2382 (STO)

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• The loss of agricultural planets claimed by the Imperial Romulan State threatened Romulus with severe food shortages. Romulus' power plants and factories could not increase output without the heavy metals and dilithium that once flowed from Remus. To avert the looming civil crisis, Praetor Tal'aura reluctantly accepted food shipments from the Federation. But she refused the Federation's offer to facilitate negotiations between her and Empress Donatra, saying that the dispute was an internal Romulan matter. Tal'aura charged her proconsul, Fleet Commander Tomalak, with retaking the planets held by Donatra. Tomalak appointed Admiral Taris as his second in command and ordered her to reorganize and mobilize Romulus' remaining military forces.

• Seeking to stabilize the homeworld, Tal'aura agrees to reform the Romulan Senate. A reorganization commission selected by Tal'aura votes to allow her to appoint senators directly rather than holding elections, and she packs the Senate with her supporters.

• Leaders of the Romulan-Vulcan Unification movement petition Tal'aura for representation in the Senate for themselves and the Remans, but Tal'aura declines to respond to their request.

• Changes in immigration laws allow Ambassador Spock to take up legal permanent residence on Romulus as the official ambassador of the United Federation of Planets to the Romulan Star Empire.

• The makeup of the Romulan Senate angers Romulan nobles, who dominated the Senate prior to Shinzon's takeover but held only a handful of seats after the reorganization. Representatives of several of the noble lines argued that for centuries the Romulan Senate has been a partner with the praetor in governing the empire, something that a weakened body beholden to Tal'aura could not be.

• The Line of Tellus denounces Tal'aura and withdraws its members from government service.

• The Klingon Empire takes advantage of the weakened position of the Romulans to stage lightning strikes into Romulan space, retaking Khitomer and the sector surrounding it. The Federation Council criticizes the move, but Ambassador K'mtok responded that the empire was simply reclaiming territory that belonged to the Klingons by right.

• These are the words of Mojog, General of the Klingon Empire: "It took months to convince Martok that the time was right to strike. He was concerned about the Federation, and whether this attack would challenge the alliance. It was none of their concern! We are Klingons! War is our birthright! The Romulans are our enemies! We swept across the borders in a wave of destruction, smashing their meager defenses and conquering all that we saw. Soon we reached Khitomer. The Romulans were weak and starving. They barely put up a fight. Hundreds of their soldiers fled like cowards before our warriors could even set foot on the planet. After almost forty years, the Romulans have finally paid for their sneak attack on our colony. The shades of the 4,000 Klingons killed in that massacre have their vengeance. Khitomer is ours again!"

Spock (ST11)

• Thwarted in their attempts to find a role in the Romulan government, the Unification movement, represented by Ambassador Spock, pressed its case with the Federation Council. The Council took up the matter of formally supporting the Unificationists, but was heavy influenced by Councilor T'Los of Vulcan, who stated that the result of the unification of the two races could not be predetermined, which the probable course of the Romulans and Vulcans remaining separate could be reasonably predicted. Therefore, her only logical choice was to protect the Vulcan way of life by opposing unification. The council did not reach a decision on whether or not to support the Unificationists, and voted to table the matter. The bill was not expected to return to the Council floor for debate again.

EMH (ST08)

• A legal issue of interest to analysts in the Federation was rights for artificial life forms. On Stardate 60334.46, Admiral Owen Paris of Starfleet Research and Development ordered the mobile emitter brought back from the Delta Quadrant by the U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656 to be taken to Starfleet's facility on Galor IV for study. The Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH) known as The Doctor filed a lawsuit to block the transfer of the mobile emitter, arguing that he was a sentient being who acted as a member of Starfleet during Voyager's time in the Delta Quadrant and that the mobile emitter was necessary to his quality of life and performance of his duties. The office of the Judge Advocate General issues an injunction against the transfer of the mobile emitter until it could study the case and issue a ruling.

• The Bajorans and their allies continue to press for the Cardassians to surrender members of its government and military to stand trial for war crimes. But over the course of four months, 472 Cardassians wanted by the Bajorans disappear from Cardassia Prime. The Cardassian government reports it is attempting to determine the whereabouts of its citizens, but little progress is made. The Bajorans respond by accusing the Cardassian government of willingly assisting fugitives.

• Ro Laren completes her time in Federation custody and returns to Bajor. She accepts a commission in the Bajoran militia and is appointed head of security for Deep Space 9.

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