"You know I'm right!" Houity was saying in spite of his captain's glare.
"You have to admit, captain, that it's at least odd," Gaallash spoke in his support.
Song had had many good times listening to the two officers arguing, but she hated when they formed a common front to defy her.
"So I admit it. It's odd. End of discussion."
"And aren't you a bit curious?" Now it was Garak, who had been quiet until that precise moment. He had crossed his arms and was looking expectantly at her.
Her glare intensified when returning his gaze. "So Admiral Saavik and the Romulan commander seem to trust and even like each other, while the Romulan admiral shows an antagonism towards her. Your assessment is noted. I will certainly report it to the admiral. Now return to your duties and shut up!"
"Aye, aye, ma'am!" her first officer immediately complied.
The chief engineering had still his mouth open, willing to say, for example, that he did not want Admiral Saavik to know about their little chat. However, he only replied, "Yes, captain."
She smiled satisfied. She was not really angry, and she probably would be more willing to speak freely when their shift was over. Houity and the rest of the bridge crew realized that moment was not the most appropriate time and, however, even as they focused on their stations, the many questions they had still lingered in their minds.
"Captain, the Firebird is hailing us again!" another officer supplied.
"Put it through."
Then, a close-up image of Luther Sloan formed in the bridge. Song frowned at the change of view, now she could only see his face and upper body.
"This is Commander Song. Go ahead."
"Where is Admiral Saavik? I will only speak to her." There was certain trepidation in his voice, and she noticed his former cold eyes had watered.
"Admiral Saavik is busy." She refused to concede to him. "Tell me the reason of your calling and I will transmit it to her."
"My reason…" He smiled dryly, and had to stiff a grimace. Then, his right hand appeared in the screen and he made a gesture with it as the angle of vision widened to show his entire body and the Firebird's bridge. "Let's say I'm more willing to concede to her points now."
Everybody in the Numancia, including Garak, gasped. Sloan was badly injured, and he had several open gashes covering his body; all of them recognized the damage of a disruptor weapon. He was sat at the command chair; the only reason he could kept himself upright now that everybody could see most of his legs were missing. There were two Romulan officers fallen over their stations, they were all covered in green blood. Colonel Coltan lied motionless at the floor. Around the bridge the consequences of a close-range fight were visible.
Another person stood beside Sloan, a Cardassian woman who seemed untouched by the deadly combat. Garak stood up from Tactical 2 to come behind Song.
"Elim?" she asked surprised as she saw him appear in their own view screen, a warm smile almost forming in her lips.
"Danal?" Garak replied with some wariness.
Song took her eyes off the bloody scene to question Garak, "Do you know this woman?"
"We used to work together. For the Obsidian Order," he continued contemplating her, and a spark illuminated his eyes for a brief instant.
Song turned again towards Sloan and his Cardassian companion, "I'll contact the admiral. Hold the line."
Immediately, she cut the view off. The Numancia crew had been always in the first lines of the front during the Dominion War; they were aware of the atrocities of it. Song and most of her senior officers had seen too many injured comrades, too many had died in front of their eyes. However, nobody wanted to envision the consequences of combat more than what was strictly necessary. Everybody relaxed somehow when the Firebird's hologram vanished.
Saavik came into the bridge less than a minute later, followed closely by Ba'el. Song stood up and the Vulcan took her place. Ba'el did not went for the science station this time, though; she remained standing by the admiral's side.
"Commander Song tells me you are willing to admit you work for Koval now," Saavik told Sloan once the man appeared again. She tried to remain impassible in spite of his condition.
"No," Sloan gritted his teeth; he went on with conviction, "I work for the Federation. I always have. I'm only willing to admit that maybe, this time, I was fooled by him."
"I know what you were doing in Cardassia. Genetic experimentation is outlawed by the Federation, especially if you force Jem'Hadar prisoners as subjects. Do not tell me the Federation sanctions such actions? You know well it is not true."
"Sometimes you have to bend the rules," he quoted a sentence that Saavik had heard several times before and from people she admired; he tried to smile.
"You are not bending the rules, you are breaking them," Saavik's severe voice corrected him.
"You're pissing on them, actually," Ba'el's harsh words surprised all of them.
Saavik turned slightly to look at her. She was staring down at Sloan with certain murderous intentions, bristling, her teeth bared. Saavik knew she was affected by her revelations. Now Ba'el displaced her rage towards the other man who seemed eager to repeat the same terrible error.
Sloan's gaze was now fixed on Ba'el, seizing her. He inhaled deeply before addressing Saavik again, "You may think what you want of our methods, but thanks to Section 31 the Federation still stands. If not for us, you brave Starfleet officers would have already fallen to the Dominion and to other menaces you didn't even get to know."
"If that's all you have to say, we are all losing our time here," Saavik's tone was extremely cold.
Sloan sourly laughed, but he choked. He tossed blood. "No, I have more to say." He caressed his light brown hair with his left hand, inwardly, and the Numancia officers could not help but focus their attention on the severely damaged hand. "You wanted to speak with Koval; he's waiting. And this ship, I control it. I can give you that." Sloan's breathing was getting more labored at each passing minute. "And I can give you my clone, too, it's something I'm trying to understand." Again he was trying unsuccessfully to smile. "All I ask in exchange is the medical care I need, an honorable officer like you would not deny me that. And the benefit of the doubt. I am innocent until proven guilty. If I, and my Cardassian colleague, for that matter, beam to your ship, it will be as guests."
Saavik nodded, "Agreed. If you keep your word, I will keep mine."