NEL'AR'S CHOICE
BY
DOUGLAS L. HEMMINGWAY
AUTHOR'S NOTE(S): ALL ATTRIBUTIONS ARE IN THE FIRST CHAPTER. CHAPTERS PRIOR TO THIS ONE WERE REWRITTEN, READ THEM AGAIN.
CHAPTER FOUR
R.R.W. MANDUKAR STANDARD ORBIT OVER NEW ROMULUS
ADMIRAL NEL'AR'S QUARTERS
ADM Nel'ar of the Romulan Republic Forces Navy sat up with a start from her bed. She looked around her quarters after retrieving a plasma pistol from off her night stand. She flipped on the tactical flashlight built into it and saw her quarters were clear, well at least the sleeping area. Flipping off her covers she swung her legs out over the edge that was aligned with the open floor of her bedroom. Then she slipped her feet into some sandals she kept beside the bed and stood up.
After again checking every corner of her bedroom and the attached fresher Nel'ar went out into her great room which served as her office, living room and dining room. With a replicator she had no need for a kitchen, but her engineers had installed a kitchenette into her great room as well. After all she liked to do her own cooking from time to time.
Carefully scanning the area physically and with her limited telepathy she detected nothing out of the ordinary. Still looking around for signs of intrusion or other trouble Nel'ar made her way to her desk in the section reserved for her office. She sat down in her chair and sighed. 'That was a dream. It must have been...' she thought to herself. Then she activated her terminal to the Ship's Computer and said, "Computer, Captain's Log supplemental. This evening I awoke with a start from a rather horrifying and unique dream..." She went on to describe what she witnessed during an Earther festival called Halloween. "If these events were not a dream then somehow I tapped not only into the past, but an alternate universe different than that of the Mirror Universe." She got up from the desk and went over to her replicator and ordered herself a tumbler of Romulan ale. Then while sipping her drink she continued her log entry.
"I may need to contact Alliance, Federation, Klingon and Romulan Republic Temporal agencies to discuss a possible violation of the Temporal Prime Directive and seek permission to rectify this situation." Nel'ar took another sip of her drink and then sat her glass on her desk and sat back down. "Joyce what kind of world are you living in? What will you do with your copy of the Mandukar? By the elements I truly need one of my other ships, but the Mandukar is the only one available for this mission. My B'Rel and my other ships are either on missions or in dry dock getting repaired." Nel'ar tossed back the last bit of her ale and then concluded her log entry before typing up orders for the R.R.W. Mandukar to ready itself for a temporal mission that included a cross-time incursion. "Joyce since you were me for a night I need to go and assist you Subcommander and perhaps swear you and your crew in as members of the Romulan Republic Forces. We'll cross that bridge when I complete my investigation..."
D'TAN'S QUARTERS NEW ROMULUS CITY, NEW ROMULUS
D'Tan had a fitful sleep. He had been dreaming of being on a primitive version of Earth sometime in the early Twenty First Century. He had been running and hiding from creatures the likes of which he had never even envisioned in previous nightmares, not even during the Iconian War or when he was younger dodging the Tal Shiar. He got up, dressed and went over to his communicator console. Then he contacted his best liaison and Temporal Intelligence Agent, Nel'ar. It was time to send her out again.
NEL'AR'S QUARTERS R.R.W. MANDUKAR ORBIT NEW ROMULUS
Nel'ar finished drafting her orders when she received word that her B'Rel Light Bird of Prey, her T'Liss Light Warbird and her Dhelan Warbird were ready to return to service. Still her flag will have to remain on the Mandukar. A Mogai Heavy Warbird was no light weight with three forward mounted weapons and two aft The Mandukar currently mounted one Mk XI plasma beam array each forward and aft, one Mk XII plasma torpedo launcher forward and aft, a Mk X dual plasma beam emitter and a Mk XI dual heavy plasma cannon forward. Defensively she carrie's Mk XII regenerating shields, a Romulan battle cloak and a Mk XI deflector array.
As far as Nel'ar was concerned her ship was able to handle most any opposition she faced. 'Let's hope this can be a peaceful encounter once we traverse the barrier between our respective dimensions,' Nel'ar thought as she dressed in her Klingon Armor including the sash that indicated she was a Vice Admiral in the Romulan Republic Navy and a Lieutenant General in the Klingon Defense Force. Rank pins for each were under her house affiliation. Like General and Ambassador Worf, Nel'ar was adopted into House Martok Martok for services rendered during the Hurq War and in the Iconian War. After her house status and military ranks were her various awards and decorations. After she had her sash adjustments made Nel'ar donned her Romulan Fleet belt and the baldric for her bat'lith. Then she took down her bat'lith and hung it from her baldric.
Next Nel'ar stepped out onto the Crew Deck. As she walked towards the nearest turbolift she was met with respect by members of her crew both officers and ratings. As Nel'ar stepped into the turbolift her Command Master Chief entered with her along with two of Benalar's Ship's Security Guards, a Petty Officer First Class and a Petty Officer Second Class. All three, Romulan, a Reman and a Klingon were members of her Household Guard besides being in either the Romulan Republic Navy of the Klingon Defense Force.
R.R.W. MANDUKAR, BRIDGE
The turbolift's doors opened and Nel'ar stepped onto her Bridge. As she walked toward the Commander's Chair the CMC yelled out in a deep baritone voice and said, "Admiral on the deck!" Everyone present came to attention at their respective posts.
Scanning her Bridge and dying her Bridge Officers and crew Nel'ar politely said, "As you were." Then she stepped over to her First Officer and Chief Tactical Officer Tovan Khev who saluted her Romulan style. She returned his salute with her own. "First Officer Khev I relieve you. You're free to rest until your next duty shift."
Commander Tovan Khev smile the bowed slightly and said, "I stand relieved, sir." Before he left to go to his quarters Nel'ar said, "Get four hours rest, I'll be having a staff meeting in my Ready Room in five. I want all Department Chiefs in attendance. I have a mission I'm going to brief you all on."