Work Text:
Pavel scowled at the computer screen. According to the computer, Captain Kirk and Commander Spock were correct; John Burke had been the Chief Astronomer of the Royal Academy of London, Old Britain, during the mid- to late 21st century.
Not Ivan Burkov.
It was an easy mistake to make. Pavel remembered reading about Burkov in his grandparents' old encyclopedia. Newer textbooks probably transliterated the name rather than translated it, but he must have read the translated name – Иван Бурков – many times before he saw the transliterated version or the original English version.
It was an easy mistake to make, yes, but he should not have forgotten where Burkov … “no. Burke,” Pavel corrected himself irritably. He should not have forgotten where Burke worked. If he had remembered he worked for the Royal Academy of London, he would have realized as soon as Captain Kirk said the name 'John Burke' that he was probably remembering a translation of a name rather than an original name.
He would not have argued with him.
If he hadn't argued with Captain Kirk, the Captain and Commander Spock would not believe that his knowledge of history was 'faulty'. He could not allow for them to believe such a thing! He served on the Enterprise now; the Enterprise had very high standards.
He could not allow such a thing to happen again - even if it meant he must spend all of his leisure time reading and listening to history texts written in Federation Standard to learn the Federation Standard version of the names cited in each text.
To do so would require many hours, but it was necessary. He must know the Federation Standard translations of names, as well as the original names.
He could not allow the Captain or Commander Spock to believe that his knowledge of history was faulty.
* * *
“Chekov, are you coming to Game Night this evening?” Sulu asked as soon as the turbolift door closed. “You really should – ”
Pavel shook his head. “No. Not today. I cannot.” He wanted to go. He had seen the announcement; this week's Game Day had the theme of 'antique games': two-dimensional chess, Evolution, Catan, backgammon, Dungeons & Dragons, a variety of card games, and many other games. He had not played such games in a very long time … but that did not matter. He would not allow the captain or Commander Spock to catch him in a mistake again – no matter how many Game Nights he missed.
“You really should join us, Pavel Andreievich,” Uhura said.
“She's right. Come on, Pavel! You like antique games just as much as Nyota and I do. You should come, too!”
Pavel frowned. “Yes, I like antique games. I did not say that I do not. I said I do not have the time today, and this is true. I do not have the time today to play games. I am sorry.”
Uhura sighed. “It's okay … but you're welcome to join us if you change your mind.”
“It's not okay!” Sulu protested. “Pavel, you haven't set foot inside the rec room in weeks!”
“Activities within the recreation room are not mandatory,” Pavel reminded him.
Sulu frowned at him. “What, you're only willing to do something with us – your friends – if it's mandatory?”
“I did not say this! I said I do not have time today for games!”
“Fine, but why not? You're not working this evening. Are you actually busy, or are you avoiding us? Because if you are, I have no idea why.”
“I am not avoiding you.”
“So why won't you come to Game Night?”
“I have to study.”
Sulu stopped the turbolift.
It wasn't at its destination yet. It was just stopped. Its door did not open.
“You don't have to study tonight. You're not taking any classes, are you? You didn't mention any. So you don't have any tests coming up. You can take the night off … or part of the night. We can play chess … the two-dimensional kind. I know you're pretty good at it. You beat me the last time we – ”
Pavel glared at him. “I will not play chess with you!”
Sulu gave him a hurt look. “Will you at least tell me why you're mad at me?”
“I am not mad at you.”
“Then why won't you play chess with me?”
“I played this game with you before.”
“Yeah, and you won! So why won't you … wait a minute. You're mad at me because I laughed when you called the bishop an elephant? That was months ago, and I apologized!”
“It was not funny.”
“Hikaru, the Russian word for the bishop in chess is слон – which also means elephant,” Uhura said.
“Yes, I know that now!” Sulu exclaimed. “I didn't before, and besides, he didn't say 'slone'; he said 'elephant', and … I just didn't expect that. And I said I'm sorry!”
Pavel nodded shortly.
“So … will you join us? We don't have to play chess. There are plenty of other games we can play instead.”
“No! Sulu, you are not listening to me! I told you I do not have time today! Perhaps soon I will have the time, but today I DO NOT HAVE TIME!”
“Pavel? What's wrong?” Uhura asked.
Pavel looked at her. “Nothing is wrong! I did not say something is wrong!”
Uhura sighed. “You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, but it's obvious something is bothering you. If it's something more than Sulu laughing because he didn't know the Russian name for a chess piece, you can tell us. You don't have to, but … maybe we can help. We can't, if we don't know what's wrong.”
“You can't help.”
“Not if we don't know what's wrong,” Sulu agreed.
“Nothing is wrong.”
“Great! So there's nothing attacking the ship, we're not about to crash into a large planet, and the warp drive isn't about to explode!” Sulu exclaimed. He frowned at Pavel. “We know it's not an emergency, Pavel. What we don't know is why you're suddenly so 'busy' you can't join us for Game Night.”
“I already told you. I have to study.”
“Why? Are you trying to qualify as a pilot or an engineer or a medical doctor now – without signing up for any classes? Or are you taking classes in secret now?”
“No!”
Sulu didn't respond. He just stood there, waiting.
The turbolift didn't move.
“You are blocking the turbolift,” Pavel pointed out.
“So answer Nyota's question. As soon as you answer, I'll reactivate it.”
Pavel glared at him.
Sulu didn't reactivate the turbolift.
“All right,” Pavel said. “Captain Kirk asked Mr. Spock about the history of the quadrant where Space Station K-7 is located. Mr. Spock replied, but he did not mention the Terran astronomer who first mapped the area. I … I said to them wrong name.”
Sulu stared at him. “No, you didn't. Pavel, you read antique star maps in your leisure time! You read histories of the aerospace programs from every single country on Earth that had them, and half the planets! I know who mapped that sector: John Burke. I'm sure you know –”
Pavel shook his head. “I did not say correct name. I said … Ivan Burkov.”
“But that's the same name. It's the Russian translation,” Uhura pointed out.
“Yes, I know this, but John Burke was not Russian astronomer! He worked for Royal Academy of London, in Old Britain!”
“Isn't that in Russia?” Sulu asked, grinning at him.
Pavel glared at him. “No! London is not in Russia. Old Britain is not in Russia. You know this.”
Sulu shrugged. “True,” he admitted.
“Pavel Andreievich, you've been studying astronomy since long before you went to Starfleet Academy,” Uhura pointed out. “You must have learned the name 'Ivan Burkov' years before you heard anyone say 'John Burke'.”
“Yes, I know this, but … he was English. He lived in Old Britain; Old Britain is the same country as England. I should know English name. Captain Kirk said my history is faulty, and Commander Spock … he did not say such things, but he gave to me look that said he agrees with Captain.”
“Neither the Captain nor Commander Spock is a linguist,” Uhura said. “They may not be aware that 'Ivan Burkov' and 'John Burke' are variants of the same name. There's nothing 'faulty' about your knowledge of history, Pavel Andreievich.”
“Your sense of humor, on the other hand … that just might give someone that impression,” Sulu said.
Uhura laughed. “Only to somebody who doesn't know him. Hikaru, you know he's got no poker face.”
“It does not matter if I have 'poker face'!” Pavel protested. “I should remember the names and I should remember where a person worked. I said he was Russian astronomer.”
“So?”
“So, I was not telling jokes. I remembered the name … the Russian name … and I thought he must be … he must have been Russian to have this name.”
“So you made a mistake. A very simple mistake anyone could make. Don't beat yourself up about it, Pavel.”
“I am not … 'beating myself up',” Pavel protested. “I am studying history.”
“Fine. Study history … but today, even if you won't take the time to join us for Game Night, join us for dinner,” Sulu suggested. “Actually, on second thought, join us for dinner and Game Night. We can play Mars 2020, or ... I don't know. Another history-based game.”
“We can study together during dinner as well,” Uhura offered. “You can bring whatever text you're studying from, or we can talk about famous historical scientists, astronauts, cosmonauts, and people in similar positions: T'Pol, Zephram Cochrane, Stephen Hawking, Yuri Gagarin, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Alan Shepard, Toyohiro Akiyama, Vladimír Remek – ”
“Also, navigators: Leif Erikson, Marco Polo, whoever invented the astrolabe – ”
“Nobody knows who invented the astrolabe!” Pavel protested.
Sulu grinned at him. “Perfect! You can try to convince us it was invented by a famous Russian cosmonaut who traveled back in time, and Uhura and I can try to convince you it was invented by Hipparchus or Ptolemaeus or somebody else who has been forgotten by history! Come on, Pavel. You don't have to stay long. Just … join us for dinner and a study session, and we can play one game.”
Pavel looked from Sulu to Uhura and back. Both of his friends were looking at him in such a way as to suggest that they both very much hoped he would agree to their proposal. “No,” he said … and waited.
Sulu frowned.
Uhura sighed.
“The astrolabe was not Russian invention,” Pavel informed them. “I will join you for dinner, but I will not try to say to you that the astrolabe was invented in Russia. The astrolabe was invented many years before Russia became country.”
“Agreed,” Sulu said.
Uhura smiled. “Спасибо, Павел Андреевич,” she said.
“You are welcome,” Pavel replied, in Standard.
Sulu reactivated the turbolift. Finally, it began to move again.
Pavel looked from Sulu to Uhura and back again. “The astrolabe was not a Russian invention,” he said. “It was invented many years before Russia was formed … in Kievan Rus.” He waited for Sulu to chuckle and Uhura to roll her eyes in exasperation.
He was not disappointed.
He really did not have the time to waste on luxuries such as games … but to review history with his friends ... and to do this while playing a game?
Yes. Today, he had time for such things.