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The story follows the adventures and romance of T'chask Orsmangalu, a young son of a powerful chieftain, who signs up aboard one of the first Orcolan exploration and trade expeditions outside of Orcolan space. In Part One, T'chask quickly proves his value to the mission by acting with decisiveness and bravery during an attack by Zyggerian slavers, which turns the attack into a complete route, securing valuable new weaponry, armor, information, credits, and the loyalty of a weequay guide. Their guide is able to help the expedition navigate the intricacies of intergalactic trade and politics, notably securing several new, valuable star maps at a discounted price.
In Part Two, T'chask meets and falls in love with Ayers, the daughter of a wealthy Wermal merchant, and considered to be a great beauty among her people. Despite such a union being frowned on by society, they briefly share a secret night of passion before the expedition departs, although T'chask vows to remain in communication and return one day. As the expedition ships depart, T'chask sits in silent contemplation of his feelings for Ayers and how such a union would be seen by his father. He is torn between a sense of duty to his tribe and people, and disgust at the thought of having to bear the shame of being unfaithful to Ayers simply because tradition demands it. In a parallel section, referred to as Ayers' Lament, she sits on the shores of a lake where her father brought her as a child, and cries, distressed over her wish to live with T'chask, concern over the xenophobia her people displayed towards the Orcolan expedition, and her fears over looming pressure from her parents to marry into a noble house of Wermal.
Part Three opens with Ayers' fears coming true - her communications with T'chask are discovered by her parents, after a tip from a scorned former suitor alerts them to the secret romance. Ayers' father expends considerable influence and credits in covering up the interspecies romance, and demands that she pick an acceptable suitor within the year. Upset and not knowing what to do, she sends a message to T'chask asking for help. T'chask, bound by a powerful sense of duty and loyalty to Ayers, overcomes his own fears and tells his captain what has transpired, and that his love needs his immediate help. The captain and crew are not happy with the revelation - returning to the Wermal would mean weeks of lost travel time, lost credits, and they do not view such a union as proper. However, they cannot ignore the contribution and value T'chask has provided to the expedition, and the captain begrudgingly admits a respect and admiration for T'chask's strength of character and faithfulness to his promised.
The expedition returns, but Ayers' father is aware of the message she sent, and has laid a trap. When T'chask sneaks onto the grounds of the merchant's vast estate, every light turns on at once and the doors to a massive cage are opened, releasing a rancor. Horrified, Ayers is unable to watch from her room as T'chask is left weaponless to confront the abomination. She throws herself upon her bed cursing her father and distraught over her inability to have given her love prior warning of her father's plans. After a ferocious fight, T'chask emerges bloodied and exhausted, but victorious, having slain the rancor with his bare hands. He storms into the manor and calls out for Ayers. Her father emerges hesitantly as Ayers watches the confrontation from the upper landing. The merchant hesitantly asks about T'chask's place and rank in Orcolan society, apparently resigned to the fact that his daughter is determined to lead her own life and live a future of her own choosing - not his.
In what has been described as one of the greatest monologues in literature, T'chask berates the merchant for his underhandedness and treacherous ways. He refuses the merchant's approval or permission in front of an entire gathered crowd of family servants, leaving the Wermal broken and humiliated. Before leaving with Ayers, T'chask relents only a little and informs her father that if T'chask is to see his approval as something worth having, then the wermal must undertake a feat as mighty as what T'chask has accomplished in slaying the rancor. The merchant is left alone in his manor in silent contemplation of the passionate diatribe hurled his way, and mulls over his own failings as a father and his own xenophobia.
Intent
This is intended to be a semi-historical, fictionalized accounting of early Orcolan experiences in interacting with the galactic community, and a fun piece of popular literature for people to reference in the RP.
Art credit: some redditor named melonsoycoy
