Posted by Civilian Astrid Rousseau (Chief Justice) in Government Tower- Rousseau’s Office

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Government Tower- Rousseau’s Office

Posted by Civilian Astrid Rousseau (Chief Justice) in Government Tower- Rousseau’s Office
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Eela took in the rest of the office with a keen eye as she settled onto the sofa facing Astrid. She took a deep breath to steady herself before she delved in, knowing that this would be hard. “So, I am assuming you have heard about and maybe even read my response to the social media post about my ex-husband being escorted by my security through one of the hotels? If not, I can fill you in.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Astrid nodded. She wasnt one to really pay much attention to things like that, perferring to read non fiction and legal things but she did find value in keepi g somewhat apprised of things that had exploded in the social sphere. “I had but honestly, I would rather hear the story as though I do not. It helps me get perspective and helps to alleviate any preconceived notions or prejudices I might start this conversation with. So let’s start at the beginning shall we?”

Rousseau, HotJ

She drew in a deep and steading breath as she nodded. Eela still had to quell that slight discomfort when she spoke of the incident, but it was slowly getting easier. “So a few months ago, my divorce was made final and my ex and I had an agreement to request to talk first and we each had the option to say no or get to it when we could, unless it was an emergency, of course. The same went for seeing each other. Every since I moved to Oed, it’s been a non-issue though. Until he showed up unexpectedly at my apartment building… ninety light years from where he worked and lived. I had security keep him in the lobby and went down where he explained that he wanted to talk and requested ten minutes. Reluctantly, I agreed, and security screened him and we went up to my apartment. We talked and basically, from my perspective, he wanted to ignore all our issues and get back together. Start all over. I wasn’t interested. Despite him trying to convince me, I ended up asking him to show himself out and went to walk away and that’s when he grabbed my arm to stop me. And it hurt… a lot. Enough to leave bruises later. Long story short, security burst through my doors after he still wouldn’t leave and I got angry and threw a vase.” Eela cast her gaze elsewhere in the room for a moment and took a deep breath to gather herself.

“I was asked at the time by my agents at the time if they wanted to have him remanded to custody, but I was in such shock and… emotional turmoil I said no but that I didn’t feel safe with him on the planet. Cory was escorted from the building and I left as well a short while to stay with friends. The next day, a video surfaced of a man, who was definitely Cory, being escorted through a hotel by CCDA agents. He was asked to leave Oed immediately, and I subsequently got a restraining order. Because of my position it extends to the system. He cannot enter Oed space.” It was all just facts. As far as she was concerned, those were the only things that mattered in this moment.

Eela allowed her eyes to meet Astrid’s, forcing herself to keep her head up. “That restraining order initially was a complicated and difficult decision. I spent the first day after the incident beside myself, trying to decide what the right move was here. Not just for me as a person, but as the Lieutenant Governor. I’m all too well aware that everything I do, every decision I make is scrutinized. And a part of the reason I didn’t have him arrested was that I didn’t want my situation to be public fodder. But it is anyway now. And with a bit of hindsight, I still don’t know if I made the right decision. I know a lot of people think I let him get off too easily, especially given my role here, but I am the one who would have to be in that court room. Not them. And I know how lawyers work. My ex-husband is likely a narcissist, Justice. I’ve come to realize only since I came to Oed, that in the forty years we were married, I’ve been manipulated, gaslit, and emotionally abused. It would be very easy for a defence lawyer to twist things, to make me doubt what I know to be true. Cory was very good at making it always seem to be my issues. It was never him. And I don’t think I can bear to be attacked like that, even if they somehow manage to keep it civil. That restraining order lasts for a year, and I honestly don’t know what to do. I have wonderful people in my life, but I’m not sure they have the necessary knowledge and experience to advise me here. I don’t really know what my opinions are here, or what makes sense given these complicated circumstances.” Eela managed to spit that all out, but barely, and she was trying very hard to keep herself together.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“That seems like a lifetime of trauma and of course you don’t want to relive it. I am so sorry that you did. It takes a strong person to leave an abusive situation, even more so to be in the public eye.”

Discreetly, the door opened and the tea service brought in by her assistant. It was quickly set up and just as quickly and quietly she left the Chief Justice to her meeting. The tea service had snacks both savory and sweet. The tea was strong but several options of additives could cut the strength a bit. Astrid poured herself a cup and added cream and a dollop of what looked like honey.

“Thankfully his showing up unannounced despite your prior agreement shows that he has no intention of following the agreed upon rules. Do you know if he has tried again since?”

Rousseau, HotJ

Eela poured herself a cup of tea but didn’t add anything. Like her coffee, she liked her tea strong. “Not that I have heard of but then again he’s not supposed to be even attempting contact and since he can’t enter Oed space I have at least some sense of safety that others in a less privileged position might not. Do I think if he was motivated to find a way around the restrictions he would do so? Yes. Do I think he would be successful? No.”

She took a sip of the tea, careful not to burn her lip or tongue on the hot liquid. “I am fortunate to have many good people around me who are invested in my safety and well-being. But he doesn’t have to be here to do damage. He can damage my reputation easily if he wanted. Would people here believe him? Likely not. But Oed does love a good scandal. And I’m a leader of a planet. My work will have me interact with others from all over the Federation and beyond. It would be his word against mine.” Was it a reasonable fear?Maybe not, but the tricky part of being so conditioned to doubt yourself was that it was hard to evaluate this sort of situation. “If he makes up a bunch of shit people might not buy it at first but they might wonder if there is truth to it because I didn’t press charges. I feel like I’m in an unwinnable situation here. And that’s not even factoring in the emotional toll of everything.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Astrid pressed her lips together in contemplation. There were a lot of legal angles here, not just OED and Federation laws to consider. She took her time, sipping her sweet hot tea before responding. “There are several things I would advise from my professional side. The first being you might want to consult an image or public relations person for the purposes of being aware and able to mitigate rumor mills that will possibly come from him. Slander is hard to prove, especially if you have no recordings or first hand knowledge and witnesses to his active slander. Then you would also have to prove reputations damage to get anything other than a gag order. Gag orders do not typically work well and often are looked at negatively by the public so I don’t suggest that. Better to have the PR person keeping their ear to the ground and handling it than you personally.”

Eela nodded. “The Chief of Staff runs the communications department. PR is their whole thing, so I’ll consult with her and see what she says.”

She set her tea down on the table and delicately clasped her hands in her lap. “From a legal physical protection standpoint, I believe there is enough evidence to keep his restraining order in tact for at least the next few years. It will take some doing and time but my office can handle both Federation and the local governments red tape for each planet around here. I would also recommend that any attempt he makes to come closer to you physically needs to be documented. He needs to be caught rather than preemptively prevented. Unfortunately for you, the law can only extend to actions, not intentions.”

Rousseau, HotJ

Again, she nodded. “I appreciate you taking that on. Having that extension will help provide at least a little peace of mind. I know the Governor could do so himself, given the situation, but I’d rather go through regular channels if I can, even if it means being more public than I might want to be.”

Eela considered Astrid for a moment. “What about if I wanted to travel? I’m not saying I will be, nor do I have immediate plans, but I’ve bene idly thinking about making a pilgrimage back to my homeworld for personal reasons. It’s been many years since I’ve been to Halii, and I might want to go. Is it possible to have an arrangement with them too? I would probably have my security team with me, but some assurances would make such a trip more feasible.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Astrid considered this for a long moment wracking her mind for laws pertaining to Halii but she simply did not have experience with their laws. Still, there were several options to take here as well. “I can certainly put in a request with their government to honor the restraining order, given that it is your home planet. However, they may not honor it planet wide and in that case, the regular restraining order rules apply. He must maintain the distance from you agreed in legal documentation for outside this system. If you arrive at a place he is at, sorry if his own personal property, he must immediately leave with no interaction and no delay.”

Rousseau, HoTJ

She snorted. “Fortunately for me, Cory has no ties to Halii aside from me. I have no family there that I actually know and the only reason he’d be on Halii is if I was there or her went with one of our children. I see that being very unlikely and given everything, I don’t see my daughter willingly taking him a pace that he has shown disdain for in the past. I can’t speak for my son though.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.