Disclaimer: Hiren and Tal'aura are characters from the movie Star Trek:Nemesis

The Senate had always been Koval's favorite place, it reflected well the Empire's soul. Most citizens walked its corridors and rooms, contemplated the war trophies and the historical emblems that decorated it and felt proud of their race. They listened to the senators' debate and felt both their regions' particular interests and the Empire's common goal were been well cared of. They were just fools. The Senate was just a show; its representatives just pawns whose only true purpose was to survive the deathly game politics in the Empire was. Senators were cruel, treacherous, self-satisfying and greedy, and played any tune the praetor, or the Tal Shiar, ordered them to play, as they waited for a chance to take his place. That was the real Empire, not the one the audience who had congreagated believed in. Koval hardly spared a glance at the people watching expectantly at him, and it was one of contempt. Instead, he focused on admiral Ajeya who was speaking now.

Ajeya was wearing her dress uniform. Koval lingered his gaze over the many medals that covered her sash and belt and felt exposed, almost naked. He had been stripped of his rank already and even if he wore the most expensive clothes he owned, he thought he could not impress anyone with them, not the way he had when his simple gray uniform told everyone he was the head of Tal Shiar. For the first time in decades, he felt vulnerable; he hated the long forgotten sensation.

Ajeya was giving the senators an account of the last past events, including the discoveries that had led her to them. She spoke resolutely, explaining each fact clearly, defending her actions with both passion and thoughtfulness. Koval was surprised that the hardened warrior, who had devoted her life to war and truly depised politics, could actually be such a good speaker. Both the people and the Senate listened to her with interest and seemed to believe her words. It did not really matter; he was painfully aware that his sentence was already signed and the trial was just a show.

The Admiral had her focus on Neral, but addressed the senators from time to time. In other occasions, such as now, she let her gaze set directly on him instead. Koval met the glare she directed at him. Ajeya's eyes burned with hatred. He still could not comprehend why the woman hated him so much. He thought of matching her stare, of replying her with the same hate and rage, but he certainly did not feel that way. For him, the admiral meant nothing; and then, isn't cold indiference the worst you can show a foe who despises you so much? Koval glanced back at her with plain disinterest and a hint of disregard. Ajeya's eyes sparkled with fury and turned away, focusing on the praetor once more.

The praetor nodded and let her go on. Koval realized he was not even listening to her. He did not hate Ajeya, not even now that she was the one explaining the accusations that would be his downfall. Certainly he had understimated her, and now he deeply regreted not having ordered her death the moment his operatives had caught her snooping around. He had thought he had her under his control; he had believed she was not a real threat. He had been mistaken. But Ajeya, whatever her grudge againts him, was just a tool, and as such he dismissed her.

Ajeya was not the only one he had understimated. As he reflected so, he turned to look at the commander who stood at attention slightly behind her. She was looking straight forward and their eyes could not meet. But he had caught a glimpse of them when she had passed by him while escorting her mother to testify; they glinted at him with vengeful anger; he had no doubt she also wished him a painful death. The woman had much more backbone that he had given her credit for; she had stood by her mother's side and fought the feared Tal Shiar to do so. He frowned while watching her. The younger officer had really pursued him and his agents relentlessly after her mother's disappearance and if he was now in this predicament, it was because of her. And still, just like her superior officer, she was just a pawn.

His mussings were suddenly cut off when a name caught his attention back to Ajeya's explanation.

"...Cretak, former Senator, a loyal citizen and real patriot, was also wrongly accused by him," she was pointing at him now, again her murderous stare piercing him,"to ensure his place in the Continuing Commitee, a traitor amidst the higher executive power of the Empire."

Her blagrant accusations did not sting anymore, but he still resented them. Now the shock was gone, but he had still difficulty diggesting all that was going on. He had considered himself untouchable; he had thought his plan to be faultlessly, his success, a certainity.

An Cretak, an already won battle, an easily defeated adversary, was the one coming back to haunt him and make him fall. Just as Ajeya, she had meant nothing, just a nuisance he had to take care of to accomplish his goals. He had long forgotten her name when that pitiful excuse of a man had crossed his path to claim her innocence to the world, as now the old admiral once more insisted on it.

Koval searched with his eyes for him between the crowd; he knew he would be there, of course; and finally he spotted him, wearing once more that cheap worn robe he had when they had purposely met and shared a meal. Asfast, a puny artisan, son of a disgraced citizen, a nobody, even less than that. Koval truly hated that one now, he and his letters accusing him, the ones who had sparkled Ajeya's hunt. He drilled his glare on him, even if the young man, his intention focused on the admiral, could not see him. Asfast, another mistake of him.

Neral questioned Ajeya briefly and never addressed Raghnill even if she had been ordered to testify. He dismissed the two officers and commanded for the next witness to come forward. Koval's brain registered his name and he turned to look at him.

D'Tan had been there all the time, waiting patiently at one of the corners, beside his new vice-chairman, Sela, and flanked like always by his two loyal guards. The escorts watched every one when their master walked towards the praetor, fiercely, haughty, even smugly; they dared anyone to defy them, even the scarlet guards. D'Tan, however, even wearing now the uniform he had inherited from him, looked much less intimidating. He marched purposely, his shoulders squared, his chin lifted, his jaw set, his expression grim; but still his features were soft and even now his eyes seemed kind.

Everybody undestimated D'Tan, and that is why he had been so good at his job. That's how he had finally outsmarted him. D'Tan was the predator hidden under the prey's skin.

But Koval knew very well D'Tan's real nature; for he had made him the man he was now. He had taught him to feign, he had taught him to lie; he had taught him to spy; he had taught him to kill and not feel remorse.

"Were you aware of Koval's activities in Cardassia Prime?"

"No." D'Tan did not hesitate.

"Were you aware of the research being done in the Celti system?"

"No." He did not even blink.

"Did you ever suspect of him?"

He sighed this time, a false sign of regret; he then replied, "Never."

Koval couldn't help but smile dryly; he had taught him well. The questioning proceeded and D'Tan's lack of knowledge of all the parallel actions carried out by his then chairman might make him look like a fool, considering he was second in command, but that was better than being labeled a traitor. And D'Tan played his role very well.

Besides, for an organization known by its opacity, the fact that he knew there were active missions in those areas but was not trusted with the details, wasn't such an unbeliable lie; actually, if D'Tan had only been his right hand to him, Koval probably had never even confided him the existence of such operations.

But Koval had trusted him as he would his own son, and now his protégé was betraying him. He was signing his disgraceful death to take his place, to be the one in charge now.

Again, Koval had lost track of the conversation as his mind wandered in his own thoughts; he came back to reality to hear Neral question, "So, do you confirm Admiral Ajeya's report?"

"Yes, Praetor," came D'Tan's firm answer. Of course he did; Koval knew too well he had planned it all. There he was, contemplating his downfall's mastermind. If Koval had to hate someone for his misfortune, that was D'Tan.

But as he looked at the younger man, as he considered him, he simply could not hate him. Actually, Koval was very proud of him. He remembered the first time he set his eyes upon him, a broken child, a wreckage; he cried despairingly, unwilling or unable to go on with his life. Koval was only a distant relative of him and they had never actually been in contact before, but he took pity of the boy, or maybe he already saw the promise within him; Koval took the child under his wing.

D'Tan was there, tall and mighty in his uniform, the chairman of the Tal Shiar, a man of power who had fooled everyone, including him. D'Tan had overcome his weaknesses to become a ruthless ambitious man, one who would undo even the one who had been like his father to rise in power on his own. D'Tan had learned his lessons well, and Koval, in spite of the cruel outcome, could only be proud of his deeds.

The moment he saw the documents Asfast was spreading around, he knew who the source was. Nobody else could have had access to those files; nobody else could have gotten so close as to spy him in his own house, in his own private rooms. D'Tan had been daring, and he should have probably made him pay for his betrayal the moment he was aware of it, but he still loved him too much, and, to tell the truth, at that moment, he had thought the leak to be harmless; he had never imagined the real dimension of the treason D'Tan was forging. Yes, he had also underestimated D'Tan; he had underestimated all them and now he was paying the price.

D'Tan was dismissed too. Nobody else was called to testify. They have already exposed him. They have brought proof with them. The majority of the evidence against him was never shown; it was classified. Only the members of the Continuing Committee had been cleared to see it. Actually, Koval realized that they were the ones who should have judged him, but he was before the Senate in a public trial because the Praetor wanted a show. He was proving now to the Romulan people that everyone was under the Empire's law, even the so feared Tal Shiar operatives, even the head of them. He was a fitting example and there was no way he could escape his fate.

They started questioning him; he noticed with disgust that he was not in the mood to even try to defend himself; he had surrendered the moment he had seen D'Tan's face on the screen of that fouled ship, grimly silent, admitting him he had made his final move.

"So you don't deny you committed treason against the Empire!" The one who cried out his feigned outrage was Hiren, a seasoned senator with many possibilities of succeeding Neral.

Now that he was off the list of candidates, Hiren's chances had considerably increased. The man certainly was licking his lips just thinking of what was to come. Koval's pride rose as he registered his rival's hidden pleasure. He drew himself tall and replied in a roar, "Of course I do!"

"This is just an outrageous lie!" he went on. "I'm a loyal citizen! One who had sacrificed his entire life to the service of the Empire! Maybe I hid some of my operations to everyone, but that was only to ensure national security. And all said operations were to serve the Empire, to make it powerful, to make it safe, so you, senator Hiren, could stay there seated on that comfortable chair babbling nonsense instead of falling fighting our enemies in the front!"

Koval hit his foe where he knew would hurt him more. If Hiren had a weakness that made some doubt his ability to become praetor was his lack of military background. Noble born, immensely rich, a prosperous business man and well cultured, the cunning senator, who had never hesitated to resort to violence to get rid of his enemies if needed be, had never served in the armed forces, and that was something to be frown upon in the highly militarized Empire.

Hiren was taken aback for a second, but he recovered soon. He was not the one who answered his sudden speech, though. A lean, sternly beautiful woman, spoke up instead. She was also one of the regular actors in the Senate's play. In a leveled voice, she asked him, "So you were being a patriot when you sold our own people as slaves to the Orions?"

A general gasp was heard from the crowd as they were reminded again of his most hideous crime. Tal'aura also knew how to play the game. She smiled thinly at him, waiting. It was difficult to come up with a good response.

"I did what I had to," Koval said through gritted teeth."They were traitors anyway."

"And so are you," she supplied.

A general laugh was heard. Finally, Neral ordered silence again. Koval fumed, and dared Tal'aura to try again with his glinting eyes. Even defeated as he was, he could not tolerate mockery from anyone.

"We have heard enough," the praetor coldly sentenced. "You are guilty."

Koval had known those words would sooner or later come and still, he could not help the sudden despair that treatened to overcome him. He sagged inwardy and had to fight the urge to cry. He started screaming his innocence once more but he was cut off.

"You will be given your chance to speak up again," Neral subdued him, his voice deceivingly soft, "if you are sentenced to death," and he smiled cruelly at him.

He sensed how all the senators mimicked the praetor's gesture, smirking, licking their lips on anticipation of the execution they would willingly watch. He guessed the same could be said for Sela and Ajeya. They were not simply pleasing their leader; they really wanted him dead. He had been a powerful adversary and now they had the chance to take him down.

"Senators, you can discuss the punishment now," Neral dismissively said with a flowing of his hand.

"Death," Tal'aura spoke fist, spatting the words.

"Death," echoed Hiren with a glee.

"Death," another of the sentors agreed.

And soon a chorus joined them, and the crowd, mindless and bloodthristy as always, began to chant, "Death, death."

Neral sat on his chair confortable, observing the scene with pleasure. He relaxed and waited patiently until the voices lowered down. He once more dedicated to him a sadistic smile and dictated, "Death."

The crowd cheered, enthralled, and many insulted him. Some of the senators joined for the show. Once more, he was taken away by the ones who had been his guards. He looked up for the spot where he knew Asfast stood. He was not screaming, he was not grinning at him; his expression was grim when he set his gaze upon him, his eyes too far away to be read. He also passed by Ajeya's side when he was being carried away. She stood flanked by some of her officers and snarled at him; the hatred remained in her stormy eyes but the rage had been replaced by satisfaction. Sela flashed at him her best predator smile, satisfied with the outcome. D'Tan was again by her side, of course, quiet in their shadowed corner. Koval reached for him, fearful of what the younger man could think of him now, but D'Tan wore a mask over his face and his eyes were unreadable. Koval gulped down his emotions. He could very well expose him, he could yet tell the senators what he knew, how D'Tan had been aware of most of his plans, how he had let him do, how he now had betrayed him to be in command. But he remembered again that young boy crying, he remembered himself kneeling down to calm him down. He had never married. He had never had any children. D'Tan, his protegee, has been the closest to a son he had ever had. Koval looked one last time to the now grown up man and was unable to utter a word againts him. He had failed his grandfather, all his plans had been shattered, but maybe everything wasn't lost after all. There was D'Tan, cold, emotionless before him, revealing nothing. He had ruthlessly gotten rid of him. And suddenly Koval had hope, because he thought that D'Tan could fulfill his dreams. For a fleeting moment, he felt spirited again, forgetting his dreadful fate, and drew himself tall and smiled at his succesor. Everything was going to be ok; he was going to prevail. D'Tan would finish what he started and he would succeed.