# Tortha Karf — Short Fiction character guide

> Tortha Karf in Short Fiction by H. Beam Piper.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Chief Tortha, Chief Tortha Karf, Karf

**First appearance:** 0000-time-and-time-again

## Snapshot

Chief of the Paratime Police, hunched under a cloak in the rain, he carries the weight of a political crisis while his operatives chase slavers across timelines.

## Who they are

Karf manages Vall and Dalla from the top, approving her police status and fretting over the leak that let Yandar Yadd break the slave story. He faces Salgath Trod's censure motion and a confidence vote while trying to contain a criminal network that moves faster than his bureaucracy. His weary, profane realism sets the stakes for the whole investigation.

## Relationships

### [Verkan Vall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters/verkan_vall)

_rivalry_

Tortha Karf is a cunning antagonist who constantly schemes against Verkan Vall, creating a tense adversarial dynamic.

### [Hadron Dalla](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters/hadron_dalla)

_rivalry_

Hadron Dalla and Tortha Karf are bitter enemies, with Dalla actively working to thwart Karf's destructive plans.

### [Verkan Vall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters/verkan_vall)

_rivalry_

Tortha Karf is a cunning antagonist who constantly schemes against Verkan Vall, creating a tense adversarial dynamic.

### [Verkan Vall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters/verkan_vall)

_rivalry_

Tortha Karf is a cunning antagonist who constantly schemes against Verkan Vall, creating a tense adversarial dynamic.

### [Hadron Dalla](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters/hadron_dalla)

_rivalry_

Hadron Dalla and Tortha Karf are bitter enemies, with Dalla actively working to thwart Karf's destructive plans.

### [Hadron Dalla](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters/hadron_dalla)

_rivalry_

Hadron Dalla and Tortha Karf are bitter enemies, with Dalla actively working to thwart Karf's destructive plans.

## In the story

### [Police Operation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/chapters/police-operation)

Reviews records of paratime incidents and discusses corrective actions with Verkan Vall.

### [Last Enemy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/chapters/last-enemy)

Chief of Paratime Police; questions Vall about the Akor-Neb Sector.

### [Null-A.B.C.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/chapters/null-a-b-c)

Chief who interacts with Vall regarding temporal affairs.

### [Time Crime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/chapters/time-crime)

Receives reports from Vall and Dalla about the investigation.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/chapters/i)

Chief who approves Vall and Dalla's mission and arranges for hypno-mech machines on the rocket.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/chapters/ii)

Chief who summons Vall and Dalla; reveals Salgath Trod's offer to trade information; discusses the Organization's fear of investigation.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters/tortha_karf
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters