Language Lessons

Posted on 01 Nov 2026 @ 8:27pm by Lieutenant JG T'Mara Sty'Nak

1,913 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: General Sim Postings
Location: Science Labs

T'Mara sat quietly at her station in the Science offices, near the Astrometrics lab. She was reading intently on her work PADD, running a few diagnostics on the language translation program that the Federation used to program the Universal Translators. She was also occasionally sipping some green tea. Even though it was later in the day, she didn't do much after hours, preferring the solitude of the labs. She DID like people, and her crew mates, but the noise could be a bit much for the Vulcan.

Thomas had been searching the personnel files to find someone who might know the Caitian language when he had came across the xenoliguists file. He had proceeded to the science deck near the astrometrics and looked for LT T'mara. He chimed her door as he arrived and waited.

T'Mara raised her head at the sound of the chime. Odd. She wasn't expecting anyone to come by right now-the crew usually did that during working hours or asked her beforehand if they needed help off the clock. Still, she wasn't so busy, so she stood and went to the door. "You may enter, sir," she said. "Can I help you with something?" The Vulcan asked.

Thomas stepped in as the door opened after she had given permission to enter. "I'm sorry to bother you Lieutenant but may I have heard that you are an expert on languages and wanted to know if you know the Caitian language." He said respectfully.

T'Mara listened carefully to the man's explanation. She nodded. "I do know the Caitian language," she said. "I suppose you're not interrupting," she said. "Please, sit down and show me what you need help with," she said, indicating the chair at the desk next to hers. "I am Lieutenant T'Mara. Who are you?" She asked.

Thomas was briefly embarrassed. "I'm sorry Lieutenant, I'm Master Sergeant Thomas Zang of the 95th." He said as he took a seat. "I am wanting to try and learn the language so that I might be able to surprise C'Tirr, Cassandra's Brother."

She nodded once. "It is nice to make your acquaintance, Thomas," she said. "Do not feel badly; I did not ask your name at the outset." She had been studying human behaviors and culture for several years so as not to sound so stiff and cold, like her fellow Vulcans. She still struggled with it, but felt like she was doing better. "I can help you with that," she said. She pulled up a large viewscreen on the glass in front of her. "Caitian, yes." She said. "Do you want to know specific phrases, or enough to hold conversation?" She asked, for clarity. "You won't learn the second in one day, though," she said.

"I would like to try and learn it so that I may hold conversations if possible but basic phrases would be great as a start." Thomas said with a smile. "And thank you for doing this for me, I greatly appreciate it." He had been a bit apprehensive at first about asking her for this as she was a Vulcan, but she seemed a bit more human oriented than the other Vulcans ha had met previously back in the Acadamy. He thought that most likely Vulcans would take on the ability to interact with other races the more they are exposed to them though their demeanor stayed the same.

T'Mara simply nodded. "I understand," she said. "Let's begin," she said. She inhaled, and then exhaled. Caitian required a bit more nasally pronunciation than she was used to.

"Repeat after me, please. "Kezi, Jirra!" She paused to let Thomas go.

"That means "Ma'am, pleased to meet you. You may use this to greet your lady friend's mother," she said. "And...it is...how do you say? My pleasure," she said. Her tone never changed, but she did mean the words. Over time, she'd learned to understand the Human customs and even their feelings, to an extent-she had them, they just were only allowed out around others when she knew them very well. She did not know this Thomas well yet.

"Kezi, Jirra." Thomas repeated a bit less nasally than T'Mara did but with the other inflections more or less correct. "Though, I doubt that I'll get to use that one. Her Caitian adopted mother and father have passed away. The only family she has left is her adopted brother and her daughter. Her adopted brother is Caitian but she herself is human though she had been raised on Cait." He explained a bit.

T'Mara nodded. "I see," she said. "At any rate, you did well. Perhaps some practice in more conversational terms is best, then," she said. She swiped to a different screen. "For example, Kamai means to eat. You could say "Keolai Kamai," which would mean "Thank you for inviting me for dinner," she said. "I would think that you could mix some Caitian with Standard. They will appreciate the effort, I am sure," she tried to sound reassuring.

Thomas nodded as he studied the screen T'Mara showed him. He clumsily tried to pronounce the term she had just told him. "Kee-oh-lie ka-mai." He had pronounced each syllable carefully and slowly to try and get the inflection down correctly.

She nodded simply. "Yes, that's a good attempt. You will need to keep practicing," she said. "As someone of mixed heritage, I will tell you that the most important thing is that you are trying. That is what is most appreciated," she said. "I was raised on Vulcan but my father is human," she said. "And I know that when I was learning Standard, the effort was appreciated," she said, trying to make him feel more at ease. "OK, just a few more, I think," she said. "I can send this to your PADD, too, if you'd like, so you can practice on your own time."

Thomas smiled at the praise. Something like that coming from a Vulcan was a good sign in of itself. "I would greatly appreciate that, Lieutenant. I'm very thankful that you took the time to help me with this." He was ready to learn more as long as she was willing to teach him, especially if it would help him with learning more of the Caitian society and more about C'Tirr in general.

"You are welcome," she said. "I am certain you will perform as expected," she said. She brought up a few more words. "Here are some food words," she said.

Thomas looked closely at the words that T'Mara had displayed. "Hmmmm." His brows furrowed a bit as he worked out the pronunciation of them in his head. He concentrated hard on trying to memorize the words That he has been taught so far. "I'll be sure to practice these as often as I can so it will be easier to remember." He looked up from the screen and at the Vulcan in front of him. "Can you teach me some of their culture as well? It wouldn't do to just know the language without knowing about their culture as it could be misconstrued in the wrong situation or with the wrong timing so to speak."

T'Mara nodded once. "Yes." she said. She turned up a different screen. "What would you like to know, specifically?" She asked Thomas. They were settling into a friendly routine now.

"Well for starters, proper greetings and what you would do when you come visit a Caitian at their home." Thomas said as he paid close attention.

T'mara simply nodded once.

"A greeting is "j'ele", she said. "Caitians don't use capitals in most words except names when writing or speaking in Federation Standard," she explained. "As to what to do? Be polite, mostly. There aren't any real special customs they do-they're a less advanced race, you understand. But you should always remove your shoes indoors, and they HATE comparisons to Human housecats," T'Mara said. She'd learned that one the hard way-she'd once accidentally offended a classmate at the Academy with such a comparison. "For the actual steps, you should ask your Mesolai. That's the word for lover but not in a sexual way. More like how your people would use "dear" or even "boyfriend or girlfriend". Ok. This one is important," she said, scrolling down a bit. "Kekes is "mama," and Nenes is father. Those are more formal words, while a child might use "kezi and nezi," T'Mara explained again. "But you wouldn't until they say you can. I do understand that to be a faux-pas."

"We can work on this over time, too. No need to learn everything today," she said, trying to sound "soft". "Is there a big rush?" She inquired.

Thomas shook his head. "No, not really, I just want to impress a Caitian by learning some of his culture and language. I'm sure he will be even if it's just a tiny bit." He said with a smile.

Oh. A romance thing. The Vulcan nodded seriously. "I see. A courting ritual. Fascinating," she said. The humans were strange. She was still not used to some of their customs-marriage for love being one. Vulcans married for practicality-survival, money, or class. Love was secondary.

"I know that the Cait value loyalty above all else. They have a rough history, once being prey animals to their forebears, the Kzinti. As they grew in numbers and strength, they were able to push back the Kzinti. So, they're a proud people, and rely on loyalty to ensure that they will never be subjugated again," T'mara explained. "As for romantic interactions, they value freedom of expression. They don't view heterosexuality as your people do, it's just another expression of love. You're free to love anyone you choose. Emotional availability and honesty with your partner is important," she said. "So just...talk to your love interest and be open with them," she said, wisely. "Finally, it will be important to note that Caitians are naturally vegetarian but many now choose to incorporate meat into their diets, as the vegetarianism was imposed from the Kzinti."

Thomas chuckled. "No, my intended partner isn't actually a Caitian. She's human but was raised with the Caitian's and has an adopted brother who is Caitian. I want to learn more about them and surprise them both with it. I figured if I learned some Caitian and their traditions, I can be more accepted by her brother." He explained.

T'Mara nodded again. "I see," she said. "That is admirable, and it's always a good exercise to learn about new cultures anyway," she said. "You seem like a nice person, though. I wouldn't worry too much about working too hard to impress her brother."

"I think her brother already approves of me, but I want to show that I'm willing to embrace their culture as well as my own. I feel that it shows respect to how she was raised even though she is human." Thomas said. It was hard for him say what he thought as he was never really good at explaining himself. He had been raised alone until he had joined the Acadamy and was still not used to expressing his thoughts well.

T'Mara tried to smile but it came more like a stretch of her lips. "I think I know what you mean," she said. "Alright. So we can end here today or continue a bit more. I will need to end by 1800, though, as I have a prior appointment," she said.

 

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