A meeting is arranged with the Romulans/Rihanssu at RV Trianguli, to discuss issues related to Commander Ael t’Rllaillieu and the Sword of S’task that she had taken. The Romulan ships involved are the Gorget, Thraiset, Saheh’lill, Greave, Pillion, and Hheirant, and on the Federation side there is the Enterprise, Sempach, Speedwell, Lake Champlain, Hemalot, and Nimrod. The massive Lalairu ship, Mascrar, is the ‘neutral territory’ where discussions will be held (the Lalairu are of multiple species who view themselves as an extended family). Ael and her ship, Bloodwing, accompanied by the Starfleet ship Ortisei, wait several light-years away near 38 Tri (out of scanning range by the Romulans). Little progress is made in the talks, and then an attempted assassination is carried out on praetor Gurrhim tr’Siedhri because other factions among the Romulans feel he is too close to the colony world rebels. Terise (otherwise known as Senator Arrhae i-Khellian) succeeds in getting him beamed to the Enterprise so that McCoy can treat him (she strongly suspects he would have been allowed to die under Romulan care). Meanwhile, Ael has taken offense at how the Romulan negotiators have been describing Bloodwing and its crew, and then she learns of a rebellion on the Romulan colony world of Artaleirh and that the rebels have pledged allegiance to her. She heads to RV Trianguli, accompanied by the Ortisei, but the Romulans had been expecting her to turn up and had a cloaked vessel attached to Pillion that immediately moves to destroy Bloodwing. Spock picks up sensor readings of the cloaked vessel’s impulse drive and warns Bloodwing, and then battle breaks out. The Romulans come off worst, but the Federation side loses Lake Champlain and suffers other damage. Bloodwing cloaks and warps out for Artaleirh and the Enterprise is ordered to follow and bring Ael back, and while it is following Bloodwing it receives word that the Second Romulan War has been declared.