The Restoration Of Algorab

[Felenn]

Stardate 102721.8, Starbase Praetorian
“Void damn it!”, Taev cursed as a hyperspanner fell from his hand and onto the floor with a noisy clunk. He climbed down the metallic ladder, just next to a warp nacelle of a Tiercel shuttle. The shuttle got itself damaged by an ion discharge and some of the control circuits were fried more than usual. It could have been done in the space dry docks with a work bee, but Taev insisted on having this particular shuttle fixed the old-fashioned way - with bare hands.

Motivation was simple. He needed to remind himself of Romulan designs on a practical level. After two years in Fleet Engineering main site aboard Starbase 381, his knowledge of Starfleet and civilian Federation starships greatly increased, but so did his knowledge of Romulan systems greatly erode. While the end effect, faster-than-light travel, was the same, Romulan propulsion with its singularity drives had its special flavour.

Although Allied Cooperative Starship Development Board (ACSDB), which was basically the Allied Fleet Service (AFS) and Khitomer Alliance counterpart of Starfleet and its Corps of Engineers, favoured matter-antimatter designs in their jointly built ships, Taev’s personal honour wouldn’t let him to forget his “singularity” roots.

“Though honour is not quite the word Romulans would use.”, he said aloud as he reached for the hyperspanner. “Mnhei’sahe. Not quite honour or loyalty or patriotism, but then again all of that mixed together. These Terrhasu and their Federation Standard…”, he sighed and climbed back on the ladder. He brought the tool closer to one of the load-bearing elements and activated it.

Two years of hard work on Starfleet systems, however, paid off. As an Erei’Arrain, or a Lieutenant, he was finally given a small team of enlisted crewbeings of his own. While they routinely worked in their areas of specialty, Taev covered a broader area of systems. “And an occasional advice from Armande helped too.”, a thought crossed his mind.

The most recent jewel in his Fleet Engineering career, however, was the AFS Kira, Rex-class escort. An amalgam of Dominion and Starfleet designs, the vessel looked like a child of Defiant-class escort and the infamous Dominion “bugship”. Kira was the first AFS vessel operating in the Outback and the first opportunity to observe the cross-technological marvel in the field. When Kira’s Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Leto Tyr, offered a tour of the ship, Taev took the opportunity. Today, nearly 9 standard months later, Taev was still captivated.

“To be fair, I still think Temer is superior, with its combined Romulan-Klingon design heritage.”, he would often tell Leon, a personal holo-assistant, which he inherited from his “unofficial step-father”.

Once the load-bearing element was tightened and aligned, Taev once again climbed down the ladder and put the hyperspanner and his work gloves aside. He walked across the hangar bay, filled with other small vessels, like fighters, shuttles and work bees, and entered into his small office. “Considering how stuffed it is with tools, blueprints and spare parts, it’s more of a work room than an office.”, he thought as he looked over the dedicated working space. He sat down at his desk and looked at one of the PADDs, which bore a title: “Protomatter terraforming - quick and easy! Or is it?”

When Taev first arrived in the Outback, he was a stubborn asshole who dreamt of gallivanting in T’Varo of his own, both as her captain and a pilot. The Scourge War and Captain Kass’Lanae dressed him down, Sasha and the rest of his crew mellowed him a lot. From a wanna-be pilot he turned into an apprentice engineer, a father to Sivari (and Pinky) and, with a little nudge from his science-minded wife Sasha, he was now delving into secret arts of scientific research.

His motivation for this particular adventure was probably the greatest thus far - restoration of his place of birth. Planet Algorab or, as Terrhasu called it, Delta Corvi. The planet’s biosphere and atmosphere were stripped of everything organic when its maiori Vrimek detonated a thalaron bomb, in a desperate attempt to prevent the planet’s fall into the hands of Tal Shiar and their Elachi allies. After 15 years, the planetary system was still occupied by the Romulan Star Empire remnant, even the Empire itself suffered strategic defeats from the Romulan Republic in the most recent war of 2424. Trouble was that Algorab was not strategic enough to be occupied by the Republic.

The idea of restoration tingled Taev’s mind ever since he had witnessed protomatter deployment on the planet Matar (OB-498), a world once belonging to Illuminate Monarchy, when he briefly visited USS Dawn Treader. Algorab had been long abandoned since its fall and occasional surveys, conducted by either of two Romulan governments, indicated that the planet remained a wasteland greater than Nimbus III.

“I mean…”, he once explained. “We know that residual thalaron radiation is short-lived. Otherwise, there would be no chance for Captain Picard to stand in the middle of the Senate building so fast after Shinzon’s coup. It’s been 15 years now, you could take a walk on the surface of Delta Corvi, provided you can bear the desert.”

“That is true.”, Huuri, the assistant chief supervisor of Matar restoration, acknowledged. “But there are a few problems, Mister Taev. Tzen’kethi protomatter weaponry indeed destabilised and, sometimes, destroyed biospheres on many worlds, such as 20 Draconis B. Those weapons disrupted the biochemical balance to make the planets unsupportive to life as we know it. In the case of thalaron weapon deployment, that balance is not only disrupted, but completely erased. Delta Corvi was sterilised of organic matter, from the highest atmosphere to almost 30 metres below the lithosphere surface. In hydrosphere regions, we could talk about kilometres. And not only organic matter was annihilated, but also its precursors. For protomatter to work restoratively, it has to… anchor itself to the existing organic resources. I am sorry to disappoint you, but it is not magic.”

“Then, hypothetically speaking, how would one start?”, Taev asked.

Huuri narrowed his eyes. “Hypothetically speaking… it would depend on the lithospheric remnant of a given planet. But in broad strokes, one would have to introduce pioneer species, like lichens or cyanobacteria, which would initially convert inorganic matter into organic one. Once a minimal amount of organic matter is present on the planet, you could start discussing gradual introduction of protomatter, to serve as a kind of accelerant. But even that might take a few decades.”, Huuri elaborated.

Taev reached out for the PADD with the protomatter title. “If there is the slightest chance… I think it is worth exploring it.”

[Felenn]

Stardate 102875.5, Vulcan
T’Yana of Paan Mokar, wife to Vaaris, a senior lecturer at the prestigious Vulcan Science Academy, sat in a wooden chair, carved with markings in one of Vulcan dialects which predated Time of Awakening, positioned on the veranda of their home in D’Haan village, at the foot of Llangon mountains range. Markings themselves depicted a set of brief prayers and meditation mantras which ran down in T’Yana’s family for three generations, though T’Yana rarely practiced them ever since she left her home of birth on Paan Mokar.

Sun had only set behind the mountain range and the veranda’s pavement was still warm enough to allow a comfortable, bare-footed pacing or simply sitting in the chair. Warmth which T’Yana found comfortable. “Comfortable.”, the word crossed her mind. “Yes, an emotional response. One that is frowned upon and yet cherished by all in secret.”

Until few years ago, T’Yana was a val’reth, an unwilling bearer of her late younger sister’s katra, something that was discovered, with great difficulty by T’Yana’s fellow Starfleet officers, namely Doctor T’Saavok, and her sister’s intimate partner, L’Vor. It was, originally, suspected that the sister’s partner was a val’reth, but weeks of investigation and healing at T’Karath Sanctuary in fact proved that L’Vor was simply carrying a forcefully impressed memory just before the sister’s death. Vaaris, himself a descendant of healer Sobon, who devised and wrote down the procedure on how to extract “another’s katra who wouldn’t let go”, had been more than supportive of T’Yana’s occasional expression of emotions.

On a PADD in her lap a familiar Romulan face studied her. She disliked followers of S’Task. Their attempts to capture Vulcan in 2368 and 2409 ingrained a deep mistrust of Romulan people. While not as vocal as Admiral T’Nae, T’Yana was firm on her position that D’Tan’s Republic should have not been accepted into Khitomer Alliance, even though the Romulan Republic was, undeniably, the crucial catalyst and the bridge between the Federation and Klingon Empire in recent years.

There was one exception though. The Romulan on her PADD, with whom she now communicated, was an adopted son of her late sister. And of all the Romulans, he was the least Romulan. “Must be the strong influence of his Human wife.”, T’Yana rationalised.

“So…”, Taev began hesitantly. “What do you think?”
T’Yana briefly looked at the summary of the text on another PADD, then turned her attention back to Taev. “If memory serves me, the Earth adage for this proposal would be…”, she paused for dramatic effect, something she learned allowed a greater emphasis of opinions. “… downright insane.”

Taev was not surprised by his adoptive aunt’s reaction. “You are as much a Vulcan, as I am a Romulan.”, he said on more than one occasion. Though this time, he skipped stating it and rather asked: “Which part?”

“While protomatter technology is not my or Vaaris’ discipline of expertise, it would seem you grasped the most important basics of how things work.”, T’Yana explained. “The scientific and engineering part of this issue is something you would probably be able to handle alone by now.”

“But?”

“But the Delta Corvi system is still in the Imperial hands and your petition to the Republic government will fail.”, T’Yana stated bluntly, with a hint of cynicism.

“Would it not be in the Republic’s interest to recapture the system?”, Taev asked, pretending to be curious.

“You should tell me, Taev. And I think I am not the first, nor the last person to tell you this - even if it weren’t for the most recent conflict between Star Empire and Republic, D’Tan’s government would have little interest in reclaiming a desolate rock that Algorab currently is. It has its resource sites and would be an attractive base of operations for long-term exploration of the frontier beyond, but I can’t stress out enough the blunt truth - the system does not lie in the general direction of current political interests of the Republic or the Khitomer Alliance. And that is under the assumption the Republic would be willing to reclaim it, either by diplomacy or by force.”

“But if Algorab expats could be convinced…”, Taev suggested.

“Perhaps.”, T’Yana said after a short pondering in silence. “But who would lead them? Do not forget, Taev. You renounced your house clan and family name of s’Havaran willingly. And now you have dual citizenship.”

“It was a different time.”

T’Yana frowned discreetly. “I can understand the suddenly discovered temptation of restoring the place of your birth, but the cost of it would be great. I am not talking of politics and diplomacy, but something more personal. You are a husband and a father now. Do not abandon that for the sake of some temporarily appealing idea.”

Taev rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. “I won’t.”

“Good.”, T’Yana said firmly as her facial features relaxed once again. “Just because your proposal is logically consistent and statistically probable does not mean it must be pursued. Surak’s greatest achievement was not that he rediscovered logic as the beginning of wisdom, but that he let go of those who did not agree with him no matter how much he… adored them. That is why he let S’Task, his most mindful student, embark on a journey that would give rise to Romulan people.”

“I thought you hated Romulans.”, Taev said somewhat provocatively.

“For the sake of simplicity, I will approve of using that verb and say - yes, I do. But just as the Romulan mnei’sahe compels you to help your greatest enemy, logic compels me to do just the same if I am able.”

“So… now what?”

“Keep exploring the possibilities of introducing your idea to others, but not at the expense of your marital and parental roles. I will attempt to seek support on your behalf as well.”

“I think I can manage that.”, Taev said and chuckled.

“That is satisfactory.”, she acknowledged and let their chit-chat navigate to some more mundane topics.

[Felenn]

Stardate 101922.1, aboard AFS Temer, en route to Delta Corvi system
Uurshcaa never travelled this far away from Lukari Concordium territory of operations. Supervising the development of the joint Lukari-Kentari colony in Dranuur system with his companion Eschel was something he had hoped to be his final assignment and the colony itself a place for his retirement. Alongside Eschel and Admiral Kuumarke, he was considered to be among Concordium’s top experts on the protomatter where planetary ecosystem rejuvenation was concerned.

Several stardates ago he received a message from A’dranna t’Kerhav, the Director of Romulan Republic Science Institute, with a simple question - could thalaron-devestated worlds be rejuvenated with Lukari protomatter technology? The question was not surprising. His own student, Huuri, posed it and Uurshcaa understood Director t’Kerhav’s question was not just an inquiry, but an invitation to explore this possibility. To be fair, he had hoped that the exploration would be less clandestine, but the candidate planet, abandoned and forgotten, was still under Romulan Imperial control.

Uurshcaa was sitting in the officers’ lounge. Though a civilian, he was given the rights and responsibilities equivalent to a Romulan subcommander, without the commanding part though. A’dranna and he were going over numerous reports on the planet’s current conditions, as well as simulations conducted by Khitomer Alliance’s scientific minds. He put aside a PADD he was reading and scratched his eyebrows with his thumb and index digit, sighing heavily.

A’dranna glanced at him. “Feeling uneasy, Doctor?”

Uurshcaa leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms. “Remind me, Director, why are we exactly doing this?”

A’dranna gestured at the notes spread across their work desk. “It is the first of a kind attempt to use protomatter on a previously sterilised planet.”

Uurshcaa smiled. “No, not these notes. I mean this planet… Algorab. Or Delta Corvi. Why? Why is the Republic putting any effort at all on a barren rock belonging to its own predecessor?”, he asked bluntly. “And we are doing a survey on a cloaked Alliance ship that bears the name of the very Romulan who died at the hands of this Empire for the sake of Republic’s recognition. The scientific implications, I can understand and approve. But there is a heavy political weight in all this, isn’t there? Heavier than, say, joint colonisation conducted at Dranuur.”

A’dranna frowned, tossing aside her own PADD. She knitted her fingers, resting her palms at the edge of the work desk. “How much do you know about Algorab?”

“Only what my former student, Huuri, told me. The planet was sterilised by thalaron detonation in a scorched-earth tactic by its leader Vrimek. One of the former Algorab natives contacted Huuri, as he conducted a planetary restoration in that dwarf galaxy, where the said native currently operates. Huuri elaborated on our technology’s limitations, yet both he and this native… Taev, I believe. Both of them, independently of one another, contacted someone at the Vulcan Science Academy, and this mutual contact then mingled all the way to You, Director. Some would call that nepotism. A very…”, Uurshcaa deliberately hesitated. “…Imperial trait. The Republic wouldn’t have taken up this opportunity for the charity’s sake alone.”

A’dranna smiled mischievously. “You would make a great diplomat for Your people, Doctor.”

“Hush, hush, Director. I am not easily disarmed by compliments. What is really at stake here?”

“Republic’s image as a restorative and progressive force for our people.”, A’dranna stated bluntly, much to Uurshcaa’s surprise. “You see, Doctor, some 15 years ago, when the Republic barely earned its recognition by the Federation and the Klingon Empire, we bolstered our ranks by approaching many independent Romulan worlds who had been run, more or less successfully, by themselves, without the need for a central government. And they had been doing it since before the destruction of ch’Rihan, our old homeworld.”

She took a sip of water and then continued. “Many of these worlds were ravaged or oppressed by the Star Empire. Virinat, Crateris, Rhi, just to name a few. Some of these worlds chose to stay with the Empire, some returned, others joined the Republic.”, she said and paused. “But even those who joined the Republic were still of… independent spirit, so to speak. Yes, they acknowledged the new central administration by Mol’Rihan government, but they conditioned their support to D’Tan by maintaining almost a confederate level of independence. And we needed their support, even if it were a declarative one. Tal Shiar betrayal and subsequent Iconian War shifted support in our favour, but the initial Herald invasion of Mol’Rihan did not solidify that support.”

“So D’Tan turned outwards to present the Republic as a unifying force within Khitomer Alliance.”, Uurshcaa interjected.

“Yes, in a manner of speaking. And the recent war with the old regime and the Treaty of Tri’Vokil fortified the external support by the Federation. On the outside, we are prosperous. We build ships jointly with what used to be traditional enemies of the Romulan people. We help Lukari and Kentari to reach the stars and our flagship stands side by side with her Starfleet and Klingon counterparts. The three captains even swore a blood oath or two.”, A’dranna said. “But all this is by Romulan people for some other people. This is not by Romulan people for Romulan people.”

“But you restored and repopulated Virinat and Crateris by your own effort.”, Uurshcaa pointed out. “Surely that counts for something.”

“We did, but that was… hah, expected.”, A’dranna answered cynically. “D’Tan needs… we need… Republic needs… Something extraordinary.”

Uurshcaa frowned, his lips curling downwards. “You want to prove you can play gods by creating life where there was none. Protomatter technology is not to be toyed with. Or have You forgotten, my dear Director, what Tzenkethi had done?”

“I have not, Doctor, nor have my people. But our intentions are honourable and respectful of life.”

“Hm.”, Uurshcaa’s features relaxed. “I believe both your Human and Klingon allies have some saying about good intentions leading to nasty places. But what I find most curious of all is… how come that one native’s inquiry to my student brought us here?”

“Of the original 38 000 residents of Algorab, 35 000 fled and settled on Mol’Rihan.”, A’dranna said.

“Ah, I see. A minority has a chance to reclaim their world and play the very same game that other semi-independent worlds played when the Republic was about to be recognised. With an added bonus they are doing it at the very doorstep of D’Tan’s residence, no doubt.”, Uurshcaa concluded. “If you refuse them, other formerly independent worlds now within the Republic might claim D’Tan’s administration is no different than the Imperial regime.”

“Oversimplified, but correct.”, A’dranna admitted.

“Director, Your government is playing a very dangerous game. Even if the Republic somehow does get their hands on this system, you have another bottleneck. Lukari Concordium has exclusive rights on the usage or distribution of protomatter rejuvenation technology among Khitomer Alliance members. If the Lukari Council refuses to participate, especially if scientific reasons imply this effort is useless, what is D’Tan going to do? Smuggle the technology from somewhere else? Secede from the Alliance? Boycott the Concordium?”

“But if this proves to be a…”, A’dranna began but Uurshcaa cut her off.

“That is a very big IF, Director. The Republic might be putting the whole Alliance at the precipice just like J’mpok did. You are placing the rest of us in a position where we have to decide about the stability of the Republic and, therefore, the rest of Khitomer Alliance. And Your whole paradigm of ‘by Romulan people for Romulan people’ sinks back into a black hole.”

Uurshcaa shook his head and rubbed his temples with his thumbs. He looked at the dozen PADD notes spread across their shared work desk for several minutes and then looked back to A’dranna, offering her discreet smile. “You are lucky, Director, that I am both a scientist and a political pragmatist. I am not sure if Admiral Kuumarke would have approved of this working relationship.”

Just as A’dranna was to respond, a whizzing chime came from her wrist communicator. “Bridge to Director t’Kerhav. We have entered the system. We will reach the planet’s orbit in a few moments.”

“Thank You, Captain Khev. Doctor Uurshcaa and I will be on the bridge in a few moments. A’dranna out.”

“I guess we have work to do.”, Uurshcaa said and started packing his PADDs.

[Felenn]

Stardate 102949.4, aboard RRW Deihu, outer Mol’Rihan system
(Author’s Note: Treaty of Tri’Vokil, Aurek Incident and Krelok Mystery mentioned further below are all based on actual RP events.)

It was an absurd moment for Nadel. She had been riov of RRW Deihu for over 16 years now. From her office, she could see a vessel bearing the name of her former commanding officer, Temer. The vessel, unsurprisingly, was commanded by a fellow riov, a captain, who originated from Virinat. Tovan Khev had just returned from an undercover survey in the Algorab system. In Nadel’s opinion, he was an ideal candidate simply because he and his friend were there when maiori Vrimek detonated the thalaron bomb, obliterating the entire ground force of combined Tal Shiar and Elachi troops. The survey report was as expected - there was insufficient residual organic matter, perhaps none at all, to conduct a protomatter-accelerated adaptation of the planet.

The political fallout, however, was not something neither she, nor Director Adranna t’Kerhav had expected. The matter had several layers of complexity. At the risk of their own careers Nadel and Khev deployed AFS Temer without the previous sanction by either Kererek, D’Tan or anyone from Khitomer Alliance, most notably Captain Kagran. Furthermore, a rumour leaked out that the Republic was interested in the planet, prompting the former residents, now expats living in the namesake Algorab District on Mol’Rihan, to voice their demands to return home. In the past, these demands were superficial and infrequent, but now it seemed that the rumour of a conducted survey rekindled old flames. Surprisingly, the Star Empire remained silent. Even if they were aware of an Alliance vessel sneaking around in their controlled territory, they haven’t shown any interest in that matter.

“For now, at least.”, said Admiral Kererek before all assembled in Deihu’s conference room. They were all seated at oval table: Kererek at one end, followed to his left by Khev siblings, A’dranna t’Kerhav, Doctor Urschaa, Senator D’Ral, a Virinat representative in Republic Senate, and special liaisons to Republic Navy, Captain Harvson of Starfleet and Brigadier General G’dan of Klingon Defense Force, who both sat to Kererek’s right.

Kererek looked at Khev siblings, Tovan and Rinna. “You two, vagabonds, I can understand, if not justify. Besides, you now answer to Alliance Command, not myself. However, you two…”, he turned his gaze to Nadel and A’dranna and remained quiet for a moment. “I am very disappointed. You’ve effectively violated the Tri’Vokil Treaty and a very… I will emphasize, very fragile truce that came out of it. And on top of all that, we have former residents in uproar, their hopes high to return home.”, Kererek finished with a slight increase in intonation. “What were you thinking?”

“Admiral, we have a chance to stren…”, A’dranna began but Kererek cut her off, shaking his head.

“No, I am not buying into this story of demonstrating Republic’s technological prowess, A’dranna.”, he said harshly. “You can convince yourself and your fellow civilian scientific minds at some conference about that.”, he continued and tapped his index finger against the table. “But this… this was a tactical, strategic and political error, so great that I have no trouble chastising either of you in front of our allies…”, he gestured to two liaisons. “… or our special guest.”, he then gestured to Urschaa. “It seems that Doctor Urschaa was far more insightful than two Romulans in the higher echelon of the Republic government.”

Kererek took a deep breath as if preparing for another verbal salvo, an opportunity which D’Ral took advantage of. “Admiral, I am not a military strategist, but don’t you think it was only a matter of time before something like this happened?”

“What do you mean, deihu D’Ral?”

“Republic gave Virinat, Crateris and other systems and their residents, former or present, a new chance. Did you really think people of Algorab would never ask for the same treatment?”, D’Ral asked with a calm that was unusually Vulcan, rather than passionately Romulan. “Or is it that Virinat was close enough and an agricultural world, so it was a matter of convenience for the Republic to invest into its reconstruction?”

“Deihu, with all due respect to your world and your position, but I do not see…”, Kererek began, but D’Ral cut in on him just as he did moments earlier.

“Oh, but I do, Admiral. I do see it quite clearly. Virinat’s reconstruction was useful. Algorab, on the other hand is…”, she said and raised a PADD to read from it. “… a sterilised piece of rock, in the words of Doctor Urschaa. Regardless of Algorab’s usefulness to the Republic, its residents have a right to be discontent.”, she finished and then turned to Tovan Khev. “Riov, what is your estimate on the strategic importance of this system to the Star Empire?”

Tovan was visibly taken aback by the question. He cleared his throat and nodded to D’Ral. “Well, deihu, besides the four tachyon scanners, there are no other indications of the Imperial presence in the system.”

“Cloaked mine field?”, D’Ral asked.

“No indications.”, Tovan continued in a more formal tone. “From what we know about the Imperial patrols of that region, our Navy could retake the system and hold it with a small squadron of Malem-class vessels.”, he stated firmly.

Kererek could not help but offer a discrete smile. Tovan crossed a long road from a whiny farmer from Virinat to a confident commanding officer that now sat at the table. “And that’s assuming they do not find it relevant to retaliate.”, he added. “And that is a very shaky assumption. They may recognise us officially after Tri’Vokil, but in their minds we will always be the renegades and terrorists.”

“Dranuur.”, Urschaa suddenly dropped into conversation, gaining everyone’s attention.

“I beg your pardon, Doctor?”, Nadel said. “What do you mean by Dranuur?”

Urschaa smiled. “Dranuur was a joint operation between Lukari Concordium and Kentari Union. Why not make Algorab a testbed of cooperation between two Romulan governments?”

“I want to believe, Doctor, if it were anyone but the Star Empire.”, Nadel said, followed by a heavy sigh.

“You, people, have many precedents. Klingons and the Federation tried on Sherman’s Planet and, more recently, on Aurek Colony. Sure, they both failed. But you also have Lukari and Kentari on Dranuur, Caitians and Ferasans collaborate similarly on Macadarna, albeit quietly. Borg Cooperative is supporting Talaxians on New Talax. It is possible to collaborate, whether it succeeds is another matter.”

“Bah.”, G’dan said and laughed. “Aurek was a fiasco because the Federation stuck their noses where they should not have. What you propose, Doctor, would be an explosive fiasco.”

“I have to agree on this one with my colleague here.”, Harvson said. “Aurek is not a good example. But I like your idea, Doctor. We, Humans, have a saying of ‘you don’t know until you try’, and I think it applies here quite well.”, he smiled and turned to Kererek. “Besides, it would be a cunning tactic to calm the Algorab expats. If they want their planet back, they better be ready to cooperate with their former enemies. Or no deal.”

Rinna clenched her fists under the table but said nothing. Tovan took her palm into his gently as he spoke. “I don’t think you can negotiate with the Star Empire, Captain Harvson. Nadel is right. And I was there, I know what they did. I am still chewing over the fact that some of the Elachi are in the Alliance and I have to serve with them.”

“For the time being, I think our primary concern is what to tell Algorab expats.”, D’Ral said and turned to Kererek. “Admiral, if you’d like, I will address this, both with the Proconsul and the expats’ representative. We are on good terms.”

“I will be most grateful, deihu.”, Kererek said and gazed across the table. “If there is nothing more, I am having all of you dismissed. I have to return to the Navy Command.”

Kererek nodded and paced out of the room, followed by Nadel, D’Ral, A’dranna and Urschaa. Khev siblings remained seated. Rinna looked to G’dan. “Brigadier General, could you establish for me a secure line to Qo’nos? I’d like to speak to an Alliance officer there.”

G’dan narrowed his eyes, studying the young Romulan female for a while. “Very well. You and your brother may join me on Hrothstar in one hour.”

Sometime later… Qo’nos
N’Rat had been wearing typical Klingon robes for almost two weeks now. It felt different from either the standard KDF or Alliance uniforms he usually wore. Even with thick wool over his Ferasan fur, it felt comfortable. Not too warm, not too cold.

He had arrived to Qo’nos after his patrol T’Ong Nebula and the incident which occurred in the Dovarnis system, at the site of Aurek One colony. What was supposed to be a joint colonial initiative between the Federation and the Klingon Empire (and not exactly Starfleet and KDF, though both were eventually involved), turned into a disaster. The target planetoid was previously inhabited by a civilisation that eventually downloaded themselves into some kind of giant computer matrix akin to a holodeck, but still different. This matrix was initially discovered and corrupted by Tal Shiar agents. This prompted the matrix guardians to retaliate against the organics, which included innocent colonists as well.

N’Rat decided his Khitomer Alliance crew, composed mostly of Ferasans and Caitians, deserved a shore leave. His ship originally served in the Ferasan Dominion, but during the Klingon Civil War, they sided with J’ula rather than the Mad Emperor J’mpok. This resulted in their exile from the Dominion, even as the Dominion suffered a significant military and diplomatic defeat following J’mpok’s downfall. The Alliance Chairman K’senneta, being Ferasan himself, turned to the Caitian Union government for assistance, rather than the Federation at large. The Union was skeptical, but decided to “give peace a chance”, as the Human saying went. For many decades, the Union member world of Macadarna had well-established ties with smaller, more cooperative clans within the Ferasan Dominion, rather than those big players that had their seat at the Dominion’s Rulling Council. So through this unusual bridge that went from Ksenneta, through Caitian Union and Macadarnan local government to Ferasan clans, N’Rat’s vessel, AFS R’Rel (named after the founder of Macadarna colony), hosted a mixed Ferasan-Caitian crew, serving the Khitomer Alliance.

But there was no shore leave for N’Ral himself. The very moment he stepped into “Hearth of Honour”, a drinking hall run by a Talaxian named Wenix, he found himself entangled in the mystery surrounding House Krelok, long forgotten with almost all records of its existence erased. But that was a story for another day.

He sat in a private communication booth within the Alliance Headquarters on Qo’nos, with his Alliance colleague, Rinna Khev, on the screen before him. They had not spoken since the Aurek incident when he asked for her help on the possible Tal Shiar involvement. He knew he would have to repay the favour at some point. He just didn’t expect it would be in the middle of another possible incident.

He rubbed his furry temples, as he tried to digest what Rinna had just told him. “Let me see if I understood everything. Your brother, an Alliance officer, took an Alliance vessel into Star Empire’s territory without authorisation from either Ksenneta, Kagran or Kererek. He conducted a survey on behalf of a civilian institution, onboard with a civilian expert from Lukari Concordium, who also are not quite aware their protomatter expert was on this survey. And now, you are asking me to find a band of pirates who are going to strike down four tachyon emitters in this planetary system, without telling me what is further down the line?”

“Yes.”, Rinna said, nodding.

“And Kererek told you not to take any action?”, N’Rat asked, not believing his ears, which randomly twitched.

“He did not say it specifically.”

“Nez’rel’s whiskers and furs.”, N’Rat cursed. “We have at least five types of Borg, one of them being fused with Iconians, rampaging throughout the quadrants, and you ask me to come up with a band of outlaws to do some reckless bidding in an obscure system.”

“That system is someone’s home.”, Rinna said.

“Used to be someone’s home.”, N’Rat corrected her and sighed. “I wanted to believe that we are beyond this scheming, Rinna. And yes…”, he raised his paw covered in silver-bluish fur. “I know I owe you for Aurek.”

“You don’t owe me anything, N’Rat.”, Rinna said apologetically. “I am asking this for others, not myself.”

N’Rat stared at the screen, his ears twitching and eyes narrowing. “I’ll see what I can do, Rinna. And I think I may just know a person… a Talaxian, in fact, who might be able to help you.”

“Thank you, N’Rat.”, Rinna said. “Jolan tru.”

“Qapla!”, he replied and closed the channel.

[Felenn]

Stardate 103010.9
(Guest appearance: Wenix by @nynik)
Korgal and most of the other noisy Klingons left the Hearth almost an hour ago and now, at the bar, only a Ferasan of silver-blueish fur in Klingon semi-armorish clothes sat at the bar. He looked to his host, Talaxian named Wenix, while sipping his fourth or fifth bloodwine spiced with a special type of berries. When the last patron finally left and the Hearth housed only himself, his Talaxian host and the Gorn bouncer, N’Rat had finally spoken.

“This place never ceases to amuse me.”, he said and purr-chuckled between two sips.

Wenix did not rush to fill the silence. He wiped the bar in slow, habitual strokes, then turned slightly, giving N’Rat his full attention. “Amusement keeps a place such as this alive… But it’s rarely the reason someone stays once the doors are closing. If something has been circling your thoughts, N’Rat, I am listening.”

A faint, knowing smile touched Wenix’s face and each of his ears in turn - a Talaxian gesture. He had noticed earlier, before the Klingons arrived, that N’Rat had seemed intent to speak on something.

N’Rat grinned, showing his Ferasan fangs as he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket. “Now, now, Wenix. You know that the shadiest of businesses are always conducted in the after-hours. Look at our most recent adventure with the Klingon redheads.”

He reached for his mug with a free paw and took a sip.

Wenix let out a quiet huff of amusement as the last of the patrons were ushered toward the doors by his staff. Some walked under their own steam, others were half-carried and loudly offended by it. The Hearth settled into its after-hours hush, fires burned low, shutters drawn. Cleanup underway, with more than a few bloodstains needing scrubbing or laser removal.

Wenix watched the last pair of warriors stumble into the street. “Yes, that kind of business does favour a closed door and fewer witnesses. The redheads were a mess for sure, in more ways than one.”

Wenix glanced at the patched crater in his floor and rested both hands on the bar. “So. Now that certain ears have gone… what is it that I see behind those eyes of yours? Surely you don’t find yourself in some trouble or another with the Star Empire.”

Upon reaching for his inner pocket and placing a small PADD on the bar, N’Rat clasped his paws together and elbowed himself against the surface, somewhat counter-mimicking Wenix’ posture. He shook his head as his grin disappeared. “No, not quite. I have… a friend of a friend of a friend who seems to be looking for trouble with the Star Empire. And this chain of friendship is… a Republican one.”

"A friend of a friend of a friend. That is two layers too many for comfort, and sometimes three too few for truth!”, Wenix said. His tone remained playful, but his eyes were alert. He glanced at the PADDs but did not go to touch it. “You do not need a long chain to start trouble with the Star Empire. Trouble finds people well enough on its own when empire loyalists.”

He leaned in a fraction more, though they weren’t within earshot of anyone, apart from maybe S’alazh the Gorn behemoth. But he had no interest in schemes. That much was clear to all patrons who had ever tried to communicate with him, let alone try to bribe him.

“So the question is not whether this is trouble, but what kind, I think. A reckless Republican stirring old embers, or someone more official within the Republic trying to provoke a response, they can blame on someone else later perhaps.”

He paused. “And more personally for you… where, in all of this, do they wish for you to stand?”

Wenix gestured at the PADD as if to ask N’Rat if he wished him to view its content, perhaps to answer those questions. Ferasan rested his paw on the PADD device and slowly moved it across the bar to Wenix, then pulled back his arm for Wenix to have a closer read. He took another sip.

“For me personally, it is a matter of honourable debt that I want to get it off my paws, to a fellow officer. Though I am probably going to assist if I don’t acquire help elsewhere. And even that assistance will not be in my capacity as an Alliance officer.”, N’Rat answered. He looked Wenix in the eyes and gestured towards the PADD device. “The subject in question is a star system in what Federation designates as the Lirss Sector. We call it Qorvl’ Qel, Romulans know it as Aen’korvai. Delta Corvi in Federation Standard. It was inhabited by Romulan and Reman refugees in the post-Hobus period, but some fifteen standard years ago it was attacked by Elachi.”

He frowns and exhales heavily. “The leader of this refuge, a Reman called Vrimek, cleansed the planet of Tal Shiar and Elachi by detonating a modified thalaron device, at the cost of leaving it a desolate rock. Entire ecosystem was erased, though civilisational infrastructure seems to have been preserved.”

Wenix finally drew the PADD closer, reading without hurry, though his brow tightened line by line. He set it flat again, fingers resting beside it, not on it.

“Elachi and the Tal Shiar. I have heard enough to understand why a Reman would see no path that did not end in fire. To choose such an action - that is not victory. That is deciding the enemy will never be able to take your home, because there will be no home left to take.”

Wenix looked away for a brief moment, jaw tightening, as if the thought had weight of its own in his own past. “I have seen people win a fight that way before. They rarely keep what they were fighting for however. They destroy themselves in the end.”

Wenix turned back to N’Rat. “So tell me, what became of the refugees? Tell me they at least got off world before it happened? And what does this ‘fellow officer’ believe can be gained by prodding the Star Empire’s remnants now? Justice, vengeance… or an excuse to start something that others will be forced to finish?”

N’Rat nodded as he put away his half-empty mug and took a more interrogational posture, knitting together his paw digits, resting his one elbow on the bar. “Out of some thirty eight thousand colonists, three thousand were left unaccounted for to this day. They were presumably taken by Elachi, since all of the evacuation shuttles took off, according to the reports from that time. The lucky ones settled on New Romulus, building their own little neighbourhood. Like other colonists, they have their own representative in the Senate, even though territorially they fall under the New Romulus electoral district.”

He turned his gaze to the PADD device, studying it from afar, his tail swishing casually. “I am afraid this has very little to do with the colonists themselves or even further weakening the Star Empire. They just want to go home. But the Republic…”, he huffed. “The Republic needs some kind of symbolic victory to prove that it takes care of all its citizens, not just because it is convenient. While former Imperial colonies closer to New Romulus were a matter of practicality, this… This would demonstrate that the Republic stands for Romulans, no matter whether they are ex-colonists, Imperials or whatever. It is more a political decision, rather than a humanitarian one. And those ex-colonists are becoming quite grumpy ever since information about possible planetary restoration leaked out.”

Wenix remained quiet for a long moment, absorbing the shape of what N’Rat was saying. "Then this is not just about how the Star Empire may react, it is about what political narrative is being crafted. If the Republic is letting word of potential restoration leak, there may at least be some technical basis for it. Politicians may sometimes gamble on hope alone, but more often than not, they tend to ensure they have at least something convincing to act upon - if only to throw someone else under the hoverbus when the time comes. Perhaps that ‘something convincing’ is still being collected.”

He tapped the bar once, a small, deliberate sound. “But that does not mean the hope is honest. A world scoured by thalaron power might be stabilised, surveyed, even walked on again through technical means, though I’ve never heard of one. But livable, in the sense those colonists remember? That is another matter entirely, one that could take decades. And require more than just political will. I’m no expert but as I understand it, once a planet’s biosphere is destroyed it can’t exactly be brought back.”

Wenix’s gaze settled firmly on N’Rat. He wondered what the Ferasan was going to do. “If expectations are being stoked before the truth is clear, then yes, you are sitting on a charging disruptor bank. And whether it discharges or not will depend on who establishes the facts first. Are you going to be the one to verify it?”

N’Rat purred quietly as he reached out with his left paw for his chin, rubbing it gently. He looked into some imaginary point past Wenix, as if projecting his thoughts elsewhere and elsewhen. “Whether the Republic has means to restore this planet or not is entirely up to them. I was asked about the concerns with the question how the Star Empire would respond to a potential intrusion, however brief.”

He looked back to the PADD device, pointing at it. “The Empire has placed four tachyon scanners throughout the system. Their configuration suggests that the Empire expects cloaked vessels, presumably Republic ones. The scanners should be destroyed by more… convenient force. Say… freelancers, scavengers or pirates known to operate in that area.”

“Hm, ‘freelancers’ knocking out a tachyon sensor net will buy noise, sure, but not silence. The Imperials will come looking and read it as intent, even if the Republic’s hands appear clean." Wenix let out a soft breath through his nose, something between a chuckle and a consideration, and nodded once and tapped the bar near the PADD. “If all that’s needed is a look, though… to get in, test some terraforming science for a short while, then there are quieter ways to go about it.”

He lowers his voice a fraction. “Old Talaxian traders used a trick that I’ve found. Still works quite well here in the Beta Quadrant. Sensor lensing… You do not blind the scanners, you persuade them to look elsewhere for a time. Ghost echoes, bent returns, a system that appears exactly as expected while something slips through the margins… Good for scouting. Verifying what is truly there.”

His eyes lifted to N’Rat. Trying to see whether the Ferasan was really looking to brainstorm, or just sound out whether or not he wanted to get involved in a hot mess taking shape in Qorvl’ Qel. “But if the Republic plans a real move, terraforming proper… infrastructure, traffic… then subtlety goes out the airlock. At that point, the Imperials will notice, no matter how clever the trick.”

N’Rat smirked at Wenix. “So you would advise not to make a brief pirate incursion in order to see how the Imperials might react?”

Wenix returned the smirk with a dry look of his own and reached for the bloodwine ladle without waiting for an answer. "I would advise you to have another drink first.”, he said as he poured fresh bloodwine into the mug by N’Rat on the bar. “And perhaps settle your tab before you decide to test the Star Empire’s reflexes in a system wired with tachyon sensors and explosive interests!”

Wenix leaned in just enough to make the point land. “A pirate incursion tells the loyalists exactly one thing - that there’s something worth checking. They will respond accordingly, and not in ways your Republic friends can easily disown if caught with their shields down.”

A pause, then a faint shrug. “Finish the drink. Pay what you owe. Then, if you still feel like running offworld into a powder-keg, at least you will do it with no debts following you… and perhaps an idea or two more up your sleeve.”

N’Rat quickly emptied his mug of fresh bloodwine and purr-chuckled afterwards. He grinned at Wenix as he spoke. “My dear barkeep, I am not going anywhere. I am just conveying messages from an interested party.”

He reached for the PADD device and put it back into his inner pocket, from which he then drew latinum slips. As they clunked on the bar he continues: “As for my colleagues, if they can’t see reason based on the gathered intelligence, perhaps they will listen to some common… or commoner reasoning, to be more precise. The whole thing is a lost…”

He suddenly stopped and blinked with his eyes, his ears’ flap following. His tail stretched downwards and then he grinned. “A lost cause. Hm. Why haven’t I thought of that earlier?”

Wenix watched the shift in N’Rat with the satisfaction of a barkeep who had seen this moment strike more times than he could count. He gathered the latinum without fuss, tucked it away, then settled his hands on the bar. “Ah, that look usually turns up when the drink is doing its work and realisation of the duty shift hour occurs suddenly. I see it on a lot of faces, warriors, merchants, even loresingers… the point where something tangled suddenly seems obvious. It’s the Gorra berries in your bloodwine, if you don’t believe me. They help unlock the mind!”

A faint smile touched his mouth. “I will not pry, of course. Whatever clarity just found you is your own affair.”

He paused, eyes lingering on N’Rat all the same, and then continued, very ‘casually’. “That said, when someone stops mid-sentence and grins like that, it is usually because they have found a way to reframe the problem rather than solve it head-on. A ‘lost cause’ can be a very useful thing.”

N’Rat chitter-laughed and patted Wenix on the shoulder. “There is a Human saying, when you want to deal with Romulans, you need a Romulan yourself. And there is one particular Romulan group that Tal Shiar are afraid of.”

He straightened his posture and nodded to Wenix. “I was asked to offer a solution and this one may be the thing we need.”

Wenix let out a quiet laugh, the kind that comes easy for someone who isn’t stuck in the middle of such situations as N’Rat seemed to be. He gave his patron’s shoulder a brief, companionable squeeze in return. “Another happy customer. That is what I am here for. I just hope it all ends well. These things rarely do, but it never hurts to wish.”

He glanced toward the bloodwine basin in the centre of the “Hearth of Honour”, it had a long stories past of its own that few knew, and fewer might believe… then back again. “If the Republic ruffles the Empire’s feathers a bit and it means those refugees might see a way home someday. I’d sure like to hear of it again. Do share how it unfolds, if you can. And mind yourself along the way.”

N’Rat gave a small bow. “Thank you, Master Wenix. I believe it is time that I retreat to my quarters as well.”

The Hearth had long since emptied. The last of the patrons were ushered out some time ago, singing, arguing, or half-carried into the night, leaving only the low crackle of the fires and the scent of spilled bloodwine behind. Wenix moved through the hall at an unhurried pace, setting chairs upright and dousing table candles one by one; restoring the hall to its quiet, after hours order which few ever saw.

When N’Rat offered his small bow, Wenix inclined his head in return. “Rest well N’Rat; rest well indeed.”

When the large doors closed behind the Ferasan, the Hearth settled into complete silence. Wenix stood for a moment behind the bar, listening to the dying embers of the fires, before finally turning out the last light and locking the doors for the night.

[Felenn]

Stardate: 103020.7, Mol’Algorab District, Mol’Rihan (New Romulus)
With her brown senatorial cloak fluttering behind her, D’Ral firmly paced down the corridor of the Mol’Algorab District Council hall. It wasn’t much of a hall as it was one of the many prefab cubicles which the then-nascent Romulan Republic provided to Algorabian refugees to serve as a location for community gatherings. Although the Mol’Algorab District recovered and prospered in the post-Iconian War period, this community centre remained gray and dull, devoid of artistic decorations, only adorned by few plants native to both Ch’Rihan and Mol’Rihan.

She reached a two-wing slide door. “The Council Chamber side entrance”, she read the label on the door frame to her left. She could hear noisy discussions coming from inside. “Maiori Kovix seems to have a hard time keeping his people in line.”

She stepped forward, prompting the door to open, and stepped inside softly. A thick velvet curtain, dully grey just like the walls, separated her from the rest of the chamber, preventing anyone from seeing her arrival, let alone hearing her among all that noise. She chose to stay behind and eavesdrop a little. “How very Imperial of me.”, a thought crossed her mind, causing her to smile.

“We’ve heard the rumors, Kovix.”, said a deep female voice. “An Alliance warbird scouted the Aen’korvai system. If they or the Republic are scouting our home, why are we still rotting in these blocks fifteen years later? We deserve to know the truth. Our children deserve to know the truth.”

“Councilor Rana, I know as much as anyone else. Just because one of the Korvai survivors presented a proposal… an informal proposal, at that, does not mean that the Republic is going to invest their resources into this matter. Besides, this planet is now our home. We have grown here.”

“You’re weak, Kovix. I am sad to say this, but compared to Vrimek, you are weak. At least he had the courage to say when it was over and do something about it.”, Rana said.

“And that something led us here, where you are unsatisfied as well. Perhaps he should have left us to Elachi?”, Kovix asked, growling. No retort came. “I thought so. We are adjourned for today.”

Movement of chairs and some murmur could be heard, but within a few minutes, silence dominated the place.

“We are alone now, deihu.”, Kovix said.

D’Ral pushed the curtain aside and stepped into the room, which contained more of the plants and one round table with five seats around it. In one of them, an elderly Reman sat. His facial and cranial skin was wrinkled, making the dark spots across his bald head look like wrapping that did not quite fit a gift it was supposed to hide. She walked over to him and greeted him by pressing her closed right fist over the right clavicle bone. Kovix used to be an officer in the Imperial Navy and, while unquestionably loyal to the Romulan Republic, he openly expected to be greeted in the old ways. D’Ral never understood why, only assuming it was something related to his military pride. Kovix was almost twenty standard years senior to his predecessor, Vrimek, but until Vrimek’s disappearance, he was not interested in socio-political leadership. He only accepted the maiori position because Algorabian expats (or Korvai expats, as they called themselves), now living on Mol’Rihan, demanded he represent them. Like many other smaller communities, usually surviving prisoners and refugees from Gasko Station, Installation 13, The Vault and Hfihar, the Korvai did not have a formal representative in the Republic Senate, but kept close ties with larger, stronger communities with whom they felt more politically aligned. In this case, D’Ral brought Korvai concerns in the spotlight of the Senate floor, although she was a senatorial representative of Virinat. She also shared a bond of personal experience with Kovix, as both were imprisoned at Elachi installation known as Station Alpha.

“There is still plenty of vitality in that voice of yours, Kovix.”, D’Ral said, smiling and fixing her grey hairs behind her left ear. The deep gaze of her brown eyes always calmed the elderly Reman.

“And you are still as vibrant as I like to remember, if not see anymore”, Kovix replied, staring in her general direction.

“So you decided against the optical implants?”, D’Ral asked.

Kovix nodded. “I have. With this Borg crisis, I made my decision against cybernetic assistance final, once and for all.”

She sat down next to him, placing her arms on the table and clasping her palms together. “I can respect that. And the doubt which stems from the current state of the quadrant.”

“Is it true? Is it true what Rana accuses me of hiding?”

“You being weak? Far from it, Kovix.”

“Not that.”, Reman said, shaking his head. “The reconnaissance of Aen’korvai.”

D’Ral exhaled. “It is, Kovix. It was done with the assistance of a Lukari expert. And I can only bring sad news. After hearing this Lukari’s report, in the joint session of the senatorial Science Council and Colonisation Council it was decided that Aen’korvai was not worth the risk. At least not right now.”

Kovix lowered his voice, trembling with some hidden anger. “So this is it? D’Tan’s government is abandoning us. Why? Because science is difficult? Because the Republic’s Navy is afraid to trip off some sensor net over the world which everyone wrote off?”
D’Ral shook her head and spoke calmly, almost apologetically. “The Republic Navy must honour the Treaty of Tri’Vokil. We cannot send a fleet to seize a wasteland without sparking a war we are not prepared to fight. But you are Reman, Kovix. You know that your people… our people… were never defined by what a central government permitted, be it Imperial, Republic or any other government.”

“What are you suggesting? That we fly there in cargo ships and throw rocks at the Star Empire?”

D’Ral genuinely laughed. It was musical, heart softening and soul refreshing to Kovix. He smiled back at her and nodded. “Forgive this old military fool, my dear. It has been a long day.”

D’Ral nodded back and leaned towards him, whispering softly, almost as one lover would whisper to another. “I am suggesting that you stop looking for a military solution and start looking for a moral one, my mogai. There is a tradition as old as the Star Empire. To D’Tan and his Senate, Algorab is a strategic zero. To the scientists, it is a biological impossibility.”

“A lost cause.”

“Precisely that. And there is one group among our kin who might pledge to a lost cause. They do not answer to Praetor on Rator or D’Tan or Kererek or the Alliance, and they certainly do not care for treaties. If your people truly believe that rock is still a home, find a Sister of the Qowat Milat. If they deem your cause worthy, at least one of them will bind her sword to it. And where a Sister goes, the Empire, and Tal Shiar in particular, hesitates to follow.”

Kovix’ eyes widened, even though he was blind. “That is almost as insane as the idea of the restoration itself.”

D’Ral continued insistently. “It may be the only way. Because if the restoration succeeds, it won’t be because of a Republic decree. It will be because you found a way to make the impossible… an obligation.”

Sometime later, aboard RRW Deihu, Mol’Rihan
Nadel and Rinna sat in the former’s office, with dozens of PADDs randomly placed and stacked on top of Nadel’s table. It was a late hour, not even the proverbial humming of power distribution systems could be heard as the vessel was docked in the orbit of Mol’Rihan’s outer moon. A mug of steaming raktajino for each of them was just brought a while ago and Nadel blew off some steam, taking a careful sip of the hot beverage.

Rinna rubbed her eyes and sighed. “How, for the nameless Elements, are we going to find them?”

Nadel looked at Rinna, but said nothing, letting the younger officer continue as she read of a PADD in front of her. “The largest portion of the Qowat Milat order was last seen on Vasht more than forty standard years ago. The planet found itself squeezed between the Star Empire and Donatra’s Imperial Romulan State. If there was one thing where the two governments agreed, it was the order’s extermination or, in Donatra’s case, displacement as far as possible. The warrior nuns were lucky Donatra got to them first because she occupied the planet and had them expelled, along with the Human portion of the population. But when the Imperial State was reabsorbed into the Star Empire, Praetor Taris erased any trace of their existence on the planet.”

Nadel looked at Rinna and pursed her lips and frowned, then immediately relaxed her facial features. “Well, we know the locations of individual Sisters. Two live on Vulcan, serving as the advocates in that unusual scientific ritual.”

“T’Kal-in-ket, yes. And one pledged her sword to Bajoran Prophets though I wonder how that conforms to their ‘lost cause’ criterion.”, Rinna added. “One protected Romulan miners employed by Madran on Hfihar, but she disappeared shortly after his mines collapsed.”

Nadel put the mug away. “Perhaps we are searching for them from a wrong angle.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Rinna, the two quadrants and galaxy at large have been in a continuously desperate state of affairs for the last four standard decades or so. Even if all of them survived, the power of a thousand, as their name implies, would be stretched thin across the galaxy. With all the fvadt and lost causes going on, they would potentially perish by our time.”

“What are you aiming at?”

Nadel scratched her right eyebrow with her index finger. “We need to go back to the first principle. Their first principle. The Way of Absolute Candor.”

“Their blunt honesty.”, Rinna said.

“That would be an oversimplification, I am sure they would say, but… essentially, yes.”, Nadel continued. “If they are too overwhelmed by so many lost causes, they would at least do something to preserve the actual teaching. And one way to do it is to settle down in a society which exercises unreserved honesty on a daily basis.”

“Betazed.”, Rinna fired an answer.

“Potentially, but I think these warrior nuns might find Betazoids too soft.”

“Risa.”, Rinna continued.

“Really?!”, Nadel asked, unconvinced.

“Yes. Risians are quite honest about hedonism.”, Rinna explained.

“So are Ferengi about pursuit of profit, and Vulcans about pursuit of logic.”, Nadel said and shook her head. “All that sounds too petty for their taste. Not that I am an expert on their taste.”

“But… where are they then?”, Rinna asked and gestured to all the PADDs. “There are a few dozen we can account for, but all of them have already pledged themselves or have perished in these lost causes. Where is the rest of the order that was on Vashti? Why would a bluntly honest order hide themselves? Wouldn’t that be… dishonest?.”, Rinna concluded.

[Felenn]

Stardate 103049.1
“…and therefore, in light of the current situation involving this new Chimeran strain of the Borg and its connection to protomatter, I regret to inform you that the Lukari Planetary Council has decided to suspend all protomatter-related activities until this crisis is resolved.

With sincere regards,
Admiral Kuumarke”

Vulcan, D’Haan village
As T’Yana finished reading Kuumarke’s address to Romulan Republic Science Institute, Taev reached out for the mug of Vulcan spiced tea, shaking his head and frowning his eyebrows, which emphasized his Romulan forehead features even more than usual.

His wife Sasha and their daughter Sivari were taking an early afternoon nap, after Vaaris, T’Yana’s spouse, treated them with a lavish midday meal. Vaaris departed for ShiKahr, leaving Taev and T’Yana alone to discuss the ongoing situation.

“So this is it.”, Taev said after a moment of silence. “Maiori Kovix said the Colonial Council on Mol’Rihan dropped the issue even before Lukari made this statement. It really is a lost cause.”, he sighed.

T’Yana put away the PADD from which she read and pressed both her index fingers against the base of her chin, forming with them a small triangle, and curling the rest of her fingers. Her facial expression was that of the typical Vulcan stoicism, but looking more closely back at her, Taev could see a glimpse of disappointment, even sorrow in her chestnut brown eyes. She spoke calmly: “You knew this was the most likely scenario. Admiral Kuumarke is right. Even if the Republic gave its blessing, the time is not right.”

Taev sighed again, this time with irritation. “Well, it never is! If it’s not Iconians, then it’s the Terran Empire. Or Tzen’kethi or Klingons at each others’ throats. I mean, for Elements’ sake, there are still colonies that haven’t been properly rebuilt since the Iconian War.”

T’Yana shook her head slowly, gently as she studied Taev. “This is no longer about Algorab and it begins to seem like it never was. You have been restless in the past, Taev, but never for this long. What is really darkening your heart and your mind?”

Taev rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of irritation, rubbing his bald scalp with the fingertips of his right hand. “Sivari. She’s been blabbering at high warp speeds the last few months, discovering new words. New things. And she asked something that caught me unprepared.”

T’Yana nodded. “She has been an exemplary child in her development. You should be…”, she hesitated. “A proud parent, as Humans say. But what caught you?”

“She asked…”, Taev hesitated, frowning. “She asked where her daddy’s home was. And I had no clue how to answer.”

Republic Legislature Complex, Mol’ecurai City, Capital of Mol’Rihan
Doctor Uurshcaa read Kuumarke’s correspondence to A’dranna, D’Ral and Kererek from his own PADD. As he put the device aside, he looked at each of the three Romulans and shrugged his shoulders.

“On one hand, I can’t help but feel sad at this decision.”, he said apologetically. “But even without this Chimeran crisis, it was undeniably risky business. Tri’Vokil Treaty or not, your government cannot afford to antagonise the Star Empire.”

“I am content this hasn’t escalated further than it did.”, Kererek said, frowning at A’dranna. “Some day, maybe, in the future we can entertain this possibility, when the dust has settled.”, he let a discreet smile escape him. “You’ll get another opportunity to demonstrate your scientific prowess, A’dranna, and that of your staff.”

“It is just that… the symbolic victory… Algorab rising from the ashes of Tal Shiar’s violation, just as our Republic rose from the ashes of the old system.”, A’dranna said to no one in particular, looking at some point between Kererek and D’Ral. She then snapped her focus to the latter. “How did the expats take it?”

The grey-haired Romulan female steepled her fingers in a very Vulcan way and leaned back in the chair, resting her elbows against the table at which all four sat down. “Maiori Kovix was lightly disappointed and accepted the entire situation quite well. His fellow councillors were a bit…”, she paused. “… loud, but they will not instigate a rebellion. The Aen’korvai expats have been offered settlement rights in Parkha Plains as a form of compensation. Proconsul even incentivised them by promising them an independent seat in the legislative bodies if they could gather a sufficient census between themselves and other small communities that migrated during the early days.

“Hfihar miners and Korvai refugees under the same roof?!”, Kererek asked, raising his thick eyebrows, causing his forehead ridges to deform significantly.

D’Ral chuckled. “There will be some tension, likely, but D’Tan could bring Obisek into the fold, I am sure these two groups can collaborate. Not as Korvai and Hfihari, but as Romulans and Remans.”

Kererek nodded respectfully. “Quite an orator, aren’t you, deihu D’Ral?”

“Whenever the situation demands it.”, D’Ral said and winked at the much younger Admiral, prompting him to blush and Uurschaa to laugh.

“Well, as exciting as this adventure has been, I think it is time I returned to my partner and my home on Dranuur. LSS Concordium will be departing in a few moments and I need to gather my belongings.”, Uurschaa said and stood up from the chair he was sitting in. “Admiral, Director, deihu… it has been a pleasure.”, he said and greeted them each with a nod.

“Safe journey back, Doctor.”, A’dranna replied, smiling.

RRW Rerik, somewhere in deep space
The T’varo-class warbird Rerik often served as a secondary command ship to the leadership of the former Reman Resistance. In the days before the Republic’s foundation, went into several deep space missions, mostly to spy on the Star Empire’s military supply routes and report back to The Vault, a giant space station which served as the home of the Resistance. Rerik’s was also battle-hardened in the Iconian War almost a decade earlier. They had fought during the initial Herald invasion of Mol’Rihan and would be later deployed as a battle vessel to IKS Hegh under late Emperor Kahless himself and Captain Paris’ Delta Flight battle wing.

The recent war with the Star Empire boiled their blood and rekindled old feuds, but for Rerik’s commanding officer, a Reman named Rashna, the debt with the Romulan Star Empire was settled. Tal Shiar, however, would never be forgiven. When Nadel asked him to take a covert mission, unsanctioned by either Kererek and Republic Navy Command or Proconsul D’Tan himself, to seek out Qowat Milat, he and his crew eagerly accepted. Unlike Romulans and Remans serving in the regular Republic forces, Obisek’s people were given more leeway in conducting business aimed against Republic’s enemies, most notably the Star Empire and Tal Shiar.

And if there was ever an opportunity to harm Tal Shiar further, Obisek’s people could hardly refuse. And Qowat Milat, an order of warrior nuns as plain and, at the same time, as secretive as Tal Shiar, were the one force that the Imperial secret police was ever afraid of. Rashna never quite digested their Absolute Candor philosophy. He preferred a disruptor rifle on high setting over a blade, no questions asked.

Rerik had very little private space and most of the crew were male, so Rashna offered his personal quarters to Nadel when she boarded his vessel. He found her attractive for a non-Reman, though not in a sexual way. Something in her stance, her attitude and the way she addressed those around her made him feel comfortable, daring to trust. While she had no intention of giving order to his crew, Rashna let her guide them in this mission. She was respectful enough not to take his post on the bridge where he stood now, as she sat at the operations console, left of him.

He turned to her standing, facing her directly. “Commander Nadel, respectfully, how are we going to locate the warrior nuns?”

Nadel, who had been sifting through the information, raised her head and looked to Rashna. Although he always wore a mouth cover and a hood over his head, she found his almost Betazoid-dark eyes, his deep voice that seemed to resonate through the ship bulkheads and his tall, muscular build to be soothing, at least. For a Reman, she found him to be attractive, in more than one way. “Forgive me, Commander Rashna, I lost myself for a moment. Rinna Khev and I were digging through old Imperial intel from Vashti. During the split between two Imperial states, Donatra’s forces occupied the planet and had Qowat Milat and any non-Romulans expelled. I found which oversaw the process.”

“Who was it?”

Nadel withdrew her hands from the ops console and rested them in her lap. “Someone who held, and probably still holds, a deep grudge against Tal Shiar. You could say this officer is quite… ‘old-school’, as Humans say.”

“Old school?”, Rashna asked simply again, his eyes widening a little. “I am unfamiliar with the saying.”

Nadel smiled, causing Rashna to relax his shoulders. “She believed that the most important thing is to serve the Empire and its people, even if it meant not following the precept of unlimited conquest. Someone who did not underestimate the Empire’s opponents.”

“Valdorians.”, Rashna concluded.

Nadel tilted her head a little. “In a manner of speaking, yes. But not as aggressive as Valdore was.”

Rashna nodded. “I understand. Is this officer still alive? And where shall we meet her?”

“She is alive, yes. She was among senior military advisors to Donatra, but when two Imperial states merged back together, she retired from active service. Rator government considered her untrustworthy, but she was too well respected to be… decommissioned by Tal Shiar.”

“An imposing individual. I take it you were able to make contact with her.”

“Not directly. I keep some unofficial amicable channels among the Imperial military. I was lucky to learn that one of my contacts is her adjutant.”, Nadel explained.

“Can this adjutant be trusted?”

“As much as any Imperial.”, Nadel continued. “Bochra was one of the few Imperials who had respected if not supported Federation’s overtures to the Empire before Hobus.”

“How so?”

“Apparently, early in his career a Human saved his life at Galorndorn Core.”

“Hopefully, that was sufficient.”, Rashna said calmly. “And our rendezvous point?”

“One place which any sane Romulan, Imperial or Republic, still holds dear.”, Nadel said, smiling again.

Rashna nodded and turned to the main viewer. “Understood. Helm, set course for ch’Rihan and ch’Havran. It will be good to visit our former home.”

[Felenn]

Stardate 103053.3, ch’Rihan system

Rerik dropped out of the warp under cloak at the edge of the system and proceeded under half impulse power. It was a sight that both Nadel and Rashna had seen represented many times in various visually artistic forms. Whether it was a painting, a sculpture or a holographic representation of what ch’Rihan and ch’Havran, Romulus and Remus, were then or now, the actual sight was far more grim. Nadel was too young to have remembered the homeworld, but Rashna was one of the few Remans to have visited the Twin Worlds before their destruction almost 40 standard years ago. It was the first time that Nadel, or any of Rerik’s crew actually, felt a strong emotional response from Rashna or, rather, a psionic emanation which it generated. He rarely used his psionic potential, even in self-defense, so when the sight of Remus’ remains showed on the main viewer, Rashna’s reaction swept over the bridge crew and Nadel like a brief, but strong psionic tidal wave.

“I apologise.”, Rashna whispered, though it was difficult to figure out was he apologising to his crew - or Remus itself.

“Nothing to apologise for, Riov.”, Nadel said calmly, placing her open palm on his lower arm which rested on the command chair. “The greatest warriors are those who shudder before obliteration, even when it’s long over.”

She withdrew her arm and walked over to the helm, where a Reman female, Nakiya, piloted the vessel. Nadel inserted a new set of coordinates. Nakiya did not react to it, as it required her authorisation for the navigational computer to recognise any changes in the flight path. She read the numerical sequence and nodded to Nadel. “This will align us with the orbital remains of ch’Rihan.”

“Correct. This is our meeting point.”, Nadel answered and they proceeded in silence.

Whether it was moments or hours later, Rashna could not say. The image of destroyed worlds on the main viewer seemed to have stopped the time itself. He was tempted to have it replaced by a tactical display but there was something grand about the image, both for the scale of destruction and what this place used to be once. Besides, it was a well known fact not even Tal Shiar plotted ambushes in this system, especially when it was revealed that Taris and Hakeev were involved in the disaster.

“And yet, we are plotting in a sense.”, a thought crossed his mind before he shifted his attention to his tactical officer. “Rennek, do as much as you can with passive scans. I don’t want to alert anyone to our presence until we reach the actual position. Nakiya, estimated time of arrival.”

“Four stein.”, Nakiya said. “Four minutes.”

“There is too much interference, Riov.”, Rennek reported. “Whoever chose this place was cunning.”

“Or cautious. Proceed.”, Rashna said and nodded. When the Rerik finally reached its designated coordinates, Rashna continued: “Drop cloak and raise shields. Standard scanning. Open communication channel.”

As Rashna looked at Nadel, she cleared her throat and said: “This is Riov Nadel of the Romulan Republic Navy. The stars over ch’Rihan seem dimmer this cycle.”

Even before she finished her greet, a D’Deridex warbird, trademark vessel of the Romulan Star Empire at its height, decloaked on top of them, prompting a proximity alert from Rennek’s console. “They are actively scanning us, but their weapons and shields seem inactive.”

“Only to those who forget that shadows are where the Empire sees most clearly.”, a male voice came through that comms channel. A second later, a Romulan male with sharp, angular facial features and brown-turning-gray hair appeared on the main viewer, sitting in a command chair which mirrored Rashna’s own. His wide, dark eyes seemed to have gleamed across the Rerik’s bridge and then fixed on Nadel once he found her. “You haven’t aged much, Nadel. And commanding rank suits you.”

“Thank you, Bochra. It is good to see you as well. I am also grateful for agreeing to meet us.”, Nadel replied.

“The Admiral will take any opportunity to make Tal Shiar’s operations more difficult.”, Bochra said and looked at his Reman counterpart. “Even if that takes collaborating with the most unusual company.”

“Spoken like a true Imperial.”, Rashna retorted.

Bochra ignored him and returned his attention to Nadel. “She will speak with you, Nadel, under one condition. You will beam aboard alone.”

Nadel nodded. “Understood. I will arrive shortly.”

“T’Rul is looking forward to seeing you again, as am I. Bochra out.”, he said and cut off communication.

“Will you comply with their request?”, Rashna asked calmly.

Nadel turned to him, crossing her arms and leaning on the helm console. “As long as we keep all of this within the ‘common enemy’ framework, I think they can be trusted. I would ask you not to do anything that might make them feel endangered, even if they do have a superior vessel.”

“You have my word, and that of my crew.”, Rashna nodded. “Proceed with your mission.”

Nadel greeted him and left the bridge after which he turned to Rennek. “Update.”

The younger Reman blinked in surprise as he studied his read outs. “Commander, that warbird is of standard configuration, including the refit upgrades which the Star Empire introduced to the ageing class over the decades. The computer also identified this particular warbird very easily from our Navy database.”

“How so?”, Rashna said, slightly surprised.

“The ship on top of us is identified as the Imperial Romulan Warbird Khazara.”

IRW Khazara, 20 minutes later

As soon as the ionisation effects of the transporter confinement beam wore off, Nadel opened her eyes. She trusted the technology but observing the changing nature of the environment from within the transporter beam always made her uneasy. As if her mind could not comprehend phasing in and out of the environment around her, even though she very well knew it was her who was phasing. Not the universe around her.

She stepped down the transporter pad and approached Bochra and a female Romulan, wearing civilian attire, who accompanied him. The woman offered Nadel a wide smile and opened her arms, offering a hug, which Nadel accepted. Her light brown eyes studied Nadel and, in return, Nadel looked at her more closely. The woman wore long, brown hair, braided in almost-Klingon fashion. Her two part tunic was unusually brightly coloured by Romulan standards, displaying mixed stripes of purple, velvet red and olive green.

As they separated, the woman inhaled deeply. “You really haven’t aged a day, Nadel.”

Nadel returned a smile. “T’Rul, you are looking as dashing as always. I see you are not in your uniform.”

T’Rul reached Bochra under arm and looked at him. “Someone has to take care of our children while my dear saves the day.”, she said, causing Bochra to curve his lips upward. It looked unnatural on him, Nadel judged, but perhaps he had softened over the years.

“But you are here.”, Nadel noted.

“Well, yes. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see you, dear. My parents are watching over them while we are away.”

Bochra rolled his eyes. “You two can catch up later. The Admiral won’t be waiting forever.”

“Charming as always.”, T’Rul replied sarcastically. “But he is right. You shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

As they left the transporter room and into the corridor, T’Rul continued. “We’ve been part of her House since…”, she looked to Bochra for a reminder.

“Since the Empress had ordered the attack on Vulcan during the so-called Agrama convention.”, Bochra said.

“That’s right. The Agrama incident. Terrible business. We received orders, but…”, T’Rul said and waved her head.

“You deserted?!”, Nadel asked in a surprise.

T’Rul smiled viciously. “Oh, you see… I wouldn’t call it desertion. More like a delay. Wrong place, wrong time, as Humans would say. We found our warbird sabotaged. Old cloaking device, you know.”

“I see.”, Nadel said and offered an apologetic smile. “The Admiral was kind enough to offer repairs because you just happened to…”

“Pass by the shipyards under her supervision.”, Bochra added quietly.

“I thought she had retired.”

“Oh, she did.”, T’Rul confirmed, continuing in a more serious tone. “She just supervises. Shipyards, housing, and other things of common interest. Like a very influential person.”

“I see.”, Nadel said and remained silent during their turbolift ride to the bridge.

The D’Deridex layout had not changed over the years. In fact it hat, in Nadel’s opinion, influenced designs of many successor classes like Mogai and Ha’pax. So it was easy for her to navigate around the main deck towards the conference room to which Bochra and T’Rul merely pointed.

“We will talk later.”, T’Rul said to Nadel as the latter stepped through the door and into the conference room.

The room itself was in dimmed lights and Nadel could recognise the silhouettes of a conference table and six chairs around it, much like her own on Deihu. Shelves across sidewalls were modestly decorated with a few furnishings, mostly representing well-known battles from Romulan history. On the opposite side of the room, there was a dais and a chair. Someone had been sitting in it, that much Nadel could see the person’s head above the backrest. Beside the chair, there was an elongated object. “A walking cane or an Honour Blade. Or perhaps both.”, Nadel thought.

She approached the bottom of the dais and greeted the person. “Jolan tru, Admiral. Thank You for this audience.”, Nadel spoke slowly, cautiously.

No response came for several minutes. Only a buzzing of side consoles broke the silence. Silence that Nadel found somewhat comforting. Although her collocutor wouldn’t reveal her identity, she felt safe even though her mind ran with dozens of scenarios of what could go wrong on an Imperial warbird days earlier.

“You have some nerve to call out this kind of assistance, Riov Nadel.”, the Admiral finally spoke. “First, you run off to D’Tan and his Unificationists. Bah… even the name is a contradiction in terms. Unification by secession. And then you throw your Republic into an embrace of our traditional enemies.”

Nadel said nothing.

“Yes, your silence speaks volumes, Commander. And now, you have the nerve to come asking for help. Does the Republic consider us sufficiently good all of a sudden? Or is it just that you are incompetent?”

Nadel bit her tongue. But it didn’t help. “For someone who seceded themselves to join Donatra and her Imperial State at one point, I think you are in no position to judge me or the Republic, Admiral.”

The sitting woman laughed. A laugh which sounded unforgiving and sent a chill down Nadel’s spine. The woman reached for the elongated object with her hand and placed it in front of her straight up. She rose from the chair and walked to the upper edge of the dais. “Computer, normal lights.”, she said and finally revealed her face.

Toreth and Nadel studied each other in silence for several moments. Nadel frowned, resting her arms behind her back. Toreth stood high and proud, even though she supported herself with a thick wooden cane which caught Nadel’s attention.

“Kedrha uhlei. My mother told me of a forest full of those trees used to grow inlands, north of Ki Baratan.”, she remembered aloud.

“Temer trained you well, Commander. Not only are you ready to speak up against authorities, you are also very observant.”, Toreth praised and stepped down the dais to greet Nadel. “Jolan tru.”

Toreth continued her slow paced walk and sat at the conference table, which had two glasses and a bottle of kali-fal. Toreth opened the bottle and filled the glasses. She looked to Nadel and gestured to a free chair opposite of her own. “Please, Commander, sit down.”

Nadel was stupefied by a sudden change of tone in Toreth’s voice, but did as instructed by her host. This did not escape the elderly Admiral’s notice who pushed another glass to Nadel and raised her own in a toast. “To Temer, and all others who fell victim to Tal Shiar.”, Toreth said and took a long sip.

Nadel had done the same. The drink’s taste, as expected, cleared Nadel’s sinuses and, more importantly, her thoughts. “You knew Commander Temer, Admiral?”

Toreth set her glass aside with a motion both elegant and resolute. She folded her hands, laced her fingers together, and rested her elbows on the table, supporting her chin upon her clasped hands. “Temer was my junior at the Imperial War College. A bright, culturally educated mind whom I recommended to succeed me as a cadets’ prefect once I graduated. And quite a tactician in the Human game of chess.”

Nadel looked at her glass, rotating it nervously between her palms. “He never mentioned you.”

Toreth rolled her eyes in amusement, allowing herself her trademark thin-lipped smile she was known for whenever sarcasm overcame her thoughts. “It would have been inappropriate for either of us to admit mutual acquaintance. His death was not well received among his Imperial peers, for all his faults.”

“He sacrificed himself for a cause he believed was right.”, Nadel replied firmly.

“I have no doubts about that, Commander Nadel. No matter which side was chosen, he died as a true Romulan. Something I could hardly claim for half of the officers on either side of the current political border.”, Toreth said seriously, her discreet smile disappearing. “But you are for something else. For something from the times of my own… What was the word you used? Ah, yes, secession.”

Nadel took another sip and put the glass in front of her. She looked at Toreth with what she hoped would come across as a determined gaze. “You commanded Donatra’s forces during the annexation of the Vashti system by the Imperial Romulan State. I came here to inquire what happened to non-Romulan settlers. And those who were not aligned with either Imperial government.”

Toreth leaned into the seat and reached out for her glass of kali-fal, tapping her fingers with the other hand. She drank slowly, looking somewhere past Nadel. Then she put the glass away again and took a deep breath. “Non-Romulan settlers were given three planetary days to get offworld by any means they saw fit or they would have to comply with Donatra’s rules. You would be surprised how many actually welcomed some form of higher authority. As for the infamous warrior nuns, I am afraid that information is limited.”

“Limited?!”

“Yes, limited, Commander. Are you not hearing well?”Toreth asked mockingly.

“What do you mean by ‘limited’, Admiral? Limited even from You?”

Toreth smiled again. “Very good, Commander. Yes, even from me. Donatra could not afford having Qowat Milat in her front yard, but she knew their worth. How Tal Shiar hated them more than the Federation and the Klingon Empire combined. They were… a power to be handled with care.”

“What happened to them?”

“Donatra arrived in person to talk to their leader… One of their leaders, Zani. What agreement was reached was known only to Donatra’s personal guard and Xiomek, the Reman general. What I can tell you with certainty is that the warrior nuns were ferried away by the vessels which my officers linked to Fenris Rangers.”, Toreth spoke calmly. “I estimate that about five hundred warrior nuns were on the planet at the time when my forces landed.”

“That would account for about a half of them only. We only have the whereabouts of a few dozen.”, Nadel spoke out loud, as if Toreth was not there. “So where is the other half?”

“For all their splendid candor or whatever they call their, I think that many were eventually hunted down by Tal Shiar and their allies or proxies.”, Toreth explained.

“Do you have some idea what was done to them?”, Nadel asked.

Toreth silently stared at Nadel, frowning. She emptied her glass and poured another round of kali-fal for both of them. “If not executed right on spot, they were likely turned into laboratory specimens for Tal Shiar experiments on Borg technology and, later on, Elachi conversion. At one point, there was a rumour that Tal Shiar had a large influx of battle-ready female prisoners.”

“Tal Shiar had even corrupted their saying of ‘choose to live’.”, Nadel said, visibly horrified.

“Indeed, Commander. They let them live as abominations.”, Toreth said and slightly shuddered at the thought. “But I cannot claim to know where the Vashti nuns were taken. I would be willing to make an educated guess, however.”

“At this point, any clue would help, Admiral.”

“I believe that Donatra greatly respected the order’s principle of lost causes and unfiltered truths. One would have to look for locations that fit in such a description.”, Toreth explained. “One such location, ruled by lost cause, lost order and great despair, would be Nimbus III, the Planet of Galactic Peace. Rura Penthe is also a likely candidate, but more attractive, perhaps, could be Boreth.”

“The Klingon monastery world?!”

“Indeed, Commander. Their time crystals could serve as a strong catalyst to finding lost causes, although the monks themselves do not allow just anyone to visit the monastery.”

Nadel rubbed her chin. “There could be a pattern to this.”

Toreth smiled again and she took a brief sip. “I think you will find most of them where you would least expect.”

“Where is that, in Your opinion?”

“Home.”, Toreth simply said.

Nadel nodded. “I understand.”, she said and then emptied her glass. She looked to Toreth and, for the first time, smiled back at her. “Admiral, would You ever consider joining us? Joining the Republic?”

“Bah. Commander, do not ruin a perfect conversation.”, Toreth said, rolling her eyes in irritation. “Besides, I am too old to change. I am of the old guard and I will believe in the Star Empire until the end of my days.”

They sat in silence, sipping their drinks for a few moments. Then Toreth continued: “There is one saying from the Humans of that other universe - nothing is above the Empire, not even the Emperor. A very good piece of advice, I would say. Those who did not abide by it… Shinzon, Sela, Hakeev, even my cousin Taris… they all failed. The Empire survived because it understood deterrence. The Republic may survive because it understands narrative. Decide which language you intend to speak. Perhaps this Republic of yours, Commander, is the next step for our people. I may not agree with it, but I am wise enough not to stop it. Besides, someone has to stay here in the Empire and keep Tal Shiar off your back. To give your Republic an opportunity to prove itself.”, she said and raised her glass. “To opportunities.”

“To opportunities.”, Nadel said and drank. She put her glass away and rose from her seat. “Thank You for this audience, Admiral.”

Toreth, once again, smiled. “Thank me only if you see all this through. Now, run along, Commander. You are dismissed.”, she said and rose as well, greeting Nadel.

Nadel returned the gesture and left the conference room. Toreth pressed a button on the small comm console on the desk. “Bochra, get me a secure communication link to Commander Galathon. I wish to speak with him.”