Lt JG Wil Ukinix - Message in a Bottle (Part 1)
Danny Lee
(OOC: This message was sent to Wil before the bombing in Paris. For context, see this wiki entry and this sim)
Classification: Personal
Dear Lieutenant Ukinix,
My name is Keehani Ral, from Betazed. You may be wondering why I am contacting you.
I am the granddaughter of Vaxa Ral, who is very ill. She is suffering from a rare and acute neural disorder, which is possibly a side effect of Empathic Synaesthesia. Approximately three Earth months ago, when my grandmother was first diagnosed, she revealed to me that her name was previously "Vaxa Ukinix", member of the Ninth house of Betazed (The House of Agriculture). The Ukinix name is not well known outside of Betazed nobility, and I have discovered that many of the other houses are doing all they can to consign the Ukinix name to history.
Due to the lack of information about our family, my lineage has been difficult to discover. It has taken me many months to determine the possible whereabouts of any other family members, and I was surprised to find the Ukinix name on Earth. Through "underground" sources I was able to obtain your name from Starfleet records. I am currently attempting the process of changing my name to Keehani Ukinix, which has been met with bureaucratic resistance.
While it is known in the general populace that the Ninth house has been slowly divesting its power to the other houses, it is not widely known that the Ninth house is also being *dissolved* by the other houses - much of the legal manoeuvring involved has been sealed. My understanding is that this all began at the turn of your century, in an attempt by the other houses to "reclaim" land from the Ninth house. They will not recognize my grandmother Vaxa as the rightful head of Betazed House of Agriculture. When my (and your) great grandparents died, Vaxa, as the eldest daughter, was forced by other Houses to abandon not only her name, but her position. However, she was not stripped of her title - that could not be enforced legally. Technically she is still head of the Ninth house, but it is disputed by the other houses. A legal challenge should allow her to regain control. Unfortunately, as she is not of sound mind, I have been advised that this is an uphill battle.
Your grandmother may be able to act on Vaxa's behalf as her advocate - similar to what you would call on Earth a "power of attorney". Traditionally, this would not be allowed under Betazoid law as she is not of noble blood and Astradem was officially stripped of his position. But there are Federation regulations that means your grandmother, as a Federation Citizen, can test that law. I have strong legal advice that suggests she could win. Recent attempts to contact your grandfather have not been successful.
I seek your help - the Ninth house belongs to the Ukinix family, and I intend for my grandmother to reclaim it. By fate, I hope you are able to assist me.
Keehani Ral/Ukinix
Betazed
TBC...
Lieutenant JG Wil Ukinix
Engineering Officer
USS Veritas
V239511WU0