Mystery of a Mind Part III
Posted on Thu Feb 5, 2026 @ 2:07am by Lieutenant T'Lul & Lieutenant Raiden Kosugi
1,749 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Chicken Run
Location: Counselor's Office
Timeline: MD 02 Late Afternoon
Rounding the corner there she was, the woman with sharp features which looked vulpine in nature. She stood in front of something the thing that she had been clawing at, the metallic and stone surface of what looked like a vault door.
"I see you Kosugi." the Kitsune snarled turning to face Raiden. "You will fail this time."
"This is your mind," T'Lul replied obviously. "How is it that she can still be here and not just be a memory? That is what you are implying, is it not?"
"Yes, that is what I was speaking of." He looked towards the vault, seeing the cuts and slashes which were deeper, seeing some deterioration. His gaze moved back towards the kitsune. "Kit, you sound like a broken record, always saying that I will fail this time." Raiden knew though that there would be a time if he didn't get help, all of his reserves and his meditations would fail.
T'Lul looked at the Kitsune and replied to it blandly, "Your intent is to demoralize and cause fear so that Raiden will not act. If you were so certain that he would fail, you would have no need to remind him."
The Kitsune turned a baleful eye towards T'Lul. Her posture changing to one that could be considered ready to pounce. "Who are you? You do not belong here, you are an interloper."
"I am told that it is polite to introduce yourself first. However, as you have not, I will do so. I am T'Lul. Who are you?" T'Lul asked completely unperturbed.
"I am Verelan." her eyes narrowing. A barely perceptible flicker then she leaped towards T'Lul.
T'Lul simply prepared. As a user of Suus Mahna, she was unconcerned about any attack that this fox-like creature might throw at her. A leap was something that left the kitsune exposed. She waited, so she could use the kitsune's momentum against it. "A suitable introduction, Verlan." T'Lul told the kitsune. "However, that does not explain your presence here. I was invited. I suspect that you were not."
Raiden was watching the skilled way that T'Lul dealt with Verelan. At the moment he wasn't going to interfere. He had a feeling that T'Lul was more than capable of keeping from being injured.
"What does that matter? I am here and I will stay, until he is mine." Verelan answered. Picking herself up from the floor.
Raiden raised an eyebrow at her claim. "She is as bad as a tick that has embedded itself in a person," he informed to T'Lul. "Her movements are not as quick as before."
Verelan growled and leaped towards Raiden, who in turn used her momentum against her, the kitsune slamming against a wall. Verelan was breathing heavily at this time, a venemous gleam in her eyes. She shuddered, she shook then a duplicate manifested from her, her twin crawling out from her side.
"Now we shall see who will be the victor." One moved towards Raiden, the other towards T'Lul. Both Verelans had a slight flicker as if they could be glitching, especially when they neared each other.
"If I were human, I might remark that this is offensive," T'Lul told nobody in particular. She calmly walked up to the second Verelan and calmly remarked. "That is a peculiar trick, duplicating yourself like that. However, I suspect that will sap much of your energy to maintain, so if I just do this...." With lightning speed, T'Lul grabbed her Verelan by the neck and slammed it into the "floor," of Raiden's mind. Without hesitating, she then snapped the kitsune's neck, hoping that would break it. It was not logical that a Vulcan mind pinch would work here.
The duplicate disappeared, once T'Lul snapped its neck. The other gave a start, and so did Raiden. For the life of him, he'd not thought of doing just what T'Lul had done. He had been locked in that repeating pattern for to long. His eyes blazed hot, in one swift motion without another thought, he was upon the Kitsune, snapping its neck, the body disappearing.
Raiden gazed at the place where it once had been, then turned to T'Lul, his chest heaving from the exertion, his heart rate up. The floor beneath their feet, began to shake, as lights began to whirl around. Small flashing lights the shape of which looked like fireflies, encircled him.He gasped out.
"T'Lul, it may be time to break the mind-meld." He was unafraid of the fireflies, for to him they were not a bad omen but a good omen. One of the fireflies moved towards T'Lul, while Raiden sat upon the floor of his mind, legs crossed in lotus position. The lone firefly drew near T'Lul hovering but not touching her, but seemed to wait for something.
"Why?" T'Lul asked curiously. She observed the fireflly. Why did it linger near her? She wondered. Curiously, T'Lul stuck a finger out towards it, wondering if she could touch it, whether it would land on her finger, or something else entirely would happen.
Why- her question echoed through Raiden, perhaps he was wrong in thinking of having her break the mind-meld. Her presence there, wasn't uncomfortable. It was soothing, healing...
"On second thought, you don't have to leave." Raiden began.
The firefly which hovered in front of T'Lul gently landed upon her outstretched finger. There was a slight warmth and a small pulse of energy at the contact, not an unpleasant sensation.
"Curious," T'Lul said. "I wonder what this firefly represents and why it is exuding energy."
The fireflies that were moving around Raiden made their way to the damaged vault door landed upon the wound of door them healing. Raiden stepped over to where T'Lul was.
"A firefly has many meanings in my culture, divine connection and guidance; hope in darkness, Transformation and Renewal. Resilience and adaptability. Those are just a few that fireflies are symbols of. And not only in my culture but there are others that find symbolism with them as well."
He looked at the firefly that still sat upon T'Lul's finger, its abdomen blinking off and on.
"Perhaps it is a part of me acknowledging the fact you are a guide as well. There are many facets of the firefly." One thing that he didn't mention was that the Japanese culture considered the firefly a symbol of love, though Raiden didn't want to comment on that.
T'Lul remained silent for a moment, considering Raiden's words. "This is your mind, so now that the guardian is defeated, I think you must take us to wherever is next."
What seemed to be the most logical path to Raiden, was to enter into the inner sanctum of his mind. The one where treasured memories were placed and kept. The door opened when they approached, inside there would be a small pool of water with bamboo on one side a minature waterfall, trickled down into the pool giving off a peaceful sound. Upon stone shelves were items, representing memories. All seemed quiet, serene, or so it seemed, There was a buzzing sound much like a fly would make, Raiden looked around, "That isn't supposed to be in here."
"What is not supposed to be here?" T'Lul asked. "What is out of place?"
A rather small object flashed by T'Lul, it looked like a fly, it buzzed around her head then darted off.
"That is what I am talking about," Raiden gesturing towards the annoying insect. "Have you ever heard the idiom of wanting to be a fly on the wall? " the fly buzzed around his head then darted off. He almost caught it. He put up his hand towards his temple, wincing, as he felt a sharp pain.
"I am familiar with the idiom. Do you believe that this is another trick of the kitsune?" T'Lul inquired. "And are you alright? You appear to be in pain." T'Lul kept her eye on the fly, waiting to pounce on it, should it come within reach.
"That thing it got close and--" he winced again. "it I believe is that kitsune planted it. Its the final--" he went to his knees. "What the?"
The fly had flown around him, then flew close to T'Lul.
"What have you done to him?" T'Lul asked to the fly as she attempted grasping it with one of her hands, trying to anticipate its maneuvers when she calculated that there was a 74.32 percent chance that she would miss.
Raiden with a great amount of effort, rose to his feet, the fly zipping back towards him. Then the buzzing was no more, Raiden wiping the residue of the fly on a kerchief. "That incessant buzzing is now gone, what a relief."
"You have a rather unique mind," T'Lul simply told Raiden. "Or at least an interesting mystery."
A little bit of a smile, from Raiden. "Have you had the experience of venturing into someone's mind to the extent that you are doing so right now?"
His smile wavered slightly, weariness showing. "Thanks to you, I feel I will be able to have sleep, peaceful slumber."
"I have done mind melds before. It is required training on Vulcan. Are you certain that everything here is now in order? Should we leave prematurely, whatever this was could find another spot to hide."
" I will do a more thorough check." Raiden responded, as he made his way over towards the alcoves that held memories. Each one that he touched showed an image of what it held. Childhood memories, with his parents and siblings. Another one held the image of some sort of aircraft, that were definitely not of the current century. It could be considered something from a museum. Then Raiden stood still, closing his eyes, as if to sense if there was anything else amiss. A few moments later, he opened his eyes. "I don't sense anything else here." His shoulders relaxed.
"That is an acceptable response. I shall end the mind meld, then." T'Lul closed her eyes and they were back in their own bodies. She removed her fingers from Raiden's face and asked, "Was that satisfactory?"
"Yes it was, and thank you." Raiden visibly showing signs that he was at peace. "If there is anything that i could do for you, let me know. Or perhaps take you to dinner?"
"I have no objection to dinner."
Raiden was delighted, and smiled.
Lieutenant Raiden Kosugi
Flight Officer
DS5
Lieutenant T'Lul
Chief Counselor
DS5
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