En route to Ra'tleihfi...
On the planet of ch'Rihan, all was apparently normal. Life went on. Businesses were run. Trade was conducted. Children were schooled. Marriages were brokered along with favors, deals and extortion. The trial of Leonard McCoy added a bit of excitement to the day; the famous foe of the Rihannsu brought finally to their own particular justice. But, all in all, it didn't seem to make much difference in life at the center of the Romulan Star Empire.
At least not now...and not on the surface.
Below the surface of ch'Rihan, a one-Horta-cavalry was shooting through the rock like a salmon through water. Naraht was ready. His injuries from his landing were healed and he'd been taking advantage of the plentiful (and tasty) rock in the area. If Dr. McCoy was going to harp on the amount he was eating (or not eating), then by the Mother, he deserved the shock he was going to get.
Just keep talking, Bones, Naraht thought grimly. Commander Spock's not here to cut you off, so you can probably keep the Senate occupied even if I had to come from two continents away.
At least, that was the plan. When the trial was conviened, the doctor was going to demand Right of Statement. If granted (and Romulan honor would allow nothing less), he would be allowed to address the Senate without interruption until he felt his case was made...or he could talk no more. Of course, he would not be allowed food or rest breaks. Once he stopped, that was it, but Bones had been optimistic about his ability to keep the Senate occupied.
"Those boys have never seen a good, old-fashioned Southern fillibuster. They won't know what hit them."
Well, Naraht certainly hoped so. It was more than three hundred kilometers from the House where McCoy had been held to Ra'tleihfi, the capital. That's a long way to go even if you're not tunneling. And Naraht couldn't afford to have too much of a head start, just in case the Romulans for some reason changed their plans and moved the doctor to some other location.
Not much farther, Naraht said, checking the distance reading on his transpoder. First Mother protect him. The Romulans can't do much to me with hand weapons, but keep him safe until I get there.
Ten kilometers...five...one...
He was under the Senate Chamber now...McCoy's signal coming from directly overhead. Naraht burrowed a little farther back for safety's sake and starting going up.
Look out, boys! Here comes Lieutenant Rock!
He could hear the exclaimations through the thin rind of rock just before he burst out into the Senate chamber...and almost laughed at their reaction to him. Granted, there's nothing more shocking than seeing a living rock burst out of your floor, but seeing a group of the most powerful beings on a planet in abject panic is...comicly satisfying.
Got ya, bastards! How do you like this little ambush?
His mission now was simple. Keep McCoy safe by providing a distraction that no one could ignore. So Naraht rumbled across the floor, leaving a deep trench in the glossy marble behind him, stampeeding toward the nearest group of Senators. Disruptor fire tickled his flank...at a setting way to low to even begin to hurt him. Naraht relaxed just a little as McCoy took advantage of the situation in acquiring a phaser from one of the guards.
"Took you long enough to get here!" he shouted across the room.
One guard was too stubborn to get out of the way and Naraht was obliged to ram him. He made a most satisfying THUD as his body hit the wall. "Doctor, let's see you burrow through two hundred, fifty-three miles of rock that fast."
"And another thing, what happened to you? You're twice your size!"
Naraht couldn't help but laugh. "You're the one who's always twitting me about needing to put on some weight! So I snacked on the way. Besides, the granite here is very good."
Fire exploded through Naraht's carapace. Someone had wised up enough to get some guards to concentrate their phaserfire - three beams in one spot simultainously. They didn't punch through but it hurt. And had the affect of pouring gasoline on the already hot fire of Naraht's rage at the situation. The Horta charged the trio...and one was a little to slow getting out of the way. Naraht rolled right over the top of him and Naraht discovered that his Mother was right about how badly humanoids tasted.
But there was no time to reflect on it. More and more Romulan security personel were trying to concentrate their fire on him. Naraht veered erratically, trying to throw them off. The Horta knew that he run over at least one other security guard, but things were quickly blurring together. He saw that McCoy had taken Arrhae 'hostage' and, from the looks of it, the doctor was right. Arrhae wanted to stay on as an operative here. Well, they'd do their best to make sure that her cover was airtight. When Arrahae broke free, Naraht was ready. He charged and struck her a glancing blow, throwing her to the side.
And then the rest of the cavalry beamed down. Naraht quickly stopped pursuing the cowed Romulans as their most infamous outlaw, Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rellailleiu, verbally flayed the Senate...and claimed the Sword of the Empty Chair.
More than enough time for Naraht to look around and see the three, charred corpses he was responsible for...and feel the first twinges of guilt.
[Author's note: All dialogue taken directly from _The Romulan Way_ by Diane Duane]