Ensign Morton: Lost in Translation
James
((CSO’s Office, USS Octavia E. Butler))
Vala had been called into a meeting with the Chief Science Officer. The Xenobiologist had expected to have had a face-to-face with her boss before now. She hadn’t met the Captain or First Officer yet for that matter either. Having been thrown into that wild situation with the wormhole and alternate universes so soon after boarding, well she hadn’t even been assigned quarters until recently and had been using temporary accommodation. The more she got to thinking about the series of unfortunate circumstances, the more she realised it was no wonder she had been struggling to settle in. No wonder she didn’t feel part of the crew. It had been one of those time periods too, where so much had happened that it felt like many weeks or months had passed, when it hadn’t. It was still early days and maybe her expectations had been off too and who could blame her? This was all a brand new experience.
There was another Ensign here too and it wasn’t until the meeting started that Vala learned she was new, too. Well, perhaps it was fortuitous. Vala was in good spirits after some spiritual healing on the planet and excited for the future.
As she asked her questions, she found she was getting little back. The answers were technically correct, yet they didn’t actually give her the answers she needed. Perhaps she hadn’t been clear enough, or maybe it was some cross-cultural clash. Was it a sign that Katsim didn’t want her here? What was she to do? Just avoid sir or ma’am, and just ‘Commander Katsim’? Who heads up the botanical task force? If Commander Katsim didn’t want to get into the details now, if she was going to palm it off to a subteam, she might have at least mentioned who the go-to person was.
Morton: oO She’s too busy for this. I’m going to have to figure out everything the hard way. Oo
Still, Vala didn’t want to leap to conclusions. The chief was probably up to her eyeballs in reports and other work after their experience with the wormhole. Undoubtedly under a lot of pressure. She gave the chief a small smile and a huge helping of the benefit of the doubt.
Morton: That’s good to know. Just one more question from me. What options are there for continued learning?
Shepherd: Working with different life forms, each particularly adapted to a different environment. Remarkable no less.
Shepherd seemed even more nervous than she did. The Trill-hybrid had lots of questions too and was clearly very bright. Vala was really looking forward to getting to know her better as it felt like they would have a lot to talk about.
Katsim: Starfleet has a number of long-distance courses available. They are to be done outside of your shift hours, but you are welcome to, and encouraged, to utilise them. If you need to change shifts to accomplish that, communicate with me.
What about mentorship, cross-training, conference attendance, research collaboration or other opportunities? Maybe Katsim had a very narrow view of continued learning, but Vala doubted it. She was a Commander and a department head. No, that wasn’t it at all.
It struck Vala as oddly backwards - in a future where humanity had supposedly moved beyond petty resource hoarding, professional development was still treated like something to be squeezed into whatever time remained after 'real' work was done.
Katsim: You will be given assignments best aligned with your specialties, though during missions, you might be called upon to work outside of that.
Vala already expected this but to hear it said aloud was very reassuring. With a long, soft sigh of relief, Vala rubbed her hands together gleefully, picturing the arboretum bursting with interesting and exotic plants.
Shepherd: Actually, my background is in exozoology. I’ve always been drawn to animal life, especially non-Terran species. When I was growing up aboard the U.S.S. New Jersey with my father, I used to spend hours in the science labs cataloging holo-recordings of fauna from survey missions. And later, during my studies at the Academy, I specialized in veterinary sciences and behavioral analysis.
Katsim: I will review that information and assign you projects within your fields.
Morton: Noted. Thank you.
Shepherd: So if there’s ever a need for life form classification, ecological impact assessments, or… really anything with feathers, scales, or fur, I’d be glad to help.
Katsim: I will have your assignments given to you within the hour. For now, take a tour of the science labs. If there are consoles not in use, you're allowed to use them and become more familiar with our systems. If you struggle, as your fellow officers, or come back to me and someone will help you.
Morton: Yes, Commander. ::In a neutral, soft tone::
Shepherd: Response
Katsim: Your team leads will orient you to whatever assignments you have. Those names will also be on the documentation in your inbox along with the other information. You both will be on Beta shift starting tomorrow.
Vala nodded. She didn’t really care what shift pattern she was assigned to.
Morton: Yes, Commander. ::With the same, neutral demeanour::
Shepherd: Response
Katsim: I can answer any further questions you have if you wish.
Vala hesitated to ask anything further. There was documentation coming and perhaps Katsim’s responses had been as they are simply because the documentation was so robust. With that in mind she decided to withhold any further questions for now. The Ensign didn’t know Katsim and her mannerisms very well yet and she was blissfully unaware of the things the Commander was having to deal with. Finally, after what felt like an eternally long pause, she left one parting question.
Morton: Commander, I recognise you must have a significant workload. While I'm getting oriented, if there are any routine tasks or administrative duties I could assist with to help lighten your load, I'd be glad to contribute where appropriate.
Whatever the reality of the situation was, Vala hoped that Katsim would appreciate the offer of help. Maybe it was simply expected, it was her job to do whatever she was told after all. Nevertheless, Vala genuinely cared about doing the right thing by all of her colleagues. If there was something she could do to help, however small, however mundane, she would gladly do it.
Katsim/Shepherd: Response
Morton: I’ll keep that in mind.
Katsim/Shepherd: Response
Vala waited for Katsim to dismiss them, and then stood up. She smoothed the fabric of her tunic as she did so, noting that her palms were pretty clammy by now. Overall, she wasn;t too sure what to think of this meeting. First meetings were often awkward. Shepherd was clearly feeling it too, but perhaps they all were. It would certainly go a long way to explaining the somewhat stilted conversation. Thank goodness these introductory meetings only happened once!
Morton: oO Onwards and upwards I suppose. Oo
Morton: Thank you for your time, Commander. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. ::Sincerely::
Katsim/Shepherd: Response
[End Scene for Vala]
Ensign Vala Morton
USS Octavia E Butler NCC-82850
O240205VM3