Mind Games (Highlights - Meeting Vandar - yr 2385)

Posted on Fri Jan 20th, 2023 @ 12:16am by Lieutenant Commander Rayek trLhoell

1,747 words; about a 9 minute read

Uhlan Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Tal'Shiar compound- Rayek's room]

Arriving on the compound, Rayek headed straight to his quarters to download the evidence he'd gathered thus far. If he were to be caught in tonight's escapade Rayek didn't want any previous recording to be confiscated.

Rayek had no forewarning of any kind that there was something amiss until he opened his door. The moment he did however his heart leapt into his throat, making it hard to breathe momentarily. His room had been ransacked. Not that he'd had anything of personal or military value at the time, though it did have him frown at the fact that had he downloaded the audio recording his evidence could have been lost. He'd need to make a backup and find someplace secure to store it. The room's devastation was in shadow - lit by only the flickering light of what he assumed was his computer screen. The half open door obscured that part of the room but he could hear movement from that corner of the room.

Whoever had searched his room was still present and on his computer. Rayek wasn't naive enough to think that he'd caught them unawares. No, he'd applied no stealth whatsoever to his approach. Whoever it was on his computer - cared little that he knew of their presence in his room. Which suggested to Rayek, someone much more skilled than he that either needed for him to know who they were and wanted to prove a point about how low he was in comparison, or someone who planned to kill him regardless of his knowledge of them. Rayek swallowed at that unpleasant thought and moved fully into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Who are you? And is there something specific you are looking for?" he questioned. He tried to have the words come out casual but Rayek was tense, ready to fight if the man suddenly turned in an attack.

He tried to read the man's thought but his efforts were met by a wall. Whoever he was - they'd been trained in keeping secrets.




One of the first things Rayek noted regarding the other Romulan was the cold deadly gaze. Rayek had little doubt that the other would have preferred to see him dead rather than answer him. He remained tense as the man slowly rose from the chair as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"Oh? You've got to ask me, telepath? Is my mind too difficult to read for you?", the man derided Rayek as he approached him, his hand resting casually on the handle of his disruptor that was sitting at his belt.

The fact that the stranger knew his darkest secret was alarming, almost as alarming as the man's hand on his disruptor, but Rayek tried not to show this. Should he deny the ability? It seemed a rather moot point - telepathy was not something people accused others of randomly. But how the hell had he found out? Very few people - even among the Tal'Shiar knew his ability. Hell, he'd only known about it for month.

The man met his gaze fully, tauntingly. Maybe this was a test? And he was meant to use his ability. The Praetor did say he would send someone. Ah! - Rayek searched back.. through the events of the day.. to meeting with the Praetor. Vandar... but was this him? Would hinting at the man's name improve or worsen his chances at surviving this encounter?

Rayek tried again to read the man... narrowing his slightly as he focused. But he was unsuccessful - but the man didn't need to know that.

Rayek swallowed back his trepidation and gave the other a slight smirk. "Ah, Vandar. So it is you." His words and tone implied a certainty gained from an impeccable source.



The other man's sudden rage while somewhat expected was so complete and fast that Rayek didn't have time to react, his hands scrambled for purchase against Vandar's grip at his collar until the disruptor came out of its holster. Oh Fvadt! His eyes widened in alarm and his hands let go of the hand at his collar and he raised them in a soundless plea for leniency.

The man's accusation that he thought this was funny wasn't correct. Nothing about this situation was funny, but Rayek couldn't tell him that. The man seemed like a hair-trigger away from blasting a hole in Rayek's head. And Rayek could do nothing. This was the Praetor's man. If Rayek fought back there would be repercussions to his family.

There was absolutely no relief in the fact that the man was denied killing him... for now. Then before Rayek could offer an apology or explanation, the other struck him across the face with the disruptor's hard casing with such force that Rayek was knocked to the floor at the base of the wall. The sour taste of coppery blood was on his tongue. Rayek stayed down and kept his head low. Showing the other that, yes, he knew his place.

When the Praetor's man moved away to pace the room, Rayek slowly and cautiously stood, though he continued to keep his gaze lowered to show his subservience to the other. It seemed to help... maybe...

When Vandar questioned directly about whether Rayek had found out anything yet, Rayek nodded. "I've managed to confirm that there are plans against the Praetor, though not by the Senator directly but through an contact of his. The Senator however is complicit in that he has not reported these threats. The name I picked up was Lolir - though that may be a cover. I intend to check the Senator's officer later to see if I can find out anything on this Lolir." Rayek reported out dutifully as he wiped the blood from his split lip.

"Also I have learned that the Tal'Shiar may have a leak. The Senator's daughter believed she could verify a lie I told her by speaking with a long standing operative. If my cover story is blown by his words then at least you will know that he talks. The man's name is Kilmak."

He reached up to his ear and gently pulled out the recording device. "I returned to download this to give it ... well, to you. Would you like to review it now or just a copy of the file? It's the Senator's daughter telling of how she eavesdropped on her father and this man Lolir, while Lolir spoke openly against the Praetor.. and she mentions she that it sounded like violent plans were being made. It's not definitive proof which is why I am going back tonight." He headed towards the already powered on computer and leaned over the keyboard while standing leaving the seat free to Vandar should he want it and downloaded the audio file onto a computer chip and held it out towards the man.




"What lie did you tell the daughter?", Vandar asked. It seemed the story with Kilmak had made him pick up his ears.

"I told her that I feared the Senator's life, and hers by extension, was in danger because a bomb had been found in his office but that my superiors were keeping the information secret from the public and even me. I am attempting to get the senator to view me a sympathetic Tal'Shiar source; perhaps even a like minded rebel since I am seemingly willing to go against my Tal'Shiar superiors for his daughter."

Vandar was less intimidating after Rayek divulged the information he'd discovered. Perhaps the man had thought he would be of no use, but Rayek intended to show everyone including the Praetor that he was of value to the Empire. He could make a difference.

When Rayek held out the computer chip to Vandar, he stepped closer and took it from him. "I'll review it later." Vandar's dark eyes met Rayek's as he put it into a hidden pocket at his tunic. From another pocket he tugged out another device, looking like a tablet computer only having the size of a palm. He handed it to Rayek. "Contact me as soon as you've got news." He nodded at the device before he turned away

Rayek accepted the palm sized device and nodded at the order to call in when he had more information, and answered using a term that acknowledged their respective ranking with Rayek as the inferior and Vandar as superior. "Ssuaj-ha!" He hoped that would appease his contact somewhat.

After Vandar left, Rayek cleared the in-ear recording device of his previous recording and deleted all evidence of it ever having been on his computer. Vandar had the information and would pass it to the Praetor... and while Rayek might like to keep a copy for himself, if this Kilmak did a search of his computer like Vandar had then he could forewarn Taheen that Rayek had recorded her. That would not do.

Rayek was curious as to who this Kilmak was and was tempted to do a search on the man, but couldn't risk it for the same reason he couldn't leave a copy of the recording on his computer, encryptions and highly coded programs were nice and all but if the man were a senior level operative then anything Rayek could come of up with to secure the information would be as child's play. Encryption only worked on keeping out those who knew nothing about computers.

But that thought gave him an idea, Rayek did a search of the name Vandar. This way if Kilmak did search Rayek's recent use, he might pass on that he searched the name Vandar and if Taheen asked aloud or in her thoughts about Vandar he would have prove of Kilmak's loose tongue. Also being seen as opposite of Vandar might give Rayek the in he needed with the conspirators.

Afterwards Rayek went to the quartermaster and signed out an electronic bug detector. The first place he checked was his room and himself. Thankfully, when both the mini-tablet and in-ear recorder were powered off they did not get picked up on the scanner. Any he found, he left. It would just mean that he couldn't speak openly there anymore.

Rayek kept a close eye on the time and when it seemed that the Senator would have left for his meeting that's when Rayek timed his arrival back at the manor calling on Taheen.

 

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