Ensign Jaran Jira - Sociology 101
Jira Jaran
((Geology lab, Deck 9, USS Artemis))
Jaran: And you? You're Edo, if I remember correctly. I didn't know many Edo left the planet, much less became Starfleet scientists. Why is that?
Jovenan: Hm? Oh, um… Most people don’t see a reason why they would leave or do any of that, I suppose. Nothing to push or pull you away, if you’re like most people and want the same things, since you can just get them. No need for achievement, adventure, jealousy, curiosity. So, why bother leaving?
Jira picked up that this was just the most recent in a long history of answering that question. They felt vaguely embarrassed for having asked and shifted on their feet.
Jaran: I guess that makes sense. Change requires a need for change, and there isn't a whole lot of need in that environment
The results were done. Jovenan tilted her head to a side.
Jovenan: Okay, we have a nice picture of the sample, but I’d like to observe what you said about the lightnings. We can try different set-ups, but it would help if you happened to remember something about when that happened. Was it like the thunderstorms on Bajor, for example? What happened to the rocks after the lightning hit them?
Jira's eyes glazed over as they turned their mind back to that day of chaos. So much had happened, and they hadn't even hit the worst of it.
Jaran: A purple sky with spikes of red lightning. The wind was intense. Most of the lightning was landing on the points of the larger yellow stone formations, but it also struck among the trees in the forested area. Maybe 300 metres away? I didn't count how long between strikes, but it wasn't long. The stone would crack and shatter when it was struck, and small pieces would fly out of larger chunks pretty easily.
She nodded and moved the sample to a different set-up across the room. While working on that process, Jovenan continued where they'd left off with their earlier conversation.
Jovenan: I am like most Edo. I like running. I eat vegetarian most of the time. I pray to our God occasionally, even if they can’t hear me from this far. And Starfleet’s order is a decent replacement for our rule-based society, even if there are differences. I just… didn’t find my people’s version of instant gratification something I wanted. ::shrugs, smiles:: Not special, just different. The culture shock after leaving was just as debilitating. I would imagine the switch from a monastery to stopping someone from pulling off a coup and running away from predators was a drastic change for you too, am I right?
She made a good point, and it spoke well to her resilience and versatility that she was in the position she had. Jira considered the comparison to their own life.
Jaran: It was a slow shift from there to here, but you're not wrong. You may be one of the few here who understands that level of change, now that I think of it.
Jovenan: Response
Something she said had stuck in Jira's mind, and they couldn't help but ask. They unconsciously thumbed their ear.
Jaran: You said you still pray to your god, even if they can't hear you. What makes you so sure of that?
Jovenan: Response
Jira had learned about the Edo god while at the Academy. They were part of a single lecture titled "Aliens Worshipped As Deities." The Prophets had been mentioned in it, too, along with the Founders of the Gamma Quadrant. Jira had been much younger and had filed a complaint with the department over that one; they'd never received a response.
They understood Jovenan, to a degree. To persist, in spite of the prevailing view, was a mark of some sort of character. Depending on your point of view, that could be either good or bad. Jira appreciated it. But that would have to wait. A light was flashing on a display.
Jaran: This deserves further discussion, but it looks like something is happening?
Jovenan: Response