D'Rianov Compound
I'Ramnua City, Romulus
Rh'ev I'keara D'nhaih, favored D'kaleh to Senator D'sher, waited patiently in the dark. The cramped passageway afforded no comfort, quite the opposite. But patient endurance was a hallmark of his profession. One that all D'kaleh, of whatever house, prided themselves on. Rh'ev himself had been at this for many decades, so the associated discomfort was nothing new to him. Eventually the guard on the other side of the wall would fall asleep and their way would be open. He would wait all night if necessary, without complaint. In the meantime he began flexing and relaxing his legs slightly, keeping the blood flowing, prepared to move quickly and quietly when the time did come.
Eventually S'tel, his partner, twitched two fingers beside him, just within his peripheral vision. The signal that the guard had entered the deepest stages of sleep, least likely to be roused by ghosts moving through the room. They weren't here to kill anyone. Not today, at least.
Rh'ev reached forward carefully, pushing lightly on the edge of the panel immediately before him. Already lubricated and prepared to open without alerting anyone, it slid aside without a whisper. Stepping through, keeping to the balls of his feet, Rh'ev spent half a minute watching the guard, asleep at his post, sitting only a few feet away.
He focused on the guard's chest, his mind blank. Thinking nothing, passively regarding the rise and fall. He was less than a ghost, a sound unheard. He did not exist.
The guard didn't wake. He even began to snore lightly. So Rh'ev cleared the exit, moving deliberately across the warehouse floor to begin hacking the lock on the opposite portal. Behind him S'tel produced a small tube from which he silently sprayed an aerosol into the air above the sleeping guard. In a moment, the sedative would enter the man's lungs and render him beyond threat. They could practically host a drunken orgy in his lap after that with the guard none the wiser. At least for the next few minutes, after which the effect would wear off completely.
Rh'ev removed a miniature drone kit from his pocket, having bypassed the lock and spent a moment assembling it correctly. He sent it off, fluttering quietly around the crates that strategically blocked the view of the security sensors beyond. After a precious minute locating, hacking and bypassing the sensor suite for that wing of the palace, he flew the drone back on remote, dismantled it and was prepared to leave.
The entire process had taken less than three minutes. But it would be repeated, with minor variations, at least ten times as they moved through the building. At each point risking some wandering guard, or sleepy noble looking for a lavatory, or who knows what else stumbling upon them.
It was the unavoidable risk one counted on in that line of work. The only real certainty, that given enough time something would go wrong and chance would come seeking restitution for all the blessings it had bestowed before.
But that day was not today. Today they passed through the palace without a trace, in less than half an hour, reaching the private chamber of Senator D'Rianov entirely undetected.
The Senator was sitting at a table in the center of the room, hunched over something. Completely alone. For a moment Rh'ev lamented that he was not here to assassinate the man. He happened to like D'Rianov. Admired him greatly, in fact. But one could not have hoped for a more perfect opportunity.
As Rh'ev moved around, approaching stealthily from his left flank, the game board the Senator had engrossed himself in came into view. Nhaiha, a game of strategy. A seemingly simple game, deceptively complex in its actual execution. One moved colored stones about the board, with the goal of capturing territory and, eventually, control of the entire board. Simple enough in principle but requiring years of dedication to truly master.
Nhaiha meaning, simply, 'stones'. Nhaih, being the singular, 'stone', of course. Which happened to be the name of Rh'ev's own house.
And so Rh'ev knew the Senator had been expecting him.
Which was funny.
He chuckled, giving up any attempt to move quietly. S'tel was a little startled, halting in his approach from the Senator's right, but Rh'ev had been clear concerning orders that he remain silent and let him do all the talking. So it hardly mattered.
Senator D'Rianov peered over his shoulder casually.
"Ah. Rh'ev, you are here." He said. "Come, sit down. I'll have my servants tend to you immediately." He gestured at the chair across from him. S'tel would, of course, stand in the corner.
Rh'ev sat as directed, still smirking a bit. "D'Rianov. I have said it before and do not mind repeating…I truly hope I am never ordered to assassinate you. It would be bring a humiliating end to my career."
D'Rianov played along, smiling graciously as he clapped once to summon servants with refreshments. "Have some confidence, Rh'ev." He advised then, with mocking reassurance. "You are more skilled than you know. And perhaps fortune will favor you that day."
Rh'ev smiled in return but said nothing more. D'Rianov didn't mind a little banter…but only a little. Beyond that, he was always prepared to proceed straight to the matter at hand. And this whole farce didn't sit well with Rh'ev anyway, to be honest. His master, D'Sher, was showing his foolishness again. Senator D'Rianov wasn't someone to be intimidated by assassins suddenly appearing in his privacy. And, of course, the Senator had known he was coming anyway, it would seem.
"So. I know that Senator D'Sher hasn't grown bold enough to have me killed yet." He said, gesturing impatiently at the Reman servants to distribute the refreshments and depart quickly. "Let us tend to business then."
Rh'ev grimaced distastefully. He'd been given specific orders concerning what to say now, what he was supposed to imply. But he knew D'Rianov would see the whole thing as pointless, an obscene waste of time. If matters were important enough for a Senator to address them in the first place, then one should speak plainly. So Rh'ev compromised.
"I was told to say to you, 'The ke'telk vines flourish this year in the…'" Rh'ev began.
"Yes, yes." D'Rianov said, waving the matter aside. "Your master became aware several months ago that I import ke'telk'v illegally into Elehu. So he intends to secure my vote by threatening to reveal this, correct?"
Rh'ev hesitated…but there was really no other response the Senator would respect. So he simply nodded.
D'Rianov gestured at S'tel then, standing discreetly in the corner. "Let your second take your seat." He said. "It is late. Too late for business."
He stood, donning his sash. "We will walk in the garden. I will give you my response to D'sher's foolishness and you will deliver it to him. Then we can all go back to sleep."
Senator D'Rianov's garden was something to be envied, especially at night. Many of the vines sported glowing buds of various colors, affirming the intelligence Rh'ev was privy to, suggesting that a nighttime walk in the garden was something D'Rianov enjoyed often.
"Rh'ev D'nhaih, I will take an unusually measured approach tonight in what I wish to say to you." D'Rianov announced.
He was immediately concerned. Any change in behavior of a target was cause for concern. And while the Senator was not a target precisely, the principle certainly still applied.
"Very well." Rh'ev replied, as they strolled along the path. "I will listen, of course, Senator."
"You have served the Empire well, for almost a hundred years now." D'Rianov said. "And after all this time you are, even now, only D'kaleh to the Senate. I say 'to the Senate' because your masters have changed many times, of course. So in essence, you serve the Senate itself. You resolve disputes and aid us, in your own way, in coming to the agreements that would chart the course of the Romulan Star Empire. But you've never risen above this."
D'Rianov stopped then, gazing at Rh'ev. "I know why. And so do you." He said. "You love the Empire. You took to heart the propaganda of your childhood instructors, long ago. And when you became a man you began to measure your worth by how well you serve the Empire. You would say, 'Of what other use is a man?' Eventually, you realized that one's loyalty, one's dedication to the Empire, was the important point. The measure by which a man may gauge his own worth. Success or failure is unreliable, unpredictable."
"Dedication, loyalty, intent…" The Senator said, emphasizing the point with a single raised finger. "That is what matters. By that measure, there is no failure. A man can die in service to the Empire, fail completely in that way, yet still succeed gloriously."
Senator D'Rianov began walking again, taking the time to examine and enjoy his surroundings as he strolled through the garden, still speaking casually to the D'kaleh who could have easily been sent to kill him.
"So great is your love for the Empire then, so true your dedication, so reliable your loyalty…that you left a mate on Vulcan those many years ago. A Vulcan mate, no less. Psychically bound to you." D'Rianov said. "A child as well, I understand. Hardly an easy task, I can only speculate. And you have ended many lives and risked your own a thousand times over. Left many widows and fatherless children in your own footsteps. All because the Empire required it of you. And you did those things, without complaint, without bitterness. With regret, I know, of course. With pain, I realize. But you have sacrificed all the things by which any other man might measure himself in order to serve the Empire."
The Senator smiled across at him then. "So Rh'ev serves the Empire. That is who Rh'ev is. And because of this, Rh'ev can know he is a man."
Rh'ev wasn't made uncomfortable by D'Rianov's judgment of him. He didn't shuffle or frown, nor offer a polite disagreement. He fully agreed, in fact. Had the Senator asked him, he would said much the same thing.
"This is why you admire me, Rh'ev. Why I have your respect, after all these years." D'Rianov continued. "Despite my goals and those of your masters so often running contrary to one another. Because I am similar to you in that way. My concern is to serve the Empire. I do not love it as you do, I merely see the necessity of service. I enjoy the pleasures my office affords me and I recognize that I must return payment for that. Because if I do not, then D'Rianov is not a man. You see? So I serve the Empire. Because she serves me."
"So that is who D'Rianov is." He said. "But you know this. I merely confirm it. Now I will change the subject to another matter. It is related, as you will see. Come, up on the wall. Let me show you I'Ramnau from there."
Rh'ev followed without comment. But he was steeled inside already. Everything about the situation was threatening. D'Rianov was taking a long time getting to the point, completely out of character for him. And he was acutely aware that he'd allowed himself to be separated from S'tel. In truth, he was surprised. Moving against his master, Senator D'sher, hardly seemed worth such effort for D'Rianov. But nevertheless, it seemed suddenly clear that his chances of surviving the night had grown very slim.
Not because D'Rianov intended to have him killed. It was obvious that he didn't, hence the long speech designed to elicit understanding between the two of them. D'Rianov was moving against his master. And as soon as he confirmed that, Rh'ev would be forced to try to kill the man.
And he would certainly fail, dying in the attempt.
At the top of the wall he pretended to enjoy the view of I'Ramnau below but he prepared himself for his death. It was unfortunate but not unexpected. D'kaleh rarely 'retired' in any other way.
D'Rianov gazed down on the city below as well, smiling mildly, seeming completely at ease. "Consider I'Ramnua, Rh'ev. Pretend that each light below is a planet, a world. Full of people, societies, governments. This then is the known galaxy laid out below us. And each shadow is the Empire."
He looked over at Rh'ev again, still smiling. "And like these shadows, like the night itself, we own the whole city. Even the lights, which we will claim in time. For a hundred years we have moved through this city, undetected, unrecognized. You yourself spent a third of your life on Vulcan and none knew you were anything but a good, proper Vulcan engineer. And there are dozens of men like you for each of those points of light."
"Do you know why we have been so successful at this, Rh'ev?" The Senator asked.
Rh'ev shrugged. "Because we are superior to all other species. It is impossible for it to be otherwise…"
"Do not speak so foolishly again." D'Rianov warned. "You are quite aware of the situation and now is not the time to disappoint me. You would die where you stand."
Rh'ev smirked at that. He couldn't help it. There was no doubt that if the Senator decided he was wasting his time, he'd drop dead in one of a thousand different ways a heartbeat later. He did truly admire D'Rianov for that.
"We have been lucky." Rh'ev admitted. "Amazingly so."
"You are correct. In part." The Senator said. "As you know, most Senators are self-indulgent fools, like your master D'sher. Their concern is only that their failures might embarrassment them. Or worse, depose them, losing those precious little powers they so enjoy. And, of course, assassination. So their resolutions need not make any sense, need not serve the Empire. So long as it serves them personally and they risk nothing. That is their only concern."
"They rely on men like me, Rh'ev. Senators who strive to serve the Empire, who are willing to tolerate their stupidity and indulge their vices so long as they too can be forced to serve the Empire in the process, if only incidentally. Men like me must work around, work through, men like D'sher. And often we must oppose their movements directly where it would harm the Empire otherwise. And so you have the friction and disagreements that men like you must so often address."
"One particular area of concern for both myself and your master has been Vulcan. As you well know." D'Rianov said. "Like all other infiltrations, we have taken pains to conceal our existence. And most especially our identity. The reason would be simple in all other cases. Because it so greatly disrupts the morale of those who oppose us. And it hides our hand, most especially. As a D'kaleh you understand this well. It is better to move in the dark, to pull the rug from beneath the enemy's feet and strike them while blind, prone and defenseless. Anything else is foolishness. We leave the screaming frontal assaults to the Klingons."
"Not so with Vulcan, Rh'ev. There we conceal our faces because our cousins would know us otherwise. And they are the only ones who would truly know us in that instant. We will never show our faces to them. They will be destroyed never knowing who has struck them the fatal blow in the dark."
The Senator regarded him again, concern evidence in his tone. "And let us hope, Rh'ev, that the Senate is not foolish enough to take slaves and prisoners on that day. I tell you, we face no greater threat than Vulcan in all the galaxy."
D'Rianov considered the city below again, less pleased now and more grave. "Consider how we came to this place, in regards to Vulcan. We began hiding our faces from them for fear that our enemy would know us. And because of this we have moved slowly, with great caution and careful preparation toward that day when we reclaim that world. And it is a dustbowl, make no mistake. Worthless to us. It is vengeance we seek. The removal of a great threat. And, yes, affirmation of our superiority, even over our cousins. But in the process of this something very interesting has happened."
"Even now both the V'Shar and a handful of the Humans among their Starfleet know of us. Did you know this?" D'Rianov asked. "They know well our identity and the Humans even guess many of the more significant details."
Rh'ev almost denied awareness of that…but he was sure he wouldn't live to hear the point D'Rianov intended to make if he did. So he nodded. Yes, he knew well.
"And yet to the governments and people of both worlds we remain a mystery." The Senator continued. "Even their governments only begin to suspect that we pose a threat. And the people, those few who are even aware we exist, think us of no import. Both the V'Shar and the Human Starfleet hide that knowledge, guard it jealously."
"The V'Shar because they fear what will happen if the people were made aware. Their own government as well." He reasoned. "They would surely seek to reunite with us and would move to do so eagerly. And we would use that weakness against them, to draw close. To smile and slip the blade. The V'Shar know this and greatly fear it, rightly so. And after several decades of hiding this knowledge, they are now in the position that they must continue to do so, just as jealously. They have no other choice but to admit they've known all long and answer for that. Which they cannot do."
"The Humans likewise." He continued. "Certain members of Starfleet have known for at least three decades now. And they have used the threat of that knowledge to force concessions here and there, very tentatively, from the V'Shar. And through them, the Vulcan government that has held them at bay for so long. And now they too find themselves stuck behind the wall of lies they have built. Unable to allow this knowledge to be known or risk exposing themselves just as the V'Shar."
"Now both of these groups aid us in masking our identity from Vulcan. And from everyone else as well." D'Rianov chuckled. "Entirely despite themselves, they are our allies in this. Something we never planned for and certainly didn't expect. Quite a joke the universe has played on us all."
Turning fully to Rh'ev now, he said. "And so, this is why now is the time for us to strike."
Realizing the Senator was waiting for a response…Rh'ev wasn't sure what to say. The fact is, he agreed. They were almost fully prepared to move against Vulcan already, to invade the entire area of space and dominate. But there were new factors, new dangers that had presented themselves. The influence of the Humans in that area, specifically. It seemed better, as much as he hated to admit it, to wait. To continue as before…
"You cannot agree because you are cautious." D'Rianov nodded. "An admirable trait at any other time. Not so now. So many of our recent movements have failed, yes. It would seem the Human's need to consolidate the whole galaxy has driven them to oppose our efforts. And they have succeeded in several instances."
The Senator waved the matter aside, as if irrelevant. "But that is because those efforts have been foolish. The subversion of V'las and his placement as Director of the Vulcan High Command was badly handled. The man was so ruined in the process that he practically screamed at the Vulcans around him, on a daily basis. I don't know how he wasn't committed to an asylum. Or whatever is the Vulcan equivalent. And the drone ships…a pointless, stupid exercise. Allowed only because an equally foolish Senator believed it would make him look clever rather than completely ridiculous."
"And all these things, as well as all other failures that have occurred recently, are because we lack focus. We've nowhere else to go. We prepared the battlefield fully already so that there is nothing else to be done. And we dither rather than going to war. We prance about and play games, risking everything now because we are not bold."
D'Rianov shook his head. "No. The time is now. We must move now. Before this coalition forms. Vulcans, Humans, Andorians, Tellarites…every space faring people in the galaxy will join together if they are allowed to, despite all our efforts. And then we will find ourselves fenced in, captured already. With not so much as a single battle before we are defeated. Cattle, waiting to be butchered."
"Rather than waste our efforts trying to prevent the Coalition, so that we can go on 'preparing' for a war we will never fight, we must strike now, before the Coalition forms. Currently, only two things prevent the Senate from passing that very measure." D'Rianov said. "Two Senators in particular. I invite you to guess who, Rh'ev.
He knew, of course. "My master, Senator D'Sher is one."
D'Rianov nodded. "Of course. And the other?"
Rh'ev sneered with distaste. "Senator D'mek."
"You despise that one, I know." D'Rianov acknowledged. "Because you know he is the one who is responsible for V'las."
The Senator turned away again, looking out over the city. Rh'ev, he knew, was provoked to disgust now. And anger. Better to let him simmer in that.
"I know that you have suffered much because of that man." D'Rianov said. "And do not bother to deny it. I know that the mate you left behind died serving her people, endeavoring to recover the Kir'shara. To undo so much of what we have accomplished there. And you grieve her death. Rightly so, I say. She was a strong and noble woman. I would wish very much that she had been one of us. But she died because Senator D'mek placed a madman over the High Command. One who risked open war with Earth and Andoria, who bombed embassies and murdered pacifists."
"Yes, it would seem to help aid us in our goals. If one were a fool, it would certainly seem so. Paving the way for invasion, destabilizing the region. But V'las was a lunatic and served only to provoke opposition to us, before we were even known. Like your mate. She died because she was forced to stand against us. But she should never have been provoked to do so in the first place. That was utter foolishness."
"Likewise this Terra Prime nonsense. Again, what do you think will be the end result? Will the Humans cower on their planet? Or will the bold among them rise up and poke at the shadows, seeking us out to destroy us? You know very well. At this moment the talks of coalition crumble. And tomorrow they will begin again, with new men at the table. Men from all the space-faring races. Bold men, who recognize a threat and the need to stand against it. Stand together."
"We sneak close and slip the blade, Rh'ev. We whisper lies and spread dissent." He said, disgusted. "We do not throw rocks and bombs, screaming threats to the skies. That only forces our enemies to seek cover and band together."
D'Rianov was quiet for a while, staring down at the city. Allowing Rh'ev to consider all that he had said.
Until, at last…
"You know why you still live, Rh'ev." He said. "Why I have walked with you and talked with you tonight. Why we stand here together, enjoying the view of the city this night. And why the men in the shadows of this garden have not killed you."
"S'tel is already dead." He admitted, confirming what Rh'ev knew. "Do not grieve for him. He died well, in the service of the Empire. And he was a good man for that, so be glad instead."
D'Rianov tucked one hand into his sash, as if addressing the Senate, rather than the D'kaleh of a rival. "I will make a prediction. And then I will allow you to return to your master." He announced.
"When you return to him and report that I have refused to promise him my support…he will be angry. And impotent." He continued. "He dares not tempt me to destroy him by reporting the matter of the ke'telk'v. Instead, he will seek to consolidate his position, afraid that he has declared himself my enemy tonight. So he will remove D'mek from his hand."
At Rh'ev's narrowed eyes, D'Rianov nodded. "Yes, Rh'ev, D'mek belongs to your master. He is no rival, as he has made him out to be. Your master owns him. And tonight he will seek to use you to rid himself of him. You will learn the D'mek is the one who arranged this Terra Prime trouble for the Humans. And you will discover something that will tempt you to wrath against them. And against D'mek for ordering the thing they've done."
"Your master will pretend outrage on your behalf, claiming this as the moment to move against D'mek." D'Rianov said. "And he will send you to kill him. But not for your honor. Rather, because D'mek grows too strong and bold. Because he might threaten him.
"Then he will assure you that he will take over the management of Terra Prime himself. To use it well, correctly. To destabilize the Humans for the glory of the Empire and bring vengeance against the ones who have dishonored you. He will promise you that, to provoke your loyalty. And you will know then that your master is your enemy."
D'Rianov consider him for a long moment…then nodded.
"When you are done, return here." He said, already walking away.
When he reached the floor of the garden below, D'Rianov turned to look up at him again. "I already know what you will ask of me, Rh'ev, even if you do not. Know now that I will grant your request. But you know what you must do to earn it."
When he was gone Rh'ev stood alone on the wall, staring down at the city.
Or…not alone. Surely there were a dozen men, unseen, all around him. But as alone as a man could expect to be anywhere in the Empire these days.
After contemplating the matter for a nearly an hour, Rh'ev finally left the garden. Passing through the arch back onto the grounds, he allowed the Senator's guard to escort him out of the compound.
He stopped there for a quiet moment to honor his friend and partner of seven years, whose head now adorned the center spike of the gate. Taking a moment to close the man's eyes in peace, he wiped the blood carelessly on his sleeve and began the long walk back to the shuttle waiting for him behind the farthest hill.