Posted by Warrant Officer Jacen “Flex” Flexwood (Security Officer/Special Forces Division) in Anger and Accountability…Flexing ones muscles…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present
<SNIP>

“How do you know Ian,” she asked. Jessa was not sure who anyone was anymore. The people that helped her escape and free her friends looked and acted just like this man. If they had, she might not have signed up so fast with them. Jessa would not admit it but she did feel safe with Ian. If he let this man in, Ian probably trusted him.

“Honestly this was the first time I’ve met Ian. Seems like a nice enough guy though.” Flex offered a shrug as he suspected that answer wasn’t what she was hoping for.

“He can be a real yatzahole,” she responded and then almost as if in an afterthought, “but occasionally he has his moments.” Her comment wasn’t fair and a slight flash of guilt spread over her face. “He is just always…there. It’s like he is my group activity leader making sure I am where I am supposed to be at all times even if I don’t want to be there. He does however bring me this thing.” Looking at Jacen she began to talk with her hands gesturing as she spoke. “It’s like this big,” she raised her hands to about six inches apart vertically, “and you drink it. It is brown and has this white stuff on it. It is sweet and,” Jessa instantly felt a hot flash of anger. Being on this ship was harder than any of these people could imagine. Everything was foreign and strange, nothing familiar. “Everyone is nice enough when they want something from you even you,” she threw out an unnecessary dig at Jacen. She knew it was wrong but right not Jessa didn’t care. She was mad at the galaxy and needed to lash out at something.

“Including yourself it seems.” Jacen responded to her dig.

Jessa opened her mouth to protest out of instinct but only stood there with her mouth hanging open. Jacen was not wrong. She wasn’t sure exactly why she was doing this or why Ian set the meeting up, yet it gave her a chance to learn more about the ship and its people.

“Look if you play nice I will make sure they give you a hot chocolate during your appointment after we finish.” he said sincerely having figured out what she was talking about.

“Yeah, but I think it is called a coffee something. Lotta coffee or lota coffee.” Jessa looked up desperately trying to figure out what the name of the drink was called. One of the hardest things on the ship was actually getting food and drinks. Everyone on the ship raved about their replicators but unless you knew what you were asking for the damn matching kept asking her to restate her request. Not that requesting something was necessary. Between Ian, Kelly, the docs, O’Neill, and Rinker, she had more than she ever needed but it was more the wants she was finding harder to obtain.

“A Latte?” He asked sincerely. “Bold choice giving someone your age that much caffeine.” He grinned at the remark… A young woman full of energy and hopped up on caffeine… He was glad he didn’t have to try to get her to go to sleep at night.

For the first time, she did not have a snappy comeback. Popping off would not get Jacen to give her what she wanted so Jessa would have to try a different route. Maybe she should suggest he get one but that would only end the plan immediately if Jacen was not the type to share or if he didn’t drink the stuff. So far the latter was the least probable. There hadn’t been one adult on the ship who did not seem to drink it at some point in the day.

“Let’s take a walk.” He suggested as he moved towards the cabin door. He needed to get her moving so that her mind could find other things to focus on than stonewalling him.

Flex

Jessa blinked rapidly for a second as if she had been backhanded finally processing that Jacen stated he had just met Ian. The only people that had access to her had been Rinker, Ian, and O’Neill. There were a few others but they all had an intimate relationship with him in some form. Her hand moved to her comm badge but hesitated. Ian had walked out and left her. It made no sense to tell him. O’Neill had told her he would be at the appointment with Ian and meet her at Rinker’s office.

Jacen watched as her posture stiffened and her hand moved towards her comm badge. The girl’s anxiety was palpable at this point.

Looking at Jacen or Flex as he stated he liked to be called, Jessa weighed her options. Without her armor, the man could overpower her with minimal effort. Aside from his considerable mass and height, his personality seemed to be more on the same level as Ian and his friend Chris. Closing her eyes she licked her lips knowing she had no option but to go with him.

He saw her resignation to going with him, though he could tell that her fear resided barely below the surface.

Jessa clenched and shook out her hands as if trying to convince herself to do something drastic. “If you try anything I will use my armor. I don’t care who I freak out or whatever. Understand,” she asked him as if it were an order.

Jacen noted that her default reaction seemed to be fear, which inherently resulted in a violent response to make her feel safe. “Got it, but I have no intention of trying anything more than to get to know you a bit better.”

“Why,” she said moving to the door. “As a member of the divine, you will have minimal contact with me in a few weeks anyway.” Sliding into her role as Guardian eased her nerves some. “You also will not be permitted to openly call me by my birth name. You will be required to address me as Guardian or hopefully Patron Novar.”

He watched her body language talk as she fell back into a familiar mental state. He’d heard about the mental training and manipulation she’d been put through, but seeing it come out so easily was still surprising. “I honestly don’t know what that means… what is a divine?” He had of course done his reading, but knew from experience that it was better to get someone to speak from their perspective if he truly wanted to gain understanding.

“A divine is someone that not only follows the path of enlightenment but leads others on it. As Divine have been given gifts from god to help us inspire faith in the blind that wallow in darkness. It’s not your fault,” Jessa said in what was meant as a sincere tone, “that you are lost. You have never been shown the way until now. In the Union, we have a famous ancient teacher by the name of Sala Lessard. She was one of the first Divine. We learn her words to help us with people that think like you. She said Prejudice and hatred of those that follow the path result only in a cataclysmic destruction of civilization. It is a wildfire that scorches the landscape of society to a charred, blackened carcass. Nothing is more dangerous than the undevout to the preservation of culture, harmony, peace, and love. Do not shun the undevout but guide them into the light for they have only know chaos instead of clarity.” Jessa did not pause in her recitation but spoke it with the perfect precision of mindless memorization. It also seemed to calm her general body tension as Jessa talked. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, Jessa looked at Jacen.

Flex listened intently as she spouted the usual theocratic rhetoric. He mentally checked off the boxes… save the unenlightened… check… being persecuted by the unenlightened… check… superiority/savior complex… check…

“Being a Divine is not easy or as simple as just being born with God’s gift. You have to go to school for years to learn how to spread the glory of enlightenment. You start at about age two as a Guardian.” Looking down Jessa felt a hot embarrassment flash over her cheeks. “I did not start until age five but I am a very fast learner and now I am waiting to be bestowed the title of Patron. Our goal is to be Elders who are the prophets of the word.”

Cloistered and instructed in the ways of their god since childhood… check… use of shame for the slightest deviation from the ‘norm’… check

When she mentioned not being called by her name but by a title… he decided to prod slightly to see just how volatile this zeal was in person. “Permitted? I’m not a member of your society and as such not governed by those laws and traditions. So if I were to call you by a title that doesn’t hold any meaning to me it would be out of courtesy or professionalism… not a requirement.”

“Always learn the names of the faithless that dwell in the house of obsidian for they will memorize yours.
Use faith as your strength and scripture as the sword to cleave away the shroud that blinds one’s eyes to the face of God and enlightenment. As the light grows, the undevout will discover less of a need to control what they need not control, to question what they do not need an answer for, to resist what should be embraced.
In the end, walking in the glory of enlightenment, silence will replace any of their protestations. One day you will laugh at not wanting to call me Guardian.”

“I don’t mean this in a condescending or confrontational way… but I always struggle with the paradoxical nature of theocracies such as yours. Your scriptures talk about enlightenment, salvation, ordering chaos… all great things that if presented well by a society that lives out the values on a daily basis would spread naturally without the need for military conquest.”

“Oh we don’t conquer,” she immediately interrupted Jacen but like most adults, he countered her comment by continuing with his train of thought before letting her begin to ramble her rhetoric.

” However in history it is always these same theocracies that preach about how they’re the ones being persecuted while laying waste to entire other civilizations leaving behind only darkness, ruin, and subjugation… I know that you believe wholeheartedly in the Union’s cause, and I’m not telling you that you’re wrong… but do consider that it is also the only way of life you’ve known and as such it’s something you were raised in, not necessarily something you chose.

All of her false confidence melted away as soon as her foot left Ian’s quarters.

What Jacen said had been parroted by most of the crew since her arrival. “We do have things other than churches,” Jessa said. “Zoos, museums, playgrounds,” her voice trailed off. “And it is not like you don’t have religious people here. Rinker’s own father is a powerful cleric.” Jessa had no idea how important Rinker’s father was nor did she want to point out it was all heresy the elder Rinker spewed to the masses but sometimes subtracting facts was better than adding them. “Our power comes from the numbers we convert to help protect the galaxy.” Her fanatical tone dipped slightly along with her volume. She had always believed this. Just as Jacen said, she had been raised to think the Union did no wrong but Halston had changed all of that.

“One day you will see our shinning cities and you will see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears that our people are happy. They are,” she now almost sounded like she was pleading.

“Of course.” He said, his tone non-confrontational. “Because there is no alternative. If they’re not happy, it is an afront to the elders and your gods. There’s an ancient human philosopher named Voltaire who talked about the importance of the government leaders being separate from the religious leaders… otherwise disagreeing with one is disagreeing with God, and historically speaking that’s a good way to die an early death.”

“Yes but who would ever want to argue against God,” Jessa rolled her eyes completely missing the point Jacen was trying to make about politicians using faith as a weapon the same as a phaser or a sword. “God is like…like all-knowing and all-powerful. Did you know that when you die you will get every answer to every question you ever thought about? Like why on Sahra Alhubu can’t it just rain but have to rain in the form of a tornado or, ” turned around walking backward to ensure Jacen was listening and watching her instead of just walking. “Or why on Naluvai did two sentient species develop independently of each other with different genetics but at the exact same pace in regards to civilization? I think that is why I am not really scared to die. I got a lot of questions,” she laughed. “It would take me a while to get board when I achieve enlightenment.”

“It’s the mortals who CLAIM to know the will of the gods that I worry about, not the gods themselves… as they’ll do what they want anyway.” He said casually. “It is good to have questions, though it would be a shame to go your whole life without answers.” Jacen said not wanting to diminish the young woman’s sense of wonder. ‘Achieve enlightenment’… that’s certainly one way to phrase losing your life…

Moving into the hall, Jessa did the opposite of what one might suspect. She had given him a wide berth in the room as if he were a predator and she needed space to maneuver. In the hallway, she moved closer to him as if she belonged there. Jessa did not lower her face but kept her chin up. You are a Guardian. Do not let them see you scared. Do not let them know you have power over them. You have power over them. She repeated this with every step they walked. “So what is a holodeck and how long until we get there?” Her one verbal comment was matched with her looking around as if she were a sniper checking corners.

Jessa Novar

Flex didn’t say anything as they entered the corridor but could sense how she moved closely into his wake. For a moment his mind traveled back to his childhood when he would walk with his sisters trailing behind in a similar fashion, then the moment passed. He would’ve smiled at her question, but the poor girl was a ball of anxiety. He’d expected as much from what he’d been told by the CO yesterday, but seeing and feeling the nervous energy in action drove it home.

He led her into a nearby turbolift and said =^= Deck 16 =^=. Jacen was taking her to one of the holosuites on Deck 16 because of their proximity to the exterior of the ship. If things went terribly wrong and she went full war machine, the damage could be contained with relative ease compared to alternatives more centrally located within the ship.

Jessa’s eyes shot to the screen on the turbo. She had no idea what floor she was actually originating from but recognized the numeric they designated as five by the time her mind caught up with her eyes. Silently she counted the numbers until they reached twelve. Her preschool educational program Ian had given her separated the numbers into a ten-count system. Jessa had concentrated on one through ten. The only reason she had bothered to learn eleven and twelve was because that was the floors where her friends had been held.

“I think we missed the floor,” she blurted out as the numbers she knew were disappearing. If she could get Jacen to name them, she would memorize them. It might come in handy in an escape and definitely would help her understand what the dancing pencil meant by forty-five decks. “Where are we going again,” she added to cover up she had no idea how to read their numerical system.

Jacen hadn’t given any thought to the fact that she wouldn’t know their numbering system, though it made perfect sense. “We’re going to Deck 16. So our numbering system works in groups of tens. After ten, you have eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, then sixteen.”

“And this place we are going is on sixteen,” Jessa repeated as if to burn it into her memory. “Where are we going again? A hollowed deck?” The idea of a hollowed-out deck space was not unfathomable to Jessa. SHe had already been to one with Aimee Rian and the ship’s blue XO but it did surprise her that Jacen was being so open about it.

“A holodeck is a special room on the ship with the capability of projecting countless virtual realities for individuals to interact with for training, leisure, or other purposes.” Before he could finish the explanation, the lift arrived at its destination and they were once again moving through the corridor with her trailing in his shadow.

“So you do have a way to project with smoke and illusions?” Kelly had mentioned that Jessa was almost zealous in her beliefs with religion. This would be the first he saw it first hand. Jessa lost the timid and scared persona of a child and seemed to fall into the trance most people had when reciting scripture from the heart. ” Do not fall for the illusion of fantasy but embrace life. It is only through pain and sacrifice does one achieve enlightenment. Leave fantasy for the fool too stupid to lift the murky veil Lamashtu has draped over their head to cloud them in darkness.” Whether or not Jacen realized it, his admission that this ship used holographic projections confirmed her suspicions that this ship could not be at big as they stated or that it maybe even was a ship. This all could be a way to just test her ad her dedication to her mission.

He listened intently as she recited her scriptures. He’d read stories about similar things occurring in various cults across the known galaxy, but they tended to be more fringe elements than mainstream in most societies. But in a hardcore religious theocracy it was par for the course. He decided it was best not to engage with her on the technological elements of the process, he didn’t understand it well enough himself to explain it at a level she could understand. Flex instead decided to engage with the scripture she recited. “We have saying in our society as well… Such as ‘all work and no play makes Jessa a dull girl’”

“I’m not dull you are dull,” she immediately shot back as if they were suddenly in a middle school cafeteria playing a game of verbal smackdown. The comment was needless and pointless but driven by the galactic need of teenagers to be cooler than anyone over the age of eighteen. Even as the words left her mouth, Jessa had no idea why she stated them. It was not something the Elder’s did or how they spoke to other people. Biting her lip she stopped interrupting him knowing that she had to be Guardian Novar instead of Jessa Novar here in this Federation. Without having the presence of the other Elders though it was making it harder for her to emulate their actions.

Jacen reflexively cracked a smile at the retort and cocked his head when he looked at her. He was sure his amusement would only rile her up more… but he found the situation genuinely funny.

and ‘work hard, play hard’ Hard work, pain, and sacrifice are all vital elements to success it’s true. But to be at your best there are other things as well such as rest, recovery, and yes sometimes fantasy because those things allow you to refresh your mind and motivation. Discipline can take you a long way especially when you’re tired and don’t feel like doing what’s required, but enthusiasm and motivation make that journey more enjoyable.”

“The Galactic Union and the Federation are not really that different,” she stated hearing the rest of his speech and this time not interrupting him. ” Without hope and heroes, life is spent in malaise. To defeat malaise identify the keys to life. Life is sacrifice so offer it. Life is trust so give it wisely. Life is a struggle so conquer it. Be the force of change in the galaxy no matter the cost. We just say it more eloquently,” she added with a bit of the ego-centric attitude Jessa normally displayed.

“Being eloquent is exhausting… humans tend to reserve that trait for courting purposes.” Jacen teased.

“Ehwwwah,” she wrinkled up her nose. “Seems unfortunately that is the same everywhere. There is nothing more irritating than when the Guardians are in the common room spouting random poetry that they don’t know but clearly memorized for someone who honestly has no idea what it means but they smile and giggle.
Ughhh,” she made a retching sound. “You are going to catch me being eloquent.” The term was new but she definitely understood the context so defining it was easy.

He laughed lightly at her typical teenage response to public displays of affection.

Moments later they entered the reserved holosuite. The door closed behind them and discretely locked following pre-programmed security protocol that had been established for this session.

“So Miss Jessa, my understanding is that you haven’t gotten to experience much outside of your own culture. Within this room it is possible to enjoy some of those experiences. Do you have any requests? Places you’d like to see? Food or drinks you’d like to try?” Jacen turned to face the young lady, his first priority was to calm some of her anxiety so that they could move past the defensive phase.

Flex

The room reminded her of a prison cell but without furniture or a visible way out. Her hand moved to the disc on her neck ready to engage her armor but stopped. Just knowing it was there made her feel powerful and safe. Glancing around she stopped panicking and started thinking. Maybe Jacen knew other people like Aimee instead of Ian more intimately. While Jessa disliked the woman who helped her escape, she had been true to her word in helping her escape. Zala had been removed from the Promenade. Ian had not said anything about leaving the quarters so this could be a way for them to make contact with her again.

Her hand moved again towards the disk on her neck. Jacen got the distinct impression that he was going to need to teach her some basic self defense so that her first reaction wouldn’t be to armor up.

“Show me Earth,” she asked. “That is where Ian is from correct?”

Jessa Novar

=^=Computer, project Earth.=^= The room around them changed into a projection of space black dotted with the white light of stars and in the center of the room was the blue world she’d asked about and its one moon.

Instantly she seemed to relax. “Oh,” she let out a laugh. “This is just like a cosmoterrium. That is a huge room we use to see the cosmos and learn about different planets and cultures. Ours of course is far more detailed with projections of populations, climate, and geography.” Reaching up towards the large blue-green globe circulating in the room, Jessa could not help but be impressed. The image looked as if the world was real with all its detail of swirling white clouds, blue oceans, and green-brown landforms. The Galactic Union’s holographic technology was nothing like the detail this Federation possessed but she would not admit that to anyone.

=^=Computer where on Earth is Ian from?=^= Flex asked using the first name so that Jessa felt comfortable know who he was talking.

Flex

=/\=Lt. Commander Ian Bordeaux is from Covington Lousiana=/\= an artificial voice replied. Before the computer response even ended the room changed from the midnight inkiness of space to a program of Ian’s family home in Covington. The holographic program displayed robin’s egg blue skies with whispy white clouds having no discernible pattern or shape. Large weeping willow trees dotting the thick green grass blotting out the sun’s harshest glare letting the light filter down to create shadows on the grass. A large home sat just in the foreground with two large porches that wrapped completely around the front of the home giving the occupants almost a promenade on which to stroll about and look at the lush landscape of flowers, bushes, trees, and shrubs.

Jacen watched as the scene transitioned. The home was a beautiful one and the porches looked as if they could host generations of the family with no trouble. It was an impressive sight, and one that Flex hoped he could actually see one day. Not the Bordeaux house… that would be strange, but the more rural areas of Earth.

The shock of the change of scenery made Jessa recoil her hand as if the globe had electrocuted her. Jessa began to walk backward faster and faster as her head spun about taking in all the visual effect. She felt dizzy processing everything she saw causing her to lose balance and fall back on her butt in the soft grass. The impact was jarring but did not hurt.

Attempting to stand, Jessa froze as her fingers dug into soft grass and dirt instead of hard deck plating. As a warm breeze blew strands of her hair about her face, Jessa lifted her face up toward the sun feeling the rays warm her skin. Inhaling deeply, Jessa held her breath. She could smell the faint scent of flowers mixed with the earthly smell of grass and soil. Closing her eyes, she let the sounds of insects, leaves rustling, and birds chirping add to her other sensations overwhelming her.

Opening her eyes, Jessa locked a stare on Jacen. A weight was lifted from her shoulders showing the relief not only on her face but in her entire posture. There were only two ways could she be in this situation. The first was that she had always been correct and the Altantis was just a hologram to confuse her and the Elders. The second was that Jacen had used the beaming weapon the Atlantis possessed and had removed her from the Altantis to a new location. The part Jessa could not figure out was how far she actually was from the crew of the Atlantis. The part she knew was Jacen had been sent to help her escape.

“Where is Aimee,” she asked in an urgent tone. Although she did not trust the woman that helped her escape and launch the attack on the ship, Aimee Rian was the only person that had been trying to help her escape for the past week. “Is Zala with her? Don’t worry. I can and will protect you if you help me.”

Jessa Novar

Jacen recognized the names. The false officer from the breakout and one of the elders. He was curious what information Jessa would divulge and was glad that this interaction was being recorded by the computer. “I don’t know where Aimee is, and I hope Zala isn’t with her.” I dated them both at the same time back when I was in the academy… and if they found out about each other, I really would need your protection. Those girls are very territorial.” He hoped the frat boy act would rile her up enough to spill some useful information.

Flex

“So you were a part of Aimee’s team and you are definitely Zala’s type just don’t get eloquent when you get around her,” she turned up her nose. “I got enough of that in the month trip it took to get here between her and Rogan.” Standing up she brushed her hands as if there was dirt clinging to them.

Jacen made a mental note of the length of the trip to be referenced with what they knew about the Union.

“I don’t have any more suits to give out but,” Jessa reached up and tapped her neck activating her armor. Instantly the child before him was clad in head-to-toe armor. The activation of the suit was almost mesmerizing. The suit started at the small disc on her neck and spread out in overlapping panels moving with almost the fluidity of a liquid. The speed of the suit covering her body occurred in less than a second and visually it was almost as if it was poured onto her. Retracting her face plate, Jessa looked at Jacen. “I can take care of Zala and probably Aimee in this but definitely Zala only I can’t use the battle drug enhancer. Dr. B totally freaked the triff out when I went to see him with a headache after the attack. Seems it is similar to a drug you have called PCP or Angel Dust. Personally, I thought Angel Dust is a much more pretty term than phenyl-whatever so ready to go? Clever term by the way…holodeck,” she let out a laugh. “I would really prefer you to let me in on the secret code words but I will forgive you for now.”

So not only did the Union load up fully armored teens… they dosed them to make them drug addled berserkers?

Ian had stated that if she activated the suit, it would result in an immediate transport back to his quarters but since Jacen had locked the holodeck down under senior staff command codes, the transport did not result in her being beamed back to Ian’s quarters. The other assumption of why Jessa was still in the holodeck and not in the middle of the captain’s quarters was that it was all a bluff by Ian. The alien tech was still more advanced than the Federation’s so sometimes the easiest way to control the situation was lie. Jessa was keen on exploring the ship so to keep her in line, the small lie would prevent her from using the suit.

The superior officers had pushed back on Jacen’s idea to remove the transporter procedure if Jessa activated the suit inside the holodeck, but Jacen thought it might provide him with a great intel opportunity. He had only been able to convince them by explaining that worst case they could vent the sealed holodeck to the void. It wasn’t a popular decision, but one he was glad that had been made. The girl had become confident in her situation since she hadn’t been immediately ripped back to quarters.

Regardless of the reason, Jessa didn’t seem to care why she was not immediately engulfed in a transporter beam. For her it was obvious, they were no longer on the ship. Secretly she knew that the Federation’s holographic technology could not be as good as they were stating and this proved it. The transporters had to have either removed them from the ship or they were on a planet like she always had assumed and the transporters set her free. Either way, it was time to find a way to get home.

Jessa Novar

Jacen removed his comm badge and placed it in his pocket, once in the pocket he tapped it to open a comm so that a waiting NE could hear and modify the program on the fly. “So what do we do now?”

Flex

Watching him place his comm badge in his pocket instantly erased all doubt in Jessa’s mind as to which side Jacen was on. He was clearly in Aimee’s and those that had helped her try to escape. Even though that plan was botched it seemed they were trying to make up for it by helping her again.

“The city. I need to try and reach Zalá and recall the Beacon of Hope,” she stated confidently. “It will get me home and you will be rewarded for your bravery and honor. So which way do we go or can you just using that beaming thing so we don’t have to walk?” Much like a typical teen, Jessa had little desire to expend energy on things she did not value and right now she valued time.

Jessa Novar

bump

“We can’t use the teleporter, as we don’t have the physical hardware necessary.” Jacen said matter of factly Jessa still didn’t fully comprehend the technology she was talking about.

“There is no device,” she said wrinkling up her nose “You just announce it, and it takes you anywhere you want to go.” Jessa put her hands on her hips.

“Refresh my memory, what is the Beacon of Hope?” Flex asked. Ignoring her question about directions as he clearly wouldn’t be able to provide a satisfactory answer.

Flex

“My ship,” looked around still like a dog with a bone as her mind hyperfocused on one topic and her mouth continued with a second. “The Beacon is my ship…well our ship. Okay, the ship we borrowed,” Jessa stumbled on her words. It would be easy to lie to him but Rinker somehow always seemed to know about things when he wasn’t around. It was far easier to correct herself now than explain why she lied in the first place. “It used to be in orbit around the Atlantis until I,” she stiffened not sure how to finish the sentence. “Well the last time I saw it. You would know better than me where it is.”

Jessa Novar