The Captain and the Duchess (Part 1)

Posted on Sun Jul 16th, 2023 @ 7:32am by Nevala thu'S'Terion Ko-Shasol'kor t'Cheleb-Khor

1,256 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Mission 4 - Like a Thunderbolt
Location: Faltan Station / ISW Ket-Cheleb near Faltan Station
Timeline: MD06 - 1430

It was a bit of a process. C&C put through the request to the bridge of the Romulan warbird currently in orbit around Faltan III. The message was filtered through them to Duchess Nevala regarding a communication request from the new commanding officer for Faltan Station, Captain Ronan Channe. This all took time, of course, which gave Ronan a chance to find himself a cup of spiced tea and settle down in his Ready Room with a packet of intelligence reports while he waited.

Nevala had been caught by surprise that there was a new commanding officer. And she lacked the time to get any intelligence reports on him, so she did what she could do best. Improvise. She had to do it quite often in her life. She sat at her desk in the office section of her private quarters, not perfectly dressed for any official duties, but in comfortable clothes. She could have changed her clothes, but she decided that she did not want to let the Captain wait longer than necessary.

Accepting the communication she gave him a radiant smile. "Captain Ronan Channé... did I pronounce it correctly?... I am Nevala thu'S'Terion, Duchess of Cheleb-Khor. Please forgive me that I do not know anything about you, it seems I was forgotten to be informed of the change of command. Hopefully you have at least some information about me?" Her parents always taught her that it was rude to meet some official without knowing anything about that person, as it could indicate a lack of interest.

"Duchess," Ronan said, "yes, you did and yes, I know a bit ... what's been made public at least. My apologies on behalf of Starfleet and the Federation for not information both yourself and the Ambassador. It was necessary that the change in command be done quickly." He leaned forward far enough to retrieve a PADD with the latest intelligence briefings and scrolled to the pertinent points. "I'm glad to see that you're in good health after what happened on Falta III a few days ago."

Nevala inclined her head slightly to a nod. "Thank you, Captain. Honestly, I know that I am lucky. Some of our staff were not as lucky. And many of the station..." she swallowed, "I will never forget what I saw." She took a deep breathe and whispered "It was horrible. Simply horrible."

"Sab khut hafeth, frazhannempal was qailefeth," Ronan said. In his early days on Earth, trying to learn about all of the worlds he had never known existed, he had memorized this Romulan saying. It resonated in his soul. "My people share that belief but somehow, its never enough when the worst happens. I grieve with you for the loss of your staff."

Nevala smiled gently. "Thank you, Captain. But as you already quoted, we know nothing of tomorrow, yet we need to be prepared. Do you know that my husband and Commander M'Mira had a deal?"

Ronan came alert at that, a slight frown creasing his forehead. "No, I did not," he said. "What was the nature of their ... deal ... if I may ask."

Nevala was surprised and could not hide it. Should M'Mira not have told him? "Yes... yes, sure, you may ask. It is... was... a kind of defensive alliance. As the Faltans became more and more hostile towards all foreigners on their planet both, my husband and M'Mira, agreed on a pact. Any attack on either Starfleet or the Romulan Embassy would be considered an attack against both. In such a case, our forces... this, my husband's, ship and his Reman House Guards would have been part of a joint force. I do not know all about this pact, but as far as I remember, Commander M'Mira would have taken superior command. However, with the attack that happened, this ship was needed to evacuate as many as possible and offer medical assistance. We did not put the military character of the pact into action." She thought for a moment before she added "Captain, if I may ask you for a favour. Please do not note this pact in any documents, do not even tell anyone. It could be difficult for my husband to explain this to the Senate."

"Thank you for trusting me with this information, Duchess," Ronan said. "It is regretful that Commander M'Mira failed to inform me of this agreement but I will, of course, make no official record of it." He hesitated only a beat before adding, "as Falta III has become an unsafe environment for anyone not born there, I would like to formally invite yourself, the Ambassador, and your staff to take up residence here on the station. It would not be as lovely as I'm given to understand the planet side embassy was, but it would be safe ... friends should help each other in times of need."

"A friend in need is a friend indeed. The saying is correct, is it not?" Nevalas smile became radiant. "I accept your invitation, although it may take some work to get an embassy operational. Installing technology to guarantee proper encryption, setting up quarters for at least some troops, and, most important, have a proper design of the interior. I am an architect, I prefer my own style and design. The planetary embassy was my design." Was there anything else? She thought for a moment. "One other important question is our warbird, the Ket-Cheleb. Will you allow it to stay here? It would offer some additional protection. It is not a ship of the Star Navy, but belongs to our House Guards." She thought how to explain. "Some ancient privilege of my husband's family. Don't ask me for details, it must be a long story. At least I can guarantee that it will be used only for defense."

"I don't know many of Terran idioms, I'm afraid. I came to Earth in my teens. So ... I think so ... but I'm not sure. In any event, Interior decoration would be left to your own discretion," Ronan said, tackling the questions in the order they were received. "As long as you understand this is a working Starfleet station and you don't bring anything on board that will cause problems for the facility or the crew, I'm good. As for the Ket Cheleb, given hostilities on Falta III at the moment, I think it best for everyone's sake that you do bring the vessel here. Between your vessel and ours, we'll be able to coordinate defense if it becomes necessary."

"Depending on the size of the vessel, we can make arrangements for you to use one of the station's hangars. In fact, if you take over the additional section, you can use that to house crew members and guards. Its the same size as the hangar itself but its a useable space with decks and rooms already built in. If that would work for you?"

"I think it might work, but I have to see it first. Would you mind allowing me a visit? Maybe in an hour?" Nevala could even visit immediately, but she preferred to get out of her leisure clothes and dress up properly as a diplomat.

"Of course," Ronan said with a slight incline of his head. "It would be my pleasure to show you around."

Nevala nodded. "Perfect. I will see you in one hour then. Unless there is an urgent issue still open, which cannot wait for another hour." She smiled friendly.

"In one hour then, Duchess," Ronan said, smiling in return.

 

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