[ussbansheec] "A Good Dose of Romulan Paranoia"

A Good Dose of Romulan Paranoia


Revaed S'Aehallh'Nveni, Iruvande S'Akhiy'Rhienn and Mei Quon

***Note this takes place after Frozen Memories but before Made of Ma'heo'o

A tall, thin figure emerged from one of the shuttles of Deep Space Vega Prime enshrouded in a dark green cloak, the hood pulled high.  A gloved hand lifted a long bag from the floor and the figure moved off into the crowds of the docking ring.  Long legs carried the person through the decks until it reached the habitat ring and then to one of the visitors' cabins.  Ringing the chime, it waited in total silence.
 
Pila had shooed him away, sending him back to the cabin Mei had.  "It isn't as though I'm a feeble old man, my friend.  Go," he'd said with a smile so like his son's.  "I know where to find you."  So Revaed found himself in the main room of a visitor's suite, reserved for high ranking officers and diplomats, practicing his llaekh-ae'rl katas while Mei slept.  He stared hard at the door when it chimed.
 
"I should have silenced that damned thing," he muttered as he made his way to open it, hoping it didn't wake Mei.  His hand ever at his kaleh, he opened the door and raised one brow at the sight of an obviously Romulan cloak.  "Ie?"

"Jolan'tru, Enarrain S'Aehallh'Nveni," came the lilting yet softly spoken tone of a very old Rihanha country accent.  "How are thee this day?"
 
One brow went up very slowly and the hand stayed exactly where it was, gripping the hilt even more tightly.  He hadn't heard the voice in a good forty years but it was one he could never forget.  Not that he had any particular enmity toward the speaker but it bothered him, to say the least, that he could be so easily found.  "What business do you wish of me?"

"Contact," the figure said.  "Thee are still the instrument of the Empire, Enarrain.  I merely need thy aid in finding the correct channels for the Praetor's proposal.  May I enter thy home?"
 
"I most certainly am no instrument of any government," he said coldly.

Two painfully thin, gloved hands extracted themselves from the folds of her cloak and reached up to lower the hood.  A face with skin like tissue paper and paler than snow appeared.  Her hair, almost whiter than her skin, if that were possible, was tied back in a tail that was hidden in the depths of the velvet.  Two pale green eyes the colour of sweet mint leaves stared uncaringly at Revaed.

"Thee will not aid me?"
 
"You or the Empire?" he asked.  "I hold no grudge against you personally but I am no puppet for that fat slug to control.  After this long, the only place I am citizen of is Kauai.  Is that clear?"

"Ie, Enarrain, fviafv.  May I enter?" the woman said, her pale eyes spearing through his dark ones.
 
He nodded then indicated the small table in the main room.  "What is it that sends you here and, more importantly, how did you find me?  I do not like the idea of being spied upon."

The woman snorted softly in amusement, though her face remained impassive.  "Spy on thee?  Still impertinent, I see, Enarrain.  The Empire has no need to spy on thee.  Why would it send me, if that were the case?  No, I merely wish to make contact with the proper authorities dealing with a missing Lloannen'galae vessel."  She carefully avoided the question of how she'd come to find the man.  It was, after all, her own business what channels she wished to use and at what time.
 
"Still circumspect in your answers, lhhei," he countered.  His eyes narrowed slightly.  If there was more than one missing, he didn't know about it.  "Which vessel?"

Finally she smirked, the _expression_ only helping to make her seem more ghostly.  "Banshee."
 
He sat back and, crossing his arms over his chest, stared hard at her.  "What business do you have with that ship?"

"Come now, Enarrain, what business is it of thine what I want with a vessel of the Lloannen'galae?"  The woman laced her fingers loosely on the table between them.  Deciding that hiding her interest was sheer bloodimindedness, she inclined her head to the side.  "There is a Rihannsu aboard.  The Praetor wishes to offer her aid."
 
"It is my business when one who is practically a member of my family is aboard.  I am here with a friend, waiting for his son to come home," Revaed told her.

"That has no relevance," she stated.  "Will thee aid me?"

Mei groaned slightly and rolled over.  She could hear soft voices in the other room.  One was Revaed's, the other was definitely Romulan and definitely female.  Sliding to her feet, she pulled a kimono dressing gown over her sweat pants and padded through.

"Revaed?" she said softly in expectation, her eyes pinned to the incredibly pale woman at her table.  ~~Who is this?~~
 
~~A ghost from the past seeking information on the present.  On Banshee~~ He took her hand as he stood up.  "Iruvande S'Akhiy'Rhienn, Master of the Praetor's Guards, I would have you meet she who is my hru'fir, Field Marshal Mei Quon," he said formally.  ~~And that part I do mean completely.  Thee are hru'fir~~

The touch was still alien to Mei, both of his hand and his mind in hers.  The moment she met eyes with the strange woman, she knew her hesitation had been noted.  "A pleasure."

Iruvande flowed to her feet and swept out a low bow.  "All mine," she said softly, her deep Rihanha accent darkening her words in Standard.  "Perhaps I can make my offer to you, lhhei."
 
~~She seeks information on that ship Andy is on.  She says there are Rihannsu aboard~~  "It may well be that the lady knows more of those channels than I do."

Mei looked the woman over coldly.  ~~Part of your past.  A past romance?  A wife?~~  "What is it you wish?"

"To offer the Praetor's assistance in the form of myself," Iruvande said softly.  "The Praetor believes my knowledge of the ekhaid can be of use to you."
 
~~Neither of those, e'lev.  Aside from the fact that she is older than my father, the lady was an associate and nothing more.  I am not at all pleased that she tracked me~~

"You are most rude, Enarrain," Iruvande observed with a chilled smirk.  "Thee speaks without speaking."
 
"Rude is in the eye of the beholder, lhhei," he said steadily.  "The lady is my bondmate."

"It is rude to speak of someone secretly when they are in the room with you," the woman replied.  "I will not be offended.  Speak plainly.  Do not hide behind simple tricks of the mind."

Mei blinked then stared hard at the woman.  "Who are you to speak so in my own cabin?"

Iruvande moved her pale eyes around the large room she was stood in then returned them to the angry face of the Vulcan.  "These are not your rooms.  They are a stopping point.  A place between.  Somewhere to sleep and eat while you await the next phase."
 
"Thee are more ill mannered than nosy Betazoids," Revaed grumbled in an archaic form of Rihannsu.  Returning to Standard, he added, "Lhhei, you would do well to treat the field marshal with more respect, both for her office and for the fact of what she means to me."

Her smirking grew into a full grin that looked like a predator about to pounce.  "Arham'verherra," Iruvande said in a soft voice.  "I will keep my observations to myself.  One thing, Enarrain.  I desire to speak with you alone, if I may at some point."

"We'll see about that later," he said, leaving it to Mei to accept, or reject, the apology.  Mei's hand still felt cold to him and he held it tightly in his, offering warmth.

Mei inclined her head.  "Apology accepted.  You may be of use to the search, but I am not the person to see.  I will contact one of the Captains involved and see if they need you."  Giving his hand a quick squeeze, she settled herself in a chair and loosened her grip, giving him the option to not hold her if he wished.  It still bothered her that he was so easy with her.  She loved him, but the closeness was clouding her mind a little.

"Hann'yyo," Iruvande said simply.
 
"Curiosity begs the question of what Rihanha is aboard," Revaed said.  There were so few of them in the Federation, even if they were allies for the moment.  He left his hand loosely on Mei's, a gesture of gentle support.  They definitely needed more time to sort things out but he loved her completely and he wanted her to know that.

"The sons of Ghaladriel," Iruvande said simply.
 
Revaed raised one brow.  The twins.  He hadn't seen them in...years.  "Their children then?"

"One son of Aidoaneth and one son of Talibah," she nodded.  "A son of a Rihannsu is a son of the Empire.  So I am here to bring them home."
 
He doubted that Aidoaneth's son would agree with that assessment but held his peace.  "The one is an only child at that."

"So I am led to believe," Iruvande said.  "And the other is one of three.  They will both be retrieved."

"Yes," Mei said, ruffled.  "They will.  By the Federation, of which they are citizens."

Iruvande turned her pale eyes back on the woman and drew back her lips in what could have been a smile or a snarl.  "I am aware of this.  They have dual citizenship."
 
"They will make their own decision," Revaed said firmly.  ~~Though, by being on that ship, it's already made~~

~~She's trying to intimidate me~~  The idea almost made Mei laugh.  "That will have to wait for their return."

"Of course."  Iruvande's eyes flicked for a moment to Revaed and her snarl softened to a smirk.  "A word with thee, Enarrain?"
 
Dark eyes bored into pale green ones for a moment before Revaed gently squeezed Mei's hand.  "We will be outside but a short time, e'lev."  He stood up and pointed his chin toward the corridor.

Mei watched as Revaed and the strange Romulan left.  It sent a slight shiver down her spine to think the woman knew him before.  She was unnerving at best.

Iruvande paused once the door closed them off from the Field Marshal's cabin.  "Thee should know one thing, Enarrain, before I leave you.  The Praetor did not send me on this mission.  She agreed to my suggestion.  I am here for my mnhei'sahe, an oath I gave to protect the sons of Ghaladriel many years ago.  There will be others who come here.  Two Rihannsu women, a Hevam woman and man, and two brothers who are most unusual.  They will know to find me, but they may find thee first."  Lifting her bag, she extraced a small card and gave it to Revaed.  "If they find thee, send them here.  Hann'yyo, Enarrain.  If thee helps me, I will owe thee a great debt."
 
Matters of mnhei'sahe he could understand but there was one thing that still needled him.  It kept prodding his Rihannsu sense of paranoia, still strong after so many years away from the Empire.  "That I can do but you must answer one question first: how did you find me?"

A knowing smile crossed Iruvande's face for a moment.  "I once did a small favour for a llairhi of the Empire who has... how does she put it...  leaves all over the known galaxy.  She keeps tabs on thee.  After all, a son should always know where his father is."  With that, she gave a low bow and walked away.
 
The daggers he threw at her were mental ones.  "Should have just said that to begin with," he muttered as he re-entered the cabin.  "Forty years and not a thing has changed."  He offered Mei an apologetic shrug and smile.  "The cloak and dagger paranoia of the Empire at its finest."

"You do not miss the Empire then?" Mei asked carefully.
 
"Do I miss the beauty of the sights I remember?  Certainly but this double dealing and lack of honesty rankled me then and it rankles worse now," he grumbled as he sat back next to her.  "There is nothing I want there."  He brushed a thumb under her chin.  ~~What I want is here.~~

~~Why?~~  She smiled softly at him, but a light colour crawled across her cheeks.
 
~~You are beautiful, intelligent, and strong.  You have touched me like no other ever has.  I love you, Mei.~~  "Pretty," he said softly as he brushed her cheeks.  ~~You are the only one worthy of knowing the name I have~~

~~Because I am attractive to you?~~  "I don't understand.  I'm sorry.  I see what we did, I feel love for you, but I don't understand it."  She closed her eyes and turned away from him.  "Nothing feels right inside anymore.  It's like I'm missing what is fundamentally me and I don't know how to find it."
 
"Beauty refers to more than the physical for me.  Any one can appear attractive but true beauty is in the mind, Mei," he said soberly.  He left her her privacy to absorb what he was saying.  "I love you but I also admire your strength and your ideals.  I cannot begin to say how you can find that which you are missing, though.  I can only be here to help."

Rebuilding her Vulcan facade, she sat up and stared impassively at him.  "It matters not.  What is gone is gone and what is left can be built upon."  ~~I'm scared of losing my mind.  I'm petrified of losing you~~
 
"It matters if it affects you so, Mei."  ~~I am Earth and Water, the two most enduring and persistant of Elements, at the base of it all.  You will not lose me, Mei.~~

~~I could if I take too long in finding myself~~  "My life should not affect you, Revaed," she said softly.
 
"I have been called many things in my life. Among them are obnoxious, arrogant, and stubborn.  I would like to think that faithful and supportive are among them."  ~~We have this because I wanted it, wanted you.  You are hru'fir and all that you do will affect me.  It is the nature of a bondmate and I accept that easily.  Happily.~~

~~Forgive me if I do not?~~  She lowered her eyes, not able to look at him, not willing to show the resentment she had because it hadn't been her, the woman she was at that instant, who had made the decision to bond with him.
 
~~I hope that you will one day then~~  He touched her hand very gently.  "I will not leave you."

"Even if I ask you to?" Mei said then took his hand into her lap and held it there.  ~~Please stay~~
 
~~I will stay, e'lev.  I never force but I also don't take no for answer very well~~  He smiled softly.  "I'jol'au, Mei, and I do not give up on those I love."

Leaning forward, she touched her nose to his then kissed him gently, almost as if she wasn't sure if she was allowed to, despite their passion of the night before.  "You know that I love you?"
 
"I know it and I feel it," he said warmly.

"Help me feel your love then?"
 
"How would you have me try that?" he wondered, still holding her hand.

"I... I don't know."  Lowering her eyes again, she closed them tightly.
 
Gently, as though he were afraid she'd either break or push him away, he reached to take both of her hands.  "I was going to say that you were the only one outside my family to whom I might admit weakness but that would have been a lie.  If thee are bondmate then thee are family," he said soberly.  "Then, too, I suppose it is a strength to admit that you need someone and I do need you."

"I have never felt so unsure," she whispered.  Moving closer to him, she laid her head on his shoulder, her eyes still closed.  "I am lost."
 
He stroked the short dark hair that he found so soft and pretty.  "E'lev, nothing I do will ever replace the family you have lost.  For many years, almost seventy-eight, I was without my family.  I found them, or they found me, and, while they may not be what I expected, I would not give them up either."  He laid his cheek on top of her head.  "They are yours now, too."

"You think they will accept me?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly.
 
"Pila does.  He said that you might actually civilize me," he said with a soft chuckle. "There are three generations of them and I am certain that all three will take you in as if you had always been with me.  My niece's daughter will say you are especially lovely."

"If Pila is an example, they are very sweet," she said.  ~~I fit in your arms~~
 
~~As if you were made to be here~~ he agreed.  "They are good people.  Pila and I still confound each other after all these years but I count him my friend.  They have learned to deal with me as I have learned to deal with them."

"I will have to learn also," she said.  "It has been a long time since I've had a family."  ~~Never let me leave you~~
 
~~You will not, Mei.  You are my Lady Tiger~~  "They are overwhelming in large doses but they mean well.  The culture is not as old as the Rihannsu, Vulcan or even Chinese but it is interesting and beautiful.  They will love you."

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