"Real people have names."

All the Jem'Hadar fell silent and turned to look with some surprise to the alien woman seated between them. She gazed at them with open contempt, and some of them answered with anger, but none of them attempted to attack her.

"Names, not numbers like you. First. Second. Third…" She glanced at each of them. "They are ranks, positions, not names. Come on! Even pets have names! You are less than them."

"Pets?" Second asked doubtfully, but he did not clarify to the Romulan woman that they did have names.

Ajeya sighed loudly. She banged her fist on her foreleg in an unconscious gesture of nervousness. The Dominion warriors were getting her mad. "You don't even know what pets are! Do you realize how little you know?"

Again, none of them contracticted her. Instead, Fourth replied in a neutral tone, "We can learn. You can teach us. We are quick learners."

"Oh, yeah," she clucked dryly.

First focused his words and gaze on her. "We have a right to learn. We have a right to decide what we want to do with our lives."

Ajeya straightened her newly replicated dress that followed closely the Romulan style. "You don't," she firmly answered back. "Who taught you that crap? That stupid Cardassian scientist who was your friend?" Her scorn irritated the Jem'Hadar, but they still tolerated her. "You usually speak of him. What was his name?" She paused to think.

Third's tone was menacing, "Doctor Relnak isn't stupid."

Fourth looked puzzled at her. "You agreed with him. You tried to help us."

Ajeya's sardonic laughter filled the cramped room. "How many times do I have to repeat myself? I tell you again: I didn't try to help you. I just wanted to get your jailers down. You… you…," she pointed at them as she stammered. "I don't give a damn about you!"

"I still don't understand why we keep her alive!" Second seethed and all his muscles tensed as he flung towards the Romulan woman.

In her still debilitated state, Ajeya's reaction came late. Actually, she realized, even at her peak physical condiction, she would have never been a match for the lighting reflexes and the strength of the Jem'Hadar. However, First's commanding voice stilled the Dominion warrior when he was about to strike. "I do! And that's enough."

Second grunted but submitted to his superior and sat down again. Ajeya didn't relax; she knew she was playing a dangerous game speaking her mind. However, she had always loved to risk.

"So you agree with the Founders," First spoke with a surprising calm; he usually did.

Again, Ajeja couldn't help smiling. "The Founders are always right. Isn't that what you say?"

"Maybe they are not," First sobered.

A voice from the ship's speakers interrupted their conversation, "Attention! We are now approaching the wormhole." The Dominion soldier intoned it with the same lack of emotion a computer would.

Ajeya could not help but sweep her gaze around the gathered Jem'Hadar. She had always thought they were not much different from machines; however, she grimaced when she realized that her close time with them had made her discover their different personalities. Again, machines could be programmed to have personalities too.

The warriors stood up and left the lounge to go to the bridge. First was also on his feet, but he did not move. He lingered beside Ajeya and waited until the others were gone to address her.

"Maybe you did not want to help us, but we helped you. Now it's time for you to help us."

Ajeya didn't speak this time; she waited to hear First's proposal. He went on, "This is a Romulan vessel. You are Romulan."

Ajeya cringed when she heard the words. Sometimes she tried not to acknowledge that fact. She was surrounded by aliens, but still sometimes the RSE assault ship she was in made her feel secure and relaxed, until she realized she was letting some foreigners run one of the Empire's warships, then she felt utterly outraged. She tried to control that feeling right now. All her muscles aching in tension, she forced herself to quietly listen to the Jem'Hadar commanding officer.

"You will speak with the Federation station to travel through the wormhole. We cannot do it. They will suspect."

Her small grim smile was her first answer. She crossed her arms, "Are you threatening me if I don't?"

First frowned. "You don't want to help, why?"

Ajeya lifted her eyebrow in surprise; she wondered if the soldier was really that naïve. Does he- does it really need an explanation?

"Why would I help you carry further away one of our ships?" Her fury sipped through her words; she didn't let him answer. "Why would I give you what you want? So you can readily dispose of me, as your second has clearly stated you want?"

First's frown grew deeper; his answer, though, was firm but calm, "I don't want to dispose of you." When Ajeya replied with a dry chuckle, he went on, "We are not friends, but we are not enemies either. And we have a common enemy, you said. My enemy's enemy is my ally."

Ajeya immediately dismissed the thought; she didn't want to pretend, "We are not allies."

The Dominion warrior didn't move or change his expression, but his face's muscles tensed as a sign of discomfort. He has problems understanding the complex and twisted mind of the Romulan admiral. But First still really didn't want her to become his enemy; he really had plans for her.

"If you don't want to help, don't help. But the ones who hunt us are also hunting you. Do you want to fall again in their hands?" He tried hard to reason with her.

However, Ajeya had a different point of view, "I'm still a prisoner, one way or the other."

"You are not," First had actually assured her that many times. "You are a guest."

The apparent convincement in his voice was not enough for the veteran Romulan officer, facts told her a quite different truth. She tested him further, "If so, let me go now; you can even keep the ship."

She had asked for that before, the answer had always been negative and she knew it. The Jem'Hadar didn't reply her at once this time; he stopped to think and mulled it over. After a long silence, he surprised her soberly saying, "Agreed."

Ajeya was thrown off. "Agreed?" she could not help echoing.

"We can beam you down in an isolated area of Bajor. Sooner or later, you will contact someone. You will be safe. You are a survivor, I can see that."

"You are a smart Jem'Hadar, aren't you?" She didn't mean it as a compliment, but she realized with surprise that she actually appreciated the soldier's demonstrated insight.

First ignored the comment; he didn't know what she really meant. "You want to be off this ship, you are off. I will not risk further."

Ajeya's feral smile answered him, "Fine."

First came closer to her and went down to carefully lift her. Ajeya struggled to get up on her own, but her knees faltered and she had to grasp the Dominion warrior to retain her balance. First gently kept her straight and help her walk. She moved slowly and painfully, actually dragged by the strong Jem'Hadar. Together, they left the lounge.

"Couldn't you be doctors instead of soldiers?" she muttered. Again, the other chose to ignore her.

They walked down the corridor, following the right direction towards the transporter room; but it could also take them to many different places. Ajeya thought again of what was going on. She still doubted the Dominion soldier would let her free, but even if his word was true, she realized she was in no condition to be on her own. She didn't have much of a choice. And she wanted the Jem'Hadar to be alive, and if possible, under her control; they were her proof. It was her time to gamble.

"If I help you", she finally proposed with reluctance, "will you help me?"

First looked largely down at her, measuring her, "An alliance then?"

"A temporary one," Ajeya did not hide her intentions.