Thank you again to Fameanon for helping me write this story. We hope you enjoy.

"Captain!" the Klingon commander growled. "Scans indicate we have a vessel following us…" He hissed the words in such a way that only a Klingon could deduce an excitement about an impending battle.

"Do not raise shields," Miral said, crossing her legs. "Show me on the viewer."

The commander obeyed with a savage grin, tapping the controls with impatience. Miral could tell that her crew was itching for a fight, and she herself had not enjoyed a decent battle in what felt like an age. If only their esteemed guests were not such frail old men, they might have been worth challenging, or maybe more. Either way, they were too old, and the ship on the screen made her blood alight with fire. It was an unfamiliar vessel, purple lighting her belly, her design sleek and sophisticated. She bared her teeth as a hail came through the comm.

Miral stood and clenched her fist, "Go to red alert, but do not raise shields. Ready our weapons." She rounded on her tactical officer. "Have they seen us?"

He stared into his scope. "Unknown."

She snarled. "Activate cloak!" There was never a question as to if she was going to attack this vessel, it was a matter of how. Whether they had seen them or not, she was going to use her cloak to her full advantage. "Use evasive maneuvers and take us to mark 009. 6 off their starboard."

…

Letant winced the moment the red alert sounded. "Oh my," he purred, and gave his Vulcan companions a rueful smile. "This trip just took and interesting turn, I'd say."

The corner of Sopek's mouth twitched downward, displeased. "This ship is not in any shape to take damage. A Packled shuttle could easily destroy this bird of prey."

Letant smiled, and chuckled loudly. "I wasn't aware Vulcans had such profoundly good senses of humor. That was well put, admiral."

It was then the lights dimmed. "We've cloaked," the old Romulan informed them, well familiar with the changes that went on when any cloak was activated.

Strom's eyebrows furrowed, "What should we do?"

Letant stood. "Three things I don't plan on doing – I don't plan on dying with my pants down, unless it's with a beautiful red head. I don't plan on cowering here in this…" he waved his hand around, "and I don't plan on letting our little Klingon chit kill us." He smoothed his tunic down, took a deep breath, and motion his hand toward the door. "As the Klingons say…" He stopped himself. "No I can't say it…come on, gentleman, let's save our own lives this day."

Strom looked over at Sopek, who was already pushing himself up. "What?"

"He was going to say it's a good day to die," Sopek explained, the barest hint of amusement playing in this throat.

…

Miral had the vessel in her periscope sites. "These markings are unknown to me," she growled under her breath. "Do they have their shields raised?"

"We cannot tell. Their technology is more advanced than we can scan."

Miral turned and spat at her tactical officer. "Give me none of your dishonorable excuses! I want to know this ship's weakness!" she hissed out, just as Letant and his Vulcan companions arrived on bridge.

"Captain, they are hailing us," the comms officer growled from the corner, baring his teeth at the screen. Sopek stepped down to stand alongside the captain, while Letant leaned against the nearest railing, seemingly amused despite the precarious situation. "Should I respond?"

Miral glanced first at the Romulan, who smirked watching her consider her options, then to the elder of the two Vulcans, who simply raised an eyebrow.

"Put them on screen, but continue to scan their ship. We must know their weaknesses before we strike!"

"Amazing that she thinks tactically now instead of ten minutes ago," Letant muttered to Sopek, knowing the admiral would hear him.

"I believe this maneuver is called 'stalling for time'," he muttered back. "It's quite common among humans, I am told."

The senator grinned, but his expression was schooled into dismissive superiority when an unfamiliar face appeared on screen.

The alien speaking was tall and thin, with vibrant purple eyes and jet-black hair swept back into a poof on the top of his head. His jawline was quite pronounced and angular, and he regarded the lot of them with a smile.

"Captain Miral," he said in greeting, his voice a breathy whisper. "What a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The very moment Letant saw who was on the screen, the color drained from his face and his dismissive smile flattened. He had been at the Battle of the Line, the Battle of Chinok and the Battle of Cardassia, and he knew what this being was capable of. He saw firsthand what the Jem'Hadar were able to do with men, women, and children alike, and still get a good night's sleep. He moved toward Sopek and motioned Strom over out of sight of the viewscreen.

Letant knew they would miss what was said on the screen, but he also knew that no matter the words spoken, the game was already over. "We will die today," Letant said, softly and flat, whispering to the back of his new Vulcan friends. "I was in the Dominion War, and there is really one chance at living. I know you don't trust me, but I am –" he paused and swallowed hard, "I am begging in the name of our shared ancestors to trust me now."

The old Romulan knew they were off screen where they were standing, but he still moved so his mouth couldn't be seen, speaking to the backs of their heads, so only their delicate ears could hear. "That Vorta doesn't care what she says, or even what she has. She, on the other hand, is the most dangerous kind of dumb, the dumb that believes themselves to be a genius. There is no way we are leaving this conflict unmolested."

Strom felt he was out of his depth, so he looked at the admiral, who blinked an agreement with the Romulan, and waited for Strom to agree. Strom trusted Admiral Sopek so he nodded.

The knot Letant didn't know was forming in his stomach loosened slightly. "Good, then we have a chance. When the time is right, follow my lead."

The Vulcans again nodded and Letant swallowed down his own growing fear.

"Of course you know me," Miral said, laughing and looking to her bridge crew to join her. "But you, little man, I do not know." She plopped down in the captain's chair, throwing a leg casually over the arm. "What can the mighty Klingon empire do for you little…bug?" She spat at him. "Be quick about it, I have other matters to attend to today."

"Hm," the Vorta purred, his thin lips twisting into a smile that did not match his eyes. "Such brash rudeness is quite unbecoming of a lady such as yourself, no matter how low your house may be. My name is Gelnon, and I believe such insults directed at a representative of the Dominion should not go unpunished. Third Renak'itar, please demonstrate a proper response to Captain Miral's impropriety."

A large reptilian alien in the background pressed a series of buttons, and the ship rocked violently to one side, the lights flickering, every station sparking. Strom positioned himself to catch Sopek and soften Letant's landing, but the Romulan managed to hold tight to a railing and kept his footing. Strom and Sopek were thrown into the comms station, and he winced as he felt something turn out of alignment on his shoulder.

As they all got their bearings, the Vorta on screen had continued to smile blithely at them. "A lesson well deserved, wouldn't you say, Senator Letant?"

Letant glared at the screen, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

There it was, and Letant knew it. He made that strike to expose them, and to show their rather dense captain that she wasn't so hidden as she thought. The game was afoot now, and subterfuge was his bread and ale. When he was addressed, he stood up straight, smoothed himself down, and placed his hands behind his back as he approached the Vulcans near comms. "Ah, yes, Gelnon, Vorta adjunct," he said, his lilting voice seeming carefree. "I haven't seen you since your clone died on Kessel VI." There was no gloat in his voice. "Your predecessor was a formidable foe as I recall."

Gelnon smiled even wider, "As smart as your file says you are, and my memories remind me how cunning you were. Seeding the nebula with gases and lighting them to expose our fleet. We have that maneuver all young clones study, you know."

Letant took Strom in hand, carefully feeling his shoulder, "A moment Gelnon, while I fix something you broke." With a breath Letant snapped the shoulder in place. "Forgive me, but you'll thank me later.

Miral stood. "Enough of this nattering!" she yelled, and Letant held his hand out to silence her.

"Quiet, girl, the adults are talking."

When she screamed in rage Letant whispered to Strom to cut communication on his mark.

She didn't stop though, and rounded on Letant, who had picked the pocket of her communications officer as he walked by. Swiftly he shot her, and she crumpled before him. He then looked at the weapon curiously. "When did Klingons get a stun setting?" Shrugging, he looked back to the screen. "As much as I would love to stay and talk about old times, I simply must go. Places to see, people to do."

Gelnon opened his mouth and Letant nodded at Strom, who cut communications. The senator sat down in the captain's chair, and began tapping like mad. Suddenly, the Klingons on the bridge vanished. "Live and conquer and much success," he muttered, moving to the comm.

Strom's mouth dropped slightly. "Did you just kill them?"

"I'm not a monster, doctor." He turned to Sopek. "A little help here, admiral?"

Strom blinked, not dropping the subject. "What did you do?"

"They are over there, living their best glorious life, and we, my friends, need to leave."

Sopek was the first to respond, quickly sliding into the navigator's chair and checking their course. "That hit disabled shields and propulsion. We're drifting into the atmosphere of the planet, and it would take approximately seventeen minutes to get thrusters online if this were a Vulcan vessel with any semblance of logic to her construction. We are on the worst Klingon garbage scow to ever disgrace the Empire. We should brace for impact."

Letant rerouted as much power as he could to the inertial dampers, and what little shields he could manage, and then he stood up. "Gentlemen, it was an honor standing with you for this very short adventure. We gave the Klingons a fighting chance, and I had hoped…" The friction of the atmosphere threw him a few steps. "I had hoped to do the same. I have the inertial dampers to max, now go, both of you! Go to your shuttle, you will have a better chance there."

With that, he nodded and pressed the button to teleport them both to the back of the ship, into their much safer shuttle. That was all the power they had left, so Letant sat down in the captain's chair. He had given them a chance; it was time for him to fall into oblivion. It was funny, of all the things he did or did not do, not giving himself the chance to really love a woman cropped up in his mind as being his only real regret.

…

Gelnon and his crew watched impassively as the bird of prey exploded in the atmosphere, and his First nodded in confirmation that there were no life signs.

"Good, now dispatch our guests. I will have a word with our superiors."

…

Miral caught her balance on the edge of a dresser and hastily looked around the room, taking in the soft bed and luxurious trappings of a bedroom. The Romulan had played a trick on her! Worthless worm! How dare he humiliate her and take control of her ship!

She scowled and straightened, wishing she had her bat'leth in her hand. She could see the rest of her crew rising from the floor, getting to their feet, ready to fight; it made no difference what method she used. She would dispose of her enemies in hand-to-hand combat, and choke the life force from their pathetic bodies!

"Captain, look!"

She turned towards a small window and pushed through her crew to see outside the ship. Her precious warbird glided down into the atmosphere, then exploded, leaving behind a sea of broken hull and shrapnel.

Her demeanor softened as she realized what had happened, and she nodded, turning to her warriors.

"The Romulan has given us an opportunity to win great glory for the Empire!" she told them. "Those brave warriors will not die in vain. We will avenge them and take this vessel for Qo'noS!"

And with a mighty roar, she and her warriors tore from the room, the heat of battle lighting their eyes as they set about to conquer the Jem'Hadar vessel.