Vigilus Aelae

**Vigilus Aelae** was the first host of the Aelae symbiont. During his lifetime, Vigilus was responsible for a series of murders on Trillius Prime that became collectively known as the *Candlelit Tragedy*, having coincided with a period where there were intense electrical storms that caused several power outages in the rural areas surrounding Leran Manev. Most of the bodies were reportedly found almost a decade later after Vigilus had been apprehended. However, the rate of decomposition limited the level of analysis Trill authorities could perform on them. Fortunately though, most of the corpses were still articulated, allowing them to identify several unusual phenotypical abnormalities as well as evidence of attempted implementation of cybernetic implants.

# Revivification

During the height of the Iconian War in 2415, Starbase 381 *"Praetorian's"* Chief Medical Officer, Jeleen Aelae, performed the Rite of Emergence in an attempt of self-discovery fuelled by desperation. Willingly bringing Vigilus to the surface broke the chemical memory blockers that the Symbiosis Commission put in place to reduce the chances of any successor host of Aelae from continuing Vigilus's work. This opened a door that the Doctor could not close again, and she underestimated Vigilus's manipulations. Because of the highly stressful environment Jeleen was exposed to, primarily a result of the Iconian War and the recall order sent out by the Commission, she was far more susceptible to suggestion. Capitalising on this, Vigilus wore Jeleen's will down until he was able to assume control and finally begin his plans to exact his revenge.

# The Awakening Crisis

## Turning Point

In response to the rescinding of the recall order the Symbiosis Commission sent out, **Lorien Toprill**, the Chief Diplomat of the Fleet at the time, convened an emergency session of the Trill personnel - both joined and unjoined - to discuss its implications and to gauge the general atmosphere of the room. To no one's surprise, it was a unanimous consensus that the Trill present were relieved that the Commission had been overruled, allowing them to fully focus on doing their part in the War.

Despite the principles behind their decision, as Starfleet officers, Doctor Aelae seized this moment as an opportunity to begin stoking the fires on the Starbase among the Trill population about the supposed apathetic nature of the Commission and propagate their disregard of the well-being of Trill in lieu of the symbionts' survival. And while the Ambassador did his best to control the situation, it was apparent that Aelae was able to convince a good number of those present, including Chianna Prax.

What was set out to be a meeting to determine everyone's thoughts on the situation turned into a rally that allowed Aelae to establish connections with the more vocal Trill, and to begin spreading the propaganda about the Commission.

## A Game of Shadows

While Vigilus's primary goal, now, was to eliminate the Commission, his desire to ensure Trill supremacy had not died. Consequently, while having to maintain the guise of Jeleen, he proceeded to continue his work. Creating himself a rudimentary lab in Sector E2 of the Starbase, Vigilus set about achieving his master plan. To his dismay, though, he was unable to perform any real experiment, knowing that questions would be asked if any personnel suddenly disappeared. There was also the matter of the obstacles that were standing in his way.

Aware that Toprill would quickly realise what had happened, Vigilus looked to finding a way to eliminate him without drawing attention to himself. It was during this scheming that he found himself interacting with Amalei Neraea, who had taken an interest in him as part of a plot to learn his plans and gather evidence that could be used to charge and incarcerate him while they worked towards a way to break his hold over Jeleen. This endeavour was ultimately disrupted by Toprill's attempt to directly subdue Vigilus, which caused the latter to instead retaliate against the former. Though he was always doubtful of Neraea's motives, she had put herself in the perfect position where Vigilus looked to her to deal with the Ambassador. Under the impression she had, yet was still all part of the ruse, Vigilus carried on with his work.

Focusing on new ways to kill in preparation for the next phase in his plans, Vigilus developed a genetically modified lipase enzyme that was capable of digesting more complex organic matter. He utilised the fledgling Project *Epione* as his means of deploying the weapon, and to conceal the existence of the enzyme, until he had the opportunity to test them. The perfect opportunity arrived with the completion of  Outpost 42 *"Discens"*. The test was a resounding success, with Hannah Krown framed for the murders after Vigilus used the copy of her program that she provided to Doctor Aelae as a scapegoat.

## Rising Tensions

Even though the recall order was rescinded, its impact on Trill Society did not dissipate and, throughout the Iconian War, began to fester. It was only after the War had ended that numerous activist groups formed to protest against the Commission and seek out reform where the well-being of Trill were concerned. Several of these groups quickly merged together and began to refer to itself as The Awakening. Out of all the groups across Trillius Prime, the *Awakening* was the most influential in pushing for reform. And while there were many within the group that actively believed in the work they were doing to achieve equal standing between Trill and symbiont, the organisation's true motivations - its true agenda - remained hidden while everything was moved into place.

The *Awakening* had, in fact, been engineered by Vigilus to exacerbate the situation on the Trill Homeworld and further the dissent that had been building. The meeting convened by Toprill allowed Vigilus to identify individuals likely to help him make connections on Trillius. Once that was achieved, it was simply a matter of convincing the key members of the activist groups to band together before introducing them to his true intentions for the *Awakening* and the Commission. By this point, most were so disillusioned with the Commission that convincing them into turning to more extreme measures was of no real difficulty.

Within just a few months, the *Awakening* revealed its true nature after bombing several Commission facilities, and Vigilus assuming the moniker *Candlelight* fully established the activist group as a recognised terrorist organisation. The bombings acted as the catalyst that then threw Trillius into a state of civil war and more Trill joined the revolution.

## The Crimson Revolution

The unprecedented chaos on the Trill Homeworld was extreme enough for Starfleet to prepare a Task Force to intervene and aid the Militia but even with the pressure from the Federation Council to officiate a request for assistance, the Trill Government refused to approve an intervention by Starfleet. Without permission to act, Starfleet was extremely limited in its ability to assist the Trill and it was becoming a growing concern that, if not dealt with soon, the fighting would spread to other worlds. Unfortunately, it appeared that no side had the upper hand in the fighting.

The revolution came to a head when a bomb was detonated inside the theatre house of Leran Manev and the bodies of Federation Diplomatic Corps personnel, Trill officials and *Awakening* members were found in the rubble. Notable members identified included Ambassador **Jirad Raines** and **Jorel Aviantus**. When it was revealed that the Federation was actively involved, despite not being permitted to, the Federation Council was quick to declare that Ambassador Raines and those who accompanied him were acting alone and out of their own volition. Regardless of this fact, this revelation forced the Trill Government to concede and request for Starfleet's aid.

This news was the final straw that led to riots breaking out across the entire Starbase. The situation was contained and all Trill were placed under house arrest, barring Aelae and Prax who were being detained in the brig. This provided Starbase security, with help from Doctor Molly Piper, the opening they needed to discover the location of Vigilus's lab; the evidence they needed to formally press charges.

## The Hubris of Vigilus

Vigilus quickly realised that his deceptions had been revealed. Waiting for the right moment, Vigilus assaulted Vriha t'Rylov as she was to escort him out of his cell and attempted to overpower Head of Security, James Castillo, and Deputy Head of Security, Caelan Hartman, in his bid to escape. Failing to notice that Commander Castillo had in his possession the weaponised variant of the Neural Inhibitor Device Prax had designed, he was subdued and taken to Sickbay Alpha where Jeleen was able to finally reassert her control.

Without the co-ordination of Vigilus to assist the *Awakening*, the joint efforts of Starfleet and the Trill Militia led to the terrorist organisation's defeat and an end to the civil war.

# Aftermath

Vigilus's actions led to a harrowing upturn of Trill Society and, by far, the most bloodiest internal affair in Trill history since they achieved Warp flight. Though peace has been restored, it is still a concern for the Government that members of the *Awakening* are potentially still free and are simply biding their time. Other concerns include whether *Candlelight* is among those free and what their next move is.

His deeds had also committed significant damage to specific individuals, particularly of note Amalei Neraea whose father was the ambassador found dead in the theatre house. This caused Neraea to resent Jeleen for several months, unable to differentiate between her and her predecessor. She did, however, forgive her in time and both have maintained a close friendship since. Jeleen herself remained psychologically unstable in the subsequent months after Vigilus was contained, and it was only after she was relieved of duty that she finally began to realise the extent to which she was still damaged. Feeling that being on the Starbase, or indeed anything Starfleet, was not helping her recovery, she decided to resign her commission and explore the Outback for a time before returning to her duties.

Chances of Vigilus's return has been refuted as a definitive possibility. However, it has been conceded that if the exact conditions are met then it is likely that a resurgence can occur. The following is an excerpt from a series of transmissions to **Ladera Toprill**, Lorien's successor, from the Commission shortly after her joining:

"*Toprill,*

*Our meeting with Aelae has merited a thorough investigation into the records surrounding Vigilus and his joining. As we are all aware, prospective hosts must undergo rigorous evaluations to even be considered for the programme. The information provided, along with what we have found out ourselves, indicate Vigilus's psychopathy had already been diagnosed, though only as far as a variant of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. This begs the question as to how he was able to join the programme when such a diagnosis would have rendered his application void. Because of this revelation, we have come to the conclusion that Vigilus Gerelyn Solaris had appropriated the Aelae symbiont and had an illegal joining performed.*

*Such allegations does introduce the prospect that there were individuals within the Commission who were privy to this knowledge and even aided him. Unfortunately, the records we have found so far show no sign of doctoring or fabrication that would confirm our suspicions of foul play. But, this in itself has only reinforced our speculation that Vigilus had inside help.*

*We cannot reprimand Aelae for the actions of the past, and how they have bled into the present. It was an inevitability that Vigilus would come into the light, we just hoped that it was not on the back of the Iconian War and our, in admission, poor tact to protect the symbionts. Consequently, it has been agreed that so as long as Jelhanoska Aelae performs her zhian'tara, there will be no necessity for us to take any further action. She is aware of this and we have alerted Amalei Neraea to this compromise by Aelae's request.*

*Vigilus's return is unlikely but we cannot dismiss that, should Aelae be confronted with the correct conditions, there is the possibility that he can resurface. To what extent we do not know. But it is imperative that Aelae be neutralised by any means necessary should she succumb to him again. This cannot be stressed enough, Toprill.*

*Gods be with you,*

*Idzia Lok, Elder.*"

# References

* FNN Emergency Broadcast
* Preliminary Investigation into the *Awakening*
* Assault on Ambassador Toprill
* Outpost 42 *Discens* Incident
* Biogenic Weapons Study
* Trill Riots
* Final Report