To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)
- Thread starter OneirosTheWriter
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- star trek exploration fully automated luxury gay space communism top level canon (canon) #hashtagcontent all-encompassing space amoeba cardassian boy bands cardassian magical girls darkest bureaucracy debate makes the qm cackle like palpatine hoh is an empire quest it has to be foreign infiltrators more ships ship happens singers delenda est starfleet this is not an empire quest ur waifu is collective?
Hahaha, sorry Harriman but the choice is obvious:
[][BOSS] Commodore T'Faer
Current Assignment: Director, Vulcan Science Academy
Probably the best mind when it comes to sensors and detection. +2 Science to attempts to see detect cloaked vessels.
XO I'm a little unsure on but...
[][XO] From Medical
+1 to Science values attempting to identify Biophage presence
Against a vector like this, detection is our first priority. However, it might be better to use the Explorer corps if we feel we need to blow the shit out of our own infected ships.
How much more successful, on average, will warp core breach attempts be with a +1 bonus, @OneirosTheWriter ?
[][BOSS] Commodore T'Faer
Current Assignment: Director, Vulcan Science Academy
Probably the best mind when it comes to sensors and detection. +2 Science to attempts to see detect cloaked vessels.
XO I'm a little unsure on but...
[][XO] From Medical
+1 to Science values attempting to identify Biophage presence
Against a vector like this, detection is our first priority. However, it might be better to use the Explorer corps if we feel we need to blow the shit out of our own infected ships.
How much more successful, on average, will warp core breach attempts be with a +1 bonus, @OneirosTheWriter ?
Last edited:
- Location
- somewhere
Defense at the Klingon Border Zone also needs to be increased?
UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm not sure about the deployment strategy, but I want these two officers:
[x][BOSS] Commodore T'Faer
Prevention is better than mitigating, and the first step is to be able to see infected cloaked ships.
[x][XO] From Medical
The sooner they see the Beast, the sooner they can do something about it.
[x][BOSS] Commodore T'Faer
Prevention is better than mitigating, and the first step is to be able to see infected cloaked ships.
[x][XO] From Medical
The sooner they see the Beast, the sooner they can do something about it.
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AKuz
Been Better
- Location
- A Rising Tide of Horrors
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Except if we don't detect them, we get hit with an alpha strike an loose shields. Like, honestly, I would rather loose ships and keep it contained, rather than keep our ships safe and risk something slipping trough the cracks
- Location
- Australia
Need to get 12 or over on 5+2d6+CrewQuality (+0/+1/+3/+4).
Normal ships are +0.
Yes, but garrison values elsewhere are suspended.
Last edited:
UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Edited my vote. I'm convinced.
- Location
- somewhere
I'm thinking deploy the USS Excelsior from Sol and the USS Charon from Vulcan to the Romulan Border Zone, redeploy the two Mirandas currently there to Andor and Klingon Border Zone. Small ships are a liability because they are so easy to infect and we need as much science there as we can get.
Ensign Wolfe Talks About Romulans - Iron Wolf
ANYWAYS TIME FOR ANOTHER BRIEF
The original Romulans were a group of Vulcans who did not embrace the teachings of Surak, believing his philosophy of logic and total emotional control was extreme and nonviable. However, they soon found themselves in the minority, and eventually during the Time of Awakening fought a short but devastating nuclear war that killed Surak himself. Despite this desperate maneuver they were still vastly outnumbered. Ironically, without Surak's moderating influence, the non-logical Vulcans realized they had no guarantee that Sarek's supporters would not come to the conclusion that since they couldn't trust them to live in peaceful coexistence, the only solution would be genocide. The nonlogical Vulcans then called themselves "Those Who Marched Under The Raptor's Wings" and left the planet in colony ships. It is important to note that not all these colony ships eventually reached Romulus, and to this day there are scattered pockets of Vulcanoids across the Alpha Quadrant at various levels of development. Those colony ships that did eventually reach Romulus settled down there and began the long process of building a new state.
The Romulans stayed carefully aloof from galactic affairs from most of their history, preferring to keep their existence secret and to influence affairs from afar. Many ship losses recorded by Vulcan, Andorian, Caitian, and Tellarite shipping services are near the area of space that the Empire would later openly claim, showing their dedication to obfuscation. However, by the 2100's the Romulans had begun to claim and mine certain systems, as reported by the NX-01 Enterprise. Later, it was established they had been behind drone ships and the kidnapping of Andorian citizens in order to enflame tensions between prospective Coalition of Planets members, a classic divide and conquer tactic. However, these tactics backfired and drove the Coalition closer together. Alarmed by the prospect that four major powers would band together and rival Romulus', the Romulans decided to engage in direct action during the Earth-Romulan War, hoping that demonstrating their power by knocking out the lynchpin of the emerging alliance would bring the other three in-line. They failed in their efforts, and as a result the Neutral Zone was established. Millions of lives were lost.
The Romulans were content to stay behind the neutral zone for almost a hundred years afterwards. They came out of isolation in dramatic fashion on Stardate 1709.2, destroying a string of outposts along the Neutral Zone as a probing action before the enemy warbird was destroyed by the USS Enterprise. The event was also notable for being the first time the Romulans were seen in person due to the actions of Commander Spock, revealing them to resemble Vulcans. Later, the Enterprise entered the Neutral Zone and managed to steal a Romulan cloaking device. It is now believed that this action may have prevented another war, as Romulan plans for attack were stalled by the possible subversion of their device and a change in government may have ended any further ambitions.
Little is known about the exact structure or makeup of the Senate. Our knowledge consists of limited databank mining and the word of defectors -- who may have a political axe to grind. Based on these sources we can guess it consists of 200 known seats, as this is the amount known to be quorum in the senate. Roughly 60% of these seats are open to general election from citizens, but it is worth noting the districts that are represented by these seats may not have had their boundaries adjusted in millennia. An additional 20% of seats are allocated to hereditary senators, descendants of the Admirals who helped the first Praetor overthrow Emperor Valkis XIV. The remaining seats are Dynastic seats, one of which is believed to be allocated to each planet in the Empire. This is why we cannot give a hard number on their composition. When voting for these seats, citizens do not elect a single representative -- instead they elect a registered family dynasty (or possibly an organization or league), who then decides who fills that seat from either their own membership or that of the community.
The Praetor is elected to his position by those in the Senate. This typically means that the Praetor is a senator himself, although it has been reported that certain worthy citizens or admirals have been elevated to the role, typically as a compromise solution (or a military coup). The Praetor wields considerable influence, as they alone select members of the Continuing Committee, who oversee most day-to-day government affairs. No one is guaranteed a position on the Committee, not even the head of the Tal'Shiar, and there are no fixed portfolios for members. Together, the Praetor and Continuing Committee form what we would define as an executive branch, however, they do occasionally perform judicial functions such as trials for treason among senators and government officials. It is currently unknown to what level the Praetor intervenes in domestic affairs. Some analysts believe that is the role of the Proconsul, while others note that the considerable influence the Praetor wields over the Continuing Committee means they have incredible control over almost every aspect of the State. The Praetor also commands the loyalty of the centralized Romulan fleet, giving him directly military power as well.
2.4 Chart Explaining Romulan Senate Elections
The Romulan foreign policy is about misdirection, isolation, and containment. They take great pains to hide their involvement in incidents outside the neutral zone, unless a Conquering coalition or Praetor is in control, in which case they often make their presence obvious so as to send a message. It is also believed that the Romulans wish to retake Vulcan.
ConclusionThis analysis of the Romulan government system is based on shaky evidence and their foreign policy is pieced together from a half-dozen interactions spanning a century. I don't even really know if the Praetor is in charge or if they have an Emperor/Empress at this point. It's going to be very seat of your pants, Captain. As an aside, under no circumstances should you become intimately involved with a Romulan. Their highly xenophobic nature means that even if you get off free, your partner will probably commit ritual suicide if they are discovered. I think.
Good luck.
***
SEVERAL DAYS EARLIER...
To: Captain Nash ka'Sharren
From: Ensign Wolfe
Subject: Analysis of the Romulan Political Structure
Captain,
I know time is short, and I know you don't like reading these. But I urge you to pay attention to this report. Understanding the Senate could open a variety of diplomatic opportunities. I must be honest, though -- we don't know much about the Senate, at all. Not reliably. So feel free to toss anything I write here out the window when confronted with reality.
Thanks,
Ensign Wolfe
To: Captain Nash ka'Sharren
From: Ensign Wolfe
Subject: Analysis of the Romulan Political Structure
Captain,
I know time is short, and I know you don't like reading these. But I urge you to pay attention to this report. Understanding the Senate could open a variety of diplomatic opportunities. I must be honest, though -- we don't know much about the Senate, at all. Not reliably. So feel free to toss anything I write here out the window when confronted with reality.
Thanks,
Ensign Wolfe
THE ROMULAN STAR EMPIRE
Prepared for Captain ka'Sharren, USS ENTERPRISE by Ensign Wolfe
Prepared for Captain ka'Sharren, USS ENTERPRISE by Ensign Wolfe
Introduction
Solid Information on the Romulan Star Empire is difficult to come across. What follows is historical and political report highly constrained by the difficulties of assessing such a secretive state. Section I consists of a brief historical overview, Section II an analysis of the Romulan political structures, and Section III an analysis of Romulan foreign policy.
Section I - History
1.0 Summary- Consists of Vulcans who left the homeworld approximately 2000 years ago, rejecting total logic.
- Undermined early efforts to form the Coalition of Planets via subterfuge
- Launched the devastating Earth-Romulan war.
- Incredibly secretive - only had visual contact with Romulans a century after fighting a war with them
The original Romulans were a group of Vulcans who did not embrace the teachings of Surak, believing his philosophy of logic and total emotional control was extreme and nonviable. However, they soon found themselves in the minority, and eventually during the Time of Awakening fought a short but devastating nuclear war that killed Surak himself. Despite this desperate maneuver they were still vastly outnumbered. Ironically, without Surak's moderating influence, the non-logical Vulcans realized they had no guarantee that Sarek's supporters would not come to the conclusion that since they couldn't trust them to live in peaceful coexistence, the only solution would be genocide. The nonlogical Vulcans then called themselves "Those Who Marched Under The Raptor's Wings" and left the planet in colony ships. It is important to note that not all these colony ships eventually reached Romulus, and to this day there are scattered pockets of Vulcanoids across the Alpha Quadrant at various levels of development. Those colony ships that did eventually reach Romulus settled down there and began the long process of building a new state.
For many years, Vulcans assumed that those who had left had, very simply, killed themselves in the sort of brutal, emotional fighting that had characterized most of Vulcan history and had necessitated the turn to logic in the first place. It is not known how the Romulans overcame this problem. Two top theories are that the Romulans' carefully crafted honor system is designed to channel their negative emotions from destructive behaviour to subterfuge and manipulation. Others suggest the Romulans genetically modified themselves to remove the psionic abilities that helped flame and disseminate negative emotions.
1.2 Early Interactions and the Earth-Romulan WarThe Romulans stayed carefully aloof from galactic affairs from most of their history, preferring to keep their existence secret and to influence affairs from afar. Many ship losses recorded by Vulcan, Andorian, Caitian, and Tellarite shipping services are near the area of space that the Empire would later openly claim, showing their dedication to obfuscation. However, by the 2100's the Romulans had begun to claim and mine certain systems, as reported by the NX-01 Enterprise. Later, it was established they had been behind drone ships and the kidnapping of Andorian citizens in order to enflame tensions between prospective Coalition of Planets members, a classic divide and conquer tactic. However, these tactics backfired and drove the Coalition closer together. Alarmed by the prospect that four major powers would band together and rival Romulus', the Romulans decided to engage in direct action during the Earth-Romulan War, hoping that demonstrating their power by knocking out the lynchpin of the emerging alliance would bring the other three in-line. They failed in their efforts, and as a result the Neutral Zone was established. Millions of lives were lost.
During the war Romulan secrecy and their dislike of others recovering their bodies was noted. No visual transmissions were ever made. Romulan troops either killed all witnesses or wore bulky, full-body coverage to conceal their identities. The few boarding actions conducted by Starfleet and MACOs on Romulan ships found that Romulan crew members would fight ferociously for their fallen comrades, and would prioritize destruction of bodies. MACO Colonel Balthasar Edison described one such incident: "[...] Reeves [a medic] and Captain Sajjan [a combat engineer] had managed to successfully disable the destruction systems in the suit, and began to bring the corpse back to the airlock. Lieutenant Reeves was just beginning to remove the mask when the Romulans flooded the entire deck with plasma, instantly immolating my five soldiers and an estimated fifty of their own crew." After that incident, Starfleet Command forbade any further attempts at body retrieval, reasoning that it was likely a cultural factor and could lead to an escalation.
1.3 Later IncidentsThe Romulans were content to stay behind the neutral zone for almost a hundred years afterwards. They came out of isolation in dramatic fashion on Stardate 1709.2, destroying a string of outposts along the Neutral Zone as a probing action before the enemy warbird was destroyed by the USS Enterprise. The event was also notable for being the first time the Romulans were seen in person due to the actions of Commander Spock, revealing them to resemble Vulcans. Later, the Enterprise entered the Neutral Zone and managed to steal a Romulan cloaking device. It is now believed that this action may have prevented another war, as Romulan plans for attack were stalled by the possible subversion of their device and a change in government may have ended any further ambitions.
Section II -- Government
2.0 Summary- The Romulan system is headed by the Praetor [Currently believed to be someone called Darmess]
- The Continuing Committee is appointed by the Praetor and handles most day-to-day affairs of the Empire. Additionally, they confirm the next Praetor.
- The Senate handles legislative affairs and appoints the next Praetor. The ruling coalition in the senate appoints the Proconsul and Vice-Proconsul.
- The Senate consists of a majority of elected seats, a few hereditary seats, and 'dynastic seats', where powerful families appoint from among themselves who will sit there.
Little is known about the exact structure or makeup of the Senate. Our knowledge consists of limited databank mining and the word of defectors -- who may have a political axe to grind. Based on these sources we can guess it consists of 200 known seats, as this is the amount known to be quorum in the senate. Roughly 60% of these seats are open to general election from citizens, but it is worth noting the districts that are represented by these seats may not have had their boundaries adjusted in millennia. An additional 20% of seats are allocated to hereditary senators, descendants of the Admirals who helped the first Praetor overthrow Emperor Valkis XIV. The remaining seats are Dynastic seats, one of which is believed to be allocated to each planet in the Empire. This is why we cannot give a hard number on their composition. When voting for these seats, citizens do not elect a single representative -- instead they elect a registered family dynasty (or possibly an organization or league), who then decides who fills that seat from either their own membership or that of the community.
There are no formal political parties in the senate, only loose 'coalitions' that may bend or break at any time. From our limited reports, it is believed that these coalitions tend to be made up of those who advocate for greater centralized control, and those who wish to undermine the power of the Praetor. This is in addition to various stances on the Romulan isolationism, with some believing in silent withdrawl and quiet force, and others in sudden, rapid displays of power in order to intimidate potential rivals.
These coalitions choose a Proconsul to preside over the Senate and to handle some internal affairs. Normally the ruling coalition then chooses the Vice-Proconsul as well, but sometimes in particularly fraught political climates will choose a Vice-Proconsul from one of the other coalitions. The current Proconsul is believed to be Camir and the Vice-Proconsul Sheari.
2.2 The Praetor and the Continuing CommitteeThe Praetor is elected to his position by those in the Senate. This typically means that the Praetor is a senator himself, although it has been reported that certain worthy citizens or admirals have been elevated to the role, typically as a compromise solution (or a military coup). The Praetor wields considerable influence, as they alone select members of the Continuing Committee, who oversee most day-to-day government affairs. No one is guaranteed a position on the Committee, not even the head of the Tal'Shiar, and there are no fixed portfolios for members. Together, the Praetor and Continuing Committee form what we would define as an executive branch, however, they do occasionally perform judicial functions such as trials for treason among senators and government officials. It is currently unknown to what level the Praetor intervenes in domestic affairs. Some analysts believe that is the role of the Proconsul, while others note that the considerable influence the Praetor wields over the Continuing Committee means they have incredible control over almost every aspect of the State. The Praetor also commands the loyalty of the centralized Romulan fleet, giving him directly military power as well.
One notable role of the Continuing Committee is that they confirm the incoming Praetor. This is largely a ceremonial role, as there are ways to circumnavigate at Committee that refuses to confirm a Praetor, including assassination of the offending members. However, it can be a valid tactic for a Committee to force the Senate to choose a less controversial Praetor. In the event of a Committee refusing to confirm a Praetor, the Proconsul assumes what duties they can.
2.3 Chart Showing Romulan Political Structure
Section III - Foreign Policy
3.0 Summary- Romulan foreign policy is based on keeping possible enemies far away from their border.
- They may have long-term aspirations on retaking Vulcan.
- Alliance with Klingons in 23rd century -- ended badly.
- Consistently inconsistent.
The Romulan foreign policy is about misdirection, isolation, and containment. They take great pains to hide their involvement in incidents outside the neutral zone, unless a Conquering coalition or Praetor is in control, in which case they often make their presence obvious so as to send a message. It is also believed that the Romulans wish to retake Vulcan.
It is notable that the Federation is of such a long term concern to the Romulans that they briefly aligned themselves with the Klingon Empire, providing them with cloaks in exchange for D7 hulls. This may suggest that the Romulans lack in industrial power, or that they may have fought a devastating civil war at the time from which they have now recovered. Or it could mean only a handful of major shipyards are under the control of the Praetor, explaining the Romulan focus on larger and larger warbird designs. In any case, some incident caused relations between the two powers to drastically sour, to the point that they are now sworn enemies. Such hatred is what led us to initially misinterpret their attack on the Klingon colony of Tregh'bak as a hostile raid versus the containment operation it actually was.
This is about the extent of our knowledge, such as it is. Priorities change with the oft-shifting government, and we do not have enough access to accurately predict or analyze these shifts. Instead, Captain, with all respect the next section is going to consist of a picture of a bird.
3.2 A Bird
Conclusion
Good luck.
Last edited:
- Location
- Wollongong, Australia
[X] [DEPLOY] Cruiser Dogpile
-[x] Recall Courageous & Sarek from Explorer Duties to the Romulan Border Fleet
-[x] Sol - 1 Excelsior to Transfer to Romulan Border Fleet, 2 Constellations to Andor
-[x] Vulcan - 1 Constitution to Transfer to Romulan Border Fleet
-[X] Tellar - 1 Constellation to Klingon Border Fleet
[X] [BOSS] Captain Rachel Ainsworth
[X] [XO] From Medical
Constellations to Andor because Backstop. I think that with our three Explorer Corp Vessels in the Border Fleet that +2 Science isn't quite as valuable, giving the +1 Shield Rating that edge needed to be of more importance. XO should be fairly straight forward, +1 to spotting the Infection is an area we really don't want to slack on. Especially not if it starts throwing around Photon Torpedo variants of the Cruise Missile.
-[x] Recall Courageous & Sarek from Explorer Duties to the Romulan Border Fleet
-[x] Sol - 1 Excelsior to Transfer to Romulan Border Fleet, 2 Constellations to Andor
-[x] Vulcan - 1 Constitution to Transfer to Romulan Border Fleet
-[X] Tellar - 1 Constellation to Klingon Border Fleet
[X] [BOSS] Captain Rachel Ainsworth
[X] [XO] From Medical
Constellations to Andor because Backstop. I think that with our three Explorer Corp Vessels in the Border Fleet that +2 Science isn't quite as valuable, giving the +1 Shield Rating that edge needed to be of more importance. XO should be fairly straight forward, +1 to spotting the Infection is an area we really don't want to slack on. Especially not if it starts throwing around Photon Torpedo variants of the Cruise Missile.
Last edited:
- Location
- somewhere
@OneirosTheWriter could you tell us which sectors border each other? I'm assuming the Klingon Border Zone and Andor are next to the Romulan Border Zone, but which sectors are next in line after that?
By the same token you could say that with all those heavy cruisers shield rating isn't quite as important because they already can take a few hits without dropping shields, but it's really paramount that heavy warbird doesn't slip through and infect a major world.
Last edited:
- Location
- California
[X] [DEPLOY] Cruiser Dogpile
-[x] Recall Courageous & Sarek from Explorer Duties to the Romulan Border Fleet
-[x] Sol - 1 Excelsior to Transfer to Romulan Border Fleet, 2 Constellations to Andor
-[x] Vulcan - 1 Constitution to Transfer to Romulan Border Fleet
-[X] Tellar - 1 Constellation to Klingon Border Fleet
[X] [BOSS] Captain Rachel Ainsworth
[X] [XO] From Medical
-[x] Recall Courageous & Sarek from Explorer Duties to the Romulan Border Fleet
-[x] Sol - 1 Excelsior to Transfer to Romulan Border Fleet, 2 Constellations to Andor
-[x] Vulcan - 1 Constitution to Transfer to Romulan Border Fleet
-[X] Tellar - 1 Constellation to Klingon Border Fleet
[X] [BOSS] Captain Rachel Ainsworth
[X] [XO] From Medical
Last edited:
- Location
- Australia
So far this crisis is affecting the rim-ward half of the Neutral Zone, down to the edge of the Klingon border. Andor is behind that juncture, and most exposed to the Biophage. Above that is Vulcan sector. To the 'west' of Vulcan is Tellarite Sector, and core-ward of Vulcan is Sol Sector.
So Vulcan and Sol have an exposure, but the core sector most threatened is Andor due to it's proximity to the crisis area.
- Location
- Wollongong, Australia
@Tylonius , had to update the plan as not enough Defence in the Klingon Border Zone.
Except it's only the Excelsiors that have those Shield Ratings, and we have a bunch of other, far more smaller, ships in the Neutral Zone.
Last edited:
- Location
- Australia
I have really got to figure out an appropriate thank you for these!ANYWAYS TIME FOR ANOTHER BRIEF
***
SEVERAL DAYS EARLIER...
To: Captain Nash ka'Sharren
From: Ensign Wolfe
Subject: Analysis of the Romulan Political Structure
Captain,
I know time is short, and I know you don't like reading these. But I urge you to pay attention to this report. Understanding the Senate could open a variety of diplomatic opportunities. I must be honest, though -- we don't know much about the Senate, at all. Not reliably. So feel free to toss anything I write here out the window when confronted with reality.
Thanks,
Ensign Wolfe
THE ROMULAN STAR EMPIRE
Prepared for Captain ka'Sharren, USS ENTERPRISE by Ensign WolfeIntroductionSolid Information on the Romulan Star Empire is difficult to come across. What follows is historical and political report highly constrained by the difficulties of assessing such a secretive state. Section I consists of a brief historical overview, Section II an analysis of the Romulan political structures, and Section III an analysis of Romulan foreign policy.
Section I - History1.0 Summary
1.1 Ancient Romulans
- Consists of Vulcans who left the homeworld approximately 2000 years ago, rejecting total logic.
- Undermined early efforts to form the Coalition of Planets via subterfuge
- Launched the devastating Earth-Romulan war.
- Incredibly secretive - only had visual contact with Romulans a century after fighting a war with them
The original Romulans were a group of Vulcans who did not embrace the teachings of Surak, believing his philosophy of logic and total emotional control was extreme and nonviable. However, they soon found themselves in the minority, and eventually during the Time of Awakening fought a short but devastating nuclear war that killed Surak himself. Despite this desperate maneuver they were still vastly outnumbered. Ironically, without Surak's moderating influence, the non-logical Vulcans realized they had no guarantee that Sarek's supporters would not come to the conclusion that since they couldn't trust them to live in peaceful coexistence, the only solution would be genocide. The nonlogical Vulcans then called themselves "Those Who Marched Under The Raptor's Wings" and left the planet in colony ships. It is important to note that not all these colony ships eventually reached Romulus, and to this day there are scattered pockets of Vulcanoids across the Alpha Quadrant at various levels of development. Those colony ships that did eventually reach Romulus settled down there and began the long process of building a new state.
For many years, Vulcans assumed that those who had left had, very simply, killed themselves in the sort of brutal, emotional fighting that had characterized most of Vulcan history and had necessitated the turn to logic in the first place. It is not known how the Romulans overcame this problem. Two top theories are that the Romulans' carefully crafted honor system is designed to channel their negative emotions from destructive behaviour to subterfuge and manipulation. Others suggest the Romulans genetically modified themselves to remove the psionic abilities that helped flame and disseminate negative emotions.
1.2 Early Interactions and the Earth-Romulan War
The Romulans stayed carefully aloof from galactic affairs from most of their history, preferring to keep their existence secret and to influence affairs from afar. Many ship losses recorded by Vulcan, Andorian, Caitian, and Tellarite shipping services are near the area of space that the Empire would later openly claim, showing their dedication to obfuscation. However, by the 2100's the Romulans had begun to claim and mine certain systems, as reported by the NX-01 Enterprise. Later, it was established they had been behind drone ships and the kidnapping of Andorian citizens in order to enflame tensions between prospective Coalition of Planets members, a classic divide and conquer tactic. However, these tactics backfired and drove the Coalition closer together. Alarmed by the prospect that four major powers would band together and rival Romulus', the Romulans decided to engage in direct action during the Earth-Romulan War, hoping that demonstrating their power by knocking out the lynchpin of the emerging alliance would bring the other three in-line. They failed in their efforts, and as a result the Neutral Zone was established. Millions of lives were lost.
During the war Romulan secrecy and their dislike of others recovering their bodies was noted. No visual transmissions were ever made. Romulan troops either killed all witnesses or wore bulky, full-body coverage to conceal their identities. The few boarding actions conducted by Starfleet and MACOs on Romulan ships found that Romulan crew members would fight ferociously for their fallen comrades, and would prioritize destruction of bodies. MACO Colonel Balthasar Edison described one such incident: "[...] Reeves [a medic] and Captain Sajjan [a combat engineer] had managed to successfully disable the destruction systems in the suit, and began to bring the corpse back to the airlock. Lieutenant Reeves was just beginning to remove the mask when the Romulans flooded the entire deck with plasma, instantly immolating my five soldiers and an estimated fifty of their own crew." After that incident, Starfleet Command forbade any further attempts at body retrieval, reasoning that it was likely a cultural factor and could lead to an escalation.
1.3 Later Incidents
The Romulans were content to stay behind the neutral zone for almost a hundred years afterwards. They came out of isolation in dramatic fashion on Stardate 1709.2, destroying a string of outposts along the Neutral Zone as a probing action before the enemy warbird was destroyed by the USS Enterprise. The event was also notable for being the first time the Romulans were seen in person due to the actions of Commander Spock, revealing them to resemble Vulcans. Later, the Enterprise entered the Neutral Zone and managed to steal a Romulan cloaking device. It is now believed that this action may have prevented another war, as Romulan plans for attack were stalled by the possible subversion of their device and a change in government may have ended any further ambitions.
Section II -- Government2.0 Summary
2.1 The Senate
- The Romulan system is headed by the Praetor [Currently believed to be someone called Darmess]
- The Continuing Committee is appointed by the Praetor and handles most day-to-day affairs of the Empire. Additionally, they confirm the next Praetor.
- The Senate handles legislative affairs and appoints the next Praetor. The ruling coalition in the senate appoints the Proconsul and Vice-Proconsul.
- The Senate consists of a majority of elected seats, a few hereditary seats, and 'dynastic seats', where powerful families appoint from among themselves who will sit there.
Little is known about the exact structure or makeup of the Senate. Our knowledge consists of limited databank mining and the word of defectors -- who may have a political axe to grind. Based on these sources we can guess it consists of 200 known seats, as this is the amount known to be quorum in the senate. Roughly 60% of these seats are open to general election from citizens, but it is worth noting the districts that are represented by these seats may not have had their boundaries adjusted in millennia. An additional 20% of seats are allocated to hereditary senators, descendants of the Admirals who helped the first Praetor overthrow Emperor Valkis XIV. The remaining seats are Dynastic seats, one of which is believed to be allocated to each planet in the Empire. This is why we cannot give a hard number on their composition. When voting for these seats, citizens do not elect a single representative -- instead they elect a registered family dynasty (or possibly an organization or league), who then decides who fills that seat from either their own membership or that of the community.
There are no formal political parties in the senate, only loose 'coalitions' that may bend or break at any time. From our limited reports, it is believed that these coalitions tend to be made up of those who advocate for greater centralized control, and those who wish to undermine the power of the Praetor. This is in addition to various stances on the Romulan isolationism, with some believing in silent withdrawl and quiet force, and others in sudden, rapid displays of power in order to intimidate potential rivals.
These coalitions choose a Proconsul to preside over the Senate and to handle some internal affairs. Normally the ruling coalition then chooses the Vice-Proconsul as well, but sometimes in particularly fraught political climates will choose a Vice-Proconsul from one of the other coalitions. The current Proconsul is believed to be Camir and the Vice-Proconsul Sheari.
2.2 The Praetor and the Continuing Committee
The Praetor is elected to his position by those in the Senate. This typically means that the Praetor is a senator himself, although it has been reported that certain worthy citizens or admirals have been elevated to the role, typically as a compromise solution (or a military coup). The Praetor wields considerable influence, as they alone select members of the Continuing Committee, who oversee most day-to-day government affairs. No one is guaranteed a position on the Committee, not even the head of the Tal'Shiar, and there are no fixed portfolios for members. Together, the Praetor and Continuing Committee form what we would define as an executive branch, however, they do occasionally perform judicial functions such as trials for treason among senators and government officials. It is currently unknown to what level the Praetor intervenes in domestic affairs. Some analysts believe that is the role of the Proconsul, while others note that the considerable influence the Praetor wields over the Continuing Committee means they have incredible control over almost every aspect of the State. The Praetor also commands the loyalty of the centralized Romulan fleet, giving him directly military power as well.
One notable role of the Continuing Committee is that they confirm the incoming Praetor. This is largely a ceremonial role, as there are ways to circumnavigate at Committee that refuses to confirm a Praetor, including assassination of the offending members. However, it can be a valid tactic for a Committee to force the Senate to choose a less controversial Praetor. In the event of a Committee refusing to confirm a Praetor, the Proconsul assumes what duties they can.
2.3 Chart Showing Romulan Political Structure
2.4 Chart Explaining Romulan Senate Elections
Section III - Foreign Policy3.0 Summary
3.1 What is Known
- Romulan foreign policy is based on keeping possible enemies far away from their border.
- They may have long-term aspirations on retaking Vulcan.
- Alliance with Klingons in 23rd century -- ended badly.
- Consistently inconsistent.
The Romulan foreign policy is about misdirection, isolation, and containment. They take great pains to hide their involvement in incidents outside the neutral zone, unless a Conquering coalition or Praetor is in control, in which case they often make their presence obvious so as to send a message. It is also believed that the Romulans wish to retake Vulcan.
It is notable that the Federation is of such a long term concern to the Romulans that they briefly aligned themselves with the Klingon Empire, providing them with cloaks in exchange for D7 hulls. This may suggest that the Romulans lack in industrial power, or that they may have fought a devastating civil war at the time from which they have now recovered. Or it could mean only a handful of major shipyards are under the control of the Praetor, explaining the Romulan focus on larger and larger warbird designs. In any case, some incident caused relations between the two powers to drastically sour, to the point that they are now sworn enemies. Such hatred is what led us to initially misinterpret their attack on the Klingon colony of Tregh'bak as a hostile raid versus the containment operation it actually was.
This is about the extent of our knowledge, such as it is. Priorities change with the oft-shifting government, and we do not have enough access to accurately predict or analyze these shifts. Instead, Captain, with all respect the next section is going to consist of a picture of a bird.
3.2 A Bird
This analysis of the Romulan government system is based on shaky evidence and their foreign policy is pieced together from a half-dozen interactions spanning a century. I don't even really know if the Praetor is in charge or if they have an Emperor/Empress at this point. It's going to be very seat of your pants, Captain. As an aside, under no circumstances should you become intimately involved with a Romulan. Their highly xenophobic nature means that even if you get off free, your partner will probably commit ritual suicide if they are discovered. I think.
Conclusion
Good luck.
- Location
- somewhere
None of which should ever be allowed to operate solo or small groups, only as part of the sector fleet, and all of them can take at least one hit so in the fleet they are safe as long as they aren't hit twice in rapid succession before they can disengage. So far the Inflictor only has 1 cloaked ship, so if it comes down to a battle with the sector fleet we win anyway. The difficulty is catching that heavy warbird, not winning a battle with it.
4 Excelsiors should be enough to do the patrolling etc.
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As long as this Federation/Romulus alliance don't lose any refugee fleets for the
- Location
- somewhere
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- Location
- Australia
Got it.Something like this?
- Location
- somewhere
Green for Romulans, red for Klingons, grey for neutral zone.
Theunderbolt
"Prepare for trouble..."
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- USoA
Which makes you wonder what did they think a bioplague who's sole purpose is too consume all life want.
UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
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- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
They probably wanted the biophage to consume someone else first, not them.
Theunderbolt
"Prepare for trouble..."
- Location
- USoA
Then what's stopping the plague from coming back to nom on them? I mean they didn't really think that one through.