u.s.s. Lancelot NCC-74410

diplomatic/JAG dEPARTMENT

ROMULANS

Romulans tend to look somewhat like Vulcans, but with a slightly different forehead structure.  Romulan males have facial features that are generally softer then the sharp angular features of their Vulcan cousins and have a strength two to three times stronger than that of the average non-Romulan humanoids they have so far encountered. Romulan females, like the males, generally are of greater strength then those of other humanoid races. Their facial features are softer than the chiseled features of the males, with Romulan ears being slightly less pointed than their distant cousins the Vulcans.

Romulan blood chemistry is significantly different from that of Terrans. Like their Vulcan ancestors, the Romulans' have copper-based blood, which is green rather than red. The Romulan physiology is not identical to that of Vulcans however, since the two races have had two millennia to evolve and develop in different directions. Living on the two homeworlds, which are somewhat colder and a good deal wetter than Vulcan, the Romulans have undergone a few changes. Their long pointed ears, used by Vulcans to radiate excess heat, have shortened somewhat. Romulans have slightly more exterior insulating body fat, and lack the gaunt look of Vulcans. Romulan skin is a slightly lighter shade of green than Vulcans, since they do not need the extra protection from a sun provided by excess skin pigmentation.

Unlike other races whose eye and hair color may vary drastically, that of the Romulans does not. Romulans have either dark brown or black hair, which is also true of their eye color, again, either dark brown or black. Due to its xenophobic nature, the Romulan society does not tolerate anything less then pure Romulan, so diversion from the above is generally considered somewhat of a social stigma. They would in no way associate themselves with a lesser race by unnaturally coloring their hair or eyes and are already physically ideal for their environment, therefore there is no reason to alter the natural state of things.

As the Romulans are descendants of the Vulcans, subjected to millennia of evolution, they share the long Vulcan lifespan, albeit to a slightly lesser degree. The maximum Romulan lifespan that can ever be expected is approximately 250 standard years, with more typical figures ranging from 200 to 230 or so. Generally, the last 10 to 25 of those years is spent in a weakened state, as is common with most races. As is to be expected by their longer lifespan, Romulan physical development proceeds at a slower pace than their human counterparts, lagging behind humans by approximately five to ten standard years early on in life. Knowing this, the primary developmental difference between Romulans and Humans occurs later on in life, where the more hardy and developed Rihannsu physiology allows for a lengthened adult life.

Appropriately, the Romulan gestation period is slightly lengthened, with the typical child being born after approximately twelve months of development. Birth weight is generally in the same proportion to the human counterpart as are adult weights.

Birth rates generally run slightly higher than their human counterpart, with an average of four children born to a Romulan family. This can primarily be attributed to the fact that early life on the homeworlds was so harsh, requiring a higher birth rate if the species was to survive. As the millennia progressed and conditions on the homeworld became more bearable and the population stabilized and grew, this average birth rate slowly decreased to the level it is today. Further, child bearing generally does not occur until both male and female are fully in adulthood. It is not considered socially acceptable in Romulan society to bear children in one's teens, although it is physically possible.

The Romulan civilization began when the Declared split from their Vulcan ancestors and thus began to travel to begin a new civilization among the stars. The Declared where followers of S'task who had a different view than his friend Surak. Surak was teaching the Vulcan philosophy of logic. While S'Task remained true to the old ways of honor. Soon the to philosophies began to clash & S'Task decided to leave the home world with his disciples to save it from being torn apart between two philosophies.

S'Task left with 80,000 people in seventeen ships and began a journey through the solar system looking for a new home world. While on their quest for a new home world many of the seventeen ships where lost. Their voyage otherwise known as the Sundering ended with around 4 ships & 18,000 people made planetfall on ch'Rihan and ch'Havran (In Terran Romulus and Remus) Some of these people called themselves Rihannsu or the Declared

At planetfall, the Travelers found themselves suddenly with two empty worlds to populate. Land was distributed by lottery, and most of the population debarked, 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 had more might than any in the Two Worlds. When her power was sufficient, she brought her armies to the Grand Council and there demanded recognition. Only S'Task stood before her, and turned and left when the Council granted her demands. A few years later when famine struck.

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 house of Praetorate and Senate 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 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.

Around the year 1600 AS a Federation ship called the Carrizal entered the 128 Trainguli system to survey this systems. They found 2 habitable planets with an highly developed agrarian civilization on both planets. 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 planets the visitors from the Federation had a disturbing effect on our people. They had not forgotten the Orions on Vulcan who also claimed to be peacefully. In 1600 years the Romulans had developed an extremely effective industrial system. They knew who could not match their technology of the ship from the Federation, 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 U.S.S 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".

After this war the Neutral Zone was formed. The Romulans later  had contacts with the Klingon empire but when they became allies with the Federation they were treated as the Federation.

In order to understand the Romulan today, you have to know their ancient Vulcan roots. Vulcan were extremely warlike and emotional people until Surak taught the Vulcans to live logical and emotionless. A student of Surak, S'task who led a group of Rihannsu called the Travelers from Vulcan to the planets ch'Rihan and ch'Havran to create a new way of life. Based on the fundamentals of the warlike ancient Vulcan society, present Rihannsu culture is a curious mixture of ancient Vulcan customs evolved and aged during the tough realities of the Journey and their early hard life on their new homeworlds of ch'Rihan and ch'Havran.

The family, service to the Empire, and mnhei'sahe, the Rihannsu concept of personal honour are great values in the Romulan culture. A Romulan family is very close and marriages are for life because the bond between husband and wife is so close that divorces and separation are not known in Romulan society, and failed marriages are taken as a taint upon the mnhei'sahe of both individuals. Every Romulan exists to serve and is willing to die for the Empire. A job in the military is one of the most prestigious jobs in the Romulan Star Empire and combat veterans are the most respected members of Romulan society.

Government and Justice

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. 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 legion heads, is the executive branch and judicial 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. The Praetorate has a final veto on all military decisions passed by the Senate. The Fvillha, or Head Praetor, is the highest ranking member of the Empire, and has veto power over all decisions, in effect acting as a separate branch of government.

Positions in the Senate, Praetorships, are hereditary. However, constituents can exercise a form of recall on their representatives. If a Senator or Praetor sufficiently displeases those that s/he is supposed to represent, 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.

1. The Praetorate is made up of the military High Command and all legion heads. The High Command is comprised of all officers ranking higher than Riov, and legion heads are those who lead specific organizations. Ex. Head of Diplomacy, Commandant of Academy.

2. The Senate as a whole is composed of representatives of the official Houses of the Empire. Each House receives one representative for every five House members. Members of the Upper House are chosen from the Senate as a whole by the Fvillha.

3. Each branch of the Senate elects a hru'Deihu'hrrai, or Head Senator, to schedule, organize and chair meetings.

4. No one person may sit in more than one branch of the Rihannsu government.

Legislation

1. Any member of the Senate or Praetorate may propose a bill, which must be posted in a public place, and forwarded to the Head Senator of the Lower Senate for initial passage. The Head Senator will place the bill on he agenda of the next sitting of the Lower Senate.

2. The Lower Senate then debates and either passes or defeats the bill. If it passes, the bill is forwarded to the Head Senator of the Upper Senate, and notice of First Passage is posted. The Head Senator of the Upper Senate then places the bill on the agenda of the next sitting of the Upper House.

3. The Upper House then debates and either passes or defeats the bill. If it passes, the bill is forwarded to the Fvillha, who either vetoes it immediately or places it on the agenda of the next meeting of the Praetorate and posts notice of Second Passage.

4. The Praetorate then debates and either passes or defeats the bill. If it passes, the bill is forwarded to the Fvillha, who either proclaims the bill as law, or vetoes it. If proclaimed, the bill is placed on Statute.

5. If a bill is defeated by the Upper Senate, or Praetorate, the bill is sent back to Lower Senate, which may either amend it and pass it again, or discard it.

A normal citizen of the Empire can get involved in the government of the Empire by:

1. Suggesting ideas to their House representatives in government.

2. Becoming a Senate member themselves.

Justice

The Rihannsu judiciary is based on the principal assumption that the accused is guilty until proven otherwise.

Rihannsu court cases are judged by a tribunal. Three judges, two chosen from the Senate, and the chief judge from the Praetorate, decide all cases. The defendant may represent him/herself, or choose the option of having a separate legal representative.

The following is the procedure followed after the commission of a crime:

1. Victim may either contact the authorities, or apprehend the suspect on his/her own.

2. Any and all necessary actions may be taken in the apprehension of the suspect, including the use of deadly force. If a suspect is killed and later determined to be innocent, the perpetrator shall be put to death.

3. Upon apprehension or death of the suspect, a notice of apprehension and trial date must be immediately posted. All trial dates must be within 1 week of apprehension, for late justice is no justice.

4. Apprehended suspects must make a full and complete confession of the truth of the situation. There is no right to council.

5. At the trial, the suspect and the plaintiff, or their chosen representatives, confront each other and detail their respective cases to the tribunal. The suspect is under the onus to prove his/her innocence.

6. The tribunal delivers its decision and sentences the suspect if guilty. If the suspect is innocent, the plaintiff is subject to penalty.

7. Punishment is administered within 1 week of decision. There is no right of appeal.

Rights and Strictures

As the basic treatise of Rihannsu law, let it be proclaimed that all citizens are created equal in honorable potential. All retain the basic freedom to treat and be treated according to their relative merit.

The Rihannsu Empire grants its citizens the following basic honorable freedoms:

The right to procreation.

The right to own slaves, and to discipline them as necessary.

The right to commit honorable suicide.

The right to commerce, subject to the needs of the Empire.

The right to present a defense at trial.

The right to apprehend and charge as a private citizen any criminal or enemy of the Empire.

The Rihannsu Empire strictly prohibits from its citizens the following actions:

The bearing of weapons, unless directed by enlistment or government decree.

Any action deemed to be against the interest of the Empire.

Public dissension with the ideals of the Empire.

Romulan Military

The smallest tactical unit in the Galae is the Ae (Wing). An Ae consists of five Warbirds and a luht'Ehrefv (Auxiliary Squadron) . The Ae is commanded by an Enarrain and is the smallest unit capable of sustained, independent operations. The luht'Ehrefv consists of a variable number of supply craft, transports and smaller warcraft and is commanded by a khre'Riov. The individual Warbirds of an Ae are often sent on assignments that may carry them away from the rest of the Warbirds in the Ae but most Enarrains are careful not to scatter their ships too widely.

A Kala'thei (Strike Force) is the next largest unit and consists of two Ae. A Kala'thei is commanded by an erei'Enriov and only deploys as a formation when a situation calls for extreme firepower. The erei'Enriov will usually try to keep his two Ae within a sector or so of each other.

A Legaei (Legion) is the largest unit in the Galae. It consists of two Kala'thei and is commanded by an Enriov. A Legaei has a strength of twenty Warbirds and over one hundred other vessels. It is responsible for the protection of a large proportion of the Empire. There were three Legaeiin up until the Tal Shiar/Obsidian Order incident, where the better part of half a Legaei was destroyed. At the present, the Legaei Plaeh (Blood Legion) which consisted mostly of vessels seconded to Tal Shiar control, is undergoing reconstruction as a Galae Legaei, a move which has angered the Tal Shiar. The newly commissioned Ae Sienae (Sword Wing) is the first Ae of the Kala'thei Plaeh (Blood Force). Kala'thei Plaeh joins the old Kala'thei Aehallh (Ghost Force) which contains the remnants of the Legaei's Tal Shiar controlled-vessels.

Romulans are generally not to be trusted, as they ultimately have only their self-interests in mind when interacting with other cultures. In their first battle with Earth in the year 2160, the Romulans kept their appearance hidden from their enemies. By 2266, the Romulans had developed a cloaking device which rendered their warships invisible to enemy sensors. And after the Tomed Incident of 2311, the Romulans had almost no contact with the United Federation of Planets until 2364. While having entered into military alliances in the past with the Klingons in 2268 and then with the Cardassians in 2371, sharing ships and technology freely, both of these alliances quickly dissolved. 

The Romulans have avoided entering into alliances with either the Federation or the Ferengi, for reasons which may be based in scorn, fear, or simply a lack of trust. Typically, Romulans use covert means to undermine their foes. The Romulans secretly helped foster the Klingon Civil War of 2367, attempted a clandestine takeover of Vulcan in 2368, and have highly placed spies such as Federation Ambassador T'Pel.

Treaty of Algeron

Should you have any questions or comments please e-mail the Chief Diplomatic/JAG Officer at the Diplomatic/JAG Department aboard the U.S.S. Lancelot.