Ordinary Language

Posted on Wed Aug 27, 2025 @ 2:06pm by Ensign T'Vren & Lieutenant Commander Alanna Wells

2,074 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Time After Time
Location: Shuttle Bay
Timeline: MD05

T’Vren waited outside the shuttle bay According to station records, Lt. Commander Wells would be arriving on this shuttle from the planet. She had studied the photo in Wells’ file, and blonde was not a very common color across species, making it easy to spot her as she exited the shuttle bay. “Lt. Commander Wells. A moment of your time, if I may.”

Alyssa had everything back to rights as far as Bag End and the portal complex went. Or as much as was possible. There were still things she needed to do on the station to facilitate Liam's transition to chief of Science. And she had to set up a small office for herself on the station. In addition, Jason was going to spend a good part of his days here, so she wanted to spend more time here as well.

Her thoughts were more on what she had to do than those around her, so hearing someone call her name surprised her. Turning, she spotted the Vulcan. "Of course. How can I help you?"

Her hand held up in the ta'al, she said, "I am Ensign T'Vren, the station's new Communications Officer. It is my understanding that you have a background in anthropology, including some linguistics, and have been stationed here for some time. I had hoped to consult with you about the station's needs."

"Yes. I am an anthropologist and know something about ancient languages. I have also been here a while." Alanna smiled. Sometimes it felt longer than it had been in reality. "I'm currently working on an archaeological site on Pangaea. There isn't much to indicate language, but the site has three civilizations over a 500 year period of time in the same area. There are some potsherds and tools, but it is still an ongoing operation. I'd be happy to show you what we've found so far."

"My area is focused on current language rather than ancient languages, though I have an extensive background in High Golic and early Romulan. Do you believe you are dealing with cultures of an oral tradition?" T'Vren asked.

"Probably. I haven't seen much to indicate they had a written language. A few pictographs so far, but this will be a long-term project. Do you want to go somewhere where we can sit and talk?" Alanna asked.

"I am amenable, but have only been on the station a few days now. I will defer to your suggestion of a location." She gestured for Alanna to lead. "It would be unusual for them to have no written records at all. Most at least develop a basic system of record keeping of goods."

"Yes, but there isn't much left. At least in the site I'm currently working on." Alanna turned and headed for the nearest turbolift. "I have quarters on the station. We can go there." She wasn't sure where Jason was right now, so as they walked, she telepathically scanned for him. She located him in his office and figured he'd be busy for a bit. Since bonding with Jason, she'd developed a strong telepathic bond with him. She wasn't sure if it was due to him being part Fae or to the times she'd needed to reach out to him for help, but she could find him anywhere on the station or planet. She could not do the same with anyone else.

She stayed quiet until they got on the turbolift. "I know the Fae have a written language. There are some examples of it on the planet, but right now, I'm mostly working with older sites. However, with the new commander and my new position, I might as the commodore to help me with those as she also has a background in ancient civilizations."

“How can I best support your work? I understand there has not been a Communications specialist assigned to the station recently. I am attempting to identify what the greatest needs the station has at this time.” It was proving more difficult than she had expected. Cannon was of no use, and T’Lul seemed fixated on a misreading of Surak’s work.

"I think a good place to start is to categorize everything we know so far. I can send what I have to you, and give you access to that part of the science computer." Alanna smiled at T’Vren. "I set up a separate database for science so we could keep better track of what we had and where it was."

The turbolift stopped and the scientist led the way to her quarters. She walked in and stepped aside for T'Vren. "I don't have much here yet. Most of my things are in Bag End." She indicated a couch. "Can I get you something to drink?"

Strange how many species signaled their hospitality with the offer of a drink. Understandable in a desert people like Vulcans, but also found in many non-desert species. She took a seat on the couch. “Water is fine.”

Alanna nodded and got one water and one lemonade. She handed the water to T'Vren, then sat in a chair. "Tell me about your work and how you think it can help me in my research." She had a few ideas, but she wanted to hear what the Vulcan woman thought.

“You mentioned you’d set up a database for your work. I’m available to help optimize your data connections if needed.” T’Vren took a sip of the water, and considered the other woman. “If you have found few written records, my linguistic skills will be less useful at this time, but should that change, I would appreciate the opportunity to be involved.”

"I will definitely keep you in mind," Alanna said. "I wish we had some samples of the language of the Fae. I haven't seen much of the planet as it's off-limits to most. But I'm getting bits and pieces. The interesting part is that sometimes we get artifacts that aren't from this time or place. If another of those shows up, I'll let you know. Your knowledge of languages will be useful in figuring out if there are any ties to known civilizations."

"I am at a point in my studies of adding an additional language to my knowledge. Do you believe there is a particular language that would of use for here on Deep Space 5?" T'Vren asked.

"That's a good question. Do you speak Romulan, Cardassian, and Xi'Cadian?"

“Romulan was my first language alongside my study of High Golic. I find Romulan modernizations of pre-Reform works particularly interesting. The differing interpretations of works from our common history are fascinating. The raptor remains a common symbol of conflict and war, but other motifs, such as water, which has continued to figure heavily in Vulcan work, have largely been de-emphasized, a plain reminder of the influence of environment on metaphor.” T’Vren realized she had segued and forced herself back to the topic at hand. “Cardassian is one of the two languages I am currently working on, along with Bajoran. I am particularly interested in how the prolonged, but hostile, contact of the two languages in the context of the Occupation caused them to influence each other. It appears I would be best served by making Xi’Cadian my next area of study.”

"Yes. I also know Romulan. I've read some of the ancient records. I think the commodore is interested in the connections between ancient Vulcan and ancient Romulan after they split. It's a fascinating time in history."

“The Vulcan education system expects at least a level of proficiency in ancient Vulcan to read Surak in the original, though most do not study beyond the minimum needed, and even then, only achieve that level when they are already familiar enough with Surak’s philosophy to aid in their reading.”

"True, but some of the most interesting history happened before then."

“Extant records from that period are not widely available. The institutions who hold the majority of those records limit access to primarily academics.” T’Vren had applied three times before she had been allowed access.

"Yes. They're very careful about what they share from before Surak. I can't blame them for making sure no one twists the data to suit their own ideas." Alanna shrugged.


“I suppose.” T’Vren’s personal opinion was that they did not wish to expose the capacity of Vulcans to behave in a less than logical manner. It was one thing for other species to be intellectually aware of Vulcan’s past. It was another thing for them to be reading historical erotic poetry.

Alanna chuckled. "That's all we can really do, isn't it? We don't have all the records. Have you spoken with T'Lul. She has some interesting theories on Vulcan emotion."

"We spoke. She mentioned her theories, but did not seem interested in discussing them." T'Vren would have to seek out and read her dissertation. The counselor had too much power to remove T'Vren from her post for her not to be familiar with it.

Alanna nodded. "I've only heard the general idea of it." She switched gears again. "As for Pangaea, I'll let you know when I find anything that involves a language. With the way the planet works, something could show up at any time."

"I am available for any linguistic assistance you may need. May I ask what languages you speak?" T'Vren tended to mentally group people by their languages more than anything else.

"Read, speak, and write? Besides Standard, Vulcan, Betazoid, Romulan, Rigellian, Bajoran, Alpha Centarian, and Spanish. I can read and write a number of ancient languages, but I don't speak them."

"What drew you to those languages?" They had roughly half of their languages in common, which meant Wells might be a potential early reader of some of T’Vren’s papers prior to submitting them for publication.

"A desire to learn more of their history. I wanted to read the ancient records myself without having to go through a translator. And it helps when I'm talking with other scientists."

“Logical,” T’Vren said. “My own selection of languages has been driven primarily by interest of how species biology and culture impact language.” She considered. “Klingon is an exception. That was primarily about learning what they were shouting about.”

Alanna laughed. "That makes sense. The UT doesn't always catch the nuances of their language. I've thought about it, but I don't deal with many Klingon scientists."

"I previously served as Communications support for a Consulate. There was an above average amount of shouting. From multiple species. But only the Klingons would stab the service counter to emphasize their point. As a Vulcan, the staff occasionally asked me to deal with these issues, since I would not become upset."

"I can see that. Vulcans do have a reputation for remaining calm. We'll have to see if the station's ambassadors can use your services. The ones we've had are fluent in Federation Standard, but many of them left after the war." Alanna paused. "We'll be getting new scientists on the planet as well. I'll let you know if we can use you when we get more applications."

"I am available whenever I am not otherwise engaged," T'Vren said. "I am more than willing to assist with anything I can."

"Great." Alanna wasn't sure how she'd make use of the linguist, but she was pretty sure she'd find something before too long. "I'll let you know when I'm ready to head back to the planet. I'll give you a tour of the archaeological site and the research colony." And, hopefully, now that things had settled down, there would be no shouting.

T'Vren hesitated. "Perhaps a visit to the planet should wait. I have found the current configuration of Communications on the station to be not up to my standards."

Alanna nodded. "Okay. There's no immediate need for you there yet. I'll definitely let you know if that changes."


“Thank you.” T’Vren placed her glass of water on the table. “Do you have any other questions for me? I believe I have the information I sought from you.

"No. I'm good for now." Alanna smiled. "I look forward to working with you in the future.'



A Post by


Lieutenant Commander Alanna Wells
Director of Science, Exploration, and Archaeology
Pangaea
Archaeologist/Anthropologist
Deep Space 5

&

Lieutenant JG. Anson Lee
Assistant Chief Officer of Security
Deep Space 5

 

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