Hollow Allegiance

Posted on Wed May 7th, 2025 @ 6:17am by Caeda & CJ Zajak

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Terra
Timeline: Date 2372-01-25 at 1430
2284 words - 4.6 OF Standard Post Measure

It was quite a bad thing for a civil servant to suggest that an attack on the Emperor’s life was good for her, but in Camila Zajak’s case it was terribly true, for her career at least. It felt dirty, she found, for she hadn’t even had to try, but the Chancellorship fell into her lap. Of course, it was only temporary and the official documents left room for the Emperor to wake up and for everything to go back to the way it was. But she had her doubts.

It had been months since the attack on the planet, deep in the neutral zone, known as Pavla. There, the Romulans and Terran Marines were set to meet for group training. The Romulans never arrived, but the Klingons did. They’d rained death from the stars on Terran heroes, and butchered them to the man, and still the Romulans were nowhere in sight. After she’d gotten the regents to sign the decree which gave her the authority to get to the bottom of this situation, she dug in and spent an inordinate amount of time on the project. The Romulans had been on ice with no word at all from officials on Terra. All had been calm, as if nothing had ever happened.

“The ambassador from the Romulan Republic is here, Madam Chancellor.” Came the voice of her secretary.

She looked up from the documents before her, the sun shining on her through the sheer white curtains of the huge office of the Imperial Chancellor.

“Thank you Tereza. Give it a few moments and then send him in.” CJ said.

When she was alone again, she stood and walked around the three-sided wooden desk which looked every-bit to belong to a head of government. It sat before a gray-marbled wall lined with bookshelves. She walked to the side of the office where assorted comfortable chairs and couches were scattered decoratively as a personal audience chamber. She wore a gray skirt and an off-white blouse, so she seemed to match the color palate quite well. Silently, she lowered herself into her favorite chair and folded one knee over the other.

Her Inter-departmental team had agreed that any conspiracy of information transfer from the Romulans to the Alliance would likely be through military contacts and that meeting with Soren tr’Vathras would be a frustrating waste of her time, since he likely knew nothing. But she had a different feeling on the matter entirely.

The doors parted and two Pyramid Security Officers permitted the entry of a tall Romulan man, somewhat aged, distinguished, and graying at the temples. He walked in with purpose, a pleasant grin on his handsome face. He wore traditional Romulan Ambassador’s robes, but she noticed the pants had been hemmed in the Terran style, as had the jacket.

“Mr. Ambassador. Welcome to the Pyramid.” She said, standing and stepping over to meet him in the middle. He extended his hand as did she and they shook. She noticed his grip was light, as if he didn’t wish to hurt her. “I’m Camilla Zajak.”

“Oh, I know who you are, Madam Chancellor. And, believe me, this is hardly the first time I’ve been in this room, let alone in this building.” Soren said with a smile, his tone confident and amiable.

“Right, of course not.” CJ said, her smile tight and somewhat unnatural. She ended the handshake and gestured for the chairs. “Let’s have a seat so we can chat. I trust your journey over was pleasant?”

“Pleasant enough, pleasant enough. Rome is a beautiful city, offering cultural delights Romulus rarely boasts.” He said, following her to a seating area and taking position in a chair next to hers with a small, stylish coffee table between them. “Gelato, for example. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the galaxy, I’d bet.”

“I’m not sure I’d take that bet, Mr. Ambassador. The galaxy is a massive place, and there are many frozen confections in it.” CJ said.

“Now that’s rare. Where is that Terran superiority I’ve come to admire over the years?” He said with a raise of his eyebrow.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I believe in all that. But Terrans don’t believe we have the best food and culture on our own. In fact, we love to adopt the strongest and most favorable quirks from other cultures when we take a liking to them.” She responded. “But of course you already know that. After all, you have been on assignment here in one capacity or another since 2365, isn’t that right?”

“Very nearly seven years, and I’ve loved every moment of it.” He said with a nod. “Where were you that year?”

“I was still in the Pyramid, just as a second string player. The Minister for Media.” She answered, her smile settling into a generally pleasant and professional expression.

“Ah, yes. I remember that.” He said, wagging his finger at her. “You were one of the most effective media wranglers I’ve ever seen. That was your genius. I’m a bit surprised to see you leaving it behind for a..much larger office.”

“I serve at the pleasure of the Emperor and His regents, Mr. Ambassador. They are the ones who thought me the right woman for the moment in this office.” She answered quite honestly.

“Why do you think that is, ma’am?” He asked, leaning in with interest. “What gives them such confidence in you over, let’s say, the Vice Chancellor or Secretary Ansley?”

CJ seemed to reflect on the question a moment, a cool and typically unemotional turn of her head accompanying it. “I like to think it’s because they have confidence in my ability to communicate what is most important to the Secretariat, to the government, and to the allies and enemies of the Empire.”

“Clear communication and quick thinking are important.” Soren agreed with a nod. “I can imagine the task of keeping your Emperor’s condition more or less concealed from the public has been quite a task.”

“Not at all. The Emperor’s reign is as secure as ever, and the Court is United behind his agenda.” CJ responded without missing a beat. There was no defensiveness in her tone or body language. “His most immediate agenda, actually, is the investigation into the tragedy at Palvo. I would assume you’ve heard of what happened there?”

“Of course. A true tragedy for your people. My condolences for so many souls lost.” He nodded, his face somber as he spoke.

“Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. That means a great deal coming from you.” She said with a smile that didn’t even approach her eyes. “In light of that sentiment, I was hoping you could give me your perspective on what happened there. My people are suggesting there was a leak from your side to the Klingons. The Senate is baying for blood.”

“Why ever would they think such a thing?” The man frowned immediately, clearly offended by the insinuation.

“Because the Klingons knew exactly where and when to find our troops. You can bet that information didnt come from our side.” CJ answered. “Your opposition party, the Party of your Second Consul, has been against your government’s alliance with mine from the start. Politically, it simply makes sense someone from your government is working with the Alliance..”

“I don’t believe you should bet on that at all, Chancellor.” Soren steepled his fingertips together. “Your Emperor’s firstborn son turned against him did he not? Though he may be dead now, that does not mean his supporters have disappeared. Did it strike you that perhaps it is from those supporters the information may have been given to our mutual enemy in an effort to break our alliance?”

“The rebels have no interest in destroying the Alliance with the Romulans, Ambassador.” CJ said, her tone dismissive and disinterested. Her fingers hovered over a control pad on the armrest of her seat, but she pressed nothing. “What is your relationship with Captain K’Pok, Son of Torg, Ambassador?”

“I have never heard that name.” The man replied, the slightest tone of irritation in his voice. “Are you attempting to insinuate something, Chancellor?”

“I’m attempting to ask simple questions. I’m a journalist, after all.” CJ said, leaning back more comfortably. “Captain K’Pok is the military attaché assigned to the nearest Alliance outpost. At this point, it’s almost in Imperial space. You’re sure you’ve never heard of him?”

“Perhaps vaguely if it is as you say it is. I’m sure his name has come across my desk in passing. Why do you ask?” He prompted with mild impatience.

Her finger finally fell on the keypad and a screen on the wall depicted a recording of a Romulan shuttle approaching a Klingon ship.

“This is your shuttle. That is Captain K’Pok’s ship. The recording was taken just three days before the ambush on Palvo.”

“I was here on Terra during that time.” He looked at the imagine in front of him and then back to CJ, shaking his head. “This is absurd.”

“Your calendar says you were here..your aides say you were here..and yet this is your shuttle and his ship.” CJ said, looking at him with cold blue eyes. “Does that not strike you as suspicious?”

“Of course it does, though I doubt we are sharing the same suspicions.” He replied and eyed her darkly, now openly frowning. “I was here on Terra in meetings for most of that day, and when I was not, I was at my estate.”

“Of course you were.” CJ said, and her fingers pressed yet another button. In just a second, the doors opened and two armed Pyramid Guards charged in. She looked at the ambassador resolutely. “Let’s see if some questioning by Imperial Intelligence yields the same results.”

Immediately, Soren was out of his seat and shifted his stance to something defensive as the guards approached. “You cannot do this! This is an act of war!”

“The act of war, Mr. Ambassador, was you trading classified Terran military information with the enemy, resulting in the deaths of thousands of our bravest and brightest. One of those soldiers was worth one thousand of you.” CJ stood with him as the guards took hold of his arms. “Intel will get the full story from you, as well as the names of all of your accomplices. How much of you I send back to Romulus depends entirely on how well you decide to cooperate.”

“Unhand me! I did nothing! You have no proof of anything except these obvious fabrications!” The Romulan protested loudly, fighting against the hold. Like Vulcans, Romulans did possess the superior strength of Vulcans, so he was able to wrest his arm from one of the guards and shove him back.

CJ watched with a smirk as the man wrestled with the guards, knowing they could easily end the exchange with a discharge of their phasers.

“Mr. Ambassador, please. Listen.” She said, raising a hand. “Please forgive me. It was a cruel joke.”

She gestured to the guards.

“You may go. The Ambassador won’t be any trouble.”

The guards released the Romulan, and after giving him very dirty looks, proceeded again to the exit.

“You should have seen your face.” CJ said with a giggle that only managed to be unsettling.

Soren glared down at CJ, his dark eyes glinting in a dangerous way. “How dare you. This is no joking matter and I will be reporting this incident.”

“Oh, Mr. Ambassador, really. Why would I arrest you here? Everyone knows exactly where you are. It would cause a collapse of the very alliance I'm seeking to preserve.” CJ responded. “And you’re probably right. Imperial Intelligence is known to get these little details wrong. Clearly you were here on Terra the whole time.”

CJ gestured for the door, her slender finger darting like an arrow.

“Of course, you’re free to go. And may the gods watch over you.”

With a growl, Soren just stared at CJ as if he were truly considering doing something to her, but in the end he simply straightened the Romulan jacket he was wearing and smoothed out his sleeves. “I do not appreciate ‘jokes’, Chancellor. Never do this again.”

“Oh, I doubt I’ll have the chance anyway, don’t you?” She asked, clasping her hands in front of her.

“I don’t know why you think you had the chance in the first place. This was ridiculous and inappropriate.” He scoffed. “I thought you better than that.”

CJ said nothing and showed no signs of shame, hesitation, or regret. There was silence for an awkward amount of time before she broke it.

“Please give the First Consul my warmest regards. Let her know that His Imperial Majesty’s government is very close to confirming the source of the leak. Very close.”

“Not as close as you might believe, it seems.” The man scoffed and without another word, he left CJ’s office, his feet falling heavily and communicating his rage at the entire situation that had just unfolded.

As her office returned to silence, CJ sighed. She knew the likelihood she would ever see the Ambassador again was quite low. She had placed the man into Nolan Nazar’s hands to be retrieved at the right time and in the right way. But, if anything was certain, it was that the Ambassador had been lying for his life.

OFF