LtCmdr Jovenan – Criminals? You want them dead or executed?
Jovenan
((Main Thoroughway, Old Trail Town – Holodeck 1, Deck 2, USS Artemis))
Jovenan knew that history was a dangerous place. Most cultures across the Federation told stories of their chaotic pasts, of wars and discord. Humans were perhaps the prime example of that, Jovenan knew of that, even if she was in her journeys – or her actual travels in time – yet to actually witness human aggression. It was the world of books and stories where she could find that. So far, the holodeck adventure didn’t seem as bad as she had anticipated.
Western Man: You folks talked enough? I’m already close to losing money dealing with you, I ain’t got time to waste too.
Turning away from her partners, Jovenan shot the horse seller as pleasant a smile she could. He was clearly growing impatient, which could hurt their chances of acquiring the horses from him, which would indicate a bad future for their adventure, seeing that from what she had heard from Munro and Vitor, horses were a central part of a Western story. And although weapons were apparently common in this setting, Jovenan didn’t know if this interaction would lead to violence. Not even ancient humans, surely?
Jovenan: Just a moment longer, good sir! ::to the others:: I say we go for it.
Munro: Let's get the horses :: the western man :: What you got for us then?
Jovenan nodded to Munro and walked with her closer to the salesman again. The large animals didn’t appear any less intimidating, but at least she could see that their eyes were bright with curiosity rather than aggression. Perhaps it wasn’t going to be that bad, it might even be as fun as history had painted it as. She would her own curiosity slowly overcoming the fear and anxiety she had for them.
Silveira: Horse riding it is.
K’Wara: ::sheepish grin:: So it seems.
Western Man: Good choice, gentlefolks. Let’s see the fares, then. These here are Willow, Rusty and Clover. ::pats a horse’s side:: You ain’t gonna find better carriage draw horses anywhere on this side of the Mississippi. Or if you still want those docile riding beasts, Scout and Annie will do the job. Then there’s Thunder. Can run faster than a bullet. Didn’t do much good for the previous owner, but ain’t the horse to blame for a bad aim, ain’t it?
Munro: I've got Thunder :: smiles confidently :: Scout and Annie for my col - friends here :: points to Tamio and Jovenan :: And Rusty for Our Man Silver.
While the horse trader and Munro were talking, Jovenan’s attention had been drawn by the two horses the man had identified as Annie and Scout. She didn’t know how to tell the two apart from each other or from the rest of the pack, but after he had mentioned that they were the docile riding horses, she could see that they were taking their approach calmer than some of the others. Head slightly tilted aside, they didn’t paw the ground or move nervously, just responded to their looks. Jovenan gave them a wavering smile. Only when she realised that the horse merchant was making a funny expression hearing Vitor’s clipped name did she turn back towards her partners. Vitor was standing a bit taller.
Silveira: Rusty it is then.
Western Man: I had no idea, please please, you can have them for 200 :: swallows :: We had heard you were … taller.
Jovenan raised an eyebrow, and not just about the comment on Vitor’s height. Had this man heard of him before? Then she realised what had likely happened: they were in Munro’s holodeck programme, so it was most certainly not a coincidence that she had used a version of Vitor’s last name that the characters recognised. She wondered if it was just Vitor or if all of them had a programmed identity in this setting. Whichever it was, she studied Vitor’s expression, trying to see if she saw a hint of pride in it to mirror hers.
Munro: What you say Silver? Do you accept this man's apology?
Silveira: There’s no reason to apologise, and if it’s a fair deal I am pleased with it.
Noticing that K’Wara had moved to gear up one of their horses, Jovenan joined them. They had picked Annie, leaving Scout for Jovenan. K’Wara had almost got the straps of the, um, saddle, if Jovenan got the word right, around the horse and tightened up, so she tried to hurry before she’d be left behind. However, Scout was looking at her intensely when she approached it. She extended her hand towards it and slowly inched closer until the tips of her fingers grazed its short fur. Scout didn’t seem to mind, quite the opposite, it moved its head as if to encourage Jovenan to brush it. The fur was coarser than she had expected, and she patted the horse lightly. Seeing that K’Wara was all done, she hurried with the saddles and other gear she couldn’t even name. Hopefully the holodeck was merciful with her and didn’t mind her poor work.
K'Wara: He's got a way with people.
Jovenan: ::smirks:: That he do.
Meanwhile, the humans were finishing the trade, and Munro was approaching one of the horses.
Munro: Atta boy.
Vitor counted and gave the horse seller slips of paper and metallic discuses. The man seemed satisfied with what he received, and soon after, Vitor joined them.
Silveira: Which one is Rusty?
Jovenan: ::looks around, points at a horse:: Maybe that’s the one? The one with reddish brown fur.
Munro: It's okay.
Jovenan glanced at what Munro was doing, at it seemed that her horse, Thunder, was resisting the saddle. It was completely different from Scout, who didn’t seem to mind Jovenan’s presence. If anything, it gave her subtle signs that it was enthusiastic to get to ride with her, not that she actually understood how horses communicated. The saddle was all strapped, but before she’d mount it, she patted the side of the horse, until she found the courage to press the side of her head against its neck.
Jovenan: ::to Scout, quietly:: Thank you for being so calm. I hope you’re okay if I hop on.
She then placed her foot on the, um, stirrup, but before she’d jump, she realised that she was about to make mistake. Swapping the foot first, she placed the other foot on it and hopped, and after that landed short, hopped again, this time successfully swinging her leg above and over Scout’s back, landing on the saddle, facing the front as intended. She felt suddenly very tall, watching the floor far below her and objects she left behind slightly smaller. Signalling to Scout to go forwards, she found it move just as she had anticipated. The corner of her lip was twitching with a smile and a laughter as she straightened her back, being as tall as she ever could. She looked at Vitor, and the wide smile erupted to her face as she noticed his expression.
Silveira: It isn’t that bad.
K'Wara: Buddy, we haven't even cleared the hangar bay yet.
Jovenan: Are we all ready to leave, then?
Munro: Let's go find some bandits!
Jovenan’s mouth was round when she heard Munro’s gleeful shout. Bandits? The Commander had mentioned something along those lines when she had first introduced her to the genre on Ferenginar, but she hadn’t expected that they’d actually face them on their first visit to the holodeck. She was aware of the danger that they may face, but she reminded herself that this was nothing but a holodeck adventure – there were rarely any real consequences in these stories. She allowed a smile to return to her face. Hunting for criminals, huh? That she could do.
Silveira: And if that doesn’t work I have a few things for us to cook us a picnic.
Ooh. Vitor’s picnic sounded pretty good too. However, before he could further argue his plan, he stopped and something briefly flashed in his face. Was something wrong?
Silveira: Dammit I forgot one thing…. Beans…
K’Wara let out a laughter.
K'Wara: Small mercies!
Jovenan: Don’t worry, Vitor. Maybe we’ll find someone who has beans in here, and if not, I’m sure you can create something delicious without them too.
Munro: Response
While they were getting accustomed to their horses and talking about food, some other riders had approached the horse salesman. When Jovenan peeked at them in the middle of their conversation, she noticed the man to gesture towards them, towards Vitor, she believed, and the horsemen turned their rides towards the group. Jovenan stopped, as did the others. Her smile faded – was this trouble? Were these the bandits they were supposed to face?
K'Wara: New friends?
She looked at Vitor for confirmation, finding him with a raised eyebrow. She turned back towards the riders, noticing a star emblem in their chest, though she didn’t know the meaning of it. They both removed their hats and nodded them their greeting.
Sheriff: Are you Silver? ::he looked at Munro, Nan and Tamio in turn:: Are you all with him?
Silveira: Why are you asking… Sheriff?
Jovenan didn’t know the meaning of the word. She could have tried to guess the etymology and derive the meaning from there, but unlike some other times before, all she could muster was “she” and “riff”, which didn’t make much sense, or a fairly similar sounding word “shire”, which also didn’t help her much. She directed Scout slightly closer to Munro and Thunder.
Jovenan: ::quietly, to Munro:: Sheriff?
Munro: Response
Oh.
The old Sheriff rode closer to them and offered his hand to Vitor. K’Wara seemed tense with the interaction, a sentiment Jovenan also shared, seeing that she didn’t know if the law enforcement in this part of the word and age was entirely trustworthy.
Sheriff: Samson. Elias Samson. I'm the sheriff around here and when Hoss here ::he pointed to the Horse Trader:: said Silver was in town I had to come and shake your hand.
Vitor removed his hat, and Jovenan noticed that he now had a smile. He took the old man’s hand and shook it, allowing Jovenan to relax a bit, even if she noticed the look he gave to Munro before addressing the Sheriff again.
Silveira: The pleasure is mine, Sheriff Samson. Vitor Silver… At your service
K’Wara turned to Jovenan and Munro with a grin.
K'Wara: Do the rest of us get fancy names too, or are we "Silver's Possé"?
Munro: Response
Sheriff: I don't know what brings you to Cody, but please, allow me to offer you a drink at the Gilded Chairs.
That must be the local lounge. Jovenan looked at her partners for clues as to if they’d go there – there might have been some genre-specific allusions hidden in the invite. Given that their objective was to hunt for bounty, forming connections with the law enforcement seemed reasonable, but at the same time, it was away from their time dedicated to actually catching the bandits.
K'Wara: Gee, I dunno, Sheriff. Silver here has some mighty important business to be attending to. You know, beans and such.
Oh, so, not going? Jovenan tried to play along, with limited understanding of the events happening around her.
Jovenan: We might be limited in our time. ::looks up to the sky:: The Sol’s moving mighty fast.
Munro/Silveira: Response
Sheriff: ::clearly put on the spot:: ... Of course. My apologies. Bounty hunters of your caliber pass through Cody so rarely, I got ahead of myself.
Jovenan felt oddly sorry for the old Sheriff. He was programmed to enthusiastic about meeting Vitor, and they were robbing him of the opportunity. Sure, he was “just a hologram”, but like all holodeck creations, he was very lifelike. K’Wara let out a sigh. They must have had the same thoughts.
K'Wara: I mean, I guess we can at least hear him out?
Jovenan: ::shrugs:: Maybe he knows where the bandits are?
Munro/Silveira: Response
K'Wara: Hey, you heard him. We're "bounty hunters". Shouldn't we live up to the rep? ::peers at Ava:: In the spirit of adventure, and all that?
Munro/Silveira: Response
Nodding, Jovenan raised her voice and shouted after the Sheriff.
Jovenan: Hey, Mister Sheriff! ::rides closer:: We’ve reconsidered your kind offer.
Sheriff: How wonderful! Come with me, I’ll buy you all a round!
Munro/Silveira/K’Wara: Response
Jovenan rode with Scout, following the Sheriff and his Assistant with her partners. The old man led them to one of the wooden houses, one with the word “Saloon” written boldly above the door. Following the example of her partners, she jumped off of Scout and tied the, um, reins to a pole. She brushed Scout’s side and pressed her cheek briefly against it, before looking down to the watering trough. It didn’t particularly clean. Worry for Scout flashed in her face, but she had to remind her that this was probably the kind of water and food all the horses were given around here, and they were doing just fine. Waving Scout a goodbye, she followed her partners through a pair of swinging doors inside.
The interior of the saloon was far noisier than Jovenan had anticipated. A dozen men or so, all talking fairly loudly, with only a few of them silent, focused on their drinks. Some of them were playing cards, others merely talking to each other, and was also a person playing an upright piano in the corner.
The Sheriff walked to the bar, leaning against it, and spoke to the woman behind it.
Sheriff: Bourbon! And a poison of choice for Mister Silver and his friends!
Munro/Silveira/K’Wara: Response
Jovenan: Excuse me, do you have hot chocolate, please? ::to the Sheriff:: So, um, Mister Sheriff. Do you happen to know if there’s bounty to be hunted?
Sheriff: There are always criminals to be caught in these lands. But… ::pause, glances at each of them:: Well, I shouldn’t be saying this. If it were anyone else, I would be telling you to focus on those petty criminals or to go home, but with your reputation…
Munro/Silveira/K’Wara: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11