Getting to Know You

Posted on Fri 22nd Nov, 2019 @ 9:56pm by Daeren Iril & Verelan i'Mhiessan t'Saeihr
Edited on on Sat 16th May, 2020 @ 5:13am

2,067 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Resolution
Location: Trill Consulate, Romulan Embassy
Timeline: MD-2:1000 hours

"Ve-REE-lan i'Mhiessan t'Sahir," Daeren Iril said to himself as he combed his hair in front of a small mirror in his office.

"Not even close," his aide, Miadze, said to him from where she stood, leaning in the doorway. "You're accenting all the wrong syllables, and your vowels are too long. Verelan i'Mhiessan t'Saeihr."

Daeren listened to Miadze's repetition carefully and then repeated the name aloud. This time, he pronounced the vowels and accented the syllables correctly. "When did you develop such a beautiful Rihannsu accent?" Daeren asked. "I'm the one who's supposed to be the linguist."

Miadze laughed. "And you are the linguist. I can't speak Rihannsu to save my life. The fashion world is very small and very eclectic. You meet all sorts of people when you're in the modeling industry, Romulans included. Are you ready, or are you going to stand there, combing your hair all day?"

"Ten strokes!" Daeren protested and put the comb down. "I hardly call that 'all day.'"

"A likely story. Off with you!" Miadze replied, making a shooing gesture with both hands. "Have a good meeting with Ambassador t'Saeihr, and don't mangle her name--too much."

"If I do, I'll blame it on my host," Daeren promised and went out the door. His merriment faded back to his usual, more reserved self as he left the Trill Consulate and made his way through various decks to the Embassy of the Romulan Republic.

The gold, green, and blue flag of the Romulan Republic hung like a banner above the entrance to the embassy. Daeren walked under it and stepped inside the building.

A young man with a sharply chiseled jaw and the sharp, angular features of a Romulan from the Northern hemisphere sat working at a desk. "Jolan tru, Ambassador. May I assist you?"

"Consul, actually. Jolan tru, sir," Daeren said. "I have an appointment to meet with Ambassador t'Saeihr."

"She is expecting you, allow me to guide you." He rose and tucked the PADD into his sash before moving somewhat awkwardly around the desk. He hadn't yet gotten used to his new height and the young attache was a little clumsy yet.

"Thank you," Daeren replied and followed the young man where he led.

Leading the man through the small side door that was decorated with the symbol of the New Romulan Senate. Verelan was settled quietly into a chair that changed to fit the person that settled into it. Glancing up at the people entering she offered the young man a gentle smile and the Consul a polite nod but did not rise from her seated position. "Good Afternoon Consil Iril."

"Good afternoon, Ambassador t'Saeihr," Daeren said, inclining his head slightly. "Thank you for setting aside time to see me. My people have had very little chance to become acquainted with yours, and as we are now residents of the same station, I did not want to miss the opportunity to meet you and to learn more about your people."

"Please" she gestured to a seat beside the window that her seat was inclined towards so she could gaze into the cold stars. It was pleasing to her to watch the ships go by, a remnant of her girlhood living next to a spaceport. "It pleases me to also meet the other folk here."

"Ah, you have a view!" Daeren looked out the window appreciatively. "A magnificent one, and always something new to see."

"I like to see what's coming my way." A ripple of amusement crossed her face as she too glanced out the window. "There are added bonuses as well, you can't sneak up on me in a ship with that window there for one. "

"I shouldn't think so," Daeren agreed. "I would find it difficult to do work in an office like this, until I got used to it."

"I find it difficult to work in a fully walled office. Too many of us have had attempts made on our lives for me to be fully comfortable anywhere." She shrugged with one shoulder.

"Were attempts made on your life?" Daeren asked.

"Come now Consul, surely you know the answer to that. I was a sitting member of the Romulan Senate. The Royal Family was just a figurehead, but the Senate and its Senators? We had the real power on Old Romulus. Of course there were attempts made on my life." Her fingers touched her left shoulder in a gesture of memory. She still had a scar there, fortunately, that one had not caused more than superficial damage.

Daeren nodded. "I'm glad you survived them. And I hope the would-be assassins now have other things to concern themselves with than assassination--presuming they survived. I would hope they have better priorities now."

"One would hope. I would think that since the Senate is no longer an entity of power, that the political rivals died with it. But, we all know just how passionate the Romulan Heart can be. We do know how to hold grudges." Verelan's mouth quirked upwards and she smiled. She'd never ordered an assassination, but she did retaliate on one of her enemies who'd tried to have her killed. The fool never knew what hit him.

"Well, you know," Daeren agreed. "But the first Romulan--or do you prefer Rihannsu?--I've ever met was the young man who escorted me in here. That is a lot of the reason why I asked to visit you today, Ambassador. I would like to become better acquainted with you and your people, now that I have the chance to."

"Is that so?" she murmerred, clearly deep in thought from the way the stylus tapped on her lips. "This might be a unique opportunity to change the way the everyday average Romulan is viewed, wouldn't you say? The Military will ever be the Military, but the People of Romulus have a deep cultural and spiritual center that no-one knows about except us."

"I would very much like to learn about that, to the extent that it wouldn't invade anyone's privacy," Daeren said. "Any military or government bureaucracy is only a small proportion of the general population. Familiarity with only the government and military gives one a skewed perception of the culture as a whole."

"I would enjoy the exchange. I've only met a Trill once before now, and she was quite...stuffy" A slight smirk graced her lips "All of my staff are artisans and scholars. They can tell you with great fervency what Romulus was like. The younger generation have a good, if slightly cynical grasp of reality, having their homes wrested from them and having to rely on the Great Enemy."

"Sadly, stuffiness seems to be a condition that many are afflicted with when their sense of their own importance exceeds the reality," Daeren said. "Why is the Federation regarded as 'The Great Enemy' by your people?" he asked.

"That explanation requires going back centuries." Shifting her position she took a sip of the drink that had stood untouched on the table she pondered exactly how to continue. "The Romulan people were...are...a very passionate race. At the time, rage and war were the bread and butter of our ideology. We carved our position in the universe by sheer brute force and then ran smack into a wall of Federation peace and exploration. That by itself shouldn't have been enough to hold the Great Empire at bay and yet it did. I am sure my ancestors were infuriated by the gall of these peaceful explorers."

"Ah, I had forgotten the events, but now I remember," Daeren said. "The Empire wanted to keep the Terrans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites in a state of conflict with each other, to prevent them from posing a threat to the Romulan Empire. Peace and unification among them was seen as a problem by the Romulan military--at least, that is how I believe it was taught. Is that anywhere close to the reality?"

"The Reunificationists were seen as a radical sect, capable of extreme acts..." she said almost offhandedly. "So I'd wager your speculation is true. You speak as if you were there..."

"During the Earth-Romulan War?" Daeren chuckled. "I'm old, but I'm not that old. By Reunificationists you mean the Romulans who wanted to reunify with Vulcan?" He shook his head at that. "I suppose, if you have one small faction that wants to reunify, the larger faction that wants to remain separate will object strenuously to the smaller group's existence. How violent were the Reunificationists? Normally, I wouldn't suspect violence of a group that wanted to reunify with someone else, but politics can drive people to do unthinkable things--or to claim all sorts of lies in the name of propaganda."

"I was speaking of your other half?" She gestured towards his belly with a tiny smile, knowing that the Consul probably was a member of their species that was bound to another. It was fascinating to think about, having an ancient creature live inside you and share your thoughts. She wouldn't want it, but it was still fascinating. "I don't believe they were violent at all, being founded in large part by Federation Ambassador Spock."

"Oh, you know about our symbionts?" Daeren said. "I am never certain who is aware, so I tend not to mention it. There are many not of Trill who find the idea unsettling if they know of it, so I do my best to not let it interfere with negotiations."

"I wouldn't want one, but I find the concept fascinating." Verelan couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Indigestion's no fun," Daeren informed her with a laugh. He leaned back in his chair. "So why are you here on 109 and not in an embassy on Earth?" Daeren asked, "or did you want to be out here?"

"Earth is not where the action is. It is not useful for us to have a representative there." A half truth, but still a truth. The reality was, they didn't need to have a representative there, but they did need one here. The New Romulan Republic needed allies here and now, where they were useful. Where resources, such as they were could be immediately acquired and put to good use. Allies were a difficult thing to cultivate. While having diplomats in the heart of former enemy territory could be useful eventually, once the mistrust and xenophobia were diminished, Verelan could have an immediate effect on the future of her people.

Daeren thought about that for a moment. "I understand what you're saying. But out here, you don't have access to politicians who could help argue for your cause in the Federation Council. Granted, though, you do have ready access to the Klingon and Vulcan ambassadors, and the voice of the Vulcan ambassador here will carry weight on Earth. I would suggest cultivating her goodwill. Trill's offers are likely to align with Vulcan's on most things."

"It has always been to our benefit to cultivate local attachments first, before branching out. While I don't deny that the Romulan people must either change or die, I believe that this sort of transformational change needs to happen in stages, else the pangs become too much for the average citizen to cope with." Verelan likened what was happening to the Romulans to a woman having a child, painful yet necessary.

"You might well be right about that, and I would certainly be the last to argue with you," Daeren said. "Then I will make it my practice to invite Romulans from the starbase to attend cultural events that my consulate puts on. I don't know that that will be of much help, but it will help some, I hope."

"One must start small I believe the phrase is. I would be happy to attend any events you sponsor."

Daeren smiled. "Thank you. I'll have my aide, Miadze, put your name on the invitation list, then--and your aide's, as well." He sighed as he noticed what time it was. "I should probably make my farewells now, lest I overstay my welcome. Thank you for setting aside the time to see me, Ambassador. I look forward to working with you and your people."

"The pleasure was mine Counsul Iril." she rose with him, so she might see him safely out.

 

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