Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on Feb 10, 2021 15:58:55 GMT
[Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Office]DevraA woman dressed in a flowy floral pattern stepped into the antechamber of the CO's office, ebony eyes wide with wonder as she surveyed the room. It wasn't at all what she had expected from the offices on a Federation starbase, and she immediately felt a liking towards whomever had chosen the decor. Remembering why she was there, she gasped softly and turned to face the officer seated at the desk. "Ah, forgive me, young la-Lieutenant," she caught herself. 'Young lady' was hardly an appropriate way to address a Starfleet officer, after all. "My name is Devra Kul, I have an appointment with Captain Eastman." Even as she spoke, her gaze continued to stray, taking in the room around her once more. "Now... why hadn't I ever thought of this?" she mused quietly to herself. Indeed, their work areas on the ship had been far more bland, with the exception of the hydroponics lab that had been overflowing with plants of all colors. Oh well, too late now, her life had become quite vibrant since settling on Earth.
Tag Judith Eastman (Mabel)
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84 
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 10, 2021 17:24:07 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Lt. j.g. Mabel Henriksen - Commanding Officer's Office]Mabel's desk, at the antechamber to Judy's office, was a dignified wooden number from the Eastman family collection. It was a desk clearly made for working, but with plenty of personal effects and tchotchkes. The young woman looked up from her work, with a broad smile. "Of course. She'll be ready for you in a moment," the young woman said, chipper as she always was. Pressing the little comm button in the desk, Mabel opened a line into the main office. =A= "Captain, Ms. Kul is here to see you." =A= =A= "Thank you, sweetheart. Send her in." =A= "She's ready for you," Mabel reported. The doors to the main office came open, on all its splendor and with all the usual pictures of little Eastman grandbabies. There was a plate of oatmeal raisin cookies on the conference table, and Judy stood behind it, in her trademark cat-eye bifocals and pencil skirt. She was clearly Starfleet-compliant, but not Starfleet-standard. "Allow me to formally welcome you to the station," she said, with her typical good spirit.
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on Feb 10, 2021 18:04:05 GMT
[Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Office]The woman gave the Lieutenant a pleasant smile and thanks, before stepping through the door into the office. No sooner had it closed behind her than she was already distracted, and wandered over to admire a few of the photographs on display. "Oh how marvelous..." she murmured quietly, before seeming to realize that someone had spoken to her. Spinning around, she greeted the Captain with a bright smile and open arms. Though as she took a step forward, she seemed to remind herself that a hug was not an appropriate greeting for Starfleet Captain, and clasped her hands in front of her instead. "Thank you, it's great to finally be here and meet everyone I've heard so much about! Jovireh speaks very highly of you." Taking a seat at the table across from the other woman, she spent a moment fussing with the skirt of her outfit before looking up once more. "I won't take up too much of your time; I know you're a very busy woman. I really just want to thank you for taking such good care of my daughter. After the way she was treated at her last post, it's been a relief to hear she feels supported and appreciated here." While Jovireh hadn't gone into any great details about her conversations with the Captain, it was easy enough for Devra to see the gradual change in her daughter's attitude over the past several months.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 10, 2021 20:01:08 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy took her usual seat at the conference table, taking Devra's seemingly aborted hug in stride. She was keenly aware of the awkwardness for some civilians of dealing with the station's foremost authority figure. "In my professional assessment, your daughter's previous chain of command didn't see, or didn't look long enough to see, her talent and her potential. Jovireh is a remarkable young woman," Judy said, and meant it. Jovireh had put together quite a record in her time on Front Ear, and the Captain appreciated it. "You raised her well."Coming from a woman who took boundless pride in how her own children had turned out, those words meant a lot.
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on Feb 10, 2021 23:40:10 GMT
[Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Office]Devra smiled graciously, stopping herself from dismissing the credit. She wasn't here to talk about her parenting mistakes. "Oh, they saw alright," she replied, referring back to the assessment of Jovireh's previous commanding officers. "They took advantage of her drive to prove herself. Dangled offers in front of her to keep her reaching, but never followed through with their promises. It did quite a number on her confidence and self-esteem. I feared I would never see pride in her eyes again." The pride that had always reminded Devra of Endon, rest his soul. "When she called to tell me of her first day working the tactical station... I saw that pride for the first time in years. And it's only gotten stronger since." The woman paused then, her mind turning over the real reason she had made the decision to come to the station without notice. "I need to ask you... Is my daughter alright? She didn't call me when she came back from the colony... Just sent me a message to let me know she had made it safely back to the station. That was so unlike her... I understand you can't divulge information about the mission she was on, but I was hoping as her commanding officer, one who pays attention to the health and well-being of her crew... You'd at least be able to tell me if she's slipping." She may not have the best relationship with her daughter, but she knew Jovireh well enough to know that whenever the young woman shut her out, it meant something happened that she didn't know how to handle. And when Jovireh didn't know how to handle something, she started to make unhealthy decisions.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 11, 2021 1:01:49 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy took the gentle correction about Jov's previous superiors well, recognizing this as another facet to the young woman's past struggles that simply wasn't in the record. As for Devra's concern... Judy nodded. "That mission was pretty traumatic, for, well, for that whole away team," she explained softly. "We got them back in one piece, but, well... to put it bluntly, they thought they were going to die."Judy wasn't there personally, but the emotional toll such events took on her was apparent. It was her responsibility to make sure each and every one of her crew came back to their loved ones, even when she delegated down. Reading the report on the Serenity away team for the first time had physically sickened her.
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on Feb 11, 2021 2:03:12 GMT
[Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Office]Devra nodded slowly in understanding, appreciating the Captain's candor as her words sank in. It was the confirmation no parent ever really wanted - your child's job is actually dangerous. Perhaps the worst part was, she knew that even if Jovireh wanted to talk about what she went through, it wouldn't be to her mother. The young woman wouldn't want her to worry any more than she already did. That led her to her next question. "Have you noticed any behavioral differences since she got back?" If Jovireh had started lashing out again... turning off the safeties in the holosuites or engaging in unnecessary bar fights... Then Devra would need to relay that information to Counselor Heiser. It was a choice she would hate making, but it was better than the alternative.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 11, 2021 2:29:24 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Standard policy, in this case, was to assert Jovireh's right to privacy, as an adult, and Judy almost did that. However, as a mother herself, she knew damn well that a non-answer would only make Devra nosier. "Well, Devra - if I may - I've been keeping an eye out, given her record, to make sure we catch any issues, and she's handling it about as well as could be expected. She's shaken, as anyone would be, and I imagine that's why she didn't call, but she's not slipping," she answered, honestly. She understood the worrying all too well, and was secretly glad none of her kids had followed in her footsteps (and Anna wasn't planning to either).
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on Feb 11, 2021 2:46:10 GMT
[Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Office]The woman breathed an audible sigh of relief and relaxed in the chair. "Thank you. I don't expect her to be completely unphased by traumatic incidents... But there's so much riding on how she handles them... I had hoped after a time Starfleet would lift the conditions. She's come so far and grown so much since her enlistment. But after twelve years of flawless service, they still treat her like a bomb that could go off any minute." Granted, Jovireh's time at the Academy hadn't exactly been flawless, that's why it took her two extra years to be released for active duty. But even so, six years of service without incident. Six years of passing her annual evaluations. And whoever was in charge of those decisions didn't seem to think it mattered.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 11, 2021 3:31:20 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]Judy had to agree with most of what Devra had to say. The 12 years hadn't been flawless, but at the end of the day, no one was perfect. "You know, I've spent... more years than I care to count working in Starfleet, and probably the most important lesson that I've learned is that the bureaucracy is slow, and if something that ought to change isn't changing, then chances are some clerk is sitting on the relevant file, along with a large stack of other files, and all she wants to do is get through her day, so she doesn't give an awful lot of attention to any one file. If you want things to move out there in San Francisco, you have to move them, and if Jovireh wants to move this, then that's something I can help her with," she explained, knowing rather well of what she spoke. There was some clerk at HR who made the call, but that clerk could be nudged by the right CO or counselor in the right way. Judy took a cookie from the plate, and motioned for Devra to do the same.
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on Feb 11, 2021 19:42:38 GMT
[Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Office]Devra paused, her eyes widening slightly at the other woman's offer. As much as she wanted to instantly accept on her daughter's behalf, she knew it wasn't her place to do so. She did, however, accept the offer of a cookie, and munched quietly for a moment as she turned the newly revealed information in her mind. "We're having dinner tonight when she gets off duty, I'll mention she should talk to you about it." That was really all she could do, without Jovireh feeling like she was interfering in her career. It was one thing Devra had promised never to do, regardless of her best intentions. "Though I do know that all she wants is to be treated like any other Starfleet member, to be given the same chances as everyone else." That included the chance to be imperfect without losing everything she had worked so hard to achieve.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 11, 2021 21:39:56 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]For a moment, Judy put herself in the mind not of the mother, but of the daughter; very few adults wanted their mothers pushing them along in their careers, however well-intentioned. However, there was also that matter of Betazoid empathic/telepathic abilities, so Jovireh would more than likely be aware of Devra's machinations anyway, and at least the latter was trying to be subtle about it. Cookie consumed, she clasped her hands together on the desk. "You do that," she concluded, approvingly. "You know what? Regardless of how that particular bit of business goes, why don't you both come over to dinner at our place, maybe tomorrow, so I can get to know you better?" she offered. "Max, my husband, is a professional chef," she added by way of extra incentive, motioning at one of the framed photos featuring the station's silver-haired First Gentleman.
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on Feb 11, 2021 22:58:47 GMT
[Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Office]Her face lit up in a bright, excited smile at the invitation. "Oh, that would be delightful!" Hopefully her daughter's schedule would allow for it, but if she was on duty the next day then they could just reschedule for a time she'd be able to join them. "Just let us know what time works best. I believe I've taken up enough of your time for today." And they had covered all the Starfleet-related topics she'd wanted to discuss. Anything else that came to mind, she could bring up in the more casual setting.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 12, 2021 0:42:50 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) - Commanding Officer's Office]"We'll be in touch," Judy replied. "It was great to meet you."With all her usual pleasantness, Judy bade Devra farewell, and then returned to her work. Throwing a dinner party was muscle memory, and the whole station still needed her care.
The next day, around 1900 hrs  [Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Max Williams - CO's Quarters]Max didn't mind throwing this dinner party (Jovireh Velal was lovely, in his opinion), and Anna had a group study session for one of her classes, which made for more or less ideal conditions (the teenager wasn't too fond of socializing with her mom's subordinates). After finishing work, Judy and Max got to work on one of their usual culinary productions, so that by the time Devra and Jovireh were set to arrive, the smell of home cooking (particularly garlic and lamb) had wafted onwards from the Captain's quarters and into the hallway outside. By now, it was something the senior staff were hopefully used to. Inside, the two cooks, clad in novelty aprons ("Grandpa's" and "Grandma's", in an unabashedly kitschy play on "his-and-hers" tchotchkes), examined their work proudly. The lamb was still in the oven, but all the other dishes were ready (set aside until their time came), so that only a pot of soup and a bottle of syntheholic wine were on the dining table for now. "We did it again," Judy said to Max. "No substitute for experience," he agreed. The corgis, staring slack-jawed at the oven, seemed to be of a similar opinion.
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on Feb 12, 2021 1:45:40 GMT
[ PO3 Jovireh Velal / Devra Kul - Front Ear Deck 14 - Jov's Quarters] "I just wish you had asked me before making plans!" Jovireh telepathically told her mother. She was in her bedroom, fussing with her hair that her mother had insisted she wear loose. Telepathy had been their primary form of communication since her own psionic abilities developed, and even after all these years it was still their natural interaction. Devra was in the living area, putting the final touches on a flower arrangement of white, purple and blue buds. "And give you a chance to say no? Why would I do that?" She replied, her amusement at her daughter's reaction evident in her tone of thought. Jovireh sighed in frustration, deciding her hair was as good as it was going to get. "I should be able to have a say in who I have dinner with!" While she was gradually becoming more comfortable with her Captain, she wasn't quite ready to navigate such a non-work related situation with her. But since the plans had already been made, there was no backing out. "If you stop complaining long enough, you might actually enjoy yourself. Perish the thought." [Eastman-Williams Quarters] The two women stood in the corridor outside the door, Devra wearing another floral print dress, and Jovireh wearing a more simple red top over black slacks. Devra held the vase of flowers while Jov pressed the button for the chime and took a step back. Her stomach was twisted in knots of nerves, but she hoped her mother was right. Maybe this evening wouldn't be as awkward as she was expecting it to be.
Tag Judith Eastman |
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