Chapter 53: The Senator Visits Again

A/N: Alaya Karangalan, you're such a gem, I hugely appreciate your taking time out of your busy schedule to submit a review! Writing the Asha-Vekal swimming lessons was a lot of fun and I was laughing while doing so :-) Vekal actually has a gentle, soft-spoken temperament while also being very disciplined, strict, equipped with leadership skills and deeply passionate (a side Christine knows very well).

I'm glad that I was able to surprise you with General Parem's reappearance. As a result, things are not only going to get difficult for Asha and Thorek, but also for Vreenak, who is torn between his duty to the Empire and his love for Asha.

I am also so excited about Star Trek: Picard. A new teaser was released on 20th December, and it has an interesting scene between Dahj and Narek (don't want to spoil it for you if you haven't seen it as yet!). I'm not sure it will be easily available in my country, though. Might have to wait for the series to appear on DVD. We'll see :-)

Hi splodee, welcome to this story, I'm delighted to have you on board as a new reader/reviewer! Thank you very much for your kind words! I'm so happy you enjoy the world-building and character development. I did a lot of research and note-taking. Seeing that I have read only one Star Trek novel about Romulans, I read up on some of the summaries, and then there was the whole challenge of combining the canon and non-canon storylines (Memory Alpha and Memory Beta). What has helped the most so far was that I set up the story plot with the ending before I started writing this fic. I did have some spontaneous surprises crop up along the way :-)

Hi there romulanlover! I was just finishing up this chapter when your review popped into my inbox! Thank you very much! Christine and Vekal were forced into marriage more than ten or eleven years ago, so it was a different Romulan than Parem, who was definitely not a general back then. Parem is indeed a creep, and you'll read more about his character in this chapter.

Vocab lesson: "daehlen" means "friend". "Hru'hfe" means "Head of Household" (borrowed from Diane Duane's The Romulan Way.)

And finally, to all my readers and reviewers, many thanks for your enthusiasm and kind words, and a very merry Christmas and all the best for 2020 to you!

Vreenak's PADD beeped loudly. It was the PADD he used only for correspondence with Asha. The Senator interrupted his work at once and fetched the tablet. His face darkened as he read her message describing her chance encounter (or possibly not so chance encounter) with General Parem of the Tal Shiar. The one who had been involved in her kidnapping and forced marriage.

"I am not sure how to proceed, and I am afraid for my family, which includes you; for you are my mate and as close to my heart as my husband. Do you have any strategy I can use against him?" she ended her note.

He held the PADD with clenched hands, showering Neral and the Tal Shiar with the most profane expressions he could think of.

"I will visit you," he finally responded, and included three dates for her to choose from.

She chose one and warned him to take care of himself. He smiled a little, and with some bitterness.

Asha believed the best of him. If she knew how often he had indirectly been responsible for robbing innocent lives in the name of the Tal Shiar, she would wash her hands of him. He recalled the prisoner who had gone into premature labour before his eyes, and he had let her miscarry, at the cost of her child's life.

"My disgrace is catching up with me," he whispered. "Oh, Asha! I lost my wife and child, and it is through me that one of my countrymen lost his wife and child..."

He exhaled sharply. Rumination and regret were useless. He had a promise to fulfil – his promise to Thorek, and of which Asha very probably knew nothing.

On the day of his visit, Vreenak disguised himself carefully, using his brown contact lenses, wig, earring and drab robes. He made up his face carefully in his summer residence, knowing he would be undisturbed. After Asha and Letant's respective rathakir invasions, he now carefully checked the rooms with a device Letant had given him every time he entered any of his residences.

He took the public transport, sitting among a bunch of cheerful fruit sellers. He arrived without incident at the Darak villa and announced himself to Kihika, who looked at him suspiciously. Lilou sniffed at him and rubbed her head against his knee. Kihika's face cleared. She dipped her head courteously and welcome him politely into the house. "Ihhei t'Darak informed me that you might visit with your appearance altered. She would have come to greet you yourself, but just in case the trees have eyes…"

"Yes, yes, quite," Vreenak murmured. Kihika closed the door behind them. Vreenak's heart beat faster when he heard Asha's quick footsteps approach, followed by another tread.

Asha and Thorek appeared before him, and Kihika retired discreetly. Lilou, ever watchful, installed herself in a corner of the hall and observed their interactions.

He greeted his hosts politely, his eyes meeting Thorek's cool ones. Then he turned to Asha and greeted her with a line from one of their favourite poems. She smiled and responded with another line.

It was an unspoken courtesy to Thorek that they did not embrace or kiss each other in front of him. Whatever intimacies went on between Asha and Vreenak or Asha and Thorek remained private.

Together, they sat down over a plate of confections and a bottle of Kali-fal, though Asha wisely abstained from the beverage and chose spiced tea instead.

"Thank you for visiting us," she said, "you are placing yourself at great risk."

"It is most willingly taken," he said gently, and although the blue tint of his eyes was hidden, nothing could disguise his characteristic piercing gaze. "Have you heard anything from Parem so far?" His nostrils flared slightly as he pronounced the name. It was a dangerous sign, at least for Parem.

"No, nothing as yet. Did you know him?" she asked him.

"I recall him as a Colonel completely devoted to the Tal Shiar, a rising star in Romulan intelligence. Sharp as a knife in mind and volatile in temper, prone to sudden explosions of rage. I spoke to him twice and advised him to practise better control of his stronger emotions, though not as extreme as..." he wrinkled his nose with contempt, "...Vulcans."

"My grandmother was Vulcan," Thorek said coldly. "Be careful what you say."

Vreenak's eyes flashed, and he opened his mouth to retort; but Asha, who was sitting between the two Romulan men she loved and who loved her, stretched out a hand to them both, and they each took her hand.

In an ideal world, this might have been the start of the three of them going upstairs and sharing a bed together, exchanging love and desire in equal measure between the three of them.

But this was not something any of them wished for, and that door would always remain closed.

It was a time of danger, and holding hands was like a vow, a promise that Vreenak would shield them from their corrupt government, and that her two mates would tolerate each other.

"If you can tolerate me, Merken, then I have confidence that you can tolerate Vulcan DNA under this roof," she said calmly but firmly. Thorek squeezed her fingers. Vreenak clenched his jaw, but he nodded curtly, squeezing her fingers, too.

She gently pulled back her hands, and Lilou, who had sat up abruptly at the first sign of conflict between Vreenak and Thorek, lay down again.

Vreenak continued. "Apart from those two conversations, I didn't have anything to do with Parem. He is probably delayed because of this news item."

He drew out a PADD and gestured.

Chairman Koval had succumbed to his illness. In accordance with Romulan notions of honour and dignity, he had terminated his sufferings with the aid of poison, that way he would have the last word over the Tuvan Syndrome.

They spent the whole afternoon discussing what Asha and Thorek could do if General Parem payed them a visit. This led to further discussions as to whether it would be a surprise visit or arranged. The Tal Shiar were notorious were the former, which was nearly always followed by the imprisonment of their unwilling hosts.

"Your assistant Kihika – is she trustworthy?" Vreenak asked.

"Completely," Thorek and Asha said at the same time.

"If she is as loyal as Lilou, her involvement will be required."

Asha looked pained. "Merken, Lilou is a set'leth. Kihika is not just like my friend, she is my daehlen."

Thorek and Vreenak glanced at each other. This was something both of them were not used to: Asha's distaste about the rigid hierarchical social system on Romulus.

"Is she available?" Vreenak asked.

"Yes. I'll call her," Asha said. Kihika came down at once.

"How much are you aware of the Tal Shiar's involvement in your household?" Vreenak asked her directly. Thorek's eyes narrowed. He disliked having Kihika submit to an interrogation.

"Very much aware, Deihu," she answered directly. "Ihhei told me about General Parem."

Vreenak nodded slowly. "And he might be in line to succeed former Chairman Koval. He intends, hru'hfe, to visit your Ihhei and Ihhai."

"I am aware of it, Deihu. I worry a lot. Can you help?" she asked frankly.

Vreenak scrutinised her. "You realise, then, that a visit from General Parem bodes ill."

"Yes."

"Should you notice General Parem attempting to make contact in any manner with Ihhei or Ihhai tir Darak, kindly inform me immediately."

He handed her a small PADD, similar to the one Asha used for her encrypted correspondence with Vreenak.

"I will, Deihu."

"Swear it."

"I swear it," she affirmed, dipping her head before him.

"Good. It will do."

Kihika curtseyed and retreated with the PADD.

Vreenak turned back to Thorek and Asha.

"You are acquainted with my friend, Delon tr'Letant. You in particular, Asha."

She smiled a little. "Yes."

"I have always taken him into my confidence. Should you be in danger and such danger befall you while I am absent, I would inform him to remove you out of harm's way."

"You would both do that for us?" Thorek asked slowly.

"I stand between two Empires. One is the state I serve. The other is your wife," Vreenak said softly, bowing his head to her. "The state has given me many things, and it has also taken much which has been dear to me."

"Merken, I'm not an Empire. I'm just…well…me," Asha said. Both Romulan men smiled a little.

"You remember our sessions on Romulan modesty?" Vreenak reminded her.

"But that's only valid for certain situations," Asha countered.

"Well, it is valid for this one," Vreenak replied. The timepiece announced that it was evening, and he sighed. "It is time for me to take my leave," he said.

"Merken, I have one more thing I'd like to ask you about."

"Go ahead," he prompted.

"What about my friends, Christine and Vekal? And others like us? There must be others like us?"

Vreenak's face became grim. "My hands are tied, Asha. I will do what I can, however. Now, I really must leave."

It was an unsatisfactory answer, but Asha knew that she couldn't insist and that there was only so much he could do without jeopardising his own life or even that of Letant.

Thorek rose and made him the formal farewell salute: a brief dip of the head and his hand on the left part of his chest.

"I am deeply grateful to you, Senator."

He looked at Asha.

"I will leave you two alone," he murmured. She went on tiptoe and leant her forehead affectionately against his before he left.

Then she was left standing alone with Vreenak. They embraced each other fiercely.

"I don't know how to thank you," she said, almost in tears. "I was so frightened when I saw General Parem."

"And rightly so. I believe he is capable of great cruelty."

"I was afraid to tell you about this. I don't want to put your life at risk."

"Oh, Asha, my life was at risk the moment I chose a politician's career." He kissed her tenderly. "Jolan'tru, a'rhea."

The next months passed peacefully – so peacefully it seemed ominous. Asha didn't see General Parem again or hear from him. She continued to be booked for special occasions like weddings, inaugurations and poetry readings. Birthdays rolled around, they visited Mirek again, her book reached third place out of fifteen on the shortlist. But things were slowly changing in the city of Romulus, and they were changing for the worse.

Asha saw more residences which had been confiscated by the Tal Shiar. She would break out into an icy sweat when she saw the dreaded Tal Shiar plaque sticking to the door, knowing that the owners of the building had been arrested at the dead of night and thrown into prison, the Reman mines or put to death. None of this, of course, was mentioned in the state-controlled media.

She and her friends were keeping their heads down, and she finally truly understood what it was like to be paranoid. When she had first arrived on Romulus, she had been astonished at how Romulans always seemed to be looking over their shoulders. Realisation had set in when she had nearly been strangled in the woods, and now she was looking over her shoulder herself, and not once did she leave the house without Lilou and a disruptor. Asha had warned Christine and Vekal about General Parem, and they, too, were on their guard, including in Mirek. Even swimming lessons were not free from fear, and Doctor Metak mentioned to Asha that one of her patients had suddenly disappeared. Her tutor Rhian, too, was watchful. It was taking a toll on all of them. There didn't seem a moment Asha could truly relax or let her guard down; and even in the darkness of the night, when she was enveloped in Thorek or Vreenak's arms, or getting her breath back after the sweet temporary oblivion of sex, she was watchful. The dark seemed to have unfriendly eyes. Letant's reprogrammed rathakir had self-destructed after a few months. This had not been by accident, but because the unknown technology in them had triggered them to do so. The information they had gathered continued to be vague, but when pieced together, threatened to tell a horrifying story of the Empire, firmly caught in the iron hand of the Tal Shiar, experimenting on their own citizens: on criminals and innocents alike.