Judgement – Blackmail
by Commander Isha t'Vaurek
Post Details
Whether one paid attention or not the business of government went on. Isha might have ceded her diplomatic responsibilities to tr'Rul for the duration of Gabriel's trial but she was still a member of the Fvillhaih, the senior legislative house of the Tricameron that made up the Romulan Government, and she had been neglecting her duties of late.
The unexpected postponement to the commencement of the trial left Isha with an entire day to herself, one that she had spent in her suite picking her way through the backlog of paperwork. The document that now held her attention was a proposal from the Senate’s lower House, one of her appointees to the Upper House had forwarded it to her.
“This is nothing short of an outrage,” she said as she lifted her gaze from the screen. It came to rest on Ekenda. The Lestari had barely left her side since her arrival on the station but Isha did not find her company intrusive, having the creature who had served first as her nanny and later as her body servant and confidante brought back a well needed sense of stability for Isha.
"When I read this sort of legislation I despair for the future of the people," she said. "The danno toirha'elh is trying to break the monopoly the rihannen'Galae has on interstellar trade. To achieve this they propose that restrictions on travel outside the core worlds are lifted and that the restrictions that apply to journeys beyond the borders of the Empire are relaxed.
"Who are the danno toirha'elh ?” Ekenda asked as she removed the pot of tea from the replicator and placed it on a tray alongside a teacup and a single orchid in slender vase. She never pried into her Lady’s affairs, but sometimes her Mistress chose to speak – then it was perfectly proper for her to ask questions.
Isha paused before replying, Ekenda was the one person she could discuss government business with and be certain that her own opinions would not be used against her. “Who indeed! Khnai’ra," Isha said as Ekenda placed the tray on the desk. "Where do they even get these ideas? Ample government contracts go to private holdings.” Isha herself had a significant holding in the hiera vastam’arrenh the freight line was one of the foundation investments of the Kaesa Consortium. “The so called “Equality Co-operative” are a group who are increasing their influence in the ne'Deihuih. Ostensibly this proposal would lessen the exorbitant salaries licensed individuals can demand from freight companies, mining companies and the like – a move which on the face of it would benefit business by reducing overheads, it would also ease an administrative and financial burden on the government, however these travel restrictions exist for reasons that these mayri mollais fail to appreciate.”
The concept of newly made men changing the system from within was alien to Isha. The system of government worked, its foundation was part of Isha’s history and that of her House. If a minority of dissidents whether in the Senate or the wider populace were dissatisfied it was they who were misguided and in need of re-education - improve the people, then they will come to understand that the view they held was wrong.
As her Lady spoke Ekenda noted the transient brightening of the electromagnetic spectrum. In anyone else that might have indicated annoyance, for it even to ripple into her Lady’s aura was a sign that she took the proposal as a personal attack. She lifted the tea pot and poured, “If one wishes to travel the process of gaining permission is hardly arduous,” Ekenda said. She did not fully understand the reason for travel restrictions existing in the first place, but accepted that they were a part of life in the Empire.
“Of course it isn’t,” Isha agreed, “all one needs is a valid reason.” She too failed to appreciate that the average citizen would find themselves tangled in knots of red tape and worse if they expressed a sudden desire to leave the Empire, even temporarily. “If everyone were free to come and go it would be chaos. How can we protect our citizens if we do not know where they are! Ideas such as this are dangerous, the thin end of a wedge that would undermine government control. Utterly unthinkable! I will certainly oppose this attack on the status quo and I trust that my peers will do the same. Ah, what's this," Isha said as the screen indicated an incoming subspace transmission. She pressed the screen with her fingertips to accept the communication.
"You're looking surprisingly well, Isha," tr'Vainlli said as the face of the chairman of the Continuing Committee appeared on the screen before her.
Isha tilted her head to one side and smiled very slightly, "What were you expecting Vaebn, a quivering wreck?" she asked softly.
“I suspect that if I saw that I would imagine that you had been replaced with a clone. You did rather bring it on yourself, though," he continued his slight smirk reflecting hers. “I shall have to have a word with that cousin of yours, he appears to have been much too soft on you.”
“Have all the words you wish, R’Vek won’t listen, and what’s done, is done.”
Vaebn chuckled to himself, “You’re not above the law, Isha,” he said, “and nor is your cousin.”
“Nobody is, Vaebn,” she replied pointedly. Isha was increasingly suspected that her charmed life was somehow tied up with this man, and that some of the events in her life that she could not explain had their root with him. “But the Elements will indulge their whims, who am I to object if they choose to smile on me.”
Ekenda had withdrawn to the other side of the room, but she still watched her Lady. Her aura crackled as she spoke those words, as though the energy burst through fissures in her skin. Whatever had happened to her Lady its effect was deep and lasting. Even someone as controlled as she was struggling to keep it beneath the veneer or normality she had applied, even if the lie appeared to be the truth.
“Have you seen the paper proposed by the danno toirha'elh?” Isha asked.
“Steps have been taken. It remains uncertain how people with such dangerous opinions ever achieved seats on the ne'Deihuih. Internal Security are investigating. They also have questions as to why you want to allow two Starfleet Officers to visit ch’Rihan.”
“I thought it somewhat easier to allow them to visit than to relocate my estate,” Isha replied.
“Don’t be facetious, t’Illialhlae. I’m trying to do you a favour. I’ve no obligation to inform you that questions are being asked. If you prefer me to instruct them to ask their questions directly …”
Favours from tr’Vainlli always came at a price, but the very fact that he had responded to her request meant that he was considering granting it, “Thlhom veherr'a,” Isha said, offering the apology with apparent sincerity, “The pair have done me a great service and I wish to repay the debt by allowing them use of my Estate following their wedding.” Isha phrased her reason in terms of obligation rather than friendship, the latter would carry little weight and invite further question, whereas the requirement to fulfil a duty was another matter.
“They will be provided with diplomatic status for the duration of their visit. Obviously the usual ‘protection’ would be required when they venture outside my estate. No-one need know that they are merely my friends and not some Federation dignitaries.”
tr’Vainlli’s brow creased, “Friends Isha?”
Isha rolled her lower lip between her teeth, as she chose not to address her choice of words. “Normally official visitors from the Federation would be accommodated in the Federation Embassy in Ra'tleihfi but the Ambassador will issue a statement detailing why that is not possible and request the use of my estate.”
“Why would Praxis do that?” tr’Vainlli asked, the Federation Ambassador was such a nit-picking bureaucrat that he would not be out of place in the Rihannsu government, he was hardly the type to do a favour.
“Because Vaebn, I have learned that he is in a somewhat awkward situation. The daughter of Senator Taiv tr’Llhweiir is rumoured to be pregnant. tr’Llhweiir is incensed about the matter, but Senator tr’Llhweiir himself has committed an offence against a member of one of my Houses. I will instruct that the matter be settled out of court which will save tr’Llhweiir’s name, in return he will cease to make an issue of his daughter’s condition.”
“And where do I come into this sordid little tapestry you are stitching?”
“You need only arrange passage for my friends, and make the arrangements with tr’Llhweiir and Praxis keeping my name out of the matter.”
“What makes you think I am going to go to those lengths for a couple of yikh?”
Isha tilted her head to one side as though considering the question, “For months now the Praetor has been looking for an excuse to expel certain Cardassian diplomats from their posts on ch’Rihan,” she said smoothly, “I wonder what he would say if it became known that a brutal assault on an official representative of the Stelam Shiar by a Cardassian was allowed to go unpunished because it suited your purposes to issue a gagging order. I imagine that the Praetor would be somewhat chagrined that the Chairman of the Continuing Committee put his own political interests first. Unlike yours, my position is not dependent on the good will of others”
“And embarrass yourself Isha? You wouldn’t do it,” he challenged, though uncertainty over what exactly Isha was prepared to do to win a point underlay his apparent confidence.
Isha placed her elbows on the edge of the desk and rested her chin on the tips of her steepled fingers and stared unblinking at the screen, as she composed her next words in her head. “Are you prepared to take that gamble, Vaebn?” she paused. His expression gave nothing away, so she opted to add another layer to the threat. “You know, If I were to inform my Houses of the role you played in this cover up you’d not make it out of Ra'tleihfi alive,” she said evenly. “You would not hesitate to press your advantage if our situations were reversed, Vaebn. Do as I ask and I will not make your error public.”
“I won’t forget this Isha,” he told her. How like the woman to be able to turn her own tragedy to her advatage. “I would not have so easily squandered my leverage on arranging for two Starfleet nobodies to bathe under Eisn’s light.”
“Squandered … I think not.” That was the beautiful thing about blackmail – even after its initial application the leverage remained.
If tr’Vainlli had known just how close Isha was to learning the truth about herself he would have decided there and then that she was no longer safe to have in operation, but he did not know. “You’re bloody lucky I need you t’Illialhlae,” tr’Vainlli said. It was true and she knew it, but she had taken a risk in threatening someone whose entire career was based on the saem method. “One of these days someone is going to come along and wipe that triumphant smirk right off your pretty little face,” he told her, “and when they do I might just shake his hand.”
With that tr’Vainlli cut the channel.
Isha continued to stare at the screen, her expression neutral. She held that position for several minutes before her shoulders slumped and she dropped back in her chair, her hands falling into her lap.
“So now you know, Ekenda,” she said without turning around. Isha knew the Lestari was still in the room, in a way that she had never been able to explain she could feel her presence. “I would not have been offended if you had asked.”
Ekenda said nothing. She understood now something of what her Lady was dealing with. She did not reply but crossed back to her Isha’s desk and wrapped her arms around her Lady’s shoulders from behind.
Ambassador Isha e-Khellian i-Ramnau t'Illialhlae
Romulan Ambassador
Deep Space Five
Proconsul Vaebn i-Mnaehe tr’Vainlli
Leader of the Hru’Deihu (Upper Senate)
Chairman of the Continuing Committee
Ekenda
Private Secretary
by Commander Isha t'Vaurek
Post Details
| Title | Blackmail | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Commander Isha t'Vaurek | |
| Posted | Sun Apr 17, 2011 @ 1:36pm | |
| Location | Romulan Consulate, Ambassador's Suite | |
| Timeline | SD37 13:00 |
The unexpected postponement to the commencement of the trial left Isha with an entire day to herself, one that she had spent in her suite picking her way through the backlog of paperwork. The document that now held her attention was a proposal from the Senate’s lower House, one of her appointees to the Upper House had forwarded it to her.
“This is nothing short of an outrage,” she said as she lifted her gaze from the screen. It came to rest on Ekenda. The Lestari had barely left her side since her arrival on the station but Isha did not find her company intrusive, having the creature who had served first as her nanny and later as her body servant and confidante brought back a well needed sense of stability for Isha.
"When I read this sort of legislation I despair for the future of the people," she said. "The danno toirha'elh is trying to break the monopoly the rihannen'Galae has on interstellar trade. To achieve this they propose that restrictions on travel outside the core worlds are lifted and that the restrictions that apply to journeys beyond the borders of the Empire are relaxed.
"Who are the danno toirha'elh ?” Ekenda asked as she removed the pot of tea from the replicator and placed it on a tray alongside a teacup and a single orchid in slender vase. She never pried into her Lady’s affairs, but sometimes her Mistress chose to speak – then it was perfectly proper for her to ask questions.
Isha paused before replying, Ekenda was the one person she could discuss government business with and be certain that her own opinions would not be used against her. “Who indeed! Khnai’ra," Isha said as Ekenda placed the tray on the desk. "Where do they even get these ideas? Ample government contracts go to private holdings.” Isha herself had a significant holding in the hiera vastam’arrenh the freight line was one of the foundation investments of the Kaesa Consortium. “The so called “Equality Co-operative” are a group who are increasing their influence in the ne'Deihuih. Ostensibly this proposal would lessen the exorbitant salaries licensed individuals can demand from freight companies, mining companies and the like – a move which on the face of it would benefit business by reducing overheads, it would also ease an administrative and financial burden on the government, however these travel restrictions exist for reasons that these mayri mollais fail to appreciate.”
The concept of newly made men changing the system from within was alien to Isha. The system of government worked, its foundation was part of Isha’s history and that of her House. If a minority of dissidents whether in the Senate or the wider populace were dissatisfied it was they who were misguided and in need of re-education - improve the people, then they will come to understand that the view they held was wrong.
As her Lady spoke Ekenda noted the transient brightening of the electromagnetic spectrum. In anyone else that might have indicated annoyance, for it even to ripple into her Lady’s aura was a sign that she took the proposal as a personal attack. She lifted the tea pot and poured, “If one wishes to travel the process of gaining permission is hardly arduous,” Ekenda said. She did not fully understand the reason for travel restrictions existing in the first place, but accepted that they were a part of life in the Empire.
“Of course it isn’t,” Isha agreed, “all one needs is a valid reason.” She too failed to appreciate that the average citizen would find themselves tangled in knots of red tape and worse if they expressed a sudden desire to leave the Empire, even temporarily. “If everyone were free to come and go it would be chaos. How can we protect our citizens if we do not know where they are! Ideas such as this are dangerous, the thin end of a wedge that would undermine government control. Utterly unthinkable! I will certainly oppose this attack on the status quo and I trust that my peers will do the same. Ah, what's this," Isha said as the screen indicated an incoming subspace transmission. She pressed the screen with her fingertips to accept the communication.
"You're looking surprisingly well, Isha," tr'Vainlli said as the face of the chairman of the Continuing Committee appeared on the screen before her.
Isha tilted her head to one side and smiled very slightly, "What were you expecting Vaebn, a quivering wreck?" she asked softly.
“I suspect that if I saw that I would imagine that you had been replaced with a clone. You did rather bring it on yourself, though," he continued his slight smirk reflecting hers. “I shall have to have a word with that cousin of yours, he appears to have been much too soft on you.”
“Have all the words you wish, R’Vek won’t listen, and what’s done, is done.”
Vaebn chuckled to himself, “You’re not above the law, Isha,” he said, “and nor is your cousin.”
“Nobody is, Vaebn,” she replied pointedly. Isha was increasingly suspected that her charmed life was somehow tied up with this man, and that some of the events in her life that she could not explain had their root with him. “But the Elements will indulge their whims, who am I to object if they choose to smile on me.”
Ekenda had withdrawn to the other side of the room, but she still watched her Lady. Her aura crackled as she spoke those words, as though the energy burst through fissures in her skin. Whatever had happened to her Lady its effect was deep and lasting. Even someone as controlled as she was struggling to keep it beneath the veneer or normality she had applied, even if the lie appeared to be the truth.
“Have you seen the paper proposed by the danno toirha'elh?” Isha asked.
“Steps have been taken. It remains uncertain how people with such dangerous opinions ever achieved seats on the ne'Deihuih. Internal Security are investigating. They also have questions as to why you want to allow two Starfleet Officers to visit ch’Rihan.”
“I thought it somewhat easier to allow them to visit than to relocate my estate,” Isha replied.
“Don’t be facetious, t’Illialhlae. I’m trying to do you a favour. I’ve no obligation to inform you that questions are being asked. If you prefer me to instruct them to ask their questions directly …”
Favours from tr’Vainlli always came at a price, but the very fact that he had responded to her request meant that he was considering granting it, “Thlhom veherr'a,” Isha said, offering the apology with apparent sincerity, “The pair have done me a great service and I wish to repay the debt by allowing them use of my Estate following their wedding.” Isha phrased her reason in terms of obligation rather than friendship, the latter would carry little weight and invite further question, whereas the requirement to fulfil a duty was another matter.
“They will be provided with diplomatic status for the duration of their visit. Obviously the usual ‘protection’ would be required when they venture outside my estate. No-one need know that they are merely my friends and not some Federation dignitaries.”
tr’Vainlli’s brow creased, “Friends Isha?”
Isha rolled her lower lip between her teeth, as she chose not to address her choice of words. “Normally official visitors from the Federation would be accommodated in the Federation Embassy in Ra'tleihfi but the Ambassador will issue a statement detailing why that is not possible and request the use of my estate.”
“Why would Praxis do that?” tr’Vainlli asked, the Federation Ambassador was such a nit-picking bureaucrat that he would not be out of place in the Rihannsu government, he was hardly the type to do a favour.
“Because Vaebn, I have learned that he is in a somewhat awkward situation. The daughter of Senator Taiv tr’Llhweiir is rumoured to be pregnant. tr’Llhweiir is incensed about the matter, but Senator tr’Llhweiir himself has committed an offence against a member of one of my Houses. I will instruct that the matter be settled out of court which will save tr’Llhweiir’s name, in return he will cease to make an issue of his daughter’s condition.”
“And where do I come into this sordid little tapestry you are stitching?”
“You need only arrange passage for my friends, and make the arrangements with tr’Llhweiir and Praxis keeping my name out of the matter.”
“What makes you think I am going to go to those lengths for a couple of yikh?”
Isha tilted her head to one side as though considering the question, “For months now the Praetor has been looking for an excuse to expel certain Cardassian diplomats from their posts on ch’Rihan,” she said smoothly, “I wonder what he would say if it became known that a brutal assault on an official representative of the Stelam Shiar by a Cardassian was allowed to go unpunished because it suited your purposes to issue a gagging order. I imagine that the Praetor would be somewhat chagrined that the Chairman of the Continuing Committee put his own political interests first. Unlike yours, my position is not dependent on the good will of others”
“And embarrass yourself Isha? You wouldn’t do it,” he challenged, though uncertainty over what exactly Isha was prepared to do to win a point underlay his apparent confidence.
Isha placed her elbows on the edge of the desk and rested her chin on the tips of her steepled fingers and stared unblinking at the screen, as she composed her next words in her head. “Are you prepared to take that gamble, Vaebn?” she paused. His expression gave nothing away, so she opted to add another layer to the threat. “You know, If I were to inform my Houses of the role you played in this cover up you’d not make it out of Ra'tleihfi alive,” she said evenly. “You would not hesitate to press your advantage if our situations were reversed, Vaebn. Do as I ask and I will not make your error public.”
“I won’t forget this Isha,” he told her. How like the woman to be able to turn her own tragedy to her advatage. “I would not have so easily squandered my leverage on arranging for two Starfleet nobodies to bathe under Eisn’s light.”
“Squandered … I think not.” That was the beautiful thing about blackmail – even after its initial application the leverage remained.
If tr’Vainlli had known just how close Isha was to learning the truth about herself he would have decided there and then that she was no longer safe to have in operation, but he did not know. “You’re bloody lucky I need you t’Illialhlae,” tr’Vainlli said. It was true and she knew it, but she had taken a risk in threatening someone whose entire career was based on the saem method. “One of these days someone is going to come along and wipe that triumphant smirk right off your pretty little face,” he told her, “and when they do I might just shake his hand.”
With that tr’Vainlli cut the channel.
Isha continued to stare at the screen, her expression neutral. She held that position for several minutes before her shoulders slumped and she dropped back in her chair, her hands falling into her lap.
“So now you know, Ekenda,” she said without turning around. Isha knew the Lestari was still in the room, in a way that she had never been able to explain she could feel her presence. “I would not have been offended if you had asked.”
Ekenda said nothing. She understood now something of what her Lady was dealing with. She did not reply but crossed back to her Isha’s desk and wrapped her arms around her Lady’s shoulders from behind.
Ambassador Isha e-Khellian i-Ramnau t'Illialhlae
Romulan Ambassador
Deep Space Five
Proconsul Vaebn i-Mnaehe tr’Vainlli
Leader of the Hru’Deihu (Upper Senate)
Chairman of the Continuing Committee
Ekenda
Private Secretary