Hellguard colony, Romulan Star Empire
Thair had walked through those mountains many times before. Every time he climbed them before, he had felt elated; he had that pleasing sensation telling him his destiny was waiting for him there. This day, however, was different. He could not help thinking his doom was the one waiting him this time.
He was feeling hopelessly alone. Beside him, a known soldier marched, softly humming a war song. Nobody was at his right side, though. The faithful centurion who had accompanied him during all these years was gone, as were all his men, as were all the soldiers assigned to Thieurrull, and the civilians working there. The man walking with him now was no one he could really trust. He was one of the guards who worked for the mysterious lord living in the mountains, and Thair had never really liked him.
Behind them, looking obviously scared, a young boy followed him. He did not know why he had commanded the little hybrid to come along. Probably, he had just wanted to feel that a small part of the future he had worked so hard to create was still alive. He sensed something was wrong, very wrong. This was not the way he had expected the future to unfold.
The young scientist reached an opening in the mountains. It was well hidden, and he would have never noticed it if he didn't knew it existed. The soldier went in with easy familiarity while the boy hesitated for a moment, and then went after them.
Lights illuminated the cave that welcomed them. They were walking through tunnels excavated in the solid rock that once had formed the mountains. Stacked, bright colored boxes covered the walls, giving the underground passages a surreal but beautiful appearance.
Deep in the mountains, in an ornate room, a man waited for them. Draped in an expensive dark cloak, he looked every bit the aristocrat he was. He was seated in a large armchair, his eyes staring at a lit fireplace. He did not turn to look at the soldier who stopped at the door, or at the scientist who slowly approached him.
"Ah, Thair, I see you are here again. Has everyone finally left?" he inquired in a light tone.
"Yes," he answered from behind him, "nobody is left on the planet except your men, and me, of course." He played nervously with his hands.
"And the Vulcans, I hope, and the half-breeds."
"Yes, yes," he rushed to reply. "They are all in the old colony, as I always leave them for you."
"Good," the lord murmured pleased, "you have been of good help."
"As I promised. You asked me to make this project fail and so I did. You asked me to give you prisoners for your experiments and so I did." Urged by the fear that gripped him, he explained, "And it was not an easy task, Lord. Sometimes my colleagues grew suspicious and asked questions. Why we should let the Vulcans die on the planet's surface when we could use them again? Especialy when capturing new ships has become too dangerous. And why we should dispose of some of the hybrids who weren't faulty?"
The man waved his hand slightly to silence him. "And you always solved the situation well. You always provided me with enough test subjects. Now the project has ended in the perfect time. There are more than enough prisoners to finalize the testing, and we will do it without interference. I thank you for your help."
The young scientist was not sure if this last comment was supposed to reassure him or warn him.
"I always meant to ask," the Lord continued, his gaze still fixed on the flickering flames, "was it a difficult task, sabotaging the project?" He was smiling.
"I... " Thair stammered at first, unsure of what the other man wanted him to say. "I did my job well. Nobody noticed my actions."
He stopped, but the aristocrat was still silent, waiting for an explanation.
"The High Command wanted the hybrids because of their telepathic ability. I... managed to disable this characteristic of them."
"Aren't they telepaths?" the lord asked, genuinely intrigued.
"Yes, yes, they are," the young man clarified. "I couldn't change their genes. It's not my specialty and, anyway, it would have been discovered. I just administered the hybrids a chemical compound that-"
Laughter interrupter him. The nobleman stood up and, still laughing, faced him; his long cloak rustled. "You have enjoyed yourself, haven't you? You actually like this cloak-and-dagger game. How Romulan of you."
The scientist knew that wasn't meant as a compliment; he was just being mocking. Unsure of how to respond, he simply kept quiet.
"Yes," the lord said, fixing his dark bright eyes on the younger man, "you have had fun playing the spy. Now, the game is over. Return my insignia to its rightful owner."
He reached out his hand. It was a harmless gesture, but the scientist flinched. The lord looked mighty and terrible with his tall figure wrapped all in black and reinforced by the red fire behind him. His sable hair shined, his dark eyes glinted and his teeth flashed in a feral evil smile.
The intimidated scientist took a metallic object from his own cheap tunic and handed it over. The nobleman caressed it for a moment before putting it in one of his luxurious cloak's folds. It was a Tal Shiar insignia, the same one the researcher had used in front of the Subcommander.
"Wearing it makes you feel powerful, doesn't it?"
The scientist nodded even though he did not want to. He had really liked the feeling of superiority it had given him.
"But that's the difference between you and me. I don't need any object to tell me I'm powerful." Those cruel features, at once both lit and shadowed by the flames, leaned closer to the scientist and his superior height made the younger man recoil. "I am powerful," he stressed.
Thair realized his doom was coming dangerously close. After all these years of planning and scheming, the end was not going to be the one he had intended. All the last days' fears were becoming true. He forced his words out, because even if it was a futile effort, he needed to say them.
"I helped you, and you promised me-"
The lord hushed him, but Thair kept on.
"I made the project fail, and made sure all the nobles that took part on the project would also fail. You promised me."
"Did I?" the older man asked, feigning ignorance. "I can't remember."
"I helped you!" the scientist insisted. "Because you said you were building a new Empire and I would be at its head with you!"
"You helped me because you were a fool," the lord answered him. After a pause, he said again, "I thank you for your help." And then motioned for the guard at his door.
No words needed to be said. Thair knew the mysterious man was getting rid of him, as he had done with many other persons in the past. The soldier took him away, and as he dragged him to the place where his never-to-be-known execution would take place, he reflected on the lord's last words. Yes, he had been a fool for trusting him, for believing in his promises. He had only wanted revenge for this time when he was younger and he had tried to enter the academy, only to be rejected by a Commander because of his lowly birth. The nobles always came first, and the doors to his desired career were closed. He had always wanted them to pay. And when ten years ago the mysterious man approached him and offered to help him... He should have known. The man draped in black was powerful, and rich; he was an aristocrat too, as treacherous as any other. He told him to mark the hybrids of the noble Romulans, and make the project fail.
"Their names will be known," he assured him, "disgrace will fall upon them."
But the lord would never reveal the names, he would never reveal anything of the ill project. He would just conceal it, he would just make it disappear, because he had another mission to lead.
A shadow Empire was to be built in Hellguard's ashes.
The young boy stood at the threshold, looking despairingly as the only man who had ever protected him walked away. All his hopes had always laid on Thair, on his hushed promises of a better future. He had always looked so sure, so mighty... But now the boy had seen him cower before another, more powerful Romulan, and he did not know what to do, or what to think. The new man, apparently called Lord, was now looking intently at him.
"So you're one of Thair's children," he commented, grinning at him. "Let's do him one last favor," he said caressing the boy's chin lightly. "Go!" he ordered.
The boy stared at him for a second, then ran away. He did not go far. He collided with another guard that was coming in, and the guard grabbed him.
"Where do you think you're going?" he taunted.
"Let him go. I don't need him now," the aristocrat commanded.
Intrigued, the soldier let the young hybrid free, and the boy did not wait to hear his next words.
"Let's keep our promises for a while. We will have him later."
The lord turned and sat down in his armchair again. Contemplating the fire, he smiled. His plans were going so well. That fool never suspected that he did not care for his stupid personal revenge and that he only was being used. First would be proud of his deeds; at least he was. He had mastered the finest Romulan art. He had concealed a secret within a secret. He had manipulated the manipulator. He had plotted using the other conspirator, and in the awful ruined colony, he had let the official project run while it benefited and served him as a cover. And in the cursed world, he had planned its downfall because the abandoned colony had an owner, and this owner knew the real value of the apparently useless planet. That value was only for him to know and for him to use.
Yes, he was a real Romulan, not the ones who controlled the Empire now. As the stupid scientist that had been his tool, he also disliked them. But he was not a fool, and he was going to prevail. His conspiracy was going to be a success. He had just to prepare his terrible new weapons and wait for First's call.