted not following his first desire: to be a police officer. But, things change, and that regret had faded substantially. He looked at Cross briefly, his trademark scowl ever present, and then looked back at the incoming Cadets. He leaned back, as much as he could, in the seat and waited for Tinga’s lecture.

Cross knew Nkosrhye was sitting some where behind her and though she wanted to turn around and give him a smile she dared not with Glen sitting next to her ,the Captain who rarely let anything escape him.

The CMO noticed how much noise the Cadets who were filling inside made,taking a mental note that when her time came she would let the Cadets settle in first then make her entrance ....lest she threw a tantrum which made her chuckle inwardly at the very thought.

Glen heard the noise level rise higher and higher as the cadets entered the lecture hall and hundreds of voices vied with each other to be heard. Then the murmuring began to get quieter again as the starting time approached; in expectation of some kind of introduction from the Academy staff.

Tinga turned to Vern and Zern.

“After whatever is going to be an introduction, please make an effort to turn off all translating devices. No cheating for the first five minutes. I’ll give you a thumbs up when you can turn them back on.” she instructed quietly.

”..Its your show ma’am..” Vern said turning off the translators.

William cocked his head slightly at the instruction and looked around the room at the various recruits. Undoubtedly most of them already spoke Standard but as he knew many would have their own translators for simplicity sake. An interesting start to be sure. With that thought, he crossed his legs and grabbed a pair of full moon spectacles and placed them on as he took notes with a pen and paper as he tended to do.

Immediately some confusion began among the cadets as translators got shut off for those speaking Standard vs racial language, a bit of a rise in the noise was heard before everyone began questioning what was going on in Standard looking to Tinga.

Tinga took the stage with an easy confidence and waited for a minute or so before beginning to speak.

“Greeting ladies and gentlemen, members of the Merrimack crew, and cadets. I’m so pleased to see this lecture hall filled with eager young minds or people who need to pad their class schedule by attending this lecture.” Tinga said the same thing three times. Once in her native Andorian, Once in Aenar, and once in Vulcan using appropriate gestures and body language with each retelling.

Pausing, she gave the thumbs up and waited a bit before continuing with her lecture.

Glen had understood little of what Tinga had just said. One or two words only, maybe. There was a welcome and the USS Merrimack repeated three times in three different languages. He hoped there was a point to this experiment as the young cadets might get bored. However, Tinga continued and quickly explained…

“It’s very simple. Communication equals connection. If you develop linguistic skills you will be able to aid yourself, and your superiors, in connecting the Federation with species we may not even know exist yet.” she explained.

Cross was paying attention but she was soon thinking about something else, first it was Jasper and Marthese hoping they would not let her down and wondered where they were at that very moment Probably having a coffee somewhere in the vicinity of the Academy then she thought of the CoS who was sitting right behind her.

Scribbling a quick note she passed it on to him before concentrating on the lecture, if Nkosenye would decide to read it ....Miriam was asking him if he planned to visit his family.

Nkosenye read the message and smiled inwardly, but his trademark scowl never left his face. He was indeed planning to go home for a few days. He had actually thought about inviting Miriam, but simply hadn’t had the opportunity. Writing a short reply, he handed it back to her. It said “Shuttle leaves after last presentation. Two seats reserved, if you are interested.”

Cross read his note and simple mouthed the words ‘’I shall’‘ while nodding her head.After all the doctor had no family or friends to visit.

One of the cadets raised their hand to inquire about something as Tinga went on.

Once allowed to reply she stood, “..Thank you ma’am. I am curious on your point of communication how do you handle a case where a language is too alien to understand within a short time?” She asked.

The question gave Tinga pause. It was an excellent question but one she hadn’t faced as of yet.

“I believe part of being a comms officer is intuition honestly. I know, it’s that indefinable thing. It’s neither black nor white.”

Tinga paused and thought about it from a different perspective.

“On one level I suppose one could think of language as a form of mathematics. Images and gestures are also important in our line of work. Sometimes they can convey things that a spoken language can’t yet.” she explained.

Cross was with her on this, sometimes non verbal communication spoke volumes and some one with experience would immediately pick it up........which brought her thoughts to her own presentation .

Another cadet spoke up then, once allowed. “..Ma’am? What about alien languages which don’t use spoken word? Such as animal calls or the like?” He asked.

Glen was bored with these entry level Cadet questions. They hadn’t come here to teach them the basics. He really wanted to speak to Miriam regarding the behaviour of the Admiral. Not only was this a really bad time, but Cross seemed to also to be busy passing notes with Nkosenye.

Cross was quick to put a hand over her mouth to muffin the laugh that threaten to escape from within or else the Captain who was sitting next to her would probably throw her out.

Nkosenye shot her his typical scowl look, but there was a glint of humor in his eye briefly. He then put a finger to his lips in the universal sign for “You need to be quiet or you’ll get us all in trouble.”

Tinga took a second before responding.

“That is when you have to hopefully build a bridge. Start from any type of common ground you can find and build from there.” she explained.

Tinga felt it would have helped greatly if someone had informed her she would be the first member of the Merrimack crew delivering a presentation.

-Glen, CO

At this point Cross raised her hand hoping Lt Tinga would let her respond to the Cadet’s question.
Cross Dr.

Tinga was feeling as if she were dying up there when she saw Cross’ had go up, but she also saw Nkosenye, he was very hard to miss after all.

“Doctor Cross, I can get to you in a minute but now, I’d like out chief of security, Lieutenant Nkosenye to join me on stage please. You’re the perfect person to help me explain exactly what I’m trying to talk about.” she said from the stage.

  • Tinga, Comms

OOC: My advice is give your presentation as you want with as little or as much info as you want to present then wrap it up when you feel you finished an approrpirate amount, this sim is more free form and relaxed then others.

GM CockRoach

Nkosenye stood up to his towering height and made his way to the front of the lecture hall. “Lieutenant, how may I be of assistance?” he asked, his voice a low rumble across the room.

Nkosenye, CoS

When Tinga called Nkosenye Cross lowered her hand,now she was more interested eyeing ‘her’ handsome man.

Cross Dr.

Tinga smiled up at Nkosenye, a facial feature that didn’t look entirely correct on an Andorian, at least in her opinion.

“Earth is a planet with many different languages, dialects, etcetera. I understand you speak Zulu quite fluently. If I were to turn off the universal translators again and have you say something to me, what do you, and this hall of fine cadets, think the chances are that I would be able to figure it out?” she asked casually.

  • Tinga, Comms

Nkosenye’s trademark scowl didn’t change but his deep voice echoed through the hall. “I do not know, Lieutenant. But as you are the Communications Officer on the ship I serve on, I hope the chances are good.” It was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or not, but the response elicited a few snickers and chuckles. Nkosenye’s head whipped towards the cadets and with his scowl directed at the crowd the murmur ceased almost immediately. He looked back at Tinga and said “But I am willing to assist.” and he paused a moment for the translators to once again be turned off and then said in the odd-cadenced and largely consonant based sounding Zulu language “Akuwona umsebenzi walabo abaseduze nami ukuthi bangithande. Kunalokho, kuwumsebenzi wami ukukhathazeka ngezwe, ngathi sonke.”

Nkosenye, CoS

Kord, who had been standing against the back wall, nodded. It was a good sentiment that no many followed though they claimed to.

  • Kord, XO

Tinga had noticed how a look from the COS had silenced the cadets. That was another type of communication they could study at a later date. Thankfully her hour was nearly up. She repeated the phrase several times in her mind which was her own personal way of doing things at the time. She signaled fort he translators to be turned back on.

“How one arrives at this type of conclusion is very individual. I have to hear things in my own mind sometimes even if it is my own voice that ends up taking over. How would you explain this to me in pictures or, perhaps, gestures, assuming that wasn’t a declaration of war.” Tinga said trying to lighten the mood.

  • Tinga, Comms

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