Posted by Commander Heathcliff Rinker (Chief Medical Officer/ Psychiatrist) in Back on the Atlantis…Rinker and Lila Horne…when the past does not match the present or the future
(SNIP)

“I am the one hoping you will share your insights with me. This is a more personal request for information than formal one. We know you spent time with her because she called you and several other crew out by name. Jessa is a child and lacks the formality when speaking as you or I might.”

“So each of the named persons have a personal interview with someone.”

“Some more detailed than others,” she admitted. “However, this is not the sole reason I was introduced to you.”

Her causal and relaxed posture changed abruptly. “I don’t think you do truly understand our laws and way of life. If Jessa has been deemed irrevocably contaminated by the ideologies of a mind seer, she will be subjected to our laws. This means she will have to go before an Adjudicator. They will find her guilty and send her to the Altar of Cleansing. She will be cleansed of this crime and her sins by fire. I need to know what she told you about us and how you worked to change her ideology because we both know you are a mind seer.” There was a desperation and urgency to her voice but not malice. The Adjudicators were already sniffing around as demonstrated by their presence in the hangar. Pellan and Vyce were holding the off the best they could, but time was of the essence. Their ultimate mission to find the PRISM which brought the Elders here in the first place but justice would not stop for anyone.

Lila Horne

“Well, that does support the theory that your laws are… rigid. It does sound that Federation laws allow for a little more independent expression. But how the Galactic Union enforces its laws, in its space, is its business.” that relatively benign stated included his actual message which was they were not in the Galactic Union

Rinker

“Precisely,” her tone was more urgent and tinged with frustration. “She is our citizen and subject to our laws. Patron Novar was ill prepared for the mission she embarked on but at twelve she is held under adult laws and consequences. Think about that.” Rinker was not going to suddenly explode into fiery rhetoric or break down into a well of emotions. Lila needed to give him time understand the stakes. Reaching forward, she held her finger over the button to control the device. Lila made eye contact silently demonstrating how to control it. If Rinker chose to give them utter silence, she wanted him to know how to do so. After a long second or two, she deactivated the sound dampening device allowing every word to be monitored by both parties.

“So tell me Heathcliff, what is one personal fact about you that has nothing to do with the politics of this situation. We are supposed to be getting to know each other and I am not a politician nor are you. You don’t seem the type.” She leaned back relaxing into the soft cushions but not move back across the space maintaining the close proximation. “I’ll go first. When I was in school as a child I was all in on the musical theater for extra curricular activities.” She did a small seat dance where she bounced slightly on the cushion and did a shift of her elbows side to side before raising her arms over her head and bringing them down in an arch motion. Her face bore the overly large, overly exaggerated smile one wore when on stage.

Lila Horne

Rinker actually was a ballroom dancer, well, that was an exaggeration. He took 5 years of ballroom dance when he was in high school. So he had a number of skills. But he didn’t want to seem repetitive, he would keep that one in his pocket. “I can tie about 30 different types of knots. I actually practice a number of the twists and loops with a practice rope in my office.”

Rinker

“Promises promises,” she said with a flirtatious smile on her face. “Maybe one day we will be able to demonstrate our unique talents.”

“Maybe,” Rinker countered with a small amused chuckle on his face. “I haven’t found too many people that interested in watching someone tie different knots. I think it would be as entertaining as watching someone knit.” He blinked at her innocently enough.

“Maybe the point is to be watching something else. You know like the instructor. I am sure there are a myriad of reasons why you would want to learn such a skill. Camping, gift giving, a boat,” she let her voice trail off acting as if their words didn’t have an underlying meaning.

She took another sip of her drink letting her lips linger on the rim of the glass far longer than necessary and drinking far slower than needed. First meetings were always the luck of the draw. Some people were far too eager to make a good impression while others made it feel like an interrogation. Heathcliff appeared to be in the middle. He gave no indication that he was ready to swap out his uniform for a Union one but he was open to just getting to know her on a surface level. This was all Lila could hope to happen for now. “And where did you learn such a versatile hobby? Do you sail or just find creative ways to keep a captive audience?”

Heathcliff laughed. “Ignoring the illegality of just tying people up there are far more efficient ways of taking a captive. I tend to think my personality is enough to keep people in my proximity. Of course, sometimes people just don’t want to listen to reason so extreme measures are needed.” His comment was tongue in cheek.

“I have been knows to be called stubborn and hard headed but right now I am rather enjoying the company. As you can see I cross the room. Must be your animal magnetism or maybe your cologne. It’s nice.” She wondered if he was the type to take a compliment for what it was without reading too deep. The problem with this way of thinking was it was double edged. Lila was attracted to RInker. She lived by the idea of not sleeping where you work. He was affable, handsome, and right now uncomplicated. He was also her assignment so the slope was slippery. She had not lied to him and wouldn’t.

“So,” she put her drink down and eyed him up for another question, “do you cook? Chancellor Pellan is seeing to a lavish dinner reception for everyone tomorrow but depending on how that goes might determine where we could be eating breakfast.”

Lila

“Breakfast?” He wasn’t sure that she understood what she was saying. Although on the other hand she was an attractive woman, she probably had been flirted with more than a few times by people who dropped the ‘breakfast line’ so thinking she was naive probably was wrong.

“Yes, the meal where you typically have eggs, some kind of pastry, and if they really like you meat. Cooking up a meat patties takes time and not everyone wants to spend the daylight hours with someone they spent twilight with.”

This was the first time he heard about the dinner party and had mixed emotions about it. Formal dinners were always stuffy but the food tended to be above the normal fare one ate at meals. He did not focus on the vague invitation but more the latter innuendo. “Well that would entirely depend on how dinner went. If dinner bored me enough to want to stab myself with me bread knife to get out of it, breakfast would entail me drinking coffee and reflecting on ways to get out of another dinner If dinner went well, I am a go with the flow type of guy. I would play it by ear and figure out if I would be waking up in my quarters or somewhere else.”

Rinker

“Oh it would have to be my quarters. I have heard a rumor that you have magical food.” She did need to get some information confirmed even though it did sound like a child’s imagination.

“In the distress beacon there was a data packet. It said that you had a way to solve galactic hunger. That is the wish we all want. No famine or anyone hungry. Our supply chains in the Union are expansive but when there is an natural disaster or such food can be problematic in specific moments.” She didn’t call our Jessa by name but Lila knew Rinker was smart enough to connect the dots.

Lila Horne