Carrion for Crows

Posted on Wed Apr 26th, 2023 @ 9:36pm by Princess Royal Giana Orsini & Emperor Antonius VI
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 9:14pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Imperator
Timeline: Date 2371-07-29 at 1500
7053 words - 14.1 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Despite the fact that two more days remained in the Feast of Heroes, Antonius called a special meeting of one of the most powerful bodies in the Empire. He had kept most of the military flag officers aboard the Imperator, denying almost everyone who requested it the ability to leave. Following the arrest of Alynna Nechayev, he had taken a direct role in the administration of Starfleet, actually doing a decent job of replacing the woman for the space of a few days. Eventually, however, he summoned his choice to replace her as Grand Admiral and appointed them on the spot.

Now they stood in a large conference room aboard the ship as officers and aides started pouring in for the impromptu meeting of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Standing next to him, the recently promoted Grand Admiral Katherine Janeway stood with a new kind of confidence.

“Your Majesty, many of the brass are wondering aloud what this gathering is all about.” Janeway said in her characteristically low voice. “And so am I. I wouldn’t mind hearing it first.”

“Mmmm.” Antonius responded with a face like iron. Otherwise, he made no sound. His eyes found her and held hers for a while, his silence doing more to instill fear than anything he could have said. He was wearing a purple mandarin collar suit which made him look regal and wealthy. He eyed those who entered but said nothing.

One of the first to enter was Malik Ansley. He was dressed in a sharp, fashionable navy suit with a lighter blue silk undershirt. While he was a man who always had a severe look about him, there was extra stress showing on his features and his eyes were drooping slightly from it. He greeted the Emperor and Janeway with hurried respect and moved out of the way for those behind him. Janeway had been the obvious choice to replace Nechayev, and hopefully would prove a good choice given the current climate.

On Ansley’s heels came Colleen White. She too was dressed in a smart, form-flattering chocolate brown dress accented with gold. It was beautiful but quite modest as she preferred. Recent events had her nervous though she had no reason to be - she was loyal - but if one got tied up to those that were not somehow… sometimes things were dealt with before questions were asked.

Thomas O’Hara entered the room after Colleen, his eyes darting around for friendly faces. The Foreign Affairs Secretary had little to fear from the Emperor, whom he had served faithfully and well, but one never knew when heads started rolling. He greeted several people and nodded to the Emperor despite his discomfort, then quickly found his seat.

Contessa Pennington entered next in a canary-yellow dress which hugged her figure and revealed more cleavage than anyone else in the room would dare. This was normal for her, but darting eyes could be seen nonetheless. She had a tablet in her hand, but her eyes were forward and confident. She didn’t seem nervous in the slightest, and as she sat down next to Thomas, she said nothing, but instead merely logged on to her tablet and started to scan.

One of the last council members to enter was Dr. Ramsay. The man had his eyes glued on a piece of paper in his right hand while carrying a brown briefcase in his left. He was wearing a brown suit with a red sweater-vest underneath. Despite being the head of government for the past seven years, Richard Ramsay still dressed like a professor. He gave the Emperor a polite smile, fearing nothing due to their wonderful report, and then sat down in the chair directly to the left of that of the Emperor.

Antonius gave a nod to Kathryn, and the Admiral turned and walked to her own seat near the gaggle of Admirals from Imperial Starfleet. There were groups of Marine Generals and Army Generals as well, but these groups remained mostly separate. Antonius looked the group over and then lowered himself into the high-backed gilded chair, signaling it was time for the meeting to begin. He looked to the person on his right, the Secretary of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Their role was to direct the affairs of the council and to run its staff. They didn’t make strategic decisions, but they did chair the meetings and provided for all of its administrative needs. In the hands of the right person or the wrong one, it could be very powerful indeed.

Adam Montgomery had always been a pinnacle of efficiency. The man never seemed to smile, his work was his life and, from what anyone could discern, his joy. He was singular in his purpose and it showed in the quality he put forward every day. He was dressed in a tailored tan suit with a black shirt underneath - he was not the most fashionable man but why did he care? He didn’t need to be fashionable for his job. Even Contessa’s cleavage hadn’t been able to pull his attention from his work, and he stared down at the stack of papers and PADDs before him with cool gray eyes. When he felt Antonius’ eyes fall on him, he finally lifted his head and looked to his Emperor, then out to the rest.

“Thank you all for arriving promptly for this important meeting. I apologize for such short notice.” His voice held barely any inflection, but there was just enough that it wasn’t a monotone drone.

Those gathered listened to the introduction with interest. Under normal circumstances, this would probably reflect an immediate military decision, something that was exciting enough, but with the arrest of Nacheyev, things were even more on edge.

“I am sure you are all aware of the unfortunate circumstances which have gathered us here today: the unforgivable betrayal of former Grand Admiral Alynna Nechayev.” He paused and let those words sink in before continuing, “She is not, however, the only one as much as it pains me to say.” He certainly didn’t sound or look pained, of course.

A hush fell over the room, and a near-tangible stress made itself obvious. These people weren’t gathered to help solve a problem and most of them knew it. The rest were too simple to betray the Emperor to his eldest son.

“That much is obvious. Alynna was the definition of well-connected.” said Grand Marshall Fortino da Lucca, the head of the Imperial Army. “The question is: who? And how many people will need to be pushed through the cheese-grater before it all stops?”

“An excellent question.” Ansley interjected, though it was dry and unapparent if the comment was genuine or mildly mocking.

Montgomery looked between the two men and what looked like momentary annoyance passed his eyes as he was interrupted.

“Please, Adam, go on. But please dispense with the drama. Innocent and guilty alike are concerned for their lives and their families.” the General said to the nods of many of the other military officers. It was clear that, though he felt comfortable speaking his mind within limits, there was a lot of anxiety which none of them wanted drawn out with long statements under the guise of an administrative meeting.

“There is no drama in the truth.” Montgomery replied with that mostly even voice with words that would have usually been biting, the only real inflection on the word drama. Still, he seemed to take the hint. “Alynna Nechayev was, apparently, quite forthcoming with information much to our benefit - well, some of us.” He then looked to Antonius and differed.

“Some of Our sworn Admirals and Generals seem to prefer Our eldest son to the younger. This much has become very clear. The question, as you so pointedly put it, Fortino, is who. At first, it was a mystery, but after I authorized Alynna to be turned over to Imperial Intelligence, the names started pouring from her lips. Alynna Nechayev died screaming, but not before she gave us everything she knew.”

Ramsay scowled at that. He never liked that kind of business and was hardly brutish in his outlook, so violence was abhorrent to him most of the time. All of them had worked with Alynna for years, and the idea that she had suffered so much and died at the hands of the most ghoulish spooks in the Empire made him sick to his stomach. He buried his head in his hands.

Colleen was quiet, but most definitely looked a shade paler than she had been when she walked in the door. The threat of such a fate could - and did - drive terror into the hearts of any person in the Empire no matter what their standing was. She frowned and averted her eyes, placing her hands in her lap.

“And now, all questions must be answered.” Antonius said, before giving a nod to one of the guards at the door.

At the cue, the guard turned with his duty partner and opened the double doors, revealing a stone-faced Nolan Nazar in a jet black suit with a matching tie. He advanced, walking into the room with armed Imperial Guards behind him.

“Let’s play a game first.” Antonius said, leaning back in his seat.

Every face in the room took on some degree of discomfort when Nolan Nazar entered the room and it was amplified by the Emperor’s decree of a “game.” No one was going to like any sort of game that came from any of this. They were all silent, but all of the attention was now on Antonius once more.

Antonius had risen from his seat, his eyes trained on the startled faces of the council members around him. His eyes locked on Noah Asher, the Major General in charge of the Imperial Marines.

“General Asher, stand up!” He ordered, taking a step toward the man.”

Asher frowned deeply and as he stood slowly, his dark eyes moved around the table then to Nazar and Antonius. He knew he was loyal, but as he straightened to attention, his mind began to race just as his heart was doing in his chest. Had someone betrayed him? Was this some sort of political move? As far as he knew, he was well respected and generally liked. Had Nazar done this so that he could install someone as Major General that he wanted? The Emperor trusted this man far too much.

“Emperor.”

“What do you think are the merits of Giuseppe Angelo succeeding Us as Emperor?” He asked. It was a straightforward question, and it was clear from his demeanor there would be no dodging it.

There was silence for a moment and he seemed to be calculating what to say. None would not be an acceptable answer, because it wasn’t the truth. So, he opted for what was the simple truth without any additional factors or complications that made Giuseppe so ineligible. It was simply the paper facts.

“Giuseppe is the eldest and the position would be traditionally his; there are many in the Empire invested on such a tradition alone. His service in the military to the Empire would add to his popularity, and he would have an easier time commanding the support of the military because of it.”


“True, true.” Antonius added, taking another step toward him. “But what about the qualities of the man himself? What makes him worthy of rule, in your honest view?”

“In truth, I did not interact with him much, sir. When I did, he was polite but aloof. From others, however, I had been told he has a strategic mind for military endeavors and wishes to see the Empire expand and conquer. Such a quality would appeal to many.” He hesitated momentarily and added, “But it also does not make a leader; I cannot tell you any true qualities from my own experience because I simply do not know.”

“And what would you say of Our heir’s benefits. Hmm?” Antonius asked, his eyes locked on those of the General. “He is not a military man after all. He is just a boy.”

“He is not a military man and yes, his age does him a disservice in garnering support from the military.” Asher paused for a moment, considered, then continued. “Everyone here would pray that the issue of boyhood would not be present by the time Crown Prince Paolo were to ascend. What we do know of Paolo though is he is a very intelligent boy, well spoken, and has demonstrated a willingness to learn and listen. Giuseppe lacks these last two traits especially.”

Antoinus directed his gaze at the man for the space of several pregnant seconds. The room was silent and even the sound of his inhales could be heard as everyone waited to see what would happen. After what seemed like a full minute, the old man nodded and a slight smile raised his thin lips. Without another word, he moved on to someone else. This time it was a tall woman with very light blonde hair sitting with the army delegation. She had four stars on her collar and had served for a few years now as the Chief of Staff to the Army’s Grand Marshall.

“Leah Shift, a model for flag officers…” Antonius said, looking at the woman. “Stand.”

As Asher sat, Shift stood up and smoothed the skirt of her uniform politely as she did so. There was not a hair out of place on her head, and she truly was a pristine example of an officer. She bowed differentially to Antonius but her face displayed nothing but a thin smile not inappropriate for the current climate in the room.

Antonius’s eyes bored into hers, silent as the grave, and he didn’t ask a question, but merely stared and watched her like a hawk. Her smile, under his gaze, was a target. He stepped so close to her that they could kiss if one of them leaned closer by more than a few inches. Still his eyes were on hers.

“What do you think of Giuseppe Angelo Orsini, Leah?”

“He’s been accused of being a traitor, and evidence most certainly points in that direction. He isn’t worthy to be Emperor and follow in your great footsteps.” The woman replied, showing Antonius the proper respect and lowering her eyes from his when he looked at her. “He’s a brutish man.”

“Oh, but I hear you like brutish men, General.” Antonius said, a growl in his voice. He was quiet, but so was the room, and everyone was listening. “Isn’t that right, Nolan?”

“The word around Court is that you have an…immodest habit for young men. The more arrogant and brash, the better.” Nolan said, his voice rational and possessing the quality of both class and strength. “This does not make a traitor, of course.”

“Of course not, no.” Antonius continued, his eyes still locked on Leah’s downcast gaze. “Does it?”

At this, Leah lifted her head, but instead of Antonius, her eyes moved over to Nolan. “Of course it doesn’t. It is a bit immodest, perhaps, but I’d say no more immodest than bedding and impregnating filthy Orions. Neither makes us traitors, we simply have the proclivities and weaknesses we have.”

Nolan looked at the woman, his famously stoical face telling very little about what was happening behind his eyes. It wasn’t clear whether he was about to scold her or rise above her response.

“One Orion, General. One was enough to get me what I was after. A dangerous weapon that the military somehow misplaced.” he said, seeming unbothered after all. “Children are a curious thing, aren’t they? And no matter where they come from or what they are, you must love them. That is…what they say. I’m curious how you regard our child heir, General. Despite your love for the young, a certain Grand Admiral seemed to think the Crown Prince does not…how should I say…ring your bell..”

“I’m sure Paolo is a nice boy, but he is a boy. He still has much to learn to be a proper heir. As General Asher stated though, he is willing to learn and listen which are admirable qualities.” She continued to look at Nolan. “But of course I will support the Emperor’s edict and decision. It isn’t my place to question such things.”

Antonius’s hand found her shoulder with some weight. He was strong for an old man. He commanded her attention to be directed back to him. A touch from an Emperor was no small thing.

“You know We know all. You know that it is over.” he said, his voice full of a powerful sadness. “Have some self-respect and tell the truth here and now. Bare your soul, and maybe your children will grow old remembering your name..”

Leah’s head snapped around and she looked at Antonius. That thin smile evaporated into a scowl. She heard the words of course, but she knew he was lying to her face. There was no mercy in this man before her and she knew it. She simply had to hope her contingencies would work in the end for the safety of her family.

“That boy will be the undoing of our great Empire if something were to happen to you before he is ready. Giuseppe is not a perfect man by any means, but he is the rightful heir.”

Antonius’s eyes ignited then, and without warning, his hands were around her throat. He squeezed with no hesitation, animated by what seemed to be an animalistic self-preservation. He leaned in, straining her bottom against the back of the table behind her as the people around them gasped in shock and horror. His eyes were wide and hating.

“We decide who is rightful, you blaspheming whore!”

Behind them, Dr. Ramsay shot to his feet, clearly horrified by the display of violence. His eyes were wide as well, but more like a man who didn’t like to see the sausage being made. Nolan stared on with an expressionless and piercing gaze. None could tell what was on his mind, but one knew it was something quite to the point.

To say she was shocked was an understatement, and it was this shock that didn’t have her immediately properly fighting back. Her hands went up to his and her fingers curled around his to pry them away more on instinct. She could feel her neck giving slightly. It seemed like an eternity, but then everything clicked back into place. She was of course long removed from the days where she needed to be in fighting form, but that didn’t mean she had forgotten everything.

She was dead anyways, and even if she wasn’t, she wasn’t really thinking about her reaction in the moment. It was muscle memory. Her right arm moved under his left and she grabbed his right wrist firmly to keep him restrained. Her left hand snapped upward, and she cracked the heel of it directly into the old man’s nose, shoving it in a backward just as her left knee also came up, aiming for his groin to get him away.

Antonius took the impacts, but he was even further removed from active duty in the military. He reeled back immediately and groaned from the knee to his groin, but before he could collapse to the ground, he was caught by a surge of flag officers who rushed to stop him. Leah, on the other hand, had a dozen hands on her, restraining her and yanking her backwards. They were the hands of her colleagues and friends, moving on her as if by instinct to get her away from the central figure of their society and religion. And the hands were not friendly or understanding.

“Get her out of here!” Dr. Ramsay shouted from behind the empty golden seat of the Emperor. “Nolan, she’s in your hands. Keep her alive.”

The order was simple, and to it, Nolan gave the slightest smile. He would keep her alive indeed, at least on the outside. In the end, she would beg for the death of her children before he would deliver hers.

“He’ll kill us all! The Empire is damned if that boy takes power! Hear me! Pray for our Emperor’s longevity, for if he dies, so do we all!” Leah yelled and and cried as she was dragged from the room kicking and struggling.

Colleen had been one of the ones to stand to assist Antonius, but there wasn’t much she could have done anyways. It was simply an instinct. With the moment passed, she slowly lowered herself down into her seat now looking extremely anxious. She had never seen such a display from the man and now she had some concerns of her own. She hoped that he was well, but this display… seemed more fitting of a man losing his grip.

Antonius recovered from the strike rather quickly, only leaning on the mass of people for a second before he stood on his own and, though pained, played it off as irritation. His nose had started to bleed, but he let the blood flow onto his pristine suit without so much as a wipe or worry. He looked around at the faces, all of whom looked concerned.

“Enough flirting. We can get Our hands dirty, but we have loyal men on Our side.” he said, his anger seeming to slow suddenly. This man who was always so collected had become personally violent. People knew even less what to expect from him. “If you think Our display was offensive…imagine what Giuseppe would do to you.”

Each person had seen the former Crown Prince in action in one form or another. Despite the respect some showed for him, he was unpopular for a reason, and they knew he was a brute. Antonius’ was kind by comparison, though a great deal more clever.

“The Head of Marine Operations; the Army Academy Commandant; the Head of the Starfleet Office of Education & Patriotism. You are found out. Stand and submit to your arrest like ladies and gentlemen. And We are under no illusion that was only, only all that Nechayev knew. And we did find out everything she knew. Soon, the four of you will sing your song to the last note as well, and we will find the rest.”

Antonius lowered himself into his seat again, the blood still running from his nose. He had no intention of losing, here or ever. He had half a mind to have Giuseppe killed that very night. And yet, there it was again. That voice in his head which asked ever quieter by the day: “Who are you Antonio Orsini? And what have they done to you?” He blinked and cast his eyes toward his hands. Within himself, he felt like he wanted to cry. If he truly loved Paolo, he would put him as far away from the throne as possible.

Contessa watched the display with an almost bored expression. She would have to pay a visit to Paolo soon for a chat. He hadn’t been as eager to call on her as he had a few weeks ago, and she thought she knew why. As for the drama playing out before her, she knew she was lightyears away from being suspected. She had a known hatred for Giuseppe, a man who knew no subtlety.

With Ramsay still on his feet, Colleen was only an empty chair away from the Emperor. She looked at him, and with a kind intent pulled a silk handkerchief from one of her pockets. While she was sure he had one, his mind was, understandably, elsewhere. She reached toward him and put it down on the table a little over Ramsay’s area, but obviously didn’t invade his personal space. She looked away abruptly and sat quietly in her seat despite the commotion going on around her. It wasn’t a disaster, but it sure felt like one.

One by one, the listed people stood up and turned themselves over to the Intelligence guards. As they were cuffed and carted away one at a time, many of them tried to give voice to their rebellious sentiments, but were only met with jeers and the singing of the Imperial Anthem. They were drowned out by the loyalists, and though Antonius didn’t respond with more than a glance downward, not even to grab the handkerchief Colleen had offered him, it was clear he was aware of everything that was going on. Once the known traitors were gone, along with Nolan Nazar, he turned his gaze to the Secretary of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and nodded.

“Now to the affairs of war, Mr. Secretary.” he said, his voice as strong as ever. “Plans to expand into Alliance Sectors Actium, Delta, Solaria, and Andorian.”

Montgomery stood once more, seemingly unbothered by what had transpired around him and it was impossible to really tell if he felt anything. With a light tap to the table, a holographic map of the territories of the alpha and beta quadrants appeared - the sectors now controlled by Terra were bathed in red while those still in control by the alliance were in orange. Recently reconquered areas were noted by a purple overlay, and there were small bits of green denoting areas of known Terran resistance bases.

“Our efforts have thus far been more successful than initially anticipated with fewer casualties and less time expended retaking our rightful territory.” He began, his voice still that near irritating level sound. “In three months time, we are scheduled to move to reclaim several systems.” He turned his attention to Janeway and craned his head. “Grand Admiral, if you would be so kind as to provide the specifics.”

The newly minted commander of Imperial Starfleet stood gladly, her head held high, and gestured to the large holographic display that appeared in the center of the room, directly on the floor. There a round map showed reclaimed imperial space surrounded by Alliance orange and Romulan green.

“I know everyone here has followed the action reports closely the last few weeks. Joint task forces of Imperial and Romulan ships were able to cleave the Alliance space that deportares us from the Romulan Republic. That means the Omicron, Beta, Yadalla, and Antares Sectors are being abandoned by the Alliance; newly appointed governors are on their way as we speak, aided by the 3rd Fleet.”

Janeway stepped closer to the middle as the red strip between Imperial space and the Romulan Neutral Zone was replaced by slowly expanding red.

“At the same time, our 1st Fleet is amassing for a push against the Omicron and Delta Sectors in the hope that we might be able to push into Cardassian space and aid the resistance there.”

“We have, of course, been in close contact with the resistance leaders, particularly Miles “Smiley” O’Brien on Terok Nor. We’ve exchanged military technology and several weapons shipments have arrived for their use.” Thomas O’Hara said. “How they should be dealt with after the war is entirely a different matter to be addressed later, but for now, we are using each other quite well.”

The Grand Admiral nodded at his input and then turned her eyes back to the map on the floor.

“The 2nd Fleet will take the Solaria and Andoria Sectors. At the end, the Empire will have expanded in size again by 150%. Meanwhile, the Romulans will continue to press the Klingons in the south. They are completely overwhelmed with a war on three fronts.”

The assembly listened to the newly appointed Grand Admiral speaking, some with more attention than others. It seemed things were going quite well for the Empire at this stage.

Would it continue though? It was a question that Colleen often found herself asking in her own mind. Overreach - especially in the military sense for Terrans - seemed to always be met with severe consequences that ended up with a smaller territory than what those who were intent on conquering had started with. Though she was also aware she was not a military woman and perhaps everything would be fine in the end. Only time would tell. Her eyes moved slowly around the other faces at the table and she crossed her legs at the ankles absently.

“We would hear your council before the final orders are given.” Antonius said, his eyes moving with interest from face to face as the blood slowly stopped flowing from his face. He had pulled out his own silk handkerchief and wiped most of it away, but didn’t put much energy into the process. “What say you?”

His inquiry was met with silence at the table. After the display put on in front of them, it was very likely that no one save for those who had been closest to the Emperor would speak anything but praise to his plan. Their silence betrayed them though, and obviously showed there were some reservations until Commodore Jacob Fuentes spoke up.

“I think that it is a brilliant plan. We will crush our enemies.” His voice breaking the dam of silence gave the opportunity for the cacophony of agreements and encouragements to begin from the majority of the others seated around the table.

Antonius pursed his lips. He had always been a man who welcomed honesty from his ministers. Honesty and insubordination were different things, and he knew the line between them; or, at least, he used to. These military officers were afraid of attacking the plan.

“A brilliant plan, is it?” He asked, his brow raised. He could think of several things wrong himself. “Come now, people. We have never harmed a man for telling Us the truth, and if you will clam up at the first sign of tension, We are better off deciding such matters without consulting you. At least then We would know the ideas haven’t been tested.”

The group in general seemed to only double down on their blind support for the plan despite its flaws. They’d rather Antonius be annoyed by compliance than have an excuse to have them dragged away.

“Is it too much?” The question was quiet, hesitant as it left Colleen’s lips. The cheerleading military didn’t seem to even hear it, but given how close she was sitting to Antonius, he would.

Antonius’ vigilant eyes moved to the woman with interest. His face wasn’t readable, but he didn’t sound thoughtful or surprised at the question. A shadow of a response began to form slowly on his face when the amused voice of Colleen’s boss sounded first. Richard Ramsay was smiling, seemingly at the question, but a keen observer would know he had been smiling since the question of the plan had first been put to the military brass.

“Well, that’s an interesting question, Colleen.” he said in a polite chuckle which was quite unlike most in the government. “It depends what you mean by ‘too much’. Logistically? Morally? Proportionally?”

Antonius looked at the Vice Chancellor with interest, but said nothing. He was waiting for her to speak again.

Colleen was good at her job now and she had also been suited to her previous position; they both came with a certain amount of power and attention given which she was used to, but now in this room with so many powerful people looking to her, she hesitated momentarily before finding her voice again.

“Such rapid expansion isn’t without great risk. With this model we are spreading our forces rather thin and are completely relying on the Romulans - a species known to be duplicitous and focused on their own gain - to hold back the Klingon forces. Will the third fleet be enough to hold our reconquered worlds should uprisings or other attacks occur?” She pointed out, her voice quiet but even.

“Our 3rd Fleet is 60 ships strong, Madam Vice Chancellor. And since the Alliance is sounding a full retreat from those sectors, they are effectively an overpowered cleanup crew.” Janeway responded, her demeanor calm and confident as she paced around the holomap on the floor. Her commanding voice communicated a bit of humor, but not much. “And we have the Home Fleet as well, don’t forget. 48 ships to defend what we’ve already taken. We’re only spread a bit thin on the offensive line.”

Contessa Pennington suppressed a yawn with her perfectly manicured hand. Talk of war and its plans bored her for some reason. She was more interested in what it cost and how it was to be paid for. That, in itself, was a feat of its own. War was not cheap, especially on this scale. Fortunately for them, it pumped tons of money into the Imperial economy. But, if she was honest, she had her doubts about the Romulans too.

“The Romulans have nothing to gain from double crossing us. A strong Terran Empire makes the politics in the quadrant nebulous enough to allow them to expand and strengthen themselves without a single powerful rival as they have been with the Alliance.” Thomas O’Hara spoke, cutting eyes slightly at the Vice Chancellor. He had worked damn hard on that alliance and he had always been irritated with Colleen for mistrusting it.

“Let’s not forget the power of negotiations, Tom.” Contessa said, looking at the Foreign Secretary. “Ours, yes, but the Alliances as well. They are desperate for a friend, meaning we need to keep an eye on our own.”

“Gods dammit, Tessa. I’m so tired of this.” Thomas said, smashing his fist on the table. “It’s easy to sit around a table, far away from the action, and turn one's nose up at any plan at all on the grounds we could be double crossed. It adds nothing to the damn conversation and it just puts us in a position where we ignore diplomacy for fear of double dealings.”

Colleen was calm in the face of Thomas’ outburst. It was nothing compared to what they had witnessed just a few moments ago. “It would be foolish to ignore the Romulan reputation for double crossing their friends and allies. There is a reason that the Alliance never approached the Romulans to ally with them: they are duplicitous and are out for Romulan interests in the end. I assume you are familiar with the fable of the scorpion and frog?”

Colleen didn’t wait for an answer and instead looked toward the map. “The Romulans look like they are containing the Klingons on this map and not actually making too much of an effort to actually press them. If the agreement was to actively press, does that not concern you in the slightest, Tom?”

Antonius’s eyes moved from Colleen to Tom, watching the exchange silently with rapt attention and interest. He made no attempt to interrupt, but seemed to truly be listening to the conflict over the military plan. His interest only added tension to the situation and raised the stakes.

“The Romulans have done nothing but protect their borders for the past few decades. Their military machine has degraded under years of unstable democracy. It’s a sensitive topic for them, but they’re slowly ramping up their attack with as much force as they can muster.” Tom said, waving the tip of his stylus at the younger woman. She outranked him, but had little authority over what he did on a daily basis and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise, not when she questioned his work in front of the Emperor himself.

“Well, hang on.” Janeway cut in, looking at the map and then at Thomas. “If we want a push into Klingon space from the Romulans, we could simply ask that they do so. If they really are acting in good faith, they will. If not, we will know we are being played.”

“Haven’t you people been listening?” Thomas asked, shaking his head. “I just said they’re doing what they can. Does anyone here have evidence to the contrary, or just idle speculation and fear mongering?”

“Everyone is listening to you, Thomas.” Colleen replied with patience and grace, but there was a slightly more stern look on her pretty features. “What I am asking you is: have you made sure, with your own eyes and intelligence, that they actually are doing what they can and aren’t feeding you lies and sad stories of weakness? I fully acknowledge that I am not a military mind, but I do keep up with these matters and even from where I am sitting,” she gestured toward the map near the Klingon border, “it doesn’t look likely. So perhaps it would be of benefit to do as Grand Admiral Janeway suggested. Test them.”

“I’m not sure what you’re suggesting here,” Thomas said, shaking his head. “Do you propose we put pressure on them and see what happens?”

“Yes.” Colleen replied simply, but she knew Thomas well enough to know he would brush away that opinion alone, so she looked to Janeway since the freshly minted Grand Admiral seemed to understand what she had been getting at, at the very least.

“There’s no use in having an ally who isn’t truly on side.” Janeway said, ignoring Thomas himself and looking to Malik Ansley, the Defense Secretary. “I think that the Vice Chancellor is right about this one. I propose we send the Romulans a representative to encourage them to push the Klingons to reveal their true colors. In the meantime, I suggest we allow the 3rd Fleet to quickly close the distance between our space and theirs so that they will understand that we are neighbors again and that they have a vested interest in working together with us.”

Ansley had been quite quiet and seemed just as content to observe the moment as most in the room were. Only when Janeway looked to him did his expression shift into consideration. While many might have looked at this from a political standpoint, Ansley was the last man who would do so as the Defense Secretary. At least in this case.

“I agree.” He supplied simply.

Janeway barely concealed her smile before making eye contact with O’Hara again.

"Given the circumstances, we may need to take a more aggressive approach to ensure the Romulans' loyalty to the Empire. One option is to send a Herald of the Emperor to remind them of the consequences of disloyalty. This would serve as a powerful reminder that the Terran Empire will not tolerate any betrayal or insubordination." She paused, considering another option. "Another option is to create some covert trouble on their border with the Klingons and see how the Romulans react. If they defend their territory and fight against the Klingons, it would be a good sign of their loyalty. However, if they do not respond or worse, collaborate with the Klingons, we will know where they stand."

Janeway looked at the other high-ranking officials in the room. "Of course, we must carefully consider the potential risks and consequences of such actions. But at this point, we need to take some measures to ensure the Romulans remain our allies and do not pose a threat to the stability of the Terran Empire. I propose we send a Herald under the flag of the Emperor. A direct representative who can deliver a serious warning to the Romulan people.”

Montgomery gave a very audible sniff and cleared his throat. “Who might you suggest as this Herald, Admiral? Or is that a matter that will need closer consideration?”

“Obviously, it should be a member of the Diplomatic Service.” Thomas cut in, seeing just about fed up with the unusual amount of upheaval. Normally, diplomacy ran up and down a hierarchy and was seldom discussed in a forum like this. He was fighting his natural instinct to clutch his pearls and be offended, but it was barely working.

“An issue for another date.” Contessa sounded, her voice bored and relatively expressionless. This wasn’t her area of expertise and she didn’t wish to pretend it was. “But let’s not expect the Romulans to respond usefully to diplomatic pressure without time and expense. You might want to have amore…covert plan going on in the republic.”

“We have a thousand spies on Romulus.” the Emperor said, speaking up for the first time in quite a while. “This will be resolved in a smaller council, but We assure you, your input has been heard and will be headed. For now, the fleets will push as planned and the commanders will be warned that the Romulans are up to something. We won’t give them the chance to stab us in the back.”

Corinne had returned to being quiet though attentive once more. She had said what she had to say and it had apparently resulted in some wheels turning. She noticed how frazzled Thomas was and how bored Contessa seemed, but said nothing. It did however seem logical to do this covertly… if they could outwit the Romulans who were so known for their subterfuge.

When Antonius spoke, however, the room had of course immediately fallen silent and it seemed there was instant acceptance of the conversation being over, though there were obvious levels of acceptance and irritation on the faces all around. Once Antonius closed the meeting proper, everyone stood and began to move into smaller groups that would obviously discuss - or gossip - about the meeting and its happenings.

Was their Emperor losing himself? Such a display of violence was… concerning to say the least.

Montgomery remained where he was, placid, silent, listening.

This had been a very interesting meeting indeed.

END