RRW Courser
Scimitar Class Dreadnought Warbird
En-Route to Earth.
─•~:~•─
Donatra sat patiently in the Commander's office, waiting for the master of Courser to join her there. Donatra was a Khre-Riov by rank, but the ship belonged to the Riov, and it was no place for Donatra to interfere with the day-to-day operations of a ship that did not belong to her.
Khre-Riov translated from Rihannsu to the human tongue of English as "General Commander," a rank roughly equivalent in prestige and responsibility to a Starfleet Rear Admiral, or more recently, a Federation Marine Brigadier General. In the old Rei Karansu (Imperial Navy), a Khre-Riov would be the lowest flag rank that could reasonably expect to serve on the front lines. Even at that rank, membership in "flag country," as humans called it, was reserved for the families of the Senate or the khu'Shikaen, a word that had no real translation from Rihannsu to English, but could be interpreted in words the Klingons would use, qu' juH qach, Great Houses.
Those one hundred families, who claimed to be the descent of those who came from The Sundering itself, owned as much of the Senate and old Romulus as any one Praetor ever could. They had wealth, they had influence, and they had power. Donatra was raised the single daughter of a lowly shopkeeper in Krocton Segment in the slums of the old Imperial Capital. Her Father Kurex was a proud man, but the trinkets he sold brought only modest coin to his house, enough to keep his daughter fed, clothed and watered, but certainly not enough to send his daughter to the Officer's Academy.
Donatra earned her way into the Rei Karansu by virtue of arduous work, intelligence, and being beautiful enough to catch the eye of several Enriovs (Superior Commander/ Vice Admiral/Major General), Khre'Enriovs (General-Superior Commander/Admiral/Leftenant General) and even a Senator of her own, only once.
Bragg may have called her a whore over his many glasses of Kali-Fal more than once – and he wouldn't be wrong either – but Donatra had been taught by her father to use any leverage she could to gain an advantage, and the benefits ultimately outweighed the shame. She earned her place in the Academy, rose to the rank of Riov, and earned a command of her own to her Father's pride before he died of age just before the Dominion War.
So much had changed in those long decades since. The wealthy, influential and powerful khu'Shikaen were put to the sword by Shinzon like animals, and the madman took great delight in drowning the wealth, the influence, and the power in a river of blood. The Senate burned in white fire with Hobus and Romulus, and so did their hold over the navy.
The Rei Karansu itself, once the guardians of a vast Star Empire that spanned ten thousand light-years and five hundred worlds, disintegrated, and slaughtered both themselves and the Tal Shiar for long and bloody months, until the Twin Butchers – Kre'ey Arthhias – brought what was left of the guardians under heel to their false state. And those few officers wise enough to leave the Kre'ey Arthhias and join D'Tann on Mol Rhihann quickly discovered that the old ways were as dead as Hobus itself.
The ranks kept their titles, the Academy on Cestronu was almost a quantum copy of the Officer's Academy on Romulus, and their ships were still called AkhDhael (what the humans called Warbirds), but the Dabhe Karansu had little else in common with its older brother from the Star Empire.
The meaning of words was always something Donatra found fascinating, with the reading of books being one of her few wholesome off-duty activities. Dabhe Karansu, the formal name of the Republic's armed forces, was another set of words that had no direct translation from Rihannsu to English. Literally, the words could be spoken as "Free Navy," but most humans – like her friend Alynna "Na Jhu—The Angel" Nechayev – said that the literal translation didn't make sense, so they called it the "Republican Navy."
Republic, or Republican, weren't words that existed in Rihannsu, and it was very rare that Rihanh –an older noun that referred to the Rihannsu as a people rather than a society or a language – added words to their vocabulary that came from other worlds.
But nothing else made sense, so one of the first acts of Mol Rhihann was to declare the name of their nation as Rihan Illomnah. Rihan Illomnah once again had no direct translation. Literally, it meant "Romulan Country," which lacked power or respect, so it was spoken instead as "The Romulan Republic," which in Rihannsu would be spoken as "Na Rihan Republic," leading to what Humans would callthe "Republican Navy," which came out in Rihannsu as "Republican Karansu"
Donatra looked around the Riov's office, admiring the effort the young woman had taken to make the cold AkhDhael seem like home. There were framed pictures on the wall, the sort of rough art that children would draw. On the couch was a stuffed Epoh, a small and friendly creature native to Mol Rhihann that was often kept as a pet by children. Epohs were industrious diggers, making intricate networks of tunnels beneath the soil that would stretch for miles. Ordinarily, such tunnels would be a menace to farmers trying to grow crops, and in the early years of the Rihan Republic, Donatra often had to send her trainees to police the farmers who took offence to the tunnels and shot at the innocent little Epohs with disruptor rifles.
Over time and patience, it was discovered that the Epohs lived in harmony with the natural environment as a consequence of their many natural predators, like the fierce Selah Cats who had killed many children and farmers alike, and their networks of tunnels spread fertilizer and nutrients through the soil. If the farmers took the care to fill in the entry holes after the Epohs had finished digging, their crops would grow wild and strong and their disruptor rifles could instead be turned on the Selah Cats, whose fur fetched a fair price across the galaxy.
Selah hunting had turned into a popular sport for the Rihannsu, and to aid their hunts Farmers and Soldiers alike brought in hunting companions from many worlds, including curious, four-legged, and furry creatures from Earth that humans called Coursers.
Courser was another word that didn't exist in Rihannsu. In English, the word referred to a hunting dog that tracked its prey by sight rather than smell. Coursing dogs were trained from breeds noted for speed, strong eyesight and powerful jaws and muscles.
One such breed that thrived on Mol Rhihann was called a "Border Collie." From what Donatra had learned, Border Collies were considered the most intelligent of all dogs on Earth. They were extremely patient and had a unique glare when they were focused on hunting or herding, staring endlessly for minutes or hours at their targets without ever blinking. When it came time to give chase, Border Collies were fast, agile, graceful and had nearly limitless stamina. They were eager to please their masters and were happiest when they had a task to perform for their masters.
Donatra picked up the stuffed Epoh and compared the RRW Courser to a Border Collie. There was a great deal of controversy when Bragg decided to build a second Scimitar class AkhDhael as the flagship of the Dabhe Karansu, the Rihannsu's answer to the Klingon IKS Kang, or the Federation's so-called "Grey Ghost" USS Enterprise.
The names were another interesting study of contrasts. The Klingons used the name of a legendary Warrior that had troubled both Humans and Rihanh alike. The Humans used a term that served as a synonym of "Adventure" or "Undertaking," and the Grey Ghost was the tenth such named vessel in their history.
The Rihannsu named their grandest ships after notable leaders. D'Deridex, Valdore, Moagi, Alehal, Dehlan, and T'Kassan, all bold men from the Star Empire that had served as Praetors to some of the old Star Empire's grandest victories. To name a ship after a concept, an inanimate object or a place was considered taboo. The Havranha or "Remans" had no such taboos, and thus they called Courser's first sister Scimitar, the name of a weapon. Courser's name was just one example of her controversy.
Donatra closed her eyes and thought back twelve years ago to the Bayzon Rift. That day still haunted her nightmares.
Captain Picard. Commander Donatra of the Warbird Valdore. Might we be of assistance?
Assistance?
The Romulan Star Empire considers this a matter of internal security. We...regret that you've become involved.
Commander, when this is all over, I owe you a drink.
Romulan Ale, Captain. Let's get to work!
You heard the lady; Let's go to work!
Picard was as confident as any human could have been, given that Scimitar outmatched the so-called "Grey Ghost" by every possible measure.
After having to nearly draw arms to win the argument, Bragg had at last granted her permission to take two brand-new Valdores to intercept Shinzon and kill him before his madness touched Earth and drew the Star Empire into a war with the Federation that promised destruction for both sides of the Neutral Zone.
Are you prepared to have your hands drenched in blood, Bragg?
What are you talking about, Donatra? Shinzon-
He's not just planning Earth's defeat; he's planning its annihilation! And his sins will scar us and our children for generations.
Fine. You can have Valdore and Neral, but no more than that. Do not make me regret this, Donatra. This mistake has cost us enough.
Valdore was a formidable craft herself, armed with the latest in weaponry and technology that the Rei Karansu had to offer, a direct counter to ships like the Sovereign class "Grey Ghost." With numbers and good fortune, Donatra was confident in victory.
Donatra fought well, and her disruptors easily found targets and pounded away on Scimitar, apparently forcing her mysterious cloak down and presenting Donatra with an opportunity for the kill.
He's losing his cloak! Standby all forward disruptor banks, on my mark!
Valdore closed in, only for Shinzon to reveal that his madness was not entirely without the skill to back it up. Scimitar slammed to a full stop, generating almost 30G's of force in doing so – something that no vessel in the Rei Karansu could accomplish – and cleanly cut the belly of Valdore as a butcher might cut a log of meat with turret-mounted disruptor fire.
Valdore's shields collapsed, and Donatra took fire to her most vulnerable sections, including a direct hit to her singularity core that, had it not been for a Varuul's favour, should have killed her and her crew right then and there.
I'm afraid that drink will have to wait, Captain. I'm sorry.
Do you have life support, Commander?
For the moment, but we're dead in the water.
Unable to continue the fight and just barely keeping life support online, Donatra watched helplessly as Enterprise and Scimitar pounded one another into dust. Enterprise exhausted her full magazine of quantum torpedoes to defeat Scimitar's nearly perfect cloak, while Scimitar in turn shot her disruptor banks dry trying to bring "The Grey Ghost" under heel.
At one point, Picard rammed his ship into Shinzon's, a move born of desperation to stop Scimitar from firing her deadliest weapon, the Thalaron Generator. Donatra didn't know what happened in the interim, but minutes after Picard rammed Scimitar, the Black Predator exploded in green light, and the battle was won at heavy cost.
All her life, Donatra had been taught to hate and fear Humans. All her training had assumed that the treacherous, arrogant, and cruel Humans would one day charge across the Neutral Zone and bring death to the Rihannsu. But Picard and the Grey Ghost Enterprise had fought as valiantly as any of her kind, and Donatra gave her respect to this equally valiant Human.
This is Commander Donatra of the Valdore. We're dispatching shuttles with medical personnel and supplies.
Thank you, Commander.
You've earned a friend in the Romulan Star Empire today, Captain. I hope, the first of many. Valdore out.
Picard never did a get chance to buy her that drink, but Donatra learned that Humans could be trusted, and there was a small group of like-minded officers in the Rei Karansu that threw their weight behind the Reunification Movement that had escaped Shinzon's wrath, including Bragg – ever the pragmatist who salvaged what was left of Scimitar and her blueprints – who declared his intent to launch a cross-training exercise with Starfleet in five years. Not that it mattered in the end.
Two years after the Battle of the Bayzon Rift, Hobus burned, and any plans of peace were lost as ashes in the white fire. Bragg went ahead and built Courser over the objections of D'Tann and the Oversight Committee and allowed Donatra the honour of naming her. She chose the name to stand in contrast to everything that came before her, and despite Courser being as well armed, well equipped, and well built for battle as Scimitar had been – the only difference being her green colour and her lack of another Thalaron Generator, an argument she refused to lose with Bragg – Donatra held on to her dream of being at peace with Humans.
She trusted D'Tann – one of the few among the upper echelons of the Dabhe Karansu who did – but her pragmatism hoped and prayed that Donatra's leader knew what he was doing with this move.
She knew better than anyone that the price of a simple mistake could very well cost everything she had.
Before she could dwell on her thoughts further, the doors opened, and the Riov of Courser stepped into her office.
"Found a new friend, have you Khre-Riov?" asked Tiaru Jarok, Riov of RRW Courser.
Donatra held up the stuffed Epoh and smiled back at Tiaru, "He seems rather nice. Does he have a name?"
"Jean Bart. After a pirate who sailed the ocean many centuries ago" replied Tiaru, sitting on her couch and opening a bottle of Kali-Fal for the two women.
"Jean Bart?," asked Donatra, "What an unusual name. I can't say I've ever heard it before. It's not something we'd use on Mol Rhihann."
"Well, that's because it's not a word in Rihannsu, Khre-Riov. It's an Earth name, from a place called France. The Captain of the Grey Ghost told me the story when he came to bring my father's letter to me. Jean Bart was a pirate who terrorized a people called "The Dutch." No matter how many ships the Dutch sent after him, he always managed to get away, and the grain he stole kept the French people from starving. Sort of like that little one in your hands. Epohs always manage to dodge the Selahs, no matter how many come after him."
Donatra sat down beside the young Riov, placed Jean Bart on the couch between them, and took a sip of the Kali-Fal. It was an excellent vintage, and she savoured the flavour. Proper Kali-Fal should always force open one's sinuses and overwhelm the drinker with aroma and flavour.
Donatra felt her senses deepen with the glass and felt her tension easing away.
"It's not unlike your father when I think about it. The Klingons never did catch him, and at one point they sent nearly half the fleet after him following Mempa. Though I'm sure he'd be cross if someone called him a pirate!" Donatra said, taking another strong sip of her beverage.
Tiaru sat up and crossed her legs on the couch. Holding Jean Bart in her hands like a child would hold a real pet, she asked, "Did you know my father well, Khre-Riov?"
Donatra smiled and looked back at Tiaru. So much of her face was like Alidar's. Her eyes were the same green; focused, intense, and always knowing more than they let on to the world. Her hair, grown long past her shoulders, was the same shade of black as his, standing in contrast to the traditional short peak worn by Donatra and older women of Romulus.
The children who were born or growing up on Mol Rhihann had much more contact with other cultures than Donatra had growing up on Romulus. They were abandoning the old ways of the Rihanh in favour of ways from Earth, Kronos, Bajor and even Thaes. They grew their hair long like Tiaru, played games with balls and sticks, and most importantly, weren't taught to hate and fear others as she had been.
"I'd like to think so," Donatra said, taking a third sip of the delicious beverage, "My first posting as a Uhlan was under his command. He took a liking to me, mainly because I wasn't afraid to speak my mind to him. I learned a lot from him, how to be a leader, how to command men and women in battle, and how to appreciate the finer things in life, like family or a fine glass of Kali-Fal."
Tiaru sighed, leaning her head against the couch, and playing with the forepaws of Jean Bart, "I never had the chance to know him. All I have to remember him is his letter and this little fellow. Growing up, I heard so many different stories about him. My mother called him the worst kind of traitor and a coward. Men from the Tal Shiar would tease me, say that if I didn't do as they told me, I'd end up like him."
But then Captain Picard brought his letter home one day and told me that he was a brave man, one of the bravest he ever knew. And he told me that I should be proud of my Father's sacrifice."
Donatra poured two more glasses, slid one over to Tiaru, and leaned back into her couch, "Your father, Enriov Alidar Jarok, was indeed a very brave man. He never backed down from a fight. But he wasn't like so many of those pompous bastards in the Senate who earned their ranks by virtue of being born into the right family. He didn't sit back in his office and expect the men and women he commanded to die for him. He'd be right alongside us to the bitter end."
She smiled as she looked over at Tiaru, "I still remember the day you were born. We were under cloak near the Klingon border, wearing those beasts ragged as we dropped out of cloak and blew up a shipyard or an outpost at a time. He raced out of his office and screamed in everyone's faces, 'I have a little girl!' I had just come to the bridge for my watch, and he seized me in a hug that I thought would crush my spine."
"'Erei'Riov Donatra!' he shouted, 'I have a little girl! This is the greatest day of my life!.' And he broke out a bottle of spring ale, and we drank that bottle dry for the rest of the day on the bridge of our AkhDhael. I was so drunk after my watch that a young Uhlan from Krocton had to help me back to my cabin, and I had to use my boot to keep him out of my bed!"
She gently placed her hand on Tiaru's and smiled again, "If nothing else, Tiaru, please believe two things. Your father loved you and leaving you behind was the hardest decision he ever made. And if he could see the fine woman you've grown into, commanding as fine a ship as he ever did, he would be endlessly proud of his little girl"
Tiaru squeezed Donatra's hand and smiled back, "Thank you, Khre-Riov. That means a lot to me."
"Let's not stand on ceremony here, young lady," Donatra said, forcing the glass into Tiaru's hand, "This is your ship, not mine. And you've welcomed me aboard as a friend to your family, and a guest in your home. Please, just call me Donatra"
"As the Khre-Riov commands, Donatra of Romulus. Jolan Tru!" said Tiaru, raising her glass high.
"Jolan Tru!" Donatra replied, clinking the glasses together.
Before either woman could speak again, the door chime rang, and Tiaru responded quickly, "Come in."
Erei'Riov Norat Tirraino entered Tiaru's office and stood perfectly at attention. Donatra didn't know Norat, but she knew his family. They were one of only a handful of khu'Shikaen who managed to escape Shinzon's long knives, and one of the very few that had joined the true Rihannsu on Mol Rhihann instead of throwing their lot behind the Kre'ey Arthhias.
Norat's father Sakam served as a Riov under Tomalak, and just like the Butcher himself, Sakam had built a career out of atrocities, including the destruction of a convoy of Bajoran War Orphans fleeing the Jem Hadar during the war when they attacked Virinat.
The Tirraino's wealth, power and influence kept the family out of prison, but everyone knew what Sakam had done in the war, and no one on Mol Rhihann suspected the son was any different.
"Jolan Tru, Riov Jarok. Forgive my disturbance, but I require your signature on this requisition order," Norat said, clinging to tradition and formality that died a decade ago with Hobus.
Donatra, feeling the effects of the Kali-Fal going through her veins, decided to be playful, "So serious and full of vigour! Sit down and have a drink with us, Norat, we're talking about our families today. I'm sure you have plenty of stories about your father's victories against the Jem Hadar."
Norat remained standing at attention and dared to look at Donatra with an eye of disgust, "I must decline your..." he paused, considering his words for a moment "Generous invitation, Khre-Riov Vaakam. I have many duties to perform, and regulations forbid the consumption of Kali-fal while I'm on watch"
Donatra put her hands up in mocking shame, "Elements! How could I have forgotten such an important rule?! I surely hope you won't be on the trial board for my court martial"
After taking a moment to study the PADD, Tiaru looked up and raised an eyebrow at her Erei'Riov, or what humans called a number one, "You've ordered that the Scorpions be loaded with anti-ship torpedoes?"
Norat returned a nod, "I felt it prudent to do so, Commander. We are, after all, on course to Earth, are we not? I believe Starfleet will have several of their own fighters awaiting our arrival. Surely it is a Varuul's folly that we are not prepared to do battle?"
Donatra forced herself to put aside playfulness and switched to seriousness.
She set her glass down on the table, stood up, and stared Norat in his arrogant and disgusting eyes, "I don't remember issuing orders that we should be prepared for battle? Or perhaps, your beady little eyes caught something that I missed, Norat?"
Norat stared back at her for a long moment, as though he were studying Donatra, before speaking again, "May I speak openly, Khre-Riov?"
"By all means, Erei'Riov."
"We all saw what Irix accomplished this morning. We have struck a mighty blow against the treacherous barbarian backwater called Terha. The brave Rihanh aboard may not have survived to report their glorious success, but the fact remains that they did succeed. My family was among those who fought the barbarism of Terha in 2158. Long have we desired to finish the noble task that they began so long ago."
"Is it not the way of the Rihannsu that if we are the stronger, it is the signal for war? We have an opportunity here, Khre-Riov Vaakam, to strike the enemy when he is at his weakest! Or has your Allhka's spirit perished with your former master Shinzon?" Norat shouted, coming dangerously close to angering Donatra.
She drew herself barely inches from his face and shouted back, "The way of the Rihannsu?! Let me tell you something about the way of the Rihannsu, you young bastard! The old ways are as dead as Shinzon! Only a coward kills the innocent, and we are not cowards! This is something you should know from your father's stories. He slaughtered Bajoran children to appease his new master Tomalak, and we are better in every way than cowards like Tomalak and Sakam!"
Norat in turn shouted back, "How dare you?! My Father is a hero of the Star Empire! The Empress herself gave him a triumph on Romulus! I should kill you for such slander!"
"Your father is a coward, and a traitor, who serves another coward and traitor! And it is to our everlasting shame that his own cowardly and treacherous son chose not to join him on Golonda and instead robs us of oxygen with his very presence!"
Both Norat's and Donatra's hands went for their disruptors hanging at their sides.
But before either could draw, Tiaru shot to her feet and shoved both of them backwards with a single hand.
"Enough! Both of you!" she shouted angrily, "This is my ship, and I don't have time or patience for old scores here!"
Tiaru faced Norat first, "Erei'Riov, I did not issue orders to arm the Scorpions with anti-ship torpedoes. I appreciate your initiative, but you've wasted resources and time with your misplaced initiative. You are reduced two steps in rank. Report to the hanger at once and supervise the FDOs as they disarm the Scorpions. Once you've finished that task, you can then report to Engineering, and assist Obiesk with scrubbing plasma coils. Once every last coil on this ship is scrubbed so bright that D'Tann himself can see his reflection all the way from home, you can confine yourself to your cabin until I tell you otherwise. Is that understood, Arrain Tirraino?"
Norat stood sharply and saluted with a fist to his heart, another old and dead tradition from the Rei Karansu, "As the Riov commands. Jolan Tru."
Norat, now only a Centurion, promptly left his Commander's office.
Donatra was about to speak again when Tiaru turned and shouted at her.
"Khre-Riov, I respect your position and your orders from Mol Rhihann. You have my word that Courser will see this mission through. But if you dare to speak like that to a member of my crew again, you will not be made welcome aboard my ship. Am I clear on this?" she said with anger.
Donatra offered a bow, and a smile, "You are so much more like your father than you realize. Forgive me, Riov Jarok. I spoke out of turn on your ship. It won't happen again."
Tiaru let go of a deep sigh, collapsed on her couch, and picked up Jean Bart with one hand. With the other, she drained her first Kali-Fal with a speed that Donatra found impressive. She poured a second, drained it, and poured two more, sliding the fourth glass to Donatra.
"You know, if this is really supposed to be a brave, new universe for our people, we have to let old ghosts die. I'm not a Varuul, Donatra. We can't win a war against the Federation. I don't know what, exactly, your orders are, but I hope by all the Elements it's not to make this crisis worse," Tiaru sighed through her glass.
She then made a point to look Donatra directly in her eyes, just as Norat had done, "I will not order Courser to fire on any Federation targets. Court Martial me if you like, but that is my choice alone to make."
"Your powers of perception are the equal to your father's as well. My orders are the exact opposite. I intend to stop a war before it starts. And you're right about one other thing. It's time to let sleeping dogs lie, which is the correct way to say that phrase," replied Donatra, sipping her own glass.
"I like it better my way. Now, tell me some more stories about my father!"
Donatra laughed, "Have you heard the story about how we defeated Gowron over the skies of Kholost Prime before he turned into a Chancellor? Here's how we did it..."
khu'Shikaen - A Romulan aristocracy in the Star Empire. Refers to a group of 100 extended families who claimed to be the direct descendents of those who came from the Sundering. Keras, the first (canon) Romulan encountered by the Federation in the TOS Episode Balance of Terror was a memeber of this group.
Riov - Commander, Equivalant to a Starfleet Captain or a Marine Colonel. Romulan Riovs have the authority to command small squadrons of up to 15 starships, as the Romulan Navy never used Fleet Captain or Commodore ranks.
Uhlan - Lowest officer rank in the Romulan Navy, roughly equivalant to a Starfleet Ensign or a Marine Leftenent.
Erei'Riov- Sub-Commander, equivalant to a Starfleet Commander or a Marine Leftenent-Colonel.
Allhka - Literally translanted as "War Spirit" aka fighting bravado.
Arrain - Centurion, equivalant to a Starfleet Lieutenant or a Marine Captain.
