PreHistory Military Ships Culture Roots of Behavior

Traditions Houses Time System Physical Makeup Government

First encountered by Starfleet vessels in a battle that took place almost three centuries ago, the Romulans are an agressive, cunning, territorial people who wish only to expand their share of space by whatever means is necessary. That first encounter was ended purely by primitive subspace radio treaty, and it was not until decades later, following another confrontational incident, that the physical nature of the Romulan race was made known to Federation science. Shortly thereafter, it was concluded that the Romulan homeworld circled a star listed in the Federation catalogues as Romulus, the larger of the Romulus/Remus stellar pair.

The Romulan Empire has grown through interstellar conquest. Member worlds are ruled with an iron fist, their own government supplanted by newly-installed Romulan ruling parties. While the Romulans are emotional beings, thay are strangely devoid of all compassion for those whom they subjugate.

Facial appearance strongly suggested an ancestral link to the Vulcan race, and further historical and genetic research proved that the Vulcans and Romulans had inded been one people at a point in the Vulcan's turbulent past. The Romulan people are descended from a rebel Vulcan colony group which broke away from its homeworld ties before the Vulcan race turned away from violence and warfare towards its present racial philosophy of logic and peace. Current Starfleet intelligence indicates that a growing movement within the Romulans society may be planting the
seed that will one day result in a Romulan return to the Vulcan heritage they share.

The Romulan people pride themselves on their intellect, however warlike, and this fact contributed greatly to the dissolution of their alliance with the Klingons, whom they considered too barbaric to be fully trusted. The Romulans are increasingly uncomfortable with the current Federation/Klingon alliance and wish to see it dissolved, fearing the combined military power of both entities. Several attempts have already been made by Romulan military intelligence to undermine the peaceful co-existence of the two super powers, but all have proven unsuccessful.

Romulan starship technology now equals that of the Federation, dispite a slow start. Sensor scans of the Romulan Neutral Zone have recently shown a dramatic increase in the number of Romulan starship patrols on their side of the zone, suggesting that they may feel that a Federation invasion is a possibility. Their newest Warbird design is impressive in its size and power and has become the mainstay of their space forces.

Larger than Starfleet's Galaxy Class and equipped with an improved cloaking device system, the Warbird is the single greatest vessel threat to Federation security. While this massive ship employs full disruptors rather than ship-mounted phaser banks, these weapons are equally destructive due to a modification in their resonant frequency amplification process. The vessel is also, of course, equipeed with multiple photon torpedo launch units - the photon torpedo was a Romulan innovation.

After years of struggle, the underground movement took elected control of the Romulan government. Soon after, the "Romulan Peace Accords" of 2382 were signed by the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan governments. Although hailed as the start of a new era, many in both the Klingon and Federation governments saw it as a soft useless document of unconfirmable promises. The Peace Accords also led to the start of a Vulcan/Romulan exchange program, in which selected children from both worlds exchange places for two years at a time. It was believed that this
would lead to better understanding and cooperation on the part of both peoples, and eventually to Reunification.

During 2384, the Romulans accused the Federation of sneak attacks against several outposts near the Delta Quadrant. The Federation denied the reports and pledged their support in discovering the true aggressors. One of the outposts destroyd, Renou III, lost all personnel including Romulan Praetor Tern. As news of the Praetor's death spread, tempers flared toward the Federation. With the elected underground leader dead, the elders took back control of the
government. Exchange students were recalled from Vulcan, while all Vulcans were simultaneously expelled from Romulus. Tensions continued to increase throughout the year, culminating in the attack of a Klingon scout vessel near the Neutral Zone. Federation Ambassadors barely averted war after the Klingons launched a counterattack. An uneasy peace settled over the galaxy as the year came to a close.

The next year opened with the attack of both Federation and Klingon outposts, settlements, and Starbases along the Neutral Zone. In an Emergency Session, the Federation Council declared war on the Romulan Star Empire. With the peace shattered, planets across the galaxy geared up for war. Reserve Federation personnel were called back into service, as are several of the newer mothballed Star Fleet vessels. Families are removed from all Federation vessels, and Marines take their place. The pace of war excalated quickly with the Romulans attacking settlement after
settlement. The Klingons gave a powerful push into Romulan territory, splitting Romuland forces into two groups. At first it seemed as if the Romulans had made a severe miscalculation, bu then the true genius in their plan was seen as the two Romulan groups closed in behind the Klingon fleets, cutting them off. As the Klingons were sytematically wiped from the face of the galaxy, Federation forces launched hard hitting attacks in hopes of drawing some of the Romulan fire. The tactic failed and two-thirds of the Klingon forces were destroyed. The Federation, however,
facing little opposition, took control of a large chunk of Romulan space near the Delta Quadrant.

It is often a truism that cultures are shaped by their history, but with the Romulans it is a demonstrable fact. To trace the history of the Romulans, it is necessary to go back to the history of ancient Vulcan. Ancient Vulcans were not at all like modern Vulcans. Early Vulcans were an extremely emotional, violent and warlike people. The planet was divided into hundreds of small clans and city-states, each with diverse governmental structures and religions. Because Vulcan was (and is) an extremely dry world, water and resources were scarce. Clans and cities fought violently to acquire the resources to continue to survive. In fact, during any given period on the planet, it was unlikely that any more than 10% of the planet was not at war.

Around 80 BC, in Terran dating, a Vulcan named Surak began publicly espousing the mental practice of logic, and the philosophies of peace. As one could expect, in a turbulent world filled with wars and warriors, his philosophies were slow to spread. However, spread they did, and Surak gradually gathered a small following of devoted followers -- the first true Vulcans, as we now know them. Among these followers was one named S'Task, keen of mind and heart, and Surak's finest pupil.

In the Terran year 20 BC, Vulcan received its first contact with aliens from other stars. The signals beamed in from the edge of the Vulcan system by alien vessels so shocked the Vulcans that several wars and declarations of war were put on hold until the matter could be settled one way or another. Officials met, and it was decided that the planet would meet the aliens united. Contact was made via transmissions from Vulcan, and a time and place of meeting agreed upon.

On the day of the meeting Surak was detained by vehicle troubles, but his pupil S'Task was there in his stead. Unfortunately, the aliens were not true to their word of peace, for they were Orion pirates, intent on enslaving the unsuspecting world. When the aliens landed, the Vulcan emissaries were greeted with stun rays and blasters, rather than overtures of friendship, and a large proportion on the leadership of Vulcan was taken prisoner and held for ransom, among them S'Task.

Thus began the "Ahk", the greatest of all Vulcan's wars, which they fought in their primitive ships using their not at all primitive psi-powers. With their mind talents, Vulcan adepts could force Orion pilots to attack each other, or dive their ships into the sun, and the Orions quickly learned that they should not have tangled with this superficially primitive species.

S'Task himself escaped captivity during the war, organizing an in-ship rebellion, overpowering his captors, and eventually crashing the ship into the Orion mother ship, narrowly escaping in a rescue pod. He was found, many weeks later, drifting in space, half-starved, and clinging to life only through the force of his own anger.

In this way began the split between Surak and his student S'Task. After his experience with the Orions, S'Task renounced the pacifism of Surak, saying that pacifism was inappropriate in the hostile universe waiting in interstellar space. However, S'Task was not willing to promote his philosophies actively against Surak, for fear of prodding Vulcan back into a state of war and anarchy. Surak had long preached that "The structure of space-time is more concerned with means than ends: beginnings must be clean to be of profit", and S'Task agreed with his old master. It was with this in mind that S'Task proposed an alternate solution.

The world was not working as it was, said S'Task, so a clean beginning was in order. The followers of S'Task would use
Vulcan's newly advanced space technology and venture out into interstellar space to find a new world and make a clean beginning.

Fifty years later, the first Vulcan far-travel ship, Rhea's Helm, cut in its engines and left orbit, sealing a rift in the
species which has not been sealed to this day.In all, there were 17 far-travel ships in the fleet, each carrying
approximately five thousand of the 'Declared", those who committed to the journey and placed all their property into a trust to build the ships.

When the ships left Vulcan, it was with the belief that they would be able to find a suitable planet within 30-50 years of ship time. The ships were designed with a 100-year viability envelope, so this left plenty of time for the Travelers to find an appropriate world, should the first few stops be unfruitful.

Unfortunately, the Travelers planned their route using data taken from captured Orion vessels, and used the data in a very negative way. Because the Orions had lied to them before, the Travelers were inclined to distrust the data, and planned their trip so as to avoid any star mentioned in the databanks. In this way, the Travelers hoped to avoid any further contact with hostile aliens. The undesirable concomitant of this

strategy was that the Traveler's course led straight through a particularly barren, lifeless, and consequently unexplored section of the quadrant. Rather than taking 30 years, their journey stretched out over 100 years, and they barely arrived at a habitable world before their ships fell apart from old age.

In the course of the journey, 13 of the 17 original ships succumbed to various disasters: mind destroying aliens, black
holes, and gravity wells. The four remaining craft were rewarded for their perseverance with the discovery of not one, but a binary pair of habitable worlds orbiting the star 128 Trianguli. After some discussion, the worlds were named ch'Rihan and ch'Havran, "of the Declared" and "of the Travelers", in the tongue which the Travelers evolved from the Ancient Vulcan dialect to replace their Vulcan language. In this new tongue, the travelers called themselves "Rihannsu", or "the Declared".

At planet-fall, the Travelers found themselves suddenly with two empty worlds to populate. Land was distributed by lottery, and most of the population disembarked, leaving only a few small "Ship Clans" who were reluctant to abandon the far-travel ships completely. However, life on the two worlds was not idyllic: of the 18,000 Rihannsu who settled on the two worlds, approximately 6,000 died in the first ten years of their settlement.

Oddly enough, these 6,000 did not die of disease or starvation, but mostly from the violent deaths of war. Upon settling
down the Rihannsu promptly picked up where things had left off on Vulcan, warring and feuding for various reasons, primarily territory and resources. In such an atmosphere it was only a matter of time before a warlord emerged to impose a central structure on the factions and clans by force, and such a warlord was T'Rehu, the Ruling Queen.

T'Rehu built up an army in about 67 AS (After Settlement) and within 10 years controlled more military might than any other clan in the Two Worlds. When her power was sufficient, she brought her armies to the Grand Council and there demanded recognition and the Master Councillorship. Only S'Task stood before her, and turned and left when the Council granted her demands. A few years later when famine struck the South Continent she called the Council, including S'Task, together. She derided the Council for incompetence, and when S'Task turned his back on her dishonorable display she had him killed, setting herself up as Ruling Queen. As head of the Grand Council and later as Ruling Queen, T'Rehu dabbled in tyranny and beneficence, taking lives and saving them at her whims for some 18 years.

However, 20 years is a short time in the history of a world and after smarting under her rule for several years the warlike clans of the Eastern continents of ch'Havran revolted and defeated her armies. In place of the Ruling Queen a Tricameral system of government was set up which was sufficiently resilient to have survived to this day.

So in relative stability, with regular localized factional wars, the Rihannsu lived in solitude for well over 1000 years.
The Rihannsu enjoyed all the arts and developed them over this time: sculpture, music, painting, science and war. All were relished and enjoyed. And then, the Rihannsu suffered a rude awakening.

In approximately 1600 AS, the Federation vessel USS Carrizal came out of warp at the far edge of the 128 Trianguli system and began surveying the area. They found, to their surprise, two worlds there with an apparently highly developed agrarian civilization on each. The crew dubbed the worlds "Romulus" and "Remus" in reference to an ancient Terran legend. In standard first contact procedures they beamed in messages of peace and good will. They received no response. After surveying the system for a time, they returned to the Federation with the news of their discovery.

On the Two Worlds the arrival of the aliens had an extremely disturbing effect. Tales of the Orion pirates had survived through the years, and the settlers still remembered that the Orions had preceded their treachery with offerings of peace. They were determined not to allow history to repeat itself, and set about organizing their defense. Over the past 1600 years, the Rihannsu had developed an extremely effective industrial system. They knew they could not match the technology of the ship that had entered their system, but years of war had taught them that sheer numbers could overwhelm any technological advantage.

By the time the next Federation ship arrived, the Rihannsu had constructed some 7,000 crude, cylindrical vessels -- impulse powered with particle beam weapons. When the USS Balboa coasted into the Trianguli system, it was blown to bits by the massed particle beams of 50 spacecraft. Shortly thereafter, the Rihannsu captured the USS Stone Mountain, took her apart, studied the design, and added warp drive to their primitive craft. Thus began what was known to the Federation as the "First Romulan War".

The Federation's Starfleet was stymied and confused by their inability to defeat the Rihannsu, who were flying craft that were little more than tin cans with warp power drives. Time and again, larger and larger task forces were sent into Rihannsu space and were systematically obliterated by the Rihannsu. At about this time, the Federation made first contact with the Vulcans, and asked them if they knew anything about this seemly maniacal race. The Vulcans responded with characteristic caution that they knew of some who might match the description, but that they had left Vulcan long ago. As Starfleet continued to send task forces into Rihannsu space the Vulcans suggested that, if these were indeed the ones who had left long ago, it would be best to make peace. It took Starfleet several more years to realize that they were never going to prevail, and a treaty was eventually negotiated -- the only treaty in Federation history to be negotiated entirely by data upload, as the Rihannsu refused to meet the aliens in person.

The treaty stipulated a band of space between the Federation and Rihannsu territories one light year thick, which has since become known as the "Romulan Neutral Zone". And so the situation stands now: the Rihannsu on one side, fiercely developing their defenses to avoid being taken advantage of by aliens once again; and the Federation on the other, completely unable to comprehend the reasoning and historical context behind the implacable hostility of their counterparts.

The military is the central organization in the Rihannsu Empire. In order to protect themselves after the appearance of the Federation in their system, the Rihannsu provided sweeping powers to their military. This emphasis on military service lead in turn to the social importance of military service.

Military officers are held in high social esteem, and often go on to careers as high ranking government and trade officials after leaving active service.

The military is lead by the High Command, which consists of the Naval admiralty and the Legion heads of all military
legions.

Members of the military are expected to follow the Chain of Command, reporting problems and progress to their immediate superiors as a matter of course.

After the first war with the Federation, the Rihannsu bent their engineering skills towards creating a ship to defend the Empire. The result was the Warbird class starship, acknowledged by everyone, including the Klingons and the Federation, to be one of the finest, solidest, most maneuverable warp-capable craft ever designed. The Warbird is small, but contains a formidable arsenal, most notably a plasma-based molecular implosion field.

In addition to the impressive Warbird, the Rihannsu were the first species in the quadrant to develop a working cloaking device. A prototype device was stolen by the Federation shortly after it's development, but was not entirely compatible with their propulsion systems, and is not in common use in their fleet. The Klingons also succeeded in stealing the device, some time later, and successfully adapted it to their ships. Most Rihannsu ships are equipped with the cloaking device for the impressive tactical advantage it provides.

After the war with the Federation, and several wars with the Klingons, the Rihannsu found their economy in desperate shape, and were forced to sign a trading agreement with the Klingons. Under the agreement, the Rihannsu were required to buy a number of Klingon ships for their fleet. Though heavily armed, the Klingon ships proved to be poorly made and the Rihannsu have been trying to phase them out of the fleet ever since.

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Culture

To better understand the Rihannsu culture of today one must look at the Vulcan culture of the past. The Vulcans of the past were an extremely warlike and emotional people. It was the only teachings of Surak that brought about the logical Vulcan culture of today. It was a student of Surak's, S'task, who lead a group of people out into the stars to create a new way of life. Based on the fundamentals of ancient Vulcan society, Rihannsu culture is a liberal admixture of old Vulcan traits and ideas evolved during the Journey.

There is an old Rihannsu proverb that sums up the culture rather well: "Certain it is and sure: love burns, ale burns, fire burns, politics burns. But cold were life without them." Rihannsu enjoy all aspects of life to the fullest, reveling in
their experiences. Even seemingly unpleasant experiences, like death, and war, are cherished for their intensity.

Rihannsu religion centeres around 5 elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and the Archelement. In connection with these elements, the Rihannsu celebrate nine festivals to honor these elements. Each element has two festivals devoted to it with one culminating festival to the Archelement.

Some of these festivals likely date back to the pre-Reformation era on Vulcan as do a few other Rihannsu practices in the area of religion. Though Rihannsu do not preserve "katras" as the Vulcans do, many religious ceremonies retain a distinctive Vulcan flavor.

Cautious at best, xenophobic at worst, the Rihannsu people have a right to paranoia born of their violent history. The
experience with the Orion pirates on ancient Vulcan burned a lesson into their minds forever: never trust an alien. In the mind of a Rihannsu, only a Rihannsu person is worthy of respect and civility, all others are discounted.

At the center of the Rihannsu code of behavior is the importance of mnhei'sahe. It is a measurement of inner strength and a status symbol in the culture. Mnhei'sahe, or "the Ruling Passion", centers around a strong appreciation of honor, duty, courtesy and strength. In all interactions between Rihannsu, it is imperative that all parties leave afterward feeling that their honor, their status, their "face", is intact. To do otherwise would be to deny the mnhei'sahe of the offended party. If the offending party feels he can apologize without himself losing face, he does so. Otherwise, a duel may be in order. Or, if the disgraced party is beyond recall, those present may simply kill him, in order to preserve the memory of his honor and prevent further disgrace. Above all, mnhei'sahe is sensitive to the context of the situation. It is not a hard set rule, in is an unspoken consensus which guides the actions of all Rihannsu.

Rihannsu honor their word, when it is given to another Rihanha -- to break with one's word means dishonor, a fate worse than death. Politeness, respect, and quiet dignity are always required if mnhei'sahe is to be satisfied.

Rihannsu honor power as much as they honor loyalty. The goal of each Rihanha is power -- if not for self or House, then always for the Empire. Rihannsu are always loyal to the Empire itself, not to any one person. For the Rihannsu, power can not be defined in the Terran terms of monetary wealth, it is the power of mnhei'sahe, and it defines the structure within Rihannsu society.

Mnhei'sahe is not a vague or academic term. Wars, executions and deaths of entire Households can be required to satisfy mnhei'sahe. If mnhei'sahe is always intact within the Empire, the Rihannsu believe that they can never lose.

There are some people who have no honor. These include those who are not Rihannsu, those who dishonor themselves to the point where no one respects them and those who act in opposition to the collective will of the empire. This is one reason why slaves are permitted. Although it stems from ancient Vulcan in historical context, it has been permitted to continue because of honor.

Most slaves are either Rihannsu criminals and miscreants or people from outside the empire. In Rihannsu society, these people have no honor, and are treated as such, as slaves. If these people regain some of their honor through devoted service or through other acts, it is possible that their master will set them free. The master does this to respect the honorable conduct of the slave. He or she also does it to preserve personal honor, since it is highly dishonorable for any Rihannsu to keep an honorable being in slavery.

This section is intended to provide a few of the specifics of Rihannsu behavior. In particular, the etiquette that the
complex Rihannsu class structure demands. This text was given to the Federation from a Romulan defector in the year 2396. We believe that this information is true and has been verified with the appropriate sources.

At all times it is expected that you will behave in an honorable way. Inappropriate childish and immature behavior will be dealt with disciplinary measures. As a cadet or citizen you should treat your superiors at all times with respect. This doesn't mean that you can't joke around, but when a situation is serious act accordingly.

As a cadet or a new graduate you may be called to meetings to either give input to a situation or to receive duties.
Remember that you have been called there for a purpose, to give input, so do so. Make sure that you are not interrupting or jumping ahead -- that can make for confusion. Make sure that you always understand your orders: it is better to repeat them at the beginning rather than do the wrong thing. Use your judgment and common sense.

As a citizen or cadet of the Rihannsu Empire, your behavior, manner, and conduct reflect upon our Empire. There are many reasons why you may have joined the Rihannsu Empire, but the one true goal and duty of all Rihannsu is The Glory of the Empire. When you are on Nimbus III or somewhere else, your behavior reflects upon the training that you have received at the Academy and upon the Empire in general. Do not forget that our duty is to the Empire and that the pristine face that is the Empire should never be marred by your actions.

A common question for most cadets and citizens is when to bow, whom to salute and how many times. Citizens do not have to salute, but it is polite to bow to your superiors. Once is enough when entering a room and leaving. The same holds true for Cadets, saluting when you enter and room and eaving. When you become a higher ranking officer you may acknowledge lower ranks in any way you feel fits the situation: from a bow to a nod to completely ignoring them.

If you are in the military, you are generally expected to address all superior officers as "rekkhai", with the exception of
social, or OOC occasions. "Rekkhai" is a gender neutral term and is used for male and female superiors alike. Inferior
officers may be addressed by rank or name.

Civilians are expected to address military officers by their rank unless invited otherwise. Important civilian citizens
should be addressed as "lhhai" (Sir) or "lhhei" (Madam). Heads of Clans should be addressed as "hru'hfirh" (Lord).

Rihannsu traditions are buried deep in their history and psyche. They affect every aspect of their lifestyle, and deviation from tradition can be interpreted as a personal dishonor.

An important tradition is how Rihannsu greet one another. Greetings vary depending on whether the parties involved are members of the military or not. If two civilians are meeting each other, one may choose to bow to the other, although it is not required. The other may choose to nod or bow in return, or do nothing at all. To do nothing is considered rude. Whether the person nods or bows in return depends on a number of factors, such as his/her position in society, the position of the other civilian, or the whether the other person is an acquaintance or not.

When military personnel greet each other, the one of lower rank is required to salute the officer of higher rank. The higher ranked officer can then decide whether or not to bow, nod, salute or ignore the other. Very seldom will someone ignore a salute. If the two officers are of the same rank, they may bow, nod or salute the other -- and do the same in return.

If a military officer and a civilian meet, usually the civilian will bow to the military officer, but will never salute. The
civilian is not required to bow or nod, but it is usually done to someone who is defending the empire. The military officer then can return the bow or nod, salute, or ignore the civilian altogether. Normally they will return with a nod or bow and on rare occasions even salute. For instance, a military officer may choose to salute a civilian if the civilian is a retired officer, or of exceptionally high status.

There are also certain traditions that must be adhered to when hosting a meeting with another Rihannsu. One is the serving of a beverage to guests when they first enter the house. This beverage may be one of four: ale, water, wine or citrus (juice). Ale is cheap, and is seldom served unless a social gathering requires cheap spirits. Water is the most common. Not expensive but still showing courtesy to your guest. Wine is more expensive and is used when entertaining special guests. Citrus is the most expensive, and is reserved for very special occasions.

Once a beverage is served, it is the guest's privilege to take the first drink. This is also done out of respect to the host
for serving the beverage. After the guest finishes her first drink, the host may follow. Upon entering a room, it is
traditional to introduce yourself to those also present in the room. This can be done by bowing, saluting or nodding, and saying "Jolan'tru". If someone is accompanying you into a room, and they don't know those present, introduce that person to them. If you are accompanying someone into a room full of people you do not know, wait until that person introduces you. The best way is to introduce a person to everyone else individually, bowing or nodding to each new acquaintance.

When leaving a room, it is also customary to bow or salute while saying "Jolan'tru". Position always outweighs rank. If an Arrain is the commanding officer of a vessel, he would be addressed with his position, "Riov", not his rank, "Arrain". If you were talking to the Fvillha, who was also the head of his own house, about a matter that dealt with his house, you would address him as "Hru'hfirh". If it was a matter dealing with the empire, you would address him as "Fvillha".

Example: H'daen is Hru'hfirh of the House Radaik. He is an Enriov in the navy, and in command of a fleet of vessels within the navy. If you were addressing him about a House matter, you would call him "Hru'hfirh tr'Radaik". If it was a general naval matter, you would address him as "Enriov". If you were addressing him about a matter that dealt with his ship or the fleet of ships under his command, you would address him as "galae'Riov" (Fleet Captain).

The real power one holds is position, not rank. One may order someone else to do something because of position, even if the person being ordered around has a higher rank. This also holds true when talking about greater and lesser houses. Members of a greater house will have more social prestige and political power than those of lower houses. However, the power you gain from being a member of a greater house only extends to political and influential circles. This does not mean an Arrain of a great house may order an Arrain of lower house to do something. This is outside the scope of house powers.

To give you an idea about how some of these traditions would come into play, here are a couple of examples:

Scenario:

Arrain Nveid has asked to meet with Enriov H'daen. Nveid serves on board H'daen's ship, which is the flagship of a fleet within the navy. The meeting is to take place in Enriov H'daen's office.

There is a chime heard throughout the room. Enriov H'daen tr'Radaik calmly rises from behind his desk and walks over to the door and unlocks it with his pass-card. The doors slide open to reveal Arrain Nveid standing just outside. H'daen motions him into the room.

"Galae'Riov tr'Radaik." Nveid says, promptly saluting H'daen by closing his right fist bringing it to the left side of his
chest and then extending his arm straight, palm open and facing upwards. He holds his arm in this position until H'daen acknowledges.

H'daen nods in acknowledgment.

Nveid then brings his closed fist back to the left side of his chest and then drops his arm to his side.

H'daen moves over to a counter where pitcher of water and a set of glasses await. "Have a seat," he invites.

Nveid moves over to one of the chairs in front of H'daen's desk and sits himself down while H'daen pours two glasses of water from the pitcher, then gives one to Nveid and keeps one himself.

"Thank you Galae'Riov, it is most appreciated," says Nveid.

"My pleasure," H'daen replies taking a seat behind the desk.

Once H'daen takes his seat, Nveid takes a drink of water. Following Nveid, H'daen also takes drink.

"Galae'Riov, I came here today to discuss with you a matter which I perceive as a threat to ship's security," Nveid begins.

"Arrain! Do you not know protocol!" H'daen states sternly, "You are to bring these matters to the First Officer, not to me! You have been trained better than that. Explain yourself."

"Galae'Riov, I would have brought it to the First Officer, but I have reason to believe that he is part of that very same
threat," Nveid replies calmly.

H'daen leans forward, eyes blazing and alert. "Then you acted properly of course. This is a very serious accusation you make Arrain. Explain this threat...."

Take note of the following things from this example:

The meeting is at H'daen's, even though Nveid requested it. This is because H'daen is of much higher rank, and it deals with ship's business, it is Nveid's responsibility to come to H'daen. This will not always be the case in other scenarios. Once Nveid enters the room, he salutes H'daen. This is obvious since H'daen is a senior officer. H'daen acknowledges Nveid with an approving nod. Again, perfectly acceptable. If Nveid and H'daen were closer in rank, H'daen may have bowed or saluted instead.

Nveid addresses Enriov H'daen as "Galae'Riov tr'Radaik". That is the formal title H'daen has, "tr'Radaik" being his family name. Nveid uses "Galae'Riov" because that is H'daen's position. Although H'daen is an Enriov by rank, he is currently in the position of Galae'Riov, and that is how he would be addressed for all matters concerning the fleet under his command.

Water is the beverage served. Had Nveid been hosting H'daen, Nveid may have served wine instead, because hosting a Galae'Riov would be a very special occasion for an Arrain.

Nveid takes the first drink, which is his 'right' as a guest. He waits for H'daen to sit down before drinking, out of respect for his host.

Nveid begins the conversation, and deals with the reason for the meeting right away. This is business meeting, not a social call. Therefore it is Nveid's responsibility to begin the conversation and get straight to the point.

The rest after that is just superfluous speech. The only thing to note is for military officers. It is common military
procedure to report problems to the First Officer, who then decides whether it is worth bothering the Riov about.

At the root of Rihannsu political organization is the House system. Houses are family groups or clan-like organizations, with hereditary succession structures. Unlike feudal family organizations, however, Rihannsu Houses encompass a much broader spectrum of society. For example, servants of a House Lord are considered part of the family, and adopt the House name and use it as their own. That is not to say that they are equal members, but they are included.

Each house that has its own rank and status accorded in Rihannsu society. Houses are considered either Great Houses or Lesser Houses. Great Houses have many family members that are high in the social standing of the Empire. The members of Great Houses have proven their service to the Empire in past honors and loyalty. Lesser Houses have not received the honor and glory, but serve an integral and vital role within the Empire. It is their quiet service that supports the Empire and brings greater glory to it. The status of House members reflects directly on the status of their House and vice versa.

Within each House, are various positions, as detailed in the following table:

Position Function Position Function

hru'hfirh	Head of House	eri'hfurh	Heir of House
rianov	Weaponmaster	auethnen	Advisor
llaugh	Representative	hru'diranov	Grandfather
hru'nanov	Grandmother	di'ranov	Father
ri'nanov	Mother	ira'dianvm	Oldest Brother
ia'rinam	Oldest Sister	dianvm	Brother
rinam	Sister	eria'rinam	Cousin
v'rian	Adopted Cousin	v'rinam	Adopted Sister
v'dianvm	Adopted Brother	v-Di'ranov	Adopted Father
v-Ri'nanov	Adopted Mother	vadii	Nephew
vadi/ vada	Uncle/ Aunt	Vadia	Niece

The most important person in a House is the hru'hfirh or Head of House. The hru'hfirh is responsible for the members of the House, maintaining the House's mnhei'sahe, and the day-to-day financial and social dealings of the House. The eri'hfirh, or Heir, assists the hru'hfirh. The status of the House and the responsibilities are decided by the hru'hfirh, but usually the importance of House members is as follows: hfu'hfirh, eri'hfirh, Auethnen, and then Llaugh and Rianov with equal rank. The other status and importance follows as listed above. As you can see is the chart above, there is the added complexity of adoption. An adopted member of the family has the same rank and receives the same respect as a blood member, but with the added responsibility of another House, perhaps. Adoptions are commonplace.

Another commonplace is a unique form of revenge, usually prompted by a mnhei'sahe in the case of the murder of a child, known as "hostage fostering". In this situation, a House steals the children of a rival House and rears them as their own. A family that has lost their child in this manner usually never sees them again.

Rihannsu time is based on three distinct astronomical periods within the Eisn (128 Trianguli) star system: the orbit of the twin habitable worlds around Eisn; the orbit of the twin planets around each other; and the rotation of the planets on their axes. The orbit around Eisn determines the length of the Rihannsu year, while the planets' orbits around each other determine the length of the Rihannsu month. The length of the day is determined by the rotations of ch'Rihan and ch'Havran on their axes.

The Rihannsu time system is based on a basic time interval, the ewa, which is equal to 4.2 terran seconds. Each larger unit of time is derived from the previous using a base twelve system, as follows:

12 ewa = 1 siuren (period)

12 siuren= 1 kevn (minute)

12 kevn = 1 tarim (hour)

12 tarim = 1 tel (day)

One Rihannsu day is equal to 1.008 terran days. The most commonly used units of Rihannsu time in day to day conversation are the siuren and the tarim. The months of the Rihannsu year are each named after a significant
personality in Rihannsu history. There are nine months in the Rihannsu year, each named after the festival which is celebrated in that month. There are 48 days in a Rihannsu month, split up into four different 12 day weeks. Rihannsu the day names have two parts. The first part of a day name signifies the day of the week, while the second part gives the name of the week.

Rihannsu Males

Height: between 5'7" and 6'3"

Weight: between 145lbs to 250lbs

Hair: black or dark brown

Eyes: dark colors, nearly black

Strength: stronger than the average Terran

Facial softer than the sharp angles of the vulcans, but there is

Features: still a chiseled like feature. The ears are less pointed

than their Vulcan cousins.

Rihannsu Females

Height: between 5'6" and 5'9"

Weight: between 125lbs and 165lbs

Hair: black or dark brown

Eyes: dark colors or brown

Strength: stronger than the average Terran

Facial Features:softer than the chiseled like features of the males, ears

are less pointed than that of their Vulcan cousins.

Rihannsu blood chemistry is significantly different from that of Terrans. Like their Vulcan ancestors, the Rihannsu have copper based blood, which is green rather than red. The Rihannsu physiology is not identical to that of Vulcans however, since the two races have had two millenia to evolve in different directions.

Living on the Two Worlds, which are somewhat colder and a good deal wetter than Vulcan, the Rihannsu have undergone a few changes. Their long pointed ears, used by Vulcans to radiate excess heat, have shortened somewhat.
Rihannsu have slightly more exterior insulating body fat, and lack the gaunt look of Vulcans. Rihannsu skin is a slightly lighter shade of green than Vulcans, since they do not need the extra sun protection provided by excess skin pigmentation.

Government Structure

The Rihannsu government is an authoritarian system of checks and balances designed to prevent any one group or individual from monopolizing power for too long a period. Devised in the period following the overthrow of T'Rehu,
the Ruling Queen, the Rihannsu system is tricameral in nature.

The Rihannsu Senate, or Deihu'hrrau, is the legislative body responsible for the proposal and passing of legislation, and the body from which members of the judiciary are drawn. The Senate is divided into two halves: the Lower Senate to propose and pass legislation, and the Upper Senate strictly to veto legislation. This structure provides a certain amount of governmental inertia, which prevents the passing of large amounts of revolutionary legislation and promotes stability.

The Praetorate, comprised of both the military High Command members and civilian leaders, is the executive branch, charged with implementing and enforcing the laws passed by the Senate. At times, the Praetorate may also propose legislation for the Senate to consider.

Positions in the Senate are hereditary, passing from senators to their sister's eldest child on death. However, constituents can exercise a form of recall on their representatives. If a Senator sufficiently displeases them, the constituents may finally send the representative a sword, with which to commit honorable suicide. Most recipients of such a recall choose to acquiesce, rather than be brought down by a far less honorable assassination.

The Praetorate consists of a three person triad, each individual Fvillha representing one third of the Rihannsu executive branch. These branches are the Military, the Tal'Shiar, and Imperial Trade. The Senate as a whole is composed of representatives of the official Houses of the Empire. Each House receives one representative. Members
of the Upper Senate are those senators that represent Great Houses. Each branch of the Senate elects a hru'Deihu'hrrai, or Head Senator, to schedule, organize and chair meetings. No one person may sit as a Senator and a Fvillha at the same time. The three sections of the executive branch represented in the Praetorate have disparate and important duties.

The military is responsible for defending the Empire from any foreign foe and for expanding the Empire's borders as mnhei'sahe demands. The military must maintain such fleet and ground forces as are necessary for the defense and expansion of the Empire. The commander in chief of the Rihannsu military is the Galae'Fvillha, or Fleet Commander. Although the commander in chief has ultimate responsibility in the commision of war and preparations of defense, the military must respond to declarations of war and peace handed down by the Praetorate.

The Tal'Shiar is responsible for preserving the Empire from the pollution of alien cultures and for maintaining the health and safety of all Rihannsu citizens. To fulfill its duties, the Tal'Shiar shall conduct all diplomatic relations with alien worlds, provide a security force to enforce Imperial law on all Rihannsu citizens, and for gathering information about alien worlds for the use and furtherance of the Empire. The Shiar'Fvillha, or Supreme Commander, shall administer all Praetorate meetings and is empowered to make decisions on behalf of the Empire in the case of an emergency.

The Department of Imperial Trade shall be responsible for the regulation of all commerce of the Empire, within and without. This includes but is not limited to: interplanetary tariffs; Imperial patents and copyrights; the Imperial budget; trade contacts with aliens; production quotas; and the printing of currency.