Posted by Ensign Ka’sora Pru’moa Daveyla (Science Officer) in Mess Hall- Scientific Inquiry

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Sebastian d’Aramis (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Mess Hall- Scientific Inquiry

Posted by Ensign Ka’sora Pru’moa Daveyla (Science Officer) in Mess Hall- Scientific Inquiry
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The Scientific Method was a process than many different species came to eventually. It varied, naturally, but the idea was the same: You state a hypothesis, then devise an experiment with controlled variables to test that hypothesis. Is it correct, or not, and why? Simple.

But living beings were not simple. They were conglomerates of uncontrollable variables. For this reason (among others), many social scientists preferred a different method of scientific experimentation- they preferred qualitative research, rather than quantitative. And more still, like her, gravitated towards what the Humans called Grounded Theory. Rather than determine a question to be answered, data was collected from people in the forms of interviews, case studies, and focus groups. You start with a boarder subject, but rather than initiate your data gathering by stating a question, you let the data suggest the question. You let the concept float to the surface as you dig deeper and deeper.

This process fascinated Ka’sora and felt it was very compatible with Zaharan philosophy. It required being open-minded and listening, observing. It required not imposing limits on the world around you, and instead asking the next logical question through inductive reasoning.

She had her realm of study, but as the only Zaharan in Starfleet, she was letting herself be open to possible areas of research that might come up. Thus she kept extensive notes. She could sit in a lab (or her far more comfortable quarters) and write them there, but that was boring. She’d rather be where people went and thus give herself more points of data that might be interesting to examine. Not that was she just here to watch people. It wasn’t so transactional as that. If Ka’sora were honest, she felt lonely again. The Academy had been so very different. There was a level of forced interaction and she was always on the move. On a starship it seemed harder. She wasn’t working on anything with anyone. She was a very junior officer, and her need to relieve the pressures of the higher gravity meant that she couldn’t stay out later in the hopes of more social interaction. That and it was a big ship and people were busy. It made hovering in the background for her research far easier, but it didn’t solve the issue of a lack of connection. She almost regretted the months spent back home . She had desperately missed her family, but the reality was that the time back on Zahara had made her acclimate to that life far too easily and thus she was dealing with something she hadn’t since she first left for the Academy: homesickness. Even if no one came, she was going to have to do that meal on the holodeck very soon.

Sitting at a table in the mess hall with some sort of stew the chef had made (she hadn’t yet met the man), Ka’sora typed away on her PADD:

Research Notes, Supplemental:
Researcher: Kotai Ka’Sora Pru’moa Daveyla

As I settle into life here on the USS Manhattan, I am (much like I was on Earth at Starfleet Academy) very aware of how important social mores are. The most fascinating aspect of this topic for myself is how someone communicates when a more has been breached. As it is with Zaharans, this is often dictated by an individual’s personality and upbringing as it is by larger societal expectations. The way a person conveys disgust, or offence, or embarrassment, is not isolated to one more. This is expected, but it adds a layer to interspecies interactions, especially when that species might also have many different cultures that might also have conflicting mores. How then does someone new to that species manage all the myriad of pitfalls a basic interaction could have?

Mating is a good example, especially in my experience. I’ve encountered many different monogamous cultures in my few years off Zahara. But even within those generally monogamous cultures, there can be subcultures that reject monogamy in favour of ethical non-monogamy (we won’t touch on the non ethical version at this time). I tend to find people are both surprised and fascinated when I explain how the majority of Zaharan society handles relationships and child rearing. That the idea of a ‘family-unit’ is very different for us, broader. In the recounting of another Zaharan who lived off our world, even the most open-minded individual can struggle with the idea of a contributor of DNA not being a ‘parent’, of not having some sort of legal right to the child. They see it as something being taken away, rather than the child being given a broad community of people to depend upon, with the birthing parent naturally being their primary caregiver due to basic Zaharan biology. It becomes necessary, at least at first.

I have learned to tread cautiously when delving into Zaharan mating mores because even those that might be curious can express embarrassment before long. It doesn’t even have to relate to a topic being taboo, but in my experience, when I share about my culture, that is okay, but if I were to then turn the questions back to the other person, there is reticence and embarrassment. The double-standard isn’t intentional but, as I have intuited, a product of ‘open exploration’ clashing with long-held ideas of what is considered private. This is not ubiquitous in every interaction, but a trend I have noticed, and thus try to be aware of when questions of Zaharan family structures arise.

~Ensign Ka’Sora

Sebastian entered the mess hall, trying to quell his grumbling stomach. He had been intently looking for information on a particular topic when he realized he had missed his evening meal.

So, here he was, in the mess hall,. After speaking to the replicator, a plate and tall glass of a think brown liquid appeared before him. Scooping it up, he glanced around the mess hall, when his gaze finallty fell upon Ka’Sora sitting by herself.

He approached and said, “Good evening, Ka’Sora, I wondering if I might join you?”

He said it in Zarahan, or what he hoped would pass correctly for Ka’Sora’s native language. That’s what he had been studying, in an effort to give her a little feel of home while so far away from it.

Lt. Cmdr. Sebastian d’Aramis
CIO-USS Manhattan

Lifting her head, Ka’sora gave a lopsided smirk. “Your Tasadd is… not terrible,” she said in that same language, the primary dialect in which all administrative services were delivered. But it was only one of the many Zaharan languages she spoke fluently.

He stood there for a moment as he dissected her response.

A moment later, he grinned and replied.

“Thanks. I’m trying. . . “

In Federation Standard she said, “Please, join me,” with a flourish of her hand towards the empty seat. A hand on the spoon in her bowl of stew, she eyed the glass of curious liquid. “What is it you are drinking?”

~Ensign Ka’Sora

Sebastian took a seat and looked at the glass with satisfaction. “This, I can only describe as . . . .pure . . . . . .happiness. Remember the other day when I was enlightening you on the joys of chocolate and peanut butter? This here is a chocolate and peanut butter milkshake. Pure ecstasy. . . . “

“Milkshake, a cold dairy-based drink with flavourings, yes?” Ka’sora said.

He placed two straws in the glass and pulled out a second long handled spoon and offered in to Ka’Sora.

“This one’s not too thick, so you should be able to use the straw, but there’s a little surprise at the bottom that you’ll need the spoon to scoop out. You can use the spoon if you don’t want to suck, your choice, but that’s part of the fun.”

Lt. Cmdr. Sebastian d’Aramis
CIO-USS Manhattan

She took the proffered spoon, her tall ears turning forward. A surprise in the bottom? Interesting. “I believe we’ve talked about surprises with a species you know little about,” she teased before dipping the tip of her spoon into the very top. It wasn’t a lot of the concoction on the spoon, but she brought it to her lips and tested it out. Her head tilted to the side. “Hmmm.” Setting the spoon down, she stirred the thick drink with the straw and took a small sip, letting it sit on her tongue in order to decipher how it registered. “It is sweeter than I expected such a cold drink to be. Still not sure how I feel about it, but I’ll give it time,” she said, her golden eyes alight.

~Ensign Ka’Sora

Sebastian’s grin widened just a fraction as he watched her work through the experience with careful deliberation, like a scientist cataloguing a new phenomenon.

“That’s fair,” he said, leaning in closer. “Chocolate and peanut butter tend to… overwhelm the uninitiated. It’s less a flavor and more an event.”

He slid the glass closer, taking a satisfied pull through the straw before continuing and moving it back closer to Ka’Sora.

“Humans grow up with it, so there’s a layer of nostalgia tangled up in the taste. Comfort, indulgence, a little bit of recklessness,” he added with a faint chuckle. “Not exactly the most logical culinary tradition we’ve produced.”

“Disparate flavours are often enticing. We’ve got a few combos on Zahara,” she said.

His eyes flicked briefly to her ears, noting their forward tilt with quiet amusement.

“And the ‘surprise’ at the bottom,” he went on, tapping the side of the glass with his spoon, “is usually where the best part hides. Think of it as a reward for persistence. Or a test of curiosity—depending on your perspective.”

He leaned back slightly in his chair, studying her reaction with open interest rather than expectation.

“But take your time. First contact with a milkshake shouldn’t be rushed,” he said lightly. “I’d hate to overwhelm you and have you report back that humanity’s greatest cultural achievement is… ‘aggressively sweet dairy.’”

A brief pause, then a softer note crept into his voice.

“Though if you do decide you like it, I’ll consider it a personal victory.”

Lt. Cmdr. Sebastian d’Aramis
CIO-USS Manhattan

Pulling the glass close enough, she stuck her straw into the thick substance and put her lips to the straw, sucking up the milkshake. The coldness hit her and she chided herself for being surprised. Then again she had sensitive senses so things could be more intense for her, even a cold drink. She let the small amount sit in her mouth, and as it melted, the tastes changed on her tastebuds. She swallowed and wore a calm but neutral expression. “Did you know that Zaharan taste buds din’t register sweet as strongly as other tastes? I think you’d have make my hyperglycemic in order for me to call something aggressively sweet,” she said, before breaking into a grin.

“Nope. Hadn’t gotten that far into my research yet. But, that’s good to know. I’d feel terrible having to carry you to sickbay because you’re in a sugar coma,” he said with a grin.

Ka’sora slid the glass back towards him, sucking the liquid off the straw. “That being said. It’s not bad at all. There are some complex interactions happening in there even beyond the main flavours you told me about.

Twisting the straw in her fingers she smirked. “You know, we don’t use straws for food? Something like this in an arboreal kijia is far more likely to be used with a blow dart.” She held the wide straw up to her keen eyes squinted and focused on his image through the other end.

~Ensign Ka’sora

Sebastian adjusted himself and closed one eye, looking back into the straw to see Ka’Sora’s eye staring him down.

For a moment the narrowed focused heightened Ka’sora’s senses and her golden eyes shifted into a deeper level of analysis. That was the surface level of what was happening, but on a personal level, she was examining him and his responses, dissecting details that could matter a great deal as this conversation continued. After a moment more she lowered the straw.

“Many cultures in Earth’s past used them the same way, for hunting mainly. Areas of South and Central America, Southeast Asia. . .they were also used as toys, by kids. Pea shooters, I think they called them, because you’d use dried peas as your ammunition.”

“How quaint and innocuous,” she said with a smile.

He took a deep inhale of his straw and let the flavorful coldness slide down his throat.

“I wonder how many times parent told their kids, ‘Careful, or you’ll take somebody’s eye out with that thing!’”

Lt. Cmdr. Sebastian d’Aramis
CIO-USS Manhattan

She laughed, an open lyrical sound that softened her intense gaze. “We use blow darts in hunting, but only in specific cases. In general, I’d go out with a bow and arrows. Some people wield a spear rather effectively, but there’s something about drawing that bow back and building to that moment of releasing the arrow that I find exhilarating. Hunting is all about bring a multitude of skills in line to achieve a goal, but with archery I find that moment of containment, of holding all that kinetic energy stable before you let it fly to be life changing. It teaches you about yourself, how to extend your patience, how to harness that quiet moment of stillness so precisely that you can strike a target. In many ways, that’s what drew me to science, to studying people.”

~Ensign Ka’Sora

“In that regard, it’s much like intelligence work. Using all these skills-observation, stealth, analysis, and then being patient as all that you’ve gathered begins to mesh together until you reach a conclusion, your goal, or making a successful shot.”

Sebastian took another long draw of his straw until he hit something solid blocking the other end. He exhaled and began taking a long, slow, steady draw on the straw as he withdrew it from the glass. When it was clear, he picked up the spoon and let said blocker drop onto the spoon as he stopped inhaling.

“Ah, I have reached one of the hidden treasure!!!”

He started to offer the spoon to Ka’Sora, then quickly stoppe. “You’re not allergic to nuts, are you?” (OOC: And no, that is not a loaded question!!)

Lt. Cmdr. Sebastian d’Aramis
CIO-USS Manhattan