Lt Jovenan – Second-guesser extraordinaire
Jovenan
((Paris, Earth))
After so long time living on a starship, the feeling of standing on a genuine ground was curious. Sure, Jovenan hadn’t spent the entirety of that time within four bulkheads, but the visits on planetside had been rare and brief. The lack of the ever-present hum of the engine, no ceiling above her, the plenitude of people in all sorts of clothing, it was all something she had to rediscover every time she left the ship. Even when the city was one she had been before.
Jovenan: I visited Paris a couple of times while in the Academy, but only briefly. And not once in the Palais.
Adea: Well so far, ::he wrinkled his nose again:: I’m not impressed.
Jovenan didn’t respond. Had they been mere tourists, she might have been excited about all the things she saw; the beautiful brownish yellow buildings with ornate wrought-iron balconies, the fashionable people, the foods, the plants, every piece of the city’s unique culture and atmosphere. She had noticed Genkos making a face after sniffing the air; admittedly, there was a curious odour about in where they stood, but every human city smelled like that, and after their visit to Betazed, she had learnt that other species weren’t much different.
But, she didn’t have time for such considerations. Now that they were actually in Paris, her anxiety over the closing meeting was increasing again. She inspected the message she had received to her PADD, reading it through once more to check she hadn’t overlooked any important detail. She didn’t want to find herself in trouble with the Federation Security nor in the disfavour of the only Edo she would be meeting since leaving God’s Claims… besides her sister-across-the-universes, that is. The security in the Palais de la Concorde was always strict, but especially now with the recent battle and the resurfacing Changeling fears, they may encounter so thorough inspections. However, she had not been given any other instructions but to use the main entrance.
Nervously straightening her uniform, she turned to Genkos again, hoping he might know how they should conduct themselves so that they avoided an incident. She was immensely grateful for him accepting to accompany her, both for emotional support and his expertise as a senior officer she hoped he might provide. Besides, he was her friend.
Jovenan: D-do you happen to know what’s waiting ahead of us?
Adea: ::Dryly:: I imagine some security checks and then we’ll be shown to a meeting room.
Well, yes. Genkos’ remark helped her realise how silly she was being worrying about as simple a step as arriving there. She could navigate more anxiety-inducing matters on the Artemis with relative ease by now, not to mention that the Palais personnel engaged in negotiations with politicians and diplomats from hundreds of worlds, surely they had processed more than one nervous Starfleet junior officer. Indeed, the arrival was not the part she should be wasting her preparative anxiety time.
Jovenan: You’re probably right. ::shakes head:: It’s the meeting I’m concerned about. I don’t even know what we’ll be talking about, so I couldn’t prepare or anything. I hope I won’t embarrass us.
Adea: Jovenan, you are an exemplary officer, you have nothing to be nervous about. Your people, and by extension this official, should be very proud of you.
Jovenan pressed her lips to a thin line that was simultaneously a suppressed smile and a frown. She was, of course, happy that Genkos was more willing to remember her good moments than all her various mistakes, but she feared his view may not be shared by everyone, not in particular people who may know her solely from the reports. As she responded, she pointed out a street ahead of them, Rue de l’Arcade, and started walking towards it.
Jovenan: Thank you. I’m just not sure if it’s that simple. My people tend to have a, um, strict sense of justice, and I don’t think I’ve always managed to follow it to the letter. They may be more judgemental than you are.
She decided against mentioning how often she felt like she or the other crewmembers would have been executed on Rubicun back in the days. There were few senior officers on the Artemis not on the list.
Adea: Response
Jovenan: ::shrugs:: I’ve never met the Councillor before. I haven’t been following news from Rubicun in ages. There’s hardly any news to begin with. People tend to stick to their own communities.
Adea: Response
They crossed a wide boulevard bordered by trees while passing La Madeleine, which Jovenan, with her limited knowledge of human history and art, could recognize as having taken inspiration from Ancient Greece or Rome – or maybe the building was originally built by either of those cultures, she didn’t remember right then if their influence expanded this far. She resisted the urge to check the route again but trusted the mental map she had outlined in preparation of this meeting. Maybe she should finally listen to what she was being told and stop second-guessing herself all the time. Nonetheless, she checked the street name before turning to the Rue Royale, even when she could see the towering Palais at the end of it.
Jovenan: To think of how close all this was to being destroyed. ::quietly:: A bit like in Ki Baratan.
Adea: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11