The bartender mopped the bar trying to appear busy, but his gaze continued to turn toward the three people at the corner. It was early morning and the pub was deserted except for the unexpected clients. Besides, they were not very good ones.
He remembered very well when they have entered, interrupting his absent humming as he served himself a hot drink. The two younger ones had come in first, watching intently every inch of the local before moving forward. The older woman came next, and turning her cold stare at him, approached the bar.
He had just been told of the other alien that had spent a few hours in there during the night, a sullen young Klingon who had had several drinks and had become the new gossip in town. That was surprising enough, since the town was neither a tourist nor a commercial one, and very few off-worlders had been seen there. But the appearance of the new three aliens was even more shocking, for they were unmistakably Romulan.
The bartender had thought first they were Vulcans, but the way they acted suited far better what he had heard about Romulans, and some of their features and their clothes told him he was right. He wondered what the three aliens could be doing in his tavern, but he did not dare to ask. Romulans did not have good fame, their was even worse that the Klingons', and those three had done nothing to correct him of his previous assumptions.
The older woman had neared him at the bar and asked for a Romulan wine, when he had answered her he had nothing Romulan to offer, she had looked slightly annoyed. Then she had cut him off as he had started to tell her the drinks he could serve her, and had asked for water instead.
She was now seated at one corner, sipping the water from time to time. He could hardly make out the other two persons, who remained in the shadows, as if guarding her. The bartender could not deny he was a bit uneasy; he wondered what could possibly happen next.
The door opened again there, and his rounded yellow eyes turned immediately toward it. The bartender could hardly believe it, but another Romulan woman was entering his pub. She was approximately the same age the other was, but her hair was long and curly and made her somewhat an oddity. Their eyes locked for a second when the woman turned around inspecting the room, but the bartender could read nothing on her cool expression. She approached the table slowly, her casual robe flinging slightly as she walked away.
The sitting Romulan glanced up at the incomer, but her face was hidden in the gloom and he could not say if she was happy or not of seeing the other woman. The bartender could not help but stare now intently at the two strangers, and only a sudden movement that caught up his attention got him out of his reverie to look at one of the Romulans who stayed on the background. The young man on her right had just pulled open the long jacket he wore, revealing an object that could only be a weapon. Even if the shadows covered his features, he could distinguish the menacing glare the young Romulan was directing at him. The message was clear: "Keep yourself busy again." And even if his curiosity was strong he was not about to defy him. The bartender took the mop again, and as his gaze turned again toward the bar, he felt cold with fear; he was starting to realize what the word danger really meant. Not daring to look back, he moved toward the back door, and hid into the store. Once the door closed behind him, he rested against it and sighed loudly. Romulans were not good guys, or so he had heard. He now only wished they finished whichever business had led them to his tavern and went away. The image of the armed Romulan was fixed in his head, and inwardly, he trembled. Damn them. He did not wish to know about them and their dirty motives anymore, he would never mention having seen them if he had to; he just hoped they would spare him.
On the other side of the door, four uninterested stares were now on the closed door. Soon they turned again to look at each other. Saavik stayed some feet away from the table, looking coolly at the other woman, revealing nothing. The Romulan however, flickered uneasy under her gaze, while the two guards tried and failed to cover up their unrest. For a minute, nobody said a word.
Playing with her glass, Raghnil finally looked up and asked casually in Romulan, "Well, aren't you going to sit down?"
For a single moment, Saavik thought of the possibility of not answering in the same language; she felt ashamed of the still present prejudice that made her think so, though, and quickly disregarding the idea, she tilted slightly her head and replied, "Aren't you going to stand up, commander?" She kept her voice hard, but her lips curled slightly as she finished the question, and her eyes sparkled playfully.
The Romulan remained serious at first, but soon burst out laughing. She stood up and mockingly snapped to attention. Saavik came forward then, arching one of her eyebrows, and took the offered seat. Raghnil sat down too. She continued smiling for some seconds, while she contemplated her half-sister. However, when she spoke again, her expression turned serious.
"First, let's say this is not the way I had intended for us to meet again," she said.
"Indeed?" Saavik replied, her voice flat. "I had not intended to meet again," as she saw the Romulan frowning, she added sympathetically, "Raghnil."
The friendly mention of her name made the Romulan commander relax and understand the real meaning of Saavik harsh words. "I understand the danger of seeing each other again." She paused, and consciously slowed her breath. "I have taken this in deep consideration, and thus I have arranged for us to meet here, afar from undesired observation."
Saavik remained still on her chair. "And why are we here, Raghnil?"
The lack of emotion in Saavik's voice was unnerving for the Romulan commander; it clearly reminded her she was speaking with a Vulcan, and she did not like that a bit. She preferred the Saavik who had welcomed her, the one she had known in the past, the one who was Romulan. But she realized that the serious line she kept only could reinforce the Starfleet officer Saavik primary was. She sighed before continuing; she hated her own weakness that had led her to that alien town.
"Because I need your help," she dragged out the words as if they hurt, and they really hurt.
Raghnil fidgeted with her hands while speaking. As Saavik listened interested, she also observed the two guards behind the commander. She knew both of them, even if they have changed much since the last time she had seen them. They were also in tension, and watched her and their superior with obvious apprehension.
"Admiral Ajeya is missing. She has been missing for the last eight days," she made the admission with difficulty, and did not meet Saavik's eyes.
When she raised her gaze again, she could notice the Starfleet officer's hardened stare, but she had missed the brief moment when shook had actually showed on her dark eyes. A rush of emotions had swept over Saavik, but she kept them tightly in check. She always watched Ajeya's movements, and she resented been unaware. But that, as all the old feelings the mention of the Romulan admiral stirred on her, were unimportant now. Her sharp mind played with all the consequences that revelation implied.
"She had… a mission of her own," Raghnil continued, "an unofficial one. She never let me know, even if many times I offered to help."
Saavik's face was unreadable. She remained silent, allowing but also forcing Raghnil to explain further. The commander caressed her hair. In the shadows, the guard on her right nervously tipped his disruptor, while his comrade tightened her grip on her own weapon.
"She went to Cardassia Prime. Alone. No explanation. She just said she thought she had figured it out." Raghnil sighed loudly; she was obviously distraught. "What? I don't know. She never said. But she was obsessed with that… mission of her. I can tell you that."
"Why am I here, Raghnil?"
Raghnil's sharp glare answered Saavik's unemotional question. She took the glass again and under her strength, it started to breach. She fought for control, and slowly loosened her grasp, but she continued to look angrily at Saavik.
"That's the only thing you are going to say?" she spat. "I'm telling you, mother is missing; she's probably dead! Aren't you going to say you're sorry? Aren't you going to say you're happy? I know you hate her, damn you!" Her finger pointed dangerously at Saavik, but her people remained still.
"I am not sorry," Saavik answered, her voice even. "I am not happy, either." She would not deny Raghnil's last assumption, though; her hatred for her Romulan mother ran too deep and not even all her years of Vulcan meditation had helped to heal that wound.
Ragnnil's fierce gaze was still locked on Saavik, but that could not intimidate the Vulcan admiral.
"If you have taken all this time to inform me of Ajeya's" the word tasted sour in her mouth "miss, I thank you. But I suspect that is not the reason we are here. After all, you said you needed my help. So I ask you again, why am I here?"
Now understanding the meaning of Saavik's question, Raghnil's rage was replaced by steely determination, "I want to find her." A pause. Then her gaze softened, and her voice dropped to a whisper, "I need to find her."
Saavik's mouth started to open, but before she could utter a word, Raghnil interrupted her, raising her hand.
"Don't! Don't even dare to ask me why I am contacting you!"
A dry smile played in Saavik's eyes.
"You know why! You are half Romulan. You know Romulans." There was sadness in her now soft voice. "My superiors, they will not help me. What am I supposed to tell them? The truth?" She laughed dryly. "And mother has enemies," she looked up at Saavik before adding with sarcasm, "apart from you. They will use this opportunity against her, against me."
Saavik reflected aloud. "A rogue admiral who is missing following her own foolish enterprise? The Empire would not waste a single soldier to help her."
"And what about the incompetent commander of her flag ship?" Raghnil added, a sour smile in her face. "What would you do to her?"
Saavik thought about the possibilities, but remained quiet.
"So I have kept this secret for the moment," the commander continued. "I think I can hide her absence from my superiors for long; I will manage. But what about the Tal Shiar? They have spies in all the ships, including my own. No matter how hard I try to have an utterly loyal, reliable crew, those snakes always keep getting through. So, right now, one of my own people is plotting against me, planning to use this misfortune for any of their sneaky plans. And I have to find her before they act." Raghnil's voice grew hoarse.
"If she is still alive," Saavik supplied.
"Even if she is dead!" Her hand hitting the table reinforced her words.
She paused to calm herself down. She tilted her head before adding, "You'd like her to be dead, wouldn't you?" When only silence answered her, she continued talking. "That would be good news, huh?" There was no malice in the shy smile that was forming in her lips. "I know you want her dead. She wants you dead too."
Saavik decided to ignore her half-sister's comment, and instead, turned to their previous conversation. "So you want me to find Ajeya." There was a certain coldness in her voice that Raghnil did not miss.
"I would never ask you to help her, not after what she did to you," she quickly added, defensively. "Actually," again, the words resisted to come out, "I understand you are in your right to claim her life as honor dictates."
Saavik felt the feral in her raising dangerously at the mention of the retribution she had desired for so long. However, her mind was too disciplined to be affected by the old feelings. The sparkle of violence never reached her eyes.
"But I'm tied up, and if I don't have news from my mother soon, I'm as good as dead." Her voice had turned hard, refusing to give up to the desperation that threatened to overcome her at any moment. "I know you owe me nothing, and I would be in your debt if you accept to help me here. Saavik…" And she reached out to take the other woman's hand.
It had seemed a natural gesture of closeness, of reassurance. She realized her mistake on time though, and quickly withdrew her hand when she realized the Vulcan would not appreciate the physical contact. Finally, she surrendered before Saavik.
"I would not ask this of you, but I have no one else to turn."
Raghnil's eyes looked up at Saavik, pleading. Saavik realized that, and knew well how hard it was for the proud woman to admit defeat. She would not say she liked the arrogance the Romulan commander usually showed, but the new situation made her feel uneasy. Raghnil was a woman she admired, in spite of all her flaws; she did not like seeing her in a bad position. Raghnil was a friend, even if an odd one. And friends were always to be helped when in need. Saavik would have never doubted to offer any assistance she could to her, if it were not for a little detail: she was asking her to help Ajeya.
The sole idea made Saavik feel sick. She had not admitted it aloud, but she really continued hating her, and the hurt child of her past told her that there was nothing she wished more than seeing her lost forever. If she was in trouble, she was not the one helping her out.
Saavik struggled to came to a decision; she tried hard to reach to a compromise between her conflicted mind's confrontational wills. Raghnil's intense gaze was still drilling on her, waiting an answer with apprehension.
Saavik sighed loudly before finally saying, "Ok, I will try to find out where Ajeya is. I will never give you further help."
It was Raghnil's time to sigh, "That's more than enough." She relaxed a bit and part of her usual confidence came back, "You'll find her, I'll get her back home."
And inwardly Saavik cringed at hearing the words; she really did not want Ajeya back home, she wondered if she could honestly help Raghnil.