Lt Jovenan – Defenestration of logic
Jovenan
((Chez Adea, Dekoa, Betazed))
Elain: I don’t think you’re tough. I think you’re a stupid bully and you smell.
Jovenan hadn’t known Tevet for long, but she had found the Betazoid a strong, determinate person, both as an adult and as a child on a war-torn planet. In either case, she hadn’t anticipated her to go as far as to insult a nigh omnipotent entity’s body odor.
Jovenan: That’s, um, not exactly how we would put that.
CloQ laughed. Since her early childhood – which, given their current timeframe, was right now – Jovenan had been taught to treat others with respect and never to do others what they didn’t wish to be done. Her shock and partial apology to CloQ had nearly been an automatic reaction to her, but now she didn't know what to do next. The Q were mysterious, and she didn’t know if to take the laughter as a sign of not minding the insult, or as amusement over their plans for punishing Tevet. With what she had read about the gods of other cultures, they all could be in grave danger.
CloQ: That’s because, my dear… Jovenan is it? ::they raised a pale hand and pointed a slender finger at her.:: That’s because you are a coward. ::the moving finger pointed at Gila:: Although not as much as Anxiety McNervous over there.
Jovenan quickly shut her mouth. To her surprise, her initial reaction to the insult was disappointment. Coward? Well, yes. Sure, she had experienced a lot during the last year or so, but she had indisputably also been afraid for most of the time. She just didn’t expect to hear that being to straight to her face by a Q. She lowered her gaze to her feet for a moment.
Adea: Leave my crew alone, CloQ.
Elain: Response
Without realising the juxtaposition compared to what CloQ had just said about her, Jovenan gently shoved Tevet behind her. It wouldn’t do anything against a Q, but it wasn’t really about shielding the small child. CloQ was right, she was afraid of them. But still, she wasn’t petrified nor fleeing. No, she was still standing her ground. She wasn’t letting this being insult Doctor Sadar and Genkos and threaten them all.
Genkos joined her, standing by her side. Jovenan found new defiance within herself.
Jovenan: You did bring us to her, you must have known she was like that. She even threatened us with a knife! You must have had some purpose in doing so.
CloQ: Purpose? ::their anger was barely concealed:: My purpose is to make your Betazoid friends confront their pasts. You’ve got mummy issues Dakora, and then the doctor here has been running from every trauma he’s ever had. He’s terrified that if he ever stops to confront any of them, well… ::they raised a brow at Genkos:: What do you think will happen, doctor?
Her eyebrows slightly risen out of surprise, Jovenan turned to Genkos. Not revenge nor boredom, but forcing Genkos and Talos face their issues? That was supposed to be CloQ’s motivation? Genkos stepped forward, standing in front of them all.
Adea: Put Betazed to how it was, CloQ, leave my crew alone and play your games elsewhere.
Elain: Response
Instead of responding to the demand, CloQ just… vanished. One moment they were standing before the team, obnoxious and arrogant, and the next, they were gone. That’s it? That was all they had to say for them? In front of their eyes, Genkos hit his fist to a desk. Jovenan was worried of him. He had almost always appeared calm and controlled, and the last time Jovenan had seen him react like that was when he was under the effect of Da’allium and tried to kill her. But this, this had turned from just unusual to very personal mission for him. Jovenan wanted to go console him, but he was already giving them orders.
Adea: Right, we know that the Romulans joined late, and that’s why Betazed is still under Dominion rule. Last time we faced CloQ, they created an inter-weaving lattice of times and places - perhaps there’s a way we can find our ways back in time and correct the timeline.
Jovenan nodded. There was a solid logic behind the idea, but not much else. They were here at the whim of CloQ, they didn’t exactly have a time machine.
Sadar: L-Lieutenant, the incident that prompted the Romulans to join the Dominion War was the assassination of a Senator of theirs. His name was, uhh, Vee… No, Vree. Vreenek. Did the reports you read mention anything about his passing, or is he still alive in this timeline?
Huh. Jovenan remembered reading something about to the subject. A Romulan Senator was assassinated by the Dominion, causing the Romulans to abandon their policy of neutrality and join the Alliance. If that one murder hadn’t happened, the Romulans would have indeed not been in the First Battle of Chin’toka.
Jovenan: Vreenek, yes, that must have been it. Uh, I don’t think I saw anything about him. ::sits down, searches his name:: No, nothing recent enough, at least nothing that would have been made available. You’re right, his assassination could be the difference in the two timelines, but we can’t really do anything about it… ::to Adea:: Can we?
Elain: Response
Adea: Open every door you can, even cupboards, and just check to see if there’s anywhere you don’t expect. Tevet, does that sound familiar - is there a door that doesn’t budge in this house?
Elain: Response
The team went onto look for… something. Their opponent was an illogical being capable of nonsensical things, so they were in look of anything that didn’t belong in their world. Opening each door, cupboard and closet made Jovenan realise how much more it made her hate the Q. She was a scientist, for God’s sake, hunting for magic portals put there by a person who by all physical laws of the universe shouldn’t exist.
Sadar: But Qs don’t use doors… ‘Even cupboards’...
Jovenan: Hm, did you say something?
Adea/Elain: Response
Doctor Sadar didn’t respond immediately, but instead sprinted off after a few seconds of thinking. Jovenan exchanged confused looks with Genkos and Tevet before looking back to Doctor Sadar running to the study again. Just a moment later, Doctor Sadar returned, close the door behind her and spoke to them.
Sadar: Sirs! Miss Tevet! I found something!
Jovenan: What is it?
Adea/Elain: Response
Doctor Sadar guided them back into the study, waving at a boarded-up window. Taking a look between the planks, Jovenan expected to see the yard by the house, but instead a view of a completely different city appeared.
Sadar: It might be Romulan? Romulan architecture is by no means an area of expertise of mine though, so, well… ::twists anxiety band::
Jovenan: ::pulling away from the window:: I, uh, can’t explain this in anyway expect that CloQ must have left it here. It’s not just an image, although it could still be a hologram or a transdimensional lens… or a portal to where and whenever that is.
Adea/Elain: Response
Sadar: Yes Sir. But, uhh… What about Miss Tevet?
Adea/Elain: Response
An eyebrow high in her forehead, Jovenan looked at her team with doubt in her heart. Their situation didn’t make any sense whatsoever, but she didn’t want them to throw all logic out of the window before throwing themselves through the magic window.
Jovenan: Sir, if that place really is Romulus or Cardassia or whatever, we would be captured immediately after being spotted. This house is much safer than what’s out there. Wouldn’t it make sense to plan our mission first before stepping through. Like, what would we even be doing there? Assassinate the Senator ourselves?
And Jovenan, for certain, wasn’t going to be doing that.
Adea/Elain/Sadar: Response
Jovenan also had another question. They were surrounded by a war, destruction, and a Q, yet Jovenan feared asking that question almost more than any of those. It had potential in hurting her colleague and friend.
Jovenan: And, um, sir, if I may… CloQ said they are doing this because of you running away from your, um, traumas. Are… Are you sure running from your childhood home to another time and planet is the right course of action, sir?
Adea/Elain/Sadar: Response
((OOC: Sorry for the delay. I probably won’t be able to write Elain’s response until late tomorrow, so please feel free to skip her.))
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11