JP (BACKSIM) Cadets Tahna Meru and Ico Ena - Shezara Pt. I
Meru Tahna
((Starfleet Academy, Presidio Campus, Earth, 2395))
Meru had always found the first week of a new semester to be fairly hectic. Classes were still moving rooms, half your professors expected essays on the first day and the other half had yet to send out a syllabus, you didn’t know how strict every instructor would be, and everyone was trying to form study groups. But so far Meru had made it through the first session of four of her classes this semester with no issues. None of them had changed rooms and all of her professors were on top of things. Well, aside from the Stellar Cartography professor, who was the only one who had not yet sent out a syllabus and coincidentally her fifth and final new class of the week.
It wasn’t a big deal, though. They would probably get the syllabus and their first lab assignment during class. Meru entered the lecture hall and looked around. There was an empty seat in the middle next to another Bajoran woman, she might make a good study partner. At least they might have something in common. Meru took that seat, arranged her PADD on the desk, and smiled at the young woman next to her.
Tahna: Hanyu, ah’no Tahna Meru.1
The petite woman seemed to almost jump out of her own skin as the other cadet sat next to her and, for a second, looked at Meru like a lopp dazzled by the lights of a vehicle. After a second that seemed to drag on way longer, she seemingly found her voice somewhere between her chin and her sternum.
Ico: Oh? Oh!... S-Soraya r-renga2, :: The words tumbled from her lips before she froze again for a second, unable to remember her own name. Finally, the words he was looking for seemed to appear in her brain, along with a faint blush that rapidly began to spread across her cheeks. :: A-ah’no Ico Ena3
For a brief moment, Ena longed for the ground to open up beneath her feet and swallow her up, until she could shake off her embarrassment. Usually, introducing herself to someone new involved staring at them for a while, as she mustered up all the courage she had before moving forward, or, more often, having someone else introduce her to their acquaintances, having told them about her beforehand. She was simply unprepared at the time and was making a show of herself.
The other woman, nevertheless, seemed oblivious to this, her face radiant and cheerful as a ray of sunshine in comparison to her shy compatriot.
Tahna: It’s nice to meet another Bajoran interested in Cartography!
And with that sentence, that simple sentence, all of Ena's apprehensions faded away, her green eyes suddenly brightened and she raised her head with an energy that seemed alien to her meek nature.
Ico: Are you joking? That's why I joined the Academy! Can you imagine being able to cartogr-
The sentence was abruptly cut off as soon as Commander Duvall, a tall Human man, cleared his throat and all the chatter in the room stopped.
Duvall: Good afternoon, cadets. Cardassian is a very important language in our current political climate, and you will be better officers for having learned it.
The screen behind him changed to display the words, “Introduction to Cardassian.” Meru frowned. This was not Stellar Cartography. She pulled her registration up on her PADD as he talked, she must be in the wrong class. But this was the right classroom and -- dammit, that abbreviation wasn’t for “Cartography”, it was for “Cardassian.”
Tahna: ::whispering to Ena:: I registered for the wrong class!
The other girl had paled visibly and frantically fumbled through her PADDs.
Ico: ::in a hushed whisper:: N- No, no-no--no-- it can't be, this was stellar cartography, wasn't it? CA001 in the forms
Finally her hands found the right PADD and she skimmed through to the course registration.
Ico: Oh …. my father is going to be so upset... :: passing the PADD to Meru :: My mother is just going to kill me…
Meru hadn’t even considered her parents yet -- ah, bentel, she was so dead.
On the stand, Duvall had begun to write a sentence in characters that any Bajoran knew all too well and that were still all too present on their home planet. Meanwhile, Ena wriggled in her seat, until her eyes barely peered over the desk.
Ico: Do you... do you think they'll notice if we leave now?
Meru glanced discretely around the classroom. All the other cadets seemed very invested in the lesson, and she and Ena had chosen seats right in the middle of the room. They couldn’t exactly slip out the back unnoticed.
Tahna: We would definitely disrupt class if we left now.
The other Bajoran cadet just let out a muffled and desperate sound in response.
Meanwhile, the class continued to progress, with the teacher making the Cardassian angle-filled typefaces appear on the screen, along with the standard phonological transcription underneath.
Duvall: Repeat after me: kiba'avzayn5.
The class dutifully echoed the word back. Meru didn’t want to repeat the word, but even more than that she didn’t want to stand out (well, not any more than she did anyway).
Tahna: ::mumbling:: Kiba’avzayn.
A little later, the other woman joined in, untimely, her faint voice, barely a whisper, trailing almost alone behind the chorus of the class.
Ico: K-k-kiba’a-a-vzayn.
One of the cadets in the front row turned around, a smirk on his face, a chuckle sounded in a corner. Someone, a few rows ahead, turned with the worried expression of one who cares about his fellow cadets and, at the same time, about learning the content of the class without unnecessary interruptions. So much for not standing out. Oblivious to the small commotion, the lecturer continued with the lesson, his tone the enthusiastic one of someone who is deeply passionate about his subject.
Duvall: Kiba’avzayn! A common Cardassian greeting. Technically translated as “good tidings.” ::The face of the human glowed with the brightness of a thousand suns.:: You’re all one step closer to speaking Cardassian.
The screen changed to display a different set of characters, another word of their former oppressors. Meru leaned over to Ena, who was somehow sheltered between the table and a PADD and completely sunk in her chair. Meru spoke quietly, pretending to take notes on her PADD. She really didn’t want to get called out for not paying attention. Neither of them seemed willing to get called out for anything. Meru really just wanted to melt into the floor and stop existing, this would be a great time for that.
Tahna: Let’s sit through this class and then go straight to the registrar to fix our registration. I really don’t want to cause a scene.
Ico: uU-uhum ::swallowing air:: yeah-yeah, just a class, it's-it's just a presentation it can't be that bad, right?
Professor Duvall, the Prophets or the syllabus of the course, had a totally different agenda in store.
Duvall: It’s important to understand the culture of any language you’re learning. We will work backwards, chronologically, learning basic Cardassian history and culture from the present back through the Age of Imperialism. You’ll see these readings indicated on the syllabus, along with the expected language readings for each week.
Oh, they had to get out of here. There was no way Meru was going to sit there and learn how to hold a conversation about the Occupation in Cardassian. Next to her, Ena melted further into the chair as she let out the sound of a punctured balloon.
Tahna: We’ve gotta get out of here.
OOC:
1 Hanyu, ah’no Tahna Meru→ Bajoran, “Hi, I am Tahna Meru.”
2 Soraya r-renga→ Bajoran, “Good day”
3 Ah’no Ico Ena→ Bajoran, “Greetings, I am Ico Ena”
4 Bentel → Bajoran “Prophets”
5 Kiba'avzayn → Cardassian: “good tidings” (standard greeting)
As simmed by:
Cadet Tahna Meru
3rd year Science Cadet
Starfleet Academy
G239801TM4
&
Cadet Ico Ena
2nd Year Cadet
Starfleet Academy
E239702A10