It was empty.
Sela quickly extracted herself from the airpod and spun around, prepared to see the half-burned, half-contorted figure of Rehaek bounding at her. Instead, she saw only the dark field. In the distance and getting closer, she now saw the flashing lights that accompanied the sirens.
Moving cautiously around the pod, she skirted its bow, walked around the left side, past where flames still crackled along the hull, and then around the back. She saw nothing, and so she made a second circuit, farther away from the craft. On her third trip around, she found Rehaek.
The Chairman of the Tal Shiar sprawled facedown in the mud, his neck bent at an unnatural angle. Still, she squatted down beside him and felt at his neck for any indication of life. She found none.
Satisfied, she turned and quickly headed back the way she had come, from a nearby path that would go unused by the emergency equipment. She walked for a while, utilizing her scanner to ensure that she met nobody along the way. She passed several houses, but her dark clothes would have made it impossible for anybody glancing from a window to see her.
When she felt she had gone far enough that any residual traces of her transporter beam would not be singled out for attention by Romulan Security, she activated her automatic recall. She materialized on the other side of Ki Baratan, out in an uninhabited area of the countryside. From there, she activated her recall again, and then again, bounding around the outskirts of the capital. Finally, she removed her dark clothes and turned them inside-out, dressing herself in moderate colors before beaming back to the city.
Tomorrow she would wait for the praetor to call for her. When eventually she visited the Hall of State, Sela would be both humble and grateful. She knew that she would enjoy her new position as Chairman of the Tal Shiar.
34
Tall ceilings topped a wide space filled with row upon row of shelves, intermingled with an assortment of carrels. Skylights ushered in the midmorning light, the bright rays of the sun alive with the dance of dust motes. A sense of quiet saturated the room.
Spock sat at one of the carrels, a hardbound volume of Romulan philosophy open to a chapter on Vorkan Trov, a famed existentialist who had lived two hundred years earlier. Spock read the book with interest, but found it difficult to concentrate. He had too much to think about at the moment, and not enough to do.
The old section of the Alavhet Public Library in outer Ki Baratan reminded him of his youth. During his childhood days in Shi’Kahr, he had spent many after-school hours in a similar facility. His mother, a teacher, had educated him on the value of books—actual physical books, with hard covers and paper pages. Of course, logic dictated the superiority of books stored on automated media, owing to such characteristics as their searchable nature, their greater portability, and their ability to include hyperlinks. Spock’s mother had not availed herself of logic when espousing her views about books; she had preached instead about how they felt when held in the hands, how the paper delivered a distinctive and somehow special scent, how words appeared somehow more alive when seen on a page instead of a screen. Completely illogical, and yet she had still managed to pass on to him her appreciation of physical books, something he had retained throughout the rest of his life.
Spock had come to the Alavhet Library essentially as a distraction. With the Reunification Movement still underground and maintaining its lowest profile in years, he had little to do but ponder the route forward. He strongly believed that the disposition of the summit between Praetor Tal’Aura and Empress Donatra would greatly impact the future of him and his comrades. While he knew that neither woman personally supported reunification, he did not know if either would be willing to allow their fellow Romulans the right to their own views. Tal’Aura had done so already, but with an ulterior motive; it remained to be seen if she would recriminalize the Movement after the summit, since she would at that time have exhausted the usefulness to her of the unity protests. Donatra, on the other hand, appeared reasonable enough that Spock thought he might be able to negotiate with her, though he could not be sure until he approached her.
For his part, Spock did not know what to expect from the summit. Other than Donatra’s initial entreaty delivered on the Romulan comnet four days ago, and Tal’Aura’s conditional acceptance two days ago, little information existed to allow an estimation of how the conference would resolve. Spock knew from speaking with his comrades and from observing comnet coverage of the coming event that a sense of anticipation infused the whole of Romulan society. He had noticed, though, that a significant segment of the population expected the summit to result in a resolution, with one or the other of the two leaders standing aside. There had been conjecture in some quarters about Donatra serving as Tal’Aura’s proconsul, or about the reverse. Spock had even heard some calls for the institution of some form of bipartite praetorship, but that seemed to him both unworkable and unlikely.
Knowing that the summit would not begin until that evening, and unwilling to engage in unsupported speculation, Spock returned his attention to the Romulan philosophy text. He had read through the chapter on Vorkan Trov, and then through three more chapters on different Romulan philosophers, when he became aware of a disturbance in the library. Voices reached him, where only moments ago the place had been wrapped in silence. Spock listened, and while he could not make out individual words, he noted more and more people speaking, louder, in shocked tones. He rose from the carrel and started to follow the sounds, as did several other people in that section of the library.
In a room given over to companels and computer terminals, a crowd had gathered, their backs to the door. Spock entered and approached the people, realizing that he heard not only their voices, but that of a commentator on the comnet. He moved forward until he could hear clearly.
“—this startling development. To repeat, Romulan Security forces have arrested self-styled ‘Empress’ Donatra on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, and murder. According to a spokesperson for Romulan Security, the crimes were committed some time ago, but Donatra’s complicity in them has only just become known. She has been taken into custody and presumably will soon be faced with an arraignment. There has so far been no word from the Hall of State or Achernar Prime about these developments.
“Donatra arrived on Romulus—”
Spock headed for the door, knowing what he had to do. He also knew precisely how the standoff between the Romulan Star Empire and the Imperial Romulan State would end.
It required hours of effort, as well as the assistance of Dorlok and Venaster, before Spock learned where Romulan Security had detained Donatra. As night fell across Ki Baratan, Spock made his way to the security office on the D’deridex Arc. The long, low building followed the curve of the avenue, its frontage black, the emblem of a silver raptor holding a shield emblazoned above the front door.
Spock entered the office and passed through its narrow, enclosed foyer, then walked through the second, inner door. In the lobby, he recognized the layout of three tall counters rimming the space, with a wall of monitors observing numerous public sites. A pair of sentries immediately accosted him, one of them—a man whose name read Neritel on his dark-gray uniform—demanding that he state his business.
“I am here to visit a prisoner,” Spock said.
The man gestured toward the center counter. “Step up and speak to a defender.”
Spock moved forward, where a woman—T’Vakul—asked him once more to give the reason for coming to the security office.
“You are detaining a prisoner in this facility,” Spock said. “I would like to visit her.”
“Very well,” T’Vakul said. She reached for a data tablet, and then said, “Prisoner’s name?”
“Donatra.”
T’Vakul froze as though she’d been suddenly trapped in amber. Spock waited for her to say something, and finally she asked him to repeat the name, which he did. “Sir, I can neither confirm nor deny that a prisoner named Donatra is in this facility.”
T’Vakul peered blankly at him for a moment, and then repeated her earlier statement, refusing even to admit Donatra’s presence at the security office.
“I wish to speak with your superior, then,” Spock said. Before T’Vakul could even reply, Spock felt a hand on his elbow. He turned to face a tall man with a well-muscled build.
“I am Protector Vikral,” he said in a deep voice. “May we talk in my office, Mister . . .?”
“Spock.”
Vikral did not react to the name, but Spock thought he saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. “Mister Spock,” he said. “Please accompany me.”
Vikral led Spock off to the left and down a long corridor. At the end, he opened a door on the right and stepped aside so that Spock could enter. Inside, a large desk filled most of the floor space of a modest office. Vikral invited Spock to have a seat in front of the desk, then sat down opposite him.
“I won’t insult your intelligence, Mister Spock, by asking you to repeat your request or by coyly suggesting that Donatra may or may not be in my security station,” Vikral said. “I also won’t pretend that I don’t know who you are, since your name is mentioned prominently in the charges against Donatra. But the fact of her incarceration here is not generally known. In order to preserve Donatra’s own safety, I ask that you not divulge her location to anyone.”
“I have no intention of doing so,” Spock said. “I merely wish to speak with her.”
“I have no particular reason not to permit you to do so, Mister Spock,” Vikral said, “other than the fact that I have been ordered not to let anybody see her at this time.”
“That is contrary to Romulan law,” Spock said.
“You have been here on Romulus a long time, Mister Spock,” Vikral said, “so you probably know that we have many laws that take effect only in extraordinary circumstances. Regardless, I have my orders, and I intend to follow them.”
Understanding that he would achieve nothing by continuing his conversation with the protector, Spock stood up. “To whom would I speak to reverse this order?”
“As protector, I answer directly to the office of Internal Security,” Vikral said. He came out from behind his desk and escorted Spock back to the lobby.
Outside, Spock headed for the Hall of State, where he would request a meeting with the head of Internal Security. It struck him that he did not know exactly why he wanted to speak with Donatra. He understood that he didn’t trust Tal’Aura, and he had the report of the Federation envoy, who believed that the empress had nothing to do with the attempt on Spock’s life or the murder of his assassin. Spock decided that he wanted to hear about that from Donatra’s own lips.
And suddenly he knew why: it concerned him that, of the two Romulan leaders, the wrong one would continue to rule.
35
The computer interface on the desk displayed an image of the Romulan Senate Chamber, in preparation for the broadcast of an address by Praetor Tal’Aura. As far as Sisko knew, it marked the first time that an appearance by a sitting praetor would be transmitted from the Hall of State. Thanks to Robinson’s proximity to Romulan space, the captain would have a front-row seat.
As Sisko sat in his ready room, waiting for Tal’Aura’s speech, he thought about Donatra. When he had met with the empress on Achernar Prime, he had genuinely believed her innocent of the crimes for which she had ultimately been arrested. He didn’t know whether he had misjudged her, or whether she had managed to dupe him, or if he’d actually been correct in his assessment. But guilty or not, it didn’t seem to Sisko as though Donatra had received a fair opportunity to plead her case. A month after she’d been taken into custody, her trial had not yet been set, and so, at least in theory, she might ultimately prevail, but at that point, would it matter to her?
Since Donatra’s imprisonment, Tal’Aura’s government had released the evidence allegedly tying the empress to an attempt by a Reman on Ambassador Spock’s life, and to the ensuing murder of the would-be assassin. As Sisko understood it, President Bacco had needed to expend a great deal of effort to convince Klingon Chancellor Martok not to attack Romulus for the murder of a Reman by a Romulan, given that the Reman state existed as a Klingon protectorate. According to Admiral Akaar, the president had finally threatened to dissolve the Khitomer Accords based on the incidence of a Klingon citizen—the Reman—trying to kill a Federation citizen. Martok had then relented, claiming that the Reman had never lived on Klorgat IV and so did not qualify as a Klingon citizen, thus invalidating both assertions.
The evidence against Donatra, whether authentic or manufactured, convinced Romulans everywhere of her guilt. The public unity protests throughout the Star Empire and the Imperial State transformed into denouncements of the empress. Those disillusioned by the accusations against Donatra vilified her, easily drowning out the voices of her few remaining supporters. Sisko thought that the haste with which people in the Imperial State abandoned the empress suggested that they had long been ready to latch onto anything that would result in uniting all Romulans.
Also of major significance, Donatra had lost the backing of many of her military forces. Though the empress could never have achieved a martial victory over the Star Empire, and though she could never have persevered against a combined Typhon Pact offensive, her fleet of starships had still provided a measure of security for those in the Imperial State. Once Donatra’s military capabilities fractured, her people had grown fearful, pushing them to more strongly support Romulan unity.
Watching the computer screen, Sisko saw the members of the Romulan Senate rise as one, along with the individuals making up the Continuing Committee. Praetor Tal’Aura then appeared, moving with grace and confidence, resplendent in a dark ceremonial robe of reddish purple. Rounded, block-like glyphs tumbled down the right side of her garment in a lighter purple color. Sisko had to reach back to his days stationed at the Federation embassy in the Star Empire to decipher the meaning of the characters: Romulus for Romulans.
Praetor Tal’Aura bowed her head to those assembled in the Senate Chamber. As a group, they sat. Into the silence that followed, Tal’Aura began to speak.
“Worthy members of the Senate, honored members of the Continuing Committee, people of the Romulan Star Empire, and people of the Imperial Romulan State, I bid you greetings.” She had short gray hair, with only a few small patches of dark color here and there. Her bangs came to a shallow point in the center of her forehead, with locks that mimicked the inverted line of her upswept ears hanging down the sides of her face.
“The road the Romulan people have traveled together has been a winding one, weaving through pitfalls and perils, through exultations and expectations,” she continued. “We have endured war and loss, and we have celebrated peace and victory. For millennia, we have experienced all of this, and more, together, as one nation, as one people, united in the strength of our common heritage, and in the joyous hopes for our shared futures.
“Until recently.
“This is not the time to debate the circumstances that led to the sundering of our Empire. Nor is this the proper setting in which to pass judgment on the actions of Donatra that led to our division. In due course, she will face a trial that will weigh other of her alleged actions, and that test of her character and her deeds will stand on its own.”
It seemed impossible to Sisko that Donatra could confront criminal charges without her founding of the Imperial State coloring the ruling.
“What we do know about Donatra is that she served the Romulan Star Empire and its people for many years, with tours of duty aboard warbirds such as the Vel’reger and the T’sarok,” said Tal’Aura, with a generosity that, considering the circumstances, seemed almost noble. “Eventually, she commanded her own ship, the
Valdore, and then the entire Third Fleet, all with distinction. However we may disagree with Donatra’s choice to hold Achernar Prime and Xanitla and other worlds under the banner of a new nation, there is no question that she has been a true Romulan patriot.”
Sisko could not measure the sincerity with which Tal’Aura spoke, but regardless, she had clearly chosen to speak in accordance with her high station. Such kind words also could not help but woo some of the remaining Donatra supporters.
“In that spirit,” Tal’Aura went on, “I say to you that the time for our divisions has passed. Indeed, we have expanded our ties by joining the Typhon Pact, and I have spoken with representatives from each of those governments, and each has pledged their support for what I must now do.” Tal’Aura paused and seemed to pull herself up straighter. “From this moment, I declare that the Imperial Romulan State is no more. All territory, all matériel, all property, and most important, all people, within the former state are once again part of the Romulan Star Empire.
“Tonight, and forevermore, we are one.”
The senators and the members of the Continuing Committee leaped to their feet, their applause thunderous. Tal’Aura appeared to bask for a moment in the adulation heaped upon her, but she did not tarry. After just a few moments, before the ovation could fade, she withdrew from the chamber. She doesn’t want to spoil her performance with a show of ego, Sisko thought.
The captain reached forward and thumbed off the screen. So one of the Federation’s enemies has gotten stronger tonight, he thought. Wonderful. And then he realized that not only had the Romulan Empire grown stronger, but so too had the Typhon Pact.
Sitting back in his chair, Sisko suddenly thought about the plight of the Bajorans. The Romulan people, as a group, had certainly not suffered as the people of Bajor had, had not lived for decades fighting the oppression of a brutal occupier, but Sisko nevertheless saw similarities between the two. The citizens of the Imperial Romulan State—even those who supported Donatra—surely had not wanted to live divided from Romulus and the other worlds of the Star Empire. When the Cardassians had finally left, Bajorans had felt that they’d finally gotten their home back. For the people of the Imperial State, returning by way of a single declaration to the Star Empire must feel comparable, like going home.
Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Rough Beasts of Empire Page 28
