Rising Star

Posted on Thu Sep 28th, 2023 @ 6:03am by Caeda & Endia

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Romulan Sector
Timeline: Date 2371-08-17 at 1930
2710 words - 5.4 OF Standard Post Measure

It was amazing what heroics could win a man in the Romulan Republic; double the amount of it was genuine. Years of stable democratic rule had brought an egalitarian spirit which had dashed all the heroes of his society, and a man who managed to stand out from the crowd as an individual of character could have what he wanted. He gave a firm nod to the applauding crowd as he realized he had gotten what he had wanted indeed.

Seven weeks in an Alliance POW camp was a high price to pay, but he would have given it seventy times over for Romulus. He was a patriot, and the son of a patriot as well. It wasn’t his prison term that had made him famous, however, but the thing that had gotten him there. He had commanded the RRW Nairok, a ship named after his father and, as an extension, himself. When a tense situation on the front lines turned into a battle, it was Nairok who scored a decisive hit against the Regent’s ship, and he did so while disobeying direct orders to disengage. The death of the Regent had upset the Alliance, of course, and now a man named Worf had taken on the mantle.

But his ship was destroyed a few moments after and the fleet did little to stop it; it seems they too had been under orders not to fight under any circumstances. So his ship imploded, his crew died, and he was collected from a lifeboat a few hours later. The following weeks were hell, but he had beaten all odds and escaped, smuggling himself back into Republic space in a garbage crate.

Tours, interviews, speeches, and recovery had seen him assigned command of the R’Vandrix, the flagship of the Romulan Guard; the politicians and their pets in the admiralty had no choice. He was a celebrity at a time when they needed someone popular. Never mind the troublesome political beliefs he held. Adler Nairok had come into his own, and he stood taller now than ever before.

“Thank you, soldiers of the Republic.” He said to the gathered officers in the wardroom of Starbase Valkreen. “I will endeavor to show myself worthy as your commander. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get to the bar.”

The room full of senior and high ranking junior officers assigned to his new command laughed at his comment and applauded again.

“We depart tomorrow morning at 0700. Be on time to your posts and I’ll see you there. Dismissed.”

With that, the commander smiled, turned on his heel, and was the first to exit.

The cover she had was sound, solid, and well thought out. An orphan that had grown up under the watchful eye of the state - no family and very few friends to speak of with a name that didn’t trigger any positive nor negative feelings in anyone. Practically a nobody, but one with a solid record that spoke of a loyal and dependable officer who did their job and didn’t reach for more. She mingled just a little to begin with, making her name, face, and voice known to her new shipmates and had avoided engaging with Nairok until he was done floating about brushing elbows with those in attendance.

It was only once he had finished and groups began to settle that she walked down to the bar and took a seat.

She was a beautiful woman with slightly above average height, long legs, and feminine curves that fit her thin frame; she wasn’t overly voluptuous, but there was enough there to entice the eye and desire. She, like most of the attendees aside from a few older men, had opted to not be in uniform for the occasion and instead was in a beautifully cut dress that was draped around her body in a pleasing and eye-catching way. The material was a dark green near black and when it shifted and moved, it shimmered gold. Her long, straight black hair was down though held out of her face by two clips at the temples where her hair was given an elegant twist to provide some interest. Her blue eyes were utterly striking, the color being quite uncommon to their people but not unheard of, and she knew how to use those stunning eyes quite well.

Her name was Saeihr D’mora, a pilot newly assigned to serve under Nairok on his new command, though right now she was simply a beautiful woman sitting boredly at the bar.

Aeler walked the polished floors of the station's most popular bar, his shoulders held back and his back ramrod straight. He was a handsome man who looked a great deal like his exotic mother. His naturally bronzed skin was unique for a Romulan of high society, as was his slender yet fit build. Where others might be strong and slow, he was quick and crafty. His mind was quick as well, and he was known to be a great lover of women. He enjoyed their company so much, in fact, that it was the only occasion anyone might notice that would turn him from his straight-laced, focussed life. He never got drunk, he never partied hard, he never skipped a day of work, but he might lose himself in the embrace of the right woman. As he processed through the bar, he looked for such a woman.

His eyes fell on the long legs of a beauty in a a black-green dress. The color was a popular combination on Romulus as it added some diversity to a palate that had become incredibly drab and common. He walked straight over to the bar and sat down next to her, getting the attention of the man behind the bar.

“May I have a glass of wine,” he said to the man in a strong but polite voice. The drink was made from the lehe’jhme fruit and, though it contained more alcohol than their ale, it was easier on the throat. He was a man who prefered to relax with soft, easy things. His eyes drifted up the legs of the woman next to him without probing. Her attention seemed to be elsewhere, but eventually he caught a glimpse of her eyes, “Excuse me, miss. I don’t mean to interrupt you, but you have the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen, at least in a Romulan woman. They’re dazzling; I could stare at them all night.”

Saeihr’s face immediately took on a rather annoyed, exasperated expression as if this were the ten thousandth time she had been hit on at the bar. She rolled those beautiful blue eyes without looking at him. “Look- oh.”

She had started to speak as she turned to him, but when her eyes settled on him she had stopped. Instead she blushed slightly though didn’t demure fully. “Ah… thank you, Commander.”

“There’s nothing to thank me about.” He said, taking note of her change of demeanor when she saw who he was. It was always nice when one’s reputation precedes him. “I’m an observant man, and that’s all. What are you drinking tonight?”

“I hadn’t decided yet.” She brushed a bit of her hair over her shoulder and leaned toward him just slightly. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“There’s no reason to travel too far off the beaten path.” He said and waved over the bartender again. “A wine for the lady, on my tab.”

A few seconds later, the man slid two glasses their way before moving on.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him and reached out to pull her wine a bit closer to her. “This is quite a party they are throwing in your honor, sir.”

“It’s not every day a war hero takes command of the flagship.” He said, no hint of shame in his voice. “The Romulan Guard knows how to give honors when the time comes. Are you here to honor me or simply to have a drink or two?”

“That depends.” She replied, a small, cryptic smile appearing on her beautiful face.

“On what does it depend?” he asked, responding to her smile with a flirtatious but stoic expression of his own. He was no desperate tail-chaser. In his mind, all of Romulan society would bend over before him one day, willingly. In his mind, he was a man with a destiny, and any woman would be lucky to be part of that even for just one night. He did, however, manage to keep these thoughts to himself, however.

“Is there any reason I couldn’t do both?” Saeihr put forth with mild, flirtatious challenge as she picked up her wine and took a sip. With the glass against her lips, she flicked her enchanting eyes up to catch his and then lowered the glass slowly, suggestively sucking the wine off part of her lower lip.

“What a wonderful suggestion, Commander.”

“Well, the best way to honor me is to have a drink or two with me.” He said, lifting his glass and offering a self-assured nod. “You’ve the look of a military woman. Do you serve in the Guard? Or perhaps you’re a Tal’Shiar operative trying to charm me with alcohol and a pretty face?”

His mood was light and the words were said without suspicion, making it unclear if he was joking or expressing some real suspicion charmingly.

“Let’s be honest, you wouldn’t be the first.”

“Oh no, you caught me already.” She lifted one hand in surrender while the other still held her wine. She turned toward him, her body language receptive. “My Tal’Shiar superiors will be very disappointed in me.”

She flashed a flirtatious, charming smile at him. “I’m a pilot, yes, but truthfully I don’t want to think about any of that tonight. That is for tomorrow.”

“So, just a woman and a Commander then.” He said, lifting his glass to his lips and enjoying the dry, full taste. “I assume a man and a woman is a bit too simple a deal. Women tend to like a man in a uniform of some kind.”

“Simple has its charm too.” Her smile shifted into a playful smirk. “Though you strike me as the type of man who enjoys being Commander in all ways.”

“Very perceptive.” He responded with a grin. In his mind, he was born to lead and all of his life had been waiting for the day when he had the power to make a difference for the Romulan people. The Republic was squandering an excellent chance to regain its former glory, and he so loved glory. “You could say I’m very comfortable taking charge in private as well as in my professional circle. But, don’t worry. I’m a good listener. How about you? Are you a woman who prefers to share in all things, or do you…like a man in uniform?”

“I could be convinced to share sometimes… by the right person.” She leaned in a bit closer and smiled at him. “But who can resist a man in uniform, really?”

He gave a short chuckle, but the grin stayed on for a few seconds afterward.

“Sharing is good in some contexts, but is quite boring in others. In some of those, it’s competition and the thrill of battle that gives the moment all of its power. One person versus another to the mutual benefit of all.” He said, and then took another drink from his wine glass, “and I’m not ashamed to tell you that I always win.”

“I bet you do.” She chuckled and finally sat back, though her posture and the look in her eyes was still flirtatious. “Though I love a man that enjoys the challenge. Otherwise it could be so… boring. I do loathe boring.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. I like variety as much, if not more than the next man.” He said with a raised brow, seeming to mean what he said. “And, if you get bored, you could always just walk away like any thaliij cat. I won’t be offended.”

“Is that what you think I am? A cat?” She asked with a chuckle then finished her wine. Setting down the empty glass between them, she was curious to see what he would do.

“All women are cats in a way.” He said, raising his finger in the air and signaling the bartender for another drink. “When you want to be pet, you approach. When you don’t, you go away, it’s as simple as that. The way I see it, I set out milk and, if you like it, you come back.”

He finished his drink as well and sat it down on the counter, waiting for the bartender to refill it with hers.

“For that matter, men are like cats too, now that I think about it.”

“Are they?” She asked curiously, giving every indication she was quite engaged with him, but not to the point of being completely taken. A bit of a challenge made it sweeter after all, but she wouldn’t push too much.

“We all come back for more of what we like.” He said with a self-assured nod. He drew a bit closer to her, but still left a short gulf between the two of them so she wouldn’t feel crowded. “I don’t think I got your name.”

“Saeihr D’mora.” The answer was supplied with the ease of a woman who had held the name since birth. She didn’t offer up her rank to him immediately - right now she was a woman and he was the Commander. Her body shifted to slant toward him just slightly and so naturally that it seemed unconscious.

“Do you like what you see, Commander?”

“I believe so.” He said, looking her in the eyes rather than checking her out crudely. He was a man who was capable of waiting; he knew he had options, but he knew what he liked. “But looks are so often deceiving. Experience is true knowledge.”

She held his gaze easily, eyes never straying. There was ease and confidence in her beautiful blue eyes, but with them there was a hint of demureness. She was a woman confident in herself, yes, but confident in the power of the man who sat in front of her. A smile tugged on the corners of her mouth.

“That is very true, and I do so love experiencing new things to increase my knowledge.”

“Well, I think I can provide some educational opportunities which would be very informative, for you.” He said with a turning of his head. “Tell me where you’re staying on the station and I’ll see about bringing over my learning equipment.”

The smile turned into a small, coy grin. “My dear Commander, what fun would it be were I to just give that to you? The sweetest victories are the ones we take for ourselves, not the ones that are handed to us.” She leaned in closer, her voice more intimate and it was reflected in her eyes, “Or if you wish, you can find a lesser woman who will simply flop onto her back for you. Whatever pleases the thaliij.”

He stood from the stool grinning.

“That shouldn’t be a problem, Saeihr. I always get what I’m after. Don’t slip out of that dress, by the way. It looks like you might need help with it.”

“It is rather difficult on my own, yes.” She motioned for another glass of wine to be brought to her. “Well then, Commander, I would suggest you go and enjoy all the honors your party has to offer and perhaps at the end of the evening, your hunt will be successful.”

“Oh, it will be. Be assured of that.” He said before finishing his wine, winking at her, and turning back to the festivities. It would be a long night, but it sounded like it was sure to have an interesting end.

END