Lt Jovenan – Familiar doubts
Jovenan
((Grombria’s office, Palais de la Concorde, Paris))
Jovenan: Thank you for the invite. It’s an honour to meet you… sir.
It was an awkward thing to say. While Councillor Grombria lacked personal position in the direct chain of command, his place in the order of precedence was massively above hers or Genkos’. But he was also one of her people, for whom such expressions usually meant little. She had learnt that it was always better to be overtly formal than too casual with offworlders of high status, and perhaps the Councillor had the same experience and would appreciate the effort even if it had been misplaced.
Grombria: Please, call me Grombria. Do you mind if I call you Jovenan? ::without waiting for an answer:: Of course, the honour is all mine - it’s not very often I get to spend time with one of Edo’s wayward children, even the ones who’ve upped and joined the Starfleet. ::looking over at Genkos:: You must be one of Jovenan’s superior officers ::without waiting for an answer:: Very kind of you to come, very kind indeed.
Adea: My pl-
Grombria: So, how long have you been with the fleet? Tell me your life story ::he raised a finger:: Quickly now, I’m a very busy man ::he laughed:: Go on.
Jovenan blinked a few times rapidly. Grombria’s warning about his “excessive personality” started to make much more sense. She had underestimated his casualness, that much was obvious, but she was amazed and confused how different approaches she and Grombria seemed to have in dealing with the offworlders. He had remained as chirpy and open as a stereotypical Edo could. If anything – seeing him hold his drink of “something” – he had absorbed features of the offworlder cultures to enforce those traits. But why then had she had to change so much of herself?
Jovenan: Oh, um. I’ve been with this crew for almost two years now, first on the Excalibur and now on the Artemis. I was born in Ramakis, in Somian, but I moved out of God’s Claims as soon as I got permission to leave, and I haven’t been there for six years I believe. ::quick glance at Genkos and then back:: They are my community now. Something of a family, I guess.
She struggled to keep a smile on her face. It was true, the crew and its various members were her community and something of a family now, but that sentiment had been tested several times recently. Thinking of all the times she had been hurt, or she had hurt someone, from Rakantha to Ki Baratan, Hiro’s departure to the discussion with Vitor, and everything that happened on the Frontier Day, she wondered if she had just told a lie.
The Councillor’s face was clouded. The change in expression had been so rapid that it almost made her think he had somehow read her thoughts and found out the truth.
Grombria: You’re telling me that these Starfleeters have replaced the good people of God’s Claims as your family?!
Near her, Genkos was moving on his armchair. Jovenan’s mouth opened, ready to state her defence, if she could come up with one. She couldn’t, and she almost blurted out something overtly honest before Grombria’s face shifted again.
Grombria: Fantastic, brilliant, amazing, that’s exactly what I hoped would happen.
Her mouth closed and eyebrows raised. Equally confused was her heart, struggling to keep up if it should race or resume beating calmly. She didn’t know if Grombria had just paid them a joke or if he often emoted misleadingly, but she for certain had been fooled by him.
Jovenan: Y-you did?
Grombria: The homeworld’s all well and good, I’m sure you agree, but there’s something to be said about travel.
Adea: Agreed, and I have to say that we all see your colleague here as a member of our family too.
Genkos’ smile reassured Jovenan, and she responded to it with the kind. Perhaps it wasn’t all that bad after all. Returning her eyes to Grombria, she considered his words about the homeworld and the travel. He was the first other Edo she had met to share that sentiment. He was a curious person, that much was for certain.
Jovenan: Yes. ::pause:: I’ve seen and experienced so much things I wouldn’t have back in home, and I’ve gained new friends ::vaguely moving hand to Adea’s direction:: and, um, family. It’s… different from what we have home and there has been a lot to learn, but it has been rewarding.
Has it? Jovenan had to again consider how much the recent negative experiences actually mattered, considering all the things she had witnessed. She remembered how static and boring her life had been on Rubicun, but had leaving that all behind really been worth seeing so much death and destruction? Would she have eventually learnt to deal with it, or was it the right choice regardless? Something about meeting one of her own people had made her think if she had made the right decisions in the beginning.
Grombria/Adea: Response
Jovenan: Well, um, I did go to University of Hurkos first, so I had some experience in fitting in with other cultures. It was more difficult to fit in there than in Starfleet, actually. After a year, I had to take some time off, and I came back essentially pretending to be a human. ::pause:: O-of course, in the Academy, there are plenty of people who experience a proper clash of cultures for the first time.
She looked at Genkos, wondering if he, too, had to learn to fit in once he had left for the Academy. She was aware that the Councillor had invited them to talk with her, but all this talk about her made her fluster.
Grombria/Adea: Response
Jovenan: Actually, I don’t know. I’ve hardly met another Edo since leaving homeworld.
She made a stealthy peek at Genkos. Councillor Grombria was fairly high in the ranking of the Federation political system, but she still didn’t know if he would be privy to the Starfleet reports. It was probably for the better not to spread the secret information about their missions, nor the fact that the only other Edo she had met in years was from another universe altogether.
Grombria/Adea: Response
TAG/TBC
----
Lieutenant Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11