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"You are harboring a traitor to the Romulan Empire," the commander of the Romulan vessel continued. "Return the ship before we board you and you will be treated with more leniency."

"I have no intention of returning the Talvath or of letting your crew board Voyager," Janeway snapped. "We have no desire to continue this conflict. If you will stand down, we have information about weaknesses in your dark-matter cloaks which-"

"Federation lies," snarled the Romulan. "Federation tricks."

Romulan lies, Romulan tricks. Klingon lies, Klingon tricks. Janeway wondered how long racial fears would be a part of relations between species. Probably forever, she thought sadly.

"Kim, get me a visual. Commander, please show your face. See mine."

After a long moment, a Romulan visage appeared on the screen. The man was thickly built, with a large, jowly face and sunken, suspicious eyes.

"Surrender," he said, "or-" His eyes widened as his gaze fell on Telek R'Mor. "It is a good day for me," he said. "I have captured the traitors Telek R'Mor and Jekri Kaleh. I have recovered the Talvath and Voyager as well."

"Don't rest on your laurels yet," Janeway said. "Haven't you wondered why your mighty warbirds were destroyed so easily the last time the Romulans came after us? And this time as well?"

"You have some sort of technological advantage over us, Captain," the Romulan answered haughtily. "But soon, you shall have it no more. Our sensors indicate that your ship is badly damaged. Surrender, and there will be no more loss of life." He straightened in his chair. "I give you my word."

"Do you know, Commander, I am inclined to believe you," said Janeway, "but I'm not surrendering my ship. Let Dr. R'Mor transmit the information we have gleaned. It's the dark matter that the Shepherd Lhiau has given you. It's damaging your ships, and your crew. Please. Let us have a cease-fire while you examine this material. I'm sure you have capable crewmen aboard who can verify its authenticity."

She expected the standard rebuttal, but the Romulan captain hesitated. He seemed to be seriously considering her offer. Hope rose inside Janeway. There had been no question in her mind that if she could just get someone to see Telek's data, they would believe it It was getting the other Romulans to trust that was the hard part

Finally, the Romulan commander seemed to make a decision. He opened his mouth to speak.

At that precise moment, flames erupted on his bridge. The connection was severed. Janeway stared, appalled, at an enormous fireball where the Romulan warbird had been. The Para'tar had taken this moment, when the other commander was distracted, to fire and destroy the other ship. But its attack on the other warbird proved to be its death blow. No sooner had it fired than it itself exploded. Janeway stared for a brief moment at two blinding, roiling blasts of multicolored light. Seconds later, there was nothing but turning debris where two mighty vessels had been.

"No," whispered Janeway, tears of compassion and horror springing to her blue eyes. They had almost had open communication. She had seen it in the commander's eyes. He was on the verge of believing her. And he had probably died thinking she had lulled him into carelessness.

Federation lies. Federation tricks.

Janeway slammed a fist impotently on the conn, then summoned control. She blinked the tears back angrily. She had enough trouble seeing already.

"We are being hailed," said Kim in a subdued voice.

"On screen." She was relieved her voice didn't crack.

The visage of Jekri Kaleh appeared. The younger woman was smiling, even though green blood trickled from a nasty-looking cut on her head.

"You are a brilliant tactician, Captain Janeway. Your conversation with Commander Shurvik distracted him sufficiently for Idran to get in the decisive blow."

"We were serious about our discussion," said Janeway. Cold fury roiled in her gut, but she ignored it. "Your enemies are dead, Jekri Kaleh.