[sb118-amity] Envoy Keehani Ukinix - That's My Cousin, Part 2
Wil Ukinix
((Situation Room, Copernicus Center, Level 6, Amity Outpost))
(OOC: Apologies in advance if I’ve missed any tags)
Rivi turned to look at the security and engineering officers.
Vataix: And if we are going to attempt any such rescue, I need Engineering and Security/Tactical doing an analysis of the technological advancement of the Paak. What threat do they pose? If diplomacy should prove unable to resolve this situation… I’d like to know our options for extraction.
Reade: Understood, ma’am. I will contact the Kitty Hawk’s chief engineer and ask for any data they have received.
Iko: Not a bad idea.
Richards: It looks like a couple of the Paak in the video are armed. Possibly soldiers. I might be able to gather some information from the footage on their handheld weapons…
Moore: Good idea. The design of the weapons could give us an idea of both their tech level, but philosophy too.
Vataix: Cassian, you’ll be leading the effort.
Iovianus: At your leave Ambassador. ::Nodding toward Scotty:: Get that message sent now so we can have a clearer picture.
Reade: Understood Cassian.
Iko: Then we can rummage through everything and have a look-see to find just how much trouble everyone’s in.
Keehani close-mouth grimaced to herself. Once again, she felt concern for Wil and Robin, and guilt for earlier being annoyed with Wil.
Moore: Maybe we can prepare a recon probe to drop at the edge of the system. We should be able to listen in on them, and collect intelligence.
Vataix: The five of us need to figure out the right approach with these Paak once we’re ready to engage them.
Keehani nodded to the Ambassador, indicating that she understood.
Kizat: I am still wondering about why we haven’t encountered them yet. If that broadcast is anything to go by they have a unified government. Something else may be keeping them from looking outward…but they don’t seem frightened by Wil or Robin, just offended by Wil.
Keehani looked towards Nathan when he chuckled. She gave him an unimpressed stare for a moment...
Carter: They might be highly xenophobic, but evolved enough to know that they are not alone in the galaxy, but perhaps not very interested.
Eventually, the Envoy looked away from Nathan and looked towards Ambassador Vataix.
Keehani: ::Looking around at Starfleet crew:: May I remind you all of the Federation Diplomatic Corps approach of giving this new species the “benefit of the doubt”. We should not speculate about their intentions, culture, or diplomatic methods until we have more information.
Jolara: Response
Vataix: I’m open to any initial impressions. ::She looked beyond to the last four to everyone else in the room:: From all of you.
Carter: Before we set out, we need to get a handle on their language. Everything hinges on what we say to them. Showing up with a starship bristling with weaponry would send the wrong message unless we pave the way with communications first.
Keehani: Then me may need to establish dialogue via communications first. Is that technically feasible?
Jolara: Response
Reade: Ambassador, is there maybe just a simple comms issue that we need to change with the universal translator?
Nadeshiko: The UT is likely working normally, although more information is needed to confirm.. Something about this sounds.. Contrived. ::Nadeshiko frowns, her posture still precise as she tapped a PADD idly:: It is what organics call a “gut feeling”, but there’s a peculiar feeling as if this was planned. However, there’s just not enough data in the broadcast to suggest either way. A rescue and recover operation should be considered first, especially as they have access to our technology in the remains of the crash shuttle, per standard Federation contamination and General Directive One policy.
Iko: We gotta deal with that too… Dammit.
Richards: Smash and grab? Is that what is being suggested right now?
Moore: High chance they have the shuttle already, my guess locked away on a military base. This sure is turning into a Rosewell situation. ::Moore thought for a moment.:: Our best bet might be a remote connection and try to fry the systems, or overload the EPS relays. A moderately plamsa fire should destroy most of the tech with a reduced risk to any of the Paak around it. Assuming the shuttle is in one piece, and some of the systems are online.
Keehani shook her head for a moment. To her, forceful extraction of Wil and Robin and the destruction of Starfleet property would be a last resort method. Diplomacy was the FDC’s first priority.
Blackwood: We need to expand the UT’s exposure to this new language. Ambassador, is it possible for us to shuttle-hop over to the Kitty Hawk? With your permission I would to see if we can tag into their communications traffic, perhaps Engineering could assist with the tech?
Wong: Eventually, we may have to go down there ourselves. And we’re going to have to be very careful about it. I’d rather not see any harm come to our people or theirs.
Veers/Kiani/Gray: Response
Vataix: Response
Reade: I am not sure that is the ideal path at the moment. We do not have any or enough data on their technology to warp in guns blazing.
Keehani nodded in agreement with Lieutenant Reade.
Nadeshiko: It’s very unlikely they have peer-technology, or we most certainly would have detected them. The barrier isn’t so much their civilization as it is the apparent-pulsar. In addition, they have already shown minor signs of aggression, and standing Federation policy dictates that this must be considered as an option. Whether or not we could perform the extraction with transporter technology, if desired, is still an open question in this option.
Iovianus: Something we will be exploring. That pulsar could interfere until we are close enough to be intercepted. Which is a different list of options all together.
Iko: And what’s to stop us crashing down just as they did?
Keehani pinched the bridge of her nose for a second. What would be worse than one set of Starfleet crew stuck on the planet causing a first contact diplomatic crisis? Two sets of crews.
Richards: Realistically, nothing. We don’t know hardly anything about the planet or system. We don’t know what kind of interference or gravitational anomalies or anything that might be in the system.
Moore: Leave that to me. ::Moore flashed a smile, snapped his fingers which then turned into finger guns.:: I can prepare a series of warp probes that we launch in front of the Indy. Scan the system closely, and see if we run into anything. Afterwards, we move into the system with the probes flying in formation in front of us. A self destruct incase it does hit anything, and starts crashing to the planet. Looks like a comet. Easy Peesy.
Blackwood: Just don’t beam anyone up with it, last thing we need. ::Chuckles::
Wong: I’d really hate to see our atoms scattered across the galaxy, thank you. I think that leaves us with shuttle craft.
That made Keehani open her eyes wide in slight shock for a moment. oO No thank you, I like my atoms. Oo
Richards: I wouldn’t suggest more than one. Send in a single craft to scout and report back. We can’t risk to many of us at once…
Veers/Kiani/Gray: Response
Kizat: We need to learn as much as we can about them in the meantime in order to smooth this over.
Carter: Absolutely. Something set them off and we need to find out what that was.
oO Wil. Oo
Jolara: Response
Blackwood: It might be worth reaching out to some of our ‘friends’ around. Maybe they've had experiences with the people or the planet that could help.
Keehani: I checked our records, none of the species we have relations with have mentioned them before. And while our information may be incomplete, they have not even been mentioned by the Hirogen.
Vataix/Kizat: Response
Carter: That might be helpful, given that we know nothing about these Paak. We need to build our knowledge base, and quickly.
Jolara/Iovianus: Response
Anyone: Response
Wong: I think there is something that stands out to me. The word “Paak.” It was alluded to earlier but it seems like a placeholder word.
Iko: Oh?
Richards: There has to be something there. Something we or the UT are missing.
Moore: It could be a placeholder, or it might be similar to Read, and Read. Expect being spelled the same, but sounding different depending on the context. Perhaps Paak sounds the same, but has a different meaning based on Context, or maybe even a higher form of communication that our translators didn’t pick up.
Kizat: That is certainly likely. We just need to know what.
Vataix/Carter/Kizat: Response
Jolara/Nadeshiko: Response
Veers/Gray/Blackwood: Response
Reade: I agree. But its hard to know for sure at the current moment.
Wong: Back home on the islands, we have the word “da kine.” It’s a placeholder word in Hawaiian pidgin that can mean a person or an object or well… basically a noun. But it can mean anything. For instance… “Da kine of shaved ice over there.” The context surrounding the word gives away the meaning of that word. Paak reminds me of da kine. I now it’s anecdotal. But the usage seems similar to me.
Kizat: That makes sense.
Keehani: Maybe “Paak” is a galactically unique variant of that concept, Ikaia.
Vataix/Carter: Response
Jolara/Nadeshiko: Response
Veers/Gray/Blackwood/Moore: Response
Reade: It could just be a play on words. Or something else that we are just not thinking about at the moment.
Wong: The one thing UT isn’t always great at picking up on is placeholder words like this and the context in the way that they’re used if it picks up on it at all. As I’ve demonstrated just now, it never translated “da kine” and I’ve used it four times in the time we’ve sat here. Likely because of its use as a placeholder word. That may be the case with the word Paak and why it isn’t being translated. Because there is no one way to translate it.
Richards: So if the UT can’t pick up on the contextual elements of the word, we don’t get the full effect…
Moore: Do we know any placeholder words that people get easily offended over?
Kizat: Anyone could be offended depending on the word.
Iovianus: There is no way to know with the UT malfunctioning.
Nadeshiko: I strongly reiterate that the UT is still functioning within expected analysis. The hypothesis suggested by Lt. Wong ignores the fact that the UT, a it reads brainwaves, will deliberately not translate words when the speaker desires it very strongly.
The FDC Chief of Staff Leaned forward to look at Nadeshiko.
Keehani: Yes, the UT may not be malfunctioning, but it simply *cannot* be interpreting this species’ language entirely correctly – specifically this word. We may have discovered something new about how certain terms are expressed. These terms may be detected as the same word to the Universal Translator, but there may be another prosaic element that the UT is *not* detecting. I would not be so hasty to dismiss Lieutenant Wong’s hypothesis, or any variant of it. Diplomatically speaking, we must consider all factors.
Vataix/Carter: Response
Jolara: Response
Veers/Gray/Blackwood: Response
Reade: We could modify the UT a bit. Maybe change the frequency or something along those lines. That may clear up the garbled mess that is coming through.
Nadashiko: I would not recommend it until we have more information as to what is going on.
Keehani went to speak, but politely waited until Bec had finished speaking.
Iko: Maybe, but the only words I know that work that way are swears.
Keehani blinked a few times. Bec and Wil seemed to be masters at cursing, seemingly a by-product of the culture of their home continent on Earth. Maybe that’s what it was… Wil had strongly cursed at the Paak, even if he didn’t mean to.
Keehani then addressed Nadeshiko’s recommendation about the UT.
Keehani: Once again, if modifying the UT what it takes to resolve what could be a diplomatic incident, then that is what is required. ::To Rivi:: Madam Ambassador, from an FDC perspective, all ideas should be considered. Nothing should be ruled out.
Vataix/Carter: Response
Jolara: Response
Iovianus: Iovianus: ::nodding to Iko:: She could be on to something
Veers/Gray/Blackwood/Moore: Response
Reade/Nadashiko: Response
Iko: These people, they weren’t offended by Wil and Robbie’s presence, they were offended by what they said, and swear words and the way they’re used can very a lot between cultures, and I know that at least most Klingon sears don't have a direct translation. For all we know they way we are saying the word “Paak” might actually mean something like… “#@*%^$ &%$#”.
Keehani crossed her arms and sighed a little, part of her dying inside when she heard Bec *actually* let out a curse phrase during a briefing.
Richards: ::Smirking:: Seems almost on brand for Wil to go around saying that in an alien language, doesn’t it?
The Envoy rolled her eyes, then pursed her lips as she looked down. There was a certain truth to Nathan’s humourous suggestion. She knew, for instance, that Wil quite enjoyed cursing in Klingon.
Moore: It could be a swear, but I think it is more because from the recording it seems they are all Paak. You have Paak from the local Paak at Paak News reporting on the Paaking event. To me that says there is much more going on here with Paak. Unless swearing is a way of life.
Iovianus: Marines.
Kizat: This word Paak then. If we fill that in; you have the ‘Reporter’ from the local ‘station’ at ‘World’ reporting on the ‘Dancing’ event.
Keehani: Dancing?
Vataix/Carter: Response
Jolara: Response
Veers/Gray/Blackwood: Response
Reade: That is at least a start.
Iko: Do we know what this language actually sounds like? Like, outside of the UT?
Richards: We could just ‘turn off’ the UT on the recording, couldn’t we? That would give us an idea of what their language sounds like.
Keehani: ::nodding:: A sensible suggestion.
Vataix/Carter: Response
Iovianus: Play it through again without the translator.
Jolara: Response
Veers/Gray/Blackwood: Response
Reade: Yes, we should hear the “clean” signal without any manipulation from the UT.
Iko: Response
Keehani watched as Nathan tapped at the console in front of him, to replay a segment of the received audio without the UT. When hearing the graceful and beautiful melodic sounds, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Richards: Well, that was something.
Moore: It’s quite different. That could explain the issues with the UT.
Kizat: Unique sounding.
Iovianus: ::Flatly:: Like metal grinding together.
Keehani: I found it very melodic. ::Looking at Rivi:: Like many chimes being run during a large feast on Rixx. Quite Beautiful.
Vataix/Carter: Response
Jolara: Response
Nadeshiko: It's different, but not outside expanded parameters. ::Her voice was soft, her posture focused on her PADD, as it was scrolling lightening-fast through analysis output.::
Veers/Gray/Blackwood/Moore: Response
Reade: I just think the UT is unable to gather enough information from their speech.
Richards: Maybe the language is tonal. Maybe the UT isn’t picking up the specific tone that each use of the word “Paak” holds in their natural voice. The tone of our voices might carry vastly different meaning to their ears…do they have ears? ::Looking back up towards the frozen video, shrugging:: I think you get my point.
Moore: Maybe the Paaks can hear tones we can’t. Kind of like some species of animals, or… ::He pauses for a brief moment.:: Vulcans? Maybe. Point being, maybe there is something the UT isn’t use to picking up due to the tonal nature.
Kizat: Interpretations and inflection. Natural diplomats perhaps?
Keehani: Subconscious diplomacy. Interesting…
Vataix/Carter: Response
Iovianus: I think we might try to consider a stealth retrieval. We can do the meet and greet later on.
Nadeshiko: There are many tonal languages on Earth, such as Japanese, which has tonal elements, or Mandarin, which is more heavily tonal, or various, now regrettably extinct, languages.
Jolara: Response
Veers/Gray/Blackwood: Response
Reade: Risky, but viable.
Moore: Why don’t we run the data through the computer to look at the frequency, tone, and decibel levels? We might see variations that are not apparent.
Kizat: ::looking to the Ambassador:: I think it is time for us to break into our teams to work this out.
Keehani: Seconded, Madam Ambassador.
Vataix/Carter: Response
Nadeshiko: The UT has done that, already. ::It was part of the base wave-form analysis. She looked up as she spoke, using I as she rarely did.:: I cannot help but feel that we should look for zebras, not horses. And, perhaps, wait for more data before we suggest half a dozen ideas that the UT already is taking care of.
Keehani furrowed her brow. She did not understand the reference to Earth animals, and was once again slightly dumbfounded by yet another Terran saying that made no sense to her.
Keehani: We must not make assumptions about the Universal Translators. They have been a tremendous technology for the Federation, which may not even exist without them. But we cannot assume that our technology is complete and all encompassing for species we have not yet encountered.
Jolara: Response
Iovianus: Alright. ::Standing up:: My team with me. We can use the Ops bridge to work on our different projects.
Veers/Gray/Blackwood/Richards: Response
Reade: Understood Commander.
Keehani stood, and awaited Rivi’s instructions.
Tags/TBC
==========================================================
Envoy Keehani Ukinix
Chief of Staff, Amity Outpost
Federation Diplomatic Corps, United Federation of Planets
V239511WU0