No encounters with Romulans had been reported for more than eighty years, following the Earth-Romulan War that preceded the founding of the Federation. Beaten back by an alliance of Earth, Vulcan, Andorian, and Tellarite forces, the Romulans appeared content to retreat behind their borders and leave the rest of the quadrant well enough alone, but longtime Starfleet veterans like Georgiou knew that it was only a matter of time before
