Ensign Jovenan – There are only bad options in chaos
Jovenan
((OOC: Kris says he missed my previous tags to Jones, and I forgot to add =/\=s anyway. I’ll add the conversation here again and move on, although the situation with team Yalu has changed a bit. I’m also acknowledging Kawarda’s call now, posted under Curiouser and Curiouser a few weeks ago.))
((Courtyard, Palace of Culture, Tecra, Meranuge IV))
Jovenan sprinted back to the courtyard. The dust was almost everywhere, and it all contained the weird gallium compound Jones had discovered. It was in the air, it was on every surface, the Da’al were all covered in it. The substance was unusual, it fluctuated when it should have teared itself apart, and it was omnipresent. Meanwhile the refugees were near rioting and Commander Adea was seemingly sick or sensing something.
She tapped her combadge.
Jovenan: =/\= Ensign Jovenan to Ensign Jones! =/\=
Jones: =/\= Response =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= I need to be quick; we might have a potential riot at our hands! The molecular compound was almost definitely formed by the impact, but something is causing the molecule to persist and fluctuate in its charge. I’m still looking into that. =/\=
Jones: =/\= Response? =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= It’s everywhere, in the dust! I found some of it here, mostly in the areas with dust covered Da’al refugees. I presume there’s more of it there. =/\=
Jones: =/\= Response =/\=
There was something more that made Jovenan wary.
Jovenan: =/\= Jones… Is it possible this aerosol could have biological effects? Commander Adea started feeling off when the Da’al crowd brought more dust in. But… none of the others have been affected. =/\=
Jones: =/\= Response =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= So we might be in danger? I’ll inform Commander Adea, Jovenan out! =/\=
Jones: =/\= Response? =/\=
The dust was clearly affecting the Da’al, making them more aggressive! That would explain why Ms Kleebohn was so easily aggravated, and why the refugees in the distribution area had rushed in with such force. But if Jones’ prediction of worsening situation was correct, they might need to evacuate or even defend themselves. Her team was surrounded by Da’al, and they were mostly unarmed. Things could go very bad very fast.
She was turning to return to her team, when her combadge bleeped.
Kawarda: =/\= Ensign Kawarda to Ensign Jovenan. =/\=
This was a bad timing. However, considering Kawarda had been studying the course of the meteor, he might have vital information. Jovenan replied.
Jovenan: =/\= Jovenan here =/\=
Kawarda: =/\= Ensign, the task to which you set me is complete. I am sending you the results, but I believe you should be discrete with them until we know more. I will leave it to your discretion as to whether you think the findings are pivotal enough to bring to Commander MacKenzie's attention. =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= I’m somewhat occupied now, could you send me the report and I’ll take a look when I can? =/\=
Kawarda: =/\= Understood. Kawarda out. =/\=
The file transfer was initiated, but Jovenan ignored it for now. She would have time to read it later, right now she needed to report to her superiors. Leaving the calm courtyard, she entered the chaos of the distribution area.
((Distribution Area, Palace of Culture, Tecra, Meranuge IV))
Jovenan found her team where she had left them. The refugee crowd was still somewhat unorganized, but at least they didn’t seem violent right now. Whatever Lt Silveira had done with his motivational speech, it seemed to have contained the crowd just enough, although if things got worse as Jones had predicted, they would be in big trouble.
The motivational speech didn’t seem to affect her team and Ms Kleebohn, however. As she spotted them, they were arguing with one another. The Da’al coordinator was shouting at her colleagues, while they were trying to reason with her. Stress and poor training could explain a lot of Ms Kleebohn’s behaviour, but Jovenan doubted she would be openly aggressive towards a relief aid team if not under the influence of the dust.
Silveira: I did not raise my voice and risked myself to a crowd to have anyone else screw it up. You want to start arguing? I recommend you do it privately, not in front of a volatile crowd of survivors. You know what’s the only rule of this kind of disaster?
Adea/Kleebohn/Kag: Response
Jovenan: Commander.
Jovenan tried to catch Commander Adea’s attention, but he was too engaged with the debate to hear her. She’d need to get closer.
Silveira: Bury the dead, take care of the living. Now can we do that Miss Kleebohn?
Adea/Kleebohn/Kag: Response
Jovenan: Commander!
That was enough to get the attention of the Commander, not only his, but the entire team’s and Ms Kleebohn’s. They all fell silent for a second and turned to her.
Jovenan: Commander, Ensign Jones and I have discovered something. We believe it’s important.
Adea/Kleebohn/Silveira/Kag: Response
She looked at Ms Kleebohn at the corner of her eye. In her aggressive state, the coordinator was a liability. There was no way of knowing how she would react if Jovenan told the Commander that the Da’al were dangerous and she was under the effect of grumpy powder. But if she asked Commander Adea to talk with her privately, Ms Kleebohn might think they were conspiring against her. There were only poor options. Not to mention the fact that Commander Adea might also be affected.
Jovenan: We might be in danger.
Adea/Kleebohn/Silveira/Kag: Response
TAG/TBC
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Ensign Jovenan
Science officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11