LtJG Jovenan – Of Laws, Morals, and Family
Jovenan
((Hiro’s Quarters, Deck 3, USS Artemis))
Jones: ::smiling at her open concern:: We're genuinely fine. I don't think they got a paw on either of us. The whole thing was over pretty quickly, to be honest.
Jovenan sat down again. Hiro’s news of him and Luxa being attacked on Cait had been something of a shock to her, but if Hiro said they were fine, then she didn’t have a reason to question it. She didn’t like the way he seemed to undermine the scale and effects of the attack by only telling about it when asked and then emphasising how quick it had been, but if he said something, she believed him.
Jovenan: ::exhales deep:: That’s good to hear. I’m sorry for overreacting, Hiro. What about Luxa? Is she okay?
Jones: I should follow up with her to make sure she's handling the emotional fallout ok, but physically she's fine.
She nodded and leaned her head against her hand. Crimes like piracy surviving on the very edges of the Federation was not that big of a surprise, but she couldn’t fathom there being such common thugs still existing on a Federation core world. The Federation was supposed to be a utopia, yet one could get assaulted on bright daylight even in the safest areas. Sure, that could happen anywhere, but violent crime was practically non-existent in her old homeworld, and if it did happen, there would be consequences.
Jovenan: It’s just infuriating that there can still be anyone alive like that, attacking innocent people in a Federation world. Do you know who the attackers were? Did they at least get arrested?
Jones: Well, no. They didn't. They ran once they realized they weren't a match for us.
The way Hiro emphasized the world “they” was weird, but she wasn’t going to get stuck with it.
Jovenan: Pity. What happened next, did you report it to the authorities?
Jones: Yyyyyyeah. We spent a few hours in a Caitian detention cell.
At first, Jovenan didn’t understand what he had said. Had they walked to a Caitian police station, and it had taken them a few hours to report the incident? No, that’s not what he had said. He had said that he and Luxa had been incarcerated. The expression on her face remained blank as her brain tried to tie in everything he had told her. She had been so focused on worrying for Hiro’s and Luxa’s wellbeing she had missed the fact that they had been defending themselves, that is, throwing back some punches. It wasn’t a one-sided assault with the victims lying on the ground doing nothing; they had been in a fight!
Jovenan: You were in jail! How did you get out?
Jones: The Captain herself came. We told her what happened, and I explained how we found ourselves in a bad situation, but regained control by using as little force as was necessary.
Oof, the Captain. There was a woman who, by her reputation at least, would be doing a gig as an Edo mediator in another life.
Jovenan: What did the Captain say?
Jones: She must have seen the validity of our defense, because there weren't any formal disciplinary measures taken.
It appeared that, by Hiro’s account, they had operated correctly. Jovenan had picked up criminal and a few other law courses in the Academy, mostly because the very different moral and legal philosophy confused her, and according to the most Federation world legal codes, self-defence was justified if only reasonable force was used. She wasn’t sure yet to if she entirely agreed with their actions, but by the sound of it, they had done right, and the Captain seemed to have agreed with that conclusion.
Jovenan: So, she had you released.
Jones: ::chuckling:: No. No she didn't release us. I think even though she believed our story, it's still part of her job to make sure she doesn't set a precedent by letting us go Scott-free. She left us there for another couple hours until Commander Adea came for us. He was ... displeased, but in the end, we got out and the three of us got some dinner.
She nodded and turned her eyes from Hiro to the half-eaten slider. Fiddling with the edge of the plate, she tried to clear up and recognize her feelings. Fighting was wrong. Hiro and Luxa had been wrong to fight, and back home, the authorities hadn’t been as lenient as the Caitians and the ship staff had been. It would have been sad to lose them… But it hadn’t been them who had disturbed the peace. They had a justification to use force, and if it hadn’t been the other people breaking the law, they would have never needed to use it at all. She must have appeared gloomy just staring at her meal, leaning against her hand and not talking.
Jovenan: Did you… learn something?
Jones: Response
Jovenan: I guess that’s the benefit on leniency. I’m just happy that you’re okay.
She picked up the slider from her plate. The atmosphere in the quarters was very different from what it had been when they had made the small delicacies. In a way, she wanted to return to that moment, or resume as if nothing had happened. And she knew they would, but right now they needed a little more time.
Jones: Response
Jovenan: I grew up with completely different morals, ones that wouldn’t be as… flexible. I don’t always understand reasoning behind some of the actions you all make, but in this case, I don’t think you did anything wrong. Based on what you told, there was nothing else you could have done. That might not be enough in where I’m from, but… ::pause for deep breath, lifts eyes to Jones:: I don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s the morality I want to go by. Please don’t fight again.
Jones: Response
Jovenan: I’m sorry if my reaction wasn’t what you had hoped for, I… Wait. Were you worried of how I would react? But you’re my brother, I would never be angry at you!
Jones: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Jovenan
Science officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11