Note: I would like to dedicate this chapter to Martha D., who passed away yestarday. Martha, we hardly knew each other and you probably didin't even follow this story, but you were my friend's friend. You were a true friend and were by her side in difficult times and for that, I'm grateful to you. You will be missed.

Ajeya laughed, pleased. For the first time in many days she was feeling good. For the first time in a long time she really was convinced that she would prevail over Koval.

Then, the intercommunicator chimed and the first officer's voice filled the room, "Admiral, Commander, may I speak with you?"

Ajeya stopped laughing and questioned, "What's the problem?"

"Ma'am, the Firebird and the Numancia are both now in our area; we are deterring the Firebird's attempts to destroy the Avenger as ordered, but both ships insist on speaking with you, and so do the Jem'Hadar, Admiral."

Ajeya cursed under her breath. She had just recovered her freedom and had still to form a plan. Raghnill cringed; she hadn't had time to explain their situation either, and there was too much to explain. She turned to her mother and in a whisper she said, "Please, forgive me." To her first officer, she used her command tone, "Put the Numancia through first."

"Yes, Commander."

As her subordinate's acknowledge came, she squared herself. "Maybe you would like to take it in the ready room?" she suggested Ajeya.

"Yes," came the curtly reply.

"Wait for us to reach there. Hold the calls until then," ordered Raghnill. She called for the guard to help them.

The soldier carried the old admiral to the adjacent office. When he left, Ajeya frowned, making up her thoughts, "I haven't seen Elgrim since I came back. He wasn't at the transporter room, he isn't here now. Where is he?"

Ajeya's questioning only carried surprise and curiosity. Raghnill guessed she thought he was off duty and still that puzzled her since he was so devoted to her. She now had to tell her the truth.

"Elgrim is dead. He killed himself," she bluntly admitted.

Ajeya tightened her lips, her eyes turning colder.

"He did what he thought right." Raghnill tried to reason with her. "He felt guilty of you going missing and honor-"

"You know well that's a stupidity!" she scolded.

"I tried to convince him against it," the younger woman defended herself.

"Obviously you failed!" she roared.

She was enraged. It was her way of mourning, Raghnill knew, and after all, her mother was right, she had miserably failed in that matter.

"Admiral, Commander" it was again the first officer's voice, this time more warily. Tension grew up in the stand-off.

Tension was growing up in the ready room too.

"I told you to wait, Subcommander! Obey the damned order!" Raghnill snapped at him.

"Yes, ma'am!" he answered quickly as he cut the communication.

Ajeya willed herself to cool off. "You should have told me before," she mildly reprimanded her daughter.

"There were more pressing matters, I assure you," she justified herself, and in her tone was a hint of apprehension Ajeya did not miss.

Ajeya's mind had suffered a concussion when being attacked by the Tal Shiar ship; she hadn't had time to heal it at the infirmary, but her mind was focusing better every second. She remembered her daughter's words. "Why did you ask for forgiveness, Raghnill?" There was an edge in that question that the commander feared.

Inwardly, Raghnill came to attention and that only made Ajeya tense even more. "I only did what was necessary to save you, ma'am."

"Elaborate further, Commander."

Raghnill knew she would not get easy off that hook, but she did not need to say all the truth since the beginning, the icy tone her mother used suggested so. "Saavik told me about you crossing the worm hole. At first she did not want to help in your rescue, but she changed her mind."

Raghnill inwardly bit her lip as she realized she had already told too much. Saavik was not supposed to know Ajeya needed help when she contacted her. But even if Ajeya noticed the gesture, she did not realize that. She was too shocked and too furious just to know that her unwanted offspring was there.

"So she sent the Numancia," she concluded, and now her eyes were so intense that they were hard to bear. Raghnill lowered slightly her gaze before looking up again. "And she's commanding it." Ajeya guessed right.

"And she now wants to speak with me, Admiral." Raghnill used her rank even in the privacy of the room. She knew it was a moment to remember each other's positions.

Ajeya always appreciated that. Incredibly, at that moment, she did not rebuke her. She smiled, a wicked grin, for sure, but one that anyway lifted her spirit, and she added, "Well, she will speak with me instead."

Raghnill wanted to tell her about the alliance they have formed, about all the information they have shared and their common goal to expose Koval; she had wanted to since the moment they had beamed Ajeya back onboard. However, she had been unable to, and now contradicting her mother's decision would be a fatal mistake. So she just nodded in agreement; she wondered for an instant if she should mimic her mother's feral smile, she was unable to match it, though.

Finally, they ordered the communication with the Numancia to be accepted.