They materialized on an open terrace in a building near the very center of the capital city and the very first sight that greeted them was the magnificent skyline of the heart of the Romulan Empire in all its glory, basking in the purple light of a stunning sunset playing out over the distant horizon and a shimmering sea.
It was not what Osuanuas Dar had expected to see. At least not straight away.
It was a sight which immediately pulled at his heartstrings, bringing back memories of a life and a home he had long since abandoned.
“A beautiful evening, is it not?”
“Magnificent,” Dar said without even aware of who had asked the question, too preoccupied to soak up as much of the vista as possible not sure if he would ever get a second chance.
When he finally turned away, and with some difficulty, he realized that he had been the last to face their hosts.
“Welcome to Romulus, gentlemen,” the woman said. She was of middle age and very graceful even wearing a plain, civilian robe. She offered a small, reserved smile.
Next to her stood a younger woman. Slender, athletic, undeniably attractive even with her exact, regulation Romulan military haircut and broad-shouldered uniform. She looked officious, her features neutral and her hands clasped behind her back.
Surprisingly there was nobody else on the terrace besides them. No armed welcoming guard.
“Senator Cretak,” said Dar. “I am delighted to finally meet you in person. This is Lieutenant Commander Xeris and Lieutenant Commander So’Dan Leva.”
“It is a pleasure meeting you all,” she said. “Let me introduce my associate, Sub-lieutenant Donatra. It is mostly thanks to her lobbying that we were able to convince the Romulan Guard to allow this meeting.”
Dar glanced at the young woman and gave her a courteous nod. “Than we all owe you a debt of gratitude, Lieutenant.”
She acknowledged the gesture but didn’t speak.
Xeris kept his eyes on his surroundings, checking and double-checking every corner and shadow. This did not go unnoticed by the senator. “Is there something the matter, Mister Xeris?”
“Just keeping my eyes open. I’m sure you can appreciate that I don’t fully trust this situation,” he said, ignoring the chastising glance he received from Dar.
“I can assure you that the Romulan Guard will guarantee your safety on Romulus for the duration of you stay,” Donatra said.
“I that so?” said Xeris who hardly masked the fact that the military officer’s reassurance didn’t hold much weight with him.
“You are right to be suspicious, of course,” the senator added. “And to be blunt, I’m sure the Tal Shiar will monitor us very closely especially considering your unique histories with the Empire but I’m certain they will not want to make a move against any of us in these precarious times. The entire Empire is acutely aware of the tenuous political situation in the Alpha Quadrant and nobody wishes to aggravate the situation needlessly one way or the other.”
“Does this mean the praetor is still disinclined to an alliance?” Dar said.
“I’m afraid nothing has changed,” said Cretak and led the way, allowing Dar to walk beside her while the others followed. “But there are many in the senate as well as in the military who feel that we need to seriously consider such a move. That is why I have suggested this meeting here on Romulus. Hopefully you can succeed where both Romulan and Federation delegates have failed and convince the Continuing Committee to change direction.”
“We will do everything in our power to try and achieve that, Senator.”
For Leva their arrival on Romulus had not sparked the same nostalgia that had gripped Dar. Like Xeris he had been concerned but he also understood that they were, for all intents and purposes, in enemy territory now. Constantly looking over his shoulder seemed pointless and so instead he tried to get a better impression of their hosts, most specifically the young military woman.
And he had been impressed by what he had seen so far.
They stepped into the high-rise building and took a turbo-lift to reach the rooms they had been assigned, each with a similarly impressive view of the city.
“You will have unrestricted clearance to move within this building which features work stations, libraries, exercise facilities and other amenities you may use at your leisure. While you cannot leave the building unaccompanied, we have arranged a tour of the city tomorrow morning,” Cretak said after they had been shown their individual rooms. “We are scheduled to hold our first presentation in the afternoon.”
Dar nodded. “We’ll be looking forward to it.”
The two women made eye contact with each man before they excused themselves for the evening.
Leva couldn’t be sure but he thought he could see a faint smile on Donatra’s crimson lips when their eyes met. She had turned away quickly however and soon after they were both gone.
Dar stepped back towards the windows of their spacious lobby. “I think that went well,” he said even as he studied the city in the evening light.
Xeris shook his head. “I remain skeptical of their true intentions,” he said and then looked at Leva. “And Commander, in case you forgot, we are here on official Federation business, this is not a vacation.”
The half-Romulan shot the man a glare. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you think I noticed the way you’ve looked at the lieutenant? It would be more prudent to keep your focus on the mission and possible dangers instead of the local women.”
Dar laughed and gave Leva a good natured clasped on his back. “Leave him be. Besides she is fairly easy on the eyes, wouldn’t you agree, old friend?”
Leva just shook his head. “You’re both insane. The last thing I’d ever do is to get involved with a Romulan woman. Have a good night,” he said and turned towards his room to retire for the evening.
* * *
Leva was woken the following morning by the first rays of sunlight, shining into his room. He had slept surprisingly well in what he kept telling himself was an alien city.
The truth was, that it wasn’t all so foreign to him.
He had travelled to Romulus and to the capital city a few times when he had been a child. His mother had been an important dignitary but because of his human father their true relationship had been kept a secret.
Instead, So’Dan had been raised by his mother’s sister on a colony world near the Romulan and Klingon border and he had only ever met his mother in great secrecy. Usually this meant that he had been sent off to the home world were he would spend a few hours at a time with his mother while staying at a relative’s home.
After his home planet had been attacked by Klingons and most of the adult population had been killed, including his aunt, he had been sent to live on Earth with is father where it had been deemed much safer to raise a child of mixed heritage.
He remembered visiting the capital as a child mostly because seeing his mother had meant the highlight of his year and a chance to escape the bullying and harassment he received by his peers on the colony world he’d called home.
When the door enunciator signaled a visitor, he quickly pulled on his uniform pants, shirt and boots and stepped out into the lobby where he found Lieutenant Donatra waiting for him.
“I hope you rested well,” she said.
“Well enough.”
She gave him a curt nod. “Would you like to commence the tour of the city now?”
He had forgotten that it had been part of the agenda for the day. “Don’t you think that would be a waste of our time? We didn’t come all the way here for the sights.”
If Donatra was irritated by his gruff demeanor, she did a splendid job to hide it. “The meeting with the government and military representatives is not due until the late afternoon and the senator thought that you’d might welcome the opportunity to see the city.”
“Perhaps you should try your luck with Dar instead.”
She nodded. “Senator Cretak and Mister Dar have already commenced the tour. We could join them or you may stay here if you prefer. I understand Commander Xeris has also refused to leave the building and has decided to spend the morning in the library instead.”
Leva considered his options. He had to admit that he wasn’t entirely disinclined to the idea of getting another look at the impressive capital city. And it certainly wouldn’t have hurt from an intelligence standpoint to know more about a potential enemy.
“This city has been my home for many years, you couldn’t ask for a better guide,” she said with just the barest hint of a smile. Leva found it surprisingly enticing as if she was giving him just a small taste of her charm, inviting him to find out just how far her hospitality went.
He wasn’t sure if he was reading those signals correctly but he decided that there was no harm in trying to find out.
“Lead the way, Lieutenant.”
