Scientific Operations

Posted on Wed Sep 17th, 2025 @ 12:43am by Lieutenant Commander T'Par & Lieutenant Rynna Csira

1,384 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Day In The Life
Location: Science
Timeline: MD 3

Rynna had yet to meet the chief science officer. Granted, things had been a little chaotic since her arrival when the Majestic was docked at DS9, but now that they were on a new ship, she decided it was time to meet the other department heads.

When she had a few minutes, she headed for science to say hello to T'Par.

T'Par was in her office. She set down the PADD she was reading and looked up as Rynna arrived. She stood and clasped her hands behind her back. "Lieutenant Csira, if I'm not mistaken?"

"I am." Rynna smiled. "Sorry I didn't meet you on the way to earth. I was familiarizing myself with the Majestic. And now that we're more or less settled on the Orcrist, I wanted to say hello. I like knowing a bit about the people I'll be working with."

"I was about to have lunch," T'Par noted. "Would you care to join me?

"Sure." Rynn hadn't eaten yet, either.

T'Par reached down and locked her console before heading towards the mess. "How do you find the Orcrist?" she asked, going down her human conversation checklist, even though Rynna was Fereni.

"So far, I like it. I've only met a few of the crew, but I hope to stay here for a while. How long have you been on the ship--including the Majestic?"

"Over six years now," T'Par answered.

"That's quite a while for Starfleet. How do you like the ship and crew?" T'Par would definitely have a good idea of the general feel of the ship, which was one thing Rynna considered important.

"The crew is experienced, competent, and highly cooperative," T'Par said, perhaps being a uniquely poor choice to describe the 'feel' of anything.

"That's good to know." Rynna smiled again. "Not unexpected, but good to know nonetheless."

The two entered the mess and found an empty table. "What sort of science do you specialize in?"

"Anthropology," T'Par said. "Though one must have a good general knowledge to run the department. What about your professional background?"

"My father is a tinker. He can repair most machines and communications devices. I used to work with him. I still like to see how different machines work, but I'm partial to transporters and communications."

"Why those two in particular?" T'Par asked. "They've very different devices as far as I can see."

"They are different, but they're both fascinating. Like science, operations is filled with people from a variety of backgrounds, but we all have to have a basic understanding of starship maintenance and repair. I think I like those two in particular because they can be more complex. They both deal in taking something apart, sending it somewhere, and then putting it back together."

"I'd never thought about it that way before," T'Par admitted. "We do tend to take both for granted. We depend on them in doing our duties."

"That's logical. Your focus is science. Mine is all the little things that keep a ship together." Rynna grinned. "I admit, I like the variety. So, besides science, what interests you?"

"I am interested in what keeps the ship together," T'Par said, "but I have always associated transporters more with replicators because both transfer energy to matter. I am interested in strategy games, philosophy, art. What are you interested in?"

"Kayaking, rock climbing, and music." There was definitely strategy involved with kayaking and rock climbing, but it was different from strategy games. "What sort of art do you like?"

"A variety," T'Par said. "Art tells us a lot about not the artist and the subject but about its entire social context. One can study a civilization through their art."

Rynn thought about what the scientist said for a moment. "I see your point. Each culture has its own form of art or form of expression within that art form. But I hadn't really thought of it as a way to study the civilization as a whole before."

"What art do you like?" T'Par asked her. By now, they had arrived at the mess hall. T'Par led the way in and headed for the replicator.

"I like nature. I've seen some amazing prints of plants, water drops, and insects, that are magnified. I also like mountains and rivers." Rynna followed T'Par and got herself a salad and rose-flavored lemonade.

When Rynna set her food on a table and sat down, she asked, "What sort of art do you like?"

"You already asked me that," T'Par reminded her, "but I would like to see some of what you like. I know relatively little about Fareni culture. It does remind me a little of what I learned of the poetry, folklore, and art of some Earth cultures."

"My apologies for asking the same question." She shook her head. It was probably because she'd been meeting so many people she needed to take time to organize her mental notes.

"Fareni is more of a rural colony. We have a lot of trees and mountains, with villages and smaller cities. The older folk who live farther from the cities still believe in being fey-touched and in herbs and potions. They tell stories so they aren't forgotten. Some are published, but many are oral. It's a mix of old and new traditions. People still weave and make pottery by hand. They sell their wares to passing merchants."

"I am sure you know some interesting stories," T'Par invited.

Rynna nodded. "My grandmother believes in the fey folk. And in being fey-touched. She says she occasionally hears them singing in the woods around midsummer. she even taught me one of the ancient songs--or what she claims is an ancient song. I think there's some connection with the stories from western Europe, but I've only done a little research on the subject. There are also some legends about telepaths being among the settlers, which might account for some of the stories."

"It is certainly an interesting cultural development," T'Par noted. By now, they had arrived in the mess hall. T'Par turned towards the replicator. "The crew normally socialized while eating. It is a human custom."

"That custom seems to have migrated to the smaller colony planets as well. Food, family, and friends seem to go together." Rynna got herself a salad and glass of water, then headed for an empty table. "Have you seen any Vulcan traditions that have migrated to other worlds?"

T'Par got herself some pok'tar. "Some Vulcan art and music," she said. "The teachings of Surak have been translated into tens of thousands of languages. My husband teaches philosophy on Tellar Prime. Vulcan first contact protocols also impacted the development of the prime directive."

When--if--she ever got married, Rynna hoped she wouldn't be so far away from her husband. She would much rather be in the same place, raising a family. Then again, she wasn't Vulcan. "That makes sense as they were the first aliens to make contact with earth. My grandmother tells me that our ancestors came from multiple worlds, including Earth. But I don't think Vulcan was one of them." Then she asked another question that she was curious about. "Do the Tellarites appreciate Vulcan philosophy?"

"They appreciate debating it," T'Par said, which was not exactly a yes. "And, from our perspective, the people of Earth were one of many alien species we had contacted. For the first century of our alliance, Vulcans were the larger power. However, Humans have a way of forming relationships. Before humanity's exploration of the galaxy, Vulcans, Tellarites, and Andorians had poor relations. Within two decades, we were forming the Federation together along with United Earth."

"They do." Rynna paused. One day she'd have to do some research to see if she had any humans in her family. "They are quite resilient as well. She turned to her salad, letting the conversation lag for a moment.

"I have never quite mastered the tradition of small talk," T'Par admitted, after the silence had dragged on for a while.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes talk is overrated." Rynna smiled. "I'm fine with some quiet while we eat." It was a comfortable silence as they both focused on their meals.

A post by

Lieutenant Rynna Csira
Chief Operations Officer
USS Orcrist

Lieutenant Commander T'Par
Chief Science Officer
USS Orcrist

 

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