"Keeping the Family Close"

Vulcan, 2388

Syrk walked up the stone path into his home, a simple two bedroom house on the outskirts of the city R'shaan. He opened the door and saw several things out of place, and a smear of green blood on his side table, Syrk arched his brow and picked up his letter opener.

Carefully, he made his way into his living room, the lights were out, however, he was still able to make out the shape of a rather tall humanoid with an unusually longer torso sitting on his couch. The man in the shadow was sitting mostly upright, while slightly favoring his right side, Syrk quickly figured that's where the blood smear on his wall came from, also being able to narrow the unknown man to two possibilities.

"Who are you? And why are you in my home?" Syrk demanded

The unknown man replied "Let's just say, I'm family." The man stood up and stepped into the light coming in from the window. Syrk's face quickly changed from his usual emotionless Vulcan look, to one of surprise, and even a slight hint of fear as he looked into the eyes of the Romulan in front of him.

"Who are you?" Syrk asked a second time

"My name is R'lmus, and we are cousins."

"That's impossible, you are implying that either you are part Vulcan, or I am part Romulan."

"You are part Romulan, we share the same grandfather." R'lmus digs into his pocket and tosses over a data rod. "That is proof, that our grandfather, a man you knew as Sakkhet, Captain of Starbase 15, was really a Romulan double agent."

Syrk narrowed his eyes, and slowly took the data rod, and looked it over in his hand "You break into my home.. why should I believe you?"

"Because a part of you knows that Sakkhet's 'death' was too clearly faked, even by Romulan standards."

Syrk walked to his computer console with the data rod. R'lmus walked down into the hallway to get to a first aid kit. As he entered the bathroom, he never felt the hand on his shoulder as the ground suddenly rushed up to him and the darkness overtook him.

---

"Personal Log, it has been nearly three days since my home was invaded by the Romulan who calls himself R'lmus. His injuries were bad, but I was able to heal them from my home. He seems to have been subjected to a lot of abuse on his body over the last few years, more than several badly healed ribs, he has more than a few bones that look like they were healed using cheap medical equipment, nothing that can't be repaired by a few days in a hospital. His's injuries seem consistence with being in a close hand to hand combat ageist an attacker with a rather jagged edge knife, most likely of Romulan design, judging from the blood loss, he was attacked within three miles of my home.

I will admit that it took a little convincing to Amara that we couldn't just hand him over to Starfleet security, she did do a little digging into R'lmus, as far as we could find, he isn't much of a person of interest for anyone, the V'Shar files on him only seem to say he is the son of Senator L'lmus, was a fast rising officer in the imperial navy, until Shinzon's rebellion, R'lmus was charged with the murder of Senator S'Tokkr's eldest son, who happened to be the main rival of L'lmus, after that, R'lmus's file ends.

However, that isn't the end, after looking over the data rod R'lmus provided.. he seemed to be telling the truth, and after taking a sample, there is a genetic match, also I ran a test on my DNA, and.. R'lmus was telling the truth, we share the same grandfather, and he wasn't Vulcan." Syrk paused his personal log as he heard a groan coming from his guest bedroom. Syrk got up and walked into the room, seeing R'lmus slowly trying to sit up.

"Ouch.. how long was I out?" R'lmus slowly flexed his hand as he sits up.

"Nearly three days, your body was exhausted." Syrk handed R'lmus a glass of water.

R'lmus took the glass and slowly took a sip "I take it that my gamble worked that you wouldn't turn me in?" he coughed a little, before taking a larger drink. "I got to say.. I wasn't expecting you to nerve pitch me."

"That's because I didn't, my wife did."

"Ahh, right, Amara.. my source told me she was off world."

"She was recalled, something happened at a hospital that an ambassador was staying in and she was called in to help with the investigation." Syrk looked to R'lmus "Tell me, why are you here? You didn't come all this way to just have a family reunion."

R'lmus looked at Syrk "You're right, I came here because.. well.. right now, the Federation is the only place where I can be safe."

"There is the refugee program.."

"That takes too long, I can't wait two years, I need to be safe now... besides.. I know what will happen if the truth of Sakkhet comes out, you will lose your job, and your career will be over."

Syrk narrowed his eyes, he knew that R'lmus was telling the truth, Syrk worked hard foe a long time to become a doctor, however, if the news that he carried Romulan blood got out, he would lose his patients, and the hospital he worked for would fire him, and bar him from medical practice on Vulcan. "You are not wrong."

R'lmus leaned forward "Look, I'm not here to destroy you, if I was, I'd have done that, I'm here because I need a place to lay low."

"Fine.. I will allow you to stay, for now, but, you need to make sure that your troubles do not effect me, or my wife.. speaking of Amara, I will deal with her, but, she will not like this." Syrk grabbed a hypo and loaded it with a sleeping sim "You still need rest, will you sleep willingly? or do I need to give you this?"

"No.. I'll be fine."

"Good.. breakfast at 0500." With that, Syrk walked out the room and back to his computer, and hit delete on his personal log before heading to his own bed.