Chapter 10

"You look tired."

"Exactly what every woman wants to hear when she's finally able to spend time with the man she's dating." Kathryn rested her hand in her chin and smiled as she leaned closer to the computer terminal on her desk. There hadn't been much time for personal conversations in the last week, and she hadn't really seen him since just prior to their deployment to the region. When she allowed herself to stop and think about it, she realized she was missing him. There was something bright and joyful that he brought to her life, and she could admit to herself that her vanity appreciated his interest in her as a woman.

"This isn't what I would call spending time together," Jake replied. He was in his quarters. His uniform had been discarded in favor of a soft, v-neck knit pullover and loose cotton pants. The hour was late, by ship standards, and he knew the Titan was keeping the same schedule. A line formed between his brows at the sight of her still in her uniform, at least partially. He could see the jacket was hanging on the back of her chair. She had at least opened the collar of the form-fitting red undershirt. "If we were actually together," Jake moved from the sofa where he was sitting to the floor in front of the coffee table, where he placed the computer for this call, "I would have to insist on that uniform being gone."

"Careful, Captain." Kathryn felt a warm flush begin to rise up her neck at the intensity of his stare, "I'm detecting an energy surge in your forward relays." She knew that she probably should have stopped working a while ago, but she was reading the reports forwarded by their ships patrolling the border. There had been no further activity since Voyager and Cerberus intercepted the fighters. Kathryn couldn't decide if that was a good sign or not.

"You have no idea." Jake flashed a crooked grin at her. "I've been thinking…"

"Always a dangerous endeavor." Kathryn's eyes sparkled. "What exactly are you thinking about? I have a feeling I should put us on yellow alert, I'm detecting the possibility of blown gel packs in our future."

Jake sighed, and the sound was more wistful than resigned. "I really do love it when you talk starship to me." He drew a knee up and draped his arm across it. "Aegeus will be at your position tomorrow. There's no reason for us to rush back to the border. It's covered, and right now Gryphon is closer to our fleet than either of us. If our fleet needs an extra set of hands, it's available. Have dinner with me tomorrow. It might be a while before we get this chance again. There's no reason why you can't come over to Aegeus for a few hours, get away from it all. There isn't anything in your mission plan that states you can't have a break." His brows drew together and he fixed her with a long, knowing look. "I think you need one."

Kathryn dropped her hand and lowered her head. It was surprising, and she couldn't decide if it was unsettling or not, how easily he could already read her. She was tired, as he observed, and the constant need to be on guard with their hosts was wearing on her. It was wearing on all of them. A few hours of respite wasn't outside the realm of possibility. When she lifted her gaze again, it was to smile warmly at him. One of the things that she liked most about Jake was that he never hesitated to tell her exactly what he was thinking. "You're not entirely wrong," she admitted. "There is something at play here that I can't put my finger on, and maybe I'm thinking about it a little too hard." Her gaze drifted, and with it her thoughts. Kathryn shook her head and pulled her mind back to the conversation. "Dinner," she agreed, "aboard Aegeus. I'm already looking forward to it."

"Good," he told her. "I'll even make you something a little hardier than the broth I know you're living off of right now."

She laughed. "It worries me how much you've learned about me in so short a time." She rested her arms on the desk and leaned on the edge of her seat. Kathryn drew her teeth across her bottom lip before she fixed him with a suitably flirtatious look. "I might start to think you had ulterior motives, Captain."

"Of course I do." He smirked at her. "I told you, Kathryn, I have no problem pursuing a woman who outranks me." He let his eyes drift from her face to the open gap in her undershirt. His sigh was exaggerated. "Damn subspace, anyway."

"Oh Jake," she said huskily, "I hate to be the one to spoil your fun, but it isn't a pursuit if I'm not running anywhere."

"Nothing about that is spoiling my fun," he promised her. "Now, in the interest of making sure you actually get some rest tonight, and you aren't so tired that you're falling asleep at dinner, why don't you talk me through the pieces that are bothering you. Even if I can't help you untangle any of it, talking might help."

Her smile softened and the gleam in her eyes gentled. "I feel like I've talked about it until I'm tired of saying the words," she told him. "I've been over everything we've learned, and all the unanswered questions so many times, I really don't know that doing it again would help. I do appreciate it, however."

"The difference is," Jake pointed out, but without pushing her in any one direction, "I'm not in command of your taskforce, nor am I your chief diplomatic advisor. I'm just a guy that doesn't mind hearing how your day was. You know, that's kind of how this works. Two people, dating, talking about their days. What's wrong, what's right, is it good, or is it bad. I've heard it's pretty conducive to building lasting relationships. You might still be wearing a uniform right now, but in this moment, you're not the Admiral and I'm not your subordinate."

"Is that what we're doing?" Aside from an understanding that neither of them was interested in having a casual relationship with a colleague, or in her case, a subordinate officer, they hadn't really talked about it in any great depth. She wondered if this was the place for that, but then she considered the paths they'd chosen for their careers. The more mundane, conventional locations for such conversations weren't always available to them.

"Isn't it?" Jake tilted his head as he studied her image on his screen. "If this isn't going to be casual then it's going to have to mean something. What that is, I don't think either of us knows, and it isn't possible that we could at this point. It's just another form of exploration as far as I'm concerned. We're getting to know each other and what we might be together, and since we're both explorers, we might as well do it right." He shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure what right is, either, but nothing about this has felt wrong to me."

"To me either," she admitted quietly. It had been a long time since any relationship had felt so easy. There was something very comfortable about Jake, and she hadn't quite figured out what that was. It could be that she had known his family for so long, and that aspects of his personality were as familiar to her as her own, or it could just be that he treated her like an equal. It might be a culmination of all of that, or the parts of him that were unique to his individuality, he was right, they couldn't know the answers yet. She didn't mind embarking on the discovery. The last time she was able to slip so easily into the beginnings of a romantic relationship with another person… Kathryn stopped those thoughts quickly, and the road she knew her mind would travel if she allowed them.

"What?" Jake saw the shadow that passed over her eyes. It was something like sadness, and while he had witnessed her dismay at parts of their mission and the reports they received prior to reaching Romulan space, this was something new. Jake sat forward, and quietly cursed again that they were separated by distance and subspace. "What is it?"

"Not tonight." She laid her fingers against the edge of her screen. "It's a story I will tell you, but I don't have the energy now, and it isn't something I want to talk about over the comm." Being open with him was something else she found that came easily to her. Jake had no motives or expectations of their time together, she realized. When they were together, he took each moment as it was presented. She didn't feel judged or pressed, and she didn't have to guard herself against any misconstrued words or feelings. "If you're still willing to listen," she continued, "maybe you're right and talking through my concerns will help me untangle them."

"I can listen for as long as you need," Jake promised. He got comfortable on the floor in front of the coffee table and leaned his back against the front of the sofa. "In our last briefing, you told us that Praetor Tal'Aura was attempting to garner more favor within the Imperial Fleet. Do you think she's trying to subjugate Commander Donatra's position to further consolidate her own power?"

"I think that may be part of it," Kathryn leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. She folded her hands in her lap while she thought through everything they had learned since arriving. "She appointed Tomalak as Proconsul to gain favor within the fleet. He was a decorated and respected Commander. Based on everything we know about Tomalak, though, he just doesn't strike me as someone who would endorse the Praetor who so closely assisted Shinzon's coup. His feelings about the Remans are well known, and surpassed only by his loathing of humans. It's odd that he is supporting her, and yet…"

"Someone that invested in Romulan Imperialism isn't going to support Commander Donatra, whose primary motivations are the protection of the people. The population of Romulus is beginning to realize what rule of law without the fear of reprisal could look like. Someone like Tomalak, who views Federation freedom with contempt, would never align himself with the young and charismatic Donatra."

"No, he wouldn't. He doesn't strike me as being any great fan of the Tal Shiar, either," Kathryn pointed out. "We're almost certain the organization is making moves to solidify Tal'Aura's hold on the Praetorship." She sighed. "Maybe I'm just making assumptions based on what I've read, rather than on what I've really observed. He's been largely absent from our meetings, maintaining governance while the Praetor is involved in diplomacy… or so we have been told."

"You don't believe him?" Jake didn't think it rang true either, but he had not been part of their talks. He had no first hand account of the Proconsul. Like Kathryn, what he knew came largely from reports, historical accounts, and the observations of others.

"The Enterprise encountered Tomalak a number of times when he was still a Commander within the Imperial Fleet. Captain Riker doesn't trust him, and while Commander Troi's diplomatic instinct is to withhold judgment based on past encounters, I don't believe she does either. On the one occasion he did meet with us, she could tell he was hiding something, but that isn't unusual of anyone we've dealt with so far. We know that the Romulans don't want us here. They invited us because it is necessary."

"The needs of the many," Jake murmured, "as their Vulcan cousins would say."

"Ah, and that would be another layer of complication to all of this. The Romulan delegates are all aware that we know Ambassador Spock is part of the underground movement here to reunify their people. They don't appreciate the intrusion, but it is one more way in which the will of their people has been repressed. They can't actively speak out against it without bringing up the fact that they would much rather go back to the way things were before."

"Those things are how they got here to begin with." Jake shook his head. "It's not an easy path, putting the past aside in favor of a better future. Clinging to what's known is instinctual. It's even harder to give up power. Before this is over, I think the will of the people will ultimately tip the scale one way or another. It can't be avoided."

"No, it can't." Kathryn slumped a bit. "The more worrisome question is what will it cost all of us?"

Jake leaned forward as a frown drew his brows together. "That is not a burden you have to shoulder, Kathryn. You know what is at stake here, for all of us, and what the cost of another war might be, but that doesn't mean you have to bear it alone. This isn't the Delta Quadrant, and as lovely as those shoulders are, they weren't built to hold the weight of all our worlds. The Federation wasn't built in a day, and neither were all of its alliances."

"If we don't succeed here," she began, but was cut off before she could continue.

"Then we'll keep trying. We will reach a peaceful solution. The Romulans need us here," he reminded her. "They can't afford another war anymore than we can. We might just be in for a longer haul than we originally believed."

She rested her chin in her hand again and smiled at him. "You were right, you're really not bad at listening." Her concerns were still there, but they didn't weigh so heavily with the reminder that she wasn't alone, not anymore.

"That's not all I can do, either." Jake watched her blush and grinned widely.

"Red alert, Captain. Your EPS manifolds are overloading again," Kathryn shook her head at how incorrigible he could be.

"Damn the EPS manifolds," he said gruffly, "It's the auxiliary systems that are in trouble, Admiral."

"You should see an engineer about that," she said, pleased at how sage she was able to sound, despite the salacious turn her own thoughts had taken.

"I am an engineer," he reminded her, "It's a science officer I'm needing."

"Hm." Her expression turned sympathetic. "I can see where that would be beneficial to your circumstances."

"You have no idea." Jake studied her more relaxed posture and his smile warmed. "Get some rest, Kathryn. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes." She touched the screen again. "Good night."

After the screen had gone dark Jake tipped his head back against the sofa with a groan. "You're in so deep old man." He stared at the ceiling of his cabin and sighed. He wanted her, but he knew that he was going to end up falling for her. She wasn't the kind of woman that he could just enjoy and walk away from, and honestly, he didn't really want to.

Jake pulled himself up and walked over to the viewport. On the other side of the many layers of pressed, transparent aluminum, the stars were streaking by as Aegeus flew toward the rendezvous point at Romulus. He leaned his hip against the ledge of the viewport and folded his arms across his chest. Life, he realized, was about to get a lot more complicated, but maybe in the best possible way.

It was several hours later when the ship reached the rendezvous with Titan. There was nothing in Captain Paris's countenance that betrayed his thoughts, or the conversation that was had the night before, when Kathryn beamed aboard his ship. "Admiral Janeway, Captain Riker," he nodded to the pair. "Welcome aboard Aegeus."

Riker looked around and grinned. "Feels almost like home." The interior of the Sovereign-class ship was so similar to the Enterprise-E that he could almost pretend he had been beamed aboard his former ship.

"Captain Paris." The Admiral stepped down off the transporter pad. "Have you learned anything from the guests in your brig since our last conversation?"

Jake knew she was talking about the more formal briefing that had been held in the other Captain's ready room via subspace. "I'm afraid not, Admiral. They're still not talking; at least there's been nothing of value. The Cardassians and the two Humans haven't said a word, and beyond a few veiled threats about the supremacy of the Romulan Empire, we haven't gleaned anything from the others either."

"No surprise there," Riker said.

"No," the Admiral agreed. "I would like to see your guests for myself, Captain. I don't expect any of them will be anymore willing to share in my presence, but I am rather curious."

"Understandable." Jake gestured toward the door. "This way, Admiral." He moved in step with her as they left the transporter room. "Has the Romulan government identified our guests from the images we supplied?"

"Not that they've shared," Kathryn told him. "It isn't surprising. Someone was behind their attacks, and whoever that is, they aren't going to make it easier for us to identify them."

"It's the Cardassians that I'm the most interested in," Riker told them. "Attempts to undermine Federation attempts at peace in other sectors could have serious repercussions on our treaty. The last thing we need is them making trouble again."

"It's far more likely they're just mercenaries," Jake replied. He led the pair to the turbolift near the transporter room and followed them inside. "Computer, deck 9, brig." Without missing a beat, he continued his analysis of the situation, "The opportunities for any kind of advancement on Cardassia are few and far between right now. They're still rebuilding. Most of their citizens are living in refugee camps; their colonies are in ruins. They don't have much of a fleet or military left to speak of." The Captain shook his head. "The Cardassians are opportunists now. They would rather wait and let the Federation and the Romulans weaken each other before attempting to get involved. They wouldn't risk any involvement now, not while the Federation is still supplying aid."

"That does sound more logical," Kathryn agreed, "but when have the Cardassians ever acted logically?"

"A fair point," Paris conceded. "Even when it's in their best interests… logic eludes them."

"And that is what separates them from the Vulcans," Riker pointed out with a grin. He shook his head. "No one would ever accuse the Cardassian Empire of doing what is in the best interests of its people. Look at their alliance with the Dominion. Their quest for power brought that threat to all our doors. It might be smarter for Cardassia to stay out of Romulan affairs, but I wouldn't rule out their tendency for ambition and conquest just yet."

"Nor have I," Kathryn agreed. When the turbolift came for a stop, and the doors opened, she stepped out ahead of the others. "I think we can keep all options on the table until we have incontrovertible proof. The Romulans have asked us to transfer our detainees into their custody for crimes against the Empire. Attempting to delay that transfer of the Cardassian and Human fighter crew could prove to be enough of a bargain that they might actually be willing speak to us." Starfleet Command wasn't willing to risk diplomatic talks for the sake of retaining custody of the detainees when they were caught illegally crossing the Neutral Zone and analysis of their ships had proven they were responsible for the attacks of the Romulan outposts and colonies along the border, but Command and the Federation Council had authorized her to attempt negotiations.

They came to a stop outside the brig. "Well, you're about to find out." Jake nodded toward the inside. The Aegeus brig was larger than the facilities aboard the Cerberus. The nine detainees they had beamed aboard from the Peregrine-class fighters were being held within the five-cell brig, two persons to a cell, with the exception of the human woman, whom they had confined alone. Jake waved the other two into the large room ahead of him. "Admiral, Captain, I would introduce you, but most of our guests have refused to give us a name. As you know, we were only able to identify Ms. Renel and Mr. Sullivan, who have been guests of the Federation before."

While the two Humans stared insolently at them, they said nothing. Kathryn moved to the center of the room. "I am Admiral Kathryn Janeway. You were detained for illegally breaching the Neutral Zone. The Romulan government has asked that we remand you into their custody, but if you can tell me what you were doing in Romulan Space, I have been authorized to negotiate on your behalf."

David Sullivan snorted. "What she means is that we have the choice between Romulan hospitality or a Federation Penal Colony. I've been one of your guests before, Admiral. I think I'd rather take my chances with the Empire."

"If that is your wish," Kathryn shrugged. "I think your Romulan crewmates can tell you better than I can what the penalty is for crimes against the Empire." Her gaze shifted to the four Romulan prisoners. "As I understand it, you will each be questioned until there is no more information to be gleaned, and then you will be executed. Isn't that right?"

The Romulans said nothing. Kathryn had expected no different. They knew their fate. Even if she was inclined to negotiate on their behalf it would be futile. The Federation could not deny the Romulan Government access to citizens arrested inside their own space. "A penal colony may be the result of your return to Federation space," she told Renel and Sullivan, "but I would think it's preferable to the alternative." Her gaze shifted to the Cardassians. "Wouldn't you agree?"

The three Cardassians had remained silent, preferring not to acknowledge the Starfleet officers' presence, but with the arrival of the Admiral there was movement in one of the cells. The elder of the three rose from where he had been sitting and walked to the force field. "How do we know that you will keep your word, Admiral? What is to stop you from giving us all to the Romulans once you have the information you want?" His head inclined. He fixed her in his obsidian gaze. "What assurances can you offer, Kathryn Janeway?"

It was the voice, more than his appearance, which sent a chill down her spine. It spread outward, like an infection, until her very fingers felt numb. Kathryn's jaw clenched. She returned his stare, lost for moment in the darkness of his gaze, as the deceptively calm inflection of his voice swept across her memory. Her stomach clenched, and an icy fist closed around her heart.

"How foolish," she said. "You must realize that one will say anything under torture. It's a ridiculous method of getting information."

"Of course it is. That is not the purpose of our technique."

"What is the purpose?"

"Power. Control. The satisfaction of completely breaking the will of another being."

"Admiral?"

She jolted slightly at the sound of Captain Riker's voice and realized she had been still for too long. Kathryn blinked once, and she was no longer in that grand chamber from so long ago. Her fingers twitched and she curled her hands into loose fists. Her thumbs swept over the digits, as though to caress the feeling back into them. Her chin lifted and she walked closer to the cell.

"Camet." Kathryn thanked every ounce of training, and every year spent in the Delta Quadrant, for the steady timber of her voice. "I would say that the years have been kind, but we agreed once not to lie to one another." He was still tall, but he was no longer as thin as he had once been. There was gray streaked through his hair and lines around his eyes. The Cardassians, it seemed, were no more immune to aging than the Humans they had once sought to break.

"Did we?" His eyes narrowed. He tilted his head at her. He would admit she looked familiar, but no different to him than any other Human female. When she lifted her chin, the tilt of it stubborn and defiant, the memory returned to him. "Ah, yes, the little scientific explorer. I remember you now. You were once a guest of mine." Camet looked up and gave a show of examining his surroundings. He lifted his hands and held them out. His long, gray fingers brushed the force field and it buzzed at the contact. "It would seem, Admiral, that our circumstances have been somewhat reversed for this reunion."

"Yes," her lips felt dry but she would not give him the satisfaction of knowing the effect those memories had on her. "It would seem that you are correct about that." Kathryn felt a slight shift behind her, to her left, and knew that it was Jake. She felt the crackle of his concern at the mention of Camet's past hospitality. She ignored him and continued to focus on maintaining control of their present situation. "That does not change my offer. The Federation is willing to use our treaty with the Cardassian Union as a basis for negotiation. You would remain aboard Aegeus and be taken back to Federation Space, where you would be remanded into Starfleet's custody."

"I only have to answer your questions first," Camet drawled. "We have played this game before, although as I recall, the rules were a little different."

"Your accommodations are certainly better," she snapped, growing impatient with the condescension in his tone. She was not there to reminisce with him. "Perhaps you need a little time to think about my offer." Her head turned and she cast a hard look at the Humans who were also in detention. "I would suggest that all of you think about my offer. It expires in twenty-four hours. Captains." She turned on her heel and strode toward the door.

Camet's voice called out to her before she reached it. "When it's very late, Admiral, in the silence when you contemplate the missteps of your career, can you still hear the screams?" Each word was formed with deliberate intonation, caressed by the darkness of the memories he was provoking. "You could have stopped them. Did you know he traded himself for you? You were the weaker target. A few hours with my interrogator and I'd have been able to use your secrets." Her back was to him, but he saw her spine straighten. A smile curled Camet's face. He was no longer a Gul. He had lost everything, his power, his wealth, and the respect of his peers. What he retained, however, were the memories of the man he was, and the lives that were once his to twist at his will. "While you huddled in your dark hole," he continued, each memory coming to his mind as though the event happened only months before, instead of years, "your Admiral begged for your life. Tell me, was he still fond of you when we finished breaking his spirit?"

Kathryn's head turned. She glared at him from over her shoulder. "I will assume from that response that I can give the Romulans your regard."

He walked the length of the force field and drew his fingers across it. The vibration stung his fingers, but he withdrew his hand before it became too intense. "You can do whatever you like, Admiral." She was not confined like the rest of them, there was nothing to prevent any decision she made. He was at her mercy, they all were.

She left the brig without another word. She strode down the corridor at a clipped pace, aware of the two officers following her, but not bothering to acknowledge them. She had one thought in her head, and that was getting away from Camet and the memories he provoked as quickly as possible.

Riker waited until they had gained the interior of the turbolift and she had asked for the transporter room before he gave voice to the questions on his mind. "I don't suppose you'll tell us what that was all about?"

The words were right, but the frustration in his tone was abundantly apparent. "No I will not. I believe you heard enough of the exchange to put the pieces together without me providing the glue, Captain."

There it was, Jake thought, the biting edge of steel that had gotten her through the Delta Quadrant. He exchanged a look with the other man. "What are you going to do?" He asked instead. "If we hand them over without getting any information out of them, we'll have no idea of knowing which faction they were working for."

"I'll make the request," She said. "That's all I can do. We should have Captain Caldwell's report of what she found on Delnak today. If there was anything there at all, we might have more of an advantage and I'll speak to our guests again. The Humans, Renel and Sullivan, may be our best source of information. We should separate them from the others. If nothing else, when their companions believe they've started talking to us, they may be more inclined to answer our questions."

"It's worth a try, anyway." Riker shook his head. "I can't imagine anyone that would face the opportunity of execution without even attempting to secure their life, much less their freedom. They aren't even trying to deal."

"The Romulans would know better," Jake pointed out, "but the others…"

"May think their position has already been secured," Kathryn finished for him. "Yes, I considered that too. In payment for their actions, they may have been offered immunity. Whether the offer was genuine or not, we have no way of knowing."

"I would expect not," Riker said. "The best way to ensure the silence of an operative is to remove the operative. It wouldn't be the first time the Romulans used those kinds of tactics."

"No it wouldn't," Kathryn agreed. "But I would have expected the Cardassians to know better." The lift opened and she strode out. "Captain Riker and I will return to the Titan for now," she explained. "I'll make the request, and do what I can to buy us more time, if nothing else."

"Understood." Jake cast a look at her from the corner of his eye. "I believe we have a meeting later," he reminded her, "unless you would like to postpone, Admiral?" He wondered if she was so rattled by the encounter that she would cancel their dinner plans. Jake wasn't going to allow her to retreat, he decided, he would give her time to regroup and if she did not come to him, he would find his way aboard Titan.

Kathryn stopped just inside the transporter room and turned to meet his gaze. She considered it for a moment. She didn't want to come back to that ship, not while that man was on board, but she would not be cowed. She had never appreciated bullies and she wasn't going to start capitulating to one now, even if it was only the memory of one. Besides which, the intensity of his stare promised that he would not allow her to evade him for long. She could run, but the realization that he would actually give chase was a little startling, but not at all alarming.

"No need to postpone," she decided. "I'll be back as originally planned, Captain."

He nodded. "I'm looking forward to it, ma'am." A muscle in his jaw twitched at the effort it took to suppress his smile at the glare she shot in his direction. He made a mental note to get engineering to check the integrity of the bulkhead behind him. If it wasn't melted, he was certain it must have been weakened. He waited until they were both in position on the transporter pad before he glanced at the chief beside him. "Energize."

After they returned to Titan, Will wisely kept his silence until they were alone in his ready room. He made sure there was coffee in both their hands before he fixed the Admiral with a long look. "If I ask you again, you're not going to tell me what went on back there, are you?"

"No." Kathryn crossed her legs and cradled the coffee in her hands. "We've both been doing this a long time, Will. I'm sure there are things we both want to forget. Can you leave it at that?"

His eyes narrowed for a moment. She wasn't going to let it impact her decision, he decided, so he nodded. "Alright. I'll let it go." Will sighed. They had known each other a long time, but he knew better than to try and push her into a corner. She was right, there was more than enough in his past he wished he could forget. Will resolved to keep his mind focused on the tasks ahead of them. If it became an issue, he knew Deanna would pick up on it. He would leave the counseling in her very capable hands.

"Let's get this over with. I'm not looking forward to having this conversation with Praetor Tal'Aura," Kathryn took a sip of her coffee and then leaned forward and put the cup aside.

"Riker to bridge, hail Praetor Tal'Aura's office in the Imperial Complex, and then patch the connection through to my ready room," he ordered.

"Aye, Captain." Commander Vale replied. "Stand by."

It took only a minute for the hail to be answered. When his view screen came on, he waved the Admiral toward it. She was on.

"Admiral Janeway, with your ship's arrival in orbit can I assume that means that you are ready to discuss those you have detained within our borders?"

"Indeed, Praetor. In addition to the twenty-four hours previously agreed upon, so that we may question the detainees on where they had obtained Federation ships, I must also inform you that several of those detainees have requested that the Federation maintain custody of them." The Admiral could already tell that the Praetor's interest was feigned. It was going to be a long morning and she could already feel a headache forming. "Perhaps we can discuss a trade…"

-TBC-

A/N: Dialogue in italics comes directly from Jeri Taylor's Mosaic, as does our friend Camet.