Romulan Kal-toh

Posted on Fri Jul 1st, 2022 @ 5:04am by Lieutenant Darru & Ensign Michael Sloan

Mission: Mission 6 - Memory
Location: Darrus' Quarters
Timeline: Day 295 18:00
2182 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Thinking that he needed to thank Darru for helping him, Michael decided that it might be a good idea to speak with the Vulcan. Picking a time that both were off-duty and when he suspected Darru might be in his quarters, Michael stepped toward the closed door. The last time that he stood in this spot, he was suffering from split personalities and his mind was almost literally ripping her apart. With a quick breath, Michael pressed the door chime button on the panel.

Darru answered the door within moments and stopped dead seeing the the man at his door. “Good evening Michael. Are we on another mental journey this evening?” He questioned easily cutting through the awkwardness that had been detected from the other man since there journey.

Almost chuckling at the thought of a Vulcan having made a joke, Michael decided that it was probably an honest question. "Not this time, this was more of a follow-up so I could tell you that I appreciate that you worked with me," the engineer replied as he looked around the Vulcan's room. It always amazed him just how similar Romulans and Vulcans lived given the vast differences between the two people.

Darru nodded and moved back to allow the man to enter the small space. It was not much changed from the last time that the man was there apart from the small table had been moved under the desk. “I knew you appreciated my assistance Michael. That always apparent by how your life is moving on.” He assured quickly. Not at all comfortable with praise or anything similar.

Looking around the room, Michael quickly noticed Darru’s kal-toh set. It instantly brought back memories of playing it at the Imperial Academy, though Romulans played the game a little different than Vulcans. Pointing out the game set, the Engineer asked, “I thought I could share some more Romulan culture with you. Care for a game of our kal-toh?”

Darru looked to where his set was and nodded. “I would find an exchange of culture agreeable.” He agreed. He had been getting so much research into human culture and relationships but to now have a Romulan onboard who was willing to put aside old differences was a dream. It was just a shame that no one ever will experience it all and would have likely moved on in relations since the coldness of it now.

Reaching for the set, Michael explained the rules a little. "Traditional Vulcan Kal-Toh ends when a player places the t'an in a way which creates a perfect sphere. However, Romulans play it a different way. The object is to give the appearance of creating the sphere, but to work toward causing your opponent to fall into your trap and collapse the structure. The goal of each turn is not always to weaken the structure. There are different schools of thought as to the perfect strategy." As he explained the game, Michael carefully laid out the set in a way that resembled the traditional Vulcan layout.

Darru raised an eyebrow at the interesting turn of events and the approach that Romulans took to playing his favourite game. "I would expect nothing less from your species." He finally said. It made sense for a species that walked under the eagle’s wing and was so war like to use games like this to practice strategy. He sat on the floor crossed legged and looked at the set.

Catching the Vulcan’s reaction to the rules, Sloan replied, “Everything in the Empire is a test, a means to get one up in another.” He carefully picked up one of the rods and placed it in the most common starting point for a Vulcan game of Kal-toh. “Strategy and the art of deception, in a very real sense those skills are key to an individual’s survival. Though I don’t miss the Tal Shiar agent stationed aboard every starship and positioned in every building.” Realizing that he probably used a term unfamiliar outside of the empire, he explained, “They are both secret police and intelligence. Enforcers of loyalty and interrogators.”

“I am starting to see that it is a state that I would fail to last in long. They sound just like the Vulcan Science Council.” Darru said dryly filing away many terms the man had used. He made his first move and frowned at how he was unsure of the move he had made now. "I can see how the art of deception is needed for this game as I now almost doubt the move I have made." He admitted staring at the man.

“And that is the game,” Sloan replied. Explaining it a bit further, he said, “The game is not really about your opponent, it is about you. Can you hold your own personal doubts and feelings together long enough to see your opponent flinch and falter?”

“Given time I believe I can.” Darru countered before he remembered something that would prove to be distracting for them both from the game for a moment. “I just remembered something Ensign. When I was doing my genetic testing for … purposes you did not have a sample on the system. I assumed that was because of corrupt data but I am assuming that it because of your unknown nature at that point and it having been deleted?”

"When did you gather these, samples?" Michael asked. He did not remember any blood being taken, nor did he remember deleting anything from the Vulcan's database. "I do not remember any clandestine activity into your data. Which is alarming because either I was triggered at an unknown number of moments or I am not the only person aboard with nefarious activities. Would you like to take a sample now?"

“The first weeks we were out here.” Darru admitted. “I was given permission to look at medical files but your file had no genetic sample. It would have been pre Atlantis leaving Earth it was done but I guess it does not matter either way now,” Darru commented making another move.

Considering what the Vulcan said, Michael furrowed his brow. "I have always made my Starfleet mandated medical exams and didn't know that I even had something to hide," he said. Looking at the shape they were making, Michael decided to keep playing traditional Kal-toh as a way to throw Darru off his game. He hoped the Vulcan would notice the moves and try to apply flawed logic to the strategy.

“Maybe it was unconscious.” The Vulcan surmised as he made a move before almost frowning at what he had made. It was not a good move but he was starting to believe he did not have the mind for this version of the game. “Though I do not believe that is one thing on your mind. Offspring.” The Vulcan added thinking on his project.

In a very Vulcan move, Sloan arched his eyebrow at the term offspring. Was he being called a child or was it a way of his species being called an offshoot? Deciding that it would be a good time to end the game, Michael placed his t'an at a strategic point. It used Darru's own placement, but made the area closer to Darru so unstable that another bad move might bring the structure down. Looking back at Darru, Sloan replied, "You are correct. We apparently have a sensor ghost as well. It was brought to my attention that some systems were accessed with no sensor record of the event." Holding his hands out, the Chief Engineer compared the two, "A sensor ghost and records being having been tampered with, I do not believe in coincidences."

“Sensor ghost are never just sensor ghosts.” Darru said simply as he stared at the game but did not make a move. He had lost either way without even realising. He knew that for sure. Sensors very rarely were wrong in opinion, there was something that threw something off. “You became offended and ended the game?” Darru commented in a non judgement tone. He just wanted to understand what he had said that had offended to not do it again.

“I know you probably meant no offense,” Michael qualified his next statement. “But, when you refer to a species, especially one that shares a common ancestry with your own, it is not a good idea to call them offspring. It plays into the common stereotype that Vulcans are themselves as superior,” he explained.

“You misunderstood Michael.” The Vulcan said quickly now understanding. “My research where I was not able to gain genetic material from yourself was to look for the best matches between crew members to create future crew members. I do not believe offspring … children are on your mind at the moment.”

Shaking his head, Michael looked to Darru. "I must apologize," he began, "I assumed the worst in what you were explaining." "Romulan, Human, I guess it is in my nature twice to have a healthy degree of skepticism when it comes to Vulcans. Which isn't an excuse."

“It is understandable thought but I am trying to put my species superiority behind me as I think humans are… interesting.” The Vulcan admitted. “They are worth studying and interacting with from a more friendly term unlike the views of colleagues.” Humans stumped them which was his view on why they treated them like children.

"It's difficult to image that a species moved from their first flight to landing on their planet's moon in a generation. Warp travel within a century after that," Michael replied, letting his Romulan view takeover. "Much quicker than our ancestors," he pointed out.

“Which is why I want to like them and learn about them.” The Vulcan admitted. “Imagine what the next generation onboard could do if they had strong genetic matches.” Maybe the Romulan was someone who could understand what he was trying to achieve.

"Are you making sure there isn't DNA corruption or are you running a super human matchmaker?" Michael thought aloud. It was not that he held a negative view of it, though the Humans may have concerns if they suspected the later given their apprehension for eugenics. "Any interesting matches?"

“.. Both.” The Vulcan finally admitted. “My scientific field is genetics.” It was one of those secretes onboard that was open and it was sure everyone already knew though the man prided himself on not speaking openly about it. “There have been a few matches that have boded well. But with the female to male population no where near even it has proved interesting. Did you know about Lieutenant Gerhard and Ensign O’Connery?” He wondered aloud giving into the request for interesting matches.

Shaking his head and almost thinking that he should not be hearing such gossip, Michael replied, "I had no idea. Though Gerhard and myself are not what anyone would call friends. And I don't think most of the crew would trust me with any new personal details at the moment."

“Hmm perhaps. But some crew value you and what you do.” Darru commented quickly moving from the information he knew to boosting the man. “I am one of them. You are the product of something outside of your control. It would be illogical to blame you for it. I believe the Captain does not neither does the Executive Officer.”

"Perhaps you are right," Michael replied, hopeful that the names of people he knew supported him being aboard was now above one. Maybe in time he would even need to use both hands to count his supporters. "Who was your match? There aren't any Vulcans aboard that are genetically compatible with mating with the you or Stenn," he asked.

“I did not run the compatibility tests on myself nor Stenn.” Darru admitted. Stenn had not been awake at that time but Darru was not doing this for himself but the crew. He would live long enough to see Vulcan again in his opinion.

"Because you and Stenn will return home as geriatric Vulcans?" Michael asked, trying to joke with a Vulcan. Realizing the futility, he added, "I'm not sure in what state I would return home. Romulans live as long as your people, but I m not sure how much the gene editing will impact my life expectancy. Then, even if I make it back, will I return to live out the rest of my days as a hero or as a traitor?"

“No I believed it futile and a breach of trust if I used my studies to further my own cause.” The man admitted. “As we discussed when we merged yourself it is something that you cannot change at all but your actions going you can.” Darru never thought on things you could not change in the slightest. It was foolish and illogical to do it as it was out of your hands. “And that is the most important thing to me and should be to you.” Darru said simply.

Going forward was all they could do.