by T'Karish
Disclaimer: I do not own Romulans, Ael, Doctor McCoy, or Naraht. The quotes come from the book.
Author's Note: This is by T'Karish. This is set during Diane Duane and Peter Morwood's The Romulan Way. These are Ael's thoughts after she transports to the Senate during McCoy's trial. The quotes in bold are somebody else's words; the quotes that are in normal font are Ael's words.
To MagicSwede1965, for writing a review that provided the necessary inspiration to get the brain cells moving and the fingers typing.
Shimmering and tingling. Will I ever get used to Federation transporters? They are so different from Rihannsu transporters.
The Senate is still here. Maybe they shouldn't be; they are no longer honorable. They have given up the ideals that were valued so highly before.
Mak'khoi looks nervous. As well he should be. If I was inclined to take vengeance, then now would be the right time to do it. But I am not.
"Bloodwing rests on the roof, and her phasers have stunned all for a kilometer around this building." They look frightened. Good. They have forsaken Mnhei'sahe, and now they are being paid back for their treachery.
"No use in waiting for your guards. Or for any small patrol-craft foolish enough to try anything. The phasers are no longer set to merely stun." They are terrified. Cowardice has overcome the Senate. O Elements, when did it come to this? How long has the Senate been run by cowards, traitors, and bullies?
Ah, the Sword, looking as awe-inspiring as ever. Despite what has been done, and what shall be done.
"Poor thing. For a millennium and a half no other weapon less noble has been permitted under this roof for any cause, not even a blood-feud. Now they bring in blasters wholesale to guard one poor, weak Terran. Or simply to terrify him for their pleasure."
They are nervous and agitated. I can almost hear them asking each other, 'What will she do? Will she kill us all?'.
"It seems nobility has gone from this place..."
I can almost smell the stench of their deeds. It is despicable. This place, of all places, has become a house for betrayers and backstabbers.
"...among other things. The kept word..." Kept word? Lost. They break their oaths flippantly, not giving a thought to what they are doing.
"...the paid debt. Honor."
"Traitress! You, to speak of honor!" Someone called out against me. Is he correct? Have I been doing what Mnhei'sahe demands?
Yes. I have been doing what was needed. Mnhei'sahe asked it of me, and I answered.
"When I helped the Federation attack and destroy Levaeri V, the only thing I betrayed was a government that would have used the technology developed to destroy the last nobilities and freedoms of the people it was sworn to guard. I would do the same again. Beware, for if you give me a reason, I shall dothe same again." And again and again. As long as I live, I would fight this government that turns on its own people. What good is this Senate if they do not protect, defend, and help the Rihannsu, as it has sworn to do?
"Only respect for this old place that S'task built keeps me from putting a photon torpedo into it to keep you all company." Yes, and I might do that yet, if they push me to it.
"I have always wondered how one of those would go off in atmosphere."
The Chair looks so stately with the Sword resting on it. Why do they ruin the honor that has bound them to this place?
"This is no place for you." The Sword is so perfect, from the black jade hilt to the curve of the sheath.
"You have sold honor for power. You have sold what a Rihannsu used to be, to what a Klingon thinks Rihannsu ought to. You have sold your names, you have sold everything that mattered about this world- the nobility, the striving to be something right- for the sake of being feared in nearby places." Fools! This stretch of fear only goes so far. Is it worth selling your souls to be ruler over a garden?
"You have sold the open dealing of your noble ancestors for plots and intrigues that cannot stand the light of day, and sold your courage for expediency. Your fore mothers would put their burned bones back together and come haunting you if they could. But they cannot. So I have."
The Sword feels exactly as I thought it would. Smooth, deadly, and two-edged. It could turn on its bearer at any time.
"I have come paying a debt, to show you how it is done... in case you have forgotten. And meanwhile, my worthies, I shall take the Sword, and if you want it back, well, perhaps you might ask your friends the Klingons to send a fleet to find me." They look stricken. The loss of the Sword will be regretted. But they have turned their backs on Mnhei'sahe, so they will be robbed of the symbol of the Mnhei'sahe they claim to uphold.
"Or perhaps they would laugh and show you how to truly run this Empire as they run theirs, by sending that fleet here instead. They half-own you as it is." I can see them spluttering in protest, but finding themselves unable to deny it.
"You might still change that... but I see little chance of it. Cowardice is a habit hard to break. Still, I wish that you might... and I will gladly serve the Empire again, when it is an Empire again... the one our fathers and mothers of long ago crossed the night to build."
Truly disgusting. They stand there, quivering in fear for their lives.
Doctor Mak'khoi looks fine. Slightly shaken, but in good health. Good. If he was hurt, Kirk would hunt me down himself...
"Doctor, my business here is done. Are there other matters needing your attention, or shall we take our leave?'
Mak'khoi turned to the ground. Naraht is there, waiting for him. It never ceases to amaze me how that one lives.
"Ensign Rock- or Lieutenant now, I see. You've grown, sir." I barely stop a smile at Mak'khoi's comment. Is it me, or is Naraht shuffling around strangely?
"Madam, you are more beautiful than I remembered." Naraht was always good for a smile. Even when you are trying not to.
"Must be the ears. His mother always did have a soft spot for them." Mak'khoi, you aren't helping.
"Soft spot? My mother?" Naraht looks surprised. Now he has food for thought, not just his stomach.
"I make no judgment as to that. But as regards to beauty, if that is your perception, may I remain so. May we all."
I pause for one last look. May this 'Senate' be thrown out, and another, more worthy, Senate be elected. However, I do not think that will happen in my time.
"In any case, I would as soon not overstay our welcome here, and I suspect I did that within the first second of my standing on the floor. Bloodwing, three to beam up. These coordinates. Energize..."
That shimmering, tingling sensation again. Maybe I will return to this place once more. When it is back to its honorable self, I will be back. But until then, the Sword will stay with I and my descendants, and I have a feeling that it won't be leaving our care for a while... But someday. Someday the Senate will push aside cowardice, treachery, and lies. Maybe not this generation, or the next. But someday...