A/N: And this story is finished! Many thanks to Kretolus, for his support and his loan of his character, and thanks to everyone else who followed! Rixadi will be back in a future story, so watch this space!

Rixadi sat in the Puma's sickbay, enduring Herik's unusually heavy-handed bedside manner as he tended to her injuries - a few disruptor shots had grazed her, not to mention the stress she'd put on her brain by pushing her telekinetic abilities so hard.

A moment later the doors hissed open, and the diminutive form of Admiral Kassai entered, striding over to the Lieutenant and stopping beside her bed.

"You wanted to see me, Lieutenant?" she asked gently, and Rixadi nodded.

"Yes ma'am." She pushed herself into a sitting position, and nodded to the medical officer. "Give us a moment please, Herik."

Herik glared at her for a moment, and Lydana cleared her throat pointedly. His gaze snapped to her, and he found a greater fire staring back at him.

"A superior officer has given you an instruction, Lieutenant," the Bajoran said curtly, "do not make me enforce it, because you will not like the consequences."

Herik snapped into a curt salute, before dropping his instruments on the tray next to him and storming out of sickbay.

Lydana sighed, moved to the tray and checked the device he'd used, tutting in disapproval as she adjusted it and resumed his work.

"So, what's the problem, Lieutenant?" she asked, easing Rixadi back down.

"Well...I, um...I wanted to turn myself in, ma'am," the Tkaathan answered quietly.

Lydana didn't even flinch.

"Why?"

Rixadi frowned.

"Because...well, I caused a lot of damage, I disobeyed orders, I stole a ship and I nearly got my entire crew killed, ma'am."

"So?" Lydana continued working, her calm acceptance of Rixadi's actions almost maddening.

"Ma'am...I think I've proven I don't deserve to wear this uniform," Rixadi told her, choking back tears. "I thought revenge was the way forwards. I thought it was all I had, I thought it was the only way to get justice for my crew. But it wasn't. Captain O'Neill was right, it isn't my place to go on a vigilante hunt, it's my place to do what Command wants of me. I just figured...I'd turn the bastard over to you before I turned myself in, to do one thing right before I was dishonourably discharged."

Lydana finished what she was doing, set the tool down again and leaned on the side of Rixadi's bed, meeting the Tkaathan's eyes.

"Did you learn from this?"

Rixadi frowned again.

"I...well, yes, but-"

"Then I doubt this will happen again." Lydana smiled as she noticed Rixadi's deepening confusion. "Lieutenant, I once told you that I knew your pain far more than you could understand. I once did something similar, but for more selfish reasons and with far worse potential repercussions had I succeeded. I am far from being the person to demand your discharge, and nor do I want it. You made mistakes, but you learned from your actions and made the right call in the end."

"Yes, and now my entire crew hates me," Rixadi answered bitterly, closing her eyes and shaking her head sadly.

"Sometimes, Lieutenant, doing what is right means doing what is unpopular. As the captain of a Starfleet vessel, your word is law, and you have to live with the consequences of your actions - but if the decisions made are the right ones, then you will always have the support of your superiors."

Lydana paused, allowing her words to sink in during the moment of silence.

"What I can do, if you want, is arrange for you to have some compassionate leave, come back with a clean slate and a fresh ship, give them some time to accept your decision and to understand that you were right to act as you did. What do you say?"

Rixadi thought for a moment, her eyes still closed, and eventually she nodded.

"I...I would like that, ma'am."

"Good," the Bajoran declared cheerfully, pushing herself upright again. "I'll get that arranged for you, and see to it you get something newer than this crate," she chuckled. "I'll keep an eye on your crew for you, stop them getting into trouble without you."

This time it was Rixadi's turn to chuckle, and she opened her eyes to look at the Admiral.

"Appreciate it, ma'am. See you when I see you."

"Indeed you will," Lydana answered, and tapped her commbadge.

As the young Admiral hazed away, Rixadi swung herself off the bed and pulled her uniform jacket back on. There was still work to do before getting back to Earth Spacedock - part of which involved arranging to meet Keeva for that beer the Irish officer had mentioned previously.

Rixadi sat at the bar in Club 47, feeling acutely uncomfortable in a pure black dress that hugged her figure, the slit up to her thigh making her feel more cold than sexy. She wanted an outfit that made her feel feminine again, after all the time spent in full uniform, but now she regretted it.

She was about to leave when she heard a familiar voice nearby, its Irish purr audible even over the music.

"And when she wears that jet black dress, I lose my self-control to her caress," Keeva recited, and Rixadi turned to her new friend.

She stood there in a blood-red, shoulderless mini-dress, with matching high heels that made her stand out from the crowd even more.

Rixadi was transfixed, even as she tried to work out what she had said.

"I...sorry, what?" she eventually managed, and Keeva sat next to her with a chuckle.

"It's an old song from the Twentieth century on Earth. I found it in the Relentless' files, and I've been hooked on it since. Seemed appropriate to quote it now, though."

She ordered a pair of drinks for both of them, and once they were served she turned to her friend.

"Anyway, what's got you looking so down?" She sipped her beer, watching Rixadi's expression as she spoke. "You beat the bad guys, kept your career intact and captured a valuable prisoner. What's wrong?"

Rixadi shook her head and sipped her own beer, grimacing at the taste.

"My crew hates me," she stated sadly, meeting Keeva's eyes. "All this time I spoke about vengeance and justice...then I betrayed them, by taking the traitor prisoner instead."

"You didn't betray them, Rix."

"As far as they're concerned I did!" Rixadi argued, fighting back tears. "They trusted me to get justice, and instead I took it away from them."

"That isn't true," Keeva reassured her, "and in time they'll come around. They'll see you were acting in the interests of Starfleet, not just yourself or your crew."

Rixadi went silent, focusing on her drink as she thought about Keeva's words.

Without warning, she felt the Irish woman take her hand and squeeze it gently. She looked up, and saw the redhead smiling at her, her eyes lit with warmth and affection.

"Dance with me," she said softly, tugging on Rixadi's hand. "Just forget about things for a bit, and dance with me."

Rixadi paused, and finally smiled bashfully as she allowed herself to be led to the dancefloor.

They danced, drank and laughed together for several hours, and when they finally parted, Rixadi felt better than she ever had.

It would be the beginning of a long and cherished relationship.

Eilis O'Neill sat in the Relentless's mess hall, enjoying a bowl of Zhab eels as she scrolled through some reports.

She felt a presence nearby, and was surprised when a fork lanced into the bowl, stealing away a piece of eel, and a familiar figure seated themselves across from her.

"Don't you find," Admiral Kassai started, swallowing her purloined piece of eel with difficulty, "that replicated Zhab eel tastes a bit...chewy?"

Eilis smiled, looking up at the Bajoran. "I suppose. But I can't exactly make them in any other way, ma'am. Not this far from Zan."

Lydana nodded, attempting to work a bit of errant flesh from her teeth.

"You're not wrong," she mused. "I was at your people's embassy a while back. Tried some fresh. Absolutely delicious. I'll have to see if I can get some delivered back home, then I could make you some. And you could bring your Commander, er...Jidzi, wasn't it? You two could use the break."

She looked around impatiently.

"And who do I have to threaten to get a drink?"

A slight smirk appeared on Eilis' face. "What kind of drink do you have in mind, Admiral?"

"Oh, I don't know," Lydana said thoughtfully. "I'll be adventurous. Surprise me with a beverage of your people."

"I do have a bottle of Nárëan azure wine in my quarters. It really can make any conversation much more pleasant." Eilis hummed in thought. "It's very rare, and extremely delicious."

Lydana grinned wickedly, and surprised them both with her next reply.

"Why, Captain O'Neill, are you trying to seduce a superior officer?" she asked, trying to stifle a laugh.

Eilis chuckled briefly. "I would not dream of doing such a thing, ma'am. Sharing Nárëan wine is a sign of respect and friendship on my world. It's most often drunk among treasured friends or family. Although I will admit, it could also be used to, as you put it ma'am, 'seduce' a person of interest." She smiled warmly. "Not in this case, though, I assure you."

"Damn," Lydana said with mock disappointment, "and here I was hoping I could at least get a good kiss out of the deal." She laughed at herself, her cheeks heating. "Oh, I don't know how Elisa flirts so effortlessly. Or Anais, for that matter. In any case, Captain, it would be an honour to drink with such a 'treasured friend'. Lead on, by all means."

The pair made their way through the ship to the Captain's quarters, making small talk as they went. Upon entering the room, Eilis offered Lydana a seat, while grabbing a pair of wine glasses from the replicator and a bottle of Nárëan wine from one of her cabinets. Placing the glasses on the table, she uncorked the bottle and poured each of them a serving of the swirling, nebulous, azure liquid, before setting the bottle down and sitting near to the Admiral.

"Well, ma'am", she said, offering a glass to the woman, "enjoy."

Lydana sipped her wine, closing her eyes in enjoyment.

"Mm, that is quite spectacular," she sighed contentedly, leaning back into her chair. "I don't get a lot of rest these days. Moments like this are...very precious. For all of us, really."

"More precious than any of us would like to admit." Eilis hummed in agreement, sipping her wine.

"Indeed," Lydana answered, a mischievous smile playing across her lips. "Lucky for us, then, that I have become an exceptionally talented liar. I'm not actually here, you see. I'm actually making a scheduled stop at DS9. Very important. Missing it would almost be considered a war crime."

"It's good that you're there then, ma'am." Eilis replied, taking another sip from her glass. "I am currently chasing some Starfleet fugitives, that somehow managed to evade me and my crew for this long. And that takes some impressive skill, if I do say so myself."

Lydana made an amused sound of agreement, leaning forward to place her glass on the table.

"Which brings us to the purpose of my visit," she stated in a semi-formal tone. "I wanted to tell you, I approve of how you handled the situation. Lieutenant Seshara is headstrong and reckless, but I believe she has great potential. I think I'll be keeping tabs on her. Might even tap her for Intelligence, later on down the line."

"I'm sure you are aware I don't approve of being sent on these… 'witch hunts', ma'am. Maybe if Starfleet want to punish 'defectors', they will stop sending me after those I bring back end up better for it." She nodded towards Lydana, taking another drink before setting her glass down, and looking at the woman with an amused smile. "You know, ma'am, I had a feeling you were going to like her. She's almost as stubborn as you."

"Although far less damaging to the timeline," Lydana answered with a bitter smile. "But in any case, I'll see what I can do to see that your skills are put to better use - if diplomacy and rhetoric don't work, I can always threaten them with a walk out the airlock."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather see my career move on its own merit, not outside influence. I'm sure I can convince the Admiralty myself. Especially seeing as I'm sure there will be some sort of hearing regarding this whole… situation." She sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"I never said anything about influencing your career, Eilis," Lydana answered with a hint of sadness. "You simply had a legitimate complaint about how you and your crew have been used, and I am in a position to legitimately do something about it. Any furthering of your career would be yours alone - after all, you seem to be doing a fine job of that on your own."

"Well, ma'am, if I can't get my crew to where they would be best suited, I'm not doing the best job I could." She offered Lydana a genuine smile.

"No chance of that," Lydana replied with a matching smile, "you're doing a damn fine job - which is why I want you to go back to doing it, instead of being sent on 'witch hunts', as you call them."

"Then I'll make sure to get in contact should the Admiralty refuses me, ma'am." The Captain responded. "I do not wish to needlessly involve you, ma'am. I'm sure you have much better things to do than that."

"There are few things better than ensuring a capable officer and crew are not wasted," Lydana stated, finishing her drink, "but I will let you do it your way." She stood up with a weary sigh. "Anyway, I wish I could stay longer, but I really ought to at least put in an actual appearance at DS9 - you know how Kurland gets when his schedules are all messed up. Plus I love keeping Minna on her dainty little toes."

Eilis stood up as well, offering the Bajoran a warm smile. "I should return to my duties as well. I do have fugitives to catch and bring back for trial after all." She respectfully bowed her head. "I'm sure you know, but you are always welcome on my ship, Admiral. Feel free to visit any time you wish." She let out an amused huff. "Not that you wouldn't anyway."

Lydana giggled playfully.

"Well, maybe I like to keep you on your toes, as well," she said with a musical laugh. "The same goes for you, Eilis - although, my ship has considerably more 'Classified' areas than yours. My home, however, is always open to my friends. I was serious about bringing Jidzi to Bajor for a stay. I live in the nicest area, and my Hasperat is to die for."

She embraced the captain warmly, holding her tight for a moment.

"It's always a pleasure, Eilis. Be safe."

Eilis returned the embrace. "You too. May the winds of fate ever favour you."

"And you, Eilis." With that, she tapped her commbadge and disappeared in an azure haze.