Lost in Space Translation

Posted on Tue Apr 30th, 2024 @ 4:32pm by Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Lieutenant Ceilidh Parsala

1,355 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Prelude to Rebirth
Location: Captain's Ready Room, Deck 1, USS Firebird
Timeline: 12 September, 2396 -1300 Hours

[ON]

Newly minted Lieutenant Ceilidh Parsala sat in the shuttlecraft reviewing her PADD and orders. She was being reassigned to the USS Firebird as a Translation Specialist to the Diplomatic Detachment. The change in uniform color from the gold of engineering to the violet of the Diplomatic uniform took a bit of getting used to. It felt a little strange to be considered part the Diplomatic Corps.
She remembered the strange briefing she had received just before her promotion and assignment ”You, the ,lieutenant will have an unenviable task. We at Starfleet Command require an individual to be on the inside of Firebird. It seems the command group of the ship tends to go ‘mustang’ and we cannot have starship captains and their senior staff doing that. Your mission will be two-fold; first, you are to be a translation specialist as assigned, the second is to provide a monthly report to Starfleet Command. If the senior staff decides to go ‘mustang’, you are to report it immediately and await further instructions. Given your abilities it was decided you were the best candidate for this; your knowledge of communication systems and languages are by far and above some of the best in the Federation, even some Vulcans.” While Ceilidh had some misgivings about the secrecy of her mission, Spying on the senior officers, after all she accepted her orders.
“We are on approach to the USS Firebird sir.” Stated the young Bolian ensign. The way she stated it made it seem she was sorry for her new assignment, as well as wondering what she had done to get the assignment. “Thank you, ensign. Take us in.” With that statement, Lieutenant Parsala turned her PADD off and ensured her belongings were appropriately tagged.

The shuttle passed through the Firebird's shielding and settled onto the shuttlebay landing pad. The Bolian pilot tapped on the flight controls and the rear of the shuttle opened and a ramp extended.

"Welcome aboard, sir," the pilot said.

The lithe figure, wearing a standard uniform that was tinged in red, appeared at the end of the ramp. It was a human man, clearly of Asiatic ancestry. He had black hair and tanned skin. He smiled and spoke.

"Hello, Lieutenant. I'm Petty Officer Kipp Lak. I'm Captain Llwyedd's Yeoman. Which means I do a little bit of everything on the ship. He's asked me to escort you to his Ready Room, if you are ready?"

Ceilidh gave one of her warmest smiles, part of her upbringing as a Risian. "I would be delighted for you to escort me to the captain. I assume my stuff will be transported to my quarters?"

"That is correct, sir. One of the enlisted porters will make sure it gets to your quarters on Deck Six," Kipp said and motioned for the newcomer towards the exit. "I understand your previous duty station was DS3. I imagine moving from a massive space station to one of the smallest ships in the fleet will be a shock."

Ceilidh chuckled, "I was raised on a Federation Merchant Marine Ship, worked on them till I went to Starfleet Academy, then was assigned to a Saber-class Starfleet Corps of Engineer ship, so this is relatively a large ship with wonderful facilities. Biggest change for me is going from a communication engineer to a translation specialist, though I am very well qualified for it."

Kipp led them out of the shuttlebay and down the corridor. They passed a handful of crew, who uniformly greeted the Yeoman warmly. Kipp smiled at each, exchanging short snippets of conversation that revealed his knowledge of each person. They finally reached the turbolift and entered. Kipp picked up the thread of their conversation.

"What made you decide to make such a drastic change in career paths?" He asked.

Ceilidh again gave a very bright smile “Mister Lak you are looking at one of a handful of Starfleet officers who is considered a dual specialty officer; meaning I am expected to, at Starfleet Command's desire, switch from either a communications specialist with engineering or be a translation specialist for the diplomatic corps. So, happens I got orders to become a translation specialist for the USS Firebird. So here I am.”

The turbolift swished open and Kipp led the way across the bridge to the door to the Captain's Ready Room. He toggled the chime. "Dual specialty is an excellent train on a ship like the Firebird. We all wear many hats around here," Kipp said.

From inside the door a voice called out. "Come in."

Ceilidh straightened her uniform and entered the Captain's Ready Room. She walked in and when she was three feet from the desk stood straight and stated "Lieutenant Ceilidh Parsala reporting for duty on the USS Firebird."

Malcom looked up at his newest officer. He ran a hand across his three day growth of beard and then set the PADD he was looking at down onto his desk, which was covered with short stacks of PADDS.

"Have a seat, Lieutenant," Malcom said, gesturing to one of the nearby chairs. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"I reviewed your personnel file in between filing the stream of cargo reports I deal with daily. You have a very impressive resume, Lieutenant Parsala. Normally I would be thrilled to have someone with your skills join the Firebird. But these are not normal times. There are only a few reasons why Starfleet Command would transfer you here. The best scenario is that this is all just a mistake and someone tapped the wrong button."

Ceilidh smiled, "Seriously doubt that sir. Starfleet administration is very good at what they do when it comes to bureaucracy, as evidenced by all the cargo reports you are reviewing."

"Well then, if it wasn't a mistake, why are you here?" Malcom said. He had his suspicions and friends in high places himself. While there were many people who were not fans of him or his crew, there were as many who thought what he'd done was the right call.

Lieutenant Parsala pursed her lips as she thought about what to say. “I would guess because I was just recently promoted to lieutenant. With the promotion, generally comes reassignment to a new ship or base.” she replied.

Malcom frowned, "I see," he said. He would have to make some inquiries about Lieutenant Parsala. "I'm sure that Commander Leed will be glad to have you on his team. I'd like you to arrange to meet with him as soon as possible. He's a very orderly person and doesn't like to wait. Do you have any questions for me, Lieutenant?"

Ceilidh again gave a dazzling smile that only Risians could give, "No sir, I will endeavor to serve you, Lieutenant Commander Leed, and the ship as best as I can. Also, sir, I remind you that I am also extremely qualified to assist engineering as a communication specialist."

"And I'll be very glad to have your assistance there as well," Malcom said. He stood up and extended his hand. "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant."

Ceilidh took the captain's hand and smiled "Thank you, sir. My next stop will be to Lieutenant Commander Jörgen Leed and introduce myself. I am excited to be on the USS Firebird and to try my hand at being a translation specialist."

"You are dismissed, Lieutenant," Malcom said and watched the newest member of his crew depart. He couldn't help but feel a small knot of concern growing in his belly. He sighed, sat down and grabbed another PADD. The admin work never ended.

[OFF]


Lieutenant Ceilidh Parsala
Translation Specialist
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Commander Malcom Llwyedd
Commanding Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Petty Officer 1st Class Kipp Lak (NPC by Llwyedd)
Yeoman
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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