LtCmdr Jovenan – Fire and chaos, both useful in moderation, but rioting crowds rarely have plenty of that
Jovenan
((Commercial sector, Boraxian Cityship))
The fire raged on at the ruins of the food depot and had found its way to the hearts of the people gathered around. In Jovenan’s hands, despite her best judgement, was the object of the infighting Boraxians’ desire, a person, living, sentient but chained by their rights, whom she and her fellow officers had sought to understand and perhaps liberate. And behind the screens of the small craft, another small vessel of aggressive design, issuing demands to them.
Jovenan: Who are they, the police? I don’t think we have the option to start fighting with them either. On the other hand, we might be forced to surrender you to them if we follow their orders.
Bergmen: Ma’am, we cannot. The Starfleet Uniform Code of Justice prohibits us from handing over Luriett to them. They asked the Federation for asylum from the Boraxians. It's our duty and responsibility to ensure their protection.
Jovenan inhaled deep and slow. She knew that, of course she did. Luirétt may have placed them in a position of danger and perhaps used the investigation as a platform of their objectives – although Jovenan couldn’t yet grasp for which agenda – but by accepting to consider the asylum request, Commander Munro had set them certain obligation to the Yurum that Jovenan couldn’t breach. Yet, she had spoken of practical rather than legal possibilities: if the Boraxian security craft decided to try and force Luirétt from their hands, Jovenan and the others could do very little to stop them, just the three of them.
Luirétt: The Peacekeepers would not harm me. Once they know I am here, my safety is their first concern, as it has always been.
That was a good thing to hear at least, though it didn’t change things. It was not physical harm that the Artemis crew sought to protect the Yurum from, but the inequality and lack of personal liberty and freedom. If they relinquished them to the Peacekeepers, Luirétt would be again forced to live in conditions of life that they had previously described to the team. Jovenan thought for a moment in calm; as much as she felt powerless and out of options, weak and unprepared for her temporary position, she could always just give it a thought first. They couldn’t fight, they couldn’t surrender, but they could at least try to get out of this situation.
Jovenan: Can we contact them?
Bancroft: ::dryly:: Try semaphore? At this point, confusion might be our only strategic advantage.
Advice noted, but they didn’t have anything to craft semaphore flags from in a craft this small. The uniforms didn’t have enough colours. Maybe next time.
Bergmen: Or use that vehicle megaphone Luirett used when we arrived here?
Luirétt: Of course. I shall activate it immediately.
Luirétt manipulated the controls. The megaphone would allow communicating with the Peacekeeper craft for sure, but the crowd would hear them as well. Jovenan supposed that was the lesser evil of being shot out of the sky by the Peacekeepers, which was not unreasonable a coincidence of failing to identify themselves to them. After all, even if they wouldn’t harm Luirétt or any other Yurum, they might not even know they were there. Luirétt nodded.
Jovenan: This is Commander Jovenan of the Federation starship Artemis. This craft is carrying Yurum named Luirétt ::scowl at Luirétt, then back at the security craft:: under our protection and care. Please state your intentions.
The Peacekeeper craft approached their aerial vehicle. Jovenan stared at them with the same frown persisting on her face, as if the security personnel could see her through the distance and the smoke.
Boraxian Security Officer: ::over loudspeaker:: Jovenan of the Federation: You will hand the Yurum known as Luirétt over to our custody immediately. We are coming alongside. Keep your craft in place.
Well then. They now had a conversation channel open – the first objective of any Starfleet ship when encountering an alien vessel – but the words coming from the other craft weren’t too promising. Jovenan wished to somehow convince the Peacekeepers to permit them leave with Luirétt, but that would mean disobeying the direct orders of the law enforcement. That, besides Jovenan’s inherited perception when it came to the law, was an unfortunate obstacle to them, since she also knew that in many cultures, law enforcement responded to resistance with force.
Boraxian: Don’t hand Luirétt to them!
Boraxian: Give us the Yurum!
The crowd below were resuming with their objections to the Peacekeepers’ intentions by throwing objects at them. As the security craft closed in on the Starfleet team’s vehicle, they also entered the range at which the crowd could actually manage to get a hit on them.
Bancroft: Commander, the crowd–
Bergmen: Tell them to lift up, they-
It happened faster than Jovenan could react, even faster than she could comprehend the chain of causation until much later. She had seen the object fly through the air and over them, but she had at the time failed to recognise the implication of burning cloth tied to it. Later, she even recalled the human name of such a contraption: Molotov cocktail, named such in mockery of an official of the opposing empire by the people of one of Earth’s old, now mostly obscure nations. Either way, one of those objects hit the security craft, no, it went through its open canopy. A wave of heat and unnerving sound manifested from the craft, slithering to the Starfleet team’s vehicle through the hole above them.
Bancroft: Close the canopy!
Luirétt did so, giving them some more protection against the further shock wave that may come from the destruction, or against further projectiles from the crowd. Jovenan could only watch the security craft lose height and drift to the ground, finding it after the people there dispersed to give it space to crash.
Jovenan: Can we do something to save them?
She didn’t know if she should expect a response. Watching the crash as if the events had been slowed down, she wondered to whom the blame and punishment should be laid upon: the crowd, the Yurum, or to herself. She leaned towards the last option.
Bancroft: ::bitterly:: There’s nothing we can do for them. If we stay, Captain Munro’s going to have three letters to write home.
Jovenan nodded at the Doctor’s analysis of the situation.
Jovenan: Luirétt, please, could you move us further away?
Luirétt: Y-Yes…
The craft ascended and withdrew itself from the scene with Luirétt’s commands. Jovenan kept looking at the sad view of the enraged mob surrounding the wreckage as the city continued to burn. She wondered if any of the Peacekeepers had survived the firebomb or the crash, or if they would meet their unpleasant end at the hands of the crowd. There must have been several moves she could have done differently so that none of this had happened. She could have ordered them to ignore the fire when they first saw it in the distance. She could have demanded a greater distance to the streets, she could have stopped Luirétt, she could have asked for an alternative to the megaphone, she could have said something else that didn’t enrage the crowds like this. Now she could only watch, with a tear forcing itself to her eyes, as the rescue vehicle made way to the wreckage and save what remained to save.
Bergmen: What… what just happened?
Bancroft: Response
A flash of bright light engulfed the rescue craft’s rear. It discharged its canisters to the streets in one go, but unlike the security craft, it didn’t fall there too, instead retreating further away. Jovenan pursed her lips tight together. The people showed no favour nor mercy to any branch of the Boraxian government.
Bergmen: ::in shock:: Oh my… Commander… look! ::sounds really sad:: They attacked even rescuers…
Luirétt: But why!? Why would people do something like this? We aren’t - they -
They covered their face and cowered. Jovenan raised her hand and reach towards their shoulder, but having done that mistake before, she pulled it back before touching them. She couldn’t explain her earlier burst against them, and she regretted it. Trying to be comforting and non-threatening, she spoke softly.
Jovenan: Luirétt, please… I know this is hard for you, it’s difficult for us too, but you have to keep concentrating…
The craft moved. Luirétt withdrew their hands from the eyes and looked around. None of them had touched the controls as far as Jovenan had seen, and looking around, she couldn’t explain their sudden movement in any other way either. Nothing had hit them, they were already too far from the crowd for them to hit the craft with anything, and instead of falling, they were ascending and taking a course past familiar buildings.
Bancroft/Bergmen: Response
Luirétt: I-I’m not the one piloting it. We’re being called to one of the Spires. They can take control of any craft piloted by a Yurum, in case of emergencies.
Jovenan: Can you tell where we’re going?
Bancroft/Bergmen: Response
Luirétt adopted a new posture on their seat and looked out; they clearly didn’t know either. Looking out and figuring out their route seemed to be their only option to find out if it had been the law enforcement, the protesters or someone else that had recalled them. Jovenan joined the Yurum leader in the effort, even though the probability she recognised their destination before them was very slim.
Luirétt: We’re being called back to the Golden Spire? ::looks back to Jovenan and the others:: Have the preliminary negotiations concluded already?
Jovenan: Maybe. It would be odd that they didn’t call us first, though.
Bancroft/Bergmen/Luirétt: Response
Well, they’d figure it out soon. The same buildings fly past them as they zipped along the same, invisible lanes. Jovenan didn’t try to focus on the sights any more, instead keeping her eyes forwards, except for when she turned to look at her teammates, just to check that they were alright, and then to Luirétt. She considered if she should apologise to them for her unrefined behaviour earlier. However, she chose to instead try to remain gentle and soft-spoken when she returned to the topic while waiting for them to arrive to the Golden Spire.
Jovenan: Luirétt, may I ask, what happened, from your perspective, in the streets just now? Why were the people protesting? What were you trying to accomplish, and why did they behave like that when they saw you?
Bancroft/Bergmen/Luirétt: Response
It was a conversation that needed to resume later, as the Golden Spire reappeared to their few. However, something was off, and Jovenan could feel it.
Jovenan: What’s happened here?
Bancroft/Bergmen/Luirétt: Response
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Acting XO (Chief Science Officer)
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11