LtJG Jovenan – Linian vajos ren, jialon res
Jovenan
((Astrophysics Lab, Deck 9, USS Artemis))
Jovenan didn’t know how long she had been awake by now.
Her console displayed a plethora of tables of data from various sources. The sensor reading before, during and after the alternate universe ship crossed over, laboratory reports on the “prismagons” from the Hazardous Materials Lab on deck 11, the minimal data from the previous studies on the multiverse. The mindboggling physics of the multiverse would have been the primary study project of the science department if it hadn’t been the ship staff pressuring them to focus on returning the alternate crew back home first. Their work was of the highest importance.
And if something was that important, Jovenan couldn’t give anything less than her entire dedication to the work. During their original scanning mission, Jovenan had worked several shifts to fill in their personnel shortage. During the few days the Desdemona had been with them, she had worked around the clock. She didn’t remember how many days it had been since she had slept the last time. A few, perhaps.
Dakora: =/\= Commander Dakora to Lieutenant Jovenan.=/\=
She twitched a little when her combadge started talking. Reaching out for the interface with her left hand to halt the program that required her attention, she tapped the badge with the other hand.
Jovenan: =/\= Jovenan here. Just a moment please. ::operates computer, then continues:: Is there something I can help you with, sir? =/\=
Dakora: =/\=Apologies for the interruption, but can you come to the Intel Hub at your earliest convenience? We’ve intercepted something and could use your expertise. =/\=
Jovenan sighed. Maybe, after the mission was over, she would get used to the workload of the ACSO (or to learn to delegate it better) and return to her previous state of mind where working with the Chief Intel Officer was met with nervousness or excitement instead of frustration. She waved her hand to call another scientist, one from the team using the lab’s auxiliary astrometrics screen to study the moment of the crossover, to take over her work.
Jovenan: =/\= I’ll be there in a moment. =/\=
Dakora: =/\= Thank you Jovenan, I appreciate it. Dakora out. =/\=
((Intel Chief’s Office, Deck 8, USS Artemis))
It had been a while since Jovenan had been in Lt Commander Dakora’s office. The last time they had been hunting for terrorists on Meranuge IV in their private little mission. This section of the ship had taken severe damage during their previous mission, but Jovenan didn’t have the time nor interest to take notice of the changes they had made. However, if she hadn’t been so tired and stressed, she would have noticed that this was the first time she rang the doorbell of a senior officer’s office without hesitation or nervousness.
Dakora/Filistrien: Response
Walking in, she politely nodded to greet the already familiar intel officer and the intel petty officer she didn’t know yet.
Jovenan: Nice to meet you. ::turning to Dakora:: What is it that you wanted to show me? I don’t mean to be disrespectful, sir, but you know how many communiques we’ve received from Starfleet Command by now, and I would prefer to return to my work as soon as possible.
Despite her current state, she was aware how rude she had just been to her superior officer whom she held at an extreme respect. Approaching his table, she made a mental memo to apologise to him after this was all over.
Dakora/Filistrien: Response
She raised an eyebrow. It wouldn’t have been the first time she was dealing with elusive communication attempts but given the fact that they had their entire ship resources at their disposal at the moment, the request felt misdirected.
Jovenan: That is fascinating, but I think you’d rather ask for a communications officer from the Ops. I can also recommend a linguist from my department if…
Dakora/Filistrien: Response
Now that grasped her full attention. She listened to the two intelligence experts’ explanation of their finding and how they believed how it might relate to her. The fact that there was a message sent out like that sounded sketchy, but what was well beyond her expectations was that they had already identified the barely intelligible message as a Rubicun Edo language.
She also refused to believe they were being approached by the only person who could have written the message.
((Flashback))
((OOC: a minute after the end of LtJG Jovenan & MdJG Jovenan – We are not so different))
Alt Jovenan: But I’m a mediator! I’m divinely appointed to enforce laws! I am giving you an order!
Her counterpart was really getting to her nerves. Jovenan had only gone to her doppelgangers quarters to ask for her information concerning the “prismagons”. She and her team were working day and night to send the universe crossers back to their homes, yet here was the woman with her face, asking for her help to gain access to secure information.
She moved both her hands to her own neck, pulled the turtleneck down a little to fish out the string of her necklace. It was one she had received from her family as a belated Academy graduation gift, the one she wore almost all the time. She pulled it over the turtleneck so that the other Edo could see it. The meaning and symbolism of the piece of jewellery wasn’t lost to the alternate Jovenan either.
Jovenan: And I’m a community leader. Between us, I am the one who sets rules!
The counterpart seemed to calm down a notch. Jovenan disliked being forced to assume the dominant position based on her rank, but the alternate Jovenan was trying to use her believes to persuade her to violate the prime directive. Jovenan didn’t have other options but to put her back to her place.
Alt Jovenan: ::calmer:: But why are you hiding the necklace?
Jovenan hesitated.
Jovenan: We, uh, have uniform regulations. I’d need a permission from my captain to wear it over the uniform.
The other Jovenan grinned. Jovenan knew she had made a mistake. Her counterpart was scheming, single-minded person who takes advantage of any sign of her weakness.
Alt Jovenan: So, you haven’t only sold out your faith but also your culture to these aliens. You don’t dress like us, think like us, not even run like us. And let me guess, you don’t even speak like us.
Agitated by her counterpart, Jovenan removed her combadge, clicked the universal translator off and placed the small device onto the table.
Jovenan: Linian vajos ren, jialon res.
((End flashback))
She sighed.
Jovenan: The Rubicun Edo alphabets are more like glyphs of the syllabary, since each symbol represents a consonant, a vowel and an ending depending on the location in the word. The glyphs are translingual, but the words are not. If this message is really from my counterpart, she would be using Somian dialect… The one spoken in my, and her, home region. Let me see.
She took the PADD and read the numbers on it.
1000 0101 1100 1100 1111
In decimal system, the binary numbers translated to something else.
8 5 12 12 15
Jovenan gave a doubting side eye to Dakora and the petty officer who had suggested the random fluctuations in a ship’s system was a coded message. Despite her doubts, she gave it a try. Humming and counting with her fingers, she went trough the Rubicun Edo glyphs in the order she had learnt over twenty years ago.
Jovenan: Ri… Va… Lia… Lia… To… That would be ris valialin and then to something. The next word is there only partially, so I can only guess what it is, and I presume the sentence is longer, but the rest is missing. You’re right, this is my language, but I’m not sure if it makes much sense.
Dakora/Filistrien: Response
Jovenan thought how to translate the partial sentence. Her language followed the OVS word order, so ris valialin was the object, to-something was the verb, and the subject was missing completely. The first word was even more puzzling, as it referred to a mid-sized animal native to Rubicun III, not too different from an Earth deer.
Jovenan: I can get into more linguistic detail, if you want, but the message says that somebody is going to do something to… a deer vessel?
Dakora/Filistrien: Response
((OOC: Sorry for all the tags I left you, but I couldn’t pass the opportunity to geek out about Jovenan’s language. There’s still some mystery in the message for us to figure out!))
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Jovenan
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11