Pandora's Box (Part 1 of 3)

Posted on 21 Dec 2023 @ 12:36pm by Ensign S'Ers-a M'Lyr'Zor & Lieutenant JG Montgomery Vala

3,966 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 19 - Tomorrow's Galileo
Location: USS Galileo-A Deck 3 - Sera's Quarters
Timeline: MD03 - 0000hrs

[ON]

Sera walked down the corridor of deck 3, heading back to her quarters after a long day affecting repairs to Galileo-B. She had stayed well beyond the time that her duty shift should have ended, and would have personally stayed longer to continue repairs, but her team's efficiency was beginning to flag, and even Sera had to admit; it had been a trying day. It was logical time to allow for a few hours of rest.

She continued along as the corridor curved, so inwardly focused that at first she did not register that there were transport containers stacked outside her quarters. She stopped in front of the stacked containers and her brows furrowed. She had brought a few with her which contained personal affects, weapons and tanaf (a musical instrument similar to a shamisen). There was, however, an additional container that she had no recollection of packing. Studying the crate identifiers, she saw they were all in her name.

Curious.

--

Had it been a normal day, a normal duty, Vala would have spent much of this early time aboard the Galileo establishing routines, acclimatising with the labs and organising initial experimentation and staff allocation. Normally this would have landed him in a satisfying mood and all would be well ad infinitum.

Sadly this was not meant to be. He had spent the day aboard the Galileo-B, a ship that should not exist and that should not be sharing the timeline with his own version of the ship. He had been infuriated with what passed for 'science' in the 25th Century. Worst of all he had been monitored to within an inch of his life by the ghost of temporal future, the Wyatt character.

By the time he'd arrived back on his ship and had spent a an hour or so working through a model in the Multipurpose Labs he felt too mentally exhausted to continue. He packed his equipment away and left.

Wandering away from the Multipurpose Labs, considering whether he should try and squeeze in some exercise to clear his mind before mealtime, he came across an obstacle in what is normally a plain and boring hallway. Boxes. And an open door. Despite the mental strain of the day so far, a deep instinct within him urged him to pause and investigate. Boxes held all sorts of interesting things after all. Maybe this was the distraction he needed...

He paced cautiously over, and tapped the bulkhead next to the door. "Hello?" He called into the room.

Sera had just placed one of the crates--which held clothing that could not be replicated easily--on her bed in the sleeping area when she heard a voice call out. She turned and walked back out into the common area.

"Yes? Oh...Montgomery. Greetings." Sera said in a warm manner...for a Vulcan.

"Sera!" His furrowed brow lighted, he was surprised at how glad he was to see her, "I had no idea you were quartered here. My lab is just down the way." He stood in the doorway. He didn't want to seem too eager, but he was now even more interested in the boxes. "I have just finished my duty - could I perhaps be of assistance?"

"I am aware." Sera replied, having been to his lab during the first week of being onboard Galileo. "and Your assistance, although not required, would be appreciated."

Sera could have brought in the containers on her own, but his help would complete the task faster.

Vala lifted one end of the larger box and waiting for Sera to join him at the other end. Weren't Vulcans meant to enjoy a spartan existence? There more crates than he expected. "You have... many belongings," he stated simply.

Sera raised a brow. Did she? She had never considered. The crates had been sent from Juneau to Vulcan when she was sent back on medical leave. She had not added anything additional to them. In truth, she hadn't even seen the containers while recovering. Starfleet had efficiently routed them to her upon reassignment.

"I do not recall having so many. The long crate most likely holds my personal weaponry and my tanaf…a musical instrument. The others...I am uncertain, as I did not pack them." Sera was beginning to feel a sense of unease about them, which was illogical, so the sensation was immediately tamped down.

He raised both his eyebrows, "Personal weaponry? That is intriguing. I did not take you for a martial artist." He wondered if she fought with a blade or a blunt weapon, or if it was some exotic phaser rifle. He did not want to swamp her with questions, so he bit them back. But he couldn't resist one more. "I am a great lover of music. Do you play well?"

"I have trained extensively in a number of martial art forms, and I play adequately."

She looked at the long container that held her weapons and stringed instrument and disengaged the locks and opened the lid peering inside. The contents did not shift.

Sera saw the gleam in Montgomery's eyes, and she motioned to the container. "You may investigate if you like?"

He did not want to seem too eager, but he was truly fascinated. "If you have no objection..." He walked over to observe the contents. "I too was trained in the martial arts of my people," he said as he knelt by the crate, "That is a tradition perhaps we share as distant kin." The weapons were neatly packed as one might expect given the meticulous nature of Sera's people. "These are beautiful," he remarked simply, "they look... deadly." He wasn't sure where it came from but he felt a strong urge to see them wielded. Wielded by Sera specifically.

"Weapons are not meant to be kind to an opponent, Montgomery. The ones in the container are brutal tools from a savage time. Yet it takes much control and a preciseness of movement to be effective. Such mastery takes years of instruction and practice to obtain. Perhaps it is but a metaphor in motion to remind us of Surak's principles."

Almost sounded like you believed that...

While he was investigating the contents of the opened crate, Sera turned her attention to the two other rather sizeable unknowns in the room. Might as well get opening them over with.

Sera broke the seals of the first mystery crate and opened the lid. It was filled with her personal affects that she had on USS Juneau. Her hands lifted and pushed around the contents. Various articles of clothing--including high quality Vulcan robes--were neatly folded. To the side of them was a holocube which held images she had taken after leaving Vulcan, and other small items that had made her quarters feel comfortable.

There was nothing of obvious interest in this container...however, the two opened crates accounted for the entirety of her affects. What did the last crate contain?

She moved over to it and saw that it was encrypted which was…unusual. She engaged the screen and placed her hand on the scanner and after a number of small chirps and beeps the locks were released.

The lid was opened slowly, carefully. She peered inside and saw a large wooden inlaid trunk. It was most unusual; Sera had never seen anything like it before. The top of the lid had a strange motif set into it with different species of woods and stones of brilliant greens and blues. It had the appearance of crest or emblem of sorts. She gripped opposite edges and pulled the ungainly trunk out of the crate and placed it on the ground in front of her.

“Most unusual…” Sera said softly.

"Se-" He began, intending to ask Sera whether she would be willing to demonstrate her aptitude with the weapons at some point, but the other box hissing open had stolen his words. The smell. It was a smell that hit him in waves. It had an immediate, profound impact. He might have fallen to his knees had he not already been on them. It was the scent of S'Vekhara Hemlock. Unmistakable. It was a scent that pervaded the finest Rihannsu homes - a favoured wood for furniture of the patricians. Not a smell that should exist anywhere near the Pleiades.

Vala rubbed his temples for a second and looked over to see Sera lifting a chest out of the crate. Wooden as suspected. Rihannsu wood. The top glinted - deep greens and rich blues. The image of the Star Empire's flag fluttered in his mind, but the iconography was different. It was a bird. It was unmistakably an Aen'rhien. A clan emblem perhaps. Rihannsu. His breathing was heavy. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth, searching for a port in the storm. It felt like a dream. She was a... Vulcan. Safe. The opposite of his people. She... should not have...

Every breath was another laden with the heady aroma of S'Vekhara wood. He grasped the side of the crate. The blood had drained from his face. "I-Ihiifv." He murmured and swept into the bathroom in as normal a movement as he was capable of in the moment, the door sliding shut behind him.

Sera looked over her shoulder when she heard Vala's voice. It sounded as if he was starting to call to her, to obtain her attention. What she observed was most unexpected.

The color drained from his face...and his face? He wore an expression of...fear? He mumbled an apology and then quickly retreated. Sera was uncertain of what to do...but she looked back to the trunk he was transfixed by, and quickly pulled a garment from the other trunk and threw it over the offending box and raced to the bathroom door.

"Mont...Montgomery?'' Sera questioned uncertainly. "Are you unwell?"

Nice. Of course he is unwell! the small voice within her head replied.

Vala sat on the floor and leant his head back against the wall. The cool bulkhead provided a little comfort and he began to arrange his thoughts. Maybe that box wasn't meant for Sera? No... she opened it.. and it was encrypted. Was she a sleeper agent? No. Surely not. A sleeper agent wouldn't open that crate in front of him. Unless that's what a sleeper agent wanted him to think...

He shook his head and finally Sera's words entered his consciousness. "S-Sera. I am alright. Something just came over me a little." He shoved himself up and splashed some water on his face. Composure was needed. He looked in the mirror. He looked as terrible as he assumed he would. Sighing he opened the door.

He looked at Sera, then to the box. She'd covered it up. A small act of consideration. He suddenly felt a little better. "You... who.. where did that box..." he calmed his breathing. "I-I am sorry."

"Apology is unnecessary. You were...distressed. I deduced that the wooden trunk was the source of your discomfort." Although Sera's expression remained carefully neutral, her person exuded remorse. Having him distressed in her presence was...unacceptable.

She motioned for him to sit, and went over the replicator and obtained two steaming cups of tea. She walked over to him and lowered herself to her knees, sitting in a position known as seiza.

She presented him the cup, however placed it in front of him on the table instead of handing to him. Another cultural quirk...

"It is not traditional tea, but perhaps it will...help you feel better?" Sera added hesitantly.

She had questions. Montgomery demonstrated through his hasty retreat that he knew something about the small trunk she had pulled out of the shipping crate. Sera wanted to know what, but did not desire to cause him any further discomfort. So instead she sat on her knees looking at the tea, and subtly wrung her hands.

Vala sat as indicated and silently watched as tea was prepared. He kept glancing in the direction of the box, his brain still unable to join the dots. The tea was placed down and he gave it an empty stare for a few moments. "Th-thank you Sera." He reached forward and grasped it, bringing it close to his face and inhaling deeply.

The aroma of the tea was pleasant. Neutralising. His head began to clear. "And yes, I think an apology is necessary. I intended to be a help here not a hindrance. I am... embarrassed." He sipped the tea. "That box... it's context is not here. I did not expect to see such a thing..." He shook his head.

She tilted her head slightly to the side at his insistence upon apologizing. She was not going to repeat herself. He obviously felt the overwhelming need to verbalize his contriteness. Sera was a gracious host and accepted it with respectful silence.

"I take it by your...reaction to the trunk that you know what it is?" Sera queried cautiously.

"I know one thing for certain." He looked deeply into her eyes for a moment, then over to the wall monitor. "Computer, display the flag of the Romulan Star Empire and an Aen'rhien." The images flicked onto the screen. Vala shifted and pulled the draped cloth off of the box, revealing it once again to the both of them.

Well...Sera studied the images on the screen. She watched Vala blankly as he pulled the draped robe off of the trunk.

"The artistic style is identical."

"It is Rihannsu," he said simply. "It is made of S'Vekhara Hemlock. A wood that was rare even on Romulus. It is a box of fantastic value now... since... the disaster..." Another uncomfortable topic to avoid in the present situation.

"Whoever sent this has been to the Star Empire in the past. The bird is a clan sigil. I do not recognise it specifically." He shook his head. "S-Sera this is all very strange."

"Perhaps I should simply return the box to the crate and place it into ship storage?" Sera didn't recognize that she had asked him his input on what to do.

"No... no Sera, are you not curious?" Vala's implacable dread over the box was only matched by his curiosity about its contents and its relation to her. "Do not move it on my account I..." His shoulders slumped. His past was a swamp in which he feared to tread.

"My reaction to it... I did not have what you might consider to be a 'fond farewell' when I left my people." His eye were cast down. "It was shocking to be exposed to something like this..." He waved his hand at the ornate box. "In this place." He gestured to the vessel at large.

"Rihannsu scents... well... they say the olfactory senses are the strongest triggers for memory. And the S'Vekhara Hemlock." He shook his head slowly. "It's such a fine wood it does not require curing or treatment to be made into furniture. It's scent is powerful. It is one I was often exposed to in the latter years of my time on Romulus." The opera. The senate. The fine restaurants and halls of Ki Baratan. Celia's parlour had a single small piece of S'Vekhara furniture. A small box. He blinked a couple of times then looked up to Sera. "It was a... complex time." He took a deep breath, then spoke with as much determination as possible. "We should work out why one of my people has an interest in you. Why they sent you such an object."

"I do not know any Romulans...present company excluded, of course." Sera replied finally. "I cannot postulate why this would have been sent to me."

Sera pulled the discarded robe off of the box knelt down in front of it. She was not a coward, and it was illogical to delay opening it. Placing her hands on the edge of the lid, Sera pulled...and pulled. It would not budge. She leaned down, tilting her head to the side as she studied the lid further.

"I have many questions regarding your life in the Empire..."

Regarding you... Treacherous inner-voice!

Vala watched on as she tried to open the box. He had a suspicion as to why it wouldn't open in the conventional way, but he was a little apprehensive as to what might be contained within.

People often asked him about his past life but... he sensed this may force him to go deeper than in a typical conversation. "Oh... you do? Well Sera we are... friends. You can ask me of course." He drank deeply from his tea. What we say paints a picture. The Rihannsu proverb echoed around his mind. "Some of it is... difficult to recall... but some less so." He stared into the middle distance, dreading where this road may lead.

Sera's brows rose at his statement. Friends? What did he mean by that? T'Hy'la. It translated to something quite different in Vulcan than Federation Standard. She idly wondered if there was any special significance of that word to a Romulan.

"I do not ask to cause you distress, Montgomery. I was simply curious of your home, your culture."

It's not an interrogation, Vala had to remind himself, why did he think it would be? She wasn't going to pry, it's just natural to want to know more about a place that has delivered an elaborate and valuable box to ones door. Calm. Keep your cool. Breathe...

"Oh well... I can oblige of course." He matched her gaze. "I had two homes in the Empire, I suppose. One was Dhaelthra IV, a planet on the edge of the neutral zone. It is a place of wild beauty. Not entirely the frontier but certainly not home to metropolises and institutions. I would say... uhm... culture there was more simple. Less refined than at the heart of the Empire. But it always felt like it's roots went back to a time long ago." He had been relentlessly mocked as a provincial at every step he took after leaving him homeworld, but in many ways he believed the culture of the outer colonies was more true to that of the first Rihannsu settlers.

"The other was of course Romulus. It is a place that you would find... illogical. Even I found it hard to adjust to. It is... was," he corrected himself, his voice catching in his throat a little. "Ahem... was a place of excess, beauty, sophistication, culture... it was the heart of everything in the Empire. The worst and best parts of it were there."

He kept his gaze on Sera. It was hard to read the Vulcan's expression. "And you probably have heard much about what those may be. We are passionate people but also dutiful and dedicated to our causes. Personally loyal but institutionally treacherous might be a good way to put it. Politics are a lifeblood for better or worse." He paused for a few moments and sighed. "I miss the art of it. And the music." He gave sad look. "And you already know I miss the food..."

Out of all of that, Sera honed in on the correction he was forced to make, the changing of tense. From present to former.

"I grieve with thee." It wasn't a platitude. She understood pain and loss and grief. She understood--to a certain extent--the loss of home and place. And grief over loss was not on a points system. It was about empathy.

He shared his 'vision' of what Romulus and Dhaelthra IV was. His brief overview sounded...well...honest, straightforward. Understandable. Relatable even.

She glanced over to the box that had caused such a profound reaction in Montgomery. Although completely unintentional, she felt responsible for his pain. That was a dissatisfying thought.

"Thank you." Vala said slightly perfunctorily as he swallowed thoughts of the supernova down and did his best to bury them away. He'd have never seen Romulus again anyway so... why give it thought. He grit his teeth momentarily as he digested the thought, then cast his eye to the box. A distraction from difficult feelings now, rather than the source of them.

"I think it could be a puzzle box. They have always been chic among Rihannsu." He thought of the small coffer Celia had on her side table, then blinked a few times to vanish the thought. "You will have to find the puzzle and solve it in order to activate a mechanism." He kept his distance, and sipped his tea. "Or you could just smash it open I suppose." There might be some catharsis in seeing a Vulcan destroy something so haunting.

Sera raised a brow at his comment, considering. "Such an irreplaceable item should not be willfully damaged." She pushed herself off of her knees and returned to the box that had caused Montgomery such a vigorous response.

A puzzle? Sera found puzzles most agreeable. She looked at the inlay of stones and different woods and considered. She noted tracks along the wood that would no doubt allow the various inlaid pieces movement. Hesitantly she reached out and pushed one of the stones and jerked her hand back as if burned as the stone moved with a sound of a 'click.'

"It appears that the pieces atop the lid are...moveable." Sera stated, looking to Montgomery as he sipped on the tea she had provided.

Vala watched Sera tentatively toy with the mechanism. Had he been alone, he'd have smashed it open. Or maybe just smashed it apart in general. Such finery was a symbol of those who had broken his life apart piece by piece. Without the soothing tea and Sera's consideration, alone with that box, he would have reduced it to nothing.

But it was not his, and as he calmed down he allowed rational thoughts to re-enter his mind. It was not planted here to cause him distress. It was not delivered here as part of a conspiracy to destroy him. It was not sent here to taunt him about a life long lost. It was sent to Sera and it was important. He liked her and her strange Vulcan but not-so-Vulcan ways. He should and indeed would help her.

He placed the tea down and went to kneel next to Sera. He looked at her then to the box. "Usually the symbol can be changed to something else. A monogram, a sigil of a particular family within the clan, something symbolic that only the person and people close to them would know." He stared at it the bird was familiar but he was educated away from Romulus and was not made to learn every clan's crest. He might have recognised the name but nothing was written on the box.

"Without that knowledge it is a difficult puzzle indeed." He looked back to Sera. "Assuming you intend to solve it with honour." He paused before continuing. "If you image the top and the inlays I expect the computer could solve it rather quickly... But that would be cheating of course."

Sera listened to what Montgomery said and then...considered. If this box was sent to her for a specific purpose, then what symbology did she know that could be a potential solution? Looking at the individual pieces within a most complex sliding 'block' puzzle, Sera began to experimentally move the available pieces around to the empty slots.

To be continued...

[OFF]

--

LTJG Montgomery Vala
Deputy Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

&

Ensign S'Ers-a M'Lyr'Zor
Deputy Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A

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