S01 E07: USS Intrigue: Blade of the Clans
S01 E07: USS Intrigue: Blade of the Clans
(This
adventure was inspired by the Political Actions Mission Brief entitled “Secession”.)
First
Officer’s Log. Stardate 45135.9. Commander Nyri Elatrai of the USS Intrigue
reporting. “We’re en route to the moon of Andor,
the capital of the Andorian Empire, to help resolve a diplomatic dispute. One
of their major colonies, T’ethrarr, has come under the control of a radical
faction called the Sh’urin Khet. This faction believes that Andoria’s
association in the Federation has diluted their cultural traditions. Diplomacy
is the answer in this crisis.
Commander Nyri Elatrai and diplomatic
officer Lt. Murray Chevalier beamed down to the moon commonly known as Andoria.
They were immediately escorted to the Ashlor Meeging Hall to meet with
Chancellor Eshryss (Ryss) Ch’orhoqis and the Federation Councilor of Andor, Shrihr
(Taor) Th'taorhoth. They all sat at a round table. Chancellor Ryss said the
faction called Sh’urin Khet, which means Blade of the Clans, has instigated
several uprisings on Andor and other Andorian colonies. The radical group
originated on the Andorian colony planet T’ethrarr. They have held rallies of
protest against the empire, some turning violent. They have vandalized
businesses and government offices and made dangerous threats. And several
Andorian colonies have been raided by Nausicans. Some believe the Sh’urin Khet
is behind the raids. And it is also believed the Nausicans are smuggling
weapons to the Shu’rin Khet. Their goal is to withdraw Andoria from the
Federation. They have said they want Andoria to return to the glory of the old
clan laws and traditions. Lt. Chevaler asked Councilor Taor what he knew about
the Federation council’s position on this. Councllor Taor said the council is
not willing to give up Andor without a fight. Commander Elatrai said the USS
Intrigue was there to help Andor with stopping the faction. They were to try
every diplomatic option until the crisis was resolved. But Starfleet had given
them permission to use force if necessary.
Lt. Chevalier asked how much of a
following this radical faction had. Ryss said they had been growing in numbers
for the last eight months. They now had followers on the home moon and all
colony worlds of Andoria. Chevalier asked if they had tried to have diplomatic
talks with the leaders of the faction. Ryss said, “they have only recently been
willing to talk. Their old leader was killed during a rally. Now their new
leader, Th’yan Umar, has agreed to speak with us. He will meet with us
tomorrow.”
“Or perhaps sooner,” a voice said at the
doorway. Everyone turned around and saw an Andorian thaan standing
there.
“Umar!” Chancellor Ryss said.
“I decided to come today,” Th’yan Umar
said. “It’s much better to surprise you so there won’t be a crowd waiting for
me.”
The Chancellor invited Umar to sit at
the table with them.
Lt. Chevalier said, “The Federation has
always let its members keep their culture intact. Your race is one of the
founding members. That’s three hundred years as a Federation member. With all
due respect, cultures go through a lot of change and growth in that much time.”
“You are humoring me, Lieutenant,” Umar
said. “This is a serious issue. We—”
“None of those issues are due to
Starfleet. The Federation has---” the Chancellor started to say.
“These things are happening because of
Federation influence. It is everywhere. It is subtle. Instead of conquering us
with soldiers, they conquer our ideologies slowly, under the guise of
friendship and diplomacy.”
Elatrai could see Umar’s blue skin
become a deeper, darker blue as his face got hot with the blue blood of his
anger. His antennae stood straight up, another sign of his boiling rage. Their
antennae always showed Andorian’s emotions, feelings which they never had any
want or need to hide. Elatrai didn’t need her Betazoid senses to read his
passion.
The Chancellor said, “I have set up more
programs to encourage family growth. Tax cuts, better schools. I have set up
more recruiters for the Imperial Guard.”
“And yet, three shrines to Uzaveh have
been taken down in the last month,” Umar said in protest.
“They were not being used. But we still
have Uzaveh worship events in the park. And our Ushaan classes in colleges are
stronger than ever. And clan values are still strong. There is still community
involvement and parents’ involvement in schools. Clan marriages are up. Our
social programs for clans are still thriving.”
Before Umar could get out his next
words, more people stormed into the room from both sides. The meeting table was
suddenly surrounded by Andorians with phaser rifles. Elatrai and Chevalier had
not brought weapons to this meeting, since it had only been a meeting with a
Federation world. But then, the two of them with phasers would have been no
match for the ten phaser rifles pointed at them. As Elatrai assessed the
situation, it appeared to be five Andorians who were members of the Imperial
Guard who had come running in after five other Andorians, probably members of
the Sh’urin Khet.
Sure enough, Umar knew the Andorians who
wore civilian clothing. He addressed them, “Put down your weapons. You were to
wait outside.” One of them said, “Umar, you are in danger here. The Chancellor
does not wish to hear you. Neither does Starfleet. They would sooner have you
dead than bargain with you.”
Commander Elatrai said, “Please,
everyone, can we—”
Then one of the Andorian civilians shot at
Umar from across the room. Two members of the Imperial Guard immediately shot
and stunned the assassin. They carried him off to be interrogated as the rest
of the guards arrested the other Sh’urin Khet intruders. The Chancellor said he
also wanted the IG to take Umar into custody. It was for his protection, but
also to question him about the faction. Umar didn’t like it, claiming that they
were only showing he was right by taking away his freedom. Chancellor Ryss said
he had no choice, but that he would see justice was done. Umar put his hand on
his belt buckle, and a wave of energy enveloped him and the two guards that had
grabbed him. Then all three of them had transported out.
Umar’s shooter, Th’Lell, had woken up
from being stunned and found himself sitting in a chair in a solitary room. He
heard a disembodied voice speak to him. It asked why he shot at Umar. He
claimed that he shot Umar because he was weak. The leader of the faction did
not need to sit behind a negotiation table. Umar should have been taking
action, the way their previous leader did. Then Th’Lell was asked about the
pirates that had been raiding Andorian colonies. He said he knew nothing about
them. The raids started happening after the Sh’urin Khet uprising. The raiders
were Nausicans, but some believed the rebel faction hired the Nausicans. He
still claimed they had nothing to do with the raids or the Nausicans. Then he
was asked how his faction got their weapons. He said they got them from
offworld weapons traders. Nausicans? No. Other offworld traders.
Ch’Sulr, of the Imperial Guard, watched
Th’Lell on the camera. He did not believe Th’Lell was telling the truth.
Radical leaders were not shot in front of the Chancellor of the people just for
talking.
Then Ch’Sulr received a communique from
his superior. He was told to release Th’Lell. He asked why, but he was not
given an answer. Th’Lell was to be released. So. There was more going on here
than what’s on the surface, thought Ch’Sulr. He suspected Starfleet had
interfered. Had the outsiders convinced the Chancellor to show leniency on
these rebels? But he was not told to release the other rebels. Just this one.
The one that had committed the most heinous crime.
Commander Elatrai called her ship. They
had tried to trace the transporter signal that took Umar. It had been blocked
at the source, and there was no way to trace it. There was a ship that Umar had
arrived on from T’ethrarr. The ship had been searched and there was no sign of
Umar or the guards. Federation Councilor Taor had sent them the records on Umar
and Th’Lell. They had both been officers of the Andorian military branch known
as the Imperial Guard. That wasn’t much help. It wasn’t surprising that they
had been former military. Then Elatrai got a message that the Imperial Guard,
who had arrested and held Th’Lell for questioning, had been ordered by an
unknown source to release him. How an unknown could order a criminal’s release
she didn’t know. But Andorian ways were different from theirs. That was a good
sign of how different Andorians were from the Federation; very ironic,
considering the arguments she had just heard from Umar. Not everything on Andor
had been diluted by the Federation.
Elatrai, Chevalier, Ryss, and Taor were
in the Chancellor’s office discussing the next move. Then Ch’Sulr entered with
news. He had reason to believe the Zoroth Sha was behind Th’Lell’s release. The
Zoroth Sha was the Andorian paramilitary intelligence agency. The phaser rifle
Th’Lell had used to shoot Umar had a phasing power converter, the kind used by
the Zoroth Sha. They had not detected it at first because it was masked by a
nucleonic pulse. Taor said there had been rumors that the Andorian paramilitary
group was behind the Sh’urin rebels. Ryss said it was possible the Zoroth
planted Th’Lell to take out Umar, the leader. Then Ryss called the head of the
Zoroth Sha to come to the meeting room immediately. Ryss knew the leader
because the government had hired her organization for covert missions in the
past.
Then one of Ryss’ aides came in and said
they all needed to watch the current public video feed. The aide turned on the
viewscreen. It showed Umar giving a public speech before a crowd. He was
telling them he was just at a meeting with Starfleet and that they wouldn’t
listen. Of course, the people who had been at the meeting knew that was a lie.
Starfleet had been willing to listen, but the meeting was interrupted by
intruders from the Sh’urin Khet.
Elatrai watched the screen and listened
intently to Umar’s words. “Uzaveh. When is the last time you spoke to him in
prayer? In one of his temples? Our youngest generation doesn’t even know him.
The godless Federation thinks Uzaveh is a myth. But we know our true nature.
The Federation has never supported our god. Going even further, they have never
supported our warrior culture. Their way is peace. They have never supported
our ritual battles. Our strength of heart. Their ways are not ours. We were
able to take the T’ethrarr colony because their people knew we were on their
side. The government had to accede to us. Now I ask you, people of Andor, to
follow us. Sh’urin Khet - The Blade of the Clans. We promise to bring your
families back together. No more helping to build Starfleet’s military while
ours shrinks. No more Andorians marrying humans while our numbers shrink.”
Elatrai thought Umar was an eloquent
speaker. And if he was speaking to a frustrated group of people, his words
could affect them. Were Andorians really so unhappy after being Federation
members for three hundred years, since its very founding?
Then Sh’Jeva walked in. She was an
Andorian shen and leader of the Zoroth Sha paramilitary intelligence
agency. Ryss turned off the viewscreen as he had seen enough of Umar’s speech.
He told Sh’Jeva what Ch’Sulr had found. Jeva denied that her organization had
anything to do with shooting Umar. She said she would find out how Th’Lell got
the weapon. Zoroth did not make it easy to get their weapons. He probably got
it from a sympathizer. Rest assured, Jeva said, the Zoroth Sha wanted to
capture the rebels. The problem was that the rebel group was growing. They now
had one planet and may gain more. She invited Starfleet to help in any way they
could. Elatrai said they also wanted this radical group stopped. Elatrai also
felt misdirection coming from Jeva. Her ethics kept her from probing Jeva’s
mind, but she knew the Zoroth Sha leader, as opposed to most other Andorians,
was hiding something.
Ch’Sulr just looked at Jeva. He still
found it hard to believe the Zoroth had nothing to do with the assassination
attempt. And he had had disagreements with her before. The Imperial Guard did
not work well with the Zoroth Sha.
Chancellor Ryss got called away on other
state duties. Ch’Sulr said he was going home to his family. Chevalier and
Elatrai were going to beam back up to the ship when Taor invited them to see
the town library. He told them it was a beautiful site and something Andor was
proud of. They agreed to go with him.
They walked from the capital building. They
wore heavy coats. The moon Andor’s surface was covered with snow and ice. Neither
Elatrai nor Chevalier were used to the cold. They folded their arms in front of
their chests and shivered.
Once they got to the library, Elatrai
looked in awe at the size. It was ten stories high with twelve columns that ran
two stories high on the front. Its gray hexagon-brick walls were smooth and
shiny. Taor escorted them inside. The lobby had a huge marble floor. They
walked through the lobby to the history section. The walls were lined with
square-shaped cubbies full of scrolls. Elatrai and Chevalier both commented on
how amazing the whole place looked. Taor said the building was hundreds of
years old. It had been built to preserve history and knowledge and culture. At
one time all ten floors had been full of texts, books, scrolls, and art. Now,
much of it was bare, empty. He explained why.
In the last century, due to the
influence of various other Federation species, some of the library’s materials
had been deemed offensive or inappropriate. Elatrai found it hard to believe
that there had been censorship due to the Federation. Taor said the material
could still be found, just not in a public library. It could only be found in
homes.
Taor also mentioned that his grandmother
had just died after a long battle with disease. While trying to settle her
estate, he found she had wanted to donate some of her assets to the Andorian
city where she had attended college. But the state wanted the assets to go to
another city that had more non-Andorian Federation citizens. The state had the
right to do that, though usually they only did it in times of hardship. Both
Starfleet officers were shocked to hear how deeply Federation politics had
entered into this culture. Chevalier said it was not Federation policy to
interfere in such things. Taor knew it was the Andorian government’s
interpretation of what they needed to do to stay friendly with the Federation.
Two members of the Imperial Guard
stormed into the library holding disruptors. They went straight to Taor and
Elatrai and Chevalier. The guards said they must come with them. The guards
bound their hands, blindfolded them, and took them away.
When they removed the blindfold, Elatrai
found herself in a bare room with her fellow kidnappees. They were told to sit
in chairs. Their hands were still bound behind them. Then Umar walked in. He had two armed guards
behind him. They were wearing Imperial Guard uniforms. “You!” said Elatrai.
“You’re working with the Imperial Guard? And why did you kidnap us?”
Umar smiled. He said, “These two work
for me.” He motioned at the men in uniform. “The Guard doesn’t know. Yet. As
for you three, you must understand. Things are not as they seem. I was planted
in the Sh’urin Khet by the Zoroth Sha.”
They all looked at him in disbelief.
“Impossible,” said Councilor Taor. “You have given speeches that inflame the
populace. You are a dissenter. The kind of person the Zoroth Sha hates. It
makes more sense that the one who tried to kill you was Zoroth Sha.”
Umar said, “Ah yes. Th’Lell. He WAS sent
to kill me.”
They were still confused. Elatrai asked
him to explain. “Does the Zoroth Sha kill their own?”
“Only in grave circumstances,” said
Umar. “And this is certainly grave. I was sent to infiltrate the rebels as a
minor player. But I came to believe in their cause. When their leader was
killed in a skirmish, I took over. Then the Zoroth sent someone to kill me. The
Zoroth have been very instrumental in causing more uprisings that the Sh’urin
Khet ever could on their own. The Zoroth are the ones behind the Nausican raids.
The rebels do not have enough resources to bribe the Nausicans. The Zoroth
started the rumors that the rebels are behind the raids. It was a plot to
discredit the Sh’urin Khet. Do you see? It is the Zoroth Sha that must be
stopped.”
“If what you’re telling us is true, then
both the Zoroth Sha and the Sh’urin Khet must be stopped. Does Chancellor Ryss
know about the Zoroth’s involvement?”
“No. I am telling you this now because I
need your help to expose the truth.”
Elatrai asked what he wanted them to do.
Umar said she had to tell Chancellor Ryss what he had discovered. The Nausican
raiders always knew where to hit. They knew how to get around security. Elatrai
said that Andorians who were sympathizers with the raiders could have given the
Nausicans that information. Umar said he would take them to the site of one of
the raids and give them the proof they needed. He untied their hands.
Umar led Elatrai, Chevalier, and Taor to
one of the hospitals in the capital city. There was one wing of the hospital
that had been raided one month ago. It had been closed off since then. Taor, as
a Federation council member, had the authority to tell the guards to let them
inside the closed wing. The Nausican raiders had gone into several patients’
rooms and shot both patients and hospital personnel. The area had now been
cleaned of bodies, blood, and debris.
There was a large hole in a wall where
the Nausicans had blasted through. “See the shape of the blast,” Umar said. He
showed them the outline of the blast in the wall. It was perfectly oval-shaped,
which Elatrai said was typical of Nausican explosives. To which Umar replied,
“Yes, but see this.” He traced his fingers along the hole. There were jagged
lines along the hole. “Nausican explosives do not cause these jagged lines. And
see how the burn marks are darker at the edges. That is from a Zoroth Sha chemical.
I have seen it because I worked for Zoroth Sha. They have only used it a few
times. Not even the Imperial Guard knows about it yet.”
Taor said, “This evidence must be shown
to the Andorian Council immediately.”
They met with Chancellor Ryss, this time
with more members of the Imperial Guard both inside and outside the meeting
room. Ryss was appalled to learn that the Zoroth Sha had hired the Nausicans to
raid their own people. In the past, both the Andorian government and the IG had
worked with the Zoroth Sha to quell some off-planet rebellions and to expose
traitors among the IG. But now, clearly, they had been given too much power.
Ryss assured them that the Zoroth would be dealt with. Umar said he could help
with controlling the Zoroth in exchange for getting some concessions for the
Sh’urin Khet. Ryss said the Andorian Council had decided the Sh’urin had some
valid arguments and they would start listening to them, as too many of the
citizens agreed with them. There would have to be some negotiations, some give
and take on both sides.
Then, Commander Elatrai had an idea. She
asked Ryss to let Umar serve on the council. That way, the Sh’urin Khet would
be heard, and also it would give him more authority to expose the Zoroth Sha. Taor
thought that was a good idea. Umar said that would suit him well. Ryss was
reluctant. It would set a bad precedent to have the leader of a dissident group
serve on the council. Chevalier pointed out that Umar exposed the Zoroth Sha.
There had been riots, but those had been “inspired”, not “instigated”, by Umar.
The previous leader of the Sh’urin had been a much larger propagator of
violence. Ryss said that Umar must promise there would be no more riots. Umar
said he would make sure his followers knew. Of course, they were strong-willed
Andorians with a mind of their own, but he trusted them to follow his lead. Now
the Andorian government would instigate new changes that would affect their
society, presumably for the better. Umar knew that they needed this. Both as a
society and as individual clans.
Before going back to the ship, Commander
Elatrai asked one more thing of Councilor Taor.
First Officer’s Log. Supplemental. Commander
Nyri Elatrai reporting. The mission to Andoria has been successfully completed.
Chancellor Ryss has agreed to let Umar serve on the council. Th’yan Umar has
exposed Sh’Jeva, the leader of the Zoroth Sha. It was discovered that Sh’Jeva
herself was the one who ordered the Nausicans be paid to raid Andorians and
frame the Sh’urin Khet. Sh’Jeva has been arrested. This does not mean the end
of the Zoroth Sha. They will appoint a new leader soon. Ryss said the Andorians
still have need of the Zoroth and will not seek to dismantle it. The Sh’urin
Khet, however, has been dissolved. Now that Umar is on the council, and their
needs are being heard, there was no need to continue the radical faction. They
have been absorbed back into Andorian society.
Now that I have seen how Andorian
culture has been changed by Federation influence, I am glad they have Umar on
their council. I had never realized how much the Federation could change a
culture that had once been so proud and unique. I can’t help but think other
cultures, including mine, must have also changed when they became Federation
members. Whether for better or worse, as all the different species of the
galaxy interact with each other more and more, the blending of cultures will
continue.
Elatrai looked at the Andorian pin
that Taor had given her. She had always thought the symbol of Andoria was
beautiful. She heard her door chime. She let the person enter. It was Lt.
Chevalier. He saw the pin she was holding. “That’s lovely,” he said. “I almost
asked for one myself.”
“You should have,” she said. “This
symbol is known throughout the quadrant.” She motioned for him to sit down and
offered him a cup of tea. He accepted. Then he said, “They were so full of
intrigue, weren’t they? You know, Nyri, a planet in THAT state, applying for
Federation membership today, would never get approved. Ironic, isn’t it? A
founding race of the Federation, and for a time they almost don’t seem a good
fit for the Federation. It’s like earth culture really has become dominant.”
Nyri Elatrai handed him his tea. She
took a sip of her own tea. The two officers enjoyed talking after sharing a
mission together. Elatrai said, “I was very influenced by earth when I attended
Starfleet Academy there. It’s a very inviting planet. And when you immerse
yourself in it, it does seem to take you over. It’s the affect you humans have.
You make everyone feel comfortable enough that we want to be like you. At least
for awhile.”
“But it’s not like we mean to change
everybody. And the Andorian culture was so fascinating,” he said. “I hope they
recapture as much of it as they can.”
“So do I, Murray. So do I.”
-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.
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