Saavik frowned deeply as she saw the message that had just appeared on her computer's screen. She reached for her mental controls, thinking that maybe she was still sleeping and what she was contemplating was not true. But even if she was sleepy, she was awake and aware. Suddenly, she felt as if her room went cold, and pulled her light Vulcan robe closer. 03:37 was the hour that the computer signaled. Certainly not an hour to be sending dark messages, and much less considering Ba'el was not even supposed to be onboard. Saavik pressed the comm. button, and when Ba'el's voice answered immediately, she ordered coolly, "Lieutenant, to my quarters."

Saavik directed a last glance at the ominous message her aide had sent her, and turned towards the door. She pulled her hair back, and rearranged her silky robe so it would look properly. She took a long breath; she could not deny the sight of the hateful symbol had shocked her, but she held herself in check. She would ask her aide now, and find out what was going on.

Just in that moment Ba'el was also at the door. The young woman was still wearing the Klingon civilian clothes she liked to wear while off duty; her face was flushed, and for Saavik it was obvious that she had been drinking. And she was agitated too, and shifted nervously.

"Admiral-," she started to say; anxiety showing clearly in her voice.

"I assume you have a good explanation for waking me up, and for doing so with such a message," Saavik said, and her voice sounded far colder than she really had intended. She paused, changed her intonation. "And for presenting before me in such a fashion."

There was a humor hint in that last sentence; she did not want to be harsh, but the tension built up as she thought about the symbol presented to her and the possible implications. However, even as well as Ba'el had gotten to know Saavik, the teasing was lost to her. She was also too preoccupied to think of anything else but the cryptic message she had just been given. She squared herself before talking again.

"My apologies, Admiral. I was down on the planet, as you know, having some fun, when- when he appeared."

Saavik could not help but frown again. "Who?" There was an edge in her otherwise controlled voice.

"A Romulan, ma'am. He gave me this," her hands stopped playing nervously with the padd she was carrying and showed it to her. "I- I did not know how to approach you." Ba'el bowed slightly her head, unsure.

Saavik firm hand reached for the padd. The symbol was written there. Her Romulan family name. Her hand strained to shake, but she kept herself in check. Her gaze turned sharply to Ba'el again.

"What Romulan? What did he say?"

"Nothing" blurted Ba'el, "I don't know. His face was hidden. He just said, 'A message from my commander.' And he left, and I immediately went back here and called you."

"You did well," Saavik reassured her. She caressed the Romulan padd for a second, contemplating her options. "Now, Ba'el, go back to your quarters and rest."

It looked friendly enough, but this time Ba'el read clearly between his superior's lines. She was dismissing her. She wanted to be alone. Whatever that padd contained, it was not of her concern. But it was, because she cared for her very much, and she knew she would not rest at all that night.

Saavik stared at the padd for a minute once Ba'el left. She did not move. Then, making a conscious effort to remain calm, she touched lightly the symbol in the small keyboard that in Romulan read as forward. As she expected, the screen changed and a few words appeared written instead.

"There is a matter I wish to discuss with you. Tomorrow morning where my soldier was."

A blank line, and then another sentence.

"We group together here."

Saavik pressed "forward" again, taking in the odd words. The words that appeared now were not part of the message, as she had expected; she was duly informed it had already been deleted before the screen turned blank. And then there was nothing to read.

The admiral continued staring at the now empty pad. She was grateful of her Vulcan training; it was the only thing that kept her sane, and let her mind work in spite of the shock the unwanted message provoked on her.

She knew well who the sender was: her half-sister, Raghnill, who she had met and befriended while she was wrongly imprisoned by the Klingons. She could not say she did not know her Romulan kin was nearby. She had followed her career closely, the same way she had watched her mother's steps.

When the Dominion war was over, Saavik was assigned the task of coordinating and supervising the Gamma Quadrant exploration and colonization efforts. It was a delicate matter. A lot of different civilizations thrived in that area of the space; others lingered under the shadow of the formerly strong Dominion. Some were eager to welcome and start exchanges with the incomers; others, however, resented the new alien presence, and conflicts could easily escalate. There were other worlds too primitive to let their existence be known, and they had to be protected for their own good.

And the Federation citizens were not the only ones interested in the Gamma Quadrant and its many possibilities. Saavik had to deal with the other parts involved, and the most difficult of them all were the Romulans. Both the Klingon and the Romulan Star Empire had left clear their intention of populating and adding to their respective empires the new territories, as part of their rightful benefits from wining the war. Their aggressive politics lead to tension between them, the Federation and the natives of the planets that saw their future endangered. Saavik could deal well with Klingons, who considered her a hero and treated her with utmost respect. Romulans, however, were a very different matter.

The situation had only gotten worse when a month ago a new military leader took command of the colonization Romulan troops, Admiral Ajeya. She had not had contact with the Romulan party since then. Since knowing the replacement, she had been analyzing her predicament, trying to figure out a way to avoid meeting the hateful Romulan, and, if it could not be avoided, speak with one of her subordinates instead. She had always thought of a particular one, the commander of Ajeya's flag ship, her own daughter, Commander Raghnil. It seemed that finally that meeting was going to take place, but not in any way she had contemplated before. She wondered what the Romulan's intention was.

Finally, Saavik went for the replicator and ordered herself a tea. She seated on her office's chair, and while she sipped her drink, she planned her next actions. The admiral realized she had been a bit rough with Ba'el. She would explain to her tomorrow, after she had rested. She needed her closely by her side. But she could not get to tell her the whole truth, to confess her the real nature of her relation to the mysterious Romulan commander and her mighty mother. She would not lie to her either. Next day she would beam down to the pub for the appointed meeting, and she would count on her loyal aide to ensure she did not fall into a trap. There would be only the two of them; in such a delicate matter, she would not trust anyone else.