Posted by Captain Kelly Bordeaux (Commanding Officer) in Back on the Atlantis…Rinker and Lila Horne…when the past does not match the present or the future

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

Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in Back on the Atlantis…Rinker and Lila Horne…when the past does not match the present or the future
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

“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.

Rinker took a sip of his drink. Jessa had referred to the replicators as magical or thin air food often, but he refrained from confirming this statement. “We have a lot of recipes available, and kids have some weird attachment to a food we call chicken nuggets with ketchup.”

“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

“We like helping people, but that isn’t completely true, core worlds have complete atmosphere controls so that solves a lot of problems.” He didn’t go into transporter and replicator technology just now, Rinker was not a diplomat, but he also knew enough to not show his entire hand at poker. If Lila was inquiring about the replicators, that meant they did not have them and were interested. Out of the window, one could not help but get a glimpse at the multitude of ships hanging like an invasion fleet. A new thought coalesced in his head.

“How many of your ships out there are supply ships versus military? I only ask that because I am going to make the assumption you had to bring your own supplies. Having food and water for a ship of this size for a month would require several ships carrying supplies and your flagship is the size of a small moon.”

RInker

Lila polished off her drink and stood up making a motion for Rinker to do the same. “You trust me? Come on.” She had no idea if Rinker would agree but she hoped he would. The questions were getting to hard to answer and she needed another way to explain things. Lila also wanted to test the waters on some deeper insights to Heathcliff Rinker’s moral compass. “I will need some help getting back to the hangar,” she said looking around. She did not think Rinker was trying to be subversive however all their wall and floors were white. Without having a knowledge of their language, she could not read the signs most people used to get around the ship.

“That is a loaded question.” He really believed that real trust was earned. He gave everyone a basic level of trust, but that was more about the person he was and what he wanted the universe to be, not that he was always proven right. Rinker polished off his drink and made a gesture for her to start walking.

“Not that loaded, ” she shrugged it off with a easy smile. “We seem to be getting on well enough. In any other situation I am not sure you would be so hesitant to leave a public space with a woman that was also eager to leave. We are consenting adults,” she gave him a wink.

==================================
On a ship within the Galactic Union fleet
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The shuttle carried them not to the main ship of the fleet but around and behind it. The main ship was so large, it hit far more vessels than the initial scans from the Atlantis revealed. None of them were as large as the main ship but five where immense. Much like the main ship, the spherical shape of them prevented anyone from seeing the ship in its entirety. Once could deduce the size just like any other round celestial body like a small moon. As the shuttle approached on of the ships, a small sliver opened on the perfectly smooth surface granting them entry. The inky black void of space was soon replaced by a blindingly bright sky. It was as if one stepped into a holodeck program of an ocean world. Midnight blue waters contrasted with a cerulean sky for what seemed like miles. As the shuttle dipped down along white capped waves, sailing ships could be seen skimming along the water. They were reminiscent of old sailing vessels but with sleek metal hulls and starship like qualities but with large solar sails to propel the ships forward. Off in the distance, there appeared to be a settlement.

“There are easier ways to kidnap me and steal my kidneys.” Few things rendered Heathcliff Rinker at a loss for words. This was one of those times. It was not that he was that impressed with the ship. It was more the sheer scale of the ship. It was as if the Galactic Union had come with dozen of mini Dyson spheres. It also lent to the hypothesis that this invasion fleet was not all military vessels but possibly dozens of civilian ships.

“It is not your kidney’s I am after,” she replied in a neutral tone, “but I might be hoping you will spend the night with me in a far less conspicuous place.”

Lila let Rinker take it all in before she began to speak. “We did not bring supplies in the traditional sense of canned food stores. This fleet is unique and is only used when trans-versing galactic voids. We can not always be assured of returning home or having immediate supplies so we bring our own. Tactically I should not probably be telling you this but Chancellor Vell will be giving your Captain a tour. We have five such ships which incorporate the five major biomes of a world. We have an arboreal ship, an agricultural ship, marine ship,” she let her voice trail off. “You have interpreted our fleet as an invasion fleet probably due to the size. In reality it is just more of an expeditionary force on a holy mission from God.”

Lila Horne

The holy mission statement sharply reminded him that this was a theocracy and not a democracy. Even though Lila did not spout rhetoric like Jessa tended to do, her comment reinforced the type of civilization this was. “Any chance we can land or is this just a flyby?”

Rinker

“All you have to do is ask,” Lila stated and ordered the pilot to set down. As the shuttle decreased altitude, Rinker would see that the ships were actually working ships and not just pleasure vehicles. It was a fly over but the image was a familiar one with the people on deck pulling nets up filled with aquatic life. When the ship finally landed on the pad and the hatch opened, the scent of salt and sea spray filled the space. Stepping out into the fresh air, the sounds of water lapping at the docks and against boats filled his ears. A few birds cawed in the distance fighting over what could be presumed left over bits of fish from the hauls.

Lila led him away from the docks and into a small section of the harbor that had the feel of a small town. Kids ran in the streets and people mulled about giving the two of them side glances but not much more. Lila led him to what would best be described as a small cafe. Taking a seat at one of the wooden tables, she signaled the wait staff for service. “I will get us something to drink and you can look around,” she gestured to the small courtyard. “Talk to anyone you want. I will say they know you are from an alien ship and this is a First Meeting situation between your people and mine. Past that you will have to rely on your skills to decide if they are hiding anything with their answers.” For Lila, this was a chance to observe Rinker also. Who would be the first person he reached out to? Would be blend in or stand out like the obvious tourist he was? The man was intriguing to Lila. He was not what she expected.

Lila Horne

Rinker looked at Lila with a contemplative expression. The woman had been very sociable and unlike the Elders or Jessa with the pro Union rhetoric, until now. Their time on the Atlantis was abruptly ended and for what? To show the glory of the Union with its massive ecosystems and pronouncement that there were a multitude of ships just like this one scattered among the fleet. Was coming here all a ploy to immerse Heathcliff into pro-Union propaganda to swing his assessment of their culture? If so it would never work. Heathcliff could not be dazzled into changing flags and uniforms based on a few handshakes and promises. “I will make my beverage ladies choice,” he replied, getting up from the table.

On some level, he was a hostage now if Lila refused to take him back; and yet did it matter. The Atlantis was outgunned and out numbered for the moment. Standing up he moved to a group of elderly women sitting on a park bench near the central fountain. Any group he approached could be jarring but based on his age and theirs, it would also less suspicious. Another reason he chose them was the grandmother hypothesis. While this was a psychological theory in the Federation, there was a sentient basis that could apply here.

The theory held that as women matured and aged, they devoted their time to their grandchildren to ensure a use in society. This theory had far more validation in the ancient past when survival depended on those in a societal group be able to contribute to a group such as being able to hunt, gather, or farm. In the ancient past, having someone home to tend for young children freed the mother from rearing duties to provide for their offspring. In more advanced societies, elderly people did not have to worry about being physically useful to survive but it did allow them to still be culturally useful in a society passing down knowledge and strengthening familial bonds. With the group of kids playing near and no real parents in sight, it could be a grandmother effect or simply children being children and occupying themselves.

“Hello,” he stated in a friendly manner. It was obvious he was not from around here so he left his greeting as it was.

Rinker

The women stopped talking among themselves and looked up at him. It took a moment for one of them to reply. “Blessin’ to ya,” one of the women finally spoke. Her voice has a rich accent that was thick with years. She kept her gaze on him but also to the children playing ball off in the distance. It was not wary but watchful.

“So you are the newest group to drink the water of the Union?” She let out a guttural grunt of disdain at the end of the sentence. The reference might not be completely but the sentiment was.

Her comment was surprising to Rinker on several levels. This was the first time someone had openly expressed anything but pure devotion to the Galactic Union. Rinker looked over his shoulder at Lila sitting where he left her sipping a drink. Her eyes were locked on him but attempted to appear casual. Maybe it was a trap or maybe an attempt to show something else.

“Elsie watch your tongue,” one of the other women snapped making a gesture across her chest. It’s motions might have been superstition but when the other woman of the trio copied it, it lent more to being of a religious nature.

“What I am old. What can they do,” she lifted her chin off to a point in the distance. Behind the children playing, a figure in black robes lurked. The robes hid everything about the person under them. One could not tell if it were man or woman, young or old. “Let them adjudicate me. They will only get a dose of common sense.

Rinker did not interject but sat back with a counselors eye.

“No but they could to them,” the middle woman nodded off to the children. The statement brought a sour expression to the one greeting Rinker.

Off in the distance a person clad in all black hovered just in the shadows. The large cowl hid the identity of the individual much like it had in the hangar. The adjudicator’s presence invoked a sense of not fear but foreboding. The children shifted slightly in their proximity to the figure but the game between them continued.

Clearing her throat, the third woman on the bench addressed Rinker directly. “Ignore Bella. She is old and grumpy. Welcome to the Union. From your curious gaze it appears you are new here. That and your uniform. What civilization has the Union chose to extend its blessings on?” This woman had an aura about her. Her voice carried the sing song like tones Jessa used when reveling in stories about the good graces of the Galactic Union.

“I am from a civilization called the United Federation of Planets.”

Off in the distance, Lila kept a watchful eye on Rinker. She had placed him in a possibly tenuous position but it was necessary. Depending on his astuteness, there was much he could learn. The arrival of the adjudicator did not surprise her. They always tended to be lurking about looking for trouble and ready to pronounce judgement. On this ship, the citizens tended to give them wide berth but did not pay them that much mind. Unlike other ships, those that worked the sea believed more in weather and fate to determine their destiny. The arrival of an adjudicator was not unexpected yet it was also not planned. Lila wanted Rinker to experience a specific side of the union and this could cause a breach of the weak trust they had just started to develop.

“Come,” Bella said extending her arm, waiting for Rinker to help her up and off the bench. “You are too skinny. I will get you something to eat.” She screamed out a name and one of the children playing stopped looking at her. She gave him directions in some other language which the boy complied to but with the typical speed of a young boy. Scampering off she turned her attention to Rinker.

Rinker took her arm and held her steady as she rose from the bench. She was far stronger then her frame appeared. With age, one loses the muscle bulk of youth but that did not mean the elderly were all frail and helpless. Once she was on her feet, Rinker stole a glance behind him at Lila from across the plaza. “I am not sure my host over there was planning for me to take an unaccompanied tour?”
“Tell me about your Federation of Planets?” Bella moved with a strong sturdy pace once she began her journey. Her request for assistance getting off the bench was more of a test than actual need. Men that were raised correctly knew how to treat their elders. The new generation lacked the instinct to help even when it was later reported to them that they did not need it.

Lila

“Well, we’re a federal republic. It’s not like anyone was forced into it—our member worlds join willingly.” His tone carried both pride and patience. The Federation was vastly different from the Union and Rinker wanted to drive this point home with crystal clarity. “Planets and species from all across the stars come together under a single central government, bound by the ideals of liberty, justice, and equality. We share knowledge, resources, and protection, not just for defense but for peaceful exploration as well. Each world keeps a measure of autonomy, but all agree to uphold Federation laws and principles. And at the heart of it all is Starfleet. That is where I come in. Starfleet is our military, our explorers, our scientists which carry these ideals forward into the unknown.”

Rinker

Bella nodded but listened not asking questions or commenting as Rinker spoke. She led him down the street a few yards before stopping at a doorway. The door slid open effortlessly with a soft pneumatic swish letting them into the space. The tavern was not square but curved like the belly of a ship turned skyward. It’s vaulted ceiling, ribbed in steel and glass, let in fractured shafts of cold light. The space was darker than one might expect without bright overhead lighting. Only warm amber lanterns clung to the walls, throwing a coppery glow across round wooden tables littered with half-finished meals and gleaming bottles that were half drunk. Behind the bar, shelves sagged with strange spirits. The glass bottles caught the firelight from the lanterns casting glimmers of gold and green adding to the feeling of being underwater.

The air carried a mingling of salt and smoke, as though the sea itself lingered just outside, and the murmur of voices rose and fell with the rhythm of waves. It was a place of shadows and sanctuary, where secrets traded hands as easily as drinks, and where every corner seemed to promise a story best told in hushed tones. As soon as they entered all voices stopped and all heads turned. The space was barely filled but had the potential to house ten times the occupancy it now had.

The space felt like an updated page of history. For all the power and might of this Union, it was a mixture of culture and technology. While the temperature remained the same, the ambiance of the room made it feel colder. Now he could see why Lila appeared so intrigued by Aquatica on the Atlantis. The restaurant Rinker chose had some elements like this but in stark comparison. While Aquaitica was light and airy, this place felt dark and foreboding in contrast. The small aquarium on one wall was in no match to the room encompassing the aquarium that gave the Atlantis restaurant its name.

Bella moved to a table in the back and gestured Rinker to take a seat. “You are too skinny. You must eat. I will get you something.”

Rinker glanced at Lila, he couldn’t remember the last time someone called him too skinny. Rinker like most middle-aged men fought the battle of the bulge, sometimes more successfully than others. “No thank you I think I should be getting back,” he started but watched as Bella left without another word. “Or maybe I won’t,” he finished the sentence to himself. Rinker looked about the room taking in all the aesthetics. It was a surprise to him. The Union Jessa had described was totalitarian. This generally did not allow for culture other than what the state dictated. This space was rich in history and personal design.

Bella ignored any protests from Rinker as she moved to a door in the back. It wasn’t long until someone slid into the seat across from him.

Rinker felt on edge. This excursion was starting to feel like a set up. He genuinely had not detected deception in Lila but that in itself could have been a ploy. The woman stated she was a psychoanalyst.

“Lila brought you from that ship,” the man stated, looking Rinker up and down. His tone was wary with a slight irritated tone. He had called off from his cruise today wondering if the woman would produce as she stated. This man looked too clean, to proper for his taste. Men that looked like him more often than not caused problems instead of solving them.

“Is it obvious that I am not from around here?” Rinker replied smoothly. The casual visit was taking on a more cloak and dagger feel. Like any society, it was the middle of the work day. Only those without a job or responsibility tended to mull about without a purpose. This man was dressed like those Rinker observed on the docks where they landed. He had the same tan linen shirt and dark pants. His hands were covered in calluses and scars indicating a lifetime of working with their hands.

“You look like a politician. Those of us on the home biomes don’t have much use for fancy uniforms or politicians,” he replied. It was not an angry statement but more matter of fact. This man was what many people called common folk. The type of person that goes about their life working, living, and then dying so far removed from political machinations that their only contribution was scuttlebutt around a bottle of booze.

A woman much younger than Lila dropped off a bottle of murky sea green liquid along with two glasses. She cast a glance at Rinker before moving away. Pulling a cork from the bottle, a soft popping sound filled the empty space between the two men followed by the gentle glugging sound of the glasses being filled. “Tell me what you think if the Union and be frank. I don’t have time for anything but honesty.” The man took a sip of his drink and nudge the other glass towards Rinker.

Lila Horne

At least this man was direct. A lifetime of working in the medical and psychiatric fields gave Rinker the ease and confidence of conveying honest assessments to others. He picked up the glass and inhaled. It carried the faintest hint of salt spray and faint earthy musk of kelp. A small sip revealed several layers to the drink. The first sensation was strangely sweet with a strong hint of tropical fruits as it glided over his tongue before plunging into a more subtle note of deep, earthy bitterness. The drink was unlike anything he had before but not unpleasant. It felt almost slippery on his tongue as if something had been blended together to make the drink echo of the ocean itself. It wasn’t until after he swallowed it, did the power of the contents reveal the proof. This might rival Romulan ale in its potency if one drank enough of it.

“I haven’t seen enough of the Union to make an opinion that can’t be altered by new facts, but in general I find governments that take their lead from religion makes a large segment of their population unrepresented and concede what is good for the people to what is good for the church. Government does a miserable job of misgoverning without having that limitation.” It wan’t nearly as judgmental as he actually thought but still was an opinion.

Rinker had a choice to make in answering the question. He could play the diplomat or answer the question directly. “I think you are as far from our way of a society as possible. We are a Federation and you are a theocratic regime with a totalitarian hold on its citizens.

Rinker CMO

The man nodded and polished off his drink. “Maybe not as far as you might think,” he glanced over his shoulder at Lila who just walked into the bar taking a seat away from them in the front of the establishment. “She is taking a risk with you. I am not sure that is smart of not but I have a lot less to lose than she does if her gut instinct about you is false.”

“I haven’t told her anything false. Certainly nothing on my end that would cause her harm. If there is anything causing her risk, it is from either her actions or the risk caused by her government. I could do exactly the same things she’s done and I wouldn’t be at risk from my government.”

The discourse was broken by the waitress now arriving with bowl of what looked and smelled like seafood chowder. She set them between the men and cast the sailor a wary look which he waved away with the back of his hand.

“So what would it take for you to betray your Federation?”

Lila Horne

“It would take the Federation to do something that is worthy of betraying it.” He wasn’t going to entertain the thought that he would be treasonous, but he didn’t want to close the door entirely.

“When a government ceases to serve justice and instead enforces oppression, obedience becomes complicity. The legitimacy of authority rests on its protection of rights and dignity; when it betrays that trust, citizens are not only justified but obligated to resist. History shows that progress — from the abolition of slavery to the fight for civil rights — was won because people refused to accept unjust laws as unchangeable. Resistance in such moments is not a betrayal, but loyalty to the deeper principles of freedom and humanity.”

Rinker

The man looked at the door as Lila walked in. Nodding at her he said to Rinker, “come with me.”

Lila

Rinker cast a glance back at Lila before standing up and following the man out of the room.

Rinker