“Captain, we are arriving at the rendezvous point with Dragonfly.”

Captain Samara Ki stood from her seat and walked forward. “They’re on time. Captain Pantuso does not disappoint.” She gently tapped the pilot on the shoulder. “I hope we get to meet again, Marcus.”

Lieutenant Marcus Henry’s face remained placid, “I’m not sure I share that hope, ma’am. Your arrival into my life was not a pleasant one. I’d like never to experience that again.”

She shrugged, “You learned quickly…and adapted to your training, lieutenant. That counts for something.”

Marcus tapped at the console, “Dragonfly reports ready to transport you aboard, ma’am.”

She stared at the back of his head, annoyed and pleased. Annoyed this was the last time she would see the thirty-year-old intelligence analyst. Pleased he had managed to learn so much in the short time they had known each other. “Very well, Lieutenant Henry.” She stepped back through the runabout to the rear transport pad. Moments later, she vanished into the bright ether. Marcus didn’t wait. He slammed the runabout into its next course and was gone in under thirty seconds.

“You’ve read her dossier.” Captain Alexandra Pantuso walked with Commander Charlie Hargraves through the corridors of the Dragonfly. They were minutes away from arriving at the pickup point for a surprise passenger – a captain in Starfleet Intelligence.

As they entered a turbolift, Charlie scoffed, “What little there was available. The redactions leave plenty to the imagination, and I’ve worked long enough in Diplomatic Operations to know what that probably means. She’s a spook. Not just a standard spook. She made captain at forty-five. I don’t want to know how many she had to kill to get there.”

Pantuso stopped the turbolift, “You take a dim view of intelligence, don’t you?”

Hargraves stilled his nerves. He’d only worked with her a short time. He’d started on his back feet when she’d charged onto the Dragonfly. He’d ever so gently begun pushing back against her style and substance – he was reasonably sure she was going to kill him. Charlie had decided to take to death if need be. “They do a great job of it on their own, captain. I’m the careful hand and delicate discussion end of the spectrum. They’re spooks and spycraft.”

Alexandra raised her eyebrows, “You don’t trust her, do you?”

He volleyed her question back with his own, “Do you?”

She measured him, “You took my directive to be on the opposing counsel quickly. Although to be clear, I don’t trust her much either. I’ve never run in her circles and only know her through brief bits and bobs from others that I shared orbits with.” She tapped at the turbolift, and the journey resumed. “We’re going to have to tread carefully with her, commander. No doubt she’s done her homework on us – ship and crew.”

Charlie grumbled, “I hate Intelligence.”

“Let’s try and not let it show, mmkay?”

The lights faded. Samara Ki stepped down from the transporter pad, “Captain Pantuso, Commander Hargraves. I’m Captain Samara Ki.”

Pantuso returned the polite, thin smile the intelligence officer had offered, “Welcome to the Dragonfly. We can show you to your quarters.” The three left the transporter room and walked at a leisurely pace. “We received your list yesterday – our engineering and security teams have completed the upgrades and installs you requested.”

Samara’s face remained serene, “Thank you, captain.” They walked on in silence. Pantuso had been given little notice of her arrival and had made a concerted effort to keep her distance from intelligence over the years. She was questioning her decision as they continued down the corridor.

They rode in silence in the turbolift. Pantuso stepped out and led them down the corridor. She tried gamely, “How was the trip to us, captain?”

Ki replied, “Uneventful.” They walked further until they reached the door to her guest quarters, which she opened using the security code on the wall console. As the door opened, she pulled out a PADD and handed it to Pantuso, “I have several interviews I will be conducting with members of your crew. Their names, positions, and times are outlined there. Please ensure they are facilitated to the letter.” She walked into her quarters, and the door closed behind her.

Pantuso walked away as Charlie remained staring at the door, “Don’t stare, commander. She’s probably watching you.” He startled and caught up with her as she scanned the list, “It’s most of our security and operations staff—the good ones, too.”

Hargraves asked, “You think she’s building her staff for the station?”

Alexandra corrected him, “I don’t think…I know that’s what she’s up to. I’ll see if I can limit the damage with Fontana running some interference for us. Start looking at security and operations officers in the nearby and far sector who are free agents or are interested in a transfer. I’d rather prepare for the worst than fight for the leftover scraps. We’ve got a few days in transit. Let’s hope our Squadron CO’s got some tricks up his sleeve.”

“Commander Davidson has filed the charges against the doctor and intends to take it to trial.”  Fleet Captain Geronimo Fontana sat at his desk.  Captain Helena Dread was across from him.

“I’m guessing a public defender has been appointed to represent her.”  Helena didn’t have an opinion on the matter.  She was happy to get the El-Aurian off her ship and into someone else’s responsibility.

“Yes.  Paperwork has been completed, and station medical operations will now oversee her care.”  He held up a PADD, “There’s something else.  Captain Ki’s assignment wasn’t an accident.”  He handed it to her, “Captain Ki and Commander Davidson have worked together over the years – more than just incidental or accidental.  However they swung their assignments, there is a plan somewhere in the muddied waters they’re swimming in.”

The reports alarmed Helena as she read, “What could they want with us?  We have some syndicate activity and others we’re uncovering…but these two are a heavy response.  What are we missing?”

Geronimo considered his theories. They only made the water more challenging to see through, and he felt like he was entering conspiracy theory territory. He qualified, “Hasara’s been hearing whispers. Some groups and organizations have taken an interest in us and our less guarded levels. The officer shortage isn’t just affecting us—other stations and planetary installations are experiencing similar issues.  Thasaz is doing her best with what she has, but we’re going to get the attention of less-than-savory operators.  Rachel Harris, down at Harris Transport, has had to up the defensive vessels in her fleet.”

Dread returned the PADD, “So it’s going to get worse before it gets better.  I noticed we don’t have new orders, Ger.”

He smiled thinly, “For now, we’re going to ask for your crew’s help with staffing security aboard the station.”  Geronimo shared one more thought with her, “I don’t think Davidson is just going to be looking at outside actors.  His pattern doesn’t fit that model.”

She felt a cold shiver run down her spine, “You think he’s going to turn his focus on us?”

“We’ve all bent our share of rules and regulations, Helena.  All I’m suggesting is operating with a touch more caution.  Pantuso and Walton are getting the same warning along with the command crew here on Montana.  Whatever they are up to – I don’t want to give him reasons.”

Dread had one more item, “I’m going to need help with Fowler.”

“Doctor Theodora Walker-Halsey is waiting for you in science lab three.  She has some ideas. I’ve got messages and requests to see if anyone has anything that connects to her case.  We’ll find something, Helena.”

She stood, making eye contact, “I hope so, Ger.  I’m not sure what the loss of an officer will have on this crew.”

He watched her disappear through the office door.  Between the three ships, they had endured enough loss.  He was going to do everything he could to keep it that way.

“I suspect the latent physiological connection is causing this to continue.”  Doctor Theodora Walker-Halsey stood outside one of the many medical labs on Montana Station.  She looked through the quarantine glass at the prone body of Lieutenant Sadie Fowler, “Given what little we know about Vocast, her people, and her abilities – the open channel between them must be closed…and quickly.”

Captain Helena Dread handed her a PADD, “We just got further results from the science team working on Vocast and her planet.  They think the connection between them is killing Vocast – expending that much energy and power cannot be done indefinitely.  Something eventually is going to have to give.”

Theodora read over the details, “This is curious.  They’ve identified parts of her physical structure with design elements similar to past and present communication technology.”  She felt the inkling of an idea begin to formulate as her mind raced to reach the conclusion, “It could be similar to blocks that are used to prevent telepathic species from interfering with non-telepaths.  The study of her brain will still require completion, but we may be able to block the signal..and then work to untangle their connection without harming either of them.  It’s going to be a lot of trial and error.”

Helena felt some relief, “Anything is better than nothing. Where do you want me?”

“You take Fowler.  I’ve asked Doctor Reid to assist.”

“She’s going to get half of what she wanted.”  Captain Alexandra Pantuso tossed her PADD onto the desk in her ready room.  “Goddamn it.”

“You wanted her to get nothing, I take it?”  Commander Charlie Hargraves asked from the couch.  They’d arrived at Montana Station an hour ago.  Fleet Captain Fontana had been waiting to escort their passenger to her new department offices.  He slipped Pantuso a PADD with the revised staffing changes.  They’d returned to Dragonfly with Pantuso’s simmering anger at bay until the door had closed behind them.

She replied, “You know I said we shouldn’t show how much we hate Intelligence?”  He gave a curious nod.  She groused, “I’m considering amending my own rule if it means I get to stick it to her as much as I can.”  She paced the floor slowly, annoyed at Captain Ki’s effect on her.

Charlie tapped at his PADD, “I’ve got some good candidates to replace them.”  He sighed, “We’re still going to be short.”

Pantuso moved to agree with him but was interrupted by, “Captain to the bridge!”

They swiftly made for the door and entered the bridge, Alexandra asking, “Report?”

Ensign Lita Morrison was at science, her eyes wide, “Montana Station is reporting a situation with the Tholian capsule they were examining.  It has reactivated and is attempting to depart the station, causing some damage along the way.”

Alexandra made for the center chair, “Get me Command Operations.”  She looked to where Ensign Oscar Reede’s seat was, finding it empty, “And find me Ensign Reede.”

The screen blinked on, Captain Peter Crawford working a console as alarms sounded loudly in the background: “Dragonfly, we’re going to need to transport this thing outside of the station…and we’re going to need you to follow it.”

Pantuso nodded and the channel closed, “Yellow alert – helm be ready for some fast footwork.”  The lights on the bridge tinged to a dull yellow as a low klaxon rang for thirty seconds.  Oscar Reede’s embarrassed face slipped through the rear doors of the bridge, and he quickly took his seat, enduring a severe stare from his captain.

The bridge crew collectively leaned forward, watching until the cargo transporters on Montana Station spat the ship out a hundred meters from the station.  It hung in space for a split second before it surged off and away.  Alexandra ordered, “Engage intercept course – let’s see where it takes us.”

Lita flipped back to her station, examining the current trajectory.  She adjusted for a few variables as the Dragonfly went to warp in pursuit.  The computer returned several similar scenarios.  She watched the lines traverse the star map until they reached a similar conclusion.  She whispered to herself, “Shit.”  Turning to the center of the bridge, she spoke up.  “Captain, the computer approximates the intercept point to be the area where the Perseverance is operating.  Estimate arrival in two days at current speeds.”

Pantuso felt the tingling of concern rumble around the back of her neck. “That doesn’t feel like a coincidence.  They’re investigating the appearance of a Shephard ship.  Suddenly, a Tholian capsule takes off and runs towards them.  Mr. Reede, update Captain Walton on our status with the capsule.  Miss Morrison, get all the data from Montana Station – see what they could get before it bolted.”  She turned her attention back to the screen, “Let’s hope the Shephards keep their distance.”

“There’s something wrong with the nebulas – both of them.”  On the bridge of the Perseverance, Lieutenant Hazel Wallaker had run the scans and the scenarios.  She could no longer ignore the inevitable staring back at her from the screens.

Captain Wren Walton walked from her command chair and sat beside the Perseverance’s Chief Science Officer, “Walk me through it.”

Wallaker put the two on her displays, “Ever since the Shephards launched the probes in, the readings have been getting more erratic.  The unstable one is starting to trend more unpredictably, while the stable one is trending more into the type of the other.  I got what little data I could from scanning the probes, but I don’t think the probes are causing this.  I think they’ve put them there to make sure nobody messes with whatever is about to happen..”  She changed the screen to display the records her team had worked to identify the remaining Arbiters of Life, “It’s a rough list – some haven’t been seen for years while others seem to have a regular path.  The problem is – none of the ones on file have a path that takes them anywhere near this part of the rimward.”

Walton rubbed her chin with her right hand, “Damned peculiar.”  

Her Chief of Ops, Lieutenant Matthew Phillips, broke her concentration. “Captain, we’re receiving a message from Dragonfly.”  She gestured for him to continue.  He read the message’s details, frowning as he finished with the detail of where the capsule was headed.

Wren turned in her chair and asked Wallaker, “What is a Tholian artifact doing waking up and flying towards us?”  She stared at the display, with more questions tussling for her attention.

Hazel fixated on the data for a minute longer before gingerly working the console to pull up the data on the capsule, “What if…this isn’t Tholian?  I mean…some of it is, obviously…but what if there’s something else to this capsule and whoever was inside it?”  She switched the display back to the two nebulas, “The computer approximates that these two will now collide…here.”  She marked a point on the stellar map, “Which is between the planet and the sun.”  Hazel brought up the planet, “None of it is habitable.”

The CO asked, “Could they somehow be used to…jumpstart some kind of…terraforming?  The Shepherds are all about protecting the Arbiters of Life…another ingredient is needed.  I know enough to know nebulas on their own can’t terraform or impact a planet like that.”

Hazel agreed, “We know from what little history we have that the Shepherds play a long game.  What if this event is part of that?  If those nebulas and that capsule collide at just the right moment…what if that begins the process of creating life on this planet?  Life that eventually serves a purpose with the Arbiters of Life?”

Walton stared at the screen, “That’s the first thing that’s made any sense with this.  How much time until the capsule arrives?”

“Forty-eight hours.  You think this is the play, Captain?”

“It’s either that or the Tholians have decided to pick a fight with the Shepherds.  As much as I’d love to pay a shuttle’s load of latinum to see that fight, I have to hope the Tholians are more intelligent than that.  Which means we have plenty of time to get ready for the birth of a new baby planet.” The look on Wallaker’s face was one of perplexing amusement.  Wren chuckled, “How often do you get to play nurse to an infant planet?  Mr. Phillips, start by notifying Montana Station – this system will need cordone orders, quarantine alerts, and everything else.  If nothing else, we need to let the rimward know the Shepards have considerable interest in this system.”

“Expecting capsule arrival in 5…4…3…2….1.”  Lieutenant Hazel Wallaker called out the countdown from her science station.  The Perseverance had shifted away from the planet and was observing from a distance.  The bridge crew watched as the small capsule flitted across the screen, moving quickly towards the two nebulas colliding in the space between the planet and the sun.

Walton sat forward in her chair as the Dragonfly dropped from warp shortly after and slid beside the Constitution III class starship.  Wren tapped the channel on the chair arm, “Captain Pantuso – we’re connecting and sharing our sensors.”

The craggy voice of Alexandra Pantuso replied, “Understood.  You still think we’re going to witness the power of creation?”

“That or we’re going to see the shortest war between the Tholians and the Shepherds.”  She watched the screen.  “Let’s see which version we get.”

The capsule approached, and the two nebulas began to collide.  Hazel watched the screens in front of her as the readings spiked and several soft alarms beeped on her station.  The capsule slowed until it was just outside the collision.  It waited silently as the two nebulas coalesced into a new formation.  Within seconds of stabilizing, the capsule shot forward and vanished inside the storming clouds of gas and matter.  Hazel checked her readings.  Nothing.  She turned in her chair to watch the new nebula shift in the stars, spinning towards the planet as if dancing a delicate ballet.  Suddenly, an explosion rocked the sensors, the soft beeps becoming klaxons on her console, “We’ve got a massive energy surge from within the nebula…there’s an energy wave coming from within – I recommend shields and distance, captain!”

Walton didn’t hesitate, “Red Alert – Lieutenant Maddy, give us some distance. Inform the Dragonfly.”  The lights went from pale yellow to dulled ruby as the klaxons rang, alerting all hands of the status change. At the helm, Griffin Maddy kicked the impulse engines into action and turned the ship around, moving away from whatever was within.  Officers stepped off and onto the bridge as the alert status demanded.

Hazel reported, “Energy wave is unlike anything I’ve ever seen…the makeup is…the computer can’t make sense of it.”  She stabbed at her console, annoyed at the result.

Wren gritted her teeth as the bridge began to shudder, “Can you?”

“It’s almost…biological, captain.”  She activated her seat restraints out of caution: “I’m detecting DNA, genetics, traces of flora seeds, mammal byproduct – whatever is in there wasn’t there until that capsule showed up.”  The bridge shook under the impact of the energy wave for a few minutes until the wave dissipated.

Wren called out, “Damage report?”

At operations, Lieutenant Phillips replied, “All decks report minimal shaking and no damage. Shields are at 90%, and damage control teams are responding.”

She turned to Wallaker, “Status?”  Her eyes turned to the screen as the planet came back into focus.  It was as they had left it, barren and wasted.

Despite this, Hazel was smiling.  Wren gave her a curious look, and she explained, “Whoever put this together…is a genius.  I’m detecting microbial changes across the planet – small incremental shifts on the scale of change.  I’d estimate we’ll see visible evidence in the next year and a half to two years.”

Wren stared at the screen. “I was expecting more…I don’t know… excitement, like Genesis.”

The science chief resisted the urge to poke fun at her new captain.  Wren Walton was many things, but jokes at her expense by senior staff members weren’t on the list.  “The Shepards are in it for the long game, captain.  Whatever place this planet has in the scheme of one of the Arbiters of Life…it might not be a matter of years…but decades before its purpose is clear.”

The CO sat back in her chair. “And if we try to pry or investigate the planet—there’s a good chance the Shepards will come calling.”  She stared at the screen for several minutes. “They can’t fault us if we leave a long-term probe to keep an eye on things. Lieutenant Wallaker, calibrate one to launch just outside the orbit and influence of the planet.”

She moved to stand, but Lieutenant Phillips’s voice interrupted her. “Captain, I have an incoming hail from Montana Station—Fleet Captain Geronimo Fontana for you and Captain Pantuso.”  She sat back in her chair and waved the channel open.  The Squadron CO flickered onto the screen.

Fontana’s concerned face unsettled Wren. “Captain, we’ve had another development. The body that was pulled from the capsule?  It’s… reanimated.  And wishes to speak to the one who discovered him…and no one else.” She watched his eyes find Wallaker.  “That means you, Lieutenant Wallaker.  I’m ordering you and the Dragonfly back to Montana Station.  I expect a full debrief on what’s occurred there.  Fontana out.”

Wren turned in her chair to Wallaker, “We’re two days out. He’s expecting you to debrief. You’d best get ready, Lieutenant Wallaker.  Helm – engage a course back to Montana Station.  Mr. Phillips, you have the CONN.”  She stood, waiting for another boot to drop.  When it didn’t, she headed to her ready room.  Wallaker had a report to draft, and so did she.

“You have questions, I’m sure.”  The middle-aged humanoid sat across the table from Lieutenant Hazel Wallaker.  His skin was an odd shade of grey, and his eyes reflected a faded green.  He spoke halting as if something was preventing the smoothing out of his speech.  He was wearing a simple shirt and pants.

Hazel looked at the PADD and back to the creature.  “Understatement of the century.  What do I call you?”  She had arrived at Montana Station within the hour, debriefed Fleet Captain Fontana, and then been led to a small room with blank walls and an unassuming white table.

“I do not remember my name.”  He cocked his head to the side, “You are the one who discovered me.  You must name me.”

She reflected on how upset she had been being left out of the team that was to investigate him, and yet now, when confronted with having to navigate a discussion with him, she was floundering.  Her hubris had once again caught up with her.  That thought gave her an idea, “Hub.  I’ll call you Hub.”

His head remained tilted, staring at her. He appeared to be processing her new name for him: “Hub. I accept.”  He returned his head to its normal position. “You must know—I am dying. I only have a limited time to carry the message I was instructed to deliver.”

Hazel frowned. “How much time?”  She didn’t want to ask the wrong questions, and suddenly, Hub would fall over and die, leaving her with another embarrassing failure on her record.

“I do not have a comparable measurement to yours.  My message is simple.  You must return Doctor Galdrid Ahon to the Tholians.”

“How…what…what?”

He blinked.  Twice. “You must return Doctor Galdrid Ahon to the Tholians.  Was I not clear in my first statement?”

Hazel rubbed her fingers against her temples, “You were clear.  That’s…not going to be easy.  More like impossible.”  His eyes bore into her, waiting for an answer that would satisfy him.  She briefly explained the El Aurian woman’s history, acts, and the growing case that the JAG was building.

“We are aware of her activities.  We have been visited by her previously.  Her work remains unfinished with us.  I believe they call it a ‘contract’ in the Federation.”  Hub’s face remained impassive.  If he had emotions, they had long been stripped away.

She asked, “What happens if we do not return Doctor Galdrid Ahon to the Tholians?”

He instantly replied, “We would take her by any means necessary.  This is not a threat. This is a statement of fact. Do you require further details?”

Hazel could hear the pounding of her heartbeat as the conversation continued.  She was going to need to step outside, and soon.  Otherwise, she was liable to throw up on Hub.  She croaked out, “No…you made your point clear.”  She tried a different question, “What are you?  Tholian?  Human?”

“I was built with a maligned purpose—a cursed child.  Part of me is Tholian.  The rest of me…it is a mystery that will be lost to time.  This moment is my penance.  A use for me has been found.”  He continued to stare straight at Wallaker, “I wish to clarify something with you to ensure your understanding. I spoke about my impending death.  Once I return Doctor Galdrid Ahon to the caste group that seeks her continued contractual work, I will die to grant her further life.  And no, I do not know how this will occur, only that it will.”

She breathed a small sigh, relieved she wouldn’t run his clock out.  “May I step out to speak to my superiors?”  He gave an indifferent nod, and she bolted for the door, coming to a stop before she ran over Fleet Captain Geronimo Fontana and the observation room full of command officers.  She waited until the door closed, “So…what do I tell him?”

Fontana rocked in the back of his heels, “If we take his statement of the consequences of us ignoring their request at face value, they’ll wipe the sector with us.”  He turned to captains Dread, Walton, and Pantuso, “I know my history – tangling with the Tholians has never ended well for anyone.”

A new voice, lilted and annoyed, broke in, “This is absurd.”  Sector Judge Advocate Archibald Davidson stepped forward, “We have laws, regulations, and precedents.  They cannot just…up and scarper away with this genocidal madwoman.  I must protest.  I will protest.”

Geronimo chose his words carefully, “Commander Davidson, I suspect that JAG, Starfleet, and the Federation would rather keep us in place out here in the Rimward rather than have to sift through the wreckage to identify us.  I can-”

Davidson cleared his throat, “That is hyperbole, Fleet Captain Fontana. You cannot be at peace with letting her return to them – knowing what work she may have done for them previously?”

Lieutenant Grace Albright forced a chortle down as she held up a PADD, “Commander, we know that the caste group is smaller…and at the edges of the Tholian society.  The threat she poses with the work she does with them is not in dispute.  What we can’t ignore is as small of a caste as they may be, they still can put a significant attack force on the field.  It’s a no-win scenario – we lose either way.”

The JAG officer shook his head, “I will file an official protest and inform my JAG superiors.”  With nothing left to say, he pushed his way past the rest and was gone.

Geronimo looked around, “Who wants to be the one to tell the good doctor she gets to live another day?”

“The Tholians never cease to amaze me.” Doctor Galdrid Ahon laughed softly from her bed in the brig, “Your last words to me the last time we spoke…I am amused you chose to return.”

Helena sat in the chair, disgusted.  “I still mean the words.  I can’t imagine the Tholians are pleasant to work with, even as a contractor.  Given that you fled from them…I wonder how that reception will be when you return.”

“I provide a service they need – I am the je ne sais quoi they cannot find anywhere else.  I ran away because I was running out of ideas.  What may save me this time is that I have learned much since I left.” She turned to face Dread, “You may yet get your wish for my fate.  I may tire of it eventually…and they will not allow me to be so free this time.  I will die in their employ, Captain Dread.  Does that help?”

Helena stood, “No, it does not.  You will be transferred to a shuttle with Hub as your pilot.  Your case with JAG remains open and actionable upon your return.”

Ahon asked, “How long will you carry me with you, Captain?  How long will your desire for justice sit in your heart, knowing it will never come?”

Dread made for the door, “Until I know you’re good and dead, Doctor.  Godspeed.”  She stalked down the hallway, her vision blurring at the sudden onset of rage.  Helena closed her eyes, ratcheting her emotions back under control.  She tapped her badge, “Dread to Halsey – she’s ready for transport.  Get her the hell off this station.”  She paused, “Please.”

“What a tale we can tell.”  Dr. Persefoni Hargraves sat at her desk in the newly refurbished offices of The Rimward Journal, glancing over the latest drafts that had been submitted.  

Isidor Sokolov, her  Academic Studies Editor, sat across from her, holding a PADD. “It is a wild place in the rimward, Dr. Hargraves.  The Federation News Network did take notice of the mining incident.  I think we may have to become…what did they call it back in the day – a string reporter.”

Persefoni scoffed, “I am not about to turn the page on my sterling career simply to become the workhorse for the FNN.  I took this position because of the opportunity presented to us with the renewed exploration of the rimward sections of Federation space.  The recent discoveries alone will enrich and expand the conversation within genetics and DNA science.”  She caught Sokolov’s glance, “I am aware of the rules and regulations regarding much of the supposed science conducted by this El-Aurian woman.  We will examine and explicate the details in a strictly scientific discussion.  We already know her plan failed in every facet – aside from Lieutenant Fowler and those associated with her.”

Isidor mused, “Fleet Captain Fontana has asked us not to release or discuss Ms. Fowler or the group due to arrive here within a few days.  There are concerns that the El-Aurian doctor was not operating alone in the latter months of her experimentation.”  He warned, “Security on the lower sections of the station are not as sterling as they are up here, doctor.  The Director of Security, a…Commander Thasaz has been making the rounds.  Her warnings are nothing short of severe.”

She pulled up the warnings that had come into her inbox that morning.  She had read a few paragraphs in, “I did not expect it would be this…challenging.  Despite the impacts of Frontier Day, I had hoped that we would still have the station adequately staffed.  We’ll need to ensure our personal security and operations team have their quarters moved closer to the offices.”  He made the notes on his device and headed out.

Persefoni turned back to her console.  The departure from The Olympic Journal had initially felt like a relief to start something new.  Her work on the ship and the journal’s focus area had begun to feel restrictive.  Having arrived at the station less than a month ago, she’d started having second thoughts.  Was this truly the pinnacle of her career?  Was this the top of the mountain for her?  Or has she slid back down to some backwater base camp?  She’d resisted most of the doubts.  Those that remained in the corners of her mind were slowly gaining volume.  She would need to find something to shut them up.  The premier issue was her focus on putting together a solid collection of scholarly articles, journalistic reporting, and opinion pieces – all well-researched and peer-reviewed- would put them on the map.

There was a chime at her door, her reverie broken.  She glanced up and smiled warmly at the sight of her brother, Commander Charlie Hargraves.  She motioned him in, and he slid into the seat facing her, “Persefoni.  I figured I should say hello since we’re back in the same squadron again.”

She replied, “Dear brother, it is good to see you.  Congratulations on the promotion to Executive Officer.  You are finally catching up with me.”

He rolled his eyes, “One of these days, you’re going to accept me as just as good as you are, Per.”  She shrugged, and he continued, “I’ve been asked to come and warn you that an old friend from the FNN has been assigned to Montana Station.”

She groaned and guessed correctly, “Craig Syracuse?  No matter how far out I fly, I cannot escape the man.”

Charlie held back his laughter.  His sister was notoriously unflappable.  Her annoyances and frustrations were easy for her to hide—most of the time.  Men like Syracuse seemed to push every button she had and pull every lever on her nerves.  He wasn’t a fan of the man himself, but that brought Syracuse to Montana in the first place.  “Well, he hasn’t stopped looking for conspiracies where there are none.  His manager quit and went to a competitor.  FNN has decided to give him one more shot at redemption.”

She grumbled, annoyed and frustrated, “I could just kill him.”

“But you won’t.  He’ll be here in less than a week.  We’re just as thrilled about this as you are, Per.  We’ll all have to find a way to survive him.”  Charlie stood and left the office.  

Perserfoni sat back in her chair, muttering, “Goddamn it.”

“Death comes for us all,” the voice of Vocast echoed in her mind. Sadie Fowler knew she wasn’t awake, and the presence of the otherworldly creature remained like a gentle pressure.  She looked around, dimly aware that she was seeing the inside of herself.  The lithe figure of Vocast sat off to the side, grasping tightly onto a simple chair.

“You are dying,”  Sadie stated as she walked closer to her, struggling against the dull restraints of her consciousness.

“I am.  I was always dying.  The loss of my sisters…upset the balance of our connection.  We had sustained each other for so long…I did not know what it would do to lose them.  I do not regret saving them from The Dominion.  I regret I will not live to see the future.”

Sadie asked, “And of me?  What happens to me once you’re gone?”

“I have spent time examining this problem, and your people here with me have also worked on it.  When my sisters died, a part of me was lost.  Each loss took a…you would call it a piece of me.  I have felt a deep sorrow ever since.  Your discovery of me and the arrival of this team…have helped to fill that part of me that was removed.”

The Science Chief felt her nerves contract, “So, I…I’ll go through something similar?”

Vocast cocked her head to the side in thought.  Her eyes searched Fowler from head to toe, reflecting.  “I do not know the effect on a human psyche.  You will require…considerable care.  Our connection and our minds have grown closer in that time.  You would say that our souls have intertwined…at least, that is something I remember in my study of humanity.”

Sadie sighed as reality set in, “Tearing two things apart generally is a painful experience.”

“I wish for any other result.  It was not my intention to cause you pain or your crewmates pain.  I have learned much in my time with you about humanity…you are a curious and fascinating species.”

She found a nearby chair in her mind and sat, “How much time do we have left?” A dulling numbness was creeping into her consciousness.

“Within the next hour, my life force will fade.  My body will expire soon after…and my hold over this planet will end.  Your people here with me are attempting to find a way to preserve my remains beyond the dust it will become. I have told them it is impossible. It is our way.”

Sadie sat back in the chair as her mind worked to prepare.  “I don’t know what to do…I’ve never sat with someone as they died.”

“Tell me of humanity, Sadie Fowler.  Tell me of the glory.  Tell me of the redemption.  Tell me of the goodness of the people of your worlds.  When I go, I wish to think of you and your people…and what they’ve done for me.”

She felt a smile cross her lips in the ether of her mind, “I can do that.  Let’s start with…”

In the ensuing hour, she regaled Vocast with the stories she had asked for – the arc of humanity from Earth to the Moon to Beyond.  As the hour waned, she felt a deepening pain surrounding her.  “This is it, isn’t it?”

“It is the end of my time with you.  What dreams may come… is a mystery that not even I can portend.  I will surrender to it…and walk whatever path it provides.  Goodbye, Sadie Fowler.  May your journey be long and fortuitous.”

Fowler screamed as her mind filled with an unbearable sharp and resounding pain.  It didn’t ebb and flow.  It stabbed.  It pierced.  It dug into her soul as the life of Vocast reached its end, the sense of her presence fading as the pain traveled through her mind at a staggering volume.  It rolled around her as she stumbled from the chair, falling to the floor with tears in her eyes as she crawled towards something, anything.  The pain slowly faded to where it remained a dull ache in her heart.

“We’re getting her back!  Shock again!”

Sadie’s mind went white, then yellow, and then black again.  She muttered as she shook her head.  She couldn’t feel, couldn’t see.  What was going on?

“There we go.  Back to normal rhythm!  Let’s bring her out.  Slowly.”

The world around her faded into a confusing mass of colors and lights as she tried to move but found her arms and legs bound. Who had done this to her?  Everything was out of focus!  She tried to move but couldn’t.  The noises around her were dull, bouncing in and around her ears.  Her focus stubbornly returned, and the faces around her were familiar.  “What…I’m not dead.”

Jordan Reid touched her shoulder reassuringly, “You’re alive, Sadie.  Welcome back.”