A/N: Tiny scene today to wrap up the ep.

"Can I see her?"

Kirk sighed. "What could you possibly have to talk about with the commander that won't blow your cover, Elle?"

"There's some stuff I read about history and culture and I need to know that stuff if My Enemy, My Ally ever happens, which it will, because this has happened, and I want to talk to her because she's cool," Elle replied, and gave him puppy eyes. "Please?"

"Take someone with you," Kirk said tiredly. "Not Spock."

"Nice!"

Elle bribed security officer Martinez into coming with her to speak with the commander.

The commander looked tired. "You shouldn't be here, child."

"I can go if you want," Elle offered. "I just wanted to come talk."

"I will not be interrogated by a child," she snapped.

"No ma'am," Elle said. "I wanted to talk about the cultural things that I read about. Do you have a few minutes?" She waited a second and added, "My name is Elle, by the way."

"Ria," the commander offered.

Elle bowed her head. "Nice to meet you."

Ria's eyes narrowed. "You know the importance of sharing names in your Earth culture?"

Elle shook her head. "Not really in modern human culture. But Vulcan names are like that, and I know Romulans names are the same."

"Rihannsu," Ria corrected. "Enough with your anglicization," she said.

"Yes, ma'am," Elle said, relieved.

Ria sat down gracefully. "What do you wish to know?"

"There was a concept mentioned in one of your myths, um, mneh-ih-sah-hey?" Elle grimaced as she mangled the word. "Sorry. "Vulcan and Rihannsu phonemes are similar but I'm still working on sight-reading."

Ria laughed. "Almost. Mnei'sahe," she said.

Elle repeated it slowly. "Right. Um, love?"

"That is a part of it, yes. It is like," Ria hummed thoughtfully. "Like, the type of love that moves someone to give their enemy their last drop of water, or the kind of love that prompts one to betray their wicked king. The kind of love that rules the true sense of honor."

Elle nodded slowly. "So a love based on principles?"

"Something like that, yes."

Elle bit her lip. "Hold on, there is a word for that... um, I think it's Greek? Agape. It's an old language, I think."

"So you do know what we are," Ria said. "Or at least you did at one time."

Elle nodded silently. "Why did you come back with Spock?" she asked.

Ria looked out the window for a long second. "Captain Kirk and I are mere starship commanders, pawns in the universe of politics. We play the roles we are assigned."

"You knew about this?" Elle asked.

"Not in so many words," Ria said. "Captain Kirk risked his life and his sanity for his duty. I have sacrificed my reputation and my supposed honor for mine."

"Supposed honor?" Elle echoed.

"Supposed," Ria said, a wry smile on her lips. "Tell me, Elle, what would happen if the Federation did not have this cloaking device now?"

"The Rihannsu would invade," Elle said.

"Yes. It would destabilize both the Federation and the Empire, as the senators in charge of the empire are greedy hogs. They would go too fast, too soon, and be unable to keep their gains. The Federation would retaliate swiftly and with extreme prejudice, would it not?"

Elle shrugged. "Probably."

"And instead, the Federation have the cloaking device. We know they do, so the technology becomes moot, until it advances again, and then it starts all over again."

"Were you ordered to let it go?" Elle asked.

"No."

"Mnei'sahe made you give it up?" Elle guessed. "Love for your people, not the annoying ones, but the ones who would die in the war."

Ria nodded.

"Thank you for your sacrifice," Elle said solemnly.

Ria waved a hand. "Go on, now, child. You have better things to do than consort with the enemy."

Elle hesitated. "When you get back to Rihan space, they're not going to kill you, are they?"

"No. I will be cashiered out of the fleet and lose my names." She said it with calm resignation.

Elle hovered in the doorway. "Can I, do you want me to, to keep your name?"

"Do you know the gravity of what you ofer, child?"

Elle bit her lip. "I don't think I could know, I'm not Rihannsu, but, your family won't be allowed to do that, and someone should."

Ria tilted her head. "Remember me well," was all she said.

Elle bowed with a fist over her chest and exited the commander's quarters. She thanked Martinez for escorting her and went back to her own quarters. She wrote 'Ria' in the nicest cursive she could manage, and stored the slip of paper in amongst her paper books. Not exactly a name pennant, not in Rihannsu script, but it was something.

"You all right?" Uhura asked her later.

"Why do we have to be enemies with anybody?" Elle asked, moving her spinach around on her plate.

Uhura sighed. "That's a complicated question if there ever was one."

"Never mind."

Elle didn't go see Ria again. It wasn't her place.