S02 E03: Chronicles of T'Avaya: Dishonor Among Thieves

 

Mission log. Stardate 45131.3. Agent T'Avaya reporting. Starfleet Intelligence (SI) has learned that a former Vulcan V’Ket warrior named Skero has stolen prefix codes for some Vulcan ships. V'Ket warriors are Vulcan police who are trained in the ancient Vulcan martial arts. They are law enforcers who can be very dangerous if their morals are compromised. SI has traced Skero to the non-Federation planet Rageles VI. An informant for SI has spotted Skero with an Andorian clan on Rageles, a clan that is known to have some ties to the Orion Syndicate. I have been sent there on a covert mission to find Skero and recover the stolen prefix codes. Skero is a Follower of Nirak, a student of Surak who had his own beliefs about emotions. Followers of Nirak believed that positive emotions, such as curiosity and joy, should not be completely suppressed, but rather they should be experienced with some temperance. This is a characteristic that will make it easier for him to gain the trust of the Orion Syndicate, perhaps disguised as a Romulan. Followers of Nirak are very few in numbers, and most non-Vulcans are unaware of their existence.

 

               Tani pulled her cloak over her head as the drizzling rain became heavier. At the end of the alley was another hooded figure. Tani approached. The stranger removed her hood, revealing her pointed ears and the ridges of a northern Romulan. Tani spoke. “There is nothing to read in the black house.” The other Romulan woman replied, “For there is no back entrance.”

               T’Avaya, using her assumed name of a Romulan named Tani, was satisfied, after hearing the proper code phrase, that this person was her contact person from Starfleet Intelligence. The other woman said, “I am Vonal. I will take you to the house of the Thorim clan. I am one of their housekeepers. They are the Andorian clan that has taken in your Vulcan. They are having a coronation today. Their leader is retiring and turning Head of Clan over to his son. The clan is part of the Orion Syndicate. I have told them you are a visiting Syndicate operative.”

               “Very well,” said Tani. They walked to the main street and took a public transport to the south side of the town. Once they got off the transport, they walked a mile down a deserted road. Then Vonal led Tani to a hidden vehicle behind a thicket of large bushes. They rode the vehicle for an hour until they arrived at a large building with a gated fence. Vonal pressed the entry code to open the gate. They walked through the gate and up to the building. The guard recognized Vonal and allowed them to enter. The building was steel gray on the outside and totally unremarkable. The inside, however, was innately decorated with grandiose paintings, chandeliers, and accoutrements that showed off the clan’s wealth and privilege.

               They entered the large room where the coronation would take place. Tani counted about three dozen people there, each of varying species. Tani did not know much about the Thorim clan, except that they had left Andoria several generations ago and that they had many friends and associates, probably all of whom were also in the Orion Syndicate. She spotted Skero, the ex-V’Ket warrior she had been sent to find, on the other side of the room. As everyone got quiet and looked toward the dais along one wall of the room, Tani knew it was not the time to make her way across the room to confront Skero. She stood silently and stared ahead at the dais.

               The elder Andorian, Ozerd th'Thorim, wrapped the ceremonial coronation robe around his son, Douzri th'Thorim. The Andorians treated their heads of family much like royalty, thus the ceremony, but they eschewed crowns, as they considered their antennae to be the most glorious head adornments they could ever have. As Ozerd started to give the ritual speech, intruders suddenly entered the room carrying weapons. One of them pointed a phaser rifle at Ozerd, another pointed a phaser rifle at his son, Douzri, and the rest pointed rifles at the three dozen onlookers. Tani did not know how the intruders had gotten past the gate or the other guards in the house. There must have been a mole within the Thorim clan.

Ozerd immediately recognized the Andorian who was pointing a rifle at him. “You!” Ozerd said. “How dare Tesev th'Jallek send you here!” The Andorian intruder replied, “I told you we would not let this happen, old furl.” There were too many people in front of Tani for her to move toward the dais. She heard two shots fired. Both father and son had been shot.

***

               Not long after the botched coronation, Tani was able to speak with Skero in a private room. “I met Ozerd th'Thorim nine years ago when I had followed a Tellarite to Rageles VI,” Skero explained to Tani. Skero had been a V’Ket warrior, a member of the Vulcan police force. “The Tellarite was wanted for trading illegal goods. Ozerd helped me with the case, and we became friends. His family ties with the Orion Syndicate are loose at best. His father before him laundered some money for the Syndicate. Once you deal with the Syndicate, they never completely let you go. But since the rival clan, the th'Jallek family, has become the chief Ragelesian money launderers for the Syndicate, the Thorim clan has mostly been forgotten by the Syndicate, which has pleased Ozerd.”

               Skero went on to say that he was shocked that the th'Jallek clan killed both Ozerd and his son during the coronation, right before the eyes of the entire clan and their friends.

Tani told Skero that Starfleet Intelligence, at the behest of the V’Shar (Vulcan Intelligence), had sent her to find him. They knew he had stolen prefix codes for Vulcan ships.

After the Andorian intruders had killed both Ozerd and his heir, they had left as quickly as they had appeared. The Thorim clan had put the bodies in stasis until a proper funeral ritual could be arranged, and a few short hours later, inducted Ozerd’s nephew, Linvo, as their new leader. Skero did not know Linvo very well, but he believed Linvo to be a loyal family member.

               Tani asked Skero why he had stolen the Vulcan ships’ prefix codes. He said Ozerd had planned to go to the Vulcan colony planet Ka’L’Va and retake a sacred Andorian artifact that was kept in a museum. The artifact had been obtained three hundred years ago when the Andorians and Vulcans had been adversaries. The artifact was a jwalaraa, a spearhead that was used by the ancient Andorians. Thorim's ancestors were experts in making and using them. Ozerd was going to use the stolen prefix codes to fool the sensors of the Vulcan ships that guarded the planet.

               “So you are helping the Andorians commit a crime against Vulcans?” Tani asked. Tani knew that Skero was a Follower of Nirak, and that that particular cult was very loyal to their friends.

               “The artifact rightfully belongs to the Andorians. In fact, it belongs to the Thorim clan. It belonged to them when the Vulcans took it. When the Vulcans and Andorians finally made a peace agreement, the Andorian government let the Vulcans keep it, but the Thorim family never agreed to that.”

               “Perhaps if you explained to the governor of Ka’L’Va . . .”

               “Ozerd has tried. The governor still claims the Andorians let them keep it, insisting it is theirs.”

               “I can’t let the Thorim clan steal the artifact.”

               “I already gave the prefix codes to Ozerd. Linvo has them now, and he plans to carry out the attack, just as Ozerd had planned.” Tani was still determined. “Is there any way to convince him not to do it?” Skero kept a steady expression. He said, “No. Not only does the jwalaraa belong to his clan, but he wants to use this raid to show the Jallek clan that the Thorim clan is able to take back what is theirs, just as Ozerd had sought to do. It is a matter of their family honor.” Skero told her Linvo was sending three ships to Ka’L’Va and that he himself would be on one of them. She thought of trying to sabotage the ships, but the ships would be leaving soon, and it would not be possible to sabotage all three ships in time. She asked if he could get her onto a ship with him. He agreed, reluctantly.

***

               Tani and Skero boarded the ship headed for Ka’L’Va. The ship was Andorian, but had been modified to appear of unknown origin, and its identity signal and energy signature had also been altered. The Thorim clan had long ago altered their ships, not wanting them to be associated with Andoria.

               Later, the three Thorim ships approached the outer system of the planet Ka’L’Va. Since they had the prefix codes of the two Vulcan ships orbiting the planet, they didn’t need a cloaking device or any kind of stealth approach. They were able to make the Vulcan ships’ sensors read them as friendly allied ships.

               Tani tried to get to the Thorim ship’s auxiliary control room. If she could turn off the controls for the falsified prefix codes, the Vulcan ships would be able to correctly identify the Thorim ships. But the auxiliary control room was heavily guarded. She had to find another way. She was able to find an unguarded comms unit. She sent a coded message to the planet, warning them of the pending attack and letting them know that their sensors had been fooled. The comm unit indicated the message had not been sent. She checked her settings and resent the message.

               “I’m afraid your message won’t go through.”

               Tani looked up and saw Spero standing at the doorway. “I couldn’t let you do it,” he said.

               “The Followers of Nirak are loyal to their friends. Even so, why is your friendship with Ozerd more important to you than your loyalty to Vulcan, your home planet?” Tani asked him.

               “We Vulcans never made up for what we did to the Andorians. We deceived them, stole from them.”

               “At the time, the leader of the Vulcan High Command was the one to blame. He was removed from office. You cannot blame all of Vulcan for that.”

               “It doesn’t matter! The Thorim clan has been through too much! They were exiled from Andor. Their prized possessions taken from them. They deserve payback. While we sit on our logic and listen to the Federation’s ‘peace’ talks.”

               Tani tried to control her emotions. Her feeling of embarrassment at not suspecting him sooner was strong. When disguised as a Romulan, she always released part of her Vulcan emotional control in order to pass as a Romulan. She had to keep partial control, or the emotions would overcome her. The release of control had been part of her training as an SI agent. Still, it could be difficult, making her more vulnerable.

               Skero said to Tani, “I will not tell them that you are a Vulcan spy. When we get back to Rageles VI, please leave. None of this is your concern.” Tani realized she would not be able to keep them from stealing the artifact from the Vulcan museum. She would have to find a way to convince Skero to return it. She had already put off arresting him for stealing the prefix codes--which she had been authorized to do--because she was hoping that she could reason with him.

***

               Once they were back on Ragales VI, Tani decided the best way to convince Skero to return the artifact was to challenge him using his own beliefs. She stated very sternly, "I challenge you to the Nirak-kai." The Nirak-kai was one of their ancient challenges in which two minds are pitted against each other in a virtual battle of imagination. The challenge was not generally practiced any more, but it was the only way Tani could persuade Skero.

               "You think you can beat me at Nirak-kai? My mind is strong. The mental discipline training of the V'Ket warriors is second only to Vulcan High Masters. You may be Vulcan, but you do not have MY training."

               The Nirak-Kai involved using a psionic stone called a Rhalis. The challenger and the challenged would touch the stone simultaneously, and the stone would create a setting in their minds. The object of the challenge would be to work through the virtual setting created by the stone to find the Rhalis-Kai, a glowing red monolith. This was a challenge of the minds. The two players would be able to see each other in their minds while the stone created obstacles for them to overcome in their quest. Typically the one with the most mental discipline and the most creativity won. Tani knew she had exceptional mental discipline. Skero would be difficult to defeat, but she felt she had a chance. "I believe I can match you and, yes, even defeat you. Will you meet my challenge?" Tani queried. Skero agreed. "If I win," said Tani, "You will convince Linvo to return the artifact to Vulcan."

                They went to his room where he kept his Rhalis stone. Skero reached up and pulled a box from a high shelf. He touched the lock with his fingertip. The lock recognized his fingerprint and the box opened. He pulled out a black stone. Then, he and Tani sat on the floor across from each other. He held the stone at eye level with one hand. Tani put one hand on the stone. They both closed their eyes. Skero mentally spoke the words to activate the Rhalis stone, "Bring thee to the mind palace."

               Tani looked around. She seemed to be on a barren planet made of rock. She saw Skero standing ten meters away from her. They were both wearing a black jumpsuit. The planet appeared to have no atmosphere. She saw a black sky with stars she didn't recognize. This virtual image created by the stone could change at any time. It could be very jarring to someone lacking mental stability. A heavy dust storm came out of nowhere. Tani could no longer see in front of her. She found it difficult to stand against the wind, but she tried to move forward. She took several steps forward, against the wind. She thought she could see a large building in front of her, but it was hard to see through the dust storm. She kept walking toward the building. She focused her mind on the building. She knew if her mind was strong enough, she would be able to visualize the building without the dust storm. The storm slowly started to dissipate. Then . . .

               She saw Skero climbing up a tree. The building was no longer there. She held her head up to see where Skero was climbing. The tree rose up into the clouds. The sky was now filled with red clouds. "YOU CANNOT WIN. YOU ARE WEAK," she heard a voice say. It sounded like Skero, but amplified, and much deeper. She knew he must be playing mind tricks on her. They were both in the same mental plane. Their minds were touching, just as the stone touched their minds. She heard the voice repeat, "YOU CANNOT WIN. YOU ARE WEAK."

               Had Skero done this challenge before? If he had such experience, then he knew all the tricks. All the ways to intimidate her. She must not let him. She used her own discipline from her yogic meditation and cleared her mind. The scene changed again to a grassy field. She started running. She must find the red monolith. That was her goal. She kept running. The ground beneath her changed to water. Water?!! She was running atop an ocean! It was only an illusion. She kept running. Water was splashing at her ankles. Then, she started to sink into the water.

               She started swimming. The water rose above her head. She looked down and saw a fissure at the bottom of the ocean. She swam towards the fissure. But then the water disappeared, and she was floating in total blackness. No stars. Nothing. A memory came back to her. It was a memory from her childhood when she had been trapped by an alien in total darkness with nothing to see, hear, or touch. It had been a frightening experience for her then. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. It's just an illusion, she said to herself. Then, she opened her eyes. She was standing on solid ground. There was a red stone in front of her, about two meters in height. The red monolith. Could it be that easy? But then, the monolith seemed to transform into a person. It was her mother. Her mother said to her, "You are a failure." No. It couldn't be her mother. Her mother had passed away several years ago. She tried to clear her mind again. She focused on her Vulcan discipline. She could not have an emotional response. Her emotions were in check. She tried to visualize the red monolith again. Then, it was there again. The red monolith. She touched it. She heard Skero's voice cry, "NOOOOO!!!"

               Everything went dark again. Tani opened her eyes. She was back in the room with Skero. They were both touching the Rhalis stone. The virtual world was gone. She let go of the stone. Skero dropped the stone. He said, "You have defeated me. I tried to make you experience your most emotional moments from your past. The Rhalis can cause very intense images. If I could break you emotionally, I could have beaten you." Tani gathered her thoughts. Her mother had never called her a failure, but Skero must have tried to make her experience something she feared. And the horrible experience in darkness from her childhood was something she had never forgotten. Because she had been on a covert mission as a Romulan, her emotions had been closer to the surface. But she had been able to subdue her emotions for this crucial challenge. It was over.

               But she still did not understand. "How did the monolith appear to me and not to you?" she asked him.

               "Because my mind was not focused on the monolith. I have experienced this challenge before. I knew if I could focus my mind on keeping you off balance, I could weaken you. Then I would be able to focus on the monolith and win. But you never lost control of your mind and emotions. You performed well." Tani, or rather T'Avaya, did not let him know how close she had come to losing control.

               "I will speak with Linvo," Skero said. "It will not be easy to convince him to return the artifact."

               "You should tell him the family has been very prosperous without it, and will continue to be so. If you do not convince him to return it by tomorrow, I will retrieve it myself and return it to Vulcan. Either way, I will have to place you under arrest for stealing the prefix codes." She trusted him to not disappear before she could arrest him. He was still an honorable Vulcan in many ways.

 

               Mission log. Supplemental. Agent T’Avaya reporting. My covert operation has been completed. Skero was able to make an emotional plea to Linvo to return the jafaala to Vulcan. I have placed Skero under arrest and am in the process of taking him back to Vulcan to face charges. I do hope for the success of the Thorim clan. They seem to be free of Orion Syndicate influence.  They should be able to prosper without needing any relics from their past. And Skero will perhaps come to see that he can be loyal to his friends by leading them down an honorable path, and not a path of theft and deception. The experience with the mind challenge was most disturbing. It was something I hope I never have to experience again. It is unnerving to find that some things in my past can still cause an emotional response.

 

-by the Honorable Kavura

 

Thank you for reading my Star Trek Adventures: Captain’s Log mission report. Captain’s Log is a solo role-playing game by Modiphius Entertainment. Acknowledgments to Last Unicorn games and any other fan supplements I may have referenced.