The Nameless Technique

Posted on Wed 22nd Apr, 2026 @ 3:27pm by Commander Heriah Rex

1,613 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: [MAIN] Learning to Fly
Location: Earth - Highlands of Scotland
Timeline: Current

'Just go there and beat it out of him.'

Heriah ignored Rex and she pressed on. The path beneath her feet was rocky and unlevel. The Highlands of Scotland was hilly indeed and the place to which she ventured would only receive her if she managed the trek by foot. Using any means of technology to shorten her journey would result in simple pleasantries and then her departure.

And she wanted more than simple pleasantries. She wanted to make sure she still had...

'That I still have...'

...what it took to pull off the Nameless Technique.

'Make no mistake little missy. He trained me. Well...Refkin. But me all the same. He will look at you, a soft little female, laugh in your face and then slam the door. And then you will know that I was right. We should have just beamed over, used a shuttle at least, and beat it out of him.'

Heriah continued to ignore Rex and she continued forth, placing one foot before the other.

She eventually came upon the cabin. The grounds were as they were through symbiontic memory. Plenty of training dummies, weapons, a sparring arena, obstacle course, the cemetery of previous masters, the tiny cabin.

Heriah wrapped upon the door and it did not take long for it to open. Before her stood a middle-age Japanese man whom she did not recognize. Even Rex had no idea who this man was.

"Afternoon sir," she said as she made the motions and gave a bow. "I am looking for Master Nakani."

The pupils of those eyes narrowed ever so slightly, his breathing went stiff, and his brow furrowed only the minutest but enough for Heriah to notice. A torrent of symbiontic memory and instinct blasted forth. Her first movement was a step back while throwing a double-arm block, a lean to avoid a foot swooshing by her face, another block, catching a fist in her right hand, a hop to avoid her feet being swept from beneath her, then another step back followed up with a back flip to increase the distance between her and him.

The Japanese man came at her on full attack. She blocked, deflected, retreated, redirected, and could not get in even a single word.

Finally, as he threw a punch that she blocked, did Heriah see an opening and threw a punch of her own. She immediately sent a thrusting foot forward, another punch, a open-handed swipe, round-house kick, a sweep of the foot, she ducked and spun, gave a chop to the air where his neck was only a split second earlier.

She caught his foot and sent it upward which he countered by doing a backflip and landing a few feet from her with a hand extended showing his palm.

"Enough," he barked.

Heriah calmed and took an attentive stance. They both bowed to each other.

"So," he said, "you do know Master Nakani."

Heriah was only minutely out of breath. "Does that grant me an audience with him?"

"Yes it does," he said as he motioned with a hand toward the small cemetery.

Heriah looked and realized as he motioned. "How did he...?"

"All must die. You know this, young one."

"Heriah Rex," she announced herself. "I was...well...my symbiont...Rex...he was..."

"Yes, I understand the Trill condition. It can be confusing. I do recall Master Nakani speaking of Refkin Rex." The man started stepping around her, looking at her, taking her in. "I thought I was the only person on Earth who knew this technique."

Heriah allowed him to circle her. He was sizing her up, taking note. "Until a day ago, you were. I am here to..."

"...to see if you still retain what he taught you?"

"Yes," she said. I give you my word, I have not used this technique for any personal gain or showmanship. I have not taught it to anyone who did not need to know. I only want to know that, if the time comes, I can still pull it off without error."

"And without hesitation," he said as he finished circling her and stood before her. "I am Master Togokahn. You have already passed the introductory test. Four more are to follow with the final in five days."

"I understand Master Togokahn," she said. Heriah wanted this to be done in few days but knew that any talkback or attempt to hasten things would be an immediate failure.

"You know where the stream is. Fetch water. Your first test is tomorrow."

The next four days went as expected. They would spar and she would exhibit her abilities with various weapons as she went through the various katas. Not a second too quick and not a second too slow. She kept her breathing on point and made every move matter, every strike matter. With each movement Master Togokahn made, she would respond in kind.

Each day, as the finished each test, he would stand over her saying, "Good, but perhaps you fail tomorrow."

It was the fifth and final day. Heriah and Master Togokahn faced each other. He was without blemish, but Heriah sported a bruise on her forehead, bruised fists with signs of abrasions and care. She was fully prepared for this test. Each day of testing and each day he would say "perhaps you fail tomorrow" got her into the mental state she would need to pull off this final test.

Yes, they would spar, and they did as he approached and made the first move.

Yes, they would both perform their various katas as the pair fought which, to them, was almost a dance number.

Yes, they both wanted the other to fail and neither would let up, provide the slightest opening, or allow their breathing to fall off by even a second. Punching never amounted to anything if one did not have the breath to follow through.

Heriah did not concern herself at all with the possibility of failure. This final test pivoted on full balance, free from worry and doubt. Master Togokahn moved and fought in such a way that Heriah had no time to think, but only react as her kata training informed her.

Rex's symbiontic memory continued to flood forth giving her all she needed to know what to do and when. And when Master Togokahn's tight fist flew by her face, the wind parting her hair, it was then that Heriah knew the grab that forearm, send her right arm over and around, binding that arm up within her own, throw and open-handed strike to his face, plant that hand against his chest and push him back while planting a foot behind him to trip him down to the ground. All the while both descended, Heriah positioned herself and him to pull off the nameless technique.

Both hit the ground with Master Togokahn on his side, his right arm bound up in hers and pulled to near should dislocation. Heriah had her fingers in his armpit wedged so as to help pull his shoulder out of socket if needed. A simple bend to her back and she could snap his arm at the elbow. Her right knee was planted so that an inch of movement would break his back. Her left knee pressed against his neck ready to snap that if she but gave an additional few pounds of pressure.

There Master Togokahn was, reduced to only simple coughs and grunts as he found himself entangled in the infamous nameless technique. A simple thought and Heriah could have broken his neck, snapped his arm, broken his back, dislocated his shoulder, or any combination of the four.

The nameless technique was pulled off without hesitation, without mercy, and without error.

He could say nothing and had no choice but to surrender to Heriah.

'The time it took to learn this. The effort it takes just to get someone in this hold. It is a shame to let him go without at least giving him a dislocated shoulder.'

For the first time in days was Heriah given the opportunity to think, and...she relaxed her hand and removed her fingers from his armpit, relaxed her back and knees, one at a time, and completely undid the nameless technique, letting Master Togokahn go.

'Pity. You could have been the only person on Earth to know this.'

Heriah relaxed as Master Togokahn rolled away and raised himself to his knees, facing Heriah.

"Master Nakani, taught you well...taught Refkin well."

"The Trill condition," she said. "It can be confusing."

Both smiled.

Heriah awoke in a bed. It had been a few days since and her hands still ached from all the punching of wooden dummies. It took a second for her to remember where she was...not in her bed but in Gregor's bed. Captain Bauhaus of the U.S.S. Eumenides slept soundly beside her. It had been more than a year since the two saw each other last when he provided his ship as escort to get her to 109. Now, it was doing the same; taking her back to 109; the refit 109 for her to resume her duties as Executive Officer.

She stood and move through the captain's quarters to the window and looked out at subspace as it warped by. She thought again on Refkin's rescue from the Borg Sphere all those years ago. As always, once Rex's memory got to a certain point did those memories appear not dissimilar to the warping subspace outside, and warp into nonexistence.

Rex still could not remember...or would not remember.

 

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