Bloodlines.
A short story by Heidi
A small town in the region of Ta Regar, on Vulcan :
Agent John Ingeman and agent James Miller were sweating even in the dusk of the day, neither had ever been to Vulcan, but the mission was entrusted to them because of their renowned tact with Vulcans. The skimmer they rode in glided effortlessly at cruise speed across the desert landscape,
sending a fine spray of dust in every direction. The occasional cry of a desert creature could be heard in the distance, perhaps a protest to the intrusion of these two humans.
The clothes they wore were plain and off-white, to reflect the heat away from their bodies as much as
possible, but still it was too much for them. The sooner business was concluded, the better.
They arrived at the small desert town and quickly located the street and the house they needed. Just
before John knocked, he and James exchanged glances, then committed themselves to whatever
reception they might receive…
When Laaris opened the door, she had not expected two humans. Not many were ever seen in this part of Vulcan, wether they worked there or were tourists. This region was inconspicuous even by Vulcan standards, but she welcomed the late evening visitors in, wondering if this had anything to do with her application to Starfleet.
“I welcome you to my home, sir’s. may I offer you refreshments?”. She asked.
Both men accepted with gratitude and enthusiasm, having already shed a good deal of body water through perspiration.
James gazed at Laaris as she prepared the drinks. She was tall – about 5’ 8”, with long coalblack hair reaching down to the small of her back, and eyes to match in darkness – seeming infathomable.
“Having reviewed your application to enter Starfleet Academy, certain agencies are keen to employ you in a slightly DIFFERENT branch of service to the Federation. We represent Starfleet Intelligence, and we need some-one of your….UNIQUE nature”. James spoke. He decided to throw in an incentive to agree to their proposal, just for good measure.
“It would fast-track your career within Starfleet, regardless of which branch you chose to pursue, Intelligence needs a spy.”
Laaris regarded the men for a silent moment. Spying was undoubtedly a very dangerous occupation but she was glad to be offered an opportunity to leave Vulcan for a hopefully better future. This however was not quite how she envisioned seeing more of the universe.
“Why me?” she asked.
“Well, for one thing – you’re single, for another – you have the physical appearance necessary, and, er…your sect display a quality that would be HIGHLY advantageous to maintaining your cover.”
“You mean, that the V’tosh ka’tur are emotionally expressive, and you need me to be emotional?” replied Laaris. It didn’t take much to guess that they wanted her to pass as a Romulan.
“Yes, in a nutshell – yes” replied John.
“You see, we need an agent to go DEEP undercover and for many years if necessary, some Vulcans have managed to keep up a charade for a short time, but it strains them to display emotions after a while because it goes against all that they are, and there is the problem of Pon Farr. They need to mate every seven years, we may require you to stay longer than that”. James concluded.
“My people are Vulcans, our interpretation of Surak’s teachings have caused us to be held in contempt by the majority of our race. They call us ‘Ak’spra-lar’. I believe the word you use is HERETICS”
Laaris paused as she recalled the comments and shunning of herself and her friends for following a different teaching. She had never regretted following what she and her family believed to be the true interpretation. Now, perhaps, she had a chance to show her people – her ‘sect’ were as valuable and as needed as any-one else.
Later that night…..
“She’s ideal”, said John as the two men returned to the skimmer, their business concluded.
“She’s brave. but at least the chances of detection are GREATLY reduced”, replied James.
“Her sect are one of Vulcan’s best kept secrets” mused John.
“Or well-hidden shame” countered James.
To which John thoughtfully added “Their shame?. Our gain”.
CHAPTER TWO
35 years later, within the nation of Kihai, on the eastern continent of ch’Rihan….
The grand villa shone in the light of the midday sun, it’s white marble delicately threaded through
with lilac veins. The columns carved to have a spiral effect, flanked the main entrance. The double doors were of a heavy wood richly carved with scenes of the great epic ‘llaie's task nheiuae’.
(which translates as ‘the purifying ones of S’Task’) – a tale of how the Rihannsu conquered the Remans, and subjugated their world.
A soft breeze wafted through the inner courtyard where the many flowers of the garden yielded their scents to perfume the villa. Bright oranges, deep purples and a myriad of other colours seemed to vie for the attention of any visitor to so beautiful a garden. It seemed a veritable paradise from the hustle and bustle of the busy city of Rhehiv’je, it offered rest. It offered respite.. It offered peace. Except that peace was suddenly shattered.
“Aaaaaarrrrgh-------!!” yelled a deep masculine voice. The roar of pure anger, of fever pitched rage echoed throughout the villa’s courtyard and through it’s wide halls.
“Aaaaaarrrrrgh--------!!!. NO--------!!. NO!”. Came the voice again.
Servants hurried to the source
of the cries only to cringe away reflexively as the door to the library was thrust open with such force that the hinges buckled. The master of the house stormed out, his face coloured dark by the flush of blood that had rushed to his face from the exertion of his anguished cries. However, the servants
hesitated to come to the aid of their master, for he had the look of a man gone insane.
Criminally insane.
“Hvaid !, Arivne !, Setal !” he yelled for his three grown children. They had come five days before the festival of Llunieae (a regional holiday), to celebrate as a family. All three soon arrived, clamouring to know what was wrong with their father, and…where was mother?.
“SHE !...SHE has …” their father Tornan could barely get the words out, indeed, he nearly choked on the next one – “She has BETRAYED us – A traitor !!!”.
Each of the siblings looked at each other, and all of them paled.
“Father...where is mother?” asked Hvaid timidly. He was the eldest and worked for the Government Intelligence Bureau. Hvaid dreaded the answer, but their mother’s absence was disturbing. Deep down he knew what they were going to hear, and as if speaking his fears out loud, his sister whispered – “It can’t be! Oh mother !”
“YOU HAVE NO MOTHER !” raged Tornan. He forbade them to see her, besides, she lay unconscious on the floor of the library, where Tornan had discovered her rifling through Secret Computer Files. Copying them. He had struck her once but blind rage and grief had caused him to ‘lose it’ and beat her to within an inch of her life.
Had the servants been the kind who were loyal to the noble and powerful family of Seble-Firyal, they would not have exploited the incident. But at least one or two did, for Tornan could have just killed his wife and given a different, less damaging cover story.
But some-one informed the authorities and then wasted no time telling the rival family – the s’Liemha of what the lady Ssaedhe had been accused of. This was not a matter of family honour now, it was a matter of imperial security and justice. Arrest and investigation was swift and thorough, it was also brutal, and in the course of interrogation, they discovered that Ssaedhe was a Vulcan. That was a juicy bit of damaging information that the house of s’Liemha and their ally, the house of s’Jeiai used to discredit the house of Seble-Firyal.
Tornan’s family bore the shame of unwittingly harbouring a Federation spy. One who went to great lengths to blend in – even by having a family.
That of course meant that Hvaid, Arivne and Setal had the added shame of being halfbreeds,
and the dishonour would bar them from certain positions in life. Positions that Hvaid and Setal had
set their ambitious hearts on.
The truth embittered them, it twisted their hearts and their minds. The love once felt for their mother
was all too quickly replaced with pure unadulterated hate.
In the interrogation room of a maximum security prison :
“You WILL tell us what we want to know. You are going to die anyway, why prolong the pain? We can hurt you exquisitivly” spoke the interrogator. But Ssaede – who was really Laaris, never gave her Romulan contacts away. The man sighed, resignedly he waved to the guard.
“Take her away. Tomorrow we execute her.”
The next day : Laaris was led from the prison cell, well, dragged more like, it wasn’t that she resisted going, but could barely walk. Battered and bruised, the green blood already caked on her face and in her hair, a crowd had gathered, made up of distinguished nobles and high ranking servants, and of course her family. They stood in silence, watching with hate-filled eyes as she proceeded to the place of execution – a tall flight of stairs leading to a black marble dias, where an equally black block was placed in the middle.
Hover-cams buzzed around the dias, relaying to the masses of ordinary citizens, the soon to be public execution. It was aweful, thought Laaris, that these people would do such a thing. But it would serve to instill fearful obedience of the people. Laaris caught a glimpse of Maelrok, one of the few brave Romulans who were trying to overthrow the tyranny of the corrupt government. He had a pained expression in his eyes, which he would do well to hide for his own sake, she mused. But if anyone back home was to know of her fate, then Maelrok would see to it that they knew.
They forced her to kneel, she leaned forward and rested her head onto the block. The crowd became quite animated when they heard the charges being read out, Hissing and calling for blood. Well soon enough, they would have it!
Her family – Tornan, and her children, were in the front row. The look of unbridled hate was no put on show, she realised with a broken heart. Yes, the Romulans couldn’t break her, but her own flesh and blood did. Was there no pity ?. The empire had been highly successful in putting itself before all else
in the hearts of the people.
Laaris didn’t pay attention to the man reading out the sentence, she glanced at the long sharp blade the executioner held. It’s metal was highly polished, reflective as a mirror, seeing her own reflection Laaris wondered if any-one would remember her back on Vulcan. Laaris saw the irony of the sword – it was an ancient blade, brought with the original settlers. The sword was Vulcan.
Now only moments away from death, Laaris caught sight of her daughter, was there sorrow there? The hate and blood-lust was missing in her eyes, she looked coldly on, a show of pity, love or regret would only cast suspicion on Arivne, such was the paranoia of the Romulans. But Laaris would never know, she could only hope. Maybe her daughter would one day understand. Laaris longed to hold them she longed to say sorry for the hurt she had caused them, but this was the incredibly high price she had to pay. Laaris recalled the happier times in her life, times spent raising her family : of Tornan’s tender wooing and romantic courtship. The passion of making love to a husband totally devoted to her, the joy of giving birth to three beautiful children and watching them grow up…
Hvaid taking his first faltering steps, grinning. Arivne saying “Rinanov” (“mother") for the first time,
the many walks in the cool of the evening and trips to all the beautiful places in the world.
Laaris recalled with pride how Setal had come first with honours in his class for philosophy,
And, oh! There was so much more!
But it seemed now like a distant dream..and finally the blade swung down.
CHAPTER THREE
The colony- planet “Thieurrull", otherwise known as Hellguard :
Setal had gained the position of camp commander through much hard work and not a few bribes to
ensure his family’s stain on their honour would not stand in his way of attaining the highest rank he could reach. One day he would be a fleet admiral. He was sure of it.
It was his battalion that had intercepted the 3 Vulcan science ships, He didn’t believe they were purely
Exploring. Peaceful? Hah!. and if they were?. Setal’s hatred for Vulcans would excuse any treatment he had in store for them. He was determined to make them suffer.
672 civilians were treated like war criminals – herded into cramped cells, denied even the most basic
of provisions. Just enough to keep them alive. He wanted revenge to be ultimate, so he addressed his troops..
“These Vulcans may look like us, but let me assure you – they are inferior, a traitorous race who align
themselves with those disgusting humans!. I know many of you are keen to return home to wives and family – or even to start a family. Well, let me give you a treat, a distraction from all the hardship you have to face in service to the empire. Let it not be said that the empire does not reward loyalty.
I give you for your ‘entertainment’ – the Vulcan females. Or males, if you prefer!”.
It was to be to the eternal shame of the imperial forces that those troops not only raped and tortured innocent Vulcans, but that the women who fell pregnant, their offspring were taken from them and used for experimentation. Weapons and otherwise, the experiments killed many, and all with Setal’s approval, such was the twisted mind hate had given him. And having used a woman himself, and having sired a child of his own flesh and blood, he proved himself completely warped by at first accepting her, even to the point of giving her the family brand mark, and then flinging the last vestige of decency out of the window by treating his daughter the same as the rest.
Setal had looked at the baby girl. She was beautiful and perfect, so full of energy. Her dark brown
Hair and dark brown eyes gazed up at him in expectation, so he had initially accepted her, and
Named her… Saavik, meaning “little cat".
But then he saw his mother’s looks in the girl and despised her for the resemblance. Any reminder of that traitor could not be tolerated, and with his thrusting Saavik out onto the streets to suffer as the others suffered, the very last shred of decency died within him.
Fortunatly for Saavik and a few other survivors of the failed and abandoned colony as it would become, and after 10 years of living like animals, a Federation Ship came and the children were rescued.
Hvaid had also become a vengeful man, driven by hate. He pusued the career of intelligence gathering and proved himself highly efficient and highly motivated. Hvaid was motivated by the intense desire to hurt the federaton back – to pay them in full. He was the best spy and an excellent infiltrator, and he knew how to hurt back. He would play the Federation at their own game, He would take a leaf out of his mother’s book.
20 years after the Hellgaurd childrens rescue, on a civilian cruise ship…
The Vulcan male was handsome, polite and interested in her. Nalah t’Monn could hardly believe her blessing. Being half human and half Vulcan didn’t seem to bother him, Lonak loved her, and here he was proposing to her. She was falling in love with him. Yes, it would be a good match.
So, she accepted….THE END
