LtCmdr Jovenan – The Arcade for colleagues and very good friends

[Jovenan]

((Deck 2, USS Artemis))

Jovenan had been fidgeting with the rivets of her denim skirt all the way up. The turbolift journey from Deck 3, where her quarters were, to Deck 2 had not been long, but she had managed to fill that time with a wide range of emotions.

Vitor wanted to show her something. Vitor wanted to see her. That alone made her happy, excited and gleeful, to the point where it scattered her thoughts so that she could no longer think about the conversation that had taken place in her office. Still, there were other emotions as well. She was afraid she could ruin the friendship they were having. They had already once taken a step that they both regretted, and at the Captain’s ancestral home last shore leave, they had agreed to discuss it again later, not now, eventually, and to continue as friends until then. It had worked well, but Jovenan struggled to shed away the dread of having to drive a wedge between them when that day would come. There was also the issue of their flipped rank dynamic. Vitor had gone from her superior to equal to subordinate in rank, and she didn’t know what that meant, if anything. She had specifically wanted to change out of her uniform for this outing so that there were no reminders of that.

The turbolift halted and Jovenan stepped out. Just after a few corners later, she found Vitor waiting for her by the holodeck door. She didn’t know much about Earth fashion, but it seemed that her choice of outfit had been a hit, so similar it was to Vitor’s. When Vitor’s gaze found hers, a wide grin forced its way to Jovenan’s face. No matter how she tried to contain it, her lips forced themselves to a smile that was more awkward than friendly or sweet. He responded to her expression with a smile.

Jovenan: Hi. How, um, how are you?

Vitor kept his hands behind his back. Jovenan, despite the years spent with humans, didn’t quite yet know how to interpret their body language, so his gesture came as something of a puzzle to her. She stopped a few steps away, to give him space in case he wanted that. She wasn’t going to be hugging him, after all, no matter how she wanted; not initiating physical contact with the offworlders was still a personal rule she was sticking with. They were friends, and in many human cultures, friends rarely if ever hugged. It was sad, in a way, but above else, she wanted that Vitor was comfortable with her, like she was with him. The nervousness and anxiety were leaving her mind with him near her.

Silveira: I am good, much better now that you are here. It's good to see you. ::he tipped his head sideways.:: I had thought of checking in on you before, but I didn’t want to impose.

Jovenan: Oh, you wouldn’t have imposed at all, I also wanted to come see you earlier. But I’m good. We weren’t in as big of a danger.

Silveira: That’s good to know. Now, let me show you what I am working on. It’s still a work in progress, and I have the new Engineer, Imril, helping. But I wanted you to be the first person I really invite inside and show this.

Vitor gestured towards the holodeck entrance. Jovenan followed his guidance and turned towards the pair of doors. Excitement made her cheeks tingle as she stood next to Vitor, waiting for the reveal.

Jovenan: Me? Really? That’s so sweet!

Vitor turned and activated the programme. They stood side by side as the doors before them opened, revealing bright light shining to the corridor.

((Holodeck 1, Deck 2, USS Artemis))

Vitor spread his arms wide as soon as they entered the holodeck. The room was filled with what looked like old-fashion consoles, in a peculiar arrangement, painted with bright colours. Not knowing what she was looking at didn’t bother Jovenan, quite the opposite. She approached one of the machines and blinked at the simplistic graphics on the screen. Her mouth was slightly ajar and eyes wide when she turned back to Vitor, whose enthusiasm was taking over. Slowly walking behind him and allowing her gaze to wander across the display of bright colours and curious devices, her eyes always returned to the man whose excitement she adored.

Silveira: Welcome to the Arcade. I am building this so that the whole crew can have fun. These are old games from Earth's past and I had a few already thought out for some of our comrades. ::he tapped the back of the racing seat.:: This one is for the Captain. Before you joined us on the Excalibur me, Niac and Jor… I mean Iljor ended up being driven by the Captain and let me tell you… She loves speed. So…

Arcade. Games. From Earth’s history. Jovenan took in all the information she could get and kept looking around. They were so different from the games she had grown up with, different even from the games she had seen people on Earth or elsewhere play, yet the design lineage to the current consoles and interfaces on a starship was obvious. She tilted her head, studying the game by which Vitor stood. It had a pair of wheels and set of pedals in front of two seats, with a text over the screens introducing the seats for “race leaders”.

Jovenan turned her face back to Vitor. Had he said… The Captain – their Captain – was some sort of land vehicle speeder who had taken Vitor and Commander Niac and Etan to a wild ride? She would have never guessed. Vitor winked as he turned the wheel. A small giggle escaped her lips before Vitor continued his enthusiastic introduction to the Arcade.

Silveira: That one is for Al… You know our Ops/Helm officer. I am sure it's right up her alley. Now this… This is a little of a joke for someone.

Al… Al… Who? Ensign Lyara, perhaps? Jovenan kept looking at the game for some longer while walking behind Vitor, trying to figure out what it was supposed to be. A historical airborne shuttlepod, perhaps? She then stopped and turned to see the other game Vitor had taken her to see.

Jovenan squinted trying to decipher what she was looking at. The screen was fairly small, but what was more curious was the contraption in front of it. The mechanism with a long barrel was attached to the machine but was clearly meant to be moved. It reminded her of a phaser rifle, but when she noticed the Earth script text above, Jovenan’s eyebrows rose up.

Jovenan: A “duck hunt”? Who is this for?

Silveira: Have you read the last mission reports? Of all people I didn’t expect Salkath to be the one shooting Meirashi wildlife. So here he can shoot… At least some ducks. ::He winked at Nan.:: I am pretty sure he will be a good sport and appreciate the joke.

Jovenan’s mouth opened to a circle when Vitor gave her the explanation, before taking a smile, accompanied by a short laughter. She could see the familiar, boyish smirk on his lips before returning to the friendly smile he had had the entire time.

Jovenan: I hope he does!

She walked off, marvelling the various devices. The blinking lights, the colours, the smell of plastic and the allure of unfamiliar curiosities had captured her imagination, yet it was Vitor’s enthusiasm that had excited her the most. Her shy and somewhat reserved shield was being melted by his radiant smile. She turned back to him and raised her arms a little to her sides.

Jovenan: Vitor, this place is amazing! Do you know how all these games work? Have you played them all?

Silveira: Response

She kept advancing between the consoles, stopping in front of one of them. She tilted her head curiously, trying to figure out how the attached operating pistols worked.

Jovenan: Is this also for someone specific in mind?

Silveira: Response

Jovenan nodded along as Vitor explained. He had clearly spent time figuring out and curating the Arcade so that there was a game for each one of them, something that would best suite their personality and interests. She was amazed by the care he had put in the collection and how well he must have known their friends and colleagues to pick something for them. Jovenan wasn’t sure if she had been able to do anything like this, certainly not with games, probably not with anything she knew about either. He was far more skilled in figuring out people than she was.

There had been a game designated for the Captain, for Ensign Lyara, Commander Salkath and others. Jovenan turned her face to Vitor again.

Jovenan: Is there a game for me, too?

Silveira: Response

TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11