LtCmdr Jovenan – Chatting with the divine
Jovenan
((Arboretum, First Promenade, Deck 225, DS224))
Jovenan: It has been fascinating, Captain. Obviously, there has been challenges, but I’m proud that we’ve been able to overcome them together.
Two years. Over two years in the same crew, almost two years on the Artemis, and Jovenan still couldn’t set aside her nervousness around the Captain. Working with the competent yet fierce and – to be entirely honest – somewhat intimidating Commanding Officer had not been an issue for her, at least not any more, but it was the divide between the personal and professional realms that kept her from being truly comfortable around the Captain. Even such a question as “how’ve you found your service?” was far too intimate to answer openly. The Captain’s brows burrowed. She must have been able to see through Jovenan’s response.
MacKenzie: Frontier Day certainly disrupted things for all of us… What are your impressions of how the science team has been handling the aftermath?
This
was more of a question Jovenan had expected from the Captain. It
was easier to answer as well, and something she wanted to talk about.
She spent much time at the Science Centre and with her fellow
scientists and laboratory personnel, and she put in personal effort to
make the department work smoothly, so
she knew how the things were
at the department. The time spent reflecting her own feelings and faring paled in comparison.
Jovenan: Things are starting to return to normal. We lacked resources already, but we didn’t suffer as grave losses as the other departments. Scientist tend to be a bit older and know how to stay out of trouble, I guess. With the, um, replacement personnel arriving steadily, we’ll soon reach the same level of efficiency we had before the Frontier Day.
MacKenzie: It will be slower going for the fleet as a whole – in order to make it back to where we were before the attack, Starfleet projects it will be at least a decade… ::She paused a moment to breathe in through her nose before smiling and pivoting topics.:: Is there anything exciting on your radar these days?
Jovenan: Actually, I was just about to forward a research proposal from Lieutenant Edgington for your consideration. It concerns a comet carrying biological matter expected to crash onto a planet later this year near the Azure Nebula. ::pause:: If… if I may still presume we still have time for purely scientific diversions in our current tactical situation, sir?
She allowed some enthusiasm to shine through as she started to explain the proposal, but the further she went, she started to hesitate. Starfleet had just lost several ships and casualties were massive. Jovenan had hoped that their return to the Borderlands marked the return to the original mission of exploration, but given the tumultuous times they lived in, she wasn’t sure if the defensive objectives of the fleet and of the ship would demand more of their time.
MacKenzie: I think we’re far enough away from the core of Starfleet operations that we don’t need to be quite as concerned – at least, no more than we had been before with all the threats that exist in the Borderlands… (beat) It sounds like a fascinating project – do you know much more about it?
Jovenan: We would be observing and monitoring the microbe levels in selected places on the planet’s surface and in the atmosphere before and after the crash. We’re looking to challenge our models on the survivability, vitality and spreading range of the biological matter in that scenario. It would take some time, but it would greatly help us understand the mechanism through which life has propagated across the galaxy.
MacKenzie: Well, in that case, tell Edgington to dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s” and I’m happy to consider the project.
Jovenan: Thank you, sir. I will.
Jovenan
lowered her gaze down the railing and to the small stream under the
bridge. It reminded her of the brook that ran near her childhood
home. She and the other children in the community had been told not
to go too near to it, so they didn’t, but they had sometimes sat nearby and watch the
water flow past. Jovenan would have wanted to run along it and see where
it ended, but there had not been much support for such an idea, and
besides, as she later learnt looking over some maps, the small brook joined other streams into one of the longest rivers in the
region. She smiled a little, looking the water flow down. She
wondered what the Captain would have said if she had asked her to come
along and see where it went. It was probably better not to try her luck.
MacKenzie: Do you have any particular plans for your time off?
The smile didn’t vanish entirely from Jovenan’s face, but her lips were pressed tighter together. Back to the personal questions, it seemed. She felt bad for wanting to avoid responding, considering it was the type of question she wouldn’t have second thoughts asking from Genkos or Talos. Was the Captain seeking to befriend her too, or was this just something captains did so that the crew found them more relatable and someone to be loyal to? Had the Captain always been like this, or had the Frontier Day changed her? Or was it a senior crew thing Jovenan had not been exposed to before her recent promotion?
Jovenan: Uh, not really. I was touring the station since I’ve only been here a few times before, and I already had dinner with Commanders Dakora and Salkath. I suppose I’ll get time in the lab and then some relaxation.
MacKenzie: Response
Jovenan: I enjoy running, especially long-distance. I thought this arboretum would provide a nicer backdrop and some variation to the track at the Fitness Centre on the ship.
MacKenzie: Response
The rules of conversation dictated that Jovenan should have asked the Captain the same – and Jovenan never broke the rules – but at the same time, the idea clashed with the image Jovenan had of the Captain and captains in general. How do you have a casual conversation with someone who you’re supposed to respect so highly, nigh sacrosanct? Then again, she had grown to learn that Lt Commanders and even Commanders were people too and many of them very likeable ones as well, so maybe the same was true for Fleet Captains. After all, she had been there when Commander MacKenzie had been promoted Captain, and there hadn’t been any magical transformation in her person. Maybe she was being genuine.
Jovenan: And, um, how about you, sir? Do you have any plans or activities in mind before we leave the station?
MacKenzie: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11