Ensign Jovenan – The long walk across the edge of eternity
Jovenan
((Hull, USS Excalibur-A))
Jovenan: =/\= Ugh. I’m never getting used to that. =/\=
After getting over the change of perspective, in literal sense this time, she turned to the others.
Niac: =/\= Kidding aside, it's a shame you folks weren't around for our last big celebration. Engineering came up with a atmospheric bubble over a portion of the forward saucer section and we had a lovely meal about a hundred meters from the bow while a verugament swarm passed nearby. Was quite the sight. =/\=
That sounded like… quite awesome, honestly, and terrifying. To stand on this very hull, with nothing but a bubble of air around you, seeing the vast emptiness of space above you, as well as all the stars and the verugament swimming by..
Jovenan: =/\= So… What’re we gonna do? =/\=
Jones: =/\= Not jumping jacks, I hope. =/\=
Niac: =/\= Relax, I've got nothing like that in mind. I needed to get the three of you out here to check a box, and that makes Starfleet Command happy, but I wanted to get the three of you out here as a bit of a welcome aboard. You're part of this crew now and as impressive of our ship is, it's a tiny island in a pretty big sea. It's the person standing next to you that'll get you home when push comes to shove. ::Karrod faced the three of them and spread his arms wide against the cosmic backdrop:: Welcome to the Excalibur, people. =/\=
He brought us here to welcome us to the crew. That was rather nice of him, even if there were some much more comfortable places for that. Then again, if this was a mandatory exercise, combining the two was understandable.
Jovenan: =/\= Thank you, Commander. I appreciate it. =/\=
Kijana: =/\= No guarantees with this Commander, that's for one thing. Have come to know him to be full of plenty of surprises, and I've not known him for very long... =/\=
Did she imply the Commander might have another surprise for them after all? He had said they were out mostly because it was their obligation they needed to fulfil at some point. She took the note to be careful in case he decided to give them a task instead.
Jones: =/\= Uh, Commander Niac? Was this part of the plan? =/\=
Jovenan turned and saw the airlock closing. If they were meant to be here just for a walk, closing the airlock wouldn’t be necessary, they would just use it soon again. And who closed it anyway? She had been watching the Commander and the other ensigns, and none of them were near the controls. This better be the Commander’s idea of a surprise task. Commander Niac went to the controls and tapped them for a second.
Niac: =/\= It was not, Ensign. Looks like we've still got a few gremlins in our computer system. Come help me cycle the manual override. =/\=
This better not be a surprise task after all. It would be cruel to joke about something like this. She was becoming nervous but went to help with the manual override. She wasn’t an engineer but had taken a few extra courses in operating different systems which might just help. Of course, the COO near by knew the systems better than her.
Jones: =/\= Well, I'm no engineer, but I think there's usually more blinking lights. =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= Yeah, I don’t think it’s working. =/\=
Kijana: =/\= Back to the industrial age we go... =/\=
Niac: =/\= So much for the manual override. Hmm...looks like we might be taking a longer walk than I thought. Well, time for a fun quiz...what's our closest ingress point from here? =/\=
Kijana: =/\= Well, if memory servers, the marine hanger is nearby. =/\=
Jovenan couldn’t have named the marine hanger herself, but after the other ensign, the non-human one, Kijana, it made sense to her.
Jovenan: =/\= Uhm, yes, I think that’s it. There aren’t many other airlocks in this part of the ship. =/\=
Niac: =/\= Sounds like an option to me and if that doesn't work, we could always knock on the shuttlebay door. =/\=
Jones: ::to himself, forgetting the comms were live:: =/\= Not sure which side of that interaction is more alarming. =/\=
They started walking across the hull to the marine hanger. The sound of magnetic boots releasing connection, stomping the plating and then reattaching, on every step, made a rhythm of its own to walking. Jovenan could of course only hear her own steps, as the deathly vacuum didn’t carry sound. She tried not to think it too much.
Niac: =/\= Well, not quite what I was planning but it looks like we've got a little more time to get to know one another. So, what do you folks do when you're not on duty? Any fun hobbies? =/\=
Jones: =/\= I like to tend plants. It's something I picked up a couple years ago, and it's been very nice. =/\=
Kijana: =/\= Ensign Jones, perhaps you should meet with Sleepy... She had quite the green thumb as well. As for myself. Eating... Cooking as well, but eating moreso. Among other things... =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= I do just basic stuff. Reading, writing. Going for a run time to time. I guess I’ll need to check what all the ship has to offer. =/\=
Jones: =/\= What about you, sir? If I may ask. What makes your heart sing? =/\=
Niac: Response
Kijana: =/\= Don't forget bar brawls and disguises sir... =/\=
Niac: Response
Kijana: =/\= Are the both of you new to Starfleet? Or transferred from somewhere else? =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= I’m straight from the Academy, this is my first assignment. =/\=
Jones: Responses
Kijana: =/\= And your specialities? /\=
Jovenan: =/\= Science officer. I’ve got a degree in Planetary Sciences from university before Academy, where I specialised in astronomy and xenobiology. =/\=
Jones: Responses
Jovenan: =/\= How about you… It’s Kijana, right? Are you new here and what do you do around here? =/\=
Kijana: Response
Jovenan: =/\= Really? That’s… uh… cool. I haven't met many intelligence officers before. I met the ship's senior int officer during the mission briefly, thought. =/\=
Niac/Jones/Kijana: Response
TAG/TBC
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Ensign Jovenan
Science officer
USS Excalibur-A
E239911J11