The Cloaked Agenda

Posted on Wed May 7th, 2025 @ 1:05am by Caeda & Endia

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Alpha Onias III
Timeline: Date 2371-11-06 at 1515
794 words - 1.6 OF Standard Post Measure

It was nearly three hours before Commander Nairok returned to the R,Vandrix, and when he exited onto the Bridge, he stood just as tall as ever. Wordlessly, he moved to the commander’s chair and lowered himself into it. He sat like a king on a throne, looking around at all those staring at him. He was silent, but held their attention all the same. And then he parted his lips and began to speak.

“The Admiral and I are resolved that something illegitimate has occurred that resulted in the slaughter of the Terran Marines. As a result of our discussion, we have decided to investigate the issue further. On the planet, we located a patch on the uniforms of the dead Klingons. The Admiral’s crew confirmed it is the emblem of Ka’Dul, a for-hire military unit functioning within the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.”

There was a natural wave of murmured responses and surprise from the assembled crew. Saeihr sat behind the helm, her chair turned to look at Aeler as he spoke. She couldn’t deny his presence was alluring; he would have been an excellent Terran had the gods not cursed him to be as he was.

“So what does this mean?” One of the other officers asked.

“It means we are Romulan, and we must fulfill our patriotic duty to the Republic.” Aeler started, raising his voice suddenly, though it couldn’t be called a shout. It said a lot about his presence that it surprised some of the Junior officers enough to make them jump. “We must find evidence and expose this conspiracy. The only question is: where to start?”

“Perhaps we should allow the Admiral to take the lead.” The sub-commander’s voice came calmly a moment later. He crossed his arms, but it wasn’t in challenge to Aeler; he was obviously uncomfortable with the dangerous proposition being made. “Can we be sure this isn’t some sort of test or trap?”

“I mean no disrespect to the Admiral, but she isn’t ready to lead this effort.” Aeler said with a frown to his Sub-commander. “I had to convince her this was a worthwhile endeavor, and it would be easy for her to lose heart considering how things are stacked against us. We will, of course, follow her orders, but we cannot wait for her leadership.”

Rydek’s lips pursed briefly, but in the end the older Romulan believed in his commander. Aeler hadn’t addressed this potentially being some sort of test or trap, but Rydek didn’t feel the need to repeat himself.

“Perhaps we should look at who has the most to gain.” Saeihr finally spoke, her tone submissive but her voice loud enough to be heard.

“That’s a smart approach.” Nairok said, nodding to his lover and pilot. The minority faction among the Senate and military are excellent candidates for that. They believe Romulus would be stronger with strong ties to the Alliance.”

Rydek crossed his lean, strong arms over his chest, a scowl appeared on his slightly aged face. “A foolish notion, but not an uncommon one, I’m afraid.”

“We can start our investigation by confronting the leader of the Task Group that was supposed to be delivering Romulan troops to the military exercises. Rear Admiral P’Noral is a known member of the B’avan Faction. I imagine he might know a thing or two about what happened that day.” Nairok said.

“I agree, but it will be difficult to approach him without tipping our hand. Regardless, might I suggest we depart from here and resume our normal route while we make our plans? We have already drawn enough attention to ourselves.” The sub-commander pointed out.

Nairok thought for the moment in silence before nodding.

“I agree. I will consult the Admiral and discuss our immediate next steps.”

Nodding, Rydek turned his stoic gaze onto Saeihr at the helm where it lingered a brief moment, moving over her beautiful, youthful face. He was older, but he could still appreciate beauty when he saw it. “Lieutenant, take us back to our patrol route, warp four.”

“Aye, sir.” She nodded, turning her chair back to the glowing green console in front of her. Romulan aesthetics did have their appeal. She touched the controls with skilled hands and broke their orbit, swinging the ship around back into space to set them back onto task as Rydek moved to take his seat.

As the IRW R,Vandrix turned from the planet, Nairok watched with unseeing eyes. His mind was filled with possibilities more than any dangers their task might present. They had to get to the bottom of this, for the sake of Romulan honor and the future of his people.

OFF