The Children Of Remus: The Face Of The Enemy

[TREKISODES]

Star Trek: The Children Of Remus
A new series taking place in the amazing Sojournerverse.
To check out the TCOR’s beautiful artwork, check out our page at deviantart.

Episode 1x01: The Face Of The Enemy

Debris slowly drifted through space like it was a trail of breadcrumbs.

Suddenly, space started to wrinkle and twist until it finally gave birth to a massive green-gray coloured vessel. With its nacelles spread out like wings and the forward section of its hull like an enormous head, reaching forward, it was a warbird, ready to devour everything that crossed its path.

ROMULAN SIDE OF THE NEUTRAL ZONE

Commander Tebok sat quietly in his chair, his eyes fixed on the viewscreen as his crew frantically ran around the bridge, analysing scan after scan in an attempt to figure out what had happened to their outposts. His D’Deridex class warbird, the Ri’Gal, had been sent out here, to the edge of Romulan space, after command had lost all contact with their outposts spread across the Neutral Zone.

As the burning remnants of the first outpost came into view, Tebok immediately realized this hadn’t been some unfortunate accident. Someone had attacked their outposts, the Empire’s first line of defence against the Federation. Though this was clearly a cause for worry, what actually worried him more was the fact that, so far, they hadn’t been able to match the alien energy signatures they had registered with anything in their database. This either meant that the Federation had developed a new type of weapon, more powerful than anything they had seen before – or, option two: they had been attacked by another, unknown force.

As Tebok leaned forward in his chair, contemplating his next move, from the corner of his eye, he noticed someone walking over to him.

“Commander.” the male voice said.

Tebok looked up at his first officer, sub-commander Thei, now standing next to him.

“Yes,” Tebok replied calmly.

Though Thei was usually able to keep his emotions well-hidden, even to the point where someone might suspect him of being a Vulcan agent, it was clear that something disturbed him deeply.

“Sir, we haven’t been able to detect any bio signs amongst the debris and-”

Tebok cut him off mid-sentence. “You mean, there are no survivors?” Though he obviously knew that chances of finding a living soul in the wreckage of the outpost were slim to non-existent, there was still the hope of finding an eyewitness who could shed some light over this mystery.

“No, sir. I mean, there is no trace of any biological materials, alive or dead.”

Tebok rubbed his chin upon hearing the news. What kind of weapon could wipe away all life without leaving at least some sort of trace? Or could it be that the crew had been beamed off their station prior to the outpost’s destruction?

“Sir, there is something else as well.”

The tone of his first officer’s voice didn’t bode well.

“Apparently parts of the outpost have been”, he paused as he seemed to search for the right word, “carved out”.

“Carved out?” Tebok could feel his pointed ears point even more upwards than usual.

“Yes sir. With an almost surgical precision” Thei stated matter-of-factly.

Tebok clenched his hands around the armrests of his chair and stared back in front of him, at the image of the burning outpost displayed on the central viewscreen.

“I would say it is high time we contacted the home world and informed them of our findings.”

***

 

[TREKISODES]

Romulus, Capital

Night covered the capital of the Romulan Empire like a blanket, bringing the bustling business of everyday life to a halt. And although everything might seem peaceful and serene, it was the time between sunset and sunrise that was feared the most by the authorities. After all, darkness offered opportunities to those who wanted to hide things that should not see the light of day – like plots to overthrow the government.

Of course there were other, but therefore not less important, affairs that needed to be hidden from the light of day. Such as extramarital escapades.

Family was one of the cornerstones of Romulan society, and anyone who ever hoped to build a political career needed to show the people that they were a defender of traditional values. Family was the foundation of one's power base. Without it, you had no chance of ever being elected to the highest offices of the Empire.

Obviously, secret lovers and mistresses did not fit into that “picture perfect”. They, too, belonged to the night. And on this particular night, when the Neutral Zone was set aflame, Senator Ropak enjoyed the warmth of his young lover’s embrace, blissfully unaware of the world around him until he received a call from his aide, urging him to head down to the Senate for an emergency session.

His lover had asked him – no, he had practically begged him – not to go, fearing it might be a trap set up by one of his political opponents or, even worse, the Tal Shiar. Even mentioning their name sent shivers down Ropak's spine and as he looked in his lover's eyes, a plan started to form in his mind. A plan that would lead them both far away from here. Away from Romulus, away from duty. It would be just the two of them. They would only have each other and that would be enough.

And as a smile formed across his lips as he reached out his hand to touch his lover's cheek, suddenly his daughter's face flashed before his eyes. And that of his beloved wife. His family. He would be abandoning his family too. And as he looked back into his lover's eyes, he wondered if it had been really love that had brought the young man into his bed. A feeling of sadness washed over him. He was a powerful but old man. And without power, he would be just an old man. And without the financial means to pay for expensive gifts and a luxurious lifestyle, what else could he offer him?

As Ropak's fingers touched his lover's chest, he leaned in to steal one last kiss before stepping out of bed.

Shortly after, he returned from the bathroom, fully dressed and wearing the emblem of his province on his chest.

“We will not see each other again”, Ropak said with a lump in his throat.

His lover rose up from the bed, his body still glistening with sweat. Ropak noticed fear in the young man's eyes, and he realized he needed to clarify himself.

“Tomorrow you will ask for a transfer to our office on Remus.”

"Remus? But why-”

Ropak raised his hand, silencing the young man as if he was a child.

“You will do as you are told. I-.”

Before he even had the chance to finish his sentence, his lover was already on his knees, begging him not to banish him to that world where darkness ruled and men like him were sentenced to a life of toil deep in the dilithium mines.

Ropak looked down as his lover wrapped his arms around his legs and as he felt his heart break into thousands of pieces, he remembered his father's words: compassion is a weakness, my son. It lets you lower down your guard, and before you can blink your eyes, you'll find more than one dagger placed between your ribs.

As his lover kept on crying, his tears wetting his toga, he slowly reached for the disruptor hidden in the crease of his toga.

***

 

[TREKISODES]

Romulan Hall of State, Senate

Ropak had tried to keep to himself as much as possible as he followed his colleagues, shuffling through the great hall that led to the Senate, the epicentre of all power in the Romulan Star Empire. As he discretely looked around, he noticed that everyone else seemed as worried as he was. He tried to pick up on a conversation here and there, but nothing he heard made him any wiser.

As he stepped onto the floor of the Senate chamber, his attention was immediately drawn by the Great Bird-of-Prey, holding in its claws the planets Romulus and Remus. And after he made a silent prayer to the Gods, pleading to spare his life today, he took his seat on the third row.

Just as he sat down, the members of the Continuing Committee entered with, a few meters behind them, Praetor Darok, accompanied by three Admirals.

So this was a coup after all, Ropak thought. He tried to stay as calm as possible.

As the Praetor took his seat and the three Admirals occupied the floor at the centre of the room, the murmurs of the Senators slowly died out to the point where you could hear a pin drop. But the tension in the room was still very much palpable.

“The Empire has been attacked”, the Praetor said.

You could almost literally feel the shock moving through the rows of Senators. Voices shouted: “By whom?”, “The Klingons?”, “The Federation?”.

One of the Admirals, Ropak believed the man’s name was Alidar Jarok, stepped forward and looked in the Praetor’s direction as if asking permission to speak.

Ropak watched as the Praetor gave Jarok a simple nod, acknowledging his request, and so the Admiral started his address to the Senate.

“Our outposts along the Neutral Zone have been destroyed.”

That could mean only one thing, Ropak realized: the Federation, with whom they had not been in contact for over fifty years, had finally decided to launch an attack. Some of his colleagues rose from their seats, demanding retribution for this cowardice act.

Jarok exchanged a brief look with the other two Admirals as he continued: “You call for retribution and rightly so, but in order to lead a successful campaign against our enemies, we need you to free us from our chains. Declare martial law and I will promise you that we will bring you the heads of those responsible for this attack.”

Now it was Praetor Darok who rose up from his chair.

“No”, the Praetor said. “Not until you have given us proof of who is behind these attacks on our outposts.”

Ropak shook his head, confused about what was going on here. And so were the other Senators. After Jarok had briefed them on their initial findings, it was clear that none of the evidence pointed directly at a Federation involvement. A more thorough investigation would be needed. And so a Senate majority rejected the motion to instate martial law.

As the emergency session came to a close and the Senators left the floor, Ropak was approached by Praetor Darok. He took a deep bow, showing a deep respect for the Praetor.

“If the Federation is indeed responsible for the attack, the project with the earthlings must be terminated.”

“But-” Ropak stammered. But before he could finish his sentence, the Praetor raised his hand, clearly not tolerating any dissent. His word was final.

“Immediately.”

And if the Praetor’s eyes could shoot fire, Ropak would be nothing more but a pile of ashes.

***

 

[TREKISODES]

Shuttle en route to Romulus

Galathon looked out the window of his shuttle and as he did, it suddenly hit him that it had been over a year since he last traversed the vacuum of space. All that time he had been holed up in the lab of his research complex located on Remus, focused on his life's work.

As Romulus, a lush green and ocean blue planet, slowly rotated into view, a smile appeared on his face. This world he once called home was so unlike Remus, a barren and inhospitable planet where one hemisphere always faced the sun while the other half was condemned to eternal darkness.

Suddenly, as if it were a reflection, he saw his beloved wife's face. His fingers touched the glass of the window, but the image of his great love vanished as quickly as it had appeared. His smile slowly faded as tears welled up in his eyes. For years, he had tried to bury himself in his work, trying to forget about the tragedy of the loss of his wife. But as he saw Romulus, he was reminded once again of his deep love and affection for her. He turned away from the window and wiped away the lonely tear that ran down his face.

***
Romulus, Ministry of Science

Galathon, accompanied by a clerk, walked down one of the halls on the fourth floor of the Romulan Ministry of Science. After having exchanged courtesies upon arriving, the clerk hadn’t said a word to him. Normally he wouldn’t be bothered by it, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the clerk seemed agitated about something. He didn’t know if that something had anything to do with him, but the fact that he had been summoned here today without much of an explanation didn’t bode well.

As they arrived at senator Ropak’s office, the clerk stopped and pressed the doorbell. Mere moments later, the doors slid open, and the clerk motioned Galathon to step into the office.

***

 

[TREKISODES]

Romulan Ministry of Science, senator Ropak’s office

Ropak looked up from the datapad he was holding in his hands as Galathon walked up to his desk.

“Good day, senator,” Galathon said politely.

As he stood in the senator’s office, Galathon wondered what could’ve been so important it couldn’t be discussed over subspace. Unless it had some-

But the senator cut off his thought process.

“You are ordered to terminate the project.”

Galathon reached for the chair in front of him, barely able to stand on his feet, shocked by the news he was given.

“Ter- ter-” he couldn’t help but stammer the words out. “Terminate? "Why?"

Ropak leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin, wondering how much sensitive information he could divulge. He and Galathon went a long way back. He knew the man was loyal and could be trusted with secrets. And he also knew Galathon wouldn’t leave his office until he received a proper explanation on why he was ordered to terminate his life’s work.

“Our outposts along the neutral zone have been destroyed. And although there is no definitive conclusion yet as to who attacked us, all the evidence points toward the Federation.”

“That is-.” Galathon didn’t finish his sentence. The Federation was a formidable opponent. If they indeed had decided to wage war against the Empire, one way or the other, the life of every Romulan would be greatly affected. But it wasn’t the prospect of war that was on the forefront of his mind right now.

“Terrible news indeed, but” he paused, “I do not understand how that affects my project?”

Galathon’s assessment of the situation was met with a deep sigh from Ropak. Did he really have to spell it out to his old friend?

“Your entire work revolves around Humans. You truly believe they would allow you to continue your project when fleets of ships, filled with earthlings, raid our worlds? For such an intelligent man as yourself, Galathon, you seem to be very naive.”

Galathon stepped forward, placing both hands firmly on Ropak’s desk as he leaned forward. With a voice coloured by both determination and anger, he said: “These children have done nothing wrong to deserve our wrath.”

Ropak bit his lip as he looked up at Galathon. Was he supposed to feel threatened now? He slowly rose up from his chair, determined to end the discussion before it had the chance to spiral out of control.

“Either you do as ordered,” Ropak said “Or I’ll send over the military to shut down your project for you.”

From the fiery look in the senator’s eyes, Galathon knew he was fighting a battle that had already been lost before he even set foot in the senator’s office.

“If they must die, at least they’ll die in their father’s arms” was all he could say. Since there was nothing more to be discussed, Galathon turned around and strode out of the office.

***

 

[TREKISODES]

Shuttle

As Galathon stepped back into his shuttle, for some inexplicable reason, he immediately felt something wasn’t right. As he stepped over to the front of the shuttle, the man sitting at the helm control swivelled around his chair, pointing a disruptor straight at him.

“Where is Vester? What did you do to him?” Galathon asked worriedly.

The man merely smiled and said: “Do not worry about your pilot. We merely took him out for a stroll.”

“What do you want from me?”

The man waved his disruptor to the seat next to him, implying Galathon should sit down.

“All will be revealed in due time. Now I suggest you take your seat. We have to depart shortly, and I am on a tight schedule.”

As Galathon reluctantly took his seat, the mystery man turned back to his console and started up the engines of the shuttle.

***
Tal Shiar Compound

After a short trip, Galathon’s shuttle landed deep inside a mountain complex. During the ride over, he realized he had been taken by the Tal Shiar, the Romulan intelligence agency that functioned as a secret police. An organization that answered to no one, not even the Senate. But what did they want from him? Were they going to torture him, just like they had done with his father?

As he was shoved into a room with no windows, he was greeted by a Tal Shiar operative standing in one of the corners.

“Thank you for coming here on such short notice,” the man said.

“It’s not like you gave me much choice,” Galathon scoffed.

The operative stepped out of his corner and into the light: “Once you know the reason we brought you here, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. Yes, perhaps even grateful.”

“Grateful to the Tal Shiar,” he snorted, “That will be the day.”

With his arms held behind his back, the operative stepped over to Galathon and as they finally stood face to face: “I know about your father and-” he paused to search for the right word, “his unfortunate accident. But I truly believe you and I can move past that. Especially considering we now share a common goal.”

“A common goal? What would that be?” Galathon inquired, his interest piqued.

The operative turned around and stepped away as he spoke. “Your so-called secret project on Remus.”

“My project… has been terminated.”

The operative turned around again and smiled. “Officially perhaps.”

“By order of the Praetor himself.” Galathon added.

The operative dismissed Galathon’s observation with the wave of his hand. “The Praetor nor the Senate has any say in matters that concern the Tal Shiar. And as of this moment, your project falls under jurisdiction and protection of the Tal Shiar. If, of course, you are prepared to work with us.”

Now it was Galathon who turned around. He hated the Tal Shiar and what they represented with every fibre of his body. But they were offering him a chance here. An opportunity to save his life’s work – and the lives of his children. Would he be able to move past his own grudge?

“Forgive me, but I don’t think I got your name.”

The operative walked back over to Galathon. “My name is Rekar.”

Galathon turned around again and as he stared into the eyes of this Rekar person, he knew he had no other option than to make a deal with the devil. Not able to bring himself to say the words out loud, he merely nodded, signalling Rekar he was prepared to work with the Tal Shiar.

Rekar simply smiled and said: “Good. Then I suggest we get to work.”

TO BE CONTINUED.

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Really great development of the Romulan character and society. And a great moment in their history to elaborate on - the fist Borg incursion... Great premise.

Looking forward to more! Thanks!! rbs