Romis’s Political Gambit

This flow follows Romis as he moves from constrained diplomat to the organizer of a coup designed to save Kerak from Kanus.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Hidden Opposition

The Hidden Opposition A Diplomat’s Hatred Romis serves Chancellor Kanus while recognizing that the dictatorship is destroying Kerak’s institutions. His opposition is concealed because Kor’s intelligence network turns dissent into a death sentence. He sees that Kanus’s expansion is not patriotism but a mechanism of personal survival. War must continue because the regime depends on fear. A Dangerous Alternative Romis considers using Major Par Odal as an assassin. The plan is morally compromised, but every peaceful route has been closed by the dictatorship.

Hostage Diplomacy

Hostage Diplomacy The Missing Officer Romis’s faction secretly holds Hector H. Hector after rescuing him from Kor’s orbiting ship. Sir Harold Spencer learns that Hector’s safety depends on the success of the Kerak opposition. The arrangement prevents immediate Star Watch intervention. It is ethically uncomfortable, but it keeps the crisis from becoming an interstellar war before Kerak can act. A Narrow Margin Romis must balance secrecy, rescue, and the risk that allies will lose courage. Hector’s life becomes a diplomatic restraint placed against every faction’s impatience.

The Coup

The Coup Seizing the Ministry Hector and Major Par Odal escape into the Kerak Ministry of Intelligence and imprison Kor. Romis mobilizes loyal army and fleet elements while attempting to prevent civil war. Odal and Hector then teleport into Kanus’s retreat and confront him before his personal guards can organize resistance. Removing the Dictator Romis deposes Kanus alive, recognizing that execution could turn him into a martyr. The coup therefore seeks not revenge but the restoration of political control.

during Kanus’s consolidation of power

after Hector’s capture in Kerak

at dawn during the Kerak Coup against Kanus