LtCmdr Jovenan – I promise, this doesn’t happen all the time
Jovenan
((Geology lab, Deck 9, USS Artemis))
Doctor Jaran’s visit had allowed Jovenan to get to know them better, as a person, more than the few missions they had shared. They had time and time again proven their medical skills and abilities as a healer, but the hurried action and the demands of their duties hadn’t allowed their past in the religious profession to come forth, at least not in a way that Jovenan would have noticed it. It must have given them a fascinating insight into the universe and the myriad of beliefs across the galaxy, even to those Jovenan subscribed to, she was sure of that, but those discussions could wait before they’d continue: Doctor Jaran had come to her for a purpose, and that purpose was science. The samples they had managed to pick up from Callis I were struck by a lightning from the clouds that had emerged behind the forcefield, and smile emerged to Jovenan’s lips.
Jovenan: Looks like we were successful! Or do you agree, was it like what you saw on the planet?
Jaran: That was almost... too similar.
“Too similar”. Jovenan couldn’t blame for the Doctor for feeling that way, considering the rough conditions of their stay on the planet. Rocks that, in combination with the atmospheric conditions, generated and drew lightning at them must have been scary thing to face when without any equipment, injured and exposed to elements. However, to her the experiment was a scientific curiosity. The previously unrecorded minerals had properties that might still prove to be of interest among geological circles and perhaps among other fields too.
Jovenan: We got some great data too. It might help to explain why the rocks attract lightnings, but further exploration is needed for how they are formed and why haven’t they disappeared over time. ::pause, smile:: Do you think the locals associated the rocks with the divi–
Her sentence was cut short by a noise and a flash of light behind the forcefield. Blinking out of surprise, Jovenan struggled to figure out why would have the lightning strike the rocks again so soon after the first time. The conditions had changed after the first time, the mechanism that she had thought controlled the strikes didn’t allow this to happen. Perhaps her theory needed some refining… and the lightning struck the stones again. And again. Their safety equipment protected their vision from the bright flashes, but the rumble of miniature lightnings was loud enough to drown her speaking voice under it.
Jovenan: Sorry! It shouldn’t do that! I think. ::looks around:: Please take this station, I might need to exhaust the chamber!
She stepped aside from the console, letting the Doctor take the place instead. While the medical officer took care of the forcefield – and recording the data, if that was possible, since a minor emergency is no excuse to stop doing science – Jovenan hurried to check that the unexpected forces couldn’t escape anywhere from the chamber. When they didn’t know how the rocks worked, it would have been negligent of her to just hope that the standard procedures wouldn’t cause the problem to spread to less-shielded portions of the ship.
Jaran: This is seeming far too familiar!
Yeah, sorry about that.
Jovenan: Keep the forcefield up for a bit longer, I’m shutting the storm down.
There, done. The chamber was isolated. No new clouds would form. The precautions were holding. Now she just needed to choose how to get rid of the clouds or of the rocks. She could vent the clouds, but she preferred to keep that as their last option, since it could in theory cause the problem to spread. The whole situation was actually rather embarrassing for her: after insisting strict safety precautions from her subordinates, she had taken a few random rocks and just started experimenting on them. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Doctor Jaran viewed her as some sort of quack or a mad scientist because of this incidence. It didn’t reflect well on her Department, either.
Jaran: ::nearly shouting:: Commander, we're reaching critical tolerances. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep that forcefield up.
That was… not good.
Jovenan: Computer, laboratory emergency status Charlie. ::pause, to Jaran:: Just remain calm.
Activating the emergency procedures gave them some more time and space should the storm get out of their hands, even at such a low level, but it also sent an alarm to the Science Centre and the bridge. Jovenan would need to file in an incidence report on herself afterwards. Great. The forcefield fell, and the clouds rolled out in thick waves like smoke. Just great.
Jaran: I hope you have a way to shut this down!
Jovenan: Don’t breathe in the clouds! We just have to get rid of them!
Jaran: Response
Jovenan crouched closer to the floor as the thin layer of purple clouds lingered in the air above them, near the ceiling, and as the small lightnings crossed the room to hit the strange yellow rocks. There, they’d be in a slightly better safety. On all four, she went on towards the storage closet and studied the shelves for a while, looking for a specific chemical. Upon finding it, she tested it towards the clouds before handing a bottle to Jaran.
Jovenan: Spray this to the clouds. It’ll condense them and make them rain down.
Jaran: Response
Jovenan: Good thing there weren’t any of these clouds on the planet after you picked up the rocks. These lightnings are vicious!
Jaran: Response
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11