“The Edge of Command”

Posted on Tue Sep 2nd, 2025 @ 12:21pm by Daise'Arrain Calin tr'Rhenn & Erien Seren Gemini (Kelea-Salik) & Daise'Arrain Olmex Thikoho [Reece]

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: GSN Havrah, Riov’s Private Office
Timeline: MD 6, 2237 Hours
819 words - 1.6 OF Standard Post Measure

________________________________________
The scent of warm sehlat tea still lingered in the room, but Riov Vrihaek tr’Aven hadn’t touched his cup. He sat behind his desk, palms steepled, eyes fixed on the pulsing readout on the console embedded in the bulkhead.

The data flickered again.

“Primary disruptor calibration: 110%... 130%... 95%... 404%. Smiles are weapons. Peace is futile.”

He stabbed the screen with a sharp curse in Rihannsu. The console reset. It was the seventh time today.

A soft chime echoed through his quarters. He didn’t answer right away.

They were watching.

He rose, crossed the room in silence, and deactivated the privacy filters on the door. It hissed open to reveal Commander Sevek, the ship’s second officer—reliable, efficient, and infuriatingly unreadable.

"Commander," Vrihaek said curtly.

Sevek gave a slight incline of his head. "Riov. I have completed an audit of the affected systems. None of the isolinear relays are physically compromised. The pranks remain... ephemeral."

"Ephemeral," Vrihaek repeated, turning away. "You mean I cannot stop them."

A pause.

"I mean no one has stopped them, Riov," Sevek said. “Not even Starfleet.”

Vrihaek stiffened. It was the second time this week someone had referred to the Elysium as a comparative measure.
"Your tone borders on criticism," he said coolly.

Sevek remained perfectly still. “My tone reflects concern. The crew believes this is no longer about ship functions, but leadership.”

"And do you believe that?" Vrihaek turned to him fully, voice sharp.

“I believe perception shapes mutiny.” They had just had one removing the previous Riov....

A silence fell, thick and humming. Vrihaek’s gaze bore into Sevek’s impassive features. He wanted to dismiss him. He wanted to drag the truth from his throat like a confession.

Instead, he nodded once. “You’re dismissed.”

Sevek turned and left without another word.

When the door slid shut, Vrihaek crossed to the replicator.

“Vulcan black tea. Hot.”

"Tea is treason," the replicator whispered in gentle Rihannsu before dispensing green glitter water in a porcelain cup.
He didn’t drink it.
________________________________________
Observation Deck, Later That Night

In the shadows beneath the starlight, five officers stood in a loose circle. Neral. Yaeira. T’Rivas. A Centurion from Logistics. One from Engineering.

“He suspects us,” T’Rivas said.

“Good,” Neral replied. “Let him. It makes him unstable.”

“But not dangerous?” Yaeira asked.

“Not unless he regains control. The Zynari have made sure of that.”

“And if the Zynari vanish tomorrow?”

“We don’t wait that long,” Neral said simply. “We give him the illusion of command. And when the time is right…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. No one needed to.

The Havrah was cloaked. Isolated. And her captain was no longer feared. Had he ever been?

In the Romulan fleet, that was a death sentence—served slowly, one whisper at a time.

Suddenly, from the shadows, a strong voice was heard. "What is this? A discussion of mutiny?" Strong, slow steps approached, forcing the gathered officers to turn towards the new voice as the owner stepped into the light.

Olmex looked at each of the officers in turn, his eyes like that of a predator about to make the kill of its prey. His hands were clasped behind his back, as if he felt no fear from these people. "Mutiny without cause is a death sentence. You all know that." His voice was filled with power and the self-confidence of one who is no stranger to danger...or death.

"And with cause?" Came a soft reply. A female engineer stood off to the side. "I am not saying they are right or wrong but neither is the Riov." She put her mug of Klingon coffee down and headed to the core for her duty shift.

Olmex snapped his fingers and a dozen of his Marines stepped out of the shadows, blocking all exits. "Return to your seat," he said aloud, not looking at the engineer who had started to leave.

The Engineer did so but it was clear that they wanted to protest. That said they were too low on crew so death was probably not on the list.

Once she has retaken her seat, Olmex paced around the space slowly, power and authority clearly dripping from his very pores. "While the current Riov is inexperienced in the role, we are still Romulans. Support and respect are given to, if not the person, then the position. Should he prove, at a critical point, that he is unable to maintain control, then that is when he would be removed. Not before. Anyone who attempts to usurp his command, for their own vain reasons, will be dealt with swiftly, and with lethality." He let his words sink in for a few beats, then asked, "Do I make myself clear?"

Tajana leaned back against her chair and regarded Olmex carefully. One corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk as she replied. "Perfectly."