MSNPC Praetor Taron - Eyes Wide Open

[Alora DeVeau]

OOC: I've really enjoyed seeing Jamie breathe life into a character that originally had something like two sentences in the wiki.

 

IC:

 

((Docking Bay Entry Zone, Starbase 118 Ops))

Reunification would not be easy.  

Both the Free State and the Republic were aware of this.  

Worse, they were not the only factions in the shattered remains of the Romulan Empire.  They were only the two biggest.  There were half a dozen splinter groups or more that neither side had done much outreach to.

And Taron suspected that at least one of the more stable splinter groups was the place that was harboring, if not directly controlled and built by – the remnants of the Tal Shiar.

This has been a hazy possibility to him before these talks.  But now, seeing how things played out and having a near death experience, he started to evaluate all the little clues he had encountered, and all of the small red flags that he had tried to ignore.  And it all led him to the conclusion that yes, the Tal Shiar was still very much alive.

And while they were no longer welcome in the Free State, that didn’t mean they were not re-amassing power somewhere in the borders of the Empire.

Worse, it also meant that there were still families in the Free State that believed that their race relied on the Tal Shiar to survive.  And no matter how careful and considerate of tradition Taron’s new efficient, effective policies were, he had people paying lip service to him.  But at the slightest hint of things going wrong these insecure families would turn to old vectors of communication and reconnect with the Tal Shiar.

Hope was hard to build when a significant portion of the ruling families were steeping in paranoia.  He would have to act decisively against the unhealthy, insecure members of his own senate and leadership to prevent the Tal Shiar from taking root again.

Taron: I know I will be more careful and aware moving forward. But I am also more committed to what must be done.

It would be a tremendous amount of work, but it was important work.

R’Val: I am pleased to hear that, Praetor. I have given your proposal much thought and I am going to endorse a mutual defense pact agreement between our people. Perhaps we will get a chance to negotiate that together?

He offered her a small nod of consideration.  He would like to meet again to discuss that.

But this negotiation also taught him that life was unpredictable and precious.  And he couldn’t predict the future.

Taron: I do not know if we will ever meet again. But I hope the stars guide you on your paths.

He offered her a pleasant, open expression.  It was an honest wish, not just a sharp retort.

R’Val: Praetor Taron. I may disagree with your political philosophy, but I do think a mutual defense pact would be a good idea for both our people and I fully intend to endorse it to the Republic Council. I hope we can count on you to agree to such a pact?

He paused to consider his words carefully.

Taron: I do agree.  I feel that both of our factions represent the good of our people.  And we know that we have enemies both outside and inside our borders that our people need to be kept safe from.

Which included Terra Prime and whatever other violent group cropped up in the independent – or Klingon – territories.  But it also included whatever splinter group within the Romulan territory was controlled by the Tal Shiar and other broken souls like the assassin Nniol.

DeVeau: It sounds like a good starting point.

R’Val: Then I look forward to negotiating further with you in the future. :: to DeVeau :: Commander.

DeVeau: Ambassador.

He tipped his head to the pair.

DeVeau: I don’t know if we will ever meet again, but I hope we do.

Taron: I can hope that should we meet again, it will be at a more pleasant time and with fewer deadly concerns to dwell upon.

It would be nice, for once, to be able to connect with others without the threat of violence from scared, sick, broken people who wanted to snuff out hope for fear of change.

But if he wanted to see that future come true he would have to work in this present to make it a reality.

DeVeau: And I wish a bright future for you and your people.

He clasped his hands together and offered her a respectful nod.

Taron: And I wish you and your people hope and prosperity.  

Romulans were once a desperate people, clinging to a small well of resources for survival.  Then they had grown, expanded and conquered an entire Empire to fill that void of desperation.  To feed the starving, quench the thirst and build the shelter they had struggled so hard to have.

But maybe the formation of an Empire from the foundation of desperation and fear was a very poor way to build an Empire.  His people never really lost that fear as they spread out into the galaxy.  Even though they had enough food, they had enough resources and they had built safe defenses they still worried about who would come and take them from them.

And it was very difficult to change that cultural perspective.  But Taron was going to try to shift the window, at least a little, towards a place of confidence.

DeVeau: Thank you, Praetor.  I wish you a safe journey.

Taron: May the stars guide you and keep you on your path, Commander.

And with that he allowed his nephew to usher him onto his shuttle and he bid farewell to StarBase 118.

Who knows what the future would bring?  Whatever came, Taron was now looking forward with his eyes wide open.

~*~
~Fin~
~*~

MNPC Praetor Taron

Leader of the Romulan Free State