‘Trust only the Fourth Fleet.’ 

These words haunted Aris as he was given his orders. What an odd thing to end with. Nonetheless, they had a job to do. Tapping on his terminal he opened a channel. “Captain Suin to Commander Fenway”

“Go ahead, Captain.” Gin replied from the bridge

Steadying his breathing at what was ahead, Aris swallowed the lump in his throat before continuing. “I need you and the senior crew to report to the conference room in five minutes.”

“Acknowledged, Captain.” Gin replied.

“Oh, and Commander, I really do mean five minutes.” Aris said as he closed the channel.

Gin wasn’t sure what to think as the Captain closed the channel. Whatever it was must be major, but she had caught the ‘order’ in the Captain’s voice and had no intention of being late. Making her choice she opened another comm channel.

“This is Commander Fenway. Lieutenants T’Keterk and Yates along with Ensigns Shan and Malra and Officer Andrews, please report to the conference room immediately.”

Not waiting for a response she turned to face Emma as the channel closed. “You’re with me, Ensign.”

“Yes, Commander.” Emma got to her feet, her station was immediately filled by a junior bridge officer. Entering into step with the Executive Officer she couldn’t help but ask.

“What do you suppose that was about?”

“To be honest.” Gin sighed. “I have no idea. He received an urgent communication from Command about 20 minutes ago. I haven’t seen him since he holed himself up in the ready room.”

“Strange.” Emma nodded as she thought it over. “Must be serious.” she said almost in a whisper to herself. Quickening her pace to again catch up to Commander Fenway the two resumed the short walk to Deck 1.

Elsewhere in Engineering, Joci and T’Keterk looked toward each other across the Master System Display table.

“This can’t be good.” T’Keterk remarked as he signaled an engineering officer to take over. “After you.” he directed to Joci as he motioned toward the door. “It wouldn’t do to make the Captain wait. Approaching the turbolift in the main corridor, he noticed they weren’t the only ones waiting for its arrival. 

“Doctor Yates and Officer Andrews, it appears you had the same thoughts as us.” T’Keterk greeted the pair.

Nora shrugged. “Immediately is immediately I suppose. Whatever we are being called for must be important. Any idea what it could be about?”

The crickets really spoke for themselves as no one could imagine why they needed the urgency. The arrival of the turbolift broke the silence but not the tension as the crew filed in.

“Deck 1, Conference Room.” Joci requested as the doors closed behind them. The brief silence in the turbolift was broken only by the soft hum as it sped them toward their destination. Upon their arrival, they immediately took note of Gin and Emma, obviously waiting for them.

“Thank you for responding everyone.” Gin looked over the crew members standing in front of her. “I’m not sure what to expect from this meeting, but I will let you in on what I do know.”

Once everyone was focused on Gin, she took a breath and continued. “Approximately twenty minutes ago, Captain Suin received an urgent communication from fleet command, in his ready room. Given the urgency to the order and the source of the transmission, I saw it fit to not question anything, but I’m sure we will be made aware of this situation. Any questions?”

With no one speaking up, she turned to face the doors to the conference room and triggered the chime

Aris was damn near pacing a hole in the carpet as he grappled with the information he had received. Why now? Was the treaty still valid? And how? Jumping slightly as the door chime sounded, Aris steadied his breath and straightened out his uniform.

“Come in.” he called as Gin led the senior crew in.

“Apologies for being early, Captain.” Gin offered a small smile. “But you did say five minutes was five minutes.

“Watch yourself, Commander.” Aris fired back in a teasing manner as the crew settled themselves around the table. “Can I get anyone anything?”

Aris busied himself with the replicator and began to deposit trays with everyone’s preferences on the table, with a water jug and tea and coffee on hand for refills should the crew need it.

Taking his seat at the head of the table, he activated the holo-terminals integrated into the tabletop. “Thank you everyone for responding so promptly. Before I begin, are we all familiar with Yadev II in the Deneb Sector?”

“The supply depot and colony world?” Gin asked. “Old mothballed ships are stored there for reactivation or salvage.”

“Correct, and also occupied by Dominion forces in the late 2370’s.” Aris added before accessing intelligence and long-range scanners. As the crew looked over the information, Aris filled in the blanks. “Starfleet Intelligence has become aware of a renewed dominion threat. Due to the proximity of Yadev II to Breen space, our orders are to report directly to the Yadev II Supply Depot to shore up its defenses.”

Bringing up another report, Aris continued after taking a long drink of water. “We don’t know who is behind this renewed threat, but Starfleet does not believe they are operating on their own. A founder must be behind the scenes pulling the strings.”

“Sir?” Joci spoke up. “What of the treaty? Are we in a position to repel this kind of threat?”

“From what I have been told, the Treaty is still valid. It is likely our rogue founder hasn’t linked in a long time so is unaware the war is over.” Aris answered. “On your second point,” Aris bought up the docking manifest of the station. “We are also under orders to assist the Yadev II engineers in repairing and reactivating any vessel still in a usable condition should the unthinkable occur.”

“What kind of ships are we dealing with, Captain?” T’Keterk questioned as he downloaded the information to his padd. Others around him doing the same.

“I’m not going to lie.” Aris began. “They are older vessels, namely Miranda, Freedom and Centaur classes spanning a few decades.”

T’Keterk bowed his head to the Captain as he added this to his notes.

“T’Keterk, I want those ships operational and armed as quickly as we can get them space worthy. These will be our own take on the Texas-class vessel.”

Understanding the implication, T’Keterk had one last question. “Engineering, Tactical and Defense and shipboard operations are to be automated I presume?”

“Nothing gets past you T’Keterk.” Aris replied. “Ensign Malra and Officer Andrews will assist with programing the automation subroutines. This is a joint operation with Yadev II so we will be working closely with their own personnel and as such all input is to be considered.”

T’Keterk, Joci and Damien all nodded in acknowledgment before turning to face Taylor and Emma.

“Ensign Swain, upon our arrival to Yadev II I need you to work with Ensign Shan to determine exit strategies and possible points of incursion into the system. We do not need the Dominion to catch us unaware.

“Yes, Sir.” Emma replied as she began to review the data downloaded to her padd.

“Ensign Shan, please initiate enhanced security protocols on all decks with rotating patrols and identity verification. I don’t want any trouble from anyone once we arrive.” Aris continued around the table. “I would also like you to work with Joci and Damien to include attack patterns and strategies in their programming.”

“Yes, Sir.” Taylor replied with determination. It was go time and this time they were remaining in Federation space.

“Lieutenant Yates, while we are docked with the station, I want you to liaise with the facility’s medical teams to replenish supplies, assist with triage and medical procedures, and any upskilling you feel is required.”

“Very good, Captain.” Nora replied.

“Commander Fenway, I would like you to review the personnel files and shortlist your recommendations for crew members to operate these vessels and maintain the non-automated functions.”

Gin nodded as Aris relayed his request. “I will have those to you as soon as possible.”

Aris downed the last of his water and got to his feet. “I know this must feel like the unthinkable, but we are Starfleet officers, and more important than that, we are the crew of the Auckland. I have complete faith and respect for you all of you and I trust you to do your duty.”

Looking at each crew member, he continued. “Although this was not the news we wanted to receive. Watch each other’s backs and trust your peers. But now I have one question for you. Are you ready?”

Several hours had passed since the conclusion of the briefing. The bridge had been requested to notify Aris as they began their approach to the Yadev system. There were still too many unknowns at play for Aris’ comfort. Once the alpha shift had been completed, a good meditation session was in order. He had been running too hot for too long and no doubt the stress would affect both Aris and Suin and by then the consequences could be dire. 

Leaning back in his seat as he reviewed the latest intelligence briefings, he was bought out of his musings by the unmistakable tones of the door chime. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but he did maintain an open-door policy.

“Come in,” he called as he sat further upright in his chair. Who could this be he wondered as the door opened to reveal Damien. Aris’ breath hitched a bit but he quickly recovered. Before Aris could greet him, Damien spoke up.

“Stay there, Captain.” Damien smiled. “You look dead on your feet. Can I get you anything? Food, a Drink? A timeslot in the holodeck?”

Pushing his chair back from the desk, Aris smiled in return. “I would love a juice or a fruit tea, but only if you are indulging yourself.”

Damien quickly made his requests at the replicator before returning with two glasses of fruit juice. “Now, drink,” Damien said as he sat. “I will get you a refill once that is empty.”

“Whose the Captain here?” Aris joked as he took long draughts of the offered drink. In a matter of moments the glass was empty and true to his word, Damien quickly replaced it with a refill. “So what brings you to my ready room?”

“Well, that depends,” Damien replied as he took a sip.

“On?” Aris prodded

“Whether this conversation is between a Captain and his officer, or if it will be treated as a chat between friends,” Damien answered.

“Off the record it is.” Aris sat back in his chair. “What can I do for you?”

“Forgive me if this comes across out of line.” Damien began. “But, are you alright?”

“That obvious is it?” Aris asked

“Well, your glittering personality is still intact.” Damien laughed. “But in all seriousness, have you had much sleep? or any?”

Aris closed his eyes and let out a breath before opening them again. “Some.” he admitted. “But it hasn’t been great.”

“What’s been keeping you up? if you don’t mind my asking.” Damien asked.

“Before getting our orders, there had been rumors of some lost Dominion fleet from the Dominion War, and with intelligence advising of a renewed threat, it is hard to ignore.” Aris replied. “I may not have experienced the horrors of the Dominion War myself, but Suin’s previous host did and some of the memories aren’t easy to watch.”

“Leave the bridge to Commander Fenway and go and have a power nap and try to reconcile some of these memories.” Damien suggested. “I can’t say doctors orders but if you’re not looking after yourself, the wee one will be experiencing the same fatigue so give both of yourselves a break.”

“You’re probably right.” Aris sighed. “Suin to Commander Fenway.”

“Go ahead, Captain.” Gin replied.

“The bridge is yours Commander.” Aris said as he got to his feet. “Alert me on our approach to the Yadev System.”

“Yes sir, go get some sleep. The ship is in safe hands” Gin replied as she closed the channel. 

Elsewhere in Engineering, T’Keterk sat in his office drafting up plans, deleting and rewriting scenarios before changing it back. He needed to focus on the smaller aspects that made up the whole. It was time to take advantage of the resources available to them.

“T’Keterk to Ensign Malra.”

“Go ahead, Lieutenant.” Joci replied.

“Could I trouble you for a moment of your time in my office please?” T’Keterk asked.

“On my way, Lieutenant.” Joci acknowledged before closing the channel.

A short while later she appeared in the doorway. “You wanted to see me, Lieutenant.”

“Thank you, Ensign. Please sit.” T’Keterk motioned to the chair opposite his desk. “I’ve been giving our current assignment some thought and if you are agreeable to it, I have a request.”

Joci smiled as she leaned back in her seat. “And what can we in the Operations department do for you Lieutenant?”

“I was hoping to utilize some of the operations staff to work with my engineers, I am arranging some diagnostic teams to conduct maintenance checks on the shuttle and maintenance craft before we arrive at the Yadev System.”

“I can agree to that,” Joci replied with a smile. “But in exchange, I would like your input on the maintenance and repair crews we will be sending to assist with the reactivation and refit of these mothballed ships.”

“We have an accord, Ensign,” T’Keterk replied. “Let me know a suitable time.”

“Of course, Lieutenant.” Joci stood and headed back toward main engineering. “I’ll instruct a few of my officers to report to Main Engineering to assist your teams.”

T’Keterk got to his feet and followed Joci out resuming his post and awaiting the arrival of the operations team.

“Could I have everyone’s attention please?” T’Keterk called over the general noise that was main engineering. Waiting a moment for the noise to die down before continuing.

“Starfleet has recently become aware of a renewed Dominion threat. As part ot the fleet’s response we have been ordered to the Yadev II supply depot to assist their engineers with reactivating and refitting a handful of older mothball vessels should Starfleet require additional vessels to fight back.”

Motioning to keep questions to a minimum he continued.

“The Treaty of Bajor is still valid and this threat appears to be an anomaly. As we know Yadev II was occupied by The Dominion during the later days of the war. The proximity of Yadev II to Breen Space is a concern for Starfleet should the Breen side with The Dominion again.”

“What are your orders, Lieutenant?” A senior technician spoke above the murmurs between the crew.

“I will be assigning a number of crews with an operations officer attached to run full diagnostics and maintenance checks on the shuttle fleet and the complement of maintenance craft, we will need to be ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice.”

“Orders have been transmitted to your padds along with the attached operations staff, once they arrive it’s all hands on deck to have the checks completed before we arrive at the Yadev System. Bring any concerns with your checks or results to me immediately no matter how small or negligible they may be.”

There were various responses in the affirmative as the Engineering team returned to their duties pending the arrivals from ops. Following his team’s example, T’Keterk returned to his office and made some adjustments to his scheduling. It was a big job but they weren’t an engineering vessel for nothing.

In what felt like no time at all the door chime broke the relative silence of T’Keterks office. “Enter.”One of the operations crewmen entered. “Ops team reporting as requested from Ensign Malra, where would you like us?”

T’Keterk explained what he had informed his engineers of and the resulting time pressure. He was pleasantly surprised at the lack of protest from the team, but it was apparent they knew what was at stake.

“We will get to work right away, Lieutenant.” The Ops officer replied as he transmitted the work orders to the officers surrounding him and directed them to their crew leads. T’Keterk once again turned to face his terminal intent on fine-tuning the timeframes and sequence of events involved in the reactivation of the mothballed vessels.

T’Keterk had started to receive the results and reports from the maintenance crews. The work bees were in fine shape but a handful of the shuttles needed some minor components replaced and some diagnostics of the onboard systems to be run through but overall he was happy with the results he had been receiving so far. Once all the reports had been received he would then submit work orders through to Operations. The prompt work of the maintenance crews so far had ensured they were operating ahead of schedule but had capacity should extra work be required.

The rest of the engineering crew were all absorbed in the various tasks that kept the ship running. They were trusted to their job and T’Keterk trusted them to bring any issues to him without being constantly supervised. Joci had already transmitted her thoughts for the various away teams being dispatched. Adding his notes he made sure to include some suggestions of his own. Ultimately the Captain or Executive Officer would have the final sign-off and some additions of their own.

Settling into his quarters, Aris felt dead on his feet. Making a quick stop at the replicator for a glass of water and a pot of tea, he downed the glass of water and set the pot on the coffee table in the makeshift living area. Entering his bedroom he shrugged off his outer jacket and retrieved a small mat from under the bed.

Returning to the lounge, he rolled the mat out and sat comfortably in the center, and closed his eyes. Intent on processing the onslaught of memories and experiences, if not to get a better night’s sleep, at least he wouldn’t be putting both himself and Suin in danger by not addressing the situation.

Knowing the ship was in safe hands, Aris let everything relax and focused on understanding and integrating the onslaught of memories the return of the Dominion had triggered.

Back on the bridge, Gin was running things like a well-oiled machine. Keeping an eye and ear on the goings on about her as she read over the latest status reports from around the ship. Engineering had submitted initial reports on their maintenance checks with the Operations department. Operations were busy with getting work orders completed and information transferred between departments and Medical was reporting no issues so far.

She would wait before requesting an update from the science teams since Damien was occupied with getting the Captain somewhere to rest before they arrived at the Yadev system. The only person she had yet to receive any updates on was Ensign Shan, but with taking up the mantle of two departments she would likewise give him a little longer to submit his updates and proposals.

“Ensign Swain, report.” Gin requested as she set her padd to the side.

“All systems still showing green, Commander.” Emma reported, her eyes not leaving her console. “We should be arriving in the Deneb Sector within the hour.”

“Thank you, Ensign.” Gin replied with a smile. “Lets give the Captain another twenty minutes before we interrupt.”

“Acknowledged, Commander.” Emma replied shaking her head in amusement as she focused on the route ahead.

Aris slowly became aware of his surroundings as he opened his eyes. Wondering what it was that startled him, he heard Gin on the communicator.

“Commander Fenway to Captain Suin.”

Pouring a small cup from the still-steaming tea pot, he took a sip before responding.

“Go ahead, Commander.”

“We are due to arrive in the Deneb Sector within the hour, from there a short passage to the Yadev system.” Gin reported as Aris started to feel like himself again.

“Thank you, Commander.” Aris replied. “I’ll be on the bridge shortly.”

Closing the channel, Aris pulled his outer jacket on and straightened himself out. Stopping at the terminal briefly to send a message to Damien thanking him for his concern and for encouraging Aris to do the right things. Finishing the mug of tea on his way out, Aris headed for the nearest turbolift.

Within moments he arrived on Deck 2 and made a beeline for the Bridge. As soon as entered Gin stood from the centre seat and sat back again on the seat to the right.

“How are you feeling, Captain?” Gin asked as Aris took his seat.

“Surprisingly much better, it has been some time since I last meditated and relaxed so this was well needed. Did anything crop up I need to be aware of?” Aris asked.

“Negative, Captain.” Gin replied. “All systems have been green across the board since our departure and Ensign Swain’s calculated route has shaved a few hours off our anticipated arrival time.”

“Thank you, Command and Ensign.” Aris nodded to each of the officers.

“I have also transferred status updates from the department heads to your padd to peruse when you have a moment.” Gin added.

Aris nodded thanks to his Executive Officer before he turned to face Emma. “Ensign Swain, set course for the Yadev system, maximum warp.”

“Acknowledged, Captain.” Emma replied as her hands expertly navigated the console in front of her and bought the ship to its maximum.

The quiet as the Auckland sped to its destination didn’t last as long as Aris would have liked.

“Captain, we have just entered the Deneb sector and should be coming within senor range of Yadev II in a few minutes.” Emma reported. 

“Once we reach Yadev, slow to impulse speed.” Aris replied as Emma took the ship out of warp and activated the impulse drive. “Incoming hail sir, audio only, its the depot.”

The depot must have had some upgrades to their sensor suite after the Dominion War had ended. “Open a channel.” Aris requested as he turned to face the viewscreen.

“Starfleet vessel, this is the Yadev II Supply Depot, we have you on scanners. Please transmit clearance codes and await further instructions.” the audio feed crackled.

“Commander Fenway, transmit clearance codes.” Aris whispered to Gin as she tapped the console on her armrest.

“Codes transmitted, Captain.” Gin replied just as softly. The anticipation in the air was almost suffocating but no one dared breathe until the comm channel crackled to life again.

“Codes received, USS Auckland, this is Yadev Depot docking control. Please dock at Pylon 4, the administrator is eager to meet with you.” The channel closed as abruptly as it had opened.

Emma skillfully navigated the Auckland to its assigned docking pylon and began the necessary checks in tandem with docking control. The ship shuddered slightly as the docking ports aligned.

“Apologies everyone.” Emma murmured before she bought the ship to a stop and powered down the non-essential systems. “Docking complete, Administrator Avaya has a team waiting in the docking port to escort the away team to the operations centre.”

“Thank you, Ensign.” Aris got to his feet. “Commander Fenway, the bridge is yours.”

Gin nodded as she filled the now vacant seat left by the captain. But Aris wasn’t quite done yet.

“Ensign Shan, Lieutenant Yates, and Lieutenant T’Keterk please report to the port airlock, standard issue away equipment only please.”

It wasn’t until he got acknowledgment from the three officers that he left the bridge and went to meet the away team.

Exiting the turbolift, he approached the airlock where the requested crew members were waiting. “Thank you, everyone, for arriving so promptly.”

Turning to face the crew he filled in the away team on the plan moving forward.

“We have been requested to meet with the facilities administrator.” Aris began. “From there we will be able to determine the best plan moving forward.”

“Lieutenant Yates, as you are aware Regula class stations make do with medical holograms and weekly supply ships to assist with any medical requirements. I want you to work with the medical staff on board to identify and resolve any issues you find and be on hand for any medical emergency that may arise.”

“Of course, Captain.” Nora replied. “Do we know when the last supply ship passed through the sector?”

“Unknown at this stage.” Aris replied. “Hopefully Administrator Avaya will have some additional details.”

Nora made a few notes on her padd as Aris continued around the assembled crew.

“Ensign Shan, I know you are acting for two departments but your input into enhanced security measures will be welcomed and any tactical analysis you can provide will be considered.”

“Yes, Sir.” Taylor replied. He had a few rough ideas but was waiting until they had updated information before he would refine them.

“Finally, Lieutenant T’Keterk, i’m trusting you to work closely with the local engineering teams and integrate our teams as best as possible. I will be installing you as liaison between ourselves and the depot staff.”

T’Keterk nodded briefly in acknowledgment.

“Please also take under advisement that we are here to assist the local teams, not impose ourselves on them.”

Waiting for everyone’s acknowledgement before proceeding, Aris activated the comm system.

“Suin to Commander Fenway.”

“Go ahead, Captain.” Gin replied.

“Preparing to disembark, keep me appraised on any new developments.” Aris requested.

“Yes, sir.” Gin acknowledged. “We’ll keep a light on.”

As the comm channel closed, Aris entered his authorisation codes into the airlock panel and escorted his team in. Once the hatch to the Auckland had closed behind them, Aris activated the airlock separating them from the Yadev II Depot.

As the airlock hatch opened, the crew were greeted by their welcoming committee.

“Commander Suin, on behalf of Administrator Avaya welcome to Yadev II.” A junior officer greeted them. “If you follow us, the administrator is anxious to speak with you.”

“Thank you, Ensign.” Aris replied as he introduced the team accompanying him. “Best not to keep Avaya waiting.”

As Aris and the team were escorted to the turbolift, they couldn’t help but notice the looks they were receiving. Some looked hopeful at the new arrivals and some just sneered at them and looked away. Deciding to ignore it for now as it probably felt like Starfleet was interfering in their operations, but he would do what he could to minimise any conflict between the two teams.

“Captain, do you get the impression we are less than welcome here?” T’Keterk asked quietly to the group in general. There were various murmurs of acknowledgment when their escort spoke up again. 

“Don’t take it to heart, their bark is far worse than their bite.” the Ensign chuckled as they approached the central turbolift. “After you.” he motioned them all into the turbolift car.

“Operations.” the ensign requested. The short ride to the top of the station was silent but reasonably comfortable. The first thing everyone saw when the turbolift doors reopened was a group of engineers gathered around who they assumed was the administrator.

“Administrator Avaya.” the Ensign called out. “Reporting with Captain Suin as requested.”

“Thank you, Ensign.” Avaya replied as she handed padds to the assembled crews before meeting Aris’ gaze. “Welcome to Yadev II, Captain. If you and your delegation will accompany me to my office, we have much to discuss.”

Following Avaya to the office, they all took a seat around the makeshift conference table that had been set up. Avaya busied herself with arranging refreshments before taking her seat at the head. 

“First I want to thank you for making the voyage out and for being in a position to assist with carrying out these orders.” Avaya began. “My engineers have put together their preliminary plans but I am anxious to go over any ideas and thoughts you had while en-route.”

Aris and the rest of the away team began discussing the various aspects of the assignment and made adjustments as required. “I think a priority should be to get as many Miranda and Centaur classes operational as we can with the Freedom classes to be utilized as back up.” Aris put forward.

“I agree with you there, Captain.” Avaya replied. “We are only a small outpost on the station and won’t have near enough crew to spare to man these vessels.”

“If I may.” Aris continued when he got the nod to continue. “I’d like to enlist my Operations teams to assist your Ops teams in the creation of some automation algorithms so the ships can be minimally crewed.”

“A fine idea.” Avaya mused. “I can agree to that…”

An alerting console on Avaya’s desk distracted her slightly. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Avaya got to her feet and tapped at her terminal. “Avaya to Ops, confirmation of the validity of the latest long-range scan.”

The reply was too soft for Aris and the crew to hear, but the look on Avaya’s face said it all.

“Something the matter, Administrator?” Aris asked tentatively as Avaya retook her seat.

“Long-range scans have detected a Dominion Squadron en-route to this sector.” Avaya sighed, this was really going to blow a hole in their plans.

“ETA?” Aris prodded.

“Three days.” Avaya answered. “We have three days to get the old girls somewhat operational, even if they are held together with adhesive tape and wishful thinking. We can not risk this installation falling into the Dominion’s hands. Unfortunately with the rest of the fleet tied up dealing with this renewed threat, we are essentially on our own” The task ahead was monumental and both Aris and Avaya were uncertain if they would be able to cobble together a defense in such a tight timeframe.

“I will not let Yadev II fall to the Dominion again, Administrator.” Aris replied somewhat forcefully. “Lets get our teams rostered. The Auckland is standing by with a small fleet of work bees and numerous shuttles to supplement the fabrication facilities on board. I have allocated these resources to the mission at hand. This station and the colony world will not fall.”

The look on Avaya’s face showed she didn’t really believe what Aris was saying, but they had a job to do, one that they would come out on top, or at least die trying.

It was all hands on deck as the tiny window of opportunity got smaller and smaller with each updated report.

“Administrator, my crew is at your disposal.” Aris offered as they all got to their feet and headed out. “T’Keterk will accompany your engineers and I have Lieutenant Yates on stand by to bolster the medical bay.”

“Appreciated, Captain.” Avaya replied as she bundled a number of padds under her arm. “Lieutenants T’Keterk and Yates, if you’ll follow me.”

At Aris’ nod, the two officers fell into step behind Avaya exiting the office. With only Aris and Ensign Shan left behind, Aris opened a priority line to the Auckland.

“Captain Suin, to USS Auckland.”

“Go ahead, Captain.” Emma replied.

“Is Commander Fenway with you?” Aris questioned

“Yes, sir.” Emma answered. “She is standing by.”

“Thank you, Emma.” Aris replied before taking a breath and updating his bridge crew.

“We have received long-range sensor data advising a Dominion squadron on an intercept course with this sector. ETA three days.” Aris revealed. “I have no reason to doubt the scan the depot has taken, but I don’t want to leave anything to chance.”

“What are your orders, Captain?” Gin broke into the conversation. “Some additional scans of our own?”

“Got it in one, Commander.” Aris replied. “See if you can work with Ensign Malra to make use of some probes to bolster the rudimentary sensor net around this system. If so much as a speck of space dust moves, I want to be aware of it.”

Gin knew Aris was speaking in jest about the space dust comment but the urgency to get transparency around traffic in and out of the system was a new priority.

“I’ll engage with Ensign Malra as soon as we are done here.” Gin confirmed.

“Appreciate it, Commander.” Aris replied. “I’ll be returning to the Auckland in approximately two hours. Keep me updated on any developments.”

“Yes, Sir.” Gin answered before closing the channel. Making up her mind, she opened a channel again. “Bridge to Ensign Malra.”

“Go ahead, Commander.” Joci replied as she took a break from planning some of her automation coding.

“Please report directly to the Bridge, id prefer not to broadcast updates on an open channel.” Gin answered. “You’ll understand why when I fill you in.”

“On my way, Commander.” Joci replied as the channel closed. Gathering her padd and straightening out her outer jacket she made for the bridge. What sort of information did Gin have that made her hesitant to disclose on comm channels.

Exiting the turbolift into the bridge, Joci approached Gin. “You requested to see me, Commander?”

“Thank you, Ensign.” Gin got to her feet. “Let’s discuss this in the ready-oom.

“Yes, Commander.” Joci replied. This was all business. Deciding to wait for the Commander in the ready-room, she hastily exited the bridge.

“Ensign Swain.” Gin directed her attention to Emma.

“Yes, Commander?” Emma asked. “Based on the Captain’s update, can you identify the best evacuation routes out of this system and any possible incursion points we may need to be aware of?” 

“I’ll do my best, Commander.” Emma replied with a new determination. “I’d like to have these looked over by Ensign Shan after your input, my Tactical training isn’t as advanced as his own and his thoughts will be invaluable.”

“I have faith in you, Ensign.” Gin returned with a small smile. “See what you can come up with and we’ll talk with Shan when he returns with the Captain.”

“Thank you, Commander.” Emma said she turned her attention back to her console. With the ship currently docked she could allocate additional processing power to her calculations, hoping this would make the job seem smaller. Having only read about the horrors of the Dominion War, this was a situation she felt woefully under-prepared for. Reading and hearing reports about something was vastly different to actually experiencing it.

While she made adjustments to her calculations and pored over the available star charts, she kept her downtime occupied by brushing up on evasive patterns, defensive maneuvers and attack patterns. After being caught unaware while in the Delta Quadrant, she had no intention of piloting the Auckland into a situation like that again.

Entering the ready-room, Gin offered Joci a refreshment, of which was politely declined. Taking her seat, she turned to face Joci. “Relax, Ensign. You aren’t in trouble or anything.”

Exhaling slowly as Gin’s words were processed, Joci felt like was able to relax, but this still didn’t feel like the start of a good conversation. “What can I do for you, Commander?”

“Updated orders from the Captain.” Gin answered. “Long-range sensors have detected an inbound Dominion squadron on an intercept course with this system. Initial estimates predict their arrival in three days.”

“So little time.” Joci breathed.

“Agreed, Ensign.” Gin replied. “Hence the nature of this discussion.”

Settling back in her chair, Gin continued. “The Captain has requested we repurpose some probes to act as a rudimentary sensor net. We do not want that squadron taking us by surprise.”

“Of course I can, Commander.” Joci replied. “I did have some older models destined for recycling, but I can rig something up and have a proposal to you and the captain within the hour.”

“See to it, Ensign.” Gin replied as she stood back from the desk. “I’ll contact you when the Captain has returned so we can look over your plan.”

“Yes, Commander.” Joci acknowledged as she exited the bridge

Back on the Yadev Depot, T’Keterk followed Avaya to what was affectionately referred to as ‘The Pit’. As the reinforced bulkhead door slowly opened, T’Keterk could soon see why. Over the years the various crews of the depot had made modifications to the station emphasizing workshops, material synthesis, and parts fabrication.

Avaya stepped through the now open doorway and called the assembled team leads attention. 

“Listen up, everyone. Long-range scans have picked up a Dominion squadron on approach to this sector.” she began. “This understandably has Starfleet worried due to our position being so close to the Breen border. As a matter of priority, Starfleet wants as many of our mothballed stock repaired and reactivated before the Dominion arrive.”

“How long until they arrive?” a specialist asked from the small crowd. “And why are they here?”

“They are here, Specialist.” Avaya took a step forward with each word. “Because our scans indicate that squadron will be on top of us in three days, so I want you to move past this petty us versus them rivalry thing you have going on. We are Starfleet and if we fail this, it’s on me, it’s on you and it’s on the crew of the Auckland. Do. I. make. myself. clear?”

Sensing the threat in the administrator’s voice, the specialist looked to the ground like a scolded child. “Yes ma’am.”

“Excellent.” Avaya clapped her hands together. “Lieutenant T’Keterk, they’re all yours. Lieutenant Yates, please accompany me to the Medical facilities.”

Aris had arrived back on the Auckland a short while ago. After being cleared through Ensign Shan’s enhanced security protocols, he made a beeline for the bridge.

“Captain Suin to Commander Fenway.” he called over the comm.

“Welcome back Captain.” Gin replied. “We have ideas. I’ll fill you in when you get to the Bridge.”

“Sound’s intriguing, Commander.” Aris said with a grin. “I’ll be there shortly.”

“Acknowledged.” Gin replied as she cut the channel.

Entering the nearest turbolift he made his request. “Deck 2, Main Bridge.”

Taking the short trip to its destination, Aris kept his eyes glued to his padd as he began to go over the updated reports from the Depot. Surely all this information would give them an advantage.

The soft hiss of the turbolift door sliding open bought Aris back to the present. “What have you got for me Commander?” he asked as he entered the bridge.

“Well, I think it might be best to let the experts enlighten you.” Gin replied. “Your ready-room? 5 minutes?”

“Very well.” Aris replied trusting his Executive Officer wasn’t going to waste his time. “Tick tock.” he said with a smile as he turned in the direction of his ready-room. As the door to the ready room closed, Gin turned to face Emma. “Have Ensign Malra and Shan report to the bridge, we all have a meeting to attend.”

“Yes, Commander.” Emma replied concealing her excitement. The work she had been completing with Joci and Shan had tested her but she believed they had been able to formulate a workable plan, or at least the start of a plan.

“Bridge to Ensign Malra and Ensign Shan.”

“Go ahead, Ensign.” Joci replied from her office.

“This is Shan.” Taylor replied from where had been overseeing some screening of cargo flowing between the Auckland and the station. Knowing the Captain had returned, he had a feeling this was in relation to the work he had been undertaking with the other junior officers.”

“Please report to the Bridge.” Emma replied. “Commander Fenway is requiring a status update in person, five minutes please.”

“Acknowledged.” Joci replied closing her channel

“On my way.” Taylor responded, likewise closing the channel and heading to the nearest turbolift. While navigating the corridors, Taylor cast his thoughts back to earlier in the day.

Taylor and Emma had been poring over data from the Astrometrics Lab going over severy possible inch of the Yadev System calculating trajectories, angles, fields of view and possible gaps the Dominon could utilise to surprise them. They had been working diligently for a few hours when the door opened behind them.

“Oh, i’m sorry.” Joci muttered, not realising the lab was currently occupied. “I’ll come….back.”

Joci had caught sight of what Taylor and Emma were going over. “Is that a current map of the system?” she asked motioning to the holographic display covered in overlays and calculations lighting up the room.

“That it would.” Emma replied, her eyes still glued to the terminal in front of her. “We have been analysing the region to determine possible escape routes, optimal positioning of the reactivated ships, and any incursion points we need to monitor.”

Joci’s eyes lit up. “Brilliant, do you mind if I join you? The Captain wants us to deploy a rudimentary sensor net around the system as wide as possible and as long range as possible using some recycled and repurposed probes.”

This was something Emma and Taylor could work with. Real-time advanced notice would prove to be an advantage, and any advantage put them closer to mounting a viable defense. Over the course of the next couple of hours, the dynamic trio of junior officers had come up with a viable yet rudimentary sensor net using automated probes throughout the system. The probes would be linked into the subspace network to allow real-time data and maneuverability if the mission demanded it.

In a matter of moments, the two officers met each other outside the Bridge. “You ready for this?” Taylor asked, nudging Joci in the shoulder.

“Game face on, please.” Joci replied with a smile. “Best not to keep the Commander waiting.”

“After you, Ensign.” Shan indicated the door in front of them.

Following Joci into the bridge, the pair caught sight of Commander Fenway waiting for them near the helm console. “Right on time, you two. Ensign Swain if you’ll join us too, the Captain is waiting.”Emma got to her feet as a bridge officer instantly filled her now vacant seat and joined Joci and Taylor. Following Gin to the ready room the filed in behind her and made themselves comfortable.

Looking up from his padd, he noticed his new arrivals. “Commander Fenway.” he nodded. “These must be the experts you mentioned on my return.”

“Present and accounted for.” Gin replied with soft smile. “These three have had their heads together going over escape routes, incursion points, and areas of weaknesses. Ensign Malra also bought to the table your request for any advanced warning system we could put together.”

Turning to face the young officers, Gin continued. “I believe they have come up with a serviceable yet rudimentary solution without unnecessarily draining ship resources.”

Settling back in his chair, Aris looked to the officers assembled in front of him. “You have my attention, Ensigns. Lay it on me.”

Between the three of them and the use of the holographic display in the ready-room, Emma, Joci and Taylor outlined their proposed solution. Recycled probes would be deployed as far and wide around the planetary system and depot as their range would allow. The probes would constantly emit long-range pulses transmitting the data in real-time back to the Auckland and the Depot.

Aris was impressed as the trio concluded their presentation. “Now tell me how this proposed course of action won’t put a drain on our resources.”

Joci took the lead on this one as she explained the probes would be self-propelled and would periodically ping the other probes in their vicinity to transmit information along with navigation updates to prevent stellar drift. The probes would utilise their own internal power source to transmit data updates.

Aris couldn’t help but smile as his most junior members of the senior staff worked together to overcome a shared obstacle. “You have my approval.” Aris smiled. “Nice job you three. Keep me appraised of your progress.”

There were various replies of thanks as the officers recognised the dismissal. A dismissal with a spring in their steps.

“Ensign Malra, a moment first please.” Aris caught his Bajoran Ops chief before she could make an exit.

Joci returned to her seat as soon as she heard the Captain requesting she stay. “Can I get you a refreshment before we begin?” Aris asked.

After taking care of the requested drinks, Aris returned to his desk. “I know a lot has been asked of you in the last 24 hours, are you holding up alright? No amount of reading really does the threat of the Dominion justice.”

Joci almost choked on her drink in surprise. It wasn’t often any of her previous Commanding Officers had personally checked in to check how she and the team were faring.

“Thank you, Captain.” Joci almost stammered. “It is a lot of pressure but I am finding the work rewarding. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up on the frontier of Federation space trying to fend off a Dominion squadron, but for whatever reason these are the cards that the fates have dealt. The Prophets are known to be a bit abstract but I firmly believe they are smiling down on me for the work I am doing.”

Taking a breath, she realised she had forgotten to pause as she answered the Captain’s concern. “Sorry for the soapbox moment, Sir.”

“Think nothing of it, Ensign.” Aris smiled. “We never are truly alone no matter what it feels like, the Prophets would be most understanding of the present situation and I do firmly believe they will see you through this, likewise I too draw on the experiences of Suin’s previous host for guidance during troubled times.”

Settling back in his chair again. “Do let me know if there is anything we can do, should the pressure start to get a bit much, this is a lot for an Ensign to cover.”

“Of course, Captain.” Joci nodded in thanks. But Aris wasn’t quite done yet.

“Now, with all the heavy stuff out of the way, how have those automation routines been coming along?”

Straying back into familiar territory, Joci updated Aris on her preliminary algorithms. It wasn’t much but it formed a foundation for the Auckland and the depot to expand on and implement.

“Impressive, Ensign.” Aris nodded in approval. “Transmit these to Administrator Avaya on the depot, we begin testing and integration tomorrow.”

“Yes sir.” Joci replied as she stood tall and retrieved her padd from the desk.

“And, Ensign?” Aris drew her attention back to him. “Do try to get some sleep tonight, I need you on top of the game tomorrow.”

“I will try, Captain, and thank you.” Joci replied as she left the office.

Once the door slid closed behind Joci, Gin took a vacant chair and got comfortable. “What do you think?” she asked, concern lightly colouring her tone. “Can we hold this system?”

Aris let out a brief sigh. “It won’t be easy, but if we fail, then we have just opened a massive corridor into Federation space for the Breen to overtake surrounding systems.”

Gin could do nothing but nod in silent agreement as the pair withdrew into a thoughtful silence.

Day two had broken in the Yadev System, leaving the already overwhelmed teams with 48 hours before the Dominion made their presence felt. Nora was still on the Depot taking care of some overdue medical needs. He would receive her report later. Joci was due to rotate through the Depot to begin the testing on the automation routines she had been completing with Damien.

“Liuetenant T’Keterk to Captain Suin.” The comm channel crackled to life.

“Go ahead, Lieutenant.” Aris replied.

“Repair and reactivation work is going ahead on schedule. We have designated a Freedom class vessel, the USS Oreti as our test bed. Automation testing is ready as soon as the routines are implemented.” T’Keterk responded.

“Good to hear Lieutenant.” Aris replied. “What else do you have for me?”

“The next 48 hours are devoted to bringing the remaining Centaur and Miranda classes online. Work is slow due to the age of the ships, but we anticipate no changes to our timeline.”

Aris almost smiled. They weren’t out of the woods yet, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. “That is good news indeed. Thank you Lieutenant. Keep me posted if the situation changes.”

“Acknowledged, Captain.” T’Keterk closed the channel.

In the Science labs, Joci and Damien had been diligently working on integrating her automation programs into a test environment. Having the crew on the Depot working through the night, progress was coming along nicely. The only speed bump so far was determining the best method of implementation. Holographic crew or entirely remote command. They were so close to collectively banging their heads against the desk before Damien spoke up.

“Have we considered a hybrid approach?” Damien spoke out loud.

“Explain.” Joci replied as she felt the beginnings of a headache forming.

Bringing up some test results, he slid the padd across the desk. “I think a combination of holographic bridge crew to assist with ship functions that require personnel, coupled with a major overhaul of the underlying code and the presence of at least two real people to ensure everything is operating correctly.”

Joci’s brow furrowed as she absorbed the information. “Can we risk the lives of our personnel on what is essentially a drone ship?”

“In a perfect world?” Damien replied. “No, but this situation is far from perfect, and if something goes wrong or the holographic crew are tampered with, we need to be able to deal with the situation promptly and resolve it before the enemy gains an upper-hand.”

“I can’t fault your logic there.” Joci conceded. As she reviewed the final tests from the Depot. “But it looks like T’Keterk is ready for the full-scale testing to begin.”

“Best not to keep the good Lieutenant waiting.” Damien replied with a smile. “I wish I could be there to see it all come online, but unfortunately although I do have officer privileges, my security clearance does not allow me on the Depot, so I will wait here for updated information.”

“Thank you, Damien.” Joci said as she got to her feet and retrieved her padd. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Making her way through Taylor’s checkpoints, Joci was escorted to the Operations level to oversee the initial tests. Although the ships they were using were well beyond their use-by date she couldn’t help the excitement she was feeling.

“Ensign Malra, to Lieutenant T’Keterk.” she tapped her badge.

“Go ahead, Ensign.” T’Keterk replied.

“Beta versions are ready for integration into the Oreti’s systems. ”Joci replied. “Transferring data now.”

It was an agonising few minutes of waiting, until T’Keterk confirmed successful transmission and integration into their test vessel.

On the bridge of the USS Oreti, T’Keterk took a deep breath. It was now or never.

“Computer, restore main power and initiate power up analysis.” 

The terminals around the bridge flickered to life as Main Power took over from the generators that had been supplying the ship with minimal power to ensure life support remained operational.

“Attention all hands.” T’Keterk activated the ship wide comm channels. “Prepare for initial automation testing on my mark.”

Looking at the progress bar on the terminal in front of him, he knew he had to time this right. “Activate automation routine.”

Reports from across the ship were looking promising as the Oreti departed from dry-dock and began a scaled-back shakedown. The hopes for successful completion of this mission were riding on the back of these decade old ships and the work that was being completed between the Auckland and Yadev Depot and he did not want to be the one to make the Captain break his promise.

It has been relatively smooth sailing as the kinks were ironed out until they got within range of the Depot proper. The ship took itself into red alert and began powering up weapons. Something was very wrong.

“T’Keterk to USS Auckland and Yadev Depot. Shields up, the Oreti is powering up weapons and targeting any Federation asset in range.” T’Keterk called over any available channel.

“Shut it down, Lieutenant.” Aris’ measured voice replied back. “Initiate emergency shut down.”

“On it, Captain.” T’Keterk replied back. “Whatever is happening, something is trying to lock me out of the command controls.”

Before he could activate the emergency shutdown, the Oreti fired a single volley of torpedos at the station. T’Keterk hoped beyond hope the Depot was able to activate its defenses. Fingers flying over the terminal, T’Keterk watched on as the torpedo impacted the stations shielding before he could isolate the shutdown command.

Only breathing again once the ship was powered down. “Oreti has been shut down, Captain.” T’Keterk reported. “I will maintain my presence here pending further updates.”

“Acknowledged, Lieutenant.” Aris replied. “We will get to the bottom of this.”

Back on the Depot, Aris and Joci were seated in Avaya’s office with Taylor positioned near the door. “Would any of you care to explain what just happened.”

“I am unsure, Administrator.” Joci replied. “All testing was successful when we finished last night and no one should have been working on it overnight.”

Activating the holographic display on her terminal, Avaya bought up the changelog of the automation routines to see if anything had changed. Everything was looking normal, until a small bit of code jumped out at Joci. “Stop.” she requested as she looked closer at the scrolling data.

“What is it, Ensign?” Aris gently asked. 

“There has been an unauthorised change to some of the hostility handling functions.” Joci replied softly as she analysed what the newly injected code was meant to do.

“Someone has programmed a self-replicating virus into the routines which if activated on all vessels would have spread like wildfire. Our own vessels would have turned against us.” Joci continued. “Ensign Shan, I understand you completed a forensics module during your time at the academy?”

Hearing his voice, Taylor approached the gathered officers and looked over what he was seeing. “What can I help you with Ensign?”

Joci pointed out the discrepancy in the changelog. “Based on this data, are you able to determine when or who made this change?”

Taylor nodded as he retrieved his padd and accessed the security logs. Transferring the feed to the Administrator’s display, everyone watched closely as Taylor examined the frames of footage. “It doesn’t appear anyone forced their way into the lab, but the timestamps indicate our perpetrator should be arriving any moment.”

“Pause it.” Avaya suddenly cried out. The image froze on the face of an officer who had no business being anywhere near the operations labs. Committing the face to memory, she motioned for the feed to continue.

Frame by frame they watched as the officer injected his malicious code into the automation systems before leaving.

“Who was that?” Avaya asked. She made a point to know as many of the staff by face but this was drawing a blank. “Is he one of yours?”

“Negative, Administrator.” Aris sighed. “Definitely not one of ours.”

“You don’t think…?” Avaya began.

“Speculation will get us nowhere Administrator.” Aris cut in. “The real question is can the damage be reversed?”

“Yes, Sir.” Joci replied. “It won’t be easy but we can get it done and ready for a follow-up test in a few hours.” 

“See to it, Ensign.” Aris replied. “And Ensign Shan? I want you and your teams to keep an eye out for our mystery tinkerer. This testing has to work.”

Joci and Taylor both nodded to the Captain and Administrator before taking their leave.

“Please keep this under wraps for now Administrator.” Aris returned his attention back to Avaya. “If we let on about the attempted sabotage, this could make our mystery officer sloppy and jeopardize the rest of the mission.”

“Understood, Captain.” Avaya replied. “Is it too late to mount any form of defense?”

“It’s never too late, Administrator.” Aris replied in a comforting tone, but even now with less than 48 hours, he wasn’t even sure if that sounded sincere or not.

Gin wasn't going to lie. She was concerned about the Captain. The automation testing failure while unforeseen was the last thing that Aris had calculated into his plans. But it wasn't just him, the entire crew of the Auckland was feeling the pressure, and that wasn't fair to the massive contingent of junior officers they had on board, but on the other hand, this is Starfleet and they had a duty. While the Captain was ensconced away in his ready-room, Gin had the bridge. While she was grateful for the opportunity to continue her leadership training, she was beginning to understand the stresses that came with the role.

“Ensign Swain, status update.” she addressed Emma who had been diligently working on the final coordinates for the sensor net that had been designed with Ensign's Shan and Malra.

“Final calculations complete, Commander.” Emma reported. “Sensor probes are ready to launch on your command.”

“Acknowledged, Ensign.” Gin replied. “Stand by for confirmation.”

Emma nodded as she turned back to her console.

“Ensign Malra and Lieutenant T'Keterk, how are your amendments and integration testings coming along?”

“Malicious code has been purged from the system and the codebase has been firewalled to prevent unauthorised tampering.” Joci reported back via Gin's badge.

“The Oreti has been repaired and the data from the tests are being analysed as we speak.” T'Keterk reported. “The depot engineers report the Miranda-classes USS Tarawera, USS Ranginui and USS Ruapehu are ready for shakedown and automation integration. The Centaur-classes USS Okatina and USS Tongariro are beginning final system checks before we integrate the automation programs.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant. Keep me updated on any development” Gin closed the channel. Despite the setbacks, progress was still within agreed timeframes.

Settling back in her seat, Gin got the final confirmations she was needing. “Ensign Swain, prepare the first probe launch.”

“Aye, Sir.” Emma replied as her fingers flew over the terminal. “Probes away.”

Emma and Gin watched on the viewscreen as a series of five probes were launched. “Computer, initiate two-minute timer.” Gin continued. This would allow the preliminary network to be established before the second wave plugged any gaps.

Waiting with bated breath, Emma and Gin watched the countdown run down to zero. “Launch the second wave.”

“Second wave launched.” Emma reported as the bursts of light sped away from the ship. “Network has been established….positioning thrusters are active.”

Emma got to her feet and ran toward the tactical station. “We are live.” she said in triumph as she transferred the data to the viewscreen. In a matter of moments, the crew had access to real-time ship movements allowing them a small window of notice should something get through.

“Well done, Ensign.” Gin breathed out. “Take a break and get something from the crew lounge, you've been working nonstop for hours.”

“Yes, Commander.” Emma replied as she got to her feet. She wasn't going to lie, she was feeling drained, and a nice cold drink and something to ease the slight rumble in her stomach.

On-board the Tarawera, Joci was now personally overseeing the implementation of her automation subroutines to prevent another accident. If this went well, the order to implement the remaining Miranda classes would be issued. With T'Keterk overseeing the final tests on the Centaur classes, she knew all the i's would be dotted and t's crossed and ready for her arrival. Despite the repetitive nature of the work, she was enjoying the challenge immensely but was also looking forward to the conclusion of this assignment. Whether they were successful or not. 

While working on the automation routines, Joci has also made some adjustments to the holoemitters on the ships. While there would be warm-bodied crew members to ensure everything ran smoothly, she had also modified the Emergency Command Holograms to run as an Emergency Holographic Command Crew, or EHCC, as she had taken to calling it. 

“Ensign Malra to Lieutenant T'Keterk.” Joci tapped her badge.

“Go ahead, Ensign.” T'Keterk replied back.

“Automation subroutines have been implemented and EHCC is ready for activation at your command.” Joci reported. The crew of both the Auckland and Depot had pulled out all the stops to bring this together.

“Acknowledged, Ensign." T'Keterk responded. “We are due to bring the Centaur-classes online momentarily. Stand by.” 

T'Keterk then closed the channel leaving Joci in silence. 

“Yadev Depot, this is Ensign Malra of the USS Auckland. Please initiate site-to-site transport to the USS Okatina.”

“Stand by, Ensign.” the Depot transporter chief replied as the Tarawera dematerialized around her to be replaced by the bridge of the Okatina.

“Welcome aboard the Okatina, Ensign.” T'Keterk greeted Joci as she arrived on the bridge. “Just in time.”

T'Keterk had just greeted Joci as she materialised on the bridge when his final status report had been received. They were ready for power up and shakedown. If this cruise went well, the remaining vessels would be bought online and engage in wargame scenarios to conduct a final test of the automation routines.

“Just in time for what?” Joci queried.

“History to be made.” T'Keterk replied. “Again.”

“Take it away, Lieutenant.” Joci smiled as she took a seat at the available Ops station.

Taking a quick breath, T'Keterk worked his way down the pre-activation checklist. It was go time.

“Computer initiate ship activation protocols. Activate main reactor and establish structural integrity field.” T'Keterk began, the computer acknowledging his request with a two tone chime. “Bring main shields on and began warp core reaction.”

All around them, the consoles and lighting strips on the bridge lit up as main power took over from the numerous battery packs that were being used to maintain the minimum power levels to make repairs possible. Being inside the ship during a reactivation was always a sight to behold the first time

“Finally transfer all command codes to myself, authorisation T'Keterk-8-3-5-9 Echo Delta.”

“Acknowledged.” the cool voice of the computer responded. "Command codes transferred to Lieutenant T'Keterk.

Satisfied with the work the various crews of the Auckland and Depot had undertaken to get them this far, T'Keterk knew this hadn't been easy on anyone. The first 12 hours weren't without friction, but nothing too outward for fear of bringing Avaya down on themselves, but as the hours ticked by and the urgency of the situation was felt, a grudging truce was in short order.

“Ensign Malra, please open a channel to the Auckland.” T'Keterk requested.

“Channel open, Lieutenant.” Joci replied from the Ops station.

“Captain Suin, this is Lieutenant T'Keterk.”

“Go ahead, Lieutenant.” Aris replied, hoping for some good news.

“Reactivation protocols completed successfully and final integrations of the automation routines are ready to go, minus the unsanctioned alterations made yesterday.” T'Keterk reported.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Aris continued, the relief in his voice noticeable, although they weren't quite out of the woods yet. “Once the rest of the vessels have been reactivated, initiate wargame testing. Ready or not these ships are the last hope we have of mounting any viable defense.”

“Yes, Captain.” T'Keterk replied. “I will report back in an hour.”

Joci closed the channel as she looked to T'Keterk.

“Open a channel to the fleet if you would.” T'Keterk added.

At Joci's nod, T'Keterk spoke up. “Attention, all hands. This is Lieutenant T'Keterk, Clearance for wargame simulation Epsilon 5 has been authorized. Acknowledge.”

As the various skeleton crews of the ragtag group of ships acknowledged the order, T'Keterk focused on Joci.

“Ensign Malra, I would request you return to the Auckland. The captain will have need of your assistance, this is your project after all.”

Nodding in agreement, Joci quickly requested a site to site transport back to the Auckland. As the bridge around shimmered out of existence to be replaced by the familiar transporter room of her own ship, she was immediately met by a detachment of Ensign Shan's security team.

“You know the drill, Ensign.” a crewman greeted her. “A quick biological scan and a blood sample. Do we have your consent?”

“Proceed.” Joci replied as her scan was compared with the master copy held by Starfleet Medical and a blood sample was analyzed. Outfitting the security teams with medical tricorders was a stroke of inspiration considering what was at stake. What would normally need to be analysed in a lab was now able to be completed with at least 80% accuracy by a standard issue medical tricorder.

“Welcome back, Ensign Malra.” the crewman smiled as the results confirmed what they already knew.

"Thank you, Crewman" Joci smiled in return. “Is the Captain still on the Bridge?”

“I do believe he should be, Ensign.” the crewman replied as the small team made room to allow her past.

“Thank you, Crewman.” Joci continued as she exited the transporter room, intent on making it to the bridge before the simulations started. “You're all doing a wonderful job.”

Aris and Gin were both seated on the bridge viewing the wargame scenario he had authorized and analysing the data that was being transmitted back. Both were pleased with the results so far. As the initial reports started coming through, Joci burst onto the bridge. Aris and Gin both turned at the disturbance but quickly relaxed when they saw who it was.

“Right on time, Ensign.' Gin greeted Joci, handing her a padd as Joci returned to her station. ”The initial reports are looking good."

Joci cast an eye over the data as she fed it into her terminal. All the code and automation routines were looking good and thankfully no signs of any further sabotage attempts. The prophets were surely shining on her today.

“How are we placed, Ensign?” Aris asked as he looked toward the young officer who was carrying far too much of a burden.

“Its amazing.” Joci breathed. “For some quick and dirty hacked together algorithms, we seem to be operating above expectation.”

“Do we anticipate any issues in a real engagement?” Aris queried. This had to go well.

“Key indicators are looking positive, Sir.” Joci replied. “I will continue to monitor for any variances outside acceptable norms.”

“Thank you, Ensign.” Aris nodded to his ops chief.

Over the course of the next several hours, Aris and Gin continued to monitor the results of each scenario authorized. With no further objections from Joci to be heard, Aris had made a decision. “All ships, stand down and return to drydock. All simulations have been completed. Lieutenant T’Keterk, please return to the Auckland for debriefing.”

“Acknowledged, Captain.” T’Keterk replied. “I will return to the bridge once we have all returned to Drydock.”

Closing the channel, Aris got to his feet and stood at the front of the bridge, facing his senior crew he looked over everyone. Despite the absence of T’Keterk, Damien and Nora, those seated before him had quickly become his trusted advisors and dare he say it, his closest friends.These fine officers had performed their job admirably under immense strain and the massive burden of preventing the Dominion from retaking the system. Some much needed shore leave was in order, if they lived to see another day.

He could feel the eyes of the crew following him as he paced up and down the stretch of floor in front of the main viewscreen. As his thoughts became more ordered, he started making lists. Debrief with the senior crew, address the rest of the crew, and prepare for what is likely to come.

“Commander Fenway.” Aris spoke suddenly. “Once T’Keterk is back on board, please call the senior crew to the Deck 1 Conference Room. The clock is almost run out.”

Swallowing the newly formed lump in her throat, Gin nodded in acknowledgement to Aris. “Shall I dial in Administrator Avaya as well?”

“Please.” Aris replied as he gathered his padd and exited the bridge. The clock that was featuring prominently on the majority of the displays littered throughout the ship were a stark warning, one that he was heeding well. Intel reports across the sector indicated the push back against the Dominion incursion was having some degrees of success, but not without losses too.

Making himself comfortable at the head of the table with a steaming mug of raktajino, he sifted through the intel reports and made adjustments to their own schedule. With any luck T’Keterk was arriving any time now and then the real heat was about to be applied.

“Captain.” Gin’s voice crackled over the comm. “Lieutenant T’Keterk has transported board and we will be arriving momentarily.”

“Thank you, Commander.” Aris replied as he closed the channel. Tapping some commands into the terminal on the table, the holo-emitters activated and Administrator Avaya faded into view.

“Captain.” Avaya greeted. “Is it time?”

“Very nearly.” Aris answered. “Prepare your chosen crews for departure, the briefing will begin shortly.

Right on schedule, Gin and the remaining senior crew filed in, taking a seat at their chosen spots and setting their padds on the table. The apprehension was thick and heavy around them.

“Thank you, all.” Aris greeted the assembled crew. “As you have no doubt seen, courtesy of the very prominent displays around the ship, we are a few short hours from the predicted arrival of our uninvited guests. I will hand the floor over to Administrator Avaya to go over the specifics of our proposed counter-offensive.

“Thank you, Captain.” Avaya inclined her head in acknowledgment. The displays spaced around the table flickered to life as a map of the current sector was displayed. “Intel suggests this squadron will be made up of a complement of Jem’Hadar fighters escorting a battle cruiser.”

Avaya clicked to the next slide before continuing. “We intend for the reactivated centaur-classes to draw the attention of the fighters while the miranda and freedom classes will hold back the battle cruiser with the support of the Auckland. If the battle proves too costly, we are hoping they will withdraw on their own accord.”

“Any questions?” Aris asked as he looked at his senior crew. Not receiving a reply, Aris pressed on. “Orders have been transmitted to your padds. “”Lieutenant T’Keterk and Ensign Malra, i’m counting on your to keep a close eye on those drone ships and ensure everything is working as expected and instructions are getting transmitted promptly.”

Joci and T’Keterk both nodded in acknowledgement knowing they were an important part of what was about to happen

“Ensign Shan.” Aris turned to his tactical officer. “I want you to keep an eye on all the telemetry updates from Ensign Swain. I want to know about the slightest anomaly.”

“Officer Andrews, Same with you as well. Any fluctuation in the sensor grid needs to be confirmed.” Aris continued. “A lot of your work has gone into this.”

“Lieutenant Yates, your report please.” Aris continued around the table.

“I have replenished as many critical supplies as I could muster, Sir.” Nora began. “I have also been going over trauma treatment techniques with the medically trained crew. They should be able to treat moderate injuries easily enough but anything requiring emergency surgery could be a little dicey.”

“Let us hope it doesn’t get to that.” Aris mused. “Any further questions?” 

Various murmurings in the negative was the response he got before dismissing the crew.

“The fleet is awaiting your command.” Avaya replied as she closed her channel.

The waiting was the worst. That calm before the inevitable storm had everyone on edge. So far the long range probes were coming back clear, but that could change at any moment.

“Ensign Swain, open a channel to the fleet.” Aris asked his navigation officer.

Channel open, Sir." Emma acknowledged.

“This is Captain Suin to all vessels. Centuar wing you will be drawing the attention of the fighter escort, while Miranda and Freedom wings will adopt escort positions around the Auckland while we distract the battlecruiser long enough to allow your return, or until we force a retreat. Acknowledge.”

“Centaur wing acknowledges.”

“Miranda acknowledged.”

“Freedom acknowledges.”

Projecting an air of confidence, Aris retook his seat while Emma began the process of undocking the ship and joining the formation.

Emma had made short work of getting the Auckland in position while the rest of the crew went over their final checks, anything to keep them busy really. Sadly, the eerie silence wasn't too last long. 

“Captain.” Damien called over his shoulder. “Long range sensors have detected something on approach. No positive ID just yet.”

“Confirmed, Captain.” Taylor added as he scanned the information running across his console. “We should be able to establish ID in approximately 98 seconds, however they should be within hailing distance.”

“I highly doubt the Jem'Hadar will be up for a chat.” Aris replied. "Open a channel."

“This is Captain Aris Suin of the USS Auckland. You have entered restricted Federation space, please alter course or we will be forced to defend ourselves. Acknowledge.”

“No reply, sir.” Emma reported

"I repeat, “this is Captain Aris Suin of the USS Auckland. You have entered restricted Federation space, please alter course or we will be forced to defend ourselves. Acknowledge.” he tried again, not surprised when his hails went ignored.

“Red alert.” Aris continued as the bridge dimmed. “Report.”

“We are getting a positive match on our visitor, Ensign Shan do you mind confirming?” Damien replied from the science console.

“Checking now.” Taylor scanned the data he had received from the science station. “Confirmed, Sir, it's the Dominion.”

“Battle stations, Everyone, it's go time." Aris broadcast to both the assembled ships and his own crew.

The sight of the Dominion squadron warping in was equal parts breathtaking and terrifying. Aris couldn't afford to let nerves get the best of him yet. “Centaur wing, engage and good luck.” He could do nothing but hope the Jem'Hadar would take the bait and that these ships would be a fair match against the Dominion.

“Andrews, maintain a sensor lock on the battlecuriser. I want to be updated on any change to its status.”

“Sensor lock established.” Damien replied as his fingers slid across his terminal.

“Sir, the fighters have broken off to engage Centaur wing.” Taylor reported from his post behind Aris and Gin. “No change in the battlecruiser's status to report.”

“Tactical analysis.” Gin requested.

“Standard Jem'Harda armaments, directed energy weapons and forward mounted torpedo launcher.” Taylor replied as he glanced at the readout.

“How do you think we should proceed here, Ensign.” Gin continued.

“I recommend defensive pattern Sigma 9, a coordinated torpedo volley followed by sustained phaser fire targeting impulse engines and weapons. This should disable the vessel or at least cause enough damage to deter them.” Taylor explained

“Well reasoned, Ensign.” Gin replied. “Make it happen. Lieutenant T'Keterk please update instructions across Freedom and Miranda wings"

“Yes, Sir.” Taylor replied as he got to work, ready for the Captain's order.

“Orders have been transmitted, Commander.” T'Keterk acknowledged. “Sigma 9 has been confirmed by all vessels.”

“Be ready to engage on my command.” Aris spoke up, his eyes fixed to the main viewscreen and the Jem'Hadar vessel filling the space.

“Sir, the battlecruiser has targeted us and is powering up weapons.” Taylor reported.

“Raise shields.” Aris ordered as he strapped himself in.

“Shields not responding.” Taylor replied in slight alarm. “Brace for impact while I try to bring them online.” It was too good to be true that only the automation protocols had been altered, but now the shields. If Taylor was a betting person, he would put his money on this being another deliberate act.

The Auckland shuddered violently as a torpedo from the battlecruiser hit its target. “Direct hit, Sir.”

“Hull integrity at 87%, containment fields holding and repair crews have been dispatched." Joci reported as damage reports came flooding in.

“Ensign Shan, get those shields online.” Aris threw over his shoulder. “All hands, engage defense pattern Sigma 9. Fire at will.”

The image of the viewscreen changed to focus on the ships in escort position as they fired spreads of torpedos and followed it up with bursts of phaser fire. 

“Shields, restored from back up and reactivated.” Taylor reported. “Executing Sigma 9, ready to fire on your command, Sir.”

“Fire at will, Ensign.” Aris replied as they flew toward the Jem'Hadar vessel. “T'Keterk, whats the status of the fleet?”

“No word yet from Centaur wing, but they are clearly keeping those fighters off us. We have lost one of Freedom wing and Miranda wing has sustained some heavy damage. ”T'Keterk replied. “I will advise you if we hear from Centaur wing.”

“Sir, incoming torpedo.” The ship shuddered again, less violently but still enough to lose balance. “Shields are down to 78% and holding.” Taylor continued to update.

“Ensign Malra, transfer power from all non-essential systems to the shields.” Gin ordered as she like the Captain had her gaze focused on the battle unfolding in front of them.

“Captain, we have lost Freedom wing.” Emma spoke up. “Miranda wing has also lost a ship.”

It appeared Centaur wing were still occupied. “Engage attack pattern Tau Gamma 1.” Aris replied as the remaining ships updated their tactical information and broke formation to flank the battlecruiser.

“Sir, we're barely making a dent in its shields." Taylor spoke again as the ship again shook violently. Another torpedo run had found its mark. “Shields down to 53% sir, hull integrity at 89%”

“Keep up the attack, Ensign.” Aris ordered. “And see what you can do about the shields.”

“On it, Captain.” Taylor replied as he adjusted his targeting. This ship just wasn't giving up and the dwindling number of support vessels showed just how persistent the Jem'Hadar could be.

“Captain.” T'Keterk interrupted. “Centaur wing reporting in, fighters have been destroyed but they lost the Okatina.”

“Acknowledged, Lieutenant.” Aris replied. “Initiate Tau Gamma 1 on the remaining vessels.”

As the last of the centaur classes altered course, there was a renewed hope they would be able to successfully push back the Dominion. These ships were significantly more powerful than the miranda and the Jem'Hadar must have realised there was still some fight left in the rag-tag group of vessels.

“Sir, the Jem'Hadar vessel appears to be activating its warp drive on a course out of the system.” Taylor updated Aris.

“All hands, stand down, the battlecruiser is making a run for it.” Aris activated the comm system. "Dispatch search and rescue crews and return to dock for damage assessment."

Surveying the debris littered around them, the visible scars of combat, Aris had a difficult time feeling like they had come out as the victor. Why break off the attack, the battlecruiser could certainly have outlasted them, and how was someone able to manipulate the shields to remain offline. Those systems were generally only accessible at the highest security clearance. Was a traitor still in their midst? Had they only put off the inevitable?

So many people had lost their lives in defense of their homes and livelihoods and for what? To satisfy the Dominion's need for total supremacy. Even after success the victory always felt hollow.