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For other uses, see The Romulan Way.

The Romulan Way is a 1987 Star Trek: The Original Series movie-era novel by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood (Pocket TOS #35), the second book of the Rihannsu series.

Duane and Morwood wrote the book in sixteen days while on their honeymoon. (Voyages of Imagination, p.69)

Description[]

They are a race of warriors, a noble people to whom honor is all. They are cousin to the Vulcan, ally to the Klingon, and Starfleet's most feared and cunning adversary. They are the Romulans - and for eight years, Federation Agent Terise LoBrutto has hidden in their midst.

Now the presence of a captured Starfleet officer forces her to make a fateful choice - between exposure and escape; between maintaining her cover - and saving the life of Dr. Leonard McCoy.

Here, in a startlingly different adventure, is the truth behind one of the most fascinating alien races ever created in Star Trek:

The Romulans.

Summary[]

The Romulan Way is framed as a "subjective-conceptual history" text by Terise Haleakala-LoBrutto, published in a Federation scientific journal under the title The Romulan Way. It tracks two narratives, one a recounting of Romulan history from the Sundering to the aftermath of the Earth-Romulan War and the creation of the Romulan Star Empire, the other set in the present day and told from the perspectives of LoBrutto and Leonard McCoy. The book alternates chapters between the two stories.

In the present day narrative LoBrutto, a human anthropologist surgically altered to appear Romulan, is undercover on Romulus as Arrhae i-Mnaeha t'Khellian, hru'hfe (household manager) to Romulan nobleman H'daen tr'Khellian. McCoy, taken prisoner in a Romulan raid on a Federation starliner, is brought to the Khellian estate before his trial in the capital city Ra'tleihfi for crimes against the Romulan people. In reality it is a false flag operation by Starfleet Intelligence to check up on LoBrutto, who has not reported in for some time. Due to the dictates of mnhei'sahe McCoy is treated more like an honored guest than a prisoner slated for execution.

Eventually, the Khellian household travels to the capital with McCoy in tow, and McCoy is tried and convicted by the Imperial Senate and sentenced to death. He demands the Right of Statement, a Romulan judicial practice intended to create the appearance of a fair trial by allowing the defendant to speak in their defense. McCoy proceeds to turn it on its head by talking for hours on end about everything from the lack of rigor in Romulan jurisprudence to barbecue sauce recipes. The delaying tactic pays off and allows USS Enterprise crew member Dahai Iohor Naraht, a Horta, time to burrow his way across Romulus from his orbital insertion point and into the Senate Chamber (Naraht survived the insertion unharmed, on account of his physiology). With the diversions in place, the exiled Khre'Riov Ael t'Rllaillieu lands her warbird ChR Bloodwing on Senate's roof to retrieve McCoy and Naraht. McCoy offers to extract LoBrutto under the cover of taking her hostage but she declines, saying that she has grown to love living on Romulus, despite the danger. They stage a dramatic escape for her from McCoy's attempt to take her hostage.

Commander Ael takes the Sword of S'task from its place in the Empty Chair, stating that the Tricameron had ceased to be worthy of it, and she and McCoy beam aboard the Bloodwing and make a fighting retreat from Romulus.

In the aftermath, many are executed in an attempt to cover up the colossal political embarrassment to the Tricameron. LoBrutto's Arrhae t'Khellian cover identity is ennobled: she becomes Arrhae i-Khellian t'llhweiir and a senator in her own right.

Referenced[]

Characters[]

DhiemnDiniEjiulEkkhaeTerise Haleakala-LoBruttoHanajHHirlKhoalRon LuksMike MalianiLeonard E. McCoyN'alaeDahai Iohor NarahtNniolStephen C. PerryJ. Michael ReavesJohnny RussellS'anraS'harienNnerhin tr'Hwersuil s'KhellianS'taskSarekSurakt'Hrienteht'HwaehraiHloal t'IllialhlaeHvaid t'KhaethaetrehArrhe ir-Mnaeha t'KhellianT'maekhJaeih t'RadaikVriha t'RehuAel t'RllaillieuEviess t'TeiThueNveid tr'AAnikhtr'AimneMaiek tr'Annhwitr'HheiniaGiellun tr'KeirianhLhaesl tr'KhedH'daen tr'KhellianLhaesl tr'KhevAidoann t'KhnialmnaeLlhran tr'KhnialmnaeVaebn tr'Lhoell
Referenced only
B'tey'nnG. BricknerE. BryantCharvanekd'ArtagnanElementsElizabeth IK. FareyN. FareyB. FergusonD. FriedmanC. GambleD. GambleGodH'rewissRobert A. HeinleinHiradAdolf HitlerT. JohnsonJussacKh'Avn-ArahtT. KingJames T. KirkMatildaB. MeachamW. MeierW. MeierPowersRavenSadekR. SepulvedaK. Siegels'KhnialmnaeSpockT'EleijhaT'LeiaT'PehrAel t'RllaillieuT'sahenT'thusaihTafvTalv'LinLai i-Ramnau tr'EhhelihLLunih tr'RaedheolJocelyn Treadway

Starships and vehicles[]

Akif-classflitterK'hanakh-classK't'inga-classVarrhan-series flitter

Vulcan/Romulan starships[]

BlacklightBloodwingCoronaFirestormForgeGorgetLanceLost RoadMemoryPennonRea's HelmShieldStarcatcherSunheartT'HieVengeanceWarbird

United Federation of Planets starships[]

USS BalboaUSS CarrizalUSS EnterpriseUSS ExcaliburUSS InaieuKobayashi MaruUSS NelsonUSS Stone MountainUSS ValiantVega

Romulan Star Empire starships[]

ChR AvengerChR BattlequeenChR BloodwingChR JavelinChR Rea's HelmChR Talon

Locations[]

AreinnyeHellIuruth

Stellar[]

40 Eridani88 Eridani113 Trianguli114 Trianguli128 Trianguli198 Eridani4408 A/B Triangulida'NikhirchEisnRomulan Neutral ZoneSigma-1014 Orionis

Planets, moons, and planetoids[]

ch'Havranch'RihanCharisDireidiDuiyaDuthulEarthEtoshaHellguardIruhJanus VILahainLast EtoshaLevaeri VLunaMarsRhei'llhneSigma Pavonis IVSisyphosVulcanZeta Reticuli

Space stations and starbases[]

L-5 Colonieszeta Reticuli orbital research facility

Planetary[]

Catal HuyukElheu districtFloridaGeorgiai'RamnauIhhliaeIntelligence CenterLA PlexMalory-Lynne-Stephens mineral processing plantNekhieNew York Old CityPlains of AihaiRa'tleihfiRhehiv'jeShi'KahrStarfleet Intelligence Headquartersta'ValshTe'RikhThermopylaeVulcan's Forge

Races and cultures[]

AndorianBhvuiGornHamalkiHortaHuman (BasqueDaneIndianItalianPolynesianRomanSpanishSpartanWelshyankee) • IruheKlingonOrganianOrionRomulan (Rihannsu) • SulamidTellariteVulcan
Referenced only
DuthulhivEtoshan

States and organizations[]

Governments and political[]

CouncilloryGrand CouncilInshai CompactKlingon EmpireKlingon High CouncilNonaligned Planets of Southern Orion CongeriesRomulan SenateRomulan Star EmpireRuling Queens of Kh'reitekhUnited Federation of PlanetsYhri faction

Social and military[]

Command ConditioningHouse KhellianHouse KhnialmnaeHouse LhoellHouse s'AnnhwiKihaiLLunihNn'verianOrionpirateRomulan High CommandRomulan Imperial IntelligenceRomulan Imperial MilitaryShip-ClansStarfleetTricameronUnited Federation of Planets Starfleet Intelligence Corps.Vulcan High Council

Companies and institutions[]

Ford Motor CompanyRolls-RoyceStarfleet AcademyVulcan Academy of Sciences

Other references[]

A/G linearAhkhAlice in WonderlandAnglishArt DecoBode's LawBronze AgeBussard ramjetcesium clockcloaking deviceContributioncowboycreditDeirr moderndeityDistArbGalCoreDoric orderduotronicEmpty ChairFirst Romulan WarGalLatGalLongghostHamalket second T'r'lkt eraHeinlein's LawHellenic periodHfehanHlai-brainedI.C.X. Medical JournalIndex Xeno Medicalisintradermal translatorThe Journal of the Federation Institute for the Study of XenosociologyLast SongLate Great Unpleasantnesslehe'jhmeLevaeri V incidentlogic-solidLunglock feverlyremindtreemonofilamentNon-ApologyOld High VulcanOld Westprime transfer authorityprotodeitypsi ratingradioRight of StatementRomulan Golden AgeRomulan languageThe Romulan Wayryillscraping-stoneseheiksilk ribbonStatement of Intention of FlightSteheht modeA Study of Socioeconomic Influences on Vulcan Space ExplorationSunderingT'sahen's StrictureTen Lordships of the Thaha DynastyThrice written and thrice burnedTreaty of Alpha Triangulitri-DVehe'rr IhlanVulcan ReformationWar Between the StateswiltleafWorldfall

Ranks and titles[]

antecenturioncommandercommander generalknightRuling Queen of the Two Worldssenior centurionsubcenturionsubcommanderTen Lordships of the Andorian Thaha Dynasty

Clothing[]

bootkiltsingletsock

Food and drink[]

alcoholbeanbolognabreadeggflatrootfonduegruelKentucky bourbonkhehlemonlemonademeatrollmilkmintmint juleppizzaRomulan aleSaurian brandysushiTex-Mex chiliwine

Weapons[]

blasterdart-speardisruptorknifeplanetcracker weaponSunkiller bombsword

Animals[]

camelcatcrabguinea pighawkhlaihlai'hwyhorselionmousesehlatwolf

Substances, minerals and elements[]

Aerosalaspirindanegeldglasteelochrerubysaltsilksugarteflonwool

Vulcan dates[]

AhhahrIrhheen

Appendices[]

Background[]

  • Although they are not shown in detail, the spacecraft seen on the original edition cover art are modeled after "Vipers", the fightercraft of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. From the perspective of this story's continuity, it would seem that the ships are Romulan and the scene is a dramatization of the final chase sequence. Later sources such as Shattered Universe and Star Trek Nemesis do indeed show the Romulans and Remans use fightercraft of similar configuration.
  • Although the Pocket Books chronology places this story in the 2270s decade, following the previous books in the series, those stories make repeated references to uniforms of the TOS style. The texts describes uniforms resembling those of the mid-2260s decade, rather than the Star Trek: The Motion Picture-era uniforms that were in place circa 2271. This indicates that Starfleet used uniforms matching this description, of an intermediate style, for a time before changing again to the later maroon uniforms in use by 2278 (as established in TNG episode: "Cause and Effect").
  • McCoy's full name is given as Leonard Edward McCoy, in contradiction to the recently released The Search for Spock where he identifies as "Leonard H. McCoy".
  • Federation Standard is called Anglish.
  • Both Romulus and Remus are quite habitable. (This was later contradicted by TNG movie: Star Trek: Nemesis.)
  • Despite at least three large seas on Vulcan, those who became Romulan were surprised by the oceans on Romulus and Remus.
  • According to the Romulans, Starfleet began the Earth-Romulan War when the USS Carrizal scanned Romulus.
  • According to Starfleet, the Earth-Romulan War began three years later when the USS Balboa was destroyed.
  • The Earth-Romulan War lasted twenty-five years.
  • The United Federation of Planets was engaged in this war when first contact was made with the Vulcans. (This was later contradicted by TNG movie: Star Trek: First Contact.)
  • Upon the Vulcan entry into the United Federation of Planets, they were asked why Romulan corpses were similar to Vulcans. The Vulcans avoided the question.
  • Prior to the Reformation, Vulcans worshiped over 600 gods, demigods, animaes, geniuses, demons, angels, golems, powers, principalities, forces, noeses, and hypersomatic beings.
  • Chapter Four states that the Rihannsu ships of the Sundering used artificial gravity, but Chapter Twelve implies that they spun for gravity.
  • At the beginning of Chapter Fourteen McCoy "wiped his hands briskly on his pants legs", even though his hands were bound by a ribbon containing a monofilament that would cut his hands off if any pressure was applied (Chapter Thirteen).
  • In Chapter Fourteen Ael refers to the Senate Chamber as "this old place that S'task built", but according to Chapter Eight the chambers were demolished and rebuilt by Vriha t'Rehu, the Ruling Queen. According to Chapter One of TOS - Rihannsu novel: Swordhunt, the building "[incorporated] what remained of the older structure on the same site".
  • The Romulan Way's version of the Earth-Romulan War was largely contradicted by later canon established by Star Trek: Enterprise and the subsequent Romulan War novel series. In this book's version of events the Federation discovered the Romulans as a non-warp-capable people. Due to the disastrous historical contact with the Duthulhiv pirates which led to the Sundering, the Romulans assumed the worst of the Federation and built a sublight space navy that swarmed and captured the next Federation exploration vessel to approach Romulus. From this they reverse-engineered weapons and deflector shield technology, as well as warp drive. In ENT the Romulans were already a spacefaring people with an interstellar state at the time of first contact, and the Federation did not yet exist.
  • The Romulan Way and its sequels were also contradicted on the nature of the Remans and Romulus' sister planet Remus by Star Trek Nemesis. In this series they are a different ethnicity of Romulans, and Remus is a agrarian planet whose inhabitants face racial discrimination from the natives of Romulus. In canon the Remans are a different Vulcanoid species living on the tidally locked wasteland of a world. To rationalize the disparity, it could be assumed that while Remans are sequestered on the planet's permanent dark side, there was also a population of Romulans that farmed the more inhabitable segments, and perhaps that the permanent darkness and rigors of mining could have led to a genetic drift that could possibly have spawned the Remans.

Images[]

Connections[]

Timeline[]

published order
Previous novel:
Dreams of the Raven
TOS numbered novels Next novel:
Star Trek: Worlds Apart, Book 2:
How Much for Just the Planet?
Previous novel:
Strangers from the Sky
TOS novels Next novel:
Star Trek: Worlds Apart, Book 2:
How Much for Just the Planet?
Previous novel:
My Enemy, My Ally
Rihannsu novels Next novel:
Swordhunt
Previous novel:
My Enemy, My Ally
First Star Trek novel
Novels by:
Diane Duane

Peter Morwood
Next novel:
Spock's World
Rules of Engagement
chronological order
Previous Adventure:
Timetrap
Pocket Next Adventure:
Swordhunt
Previous Adventure:
Timetrap
The Continuing
Voyages of the
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
Next Adventure:
Swordhunt
The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in 2276.
The Pocket Books Timeline places events from this story in six other timeframes:
Previous Adventure:
The Devil's Heart
Chapter 13
249
Chapter 2
Next Adventure:
Vulcan's Soul Book 1:
Exodus
Chapters 2, 4, 6 , 7 , 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16 & 18
Previous Adventure:
Vulcan's Soul Book 1:
Exodus
Chapter 19
285
Chapter 4
Next Adventure:
The Lost Years
Prologue
Previous Adventure:
Vulcan's Soul Book 1:
Exodus
Chapter 21, 23 & 25
300
Chapter 6
Next Adventure:
Vulcan's Soul Book 2:
Exiles
Memory
Previous Adventure:
Vulcan's Soul Book 1:
Exodus
Chapter 2
750
Chapter 8
Next Adventure:
Kahless
Even Chapters
Previous Adventure:
Kahless
Even Chapters
846
Chapter 10
Next Adventure:
The Long Night
Prologue
Previous Adventure:
Horizon
2153
Chapter 12
Next Adventure:
The Breach


Translations[]
1992
German : Die Romulaner, translated by Andreas Brandhorst. (Heyne)

External link[]

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