***** Vol.1 Chap.5 Trouble at the office *****
Within her, Kristin still savored a minor victory over Jonas. In particular, she got to field test the submersible in the upcoming research meeting.
Still elated, she hurried to the restaurant to meet with Dr. Said, who taught linguistics at the City College. He had helped her research the different dolphin sounds collected. They had agreed to meet for lunch at a neighboring sandwich shop down the street. Feeling exuberant, she celebrated her victory with a lobster roll while he ordered a vegetable burger.
“How do you say hello in dolphin language?” She began the conversation jokingly as they sat down to wait for their food.
He smiled.
“When can I communicate with the dolphins?” Notwithstanding, she persisted, and he smiled again and shook his head.
“The dolphin sounds you gave me to analyze must be social calls. The vocalizations are diverse and hard to understand.” In a calm tone, he tried to bring her back to reality.
“I bet they are carrying on an intelligent conversation about the purpose of the universe.”
“I am sure they are. Without knowing their actions, destinations, or companions, the meaning of these ‘words’ remains unclear. We have no context whatsoever to even guess at the meaning of those sounds.”
“Hmm.” Hearing him, her problem-solving instinct rose up.
He continued, “It is almost like eavesdropping on people talking in a foreign language. I am completely in the dark.” he paused.
“It would sure be nice,” he continued, “to record the surroundings when those sounds occur. For example, can we put a video camera that would record such surroundings?”
Kristin took a bite of her lunch roll, lost in her thoughts.
“Video recording requires too much capacity. We need a human observer to record all the activities. Someone among them who can correlate the sounds with the context.”
“Yeah, sure. How do you find a human to swim with the dolphins?”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“Oh, just jump in and swim with them.”
She appeared to be teasing him, though she actually was considering using her sub to do what would be needed.
“You are strange. I will not be a fish and swim among the dolphins. I might even get swallowed whole.”
“Mammal, not fish. Though being swallowed is entirely possible.”
They both laughed.
“Well, time to go. I will see if I can work with these sounds some more. I have listened to them so much that I am dreaming of these sounds.”
“Well, that is good. You might make an intelligent and educated dolphin, too?” Kristin smiled.
“We will see about that. Did you get approval to try out the submersible this time?”
“Yup. It is official.”
“Wow, congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
They both stood up to leave.
When Kristin got to her office door, Jo Ann stood at the door and stared at Kristin with a stern face and her hands on her hips. Kristin did not notice her at first. Jo Ann cleared her throat loudly to catch Kristin’s attention.
“Is something wrong, Jo Ann?” asked Kristin with a quizzical look.
She was never much of an administrator. It was common knowledge she cared for her dolphins more than people.
“Did you have a pleasant lunch?” Jo Ann had an angry look on her face.
“Yeah. Dr. Said and I had lunch at The Eat Well Sandwich place. They had great sandwiches. Dr. Said wanted a volunteer to swim with the dolphins while we record their conversation…”
“Glad you enjoy your sandwiches. Did you forget something?” Jo Ann cut her off.
Kristin looked puzzled for a moment.
“Oh no! I forgot all about the staff meeting.” She exclaimed in disgust.
“We were all here waiting for you on our empty stomachs.”
“Oh, sorry, so sorry.”
Kristin looked around and saw her staff staring at her with contempt. She dropped her head.
“I am sorry,” Kristin dropped her voice. “My mind was too occupied lately. Does anyone have anything special that we need to cover this month?”
No one moved or said anything.
“My sincere apology again.” Kristin continued. “How about we have pizzas at our next staff meeting? My treat.”
This time, there was a resounding approval from the staff.
“Thank you all. We are quite a team here.”
Kristin waved and then retreated to her office.
She tried to get ready for the monthly meeting with the senior administrators next. She despised those meetings regarding them as boring and a complete waste of time. As director of research, she would show her face once in a while. Perhaps today’s meeting would be a short one. It was almost that time and she buzzed Jo Ann to bring her another fresh cup of coffee brewed twice as strong.
As expected, the meeting was short and boring. Most top administrators had gone to Washington to drum up support for the existing programs in NOAA. A junior deputy had the job of conducting the meeting. He timidly exhorted everyone to remember to turn in the annual report due in a month. He also reminded everyone that the United Way contribution campaign will start the following week. The directors then took turns around the table reporting anything exciting happening in their respective department. Kristin reported they had another research trip and that she would do the final field test of the sub. Without further delay, the deputy adjourned the business meeting to everyone’s satisfaction.