Ensign Jovenan – The Song of Nebulæ
Jovenan
((Deck 10, Astrometrics, USS Excalibur-A))
Jovenan was delighted that the new medical officer had come to see one of her workplaces. The geoscience labs and the particle accelerators are cool too, but if one were to impress a person, the astrometrics tank was just the right place. Not that she had actually ever brought anybody to science facilities. Or anywhere. Jones had just stepped in and seemed to be already amazed by the dozens of stars on the full-lab display.
Jones: It's impressive! I feel like I'm standing on the hull again. Glad we don't need EVA suits this time though.
She felt easy talking to Jones. They were equal rank, Jones wasn’t there to evaluate her performance or judge her. She didn’t feel nervous as with many other officers. Like with Kawarda and some other crewmembers, she had started to consider Jones something of a friend. And she wanted to show her new friend more. She turned to the interface to activate some of the final adjustments and raised her index finger for Jones as a sign.
Jovenan: Just a moment.
She bent her knees and jumped. The adjustments she had set up with Kawarda were on spot, as she easily reached the lower end of the microgravity bubble and was pulled in. From near the centre of the large room, she smiled down to Jones whose looked dumbfounded.
Jovenan: Want to join me?
Jones: Can I? It looks like a blast!
Jovenan: Sure! The bubble begins just a bit above the platform, all you need to do is just jump a little.
Without hesitation, the human ensign copied her movements just earlier, and jumped up. They were taller than Jovenan, so a shorter jump was needed for the teal-collar to her. Jovenan was preparing to slow them down in case the jump had had too much force behind it, but they stopped nicely next to her. Jones giggled the entire way up.
Jones: This is amazing! Why do you ever land?
Jovenan: Ha ha! Well, for one there’s no food replicators up here! ::pause:: More seriously, extended stay in microgravity can have negative musculoskeletal and cardiovascular effects. There are safety limits.
Nausea was possible even for a short period, but she knew Jones had prior experience with microgravity – at least for that one jump they had done – and was less likely to become space sick than a full novice. And even if they started feel off, the doctor was present by default.
Jones: Sure. I guess that makes sense. Still ...
She looked as Jones went on to do a backflip, and giggled herself as well. The enthusiasm was contagious. Somewhere down, Kawarda was judging the pair silently.
Jones: It is cool. How does it help your work?
Jovenan: Let me show you! :: turn face to the wall :: Computer, display… the Azure Nebula!
The computer dinged in affirmation, and soon the room began to move. There was nothing in the room that was actually in motion, but rather the photonic stars on the surfaces began to shift. On “right”, they came towards them, circled them above and below, and on “left”, disappeared completely. If the jump didn’t make a newcomer space sick, the rapidly changing perspective would. The stars gave way, and the room turned bright azure. Thousands of holographic gas clouds, bright and dark, twisted in various beautiful formations, appeared and took over the entire room. The platform somewhere “below” was barely visible; they were alone, floating inside the nebula. There were small holographs of bright stars, yellow, white, red, different colours and sizes, spotting the volume of the holotank. Around them, between them, on them. There were beautiful objects everywhere. She could almost hear them sing.
For a moment, she wondered how Kawarda must like his work environment changing colour and lighting.
Jones: Response
Jovenan: Absolutely! ::twists herself to face the same direction as Jones:: See that star? ::points:: From this perspective, it seems to be closer to that star ::points another star:: than that star. ::points third star:: But..
She crunches her abs and throws her upper body forward and legs behind, being now in 90 degrees angle to Jones. Then she twists her upper body, throwing her arms clockwise, facing “up”. Jones looked like laying on bed with her standing next to it. She must have appeared the same from their perspective.
Jovenan: But from this perspective it’s the other way around. Most maps are two-dimensional, because that’s how the screens are, and how we perceive area. Ground is flat, relatively.
Jones: Response
Jovenan: Some ships have carried cetacean ops for decades because the aquatic species are more 3d orientated. They can do spatial navigation better. I think they came up with the microgravity astrometrics to better allow Elaysians to work in stellar cartography, but then they found out most people would benefit of it.
Jones: Response
She twisted herself to orient herself back the same way as Jones. At moments like these, she felt jealousy to Elaysians. They made these same movements look so elegant and fluid, while she risked overextending a muscle she didn’t even know to exist.
Jovenan: It can display much data of course, but I want to show something else, too… ::pause:: Computer, show Rubicun III.
The nebula moved aside and dissipated. The room turned black again. Then, right in front of them, the computer produced a holograph of a planet, with it’s green forests and grasslands, blue oceans and white clouds above them, and the blue atmosphere covering it all, glowing on the edges. She looked down on to the surface. She knew all those capes and bays, mountain ranges and lowlands by name. She saw her home. She shared the orbit not only with Jones, but also with her God, watching over their Children.
Jovenan: Beautiful, isn’t it?
Jones: Response
TAG/TBC
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Ensign Jovenan
Science officer
USS Excalibur-A
E239911J11