Lt Jovenan – Missions and admissions
Jovenan
((Grombria’s office, Palais de la Concorde, Paris))
Grombria: Really? Tell me ::he flashed his pearly whites: I want the complete history of Jovenan and her relationship with Starfleet.
The Councillor seemed really interested in her and her career. It shouldn’t have come to Jovenan as such a surprise, after all, he had invited her here in the midst of what were perhaps the most crucial moments for the Federation since the Dominion War. It was only natural he might be interested in what one of the few of his people to venture into the wide galaxy might be facing. Nevertheless, it didn’t help with her awkwardness; she would have preferred to discuss other topics than her personal life.
Jovenan: Well, um, I did go to University of Hurkos first, so I had some experience in fitting in with other cultures. It was more difficult to fit in there than in Starfleet, actually. After a year, I had to take some time off, and I came back essentially pretending to be a human. ::pause:: O-of course, in the Academy, there are plenty of people who experience a proper clash of cultures for the first time.
She had a look at Genkos. They hadn’t discussed his Academy days nor joining Starfleet before, as far as she could remember, even if she had been so lucky as to visit his childhood home and meet one of his friends from that time. The experience varied between cadets, and she didn’t know if Genkos had been one of those who had to learn to live in a different culture like she had. Regardless of how it was, he nodded.
Adea: Very true.
Grombria: And do you get to see many other of us out there in the cosmos?
Jovenan took a moment before responding. The obvious answer would have been no; the closest she had come to someone of her people was when her old family had sent her a letter. She knew that there were some individual Edo people in some of the more populated planets, like Councillor Grombria here on Earth, but she hadn’t had a chance to ever meet them before. There was one exception, though, through a technicality and an unfortunate chance. There had been another one of her.
Jovenan: Actually, I don’t know. I’ve hardly met another Edo since leaving homeworld.
It was a diplomatic answer, one that such an open people as the Edo had rarely learnt to make on their homeworld. It wasn’t a lie, except a lie of omission, which wasn’t much easier to justify. She tried making a stealthy glance at Genkos, who took a moment to realise the meaning of her look. He shook his head, as little as he could ever do so that she could still notice it. It was a clear sign: let’s not discuss this topic with him.
Grombria: What’s that?
Uh oh.
Jovenan: What’s what?
The Councillor stood up and pointed at each of the two officers. It was clear that he had spotted their non-verbal communication attempts. Jovenan tried to produce a reasonable explanation – preferably one that didn’t require lying to their legislators – but her brain kept slashing her for allowing outsiders possibly find out confidential information… again.
Adea: What do you mean?
Grombria: She looked at you, and you shook your head - what’re you communicating? Come on, come on, out with it.
Jovenan pursed her lips together. She looked at Genkos, asking if she should deny everything or if he preferred to take over the discussion. He shrugged in a manner that was not exactly dismissive, but the gesture still implied relentment. It was hardly a clear order from a superior officer to disseminate the ship’s operational information to outsiders, but Jovenan interpreted it as a permission to not having to hide the facts either.
Jovenan: Okay, then. Um. I haven’t actually met a single other Edo after leaving God’s Claims until now… with an exception relating to a past mission of our ship. The details are not publicly available due to the nature of the mission, so I cannot legally reveal any of them without the verification of the security clearances.
She hoped that a mention of the law would bring down the Councillor’s insistence. If he was as violently stereotypical Edo as he appeared, he had the same fear and respect to the rules as she did, and the same understanding of an appropriate punishment for violating those rules.
Grombria/Adea: Response
Frowning a little, she considered her options. The multiverse theory in itself was not a secret, it was taught in most universities in the Federation, but crossings between the universes were rarely a subject of news headlines. She wondered how much the Councillor knew of such theories; it could all come to him as a surprise, or he might know even more than she did thanks to his access to government sources. Either way, she tried not to reveal anything else but what was needed, so she spoke slowly, considering her each word.
Jovenan: We… came across with an Edo, a mediator in fact, and took her on board. She… she was from another universe. Our people exist in that universe as well, so do our world and our God. There were differences, but it was all remarkably similar. And… ::long pause:: she was me. Her universe’s counterpart of me.
She wondered if there was anything else she should have said. Her sister-across-the-universes had told her about their world, things that were different and things that she alleged may be relevant to the people of Jovenan’s universe as well. Should she tell about the attempt to take over the Artemis, Genkos’ counterpart who was still somewhere on the run, or… or something about Vitor, and the love story between the two?
Grombria/Adea: Response
Jovenan: She died as a victim of a crime, trying to stop a crime. We had a ceremony according to our traditions so that her spirit would find peace and fade to everything.
Grombria/Adea: Response
TAG/TBC
----
Lieutenant Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11