LtJG Jovenan – "Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow" -Tolstoy
Jovenan
((OOC: Sorry for 1) the delay 2) the length of this sim 3) the confusion whether Jovenan was playing one of the captors or captives.))
((Genkos Adea’s Quarters, Deck 3, USS Artemis))
They were in danger, that had been obvious since the moment they had intercepted the message. The knowledge had only grown stronger every step they had taken. Knowing that didn’t alleviate the fear. Their counterparts were cruel and merciless, and if they attempted to regain control, some of them might get injured or even killed. For all Jovenan knew, some of her friends or department members might have already lost their lives. Maybe she would be the next one. But they all knew they had no other options but to keep on fighting.
The duty of saying that out loud had fallen to Lt Silveira, who already looked like he had to put up a lot of effort in containing himself. They were all fighting for their lives and the lives of their friends and even family, but Lt Silveira seemed to be more emotional than she had ever seen him before. Even when he had had a sword through his shoulder, he had resumed giving clear orders to Jovenan. It was as if he was fighting for… something bigger.
Silveira: I know that I am asking you something that might be your biggest sacrifice ever. And I will understand if you say no. But we have to hurry… I need to go and find my Jo and I can only do that after we take the bridge back… Please…
Sadar: … I… Understand.
Jovenan was confused of what he was saying. It hadn’t been a typical speech for encouragement, braving your possible death at the line of duty and protection of all that you held dear and valuable. The Lieutenant had a definite goal in his mind, and weirdly, it was something Jovenan didn’t understand. Who was this Jo he was so eager to rescue? Having served with him for over a year, she would have realised if he had a person living with him or if he had a family member or a partner somewhere on the ship. Now to think of it, wouldn’t Jo be a fitting nickname for her… Wait a minute…
Jovenan: Jo who?
Lt Silveira turned to her and seemed to think how to explain this. Jovenan peeked at the other team members if they would answer for her, but Commander Adea Sadar seemed to be as clueless as her, while Doctor Sadar kept staring at her phaser and the Captain had closed her eyes and shook her head.
Silveira: I fell in love with Mediator Jovenan and the feeling is mutual.
Jovenan couldn’t understand at first what he had just said. Her meeting with her counterpart, the only time they had ever met, had turned so uncomfortable and displeasing Jovenan couldn’t think anyone having positive feelings yet alone “love” for the overtly fanatical, scheming little Mediator. She wanted to question – not just ask about, question – everything about the “relationship” they had. How would they even meet? How could they fall in love to a person they had only met a few days ago if at all before? Why wouldn’t Lt Silveira realise she was playing him like a pawn for some goal and was probably faking everything? It all tried to come out of her mouth as she finally decided to speak.
Jovenan: I thought she was… You did what to my… ::deep breath:: Sorry. We don’t have time to talk this through right now. I recommend we start moving before they can do any more damage.
Adea: Agreed. ::he took a step forward, straightening up as he did so:: Let’s head out.
MacKenzie: Agreed.
With all party members in agreement, some more eagerly than others, they left Doctor Adea’s quarters and entered the corridors. The way to the turbolifts was empty, but in case they would run across with anyone, be it a transuniversal hijacker or a Starfleet crewmember, they had already assumed their roles as captors and captees. Their advancing was slow, partly due to the Doctor Adea having difficulty walking. Jovenan kept looking at him and Doctor Sadar by her sides, worrying that they might not be ready to face the challenge and break down before that, each for different reasons.
Adea: Right, whatever happens, we need to hold the bridge. ::his cane wobbled as he leaned more weight on it:: And if possible, I’d really like to sit down.
MacKenzie: Haven’t you been sitting?
Jovenan would have wanted to ask to leave Doctor Adea behind as he was clearly not in shape for a fight. They, however, needed everyone for a successful assault. It was a gruesome game, but if Doctor Adea couldn’t move to cover fast enough, he would be pulling the phaser fire to himself.
While walking to the turbolifts, Jovenan couldn’t stop thinking about what Lt Silveira had said. How could he fall so easily in “love” with her counterpart? Was it because of her looks? Jovenan knew some people had found her attractive – first year at the University, she had learnt that her appearance had been a subject of much discussion at the Planetary Sciences frat boys’ meetups, much to her disgust – but for a professional, trained officer to fall in love?
No. Jovenan stared at the back of Lt Silveira’s skull. If he had found Mediator Jovenan attractive… Did he think that way of her as well? She didn’t want to think of that for the Lieutenant. The whole prospect made her uncomfortable. After the first few years at the University, she had left for the homeworld, crying, only to return fully disguised as human. She couldn’t do such a thing anymore in case her colleagues and superiors turned out to be like the guys at the University.
MacKenzie: Showtime.
Snap back to it.
((Bridge, USS Artemis))
The turbolift stopped. For a moment, Jovenan feared the counterpart army might start shooting anyone entering the bridge, just in case, but as the doors opened, the Captain walked out and into the bridge without anyone firing her.
MacKenzie: You seem to have something that doesn’t belong to you…
Jovenan worried the Captain’s openly confident contempt at the counterparts occupying the bridge could threaten the disguises, but to think of it again, that’s how she always was.
The Captain and Lt Silveira led the way out of the turbolift, while Jovenan and the two doctors were all holding them at gunpoint. Out in the bridge, Jovenan took the opportunity to evaluate the situation. Lt Silveira’s counterpart, Olivera, was there as they very well knew, as was another Desdemonan crewman and what seemed to be Kader’s counterpart at the helm. She started to look for a nice console to jump behind for cover when the firefight would begin.
MacKenzie: You seem to have something that doesn’t belong to you…
Olivera: My apologies Captain but we need it more than you do. ::he raised his phaser to the ever closing Sil.:: Stop Sil, I don’t want to hurt anyone but we moved beyond that point.
Adea: Response
The Captain gestured at Jovenan and the Doctors.
MacKenzie: Your thugs seem to have tracked us down. Having a harder time taking control of my ship than you thought you would?
Being called a thug hurt Jovenan, but she knew that it wasn’t really directed at her. She tried to remember to remain in role, aiming the phaser at the two “captives” in defiance of the weapons safety rules, as her counterpart would likely do as well. That filthy criminal.
Olivera: It's a good infiltration tactic. And it worked it seam, although I think the three of you are too deep in character. ::he glanced at Sil.:: Looks like the honey trap worked after all Sil.
She knew it! It had all been a ploy to get Lt Silveira lower his shields to Mediator Jovenan! She wished the Lieutenant had realised that earlier, but the other Jovenan had never loved her, it was all just a ruse. He had been a fly that had drowned in a pot of honey.
Silveira: I feel willingly for that.
Remember the role…
Jovenan: Oh, it worked very well. He’s still under the charm, isn’t that right, handsome?
oO Ew, ew, ew. Oo
Adea: Response
Cln. MacKenzie: =/\= Olivera, it’s Colonel MacKenzie. I’m on Deck 15 in a bit of a predicament… =/\=
The sound of Captain MacKenzie spoke yet again from the commsystem, yet the Captain was with them. By the sound of it, the leader of the attackers was in trouble after the real MacKenzie had called security to her position.
Olivera: =/\= Colonel, I am in a little standoff as well. Apparently Colonel Adea, Thevn and Mediator Jovenan captured the Captain and Lieutenant Silveira. Wasn’t the Mediator in your team?
Oh no.
Oh. No.
Cln. MacKenzie: =/\= Response =/\=
If Jovenan had had the time to consider the implications of the news, she would have done so. From the beginning, she had had a very uniform idea of the Mediator: She was evil, she was behind the attack, she had fooled Lt Silveira, she was using Lt Silveira. But the Colonel’s words flipped everything around.
Her counterpart hadn’t been evil.
Her fellow Edo had tried to warn them.
Her friend had found love in Silveira.
Her twin sister… was dead.
But she didn’t have the time to drop down, crawl to ball under a warm blanket and think and cry. What the Colonel’s news also meant was that their ruse had failed. The Desdemonans on the bridge now knew that they had let in a group of armed Starfleet officers. The fight was about to begin.
Olivera: Shei…
Before Olivera could finish the one-word sentence, Lt Silveira had broken away from the formation and rushed to him. The two fell onto the floor, the Lieutenant on top of his counterpart, beating him with force that was the only channel of his rage. Rage that Jovenan had only just begun to understand.
Sadar: L-Lieutenant Silveira, stop!
Jovenan had to ignore the Lieutenant and his bunching bag of a counterpart for now as she run behind a console for cover, keeping her phaser aimed at the other Desdemonans.
Jovenan: Desdemona crew, stand down!
MacKenzie/Adea: Responses
Kader: Oh nonono put that down please, it's me, Kader.
Olivera: Enough… I surrender.
Jovenan turned to see Olivera. Multitudes of events kept happening around her, but now her full attention was to Lt Silveira and his counterpart. The announcement of surrender seemed to have done little to subdue the Lieutenant’s rage, and instead of standing up and arresting him, Lt Silveira reached for a phaser on the ground. The move, fuelled by blinding rage, had alarmed everyone on the bridge.
Sadar: L-Lieutenant, they’ve surrendered.
MacKenzie/Adea: Responses
Jovenan: Sil… no…
When the Lieutenant didn’t seem to stop, Jovenan quickly turned her phaser towards him. If he was going to kill a man on their bridge, Jovenan didn’t feel sorry if she was forced to stun him before that.
Kader: I know how this looks, I can prove it. Miss Gila, only you and I know what we actually found on Cait isn’t that right?
It hadn’t been their pleas or orders, but an alarm that finally seemed to break the bewitchment in Lt Silveira. He stood up and looked at each of them. Jovenan locked her eyes with him for just a few seconds longer than anyone else seemed to have and lowered her phaser she had still pointed at him in preparation of stunning her dear colleague and, what could have been, her brother-in-law-across-the-universes.
Silveira: Incoming vessel. I assume you need me there.
MacKenzie/Adea/Olivera: Responses
Sadar: Understood Sir.
Silently, Jovenan left her current position to man the science console while the others took their appropriate station, Doctor Sadar in ops. It was only when she sat down to the familiar seat, she realised that they had succeeded: the bridge, and the Artemis, was theirs again.
Jovenan tagged into the sensor system and quickly found the incoming vessel. The computer didn’t identify its configuration, allegiance or manufacturing, but deeper scans revealed something Jovenan had learnt to recognise.
Jovenan: Captain, the incoming vessel, it’s leaking prismic radiation! It’s a…
Kader: No need for alarm sir, he’s been here for a while. He is waiting for this.
While the others were focusing on what was apparently a ship from the other universe, of what the counterparts had called the Shint, Doctor Sadar had diligently continued with resolving their problem with the Desdemonan infiltrators.
Sadar: =/\= This is Doctor Sadar to Transporter Room One. Anyone there? =/\=
Filistrien: =/\= Transporter Room One, Petty Officer Xandeus Filistrien here. =/\=
Sadar: =/\= We’ve got two Desdemonan crew members on the Bridge. Please beam them to the brig. =/\=
Filistrien: =/\= Yes Sir. Transporting now. =/\=
Jovenan heard a shimmering of air somewhere behind her, but she didn’t give a thought to the matter right now.
MacKenzie/Adea/Silveira: Responses
Unexpectedly, as the Shint vessel was approaching them, the sensors were flooded with another type of energy. For a while Jovenan thought the Shint ship was firing at them with a weapon of unknown type, but then she realised it was coming from the Artemis itself.
Jovenan: Umm, sir, the deflector is firing…
She turned to the main viewscreen in time to see a bright light coming from somewhere under them, and the Shint vessel turning to rush straight into the light… and disappear.
MacKenzie/Adea/Silveira: Responses
Jovenan: Verify that, sir. The sensors can’t pick up the Shint vessel, debris or even dust. It’s just… gone.
Sadar: Captain, all major departments have reported in. The crew of the Desdemona currently controls no key areas of the Artemis.
Jovenan turned to Ensign Kader, who had earlier stated that there hadn’t been any reason for alarm when the Shint vessel had first approached them. He clearly knew something the others didn’t. She had hard time believing this was their Kader after that, but she gave him the benefit of doubt for now.
Kader: I’ve been told it has to do with mass. And, well, exposure to the radiation. It was easy for him to ride the wave because the technology is native to them. To move something like the Desdemona we might need to actually fit the prismagon onto the main deflector.
How Ensign Kader had managed to make contact with the Shint and learn the secrets of the prismagons was well beyond her understanding, but it was going to be a story he’d have to tell for another time.
MacKenzie/Adea/Sadar/Silveira: Responses
Jovenan: The prismagons are in the Hazardous Materials Lab, I can have them brought… ::looks at console:: Uh, actually… Sir, the security has reported a breach in Hazardous Materials Lab, o-one death. I – I don’t know where the prismagons are.
MacKenzie/Adea/Sadar/Silveira/Kader: Responses
Looking at the report on the console, Jovenan was once again engulfed by grief. Ensign Sylvia Tarra, age 23, of Luna, Sol System, science officer, USS Artemis since 240009.25. The poor kid she had personally sent to the Hazardous Materials Lab to prepare it for the next round of prismagon studies. Doing so, Jovenan had caused her early death.
Before Jovenan could grief any longer for the second loss she had had to shoulder today, the comsystem chirped.
Savel: =/\= Ensign Savel to Bridge. An explosion has damaged Sickbay, though it remains accessible. I am currently working on securing the area. Most injuries appear to be minor, though I must report one major casualty. Lieutenant Junior Grade Hiro Jones. His condition is grave. If a senior medical officer could be located, their assistance here is needed. Ensign Savel out. =/\=
The news almost crushed Jovenan. While she had been rescuing Doctor Adea and taking over the bridge, Hiro, her dear brother Hiro, had come to where she had started, and might have been k… k…
A sister she had just found. A young colleague and a subordinate. And now, a brother. A tear fell off her cheek as she turned to the Doctors in their presence.
Jovenan: ::whimper:: Please…
MacKenzie/Adea/Sadar/Silveira/Kader: Responses
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Jovenan
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11