Arrival

Posted on Mon Oct 27th, 2025 @ 2:48pm by Major Reilan & S'Ranya & Undersecretary D'Darra & Fleet Admiral Sturnack

Mission: Episode 3: Conflicts of Interest
Location: Romulan Embassy- Earth
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 0000

[Romulan Diplomatic Shuttle]

After an uneventful journey to Earth, S’Ranya and her senior staff, flanked by a contingent of guards, prepared to disembark from the diplomatic shuttle. The Ambassador stood motionless, silently reviewing Earth’s intelligence briefs.

Undersecretary D’Darra, a plain-featured Romulan with the crisp bearing of a former Protocol Officer, approached from the cockpit, PADD in hand. “We have arrived, ma’am.”

S’Ranya gave a curt nod, brushing down the deep plum ceremonial gown she rarely wore. The gold riband across her torso gleamed under the shuttle lights—an intentional display of authority, meant to rattle R’kul.

Nearby, Major Reilan turned to the assembled guards. “Honor Guard, assume positions.” The six guards split into formation, pivoting toward the hatch. He stepped aside, taking his place next to D’Darra.

The ramp began its descent, flooding the cabin with Earth’s sunlight. As it settled, S’Ranya stepped forward, leading the procession toward the Romulan Embassy.

[Romulan Embassy]
[A few minutes prior...]

"Get that away from me," Ambassador R'kul hissed at his adjutant. "S'Ranya will not suffer your indolence as I have. Be warned," he said pointedly, gesturing at the offered -- yet offending -- glass of water as if it were a Pythian fire-snake. "Be warned and retreat from my sight," was said with a dismissive wave as the Ambassador considered his reflection in a mirror.

As the adjutant in question moved away in a hurry, R'kul straightened a brocade pin -- affixed on the right side of his chest -- that celebrated his fifteen years of service in the Romulan diplomatic corps. The pin pulled together the sharp cut of his suit, one very much in the nuevo-style oft-enjoyed by the younger waves of people coming up through the various civilian services back on Romulus. His gray jacket and trousers were quilted and padded, of course, but less severely than one might see from someone working in the military sectors.

Pleased with his appearance, R'kul turned and consulted the chronometer. S'Ranya would be landing shortly and if he were not on hand to greet her formally, their relationship would not get off to an appropriate start. Oh, they'd traded missives back and forth during the Ambassador's flight but meeting in person and accepting S'Ranya's formal installation at the embassy would be another animal entirely.

"Let's go," the younger Ambassador sneered, snapping his fingers at the adjutant he'd chased off to the edge of his office.

[Embassy Grounds]
[Post-landing]

"Ambassador S'Ranya," R'kul spoke up, nodding to the woman in her redolent opulence as he approached the group, which was standing not far from the ramp of their shuttle. With the refined demeanor of someone who'd practiced what they wanted to say, the Ambassador launched into his formal remarks of greeting.

"This embassy has struggled to bloom since the bombing. And while I appreciate the Praetrix's faith in me to temporarily keep the garden green," R'kul offered S'Ranya a very respectful bow, "it will be under your considerably more experienced thumb that the embassy will thrive. I shall assist you in whatever way is wished and welcome," R'kul offered, not yet raising from the bow: that would be done once he was acknowledged by S'Ranya.

The elder Romulan woman started forward in the direction of R'kul, her party in tow. It seemed as though she were approaching in order to greet him. However, instead of stopping in front of him she continued her stride past him, taking in the broken facade of the Embassy. The sound of S'Ranya's heeled boots echoed on the stone path as she walked. "D'Darra, " She called with a slight turn of her head, "I'll need an update on the reconstruction, and someone to brief me on the bombing investigation."

D'Darra pulled a PADD from her pocket and took the Ambassador's orders down with a curt nod.

"And Major, I'll want your men to do a full sweep of the living quarters, as well as private offices. Use only the men we've vetted." S'Ranya was clearly ready for business, and her tone echoed the seriousness of her words. The Major did not respond, but S'Ranya knew he understood and would execute her orders. She paused her pace and, without looking back, called out. "Mister R'kul, unless you have business to attend to outdoors, we're going in. Now."

She'd walked right past him. Not even a look of acknowledgment, much less a verbal greeting. S'Ranya had ignored R'kul as if he were nothing more than a dead leaf lying in her path. That was, at least, until she'd made her proclamation of entrance. Then, suddenly, he was worthy of being addressed: but only as a parent might address a child whose room was a complete mess before heading in to throw away of all his toys to clean it up. The Ambassador noted that she did not use his title, nor did she make eye contact: it was clear she held little respect for him.

"Of course, Ambassador," R'kul did use her title. "The embassy opens before you." He fell into position behind the elder stateswoman, assuming a place in her retinue unless commanded otherwise. Squaring his shoulders, the man attempted to project an air of confidence -- after all, he had nothing to hide. S'Ranya would find a well-operating embassy, bombing regardless.

Inside the embassy, there was flurry of activity, no doubt more than had the bombing not occurred. S'Ranya's heels clicked on the polished stone floors as she and her entourage entered. She stopped suddenly about 25 feet inside the grand entranceway. D'Darra and Reilan continued their strides without hesitation, both off to complete their assigned tasks. "Mister R'kul, is there a conference room nearby where we can speak?" The elder Romulan asked politely.

"There is," the other ambassador said, catching up to the stateswoman and dipping his head to her. R'kul motioned to an auxiliary hallway to the left. "This way, please," he said, his tone a bit unsure. He expected the coming conversation would not be a pleasant one: after all, the Praetrix had been unhappy with his performance and sent S'Ranya to take over from him. But then again, he'd never been meant to be the embassy's head ambassador: that role fell to him out of necessity, given the previous head's death in the bombing. She could hardly take him to task for his inexperience, could she?

Furtive feet led the pair to the conference room in question. R'kul reached up to wave his hand over the door's biometric reader. The double glass doors swung open outward, allowing S'Ranya to enter, with the less-experienced ambassador at a respectful distance behind her. Inside the room was a large, glossy table meant to seat up to twelve persons. It had been fashioned in the ornate style of home, looking not at all out of place if it were to be placed in the Imperial Palace back on Romulus. High-backed and severe-seated chairs limned the table, reinforcing the Romulan ideal that comfort should be a fleeting thing, lest one get too complacent. This was especially true when negotiating across the table from those who'd once been their enemies...

As the doors slowly closed behind R'kul -- who'd made no move to seat himself -- the younger man locked his chin into a confident, poised tilt and waited for the embassy head to strike at him with her considerably barbed tongue.

S'Ranya rounded the table to a seat opposite where they had entered and lowered herself gracefully into the seat. She placed her hands flat on the table's surface and felt its smoothness with her ring adorned fingers. After a moment she looked up at R'Kul, "You may sit, Mister R'kul." She pursed her lips, "I think we have some things to discuss." The elder stateswoman allowed very little to be betrayed by her words, or by her physicality.

The former embassy-head sat as invited, lowering himself cautiously into his chair. R'kul did his best to mask the discomfort on his face, knowing that "things to discuss" likely meant rebuke and punishment for his bungled handling of the events leading up to S'Ranya's emplacement. Not that he'd had much experience to prepare him to administrate the Embassy: because of the bombing, he'd been left in charge when he was wholly unprepared to be. Sudden deaths of the upper echelon seldom made for successful transitions of power.

S'Ranya turned her gaze from the room's other occupant to find a control built into the edge of the table, which she instantly recognized as controls for activating a computer access device. Her elegant finger manipulated the interface and a thin screen rose from the table's smooth surface and immediately displayed pertinent information about the embassy, as well as headlines from Federation news outlets. "I've read all of the reports, of course," She said, her eyes fixed on the small screen. "But I'd like to hear your account of goings on since the bombing." Still, she didn't look at the man opposite her.

"Of course, Ambassador," R'kul said, a little surprised not to be immediately taken to task. If S'Ranya had read all of his reports, then surely she knew -- and had pre-judged -- all that had transpired. But if she wished for a verbal account, he would give it. He launched into a narrative of the requested events, taking care not to paint himself too negatively but also acknowledge that he'd had little in the way of guidance to to navigate the situations that unfolded.

His report included details about cooperating with the Starfleet Intelligence team looking into the matter -- providing reports on physical evidence left behind at the bomb site -- and how, as a result of that collaboration, a group of anti-alien terrorists had been rooted out on Earth. R'kul explained that he'd met with Fleet Admiral Sturnack, the head of Starfleet Intelligence, and even the Starfleet Director of Research and Development to talk through the arrest of the saboteur and the raid on the compound in which he'd been found. The details he provided spoke to the compound having been abandoned when Starfleet arrived, all save the bomber himself, which in itself seemed odd.

As his report came to a close, R'kul simply placed his hands in his lap, affixed S'Ranya with a neutral gaze, and waited for her to reflect and reply.

The elder stateswoman considered every carefully selected word as they passed her comrade's lips. S'Ranya sat back and kept her eyes focused on R'kul. She pursed her lips. "Then in your professional opinion, would you consider the matter well in hand?" She asked, her voice not wavering from her usual elegant tone of voice. She sat forward. "I simply want to know firsthand what situation I am inheriting." Her ringed hand ran across the smooth surface of the table and then she began to tap rhythmically with her nails.

R'kul's half-lidded eyes flicked to those nails, noting the careful way they undulated as if to underscore boredom or impatience. Yet S'Ranya had yet to unleash the tirade the younger statesman expected and R'kul found himself wondering if her perceived indifference was better or worse than his anticipations. He'd read up on her incredibly varied career as an ambassador and political operative: it did not surprise him that the elderly woman -- having been in the diplomatic service for more decades than he, himself, had been alive -- was a more nuanced player than he'd first given her credit for.

"In hand, yes," R'kul nodded slowly. "As to 'well' in hand," he quoted the adjective she'd appended, "perhaps not as much. Our response -- my response," the ambassador qualified for clarity, "has been a series of matched moves. Protecting our sovereignty while also partnering in the...spirit," he flashed the barest hint of a smirk, "of interstellar cooperation with our new allies. But my efforts have been focused on merely holding the embassy together until true leadership arrived." He both deprecated and ingratiated himself to S'Ranya, admitting -- whether she addressed it directly or not -- that he could not hope to be as effective as one such as herself. "I am sure your presence here will do much more than simply stabilize the situation."

"I'm certain it will." S'Ranya ceased the rhythmic tapping of her nails. She turned slightly in her chair. "Mister R'kul, you are thanked for your service thus far." The Romulan woman pursed her lips, as she paused a moment in quiet contemplation. "Though I'm certain you are expecting to be recalled to Romulus, I think we would be remiss if we allowed you to miss such an important educational opportunity. " She finally allowed her gaze to fall on R'Kul, wanting to see how he might react.

As he opened his mouth to speak, she lifted a hand, adorned in intricate metallic bands that caught the light like small, restrained flashes of authority,to silence him. The gesture was subtle, yet absolute.

“You will report to Undersecretary D’Darra tomorrow for your new assignment,” she said, her tone even and unyielding, every word clipped with the precision of command. There was no room for negotiation, no trace of warmth, only the quiet weight of expectation that came from a lifetime of service and control.

The elder woman pressed her palms against the table’s edge and rose with slow, deliberate grace. The faint rustle of her robes filled the chamber like the whisper of an ancient rite. “That will be all.”

The finality in her voice cut through the silence. She did not look back as she moved around the table, her expression unreadable beneath the soft shimmer of the embassy’s light. The deep folds of her ceremonial robes trailed behind her, sweeping soundlessly across the polished floor as she departed.

Within moments, she was gone, swallowed by the shadows and austere geometry of the Romulan embassy’s corridor, leaving only the echo of her command.