LtCmdr Jovenan – Sharing joys and doubts
Jovenan
((Astrometrics, Deck 9, USS Artemis))
Jovenan: Computer, centre us.
The gentle push of a small-scale tractor beam put Jovenan in motion across the weightless bubble. Without the forces of gravity affecting them significantly, there was little they could do to move themselves on their own. The Newton’s Laws reigned almost at their purest: Jovenan’s trajectory was straight and stable, until she collided with Vitor behind her. He had spread his arms to smoothen the ride and to catch her, which he did, snatching her mid-air into an embrace from behind. The uneven distribution of mass caused them to spin slightly, but the air resistance stopped them before they lost their bearings completely. Not that those were needed where they were, in space, surrounded by nothing but the stars.
Jovenan: Still good?
He held her closer and rested his head against her shoulder.
Silveira: Better than good.
She smiled with relief. She hadn’t yet been able to shed aside the insecurity of thinking her surprise was a failure, but so far, he was either liking it or hiding his discomfort with the heights well. Although she wanted to be sure he was actually enjoying himself, she didn’t ask for further confirmation; he wouldn’t be just saying that for her sake, would he? Instead of worrying about it further, she tried to do what she hoped of him and enjoy their time. After looking around and identifying where they were in the holographic universe, she extended her hand and pointed at different spots of lights around them.
Jovenan: That’s the Paulson Nebula, and the Celendi and the Azure are over there. The Genesis planet is near that star, and Galaris is, um, somewhere behind us. And that small star, between those two bright ones, that’s Sol.
Silveira: This is so beautiful. It's like we are flying in space.
Flying in space, but with the feelings of warmth and safety in his embrace. He had lowered his voice and whispered in her ear. It made her feel comfortable, making her forget any insecurity she had and feel like she could fall asleep in his arms right there. There was more she wanted to show him.
Jovenan: We can go to any point in the galaxy, as long as we’ve got data of it. Where’d you want to see?
Silveira: I am curious about a place.
Jovenan: Just name it.
He held her tighter and gave her a kiss to her cheek. Her smile beamed with comfort and joy as she closed her eyes and tilted her head more towards his, resting it against the side of his head.
Silveira: I share the same concerns as you. I love you and don’t want to do anything that bothers you. But if you are comfortable I would like us to fly to your home world.
Jovenan opened her eyes but didn’t move her head so not to startle him. She should have seen that request coming, and it was fair that she’d show him Rubicun III, after all, she had been to Earth and Risa, the two worlds that he had spent most of his early years. He had asked to see it only if she was comfortable with it; did she have any reason to be uncomfortable? Not really, it was just a place, one from where she had good memories and some less good memories, from where she had left many years ago as soon as she was able, returned only to leave again as soon as possible and was now making no plans to return… just a normal relation to a place.
Jovenan: Oh. Uh, sure, we can go see that. But can I ask… Why?
Silveira: I love you, I want to see where you came from, I want to share my secrets, fears and doubts. And I want to make you feel like you can share yours with me.
She smiled and rested her head against his again. He was making it so easy to love him. He was so caring and considerate and warm and gentle… She wasn’t letting the insecurity take hold of her again, she just wanted to enjoy being there, in his arms, be vulnerable and allow him to be so with her. And sometimes, being vulnerable meant facing the difficult topics and enduring them with the strength of the other.
Jovenan: I love you, too, and I want to share those things with you. And maybe I do have some issues with my, um, background and homeworld, but I also want you to see it.
Silveira: Response
Jovenan: Computer, move to Rubicun III, scale 1 to 10 million. ::to Silveira:: This is the part where you might get a bit of motion sickness, you can close your eyes if you start to feel unwell.
As she said that, they appeared to gain speed, or the entire space moved around them. The stars whirled past them as the representation of this part of the galaxy moved to their new destination. As they appeared to move through the Beta Quadrant and deep into the Alpha Quadrant much faster than slipstream speeds, holographic objects appeared and disappeared around them, until they came to a stop. Jovenan looked around them. There were many more stars visible than in their previous location, they were in a dense cluster of over 3000 stars after all, the one the Edo knew as God’s Claims. In front of them was a planet very familiar to her yet one she hadn’t seen in years, with its blue oceans and green lands.
Jovenan: Here we are. Are you still okay, love?
Silveira: Response
She again extended her hand and pointed at something.
Jovenan: See that area between the sea and the large lake? It’s too small to see, but there’s a village near one of the smaller lakes. That’s where I was born, and where my parents and all the many siblings still live.
She had almost blurted out “because why would anyone want to leave such a place” at the end, not a question but a statement, but she decided to hold it in. It was better to let Vitor take in the new world before starting with the passive-aggressive complaints about it.
Silveira: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11