Ensign Jovenan – The best hug in ages

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Jovenan

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Feb 2, 2023, 3:28:16 PM2/2/23

to USS Excalibur-A – StarBase 118 Star Trek PBEM RPG

((Shuttlebay 2, USS Excalibur-A))

Jovenan: ::distressed:: Everything seemed to happen so fast! The attack started so soon after I send the data, maybe they didn’t have the time to read it. If I had managed tell them what we knew, they could have prepared for what was about to happen. You and I, we worked so hard and took risks, but it seems we might not have made so much of a difference after all. If only I had been faster, I could have warned the bridge in time…

The stress of the entire mission poured out in one instance. The Edo and Vulcan histories had many parallels regarding letting their emotional sides take control, but unlike Vulcans, the Edo had little means to suppress their emotions, relying more on their “puritan” laws and their God, neither of which were relevant in this scenario. She spilled it all out, under the sight of the stone-faced Vulcan.

Kawarda: ::interrupting the flood of emotional debriefing:: Ensign Jovenan, may I speak freely?

Jovenan: ::sniff:: Y- yes, of course.

Kawarda: As the ranking science officer, your actions were in line with Starfleet guidelines of appropriate actions. You made decisions based on the data available to you, and I believe you made the correct ones. You placed the safety of your subordinates above your own, demonstrating a level of command maturity you do not appear to acknowledge. I furthermore believe you were successful in your mission to relay relevant information to the Bridge crew in a timely manner. Your actions may well have prevented the Excalibur from firing upon the Daisy, which would most certainly resulted in the deaths of the two missing officers.

Jovenan: Y- you really think so? But, I only come here instead of you because I thought you cou…

She was promptly interrupted by Kawarda, who placed his hand on her shoulder. She recognized this gesture from the Academy, where she had seen some senior officers perform it to their peers or subordinates after a job-well-done. It was one of the few not overtly affectionate human gestures involving physical contact, and certainly one that tested the limits of how close a Vulcan would come to another person. The gesture surprised her, and she stopped talking at that instance, only looking him to his eyes.

Kawarda: Ensign Jovenan, you did a good job. You should be proud of yourself. ::a pause to consider:: Would ... you like a hug?

A… hug? A set of conflicting emotions and reactions raised to her mind, fogging it for a few seconds. For the Edo, a hug was a typical greeting. Family members, friends and strangers alike would hug each other whenever they felt a hug was needed. Off-worlders didn’t always share the sentiment. She had experienced a severe culture shock when entering the University of Hurkos, where few professors or students would appreciate such physical contact, and those who did, didn’t take it as gesture among new friends. In her later studies and in the Academy, she had opted to distance herself from her fellows, and to set up boundaries for herself as well. All Edo traditions had become something to repress if she wished to be left in peace.

For a split second, she questioned Kawarda’s motives. But that’s not how things work. He was her friend and colleague. For a Vulcan, such intimacy must cause discomfort, yet he was the one to offer a hug. Without replying to the question, she flung herself to him, tying her arms around him and placing her cheek against his chest. She smiled and left out teardrop.

After a long hug, probably more awkward to one party than the other, she’d let him go.

Jovenan: Th- Thank you, Kawarda. Again. ::pause:: So, uh, if I remember correctly, you tested an EMP in the astrometrics lab. We might need to check on that.

And they walked out of the shuttlebay to the bright corridors of the Excalibur.