Post by Captain_Quintus on Apr 4, 2016 5:30:45 GMT
Postby DeMcGowan » Mon Aug 31, 2009 7:06 am
Deirdre had Pingu in her office and running around Main Engineering, and she couldn't be more delighted. Now that the universal translators were capable of handling their language, and now that she knew that they were highly advanced technologically, she could swap Engineering notes with the little fellows, who were graciously helping repair the Aquarius after the battle.
Rather than sitting at her desk, the Pingu weren't exactly tall enough to sit in Starfleet chairs without sitting on pillows, she sat on the floor across from the lead Pingu engineer, a serious looking bird named... Well, even with the translator she couldn't quite get the name so, with her permission, Deirdre calls her Ava.
"I'm quite surprised, you use isolinear technology?" Ava squawked and flapped as the translator (transmitting wirelessly into an earbud in the Irish woman's ear) quickly made it comprehensible.
"Well yes," Deirdre replied, rather wondering what else they should be using.
"Ah," the Avian Ava chirruped. "We use a bio-neural component, but I suppose that is a bit more complicated."
"I see," Deirdre said, feeling that she and the entire Federation had just been subtly insulted, yet coming from something that cute she could hardly work up any indignation. "I'm sure our research department back home is working on the next big thing," she said.
"That would be nice. I must say I'm impressed with the size of your vessel, are they all this large?"
"Not all, no. We have quite a few of the Ambassador Class in service, which is our largest vessel to date, but we do have many other classes in service. Our new Galaxy Class will be much larger even than this when it comes out," Deirdre said.
"Interesting. Yet all this ship and so little water on board," Ava clucked and motioned sadly.
"Er... yes."
"Pity. Our flagship has a nice pool on every deck," Ava commented.
"That would be..." Deirdre paused, thinking 'hell on the equipment' but finished instead with: "wonderful." The red-haired dynamo looked out of the open door into ME, where she saw Truelight working with one of the Pingu at a console. Mr. Cutiepants and Mr. Cutiefeathers. Aww. She turned back to look at Ava, who'd befuddled her a bit. While quite polite and energetic, nonetheless everything the avian female said seemed to come out slightly scathing. Deirdre hoped that it was something that got turned in translation but she doubted it.
"We really do appreciate all the assistance," Deirdre said next. "I know your people suffered losses and damage as well, for which I am deeply sorry."
"To be expected," Ava replied, waving Deirdre's comment away with a flipper. "You can't get into a fight with dirty lizards and expect to come out clean. Though it would've been helpful had you joined the fight earlier," the Pingu engineer said, and the UT's translation put just the right amount of guilt-inducing emphasis on "earlier."
"Ah, well... we have very strict non-interference policies with cultures we do not know to be space-faring... and as you all do such an excellent job of hiding that we had no idea," Deirdre said lamely.
"Hmm, who else did you think would be fighting the Tzenkethi inside our planet and out?" Ava questioned.
"I knew it was you from the first sensor reading," Deirdre explained. "But we had to have confirmation," she finished. For some strange reason, she who never gave a damn what others thought, desperately wanted the approval of the little repairbird and her people.
"Well, molting late is better than never," Ava said sagely. "Anyway, my son speaks fondly of you."
"Your son?" Asked Deirdre, who couldn't help but notice that the Pingu's eyes were flashing beadily a bit.
"Yes, when your people came down to our planet, he was amongst those that greeted you. He said you provided him with" the translator could not finish the sentence, and the rest came out in the usual squawking and waving as Ava's eyes flashed a bit more.
"Provided him with, er,.. what?"
Ava raised a flipper in the air and consulted a piece of equipment that looked very much like a PADD, though instead of a glossy black background it seemed to shimmer like water in a lagoon. "There seems to be no translation for that... You were scratching, and... and... nuzzling him here," the penguin-like creature said, indicating with a flipper the area around and under the beak.
"Oh, that was your son?" Deirdre asked, smiling. "Yes, the little guy seemed to really enjoy that," she said, reminiscing mentally about the moment.
Ava's response was a squawk and now narrowed, flashing eyes.
"Erm... problem?" Deirdre asked.
"That sort of behavior is restricted to mating couples," Ava replied, and boy does the UT have that scathing tone down well.
"Oh," Deirdre said. "Oh..." She couldn't help it, she giggled.
"Since," Ava said, snapping her beak a bit, "you were unaware of our customs and practices I told him to overlook this, though he still talks of nothing but you."
"I see," Deirdre said, now biting her bottom lip to keep from engaging in the uproarious kind of laughter that a concerned mother would definitely not care to join in. "Terribly sorry."
"Well. Kindly refrain from such actions in the future, if you please," Ava said.
"Of course, of course," Deirdre replied, desperate for a way to steer this conversation away from the topic. An engineer with a question, a comm from the Captain, a warp core breach.
"Now," Ava continued briskly. "As for the repairs in your section 22 on deck 10..." The avian glanced at her glimmering PADD. "They appear to be proceeding according to schedule, though how you people manage to use those tiny corridors is beyond me."
"Tiny corridors? Oh! The jefferies tubes. Well, we crawl, no one likes doing it though," Deirdre said, thankful to be back on solid, technological ground. The pair continued to talk engineering, though every once and a while Deirdre's mind would wander fondly back to the nuzzling incident. She failed to notice Ava's eyes narrow every time this occurred.
Deirdre had Pingu in her office and running around Main Engineering, and she couldn't be more delighted. Now that the universal translators were capable of handling their language, and now that she knew that they were highly advanced technologically, she could swap Engineering notes with the little fellows, who were graciously helping repair the Aquarius after the battle.
Rather than sitting at her desk, the Pingu weren't exactly tall enough to sit in Starfleet chairs without sitting on pillows, she sat on the floor across from the lead Pingu engineer, a serious looking bird named... Well, even with the translator she couldn't quite get the name so, with her permission, Deirdre calls her Ava.
"I'm quite surprised, you use isolinear technology?" Ava squawked and flapped as the translator (transmitting wirelessly into an earbud in the Irish woman's ear) quickly made it comprehensible.
"Well yes," Deirdre replied, rather wondering what else they should be using.
"Ah," the Avian Ava chirruped. "We use a bio-neural component, but I suppose that is a bit more complicated."
"I see," Deirdre said, feeling that she and the entire Federation had just been subtly insulted, yet coming from something that cute she could hardly work up any indignation. "I'm sure our research department back home is working on the next big thing," she said.
"That would be nice. I must say I'm impressed with the size of your vessel, are they all this large?"
"Not all, no. We have quite a few of the Ambassador Class in service, which is our largest vessel to date, but we do have many other classes in service. Our new Galaxy Class will be much larger even than this when it comes out," Deirdre said.
"Interesting. Yet all this ship and so little water on board," Ava clucked and motioned sadly.
"Er... yes."
"Pity. Our flagship has a nice pool on every deck," Ava commented.
"That would be..." Deirdre paused, thinking 'hell on the equipment' but finished instead with: "wonderful." The red-haired dynamo looked out of the open door into ME, where she saw Truelight working with one of the Pingu at a console. Mr. Cutiepants and Mr. Cutiefeathers. Aww. She turned back to look at Ava, who'd befuddled her a bit. While quite polite and energetic, nonetheless everything the avian female said seemed to come out slightly scathing. Deirdre hoped that it was something that got turned in translation but she doubted it.
"We really do appreciate all the assistance," Deirdre said next. "I know your people suffered losses and damage as well, for which I am deeply sorry."
"To be expected," Ava replied, waving Deirdre's comment away with a flipper. "You can't get into a fight with dirty lizards and expect to come out clean. Though it would've been helpful had you joined the fight earlier," the Pingu engineer said, and the UT's translation put just the right amount of guilt-inducing emphasis on "earlier."
"Ah, well... we have very strict non-interference policies with cultures we do not know to be space-faring... and as you all do such an excellent job of hiding that we had no idea," Deirdre said lamely.
"Hmm, who else did you think would be fighting the Tzenkethi inside our planet and out?" Ava questioned.
"I knew it was you from the first sensor reading," Deirdre explained. "But we had to have confirmation," she finished. For some strange reason, she who never gave a damn what others thought, desperately wanted the approval of the little repairbird and her people.
"Well, molting late is better than never," Ava said sagely. "Anyway, my son speaks fondly of you."
"Your son?" Asked Deirdre, who couldn't help but notice that the Pingu's eyes were flashing beadily a bit.
"Yes, when your people came down to our planet, he was amongst those that greeted you. He said you provided him with" the translator could not finish the sentence, and the rest came out in the usual squawking and waving as Ava's eyes flashed a bit more.
"Provided him with, er,.. what?"
Ava raised a flipper in the air and consulted a piece of equipment that looked very much like a PADD, though instead of a glossy black background it seemed to shimmer like water in a lagoon. "There seems to be no translation for that... You were scratching, and... and... nuzzling him here," the penguin-like creature said, indicating with a flipper the area around and under the beak.
"Oh, that was your son?" Deirdre asked, smiling. "Yes, the little guy seemed to really enjoy that," she said, reminiscing mentally about the moment.
Ava's response was a squawk and now narrowed, flashing eyes.
"Erm... problem?" Deirdre asked.
"That sort of behavior is restricted to mating couples," Ava replied, and boy does the UT have that scathing tone down well.
"Oh," Deirdre said. "Oh..." She couldn't help it, she giggled.
"Since," Ava said, snapping her beak a bit, "you were unaware of our customs and practices I told him to overlook this, though he still talks of nothing but you."
"I see," Deirdre said, now biting her bottom lip to keep from engaging in the uproarious kind of laughter that a concerned mother would definitely not care to join in. "Terribly sorry."
"Well. Kindly refrain from such actions in the future, if you please," Ava said.
"Of course, of course," Deirdre replied, desperate for a way to steer this conversation away from the topic. An engineer with a question, a comm from the Captain, a warp core breach.
"Now," Ava continued briskly. "As for the repairs in your section 22 on deck 10..." The avian glanced at her glimmering PADD. "They appear to be proceeding according to schedule, though how you people manage to use those tiny corridors is beyond me."
"Tiny corridors? Oh! The jefferies tubes. Well, we crawl, no one likes doing it though," Deirdre said, thankful to be back on solid, technological ground. The pair continued to talk engineering, though every once and a while Deirdre's mind would wander fondly back to the nuzzling incident. She failed to notice Ava's eyes narrow every time this occurred.