Lunch with Relou

Posted on Thu Jun 11th, 2026 @ 8:03am by Commander Rin & Lieutenant Camryn Shepard & Lonian Royal Sovereignty

Mission: Season 6: Episode 7: Crossroads of Destiny
Timeline: MD3
1450 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

As the luncheon commenced, people grabbed food and groups naturally began to form. Their guards melted into the background, silently staying out of the way as they kept eyes on their respective delegates. Relou was fascinated by the many food options and made sure to get a small amount of everything so she could try them. She was intrigued by how the room was set up, as such decorations often gave insight into one's cultural history. She approached one of the tables and offered a kind smile. "May I join you?"

Rin stood and crossed her arms in greeting, giving a slight nod of her head. "We would be honored, Your Grace. I am Commander Rin, Chief of Intelligence, and I welcome you aboard."

Relou nodded her head to return the greeting until she could set down her plate. "Commander Rin, it is a pleasure to meet you! I have been anticipating this gathering because I have so many questions. For instance, what your home planets are like."

Rin waited for everyone to retake their seats before speaking. "Our Federation is a union of many different worlds populated by different species. The capital is on Earth, which is the home of humans, which is the primary species in Starfleet. Geographically speaking, Earth has multiple land masses, including everything from equatorial tropics and deserts to tundra and glaciers. Federation government is led by an elected president and a council of delegates who represent their home worlds. Those worlds are also sovereign entities, so long as they meet some general requirements for membership."

"The basic philosophy is that we are stronger together than separate," Rin continued. "We can pool resources and work toward mutual defense. DIfferent people bring different perspectives to problems. The Federation evolved out of a struggle between two of the founding worlds. Diplomacy allowed the rivals to settle their differences and showed they both had more to lose than gain from war."

While Rin spoke, Relou listened, her curiosity clear in her expression. "An alliance between species," she thought out loud. "That is quite the achievement. How does the Federation address the cultural differences between these species?"

"We accommodate when possible. It's easiest with species we're most familiar with, of course, because we have more knowledge of their peculiarities. The fact that each world is sovereign helps. You follow the rules of wherever you are. Is that a difficulty here? I've seen several species on the streets."

Relou shook her head. "You see more of that kind of peace at the individual level. It does help that Lady Sama's House maintains order on the planet. On the larger scale, there are small alliances between species here. Nothing as vast as your Federation."

"Well, it's taken a long time to build up into what we currently have," Rin said. "We started with four worlds. And while we have greatly expanded, there's still disagreements. We strive for membership to provide more benefits than drawbacks, but there are many worlds that have no interest in joining. That is their right. Some already have considerable empires and have no interest in becoming just one voice among many. Sometimes it's ideological. Sometimes it's resentment rooted in previous interactions, whether with a member world or with the Federation itself. Sometimes joining the Federation would alienate current allies. We are far from perfect, and, as I'm sure you know, politics is a messy thing."

"Oh, absolutely," Relou agreed. "It's difficult enough with one species, let alone many. Though I'd argue that the ideology is messier; it's easier to change a law than a way of life." Looking down at her plate, she picked up some of a pasta food item and tried it.

"I certainly would not disagree," Rin said. "People often view their own traditions as the 'obviously' correct one. If it wasn't obvious, they wouldn't have embraced it. It is particularly the case when discussing long held traditions. And change is scary. Status quo feels safe."

Earlier, Cam copied the greeting to ease the conversation to process the talks better. Respectfully. Sitting at the same table with Rin and Relou, she listened to the conversation between them. Culturally, she's interested in learning more about them. Placing aside her drink, she added, "And listening is huge part of what we are. If we sit around and listen to what other people say. To pay attention. Most people just want to be heard, even if some don't want to listen. If we just sit down and set aside our difference. Resolve them by listening. And talking."

Relou looked to the engineer she had spoken with the other day, "of course, if the other side is willing to listen. It is quite difficult to negotiate with someone unwilling to listen." As she spoke, she couldn’t help a brief glance toward Sama as she picked a table to sulk at. It was obvious she didn't want to be here, and Relou was anxious that it would leave a bad impression. That diversion was brief, and she focused back onto the two at her table. "So, I'm sure you probably have questions of your own."

"I am curious how the four of you cooperate," Rin stated. "My understanding is you have no legislative body, and I would think there are many matters of law that would apply to more than one purview. How do you determine such things?"

That was a fair question. Relou nodded, pausing only briefly to take a sip of her beverage, some kind of juice. "Each House has authority over her respective domain, however it is common for legislation to involve input from more than one House. For instance, it is my responsibility to oversee architectural projects, but I usually coordinate with Lady Vanei to handle permits and traffic rerouting, and with Lady Emeyr to secure the necessary materials. We have a weekly session to deliberate such matters. Lady Vanei's House is the currently recognised tie-breaker. It can change at any time by a vote, but her family has shown consistent attention to equity."

"Who would vote to change that designation?" Rin asked.

"The people," Relou answered. "You will never please everyone in politics, but if decisions become widely unpopular, the people can demand a vote to change which house breaks the tie. The government cannot interfere in the process and must respect the outcome."

"Do the people vote on any other matters?" Rin asked.

"We regularly seek public comment on legislation, but the only other thing the people vote on is who becomes the new head of house." Relou considered it part of her duty to study history and why prior houses were overthrown. "If the people believe that a house is no longer fulfilling its duties, they can vote to expel the family from the seat of government and replace them. Sometimes it's a smooth transition, other times not."

"So there are more than 4 noble families? What determines whether a family is noble? Or perhaps I do not understand "family" in this case," Rin said.

Relou poked at her food, trying to decide what to try. Perhaps she'd go around the plate in a circle. "Ah, nobility, in the form of a family having royal blood, was done away with ages ago. Now, why we still use noble terms?" She shrugged. "Tradition. It's a piece of history, even if it has a different meaning now. Maybe we can think of nobility as: a family who has proven they will do what is best for society and its people. That is really what the four of us strive for."

"Sorry, I'm trying to phrase my question more clearly," Rin apologized. "There are 4 ruling families, led by you and our three other honored guests. Hypothetically, should the people vote to expel one of those families, how many other families are there that might reasonably fill that vacancy? Five? 20? 100?"

"Well... anyone could, in theory," Relou responded after a moment's pause to think. "When a House is overthrown, there's elections to decide the new Head of House. Anyone can submit their interest, but the people vote for the candidate who will actually commit to representing them and put the betterment of our society first. Historically, those who deceive the people or prioritise their own interests generally don't last long in a seat of governance."

Relou shifted in her seat to get more comfortable. "I'm biased, but I think our history is fascinating, especially how governance changed over the millenia. Is that a meal topic your people find acceptable?"

"Absolutely, particularly for today," Rin replied. "Today is a day of sharing culture, and I think you and I can fill that time more than adequately."