STAR TREK - TNG - 35 - The Romulan Stratagem

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THE ROMULAN STRATAGEMBy ROBERT GREENBERGERHistorian's NoteThis adventure takes

place several months after the sixth-season episode "Face of the Enemy." FADING STARLIGHT

seeped through the small window in the alcove of the bedroom. The dim light fought the room's darkness,

enabling Daithin to slip into his chosen uniform of the day without disturbing his still-slumbering wife. She

had earned her long morning's nap after years of getting up and preparing him and their children for one

kindof battle or another. Rough hands, starting to stiffen with age, stuffed pant legs into boots, and the

man marveled--for the thousandth time--just how quiet and peaceful and utterly impossible life had

become.Each time he awakened and didn't hear the sound of mortar fire or waterslapping against the

side of a boat as it crept into harbor under coverof fog, Daithin was surprised. Silently, thick fingers filled

his tiny belt pouches with bits andpieces of his orderly life.Daithin was not sure how he felt about the

coming day.He had slept well, remarkable enough given the importance of the eventsto come, and was

curiously at peace with himself despite the aches thatwere his constant companions--unwanted souvenirs

of war. No surprise, though--he had spent months preparing for this moment, one he was sure would

forever enshrine his name and his family's in Eloh's history books. Creeping slowly toward his wife, he

leaned overand kissed her gently on the forehead, receiving asatisfied sigh in return. As she turned overhe

left the room and with measured, practiced stepsmade his way down the hall, past the children's

wing.Children, he mused. They were still his children, although one wasdestined to marry in half a year

and the other was completingher studies half a world away. Shandra, living amongst the Dar. He shook

hishead in wonder. Twenty years ago, she would havebeen studying how to kill them. Now, they were

teaching herhow to help their world survive. It truly was the ageof miracles. Her room was empty now,

as was Danith's,silent monuments to his wife's success in raisingthem despite the odds. Daithin considered

himselffortunate, having two fine offspring made, noless--at the tail end of the bitterest, bloodiestchapter

in his planet's history. At least, he hoped it was the tail end. He entered the kitchen, where a small carafe

hadalready filled up with kintare. The tart smell broughta smile to his lips and reminded him of thepride his

wife took in raising the fruit from which thehot drink was made. Her abilities with naturalthings--plants,

animals, children were a constant sourceof amazement and pride to Daithin. He sipped his drink, enjoying

the thick taste and thesilence. Events were building to a crescendo nowwithin the span of a fortnight, Eloh

would beirrevocably changed. And so would his life. It wastime for him to rest. Over the span of seven

decadeshe had seen far too much battle, killed far toomany innocent people, made far too many

decisions basedon instinct and whim rather than a balanced knowledge of thefacts. Daithin had grown

wiser over those years ofdecision making but those first infant years still weighedheavily on him. He

constantly reconsideredactions, siring facts and situations over and over againin his memory, hoping to

find some better wayto resolve a given conflict. Often he hadmanaged to find different Solutions, but then

he waslost in wondering if they were better ones. The drink finished and starlight rapidly givingway to a

bright dawn, Daithin rose from his seat,dusted some stray lint off his sleeve, and strode outof his home.

Waln, as always, was standing out in the street'waiting for him. Daithin looked his friend over, and smiled.

"Youlook good today, Governor," he began, a hint offrost coming from his breath. "And you look

terrible," the older man snapped."That uniform is too tight on you." "My wife's cooking," Daithin

replied,patting his stomach and letting out a chuckle. "Comenow, Waln--why are you being so

snappish?" "Do you have to ask?" Waln said. He barelylooked over at his old friend as they began

walking."You know how I feel. We're not ready for this!None of us is. The Cooperative

DefenseProjects are going to be stalled for another monthat least, and you can bet the Dar won't let

anyconstruction begin until they receive assurances about theirexisting weaponry, and the conductor

general is not goingto start disarmament until he receives assurances that hisoffice will be free from any

legislativeinterference, and..." Wain continued his usual litany of complaints aboutthe Unified

Government's failings as the two menstrolled past home after home, most with windowsshuttered and

lights still out. People in government usuallyrose much later, he knew, and he wasinitially considered a bit

odd for the early days heput in. A legacy of his life as a soldier. "--So it's ridiculously early to

considerputting any further strain on these alliances. Thegovernors all agree with me, you realize, Andre"

Daithin shook his head. "That's not how they voted,Waln. You know that." "Well, you know how I

voted." Wain lookeddown and kept walking. "They'll bite our handsoff." "My, you're in rare form this

morning," Daithinreplied, trying to keep the mood light. They hadthis same debate almost every morning

for the lastweek. Wain was having none of it, though. "I do not for thelife of me understand your

urgency," he said. "Weargued and debated for months at a stretch, and thenone day you announced we

would have a vote. You neverpushed through a vote before in your life. Why now?" Daithin stopped in

his tracks and turned to Wain.In that instant, he saw not his lifelong friend, thesoldier who had fought by

his side for a quartercentury, the general who had been among the first to declarehis support for the

Unified Government, but a tired,scared old man, afraid of any furtherchange in a lifetime that had already

seen the world turnedupside down. And in that moment, Daithin had asudden urge to grab his friend's

shoulders and shake him,and tell him the truth. Why did I press this decision? Daithinwanted to say.

Because the Grand Alliance is on theverge of falling apart, Wain! Neither you nor anyof the other

governors have learned to set aside yourclan interests and put Eloh's first. And if thedisarmament issue

doesn't push us all backinto civil war, something else will. This is the only thingthat can possibly save us!

But there's another reason, old friend, maybe themost important of all. Because I'm going to die soon

man I wantto make sure my world, and my son, and my daughter,and all the others I care

about--survive. Daithin said none of that, though. Instead, hesimply smiled and clapped Wain on the

shoulder. "You trusted me to know when the time was right to makepeace with the Dar," he said. "And I

was right about that,wasn't I? Trust me now, Wain. It was asimportant to make this decision--now, at

this verytime." Waln looked up at him and shook hishead. "I do trust you, Daithin, but with all my heart,I

believe that the decision you have forced upon us now iswrong. Catastrophically wrong." Waln pauseda

moment, and looked his friend in the eye. his to am notalone in believing this, you know." "I know,"

Daithin replied. "But it is youropposition that wounds me the most." "I do not intend to wound you,

Daithin. Onlyto serve my world--my people as I see best." His tonewas uncharacteristically grave and

made Daithin acutelyuncomfortable. The two walked on in silence, until they finallycame to the

parliament. The building was set off fromall others by a vast ring of greenery that added pomp

andcircumstance to the structure. Morning sunlight wasreflecting off windows both clear and

frosted,twinkling as if it bid the duo greeting. A half-dozen guards stood flanking the mainentrance.

Daithin's heart skipped a beat. Somethingwas wrong. As he watched, a younger man in civilianclothing

detached himself from the soldiers and strodebriskly forward to meet them. Daithin relaxedslightly as he

recognized his chiefaide, Larkin. "Good morning, Governor," Larkin said to Wain.Then he turned and

gave his full attentionto Daithin. "Premier--they're early. They will achieveorbit within the hour. Our first

meeting with them willfollow an hour after that." Larkin's eyesglittered. "In less than two hours, sir, youwill

be making direct contact with people from a distant star.It's remarkable." Daithin smiled. It was good to

see someone elseexcited about what the day would bring. "I promiseyou, Waln," he began, turning to his

friend, "you willhave no cause to regret today's events. I--" He stopped talking, because the governor

had alreadystalked away and was even now entering Parliament". "Something wrong, sir?" Larkin asked.

Daithin shook his head. "The governor is notthrilled about our visitors, Larkin." "You know what they

say, sir," his aidereplied. "The future waits for no man." Larkin's words made Daithin smile."Well,

Larkin," Daithin said, taking his first steptoward the parliament building, "the future will haveto wait just a

little while for me--at leastuntil I've had another cup of kintare." "Yes, sir," Larkin said, falling into

placebeside him. The younger man took out a sheaf of paper fromthe folder he was carrying and began

to read from it. "Youshould know that the leaders of the trade council have agreedto attend the evening

session with our visitors, soI've moved that session to the Main Assembly, andarranged dinner for an

additional fifty people with the staff. I've also arranged tours of the purification facility, the council

sessions, and the youth league. Your first meeting..." As Larkin reviewed the day's schedule, Daithinfelt

himself begin to relax and the unpleasant aftertaste of his argument with Waln fade away. The

governorwill see I'm right, he told himself, once hemeets with our visitors. And if Waln didn't like today's

guests, wellthen--perhaps tomorrow's would be more to his liking. SCREAMING. That was the first

thing Ensign Ro Larenheard as the lift doors opened. Then the smell hither. Smoke. "Computer," she

began, hitting thehallway at a dead run. "Identify source offire. Locate." There was no response. As she

had feared. Thefire must "have damaged the audio interface.Damn. It would take her precious secondsto

find the fire on her own. She hoped thoseseconds weren't too costly. Ro had been heading to her

quarters when the liftshe was in had been brought to an abrupt halt by theship's computer systems on this

floor. To allow herto render assistance, she surmised--and to allow othersa chance to escape the fire.

She turned a corner and blinked. The hall beforeher was filling rapidly with smoke. The screaming

herewas louder, more insistent. Children, she realized suddenly. The fire was in oneof the Enterprise's

classrooms. The one right beforeher. She forced the door open, and stepped into chaos. It was an

electrical fire, she sawinstantly. Sparks escaped from behind the wallpaneling with little hisses and pops.

Children shrieked andran away from the wall, scurrying around thecorridor, at first unsure where to turn.

The blowncircuits continued to create their own cacophony,trying to make themselves heard over the

children. Their teacherpushed them back, making calming noises inthe back of his throat. "This way!" Ro

shouted."This way out!" The children nearest her looked up and began movingtoward her--too slowly.

They were still too scared--andtoo young--to react intelligently. She neededhelp. With swift strides Ro

moved toward their teacher,an unremarkable man of about fifty with a slightstoop to his shoulders, who

was standing before the computerdisplay on the far wall. The fire had originatedfrom there, she saw

instantly. Short circuit. "Sir, please move out of the way so I can shutthis console down." Even as she

spoke, her eyes werescanning the wall for a fire suppression device.There. "I need your help in getting

the children out." The man looked up, glanced at her a second,and then--incredibly--returned his

attention to thecomputer display before him. "I almost have the circuits rerouted," he said."A minute more

and I'll be able to stop themalfunction from spreading." "We don't have time for that now," Ro

saidurgently. She reached behind the wall panel nextto her for the fire suppression device, grabbed it,

andmoved next to the console. "Sir," sherepeated. "Please--step aside." "One minute more," the man

said, sweat pouring downhis brow. "I'll have it." This was insane. The firewas less dangerous than she

had initially thought, but it was bad enough. And every second it continued, the potential for a

catastrophe existed. She had no time to argue. With her free hand she grabbed the back of the man'sshirt

and ripped him away from the computer interface.He landed hard against the far wall, the thud a

quietsound compared to the spreading fire. Ro snapped off the safety lock on the firesuppression device,

and a second later a streamof foam poured forth. The console shut down--andmoments later the fire was

out. Within minutes uniformedengineers had arrived to handle the situation. Theythanked Ro for her work

and then ignored her. By the time she reached her cabin, she'd turned hermind to the thousand and one

other things she had to do aboardthe starship. She honestly never expected to hear anything elseabout

the fire. "You certainly have a way with people," WilliamRiker said as the observation 1ounge'sdoor

swooshed closed behind her. The first officer,tall and broad, leaned over the chair at the headof the table,

near the doorway. "Thank you, Commander," Ro said. "Do you mean ingeneral, or do you have a

specific person in mind?""Gregori Andropov," Riker said. Ro frowned. "I don't know the man." "You

nearly tossed him through a bulkheadyesterday, Ensign," Riker continued. "Oh," she said. "The teacher."

"That's right--the teacher." Riker shook his head."Ensign, what are we going to do with you?" Ro

frowned again. Ever since she signed onboard nearly two years earlier, she knew herstubborn

independence had found her in one confrontationafter another with the senior command staff. Ro also

knewthat circumstances had dictated that she totally trustthese people with her life, and they had never

failed thattrust. Therefore, she always submitted to these meetingseven though it meant doing her level

best to keep herfamed temper in check. She kept herself inprofile to Riker, watching the streaked stars

driftby as the proud starship traveled through warp space. "Sir," she began. "We had a majorcircuit

failure on that deck, and if Ihadn't moved him out of the way--fast--we could have hada catastrophe!

What was I supposed to do?Wait and politely ask for him to shuffle away?" "No, but he's a civilian, not

trainedto react the way you and I are, and you have to keep that inmind, Ensign! There are over a

thousand people aboard thisship; that means over one thousand possible reactionsto any given situation,

and as an officer, you must beready to act or react accordingly. Charging through him like amoose

certainly doesn't earn you anyone'srespect, and it only heightens tension between thecivilian side and

Starfleet." Ro continued to stand ramrod straight and paused beforespeaking again, forcing herself to act

like the officer she was. "I suppose so, sir," she replied. "Isuppose my actions could have been a little

less--emphatic." "You suppose?" Riker asked. Despite herself, Ro glared at him. "Yes,sir. My actions

could have been a little different and theend result would have remained the same the circuitfire would

have been contained." "I'm glad to hear you say that, Ensign,"Riker said. He began to move toward her

and shewatched the practiced ease of his gait. Everythinghe did as first officer was merely rehearsalfor

when he would gain a long-deserved command of his own.She admired the dedication Riker brought to

his job,and in some ways found him a kindred spirit. Their chiefdifference was that he had long ago

learned to rechannelhis passions so they would not interfere with his job. Rosometimes feared this was

something beyond her grasp. "I can't fault your dedication to duty," Rikersaid. "But your approach... now

that's something we haveto work on." "Again," she muttered, under her breath. "Again,"he echoed and

then let go one of his patented smiles."Ensign, I think I have just the solution so this kindof a problem will

not happen again. We have quite a number ofcivilians living aboard this ship, not all of them withdirect

ties to Starfleet. Just as you're not surehow to act around them, they may not know how to act

aroundyou. When we left Starbase 211 two days ago,fourteen new families transferred aboard.I'm

assigning you to escort one of these newfamilies around for three or four" days. Getused to their point of

view, their understanding of how weoperate. They can also get your perspective on beingpart of

Starfleet. I think both sides wouldbenefit." Ro's jaw dropped. "Commander, I'm nota tour guide'! I didn't

come aboard theEnterprise just so families can see me as a rolemodel. I'm a Starfleet officer, and my

place--" "Your place, Ensign, is where it best servesthis ship," Riker snapped. "Your schedule will

beadjusted to accommodate your new role as orientationofficer and yes, role model it may well be.I

think, and I'm sure Captain Picard willagree, that you could use a little more experience with thecivilian

element aboard this ship. I'll have yourorders posted to the computer." Riker took a deepbreath and then

said, "Dismissed." Ro spun on her heel and stormed out of theobservation lounge, thoroughly unhappy.

She almostran headlong into Geordi La Forge on her wayout. The Enterprise's chief engineer stepped

asideto let her pass. "Had another one of those chats, did you?" heasked Riker as the door slid shut

behind her. The commander sighed wearily and smiled. "I'm goingto make an officer out of her one of

these days or dietrying." As La Forge slipped into his accustomed seat,he smiled. "I'm betting on you

dying. Infact, the odds are in my favor." Riker looked surprised at the comment."Odds."?" "Yeah, Lance

Woods in researchhas been taking bets on you two for months. Ifigure I can retire on my winnings." The

first officer laughed and settled into his ownseat, and glanced toward the doors. Expectant,he wished he

could will people in so the meeting could begin.No matter what their next mission was, it hadto be better

than their current mapping assignment. Within minutes, Dr. Beverly Crusher,Counselor Deanna Troi, and

the KlingonSecurity Chief Lieutenant Worf all joinedhim and Geordi in the observation lounge.

Despitethe casual manner in which they greeted each otherRiker could detect the undercurrent of

expectancyin the room. He pictured the Captain, sitting inhis ready room, on the opposite side of

thebridge, counting off the minutes before he could make adramatic entrance. Instead, to his

disappointment, Riker watched thedoors quietly swoosh, open and admit thecaptain, deep in

conversation with Data, the ship'sandroid second officer. "Not everything is as it seems, MisterData,"

Jean-Luc Picard commented as they walkedthrough the doorway. "You certainly have learned that

duringyour time aboard the Enterprise." "Of course, Captain," Data responded ashe took his place at the

polished table. "I wasmerely pointing out that Stelin of Vulcan's writingsaddress themselves to the clarity

of logical deduction." "I do not question that," the captai n said, taking hisplace at the table's head. "But

we have dealt withsituations where logical deduction has left us withwrong answers." "Only because all

the information was not available at thetime," Data countered. "Wouldn't you say that Arthur Corian

Doylewrote on much the same topic in his own way?"Picard suggested. Data paused briefly, his

expressionindicating he was considering this new thread of thought."Yes, sir. I believe it was Doyle who

firstput forth the idea that when all else provesunlikely, then the only thing left is theimpossible." Picard

shook his head and replied, "Poe." "Who, sir?" Riker asked, jumping in.Picard 1oo.ked in the

Oppositedirection of Data and seemed just men to realize that hisother senior officers were already

assembled, quietlywatching the discussion. "Edgar Allen Poe, Number One," Picardsaid with a small

smile. "I recall reading hisdetective works during a survey course at theAcademy. Not at all my style."

"Are you well read on detective fiction,sir?" Data asked. "I had thought you concentratedonly on Dixon

Hill." Picard grinned. "Actually, this course gaveme an opportunity to sample the works of majorwriters

and characters in that genre. They did not includeDixon Hill, whom I discovered on my own." "I didn't

realize Poe wrote adetective character," Riker said. "Poe is credited with inventing the genre,

Commander.I recommend you review his works." "I'll do that, sir," Riker replied. "Timepermitting, of

course." "Of course," Picard said. "Now then--shall webegin?" The captain straightened his red

dutyjacket and folded his hands before him. The act wasunconscious--but it was also a cue to

Riker,attuned to his captain's mannerisms fromtheir years of service together, that the matter about to

bediscussed was a serious one indeed. The first officeradjusted himself in his chair and gave

CaptainPicard his full attention. "We have been given a wonderful opportunityby Starfleet to pave the

way for full diplomaticrelations with a new world," he began. "With the touch of abutton, a view screen

behind Picard cameto life and displayed a star chart with one solar systemhighlighted in a crimson frame.

"This is Eloh--a world that has just gone throughseveral decades of civil war and is finally unitedunder

one government," he explained. "Their world liesin the buffer space between the Klingon and

RomulanEmpires. To date they have not been visited by anyother extraterrestrial race, but their

communicationsequipment has alerted them to our presence. Now thatthey can concentrate on matters

beyond survival, ithas become apparent to their leaders that sooner orlater, they will be involved with one

empire or theother." "And they've chosen sooner," Riker said. "Ratherthan get gobbled up on someone

else's schedule,they want to set the agenda." "Exactly," Picard nodded. "As you willsee from this chart,

by having Eloh as a Federationprotectorate, we will be closer than ever to havinga direct influence on

Romulan affairs. Thetheory is that prolonged contact with our way of lifewill only have a positive impact

onFederation/Romulan relations." At the end of the table, Worf leaned forward andspoke. "We would

also be able to legally place anobservation post in their system. An early-warningdevice, in case of a

planned Romulanattack." "We would," Picard agreed. "Our job here isto make the first contact in person,

establish the necessaryties, and prepare for a full diplomatic missionto follow. As I understand it, the

FederationDiplomatic Office has already equipped them withuniversal translators and our systems now

have theirlanguage stored. At our present course, we willbe in their system within hours. I estimate we'll

bespending close to a week here, getting to know as much aspossible about the Elohsians." "What have

we learned about them to date?" Rikerasked. "The U.S.S. Cochrane did a preliminarysurvey about three

years ago--strictlyinstrumental probes, nothing intrusive.Technlogically, they're at a level

roughlyequivalent to late twentieth-century Earth." Thecaptain paused. "Here's the tricky part.Starfleet

wants us to keep technologicalmatters to a minimum at present. The planethas two options form an

allegiance with us or askto be left alone. If they choose the latter, theless they know about us, the better.

If we areto proceed together, then the formal diplomatic team canbring them up to date later. I hope I'm

clearon this point." The small group of officers then proceededto discuss matters involving the Romulans,

theKlingons, and galactic politics as it mightpertain to the new planet. Riker delighted in thesesessions

since it gave everyone a chance to understand themission and display their own concerns. He was ableto

absorb their feelings and questions, usually finding oneor two things to consider that he himself had

notpreviously thought about. It was the captain'spractice to allow such discussion to take its owncourse

until the topic was exhausted. This time, theyhad barely gotten started when anall-too-familiar klaxon

sounded and aflashing red light went off in the lounge. Riker was on his feet and heading toward the

bridgebefore he was even aware of it just a step behindCaptain Picard. "Status," Picard said, taking his

seat in thecenter of the bridge. But Riker didn't even needto hear the duty officer's reply to know what

theproblem was. It was staring him in the face, right there on the forwardviewscreen. "Romulan warbird,

sir," LieutenantD'Sora announced from behind them, at the tacticaldisplay. "Now in orbit around the

planet Eloh." LIEUTENANT JENNA D'SoaA sidesteppedto allow Worf his customary place behind

thetactical station. "Tell me about that ship," Riker said as herounded the sloping walkway that led to the

center commandsection. He couldn't sit down--not until heknew exactly what was happening. "From this

distance scans are imprecise," CommanderData replied. His golden hands flew brieflyacross the Ops

panel. Detecting no subspacecommunications or weapons activity of any sort." "Ship is an older style

warbird,B-type, similar to the ones we encountered nearAngel One," Worf declared. "Sensors show

thehull is damaged, most likely in a recentbattle. Repairs have not yet occurred." Helooked up at Riker

with a satisfied expression."No threat to the Enterprise." Riker nodded. Now he could sit--and did so,

inhis accustomed seat in the center horseshoe,to Captain Picard's right. "Mr. Data--how long till we

reachEloh?" Picard asked. Data barely paused before answering, "Elevenhours, thirteen minutes at

present speed." Picard nodded. Tomorrow morning, right on schedule. The android glanced down at his

console again."Sir, my instruments show no traces of the kind ofresidual energy associated with recent

weaponsactivity." "Our last contact with the Elohsians was yesterdayevening, so nothing's happened since

then," Picardsaid. He frowned and turned to Riker. "Opinion?" Riker thought a moment. "Mr.

Data--check thatship for radio-band frequency transmissions." Picard smiled, and nodded. "Of

course.Twentieth-century technology--" "--Twentieth-century equipment," Rikerfinished. "They won't

have subspace capabilityyet." "One moment, Commander," Data said, hands flyingover his sensor panel,

reconfiguring it for the taskat hand. "No distress signals--however, I ampicking up extensive

communications between the warbirdand the Elohsian government." "Informational exchanges, sir," Worf

said from thetactical station behind them. "Cultural,historical--" "I think you can cancel the red alert,

Captain,"Troi said from her seat to Picard's left. "It'sclear the Romulans are the Elohsian'sguests." Riker

got it instantly. "They've invited allthe neighbors." The implication did not sit well with Picard buthe

admitted to himself that it did fit the facts.Signaling to Worf to cancel the red alert, hefinished the thought

his officers had left unspoken."Just as we have been summoned to present theFederation's case, they

may well also have invited theRomulans to make the same... pitch." "The Elohsians would willingly join

with theRomulan Empire?" Worf was astounded. "That wouldbe... suicidal." "We know that," Riker said.

"They may not." "With all due respect, Commander," Data said, turningin his seat. "I must disagree.

Federation records fromthe early twenty-third century refer to severalcultures which not only survived but

prospered underRomulan stewardship." "None of which we've heard from recently,"Picard said, cutting

in. "Still, there must be somethingattractive about the Empire to them." "I'm wondering why they didn't tell

us we'dbe undergoing this kind of... competition," Riker said. Picard nodded, asking himself the same

question. To findthe answer to that, though, he'd have to know a lot more about theElohsians and their

culture. He'd skimmed theCochrane's initial reports, giving all but thelast twenty-five years of Eloh's

historyshort shrift. He wanted to correct that error now--in his ready room, with a nice hot cup of tea. He

stared at the screen, trying to guess whichprick of light might be Eloh's sun. Hewondered, too, at the

choice of an older warbirdto represent the Romulans. An older ship alsomeant the planet was desirable

to the Empirebut not supremely important. And it also almostcertainly meant he wouldn't be seeing

AdmiralTomulak again--a thought that caused a momentarysmile to crease his face. The captain stood,

straightening his short jacketand gray shirt. "Number One, continue sensorscans on the planet and the

warbird. Notify meimmediately if the situation changes. Once wearrive, we'll assume orbit and confirm

ourappointment with their premier. Until then, I'll bein my ready room." "Aye, sir," Riker said, sliding into

the centerseat. As he left the bridge, Picard overheard withsatisfaction his first officer reminding all

commandpersonnel to give the mission briefings a thoroughgoing-over. No matter what they came up

against on Eloh,Picard felt certain his crew would be prepared. This was ridiculous, Ro Laren thought,

gripping thedata padd tightly in one hand as she swiftlyrounded the corner of the deck. The Enterprise

was onan important first-contact mission now--as abridge officer, she had access to the

missionbriefing--Romulans were involved, and hereshe was getting ready to lead a guided tour of

thestarship. Commander Riker was out of his mind. Time enough to work onimproving her relationship

with the ship's civilianpopulation once the crisis was over. She'd goneto Riker this morning, expecting him

to see the logicin her argument and restore her to active duty. "You have your orders, Ensign," was all

he'dsaid. "Dismissed." Just like that. She still couldn't believe it. And now shewas in some backwater part

of the ship she'd never evenseen before. This part of the saucer section was normallyreserved for

officers" families and othercivilian personnel. She had no family, ofcourse, or friends that were civilians.

Which was lucky, she supposed. Because she didn'tlike it here. The corridor had an undisciplinedlook to

it--each doorway was individuallydecorated, to indicate the occupant and planet oforigin, which she

didn't object to at all intheory. But in practice, she found most of thedecorations just a little bit gaudy for

her taste. She checked her data padd and realized with a startthat she had arrived at her destination. She

stopped before the door and noted thecalligraphy announcing the family name and the smallholographic

projection of Earth. Taking adeep breath, she tapped the door buzzer. The doors slid open to reveal a

young boy,a teenager, she decided--who looked rather surprisedto be face-to-face with a member of the

command crew. "Uh, hi," he stammered. One hand ran through hislong sandy brown hair and another

tried quicklyto tuck his gold-striped shirt back into his darkbrown pants. Ro glared at him. From the

youth's attitude,he probably thought he was in trouble. "I am Ensign Ro Laren," she began formally."I

have been assigned to be your family'sorientation Officer." "Uh-huh," he said, stammering again.

"I'mJames Kelly. My family's not here right now.Sorry. But you can come in if you want." Ro rolled her

eyes. She had no desireto see this boy's home. She was supposed to show himthe Enterprise. This job

was clearly going to be acomplete waste of her time. Nonetheless... Commander Riker had given her

aresponsibility, and Bajorans always regardedresponsibilities gravely. "I will see your quarters," Ro said,

taking astep forward. James stepped back, allowing Ro to enter. Shelooked around, trying to get a sense

of the family.It was hard. The main room was largely filled withboxes marked Personal Belongings that

had not yetbeen unpacked. "My mom's working a shift in the cargo bay andDad's teaching a fifth-grade

group," Jamessaid. "I see," Ro nodded. There was an awkward silence. Ro had no ideawhat she should

say next. Neither, clearly, didJames. He alternated between staring at her and thenlooking away abruptly.

"You have a lovely home," Ro offered. "Thank you, Ensign Laren," James said, hisvoice cracking. "Ro. It

is Ensign Ro," she informed himcoldly. She then realized that the civilian crewwould not need to be

versed in the ways of Bajoranaddress. "Sorry," came the reply. "Yes, Ensign Ro." Ro looked again at her

padd. "My timeis committed to your family for the remainder of betashift," she said. "I could begin with

your shiporientation, if you wish." "You would orient me?" James gulped. Ahuge grin crossed his face.

"Wow... that would begreat." Ro nodded, unsure of why James was soexcited. Perhaps his enthusiasm

would help the tour gofaster, she told herself. "We will begin in engineering," she saidmatter-of-factly.

"This is the heart of the starship,powered by a matter-antimatter reactor which..." James fell into step

beside her, positivelyradiant. Picard stepped up on the transporter platformnext to Commander Data and

Counselor Troi, whowere already in position. "Any parting words of wisdom, Number One?" thecaptain

asked. Riker, standing at the transporter console, shookhis head. "Same ones as before, sir. I wish you'd

letme go in your place. Or at least takeLieutenant Worf. I don't like having you downthere without

security and unarmed; especiallywith the Romulans on the planet." Picard smiled. They'd been over this

groundalready. "My orders have me representing the Federation,and I must be there for that first

meeting." "Your orders, sir, did not take into account thatRomulans would be present." "No, they did

not," Picard said evenly."However, the Romulans would be making a very poorcase for themselves were

they to open fire the minute Imaterialize on Eloh. No, I think they will beon good behavior." "Then all I

can do is wish you good luck,sir," Riker responded. "Energize." Picard, Data, and Troi materialized in

theanteroom of the parliamentary chambers. As soon asPicard could adjust his vision, a second or

twoafter the transporter began rematerializing hisatoms on Eloh, he spotted a smalldelegation. One thing

was immediately clear about theElohsians. They were tall. Very, very tall. Humanoid in appearance, of

the delegation of ahalf-dozen dignitaries before them, none was shorterthan two meters. And at that

moment, none of them wassmiling. It made for a very foreboding firstimpression, and Picard wondered

briefly whatlies the Romulans had already told them about theFederation. He stepped forward. "I am

CaptainJean-Luc Picard of the United Federation ofPlanets. This is Commander Data and

CounselorTroi." The Elohsian in the center of the group--a mansomewhat stouter and older-looking than

the others--took a step forward and gestured with his left fistover his heart. "Welcome to Eloh," he said.

"I amDaithin, premier of the United Parliament."Daithin's clothing was dark purple with gold andsilver

ornamentation and silver piping in intricatedesigns along the sleeves and pants. The shoeswere half-boots,

brightly polished and tipped in acopper-colored metal. The premier wore nothingresembling a weapon or

communications deviceexcept the Federation-sent universal translator,Picard noted, but the man had

eyes that showedexperience and a face that had weathered many a battle.Small, violent red scars

remained around hisbroad forehead, set off against the dark skin. Whilethe clothing was all dark, none of

the outfitsworn by the six Elohsians matched, so Picardruled out any military meaning to the clothing.

Daithin took a step back and opened both arms,the gesture sweeping enough to take in all five people in

hisdelegation. "These are my advisors, and you will meetthem all in due time." Daithin smiled. "But

first,allow me to offer you some refreshments." Picard and his officers followed Daithin into asmall

anteroom off the main chamber. He studiedhis host as food and beverages were served, carefulto follow

Daithin's lead. And as he studied thepremier, Picard watched Daithin and the otherElohsians studying

himself and his crew. Measuringeach other up. No sense in small talk, Picard thought. Hedecided to ask

the question that was on his mind. "Premier," he said. "Can you tell me what aRomulan warbird is doing

in orbit around yourworld?" Daithin looked at Picard for a moment and thensmiled slightly, showing white

and straight teeth."Of course, Captain Picard, of course. Wenaturally invited the Romulans to meet with

us aswell. After all, the parliament must study both ourneighboring Empires before choosing which oneto

ally ourselves with." "Of course," Picard agreed. "I was justsurprised since we were not informed of this

in advance." "Nor did we inform the Romulans about you."Daithin smiled. "In fact, I just

finisheddiscussing the matter with their leader. Come, let memake the necessary introductions so we may

confirm anagenda and a schedule." Daithin spun on his heeland turned away from the Federation group.

Picardappreciated brevity as much as the next man, buthe suddenly got the feeling he had just

witnessedDaithin's normal modus operandi. Explanationsaround here, it seemed, would not be easy to

come by. Exchanging glances with his officers, Picard led thesmall group behind Daithin's party. The

anteroomwas not exactly small, and it led into a corridor whichended with a set of double doors, also

ornately carvedin steel. As the doors opened, Picard studied theconstruction of the parliamentary

chamber. The room wasmade of a smooth, rounded material. No wood wasin evidence nor was the

structure metallic.Instead, it seemed made of other materials, allseamlessly fitted together and in

complementary colors.Whereas their clothing was dark with brighthighlights, the room was neutral with

brightturquoise trim. The ceiling seemed to be abouttwenty feet high with skylights every few feet,allowing

bright filtered light to fill the chamber.Stained glass windows stood on either side of thelarge dais that was

at the front of the room. Onboth sides of the dais were row after row of smalltables and chairs. At a

quick glance, Picardestimated that the ruling parliament had eight seats onthe dais, and another forty or

fifty seats finishedthe room. Small lamps glowed needlessly,illuminating empty desks and giving off

distractingshadows below Picard's field of vision. Those interested him far less, though, than

thehalf-dozen Romulans near one of the windows. Theyappeared to be deep in conversation, oblivious to

thearrival of the Federation party. "My Romulan friends, I want you to meet yourFederation

counterparts," Daithin began as he worked hisway toward the dais. At his words, the Romulansall turned

toward the doors and watched the Federationofficers approach. Daithin used simple hand gestures to

introduceeach officer from the warbird. The clear leader of thegroup was a tall, older officer

namedPlactus. Each Romulan in turn merely staredat the Enterprise officers. Only Plactus,introduced as a

subcommander, nodded somethingresembling a welcome. "It is an honor to meet you, CaptainPicard,"

Plactus said. "Oh?" Picard tried to read the subcommander'sexpression, but it was impassive and his

eyes wereshadowed. "You and your ship are, of course, well knownand feared; among my people."

Picard replied tightly, "I'm sorry wecannot say the same for you and your crew." "These men are under

my command, yes, but I am not theleading representative from my government." "I see, and then your

commander is... ?" Picardfound this interesting. If they had a commander, where was heand why would

he not be with the rest of the delegation? "Occupied." Picard started to prompt Plactus for additional

information, but then noted out of the corner of his eye thatDaithin was watching the exchange with deep

interest.It wouldn't do to seem too preoccupied with theRomulans. He was here to impress theElohsians

with what the Federation had to offerthem, not with their feud. He was trying to find a safe topic of

conversationwith Daithin when he heard voices approaching from thecorridor. As the heavy wooden

door swungback, he could hear a woman's voice saying,"This. and there is much more to our technology,

andwe can happily show you during your tour tomorrow." Suddenly something clicked in

Picard'ssubconscious. He knew that voice, but from where Hisbrain began rifling its private files, tryingto

match the voice to a name. He began to stand a littletaller, suddenly on alert. The two newcomers

stepped into the room. A manand a woman. An Elohsian male, and aRomulan female. "Ah," the man

said, "I believe the others havearrived." "Captain Picard," Daithin said. "This is mychief of staff, Larkin,

who was responsible formaking the arrangements to bring you here. Your--liason,I believe the word

is--am I correct?" Picard only glanced at the premier inresponse, and if the world leader said anything

else,he missed it. At that moment he was not at allconcerned with Larkin. All his attention wasfocused on

the woman walking into the room. All he could see was the blond hair. A split second later he tore his

attentionaway from her. Daithin, Picard finally forced himselfto note, was continuing to watch the

exchange with greatinterest. He tried to remind himself that every word, action,and expression would

carry great weight with theElohsians dispresent. The premier walked towardthe two commanders,

gesturing in an attempt to makeintroductions. "You said you were unfamiliar with thiscrew, Captain

Picard, so let me..." "Why, Captain Picard, so good to see you again,"Sela said. Her manner was

imperious as always. Herdemeanor was cool and inflexible--although she didmanage a smile in the

direction of PremierDaithin. "There is no need for introductions here,Premier," she continued. "Captain

Picard and Iknow each other very well." Her tone belied theapparent warmth of her words.

"Commander Sela," Picard said steadily. Henodded his head toward her, still staring. As always,

herunmistakable resemblance to the Enterprise'soriginal security chief, Tasha Yar, gave himpause. Sela

claimed to be Yar'sdaughter--a Yar from an alternate time line, whomfate had delivered into the

Romulans' hands. Butwhereas Yar had a vulnerable quality to herfeatures, there was nothing weak about

Sela. The hard,set mouth and fierce blue eyes blazed as shetook Picard's measure. She was dressed

instandard Romulan command garb, complete with bulkyshoulders, and adorned with weaponry. Tasha

Yar's daughter? Picard still found thatdifficult to believe--even more so after their initialencounter, when

Sela told him that she herself wasresponsible for ending her mother's life. "My father had offered her

everything," she had toldhim aboard the Enterprise more than a year earlier."He had given her a home, a

daughter. Howdid she repay him? With betrayal. They executedher. Everything in me that was human...

died with my motherthat day. All that is left... is Romulan.Never doubt that." Her actions in their two

previous encounters had morethan convinced Picard of that, but he continued to wonderif her story were

true or the brainwashing of afanatical empire willing to do anything--evendestroy someone's life--to

further its goals. Daithin raised a hand. "CaptainPicard, Commander Sela--over the next few days,our

parliamentary council will speak with you together andseparately. We want you to know more about us,

and inexchange I hope that I or my people will have theopportunity to see what your ships are like,

perhapsspeak with your crew?" Sela jumped in first. "Of course, Premier.However, there will be some

areas that will remainoff-limits." "We pride ourselves on a content crew, andspeaking with them should

show you that," Picard began. "Ourship will be more than happy to host a visitingdelegation. Sad to say,

like our Romulancounterparts, we, too, have certain areas that we needto steer clear of." His "Perfectly,

perfectly understandable," Daithinagreed. With that said, he turned back to his smallcadre of Elohsians

and had a few quiet words. "One final fact you all need to know," Daithinbegan, "While we were a

people divided by war for solong, we remained united under a shared beliefsystem. Nelvana Del, our

holiest ofholidays, begins in seven days" time, and ourparliament must conclude its business of the season

foreveryone to return to their families. We can,therefore, only afford you four days. Our

parliamentarymembers will poll their constituents and then vote on thefifth. Does that pose a problem for

either of you?"He eagerly watched the reactions. "No problem for the Federation, Premier," Picardsaid

without hesitation. "Of course, not, Premier," Sela snapped.Daithin smiled again. "Very well, then," the

Premier said. "I lookforward to seeing you both shortly." Picard glared at Sela, and slapped

thecommunicator insignia on his chest. "Picard to Enterprise. Three to beam up."She glared right back at

him. The competition hadbegun. "... The matter replicators take thefrozen, sterilized raw stock and

rebuild apattern through a phase transition chamber and formwhatever the menu called for through the

replicatordistribution net." Ro finished gesturing toward themess room on deck 32. She had givenJames

Kelly the most detailed tour of a starshipshe could imagine giving. The ensign had strained herselfto give

the teen every bit of information he could possiblyask for. Short of giving away Starfleetsecurity codes,

Ro wasn't sure if there wasanother shred of information to provide. To her astonishment, James Kelly did

notseem bored by even the most arcane piece ofinformation. Instead, he hung on to her every word,

staringkeenly at circuit boards, isolinear chiparrangements, and transport board configurations.The

botanical gardens were as interesting to him as thesupply lockers. Clearly, something was wrong with

theboy. "Who determines the menu?" James asked. She sighed and continued walking through the

room,avoiding the two tables filled with engineers justcompleting their dinner. She had done a lot of

sighingthese last few hours. "The crew can program thesystem for any meal they want. Our data

banksare filled with thousands of menus from across the Federation." "Do people cook here? My dad

cooks," Jamessaid, stopping to gape at the remains of some alienbird bones left over from a meal at one

table. Ro nodded. "Some of the crew use cooking as ahobby. Commander Riker, for example." Kelly

whistled. "So, you spend a lot of time withCommander Riker?" "When I am not attending to my duties

withcivilian crew, I am usually at theconn station aboard the bridge. Often I have servedwith Commander

Riker." "On away missions, too?" "We have served quite well together," Ro answered.She disliked

having to think about her complex relationshipwith Riker and decided the boy's questions were

toopersonal. After all, Kelly had been on the shipfor a handful of days and missed the time the entire

crewwas given a neurologic shock that left people playingout different roles from normal--including that

of Roand Riker as lovers. Ro barely liked to discussher life with Picard or Guinan, and she

certainlywasn't about to let this youth pry information from her. Sheabruptly turned away from him. "I

think we had best return you to your quarters.It's after sixteen hundred hours and your parents mustbe

waiting for you. There may be just enough time to meet thembefore I have to return to duty." James

rushed to keep up with her pace. It wasobvious to her that his endless enthusiasm meant he hadenergy to

burn, and she had failed at extinguishing hisdesires. She remained unsure of what fueled hisinterests and

enthusiasm. "Aren't we going to visit the bridge?" heasked. "No," she said. "It is a place of business,and

distractions take away from maximumefficiency." They had arrived at a turbolift. She stoodaside to let

James enter before her. "Oh, no," he said, bowing. "Ladies first."Ro eyed him strangely as she stepped

inside."The bridge can't always be busy," James said."Maybe there's another time we could get together

and youcould show it to me." Suddenly Ro had enough. Didn't this child knowanything? "The bridge is

not, I repeat not, a touristattraction!" Ro snapped. "It is a place wheretrained Starfleet officers do their

jobs--important jobs, where they accomplish things otherthan uselessly wandering the ship! Halt!" she

barkedout. The turbolift came to a stop. "I am getting out here," she said brusquelyto James. "The lift will

take you back to yourquarters. Please make my apologies to yourparents. Good afternoon." Her last

glimpse of Kelly was of the youthlooking after her forlornly as the turbolift doorsshut behind her. This had

not gone at all well, she realized. Sela was first off the transporter platform when thematerialization was

complete. Plactus was on herheels and the two strode without speaking through the hard,metal corridors

until they found a lift, whichswiftly delivered them to the bridge. "Status," she snapped before the doors

were fullyopen. The duty officer stood tall, looked straightahead and gave a terse report. "Enterprise

ismaintaining geesynchronous orbit. Their weapons remaindeactivated, although they have been

performing sensorsweeps of the planet." "Transporter activity?" Plactus askedtaking his accustomed

station to the left of the liftdoors. "Landing party beam-down and beam-up,Sub-commander." "You are

relieved. 1 will complete the watch,"Sela said as she moved toward the command chair.Settling herself in,

she put her chin on her right handand stared at the viewscreen. The main viewer showed theEnterprise,

large, gleaming, and oh so close.She pictured herself gripping it in her lefthand, crushing the hull like tissue

paper, and watchingthe one thousand crew members burn upon entryinto Eloh's atmosphere. "So, Picard

and I get to match wits again,"she said quietly. Her voice cut through the quiet,tense atmosphere on the

bridge like a warningklaxon. Of course, she had expectedEnterprise. Intelligence reports hadpredicted

the Federation would send their flagship and thewarbird's sensors had detected the vessel hoursearlier.

From that moment onward, she'd had herofficers monitoring Enterprise's every move. Shehad no doubt

that word of her unusual orders hadquickly spread through the ship and those officers whose.careers

were now inextricably intertwined with hers hadcertainly discovered by now that Sela had an oldscore to

settle with this particular vessel. More than just an old score, she reminded herself,glancing around the

bridge at her crew. How farshe had fallen, and how fast. From her place at thePraetor's right hand, at the

center of the Empire'sdecision-making nexus, to command of a single run-downship on the far fringes of

Romulan territory.And Picard, more than any other, was to blame. And here was a chance to even that

score--just alittle. Sela glanced around the bridge at her crew,locking eyes with each of her officers in

turn as shespoke. "The stakes in this mission are nothing less than theworld beneath us. We must do the

praetor proud. A jobdone well will see our names, and the name of this ship,sung in the halls of the

senate--and all our careersmade." "Plactus," she snapped. "Commander." The older officer stepped

forward to standat her side. "Let me see that agenda Daithin gave us,"she said. "I want to make sure we

are prepared foreverything." Plactus nodded and handed her the datatablet. As she studied it, Sela

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THEROMULANSTRATAGEMByROBERTGREENBERGERHistorian'sNoteThisadventuretakesplaceseveralmonthsafterthesixth-seasonepisode"FaceoftheEnemy."FADINGSTARLIGHTseepedthroughthesmallwindowinthealcoveofthebedroom.Thedimlightfoughttheroom'sdarkness,enablingDaithintoslipintohischosenuniformofthedaywithoutdisturbing...

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STAR TREK - TNG - 35 - The Romulan Stratagem

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