Chapter 4: New Beginnings

A/N: I invented the name R'ëal and I got Kihika from a Romulan name generator on the web. The amazing things one finds out there…


Thorek was glad that Asha kept her hands to herself as he showed her around the house. While she was going to live under the same roof, it didn't mean that his possessions were automatically hers. She had taken the news about his lover very calmly, and she had not pried. Excellent – all the better if she stayed out of his way and he out of hers; but although she was quiet, in contrast to her behaviour at the prison, her silence was not submissive. There was something dignified about the way she moved and spoke, and she had been very direct about not wanting to share a bed or produce children. As it was, the thought of engaging in intimate relations with a Human was distasteful enough. He thought of his lover R'ëal, and his desire for her made his face blush green. She stirred and dominated his lust like no other Romulan woman had ever done. His nights with her were incomparable.

He thought of Asha.

And scoffed.

He lost himself in thoughts about R'ëal. R'ëal possessed an arrogant aristocratic beauty: tall, slim, luscious black hair worn short as she was in the military; sharp, angled cheekbones and a mouth capable of many wicked delights. Her clan was rich and respected. To maintain its reputable image, she conducted her liaison in secret, as neither she nor Thorek had any intention of marriage and starting a family. In the meantime, her relatives were interested in seeing her bonded with a distant cousin, an accomplished young man who was making a name for himself in the military.

R'ëal embodied all Thorek admired in a woman. She was brilliant, beautiful, powerful and unbelievably erotic. How could anyone hold a candle to her?

Later during the day, he introduced Asha to his house staff, including her own assistant called Kihika, and sat down with her to discuss her future life on Romulus.

"I will be arranging a tutor for you to teach you the Romulan language and rules of Romulan society. Since dealings with the Federation started, highborn families have had their children tutored in English. As many families send their children to the military, bilingualism is considered a big advantage. It is probable that they might have to deal with your species during their career, and seeing that Starfleet is not averse to encroaching on our territory..."

Asha wisely remained silent, but she raised an eyebrow. She considered it a pity to learn a language to keep someone away instead of building bridges. Thorek continued: "The Romulan language is not easy to learn. It is my hope that you will be able to master it nevertheless."

"Thank you. I studied Xenolinguistics, and learning a new language will be exciting for me. Speaking of which…what kind of opportunities are there for me to make a living here?"

This time it was Thorek who raised an eyebrow. "It is not necessary for you to search for employment." He refrained from telling her that the house and quality of life should be clear indicators of his ample remuneration. Despite his Romulan pride, he knew when to be modest.

"I want to contribute to society, although I am not certain what my limited rights grant me. I have been used to being financially independent. However much I enjoy studying and exploring, I want and need something hands-on to do. I used to write holo-instructions for a living back on Earth. I am not sure how I can contribute over here."

"I see. Your attitude is quite…admirable. I already have a tutor in mind for you, and I will go over your questions about employment with her."

"I am very grateful for the trouble you are taking on my behalf."

"It is my duty. Do you have further questions?"

Asha decided to broach another delicate topic.

"The money I earned back on Earth is stranded over there. I suppose it will remain so?"

"Considering the current state between the Federation and our Empire – yes. I have arranged sufficient funds for you to cover what you need. You will find the information on this PADD."

He handed it to her.

"I am touched by your generosity. I do hope, however, that I can find a way to independence despite my limited rights."

"You can start by reading these."

He rose and gave her the remaining PADDS which had been stacked on the table next to his chair. "This material will help you gain a first understanding of Romulus's geography, history and other basics."

"Thank you. There is something I wanted to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"I saw on your profile that you have a mastery of the Vulcan language."

"Correct."

"Well…I recall that your history with the Vulcans is rather fraught and the language unpopular over here…?"

"True. My maternal great-grandmother was Vulcan. She taught me. She was a medical doctor like my great-grandfather. They met at a conference and she married him against the wishes of her family, who disowned her. Obviously, the Tal Shiar's research was very thorough. They plant many spies who walk and talk among us. It would seem that the very walls have got ears. The language is all I have to remember her by. We were very close."

"And how did your great-grandfather's family react to his marriage?"

"They cut off contact with him but reconciled when he became a father." He stopped abruptly and looked at her. Her head was slightly inclined on one side, and she was listening attentively. If this alone was able to make him open up about his family history, he wondered what else he would end up telling her. His common sense claimed she was trustworthy, but his paranoid attitude warned him that she was Human, an alien, an imposter, and thus not deserving of trust. She confused him. Maybe she would have the same effect on the tutor he had in mind for her.

"Well," he resumed, "you will be having a lot to read during the next weeks. Is there anything else you need to know?"

"Not at the moment."

"Your assistant Kihika will aid you if you are looking for something in the house or need to go outdoors – to make purchases, for instance. I strongly recommend that you take her with you."

Asha wondered if Kihika's presence also encompassed secret surveillance duties. It was all very well for Thorek to criticise the Tal Shiar's paranoia when he himself was affected by such an unhealthy attitude.

"I will be absent during the night and return the next morning," he informed her. Asha knew instinctively that he was going to visit his lover R'ëal.

"All right."

He nodded in his curt fashion and left.


R'ëal ran her hands up and down Thorek's body. He kissed her greedily and slid one leg between hers.

"Why, you have been starving for me," she laughed, pulling him close and moaning as his fingers toyed with her sex.

"Indeed, maybe more than you for me?"

"Oh, really? Let's see if that is true," she countered, reaching between his thighs and guiding him into her body. They moved smoothly together, and he admired how the light accented her angular cheekbones and graceful lean curves.

At dawn, they lay in each other's arms, exhausted after hours of pleasure. As they dozed together pleasantly, Thorek took a deep breath and announced: "R'ëal…I have to discuss something very important with you."

"I'm listening."

He told her.

There was a silence, then R'ëal reached out and turned on the lights, choosing the maximum brightness setting.

Thorek blinked and shielded his eyes against the sudden glare.

"So. You are married. To a Human."

"Yes."

"A Human!" She snorted derisively, getting out of bed. "A puny Human from a laughable excuse of a planet!"

Thorek suddenly felt defensive about Asha. "This situation is not her fault. The Tal Shiar overreacted. She was dragged here against her will," he said firmly.

She turned around. "Have you shared your bed with this woman already?"

"We sleep separately. She is my wife, and I will treat her with respect. As it is she was treated very poorly in prison. You don't know her, and she doesn't know you." His tone was final.

"True," R'ëal said. "Maybe it is just as well that this happened. I have been wanting to think about the future of this…arrangement between us."

He leaned against the pillows. "A relationship built on lust has little future in our society, R'ëal, though I would also like to think that we share friendship, too. However, you have told me what your relatives have been suggesting."

She sat down next to him, and he admired the beautiful curve of her back. "Yes, lust and friendship…"

They looked at each other and smiled. From the very beginning, they had shared a warm camaraderie. A Romulan matchmaker would have deemed them an excellent couple; but it was precisely the distance which added such a thrill to their relationship, stemming from the knowledge that a long-term commitment was simply not something they envisaged together. R'ëal was completely devoted to her career, which Thorek deeply admired her for, and the bottom line was that she wanted a stable structure in an intimate relationship sanctioned by her family and their society. Thorek's clan had enjoyed a similar status, but had fallen into disrepute because of its resistance to the Tal Shiar and overt protests concerning political issues. His relatives were scattered across various provinces and hardly kept in touch; he had no siblings, and being in the Tal Shiar's bad books was enough to disappoint any Romulan woman. After his parents had been cruelly executed by the Tal Shiar, he had been forced to become a self-made Romulan and had worked his way up without rich family connections.

R'ëal accepted these facts about him, and he accepted hers. R'ëal stretched out her hand to him, and they silently went to her bathroom and bathed together. When they were dressed, she asked: "What does your wife look like?"

He pulled his PADD out of his pocket and handed it to her. R'ëal studied Asha's portrait for a good minute or two.

"She is…not unbecoming to look at. Her eyes are very unusual."

A slight smile touched Thorek's lips. "They are. It must be a genetic anomaly."

"An anomaly, but pleasing." She handed him the PADD. "And what do you intend to do with this Human by your side?"

He sighed. "R'ëal, I don't know."

"And I don't know what to do with you by my side, Thorek."

"That is unkind, my love."

"Thorek, we knew from the very start that a future for both of us would be difficult or even impossible. I am in the military. You are a man of science. We are people who want and need facts. And the facts are unkind."

"What do you propose?"

"I will have to think about it. Can you visit me in four weeks on the same day at the same time?"

"Very well. I agree that we both need time to think this through."