Chapter 5: Getting to Know You

Captain’s Quarters, USS Oberon

“So, do you know anything about this Captain tr’Khnialmnae?” LT Cartwright said as she placed her coffee cup back into the replicator, watching as it disappeared.

“Just what the Romulans told me today,” Captain Jerran said as he sat back on the couch after eating dinner. “They’ve never been all that forthright with what I’d guess they’d call ancient history. And, the only mention I can find of him in the Federation database is from the CMO of the USS Enterprise, a Commander McCoy. His logs indicate a few instances of smuggling Romulan ale across the neutral zone…”

“Strictly for medicinal purposes, I’m sure,” Jennifer said as she sat on the couch next to Terel.

“Undoubtedly. Anyway, the logs mention a Captain tr’Khnialmnae as his supplier.”

“Wasn’t McCoy the CMO of the 1701?”

Jerran nodded as he finished off the last of his coffee. “The same.”

“That was over a hundred years ago, though. The folks at the Bureau of Temporal Affairs aren’t even convinced of that whole story about the 1701-C coming through a temporal rift. The only evidence we have so far is the word of a half Romulan commander.”

Jerran rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, “And there’s been even more doubt cast on her story with the recent discovery of Captain Picard’s clone who tried to take over the Romulan Empire. It’s certainly not beyond their capabilities. However, if we can find the Ja’telaih and confirm the story of how they got to this time, then the boys at Temporal Affairs will have a lot to talk about.”

As Cartwright was about to sit down on the couch, the door buzzer rang. Jerran looked up and said, “That must be LT tr’Kovan. We were going to meet to discuss some of the particulars of the mission.”

“Don’t get up,” Jennifer said as she walked to the door. She touched the pad next to the door. She was somewhat taken aback by the young Romulan on the other side of the door. With his dark blond hair and green eyes, which in themselves were quite unusual for a Romulan, he did share a passing resemblance to her friend and Jerran’s lost partner, St. John Briggs.

“Right on time,” Jerran said, standing up and motioning the lieutenant in. “LT Devon tr’Kovan, this is my Flight Control Officer, LT Jennifer Cartwright. She’ll be accompanying us on the mission.”

“An honor to meet you, Lieutenant,” tr’Kovan said with a slight bow.

“Likewise,” Cartwright said. She turned to Jerran and said, “Can I speak with you for a moment in the bedroom, Captain? I wanted to go over the ummmm… shuttle pilot rotation schedule.”

Jerran raised an eyebrow and said, “Sure. Excuse us for a moment, Lieutenant.”

Cartwright followed the Captain into his bedroom, and as soon as the soundproof doors had shut she said, “What the hell is going on here? You warned me of a passing resemblance between this LT tr’Kovan and St. John, but it almost looks like they could be related to me.”

Jerran was much calmer about the situation than his flight control officer, as usual, and he rubbed his chin in contemplation saying, “The situation is perplexing to be sure, but I’m curious as to whether this truly is a coincidence or if the Romulans have something planned, which is more likely the case.”

“That’s an understatement,” Jennifer said as she noticed an image display with a picture of Terel and his late partner, St. John Briggs, sitting beside his bed.

“Of course,” Jerran continued, “that’s why I brought you along.”

Cartwright nodded and said, “I figured as much after he walked in. You certainly don’t need me as a pilot. You can fly whatever Romulan contraption they’re giving us for the mission blindfolded.”

Jerran moved closer to Jennifer and hugged her, a most un-Vulcan sentimentality that she’d come to expect from her long time friend and CO. “Whatever the Romulans have planned, we’ll be ready for it. I’m just glad you’ll be there when it happens. Now, let’s not keep our new friend waiting.”

As they entered the living room of Jerran’s stateroom, tr’Kovan was calmly watching a pair of Romulan maintenance flitters fly by. He turned and smiled at the two Federation officers.

Jerran looked to Jennifer and said, “If there’s nothing else you need, then we’ll both see you tomorrow morning for the pre-flight briefing.”

Cartwright nodded and said, “’Night, Captain.” She looked over at the Tal Shiar agent and grinned saying, “Lieutenant tr’Kovan,” before she walked out the door.

“Shall we get started, Captain?” tr’Kovan said as he handed Jerran one of a pair of PADDs he’d been carrying. Jerran took the PADD and motioned for the Romulan to sit on the chair across the desk.

‘I think you’ll find as I have that Captain tr’Khnialmnae was quite a colorful character,” the young officer continued after sitting down. “If I’d been investigating him just a few years ago, before the changes caused by the Dominion War and the Reman rebellion, it would have been a lot harder to get a hold of this information. The Praetorate and the Tal Shiar were never forthcoming about access to the historical data from that era.”

“Any particular reason why?” Jerran asked.

“Mostly embarrassment, I’d say. It was a time of transition in the way that my government started treating its people. You might say at that time we’d started to loose our way from the path of the Ruling Passion.”

“Mnhei’sahe,” Jerran said, eliciting a surprised smile from LT tr’Kovan.

“Exactly,” Devon said. “With the collapse of the Tal Shiar during the Dominion War and the massacre of the Praetorate and Senate just recently, my people have been trying to return to that path. It was, after all, the reason why our forebears left Vulcan so many centuries ago.”

“And what of the Tal Shiar today?” Jerran asked, watching the Lieutenant.

Tr’Kovan grinned and said, “We’re still as efficient as we’ve always been, but the current leadership tends to agree with the way things are going, for now. There are hold outs, of course, who preferred things the way they were before the battle at the Founders’ homeworld destroyed most of our ships and operatives.”

“Major t’Khellian being one of them,” Jerran said as he got up and ordered two cups of Bajoran coffee from the replicator.

“Very observant, Captain,” he said, taking the cup of coffee with thanks. “I really haven’t been on the station long enough to get to know the major that well, but it’s obvious that she was unhappy with this alliance.”

“And even more obvious that she’s unhappy serving under t’Ehrowhin,” Jerran said with a smile as he sipped his coffee.

tr'Kovan nodded and looked back at his PADD, obviously uncomfortable about discussing his superiors with an alien. “As I was saying, the time period we’re looking at was a transition time, and there were many who didn’t like the direction in which the Romulan Empire was moving. There were a number of minor rebellions by certain individuals including Captain tr’Khnialmnae and khre’Riov Ael t’Rllaillieu. They both believed that Romulus was loosing touch with Mnhei’Sahe.”

“Considering the changes that are happening now, though,” Jerran interrupted, “one would think that Captain tr’Khnialmnae would be welcomed back as a hero.”

tr'Kovan shifted slightly in his chair and said, “And, to be sure, Captain, there are many in my government who feel that way. But, there are also those who believe that justice and order should still be maintained above all else. tr'Khnialmnae did attack many of the Navy’s ships before the battle of Narendra III, and those holdouts both within the Tal Shiar and in the government want to see him brought to justice for that. And that’s why we’ve been sent to find him.”

Jerran raised an eyebrow, but said nothing other than, “All right, let’s start looking at the info you’ve compiled. I want to learn everything there is about this man.”