"Revenge, ma'am?" Raghnill was the one echoing her words now, warily.
"Justice," Ajeya corrected for her daughter, not that she really believed in that word.
She held her hand out and Raghnill promptly reached for her, so did a guard. With their help, she stood up. "Keep them locked with the tractor beam," she addressed Raghnill, who in turn gave orders to her crew. "I think we have to talk," Ajeya went on.
"Yes, Admiral, we do," Raghnill answered, as she walked forward, guiding her mother outside the bridge.
Her crew followed them with their eyes. They were happy to see their commanding officer back; they were worried about what could happen next.
Ajeya went back to her own quarters after some dreadful weeks. Raghnill and the soldier sat her at the nearest chair, as she ordered. Then she dismissed the guard and he remained at the other side of the door.
Raghnill still studied her, fearful to find another injure, another strain she had been until then unaware of.
"I'm fine, Raghnill," she assured, "except for these damned knees." She tapped them with some disgust.
"They will be healed soon enough. What matters now is that you are back home, and well." Raghnill smiled fondly.
Ajeya sighed. "This is not over, Raghnill, you know." She paused, banging her leg. "To tell the truth, I'm surprised you found me."
Raghnill admitted, "It wasn't easy."
She was standing in front of her mother, and the old admiral prompted her to take a seat before her. A soft smile was also in her lips.
"You got the message I left for you in Deep Space Nine, didn't you?"
"Yes, thankfully. I was very worried, mother. I… I feared the worst could have happened." As her voice quivered, Raghnill's hand rose, reaching for her mother.
Ajeya clasped it between her own hands before she could touch her. Ajeya's strength in spite of her old age always surprised Raghnill. She held her hand firmly, fire returning to her eyes.
"I am here, Raghnill. And I'm going to prevail."
The younger woman appreciated her determination. "Yes, mother" she replied, drawing herself tall.
Ajeya let go of her hand. She conceded another smile to her daughter before getting into business. "But a Federation ship is here too, interfering. And it isn't a coincidence, is it?"
The commander realized the question required a professional answer, "No, ma'am."
Ajeya scowled displeased. "How much do they know? How much do you know about what's happening here?" she was drilling into her eyes with that uncompromising stare Raghnill admired and feared at the same time.
"Too much." Raghnill sighed aloud. "I have all the information I've been able to compile in the ready room. I can bring it to you, if you give me a moment. There's a lot to talk about." Inwardly, she repeated the same words her mother had used in the bridge.
"And too little time," the admiral concluded. "Go, but help me dress first. I want my uniform back."
"Of course." Raghnill stood up and lifted the old proud woman.
"I want to feel like a soldier again," she went on as Raghnill carried her to her bedroom.
Raghnill sat her carefully at her bed and took one of her uniforms from the closet. Ajeya started to undress and the commander's eyes turned again to her, watching her exposed body.
"I told you I was fine!" Ajeya snapped, resentful of her child's scrutiny. "Give me that!" she reached out her hand.
Immediately, Raghnill sprang to handle her the clothes. The dress lied now discarded on the bed. Stubbornly, she put on her uniform.
"I'm fine," she said in a more subdued voice.
Raghnill just nodded in silence. She understood her mother's feelings; she knew she was just frustrated with herself, with the sensation of vulnerability she so much despised and now had to endure. She turned to take a pair of boots as Ajeya struggled with the uniform's pants.
"Do you remember when you came back to me, after your captivity?" The admiral was now looking at her daughter with longing eyes. "I lost you, for three years I lost you. And now, how many days have I been missing?"
Raghnill was about to answer, but Ajeya spoke up first. "It has been a short imprisonment, and I've been treated well, considering."
"You aren't so soft with your own prisoners," Raghnill's lips inwardly curled up.
Ajeya actually laughed. "Not at all." She finished adjusting her jacket's belt.