Ready Room – Deck 1

Kirin sat on the sofa in her ready room as she scrolled through the most recent reports from the department heads on the refit. After the incident, she had no other way of thinking about it, with the strange blood dilithium crystalline entity in the Delta Quadrant the Sojourner had limbed back to the Alpha Quadrant. The two months since had seen the ship in dry dock being repaired and refitted based on suggestions by her department heads. While there she had been tasked with overseeing the refit of the USS Andromeda as well.

She looked up from the engineering report and out the window as the stars streaked by. The report was very informative as it outlined adjustments to the warp core and the seemingly endless list of faulty equipment that was replaced or upgraded. She had to admit though, their last mission had put the Sojourner through its paces and identified a number of minor issues with the ship which could have become serious if they had been further from support. Now that these had been repaired Kirin was confident that the Sojourner was no in better shape than she had been before they went to the Delta Quadrant.

She couldn’t help but smile at that, the ship had performed above her wildest expectations and she was excited about the future. After months of delays, they were on their way to Deep Space 47 in the Thomar Expanse and the crew were excited about the possibility of exploring that region of space.

Putting down the report she glanced at the time, “Hmm, ten minutes,” she muttered and activated the wall display to the Federation News Network. After a couple of minutes of random news stories primarily focused on the upcoming Frontier Day a report about renewed Breen aggression in the Deneb sector came up. Kirin frowned as she watched and couldn’t help but hope the star fleet vessel in that area where up to the task. After the report ended she stood and made her way to the bridge but was stopped when her console chimed.

Kirin stopped, looked at her console, and quickly sat down, seeing a priority one message for her. “These are never good,” she muttered as entered her access code and began to watch the message from Fleet Admiral Ramar.

After watching it for a second time she tapped her commbadge, “Ensign Tycon set a course for the Deneb sector, maximum warp.” She then opened a link to her senior officers, “All senior officers report to the briefing room in 10 minutes.” As she played it over in her mind the secondary message from Vice Admiral Beckett gave her pause, ‘Trust only the Fourth Fleet. What could that mean?’

Briefing Room – Deck 1

Thirty minutes later Kirin closed down the holo display and looked at her senior officers after running through their new orders from the fourth fleet, “I know that was a lot to take in. Does anyone have any questions?”

As expected Thanen spoke up first after looking around the room, “Dominion vessels in the Deneb sector it seems surreal. Though I am not surprised the Breen have allied with them. Though the data from the Caliburn is concerning, can these ships be the missing ships that the Defiant faced off? And if so why now?”

Kerry glanced at Kirin before speaking, “The Dominion and the founders always thought ahead. They have likely been hiding in Breen space and beyond waiting; for them to have appeared after 25 years doesn’t track. That said, if command thinks it isn’t much of a threat why should we? They surely have access to more info.

With a snort, Ril responded as she gave Kerry a sideways glance, “Command rarely has all the info. Barely know what is happening out here especially now. They seem overly focused on Frontier Day. Bet some admiral doesn’t want to scare people.”

Kirin shook her head, “I do not know about that but we have our orders. Be it the Dominion or the Breen there are people at risk so we will be there.” She paused and took in their expressions before turning to Belania, “Belania you have any questions?”

Belania looked down at the PADD before her and shook her head, “I need to read through this and may have questions later.”

“We lack information and that is our biggest issue, we will be rendezvousing at a staging area near Farpoint station. This fleet was born out of the Dominion War and we will be taking the fight to them. Prepare your departments we are taking the Sojourner into a fight I suspect.” Kirin stood up and looked at each of them, “Dismissed.”

The Next Day…

Crew Lounge 4 – Deck 6

Dese sat slowly nursing a black coffee as her mind raced through the briefing she had with her department head, Belania, early that morning. Staring into the mug she didn’t notice when her roommate Jenoda came over.

“I take it that the dark cloud in your head is about the briefing you had, the Dominion?” Jenoda asked.

Dese looked up surprised, “I thought you were not going to poke around in my head,” she said sourly.

“We have talked about this D, I have no need to, your thoughts are broadcasting to everyone. We need to work on your mental discipline.”

Dese rolled her eyes, she really liked Jenoda but she always was on her about her ‘mental discipline’ and her very loud thoughts. Ignoring the comment she just nodded, “Yeah, I know we have been in combat before but the Dominion War and the combat during it was at a whole other level. It ended years before I was even born and I have heard stories about it, I am, well I am scared.”

Jenoda slid into the seat across from her and placed one of her hands on D’s, “I know what you mean, I remember my parents talking about the invasion of Betazed. I remember feeling their lingering free and apprehension when they spoke on it, especially around the Jem’Hadar soldiers and their brutality.” She stopped for a moment as she thought back to it before continuing, “This will be different, the whole fourth fleet is mobilizing, they won’t know what hit them.”

“You think so?”

Jenoda nodded, “Look Lieutenant Dawson just briefed us. She gave all the information but I got the impression she wasn’t sold on the idea it is the Dominion. For all we know it is just the Breen trying to spook us.”

Dese looked up, “Really? How come?”

Jenoda shrugged, “Not sure, just the way she spoke about it. I think a bit of it is due to the fact she was really looking forward to getting to the expanse. It was all she used to speak about.” She stopped for a moment then continued, “Well when we were in the Delta quadrant anyways. Since then she was focused on the refit.”

Before Dese could respond she saw Ined walk into the small crew lounge. She gave him a wave and he began to make his way over. Looking back at Jenoda she just nodded, “That is fair, the thought of the Dominion being back does seem far-fetched but from what I heard from the Captain she is taking it pretty seriously.”

Ined came over and dropped onto the seat beside Dese. Leaning over he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, “Hey, what are you to talking about?”

Jenoda shook her head slightly, as much as she tried to not read either of their thoughts Ined just didn’t care about hiding his. Well, the ones that he knew annoyed her and Dese, well, any strong emotion and thoughts just radiated off her in waves. “What do you think?”

“Ah, the briefing,” Ined said, “I think it is running through most people’s heads at the moment. Everyone is more on edge than they were yesterday that is for sure.”

Dese snorted a little, “I cannot imagine why. The Federation wasn’t the same after the war.”

Ined nodded, “Yeah, my partners were both on ships when home was invaded but I remember seeing recordings of it, places I know and have been with Jem’Hadar soldiers moving. I would be lying if I said this didn’t make me nervous.”

Holodeck – Deck 2

Ril let out a laugh, “Bel you have let your practice slip. Your accuracy is down 10% since our last training. Remember, keep calm, and track your target.” Ril unslung the holographic rifle from her shoulder, “Computer reset targets.”

“I know, I know,” Belania said.

Several floating disks appeared in the space before Ril and Belania before they began to move rapidly in all directions. Ril brought up the rifle and fired off 5 quick shots scoring hits on all the targets. Glancing back at Belania she, “The new orders still on your mind?”

“Yeah, I was up all night reviewing all the data that was sent through. It is concerning that even if the Caliburn data is accurate that a Sagan class ship took so much damage from ships a quarter of a century out of date. I worry that if the number we suspect is true there might not be enough of us.” Belania stepped up and to the firing line, “Computer reset targets.”

“The Third Order is sending ships to reinforce us and once we get more information I am sure that Command will send more ships. A few Manticore class destroyers would make short work of Dominion ships,” Rill said with a laugh.

Belania turned around and looked at her, “Are you not worried at all?”

Ril shrugged, “Worried? Yes, but this is part of the job and if we don’t help those people then they will be left under Dominion rule and that cannot be allowed.”

“I get that,” Belania said, “the thought of it is a bit overwhelming I guess. That and it is very close to Ferengi space and I worry about my people though I guess they will just see it as a business opportunity. Rule 34; war is good for business.”

Ril laughed, “It’s been a while since you quoted one of those.”

Belania thought on that for a moment, “Your right. I used to always think in terms of them but not so much anymore.”

Ril smirked, “Changing the way you think isn’t a bad thing at times. Now, those targets won’t shoot themselves.”

Two Days Later…

 Fourth Fleet Staging Area – Deneb Sector

The Sojourner dropped out of warp near Farpoint station and proceed forward at full impulse.

Ril let out a low whistle at the collection of ships before them. “I don’t think I ever thought I would see such a collection of Federation and Cardassian ships.”

“The Cardassians will remember what the Dominion did to them for a long time to come. I cannot say I am surprised to see that the Third Order sent so many ships,” Thanen said from near the engineering station. “There is quite the collection of Galor and Keldon class vessels with a good number of Hideki to support them. I guess they kept their newer classes of vessels at home. Though I am surprised to see that Hutet, I never thought I would see one of them. They are very rare.”

Kirin sat and listen as the crew spoke amount themselves for a few minutes while some of the tension left the bridge. “Belania, send a message to Fleet command and confirm our arrival. I expect we will have our orders shortly.”

Belania was about to respond when the chimed, “Ah, Captain. They are already messaging us. We have a holding pattern confirmed and there is a message for you from Commodore Ekwueme.”

“Thank you Belania, I will take it in my ready room.”

Kirin stood up and headed off the bridge, “The bridge is all yours Thanen.”

A moment later she found herself sitting at her desk as she accepted the communication after entering her authorization code. “Commodore,” she began, “I was not expecting a message from you.”

“Captian Tarken, I am trying to speak to as many of the captains as possible. I wanted to thank you for making it here so quickly. The Sojourner will be a valuable addition to the limited forces we have.”

“Thank you, sir, we will do what we can. I assume you have something specific in mind for us?”

“Yes,” he said quickly, “As you likely determined we have limited knowledge about what the Dominion is up to. All of our sensor stations have either been destroyed or switched off. We cannot launch a successful operation against them without information. I want you to take the Sojourner behind their lines and provide whatever information you can. Between your speed and advanced sensor systems, you should be able to avoid trouble and act as our eyes and ears. I will leave the specifics up to you as we are assigning several ships to this task as the area is too large for a single ship. That said I would recommend that you stock up on the long-range sensor probes to augment your sensor range.”

“We can do that sir. As you said this is a task that the Sojourner is well suited for. Do we have any idea where they came from and when do you want us to depart?”

He shook his head, “In short, no. We know they are the fleet that disappeared in the Bajoran wormhole but the how and why they are here now remains unknown. As for your second question, within the next 24 hours. We are expecting more ships from the fourth fleet to arrive soon and we need to know where to direct them. God Speed.” With that, the video ended leaving the slowly rotating image of the star fleet logo on her screen.

“Well, I guess we know what we are doing now,” Kirin said as she looked out the window before setting about to the work of preparing the ship. 

Takes Place following the events of Valhalla Squadron:

• (11) Light the Signal Fires – https://bravofleet.com/story/81595 
• (15) Ragnarök – https://bravofleet.com/story/81937 
• (16) Asgard’s call – https://bravofleet.com/story/83157 
• (18) Lif and Lifthrasir – https://bravofleet.com/story/82883 

Captain’s Quarters – 22:15

Kirin stood staring out the viewport in her quarters at the lights of the warp bubble that surrounded the Sojourner. The quarters around her were an uncommon mess with several items of cloths, including today’s, tossed onto the sofa while PADDs littered the table. Trying to ignore the ache in her back and the growing headache she brought the mug of peppermint tea to her lips and took a sip of the steaming liquid as her mind wandered over the events of the last couple of days. She glanced back at the doorway to the barely used bedroom as it called to her and her desk. With a sigh, she turned and made her way to the desk, “Best to get this down while it is fresh.”

Sitting down she looked over the small collection of pictures on her wall and adjusted the one of her parents that had been knocked askew. “Computer start recording, audio only,” she said.

Personal Log – Commander Kirin Tarken; USS Sojourner 

Kirin paused for a moment as she forgot the date, “Computer enter today’s date with the log please”.

‘Affirmative,’ came the reply from the computer and Kirin continued.

Where to begin? I guess at the beginning of all of this.

 

Since we arrived at Farpoint and received our new orders we have not had what could be described as an uneventful few days, to say the least. Following the detour to meet with Órlaith on the USS Intrepid and the USS Valhaha over Arkan II and successful efforts to drive off the Dominion fleet we made the best speed towards the border or front line, I guess you could say.

 

Upon arriving near the border we spent 24 hours reviewing patrol patterns as best we could using the Sojourner’s advanced long-range sensors and information from several Federation vessels which had passed through the area recently. The most beneficial support came from the Cardassian vessel, the Radava, a refitted Keldon class cruiser which was patrolling the area against Dominion intrusion. 

 

Their Captain, Gul Daamic, was interesting, to say the least. Her hatred of the Dominion was palpable, which was completely understandable given the atrocities at the end of the war. I was surprised she had not taken her ship over the line looking for a fight. 

 

Due to the frequent number of patrols within the region, we struggled to find an opening that would allow the Sojourner to slip through. Taking a risk I approached Gul Daamic for assistance and she agreed to use the Radava as a distraction. 

“Computer Pause,” Kirin let out a sigh as she thought back to the border crossing and took another long sip of her tea. Setting down the mug she pulled out her PADD and made a small note to highlight the efforts of Gul Daamic to the federation and the Cardassian government. Turning back to the screen she continued.

The Daamic and her crew seemed eager as they crossed the border at high warp and intercepted one of the Dominion patrols. We already knew that not all of the Jem’Hadar ships had been upgraded and their quarter-of-a-century lag in tech showed. Though the Radava was over 25 years old herself, she had been upgraded; within moments two Jem’Hadar fighters were destroyed and the remaining Breen patrol ship and Jem’Hadar fighters began to return fire. 

 

I will admit that I wasn’t sure if Gul Daamic would pull back as planned and would instead try to destroy the entire patrol. I worried for no reason as a minute after the engagement started the Radava disengaged, feigning damage to their power distribution systems, and jumped to warp. 

 

In short, it worked. The remaining three ships in the patrol alone with the next nearest Dominion patrol, a little over half a light year away adjusted course and gave chase. We had our gap in their patrol. The Sojourner was able to slip through without incident at max warp.

 

Due to the nature of the mission we have not been able to contact the Radava. I do hope they made it through.

Kirin reach out and tapped the pause icon on the recording and stood up from her desk unsure of how to phrase the next part. Looking around her quarters she shook her head and muttered, “I need to get this stowed away.” She spent the next couple of minutes reorganizing the room. She picked up the shattered clothes, tossed them into the cleaning unit and gathered up the PADDs staking them onto her shelf for sorting later before returning to the desk.

We found ourselves exactly where we planned; several light years into Dominion-occupied space and with the sensors onboard the Sojourner we were able to readily collect information on fleet moments while being beyond most of their sensors. 

 

This is when our problems began. Thanen, my XO and Chief Engineer first reported a minor imbalance within our warp plasma. This did not have any impact on the function of any systems but over a period of twenty-four hours, the imbalance grew which prevented us from achieving a speed beyond impulse and led to the nacelles leaking trace amounts into the surrounding space.

 

This enabled one of the patrols to detect our presence giving them a trail of breadcrumbs to follow right to us. Though the Sojourner is very capable I am not sure how she would do against a dozen enemy vessels. I came close to ordering our return to Federation space which…

Kirin paused for a moment leading back in her chair and clicked her tongue against her teeth several times as she thought.

…which would have been unfortunate.

 

We got lucky in many regards, the Dominion ships giving chase seemed content to follow but seemed reluctant to engage which was both curious and troubling. The break came when our Assistant Chief Anahis Sanin found the cause. A microscopic device had been planned along one of the secondary flow regulators which caused the imbalance to develop over a period of days. The design of the device is advanced, unlikely anything we have seen but one thing is for certain it was deliberately placed and at some point since Farpoint. I can only come to one conclusion, we have a saboteur aboard. The question is now who and why?

 

With the removal of the device, the engineering team quickly fixed the issue but not before Thanen suggested we replicate the leak and warp signature on our Waverider class runabout, the Wavecrest. Once this was in place I orded by Chief of Operations Belania to pilot it back towards federation space before correcting the ‘leak’ and returning. She should be back in the next few hours if all went well.

 

If it hadn’t been for Anahis’ systematic screening of the entry system, something she does every couple of months it would have been missed. 

 

I am not sure if I am doing the right thing but my past experiences tell me this knowledge will do more harm to the wider crew than good at the moment. As such, I have chosen to inform only my senior staff and the assistant chief.

 

As I am unable to send a secure message to the fleet I have to trust I am doing the right thing while we hunt down the saboteur and continue our mission. I have offically recorded all information in my Captain’s log and report to Starfleet but I needed to get this down for myself. 

 

Only time will tell if I have made the right decision.

“Computer end recording.” 

Ready Room – Deck 1

“Any word from Belania, or Anahis?” Kirin asked as she drummed her fingers on her desk, her frustration clearly visible on her face. 

Thanen sat across from her, his somewhat unfocused eyes betraying how tired he was. “Um, yeah. Good news actually,” he started to say.

“About time, what is it,” she said, the tone of her voice echoing her expression. She sighed and shook her head, “Sorry Thanen, it’s been a long few days I should not let my frustration show like that.”

Thanen smiled a tired smile, “It’s ok, if there is anyone you can voice or let your frustration be seen with shouldn’t it be your XO? You have been pushing yourself without rest since Arkan II. You need to find some way to relax and blow off some steam. You haven’t been sleeping.”

She sighed in annoyance, “Bit hard to sleep when you have a saboteur on the ship and are being chased by a Dominion fleet. But…” She shook her head in acceptance, “You are right.”

“True, but that is where the good news comes in,” he remarked. “Belania has been monitoring the long-range sensors and we have had no sign of pursuit, the ploy worked. Additionally, Anahis and the rest of the engineering team have finished sweeping the ship looking for similar issues. They have found no other devices though I do question if we should have told them.”

“That is a relief. I don’t want the crew second-guessing each other. It will not help us right now.”

“I get that,” he responded with a little sigh, “But I still don’t like withholding information from the crew.”

“I know, I don’t either, but I think we must for now.” She placed both elbows on her desk and ran her hands through her hair now unbraided hair. “We need to move forward but be wary. We will be arriving on the edge of the Ciater Nebula in about 10 hours. We need to be ready to place the long-range sensor platforms. I think if we get them placed and stay within the nebula they can be our eyes and ears.”

“I agree, though I worry about patrols in the region. The dominion has been know to use nebulas as rally points.”

“True,” Kirin remarked, “And that is why we need to go in ourselves to see if they are and to place the platforms to give us a heads up if they start.”

“If I may suggest it, you are not needed on the Bridge or in here,” he said gesturing to the room. “Go to your quarters, the holodeck, gym, whatever, relax, blow off some steam and get some sleep. It will do you good,” he said as he gave her a very serious look, his two antennae moved forward and oriented on Kirin. “AND it will do the crew good to see you relax, your frustration and stress rub off on them.”

Kirin let out a little huff and rolled her eyes before her body visibly relaxed, “Fine, you win Thanen, I will.”

14 hours later

Bridge – Deck 1

Ril snarled as the sensors gave off a shrill warning sound, “Another Dominion patrol fifty thousand kilometres from the edge of the nebula. They seem to be consistent every two hours or so.”

“Makes you wonder why they are committing so many ships to patrol the nebula,” Belania said with a hint of worry. “Think they may suspect we are in here?”

Kirin shrugged, “It is possible but I think it is more likely that they are aware of the potential. Do we have any indications that the probes we stationed just outside have been detected?”

“Nothing, the last two patrols have gone by then without issue. They are small enough that I don’t they the dominion sensors will detect them, especially with the background noise the nebula is causing,” Belania remarked.

“Good,” Kirin said with a smile, “I think it is time to get the senor platforms prepped. How long will it take to get them ready to launch?”

“I will go down right now and start the launch prep. Give it two hours and we can deploy them,” Thanen said, “Might go faster if Kerry helps me.”

“She should be in Stellar Cartography. If she can help grab her. I will head down there and see what I can do to extend the sensors,” Kirin remarked as she stood up. 

“Right away,” Thanen said as he stood and made his way to the turbolift, Kirin on his heels.

Kirin turned to their tactical officer, “Ril, the bridge is all yours. Keep her out of trouble.”

Probe Fabrication Bay – Deck 7

Thanen stood over the third platform and shook his head angrily, “Someone has clearly tampered with these. All of them have had their stealth systems modified to act as a beacon.”

Kerry looked up from the console with a deep frown, “Whoever it was erased the access logs to the bay.” As she said that she stepped around and reached outwards towards the stealth systems that were on the large workshop table.

“Kerry, don’t touch that!” Thanen barked, the frustration and anger causing Kerry to jump and step back. Thanen tapped his combadge, “Thanen to Doctor.”

A moment passed and the voice of the ship EMH responded, “Yeeesssss? What do you want?”

“Get to the fabrication bay right away, bring a medical scanner and sample collection kit,” with that, he cut the link not waiting for a response and opened one directly to the Captain.

“Kirin, we need you down in the Fabrication Lab, right away.”

The Captain’s voice came over the combadge with a quick, “DAMNIT! What happened? No, tell me when I get there. On my way.”

Five minutes later both the Captain and the EMH stood in the room. “Ok, walk me through it Thanen,” Kirin said.

“Kerry and I arrived here about fifteen minutes ago. As we discussed when we found the device we secured the platforms here and locked the room. I had checked over them when we took them onboard and they were in working order but when we checked them now we found that the stealth systems have been tampered with. I have had Kerry check the system logs and they are clear, no one entered the room. I wanted to see if the doctor could find any traces of DNA on them, excluding my own as I am the only one who has touched them directly.”

Kirin nodded, “Do your thing doctor.” 

The EMH shrugged and pulled out a tricorder, “OK fine, but you know I am a doctor, not a detective.” After a few moments, he stopped and looked closely at one of the stealth systems, “There is something here, biological matter with possible human DNA but I will need to run some tests.” He held out his and without looking, “Hand me the case.” Kirin grabbed it and the EMH took it without a response quickly opening it up and pulling out a small specimen container and a scraper. “There isn’t much but should be enough to get something from. They must have caught themselves on the edge here. It’s sharp enough that it would slice through most fabrics and skin.”

“Great, give it your top priority and let me know your findings,” Kirin said as the EMH walked past them.

“Yeah, yeah I know the drill,” the EMH said with an eye roll.

As he left the lab Kirin turned to Thane, “We need these platforms up. We were meant to have two dozen. What can you do?”

Thanen exhaled and looked at the table and the racks of sensor platforms against the wall. “Given the tampering, I will need to check through each of them to ensure it is the only issue, It will take time but I think I can have two or three ready in the next 12 hours. I will have to rebuild them and may need to cannibalize some of the others.”

“OK, do what you can. Kerry, I want you to assist him and I will send Belania down as well. Pull in Anahis as well. This is the priority.” Kirin looked between the two officers, who she considered friends and sighed, “We need to get a handle on this. I will have Ril up security and start sweeps of all sensitive areas. While she is doing that I will also have a security officer posted in here with you.”

“Is that really necessary Captain? The lab will be a little cramped,” Kerry asked.

“For now? You can bet your ass it is! If you can shave off some of that time it would be appreciated Thanen. As soon as the first one is ready I want to launch it. Every moment counts now that we are in position.” 

16 hours later

Breifing Room – Deck 1

Kirin sat quietly as she listened to the most recent security report from Ril and the EMH.

“…and we have not found any further evidence of sabotage as of yet but given the how the individual has operated we might not until they act,” Ril said. “We have also posted security teams at all key systems though that has caused murmurings from the crew, they know something is going on, and they are getting concerned. I think you should make an announcement.”

The EMH scoffed, “Knowing there is a traitor in the mix will only make them doubt each other, turn them against themselves.”

Kirin looked between the two, “I can see where you are both coming from but I think Ril is right. I had hoped the security sweeps would find our saboteur but I think the crew should know.” She stopped for a moment and looked at the rest of the senior crew, a passing thought raced through her mind, “What if it is one of us?” 

“Doctor, have you been able to find anything from the sample you collected?” Kirin asked.

“Not much frustratingly. The DNA is human, I know that much but there are irregularities to it that I cannot make sense of. I am been working with Belenia to modify the internal sensors but I am not optimistic,” the EMH remarked.

“All the more reason to let the crew know,” Thanen added. “Someone may have seen something.

Kirin sighed, “I will make an announcement after this but before that, any updates on the sensor platforms that we launched?”

Thanen nodded, “Yeah, They will be in their target position in the next two to four hours. The small warp engines they have can get them into position but that is about it. Once there we just wait, make sure the data packets are being sent then we should be able to head back to friendlier space. And I added an extra level of security as well, only you and I have access to the systems which link to them. Any attempts to gain access will alert security.”

Kirin looked over at Kerry who seemed a bit more distracted and distant than usual, “Kerry, do you have anything to add?”

Kerry looked over at Kirin, with a very fast flash of annoyance crossed her face which Kirin almost missed. “No Captain. Commander Th’zalnar covered everything.”

“Ah, very well. Everyone is dismissed,” Kirin said, hiding her concern. 

24 hours later

Deep Space – Long Range Sensory Platform Alpha-5-Gamma

The near undetectable sensory platform hung in the empty void of space, the Ciater Nebula nothing but a small dot a dozen or so light years behind it.

Without warning the internal alarms began to sound as a large number of warp signatures were detected approaching its location. Within moments a fleet of 42 Dominion and Breen vessels appeared in local space less than 50,000 km from the platform.

The platform began to collect as much data on the ships as it could. After an hour there was not much left for it to collect and it was prepping the data packet to send back to the Sojourner when a single Dominion Cruiser appeared at the end of the fleet before broadcasting an encrypted signal and warping away.

Within two minutes the entire Dominion fleet adjusted their course and jumped, straight towards Federation territory.

The platform finished compiling the data packet with the new information before it sent the signal through subspace to the Sojourner and towards the Federation. With that is system slipped back into passive mode and it waited.