Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in Jessa meets Allies in Starfleet Command…when the past doesn’t match the present…or the future

Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in Jessa meets Allies in Starfleet Command…when the past doesn’t match the present…or the future

Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in Jessa meets Allies in Starfleet Command…when the past doesn’t match the present…or the future
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Celia Decker put down her PaDD and smiled at Yvonne behind the nurse’s desk. “I’m gonna go grab a 2 pm pick me up on my break. Want anything?”

“Only that hot new Lieutenant on bed rest in my quarters,” she let out a full-bodied laugh. “Girl, did you see him during his physical?” Yvonne drew her lips back in a tight-lipped smile and made a small guttural sound in her throat indicating she was extremely happy but not saying a word.

“Yes because I checked him in,” Celia drummed the top of the Desk with her hands. Making a shooting gesture at Yvonne, Celia walked out a Sickbay. Taking the first corridor she talked herself back into a small alcove and activated her COM badge.

“Everything is in play for when the target returns from her meeting with Rinker. I’ll advise when she is on route. Any further instructions,” she asked for silence on the other end of the call?”

Celia moved from the small alcove where she delivered her message and to the mess hall down from sick pay. Looking at the people passing her and the surroundings Celia did not feel an ounce of guilt or remorse. She’s been placed here for a reason and it was not to get comfortable with the crew. A week from now it would be a new crew on another ship or posting. There was never a reason to get attached to anything about her duty Stations or the people on them.

She did let her mind wander as to how her superiors had enacted the plan so quickly. Is it only been a month and an operation like this normally took months to plan. Replicating her coffee and danish Celia moved back to Sickbay to wait for Jessa. The girl was normally only gone for an hour with the head shrink Celia just hoped that Rinker would not be able to fix anything in the short amount of time. Keeping Jessa unbalanced kept Jessa in line.

Entering sickbay Celia busied to herself keeping one eye on the door. She would have to move fast to make sure the girl wasn’t missed when she met the XO.

Celia Decker. Doctor

Jessa walked back to sickbay feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders contemplating how bipolar she always felt leaving Rinker’s office. At times she felt like she could tell the man anything like he understood her and would help her no matter what. She felt safe with him, a feeling she hadn’t felt in a very long time. While many things he said or stated, Jessa didn’t agree with, he never was cross or angry at her. The more Jessa thought about this another idea began to take clarity in her head. Maybe that was the problem with Rinker that Jessa could not pinpoint. Pellan told her often that love and anger were both needed in a relationship. Lovers fought because they loved each other too much at times. Parents disciplined their children because they wanted them to be better than they were. Rinker was too neutral on just about every subject she presented at least emotionally. He stated his opinion in roundabout open-ended questions but never strayed far from the level, soothing tone.

Her thinking led her to the opposite side of the Rinker coin which was why she didn’t feel safe or trusted him at times. Jessa did not like people yelling or being upset. No one liked being screamed at yet when one lost control of their emotions, their inner thoughts came alive and their true personality showed. Evrilla was right. No one was nice or happy all the time so why was Rinker that way. The most logical answer was usually correct. That answer said Rinker had no vested interest in making friends with Jessa. That led her to be suspicious of why he wanted to see her every day then. If she ever met with Rinker again, Jessa decided she would ask him point-blank why he wanted to have lunch with her if the conversation was always going to be so bland and one-sided.

Entering her room, however, pushed all these thoughts from her mind. The room was not the same as when she left it. Her heart pounded slightly not seeing the stuffed creature the nurse had given her before she left for Rand. The woman had said it was important that it never be out of Jessa’s sight and she had already lost it. The panic of the missing stuffed creature however was soon replaced with curiosity. The room was no longer barren and sterile. On the small table, she used for her meals were several new items. First, her clothes had been returned and were neatly folded in a pile. Along with them were several other outfits: a pair of jeans , black leggings, a few shirts in various colors, and a sweater that was a soft pink. Jessa thumbed through them glancing back at the door.

“What is all this,” Jessa scanned the room now seeing that her bed no longer had the light gray wool blanket, that was standard in sickbay but a thick down comforter with a blue, teal, and purple paisley design. The simple edition of the bedding gave the area a warmer and less institutional feel. She stood in the room looking curious but also on edge.

“Beats me I left with you,” O’Neill shrugged looking around the room with the same slightly confused expression. The confusion was real on both their parts.

Ian entered sickbay almost on Jessa’s heels. He had planned to be there when she arrived back to her room only his post-conference took a few minutes longer than he planned on. Activating the badge on his chest, he opened a comm line that Rinker had access to as promised in the post-conference. The psychiatrist wouldn’t have visuals but he would have audio if he chose to listen in. Ian had no idea how Jessa would react. It if went poorly, Rinker would have first-hand knowledge of her epic meltdowns. If she reacted in a positive fashion, maybe the man could use it in their next therapy session. Either way, Ian would let the chief shrink figure out what if anything the man would do with any information he obtained in the coming few minutes.

Turning her attention back to the small table, Jessa saw a PaDD like all the crew walked around with next to the pile of clothes. Besides the clothes and electronic device was a soft, blue ball like she played within Rinker’s office. The final items were a stuffed border collie and a pair of earphones.

Picking up the PaDD wiped the worry about the stuffed toy from her mind. The device was of far more importance to her than anything the doctor left this morning. If she had been able to sneak them in once, Jessa was sure Celia Decker could do it again. Picking the device up, Jessa flipped it over several times in her hands. The screen was dark indicating it was off. Shaking it and then poking at the screen Jessa did not hide her frustration well.

Ian moved through sickbay with a frown. He had wanted to be here when Jessa arrived but had been delayed. Arriving at the room, he saw Jessa immediately checking out all the things on the table. Why was that the first thing you went to, Ian watched her actions with all the intensity of a hostage situation. Rinker had suggested all the times in the room and his decision was logical. His mother said idle hands were the devil’s work. With Jessa, this was all too accurate. Jessa was calmest when occupied with something. Leaving her in the room, alone with her own thoughts was problematic. No one thought for a second the small bouts of happy verbal banter or politeness indicated a change of heart by the young girl. It just was the moments she wasn’t actively scheming against them. He watched as she poked, banged, and shook the PaDD until it felt like he was torturing her with what should be a gift.

“Give it,” Ian’s voice suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere startling her. Jumping back she let the PaDD slip from her hands and fall to the floor with a clatter that seemed to echo in the space. One look at her face showed Ian just how on edge Jessa felt. “Hey, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he leaned down to pick up the PaDD far slower than necessary. The last thing Ian needed was for this gesture to go sideways. “You turn it on like this,” Ian tilted the PaDD towards her and depressed the small tab booting the device up. “Figured after two days in here you had to be going stir crazy.” Sitting on the edge of her bed, Ian held out the device for Jessa to take it.

Reaching out she took it slowly as if it were a bomb ready to explode. Her eyes glanced down seeing the familiar symbol of the Federation which was plastered on enough surfaces, Jessa was now recognizing it. That was the only thing however she could read and it was by symbols and not actual phonemes. She frowned slightly coming to the realization how useless the device was she had been scheming to get her hands on. Without the ability to read or write their language it was just a rectangular paperweight.

“This wasn’t anything I asked for,” she countered handing the PaDD back crossing her arms and looking at Ian. “Why is it here?” If these people thought giving her back her clothes, a rubber ball, and toy were suddenly going to win her over they were vastly mistaken.

“As I said I thought you might be bored sitting here,” Ian repeated holding the device still out to her. “I know it is not much but,” he let the rest of the sentence remain open-ended. Jessa was a smart girl even if at times she played dumb. She could fill in the answer for herself. “Chris’ wife Lexi…Chris was the man from last night,” he reiterated in case Jessa had forgotten, “picked out the clothes which you can wear or not. Your choice. If you don’t like them she said she could get you other ones.”

“I don’t need your clothes. I have my own,” she snapped knocking them off the table with a flick of her hand so only her uniform remained on the table. Her expression has shifted from one of nervousness to defiance. Jessa waited for Ian’s reaction. None of this made sense. She needed to know why there was such a sudden shift in attitude towards her.

What you need is an attitude adjustment little girl and I am this close to giving you one. Only years of being in situations with difficult people allowed Ian to not show what he was thinking on his face. Rinker was smoking something if he thought six months was going to do anything practical with Jessa besides maybe stop the bible rhetoric every five sentences from her. Taking a second, Ian ignored what he wanted to say to Jessa and focused on what needed to be said. Set clear limits and expectations like you do with any kid. Lay down the rules so she knows what to expect and when, Ian reminded himself what he already knew and was confirmed by Rinker. “That is up to you but I am going to warn you. If you break or destroy anything we have given you, you won’t get it back. You are right you don’t need this stuff but it was given to you because I thought you might like it and it might make you more comfortable right now.” His tone was not threatening but it was firm and left little room for interpretation.

Ian Bordeaux

His meaning was loud and clear. Jessa did not miss it. Ian was attempting to exert some sort of authority over her. It was dangerous for this man to see her not as an equal. Taking the offered PaDD in his hand felt like capitulation somehow in her head. If he had meant to give it to her, then he would not take it back in theory. She stood there not looking at the PaDD still being offered in his hand but at the man himself. It made no sense as to why the person her quad was sent to target was presenting himself to her every minute of every day. Now he was bringing gifts? Jessa was used to dangerous people. These people were a different type of danger. They had a way of seeping into your head and muddling your thoughts. As soon as she saw him lay the PaDD on the bed next to him, Jessa spoke. “You did this? Not Rinker,” she looked at Ian like he had grown a second head spontaneously.

“Why is that so hard to believe,” Ian asked vaguely enough hoping if he got Jessa talking she would fill in the blanks necessary to try and win her trust. Right now trying to find things to make her happy or at the very least pleasant was like throwing a dart from a motorcycle going one hundred miles an hour while blindfolded. He had a general idea where the target was but not a chance in hell of hitting it. Still, he had her talking and it was not delving into a screaming match so all things being equal it was a semi-win.

Jessa pursed her lips and gave him a shrug. She had no basis for her thoughts on why Ian was out to screw her in every way possible past the machinations of her own imagination painting him as the enemy. Their mission said to make contact with him. All Jessa had done was make contact with the man since the moment she arrived albeit she didn’t know who he was until her altercation with Mardusk. The biggest problem for Jessa now, past trying to escape the situation, was figuring why Ian was the mission target and his connection to the Prism. None of the technology matched so there was no way they were using the Prism for its intended purpose and the Prism only had one purpose.

Jessa Novar

Ian did not reply but returned the shrug she gave him. Ninety percent of all communication was non-verbal and Jessa’s shrug spoke volumes. It showed she did not have an answer and was either buying time to formulate a response or seeking attention for Ian to press the subject. It was moments like this that had Ian and half the senior staff convinced whatever role Jessa was playing was not the blood-thirsty, vengeful monsters she traveled with to the Atlantis. She had a role. That was not to be denied but was using other methods to get what she wanted, for now.

Every time Ian looked at Jessa he saw something new. Maybe this was because he was not looking at her through one lens like half the crew. He saw her potential for violence but violence was not inherited like eye or hair color but a learned behavior. Jessa demonstrated the ability to lash out numerous times however since her arrival the only real violence had been to herself as evidenced by the angry black and blue marks decorating her forearm. What happened to you honey he silently asked himself trying to mash all the sides Jessa had shown into a single individual.

Her physical exterior was of a child that somewhere someone had taken care of her. There were no physical scars of broken bones or flesh showing physical abuse. She was clean, healthy, and for the most part well fed. Her teeth were straight and she had clearly been educated past survival skills. This indicated she had not scrabbled to live on the streets or some other sundry location.

Her rabid devotion to her faith to some might be seen as a form of mental abuse and yet how different was her faith to that of the Bajorans or Catholics or Klingon mythos. Jessa’s faith was not the problem. The problem was her society had weaponized their faith and sent out Jessa and untold others to be the scythe to mow down any dissent. The more Ian contemplated this in the silence that hung between him and Jessa, the more his thoughts became clearer. He would leave the deprogramming to Rinker. That was the psychiatrist’s wheelhouse and the man was damn good at it. Ian would solely focus on the person or people who nurtured and created the side of Jessa that felt compassion and empathy two traits the recent reports by Della Marx showed the Elders did not possess. He suspected her only attachment to these Elders was to get her back home to the people Jessa actually loved and cared for. If he could convince her his end goal was to reunite her with those she loved, he had a chance of making her trust him.

“Sit down or stand or do cartwheels,” Ian prefaced the start of what Jessa would probably only see as a lecture. “I don’t care what you do but you need to listen and hear me.” Jessa had issues with authority but she understood power dynamics. It was a risky move but Ian stood. Physically he was far more powerful than Jessa. He would not need a two-man team to subdue her. Standing showed his physical strength against her. Looking down at her, his expression was firm and slightly on the warning side. Jessa’s reaction by taking a step back, subconsciously confirmed she was reading the situation as Ian guessed.

“I am going to get you back to people that care about you.” His statement instantly caused wrinkles to spread across Jessa’s brow. This was not the sentence she was expecting so Ian continued not giving her a chance to overthink it. “I know you are up Schitt’s Creek and are sinking fast just stop paddling away from shore. You don’t trust me and I understand why however you fighting against us one hundred percent of the time is just going to make returning you back to Vela Astria take longer. A little help by you will make the process faster so think about that.” Ian was careful not to use words like mother, Galactic Union, Elders, or the Order. Those places were the disease. Until he could place concrete names with those that did have some interest in Jessa’s welfare, he would just continue to use the overgeneralized term of people.

Ian Bordeaux

“Why,” was the first word she provided in response to his statement. Jessa had hundreds more she wanted to use but his promise to her was far too enticing to ignore. Jessa crossed her arms tighter around her body. It was a classic, subconscious gesture. Her mind wanted to test the waters yet her body was consciously doing all it could to hold back her ideas.

At this moment, Jessa looked far younger to him than her chronological age. It was the hair: Long but pulled back in a sloppy ponytail with pieces haphazardly sticking out in all directions and framing her face. It was her eyes: Angry and hostile yet with also a glimmer of hope that what she was seeing was real and not a fantasy. It was the tone of her voice: Desperate and pleading yet carrying the soft lithe of someone ready to say anything to make the situation go away.

“Because kids should never feel scared or alone. Their biggest problem should not be galactic domination, ” he filled in the blank mentally but continued to speak, “worrying someone is going to hurt them, where their next meal is coming from, or helpless. Life has made you make a lot of decisions you should never have to think about for your age. I am going to promise you I will make sure you are with the people that care about you deeply.” Again he was careful to blindly label people. The reality was they might never get her back home. It was too soon to mention what they both knew as a very real possibility she was here for the rest of her life. Instead, Ian focused on giving Jessa the only thing he could: A sense of safety and security. Ian hoped his display of authority would be seen as powerful for Jessa and not against her. Snapping his fingers and rapidly hitting his palm over one closed fist, he pointed at Jessa with one finger and gave her a smile. Only time would tell how she read his gestures and mannerisms. “Rinker said you guys didn’t eat. I’ll go get you something.”

Ian Bordeaux

Jessa watched Ian leaving the room. She didn’t trust them, any of them but could pretend for now. “So how does this work?” Picking up the PaDD, Jessa sat on the bed in a position that allowed and almost encouraged Ian to sit next to her. “Is there a voice component or…”

Yes. Ian’s facial features showed his relief as he stopped and spun around casually. Taking a seat he ignored the fact he knew she could not read or write their language so it would have to be verbal commands. Reaching over he tapped the right side of the screen finding the SAPS icon. Using the Starfleet Academic PreSchool curriculum was the easiest and most secure way to give Jessa access to information. It was joked that the security protocols on the school’s database were the same as in Starfleet Intelligence. The site was sanitized enough to give Jessa a basic understanding of the Federation but not enough information to explain anything past what a four or five year old could digest. “So you tap that image of the school and then press this button. Show me Disneyland,” Ian picked the happiest place in the Galaxy. Immediately the device began to produce images and read small blurbs about the amusement park. “Now if you don’t know what you want to learn about you can touch these tabs.” As Ian showed her, the tabs read off the generic titles like planets, people, animals, and lessons.

Jessa was glued to the device watching it as if she had never seen a video before in her life. Laying down on her stomach, Jessa placed the PaDD on the bed and propped it up on the pillow totally engrossed. Ian sighed and stood up heading to the door.

“You know why I don’t trust shrinks,” O’Neill said gesturing with his chin towards Jessa once Ian was within earshot, “they always get it wrong. Rinker said six months,” he let out a discouraged huff. “Turns out it only took six minutes for her to transition into a full-fledged teen with her nose in a device. Hope you got a good look at her eyes because you are never going to see them again.” Patting Ian on his back, O’Neill let out a chuckle. This was probably the first time he was ever happy to see a kid on a digital screen and was fine with her spending hours on it. Pulling out his personal communicator, he sent a message to his wife to get a bottle of whatever Rinker drank and send it to him anonymously. The man deserved it and would need it because like all things…this too would pass and they would be back to the ugly side of deprogramming their newest Atlantean.

Ian Bordeaux

Jessa sat for hours staring at the screen. Her interest was not however what Ian or Rinker might have guessed. She was not looking at star maps or the history of the Federation. She would have time for that later. Where all her attention was focused was on a program called Starburst.

With her brow furrowed, Jessa watched the bouncing ball move across the screen stopping randomly on letters. Moving her lips she imitated the sound and memorized the song. “A say aaaaah. Aaaaah aaaah aaaah. B says buh. Buh buh buh.” After finishing the lessons in sound and letter correspondence, she slowly moved down the list to watch a video about how to read and write. While simplistic in nature again, the dancing pencil twirled about explaining that these people’s writing system went left to right. This small fact was like a key to a locked door.

Everyone always believed learning a language was about vocabulary. They studied and crammed nouns until their eyes crossed. This was a recipe for disaster, especially for reading and writing. One needed to understand grammar and syntax to be proficient. The Federation language was no different. Now that Jessa knew which direction to read, she would decipher the alphabet and then be able to sound out words to decipher their meaning.

There were so many stories and videos teaching one to read. Of course, they were meant for children much younger than herself yet this was a benefit to Jessa. The text and songs were simple. It was easy to remember. Jessa would need many more hours to use this information for any practical purpose. That was fine because all Jessa had was hours. When she was tired of the childish videos, she made a game of spotting letters around her room. The letter A sprawled across her sweatshirt was easy to spot. Being able to speak the language meant Jessa immediately knew the A was a short vowel. The grammatical rule of why it was AT lantis and not ATE lantis eluded her but that was okay. She only needed to know the basics.

Jessa Novar

Jessa was so focused on her PaDD, she let her attention slip not noticing Celia Decker enter the room. The sound of the woman’s voice made her jump. Jessa’s eyes flashed to hers while her hand dipped below the pillow to cover the PaDD. She would have to be more careful in the future. “Get up,” Celia’s voice snapped lacking the soft, gentleness it normally contained. In her hands were a set of clothes the thrust at Jessa.

Jessa didn’t move at first nor take the offered clothes. The tone of the woman and the way she had an urgency to her words and action made Jessa suspicious. Glancing at the door, Jessa half wondered if she should call out for Ian or O’Neill. Something felt off right. Swinging her legs to the side of the bed, Jessa was not complying with Decker but preparing to run if she had to.

“I said get up,” Celia yanked Jessa by the arm forcing the girl to take the clothes. “If you want to see the XO you need to do exactly as I say.” The mention of the second highest rank officer caught Jessa’s attention. “The Captain is not on your side but he is. He wants to meet but is has to be in secret for now.”

“How am I going to get out of sickbay to meet him?” Jessa still was not sold on the story Decker was selling her yet for three days, the people around her had been no help. “O’Neill never lets me out of his sight.”

“Except in the bathroom,” Celia stated rapidly. “The transporters in medical run on a different system than the regular transporters. We have someone that is sympathetic to you and the Elders. He will alter the logs so that anyone glancing at the system reports will see it coming from a different location but we have to go now.” Putting her hand on Jessa’s back, she pushed the girl towards the door and towards that bathroom. “Lock the door and turn on the water as soon as you get in there. They will beam you out from there in less than thirty seconds. I will make sure no one bothers you. Good luck,” Celia said with a small smile opening the door to the bathroom.

Jessa’s head swam as she nodded and entered the room. Normally she took a shower at night before bed. Hopefully, Celia could run interference for her if any problems resulted. Jessa hated the light slide but if it would take her to an ally, she would use it. Turning on the water, Jessa tested it to make sure it was not too hot or too cold if they could even check that sort of thing. Not sure how much time had passed or what to do, Jessa looked around and fidgeted in place. Exactly eleven seconds later she felt the sensation of slightly falling before the environment around her altered.

Jessa instinctively took a step back as she opened and closed her eyes trying to see in the dimly lit room. This did not feel right. Meeting in shadows and secret were never a good thing. Too many times when she had been in this position it all went sideways. She worked to control the urge to slap at her chest and activate the comm system. The problem was who would she call. Rinker? He didn’t come the last time she was in trouble? Their relationship, she was learning was defined on three parameters. The first was time. They spent one hour a day and then had no contact. The second was the location. They only met in his office which since it did not have a bed or living area that meant he only spent some of his time there. Jessa thought she would be able to make it to his office but if he wasn’t there, she would have no way to find him. The third was by association. Ian was their broker. She wasn’t sure if it was due to Rinker demanding to see Jessa that Ian brought her to him or if Ian requested Rinker to meet with her that she got to see the man.

This circular thinking brought Ian to her mind. How could she call him and why would she? He didn’t come on the observation deck and seemed to be close to the large green security officer. It stood to reason if she called, Ian would just summon his henchman Mardusk to round her up at any cost. Standing in the darkness, however, Jessa needed to do something. She was becoming far too dependent on the only two people she knew on the ship.

“Hello,” she said in a tentative voice. “I am Guardian Novar of the Galactic Union. To whom am I addressing?” Slipping into her old titles was comforting in a way. It gave her strength and a connection to her purpose here.

“Hello, Guardian Novar. I am the assistant to Commander Garinder’Jen th’Jir, executive officer. He will be with us momentarily. Please come in.”

Jessa Novar

Jessa hesitated for the briefest second before following the woman to a small table set up in the corner of the room instead of the customary two seats in front of the main desk as most of these offices seemed to be set up. What stopped her cold was the items on the table. Her mouth opened slightly not sure how to respond. Her eyes drifted from the table to the woman now taking a seat waiting patiently for Jessa to do the same. Nothing about this place, this ship, or the crew made sense when you stood back and parsed it all together. Every muscle tightened in her body poised for a fight. Celia had said this meeting was to help Jessa free the Elders and escape the ship. She also said time was of the essence so why was the woman inviting Jessa to sit down with her for a meal.

The pause and silence by Jessa did not seem to bother the woman who escorted her to the table. “Is there a problem,” she asked directing her attention on the girl. Aimee Rian was recruited for this mission solely due to her genetics. Rian was Betazoid which gave her a unique perspective on analyzing the child. She had expected some apprehension by Jessa yet this was far more than simple apprehension. The woman could read the unease flowing off the young girl like heat radiating off the pavement on a hot summer day. It was too strong to be normal unease for someone in her situation. Jessa was already forming a tentative bond with the crew of the Atlantis even if she could not recognize it yet herself. This would have to be remedied and soon. Starfleet ultimately needed her only allegiance be to them. It could not remain with her Galactic Union nor with the crew of a single starship.

Jessa did not answer the woman as she scanned the room in silence. So many things felt wrong about the mission but this meeting felt like a cold pit in her stomach. Was the XO concerned she would pull out a weapon and try to kill him? Rinker had suggested this only not in so specific words about her meeting the captain. It would only stand to reason Rinker had suggested or confirmed this line of thinking with the rest of the crew. “Yes,” Jessa finally replied in a firm tone. “I was under the impression I was here to meet with the XO. You confirmed the fact and yet…where is he? I have had enough of your tricks and games to last a lifetime.” Raising her hand to the comm badge, Jessa’s fingers lightly brushed the smooth cool metal of the device before the woman spoke.

“Commander Garinder’Jen th’Jir will be here shortly. He is preventing your removal from the ship tonight. Come sit and have something to eat while we wait. It shouldn’t be too much longer.” Reaching out she gave Jessa a mild telepathic push encouraging her to come to the table and relax. Reports stolen off the ship’s database hinted at a Jessa and the Elders being telepathic. The chief of security had reported the suspected skill first. It was corroborated by the medic in the brig but Decker could find no trace of it when she scanned the girl later. The Chief Medical officer was telepathic and yet there was no information confirming or denying she felt the child was also telepathic. Reaching out was risky but it was better to confirm this fact for their own side sooner rather than later.

Jessa Novar