Febuary 14th, 2401 

“Chief Diplomatic Officer’s log, stardate seven-eight-one-two-two point six-one. Though I was sceptical at first, I have to admit Fleet Captain McCallister’s eagerness to explore the Kotaba Expanse has gone well for the squadron. Most recently, our diplomatic overtures with the Benthans have culminated in us hosting a diplomatic entourage of theirs and an exchange of engineering ideas. Though it has been an enjoyable experience, I cannot wait to take a break and undertake some routine exploration of the vastness of the Delta Quadrant.”

The USS Odyssey and USS Themis hung in orbit above the M-class planet home to one of the largest worlds the Benthan people had colonised years ago. Bentheria II appeared like many other habitable worlds; it was protected by numerous space stations and was guarded by four natural satellites. Furthermore, a ring of dust particles and rocks perfectly encircled it. Ships of all sizes that mostly shared the Benthan design all darted between one another as they went about their own business. Whisps of white clouds covered parts of the planet’s lush green lands and almost turquoise oceans. It appeared peaceful. It appeared welcoming. If this world was in the Alpha Quadrant, it would be mistaken to be a typical Federation world from the diversity of races that lived there. It embraced visitors. It hosted a range of cultures.  

On board the Odyssey, a reception was in full swing in the Auditorium. On the main stage, the home band played a range of light jazz music that created a fun but sophisticated atmosphere in the room. Standing on the top level, viewing the entire event, Lieutenant Commander Flemen ensured that everything went off without a hitch. 

“Here you go, Craigen,” Lieutenant Commander Tomaz offered his friend a drink. 

The Lumerian man smiled in appreciation at the refreshment as he took it. “Thanks, Tomaz.” He sipped on the drink, a gin and tonic with a twist of lime. “Everything seems to be going well.”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Tomaz asked. The Barzan strategic operations officer pulled a face showing his confusion at his friend’s statement. “You’ve done this type of reception a million times before. Why fret?”

“It’s forty-seven times, actually,” Flemen said as he sipped his drink. “And I’m fretting because this is our last event with the Bethans before we head out tomorrow morning; I want us to leave a good impression.”

“Understandable,” Tomaz agreed as he took a sip from his drink; it was precisely the same as Flemen’s. “However, haven’t we concluded on a high note? We’ve exchanged scientific ideas and shared cultural differences. The captain has agreed to sign a provisional commerce deal with them, including a minor mutual defence agreement. Starfleet will be well-chuffed with the work we’ve done here. The work you’ve done here.” He emphasised the last sentence to convince Flemen that his efforts were outstanding.

Recognising that his friend was right, Flemen nodded. “Yeah, I know we’ve done well here, and the Benthans have agreed that while we’re in the area, we will help any of their ships and vice-versa, but this is our first significant engagement with a nation-state in this region. So much is riding on it.”

Tomaz shook his head. “Craigen, you worry too much. You and I have read the same reports about the Benthans and the species that await us. This is a good deal for the Benthans and us. As I said, Starfleet will be chuffed.”

Finally relenting, Flemen acknowledged that he was worrying about nothing just in time as Commander Duncan and Master Chief Court approached them. Everyone at the reception was wearing their dress uniforms. One last attempt at putting Starfleet’s best foot forward.    

“Craigen, well done again for another successful diplomatic exchange.” Duncan congratulated his former department deputy. Although it was approaching two years since Duncan had been made first officer, which resulted in Flemen being promoted to the chief diplomatic officer (and most recently Staff Judge Advocate), Duncan had always looked out for Flemen after he stepped into his former role. Additionally, with Flemen and Tomaz undertaking the command training program under the teaching of Duncan and Commander Banfield, the first officer had invested time in both younger officers. 

Appreciating the support from his former mentor and friend, Flemen smiled. “Thank you, sir, but it was a team effort.”

Court chuckled at that point. “It certainly was when we had to ask their help rescuing this one from the Kobali.” The senior enlisted man pointed to his husband with his right thumb. 

“I wasn’t the only one in need of rescuing,” Duncan pointed out in between the snickering from the others before he took a sip. “Talking of which, my fellow escapee comes to rescue us.” The first officer gestured towards Commander Banfield approaching the group with her husband, Commander Westerham, linked arm-in-arm with her. 

“Why do I feel that our recent exploits with that Kobali trader are still being discussed?” Banfield enquired as she stopped on the edge of the group. A smirk appeared across her expression. 

“Corella,” Westerham said, turning to his wife, “we’ve all agreed that trader was no ordinary trader.”

Banfield rolled her eyes. The half-Klingon half-Human science officer took a sip from her bloodwine martini. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it, it wasn’t our fault that we encountered an abandoned Hirogen communication relay that wasn’t quite empty.”

“Which had an automated system that knocked you, Max and the rest of the away team unconscious, which made the Kobali trader think you were all dead and ripe for harvesting to join their race as new family members.” Court reminded them all. Without a doubt, Court (as much as Westerham) enjoyed repeating the tale as much as possible in the last couple of weeks.  

“And like a dashing knight, you came and rescued me, my brave husband,” Duncan said with a smirk at his spouse. “I will never forget that image of you looking all butch wearing that armour and gear as the hazard team broke us out of that prison-come-morgue.”

The group laughed a bit more at the absurdity of that mission which led them to this moment. But, unfortunately, the Benthan Guard had arrived just in time as a pack of Hirogen ships had also turned up to check in on the intruders. Fortunately, the combined forces of the squadron and the Benthan ships were enough to ensure they escaped without much damage. 

“It’s not really the romantic gesture I was hoping to pull,” Court admitted. “But I suppose it will do.”

“Talking of romantic gestures,” Banfield started, “I’m no fan of the tradition of Valentines, but I noticed we’re a bit short of hand tonight on our side.” 

Flemen looked back down at where the Benthans were mingling with some of the crew. Fleet Captain McCallister was sitting at a table with the Benthan ambassador, supported by Captain Cambil. While Doctor Slyvexs was standing with her husband exchanging pleasantries with other delegates. However, he soon realised that Banfield was right. They were missing a few more. “Yeah, where is everyone else?” He remarked. 

“Lukiz has that big holographic date with Commander Thaustin,” Tomaz answered. “Their one-month anniversary since they officially declared they were together. They’re certainly taking long-distance relationships to a whole new level.”

“What do you mean?” Flemen asked.

Tomaz chuckled. “Somehow, Lukiz has tied the long-range holographic communication devices into one of the holodecks on both the Odyssey and the Triton so they can ‘see’ one another. I’m not sure how Lukiz has got past the interference of the Triton being in the underspace corridors as they map it, but whatever works for them, I say!”

Flemen nodded in agreement. 

“Where’s Marova?” Banfield enquired.

“She’s got the bridge for tonight,” Duncan answered. “She volunteered quite eagerly. I suspect she’s had enough of attending so many diplomatic events.”

“And don’t forget Tierra is on the Themis meeting with her Benthan Guard counterparts about integrating coaxial warp drive components into our systems,” Court added. “She and Tremt have made good friends with some of their top scientists and engineers.”

“And in return, what have we given them for that?” Westerham wondered.

“Enhancements for their sensor technology,” Banfield replied. “They struggle to detect cloaked ships, so we’ve shown them some pointers with tachyon detection grids and anti-proton scanners. In addition, I’ve been showing them how they can increase the range of subspace distortion detectors.”  

“Integrating their systems into our warp drives would help us travel longer distances quicker when we don’t have access to much of the Turei underspace corridors,” Flemen stated. “Whether it works is another thing I’m happy to leave down to the engineers.”

“I’m sure Tierra will come back with a big smile to get her hands stuck deep into the work,” Tomaz responded. He looked down at the crowd below them. “We should seriously disperse and mingle more with our guests.” 

Flemen agreed with his friend’s suggestion. “Absolutely.”

It was a grand occasion, one that had happened on many occurrences before that now Fleet Captain McCallister was starting to feel he had worn his dress uniform more than his actual everyday duty uniform. Nevertheless, he couldn’t be prouder of the work he and his crew did this far in the Delta Quadrant. Sitting around a small circular-shaped table, he was pleased he could share this moment with his deputy squadron commander. Since returning to the ‘fold’, he had come to rely on Cambil just as if she was his former first officer. The two of them were great partners. The Bajoran woman shared with their guest how the Prophets played a role in her faith. McCallister could see that the Benthan man was highly interested in what she was saying by how much he was focused on her. 

Ambassador Shrewmar was a relatively tall and broad-shouldered man. The Benthan people were humanoid with the distinctive features of ridges along their temples and a nasal cavity that extended to their mid-forehead. Shrewmar’s dusty grey hair was slicked back, and the extra lines and wrinkles under his eyes, showing his age, made him appear very statesmen-like. However, he was also a very jolly man who had been eager to engage with them since they were escorted by the Benthan Guard to this system. Shrewmar’s approach was very uncharacteristic compared to others in his species, who appeared to be more serious. Those who served in the Benthan Guard took the responsibility of enforcing the local laws and maintaining peace within their space earnestly. 

The ambassador was gracious and cordial, keen to solidify the friendship they had worked so hard on in the last few days. Exchanging pleasantries and learning about the mixed Federation cultures and customs, Shrewmar was particularly fascinated by the music and the food. He even tried some of the delicacies on offer. 

“That is absolutely fascinating, captain. Thank you so much, and I must admit that hasperat has certainly become a favourite dish of mine,” Shrewmar shared as he picked up the wrap and took a bit out of it. He quickly finished it and showed his enjoyment with a wide grin. He turned to McCallister. “These last two weeks have been enlightening for us, Fleet Captain McCallister; I hope my people and I have been welcoming hosts.” 

McCallister nodded profusely. “Oh, absolutely, Mister Ambassador. We have enjoyed our time at your colony and sharing so much. If we could stay longer, we would.”

“But we must get back on with our journey exploring the rest of this region,” Cambil added. 

Shrewmar accepted that their time together was coming to an end. “Your journey across the Delta Quadrant will keep you busy, and as long as you travel in Benthan space, you travel among friends.”

Both captains looked at each other after hearing that and smiled. 

“We appreciate that friendship, ambassador,” McCallister remarked. “I look forward to signing our agreement.”

“It will go a long way, captain,” Shrewmar stated. “I hope by you setting the tone with us, we may persuade your Turei friends to trade with us.”

“I will certainly do what I can to encourage them to consider it,” McCallister said. 

“Peace among the nation-states and the people of the Delta Quadrant is a worthy goal,” Cambil commented.

Shrewmar nodded in agreement. “Oh, I wholeheartedly believe that’s an achievable goal, captain. But, of course, that’s not to say many of our civilisations are at war with one another. However, with the Borg Collective not being such a massive threat to us, finding commonality with others is certainly a tantalising prospect. I am sure your example of rescuing those Borg drones will go a long way. I’d be surprised if at least one species hasn’t lost someone to the collective.”

McCallister felt comfortable with the ambassador and was receptive to his words. “The Collective’s impact on this quadrant is vast; nevertheless, we shouldn’t rely on that as the only common ground to find among others. Regardless, we are excited at the prospects ahead of us.”

“Well, I certainly hope we can keep this dialogue going, and I wish you all the best with your future endeavours,” Shrewmar stated. “Though, all I would say is that the space ahead of you crawls with Hirogen hunting parties. Sadly, we’ve never been able to deal with them, but I would certainly recommend you reach out to trading partners with the Kobali.”

  “As long as my crew doesn’t appear dead to them, I am sure we could find another friend in them!” McCallister said with a smirk which enlisted some chuckles from the other two.

Feeling that their time together was coming to a natural end, Shrewmar stood up. “Well, captain, I would like to return home and ensure the final preparations for tomorrow’s signing are up to my standard. Furthermore, the Benthan Guard are preparing something special for your departure, which I would like to review.”

Cambil and McCallister stood up at the same time as the ambassador. His aides and escorts approached them. McCallister extended his hand towards the ambassador, who had learnt about this gesture only a few days and was very happy to shake his hand and Cambil’s. 

“Well, we were happy to have you here one more time,” McCallister said. He glanced at Lieutenant Keli, loitering nearby, and told her to walk the ambassador and his entourage back to the transporter room.

“Thank you for your hospitality, and enjoy the rest of your evening,” Shrewmar said with a slight bow.

The two Starfleet captains watched side-by-side as he left the Auditorium and breathed relief when the doors closed. 

Cambil turned to McCallister. “James, promise me we won’t be doing any diplomatic exchanges soon. I don’t think my face could deal with having to smile so much.” The Bajoran woman rubbed her cheeks. 

McCallister chuckled and nodded in agreement. “I like the ambassador and the Benthans, but this has undoubtedly been tiresome.”

“Did everything go without a hitch?” Flemen asked as he approached the two captains with Duncan by his side. 

The fleet captain nodded to his chief diplomatic officer. “Once again, Craigen, you’ve pulled off another diplomatic miracle!”

“The signing ceremony is still taking place tomorrow?” Duncan checked.

“Yes, and the Benthan Guard is pulling out all the stops as we depart the system. A lot of pomp and circumstance,” Cambil added. “Seriously, Craigen, well done.”

Flemen smiled with a sense of pride in his work. “Thank you, ma’am and sir, for the opportunity. However, if you want to find a nice plain nebula or empty star system to explore, I would appreciate a short reprieve.”

The two captains laughed at the similarities they had only just shared with each only moments before Flemen had expressed the same thing. 

“No promises, but we’ll see what we can do,” Cambil replied.

The intercom then went off. “Bridge to Fleet Captain McCallister,” spoke Lieutenant Marova.

Tapping his combadge, McCallister answered. “Go ahead, lieutenant.”

“Sorry for the interruption, sir, but the Bellerophon has just arrived ahead of schedule, and your brother is requesting he sees you, Captain Cambil and Commander Duncan at once.”

Surprised and curious as to why his brother and his ship were here, McCallister told his chief helm officer to have his brother meet them in his ready room. Then, after closing the channel, he ordered Flemen to take over the wrapping up of their party while he and the others left to deal with the sudden arrival of his brother.

“I thought the plan was to meet with Horatio after we left the system?” Cambil said as they entered the nearest turbolift.

“Deck one,” McCallister ordered as the doors closed behind him, Cambil and Duncan. “It was; they were meant to be mapping the nearby underspace corridors with Triton. I was hoping their work with our Turei guides would be enough to encourage them to meet with the Benthans.” 

“One last ditch attempt to bring them to the table?” Duncan summarised. 

McCallister nodded as the lift came to life, and he lent against its wall before crossing his arms. “Something like that, yeah. I know the Turei are a bit sceptical about being this far away from their territory. ”

Moments later, they were waiting for Horatio to arrive in the captain’s ready room. Eventually, the door chime went off, and the Bellerophon’s captain entered. 

“Sorry for all of the drama of gatecrashing your party,” Horatio said as he walked quickly over to where the others were assembled.

“Everything okay, Horatio?” James asked. 

Horatio raised his left hand, which held a PADD. “While working with the Turei, we tested our hyper-subspace communication device. We had sent a phased tachyon beam, containing a triaxilating signal off a nearby quantum singularity to connect with the rest of the deep space Federation communication relay network when we got this.” He passed the device to his brother.

James spent a few moments reading it. He sighed. “They want us to return home. We’d to leave for the Alpha Quadrant at once.”

“The Alpha Quadrant?”

The same distaste for the news was shared across the entire senior staff of the Odyssey. Hearing it from Counsellor Horin only reinforced that Starfleet’s orders were not only a surprise to listen to but unwelcome. The Betazoid counsellor’s face said it all too. She rubbed her heavily pregnant stomach as she tried to make herself more comfortable.

“Does Starfleet think we’ve done something wrong out here in the Delta Quadrant?” Slyvexs asked. The doctor’s question was warranted, especially as they had been heavily involved in the politics of several key locations. She apologetically looked towards Flemen, instantly sharing she was not blaming anything he had done, which he appreciated. 

“I find it difficult to understand why Starfleet wants us back in the Alpha Quadrant. There’s not been much happening that would require the entire squadron to return.” Spouted out, Lieutenant Keli. The chief security and tactical officer showed her confusion like the others. 

Tomaz agreed with her assessment. “Besides the continued ramifications of the Paulson Nebula storm and the collapse of the Star Empire of Rator, Keli is right. Most things are relatively quiet back home.” The Barzan said between breaths. 

“Captain, we’ve not been given the chance to explore the Swallow Nebula region. Our squadron should remain here at the forefront of the exploration efforts. We are one of the most advanced squadrons in the fleet.” Tierra stated. The Deltan chief engineer was adamant she wanted her point of view heard. “We’ve barely got our toes wet.”

McCallister looked at his first officer; they shared a similar exchange with his brother and Cambil. He sighed as everything they had all said were the same arguments they had raised moments before.

“All of your points are valid, but our orders stand,” Duncan sighed. “We’ll be leaving straight after the signing ceremony tomorrow.”

“At least Starfleet is allowing us to finish that job,” Court remarked, which elicited a round of agreement from others. 

“I’ll inform the Benthans of our change of plans,” Flemen said. Though he was okay with what Slyvexs had mentioned earlier, the work he had put in with the Benthans was now coming to an abrupt end. Their agreement to support one another was no longer needed. He didn’t understand why the signing ceremony would remain.

“We still have teams out visiting the Benthan colony; I’ll arrange their return,” Jen said, sounding bitterly dismayed at their situation. “We’ll also need to recall some of the deep space probes we sent.”

“I’ll organise that, Lukiz,” Banfield offered, sharing in the same tone as the Trill officer. “I had hoped to get more data on that Demon planet with the Silver Blood, but I suppose that will have to wait.”

Everyone went silent. 

McCallister then looked at his pilot. “Lieutenant Marova set a course for the nearest underspace aperture.” 

The lieutenant nodded and replied simply: “Aye, sir.” 

The captain pushed his chair back and ended the meeting. The atmosphere of disappointment and frustration lingered in the air. He walked out before anyone else and noticed his first officer following behind in his shadow. Making their way across the bridge and towards the ready room, McCallister motioned for Duncan to come in with him.

Once the door was sealed behind them, Duncan spoke up. “You didn’t mention the reason why to them.”

McCallister had headed to the replicator to order a mug of tea for him and Duncan. “I will, eventually. Though I cannot see the reason why Starfleet wants us back is ahead of Frontier Day. But I suppose I see some sense in it.”

“And the issues with the civilians not remaining on board any of the ships?” Duncan asked as he approached his superior officer. 

“Again, I’ll get around to it.” McCallister’s response was quieter. He knew that those topics would be challenging for the crew. He still needed time to get his head around it. How the hell could he live with the changes that Starfleet was now imposing on them? The replicator made him their drinks which he shared with Duncan. “Max,” He motioned for them to sit on the sofas nearby. “I took this position so I can have my family near. Odyssey is my home. I’ve raised my family here, as have you. How can we send them away?”

“I know,” Duncan agreed. “I cannot think what it will be like without Jordan or William.”

“And the fact that Starfleet wants our entire cadet unit assigned back to Mellstoxx is another kick in the teeth,” McCallister remarked, shaking his head before bringing his mug to his lips. “Where did we go wrong?” The captain took a sip. 

“I don’t believe we did,” Duncan said before siping his drink. “Surely, the admiral will tell us why this has happened upon our return. I hope.”

McCallister shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. His orders were quick, short and straight to the point. But, of course, everything will change once we arrive at Starbase Thirty-Eight.”

“For everyone,” Duncan agreed, resting further on the sofa. “I’m pretty confident Bexa was close to a warp core breach when she realised what it meant for her. Like us, she only took command of the Themis to have her family close. This complete ban on civilians cannot be permanent. I suppose Horatio is the luckiest of us all, where he has no civilians on board the Bellerophon.”

McCallister considered their predicament for a moment. Seeing Rio, Bexa, and Horatio react as they did when they saw the admiral’s orders would be something he knew he wouldn’t forget for a long time.  “I’ll inform the squadron once for the reasons why before we enter the underspace corridor. Then, it will give everyone time to begin packing.”

“What will you do with the boys?” Duncan asked as he finished his drink and slouched back into the sofa.

“I suppose Alfie will go to the Mellstoxx campus. I’ll ask my parents if they have Theo and Henri.” McCallister answered. “You?”

Duncan scratched his chin as he considered his response. “Like Alfie, hopefully, Jordan will stay with the other cadets on Mellstoxx, but I suppose we’ll have to ask Tobias’ parents if they would have William.”

Silence fell between the two fathers as they considered the changes occurring in their families and wondered why their superiors were making such a big thing about it. Would anything go back to the way it was? What would be different by the time they returned home to the Alpha Quadrant? 

These questions and more lingered upon them both.

Lieutenant Commander Rosle walked through the shuttle bay deck after getting out of her starfighter, her striking features catching the attention of several technicians hovering around her fighter. “Is everything alright with my ship?” she asked, her voice laced with concern. 

“Yes, Lieutenant Commander,” one of the technicians responded. “Your fighter was okay while in flight, but we noticed a slightly sluggish response in the port thrusters.” 

Rosle nodded, grateful for the technicians’ quick thinking. She knew how important it was to keep her fighter in top shape, especially when patrolling such a possibly volatile border. As she left the shuttle bay, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as she thought about her new posting on the USS Odyssey. She was excited to serve on such a prestigious vessel, but she was slightly concerned at the lack of warmth from her colleagues about her and her starfighter wing being assigned to the Odyssey. Nevertheless, she appreciated that many things had changed on the Odyssey and its squadron since their sudden return to the Alpha Quadrant. So when she received the offer of a promotion and a new assignment with her own group to command, she jumped at the chance. Her former superior on Starbase 38 had shared that Starfleet wanted a group of fighters assigned to the Odyssey ahead of it being involved in the celebrations of Frontier Day. 

Returning to her quarters, Rosle removed her flight suit and replaced it with her regular standard command red uniform. Checking her reflection in the holographic mirror, she was happy that she looked presentable for her next engagement. The Tandaran pilot took in a deep breath and one more look. Tying up her long and lustrous hair into its standard sleek updo style, she wanted to make a good impression at her first attendance at a senior staff meeting. 

Rosle was somewhat nervous about her first meeting with the rest of the Odyssey’s senior staff. She couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious about it all. As she walked towards the meeting room, her mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts. She was worried that she wouldn’t fit in with the other officers, that she wouldn’t be able to contribute to the discussions, and that she would make a fool of herself in front of everyone. 

Rosle was also aware that this meeting would set the tone for the rest of her time on the Odyssey. If she didn’t make a good impression, she feared that she would be ostracised or overlooked by her colleagues. She wanted to make a positive impact and prove herself as a valuable member of the team, but her nerves were getting the best of her.

Despite her anxiety, Rosle took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had been chosen for this position for a reason. She was qualified, capable, and had a lot to offer. With this in mind, she stepped into the meeting room and prepared to face her fears head-on.

She had yet to enter the observation lounge, so she was not expecting what she saw. The observation lounge on the USS Odyssey was an expansive and welcoming area that served as the primary conference room for the crew (mainly the senior staff). The moment Rosle stepped into the room, she was greeted by the sight of the vast expanse of space through the large windows that provided a panoramic view of the surrounding stars and planets. The soft, warm lighting created a cosy, inviting atmosphere that immediately put her at ease.

A magnificent, imposing conference table large enough to accommodate the senior staff was in the centre of the room. The table was surrounded by chairs designed to provide maximum comfort, allowing the crew to spend hours discussing important matters without feeling fatigued if required.

Along one wall of the observation lounge, various consoles were used during meetings. In the centre of them all, there was a vast wall monitor that was used for presentations. The monitor could display high-quality images and videos that provided the crew with a clear and detailed view of any information that needed to be shared. Holographic projectors were also used. Rosle was highly impressed at the setup. Though she had experienced such things on Starbase 38, she had expected to experience a similar setting off from a starbase. She had heard that the Odyssey was like a floating starbase and was starting to realise that more and more. The attention to detail and the level of comfort provided by the lounge made it an ideal space for the crew to come together and work towards their common goals.

In glass cabinets on either side of the wall monitors were meticulously crafted golden models of past ships named Odyssey, including the Galaxy-class USS Odyssey and its successor, the Sovereign-class USS Odyssey. These models were a testament to the rich history and legacy of the Odyssey name and served as a source of inspiration for the crew. She had learnt about the ill-fated Galaxy-class ship that had been one of the first casualties of the conflict with the Dominion almost thirty years ago. Her successor was also lost after a dispute with the Breen. Rosle wondered, with the way current affairs were going, would this ship follow in their footsteps or beat the odds? She was hoping for the latter, especially with her starfighters protecting it.

Rosle smiled at the other staff assembled there. She knew that most of them had served together for some time now and were extremely close. Approaching her from the far side was the ship’s counsellor. Counsellor Louwanna Horin was a wonderful person who radiated warmth and kindness. When Rosle boarded the ship, Horin went out of her way to make her feel welcome. She had beautiful black eyes that seemed to sparkle with compassion, and her long straight brown hair was always perfectly styled. She was also pregnant, which only added to her already impressive level of nurturing care. When Rosle spoke with Counsellor Horin, she could tell that she genuinely cared about everyone’s well-being and wanted to help those around her in any way she could. Rosle could see that her calming presence and empathetic nature made her an invaluable crew member. 

Counsellor Horin greeted her warmly and informed her that they were waiting for a few more people to arrive, including the captain and first officer. As they waited, Horin asked Rosle how she was settling into life on board. Rosle admitted that it had been an adjustment, but most of the crew had been welcoming, which made the transition easier.

“That’s great to hear,” Horin smiled. “We are a tight-knit group here and always try to ensure new members feel at home.” The counsellor described that the recent change in the orders for the ship (and its squadron) had unnerved most people. The removal of civilians significantly impacted most people as those assigned to the Odyssey had family, including children, with them. Now they had to send them away on orders no one could comprehend. The captain included. What Horin shared made sense to Rosle; she had no family of her own, but she had heard stories of how close the crew were and the sudden change in the crew’s mix would be enough to unsettle most. 

Just then, Lieutenant Commander Rueben Gray arrived, and Horin introduced him to Rosle. “Lieutenant Commander Rosle, this is Lieutenant Commander Gray, our new Starfleet Corps of Engineers Unit Leader.”

“Nice to meet you, Commander,” Gray said, extending his hand.

“Likewise, Commander,” Rosle replied, shaking his hand.

Lieutenant Commander Rueben Gray was a handsome individual in his early forties. He stood at an average height and had captivating brown eyes and short dark brown hair. His facial hair consisted of charming stubble around his cheeks and chin. Although he had been a former Borg drone with a Borg implant above his left eye, he appeared quiet and calm. Rosle noticed that the implant further enhanced his striking physical features, which covered his eyebrow. 

“So, Rosle, how are you finding life on board?” Gray asked.

“It’s been an adjustment, but everyone has been accommodating,” Rosle said. “I’m grateful for the friendly reception.”

“Well, hopefully, us newbies can stick together,” Gray said with a smile. “I only recently joined the crew. Adjusting to a ship the size of the Odyssey is certainly a challenge, but I’m sure worth it.”

“I hope so,” Rosle replied with a chuckle.

Horin suggested they all meet later for a drink in The Auditorium, the ship’s crew lounge. “It’ll be a great opportunity for you to get to know some more faces,” she said to the both of them.

Rosle happily agreed, grateful for the opportunity to socialise with her new colleagues. She was excited to continue her journey on the Odyssey and to get to know Lieutenant Commander Gray better.

The doors Rosle had used earlier parted, allowing Fleet Captain McCallister to enter the room. By his side was his first officer, Commander Max Duncan. Rosle had briefly met the two of them when she had reported for duty. In her opinion, Fleet Captain James Preston McCallister was undeniably a handsome man with attractive features that she imagined could make anyone’s heart skip a beat. His piercing blue eyes were like magnets that drew people in, and his lean and toned physique was a testament to his commitment to fitness. His strong jawline was sharp and defined, giving him a rugged appearance. But it was his signature smirk that Rosle had noticed a few times that genuinely exuded confidence, making him all the more compelling to watch. He was confident in his choices while all the time remaining calm in most situations. She had also noticed that his hair was always perfectly styled, with a classic yet modern look that complemented his overall charm and charisma. Whether dressed in his uniform or a casual outfit, the captain always looked effortlessly cool, leaving a lasting impression on anyone he encountered. However, behind his eyes, Rosle noticed the impact of the ship’s drastic change in orders on him. It appeared to be a heavyweight that he carried on his shoulders. But, of course, he wasn’t the only one who was like that.

Commander Max Duncan, the first officer, possessed striking good looks, characterised by chiselled features that included a strong jawline and well-defined cheekbones. Like the captain, she noticed his blue eyes added to his already handsome appearance. He kept his hair well-groomed in a short style, enhancing his clean-cut and dapper look. The commander radiated confidence and charm. Rosle had discovered only a few days ago he was married to the ship’s master chief, Tobias Court, and the two had sons as well. Like the captain, their sons had also been sent away from the ship. Fatherhood appeared to be important to both the captain and commander. 

Rosle felt sorry for them.

“Good evening, everyone; please take your seats,” McCallister confidently said as he took his chair at the head of the table. “What I am about to share with you all is highly confidential.” 

As they all took their seats, Rosle noticed the mood and atmosphere in the room change among the senior staff. Shoulders stiffened, and focus on the captain was now paramount. The tension was palpable. Fleet Captain James McCallister took a deep breath before beginning his briefing. He knew the information he was about to disclose was confidential, and the fate of the Federation was at stake. “The Dominion fleet, thought to have been removed from existence in the Bajoran Wormhole by the Prophets during the Dominion War, has resurfaced and successfully invaded the Deneb Sector.”

A collective gasp filled the room, and Lieutenant Commander Tomaz was the first to speak up, questioning the accuracy of the information. “Captain, are you sure this is not a hoax? How can we be sure that the Dominion fleet is back?”

McCallister looked at him firmly, “Quantum scans have confirmed that the Dominion ships are from the year twenty-three-seventy-four.” He pushed a button out, and the holographic displays of various sensor scans and recordings appeared before everyone, hovering above the long table. “The ship that the Themis engaged the other day was not a relic that the Breen have kept in storage, it was the real thing, and they are not the only ones to confirm this. Other engagements point to the evidence they are the Lost Fleet.”

The news was alarming, and the implications were staggering. The senior staff fell silent, struggling to comprehend the severity of the situation. Rosle shared similar thoughts and feelings. She had never served in the Dominion War; she had only learnt about it from the Academy. 

Lieutenant Commander Craigen Flemen questioned the discrepancy in the news reports, “Why hasn’t Command informed the public about this?”

Fleet Captain McCallister explained that Starfleet Command had deemed the information too sensitive to release to the public. So instead, they and the Federation News Service had reported it as a minor border skirmish with the Breen Confederacy to avoid causing widespread panic. 

Flemen was taken aback, “But the public has the right to know about this, Captain.”

Doctor Slyvexs was visibly concerned and asked for guidance on how to proceed. “What do we do now, Captain? What are our orders?” Rosle had wondered if she had served during the war, so she knew what the Dominion were capable of first-hand.

Fleet Captain McCallister responded with conviction, “Our orders are clear. We must engage the Dominion fleet and defend Federation space at all costs. Those orders come directly from Fleet Admiral Ramar himself. However, it is crucial that we keep the details of this mission classified. We cannot risk causing widespread fear or panic. We are to proceed to Starbase Five One Four to assist them with their defences. The rest of the squadron will be joining us.”

“Is the admiral preparing a counter-offensive, sir?” Commander Banfield asked. 

Rosle had looked at the ship’s second and chief science officers. Commander Corella Banfield was a remarkable and impressive woman. Like the captain, the half-Klingon-half-Human commander was confident in the position she possessed. Yet, she had an air about her that promoted her resilience and devotion to Starfleet. 

“I believe so, but for now, we are taking a defensive posture to hold the line while we assess the enemy forces,” McCallister replied.

“How are other governments responding to all of this?” Flemen asked. 

Rosle had yet to meet Flemen until today. She knew he was the squadron’s chief diplomatic officer and staff judge advocate officer. Relatively young, like her, from what she had heard, he had a playful and fun-loving nature that made him popular among the crew of the Odyssey. She also knew he was on the fast track to command. From what she saw of him in this meeting, she could tell he took his duties seriously. 

Duncan answered the question. “Conversations are being planned to be taken with representatives from the Klingon Empire and the Cardassian Union.” He paused as he looked at McCallister, who just nodded. “We can also confirm that elements of the Breen military are supporting the Lost Fleet as well.”

“Those sons of bitches,” mumbled Lieutenant Commander Tierra. 

The outburst from the ship’s chief engineer was surprising for Rosle but not unexpected. Rosle had met with Tierra and started getting to know the Deltan woman. She knew she had served in Starfleet during the Dominion War, so it was no surprise that she felt that way towards the Breen.

“You took the words right out of my mouth, Tierra,” McCallister said as he leaned forward. “We need to ensure this ship and our squadron is ready for anything they throw at us.” He looked at his security and tactical chief. “Keli, I want you to schedule a series of battle drills for each shift while we travel to the starbase.”

Keli nodded at first. “Sir, if we are now on a war footing, then Starfleet protocols expect that all officers are issued with side arms. I recommend we also go to a shipwide level three security alert.”

“Make it happen,” McCallister agreed. He turned to others in the room, having them all prepare the ship and squadron for battle. Finally, the captain looked at Rosle.

“Lieutenant Commander Rosle, I appreciate this is your first briefing with us, but it goes without saying your fighters will now come into play. Make sure they are all ready.”

Rosle nodded. “Of course, captain.”

The senior staff fell silent once again, grappling with the enormity of what they had just been told. The task ahead was daunting, but they were all committed to doing their part in safeguarding the Federation. They knew that the fate of the Federation rested on their shoulders, and they would do everything in their power to ensure its safety.

McCallister stood up. “If and when we engage the Dominion forces, I know each and every one of you will do their best. So let’s make this happen.” He stood up, tugged on his jacket and opened a shipwide intercom. “All hands,” He paused before he spoke the words that would change everything for good, “Battlestations!” 

Automatically the red alert klaxon went off, and the crimson flashing lights filled the ship. 

The senior staff were dismissed by their commanding officer. Rosle caught Gray’s eye, who gave her a simple expression showing his lack of keenness with the revelations the captain had shared. She copied them. Rosle pushed her chair back, using the table to assist her getting up, and looked directly at the model of the Galaxy-class Odyssey. She closed her eyes for a moment and hoped that they wouldn’t end up being rammed like them by a Jem’Hadar fighter. She would do whatever it took to defend the ship and her new crewmates. 

This was it. The Dominion had returned.

Lieutenant Corella Banfield and her dear friend Commander Andrahl began their voyage to Starbase 212, hoping to celebrate her father’s retirement from Starfleet. Their journey was meant to be peaceful and enjoyable, especially as it had been over a month since the end of the Dominion War. Both women had known each other for a long time; they had served side-by-side during the horrendous conflict on board the Nebula-class starship, USS Merrimac. Andrahl was the first officer, while Banfield was the chief science officer. This break from everyday duties seemed like a good idea, especially as the Merrimac underwent a massive refit at the Beta Antares Shipyards. Andrahl encouraged Banfield to take it as she had not seen her father throughout the war. 

Sipping on a raktajino, Banfield looked down at the runabout’s flight controls to check the auto-pilot. Everything seemed fine. She turned to Andrahl, who was lying back in her chair, deep into her reading. 

“Whatcha reading?” She asked. 

Holding the PADD up, the Bolian commander, who was not wearing a uniform (just like Banfield), showed her the novel’s front cover she was so engrossed with. “It’s another book in the Vulcan Love Slave series. I’m obsessed.”  

Banfield chuckled at her friend’s choice of reading material. “Give me Klingon opera any day.”

Andrahl giggled. “You would say that, Corella, as you didn’t finish that copy of The Never Ending Sacrifice I gave you a month ago.”

“Urgh, Cardassian literature, no thanks,” Banfield said almost disgustingly.  

“That’s not very Starfleet of you, lieutenant.” Andrahl countered.

“I know they helped in the end, but still, I don’t have to read what my enemies wrote just to understand why they were obsessed with serving their state,” Banfield retorted before the ship shook severely. 

A powerful blast of tachyons hit their runabout, leaving them dazed and confused as they realised they were hurtling towards a temporal anomaly. Andrahl tried to take control of the situation, but it was too late. As soon as they escaped from the anomaly, the two women attempted to determine where and when they were. However, their runabout was severely damaged, forcing them to abandon it. They quickly donned their EVA suits and ordered the computer to transport them as far away from the runabout as possible while simultaneously launching the distress call buoy. Unfortunately, as soon as they materialised, they watched it explode in the distance. Banfield was left feeling devastated and hopeless. Everything she had worked hard for and held dear was lost in a matter of seconds, and now, she was facing an indefinite future.

Andrahl tried comforting her, placing his hand on her shoulder, saying, “We’ll find a way out of this. We’ll make it back home.”

Banfield nodded, but she knew their chances were slim. “How? We don’t even know where we are.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Andrahl replied, trying to sound optimistic.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the crew of the Excelsior-class USS Berlin found them. The crew was kind and accommodating, but Banfield couldn’t shake off the feeling of displacement. To her amazement, she discovered they had somehow time-travelled ten years into the past. The realisation was shocking. They knew the Temporal Prime Directive prevented them from doing or saying anything. One thought went through both minds: Do they alert Starfleet to the upcoming Borg attack at Wolf 359 or the devastating Dominion War? 

Life aboard the USS Berlin was comfortable, but Corella still longed to return home to her time zone. She spent countless hours analysing data and running simulations, hoping to find a way back to their time. Andrahl was her constant companion, offering moral support through it all. Together, they worked relentlessly to unravel the mystery of the anomaly. Eventually, they were debriefed by the Department of Temporal Investigations, and their attempts to return were stopped. Unfortunately, they were unable to return to their own time. Forced to admit defeat, both women were given limited work. 

Corella felt a deep sense of sadness. “I can’t believe we’re stuck in the past,” she said to Andrahl after their debriefing. 

Andrahl tried to lift her spirits with a smile. “We’ll make the best of it. Who knows what kind of adventures we’ll have in this new timeline?”

Corella managed a weak smile, but deep down, she knew their future was uncertain. They might have been stuck in the past together, but it was a bleak and desperate situation.

USS Odyssey (NCC-80000), en route to Starbase 514, Deneb Sector, Alpha Quadrant

Stardate: 78194

Commander Corella Banfield sat alone at a table in the Odyssey’s crew lounge, sipping on a Klingon martini. She gazed at the stars as they warped by the ship, lost in thought. She couldn’t help but think back to the time travelling incident which made her live out the Dominion War twice.

It was a harrowing experience, to say the least. The first time around, she had been a fresh-faced officer, eager to do her duty and protect the Federation from its enemies. The second time, she was a battle-hardened veteran, scarred by the horrors she had seen and the losses she had suffered. Nevertheless, her Klingon side gave her the confidence to endure. It was probably why she agreed to take a commission in the Klingon Defence Force the second time around and fought the Dominion on board a Klingon warship. 

As she sipped her drink, Banfield couldn’t help but wonder if she had made the right decisions during the war. Had she done enough to protect her crew and her ship? Had she done enough to honour the memory of those who had fallen in battle?

She was momentarily lost in thought, staring out at the stars as they whizzed by. But then she shook her head as if to clear it of the doubts and worries that plagued her.

She was a Starfleet officer, after all. Duty and honour were her watchwords. And regardless of the mistakes she may have made, she knew that she had done everything she could to protect the Federation and its citizens. Now she would do the same again. Though saddened by not having her husband with her or their children, she knew that this time around, she wouldn’t allow any time-displaced Jem’Hadar to wreck what so many had given up for. 

With a rekindled sense of intent, Banfield raised her glass in a silent toast to her fallen comrades. And then, with a deep breath, she turned her gaze back to the stars, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Lieutenant Commanders Tomaz and Craigen Flemen were indulging in an exhilarating game of velocity on the holodeck. The atmosphere was charged with competitiveness as the two close friends expertly manoeuvred past the fast-moving disc while simultaneously firing their phasers to score points. Tomaz and Flemen were fully geared up for their rigorous workout session, clad in their top-of-the-line gym outfits that accentuated their muscular physiques. Tomaz wore a sleek black sleeveless shirt that hugged his biceps and matching shorts that showcased his toned legs. Flemen opted for a vibrant blue tank top outlining his chiselled chest and pure white shorts highlighting his well-defined quads. As the fast-paced game of velocity ensued, the intensity of the workout caused the two men to break a sweat, resulting in their clothes clinging to their bodies and revealing the outlines of their rippling muscles. Their faces and hair shone with sweat too. Yet, despite how hard they were playing, they remained steadfast in their commitment to the game, displaying unwavering determination and a laser-focused concentration that was truly admirable.

“Come on, Tomaz, give it your best shot!” exclaimed Flemen as he skillfully hit the disc with his phaser, adding yet another point to his score. 

Tomaz chuckled and replied, “I’m trying my best, but you’re just too good at this!” Despite the friendly banter, their spirits were high, and they both played on, determined to outdo each other. Finally, after a few minutes, Tomaz managed to knock the disc off course, causing it to fly past Flemen. “Ha! Gotcha!” Tomaz declared triumphantly. The disc bounced off the side of the hologrid before smacking into Craigen’s side.

“Full impact. Third round to Tomaz.” The computer announced.

Flemen laughed and retorted as Tomaz offered him a helping hand to stand up, “Alright, alright, you win this round. But it’s not over yet!” He grabbed his friend’s damp hand as he got up. 

Slowly they made their way over to the bench and dropped their phasers before grabbing their water bottles. Tomaz slumped down on the bench as he placed his towel over the back of his neck and drank his water. Noticing how quiet Tomaz appeared, more so than usual, Flemen poked his friend for the reasons.

“So, how are you doing?”

Tomaz looked up as he pulled his bottle away from his lips, his blue eyes sparkling as the ceiling lights hit them. “What do you mean, Craigen?” He responded before wiping his face with his towel. 

“I mean exactly that; how are you doing?” Flemen pressed as he sat down next to his friend.

Tomaz knew what his friend was referring to and leaned back against the wall. It was a welcoming cool touch to his already clammy back. “You mean, am I missing your godson? Then I think you know the answer to that, Craigen.”

“I’m missing the little guy too,” Flemen said, trying to show his support for his friend. “But, I promise my folks will take great care of him.”

“I know they will,” Tomaz said, looking at Flemen. “I genuinely appreciate them taking him in at such short notice.”

“It just sucks every civilian was taken off the ship,” Flemen said, knowing how much he and Tomaz had discussed that matter in the last few weeks. 

“Hopefully, S’Tem is enjoying staying in my room, playing with my old toys and climbing the huge trees in my parent’s back garden.”

“It just sucks; he’s meant to be with me here on the Odyssey, but-” Tomaz paused as he realised how much of a whining baby he sounded. “I’m sorry, Craigen, it’s just this whole situation isn’t what I was expecting.”

“None of us did, Tomaz,” Flemen agreed. “However, think of it this way. We’re about to take this ship into battle. Do you really want S’Tem on the ship if the Jem’Hadar or Breen board her?”

“No,” He admitted.

“Then he is in a safe place right now,” Flemen stated with confidence. “How did your folks take it when you told them where he was?”

“Dad understood it, my mother not so,” Tomaz said with a heavy sigh. “She’ll get over it.” He waved that idea off. He had always had a rocky relationship with his parents, so he didn’t appear too fussed about it. 

“Another round, then?” Flemen offered, picking up his phaser before swigging back another lot of water. 

“Sure, but we can’t be up all night; we’ve got that briefing with the captains in the morning,” Tomaz said.

Gently smacking his friend’s shoulder, encouraging him to get up, Flemen rose from the bench and teased Tomaz further, telling him that this match would be his, and he would have to live with that shame. 

“Computer. One more game.” Tomaz offered as he got to his feet and readied himself for the disc to appear so he could get the opening salvo on it.

The meticulous Doctor Slyvexs had finally completed the crucial task of performing blood screens on every crew member in Odyssey’s sickbay. She had been acutely aware of the responsibility that rested on her shoulders, as the health and well-being of everyone on board depended on her thoroughness and accuracy. She was also aware that discovering a changeling spy amongst their ranks wasn’t something she was keen on finding. Nevertheless, she wasn’t prepared to allow such a breach to occur under her watch. As she was packing up her equipment, she was approached by Lieutenant Keli, the ship’s chief security and tactical officer.

With a sense of pride, she informed Doctor Slyvexs that the last of the updates to the sickbay’s security systems were now complete. She had overseen the installation of state-of-the-art phaser sweeps and internal imaging chambers for everyone to utilise. Her primary objective was to ensure that no changelings had infiltrated the crew and were posing as their colleagues.

Doctor Slyvexs nodded in approval, deeply appreciative of Keli’s unwavering dedication to the safety of the ship and its crew. She knew full well the dangers they faced in the vast expanse of deep space and therefore understood the importance of such strict security measures, especially during times of war.

“Thank you for informing me, Lieutenant,” she said with a respectful nod. “Your tireless efforts to keep us all safe do not go unnoticed.”

Keli humbly reciprocated her gesture of gratitude, acknowledging that the crew’s well-being was a collaborative effort. “It is our duty to protect and serve,” she replied reassuringly. Then, intrigued to ask the doctor something that had gone through her own mind, Keli’s eyes were wide with curiosity as she leaned forward to ask about Slyvexs experience during the Dominion War. “You’ve mentioned before, doctor, that you were originally on the Venture during the war. What was it like, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Slyvexs hesitated at first, the memories of the war flooding back to her. They had been at the forefront of her mind since the briefing where Fleet Captain McCallister had told them about the sudden appearance of the Dominion’s lost fleet. But when she saw the genuine interest and respect in Keli’s eyes, she knew she had to share her story. “It was… intense,” she said, her voice low and measured. “There were times when it felt like we were fighting a losing battle, but we never gave up.”

Keli listened with rapt attention as Slyvexs described the pandemonium and devastation that she had witnessed on a daily basis. Slyvexs recounted the terror of being under constant attack, the heartbreak of losing fellow crew members, and the physical and emotional toll it took on her. “It must have been so difficult,” Keli said softly, her heart filled with empathy.

“It was,” Slyvexs agreed. “But there were moments of camaraderie and courage that made it all worthwhile. My fellow crew members were like family to me. We fought together, laughed together, and cried together.”

Slyvexs described some of the war’s most harrowing moments, like when the USS Venture was ambushed by Jem’Hadar fighters. They had to fight their way out during the battle to recapture Deep Space Nine or when an away team she was a part of was stranded on a planet and had to find a way to survive until they could be rescued. Keli couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and gratitude for Slyvexs and her sacrifices during the war.

“Thank you for sharing your story with me,” Keli said sincerely. “It’s important to remember what the Federation went through.”

Slyvexs smiled a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I agree,” she said. “By the end of the war, I took a long break from Starfleet. I returned to Denobula and spent time with my family. They’re why I kept fighting and doing what I’m doing today.”

Keli nodded, feeling a newfound respect and admiration for the brave men and women who had fought in the Dominion War. “Thank you for your service,” she said quietly, her voice filled with emotion.

Slyvexs nodded back. 

As Keli left the room, she couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of appreciation for the sacrifices that Slyvexs and so many others had made to protect their way of life. At the same time, she wondered just how many sacrifices they would encounter as they prepared to engage the Dominion. 

In his ready room, Fleet Captain McCallister was fully immersed in a conversation with his son, Cadet Alfie McCallister. “Listen, Alf, I know this change in scenery was unexpected, but try and see the positives here.” McCallister was trying his best to sound upbeat; whether or not he conveyed that to his son was another thing. Though he was pleased to hear that Alfie had arrived safely on Mellstoxx III. The entire cadet unit assigned to the Odyssey and its squadron had left a few weeks ago and were at safe shores far from the conflict that was now brewing in the Deneb sector. 

Alfie’s face lit up on the screen with a smile as he replied, “Dad, I get it, I do, and with this Breen issue, I know you need to be focused and not worrying about me, Henri or Theo.”

McCallister nodded, not wanting to correct his son, as he didn’t have the clearance to know that the Breen border incursion was a full-blown Dominion invasion. Alfie was right, though. By having Alfie safely at Mellstoxx and Henri and Theo back on Earth, they were far away from the danger.  

“I spoke with Henri earlier today; I think he and Theo will keep your grandparents on their toes while they visit them,” McCallister shared, changing the topic quickly, but the mention of his two other sons not with him was hard to keep in and not show his displeasure.

Alfie chuckled. “In other words, they’re running grandma around the bend already,” He paused, noticing his father’s expression at missing them with him on the Odyssey. “Dad, look at it this way. All three of us are on a long vacation while you work.”

McCallister rolled his eyes and smiled. “That’s one spin on it, Alf. Anyway, tell me about campus life. Have you got to share a dorm with anyone?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a small room with Jordan, but it’s okay. We can see out onto the quad from here. We met a few fourth-year cadets, one of whom is Counsellor Horin’s nephew. His planning a welcome party for all of us later.”

Alarmed at hearing that, McCallister stiffened up his shoulders. “Just make sure you avoid drinking any bloodwine, cadet.”

His son chuckled a bit more, but Commander Max Duncan suddenly interrupted their discussion. His voice appeared over the intercom and was urgent, “Captain, I’m sorry to interrupt, but we just received a distress call from the Federation colony on Divinium Four. They’re under attack.”

McCallister’s heart sank as he heard the news. But then, he asked, “How bad is it?”

“Pretty bad, sir. They’re in desperate need of backup as their planetary defence systems may not repel the entire assault,” Duncan responded.

Without hesitation, McCallister gave orders, “Set course for Divinum Four at maximum warp. We need to get there as quickly as possible.”

As Duncan closed the channel to relay the orders, McCallister turned to Alfie. “Son, I have to go. Duty calls.”

“I understand, Dad. Be safe,” Alfie said, giving his father a warm smile before ending the call.

As McCallister got out of his chair to prepare to lead his crew into battle, he couldn’t help but ponder the sacrifices that Starfleet officers often had to make in service to the Federation, particularly with his son in mind. Then, leaving his ready room, he entered the bridge. He adjusted his jacket with a simple tug, ensuring his phaser was nearby on his hip. 

“Course laid in, sir,” Lieutenant Marova announced at the helm. 

Lieutenant Commander Lukiz Jen turned around in his chair. “Starbase Five-One-Four has been informed that we are altering course, sir.”

“Excellent, thank you, Lukiz,” McCallister said as he took his place in the centre chair. “Marova, engage!”

Commander Max Duncan sat in his quarters, surrounded by reports from across the USS Odyssey. Within the personal confines of his study, he was trying to do what he usually did when the ship wasn’t on a war footing. Duncan didn’t have his standard duty uniform jacket on. Instead, he was sitting wearing just his undershirt. He sipped on his tea, enjoying the peace and quiet. Then, suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, and he turned to see his husband, Master Chief Petty Officer Tobias Court, standing behind him.

“Hey, babe,” Court said, pressing a kiss to Duncan’s cheek. “What are you doing here?”

“Just catching up on some paperwork,” Duncan replied, smiling at his husband’s unexpected appearance. “What brings you by?”

“I heard from William,” Court said, referring to their teenage son. “He made it safely to Earth and is settling in with my parents. I thought you’d like to know.”

Duncan breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness,” he said. “I was worried about him.”

Court could tell that his husband was still a bit tense, so he decided to distract him. He leaned in and began to kiss Duncan’s neck, trailing his lips down to his collarbone.

Duncan groaned softly, his body responding to his husband’s touch. “You’re going to make me forget about all this paperwork,” he murmured.

“That’s the idea,” Court said, grinning. He pressed his lips to Duncan’s, and their kiss intensified. For a few moments, they lost themselves in each other; their bodies pressed close together. Duncan rushed his fingers tips through Court’s dark hair while Court pushed his husband against one of the bookshelves. Their sudden bump knocked a few books and items from their usual places. Ignoring the tumbling objects, they continued their kissing.

Duncan was trying to pull Court’s jacket off him while still trying to kiss him. Noticing what his husband was trying to do, Court quickly yanked his jacket off and threw it to the floor within two seconds. 

But then, they both remembered the briefing about the Divinium colony that was coming up soon. So they reluctantly pulled apart, their breathing heavy.

“We should probably get going,” Duncan said, his cheeks flushed as he leaned his forehead against Court’s.

Court nodded, his eyes still dark with desire. “Yeah, we don’t want to be late for that,” he said. “But we’ll have to continue this later.”

Duncan smiled, feeling a warmth spread through his body. “Definitely,” he said. “I love you, Tobias Finlay Duncan-Court.”

“I love you too, Maxwell Jack Duncan-Court,” Court replied, quickly kissing his husband one more time before they headed out the door, hand in hand.

The senior staff of the USS Odyssey had gathered in the aft section of the bridge, just in front of the MSD and the Mission Ops stations. Lieutenant Commander Tomaz was leading the briefing as holographic models of the Divinium star system were displayed in the centre of the room. As he spoke, everyone listened intently. 

“I have to say, I don’t see any strategic value in this colony,” Tomaz began. “It’s a standard colony on an M-class world with just under one billion lives. Most of the population is Betazoid, while others include Humans, Bolians, Bajorans and Caitians. The colony is peaceful, with no signs of conflicts or disputes with any nearby powers.” Tomaz pressed a button to move the holograms onto the next section he wanted to show them. The actual world where the colony resided came into view while a high amount of dots all appeared around the planet and its four moons. “Apart from a sophisticated defence network and a Presidium-class station in orbit, I don’t see what would have interested the Dominion in attacking the Divinium system.” 

“What’s the colony’s largest export?” Flemen asked as he stood beside his friend.

Tomaz turned to answer. “Mainly agriculture, but they have a few mines along their seabeds and within the moons. However, nothing you wouldn’t find elsewhere. There’s no dilithium or any other rare material that would tempt the Dominion.”

Slyvexs stepped forward. “You mentioned agriculture is their biggest export? Could there be something that could help them create ketracel white?”

“What do you mean?” Tomaz asked the Denobulan doctor. 

“Slyvexs has a point,” Banfield said in support. The Human/Klingon science officer had a PADD in her hands. “I read somewhere about one of the active ingredients in ketracel white being found on a Federation world during the war.”

“Yridium bicantizine,” Slyvexs stated as she crossed her arms against her chest. “Not many worlds in the Alpha Quadrant could create it, apart from the Son’a; I don’t think the Dominion had much success in making it naturally on this side of the Bajoran Wormhole.”

Banfield nodded in agreement with Slyvexs as she searched her PADD. “Yes, you’re right, doctor.”

“Tri-nucleic fungi,” Flemen announced.

“Come again, Craigen?” Tierra asked from the opposite side to him. The Deltan chief engineer was confused by his random outburst, just as much as everyone else was.

 “During my training at the academy, I remember reading the peace treaty the Dominion offered the Federation shortly after Starfleet retook back Deep Space Nine, but it was rejected. One of the concessions the Federation would have to give up was a world with tri-nucleic fungi.”

“Yes, Craigen, you’re right!” Slyvexs said, sounding really pleased that the diplomatic officer remembered that fact. “If you broke the fungi down, you can produce yridium bicantizine.”

“So, does the planet grow Jem’Hadar-friendly mushrooms?” Counsellor Horin asked. The pregnant Betazoid woman was sitting on one of the chairs while everyone else was standing. 

Her question prompted Tomaz to check his records while a few laughed at her joke. He quickly looked through everything he had before he shook his head. “I can’t see any mention of anything that could do what you are all saying, but we should run more detailed scans of the system to be certain.”

“We could send out probes to help speed up the process,” Banfield advised. 

Keli then cleared her throat and pointed to the orbital weapon platforms. “If I’m not wrong, those are state-of-the-art platforms.”

“You’re right, Keli,” Tomaz confirmed. “They’re all armed pulse phaser cannons, quantum torpedoes and regenerative shielding. In addition, the colony has planetary shielding and several phased ion cannons in key strategic locations.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of firepower for a planet that isn’t meant to have any strategic value,” Lieutenant Marova commented. “How comes their armed to the teeth?”

“It’s the post-war planetary defence bill,” Flemen replied before elaborating further. “The Federation Council passed a massive infrastructure bill sometime after the war that required Starfleet to upgrade almost every planet’s defence systems. The Federation didn’t want to repeat what happened when member worlds were viciously scared because their planetary defence networks were antiquated.”

“Like Betazed,” Horin said solemnly.

“Indeed,” Flemen nodded. “It’s also why the Attack on Mars caused so much damage. The systems the Synths used against the planet were the best of the best.”

“Is there anything else we should know?” Jen asked as he grasped both hands behind his back. 

Tomaz shook his head at the joined Trill officer. “Nothing of importance; as I said, it’s pretty much a standard system that was colonised almost a century ago.”

Lieutenant Commander Rosle cleared her throat. “So, what is our plan as we enter the system?”

Everyone went silent as they turned to Fleet Captain McCallister. He had remained almost silent since the briefing had started. “We’ll drop out of warp on the system’s edge and begin a sensor sweep to determine if there are any remaining Dominion forces. The squadron will remain close together.” He looked at Rosle, “I want all starfighters launched, ready to fight whatever is there. We’ll separate the Odyssey and Themis too.”

“Strength in numbers,” Court remarked from behind McCallister.

McCallister nodded to the master chief. “Yes, something like that. I’ll command the chevron section with Tomaz acting as my first officer; Max, you’ll have the stardrive with Craigen, while Corella will command the Telemachus with Louwanna.”

All six commanders nodded in understanding their orders.

“If we do engage any enemy vessels, then I want to see if we can force them to chase us within the network of orbital weapon platforms.” McCallister pointed to the grid, showing the platforms connected with one another. “Hopefully, they’ll be operational to help us.”

“If not, we have their access codes,” Tomaz shared.

“We secure the system and determine the status of the colony,” McCallister stated. “Slyvexs, your priority will be to assess their health care system and ensure the colony has the support it needs for those injured. Use every medical personnel onboard every ship in the squadron.”

“Aye, sir. We’ve already got our medical wards ready for mass trauma operations.” Slyvexs confirmed.

“Reuben, the talents of the Corps of Engineers will most likely come into need. I want your people using our shuttles and transporters to respond to those areas of the colony that require our help. The top priority is planet-side defence and power systems. Make sure you liaise with their emergency response teams.” 

The former Borg drone had also remained quiet during the briefing. Lieutenant Commander Gray just nodded before speaking up. “We’re ready, sir.”

“Tierra, we don’t know what state Divinum Station will be,” McCallister said as he pointed to the Presidium-class starbase. “I want your teams ready to go over and provide repair teams.”

“Understood, captain.” Tierra acknowledged. 

McCallister looked over to Keli. “Lieutenant, we’ll need to ensure that no Jem’Hadar troops have landed on the planet. If we do, I want the Hazards team ready to deploy to begin hunting them down.”

“They’ll be ready, sir,” She replied. “What about securing key locations on the planet?”

“Have security teams ready to deploy if the colony’s governor requests it,” McCallister answered. He looked behind his right shoulder at Court. “Tobias, you’re going to be my liaison officer with everyone in the squadron. I want you overseeing everything so I know what is going on.”

“Consider me all over the squadron,” Court said with a smile.

“He’s good at being spread everywhere,” Duncan added with a cheeky wink.

That broke the tension in the room, and even McCallister chuckled at that tongue-in-cheek comment made by his first officer. Then, he looked over to Jen. “Lukiz, I want you to work with the other operations officers in the squadron to ensure whatever supplies the colony needs are ready to be shared.”

Jen nodded. “I’ll ensure our industrial replicators are fully operational, and the food stores on the Themis are ready to share what we have.”

McCallister appreciated everyone’s efforts and contributions. “Let’s do this,” He said before dismissing them all.

Feeling very comfortable in her cockpit, Lieutenant Commander Rosle adjusted her flight suit one more time. Behind her sat her weapons and systems officer, Lieutenant (JG) Landon Davis. The two of them had flown together for almost a year; she trusted him, and he trusted her. Though a few years younger than her, Davis was quick and agile. The two of them had developed an excellent working partnership. He was a highly skilled officer with an exceptional track record of success. He was known for his dedication, attention to detail, and ability to work well under pressure. Looking over her shoulder, she caught him smiling at her.

“Ready, boss?” He asked. His piercing blue eyes winked at her.

Rosle chuckled. “Yeah, why not!” She said as she gestured for them both to put their helmets on.

Davis shook his strawberry blonde locks before pulling the helmet over him. The clicking noise indicated he was secure. The same was said for Rosle. She closed her eyes for a moment of quiet reflection. This was it. She would lead over twenty-four starfighters into their first battle against one of the Federation’s fiercest foes. She knew she had to focus on her training and use her skills to ensure the best possible outcome, but a mixture of nerves and determination sat on her chest. 

“Let’s do this, Landon,” She said after opening her eyes and bringing their fighter to life. As their starfighter came to life, they received clearance to depart from the Odyssey’s forward-facing shuttle bay; leading her pack, Rosle quickly pushed her controls forward as they passed from the hanger deck. 

Commander Corella Banfield felt cosy, seated in the centre seat of the USS Telemachus. The plush leather seat moulded to her body, providing a comfortable and supportive perch from which she could command the Aquarius-class ship. The controls were within easy reach, and the viewscreen displayed a wealth of information about the vessel’s status and surroundings. Odyssey’s second officer found it easy to feel a sense of power and responsibility when occupying this position, but also a thrill of adventure as she prepared for what awaited ahead of them. 

As a half-Klingon, she could not help but feel a thrill of excitement in her veins as she prepared herself for the upcoming battle against the Dominion. However, the human half of her was also filled with trepidation, knowing full well that the fight would be perilous and fraught with danger. How many of them would return alive, and how many would be entering Sto-vo-kor today? But despite her concerns for those she served with, she was determined to protect those she led and complete their mission no matter what. So she took a deep breath and focused on what they would find ahead of them.

Looking over to her right side, she saw her first officer, Commander Louwanna Horin. The heavily pregnant counsellor looked more comfortable in her seat as she took over at mission ops I. It was the regular station for the deputy leader of the Telemachus, and it was the best place for the counsellor to be situated for now. Her skill set was more dedicated to overseeing and liaising with what was happening during the upcoming battle instead of flying the ship or firing its weapons. 

“You ready, Louwanna?” Banfield called over.

Horin responded with a nod. “Absolutely,” She replied as she sat up straight. 

Banfield accepted the signal that they were going in. She looked over towards the combined ops and helm station before her. Then, looking to the ensign at the helm station, Banfield ordered them to tell the fleet captain they were good to go.

The battle bridge of the USS Odyssey was an impressive sight to behold. Though similar in design to the main bridge, it was smaller. With high-tech equipment that was heavily fortified, it was the heart of the ship’s stardrive operations when the Multi-Vector-Assault-Mode was activated. The walls were lined with several monitors and consoles, each manned by a highly trained crew member, usually a department’s head or their respective deputy. The lighting was dim, with the soft red glow of the lights casting an eerie and foreboding atmosphere throughout the room. 

Commander Max Duncan stepped out of the turbolift and led the battle bridge crew to their stations. Without a second thought, he sat in the captain’s chair and got himself comfortable. The holographic displays activated either side of him, showing him the status of the stardrive section. Sitting beside him, Flemen took on the role of his first officer in a natural way. It didn’t take long for Flemen to announce their section of the ship was ready.

This had been the first time in a very long time they had split the ship up and were taking it into battle, let alone as part of a coordinated assault with other Starfleet ships. As a result, Duncan wondered just how well the crew would respond. However, he had confidence in them; they had trained to do this many times. However, training and doing the real thing were two different things. Wishing that he had his husband beside him, Duncan shook that thought off. He had to focus on the task ahead. 

“All ships report ready, captain,” Master Chief Court announced from the left-hand side of Fleet Captain McCallister. “Furthermore, our sections are ready for Multi-Vector-Assault-Mode.” 

McCallister nodded a couple of times in response. Then, eager to get things underway, he motioned for the order to be given for the squadron to drop out of warp as they entered the Divinum system. “Computer, engage the Multi-Vector-Assault-Mode, authorisation McCallister-Four-Seven-Alpha-Tango.” He glanced over to Tomaz, waiting for his acting first officer to confirm his orders to the computer. 

Tomaz was ready for his commands. “Computer, confirm auto-separation sequence, Tomaz-Beta-Nine-Three-Foxtrot.”

“Initiating decoupling sequence.” The computer announced. “Autoseparation in ten seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.” There was a slight pause. “Separation sequence in progress.”

The goliath ship began to break apart as it remained at full impulse; first, the chevron section rose, followed by the Telemachus launching from behind the stardrive section. Besides, the Themis performed a similar movement with its saucer section separating from its secondary hull. 

“We’re” didn’t in attack formation.” Lieutenant Marova reported from the helm. 

“Just waiting for a target, sir,” Jen said from the operation console. 

McCallister took a deep breath in before exhaling. “Then let’s make our way in, ahead full impulse.” 

The Odyssey Squadron flew in tight formation. As it approached the Federation colony, the multiple starfighters launched from Odyssey and Themis. All of them took up a defensive posture near their motherships. 

It took several minutes to make their way through the system and make their final run towards their destination.

“I’ve got Divinium Four on sensors,” Marova announced. 

“On screen,” McCallister ordered as he rose from his chair, bracing himself to see a Dominion fleet engaging the colony’s defence networks in a fierce battle. But, instead, the image of the widescreen was the complete opposite. Nothing. Baffled by the image before him, McCallister turned to Tomaz for answers. “Tomaz, where’s our Dominion fleet?”

The Barzan chief strategic operations officer used the holographic interface that popped up from the first officer’s console to get answers for McCallister. “I’m not sure, sir.” He replied before making eye contact with McCallister. “There are no other vessels in the vicinity besides our own.”

Annoyed to hear that they may have been fooled, McCallister looked back at the image before him. “What about the colony and its defence grid?” 

“The defence grid appears to be operational,” Tomaz stated before he flicked the screen to see the sensor readings linked to the colony. He squinted at the readings and shook his head. “That can’t be right,” He said.

“What is it, Tomaz?” McCallister questioned.

Tomaz pushed the readings towards the main screen. “The colony is there, but I’m not seeing the population. No humanoid life signs are present, captain.”

“Over a billion people are meant to be down there,” Jen remarked. “How can they not be there?”

Tomaz shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t be certain from here.”

Marova looked up at her captain. “Shall we go in for a closer look, sir?”

McCallister considered the idea for a moment. “Standby, lieutenant,” He replied. “What about Devenium Four Station?”

Tomaz tapped at his controls again and changed the main screen to show a zoomed-up view of the Presidium-class station. It appeared intact. “Again, no life signs,” He reported. “However,” He paused. “That’s weird.”

“What is it?” Court asked.

“All of the access ports and emergency hatches are open. As a result, the vacuum of space currently operates within and around it,” Tomaz shared. He stopped looking at his readings. “Sir, something isn’t right here.”

“Agreed, and we need to know answers,” McCallister looked from Tomaz to Jen. “Lukiz, where did the distress call come from?”

“It originated from the Starfleet base in the colony’s capital of New Portsmouth,”  Jen said. 

A sudden beep went off at Tomaz’s station, and Barzan played with the controls before speaking up. “Sensors are detecting debris in low orbit of the planet.”

“Onscreen, commander,” McCallister ordered as he turned back to face the viewer.

Straight away, what they had prepared themselves for was finally before them—the debris of Dominion and Breen’s ship. 

“From the density of the debris field, I believe we are looking at the remains of four Dominion attack fighters and a Breen cruiser. They have been obliterated by a combined effort of pulse phaser fire, quantum torpedoes and phased ion blasts,” Toma announced. 

“At least we know the defence grid did its job,” Court remarked. “But surely that’s not the only ships it destroyed?”

“The answers are on that station and the colony,” McCallister said before returning to his seat. “Tobie, tell the rest of the squadron to remain in formation and to follow us in as we go into a high orbit.”

“Aye, sir,” Court responded.

McCallister was about to give out more orders when Jen interrupted him. “Captain, two of the nearest orbital platforms are coming alive and targeting us!”

“What?!” McCallister questioned, confused to hear that. “Send the shutdown signal at once, Lukiz.”

Jen nodded as he transmitted the prefix codes to shut down the weapon platforms. The viewscreen showed the large platforms coming to life. Their movement indicated their startup sequence as they adjusted their angles to come into a suitable targeting arc. Seconds later and Jen had found a way to disable them all. “All done, I’m trying to access the entire defence network to assume full authority, but we must get closer.”

“You heard him, Marova; take us in,” McCallister ordered.

“This is bizarre,” Tomaz said. He looked to McCallister. “Sir, I recommend we reintegrate both the Odyssey and Themis, just in case we encounter something that requires both ships to depend on a combined approach instead of a separated one.”

“I think you may be right, Tomaz,” McCallsiter admitted. “We’ll reconnect once we’re in orbit-” McCallister was interrupted by another signal going off. “What is it now?” He asked, sounding more frustrated with this puzzle before them.

“You’re not going to believe it, sir,” Tomaz shared, “But three Cardassian ships have just dropped out of warp on the edge of the star system.”

“Cardassian ships?” Marova repeated. “What are they doing here?”

“The Union was planning to send the Third Order to help us,” McCallister stated. “I didn’t think they would arrive so soon and come here to help.”

“We’re being hailed; a Gul Jacet is requesting permission to render aid.” Jen declared. He paused as he turned to look at his superior. “You don’t think it’s that, Gul Jacet?” 

Hearing that name, a name he hadn’t heard for some time (not since he commanded the Avenger), McCallister squinted his eyes and wondered what the hell was happening here. Then, snapping out of his brief lull, he issued orders for the ship to reintegrate, for Triton to investigate the station, and for the Bellerophon to head towards the Dominion-Breen debris field. At the same time, the Themis was to go with their fighter squadron to meet with their Cardassian guests. Finally, Odyssey would orbit the colony to determine what happened to the colonists.

McCallister wanted answers, and too many variables were not helping him find the clearing in the woods. Clenching his chair’s armrest, McCallister felt out of control for the first time in many days and hated it. What the hell happened to the colonists, and where was the rest of the Dominion attack force?  

Stepping into the Holographic Research Lab, Fleet Captain McCallister was impressed with the hub of busyness that was taking place. A smile crept across his face as he walked across the room towards the centre, where his chief engineer, chief operations officer and chief security and tactical officers stood. What was about to happen made him feel a level of nostalgia that he hadn’t sensed since he was the chief operations officer on board the USS Audacious (his first posting). A combined group of efforts across several departments were all working in tandem to put together an idea that their department leads had been experimenting with over the last few months. So when he asked for the best step forward to investigate the Federation colony, he was impressed with the response he got.

“Report,” McCallister asked as he stepped onto the raised platform where they were all standing, working on various holographic interfaces. 

Lieutenant Commander Jen stepped forward as the most senior officer on the project and the lead idea guy. His boyish excitement over what they were about to do was overfilling. McCallister was pleased for the joined Trill. Recently he (and others) had noticed how much Jen was more confident than usual. Horin had remarked to the captain privately she believed it was down to the romantic relationship that Jen was now in with the Triton’s first officer. If anyone deserved a bit of romance or happiness in their life right now, it was undoubtedly Lukiz Jen. The Trill man had gone through a lot, and finding someone to enjoy his life was a welcome reward. 

“We think we’re ready, sir,” Jen stated.

“Holographic interfaces are ready, and the photonic field generator is ready for transport, captain,” Tierra announced.

McCallister knew his Deltan chief engineer was itching just as much to test her new toy as much as Jen was. The two had been working double shifts to get the technical side of the project up and running. They had run many tests, and now this would be their first field test. He looked at Keli, “Lieutenant, where do we stand with securing the site?”

“A micro shield generator is attached to the photonic field generator, and Ensigns Indiago Everest, Caspain Noir, and Jazzlyn Velodrome are ready to beam down to the site too,” Keli said, indicating to the three Exocomps who were hovering near the field generator. “I think they’re more excited than Tierra and Lukiz.”

McCallister chuckled at that. Each day, Keli impressed him as she became more confident in her role as Chief Security & Tactical Officer. Since her mentor, Cline Lenjir, had departed the ship to take over similar duties on the Themis, she had initially wondered if she was suitable for the job. Now that was all behind her, and she led her department well. Without a doubt, McCallister was considering putting her forward to undertake the Advanced Tactical Training course. She would certainly benefit from it as much as they would. 

The captain looked at the Exocomps. “Are we sure they’re ready for this?” He was all for the use of synthetic sentiment lifeforms on the Odyssey. Several Exocomps had joined them last year at the start of their mission in the Delta Quadrant. Every single one of them was a valued member of his crew who contributed so productively. 

Keli nodded. “Jisaraa and I have put them through their training; they’re ready and have all of the latest Hazard Team protocols uploaded to their neural nets,” She paused as she turned to look at all three of them. “They’re more than ready to impress you, captain.”

Lieutenant (JG) Jisaraa walked over. She was wearing her standard Hazard Team gear but, over the top, wore an additional outfit. “What do you think of our new attire, captain?”

“Very fetching, lieutenant,” McCallister said with a smirk. As a holography and cybernetics student, he had been happy to endorse and encourage the project they had all been working on. Using Alpha Hazard Team as the guinea pigs for this trial was Jisaraa’s idea. The Orion woman was keen to develop her teams further, and this was undoubtedly taking their work to a whole new level. So I take it everyone in Alpha Team is ready to try the new holographic interface suits?”

The young lieutenant nodded. “We are. I hope this doesn’t end the team’s usage, though, sir?”

McCallister chuckled. “Hopefully not, but if this new technology works for us, then I am sure Starfleet may be interested in deploying it fleet-wide.”

At that point, Doctor Slyvexs walked in. “I take it I’ve not missed anything yet?”

Tierra gave the doctor a warm welcome smile, “We’re just about to start, doctor.”

Slyvexs stepped up to the platform and stood beside the captain. “I am pleased you agreed to try out this system, sir. There was something about those sensor scans that didn’t add up.” She whispered to McCallister and referred to the colony below. After conducting deep-level scans of the planet’s surface to determine if it was safe to beam down, there was something that neither Banfield nor Slyvexs could put their finger on that made them think there was something either wrong with the ecosystem or the atmosphere. A few anomalies appeared in their scans that needed a more delicate approach to their investigation. 

“I agree, Slyvexs,” McCallister said. “If the HAT system prevents us from placing any of our biological crew members in danger, then I am happy to deploy it now.”

“HAT system?” Slyvexs echoed.

“Holographic Away Team system,” Jen piped up to explain to the doctor. “We needed an acronym for the project.”

Slyvexs chuckled. “Makes sense,” She looked over at the readouts on the Hazard Team. They were all now standing in alcoves, each wearing their Holographic Interface Suits. “Life signs all appear stable,” Slyvexs confirmed. 

“Then let’s begin,” Tierra announced as she pressed the button activating the transporter that beamed down the generator, the three Exocomps and other equipment. “Transport complete, they’re on the surface. All systems report in the green.”

“Ensign Everest to Odyssey; the site is secure. We are not detecting other nearby lifeforms,” the Exocomp leader reported with his chirpy tones. Everest worked in the science division, Noir was in engineering, and Velodrome was assigned to sickbay. 

“Activating photonic field generator,” Jen announced. “Interface suits are linking to it now. Holographic avatars of Alpha Hazard Team are coming online…now!”

McCallister turned to look at the Hazard Team in their alcoves. A beam of white light slipped over them like a scanning beam. All of them were wearing virtual sensor display headsets while their interface suits came to life. “What’s it like, lieutenant?” He asked Jisaraa.

“It’s remarkable; it’s like we’re there.” She said with a confident smile. 

McCallister and Slyvexs congratulated the others for a good start. Slyvexs shook her head. “It’s incredible that we can combine such a wide range of technology to create something practical. This will certainly revolutionise away team safety in places that are deemed too hazardous for any biological matter. I love that a holographic avatar is created of them as if they’re really there.”

Tierra agreed with a nod. “Its application is unlimited as long as the field generator can operate in the environment and has a constant power source. Furthermore, Lukiz and I are looking at how we can create a holographic hazard away team. The principles will use similar programming in programs like the EMH and ECH, but more long-term.”

“Holographic and cybernetics has certainly come a long way, especially now the synth ban has been lifted,” Jen added. “However, don’t worry; we’re not expecting the Daystrom Prize for Holography. Yet.”

“Well, let’s not put Jisaraa and her team out of a job just yet,” McCallister remarked with a smirk.

“Oh, I totally agree,” Jen responded. “The experience of seasoned officers won’t compare to a brand holographic matrix; it will take time for them ever to be on par with Hazard Teams.”

“Captain, I think we’ve found something,” Jisaraa said from her alcove. She stood in the central one.

“Can we see what she’s seeing?” Slyvexs asked.

Jen nodded as he cloned the feed to her headset and showed it onto a holographic display. The screen blinked into existence, and the image of New Portsmouth, the colony’s capital city, appeared before them. The whole place was peaceful and quiet, calm and tranquil; there wasn’t a soul around. It certainly gave off ghost-town vibes. Jisaraa was looking down at what looked like a tree branch on the gravel. Her holographic avatar picked it up, and her tricorder started scanning it. The end appeared to have gone mouldy where the branch had broken off the tree. It was like an infection had begun to spread across the plant but had stopped when it fell off the tree. 

“Well, that’s not something I expected to see,” Slyvexs remarked.

“My scans aren’t detecting any infection,” Jisaraa reported.

Baffled by that, Slyvexs (and everyone else) could see that there should be something there. So the doctor took over and called on her Exocomp colleague. “Jazzlyn, conduct a deep tissue skin on that branch that Lieutenant Jissara is holding.”

“Standby, ma’am,” Velodrome chirped. 

A few seconds later, the scan results appeared beside the visual feed. Slyvexs read them, checked them once, then twice and then took a step back. Her expression was a mixture of dread, shock and amazement, all mixed.

“What is it, doctor?” McCallister asked her. No one else in the room had any mastery level of understanding of biology as she did. “What caused that?”

“I think I know what happened to the colonists,” She replied after a sudden gulp as she turned to look at her captain. “It’s a metagenic weapon.”

“Metagenics?” McCallister repeated and was confused by that statement. “How?”

“It can’t be a metagenic weapon; they’re designed to destroy all DNA within an ecosystem,” Jen remarked as he recalled his past hosts and their experiences. McCallister had wondered if it was Norvo Jen, the former Starfleet captain who had been a doctor before switching to the command track. 

Pushing the holographic display around, Slyvexs explained her findings. “It’s metagenics, Lukiz,” She pointed to one area. “Part of the branch’s DNA has been destroyed; that’s not mould on it; it’s the aftermath of a sophisticated metagenic weapon. But here,” She pointed to another part of the scan, “Shows that an antidote was released into the ecosystem.”

“Oh shit,” Jen said as he looked over the scans and concurred with the doctor. “We’ll have to run further tests, but this looks like the metagenic weapon has been designed to target specific humanoid chromosomes that make them different from other organic matter.”

“However, it can still target other non-humanoid DNA,” Slyvexs added. She turned to the captain. “Sir, if the Dominion fleet has access to such a weapon, then no Federation world is safe.”

McCallister sighed and crossed his arms against his chest. “As Lukiz said, oh shit,” He rubbed his face as he reflected on what that meant for them now and the fact that over a billion people had died because of a weapon of mass destruction. He knew the Dominion were ruthless; he had never experienced their brutality against a large civilian population, even during the war. However, this was a new level, or was it? “Why, though, release an antidote into the ecosystem afterwards?”

“Maybe our earlier theory of the Dominion wanting the planet for specific resources that are organically based might be correct?” Tierra offered. “Perhaps they wanted to remove the population but keep other lifeforms, like plants and bugs.”

“Furthermore, once released on an entire world, a metagenic weapon takes ages to finish its work and then be safe for anyone to visit afterwards,” Slyvexs explained. “If the Dominion wanted to return sooner, they couldn’t risk losing troops from something they released. A quick antidote released in the ecosystem helps them.”

McCallister considered what they needed to do next. “Slyvexs, if we were to set up a quarantine on the Telemachus and use the new holographic systems, could you conduct further tests on that branch to determine how to make the antidote yourself?”

Slyvexs nodded. “I believe so, sir, but we would need to consider a delivery system as well.”

“If we want it to be quick once released on a world, how about in our torpedoes?” Keli suggested. 

Slyvexs agreed with that idea. “It would be a rapid method of deployment.”

“Keli, get started on it,” McCallister ordered. 

“The torpedo launchers may have to be modified; I can deal with that,” Tierra added.

McCallister agreed with that idea, too, just as the intercom went off. 

“Duncan to McCallister,” spoke Commander Duncan.

McCallister replied by tapping his combadge. “Go ahead, Number One.”

“Sir, Captain Cambil is insisting on seeing you at once. She has something to share with us from our Cardassian guests,” Duncan announced.

“Tell her it will need to wait as I need to speak to Starfleet at once,” McCallister stated. He didn’t want to sideline his deputy commander, but he needed to brief the admiralty on their latest revelation. 

“Umm, sir, you’ll need to speak to her first. She has just told me that Gul Jacet has revealed some critical intelligence about those who attacked the colony and the belief they have access to a weapon of incredible power,” Duncan stated.

That caused McCallister to stop. He was now intrigued to hear what the Cardassians knew and how. The same reaction was plastered across everyone else’s face after hearing that. Finally, the captain relented and told Duncan to bring the captain aboard at once and was to meet with him immediately in his ready room.

“She’s not the only one who wants to meet with you, sir. Captain Canção and your brother want to share what they’ve found,” Duncan said. “Sir, I think they have some pieces to this puzzle which may help us see the entire picture of what has happened here.”

Placing his hands on his hips, McCallister told Duncan to scrap everything he had just said and to organise a massive meeting between the captains and the rest of the Odyssey’s senior staff that weren’t with him in the lab right now. “We’ve got to act fast here, Max.”

“Understood, sir. I’ll get the troops assembled at once. Duncan out.” 

McCallister turned to the others. “I’ll update you on what the others have shared; in the meantime, get going with your work.” 

All of the senior officers presented acknowledged their orders and moved off to get on with the task at hand. 

McCallister took one more step at the sensor scan. Metagenics, he thoughts to himself. How was he meant to fire an enemy that could kill millions in the space of a few seconds? 

For the first time in a manner of days, he was pleased they had no civilians on board the Odyssey or elsewhere in the squadron. They were far away from this danger that he knew he and the others would have to stop, whatever the cost.

“Over a billion dead, bordel de merde!” 

The holographic form of Rear Admiral Madeline Allard stood in the centre of Fleet Captain McCallister’s ready room. At the same time, the other captains in his squadron, along with Commanders Duncan and Banfield and Lieutenant Commander Tomaz, all sat or stood around the side of the room. The admiral’s profanity in her native language caught some of them off guard and the universal translator. 

James Preston McCallister wasn’t surprised by her reaction. He had said a lot worse in private after uncovering what they discovered. “I’m sorry, admiral, but we’ve been running sensor sweeps since arriving in the system. We can’t find any survivors anywhere.”

The commander of Farpoint Station crossed her arms against her chest and shook her head. “It’s madness, I tell you.” She said with a heavy sigh. “So, is this courtesy call, captain, where I hear whatever Fleet Admiral Ramar wants to do in my sector, or are you honestly asking me for operational direction here?” She looked around the room. “I can see you’ve got everyone assembled, so I’m thinking it’s the former.”

McCallister had been leaning on the edge of his desk with his arms crossed. “Actually, ma’am, it’s the latter.”

Allard appeared slightly surprised by that admission. “Trying to win some favour with the locals, captain?”

That caused the others in the room to smirk, making McCallister do the same thing. “Perhaps, ma’am, but the reason I’ve called you and submitted an update in writing to Fourth Fleet Command was simple: you know the region better than us, you know the people better than us; what do you want us to do here?”

The admiral gazed at McCallister for a little bit longer before responding. Her eyes squinted as she unfolded her arms and placed her hands on her hips. “Alright, captain, this is what I want from you. Find these bastards that did this and stop them at all costs.”

“Gul Jacet has offered to provide us with military support,” Cambil added to the conversation whether it would help tell the admiral that was another thing.  

“Then use him and his ships to your advantage,” Allard squinted at Cambil as she responded. Her snap at Cambil almost sounded like a teacher telling students to get on with their work and why they were bothering her with their nonsense. 

“And what about the Divinum system?” Captain Canção asked. The highly experienced and wise El-Aurian captain was standing close to McCallister. She was almost copying the admiral’s posture and by pressing the admiral for such matters, may have helped them. Nevertheless, she was expecting a similar remark back like Cambil had received. “The system isn’t fully secure yet, admiral. We just can’t leave it for anyone to take it?”

Allard gave out a sigh. “Do you honestly want me to answer that, captain?” She turned to McCallister. “You lead this squadron, Fleet Captain McCallister; how do you assess the security of the Divinum system?”

“Allowing the Dominion and Breen to take it is not an option, but with the station out of action and power not restored to the colony, it isn’t in a position to defend itself remotely,” McCallister replied. “We’ve got teams working on restoring what we can, but-”

“But what, captain?” Allard challenged McCallister. “From what I can see, you’ve got an entire Corps of Engineers assigned to the Odyssey, along with three other ships with full engineering departments. Use the resources you have under your command to achieve both objectives. Once the system is secure and you’ve got an idea where this Death Task Force is, then let me know. Otherwise, I’ll inform the rest of the sector of what you have discovered and alert all our assets to monitor theta-band emissions.” She looked around the room quickly and then back to McCallister, “And next time, captain, the audience can stay out of our calls. Allard out.” She punched a button out of view, and her holographic image disappeared within a fizz.  

 “Damn, and I thought Admiral Beckett could be tough,” Cambil said from where she was sat. 

Horatio McCallister chuckled and shook his head. “Beckett is a teddy bear once you get to know him,” He smirked and looked at his older brother, “However, Allard did just serve you your arse there, J-P.”

“Thanks, H,” James McCallister gave his brother a telling look, one saying he didn’t need him to tell him that. Everyone had seen it. He wasn’t annoyed with Horatio, but he didn’t need the remark or Horatio trying to be cute or funny there and then. “Tomaz, what’s the likelihood of us actually being able to fully secure the Divinum system in the quickest amount of time possible?”

“Honestly?” The Barzan chief strategic operations officer asked. “Days, probably a week.”

“In a week’s time, the Dominion could attack many other worlds close by with this weapon,” Banfield remarked. The half Klingon/half Human science officer was sitting on the sofa beside Tomaz. “Could we partially secure the system?”

Tomaz considered her suggestion for a moment. “If we pull our teams off from trying to restore the station, then we could get orbital weapon platforms and other planetary defences up and running within three days.”

“That’s still three days where the Dominion and Breen could strike somewhere else,” Duncan said, sitting in one of the armchairs. He had a PADD in his hand and then activated its contents to show the local map. “The nearest largest populated world near this system is Cait, along with other smaller settlements on several worlds dotted around.”

“I’m sure the Caitian government have deployed their planetary defences, and if the admiral gets through to them with our news, I’m sure they’ll be on the lookout for theta-band emissions now,” Cambil stated.

“Didn’t Beckett tell us only to trust the Fourth Fleet?” Horatio asked the group; his question was more aimed at the other captains in the room. “If so, the likes of Admiral Allard will probably do what she says, but to ensure Cait’s security, we should send a package of data to the Caitian defence forces. Call it an update to whatever the admiral tells them. Something we forgot to share with her?”

“Are you saying, just in case the admiral doesn’t tell them?” Duncan quizzed the captain. 

Horatio nodded. “It wouldn’t cause any harm, and the admiral, won’t look like a fool if we send them an update.”

“And if she doesn’t tell them?” Banfield checked.

“Then, we’ll be ensuring we save one of the Federation’s oldest members in the region,” Horatio replied. He looked to his brother for support which he got with a nod.

“Tomaz, organise such a briefing and transmit it on secure channels to everyone in the local vicinity,” James ordered. Then, he turned to look at his former first officer, “Bexa, you think Jacet can be trusted?”

“Trusted to hunt this Dominion squadron and deal with the threat they pose, yes,” Cambil said. She had briefed him and the others about her conversation with the Cardassian leader. Horatio shared that what Jacet had conveyed was true, that he had gotten his hands on the intelligence that Jacet had been holding on to. He had been sent into Cardassian territory based on rumours Starfleet Intelligence had heard to locate and get a copy of what Jacet had in his possession. Horatio was planning to call some of his old contacts in Starfleet Intelligence to get his hands on that information again to help them with their cause. 

“Then, you, me, Horatio and Rio are going with Jacet and his squadron of ships to find them while Max and the Odyssey remain here to finish securing the system,” James decided. “I’ll transfer my flagship of the squadron to one of the other ships.”

Duncan sat up straight then, “Sir, is it wise benching the Odyssey from the hunt?”

“We don’t have any other choice, Number One,” McCallister answered bluntly. “Time is a factor here, and we need to track these Dominion ships down sooner rather than later. If we’ve not succeeded by the time you’ve secured the system, you can join us.”

“Aye, sir,” Duncan said with a nod. He didn’t appear happy with the decision; regardless, he respected it and would follow it like the dutiful and loyal first officer he was to James Preston McCallister. 

The fleet captain looked at his brother. “Horatio, you said Ensign Jonarom modified your sensors to trace these theta-band emissions?”

“Yes, I did,” The other McCallister confirmed with a solid nod. “He was able to determine how they used one of the attack fighters to deliver the metagenic weapon and how the Breen ship was modified to release the antidote.”

“Have him liaise with the other science department heads in the squadron and Gul Jacet’s ships to modify their sensors, too,” Fleet Captain McCallister ordered. Then, he looked at Banfield and Tomaz, “I want you both to join me to develop quick win tactics in how we deal with the Dominion swiftly.”

It was clear why the fleet captain wanted Tomaz with him (he was the only chief strategic operations officer in the squadron, and it was his job to ensure they had all the relevant information to deal with the present threat). Still, everyone in the room was unclear why Banfield was chosen. She knew, and her superior knew what she had gone through earlier in her career. Fleet Captain McCallister was the only one in the room with a high enough clearance to know what she had experienced the Dominion War twice. Once as a Starfleet officer and the second time as a Starfleet officer who had been transported back in time. While forced to accept her displacement in time, Banfield had joined the Klingon Defence Force to fight the Dominion one more time. She knew their tactics and what it was like to fight them. 

Banfield spoke up, attempting to distract the others from considering why McCallister wanted her with him. Instead, she looked at her commanding officer. “Captain, Doctor Slyvexs was reviewing the data from the colony and the data Doctor Corben had collected while wading through the debris field. She was hoping to find a way to replicate the antidote.”

“Yeah, after Jonarom had briefed us on what he had discovered about the theta-band emissions, Sarella had run an in-depth series of scans on the Breen refrigeration suits she and Lirissa had found. She believes that on a molecular level, she had found the antidote somehow attached to their clothes,” Horatio shared. 

Appreciating the support from him, Banfield nodded. “I believe Slyvexs was hoping to run a comparative scan on both the results Doctor Corben had found and the evidence our away team had collected on the planet’s surface to be confident in the antidote’s composition.”

“Can she do her work on the Bellerophon with Doctor Corben?” Fleet Captain McCallister asked Banfield.

“I believe so,” Banfield replied. “However, if we want to make it work, I would suggest that the other doctors and specialist scientists in the squadron are involved too.”

“We would need to work on a quick delivery system for the antidote if the Dominion deploy the metagenic weapon,” Canção pointed out. “Maybe we should be putting our best minds together on this. Seeing as Ensign Jonarom is the one who identified the theta-band emissions, perhaps he should lead on it?”

“Can you honestly see the other more senior officers taking orders from an ensign?” Cambil questioned; she looked at Horatio, “No offence, Horatio, I’m sure he is a great kid, but we can’t have them squabbling over matters like seniority here.”

Bellerophon’s captain waved the comment off as he responded. “No offence taken, but he is a smart kid. Gifted, in fact.” 

“Alright, alright!” Fleet Captain McCallister raised his hands. “We need to get started on both projects and this hunt,” He turned to his first officer, “Do you think you can do without Lukiz for a few days, Max?”

“Umm, yeah, I suppose. Why? What have you in mind?” Duncan asked.

“Lukiz is a senior officer within the squadron; he can lead the antidote delivery system with Ensign Jonarom. In addition, one of his previous hosts has the experience and knowledge that will only further help with such things,” McCallister replied. “Have Tobias fill in for him in the meantime.”

Duncan nodded to the idea. 

“Rio, I want the Triton to host the team working on the delivery system while the Themis can host the team working on the antidote instead of the Bellerophon; is that okay with you, Bexa?” McCallister had looked at both female captains.

“That’s fine with me,” Cambil agreed.

Canção smirked. “My first officer will appreciate it.”

Ignoring that comment, McCallister looked at his brother, “And brother dearest, Tomaz, Corella and I will join you on the Bellerophon while we work on finding the Dominion’s Death Squadron!”

“Death Task Force,” Horatio corrected his brother with a smirk. “But I like the sound of the return of Double-McCallister-Trouble! The Dominion won’t know what hit them.”

James chuckled slightly at his brother as he ended the meeting, but not before telling everyone they would be underway within two hours. 

They weren’t going to wait any longer than they needed to.

Everyone exited the ready room except Commander Duncan. McCallister noticed his first officer lingering back and turned to him once the last officer of the group had gone and the door was closed. 

“I know that look,” McCallister said as he moved around his desk and stood by his chair, his hand resting on top of it. “It’s the same one you learnt from Bexa all those years ago. So what’s on your mind, Max?”

“Permission to speak freely?” Duncan asked as he clasped his hands where he stood, a few feet away from the captain’s desk.

“Always, Max, you know that,” McCallister insisted.

“You know I respect you, James-” Duncan started, then hesitated as he rubbed his forehead with his left hand.

“There’s a ‘but’ there,” McCallister interjected. “Come on, Max, spit it out. Let me have it.”

“I wouldn’t be a good first officer if I didn’t give you my opinion,” Duncan stated.

Confused by his words, McCallister gestured for Duncan to carry on. 

Duncan sighed and put his hands on his hips before he replied. “Are you sure you’re making the right call about the Odyssey remaining behind while you lead the hunt for this specialist Dominion unit?” 

“One billion lives, Max,” McCallister replied. “You heard the admiral’s colourful language. How the hell can we let that many souls perish without any justice or preventing something similar from happening elsewhere?”

“I agree, we need to stop them, James, but you’re placing the ship at risk by being left behind without its captain and several key members of its senior staff,” Duncan stated. “Do the Triton and Bellerophon need to go so soon? The Themis could easily join Gul Jacet to help with the search, and our crews could work together over secured subspace channels to work on the antidote and its delivery system. With the three ships working together here at Divinium, we could easily secure the system faster than Tomaz shared earlier.”

“You’re right,” McCallister admitted, “but even if the Dominion do return to reclaim the system, letting them have it would be a worthwhile price to pay in stopping them from deploying any more metagenic weapons against countless others in the sector. The more ships we have in the search, the higher the chance of stopping them sooner.”

“At the risk of the Odyssey being caught by the Dominion if they return before we can restore the colony’s defence network?” Duncan questioned. 

“Well, I would hope you wouldn’t let them happen, Max,” McCallister chuckled a bit but noticed that his first officer and friend wasn’t joining him with his humour. “Max, this really has you bothered, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Duncan acknowledged. “We’re in an active warzone, James and I’m not sure it’s wise for us to separate up the squadron, let alone the Odyssey’s senior staff like this.”

McCallister paused as he reflected on Duncan’s words. Then, a thought came to his mind, and he smiled again. “Deja vu.”

“Pardon me?” 

“Deja vu,” McCallister said as he walked around his desk and sat on the corner of it. He perched on the edge and clasped his hands together. “Though this time, the roles are reversed for me.”

Still perplexed by McCallister’s expression, Duncan turned to him. “Am I missing something here?”

McCallister nodded. “Seventeen years ago, I was in a hopeless situation on the Trinity, without the support expected, but a certain admiral gave me a chance and told me to ‘go enjoy the ride’ before they slapped four gold pips on my collar.”

Duncan rolled his eyes as he knew that phrase far too well. His father, Fleet Admiral Luke Duncan, was why McCallister became a captain early in his career and was known for his words of wisdom (though to Max, they all sounded outdated and too melodramatic to always help out in a real-life situation). “My father didn’t always get it right.”

“No, but even when the odds seemed against him, he didn’t give up,” McCallister said. He paused as he considered his words. “Max, you’re a fine first officer; I trust you immensely with the Odyssey.”

“Even better than, Bexa?” Duncan asked, tongue-in-cheek and a wry smile creeping across his face.

McCallister chose to ignore that question. Still, he reflected the grin. “In the space of three years, you’ve proven to me that you were the right person at the right time, and you continue to place this ship and crew first in your decision-making.”

“Isn’t that one of the many fine qualities expected of a great first officer?” Duncan checked.

“It is,” McCallister said. “And for a captain too.”

Duncan chuckled. “I hope this isn’t your retirement speech!”

“Not yet,” McCallister said. “However, when the time comes, I think it’s only right that you take over from me.”

“Well, we know in one alternative future timeline that happens,” Duncan said, still smiling. “Or will happen?” He corrected. Still unsure of the timeline shenanigans they had to cope with since last year’s Century Storm incident. 

“Either way,” McCallister said as he turned to his first officer. “Are you ready to Captain this ship?”

Duncan was slightly caught off-guard by that question. He hadn’t been the first officer for long, but he had gone through so much in those three years since he took over the mantle from Cambil.  That said, Duncan had spent the last fifteen years on this ship; he had risen through the ranks, undertaking almost every bit of training to prepare himself for one day taking on the centre chair. Perhaps he was? “Yes,” He answered bluntly.

“Assemble the crew,” McCallister told him as he got from the corner he was on.

“James, it’s late, and you didn’t reply to my concerns,” Duncan remarked.

“Your concerns are noted, commander; now assemble the crew on the bridge,” McCallister said as he returned to his chair behind his desk.

Now he was bewildered, Duncan didn’t know what McCallister was playing at, but he acknowledged his order and left the ready room to bring everyone together.

Moments later, the entire senior staff of the Odyssey was assembled on the bridge. McCallister stepped out of his office, and straight away, Master Chief Court called the deck to attention.

“Captain on the bridge,” Court yelled in a formal tone. 

Everyone reacted the same; they all stood up to attention as McCallister made his way across from his ready room, heading to the centre spot ahead of the main screen. “At ease,” He told them. Then, noticing Counsellor Horin struggling to sit down, he sympathised with her. Only the other day, Slyvex had ordered her to undertake limited duties. For someone career-focused like him, she hated being ‘useless’ (her words, not his). “Louwanna, how you been?” McCallister asked.

“Just fine, sir,” She sarcastically replied with a friendly smile and wink. Nevertheless, she looked incredibly uncomfortable in her seat beside the captain’s chair.

McCallister chuckled as he took his place before them all. He loved Horin’s wit. “I’ll make this brief, as I can see that every one of you is exhausted, like me.” He put both hands behind him before continuing. “Your orders are to carry on working on the planetary defence network. Some of you will join me on the other ships in the squadron while we move out and work with our Cardassian allies to hunt down the ships that killed so many innocent Federation lives.”  He paused in his speech as he locked a gaze with Duncan. “I know that may sound like I’m leaving the Odyssey in a precarious situation, but have a little faith, that you can do this.”

A few of the crew looked at each other; they knew the task he had just set them was a mammoth one to achieve without the rest of the squadron by their side. But nevertheless, they remained silent as they listened further to their superior.

“I’ve recently been reminded of a similar, difficult and dangerous situation I found myself in several years ago,” McCallister shared. “I never expected to find myself thrust into a situation that I never considered myself ready for, lives were at stake, and an entire ship became my responsibility.” The captain paused again as he took a small wooden box from his sleeve before carrying on with his speech. “And at that moment, someone saw the faith in me, saw the potential in me and gave me the chance that would eventually lead me to become captain of the Odyssey.” He stepped around from where he was towards the bridge’s centre now. “Now, before anyone starts speculating, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, but being a fleet captain and squadron commander, I have certain extra benefits and privileges compared to my previous rank and title. One of them is giving someone the field promotion they deserve to recognise what they have done so far and what they will do.” He stopped just before Duncan. “And just like Captain Kirk had on the Enterprise-A, I get to have now. Therefore, Maxwell Jack Duncan-Court, I hereby promote you to the rank of Captain with all the privileges and responsibilities therein. Your performance on this ship over the past three years as its first officer has been exemplary. I expect more of the same, and I hope that with this new rank, it gives this ship and its crew the stability they fairly deserve while it and I perform our duties as flagship and commander of this squadron, respectively. Congratulations, Number One! Now go enjoy the ride!”

The entire bridge erupted into cheers and applause, led by Duncan’s husband (who was the loudest out of pure pride), as McCallister opened the wooden box, revealing the silver pip. He took it out and quickly pressed it against Duncan’s collar, next to the three others in a smart line. 

“Thank you, sir,” Duncan said in a low tone as he shook McCallister’s hand. He appreciated the sentiment harking back to his father’s advice to McCallister many years ago, however he still wasn’t sure. He had to say something. “But this wasn’t what I meant by what I raised earlier.”

McCallister nodded and replied in a hushed tone. “I know, but with that extra pip, you get to call the shots with more authority while I’m gone. So if it becomes too dangerous, you don’t need to wait for me to decide. Call it yourself.”

Duncan smirked as he realised what McCallister had given him. “So, who gets to tell me if I make a wrong choice?” The cheering and applause had calmed down, and everyone heard his question.

“Well, I suppose with myself, Slyvexs, Tomaz and Lukiz off the ship, that honour falls to our esteemed counsellor,” Banfield noted as she smirked down at Horin. She was standing behind the Betazoid officer, enjoying the unexpected promotion celebration.

Horin shook her head. “Absolutely not,” She waved her right index finger up in the air. “I’m on limited duty, and let’s be honest, no one wants two trained counsellors leading a ship.” A few of them chuckled before she rubbed her belly. “I can’t be puking my guts up while trying to call a red alert.” Horin paused, “No, there’s someone else who get’s the honour of keeping Max in his place.” She turned to look at the Lumerian officer standing by the mission ops consoles. “Craigen, you’re it.”

All eyes fell on him. He sighed a bit, but after a reassuring slap on the back by Tomaz (who was standing next to him), Flemen stepped forward. “It will be an honour, Captain Duncan.”

Duncan smirked; his former protege becoming his first-first officer seemed like a good omen. “Then assuming your station, Number One.”

McCallister and others chuckled before the fleet captain told everyone they needed to get their mission on the road. He wished Duncan all the best before he made his way towards the turbolift with Slyvexs, Tomaz, Banfield and Jen in tow.

“Are you sure you’ll get that chair back, sir?” Slyvexs asked as they stepped into the cart.

“Oh yes, I’m not giving up the Odyssey just yet,” McCallister replied.

“So, how comes we’re using the Triton and the others for this mission?” Slyvexs checked as the doors closed on them.

“As I said, doctor, being a fleet captain and squadron commander, I have certain extra benefits and privileges,” McCallister replied with a grin before he called for the lift to get underway.

Max Duncan took the centre chair, with Flemen taking his old one to his right. “Number One,” He said, glancing at Flemen. “We’ve got a system to rebuild, coordinate with all department heads, or those now deputising, by tomorrow afternoon; I want a plan of action on how we perform a miracle here.”

“Aye, captain,” Flemen said. “One miracle ordered.” 

Horin giggled to herself as she pushed herself up from her chair. “And on that note, gentlemen, I’m heading home to sleep.” As she rose and walked past behind their chairs, she continued speaking. “And as the ship’s counsellor, I recommend you both get your sleep as it’s pretty late; the captain and first officer need to be at their best!”

Captain Duncan couldn’t agree anymore.

When agreeing to head up the new SCE Unit on the Odyssey, Reuben Gray hadn’t expected his first big project to be focussed on restoring a planet-wide defence grid. He had a number of engineers under him; most of them were enlisted officers, and a good number were young and almost inexperienced. As a result, on more than one occasion, Gray found himself rechecking work to ensure it was done correctly. He hated sloppy work, and he had already decided that once this mission was over, he would put together a comprehensive training program for every member of the SCE unit. So to ensure they met the goal set by Fleet Captain McCallister, Gray had been fortunate to receive help from Lieutenant Commander Tierra, the Odyssey’s chief engineer. Working together in tandem, the two senior engineers were quickly working on trying to restore the Presedium-class station that sat in orbit of the M-class world. 

“I thought the plan had been to get every other defence system working?” Tierra had checked. The Deltan chief engineer had questioned Gray’s plan earlier in the morning, but after Gray had shared they were on track to restore power to the rest of the orbital weapon’s platforms by midday, along with three of the colony’s phased ion cannons, he wanted to crack on with the station, which Captain Duncan had agreed to over breakfast. 

Now they stood in their EVA suits, working on the shell that was Divnium Station. With a group of engineers from his SCE unit and her engineering department, they were focusing on installing a new computer processor and restoring the station’s power.

Gray focused on connecting the new processor to what remained of the station’s computer systems. Though the processor they were installing was not of the exact specification or as advanced as the original, it would be enough. He could feel his ocular implant itching just above his left eye. Where he once had an eyebrow was now replaced by what remained of his Borg scars. He hated it. And he hated it even more due to him wearing an EVA suit and not being able to give the itch a good scratch. 

“I don’t get it,” Tierra stated over her suit’s intercom, interrupting’s Gray’s thoughts around his annoying irritation. 

“Come again, Tierra,” Gray replied.

“I don’t see how the Dominion could remove these systems so quickly and with precision. Furthermore, I don’t get why would they? What a waste of resources,” Tierra clarified as she activated an EPS tap. “It’s not logical.”

“They’re not Vulcans,” Gray reminded her. “As they said in our briefing, the Dominion like a long-term strategic approach. How are they to know what Starfleet has put in its computer systems since the war’s end?”

Tierra disagreed though her shaking her head did nothing to move her helmet. “Exactly that; why not stay and keep the computer systems and reverse engineer them?”

Gray could see her point. What he knew of the Dominion was limited, so he couldn’t answer her but understood her point. “So if they didn’t remove the systems, then who did?”

“The station’s crew,” Tierra suggested. “But I suspect they didn’t get a chance to finish their work, hence why not everything was removed.”

“How can you be sure?” Gray asked, turning around to look at her.

Tierra stopped her work. “Because if I was threatened by a Dominion super biological weapon and I had seen them release it on a Federation world, I too would have surrendered but not without pulling out key systems that would make this station useless to them.”

“Why not activate the self-destruct?” Gray challenged her.

“I don’t think they had the time,” Tierra offered. “And the systems that were removed were done with precision and care that only a Starfleet engineer would give. I reckon once the Dominion worked out what they were doing, they infected the station, and in an attempt to remove the metagenic weapon from the station, the commander blew all of the hatches and doors to dump it out into space.”

“Interesting theory,” Gray stated. “So, what happened to the crew?”

“They didn’t survive the metagenic weapon,” Tierra said glumly. “But if what I think is correct, they may have given the colony the time it needed to bring its planetary weapon systems back online and take out the Dominion and Breen ships.”

 Gray considered the idea for a moment. “It’s one possibility,” He replied. Still, he ignored the itch that had now spread to the edge of his forehead. Had they got it wrong here on the colony? He had wondered about it all. The facts didn’t quite add up. Maybe Tierra’s theory was correct.

New Portsmouth, Divinum System, Deneb Sector, Alpha Quadrant

“Court to Keli.”

Tapping her combadge, Lieutenant Keli answered the call. “Go ahead, chief.”

“Just checking in with you and your team. How’s it going down there?” Court asked.

Lieutenant Keli, some of her team members and a few engineers were all at the power base of one of the colony’s phased ion cannons. They had already brought online three so far that morning and now were working on the fourth one. Their work, surprisingly, was not taking so long to do. She answered the master chief, who was currently filling in for Lieutenant Commander Jen. “We’re making progress. Once we bypassed the security encryption lockouts, we only had to sort out reconnecting the cannons to the planet’s power grid and realigning their target scanners. We should be ready to transfer remote control to the Odyssey in the next five to ten minutes.”

“Amazing, I’ll let the new boss know,” Court said; his cheeky tone was evident through his tone before he closed the channel. Keli couldn’t blame him. His husband had been promoted the night before to a captain, and now Duncan was filling in for Fleet Captain McCallister and was doing a great job.

Lieutenant (JG) Jisaraa approached her with a PADD. “And that’s another one fixed. We’re just running the final pre-checks before transferring control. This is becoming too easy, Keli.”

Keli skimmed over the contents of the device. “What do you mean, Jisaraa?”

“At this rate, we will have all of their cannons operational, but what bothers me is that all of them are in the same state,” Jisaraa noticed. 

For a moment, Keli had considered the pattern. “You’re right, Jisaraa. This means that the colony’s emergency protocols would have been implemented to prevent an enemy force from taking control of the phased ion cannons to use against us.”

The Orion woman nodded. “And the work we’ve seen so far is in line with the security procedures set out by the colony’s militia. Encrypting the controls and software before unplugging them from the main power network, rendering them useless, means either the colony surrendered or-”

“Or they did it to slow down whatever the Dominion was planning,” Keli finished. “We’ve not detected any remains of the metagenic weapon in any weapon placements so far.”

“Or the antidote,” Jisaraa reminded her. 

Keli paused in her work. “Have we missed something here?” She asked her deputy.

Jisaraa had a tricorder in her hands and switched it off. “If we have, what exactly?”

“I’m not sure; I can’t quite put my finger on it,” Keli said as she thought carefully. “Four weapon placements, all scattered across the planet. All are disabled but not by an outside force. No traces of the apparent metagenic weapon. This isn’t right.” Then within an instance, Keli disappeared after she lifted something off her head. 

USS Odyssey (NCC-80000), Divinum System, Deneb Sector, Alpha Quadrant

Keli found herself back in the holographic research lab; using the holographic interfaces to allow her away team to work on the planet made a difference in their efforts to prevent them from being exposed to anything deadly. But she wondered, was there anything deadly? The idea was now on the tip of her tongue.

Jisaraa then deactivated her interface suit, as did the others around them. “Gut instinct kicking in, boss?” She asked her superior.

Nodding, Keli put her hands on her hips. “Yeah, I’m trying to put what we know together.” She paced the lab for a bit before sighing. “We’re missing something.” She mumbled before turning back to Jisaraa. “I’m heading to the bridge. Take command here and move on to the fifth cannon.”

“Aye, ma’am,” Jisaraa said with concern in her tone for her superior and friend, who quickly left the lab and headed to the bridge in a dash. 

Moments later, Keli walked onto the bridge to see Duncan mid-conversation with Lieutenant Commander Jen on the main viewscreen. It looked like the Trill operations officer was returning to the ship via a shuttlecraft with a young ensign in a blue science uniform. 

“We’ll get those scans underway now, Lukiz,” Duncan said from where he stood just before the captain’s chair. “How long until you return?”

“We’re only a few minutes away,” Jen replied. 

“How bad is the Bellerophon?” Flemen asked from where he stood beside Duncan to his right. 

“We’re not entirely sure, besides it being badly damaged and Themis responding to help them,” Jen stated. “I’m unsure how the captain and Commanders Banfield and Tomaz are.”

Duncan nodded, knowing that by now, Cambil would have told them the news if they had lost their crewmates. “Our thoughts are with the rest of your crew, Ensign Jonarom,” Duncan said to the young man beside Jen.

“Thank you, sir,” Jonarom said solemnly.

“Get yourself back here quickly and safely, Odyssey out,” Duncan ordered. The channel was then closed.

“Craigen, have Rosle and one other fighter rendezvous with Lukiz the moment he enters the system. I want them under escort.” Duncan commanded.

Flemen nodded and got on with speaking to their starfighter group commander, who was currently out on patrol. While he did that, Duncan noticed the arrival of Keli.

“Lieutenant, I thought you were with the team on the planet restoring the phased ion cannons?” Duncan queried the chief security and tactical officer.

“I am, I mean was,” She said. “What’s happened to the Bellerophon?”

“Ambush from the sounds of it; Themis is helping them while the Triton and Cardassians are chasing after the Dominion ship that crippled them,” Duncan replied. “However, Lukiz believes we’ve missed several clues to what happened here.”

“I think he’s right,” Keli blurted out.

Flemen looked up from what he was working on. “What do you mean, Keli?”

She hurried over to her station and started to pull up all of the data they had collected on the system since their arrival the day before. “I think we’ve mapped the timeline of events of the Dominion attack against the colony all wrong.”

“Why? How?” Duncan asked as he moved from his spot towards her.

She was reading the scans taken of the debris and then checking a few other pieces of information. “There,” she pointed to several sensor logs. “Look, the decay of the planetary defence’s fire against the Dominion ships is much shorter than the decay of the effects of the metagenic weapon and its antidote on that tree branch.”

Flemen and Duncan both needed clarification. The latter wanted to know more. “What are you saying, Keli?”

“I think the colony may have fired on the Dominion and Breen ships after they had launched the metagenic weapon and its antidote,” She speculated. 

“Is that not normal once you’ve been attacked? Planetary defences respond in kind?” Flemen asked.

Keli shook her head. “Yes, but no in this incident. The colony’s defence grid should have seen them enter the system and fired immediately. The small number of ships shouldn’t have been any competition for the advanced system they have here.”

“In other words, the colony delayed in opening fire,” Flemen repeated in his own words.

“Indeed,” Keli confirmed. “But the reason why is another mystery.”

“Well, maybe Lukiz has some answers for us,” Flemen suggested.

“Let’s hope,” Duncan said before the incoming hail signal went off.

Court, who was sitting at the operations console, spoke up. “It’s Commanders Gray and Tierra.”

“Put them through,” Duncan ordered his husband. It had been a bit weird having him in such a position since he had been made a captain. However, they kept their work professional. 

“Gray to Odyssey,” spoke the SCE leader.

“Go ahead, commander,” Duncan replied as he moved to return to the centre chair. “What’s your status?”

“We’re almost ready to bring most of the station’s computer systems online; however, there’s something we’ve discovered over here which has made us rethink what may have happened,” Gray announced.

“Captain, we’ve been looking at the damage the station sustained from the removal of its key systems, and we are certain it wasn’t by the hands of the Breen or Dominion but by the Starfleet crew.” Tierra shared.

“Are you sure?” Duncan checked.

“A good Starfleet engineer can see when a fellow Starfleet engineer has done textbook work here; we are sure of it,” Gray answered. 

Court turned around in his chair to look at his husband. “Am I the only one here thinking everything everyone is discovering isn’t a coincidence, and we need to put all the pieces of this bigger puzzle together?”

Flemen nodded. “Tobias is right; we may have jumped the gun.”

Agreeing with them all, Duncan told Tierra and Gray to return to the ship to meet and find out what had happened. 

What was going on? And how did they miss all of this initially?

“Fleet Captain’s log stardate seven-eight-two-oh-two. Peace, at long last, had swept through most of the Deneb sector. After rescuing the Divinium colonists, the squadron proceeded to help the rest of the Fourth Fleet in its battle with the remnants of the Dominion Lost Fleet that attempted to invade the Deneb system and take Farpoint Station. Though we suffered no more casualties, we do have a number of injured souls. We plan to remain in orbit of the colony for the next week or so while we help with rebuilding efforts. Nevertheless, the pain of losing so many fine comrades, especially Captain Rio Canção, has hit the ship and the entire squadron hard. Myself included.”

Doctor Slyvexs stifled a yawn with the back of her right hand as she picked up her mug of coffee from the replicator. She sat comfortably in her armchair in her office as she picked up the top PADD that sat on a pile of other PADDs. The last few days had been tiresome. She was happier to be back on Odyssey. Still, the after-effects of what they all had endured would undoubtedly reside in their memories for years to come. She never thought she would have to re-live the Dominion War again. Knowing that the conflict ended sooner than the first one was some sign of relief. 

She instructed the computer to play some soothing Denobulan jazz in the background. At the same time, she got even cosier in her chair. Slipping her boots off, she lifted her feet to the edge of the coffee table just before the chair and popped them down. She had been reading the latest patient reports when there was a soft knock on her door. Looking up, Slyvexs instantly saw Counsellor Horin standing in the doorway.

“Is this a bad time, Slyvexs?” Horin asked sweetly while her right hand rested on her belly.

Slyvexs shook her head while replicating the same facial expression that Horin posed. “No, of course not, Louwanna. Make yourself comfortable,” She gestured to the sofa opposite her.

“I just returned from the Bellerophon and wanted to check in on how you’re doing,” Horin said as she struggled to sit down. Eventually, with a light bounce, she landed on the sofa while trying to do it gracefully.

“I’m all fine; thank you for caring, Louwanna. And you?” Slyvexs replied.

Horin looked down at her stomach. “This kid certainly likes to move a lot; I swear it was doing the rumba earlier, but apart from that, I’m good. Are those you’ve treated going to need any follow-up counselling?”

Passing the PADD over, Slyvexs nodded. “Most likely, but I think we all will.” 

“Oh, I think the entire fleet will need professional help,” Horin said as she quickly skimmed the device’s contents. “I’m just not sure there’s enough chocolate in the quadrant to help us all.”

Slyvexs sniggered at that, and knowing the counsellor’s fondness of the Earth sweet, she knew she would be recommended it to those who haven’t had it before. A sugar rush did seem to help lift the mood of some. “Are you going to join the captain on his visit with the governor?”

Horin shook her head. “No, he’s going to offer our services, but from what I can tell, most colonists weren’t aware of being in the Dominion transporter buffers for long. Most want to get back to their lives and move on.”

“Lucky for them, I suppose,” Slyvexs said as she yawned again. “Excuse me, I think maybe reaching my next hibernation cycle.”

“I’m not surprised with the amount you’ve done recently,” Horin countered. 

“It has been quite intense. Maybe a good long week of sleeping is what I need.” Slyvexs agreed. 

“Well, if we get any time off after that, I will book us both into a lovely spa somewhere,” Horin suggested. “I know we’re meant to be part of the Frontier Day celebrations, so before we do that, I’ll see what I can find on Earth. I’m sure Corella would enjoy that too.”

Chuckling, Slyvexs sipped on her coffee. “Are you sure Corella would want to do that?” 

Horin confirmed with a nod. “You can bet on it, and if not her, then I’m sure we can get Craigen or Tomaz to come!”

“Perhaps we should invite the entire senior staff!” Slyvexs suggested.

“Now that sounds like fun!” Horin remarked with a smile.

Captain Max Duncan had just completed a long and arduous set of shifts back-to-back on the bridge. After a strenuous day, he eagerly anticipated retiring to his quarters to rest. He had already unzipped his uniform jacket before reaching the door. However, upon opening the door, he was taken aback by the sight before him. The room was dimly lit by the warm, flickering light of candles, and a tantalising aroma filled the air. To his surprise, his beloved husband, Master Chief Tobias Court, stood in the centre of the room, dressed immaculately in his finest attire.

“Tobias, what is all of this?” Duncan inquired, his eyes widening in amazement.

“I simply wanted to do something special for you, my handsome husband,” Court replied, a broad smile spreading across his face. “Plus, with the boys not here and with all of the fighting, we’ve not had a chance to actually have a romantic meal in a long time.”

Duncan approached Court and wrapped his arms around him, feeling deeply appreciative of his husband’s thoughtfulness. Court had always been a romantic at heart, but this was beyond anything Duncan had ever expected.

Duncan marvelled at his husband’s exquisite effort as they took their seats at the beautifully decorated table. The table was adorned with a pristine white tablecloth, complemented by a vase of freshly picked flowers at its centre. The candles cast a warm and inviting glow around the room.

As they indulged in their meal, they talked and caught up on each other’s day. By the end of the meal, Duncan was filled with a profound sense of gratitude for Court and the life they had built together. He leaned over and kissed him passionately, feeling his heart swell with love.

“I love you, Tobias,” Duncan whispered as they parted from their embrace.

“I love you too, Max,” Court replied, his eyes brimming with happiness.

As they started to clean up after their meal, Max felt an overwhelming sense of appreciation for the love and support he had in his life. They retired to the sofa in the living room area, both sipping on a glass of Saurian brandy. As they sat in the dimly lit room, the romantic ambience intensified with each passing moment. Court reached across and took Duncan’s hand in his, sending a shiver down his spine. Their eyes locked, and Duncan couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of love and adoration for his husband.

“Tobias, you truly are the love of my life,” Duncan said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Court smiled, his eyes sparkling with affection. “And you, my dear Max, are the only one who has ever truly captured my heart.”

Duncan burst out into laughter. They always tried to outdo one another with their cheesy one-liners, but Court had indeed won that one. “Oh, Tobes, that was on a whole new level,” He said between giggles. 

Court was chuckling as well. “I’m happy to please you!” 

As they finished their drinks, Court rose from his seat and took Duncan’s hand, leading him towards their bedroom. The flickering candlelight illuminated the room, casting a dreamy glow around them. Court pulled Duncan close and inched closer to him as they shared a tender kiss, their bodies entwined in a passionate embrace. Their eyes locked in a fiery and intense gaze. A palpable energy filled the air between them as they kissed one another’s necks, and Duncan’s heart thumped wildly in his chest. He could feel the heat radiating from his husband’s body, and when their lips finally met again, Duncan was overwhelmed by a rush of pleasurable shivers that ran down his spine.

Their kisses were slow and heated, infused with a raw passion and yearning that left Max breathless. He wrapped his arms tightly around Court, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss even more. The sensation was almost too much to bear, and Duncan felt as though he could remain in that moment forever. The soft music playing in the background added to the romantic atmosphere, and Duncan felt his heart skip a beat.  

Later on, as they lay together, wrapped in each other’s arms, Duncan felt contentment wash over him. He knew that he was loved and that he had found his soulmate in Court. Despite everything that had happened during the latest crisis the Odyssey was pushed into, they still had one another. 

They whispered sweet nothings to each other before Court stated something they both knew would be true. “You do know,” He said still in a whisper, “once Jordan and William come back, we will never have a quiet moment like this.”

“Then let’s enjoy the time while we can,” Duncan said with a smirk as he rolled on top of his husband and carried on showing him how much he loved him.

The interior of The Auditorium had always been a sight to behold, and tonight it was no different. Offering its usual delightful blend of relaxation and vibrancy. Subtle, soothing melodies wafted through the air, lending an air of tranquillity to the vast crew lounge. Off-duty crew members could be seen gathered around tables, engaged in low-level, almost sombre conversations, enjoying their drinks after the gruelling work they had weathered recently. This was an unmistakable testament to the strong sense of camaraderie that continued to develop between them and their deep fondness for each other. 

By the main bar, some members of the senior staff had begun to gather, marking the beginning of what promised to be an evening to unwind and relax. Lieutenant Commander Tierra had turned up with Lieutenant Commander Gray; the two engineers were sharing a story as they walked over to the bar and were greeted by the two women who were sitting there, waiting for them.

“Ladies, I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long,” Gray said with a friendly tone.

Lieutenant Marova shook her head. The Odyssey’s helm officer picked up her mojito and raised it. “Not at all; Rosle and I were getting properly acquainted.” She clinked her glass against Lieutenant Commander Rosle’s drink. 

Rosle raised her glass filled with the same cocktail. “This gal knows how to order a cocktail!” 

Both engineers chuckled at that as the bartender took their orders. At that point, Lieutenants Keli and Jisaraa turned up. They were both welcomed as they joined the others in getting their drinks as well.

“So, who else is joining us tonight?” Marova asked as she sipped on the straw in her drink.

“Not Craigen or Tomaz; they’re still with the captain and others on the colony,” Tierra answered as she got her cocktail and sipped it. “Yummy,” she said with a smile. “Lukiz was over on the Themis; he said he would bring some of their lot over.”

Sitting up straight then, Keli looked at the engineer. “Tierra, does that mean what I think it means?” 

Tierra smiled. “Yes, Abbej and I have spoken about getting things back on track.”

“Oh, finally!” Jisaraa said with a slight squeal. 

 Keli turned to Rosle and Gray, “Long story short, they separated because of a space-bourne pitcher plant! It was utter madness – they’re almost the golden couple!”

“Hey!” Tierra shouted in her defence, “we were THE golden couple of the Odyssey.”

“That’s before the first officer and chief of the boat got together!” Keli teased. 

It wasn’t long until Lieutenant Commander Jen entered The Auditorium with their former colleagues who had moved to the Themis earlier in the year. Pleased to see so many of their faces, the two staff interacted while introductions were made for the newcomers. 

Keli gave a huge hug to her former mentor, Cline Lenjir. “Hey, boss, it’s good to see you in one piece,” She said before placing a friendly kiss on his cheek. 

“Likewise, Keli,” Lenjir replied, returning the gesture. “I see not much has changed around here,” The tall, muscular Tiburonian motioned to the room.

“We’ve made a few small changes, nothing major,” Keli said. “So, any word on the other crews and them joining us tonight?”

Jen answered that question. “I did ask Thaustin if he and the others on the Triton wanted to join us, but at the moment, they’re still coming to terms with the death of Captain Canção.”    

Samris confirmed that. “Yeah, I’ve been over there helping some of their crew deal with her death, but that doesn’t compare to what the Bellerophon lot have gone through.”

“Too many,” Remi Forbes said as he took his ordered Andorian ale. “I’ve never treated so many patients in shock. So many of them are young and straight out of the academy.”

“We should try to do something with them in the coming days,” Abbej suggested. “It’s not right if we leave them to grieve alone.”

“I’m not sure if we have much time,” Lieutenant Jines shared. “A tug has been ordered to meet with us in a couple of days to begin tugging the Bellerophon back to Avalon Fleet Yards.”

“Will the Bellerophon be space worthy enough to make the trip there?” T’Rani asked. The pregnant woman was perched on a stall with Samris nearby. 

“Just about,” Jines replied, looking at the Vulcan pilot. “A few of us are going over there tomorrow to help in repairs to their secondary systems.”

 Tierra cleared her throat. “Then we need to raise our glasses,” She said to everyone. “To our fallen friends and to those they’ve left behind.”

The group all shared in the toast and took a sip from their various drinks. Tierra looked at Abbej, knowing that others were watching them, so she smiled at her ex-wife before walking over to chat with her. They would hopefully rebuild what they lost. One step at a time.

Rosle looked at Gray while at the bar. “So, was this what you expected on your first mission on the Odyssey?”

The ex-Borg smirked. “Not quite, but it doesn’t seem that bad.”

“I think you may be right,” She replied, clinking her glass against his.

Starfleet Base Divinium-1, New Portsmouth, Divinium Four, Divinum System, Deneb Sector, Alpha Quadrant

Walking towards the hangar bay of the Starfleet base, Fleet Captain McCallister was pleased to see some life back in the place (compared to what it was like a few days ago when they first arrived). Travelling alongside Governor Laurent and Captain Sturok, he was pleased their meeting had concluded, and matters were on track to get the colony back on its feet.

“I cannot thank you and your crews, captain,” Laurent said as they approached the large cargo doors to enter the bay. Guards stood on either side of it. “For us, it only feels like the battle had just happened.”

“We’re glad we were able to rescue you all, Madam Governor. I don’t think Starfleet Command would be able to cope trying to explain why over a billion lives were lost.”

Laurent nodded. “Indeed, and the sacrifices your crews have endured for our rescue and safety won’t be forgotten. We will erect a memorial in their honour, especially for Captain Canção. Her bravery ensured none of us were lost.”

“They won’t make another one like her,” McCallister said somberly. He had lost one of his mentors and a good friend. “She was definitely iconic.”

“Oh, Captain Sturok and I know how iconic she was,” Laurent stated. 

McCallister was surprised to hear that, which prompted Sturok to clarify.

“We knew Captain Canção,” He said. “The governor and her husband served under her during the Dominion War on the Oxford, and I was a security officer on the Astrid.”

Cambil, who was walking just in front of them, turned around. “That woman got around this galaxy,” She said with a smirk.

“Oh, she certainly did that,” Laurent agreed as they entered the bay. She turned to Tomaz. “Commander, I just want to thank you for your suggestions on us improving our long-range tracking stations. Hopefully, this will be the last time we will ever have to worry about such a thing.”

“You’re welcome, Madam Governor, but it’s always best to remain ready,” Tomaz said. He was walking ahead with Cambil and Flemen as they approached the shuttlecraft they had used to visit the colony’s leaders. 

“Governor, I hear you’ve already pledged to provide aid to other planets devastated by the invasion, like Izar,” Flemen said. “I’m sure they will appreciate any assistance in rebuilding.”

Laurent nodded. “Yes, we’ve already spoken to some of the local shipping businesses to see if we can put together relief task forces; the first convoy should leave by the end of the week. We’ve also offered to open up and take in any refugees who have been displaced by it all.”

“Are you sure about having Gul Jacet help with it?” Flemen questioned.

“Oh yes, the good Gul has pledged the use of his advanced ships for the next month or so before they return to Cardassia. I plan to use them.” Laurent said with a smirk. 

“Obviously, with a Starfleet presence overseeing their activities,” Sturok assured the commanders and captains.

“Obviously,” Cambil said, smiling. “Jacet certainly wants to pay us back the debt he feels he owes the Federation. Let’s hope that generosity remains even after he returns home.”

The group stopped just before the shuttlecraft. Tomaz activated the door to lower down for them to enter it. They all said their goodbyes and wished both Sturok and Laurent the best.

“Live Long and Prosper, Fleet Captain McCallister,” Sturok said as he raised his right hand and gave the customary Vulcan V hand salute. 

McCallister reflected it back and thanked him. “Just get that station up and running, captain.” He said before he followed the others into the shuttle.

“We will,” Sturok assured him.

As they walked into the cockpit, McCallister allowed both Flemen and Tomaz to sit at the front of the type-14 shuttle. He turned to Cambil. “This could have been a lot messier.”

“You’re right,” She agreed as they took their seats, “but it didn’t, and the colony is thriving once again.”

“At what cost?” McCallister said with a sigh. He was struggling at the loss of life. He could barely look at his brother in being able to support him in dealing with his own grief of losing so many of his crew, let alone come to terms with Canção’s sacrifice.  

“They won’t be forgotten, James,” Cambil assured him as she reached out with her hand. “The Prophets will guide them to the Celestial Temple and ensure they live on in the lives they leave behind, especially among the hearts of the people of Divinium Four.”

McCallister squeezed his friend’s hand back, appreciating her support as always. Tomaz then announced they were clear to disembark.

“Take us home, Tomaz,” McCallister ordered as he leaned back against the headrest.

Flemen then spoke up as they flew off. “Sir, we’ve got an incoming transmission for you.” He announced. “It’s Commander Banfield.”

McCallister sat up. “Put her through.”

“Sir, sorry to interrupt you, but I’ve just spoken with Carter and Starfleet Academy has ordered the return of our training unit. Looks like some of our family are coming home, just in time for Frontier Day.” Banfield shared from where she sat on the bridge of the Odyssey

Smiling at hearing that news, McCallister nodded in appreciation. It wasn’t everyone, but it would mean he would see his son Alfie again. “Very good, commander,” He replied. “Very good indeed.”

After speaking with his ‘wife’, Commander Carter Westerham stood up from the chair he had in his small quarters on board the Reliant-class starship, Guildford. Glad to have spoken with Corella Banfield on the Odyssey, Westerham walked over to his cupboard and opened the door. He was about to lean down and pick up the bucket that sat on the floor; however, he was disturbed by his door chime. Slightly frustrated to hear it go off, he changed his demeanour as he knew who it was.

“Enter!” He called.

Stepping in were the two cadets he had ordered to visit him. “Cadets McCallister and Duncan-Court, you arrived so promptly.”

Both young men stood to attention and replied sternly, “Yes, sir!”

“At ease,” Westerham said, trying to avoid showing off his annoyance for Starfleet formality. “I have some news for you both.”

Alfie and Jordan looked at one another; worry and caution filled them.

“Don’t be worried,” Westerham assured them. “It’s some excellent news.”

“Good news, sir?” Jordan asked.

“Have you spoken to the Odyssey?” Alfie questioned. After hearing through the Federation News Service about rumours of the Fourth Fleet heading to the Deneb Sector to deal with some border skirmish, he had been worried. Rumours were flying around that it was more than that. 

“Indeed I have, and it won’t be long until we grace our presence among her great corridors,” Westerham shared. “Starfleet has granted the return of our training unit to the Odyssey.”

“Are you serious, sir?” Alfie checked.

“Oh yes,” Westerham replied. “I’ve spoken to Commander Banfield already to share the ‘good’ news.”

The two cadets looked at each other with so much excitement. 

“That’s great news; thank you, sir,” Jordan said.

“It certainly is, and I am sure when we return, your presence will be felt by so many,” Westerham smirked. “Now dismiss so you can go and tell the others the good news.”

“Yes, sir, immediately, sir,” Alfie said, almost stumbling out the words as he and Jordan rushed out of his quarters. 

 Westerham dropped the smile once both boys had left his room. He ordered the computer to lock the doors before he pulled the bucket into his cupboard, and within seconds he reverted to his liquid state within it. 

He hated holding his solid form but knew that the plans he and his brethren had next for the Federation were worth the challenge of dealing with solid form and annoying teenage cadets.