410 ROMULAN SPACE PART ONE

The next dinner with Ambassador Velorum and his wife was a much more welcoming affair. The officers took the cues made by their captain, whom greeted the man with a handshake and a soft laugh, and treated them with camaraderie.

The talks during the meal soon delved into the ambassador's task of negotiating better trade deals with the Romulan Empire. Captain Janeway made a joke about how Romulan Ale should be used as a bargaining chip, because the smugglers were making a fortune from it and the Federation government wasn't getting any taxes or compensation for it.

Spock spoke up then and added that if the ambassador offered an exception on the ban for the illegal substance, and give the Romulan government an exclusive and limited market to deal in, the ambassador would have a wedge to use to pry open the negotiations to gain more concessions and favorable deals with the products and goods he really wanted instead.

That set off a lively debate on the merits of shady tactics that should work, especially if both sides received something out of it that neither thought they could. The food was quickly consumed and the event went right into the after dinner party, with music and socializing.

The ambassador had a great time, as did his wife. She stayed on his arm the whole time and engaged with everyone that approached the couple. There were no hard feelings against anyone for what happened previously and the conversations were never strained or awkward.

The event lasted several hours past the usual end time and no one minded. When it was over, everyone left the party in a great mood and felt like a lot had been accomplished to further relations between the ship's crew and the diplomatic corps. The ship's logs would reflect that, too.

Again, Captain Janeway and Spock were the last people in the room, and they walked in silence back to Spock's quarters. Janeway had kept Spock's emotions from overwhelming her all evening, thanks to his unheard of control, and Spock was very grateful to him for it. She had never had anyone actively balance her before and she sorely regretted not having someone like him in her life decades ago.

Unlike the night before, the two of them undressed casually, almost teasingly, and then Spock lost control and jumped him. It made Janeway laugh and embrace her, praised her for her self-control to last that long while feeling so horny, and he did her hard and fast, just like she wanted him to.

After the first time, he teased and played with her, and gave her more sensations than she ever thought her body could ever have. She didn't regret allowing him access to her body and would never deny him, even if she wasn't in a Pon Farr. Vulcans could have sex whenever they wanted, they just had no interest or desire to until the Pon Farr, which they experienced every seven years.

Janeway again lasted for several hours, then he dressed and left her to her comfortable bed. He knew she preferred to sleep alone when it was for actual sleep. Plus, it was quite difficult to perform her meditation techniques with someone else in the room. That he had a connection to her mind and hers to his, didn't disturb that, however.

Spock didn't try to explain the difference to him, and he wouldn't ask her to, because he respected her decision and her personal space. It was so refreshing that Spock just laid there for some time without doing anything except think about him and how he had so quickly become a part of her life. She only managed one meditation technique, to clear her mind of superfluous thoughts, and fell right to sleep.

It would amuse her in the morning when she woke up and realized what had happened. Again, it was something that never happened to her before and she knew it was because of her connection to Janeway. Her experiences with an actual mate that understood her feelings better than she did, made their connection that much more valuable to her and her mind.

*

The next five days were as routine as possible on a working starship. It was almost funny how much paperwork needed to be handled and how much I relied on my first officer to handle the incidentals, like crew assignments and resource allocation. I did occasionally thank the stoic woman for her efforts and she always rolled her eyes at me and said she was only doing her job.

I secretly submitted her field promotion from Lieutenant Commander to Commander to the Starfleet Personnel Department and I suspect it would be coming through any day now. It should be a surprise to her, considering she really did see it as her job, even when she went out of her way to complete her tasks as quickly and completely as possible.

I also made sure to visit Spock in her quarters every evening. She needed a good railing, because that was expected of her, and then I would pamper her and show her she wasn't only someone I was bedding because it was convenient. It didn't bother me that she tried to give me a mental command to reunite in seven years, either. One, it didn't work. Two, it was a good idea.

My desk beeped at me and I hit the accept button. “Janeway here.”

“Captain, we're approaching the Neutral Zone.” Helen Kim informed me. “ETA, ten minutes.”

“Thank you, Ensign. We'll be right out.” I said and ended the call. I looked across my desk at Lt. Commander Cavit and smirked at her. “I'm soooo very sorry, Gail. We have to postpone going over the requisition forms for the recycling department.”

Cavit made a snort sound and put down her datapad. “Yes, you're very, very sorry.”

I barked a laugh and saved up my current work before I stood. “It's time for the fun part of being in command.”

Cavit nodded and did the same, then followed me out of my office and onto the bridge of the ship. It was brightly lit and looked like it had just come off of the assembly line. I smiled and nodded at Helen Kim at her station and then patted Lieutenant Stadi's shoulder at the flight console.

“Drop us out of warp a good distance from the edge of the zone, please.” I told the Betazed man. “We'll approach the border with the same caution as a virgin on her wedding night.”

Several chuckles echoed around the bridge.

“Yessir. I'll keep an eye out as well.” Stadi said and gave me a knowing look.

I nodded and walked over to my chair in the middle. Cavit sat in her chair and started typing on the display beside her. As soon as Voyager dropped out of warp, my Danger Sense started buzzing as she relayed the readings she was copying from the OPS station to me in a whisper and I nodded in thanks. There were three Romulan ships instead of the agreed upon two for an escort.

“Captain!” Helen Kim gasped. “The Romulans have their shields up!”

“Yellow alert. All stop.” I said calmly and our own shields went up as the bridge's lights dimmed slightly. “What's their weapon status?”

“They are on standby and ready to be powered.” Tuvoc said from the Tactical station. “The same as us.”

“Is this caution if we are aggressive or just a show of force?” I asked. “Opinions?”

“I can't guess why they would have a third warbird, sir.” Cavit said. “Although, there was no stipulation in the agreement that they couldn't change the number.”

I nodded and looked at Tuvoc. “Tactical situation?”

“We could take them if they fire first.” Tuvoc said and everyone believed her. The caretaker's generator had really overpowered everything on the ship. “I have disabling targets selected and not actively scanned.”

I nodded at her not giving away to the Romulans that we could fire at them damn near instantly. “Helm?”

“We can fly circles around them, sir. Their ships are bulky and difficult to manoeuvre in close range and Voyager has a distinct advantage if they engage us.” Skadi said. “I can sense some weariness and thoughts of testing us from the middle ship. The other two are just here to observe.”

I nodded again and turned to look at Helen Kim. “Ops? Any thoughts?”

Helen looked at the main screen and then back to me. “They would be foolish to do anything without provocation. If we hail them with a proper greeting, a Romulan one and not an automated Federation one, we could head off any hostile intent.”

I smiled at her and she blushed a little. She didn't look away, though. I turned back to look at the main viewscreen as well. I didn't spend too much time thinking about it, though.

“Ignore the escorts for now and send the customized hail to the middle ship on my command. If they respond, copy the transmission to the other two.” I said and stood. “Helm, Tactical, if things go bad, be ready to handle the engagement on your own initiative and coordinate with each other. I'll be busy verbally engaging the one testing us.”

“Aye, sir.” Stadi and Tuvoc said as one.

“Ensign Kim, go ahead.” I said and put my hands behind my lower back and stood at parade rest.

Everyone was quiet on the bridge and we all heard the beeps as Helen typed commands and sent the message. Nothing happened for several moments, nearly ten full seconds, before Helen's console beeped again.

“Sir, we're being hailed in a reciprocal Romulan frequency and style.” Helen said.

I smiled briefly. “That was an excellent idea, Miss Kim. Put them on the main viewscreen.”

Helen blushed and connected the call. Not one person reacted to the image that appeared on the screen, not even me. I wanted to, though. Why? Because I couldn't decide if I should curse out loud or thank my luck for giving me such a great opportunity. It also explained why the middle ship wanted to test us.

The blonde Romulan man I was looking at was someone that technically shouldn't exist, thanks to some time warp shenanigans in the main TNG timeline when the Enterprise 1701-C slipped through a rift and appeared in the future, had an adventure, and was sent back through the rift with a few extra passengers.

I took a breath and let it out. “Greetings and salutations, Commander Selo. It's an honor to meet you in person.”

The man's eyes widened slightly, then they narrowed. “You know of me?”

I smiled briefly and nodded. “Word has spread to a few discerning ears about a blond Romulan making his way up through the ranks of the Romulan military, at a speed that shocked some and amused others.”

“And which one are you?” Selo asked as his expression returned to neutral.

“I usually reserve my judgment until I meet someone in person and give them a chance or two to either impress me or disappoint me.” I said and smiled briefly again. “Would you like to come to dinner on my ship this evening?”

There was a soft bark of female laughter and I couldn't tell if it was from someone on my bridge or his. He looked surprised for a moment, then frowned, then went back to a neutral look on his face.

“The ambassador would be delighted to meet you and your fellow officers, I'm sure.” I said. “Do you have any wine to bring? It will lighten the mood considerably.”

A groan came from Helen Kim behind me. She remembered the talks from the night before and knew I was blatantly flaunting the law in front of the bridge crew and on the bridge recorders. I would have quite a bit to answer for later, I was sure.

Selo raised his eyebrows, understanding that as well, then he huffed. “Expect us promptly at nineteen hundred hours.”

“Excellent. It will be a semi-formal format and casual discussion will abound.” I said and he nodded. “Voyager out.”

Helen Kim turned off the viewscreen and visibly shook as the adrenaline left her.

“Captain...” Cavit started to say.

“Cancel the visible signs of Yellow Alert.” I stated and things looked like they went back to normal, except everything was still on standby.

Cavil gave me a look and nodded. I nodded back, because her unspoken warning was appreciated, even if I didn't need the reminder that we were still in severe danger. My Danger Sense still hadn't stopped its low buzzing in the back of my head.

“Lieutenant Stadi?” I asked.

“He's definitely focused on you, sir. You piqued his interest, both because you know him and how you didn't react to being outgunned and outnumbered.” Stadi said. “I'm actually surprised to feel he's looking forward to meeting you in person.”

“You and me both.” I said and patted his shoulder. “All right, people. We have another important dinner this evening. Attendance isn't mandatory...”

“Oh, thank god.” Helen Kim whispered and everyone heard her.

“...but, I recommend you do. If your counterpart attends, they won't have anyone to talk to if you're not there.” I said with a straight face, because I wanted to laugh at them not really having a choice to not go after I said that.

“Dammit.” Helen Kim whispered and a few people chuckled.

Tammy Paris walked over to her and patted her shoulder. “Don't worry, Helen. I got your back.”

Helen sighed and ducked her head. “That's what I'm worried about.”

I had a hard time not laughing with the others that laughed at that. “I have a few things to take care of with this development.” I said and walked around the chairs in the middle of the bridge towards the turbolift. “Cavit, you have the bridge.”

“Aye, captain. I have the bridge.” My first officer said and sat down in the middle chair.

I had already mentally talked with Spock about the man I saw on the screen and she knew as much about him as I did. How his father was a human captured decades ago and made into a slave, and how his blond hair had been a dominant trait that somehow overwrote the Romulan gene for black hair. It made his son Selo stand out from every other Romulan.

As the boy grew up, he made sure people knew he was going to stand out for his actions and not for his hair color, then proved his words true. The funny thing was, it was a simple procedure to change his hair to be the same color that everyone else had, and neither he nor his mother did that. It made both myself and Spock wonder why.

In any case, we had to plan for our interactions with him and also needed to help the ambassador and his aide with handling the man that shouldn't exist. It was an aspect of the negotiations that none of us had anticipated and Spock actually looked forward to the challenge. Overcoming strife was what she had been doing her whole life, after all.

*

Commander Selo was secretly proud that people outside of the Romulan Empire had heard about his meteoric rise in the ranks of the military. Outwardly, he projected slight worry and wariness, because he was entering an enemy's lair and doing so by invitation was exceptionally rare.

His flight officers copied his stance and composure, because they felt the same way. Someone besides them knew about their commander and they were proud of that and wary because they didn't know how the enemy had heard about him. Well, it was either that or the small case of Romulan Ale they carried.

Selo almost laughed as they teleported to the coordinates of Voyager's main transporter room and he saw the ambassador's nervousness at the blatant law breaking the case of ale represented. However, the man didn't say anything about it and gave a traditional Romulan verbal greeting and saluted like their military officers did.

“Welcome aboard the USS Voyager, Commander Selo.” The man said and didn't try to offer his hand in the stupid human custom to shake them. “May I present Captain Janeway and his First Officer, Commander Cavit?”

Selo nodded to the man and the grey-haired woman. He couldn't tell if it was natural grey or artificial, or how old the woman was. Humans were very difficult to judge in that way.

“As you can see, we only spread out half of the red carpet for visiting dignitaries.” Janeway said and waved at his duty uniform and not the formal uniform he should have worn. He also didn't bring all of his officers to match Selo's. “If you're wondering, the rest of my senior officers are anxiously waiting in the mess hall for you.”

“Anxiously?” Selo asked before he could stop himself.

“Oh, yes. One's even shaking in her boots to meet her counterpart on your staff.” Janeway said with a chuckle. “It was her idea to alter the normal hailing frequencies.”

“I would like to speak with her about that.” A shorter Romulan in the group said. He normally wouldn't have spoken up, except this was not a formal meeting and protocols were more relaxed.

“It was a novel way to get our attention.” Selo agreed.

“I thought so, too.” Janeway said and stepped back and nodded to the ambassador and his wife. “My first officer and I will leave you in the ambassador's capable hands to take you to the mess hall as we wait to gather another important guest.”

Selo didn't admit that being the first to be greeted pleased him and he motioned to the crate. Some of his staff visibly did show they were happy about it as they set the crate down and then stepped off of the transporter pad. They left the crate of ale and followed the ambassador out of the teleportation room.