Note to Beth: Thank your very much for reviewing. It means a lot to me. I will finish this story, but I'm afraid it's a very long one and I'm a slow writer. But I expect to have time these next weeks and post more chapters soon.
Note to all my readers: Thanks to you too. Even if you don't say a word, you keep reading every chapter, and that also encourages me to go.
Sloan gritted his teeth, still glaring at the empty space where Saavik's hologram had been projected.
"This will have never happened if we had finished them off the moment we had them on target."
Sloan's glare turned towards the disdainful voice. The Cardassian operative was gazing down at him, meeting his angry eyes unflinchingly.
"Sir," one of the Romulan officers called him, his urgency printed in his voice.
Sloan remembered he had tried to tell him something before, when he was speaking with the Federation admiral, but he had shrugged him off. "Yes?"
"Sir, the Avenger had jumped out of warp and another ship had decloaked beside them."
Sloan noticed that the Romulan looked at the colonel when reporting. He understood, but still resented the action.
"It's the Rhian'Unnr, Colonel! Sir!" he completed raising his eyes towards Sloan this time.
"Ajeya's flagship, her daughter Raghnill's ship," it was the colonel speaking.
"I don't need to be told!" Sloan snapped.
At the same time, the Cardassian muttered, "Great."
"There has been some fire exchange, but they are still now," the Romulan officer continued.
Sloan was fuming, but tried to control his temper. He looked over the Romulan's shoulders and focused on the consoles where both the Romulan ships and the Federation vessel in front of them where being monitored.
"And why are we waiting here? I want the Avenger destroyed! Now!" he seethed.
At maximum speed, it only took them a minute to reach the other two ships positions. However, the Numancia did not have problems guessing their move, and the Defiant class ship appeared only seconds later after them.
They fired their disruptor array against the jarred vessel the moment they had an aim on it. However, the impressive D'Deridex class bird, that kept the other vessel under her tractor beam, moved and fired their own weapons deterring their attack. The Federation ship positioned herself defending the ship the moment they arrived too.
The colonel cursed both crews, but his vile words only seemed to amuse the Cardassian spy. Sloan, as always cooling his fury, remarked at her, "It's your life that it's at stake here too, you know?" He then addressed the Tal Shiar commanding officer, "Open a channel. Open a channel with the Rhian'Unnr and make that commander Raghnill understand she's committing treason by protecting those Jem'Hadar and her dear mother," he spat.
"Maybe she doesn't know—"
"Of course she does! And if she doesn't surrender now, all the Imperial Fleet will come after her, won't they?"
"They will," the colonel assured him.
"Well, explain that to her!" Sloan commanded again, and he went again to the back of the bridge, melting with the shadows.