Chapter 6 – Greatness

Dedicated to those who asked about the history of the Uhaii and wanted some more Sen/Alawa.

A/N – Thank you to danalexkayarimad, spockawocka5678, spectravel, Nyotarules, nicnac, Princesscheese, Tamari's Angel and QTFicsfor the reviews.

Thanks to partyof4, Black-Dirge, Nyotarules and CMW2, Starriver92 and yunsi for adding to your faves.

"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." – William Shakespeare

Many centuries ago during the Vulcan exodus, when the Hiro-Ang line received the Praetor-ship, Jiera Hiro-Ang wanted her child to be a great leader. She knew what made a leader great and if their successors were not properly trained eventually the Hiro-Ang line would lose its entitlements due to overthrow by the senate and/or the people because of poor leadership. As consort of the first Praetor and mother of the first Praetorsyn, she put forth educational, physical, leadership, emotional and spiritual training guidelines to be performed by an independent body of five tutors, the Vita Palaestra. The Vita Palaestra also ensured child's well-being in case of abusive parents.

The fiftieth Praetor, Dai Hiro-Ang, thought he would be the last of his line after both his wives experienced miscarriages and infant death. On this day, he escorted a very beautiful woman whose torso reflected her sixth month pregnancy through the white pristine halls of a private medical facility. "But I told you the child is yours," Vala stated. "It can't possibly be anyone else's. If you didn't like the situation, why didn't you just let me live in seclusion like I wanted?"

"I do believe you and you will not take my son away from me." The grey haired Romulan smiled. "However, this is standard procedure required of all future Praetors. Secondly, for a man of one hundred fifty to father a child is unlikely so the results must be made public to assuage all doubt."

"I know about the age issue. I would estimate the odds to be twenty-seven to one and those are optimistic. That is why I didn't take precautions not that I had much of a chance."

"Well you did find a way to make sure I listened to your preaching of peace."

In a private room away from everyone, the Praetor's sister Efia began her exam with a special tricorder. "The child is a healthy baby boy." Using a hypo, she extracted a drop of blood from the fetus and compared it to a DNA strand in the computer databanks. "Definitely a Hiro-Ang but with a few genetic oddities but nothing life threatening," she announced.

"I know that we are not married and I will make no claim to the Praetor-ship. Just let the child live and I will raise him without knowledge of who is father is." Vala clasped Dai's hand. "Please let me raise him."

For the first time, Dai saw concern in the reserved woman who masqueraded as his assistant to get close to him. "You carry the Praetorsyn. Of course, the child will be allowed to live and you will raise him." Dai place his hand on her stomach hoping to feel a kick. "This child will be trained as all the Praetors before him and you my dear, may augment that training as you see fit. If my line died, the Praetor-ship would become a free for all between the Senators."

"If it is so important, why didn't you simply genetically engineer a child and have a surrogate carry him?"

Efia and Dai paled next to her. Efia understood exactly where the woman had come from based on her DNA but kept her suspicions as just that. "Everyone knows that genetic engineering is not allowed except in the case of preventing birth defects, especially in the Praetor-ship line."

"As long as my son is alive and is properly trained to be the future Praetor, I promise maintain the peace between the Romulan Star Empire, Earth and our peaceful cousins."

Vala rubbed her stomach lovingly. "I won't run away again. I'll stay with you and raise him to be a leader for the empire. I promise."

For Praetor Dai Hiro-Ang, each chapter of his son's life signified a milestone for him: from his son being born to surviving each week thereafter considering the history of loss he experienced with his prior attempts at fatherhood. Even though he knew his wife to be Vulcan, he happily joined the ruse to keep the beautiful young woman at his side who gave him an heir. Besides, he developed a genuine affection for her but their secrets kept them at an emotional distance. Despite his wife's stoicism, Dai knew that Vala genuinely loved her son. Often, he observed her touching her forehead to his and pressing two fingertips against his temple. Dai knew it had to be a Vulcan tradition but she kept it secret.

Once his son turned two, Vala began tutoring him in various languages though Dai thought the boy was too young. Sen could say "Father" couldn't quite say "Praetor," so it came out Predak. At eighteen months, yet another sigh of relief for the Praetor that his son lived, Sen ran up to him. "Predak! Predak!"

Dai picked him up, hugged him and gave him a new toy. Every day the same thing happened until Vala ordered him to stop spoiling their son. However, the name stuck but only in private and only once in awhile when Sen thought to call him that. The want to spoil his son remained so Dai found a loophole. He vowed that on each of Sen's birthdays or special occasions, he gave him the most glorious gift he could think of.

During Sen's childhood, Talitha of the Vita Palaestra, responsible for Sen's emotional development declared him developmentally autistic. She urged Dai to consider drug therapy: citing Sen's dislike of affection and unresponsiveness to strangers. In a show of vehement opposition, Dai brought Vala, his sister Efia, Sen's nanny Terhi and his sehr-cat Heli whom Sen had a fondness for. The four year old Sen strolled in already in his pajamas ready for his nap. "Sen, hug everyone who deserves a hug before you take your nap." Sen went around the room hugging everyone including his father but with the exception of Talitha before curling up against Heli's chest and going to sleep.

"To me, he seems fine and not autistic," Dai stated. "After all, he showed normal affection for everyone here."

"But he doesn't take to anyone else…at all," Talitha countered.

Because he was old enough to be Sen's great grandfather and no prior experience with children, the Vita Palaestra tended to think of him as a doddering fool of a parent. However, they were independent of his influence and over the centuries the group did its job well in looking after the noble family's welfare. "Talitha, I appreciate your concern for his welfare. I will do as you ask willingly on one very simple condition."

"Agreed," she replied.

"Within the next half hour, you must pet Heli."

Talitha looked at the grey tabby animal that had the build and look of a saber tooth tiger who purred. Every time she approached the animal, a low growl replaced the purring. After several attempts, she stopped. "The cat doesn't like me. I can't pet her."

"And that's exactly why my son touches only certain people and shies away from others. He is a Hiro-Ang and senses these things. The gift of vision is strong with him."

Talitha rolled her eyes and contemplated it for a moment. "Very well then," she said as she left.

Everyone else followed quietly as Sen slept except Dai who had work to do in his office. "Good girl, Heli," he said. As Dai reached out to pet Heli, she growled. "Oh I forgot, not even the Praetor is allowed to touch your cub as he sleeps. Old girl, when he gets older you'll be at the foot of his bed."

The future leader is trained.

Starting at the age of five, the Praetorsyns learned of the difference between good and evil and the spirits above. They were given a pet to learn to care for another. A well rounded education including math, history, science, leadership skills, debate, politics, economics, logic and much more began at that age and continued until the age of twenty-one. Physical training including combat, swimming and other physical conditioning continued throughout most of their life but not at the level of the Uhaii.

For the Uhaii, their training took a different turn…..

Alongside the basics of math, science, history and a traditional education but nowhere near the advanced classes of the Praetorsyn, they learned battle techniques of every known species, explosives, every known weapon, hand to hand combat, and control of fear, medicine and xeno-anatomy among other things. Several of their more scholastic classes were taken with Sen in attendance. Usually, he read during class and sometimes he tutored them.

Every week, they learned something new about the Praetor-ship from their drill instructor, Besnik, a stocky Romulan, one of the Praetor's Uhaii guards who retired in order to train the next generation. "What makes the praetor-ship great as opposed to having just the Senate run Romulus?"

Zelipe excelled at politics. "Each senator is influenced by the region that elects them. Sometimes they do not consider Romulus as a whole but the Praetor does. During war times and other crisis, the Praetor acts quickly and decisively without the sluggishness of the Senate. Diplomatically, the Praetor is the one voice of a unified Romulus."

"Why has the Hiro-Ang line held the Praetor-ship for nearly two thousand years?"

"Because they have the gift of vision for Romulus' future which has been passed down through the generations," Zelipe replied. "Further, from birth they are trained to be leaders."

"Why is it important to protect your leader?"

"Because we're also protecting Romulus," Zelipe replied.

Each day their physical training challenged them in new ways as well. During their running, the distances increased every week. After a certain time, they ran with packs nearly equal to their body weight. While swimming, they had to carry those weights to shore. The instructor once more began his questions. "Why do you carry those packs?"

Egan who had the least amount of trouble with carrying out any of those tasks knew that one. "They are the same weight as Praetorsyn so that we can carry him to safety."

After nearly year of drilling, they would finally run practice scenarios with their Praetorsyn. When they entered the palace, their instructor spoke with one of the Uhaii who guarded the Praetor. Both looked grim. From upstairs, they heard wailing of their Praetorsyn in pain. Their training to protect kicked in so they ran upstairs to the master bedroom. From the corridor, they saw Sen's mother ashen holding her son while the Praetor held his shoulders. Sen unabashedly sobbed and wailed. "Ri'nanov don't go! Please don't go!" Sen's chest heaved. "Ri'nano!"

Several elder Uhaii guards ushered them away from the scene.

The next day Besnik told them that Sen's mother died of Flixen Pox. Everyone got Flixen Pox as children but why did she did of such a common childhood disease? Then he quizzed them on the scene they witnessed. "You saw the depths of his grief. Is the Praetorsyn weak?"

All looked at each other fearing their opinion, except for Zelipe. "No, that makes him stronger."

Besnik looked astonished. "Explain," he said.

"As a leader, he must love his people. If he cannot love his family, he cannot love his people. If a loved one dies, he will show grief if he truly loved. The two go hand in hand. If it were not so, the death of his people would mean nothing to him and he would be the cruelest tyrant."

"So you would choose a leader who would fall to pieces at the death of his friend during a crucial battle or better yet be unable to order the death of a few to save many lives?"

"From what I have seen, he has learnt and continues to learn control. As to his mother, that was the time to grieve and was away from the public eye."

Besnik noted Zelipe's responses.

Weeks later, they went to the Praetor's home once again with their drills rescheduled. When they saw Sen, he looked pale and sad and went outside to sit under a tree. Besnik, their instructor joined them. "Once the Praetor gets here, he'll order Sen to participate. Until then amuse yourselves."

The boys found the equipment they needed and had a humongous lawn for it so they started to play Iali-iaj. After playing for a bit, Zelipe ran over to Sen. "Wanna play?"

"I don't know how."

"We'll teach you."

Sen ambled out to the middle of the field where the game aficionado Nils explained the game. "Two team members try to punch a hole in their opponent's line. The server on one team must bounce the ball behind the serving line, then hurl it towards the other team's line. If it breaks thought their line, the ball is then in play."

Considering the trainees' athleticism, Sen didn't fare well but he had fun. When the Praetor showed up, Besnik approached him about ordering Sen to participate in the drills but he refused citing that it was the first time his son smiled in weeks. Then the boys took a quick swim before the broadcast of the professional Iali-iaj. As they watched the game on the big screen as they ate Cristo wings, frozen desserts and tasty pasties from the finest restaurants on Romulus. "Do you get to eat like this every day?"

"Only on my birthday," Sen replied. "This stuff is too unhealthy according to my nutritionist. Do you guys get to eat like this?"

"No same, plus its expensive," replied Waleran.

Early in his childhood, Sen learned how to manipulate his father but he knew not to play the Predak card too often but decided to today.

Dai watched Sen as he ambled into his office, disheveled from his swim with the Uhaii trainees. "Good afternoon Sen," he said.

"Good afternoon, Pratek," he replied. Sen moseyed around the room, casually looking at various artwork.

"Sen, do you need anything?"

"Well, now that you mention it, my Uhaii guard and I have to form a bond of friendship. The stronger the bond the fiercer they protect me."

"That is true. That has been the tradition throughout the centuries."

Sen grabbed a computer disk sleeve labeled for psychology. "The strongest bonds of friendship within groups are gained through social activity involving the group in its entirety. This has been proven psychologically."

"I'm sure it has." Dai learned long ago that his son could cite facts from his reading because of a near eidetic memory that he honed.

"Logically speaking, we should have social group activities to strengthen that bond which hence ensures my safety."

"Excellent deduction," Dai replied. "How do you propose to do this?"

"After great consideration, I think we should celebrate their birthdays with parties involving Iali-iaj games. To make things easier to plan, we will eat Cristo wings, frozen desserts and pastries at each birthday from the restaurants you usually order from. Also, their birthdays will be easier to remember and bring about a feeling of even stronger friendship."

"So it shall be," replied Dai. "I will have Besnik make it happen but before I do, I want to know how you want to proceed with your education."

At his current pace, Sen would complete the Romulan high school equivalent by twelve. "How would you feel if I had several masters' degrees, mostly in science by the time I was thirty?"

"I would be the proudest father on Romulus." Dai relished his son's goal setting skills.

"What if I helped Ladislaus with his thermal energy theories once I have my degrees?" Sen walked over to Dai's desk.

Based on those theories, a weapon that capable of destroying entire structures but leave the resources intact could be developed. "I would be proudest father in our solar system."

"What if I made a device which could make a ship," Sen stated but then brought his voice to a whisper, "invisible?"

Dai wanted to burst out laughing but knew better. His son always loved sleight of hand and disappearing tricks. "I would be the proudest father in the entire galaxy but how do you propose to do that?"

"Well, I'll head a team of scientists and magicians who think outside the circle." Sen faced his father, pressed his forehead against his and pressed his two fingers to his father's temple. "Pratek, someday I will make you the proudest father in the galaxy."

An Enemy Not Dead Will Rise Again and A Good Leader expects opposition; a great leader prepares for it……

At the age of twelve, as a child of low level civil servants, Meka loved the opportunity before him to protect the future Praetor. Every time he did well in training, his parents got an extra hour off per week and they would travel somewhere fun of his choosing. In his anatomy class, he and his peers had to identify various alien species and learn their basic anatomy including weak points from weakest to strongest. They had to dissect and identify them. After seeing the weaknesses first hand, they had to test on it faster and faster until they didn't even think twice about it.

Once they mastered alien anatomical weak spots, they combined that knowledge with their fighting skills on droids who looked like various aliens. For several weeks, they practiced fighting with them. One day, all twenty-five trainees entered their training gym which had various blades on the walls. Immediately the boys armed themselves. Droids of the major combative species marched in Klingons, Orions, Humans, Vulcans, Tellurites, Andorians and many more. From the moment the first alien attacked, the battle ensued. Aliens went down but more came in. Once more, they fought back and with real weapons. Suddenly, Meka realized the issue. "Kill shots only! Kill Shots Only!" Kill shots kept replacements from coming. The instructors had told them: An enemy not dead will rise again.

Amongst the sea of dead robotic aliens and injured Uhaii trainees mostly of age twelve or so, Sen aged twelve as well, came in with the instructors carrying two large bags. "You have twelve hours to fix all these robots or no food for two days."

Sen looked around at the Uhaii who were injured, examining each. Of all them, Meka was the worst but his injuries weren't fatal at least for the time being. Immediately, Sen directed the slightly injured to help the more seriously injured using supplies from his medical bag. Meka looked at him puzzled while Sen tended his wounds. "Don't you have to fix the robots?"

"People before objects," he replied. "Missing two days of food won't kill me." After they administered first aid, the able bodies helped the disabled. "Come with me," Sen ordered grabbing a sword.

"What's with the sword?"

"A Good Leader expects opposition; a great leader prepares for it but I'm hoping for the best."

An hour after he entered, Sen led them all outside much to the surprise of his instructors. "We need to take them to the hospital."

The instructors formed a blockade. "This is not normal procedure. You must tend to these matters yourself."

"A true leader transitions a goal into reality using all resources at his disposal: Sadurni Hiro-Ang, eleventh Praetor. My first goal as sovereign is the well-being of my people: Yul Hiro-Ang, second Praetor." Sen glared at the instructors who still wouldn't step aside. Then he looked to Zelipe and motioned for him to come over. Zelipe limped over and took Meka's arm to hold him up. Sen brandished his sword and glared at the instructors. "Fear the sword in the hands of a furious impatient blood thirsty leader: Sen Hiro-Ang, fifty-first Praetor." The instructors stepped aside since they were not allowed to fight back and possibly injure him.

Sen ordered a medical hover craft to take the Uhaii to the hospital and then ordered some civil engineers to fix the robots. "Don't worry the robots will be fixed in under five hours."

The group of instructors brought the results to the Praetor who was most pleased. "But sir, he's supposed to help the injured and then they in turn fix the robots. He's not supposed to threaten us."

Dai merely laughed. "That's my son!"

Anything can be a weapon…..

At the ripe age of thirteen after having learned how to defeat different races of aliens with every known weapon, the Uhaii instructors placed Burian and the rest of the Uhaii trainees on a grounded shuttle with no weapons but with one tidbit of advice: Anything can be a weapon. An alarm sounded signaling an alien attack. The trainees knew to stick together. The wielded metal panels wouldn't budge. Burian had a plan. "These control panels, bulkheads and everything else are our weapons just immoveable ones. Use the aliens own momentum against them." Adult Romulans ran in who fought back ferociously. In their frenzy, the boys commenced their plan unconcerned with the blood bath. Afterwards, they stood there realizing they had taken actual lives. Their opponents were not robots.

Their instructors entered. "You have just killed Romulus' most violent criminals. They deserved death. Anyone who threatens your Praetor deserves the same. Your Praetor is worth more than ten thousand of these." Then the instructor went to each of the dead prisoners and called out a number and their crimes. "The Great One forgives and condones this in service to your Praetor."

This exercise happened several times until the boys were desensitized to killing anyone who opposed their Praetor. As an added benefit, Romulus' prisons didn't suffer from overcrowding and diverted more funds to the rehabilitation of younger and/or less violent criminals.

The needs of the many…..

At the age of fourteen, Asparouh excelled in his electronics and bomb defusing portion of his training as well as the rest. However, he didn't like the subzero situation he was in. Freezing artic winds whipped around them as the shuttle dumped the Uhaii and their Praetorsyn at the southern most pole with inadequate coats on their . Their tricorder indicating a shelter nearby. The bright sun glared against the ice as they trudged along. The Uhaii's training helped. With Sen in the middle of the group for optimum warmth, the group huddled together and trudged toward the shelter while the sun descended from the heavens. Everyone noticed Sen faring the worst. "What I wouldn't give to go back to the desert training!"

"Yeah, you loved it didn't you?"

"I love the heat."

The boys on the outside switched places with the boys on the inside until they reached the shelter. Asparouh observed the old heater on the outside.

With only an hour left of daytime, the group entered the old block structure which provided just enough room for them to fit in. They switched the heater controls on but it didn't work. Jetmir excelled in survival training. "When it gets dark, the temperature will plummet. Even in this shelter and huddling together, most of us will die in a few hours. We need that heater fixed. Even if it doesn't heat well, its better than nothing."

"Asparouh, can you fix it?"

"If I can't, no one else can either."

Sen knew that whoever he sent would die but if he didn't send someone, more would die. "Asparouh, I order you to fix it." Asparouh knew the situation as well and nodded so he grabbed the toolbox. "Asparouh, thank you." Sen rested his head against his knees.

The rest of the Uhaii muttered their thanks as he left. About an hour later, the antique heater kicked on giving just enough warmth for the boys to live. Asparouh didn't return.

After the shuttle ride home the next day, Sen waited in his father's office; his anger festered. The moment his father entered the room, Sen fury erupted. "He didn't have to die!"

"Mind your manners, Sen! You will show respect." Dai seated himself behind his desk. "As a future leader, you may need to order some to die so that many more may live. You have to take care of the business at hand."

Sen stood at the front of his father's desk; his cheeks flushed green with rage. "Respectfully father, I understand that and I agree. However, this was a frelling training mission."

"For centuries, the leadership training has run this way and for centuries one of the Uhaii trainees were sacrificed until your mother opposed it." Dai glanced at Vala's picture on his desk. "Before you were born, she reviewed your training and agreed with most everything and even added some things herself. However, she expressed the same sentiments. The boy was rescued after he fixed the heater."

Swallowing hard, Sen calmed himself. "Thank you."

"Sen, you let your emotions get the better of you. I'm surprised."

"So am I," he muttered as he left.

The Uhaii protect their leader everywhere he goes. A leader must suffer the adversity of his people or suffer his people's insurrection.

Excitedly, all of the Uhaii trainees stood with the promise of adventure with the Praetorsyn for the next training. One of the instructors questioned Sen who stood before them. "Various factions of Romulan society work together to form a functioning civilization. Each and every one is important but some are perceived as unimportant and are under appreciated and hence suffer the most. What faction of our society suffers the most but is least appreciated?"

"The Remans, sir," Sen replied.

The instructor stepped back with a look of disgust. "They are not part of our civilization."

"They mine dilithium crystals which powers our fleet, a crucial part of our civilization. By definition, an advanced civilization is marked by a complex political organization and scientific progress among other criteria such as the military. Therefore, they are part of our civilization."

"I will not accept that answer." The instructor's wrinkled bald head turned green with anger. "You are wrong."

"Obviously, I AM correct, regardless of your acceptance or not." Sen tilted his head. "In order to prove me wrong, you must redefine civilization in the Romulan standard dictionary. To do that, you must get two-thirds vote of the Senate or my father's order."

Several of the Uhaii trainees laughed. "Quiet!" the instructor yelled.

"You do not command them!"

"Insolent child!" The instructor bowed up over Sen and his hand drew back but Sen stood unflinching. Immediately, the Uhaii trainees surrounded Sen. Upon seeing the unity of the Uhaii trainees coupled with the fact that only Sen or the Uhaii instructors could command them, the instructor calmed himself. Because of their training, these fifteen year old boys were deadlier than the adult soldiers of the fleet. "You need to change your answer. Whichever group you choose is the group that you will work with for a month to learn the suffering of your people."

A commanding voice hidden in a passel of dark hair and uniformed Uhaii rang through the group. "If I rule them which I do, then they are my people. "

Despite the objections of the Praetor and Uhaii parents, Sen and the Uhaii trainees exited the shuttle craft to the dark side of Remus. Provisions of extra food, warm clothing and night goggles were given to each. Through a winding ebony rock tunnel, they descended to a large grotto with an adjacent oubliette which served as crude facilities. They unpacked some basic provisions along with their bedrolls and extra blankets.

On their first day of mining, they chipped away at the rock using vibrating knives and laser cutting supplies. Many of the Nosferatu looking Remans would stare at them in fear. Sen noticed the substandard tools the Remans used as opposed to the state-of-the-art tools his party used. When he approached one of the Remans and offered his tools, the Reman cowered in fear. Sen placed the tools before him and took some spare Reman tools. The Uhaii trainees looked at each other questioningly and silently did the same. Just before sleep hours, Sen toured the underground mines to where the Remans slept.

Afterwards, he wearily marched back to the cavern where they stayed and grabbed his feather thermal sleeping bag but left two of his blankets. The Uhaii stared at him in disbelief. "I must suffer as they do to be a great leader." Then he took his sleeping bag to the Remans who shied away from him. Hesitantly but not under orders, the Uhaii did as well. The next day, Sen saw the rations and quality of food the Remans were given compared to what he and the Uhaii were given. Sen took his portion of the provisions and gave it to the leader of the Remans. Ctirad, leader of the Remans, who until that time looked at him with disdain, now looked at his with confusion. Sen waited in line for the food rations with the Remans who were too hungry to shy away. Reluctantly, the Uhaii followed Sen's lead.

By the twentieth day, the Uhaii were bone weary and hungry but still able bodied due to their extensive physical conditioning. However, Sen didn't fare as well. Vavrin who excelled in basic medical listened to his leader's ragged breathing as he slept. "We need to get him medical help or he'll die."

"Only Sen has a comm link which he hid to avoid temptation. Technically, only he is supposed to place the call, so what do we do?" Aren started to look around for it.

"I don't know but we have to do something."

Aren darted out and returned with Ctirad who had some brown gunk in a shell. Ctirad made a rubbing motion on his chest. "Only temporary help, no heal" he said.

While Ctirad watched, Vavrin rubbed the liniment on Sen's chest. Sen's breathing quieted enough so it wasn't loud enough to keep everyone awake. Despite his illness, Sen didn't miss a day of work.

Upon completion of one month of suffering, the ragtag troupe marched out with Sen in the lead, head held high while reporters recorded the completion of his Rhehdi –an. For a few moments, he smiled and nodded at the media crews. They watched as he marched with his father into the Praetor's private shuttle craft. The moment the shuttle doors closed, Sen collapsed. The medical team sprung to action while the Dai kneeled next to him. "Why didn't you say something out there?"

"Decorum and strength in public: Dai Hiro-Ang, fiftieth Praetor," Sen answered in a squeaky voice.

The medical team diagnosed Sen with bronchitis, pneumonia, exhaustion, malnutrition, dehydration, fever and acute pharyngitis. The thought of losing his son infuriated Dai. "I know that the Uhaii wanted to stop this insanity but you ordered them not to. How could you let it get to the point where you almost died?"

"A leader who suffers the adversity of his people understands them. The more a leader understands his people, the greater a leader he is. Logically, the more I suffer the greater I leader I become. Don't think of it as me nearly dying; think of it as me becoming the best leader."

"Well, I can't argue that can I?"

Sen shook his head. "By the way, as Praetorsyn, I order the Reman's rations to be doubled on everything."

"I won't override you and I'll let them know that it was by your order."

Over the next few years, the parties with Sen and the Uhaii trainees came to include the most beautiful women as well. By the Praetor's reasoning, to deny them would make them crave more. Training continued as well with final specialties noted by Besnik. One day, Besnik informed Sen that Zelipe and Bahar had been removed from the guard due to improper conduct. Because of their specialties, Zelipe became Sen's first advisor a year before and best friend while Bahar excelled as a pilot.

First, he visited Zelipe who lived in a small community in the southern hemisphere. Before entering the Uhaii inspected the house and then stood guard while Sen spoke to Zelipe. "What happened?" Zelipe looked down in refusal. "I order you to tell me as Praetorsyn and your friend."

"Deviants aren't allowed in the guard and I'm a deviant." Zelipe collapsed on his couch.

"Explain," Sen ordered.

"Besnik caught Bahar and me together."

"What!.....Oh!....oh…I see," Sen replied. "That's what you meant by deviant. Why did you choose to be like that then?"

"It wasn't a choice. Do you think I would have endured all that I have and wasted all the time I spent training and then made that choice?"

"I don't understand why you would do something so unnatural."

Zelipe shook his head. "Whatever clicked in your head at fourteen that made you like girls clicked in my head and made me like guys. I kept denying it but I can't. There was no choice. I just am."

"I think I understand," Sen replied. "There are some things about myself that just are and not in my control."

Zelipe looked at him curioiusly. "For awhile I wondered if you were like me. You often eat some chocolate before you get with a woman. Why do you need to be inebriated?"

"Because it helps me to not think about why they are really with me," Sen replied with a sad look in his eyes. "They want the glory not me. That's the way most everyone is." Sen stood and offered his hand. "C'mon, you're needed on guard duty," Sen said.

"Aren't you afraid of getting the deviant cooties?"

"No," Sen answered.

"But what about Besnik," Zelipe argued.

"I can do whatever I want. It's good to be the Praetorsyn." When Zelipe took his hand, Sen sensed genuine friendship. "You need to speak with the other Uhaii and explain to them."

When Sen marched into the palace with all the Uhaii including Zelipe and Bahar, Besnik's face flushed green. "As Praetorsyn, I ordered them back in the guard. We all suffer from the weakness of being distracted by an hourglass figure except for them. They counter that inherent weakness which we non-deviants have, right?" Besnik nodded. "Besides, they look damn sexy in their uniforms." Sen turned to face the troupe of Uhaii. "Don't they guys?"

Words of agreement echoed throughout the passel.

A Day in the Life of the Uhaii

Once Sen turned thirty-five and by Romulan standards fully of age to govern, the Uhaii jobs kicked in full force along with Sen's desire to enact governmental changes. At six in the morning, they gathered in the hall. Fariel handed out Sen's schedule for the day. They looked, memorized and erased it. In the palace, they averted their eyes as Alawa bounded down the stairs in a nearly sheer robe on her way to swim. "Morning everyone," she called to which they responded.

The night guards nodded and retired for the day. Sen trudged down the stairs behind in his fatigues. "What torture awaits me today?"

"Running," announced Pranil.

After a few laps around the estate, Sen bounded up the stairs for his shower. One guard waited outside the bedroom and the other seven waited downstairs. Alawa soon came in from her swim and scoured the living room looking for something. Then she went upstairs. Soon after, yelling erupted. "You said you loved Orion customs but you forgot Bayanai …with your memory."

"And so the first fight of the love affair begins," commented Zelipe downstairs to the rest of the Uhaii. "I wonder if she has the famed Orion woman's temper."

"Oh, don't even…..you won't be touching me for a long time." Some glass shattered.

"It seems she does."

Sen bounded down the stairs in his full Hiro-Ang regalia including a new black beret. An empty glass flew at him which he dodged. The Uhaii fought their training since Sen told them to stay out of domestic disputes if they should ever arise. "Don't you just love it?"

"Sir," said Zelipe.

"Pure rage," replied Sen. "All my life women have cowed to me because of my title. This is wonderful."

"Did you review Orion customs?"

"I didn't know they had any. I only knew about the dancing." Sen grabbed a stack of electronic data pads and raced out the door. "Chop! Chop! Lots to do today! Today is the day fifty-three goals."

Outside a two large hovercraft awaited them. Ten assistants waited for Sen after being scanned by security. "Jalena, I want the retired mining shuttles of Epiria refitted to transport water from the Aquane Lakes to the Numidia Province to relieve the drought. Those two senators have argued semantics for too long." The young woman dashed away. "Vadim, I want you to make a list of all the Senator's assistants and spouses along with their interests for gift purposes." Sen reasoned that they have more information than anyone cared to admit which eventually he could use. The young man darted away.

In the hover car, Sen barked out more orders at a rapid pace while simultaneously writing more orders on several pads and watching the lastest news and reviewing Orion customs. "Lesta, get the press to the Senate forum immediately but not by my recommendation. Say there's something happening but be mysterious. As a matter of fact, use a friend so it can't be traced to me. Bohdana, get me a reservation in the Baetica province at one of those restaurants where they serve the food in a private the tent."

"Won't it be a bit hot in the desert?"

"I prefer the hot weather and the mood will be perfect for Alawa to dance for me." Accessing a central computer terminal from the hover car, Sen busily hacked a simple computer system while he continued to bark forty more orders which assistants tried desperately to keep up with. "By the way, what do you think of the beret?"

"It's interesting," replied Zelipe.

"This is the latest style. Some of the celebrities have just started it. This helps my popularity amongst the youth demographic."

Once they reached the Senate forum, the assistants disbursed to do their tasks. The media descended upon them but the guards held them back. Sen awaited the doors to open to the Senate forum as etiquette dictated but nothing happened. In the meantime, he entertained questions from the media about various topics while making it a point to keep glancing at the clock, emphasizing the Senate's tardiness. "Well, I'm sure their tardiness can be excused since they are busy enacting proposals increasing our fleet size and dilithium production that I have proposed. I'm sure all the details will be finalized by the end of the day." Sen waved goodbye to the media.

When Sen got into the hover car, he transmitted the details of his proposals to the Senate. "Now the fleet will increase and so will the dilithium production. Production increases because the Remans will get betters tools and much better working conditions. If they don't enact the minutia of the plans by the end of the day, they look like asses and won't get re-elected. All the while, I don't look like I'm abusing my power." Then he began hacking again resetting the clocks on the Senate forum.

"Sir, it's your lunchtime," Zelipe commented.

They stopped at Midav, a very trendy restaurant where security was easy to enforce with deployment surrounding and inside the restaurant. The guards scanned the meals and drinks for toxins. As Sen ate in his booth, a group of privatized guards entered that the Uhaii recognized at once. Nika of the Gelu'Regius clan, a beautiful young woman two years Sen's junior wearing the latest in designer fashion and the finest jewelry sashayed over to Sen and slid next to him once the Uhaii verified her identity. "Darling," she purred as Sen slid away. Then she pushed a button in the middle of the table to generate a field so no one could listen or take photos. "Like I've said before, if I'm your wife, I will give you an heir unless you want the Hiro-Ang line to give up the Praetor-ship which it's held for two thousand years. You can keep your whore if you're discreet."

Sen calmly took a couple more bites and scratched his nose. One of the Uhaii nodded and took positions nearer to her guard. In the blink of an eye, Sen pressed two fingers against her throat. "If you call her a whore again, you'll be mining dilithium for the rest of your life." Then he had Zelipe join them. "As to your guards, my guards can take your guards any day. Zelipe, she has five guards. How could we make it a fair fight?"

"I could tie my hands behind my back and send the rest of the Uhaii away."

Immediately, Nika scurried outside taking her guards with her. "This won't be the last."

After Sen finished his lunch, they stopped at Lae, a very exclusive shop with perfumes, beauty items and many other divinely scented items that felt silky. Sen went to the young woman at the counter. "I want your most expensive beauty things in a lovely gift wrapped basket with this note." He scribbled something. "Deliver it within the next fifteen minutes but put a note from the store apologizing for the delay." Then he slipped her a generous tip.

When they left the store, a light rain fell. In the hover car, Sen stretched out and pulled his beret over his eyes. Zelipe looked at his watch, two-thirty, just like clockwork. Moments later, the hover car arrived at the estate. For the next sixty-two minutes, all would be calm until Sen woke up and set tomorrow's goals. In the meantime, the Uhaii used their time to train. Towards the end of Sen's naptime, Alawa waited outside the hover car until he emerged. At which time, she showered him with kisses.