Rilek Khellian

The matriarch of the infamous Khellian House, Rilek exudes confidence in everything they do. As someone who was once an intercessor (Romulan lawyer) they typically go about their work with a focused and serious attitude. They are very ‘by the rules’, which probably stems from their family history of being rule breakers.

## Appearance

Rilek stands at 207cm (6’9”) with light tan skin and has a slim build with not much muscle definition although they work out regularly. Their eyes are an orange-yellow colour, almond shaped with up-turned corners.

They have the standard Vulcanoid features of pointed ears and slanted eyebrows with forehead ridges that are typically obscured by their fringe. Their skin is free of blemishes and they have a long torso. Their right hand is missing the middle and ring fingers and as a result they wear a prosthetic for their missing fingers. Around their right hand is also a series of scars from the accident that took their fingers. The area in which their prosthetics meet their skin is quite sensitive, which is why they wear metal finger guards.

## Early Life

### Age 0-5

Born as the only child and son of the Llhweiir house in their generation, Rh’vaurek tr’Llhweiir started life on the planet Romulus. Their biological mother, Hannim, was the matriarch of the family, making them the heir. Their biological father, D’Nal, was a man of the Valdor house, an equally prestigious family and Hannim’s betrothed and childhood friend. Their other mother was a woman named Eviess who served in the Tal Shiar alongside D’Nal and was of the rival family, the Khellian House. Rilek’s birth name, Rh’vaurek, came from the name of a hero from Romulan mythology who slayed demons. Hannim hoped to pass on the strength of Rh’vaurek to her son, thus naming them Rh’vaurek.

Rilek suffered from serious migraines in their early childhood. Doctors could not find the cause and thus their parents decided to turn to a Romulan tradition of raising a child as a girl in the belief that girls had a higher rate of survival than boys and that they were naturally more resistant to demons.

D’Nal retired his commission upon Rilek’s birth and seemed like he was being a caring father, but he had other plans. All the time at home allowed him to slowly work to spread rumors throughout the Llhweiir family about Hannim and Rilek, creating strife within the famly. Most notably were the rumors he started about their Vulcan heritage, something that Hannim had always denied. Whilst being part Vulcan was not something unheard of in Romulan society, the Llhweiir house was notoriously xenophobic and anti-Vulcan specifically. There were many times Rilek overheard their family members whispering about them and their mother. Rilek noticed the shift in attitude too with their family ignoring them or when they did have to interact, their demeanour was cold. Understandably, this caused a lot of anxiety for Rilek and they became fearful of any interactions at home.

### Age 5-10: The Khellian Takeover

As Rilek grew older and more aware of their surroundings, the whispers from their family members caused them great stress and made their migraines worse. Little did they know, this was exactly what D’Nal and Eviess wanted. Before Rilek was to enter his second year of schooling, Hannim announced that she would be stepping down her role as senator and re-enlisting in the Navy. She was also going to take Rilek with her as she felt that the Llhweiir house was no longer safe for her and her child. This was exactly what D’Nal and Eviess wanted and in Hannim’s absence, D’Nal took her spot in the senate thus aligning the Llhweiir house with the Khellians.

Rilek spent his early childhood education on the exploratory vessel the IRW Dorvek where their mother served as a press liaison. The ship’s primary mission was to check in with newly established Romulan colonies. Rilek continued to have migraines during this time which eventually led Hannim to decide to go back to Romulus in hopes of seeing more doctors to try and find the cause.

### Age 12 : Hobus Supernova 2387

The atmosphere of the Llhweiir house was colder than when they left as Rilek could tell the return of them and their mother was not welcomed. One morning they woke up to sirens blaring as a call for a full planetwide evacuation was made. D’Nal came into Rilek’s room and pulled them out of bed and they headed towards the transport hub in the middle of the city. Rilek, D’Nal, and Eviess all boarded the shuttle and that’s when Hannim came rushing through the airlock. Rilek reached his hand out towards her but was quickly pulled back from D’Nal who stepped in front of them and pushed Hannim back right before the shuttle doors closed. The shuttle took off, leaving Hannim on Romulus.

Rilek watched as their homeworld turned to ashes, leaving them in tears for days. Their migraines didn’t cease either and only got worse. They spent days in medical with doctors trying to find out what was wrong until a few brain scans provided the answer– Rilek was part Vulcan and so their brain had Vulcan brain waves that were not fully compatible with their Romulan physiology. The doctors were able to create a treatment for Rilek’s migraines that would not make them go away entirely, but would certainly dull the pain. They also diagnosed Rilek with severe anxiety, a diagnosis that made D’Nal feel extremely guilty as he knew the reason for his child’s illness was entirely his fault.

### Age 12-18

Upon arrival to Rator III, D’Nal announced that the Llhweiir house and the Khellian house would merge into one due to the small number of survivors from both houses. This was something he and Eviess had wanted from the beginning, which also meant that Rilek’s name and status would change– they were now Rh’vaurek tr’Khellian and no longer the heir as they were not a Khellian by blood.

Rilek was expected to attend school on their new homeworld, but their anxiety made them fearful and they cried a lot. Their teachers would scold them for making a scene so D’Nal decided the best option would be to homeschool. Overcome with guilt that his past obsession with family rivalries caused his child to have such debilitating anxiety, D’Nal was willing to do anything for Rilek to try and make things right again. He found Rilek a home tutor, the son of a V’tosh Ka’tur Vulcan and a Romulan, S’Ten.

S’Ten taught Rilek about controlling one’s emotions with Surak’s teachings. Although S’Ten’s Vulcan father was not much of a Surak follower, S’Ten had a more moderate view on Vulcan culture and made it a point to teach Rilek about a variety of beliefs. S’Ten also instilled a strong sense of justice in young Rilek. Rilek felt more confident when they learned clear rules and how to navigate their emotions. S’Ten was strict with Rilek, but he cared a lot for them and did his best to try and steer Rilek in the right direction. S’Ten didn’t say it openly, but he was absolutely appalled at the crimes of the Khellian house and hoped that his influence would keep Rilek from following the same path as their parents.

As Rilek grew up, they began to see how unfairly S’Ten was treated in the house. They could tell the Khellians and Llhweiirs alike hated seeing a Vulcan amongst them and it pained him that S’Ten did nothing. So Rilek took it upon themself to enact their own form of justice. It first started off by just small inconveniences and then evolved into revealing secrets of their other family members who dared speak ill of them or S’Ten. This was their form of payback for all of struggles they faced in their early childhood and they soon became quite feared in their house. S’Ten did his best to try and steer Rilek in the right direction, but Rilek insisted this was the only way they were going to get respect in their own home.

S’Ten revealed to Rilek in their late teen years his own feelings on reunification between Vulcans and Romulans. Rilek was shocked by this and strongly opposed the idea as they believed the two species should remain separated. S’Ten spoke about D’Tan and the others in the reunification movement and his dreams of bringing Rilek to Vulcan one day. From that day forward, Rilek and S’Ten’s relationship grew awkward. Rilek also began to attend public school a couple times a week. They said it was to be with other children their own age, but they also were dissatisfied with S’Ten’s political beliefs and wanted to separate from him.

### S'Ten’s Death

It was the end of Rilek’s final year of school when they suddenly suffered a migraine during their final exam. They were unable to finish their exam and just headed home with S’Ten. Coincidentally, that very same day, their family was hosting a banquet for the heads of various powerful families. As S’Ten led Rilek around the side of the house, an explosion happened, causing everyone to rush out. By ‘coincidence’, S’Ten and Rilek just happened to be on the opposite side of the house.

As S’Ten and Rilek attempted to run away from the house, they were stopped byu D’Nal who revealed that the explosion had been S’Ten’s doing and that he had planned to steal a shuttle and accused him of attempting to kidnap Rilek. S’Ten dodged the accusations and instead confessed to his discomfort in the Khellian-Llhweiir house. He then turned blame on D’Nal for being a neglectful parent and for causing Rilek’s distress just for his own greed. Although D’Nal had never admitted it, S’Ten figured out that D’Nal had used Rilek as a pawn for political gain and was going to bring Rilek to D’Tan where they would be free to embrace their mixed heritage. D’Nal was overcome with rage at this point and him and S’Ten got into a physical altercation resulting in D’Nal pointing a disruptor at S’Ten and killing him.

D’Nal was tried for S’Ten’s murder soon after, but the verdict was self defense of his life and Rilek’s life. Although the case was over, Rilek felt as if they were responsible for S’Ten’s death. If they hadn’t called out sick or maybe stuck closer to S’Ten, maybe he wouldn’t have had resorted to such extreme measures just to try and go somewhere he could belong.

## Why The Free State Navy?

Although Rilek was no longer the heir of the house, they still had their eyes on the senate. They joined the Navy in hopes of laying a good foundation for their future political career. All three of their parents had served in the Navy, with D’Nal and Eviess being formr Tal Shiar, so their enlistment was not only a no brainer for their desired career path, but also expected of a Khellian.

### Life in the Free State Academy

At the age of 19, Rilek entered the Free State Academy. A year later than many of their peers, this was due to Rilek’s homeschooling which allowed them to take their compulsory education at their own pace. Adjusting to life where they were expected to go to class every day was quite difficult and on top of that by holding the Khellian name they felt more pressure to do well. Even if their teachers didn’t know or care, their family at home was watching them. They decided to go by the name Rilek as they felt odd having the name of a mythological hero. Even if people didn’t say anything, they felt like walking around with the name Rh’vaurek was very cringe.

In their second year at the Academy, they were considering dropping out. They made no friends and due to their anxiety they had switched to hybrid learning where they could attend most of their classes virtually. Things suddenly changed when they were invited to sit in on a debate club meeting. To their surprise, they absolutely loved the environment. People were seen not for how they looked or what their house was, but for the strength in their arguments and how they used logic and facts. They decided to join and spent the first few meetings just listening. Even if they struggled at first, the learning process was exciting on its own. They loved it so much, in their third year they decided to go into the command track and study law.

For their final presentation at the Academy they were to participate in a mock trial. Rilek did exceptionally well, so well that at the conclusion of the event, they were approached by an officer from the Tal Shiar who invited Rilek to join with the promise of assisting them to ride through the ranks to reach the level of Valaere (Inquisitor). This was an easy rejection as Rilek had no tolerance for corruption or ‘cheating the system’. They had chosen to go into law to be able to uphold justice and fair trials, not cheat them. The Tal Shiar officer accepted Rilek’s declination, although left them with the ominous message that as a Khellian, they could not run from their family forever.

## Free State Postings

### IRW Khalagu: 2398 - 2400

Rilek’s first posting was on the D’Deridex-class warbird the IRW Khalagu where they served as one of the intercessors on the ship. The mission of the Khalagu was to scout out Romulan colonies that had become displaced after the Supernova. Rilek’s main job was to oversee the aiding of various colonies and ensure that resources were distributed once they proclaimed loyalty to the Empire.

It was two years into their mission that the Khalagu received a distress call from a colony they had just left. As Empire citizens, Rilek thought the ship was going to turn around to help them– but that is not what happened at all. To Rilek’s surprise the CO and XO were so focused on how many colonies they could annex that they did not want to go help the one they left. Even the Free State command centre did not seem to understand the urgency of the call. Although the majority of the crew believed it was their duty to help the colony, the CO and XO said no and that was it….. Or was it? Rilek attempted to see out the Tal Shiar political officer onboard as they knew that was the only person able to take control of the ship. When they realised there was no Tal Shiar officer, that’s when they decided to take matters into their own hands.

Rilak and a few junior officers teamed up to attempt to steal shuttles to go help the colony. Unfortunately, they were caught at the airlock and arrested. During their trial, they were all found guilty with a 6 month suspension and mark on their records for disobedience, assaulting another officer (when they tried to fight security), and attempted theft. It didn’t help that soon after the conclusion of the trial, Rilek heard that the colony had been wiped out with no survivors.

As Rilek sat in the mess hall contemplating their next move, they were approached by an officer they did not recognise. The person claimed to be from the Tal Shiar and gave Rilek their second offer; join the Tal Shiar and they would be reassigned, no suspension, and their record wiped. Although tempting, Rilek stuck to their morals and declined the offer. They did a crime and were going to serve out their punishment for said crime. During that 6 months Rilek took time to study the legal systems of other cultures, Federation, Cardassian, Klingon. They found it quite engaging and at the conclusion of their 6 month suspension, they were transferred.

### IRW Alluram: 2401 - 2404

Rilek’s next posting was on the IRW Alluram where they oversaw the flow of supplies from the Federation outpost on Chiron II to colonies within the Free State. This was Rilek’s first time interacting with Starfleet officers and they enjoyed it very much. The officers respected Rilek for their honesty and easy explanations of Romulan law.

In late 2403, Rilek got word that supplies had gone missing. They worked alongside a detective who soon found that a group of civilians disguised as refugees had been stealing supplies and shipping them off to non-Free State aligned colonies. Rilek knew that if they pressed charges, their colonies would either be annexed by diplomacy or by force. At this point Rilek’s faith in the Free State was wavering, especially after their interactions with Starfleet officers. However, they had to stick to the law and they charged the civilians of submitting a false statement and theft. The civilians were deported back to their colonies which Rilek later learned were annexed into the Free State. They felt terrible for what they had done, but they had to follow the law, even if they didn’t think it was fair. They stayed on the Alluram until 2404 when they returned to Rator III to visit their dying father.

### 2404: Death of D’Nal

Rilek tended to their father on Rator III for his last days. On his deathbed, D’Nal confessed to manipulating the Llhweiir family and using Rilek as a pawn. He apologised for the pain he had caused his child and regretted not doing more to support them. He also apologised for killing S’Ten and that he would have done things differently if he could. D’Nal couldn’t rewind the clock, but with his last breath he gave the Khellian house to Rilek, making them the matriarch.

At D’Nal’s funeral, Rilek suffered a terrible migraine that day and ended up not attending. Little did Rilek know, their cousin had stepped up to declare herself head of house in the wake of D’Nal’s death. Staying in bed at home, Rilek was visited by their other cousin, Valak, who told them about what happened at the funeral and swore his loyalty to Rilek as he did not trust their cousin. Rilek expressed appreciation for Valak’s support and told him that they aimed to be elected senator one day… And that’s when Valak pitched his offer. For Rilek to join the Tal Shiar as they would support Rilek and help them become senator and loyalty from the rest of the family as the matriarch. Rilek declined the offer for the third time, sticking to their morals above all. So Valak switched up his offer and told Rilek he could get them posted at the embassy so they could make connections with other politicians. Seeing nothing wrong with this, Rilek decided to take the offer. As it was well known that anyone could request any posting, they did not see this small act of service as breaking any rules or gaining any unfair advantages over others.

### Romulan Embassy on Rator III: 2404 - 2409

Just as Valak promised, Rilek’s next posting was at the Romulan Embassy on Rator III. There they got to meet a number of politicians not just from Romulan space, but from around the galaxy. They enjoyed flexing their linguistic abilities and talking with different people. Their duties mainly revolved around the Borg Reclamation Project and matching liberated Borg with their families.

At the end of 2409, Rilek got word that one of the families they helped reunite with a liberated Borg had lied on their application. Said family was previously exiled by the Free State for pirate activities, but appealed the exile in order to be reunited with their daughter. The family was actually just looking to exploit their daughter for her Borg parts and because Rilek had passed their application, they were charged as an accomplice.

For obvious reasons, none of Rilek’s colleagues were allowed to serve as their lawyer so an outside lawyer had to be brought in. The lawyer successfully defended Rilek’s innocence, claiming that Rilek may have known the documents were fake, but had no way of knowing the family’s intentions. Rilek had been manipulated and coerced and therefore was innocent. Upon hearing the ‘not guilty’ verdict, Rilek thanked their lawyer by buying them some drinks at a local bar. The lawyer then confessed to being on orders from the Tal Shiar and that they were sent to protect Rilek. Although the trial outcome was just and Rilek was innocent, they still felt uncomfortable knowing they had unknowingly let the Tal Shiar help them.

## Why Starfleet?

Switching to Starfleet was something Rilek had thought about ever since serving on the Alluram and their trial at the Embassy only confirmed their feelings that if they wanted to gain meaningful experience, they had to go where the Tal Shiar couldn’t follow them; Starfleet. The night before their transfer they were visited by their cousin, Valak, who told them if they ever changed their mind they were always welcome back to the Free State. Valak also left them with an ominous message; the Tal Shiar was never too far and would assist Rilek should they get into trouble.

## Starfleet Postings

### USS Lux Æterna: 2409-2412

Rilek’s knowledge of Starfleet law helped them pass the Federation’s own Bar exam and they became a JAG officer on the Lux Æterna. Not too long after Rilek’s transfer to the Lux Æterna did they receive a distress call from a colony where people were mysteriously dying. Rilek was part of the away team that beamed down to investigate in what they would later nickname ‘Operation Saint Patrick’ as the deaths were later found out to be deadly snakes. Along with the rest of the away team, Rilek worked to try and get these motherfucking snakes off this motherfucking colony (real). One particular event of note was during an encounter with said snakes, Rilek witnessed one of the away team members get bit– and then wrestle the snake from his body. It was quite the sight for Rilek’s first Starfleet away mission and prompted them to write in their personal log:

Personal Log, Rilek Khellian stardate 86299.13. These humans be wildin’

At the conclusion of the mission, Rilek sustained a serious hand injury resulting in them having to get fitted for two prosthetic fingers on their right hand.

They kept up with the latest Romulan news and followed the events of the Iconian War whenever they had time to listen to the broadcasts. They also heard about the newly established Romulan Republic and in 2412, headed back to Mol’Rihan to visit their only living parent, Eviess, as well as find the rest of their family.

### Mol’Rihan: 2412 - 2413

Rilek arrived on Mol’Rihan to see their mother waiting for them with open arms. Eviess, who had been absent for most of their life, was now their only living parent. She had defected from the Tal Shiar right before the Iconian war and now was unemployed, but was actively searching for the rest of their family. Rilek also found out their cousin– the one who declared herself head of house, had ended up joining Valak in the Tal Shiar, but now both were missing thus allowing Rilek to take their place as the matriarch of the Khellian family– what was left of it at least.

Rilek also reconnected with their former colleagues who also defected to the Republic. However out of all the people they met there was one person they wanted to see the most. Rilek searched out S’Ten’s mother who had been part of the Republic since its early days. She had been convinced that S’Ten died during the Supernova, but Rilek told her about his life and his death. Even though she was heartbroken, she was proud of the person Rilek had become and she could see her son’s impact on Rilek. Without a family of her own, she agreed to join the Khellian house and Rilek also retroactively declared S’Ten a member of the Khellian house too.

As Rilek was preparing to take their next Starfleet posting, they were approached by one of the former colleagues from the Free State Embassy who asked if they wanted to join the Republic. The offer was tempting, but Rilek also enjoyed the diversity of Starfleet. So Rilek decided to try out something new; Fleet Liaison. It would allow them to serve the Repubic but they could also experience the diversity in Starfleet. Being a lawyer was nice, but they felt Fleet Liaison would be one step closer to senator which was still a dream of theirs.

### Starbase 777: 2413 - Present

Rilek’s next posting within Starfleet was to be Starbase 777. They was quite happy to learn the base was close to home. Although they was sad they was not going to be practicing law anymore, they felt like Fleet Liaison was a step up for his career as they still fully intended on returning to the Republic someday and becoming a senator.