LtCmdr Jovenan – Race you to the bedrock!
Jovenan
((Archaeological Survey Site, Serein Basin, Rylor))
When Jovenan signed up for to volunteer at the archaeological dig site, she had two expectations: she would find something interesting, and that she wouldn’t find anything interesting. It was good to have realistic expectations. The organisers wouldn’t have called for volunteers, if the site was empty, if it was just a random plot of land in an area that never had any population residing there. Therefore, finding something was likely, and she would have accepted anything as an interesting finding. However, a discovery that would revolutionise their understanding of the ancient Rylorian civilisation was so extremely unlikely that she wouldn’t have ever hoped to just stumble upon it amongst these dozens of other volunteers.
And yet, it seemed Cole had just pulled a rare item from the ground. The latch or a lock, whatever it was exactly, had survived in the area where few other metal items had been found. Jovenan looked around the plot, trying to figure out what layer of dirt had been there before Cole brushing and trowelling through the sedimentary layers.
Jovenan: Doesn’t look like the soil was disturbed before we got here. I don’t think someone would have buried it here, at least not long before it got under the flood soil, or very deep. ::looks closer:: It’s a bit crude, but very sturdy. Could they have bought it from a travelling merchant?
Their section’s supervising archaeologist tilted her head, indicating she had heard her analysis. Jovenan wondered how much of that was obvious to a professional such as Lt Tal, and how many other things she might be seeing that Jovenan’s untrained eye didn’t catch.
Tal: Possibly. Though if it was trade, we’d expect to see more than one example. ::tilt of her head:: So the question becomes…
The Lieutenant didn’t finish the sentence, as if asking for suggestions or guesses. Jovenan looked at the item and then back at the archaeologist. Then the question becomes… did they buy something else too? Where the other latches were? Who could afford to buy either a single such lock, or multiple of those?
Cole: If it wasn’t common trade, then it was probably made for something specific. Which means it mattered… or whatever it was attached to did.
That was a good question indeed. Metal – iron, bronze, whatever this particular object happened to be – was an extremely usable material. Using it to a locking mechanism instead of something like tools or weapons indicated inherently that there was something worth locking away from other people. Jovenan kept staring at the newly-found object.
Jovenan: If you only one big and sturdy lock, what would you use it for?
She raised her gaze to the supervisor and her fellow volunteer. Lt Tal reached towards the ground, not touching the possibly fragile object, but to test out the soil around it.
Tal: A lock is less about what’s inside than what’s outside. ::a small pause, then to Cole:: What do you think it was designed to resist?
Cole: ::examining the piece of metal:: If it were built to hold against force, I’d expect heavier reinforcement around the hinge points. This feels more like it was meant to keep something out in a practical sense, weather, pests, or curious hands.
Tal: Possibly. Though if it were purely defensive, I’d expect reinforcement along the hinge points as well. ::lightly:: What does that suggest to you two?
Cole: More function than fortification.
Jovenan followed as the two Lieutenants bounced back and forth with questions and suggestions. All Artemis officers had shown particular intelligence, and Cole had also proven to be imaginative with the plans they had used in the battle against the Orion destroyers in the Galaris system. Still, Jovenan was impressed by the deductions Cole was able to make from just the small and crude object on the ground, with the minor leading from the archaeologist. Maybe there was a bit of a detective in her… or a scientist.
Jovenan: They were more concerned with someone sneaking in rather than forcing their way in. Not for military defence, while it seems overmeasured against animals. Thieves, perhaps. Or there’s still hinge reinforcements to be found.
Tal: I don’t think this is a standalone piece. Objects like this tend to belong to systems.
Cole: So I found part of something bigger.
That sounded exciting. Perhaps there were more metallic remains of the door or locking system somewhere near there, or portions of the walls or floor or whatever they might have kept in. Was it a warehouse, a palace or a place of worship? What had happened for the latch to end up on the ground? No one knew yet, but digging some more, they might find something that give them a clue. Being so close to discovering something new was a feeling that Jovenan enjoyed. This might not been planetary science, but it sure was a field of science, and the field didn’t matter for the thrill.
Jovenan: A lot of the system might have degraded. I would imagine the door was made of wood, but that would have either rotted or burnt. But there might still be nails, bricks or something else, I’d imagine. Small clues to find.
Tal: All right. New working hypothesis: this square is more interesting than it was five minutes ago. ::small smile:: Let’s see how far that extends.
Cole: So my square just got promoted?
Jovenan laughed a little. Their slightly cringey Starfleet jokes didn’t stop at hostile ceramics and setting phasers to stun. Good thing their supervisor was an officer as well, or they’d face some aggressive eye rolls after all this.
Jovenan: With promotion comes greater expectations. The square better not start slacking now.
Tal: Response
While Cole resumed brushing around where she had found the latch, Jovenan looked back at her own square. It was close enough that there might have been something related to Cole’s discovery. For all she knew, her square might have the rest of the wall or another door, or it might be inside whatever space the latched was used to lock. On the other hand, it might also be on the wrong side of the wall and have nothing in there. It was the nature of archaeology. They could scan and see, but they didn’t have tricorders with them, and the actual archaeologists probably had done that already… or something. Whatever the reason, it was more fun this way. She was already ready to turn and return to her plot when Cole already found something new.
Cole: ::tilting her head:: There appears to be a seam here. ::looking up at Nyra:: I think it belongs to something bigger.
Jovenan looked over the others’ shoulders again. There was indeed a straight line in the ground, between two rocks, although she couldn’t say much about its nature. The edge between the floor and the street? Or were they atop of the structure, was the seam between two bricks or blocks of the wall? A stone trapdoor?
Jovenan: A structure? That has to be a very lucky find!
Tal: Response
Cole: This is already a better shore leave story than I was expecting.
That made Jovenan smile more than a simple statement of enjoying her time. It was difficult to lure people into sciences, even if to showing interest in it, when they had already made their mind that they can’t do mathematics or write and read complicated reports and papers, but a dusty site and treasures to be find had been what got their security officer.
Jovenan: Agreed! If only more shoreleave destinations had activities like this. I think a lot more of our crew would be willing to come planetside.
It was hard to beat the workaholic accusations, but at least they’d get a tan, one way or another.
Tal/Cole: Response
Jovenan: ::to Cole:: I’m also quite impressed by your deductions. Did you ever consider becoming a scientist?
Tal/Cole: Response
Jovenan placed her hands to her hips. Cole kept finding something interesting all the time, while she had mostly just watched from the side.
Jovenan: I’m stepping back to my plot. Not going to let you hog all the discoveries!
Her square was just next to Cole’s, so she could still hear them talk and continue participating in the conversation. However, inspired by Cole’s seemingly easy findings, she struck her trowel to the ground and continued digging. The competitiveness was largely just whimsical – despite the dig site being a real and serious archaeological expedition, Jovenan treated it more like a game between Cole and herself. She didn’t really care about winning, or how to keep score, but she was still trying to find something that would beat her colleague.
Tal/Cole: Response
----
Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11