LtCmdr Jovenan – Welcome to my kind of fun
Jovenan
((Chief Science Officer’s office, Deck 9, USS Artemis))
Jovenan was having fun.
Just a month earlier, she had been roaming the ship’s library, as she sometimes did, but this time, she had decided to try something new for her. Horror stories easily scared her, so she rarely read them. She had heard of zombies – someone had described the Da’allium-crazy citizens of Tecra as such, not to mention the comparisons to the Borg, so she knew how terrifying they could be – but her understanding of something called vampires was lacking. Hence, her surprise was immense when under the dark exterior of the horror genre, the series she had started turned out to be something of a love story instead. After a reading spree, she could barely contain her anticipation for the last book of the series, which was coming out tomorrow, expecting and hoping to see the vampire lord to kill – execute – the rogue vampires behind the murder of the vampire hunter-turned-vampire who had managed to waken feelings in his unloving heart. Waiting to getting a copy, she had surrounded herself with research on the subject: historical review on the mythological beliefs, a book on the literary influences of the genre, papers on species compared to them from salt vampires and dikironium cloud creatures to the Borg, again.
Nothing was stopping her fun!
Except, of course, someone ringing her doorbell. Alarmed by the sound, she quickly closed the open documents and stashed the books away. Finally straightening her posture and crossing her hands on the table, she spoke to whoever was behind the door.
Jovenan: Come in!
Lt K’Wara entered with a smile. Jovenan responded with a similar expression, although in her mind, she was feeling quite the opposite.
oO Oh no, not you! Oo
As much of a success her trying to match the Lieutenant’s and Commander Munro’s energy after the awards ceremony had been, the fault in her tactic had become obvious to her in the following days: what would she do, if they were to ask her to join their version of fun? She hoped they were here for some work related issue. Some blueshirt using Ops’ resources without permission, for example, or a science experiment causing a warp-core breach.
K’Wara: Hope I’m not interrupting, Commander.
Jovenan: Not at all, please, sit down! How may I help you?
The Lieutenant gave her a PADD before taking a seat.
K’Wara: I assume you’ve seen this one already?
She kept reading the message, despite it being a perplexing and poorly-structured mess of Ferengi legal and financial jargon. The topic had been a source of frustration to her recently, but it had mostly taken place off her desk. She and her scientists had repeatedly argued the research question and the safety of the study, but ultimately, she wasn’t a lawyer nor a diplomat who was tasked dealing with this sort of nonsense.
Jovenan: I’ve been involved in this matter, but I hadn’t read this message. Thank you bringing it to me. I can’t believe the extent they’re going to block the project.
K’Wara: ::waves their hand:: Eh, it’s bureaucratic roadblocks - we should be able to get the project back on schedule in a couple of days once our legal division formulates a proper response - but my curiosity is piqued. I admit I don’t know much about the pod beyond its specifications, and those never meant much to me. ::tips their head towards her:: Word on the grapevine is, though, you're something of an expert on it.
Jovenan blinked a few times before lowering her eyes back to the PADD, pretending to be resuming reading while attempting to keep her smile from coming through.
Jovenan: I don’t know who has been spreading such rumours. But I suppose I’ve learnt the basics during the years.
K’Wara: Response
Jovenan: If you’re familiar with the specifications, there’s little I can teach you here and now. ::stands up:: It’s one of those things that need to be experienced. Please follow me.
K’Wara: Response
Walking around her desk to the door, Jovenan allowed her smile to arise to her face. Although her earlier activities had been interrupted, she was merely transferring from one type of fun to another. They were, after all, staying within her realm; they were going to look at something she was genuinely interested in and wanted to share the fascination of with someone willing to listen.
((A turbolift ride later))
((Sensor pod, USS Artemis))
The door opened to the sensor pod’s main control room. The space’s design was very efficient and utilitarian; the small, separate section above the main hull had to house probe launchers and sensor equipment some scientists and engineers haven’t even heard of, so there were no room for luxuries. Nearly every surface in the control room was covered in computer screens or hardware hatches, while ladders and Jefferies tube accesses provided the means to move between the segments of the pod. In the middle sat the TOV suit system, affectionately named the Beholder. Oh, and it all needed to be easily removable and exchangeable for another configuration, which had been another engineering problem on its own.
Jovenan: Welcome to the pod, one of the most advanced ship-bourne sensor system in Starfleet’s service, and also the reason the ship looks like it has a hunchback.
K’Wara: Response
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11