The conference room was barely lit now; meaning each of those present could hardly tell who else had arrived; as they’d all been requested to remain silent until they’d taken their places at the table, as indicated by a series of eliminated signs all with a number matching the room they’d been allocated.  Only when they drew close to the table and begin to sit down, did they start to realise how diverse this little group was.

On the left DaiMon Toom found himself between a Romulan and a Human, with a Tellarite further along; apposite two more humans, a Cardassian and an Andorian who didn’t seem too happy about finding himself next to a Nausicaan.  He was about to protest, but felt better of it, when the aforementioned Nausicaan stared at him; sending a shiver down his spine and turning his skin two shades paler.

None of them knew who had invited them to this hellish place; some had wondered if it was truly worth their while, others thought this might be a trap; for without the aid of the Shield Ships, none of them could hope to leave this moon and live.

“Welcome.” Some of them knew from the voice, who it was that addressed them from the shadows, for others this would be a first time meeting.  Navaar Orci stepped into the light.

The Tellarite grunted, but it was difficult to gain any real understanding of his feeling from that simple noise.  The Nausicaan balled his right hand into a fist, and the Andorian edged back, not sure in who’s direct that fist was going to be heading.

“A female!” Toom exclaimed, in a way only an old fashioned and less progressive thinking Ferengi could show distaste for the whole situation.  He was annoyed that the two females in the room were actually clothed, and one of them wanted to tell him what to do; whilst the other was giving him a look of disgust.  Toom gave her his most charming smile, but that did nothing to dim the fire in her eyes.

“How very observant of you, DaiMon Toom.” Navaar addressed the Ferengi with a mocking tone. “You’re almost as observant as your brother.”

The Ferengi wasn’t entirely sure if that had been meant as an insult or not; whilst the Tellarite, down the other end of the table, did his level best not to start laughing.

The Romulan, who was rather over dressed for the occasion; looked more like he was attending a military parade than a clandestine meeting.  The ship he’d arrived was little more than a liner though, and an old one at that.  Navaar should know, she’d been aboard the thing; and as for its crew, most were too young to remember a time when the Romulan’s were totally united.  Vice-proconsul A’Tevek was a pitiful man, and only kept his title in order to make the people of Regalis III believe that they were still part of a great empire and that there was a Proconsul governing their sector.  In reality they’d been completely abandoned.

“You still owe me for that failed attack!” A’Tevek’s voice was a week as his body.  “We had an agreement.”

“Tell me about that?”  A voice roared from the darkness and the figure of a Klingon warrior moved into the light.

The Vice-proconsul leaped up, almost knocking his chair over, “What’s going on!” The words half caught in his throat.

“Sit you snivelling wretch.” Huktan barked.  “If I planned to kill you, then I’d have slit your throat and spread your entrails across the table like a gutted Targ, before you even realised I was in the room.”

A’Tevek turned white, as what little colour he had in his checks, drained away. The Romulan slumped back into his chair, hands visibly shaking.  He’d hoped to re-ignite tension and start a war between the Federation and Klingon’s; by using the stolen Starship that had been in the Orion’s possession to attack a Klingon colony.  That colony just happened to belong to the house of Mo’Ren, a minor house of which Huktan was part.  What he ultimately hoped to gain from this war, or how the Romulan people could take advantage of the chaos that would follow; wasn’t even clear to him.  The Vice-proconsul wasn’t exactly the sort of person that planned more than a few moves ahead.

“It took a bit of convincing for Captain Huktan to agree, not to kill you and destroy your ship with all on board.” Navaar announced, looking directly at the Romulan.  “But I think if we all set aside our differences, we can work together on future endeavours.”

Huktan walked around the table; placed a hand carefully, yet firmly on A’Tevek’s left shoulder, before whispering something in the Romulan’s ear.  Whatever had been said; made the already terrified individual look even worse.  The Klingon warrior continued along, and took the empty seat next to the Tellarite at the end.

“Right then.” Navaar smiled.  “Now for business.”

Inwardly, she knew this was going to be tough; some of those present had wanted to kill her, and they still might.  Others had long standing grudges against each other.  The thing though that all united them though, was their fear of been trampled on and forgotten.  They had all seen better days; she was here to convince them all, that those days weren’t yet over.

The meeting was long and heated, with tempers flaring from time to time; claims and accusations flew in all directions, many of them founded, but one or two, grossly exaggerated.  Yet through it all, Navaar Orci held everything together.  This was her skill; through a combination or charm, careful manipulation, reassurance and even compromise; what formed in that room was the beginning of a new criminal coalition, or as she put it, a confluence of shadows.

**********

After everyone else had left, heading back to their ship, Navaar Orci poured herself another glass of Romulan Ale, her third of the day. “You think I’m an idiot.”

Korda placed the phaser rifle down on the table, sitting himself next to it, rather than on any of the now empty chairs. “I would never call you that.”

“What then?” Navaar asked taking a sip.  “I can always tell when you troubled by something.”

“It’s just that I don’t trust half of them.” Korda replied honestly.

“Only half?” His boss laughed.  “I don’t trust any of them.”

“Then why go to all this trouble?”

“Because I need all these others to sow chaos and confusion; whilst we get on with the real work.”

Which is?”

“All in good time, all in good time.”

Korda noted that mischievous glint in her eyes.  It was the look she gave when she was doing things no one else had either thought of or dared attempt.  In his view Navaar Orci was equal parts genius and mad woman, but he would never admit that to her face.  He’d seen the repugnant deformed blob that had once been her own brother, after she’d shot him with that barbaric weapon of hers.  No, there was only one side to be on, when it came to this woman, and that was to be on her goodside.