LtCmdr Jovenan – Science is fun, so you should be happy to be voluntold to do it!
Jovenan
((Lab 11, Deck 12, USS Artemis))
The crates were being moved in. Jovenan watched as the crewmembers carried the boxes to the large laboratory space while the blueshirts were finishing their work in suspending the cable in the air. She was feeling much more optimistic about the entire project already; just half an hour earlier, she had thought that it was all ruined, it was over, there was no way to salvage the experiment. There was one person she could thank for saving her work now, the goldshirt Lieutenant, to whom she turned. Feeling particularly cheery now, she placed her hands on her hips when she turned.
Jovenan: So, what’s the procedure from here?
Lieutenant Bergmen sighed – exhausted and out of breath from the hard work he was doing, no doubt, at least so Jovenan chose to read it – and pointed at three cylinders near the crates.
Bergmen: So, we will need to connect these three after we fill the tank with the base solution. The red one contains an actin accelerant; the remaining two, the blue ones, should be inert gas, which we will need to fill the bottom and top of the tank as a separator before we can introduce condensed g-actin into the mixture … as without initial separation, the reaction could be a little… volatile.
Jovenan nodded; it made sense. As with often in the Blueshirt Division, in Starfleet and in life in general, it was always best to leave the difficult work to the expert. Lieutenant Bergmen was the one in their midst who had some familiarity to the process – by the virtue of reading the manual, if by nothing else – and at least a level of experience. She gestured to the equipment they had with them.
Jovenan: Would you like to do the honours?
He spent a moment scanning the area with his eyes before starting.
Bergmen: Okay, people, listen up! ::points to the connector on the right side of the tank:: We can start pumping the solution. We need to fill in as much as possible up to the halfway mark, okay?
One of the research assistants opened the vent, releasing the clear liquid. Jovenan swiped the skirt of her skant uniform, trying to find something to do with her hands. She was responsible for the success of the project, obviously, and, despite the Lieutenant being the one to give orders, of the entire scene, but there was so little she could do. She began looking around for something she could contribute with.
Bergmen: Seal the lid vents, now. (beat) Connect the cylinders, blue, red, blue, and wait; do not open the valves yet.
The cylinders were right there. She could just… join the others. Jovenan shrugged to herself and walked over to the smaller containers.
Jovenan: Aye, sir!
With two other blueshirts, Jovenan did just what the Lieutenant had ordered: she connected one of the blue cylinders, following the close example of her colleagues, and then turned to look at the Ops Officer. Her eyes were beginning to wander as if to figure out if she had somehow missed something she was supposed to do – after all that, it would have been awful to fail the project for something so stupid in her behalf – but then the tank sounded a click as a valve closed with the contents in the larger container.
The Lieutenant nodded to a scientist, and soon, inside the tank, gas bubbles began pushing the liquid into a form. Its state grew more opaque, and the now cloudy liquid gained green sprinkles to it. The red cylinder was soon empty, which the Lieutenant acknowledged with a silent nod and then continued to observe the reaction. Without a word or an explanation of himself, he remained in the control he had asserted. Jovenan supposed she didn’t need him reporting every step either, only to promise that if something started going wrong, he’d remain equally calm and continue to issue orders that would save them, the ship and the project, preferably in that particular order.
Bergmen: Okay, connect the containers. Push it in.
Jovenan did as ordered. Soon, the hoses were in, and another scientist opened them.
Jovenan: Done!
Having done what she could or thought was her task for now, Jovenan stepped back and joined the Lieutenant to watch the reaction take place. It didn’t take long until the growing plasticine started replacing the gas in the tank. The Lieutenant gave some further, non-verbal instructions that were followed meticulously. Jovenan had to give it to him, he could get things done by what would have taken her many, many more words to express. Maybe it was a matter of confidence to be able to signal something so complicated wordlessly, like the captains who just nodded to their bridge crew; no one ever misinterpreted it and fired a shot at the warbird instead of hailing them.
She didn’t dwell for too long in those thoughts as the reaction was advancing rapidly, pieces breaking into smaller ones, into many, many pieces… The Lieutenant took a step backwards. Jovenan took a questioning look when the chunks lit up.
Jovenan: If something starts going wrong, you’ll need to say that and keep giving us instructions…
The reaction continued. More golden veins appeared to the plasticine’s surface, and the gas continued to flow. When the cylinder was empty, the flow was cut short, and Jovenan noticed her heart racing as the plasticine glowed with the intensity that over-shone the lights in the ceiling. However, as the first bubble broke through, she could breathe normally again. Bubbles rose up steadily – steadily, a word that she had wanted to hear. There was balance, the reaction continued with a pace that was pleasant to look at. Jovenan smiled.
Bergmen: ::relax his shoulders and smile:: And now all we need is to monitor the reaction… and wait…
Jovenan: I think we can do that. Thank you. I’ll make sure to mention you as a contributor in the report. ::turns to him:: If you ever want to try your hand at a science project leadership again, we’ve got those running all the time. Just come ring my bell.
End scene
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11