Deep Space 17 was active as always, being busy with repairs, resupply, or construction of new parts for ships that needed it from the Stormbreaker operation. The Jaxartes were no exception from this, as they were just done patching up most of the damage they received from being too close to the danger zone themselves. 

Sazra sat in her chair, sending the latest report about her contribution to this operation. She looked at the holographic live feed that gave a beautiful sight of the station as she dozed off a bit. But quickly was brought back to reality as a computer voice spoke up, “Incoming secure communication for Commander Praugol, designated Task Force 17 command” Sazra knew the Task Force well enough, being one assigned to them for obvious reasons but also dealing with various side tasks for them in the Typhon. She took a deep breath and opened the channel, seeing the Captain’s face “Captain Kohl, what can I do for you, sir.”

Indistinguishable from a human, Andreus Kohl appeared on the display with a disarming smile and a glint of excitement behind his grey eyes.  He shifted in his chair, revealing more of the USS Discovery emblem on the bulkhead behind him.  “Greetings, Captain Pragoul,” Kohl said, referring to her position, if not her rank.  He rubbed his beard with his thumb and his forefinger briefly.  “I come bearing orders, of course.  I hope I find you and the Jaxartes well?”

“A little shaken up from the latest operation but other than that the ship is doing good and is ready to resume its mission into the Typhon Frontier sir” Sazra spoke calmly, still trying to figure out what he wanted from her. “How is the Discovery doing?”

After nodding briefly at Sazra’s status report, Kohl replied, “Discovery has jaunted ahead of you, back into the Typhon Frontier.  We’re on the search for a spectral phase pulse.  The ship is in excellent condition.  The crew is… experiencing growing pains.”  –Kohl tilted his head to the left and his lips curled into an impish grin– “Since the loss of our joint-mission aboard the Artifact and the fall of the Romulan Star Empire, the Romulan Free State has made bolder diplomatic overtures to the Federation.  As a new great experiment to broach friendship between our peoples, Task Force Seventeen has welcomed Romulan scientists aboard many of our vessels to engage in joint missions of explorations.  Captain Rider has one such scientist on the bridge, assisting in Discovery‘s search for that spectral phase pulse.”

Kohl sat back in his chair and squared his shoulders.  “This morning, our task force received a request for a Starfleet escort to join a Romulan Free State science ship on their crossing through Federation space.”

Hearing the daring endeavor of what was to come, or what was happening right now. Sazra managed to keep her growl in. Her experience with the Romulans over the years operating in the frontier was struggling at best “Well what lucky soul will be doing that escort mission, I hope some of the bigger vessel sir” Sazra could feel what this conversation was going, and honestly she didn’t like it. 

The image of Kohl on the video display visible pursed his lips and tucked his chin in, momentarily.  “No thank you,” Kohl replied, perhaps a little too glibly.  “Our bigger ships are out exploring.  USS Jaxartes is ordered to serve as escort to the Romulan Free State ship Sha’Rem through Federation space.  Our friends in the RFS have their sights set on, what they tell us is, a scientific research outpost the Romulan Star Empire abandoned in the outskirts of the Typhon Frontier after the supernova.  You and your crew are invited to share in designated portions of the research data, stored in the outpost’s computer core, if you can assist the Free State in repairing the outpost back to operational status.”

She narrows her eyes slightly on the comment that the big ships were busy exploring, and she just got stuck with babysitting duties. “With due respect, sir. We have been in the Typhon Frontier for years, exploring the region piece by piece…why a ship like the USS Jaxartes is stuck with escort duties when we don’t have any means to protect us if something goes down? The USS Jaxartes is just a Raven-class ship” She knew what the ship could do, but if shit went down the drain, she would get into trouble.

Through his placid smile of mild amusement, Kohl raised his chin as preamble for a single, heavy nod at Sazra.  “Your assessment is correct, Captain Praugol.  I’m asking you to stretch your diplomatic muscles again.  No tactical flexing required,” Kohl said.  “You’re to protect the Sha’Rem from Federation starships and Federation allies while they’re flying beyond Romulan borders.  The Free State has promised us this outpost has research into the spatial anomalies that plague the Typhon Expanse; purportedly their sensors even observed a spectral phase pulse, just like the one Discovery is chasing.  However, no decade-old data is worth more than your crew.  If you encounter an aggressor who targets Jaxartes with weapon systems, your orders are to run back to Federation space.  Is that understood, captain?”

Looking with a not amused face at the Captain, “You are having a blast with this….” Taking a deep breath, “Fine, I shall do the given order, Captain. But I must bring in a protest, this kind of mission, be it in Federation space, is still far from Deep Space 17 and any given SOS signal will arrive too late” She lets her head hang a bit sideways. “If something would happen, I put it on your name Captain deal?”

Kohl shook his head briefly and his facial expression turned impassive on the communication visual.  “It always rests on my head, every time I give the orders,” Kohl said.  With that said, his lighthearted timbre returned and his sapphire eyes glint with something playful.  “While I grant you, the Romulan outpost is located beyond Federation space, my captain, you would be in command of the same communications system if I had ordered you on a scientific mission to the same region.” –Kohl looked away from the visual sensor to paw at a holographic LCARS panel on his right– “As you venture into the Typhon Frontier, Discovery will be in your communications range.  As will… the USS Gheryzan and USS Sarek.”

Through the screen, Andreus Kohl looked at Sazra, looked right at her.  “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” he asked.  “I had a tough time giving up my teal shouldered uniforms.  …Would you be happier as a science officer than a command officer?  Escort duty would be of no concern in that case”

Seeing the data on the Discovery, Gheryzan, and Sarek. It gave Sazra some calm knowing that others would be in range to help if shit hit the fan. She heard what he was saying but didn’t directly look at him back while gazing at the data until “I stepped into the Command chair seven years ago Captain” Looking at him now “Please don’t insult me to put me on a leash like a console on some random bridge” Crossing her arms “There is a fundamental difference here Captain, the RFS is an unknown factor, and we both know the history of Romulans not to be very cooperative. So a science mission is the same area is more relaxing than watching my back for a dagger that comes from the Sha’Rem” 

“I will get the ship ready for departure. Send me the information as to where we should meet with these Romulans, and I will keep you up to date on the progression” She pointed out the apparent but mere confirmation of her duties. 

With only a hint of defiance, Kohl interjected, “Don’t get me wrong, captain.  I wouldn’t have given you the orders if I didn’t think you were capable of some light knife-play.  The full support of myself, Captain Mek and Task Force 17 is behind you.”  Otherwise unbothered, Kohl looked away from the visual sensor again to tap commands into his holographic interface pane.  “I’m transmitting to you the rendezvous coordinates with the Sha’Rem and our… estimated coordinates for the outpost.  The captain of the Sha’Rem will have the full details available for you.  What other questions do you have?”

Hearing the incoming message provided by the coordinates, she nodded to them. Yet in her mind, she was just looking against this mission. “I got no further orders, sir, I will keep you in the fair voyage of this escort, and when we arrive, we will look at the said data and make our way back to Deep Space 17” Sazra formally spoke “Until then Captain” The screen went black as she sighs “Praugol to bridge, plot a course to given location” 

“Aye sir” She got back from T’Path replied. 

The Jaxartes were on the route towards the Sha’Rem and would meet up with them in less than an hour. So it was time to get her crew up to speed on the situation. Sazra walked into the Conference Room while holding a PADD as she looked for a brief moment into the back window that showed the back of the Jaxartes and then made her way to the table where her staff was waiting. 

“So what was the sudden departure, Captain? I have to keep up with my social contacts at Deep Space 17”, Adrián spoke with a growl.

“Social contacts or just your lovers?” Silina winked at him as he gritted his teeth at that comment, “Cat got your tongue, Lieutenant?” He just sighed at that reply and looked at his Commander, who sat down in her chair.

“We are to meet up with the RFS Sha’Rem to escort them to outpost four-seven-one that operated before Romulus sun went supernova. Task Force 17 orders a solid escort of the ship to the outpost, and they shall share their data on spectral phase pulse” Sazra sounded not pleased about the outcome of her conversation with the good Captain.

Rami blinks, “So we are babysitting basically?” 

Sazra, not so amused, looked at her Lieutenant, “Yes, we are babysitting the science vessel till their destination. We are to withdraw from the area if we encounter any weapon fire upon our vessel. I don’t want to repeat any daring moves we had to endure in Typhon Frontier. My head is already in Starfleet Command’s grasp”. 

The pilot and science officer hum a bit. “Still, we will get our hands on spectral phase pulse data, the very thing that has been haunting us in the Frontier. If we get a glimpse of understanding this, we can save lives” The logical voice came from T’Path. After some close encounters, she was fiddling with her fingers as a recurring issue that she got from operating in the Frontier. 

Nodding to T’Path’s reasoning and defend of the mission, “I understand your point of view, and as a scientist myself, I agree that while this diplomatic mission is above our pay grade, we have to do” Sazra spoke in a rather serious tone “But we are not going to risk our lives if something would happen for this data. We have seen the dangers of this Frontier, faced the Romulans before, and we will not risk more until we return to port, am I clear?”

They all nodded to her orders, “Whatever the case is, we will get to this RFS Sha’Rem and get them to their destination. Simple mission in and out” The supportive words came from Silina, who nodded to Sazra. 

“Dismissed,” Sazra spoke as everyone stood up to return to work. This mission was going to be blunt, tedious, and potentially dangerous. Moreover, she didn’t feel comfortable knowing that the drop-off was near the northeast border of the Frontier. It was, by her calculations, too far from the Federation to react appropriately to any SOS calls. But time would tell what would happen next.  

The ship smoothly traveled through space as everyone onboard was doing their daily task. Commander Praugol was sitting in her ready room, writing a final report on the recent operation. She didn’t manage to contribute a big deal to the operation, but she could provide critical information about it. Finally, the ship dropped out of warp. Sazra looked at the holographic view, wondering what was going on.

“Bridge to Commander Praugol, we have a message from the Sha’Rem. They will meet us in this location within short notice,” T’Path spoke.

“On my way” Sazra replied, standing up from her chair and walking out of the ready room. With a few more steps, she enters the bridge. “Report….” She said with a sigh of disappointment in her voice. Sazra had to face the facts. This was going to happen. 

The screen view changed as a vessel dropped out of warp close to them. “T’varo-class vessel, the Sha’Rem, has arrived,” Adrián spoke, reading up the information on his console from long-range scanners. “It is an old bird, but it will do the job for this mission, sir.” 

Meaning, it was not an immediate threat to their vessel. Sazra nodded to her Engineer. “Hail them,” She ordered as he bounced back. Sazra looked at the screen as it changed to the green dimmed bridge of the Sha’Rem “Greetings, I am Jolius, the Commanding Officer of this vessel, but more importantly, the head researcher of this operation. We are to be traveling together on this voyage, I believe?”

Sazra couldn’t get a direct sense from him and just nodded in confirmation of his question. “Good day. I am Commander Sazra Praugol of the USS Jaxartes. We are assigned by Task Force 17 of the Fourth Fleet from Starfleet to escort you through Federation space to your designated location. We hope for a smooth voyage to your station, so you can recover and resume your research.” 

The man leans forward from his chair. “I must be honest, Commander, I expected more than…your little ship.” 

The insult was kind of hitting a few of the crew members on the bridge. Sazra, however, stayed neutral. “While the Jaxartes might be seen as small, we can pack a punch if we have to” Sazra gave a warm smile to the Romulan. “I look forward to our cooperation, Doctor, but I believe we must get moving.” 

“Understood, Commander, keep up please” The channel closed as the Sha’Rem started to move toward where they had to go. “T’Path, follow that ship, match with its course and speed,” Sazra spoke as both ships jumped to warp and started their long journey to the edge of the Typhon Frontier. 

“They got some arrogance to call this ship small and keep insulting it….” Adrián slammed onto his console, furious at what the Romulan said about their ship.

Sazra looked at him. “I know, but he is not wrong. It is the reason I wanted to decline this forsaken mission in the first place. We have to face the facts…if we get a warbird in our face, we are screwed,” Sazra painfully admitted to their weak points. “But…we will manage throughout this mission. We shall not back down on this mission that easy” She got up from the chair and walked to the back. “Keep me updated,” She spoke, waving her hand. 

Rubbing her eyes as she sat in the Captain’s chair, Silina was tired and ready to get to bed if she didn’t have the night shift. She leans backward in the chair, seeing only Rami looking through the system on his console. “What do you make of this mission?” She asked, looking back at the screen, where their Romulan buddies were.

“The escort mission?” Rami rephrase the question, “Well, it is a pain in the ass for sure, especially after everything we have seen and done for Starfleet. They hook us up with an Ensign mission. I would surely be thrilled if I got this mission at my Ensign.” 

Nodding to that, “But Task Force 17 additional information states the sensitivity of this diplomatic escort mission. We need to stay on their good side and not screw this up,” Silina points out while rubbing the side of her template. “I need to get that extra cup of coffee to survive this shift”

Rami looked at Silinia from his eye corner and then back at his console. “Well, from what I have heard, they cornered our Captain to accept this. Saying that all the big ships that were supposed to do these escort missions were too busy already with their assignment,” He stops for a moment with his work. “Makes you wonder why they send a Raven-class ship into the wild of the Typhon Frontier. Yes, we are in Federation space, but we both know how unpractical this part of space is” 

“Don’t remind me; I still have to give Adrián the monthly burn therapy he received from one of our missions. But they gave it to the first black sheep available in the docks and unlucky for us,” She points at herself. “That was us.”

“What is a black sheep?” Rami was still unfamiliar with all the animals that Silina and Adrián kept referencing.

She looked over her shoulder at Rami. “Uhmmm…. it is a furry animal that was used back in the Earth days to gain material for clothing material. The term black sheep is associated with bad luck most of the time” Silian scratched behind her ear for a moment, thinking about what she just said, and just looked back at the screen.

Nodding to the explanation, “Mmm, I will look it up. Sounds like an interesting creature” Rami looked back down on the console and nodded. “Lieutenant, we are arriving at our designation within a day or two” Seeing Silina waved the approval hand up.

“Alright, I am going to get some coffee” She slides off her chair and walks to the back of the bridge. “Keep an eye out while I am gone,” Walking away from the bridge. 

Entering the bridge, Sazra stretched her arms and sat in her chair, “We are arriving at the location, right?” Sazra asked, looking at the screen and seeing the ship was still in warp. This mission would soon be over, and they could return to Deep Space 17 to get a break. Sazra was already working on getting the ship ready for their next expedition into the frontier. 

“Dropping out of warp actually right….now” T’Path spoke as the Jaxartes jumped out of warp with the Sha’Rem following up beside them. There was nothing in view. “We have arrived at our designation sir” Looking over at the ship’s status.

“Well, where is it?” Sazra spoke, looking at Rami, and then shifted her eyes to Adrián.

Looking at his console and then tapping on some buttons, “Over there” Rami spoke as the view changed to a small outpost. It was about twice, maybe three times the size of the Jaxartes. “Well, it is compact” Rami pointed out, looking confused at it.

“The Sha’Rem is hailing us” T’Path spoke as she saw Sazra move her hand as a signal to put it on screen.

Jolius came into view on the screen, “Commander Praugol, we have arrived at our base of operations. We are grateful for your help in this smooth transition, though we might be delayed on our last promise. The data that we promised your superiors” He looked rather calm at Sazra.

“What is the problem, Captain” Sazra spoke with a notion of irritation. This would delay her mission or expedition even more, “We could potentially help you ” She tried to remain calm as any provocation would be in her disadvantage, and she rather gets this over with as quickly as possible. 

“Well, we made some scans of our outpost, and it seems that we are detecting damaged sections. Repairing the station might take a few days. But if you can spare some extra hands, then that data recovery would be much quicker, and you and I can go our separate ways” Jolius spoke with a soft smile on his face.

Ticking her right finger on the chair, Sazra looked at Adrián who looked back and gave her a disappointing nod of confirmation. Sazra looked back at him. “Both my engineer and I will take part in this repair. I have somewhat experienced with your technology. If you have any questions. Lieutenant Ruslanovna will be in command while I am on that station” 

Giving the nod to Sazra “Understood Captain, we shall send a team as well. Do put on your suits, as the station oxygen has been depleted for some time. Sha’Rem out”

The screen changed back to the zoomed-in station, “Are you out of your mind….fixing that station?” Adrián spoke shocked at what his Captain just agreed on. 

“Stop complaining” Sazra stood up “Get your stuff and get into a suit” She looked at Silina “Hold the fort Lieutenant, I hope to be back within a day” Sazra said with a shrug as she leans on Silina’s shoulder for a brief moment. Who simply nodded to her “Stay safe Captain” Silina spoke as both Sazra and Adrián walked off the bridge. 

The station was cold, emergency lights were on, and the noises of cracking metal were there. Taking a deep breath from her suit, Sazra looked up from a console. “Try it now!” She spoke over the communication as she turned in the direction where she saw another person in the suit.

Tapping onto the console and nodding to himself, “Well, it seems it did something. My Romulan is as outdated as Admiral Kirk is right now” Adrián spoke with a shrug. The power relay on some got active, which made him nod as another failed to go active and burst open by an overcharge. “Well…there is your next one, Captain” He pointed at the relay.

Getting up from her console and walking with the gear in her hand, she pushed it against Adrián’s suit. “Your turn, Lieutenant” She spoke a bit annoyed, Sazra had been fixing most relays and consoles for the past four hours, and Adrián was ordering her around “I will take the console now, I need a stretch anyway” 

Adrián smiled at her. “Took your sweet time to order me. Now I see why you enjoy this command position the power, the endless slaves to enrich your vision” He walked to the relay with his arms lifted. “Whahaha” he tried an evil laugh.

“The responsibility, the endless reports you got to write, and I am seriously getting concerned about you Adrián” Sazra spoke with a shrug. She heard a Romulan voice coming over the line. “Oh…yes ….we are trying to beat a dead animal back to life” Sazra spoke over the private line and rolled her eyes. “Yea, we are making progress. Keep me posted” She shook her head. “These Romulans see value in this station so much that they want us to remodel it”

“Do they want to get new furniture for the station also? I might be able to replicate something” Adrián pointed out sarcastically as he turned some gears.

Sazra smirked and shook her head, looking outside and seeing the Typhon Frontier’s bright colors. “Well, it is quite a sight to see” In her eye, she noticed a ship dropping out of warp. “What the…” She leans at the window to see that it is another Romulan ship. “Are you bloody kidding me….they didn’t need an escort?!” She cursed to herself.

“Jaxartes to Captain Praugol” She heard over the communication line.

“Speak to me Silina” Sazra was still looking at the ship heading to their location as Adrián rose from the console.

“The Sha’Rem alerted us that the ship was not from the Romulan Free States, but from the Independent Romulan Factions. Their intent is most likely hostile” 

The Sha’Rem took a position before the Jaxartes and opened fire, “Get us now!” Sazra ordered and looked over at Adrián. “Two to beam up, Lieutenant!” The station started to shake from the hit it received from the incoming vessel. The station won’t hold out long. They already concluded on scans that the station was not fit for battle in any shape or form. 

“I am trying, but the enemy vessel is making it impossible for me to lower the shields…Rami lock and fire!” Silina ordered, “We are trying our best to get to you, sir…” The communication drops as Sazra looks outside, seeing the Jaxartes making evasive moves to avoid getting hit as it fired a few shots at the enemy bird. “Damn it…” Sazra felt defenseless as she suddenly heard beaming sounds.

Turning around she saw the Romulans aiming at her as Adrián quickly had already armed himself and fired his phaser giving enough distraction time for Sazra to grab her phaser. In many ways, she was outnumbered, as the IRF ship was a built cruiser and they both were not. Sazra quickly took one down. “We got to hold out until Jaxartes can get us out!” She fired another shot.

Nodding to that command “I got nothing else to do anyway, but if they hit my baby I swear I will hunt them down to the end of the galaxy” Adrián furious spoke out taking another one down as another wave beams in. “This is going to take a while” Which Sazra hoped it wouldn’t take that long. But they had to hold out and only hoped Silina would figure out to contact Starfleet Command for the additional backup. But it only took her a few seconds to realize that the jamming system of the IRF ship would block that. “We need to get backup! Is the station communication grid active?!” 

Adrián looked at his Captain and then back at the console he was near as he quickly fired a shot and then tapped onto the panel, “Yes….but we need to get to the main control room. We have to push further in!” The station took another hit. “Or they just will shoot the crap out of the station WHILE WE ARE STILL IN IT” Adrián yelled annoyed. 

It was the only plan the two of them could do right now. If they could push towards the control room, they might be able to overrule the enemy ship’s jamming system and call for help. Sazra would figure that Silina, while a doctor, had figured that issue out also. 

The fighting continued as Adrián and Sazra tried their best to move toward the inner core of the outpost. It may be possible to gain access to the communication relay and submit an SOS signal to Deep Space 17.  But the enemy vessel kept throwing everything it had on that station, both in the station and space. “I think I lost count on the number of shitheads I already shot down. Plus, I have not seen any Free States around yet, they being held up or what??” Adrián spoke, shooting another blast at the IRF soldiers.

“They have been in constant communication with me. They are indeed being held back by the IRF soldiers that beamed in. We have to make progress forward and get that back up,” Sazra pointed out as they both shot at the same IRF soldier that got vaporized, “Nice shot” She complimented him.

Giving a solution to his captain, “You as well sir” Adrián spoke with a grin on his face. They both started to move forward, entering the main area of the outpost. But when entering, they both had to dive for cover as the enemy was already there. “Damn it….what is their obsession with a simple research station” Adrián shook his head and fired back.

Sazra looked to the soldiers that were holding their location as she noticed a person at the console typing quickly onto the console as she fired at him. He took a hit as four others fired back at Sazra. “They are definitely here with a purpose. Research my ass. This smells like something more than just research” Sazra shook her head, disappointed by the mere obvious fact that Romulans are not trustworthy, to begin with. 

“This….rtes….Sha…. ields dow….” Static communication came over on their devices as they both looked at each other and then a loud bang came from the outside as they looked outside seeing the Sha’Rem drifting with a broken engine in space as the lights went out. “Frak, they lost all power and are disabled!” Sazra growls at what she sees and hears the IRF soldiers cheer.

Adrián shrugs, “What is your order?” He stated, wondering what to do next.

Looking back at her engineer officer, Sazra took a deep breath and looked at the console that they were busy at and nodded to herself, “Free state has no ability to give support, the IRF can keep pouring troops into the station. Soo….” She shrugs and taps her comm badge, “Praugol to Jaxartes”

“This is Ruslanovna?” Hearing Silina voice.

“Listen to me carefully…” Sazra spoke seriously, looking at Adrián. “Transport Adrián out of her back to the ship, send a message to the Sha’Rem you have to retreat and go on maximum warp back to Deep Space 17. When out of reach of the enemy vessel start the SOS broadcasting” 

“Alright, locking on you both” Silina spoke as a confirmation.

“No…” Adrián’s eyes blinked a few times as Sazra smiled softly, “I will be staying behind, I need to hold them back…stop the operation whatever they are doing. This is not a debate but a direct order. Get out of here, Lieutenant” 

Adrián wanted to protest as he got beamed out, “You sure about this…” Silina said with sadness in her voice.

Looking up at the Jaxartes flying outside, “Yes, go….get back up! I will be safe” The enemy ship tried to get a few shots on the Jaxartes, but it was too quick and jumped to warp. The reflection of the warp jump was seen on Sazra eyes as she focused back on the enemy. Firing a few times at the enemy, she moved forward, safely hiding behind a console to the next.

7 minutes later

A squad of Romulans transported into the main room, seeing a tied down Starfleet officer in her EVA suit. The Sub-Lieutenant kneeled before her and looked at the blown console, “You caused quite some trouble….we needed that” He spoke with annoyance.

“The research data or the coordination of an unknown location” Sazra spoke, not looking up.

The man looked back at her. “What is the coordination…” as he slammed a fist right into her stomach letting her fall forward to the ground. 

“You….didn’t ask nicely” Sazra laughed in a broken voice. “But don’t worry Starfleet will come to answer that question” 

“Starfleet” He repeated and looked at his side, seeing another soldier nodding after checking records. “Mmm well we will take you with us, let us have some fun shall we” He stood up and nodded to a few. “U’ras we are ready to get beamed out, take the Starfleet officer with us” The IRF soldiers beam out of the station as Sazra disappears with them. The U’ras jumps into warp while it cloaks. 

The bridge was damaged after its battle with the U’ras, but they managed to escape the area after their Captain ordered them to get help. Per the order also started to transmit SOS broadcasting on all Federation channels. Adrián was not pleased with the way that went down, “We could have pulled her out as well…” he complained, fixing a console.

“Then what…the enemy vessel was focused on what was on that station, but Sazra knew that if we all pulled back, we were hunted down for seeing something that shouldn’t be seen” Silina pointed out frustrated about the whole ordeal as well “If we can get support, we might be able to save her and the others” 

“We have a response from a Starfleet vessel, sir” T’Path spoke.

Despite the damage to the bridge, the display on the viewscreen successfully blipped from a swirling starfield to the main bridge of a Sutherland-class starship.  Unlike the gunmetal-grey upholstery from starship interiors of old, this bridge was clad in reflective copper and burnished bronze.  A compactly-built Deltan in a Starfleet captain’s uniform was seen rising from the captain’s chair, causing a brief lensflare as she reached her full height.

“This is Captain Taes of the USS Sarek.  We’ve received your distress call and we’re en route to your coordinates at maximum warp,” Taes said over the subspace communication channel.  The steely tenor of her voice conveyed the urgency of her response, but she modulated the progression of her words in a largely soothing fashion.  Taes descended the stairs from the command platform, approaching the viewscreen on steady footing, when she said, “We expect to rendezvous at your position in fifteen minutes.  How can we be of assistance?”

“We need to get back to the stat…” Adrián spoke but stopped seeing Silina raising her hand and giving him a stern look as she looked back at the Captain, “My name is Lieutenant Silina Ruslavnovna. I am the ship’s designated Medical Officer. We were put on an escort mission by Task Force 17 to escort the Romulan Free State science vessel the Sha’Rem to an abandoned station. Upon arrival, we were asked to help in the station’s repair” She shrugs, frustrated by the situation. “But we were attacked by an unknown Independent Romulan Faction vessel that appeared out of cloaked. We request you to alter your course and follow us to the outpost. We fear for our Captain’s life”

The image of Taes offered a heavy nod at Ruslavnovna’s words.  Her jaw tight, Taes tilted her head and locked eyes with someone who wasn’t visible on the viewscreen.  “Captain Kohl briefed us on your mission, but he didn’t mention any intel on independents in this sector,” Taes remarked.  She nodded again and returned her clear gaze to the bridge crew of Jaxartes.  “We’ve received the coordinates and we’ll meet you at the outpost.”  –Taes winced, pained by Ruslavnovna’s last statement–  “Lieutenant, tell me more about the status of your captain.”

Silina gave a nod to T’Path to alternate the course. The ship set course back to the outpost. She looked at the scre. “We… don’t know, sir. The last time I spoke to her she was in a healthy condition, if I stayed longer behind, it would have endangered the crew. But I take full responsibility for leaving my Captain behind, even though I followed her orders.”

Taes shook her head and she fixed Silina with a crooked smile.  She didn’t say anything until Silina looked right at her.  “It’s not our duty to ascribe responsibility today,” Taes insisted, meaning the words, but delivering them like a lighthearted chide.  “Today we save your captain.”

It gave a specific relief to hear those words. Silina nodded to the Captain “Then we shall meet at the outpost” she said with a certain amount of confidence as the screen went black. It took a ship the size of Sarek to quickly catch up to their ship as they both jumped out of warp. The IRS ship was nowhere to be seen. Yet the Sha’Rem was still in trouble with their engine broken.

From the tactical console, audio of the Sarek‘s hail to the Free State science ship Sha’Rem could be overheard: “This is Captian Taes from the Federation starship Sarek.”  It beared repeating because, this far into the Typhon Frontier, they had all long crossed the border out of Federation space.  Despite the Sarek‘s relatively massive size –as evidenced on the viewscreen– her underslung warp nacelles and the relative prominence of her scientific mission pod didn’t pose as impressive a silhouette as an Inquiry-class starship might have done.  “How may we be of assistance?” Taes asked.

Silina looked over at Rami who was listening in on the conversation, “This is Jolius of the Romulan Free State vessel the Sha’Rem. Is Starfleet finally taking us seriously and sending a well-armed vessel after all rather than an overrated shuttle? Well, I am disappointed in you. This outrageous attack would not have happened if the Jaxartes had fled the scene and left their Captain behind” Rami slammed his console out of frustration, hearing Adrián in the back. “That backstabbing pointy ears…” 

Captain Taes didn’t take the bait.  Over the comms, she remained aloof in her reply, “Jolius, Starfleet was advised this outpost served as little more than a curio.  We understood it to be an outdated and abandoned research centre.  Perhaps some stellar cartography or theoretical physics… Are you telling me this outpost is of tactical interest to the other faction?”

The crew looked at each other curiously as Silinia stared at the screen waiting for the reply, “I must inform you that since the collapse of the Romulan Star Empire, it is pretty much a hunt for assets. The one that controls the most is the one to control the voice over the Romulan people. So yes, if that means taking over a research outpost such as this one then….” Jolius gets interrupted. 

Abruptly, Captain Taes could be heard to say, “Excuse me,” and the subspace communication signal from the Sarek was muted for a few seconds.  Soon after, her voice could be heard from the tactical station again as she continued her parlay with the Free State vessel.  She said, “Our sensors can detect no human biosignatures, nor Starfleet combadges, aboard the outpost.  Is Captain Praugol aboard your ship?”

“Rami…” Silina asked looking over her shoulder. “On it….yea confirmed no humans on that outpost” Silinia shrugged and wanted to interfere with the communication, but she held her calmness to herself, hearing Jolius arrogance. “I am sorry? Captain Praugol is who? If you are referring to the humans that assisted us on that station to get it back operational, one fled with the shuttle next to you and the other I believe was taken with a few of my people by the IRF“

Captain Taes was silent again, but the comm channel remained open.  Then, she said, “…I understand.  We will pursue.  Does your crew require any assistance?”

“Is she actually going to give this prik assistance while the Captain needs our help?!” Adrián spoke furious “Lieutenant” T’Path spoke up “The Captain of the Sarek is holding her emotions in control at the moment, I do believe she desires to find our Captain as much as ours, but we are required to keep our diplomatic matters in check in these sensitive times as well” Adrián wanted to reply to it as he saw Silinia death serious looking at the screen as she rose a hand to him “While I understand your frustration Adrián, Captain Taes is indeed holding out on her emotions…do the same” She orders.

“Ah yes, our ship requires some material to fix the damage done and damage to our station that requires fixing now more than ever. So if you could provide us with supplies and engineers to help repair our station and ship, that would be gratefully appreciated and benefit our relationship between our people” Jolius spoke eagerly as if he had just won a mocking contest. 

“Yes, of course we will,” Taes replied.  Perhaps it was calculated, but she sounded earnest over the comms.  “My chief engineer will be in contact to determine the away team and materials required.  Taes out.”  

After the computerised chirp of the subspace comms closing, Captain Taes appeared again on the viewscreen of the Jaxartes.  From the view into her bridge, Taes had returned to sit in the captain’s chair.  “Lieutenant, if you can transmit your sensor records of the independent Romulan starship, we can turn our sensors to search for the ship’s warp trails” Taes requested.  “Once we determine a course, what are your intentions?”

“Follow them and get our captain back of course” Adrián spoke out bluntly as Silina shrugged at his answer and stayed a bit calmer and reserve comment “Rami, please send the information to the Sarek. As my esteemed colleague suggests, we are willing to follow the tracks of the IRS vessel and get back to our Captain. We shall do this calculated as Captain Praugol would do so by not confronting it alone” The data was sent to the Sarek. “Data sent sir,” Rami said formally as Silinia nodded. “Thank you again for coming to our aid”

“We’re Starfleet,” Taes replied.  “This is what we do.”

Silina nodded to that statement, “That is true, I do have to ask the obvious thing. But if our Captain enters IRF space, what are we suppose to do sir” 

The image of Taes transmitted on the viewscreen half-heartedly shrugged with one shoulder and she tilted her head.  “That’s going to depend on which of the independent factions have taken your captain.  Since the fall of the star empire’s senate, the factions have splintered with conflicting loyalties and animosities,” Taes said as preamble.  “Starfleet sends me new star charts every day, defining new borders being used by the independent factions.  Further, the chief of my science department is an exchange officer from the Romulan Free State.” –Taes cut her eyes to a bridge station beyond the view of the visual sensors.  Taes’ face fell into a frown.  A blink later, her assured expression returned– “Her political insight will be valuable to us both as well.  Once we identify the specific faction, and if they have even established diplomatic relations with the Federation… you and I will have to make a judgement call.”

The information came in from what Jaxartes had shared with the Sarek. The ship was identified as U’ras which was part of various inner conflicts of the IRF. But Starfleet Intelligence placed a red flag on the information as it was part of a now-known faction named Broken Wings. Broken Wings is known to be fanatics, patriotic behavior, and a certain degree of hatred towards the Federation and the Klingons. Further information reveals that they were part of the old Romulan Star Empire prison regime and specialized in information gathering in creative ways. Broken Wings were known to operate at Delta Velorum. 

Looking at the screen, she bolds her fist, seeing some of this information. “Of all the factions, she is in the hands of these” Silina felt at a loss here. 

Taes raised an eyebrow and took a breath.  “The Sarek is a research cruiser.  Our tactical systems are mostly defensive,” she said with no small emphasis.  “If we don’t retrieve your captain from that one ship, we’re going to need diplomacy or back-up.”

“I think we need an army, did the Sarek find the ship on long-range scanners. It is better if we follow it right now rather then wait” Silina spoke. 

On the viewscreen, Taes dropped her gaze to where the sunken flight control station was located on her bridge.  Taes nodded and then she told Silina, “We’ve calculated the most likely course, based on the warp trail.  My conn is transmitting the coordinates to you now.  Our engineering away team will be beaming off shortly, and then we can join in the pursuit.”

Silina nodded to the captain. “Thank you again for all the help. We will leave the Sha’Rem in your hands” With that said she nodded to her as the screen went black “Plot a course and hit the peddle T’Path” The Vulcan merely nodded while the USS Jaxartes moved into position and jumped into warp following the kidnappers. 

TAG

The room was dark, the area was not clean, and she lay on the ground. Having already endured the waves of friendly chatter with the Romulans, Sazra rolled onto her back, taking a few deep breaths as she could feel her ribs being brushed by the amount of violence used against her. She could hear the buzzing sound of a force field ringing in her ears. Sazra placed her hand over her eyes to stop the direct light on her from reaching her sensitive eyes.

The door slides open as three men enter the area. Two men stand at the door while the third grabs a chair and turns it around, placing it backward in front of the brig and sitting down facing the brig while leaning on the back of the chair. “Commander Praugol, I do apologize for our hospitality being so harsh for you,” The man said with a grin.

Sazra didn’t respond immediately to him, “If this is your way of welcoming me to your ship, I give you a one-star rating for sure” She growls at the pain in her body.

Nodding to that, “Duly noted my dear Captain, but I do not have the luxury to play nice with you Starfleet Captains. You see, I require the coordinates you acquired and left in your head rather than in the console of that outpost” He puts his finger at his head. “We require that coordinates, and it seems you are not very cooperative in giving us those numbers. Why is that?” 

She pointed in the air. “It is nice to introduce yourself to a lady rather than to directly ask her to do something,” She pointed out as Sazra placed her hand back on her head, feeling the light burning into her vision, giving her that nasty headache.

“Commander Moldohk of the Broken Wings, you are a guest on my cruise line, the U’ras. We are en route towards IRF space to our base of operations. I would advise you to give what we require or face more of our hospitality, Captain Praugol” He was not amused with the whole situation but didn’t mind making a mockery out of it. “If you give the information to us, we will bring you back to the borders without harming you any further” 

She laughs and coughs a bit. “Of course, right, like the Romulans have a wealthy history turning over Starfleet Officers to the Federation without a body bag” Sazra finally gave the man a look. “You state your business at that base. I state my intention with what I know” 

Moldohk narrows his eyes. “I do not need to indulge you of my intentions at that base, but for your good, Captain, you give that number” He stands up. “Because I will get what I want” He walks to the door. “Get her ready for another round. Our dear Captain wants to taste our free service” The two men walk to the brig to pick her up. 

The small ship was put to its limits as it went on the maximum warp to follow the trail left behind by the U’ras. They were running out of time as the IRF borders were closing more. The tension on the bridge was felt as if a double-edged knife would cut through it very quickly. By the structure of the chain of command, Ruslanovna was put in command, and she was sitting in her Captain’s chair, tapping her finger on the chair “ETA”

“5 minutes,” T’Path spoke in a somewhat frustrated yet calm way, something that is seen rarely in a Vulcan “U’ras is not in reach…they still 4 minutes out on us”

Taking a deep sigh at that, Silina looked at Adrián, “Can you push her more?” She was trying to find ways to get closer to the U’ras and pick that fight in Federation space. Thee ship appeared on the screen flying in Romulan space near the Free State borders, “That ship is taunting us…”

“I can’t give you more. The girl is struggling as it is. She is not built for this speed….why not just enter that area and shoot the ship out of space!” Adrián slammed the console, frustrated by the situation.

“Because if we do that, we break our treaty with the Romulans, be it Romulan Star Empire or not….that treaty still stands,” Rami pointed out. “So you can jump as high as you want. We can’t risk an all-out war with whatever faction is there” 

Silina rubs her head, “He is right….” While her mind was saying to shoot all the torpedoes they had.

The Jaxartes jumped out of warp as it slowly came to a halt, “What the hell T’Path….we will lose them!” Adrián spoke, looking at the screen, seeing the ship disappear further into the Romulan borders “Get back into the game there Lieutenant!”

“We can’t the borders to Romulan space starts here and Federation regulations prevent us from moving further….” T’Path shrugs and looked at Silina “Your orders ma’am” There was nothing that could be done by them as they suddenly got another ship dropping out of warp next to them “USS Sarek just dropped out of warp they are hailing us!”

“On screen” Silina saw the screen change “Lieutenant Ruslanovna of the Jaxartes here, Captain?” She was confused.

A live visual of the USS Sarek‘s bridge appeared on the viewscreen and Captain Taes was sitting in the centre seat.  The compact Deltan woman glowered through the screen with a sour expression: her lips were down-turned and the brow of her bald head was creased in frustration.  In an explosion of energy, Taes snapped to a standing position as if a cadet instructor had called her to attention.  She began to descend the stairs of the command platform, moving closer to her own viewcreen.

“I thought we had the U’ras there for a second, Ruslanovna,” Captain Taes said excitedly.  “Our tractor beam connected, but they broke away.  As large as the Sarek is, we’re not built for combat.”  –She smiled tightly the forced joke she was about to make– “Too many breakables on board.”

“Please Captain convince our bridge crew that we can enter this space and find our Captain” Adrián stepped away from his console closer to the screen. “She needs us. We are so close to gaining the U’ras!” He was visibly frustrated with the situation.

“Adrián” Silina softly spoke knowing that same frustration as she sat back in her chair “Lieutenant, please go back to your console and restrain your emotions. It is not the best moment to let your choices be led by emotion in this situation. We all here want Captain Praugol back, but not at the cost of our treaty with the Romulans”

“Speaking of that–” Taes said.  On the screen, Taes’ frown flattened out to a wince.  Her head tilted back and, for a moment, it looked like Taes was rolling her eyes.  Instead, she simply looked up at the overhead of her bridge.

Sitting beside the captain’s chair was a petite Romulan with a mass of dark hair, framing her face like a nebula.  Unlike Taes’ Bajoran executive officer, Flavia was wearing a jumpsuit of plainly Romulan design: judging by the extreme shoulder pads and the woven textured cuboid pattern from neck to ankle.  Stepping forward, Romulan Liaison Officer Flavia slinked down the stairs to join Taes.

“I have submitted the sensor records and last known coordinates of the U’ras to my government,” Flavia said in her most saccharine placating timbre.  “The Romulan Free State will not permit intruders within our borders, be they from the Broken Wings.” –Flavia took a breath and she appeared to look directly at Adrián– “Or from Starfleet.  Rest assured: our navy will return your captain to you.”

Adrián looked at Silina and then back. “They are not in Romulan Free State. Your sensor records might indicate that they just entered the Independent Romulan Faction’s space, which is ….shady as hell” Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he saw Silina standing there looking at the screen.

“What the Lieutenant means is that it is unknown what the IRF will do to the entrance of Starfleet vessels within IRF space. Is there a slim chance for a small vessel like the Jaxartes to enter in that space without being seen as a threat?” 

From the viewscreen, Flavia blinked heavily at the entreaties from the Jaxartes crew.  Her eyes clouded and her subtle forehead ridges became more pronounced.  She folded her arms over her chest.

“You were chasing one of the Broken Wings’ ships,” Flavia retorted.  “That makes you a threat.  Period.”

A grin came to his face “Are you saying that a ship with our size is such a trap for the Romulans can’t handle?” Adrián lifted his hands and shoulder “I guess they are not able enough to do this”

”Enough Lieutenant“ Silina spoke “But there is truth in his words” She followed up looking at Captain Taes “A cooperation between Federation and the Free States is what both parti want. So I propose the Jax crew shall operate on a Romulan Free States vessel to rescue Captain Praugol”

Taes scraped her teeth across her lower lip.  “I don’t recall if we have language for that in the provisional treaty,” Taes said impassively.  “It’s worth a try if you’re prepared to put your crew at that risk.”

Looking at Taes “I think the Captain would do the same for any of us. So yes we are willing to take upon the risk and this deal that is benific for both our people” Silina looked now at the Romulan.

The visual of Flavia on the viewscreen raised her palms to the level of her chest in a defensive posture.  She blinked twice at Silina and then she tilted her head to the left, her gaze sweeping in the general direction of Adrián.

“I’m a lowly scientist,” Flavia said, making no attempt to hide her mocking timbre.  “I have no ship of my own.  Certainly not one that can handle this…” –She waved her hand at them, vaguely indicating the starship bridge she could evidently see on her own viewscreen– “What do you call your death trap?  A runabout?”

Looking offended at her as Adrián pointed up a finger “That death trap is a Raven-class named Jaxartes“ He was quite proud of it after the hours he put into it.

”Is it not better to contact the Free State and share this operation in cooperation with them rather then to take guess of what we got right now?” Rami pointed out looking at everyone.

”That might be a good idea, send the request for aid and our location to them. No in-depth details“ Silina orders

On the viewscreen, Captain Taes turned to face Flavia dead on.  “I’m certain Doctor Flavia,” Taes said sternly, “will personally assure her superiors of the importance of your request.”

The communication went down as the two ships waited for a response to them about their case. Minutes became an hour, and before they knew it, a few hours had passed. Until a Romulan warbird decloaked at the area of their borders “We are being hailed” T’Path spoke as Silina nodded to that “Setting up a 3-way connection.

“This is Commander Cokitha of the RSF vessel Vishatha. We were requested to present at this location for some proportion undertaking involving a kidnapping?” The Romulan woman tried to ID the Captains of the ships looking at both screens.

“I am Lieutenant Ruslanovna, the acting Captain of the USS Jaxartes. We are honored of having you here” Silina spoke, feeling a certain weight off her shoulders. 

“And I am Captain Taes of the Federation Starship Sarek,” the transmission of Taes said from her partitioned side of the viewscreen.  “We require your assistance.”

The woman narrowed her eyes and noticed a Romulan on Sarek bridge “Hmmm yes command told me it was an urgency to provide any help in light of our recent relationship between our two organizations. Do state your business, so we can resume our duties” Cokitha crossed her arms while waiting.

“Well, we require your ship to be more specific. The situation is that our Captain is being kidnapped by one of the Broken Wings and flew into IRF space. A part of space we are forbidden to enter due to the treaty” Silina shrugs a bit, ah she was not made for these kinds of talks “We of the Jaxartes would transfer to your ship and you help us get our Captain back” 

“Wait…what” Cokitha looked at Silina and then back at Teas “Is she joking right now?” Showing that Teas is the superior officer.

“Our request is genuine,” replied Captain Taes.

At Captain Taes’ side, Liaison Officer Flavia interjected to say, “Captain Praugol was acting in service to our government when she was kidnapped by the Broken Wings ship.”  All of Flavia’s gleeful malice had been replaced by an almost Vulcan-like stoicism.  “Their captain was working to bring outpost fifty-four back into operational status.”

The mention of the outpost made Cokitha narrow her eyes “I see” She looked at her people for a moment and looked back at them “I will take three of you to my vessel. More of you on this ship will cause a riot. I don’t care who you will beam over, but you got five minutes” Cokitha closed the channel as now only Taes stood there.

“Well that went easier than I thought,” Rami spoke in the back, looking at the others.

Silina sighed. She knew now for sure that they were hiding something over at that outpost. There was no real value to it. It was the whole Liberty Incident all over again “Captain, I thank you for mediating in this delegate situation. Lieutenant Valerio, Lieutenant Shew, and I will beam over at the ship and leave the Jaxartes in the care of Lieutenant T’Path. Do you have any orders or requests?”

“Take an emergency transponder with you,” Captain Taes replied from the Sarek bridge, “and provide my security chief with the encoded frequency.  If you activate the transponder, the Sarek will join you, regardless of the borders we have to cross.”

Getting up from her chair as Silina gave a smile at Taes “We shall send it to you before we transport over, lets’s hope we don’t have to cross that line” She winks at her as the communication line breaks and the screen views the two ships in view. Silina followed Adrián to exit the bridge.

“Lieutenant”

Silinia stopped and looked over her shoulder to T’Path, who looked over her shoulder “Yes?”

“Bring her home, I will keep the ship safe for your arrival” T’Path spoke in more logical worry.

Nodding to her selfish request “Of course” With that Silina gave her a soft smile and left the bridge to make her way towards the transport room where the adventure of saving their captain was waiting.

The doors slid open as two Romulan guards dragged Sazra over the ground. She had received the hospitality of the Broken Wing for the duration of the trip. Sazra could barely hold her eyes open, barely holding herself together, and the pain drained so much out of her. She looks at her sides, seeing other prisoners there, mostly Romulans, and, by the nature of the posture and reaction, they seem, civilians, maybe politicians?

The doors of a cell open as she gets thrown into it. Her body reacted automatically to crawl into each other from the extreme muscle pain she had to endure. Looking at the door where Moldohk walked into the small and dirty room, “Welcome to the four stars recommendation of our hospitality. We got a beautiful window view and a comfortable bed, Captain” He spoke sarcastically “I do hope everything will be to your desires. If you have questions or wishes, do not hesitate to give me a call”

Rolling onto her back, “Well, a good shower would be great. Been sweaty from all the workouts you made me do” Sazra looked at her side “Though I don’t think it is in your ability to grand me an exit while calling my transport to pick me up, right?” 

He gets on one knee next to her. “What do you think? If you get us the coordination that you so rudely took from us, then I will gladly put you on the first shuttle back to Federation space” Moldohk grabbed her by the hair and lifted her, ignoring the pain growls from her. “But seeing you resist so much in that department, you shall stay at our resort and enjoy the luxury here. I will make your life a living hell until you finally break and give me what I want” He lets go and wipes his hand over his pants.

Making a smack on the ground, Sazra grabs her head in agony. “Well, I look forward to it, then. I hope you treat me well” She rubbed her head hurt. “But if I gave you the coordination, who does not say you ship me in a box and send me back to Federation space, not caring what direction” She looked finally back at him “I don’t trust you one bit Romulan, your people have a tendency of placing a dagger behind someone’s back” 

Narrowing his eyes at that comment, he stood up, straightened his jacket, then gave a good kick to Sazra side “Tsk…that is just rude to say. No, Captain, it is wise not to stick your nose in business that doesn’t concern you. The Romulan Star Empire was the shining beacon of perfection. People like you make judgment calls coming in peace and all that bull crap” He shook his head. “Ultimately, you all come and make deals that benefit your people. You are nothing like the Klingons or the Cardassians, but you all think the same about your own forthright. You guys are a step further. Furthermore, you make this make-believe fictional story that you are peacekeepers and that you have the right to meddle with our affairs” 

Gasping for air, she tried to lean on her arms. “So much for a good start, he…we reached out a hand to you people when Hobus was ready to pop, and all your senate bickered about is the threat we are to you all” Sazra was not in the best state of mind “While you just had to look to the person next to you, corrupt and treacherous” 

Wanting to kick again, he resisted and just walked out, “Give this woman no food for today and prepare the pool for her talking session” The door closed behind him as Sazra did her best to recoup what she had witnessed. 

“How long are they going to make us wait here? Why are we not allowed on the bridge? Are we even on our way to finding our Captain?” Adrián walked nervously through the room with his hands behind his back while waiting for something to happen. They had been in the room for a few hours now waiting for something to happen. The Vishatha had already jumped to warp and entered the IRF space without a problem within its cloak.

Rami looked up from his chair. “What do you expect? Come on in and have a look at our bridge. While we are at it, we do a ship tour? Keep in mind that we are now being monitored and that the Free States have close ties to the Tal’Shiar. This behavior is normal, and to be honest….I am surprised not more species do that” Rami pointed out a fact of history “We saw all those encounters before, invite them over, do a grand ship tour and impress the visitors. I never understood that concept within Starfleet” 

At the window was Silina standing with her hands behind her back, watching the outside, “Rami does have a point. The Romulans don’t gain anything by sharing their new ship layout with us. But they do gain a lot of saving Captain Praugol from these….separatist as they called it” Silina looked over her shoulder as the door slid open.

Two guards step inside the room and take a side step as Commander Cokitha appears, “Sorry for the long delay. We have been preoccupied with the lays of these former lands” She came to a halt before them. “So the situation with your Captain is more delicate and complex than we presumed. But we found the location, and it’s on Delta Velorum” She drops a device that hovers over the ground as a hologram appears of a planet.

Everyone looked at the hologram as Adrián crossed his arms, “Well, let us get the big animal out of the room. Why is it so delicate and complex?” 

The Commander looked at her side to Adrián and then back at the hologram as she motioned her finger up when red dots appeared on the holographic image, “Because this planet is crawling with separatists of the Broken Wings. They have only a few ships in their control. The Free States intelligence dictated that it is about three ships, with one ship being heavily damaged. So we need to be careful about our approach. The other factor is the location” She made a pinch move with her finger that made zoom in. “Captain Prugal is located at the main facility….”

“Praugol” Silina leans at the window side looking at Cokitha. “Her name is Captain Sazra Praugol. Please get it correct” 

Looking back at Silina with no words for a few seconds as she took a deep breath, Cokitha continued, “Anyway, we need to get an away team set up. Enter the main facility from its side where a bombardment happened, and it still is in ruins. This is their weakness, and they don’t expect anyone to be entering from that side” The lay of the base was shown on the digital map. “We enter, get to her cell block and get Captain….Praugol out” She looked back at Silina, who smiled back at her, “Questions?”

“Lieutenant Shew, your opinion?” Silina looked at Rami who had already stood glaring at the plan.

“The plan might be a bust” He raised his hand to interject Cokitha that wanted to speak up. “The entrance is too obvious. Keep in mind that we are dealing with extreme people that, in my fair opinion expect the unexpected” Rami rubs his chin while looking at the map.

“So what is your suggestion then?” The Commander looked annoyed at him.

“Go with your plan, distract them….make a fuss at the ruins” Rami then points at another area that indicates the storage area, “Then the real team enters from here and takes anyone out. Move to the cell blocks and get our Captain out. However, experience tells us that Romulans are quite observant, and thus we need two exits” Looking at Adrián.

Adrián was already looking at the map and pointed at the generators, “That…..the amount of energy being made there should mask our exit. If the storage area is no longer an option”

“There you have it. It sounds way better, right?” Silina said, looking at the Commander, who was slightly annoyed.

“I have to admit, sounds good…we will be arriving at Delta Velorum in an hour. Get ready to save your Captain” Cokitha turned around and walked out of the room. “Because I am ready to get back to my duties already,” She mutters to herself while exiting the room. 

Everything went according to the plan as the Vishatha was on the other side of Delta Velorum to stay out of range of the Broken Wings ships. The team was split into two teams; one from the Free States was under the leadership of Cokitha, and the other was under the guidance of Silina. Cokitha’s team started the distraction from the ruins, making it seem like a coup was going on. The deception worked as troops were pulled away from the storage area as Silina strolled into the open, “Clear…” she whispered, holding a Romulan rifle and moving forward. 

The base was in chaos, with a lot of panic about the sudden attack, but enough space for Jaxartes team to move stealthily through the base. Some close calls were quickly solved with Rami quick and precision shots and Adrián quick moving the bodies out of sight. There was little sympathy towards these Broken Wings members from the crew after the stunned they pulled on their Captain. 

But the saying might be growing, what happens in IRF space stays in IRF space. There were too many factions in that space that would be concerned with Starfleet actions, and their being in civilian and yet armored clothing covered the fact that they were there as Starfleet Officers. Silina didn’t take any chances and took out those who threatened the operation. 

“Whatever you are doing, make it quick…these Broken Wings are showing some great resolve to combat,” Came through into the earplug, Silina made her give the halt signal. “Cokitha, I appreciate your help, but pushing us won’t help the overall operation. We will get to the objective. Just hold the line” No reply came after Silina whispered it as she moved on.

Moving forward as the base started to sake, “What the hell is that woman doing out there….she does know that we are still here, right?” Adrián whispered frustratingly as he saw some cracks in the side wall, “We won’t make it out if she keeps blowing stuff up” 

“I know, but let’s focus on our duty, Lieutenant. How far until the prison section Shew?” Silina looked carefully around, seeing the scenery change to a different build.

Rami looked at the tricorder in his left hand and the rifle in his right hand, “It’s right around the corner, but we got visitors. Two of them. We need to quickly take them out if we don’t want to be spotted” With that, he placed the tricorder to the side, with Adrián moving to his side, holding the rifle up. “On my mark, you take a left. I take the right one” He counted down from three with his fingers as he suddenly rolled forward and took aim, followed by Adrian going around the corner, and they both in sync fired, taking out the two guards at the entrée point. 

The team moved even deeper into the prison area as they had their face now covered with thick cloth scarfs and ignored most of the other prisoners that saw it as if an outbreak was happening. “Trill life sign, weak but up ahead,” Rami announced as he opened the cell door that had their Captain. 

Silina quickly entered the cell and pulled her scarf down, walking quickly to the not moving body. As she pulled on the Trill to her back, she growled out of frustration, “I need some time. She is severely wounded” Silina looked back at Sazra, who looked very weak. Her left eye was covered with blood as it was dried up. Silina could see a lot of injuries, so she did her best to close up and get her stable, “I am here…I am here, Captain….sorry it took so long” 

Slowly, Sazra right eye opened up as she lifted her hand to let it go over Silina’s cheek, which was wet with tears. Sazra smiled, placed her hand behind Silina’s neck, and pulled her suddenly to her as their lips met. The sweet iron tasted, but while she noticed Silina being shocked by it, she allowed it to happen and kissed her back, placing her left hand over Sazra’s head. 

“We have to go….okay…I think you need a few more seconds” Adrián looked into the room and pulled his head back out, blushing. “The doc needs more time…” He nods to himself. “Rami get those prisoners out…let’s cause a fuss here”

Looking confused at Adrián, Rami wanted to look into the room but got pushed by Adrián to the new idea “Good idea, give me a second” He quickly moved to a console and started to tap onto it to get it decoded and into the right setting. 

It took a few seconds as Silina moved out while supporting Sazra out of the room, quickly getting support from Adrián. “Get us out of here Lieutenant” Silina ordered to Rami as he nodded, hitting a button as all cells opened up.

“REBELLION! FOR THE EMPIRE, FIGHT YOUR OPPRESSORS!” Rami yelled as prisoners started to yell and get out of their cells. “Let’s move to the extraction point” 

The team followed out as inside fighting started to erupt everywhere, “Move to the generators!” Silina orders seeing that the path was closed off with Broken Wings members getting into the fight and blocking the exit point of the cargo, “Cokitha, we have the package. We are moving to the generator’s extraction point, ” She communicated, shooting down a Romulan. 

“Understood, Lieutenant, we are pushing them back. I will give them something to remember about the Free States by” 

The team moved through the chaos and towards the generators, where their exit point was waiting for them. But before they made it to the door, a phaser blast hit the side of Adrián, who collapsed to one knee, growling in pain. Sazra, now fully leaning onto Silina, looked over her shoulder seeing a few Romulans standing there “Leaving so soon, Starfleet? I never expected you, people, to go hand in hand with the crocks of the state,” Moldohk spoke, “Now be a good gal and give me back that woman. She has something, and I want that”

The situation was dire as the team was pinned, Adrian was in pain, Sazra was unable to move on her own, Silina was supporting Sazra as good as possible, and Rami was the only one that could potentially shoot but seeing that Moldohk had the quick draw on them, it was impossible to react proper “I can’t do that, she is after all my Captain and we Starfleet don’t leave anyone behind”

“Well sometimes a change is needed in attitude…” He rose his weapon as it suddenly gets shot out of his hand from another angle “Not today mister Moldohk, I don’t want to see my guest getting hurt” Cokitha spoke with her rifle up and two other Romulans joining her “Open fire!” Moldohk quickly jumped behind cover as both teams fired “Vishatha Beam the teams up now!” With that said the two teams get with a green flash out of the area only hearing a distant frustrated yell from Moldohk. “Get them to the sickbay and get us back to Federation space…cloak active now!” Cokitha orders.

With that said, the Vishatha gets cloaked as it jumps into warp away from the location. 

The rescue at Delta Velorum, with the help and assistance of the FSW Vishatha was a pretty daring and yet existing endeavor. The travel back to Federation space went without any problem, as the Broken Wings were in such chaos that they didn’t follow the Vishatha. Sazra had received minimal medical attention and was, upon arrival, transported with the remaining crew back to the Jaxartes.

Walking onto the bridge, Sazra damage was still visible, her left eye closed with a patch and dry blood on her ripped uniform. She nodded to T’Path who was pleased to see her Captain. Sitting down, Sazra let out a sigh of relief. With a hand placed on her shoulder, Sazra saw that Silina stood at her side.

“Captain the FSW Vishatha and USS Sarek are hailing us” T’Path spoke as she saw the nod of Sazra putting the duo screen on seeing both Captains appear.

“Captain Taes, Commander Cokitha, I thank you both for your help. I have heard from my crew that you two are the two key players in my rescue” Sazra leans a bit backward in her chair, feeling the pain of her spine that they tortured on at the prison. “Lieutenant Valerio was helped to the sickbay by Lieutenant Shew for further checkup. I will have to join them soon or my doctor here will drag me there”

On the half of the viewscreen displaying the bridge of the Sutherland-class Starfleet starship, Captain Taes bowed her head.  She was seated in the captain’s chair, flanked by her executive officer and her Romulan liaison officer, Flavia.  Taes lifted her chin and regarded the screen straight-on.

“Seeing you on your feet,” Captain Taes said, “and back on your own bridge is all the thanks I require.”

Cokitha leaned at the side of or her chair “Well, it was quite the ride to get you out of that place, but I guess it is grateful from outside also to get some intel on these boys of the Broken Wing” She had some difficulty to say a formal thank you “But we are here now, we held up our end of the bargain. I hope this will develop into more fruitful talks between our people”

Giving Taes a nod, “Well, I am on a recovery route. My eye needs some serious checking” She points at the patch that was on her eye as she looked at Cokitha “I can’t speak up for Starfleet, but I presume that Captain Taes can pitch in a good word for your cooperation that be endorsed by me for sure”

On the viewscreen, Taes nodded in agreement with the words Sazra spoke.  “You have my personal thanks, Commander Cokitha,” Taes said.  “I will note as much in my log to Starfleet.  Captain Praugol wouldn’t be standing here right now without your assistance.  That doesn’t go unnoticed; I promise.”

The woman glared at the two ladies and just nods. “Then I shall return to my side of the border and report back to Free State Command. Have a quick recovery Captain Praugol, good day Captain Taes” Coktiha spoke as the screen changed to just Captain Taes.

“Well, that was quite a ride indeed. In the end, the Broken Wings never received what they wanted,” Sazra pointed out with a shrug, following “I am sorry to be a burden to you all for going that extra step to get me out”

“There’s been no burden,” Taes said.  Her tone of voice was insistent and her brow knit together between her eyebrows.  “I know I didn’t join Starfleet to study nebulas from behind glass.  I suspect you’re the same.  None of this means anything if we’re not here for one another.  I trust you will do the same for me when I step into the foolhardy unknown next time.”

Looking at her side where Silina stood firmly, she nodded back to Taes “I suspect that I got my First Officer to disagree until I reach you, Captain. Just for a footnote, the outpost that I helped the Free State to get back to operational, and I was gracefully picked up by Broken Wings members….is an old observation station for Federation activities. I should have questioned it back then….but the coordinates that the Broken Wings were after were a location near the RFS borders of some kind of facility. But seeing how this has rolled out, I believe we cannot question further than that right” The rescue was too quickly agreed upon by the Free States to use it as leverage in diplomatic briefings for the future. 

“Oh no, I always encourage asking questions,” Taes said over the comm channel and her eyes said so much more.  “We’re Starfleet.  Asking questions is what we do.  No relationships are beyond reproach.”

Nodding to that, “That is very true Captain, well I believe Task Force 17 Command wants to know where I have been, what my crew has been doing, and waiting for that dreadful rapport until they send me out for another mission” Sazra smiles at the idea to get back on the route again “I thank you again for everything you have done for us, I have only heard glimpse of the acts you have done for my crew and I am grateful for it” 

“I’ll tell you those tales over a drink the next time we’re both swinging by Deep Space Seventeen,” Taes remarked.  “Fly safe and keep your crew inspired, captain.”  

She smiled “Oh I got some stories for you Captain, fly safe” With that the channel closed and gets back to the normal space view where the Sarek was still out there. 

“Now get your sorry ass up from that chair and come with me to the medbay. I have to check your injuries more out Captain” Silina narrows her eyes while crossing her arms. “Lieutenant T’Path set course to Deep Space 17, warp 6” Walking off the bridge “Captain”

Sazra shrugs. “Already bossing me around…coming Lieutenant” Sazra gets back on her feet and walks to where Silina went to.

 “Captain”

Stopping at that, Sazra looked behind her to T’Path who looked at her “Yes?”

“Glad you are safe and back to us sir” She nods softly as T’Path turns back to her navigational systems to plot the course.

Letting that sink in for a second she nods “Good to be back” With that said she resumed her voyage behind her doctor to get that medical checkup, again.