Ru the Day

Posted on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 @ 9:13pm by Captain Björn Kodak

Mission: Sojourners of Time
Location: Prime Cherithan's Private Dining Room
Timeline: Mission Day 8 at 1915

[Prime Cherithan's Private Dining Room]
[The City of Megrethon]
[Talbeethia Prime]
[MD 8: 1915 Hours]

"Hello Captain," came the darkly dulcet voice of Prime Cherithan Ru. Dressed formally in flowing robes of deep violet, the woman's shoulders were sharply adorned in intricately designed metal raiment. As was the style on Talbeethia, the more elaborate the raiment, the higher in rank the individual was. And as the Prime Cherithan -- the leader of all Talbeethia -- Ru was more finely adorned than anyone else the Starfleeter had likely seen. The flowing metal arched up above her shoulders, complementing the regal, upswept styling of her hair. "Welcome to my dining room," Ru offered, gesturing the Starfleet Captain inside.

"Thank you," Captain Kodak nodded, offering an easy smile as he stepped into the dining space. Ru had referred to it as a "room" but, in reality, it was more of a dining hall. The space was quite large and, in its center, a long table that could easily accommodate at least 60 people was furnished with beautiful silverware, plates, glasses, and other accoutrements. "Are you expecting a large party, Prime Cherithan?" the Captain asked, looking at the opulence before him and wondering why anyone needed so much elegance.

"I am not," Ru replied, "though I often entertain large gatherings of government officials here. Tonight is just us, however," the Talbeethian leader said, leading the way to the head of the table. She took the seat there, then gestured Kodak to sit in the first chair on the right side of the table. As he lowered himself into his chair, she asked, "Tell me, did the wayward shuttle pilot you found get settled in alright?"

While awaiting Kodak's answer, the Prime Cherithan looked across the room and snapped her fingers. An attendant who'd been standing against the far wall came forward. "We'll begin with drinks and the customary enharague, please." With the bowing of his head, the man turned and disappeared through a doorway on the other end of the room -- likely the kitchen. Ru turned her gaze back to the Chameloid, who'd opened his mouth to speak.

"He did, yes," Kodak nodded. "And thank you, again, for opening your society to him as well. It was kind of you to offer him lodgings and a repair berth for his shuttle. I suspect that, once your people have repaired his craft, he'll likely be on his way, though I can't say for sure how long he will stay. Are you sure you don't want us to own his plight?" he asked, not wanting to foist his crew's taking on of Baxter off on the Talbeethians.

"Please, Captain," Ru shook her head, "it is nothing to help him. He is welcome to stay as long as he wishes...as long as he remains respectful and forthright, of course." Such were the primary pillars Talbeethian society were built on, and thus it was vital that the man known as Baxter embodied them with his behavior. "Knowing that you stopped to help a complete stranger is, I must say, validation in our thinking of Starfleet and your Federation. This region of space is...unkind to most," Ru ruminated. "Distress calls are as likely to be traps as they are real emergencies from the needy. You took a great risk in answering his distress call."

"We were ready for trouble, I admit," Kodak nodded slowly. "Not long back, we investigated another call and found ourselves stuck in a honey trap laid by a group of Vidiians. We lost good people then," came the Captain's sigh, "but the Federation is serious about helping those in need...even if it leads us into trouble at times."

"The Vidiians are a deadly, implacable foe," Ru sighed as well, then looked up as drinks and what looked like a salad made of tangerine-orange leaves arrived. Items were placed in front of each of them before the attendant had, once again, meandered off. Raising her drink to her lips, Ru took a deep sip of the fizzy, pink beverage before setting the glass down again. "Did you know that, some thirty years ago, a cure for their Phage was uncovered? There was much celebration on their world...until they could no longer continue to afford the price for said cure."

"The responsible group -- a Think Tank, I believe they were called," Ru sighed again, "took little mercy on the Vidiians when they could not pay. We, ourselves, attempted to help the Vidiians reverse engineer the medicines they'd purchased but it was beyond even our technology to solve. They attacked and killed the research teams we'd sent to their homeworld, citing our failure to help them as justification. We now avoid all contact with them," she commented, taking another sip.

"I imagine briefly having a cure only to have it snatched away," Kodak nodded, "would be an incredible hardship. I don't think I, myself, would take that pill particularly well," the Chameloid said. "I can certainly empathize with their plight but it doesn't justify attacking your people for failing to crack the secrets of that cure."

"Too true, Captain. But let us speak of other things as we begin our meal," the Prime Cherithan said, gesturing to the salads laid before them. Picking up a seven-tined, fork-like utensil, Ru speared several leaves and placed them in her mouth. The smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of her lips as she tasted the dish known as enharague. "Tell me, were your people excited to experience the Ema'harai ritual? Time walking -- as I think of it, anyway," Ru shrugged lightly, "is an amazing opportunity to understand oneself. And for those who witness the ritual to further understand those who volunteer," she added.

"Indeed," Kodak nodded quickly, raising his own fork full of salad. As he chewed, the leaves released their plethora of flavors, tasting nothing like the tangerines whose color they shared. The flavors were quite alien, though the Chameloid was fond of them. "I have to admit, as much as I'm enjoying our dinner so far," he smiled, "I'm a little jealous to be missing out on the ritual. My partner...the person I love," he clarified to ensure his meaning was taken, "is watching one of the rituals even now. I can't wait to hear all about it from him."

"I am sure he will have much to share," Ru nodded herself before taking another bite. She chew-chew-chewed, politely swallowing before speaking again. "The Ema'harai has a way of linking people together, Captain. Seeing someone's past allows observers to truly understand that person. And for the time walker, it cracks open the shells of vulnerability to allow others in. The ritual is, perhaps, one of the most intimate experiences people can share together. Perhaps you will yet have the opportunity to experience it," the Cherithan smiled sweetly.

"I'd like that," Kodak admitted, fanning the embers of his own excitement about experiencing Ema'harai. He wondered -- were he to volunteer -- what moment in time he might want to visit. The answer came to him immediately: that day on the beaches of Risa when his parents left him to be found in a beach basket by the Muellers. Perhaps it would help him understand his parents' decision to leave him there alone. "I'm fascinated by the idea of this technology and how it works. Could we--"

The Captain was interrupted as a new individual raced into the room. Unlike the attendant who'd brought them the first course of their meal, this person was attired in flowing robes of his own, with small but sparkling raiments of metal spiking his shoulders. The man stopped just short of the table, bowing his head and waiting for permission to approach. When Ru motioned him forward, he offered her a tablet-like device and whispered hurriedly into her ear. The longer he whispered, the more strained Ru's face became until, finally, she said, "Get it done" and then sent him off.

"Is everything alright, Prime Cherithan?" Kodak asked, taking in another forkful of his salad. The woman seemed to be regaining the regal mask she'd been wearing -- the practiced look of a politician -- as she turned to regard him with a stoic look. Ru did not immediately speak, however, and the Captain took that to mean something had happened. Something deeply concerning.

"No, it is not alright at all, Captain," Ru replied. "I'm afraid your people have become, quite literally, lost in time. And, as of yet, we cannot get them back..."


*** A post by... ***

Prime Cherithan Ru (NPC'd by Kodak)
Leader of Talbeethia

and

Captain Björn Kodak
Commanding Officer
USS Sojourner