Lt Jovenan – Voices among silence
Jovenan
((Astrometrics, Deck 9, USS Artemis))
Silence.
Jovenan exhaled slowly, allowing the air to escape her lungs without pushing it out. The air lingered, lazily dispersing into the space as if acknowledging her calm. She opened her eyes and looked ahead to the field of bright stars and majestic blue veil behind them. The clouds appeared as if they spanned the entire universe, and not even the endless, cold, merciless darkness could perforate the celestial hues.
There was silence. Only the inaudible song of the nebulæ rang in her ears as weightlessness embraced her in every direction. Everything was motionless and quiet, and everything remained so but the heart that beat steadily in her chest. She was the sole being in the existence, and the creation was there to soothe her.
She hadn’t been there alone forever. A long ago, she remembered having a visitor in the Azure Nebula, a fellow explorer. She had once invited Hiro here, her brother by choice, and they had floated here together and watched the stars swim around them. It was a happy memory. One of the few happy memories over the past few years, but it didn’t matter, for right now, it was the only memory.
Then, she inhaled.
Ranadas: Sir?
The silence was breached by the wheezing sound of a door closing, encasing the universe in a room, and by footsteps, echoing from the walls around the boundless space. Her universe had been invaded by another.
Ranadas: I don’t mean to disturb, sir, but I had reserved the lab.
The head of the Bolian scientist emerged from behind the blue clouds, standing somewhere in front of her, upside down. He had an expression so common to junior officers in his positions, one that was of apologetic awkwardness of inexperience, mixed with eager, enthusiastic zeal of youth. And yet, Jovenan could recognize the hint of suppressed trauma in the dark circles under his eyes. Just like any junior officers in his position, now.
Jovenan: Of course. Computer, end holoprojection. Deck.
The blue clouds vanished and the looming darkness behind their veil was replaced by dull grey walls. The room and the junior officer turned the right way up as gentle tractor beams pushed her around in the air and the pulled her to the ground, and the artificial gravity re-engaged. As her feet touched the deck-plating, she winced. The slowly healing bruises in her chest were a reminder of the battle she, and they all, had just fought.
Her escape from the reality had ended. Her heart was picking up pace as memories fought their way back in.
Jovenan: You don’t have to finish your project yet, though. The data will be there after the shore leave.
Jovenan was certain the Ensign understood what she meant. She didn’t know him well, but she believed he had some kind of family, somewhere, who were worried of him and who could provide him support these barren walls and the monotonic voice of the computer couldn’t. She had considered visiting her old family as well, but the slipstream starliner timetables were in disarray after the battle and the safety concerns that followed. And, she was still needed here.
Ranadas: Maybe, but I have more lab time available now that everyone else is on leave. Besides…
The Ensign became uneasy, hesitant if he should continue. Perhaps he even regretted starting the sentence. Still, he continued, with a voice that was careful and unenthusiastic.
Ranadas: … work gives me something to think about.
Jovenan sucked her lip but nodded.
Jovenan: Okay. Just don’t overexert yourself.
Leaving the Ensign alone setting up his research project, Jovenan walked out of the Astrometrics lab into the corridor of the Science Centre, Deck 9. Looking around as the door closed behind her, she found the corridor empty and perfectly silent.
It was different silence than in the Astrometrics.
This silence was almost maddening.
She didn’t know if it was true, but she thought she had seen Ensign Ranadas’ face in front of her before, in the corridor near the Jefferies Tube entrance on Deck 7, partially covered by a phaser that had been fired by his hand, taking aim. Walking away, she tried to banish the image. It kept following her.
She could hear her heartbeat in her ears. At every step, she could hear another, approaching behind the corner, lurking, ready to leap in and grasp her. Yet when she turned, there was no one. It was her imagination, she knew that, there were no more Borg on the ship, they had won. Yet, her heart refused to view the silent shadows as anything but predators, a reaction that was a leftover from the days immemorial of her people’s chaotic past. Those primitive responses had served her well during her time in Starfleet, but now they made her to glance around and walk faster.
By the time she reached the turbolifts, she was already running.
The doors closed, and the shadows and the footsteps of her pursuers were left behind. Leaning against the back of the turbolift car, Jovenan covered her face in her hands for a moment. Her racing heartbeat took longer to settle than her irregular breath, even if just enough to allow her to think, but after a while, she managed to stand up straight again and speak.
Jovenan: Deck 3.
The turbolift hurled up the way it always had. Jovenan straightened her skant uniform again, despite the lack of creases on it. Closing her eyes and listening to the sound of the turbolift, picking up each small change in key as it passed a deck, she considered herself silly for still being afraid of something that wasn’t there. As the turbolift slowed down, she moved her hand to unholster her phaser.
Except, it wasn’t there. Of course it wasn’t, she didn’t carry a weapon in her home.
Her eyes shot wide open. The turbolift slowed down, gently, and stopped, but she was there alone, unarmed, against the hundreds of drones she could hear skitter behind the doors. Her frontal lobe, rational and logical as ever, kept reminding that there was nothing in there, but her amygdala would listen to it. A few more times, she patted her hip where her phaser would have been but found nothing.
The doors opened. She screamed and shielded her face with her arms.
Silveira: Response
She withdrew her arms. The Borg were not there where she had thought they were. Instead, she only saw a friend.
Jovenan: Oh, sorry, Vitor. I, um, thought you were something else.
Silveira: Response
Straightening her uniform again, she made an effort to smile. Her heart hadn’t yet steadied, but at least she wasn’t afraid any more. Instead, she started feeling a bit awkward about alerting him so.
Jovenan: I’m fine. Thank you, and, um, sorry. Good night!
Silveira: Response?
Quickly, she stepped past Vitor, giving him space to enter the turbolift if he so wanted, and turning away from him. She walked fast away from the turbolift landing, to deeper into the corridors towards where her quarters were. However, she didn’t make far until she noticed that her feet didn’t carry her further and she slowed down until she stopped. The corridor was well lit, but there were several corners and bends behind which she couldn’t see. The invisible shadows moved, they had arms and legs and spoke in unison.
Turning quickly back, she walked to Vitor before he could leave.
Jovenan: Actually, Vitor, would you mind if I joined you? If you’re not busy, of course. I… I could have some company right now.
Silveira: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11