Reunification, Part 5

Posted on Sat Oct 17th, 2020 @ 4:55am by Captain Wilkan Targaryen

4,651 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: Reunification

President Lesia Enaren stood in the anteroom staring at the wall chronometer. The last few minutes had been among the tensest of her life and she had very little involvement in them. To think that one of her Admiral’s – the Captain of the Flagship and someone she personally appointed to the role – could ever do something so reckless was unthinkable. The entire galaxy was almost plunged into a war that would’ve brought everything to its knees. It was exactly what they were trying to avoid.

No one was happy with reunification. The Federation had lost a key founding member to what had become little more than a third rate power. With this rejoining the Romulan Star Empire would become a force to be reckoned with once more and already the grumbling amongst Federation member worlds had gone from whispers to an almost deafening roar. This would do nothing to help it. The Romulans had been gracious enough to allow Federation technology to be removed from Vulcan and its colonies. Teagarden’s actions would be the end of all that.

And this would be the end of him. Admiral Mon had been opposed to her restoration of him. Some time ago he’d been removed from command of the Enterprise and his rank reduced to Captain. Because of his actions involving the Romulan Flagship reaching Earth and breaking through perimeter defenses she’d taken a chance. She almost wished now that she hadn’t. If anything now she wished that she would’ve picked someone else to be her chauffer for this mission.

The sound of a Federation transporter beam echoed through the anteroom. She turned and saw that Admiral Teagarden had beamed from the Enterprise to join her. She crossed her arms, “You have some nerve.”

“Madame President,” the Enterprise’s Captain began, “you’ll have to excuse me.”

“Excuse you? Excuse you for what? Nearly causing an interstellar incident? Nearly igniting a war with the Romulans? You better have a damned good reason for that excuse, Ensign,” the President answered bitterly.

Despite everything he refused to be goaded by the threat, “Madame President, I would never risk war without provocation or reason. I had been attempting to reach you aboard the Spock ever since we made our discovery, but the region had been flooded with interference.”

The Federation President paused for a moment as she tried to read his thoughts. For some reason, one of which she could never understand, she’d never been able to penetrate his mind. It was like he’d had some sort of brick wall between her and him. It was upsetting for a Betazoid of her training and experience. Not to mention against their moral code, but she could get around such things when the Federation’s safety was at risk. That meant she couldn’t ascertain how truthful he was being though – that she’d have to trust him.

“Alright… explain.”

Lesia listened as the Enterprise’s Captain told her the story of the Enterprise’s investigation. William explained that the Enterprise had intercepted a Romulan Colony Vessel that was under cloak leaving the area. When they detained and investigated the ship out of concerns that they were smuggling Federation equipment deeper into Romulan territory they discovered a cargo of Vulcans in stasis. Then she listened to the story of the Vulcan they woke up in the Enterprise’s sickbay. It was all very fantastical and certainly very strange.

“Why exactly is the kidnapping of Vulcan citizens by the Romulans our problem?” She asked coldly. “They are no longer Federation citizens and the Prime Directive clearly states that Starfleet is not allowed to interfere with the affairs of another species.”

Admiral Teagarden stood speechless for longer than the President had anticipated that he would. “Ma’am these people were tricked into this. They were kidnapped.”

“Which is not our concern, Admiral,” she answered back. “They are Romulan citizens now. This is an internal matter of their government.” It was harsh, far harsher than she’d meant to be. It was the truth though. The Vulcans had chosen to leave the Federation and that was their decision to make. When they did so they lost the protection that the Federation had to offer them.

“The forced abduction of people isn’t our concern? Starfleet is an exploration and peacekeeping armada, Madame President. From how you sound you are deliberately ignoring the peacekeeping part.”

President Enaren cocked her head in puzzlement, “Didn’t you do the exact same thing a moment ago when you entered Vulcan airspace with weapons ready? When you hacked into their orbital defenses and threatened to turn them on the Romulan fleet?”

“I had to ensure your safety, Madame President. After all if they’re willing to take their own people in secret what would they do the leader of their greatest foe?”

Before the Federation President could answer a Vulcan official entered from nearby. “Excuse my interruption. Our Commissioner is ready to meet with you.”

The Betazoid woman turned toward the Vulcan, “Thank you.. Would you please lead the way?” She asked ignoring Admiral Teagarden’s last comment. She knew that the Romulans would never hesitate to assault her if it was to their advantage. It could have been a horrific accident because there was no communications from the area by Admiral Teagarden’s revelation. A simple mistake on the part of a Romulan Officer, a malfunction aboard the Spock that destroyed the entire protection group, any number of answers was possible.

If anything one thing was clear to her: this situation did present an amazing opportunity. Depending on how she followed through with it she could make the Romulans look like horrific animals that would lessen their standing in the galactic community or she could choose to ignore it and make Admiral Teagarden look like a gung ho Admiral who was just overzealous. It was all how she wanted to play it.

The politician inside of her was smiling…


Admiral William Teagarden sat quietly in the High Commissioner’s Chamber as the Romulan delegation came in. When he’d agreed to beam down to the surface he expected to meet with the High Commissioner in a standard office, instead it felt more like he was in a courtroom. The Chamber was larger than he’d expected with multiple viewing screens and two tables seated in the main area. On the wall opposite the entrances was a large, surprisingly elaborate desk. It depicted a scene from Vulcan history: the period of Awakening where the Romulan and Vulcan schism occurred. Rather a poignant decision especially today.

Parallel to the Admiral and President Enaren sat a face that had become the stuff of nightmares to him. Praetor Xeri Tei – the current leader of the Romulan Star Empire – sat with her Fleet Commander. The Enterprise had had a lot of run-ins with the Praetor over the years and none of them had been good for anyone. The truth was that she knew everything that was going on. She was behind all of this, William was sure of it, but that may not mean anything anymore.

William looked from the Praetor to his President and had the same thoughts of disdain. He’d really respected President Enaren over the years and he thought that she was an accomplished leader. Never before had he seen her as a politician. That had all changed. Instead of wanting to use the information he’d brought her to bring about the restoration of the Vulcans to the Federation, instead she’d seemed rather unmoved. Instead she proved herself more out for herself than peace by ignoring the plight of those innocent Vulcans. There were rumors that she was not going to seek reelection and William hoped that they were true. Then again the way she was talking it was entirely possible he was going to find himself in a jail cell when this was all over instead of on the deck of a Starship. She didn’t have to worry about his vote one way or the other.

A gentle chime diverted his attention to the front of the room. A portion of the mosaic along the side wall slid backward and to the side. In its place a tall Vulcan with silvering hair stepped forward followed by two aides. The Vulcan was tall and slender, his face was starting to show the effects of his years in politics. From the looks of him the Admiral estimated to Vulcan to have passed his centennial birthday by now. His robes were more fashionable than those of most other Vulcan politicians by William’s standards with different shades of red and gold amongst the fabric. He was certainly a progressive, perhaps even the one who initiated this whole reunification process. The Admiral recognized him, remembering his name as the Vulcan introduced himself.

“Peace a long life,” the Vulcan said while sharing the hand gesture of which his people were most known for, “I am Sakkath, High Commissioner of Vulcan.” He pressed a control on the keypad built into his desk, “These proceedings are not being recorded and are being held under strict security in remembrance of our past and our future. Please sit,” he instructed.

The group did as commanded. The High Commissioner was first and the remaining members in the Chamber followed. William could feel the tone of the room change in an instant. The tension had ratcheted up to a level almost as high as on the Bridge of the Enterprise a moment ago and President Enaren seemed to be giving off the most of it. Praetor Tei had the effect on people in his experience. Sakkath was a different story entirely. William remembered him from his studies of the dossier for this mission. Sakkath was the current High Commissioner after years in the diplomatic corps. At one point he had been the Personal Assistant to one Vulcan’s best known Ambassadors: Sarek. William couldn’t help but grin at the thought. His sister was in command of the ship named in Sarek’s honor.

“We have come together to discuss the recent military action in our airspace,” the High Commissioner reminded. “Praetor Tei.”

The Romulan Praetor stood, “Thank you, High Commissioner. The government of the Romulan Star Empire acknowledges that the Starship Enterprise, with malice aforethought, deliberately entered Vulcan airspace in an effort to initiate a military conflict between our two powers. The record shows that the Enterprise entered your space with weapons powered and defensive systems engaged on a direct course to rendezvous with the rest of their fleet in orbit. In addition to that they were able to bypass the security safeguards of Vulcan Space Central to assume control of your defensive batteries in an effort to engage Romulan forces in open warfare. For these reasons the Romulan government requests the immediate extradition of Admiral William Teagarden and President Lesia Enaren to stand trial for this attack.”

William watched with interest as the Praetor laid out her side of the story, with key factors of course omitted. The Enterprise’s Commanding Officer restrained himself from stating his side of the story because he knew he was the junior in this battle and the President was responsible in this arena. He wondered what her gambit would be. President Enaren was a politician first and foremost – her outburst in the corridor only cementing this newfound opinion. She could very easily throw him in the path of the shuttle to save herself. It depended on her mood he supposed.

The Betazoid woman stood, “We are not disputing these facts, High Commissioner, but we are instead adding to the official diatribe. We concede that the Starship Enterprise did enter this area – Vulcan held space – with its weapons and shields engaged. This was, however, in response to an inability of the Enterprise to reach this President. Evidence uncovered by the Enterprise, and confirmed by the Spock only moments ago, was that there was a buildup of antilepton radiation in the region. This made visual and auditory communications impossible, leading the Enterprise to believe that the President had come under threat.”

“When the Enterprise arrived in Vulcan Space its weapons were already primed. Romulan weapons were not yet engaged,” the Romulan Fleet Commander announced from next to the Praetor.

“The key words there being not yet engaged, High Commissioner,” the President interrupted. “The Romulans did activate their weapons and respond to the Enterprise with several ships heading on a direct intercept course.”

The Praetor interrupted this time, “In direct response to the Enterprise ignoring the requests of the Vulcan government to leave this area.” The Praetor looked annoyed by this, “Everything we did was to ensure the safety of Vulcan!”

“Including kidnapping Vulcan citizens?” William was the one that interrupted them.

The High Commissioner had not spoken since the debate had begun. He leaned forward in his seat, but kept his facial features impassive. “Explain.”

The Enterprise’s Captain could feel the heat of President Enaren’s glare on his face.. He was supposed to have let her lead the defense, but he knew that the options were limited. “The Enterprise was investigating an unusual radiation discharge not far from here. Our investigation revealed that it was emanating from a Romulan Colony Vessel that had been dispatched to return to Romulan territory. As we felt that it could be smuggling Federation technology – which your government authorized us to remove – the Enterprise detained the vessel and boarded it.”

“You boarded one of our ships?” Praetor Tei scowled. “How dare you. That is an act of war – yet another on your long list of transgressions!”

“Perhaps,” Teagarden relented, “but so is kidnapping. The Enterprise’s boarding party found over 5,000 Vulcan citizens in suspended animation. The Romulans were taking them to their homeworld. Do you have an answer for that, Praetor?”

Before the leader of the Romulan government could answer it was Sakkath who did, “I wish to speak only with President Enaren and Admiral Teagarden.”

Tei stood, “Out of the question! You are Romulan citizens and I am your Praetor!”

“A true statement, Praetor; nonetheless, I must investigate these claims to their logical conclusion. I wish to hear the remainder of his testimony uninterrupted,” the High Commissioner explained without a single inflection. “You may wait in the adjacent anteroom.”

From his seat Admiral Teagarden wondered if the Preator’s head was about to explode. She was certainly more than a little angry about all of this and he watched her roll her eyes as one of the Vulcan guards escorted her out of the room alongside her Fleet Commander. William was proud of himself. If he’d played his cards right not only would the Confederacy of Vulcan rejoin the Federation before the day was out the Romulan Empire would be a thing of the past before the week was out. They couldn’t survive without Vulcan and everyone knew that. Enaren wouldn’t be able to carry out her threat to make him an Ensign either.

The Vulcan leader looked to his Aide, “Have any listening devices been detected?”

“Scans are complete. No listening devices have been found,” the Aide to his right answered.

“Admiral Teagarden,” Sakkath called, “what is the status of the Romulan vessel and is cargo?”

“The Enterprise transported the stasis chambers aboard before we returned to Vulcan. The robot ship was left where it was,” the Admiral explained. “We downloaded its logs before we left. I would be happy to have them transferred to you.”

The High Commissioner nodded slightly. Then he shocked them all, “That will not be necessary.”

“High Commissioner?” The Admiral asked surprised.

“I am aware of the robot ship,” Sakkath answered.

This time it was President Enaren who was shocked by the answer, “Care to explain?”

“The Romulan Empire was significantly damaged by the Hobus Event of 2387. At that time the Romulan Senate contacted the Vulcan Science Academy for assistance in their plight. While Ambassador Spock chose to act in an effort to save their world, we ignored them. Through inaction Romulus was destroyed by the resulting supernova. While the Romulans continue to rebuild the damage we inflicted by ignoring them was great.”

The Vulcan shifted in his chair. For a moment William wondered if the High Commissioner was uncomfortable with what he was sharing. The alien continued, “A short while ago we were contacted by the Romulan Senate once more with a plight just as severe. The resulting generations of Romulan children whom were exposed to the effects of the Hobus event have been born sterile.”

“The Romulans are having trouble breeding?” The President asked from her seat. “I’m afraid I’m having trouble following why this is a Vulcan concern.”

“Because they ignored them once they can’t do it again,” Enterprise’s Captain interrupted. “If they would’ve helped once then none of this may’ve happened.”

The Vulcan Commissioner nodded, “Indeed.”

The Admiral sat considering everything that was being said. The tactician in him said one thing, but the humanitarian said another. If the Romulans were unable to breed then their Empire would die from attrition. All of their resources would be the spoils of a war. Then the other side of him realized how horrific a tragedy this was. The Romulans were too proud to ask the Federation for help, but their brothers among the Vulcans were the perfect choice. They’d be the best choice to help. Reunification was now a necessity of life.

The President, however, didn’t seem to be entirely moved by what was being said. “Then why do I get the feeling you’re hiding something from us?”

The dark eyes of the Vulcan High Commissioner met the dark eyes of the Betazoid President. It was common knowledge that Betazoids took an Oath not to read the thoughts of others without their consent. Some Betazoids, however, took it upon themselves to interpret that Oath with the dictates of life. Enaren was no different because who would challenge the President of the Federation?

Sakkath spoke evenly, “That is classified, Madam President.”

“My security clearance outclasses all of you,” Lesia challenged. “I know secrets about this galaxy that would make you want to hide under your bed and that’s the nicer stuff. Nothing is classified above me.”

“Unfortunately for you that is not true,” the High Commissioner answered. “Is that not correct, Admiral?”

William shrugged, “I’m afraid now I don’t follow.”

The next words that the High Commissioner said were haunting, “I am a Deputy Director of Section 31.”

One of the greatest secrets in the galaxy, Section 31 had been among the most clandestine of intelligence agencies. Designed in secret to protect the Federation from any threat both foreign and domestic, 31 had been known to act without conscience and without remorse. It was declared illegal in the 2380s by the President at that time through the actions of Doctor Julian Bashir – formerly of Deep Space Nine – though it was always believed to have been operating in secret ever since. William had known that all along.

“We should arrest you right now,” Enaren interjected.

Teagarden sighed, “No, that won’t be worth our time. He is, after all, no longer a Federation citizen as you pointed out earlier. The Prime Directive precludes me from interfering. Besides, he’d escape.”

“Very true, Admiral,” the Vulcan said with what looked like a smile. He continued, “Current projections indicate that the Romulan Star Empire will fall within the next decade due to the loss of population and resources due to the emergence of the Romulan Republic. Prior to reunification this would have made the Romulans increasingly desperate and a desperate animal is a dangerous one. With reunification Vulcans will supplant the Romulan hierarchy at which time we will then proceed to cease hostilities and apply for Federation membership. The Federation will have conquered the entire Romulan Empire without firing a single shot.”

“And what’s to stop the Vulcans from becoming their own Empire?” Lesia asked. “Power corrupts, Commissioner.”

The Vulcan considered the question, “Logic outweighs corruption. At any rate the remainder of the Vulcanis Lunar Colony in the Federation is a means by which we will maintain our connection to the Federation. Each action we have taken has been carefully considered. This will not fail.”

“I wish I shared your confidence,” the Betazoid replied.

“We can’t do anything anyway,” William added dejectedly. “As you reminded me they aren’t Federation citizens anymore and the Prime Directive prevents us from interfering.”

The President sighed, “So, are we to be remanded to Romulan custody?”

“Let’s answer that together,” the Vulcan announced. He pressed a control on his desktop and the others returned.

Tei interrupted the quiet, “I again protest that we were not included in the discussion, High Commissioner. Any accusation against the Romulan Empire – a government of which you have freely entered – involves me.”

“Indeed,” Sakkath answered with his deep voice. “However, due to the threat to our security I must have unbiased information.”

“Then you should never have trusted what they said,” the Praetor hissed.

The Vulcan lifted an eyebrow, “Logic would dictate otherwise. If I may continue?”

“Fine,” she answered as she took her seat.

Admiral Teagarden watched as Sakkath spoke and considered everything that was revealed in secret. Reunification had become a means of conquering a once deadly and devious adversary. The Romulans had become less and less of a menace over the decades, but remained predictable. That was changing though. Sakkath had been right about one thing: they were a wounded animal. Wounded animals were highly unpredictable. They would’ve been more and more of a threat. Hell, they may’ve even gone to war with the Federation and that would be a disaster for all sides.

But to destroy an Empire in such a Machiavellian manner was something that the Federation should never stand for. Here they were though.. The Federation President sat next to him and she was fine with everything that was being said. Moments earlier she’d pretty much ordered him to stay out of it and they had to by law. It didn’t feel right to him and it felt like they were losing part of themselves by doing this.

“The Federation delegation agrees to your terms,” President Enaren announced from next to him. “We will leave your space within the hour,” she looked to Admiral Teagarden next to her, “Have the Enterprise recall our personnel.”

William nodded, but didn’t speak. He could’ve announced the Vulcan deception but what good would that do? A civil war would hardly do anyone any good. He typed on the datapad that he’d brought with him to the meeting, ordering the Enterprise to begin bringing personnel aboard. His thoughts were consuming him as he worked on this and he wasn’t paying attention to the chaos around him.

The Praetor, of course, was being her charming self, “I protest this decision! They should be remanded to my custody for this. We have to make an example of them!”

“That would be illogical,” the High Commissioner stated. “Do you wish for them to announce that the Romulan Empire is studying Vulcan citizens in secret? They will agree not to share the truth in exchange for their freedom. Do you accept these terms?”

The Enterprise’s Captain wanted to jump from his seat and scream “No!” at the top of his lungs. He knew he had no other choice though.

The President answered, “We agree to your terms.”

“The Confederacy of Vulcan appreciates the Federation’s efforts to protect our citizens; however, we no longer request any assistance from your government. You have one hour to leave our space.” The High Commissioner stood and pressed a control. He lifted his fingers into the Vulcan salute, “Live long and prosper.”


“You wanted to see me, Madam President?” Admiral William Teagarden announced as he stepped into his private dining room.

President Enaren looked away from the stars streaking passed the Enterprise’s forward facing windows. It had been an hour or so since they’d left Vulcan in an unceremonial fashion and they were already on final approach to Earth. Lesia mused to herself that the Enterprise had moved so quickly because the Admiral wanted her off of his ship, but that was a private thought that she wouldn’t share. Instead she answered his greeting, “I did.” She took a sip from her goblet before speaking again. She showed him the chalice, “Would you care for some Uttaberry wine?”

The Admiral shook his head, “No Ma’am. I never grew a taste for it.”

“Sad,” she said as she took another sip. “I always thought that they were similar to Earth’s blueberries. Sweet, sometimes tart, it just depends on the particular sip. A lot of people describe me the same way,” she laughed as she said it.

Enterprise’s Captain didn’t buy in, “I’m assuming you didn’t want to discuss wine with me. What can I do for you?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about our conversation with the High Commissioner. I wanted to get your impression of it,” she explained as she walked toward the glass table. She took his customary seat and pressed a control. A built in replicator created a plate of chocolate chip cookies. She reached forward and took one before motioning for the Admiral to take one.

He took one of the cookies and took a small bite. The Enterprise’s replicators used his mother’s recipe from what the President had been told. They were quite good. “I understand the objective, I understand why they think it’s a good plan, but I don’t agree with the execution. While it is no doubt a peaceful way to conquer, it’s unethical.”

“I don’t disagree,” the President answered. “But I’m surprised that you don’t agree with it.”

“And why is that?” He asked.

Enaren smiled, “Because you’re a member of 31.”

“I think you’ve lost your mind,” William answered.

“And I think that you’re a very good actor. The problem is that a little too much was given away. First off you always seem to know a little more than you should. That could just mean that you’re an excellent tactician, but it’s a little too common. Then there’s the fact that I can’t read your thoughts unless you want me to. Normally though I just can’t break through that wall of yours. The only other person who could do that was Sakkath.”

William interrupted, “But you read Sakkath’s mind.”

“I never said that I read Sakkath’s mind. You inferred that. I said that I had a feeling.. The references that he made to classified secrets were what cemented my belief. You never flinched at my comment about secrets. Then I was just reading about a few of your more colorful adventures thanks to my security clearance and even parts of it as still redacted. So do we keep this up or do you tell me the truth?” She finished it by biting a big chunk off of a cookie.

“Fine,” Teagarden sighed. “I am a member of 31 and have been for a very long time. The question is what happens now?”

The President grinned, “That depends on you and whether what you just told me was a lie or the truth.”

“I grow weary of some of the actions 31 takes. The ends no longer always justify the means to me,” he answered honestly.

“Then we work together and we bring that organization down,” she replied. “Have a seat,” she motioned to the spot next to her, “we have a lot to talk about.”

 

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