The Rihannsu (Romulan) People, History & Government

The Rihannsu people originated from the planet Vulcan, during its early warring period. Clans fought for survival, land, and water in the arid Vulcan deserts, often to the point of near annihilation of the race. A philosopher-teacher named Surak gained many disciples as he sought to better the lives of the inhabitants of Vulcan. A disciple named S'Task was perhaps one of his closest and dearest students.

However, in time, Surak and S'Task's views began to diverge. When Surak began to move towards peaceful existence through logic and the quelling of emotions, S'Task could not be silent. He could not bear to see Vulcan lose its "heart" - the passions of living, the ageless traditions of honor. But as the followers of Surak and S'Task began to clash, and as the planet started to become aggressively divided over the two philosophies, S'Task decided to leave Vulcan with his followers, rather than see Vulcan torn apart.

S'Task and 80,000 of his disciples undertook a journey away from Vulcan, a voyage known to Rihannsu as The Sundering. Seventeen ships, led by the Rea's Helm, scoured the little-known portions of the galaxy, searching for a habitable planet. Many ships met with disaster, and by the time the surviving ships arrived at the 128 Trianguli system, only 18,000 people were left to disembark.

Because the Rihannsu with advanced technical and scientific knowledge had died before passing it on, early Rihannsu life was difficult. It was made even worse by famine, disease, and long periods of civil war. It took over 1,000 years of chaos before the Rihannsu finally found peace and order. It was at this point that the Rihannsu stopped focusing on each other as threats and became aware of possible threats from outsiders.

Having met with treachery from alien races on their journey, the Rihannsu became distrustful of others. This distrust led to renewed interest in space technologies and the development of planetary defense systems. The Rihannsu were more than prepared when they came into contact with the United Federation of Planets, some 2,000 years after planetfall.

This chronology is a first attempt at writing a document which accurately dates various important events in Romulan history, by drawing on canon sources. The reader will note numerous areas in which the dates provided are not well defined, particularly the date of Planetfall, from which many other dates are measured in the Romulan dating system.

The Rihannsu, as distant cousins of the Vulcans, are a very intellectual race. This can be seen in their cultural and technological achievements. However, it is at this point that their similarity to Vulcans end. While the Vulcans embrace logic over emotion, the Rihannsu embrace the idea of emotion as the wellspring of life. It is for this reason that most Rihannsu refer to Vulcans as "Dead Ones." The Rihannsu love of life can be seen in the stunning vitality, clarity, and ferocity of their art.

While the Rihannsu are an emotional race, they keep their feelings in check when dealing with their adversaries. The Rihannsu excel at analyzing situations, and understanding cause and effect relationships. For this reason, the Rihannsu never make the first move when confronted by an enemy. They remain calm, considering all of the alternatives available to them. Rihannsu are very good at controlling situations and those involved with them. This attribute has distinguished the Rihannsu as "clever and devious" and has made them one of the most feared races in the Galaxy.

To an outside observer, the most noticeable trait of the Rihannsu is their severe xenophobia. Due to past experiences, the Rihannsu have what can only be called contempt for other races. This is why the Rihannsu have become such a major power in the Galaxy. They distrust strangers and will not let their culture or people be subjugated in any manner. The Rihannsu have a lot of pride in themselves and their culture. This pride might well be called arrogance. They consider most other races to be inferior, in particular, Terrans. This attribute may be the only weakness the Rihannsu have, as they have been known to underestimate their foes. However, it should be noted that a worthy opponent is always treated with respect and honor.

All Rihannsu family houses and clans are bound by honor and tradition. Years of tradition and family honor have been passed from generation to generation. These traditions play an important role in the life of the Rihannsu, whether it be in the subservience to superiors, bonding ceremonies, or the properties of wine pouring. Rihannsu culture is endowed with a variety of intricate and sacred traditions.

The Rihannsu consider the Universe to have borderline sentience. It craves attention and responds to such (or the lack of it) with affection or annoyance. Existence of a "thing" gives it the right of nobility -- to be honored and appreciated, to be named (and hence to respond to that name). The Rihannsu language is rich with phrases which acknowledge the sentience of the Universe, such as "O Elements, avert it!", "What in the Element's name?", and "Elements be thanked!", among others.

The Rihannsu are rather proud of their names and heritage. First and middle names are usually give with reservation, usually to friends and family. The last name is the family, clan name. A fourth name, a very private and personal name, is rarely spoken and only known by those who are lifelong intimates.

A woman's clan name is often preceded with (t'), and a man's clan name is usually precede by (tr').

Examples of women's names are: Thue t'Radaik, Arrhae ir-Mnaeha t'Khellian, Ekkhae t'Thusaith, S'anra t'Hwaehrai, Hanaj t'Eleijha, Ael t'Rihaul, Aidoann t'Rehu, N'alae t'Rllailieu, Dhiove t'Hrienteh, Janicka t'Maekh, S'Tarleya t'Illailhlae.

Examples of men's names are: Tomalak tr'Annhwi, H'daen tr'Aimne, Lhaesl tr'Khev, Vaebn tr'Hheinha, M'Narth tr'Lhoell, Nnerhin tr'Hwersuil, Lai tr'Ehhelih, Llunih tr'Raedhoel, Tiercellus tr'Khnailmnae, D'tan tr'Keirianh.

Ship names, as all other names, are very important. The Universe responds to names. A poorly named ship can become a ship of woe. Examples of Rihannsu ship names are: Avenger, Raven, Raptor, Talon, Warbird, Star Catcher, Bloodwing, Lance, Firestorm, Vengeance, Battle Queen, Wildfire, and Selok.

The 128 Trianguli system, located in the Beta Quadrant, is composed of six planets orbiting a dwarf K star. Of these six planets, two serve as home to the Rihannsu. These two planets are ch'Rihan and ch'Havran. ch'Rihan, translated as "Planet of the Declared," is the third planet in the system. ch'Havran, translated as "Planet of the Travelers, orbits ch'Rihan (like the Moon orbits the Earth).

The Rihannsu Neutral Zone is a one light year thick shell surrounding an egg-shaped area of space, 90 light years in length by 40 light years in width, which has as its center the 128 Trianguli system. The Zone is marked by and guarded by defensive and monitoring satellites of the Rihannsu and the Federation (on respective sides of the zone).

The Rihannsu Star Empire has no declared Emperor or Empress. This is due to past problems with rulers who abused their power and position. By nature, Rihannsu do not trust singular rulers. Thus, they have opted for a Tricameron government (composed of three bodies).

The first of these bodies is the Praetorate. The Praetorate is made up of twelve different members (or praetors). Each praetor is a considerable landowner from one of the twelve continents of ch'Rihan and ch'Havran. Each praetor has executive and judicial power over his or her continent. The position of praetor is a hereditary one.

The second and third bodies of the government make up the Senate. These two bodies are the Grand Council and the High Council. The Grand Council is made up of a representative from each clan found on ch'Rihan and ch'Havran. The High Council is made up from the thirty most senior members and ten most junior members of the Grand Council. These two bodies, making up the Senate, have the legislative power to make and pass laws. However, of these two bodies, only the High Council has the power to veto legislation. All Senators are elected by their clans, thus remaining in office only as long as they have continued support. Support can be gained by honorable activities as well as wealth.

Early on, the Praetorate saw the need for a military body to insure the protection of their lands and their people. The response to this was the creation of the Rihannsu military, which consisted of both land and air forces. For hundreds of years the military was successful in removing threats to the Praetorate, its lands, and its people.

With the advent of space travel, Galae Command was created. The purpose of Galae Command was to insure the protection of chRihan and chHavran from alien attackers. Through the years, Galae Command grew considerably due to the increasing threats from outsiders.

Since then, Galae Command has become the central military organization of the Rihannsu Star Empire. The land and air forces of the past were merged with Galae Command in an effort to increase the effectiveness of the space fleet and to assist with conquest of other worlds. Galae Commands new purpose is the protection of the Empire and its people from all threats internal and external, as well as the expansion of the Empire through military conquest and exploration.

The Tal Shiar was initially an organization created by the Senate to balance the power of the military, a preventative measure against a military state. After many years, however, the organization's internal goals grew to include insuring the loyalty of citizens of the Empire.

A Tal Shiar officer takes orders from his Tal Shiar superiors. Anything else results in swift and certain death. On board a Galae vessel, a Tal Shiar officer may serve in any capacity but is most commonly found among the security officers. All Tal Shiar officers serving Galae Command must undergo whatever training Galae Command sets as a standard for the officer's position on the ship.

In day-to-day matters of the ship, all officers on board that outrank the Tal Shiar officer are the officer's direct superiors. But, direct orders from the Tal Shiar supersede any and all orders given from the Enarrain or any other Galae Command officer. No dual loyalties are tolerated. It is for this reason that a Tal Shiar officer posted to Galae Command vessel may find that other members of the crew view him with suspicion. While every effort is made to brief the Enarrain of the vessel of the Tal Shiar officer's current orders, it is sometimes necessary to exclude the Enarrain from the exact nature of the orders. Such is the nature of covert operations.

Under no circumstances is a Tal Shiar officer posted to a Galae Command vessel to undertake an investigation of anyone on board the ship without first notifying the Director or Deputy Director. On the other hand, the first duty of a Tal Shiar officer is to keep his eyes and ears open, and all activity of a subversive nature must be reported.