Siobhan sighed as she entered her quarters, fresh off of another duty shift. Patrolling the Triangle had been a demanding, but rewarding experience for her. She hadn’t expected making it to Lt. Commander in the time span that she had, but hey, she wasn’t going to knock it. She took off her uniform, then slipped into something more comfortable. Sitting on the barcalounger, she grabbed a book, then began to read.
“Computer, play something by Glenn Miller.”
The computer trilled, and ‘American Patrol’ began playing. Siobhan smiled, enjoying the dulcet tones of 20th Century big band music. About 15 minutes later, her screen began trilling with an urgent message. As much as she tried to ignore it, she found herself looking up from her book and towards the monitor. With a loud, annoyed sigh, she got off the lounger and headed toward the monitor.
‘What’s so important that they’re basically using the red alert system?’ she wondered to herself as she sat down.
“Computer, play message. Authorization Pearse Delta-Foxtrot-Tango nine-seven-two.”
The Starfleet Command logo flashed on the screen, and suddenly, Siohban went from passively annoyed to increased concern. The message was from a close friend of hers that had served with her on Starbase 11.
“Hey Siobhan, I know I’m a little early for our usual messaging time, but I have some news for you. A few days ago, a fleet of Dominion ships crossed into Federation space and began attacking several sectors over by Bajor. Starfleet is assembling a fleet to deal with the situation, but just wanted to give you a heads up. Hope you’re doing well on the Los Angeles. Write to you soon!”
Siobhan stared at the Federation logo after the message. The Dominion War was history, taught in the Academy and highlighted on how Starfleet was ill prepared for a full-length conflict. She had taken an interest in all the crazy shenanigans Capt. Sisko and his crew at Deep Space 9 got involved with, and the legal ramifications of their actions. But to think that the conflict could be restarting…it made her nervous. She stood up, stretched, and asked the computer to start her winding down routine. Tomorrow, she would be finding out how this situation affected the ship. And its mission.

Walking into the conference room, the mood was somber as the Captain addressed the command staff.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as you may have heard last night, Dominion forces crossed into Federation space. Starfleet is scrambling, and has issued a fleetwide yellow alert. This morning, I spoke to Starfleet Command, and I have received new orders. Our mission is going to be two-fold. First, we are going to be on patrol at the new border of Federation space, ensuring that there are no more surprises. Miss Pearse, I know your specialty is in law, but I will ask you if you are willing to learn combat tactics as our Operations Officer.”
“Aye, sir; I would love to. I did study combat in the Academy, but I could use a brush-up.”
“Thank you. As soon as we’re done here, helm, lay in a course for the border, warp 6.”
“Aye, sir.”
The briefing continued, but Siobhan was a bit distracted, thinking back to her lessons on the Dominion as a dangerous enemy of the Federation. She had a lot to learn, but if there was something she knew about Starfleet was that its people were flexible and adaptable.

“Approaching border zone, Captain.”
“Very good, helm. Slow to half-impulse, place us at yellow alert.”
“Slowing to half-impulse.”
“Yellow Alert, aye sir.”
Siobhan tapped on her console, beginning her tactical scans. In the hours of transit, she had been studying scenarios, but now, it just felt…anti-climactic. ‘It’s all quiet on the Western Front’ she thought to herself as she scanned for enemy vessels. The thought was from an old Earth book written about another war, long ago. Around her, the conversations between the Captain and other officers continued, though Captain Oteng’s question brought her out of her thought process.
“Ops, anything important?”
Siobhan found herself smiling as her reply left her lips. “No sir; all is quiet on the western front. Or so it seems.”
Her reply elicited suppressed smiles and slight chuckles from those in the know. Even the Captain cracked a smile.
“Very good, Miss Pearse. Keep up your vigilance.”
“Will do, sir.”
And so, the mission began. Just a Starfleet presence to hold the line while things were sorted. Little did anyone suspect that things were about to get more interesting.

Siobhan strode confidently on the bridge of the Los Angeles, like she had many times before. She was used to getting posted on the bridge, and and yet, somehow, it felt different. The ship was still at yellow alert, combat teams were roving the halls; in short, the ship was ready for a fight. But at the same time, nothing happened. It was…calm; an oasis in the middle of storming seas. Ever since Captain Oteng had made it clear to everyone that they had a patrol mission, the ship bristled with preparations. She had overseen some of it, particularly running tactical drills in the small holodeck on Deck 8. As the ship’s Operations Officer, she was in charge of ensuring that the ship fulfilled its mission, whether it was hunting for criminals or patrolling a war zone. Siobhan took her post, then began reading the logs while maintaining sensors at maximum. The reports read like a boring novel…nay, they read like that one textbook she was thrilled to vaporize back at the Academy – Microbiology. Biology of any kind had not been her strong suit growing up, and that class had been her proverbial mortal enemy. At the end of the year, she had vaporized the PAAD containing that stupid textbook in celebration; it was long, tedious, and painful to read. As she wrapped up her tedious task, the new Ensign from Echo Shift (graveyard, as it was known onboard) rushed onto the bridge.

Recently, Ensign Nolan had been promoted from Echo shift to the coveted Alpha Shift (0800-1600 hours), and so he still wasn’t used to waking up early. But he had barely made it on time, so he just walked to his post and called out the relevant information.
“Captain, we’re currently on a heading of 022 mark 315, positioned about 200 km away from the Dominion border. All systems nominal, sir.”
“Very good, Mr. Nolan. Very good.”

Siobhan continued scanning, looking for any evidence of incursion. The hastily deployed border sensors were not detecting anything, but she continued the scans. Her best friend at the academy had warned her that patrolling was lots of boredom with seconds of adrenaline. And so it was.
“Captain, nothing to report.”
“Oh I know, Mr. Spencer. It’s the calm before the storm. But we maintain our vigilance; for if these cross over, they can cave our flank…”
“Captain, contacts, bearing 077, moving towards the border. They’re Jem’Hadar fighters! A squadron just crossed into Federation space.”
“Acknowledged, Ops. Continue tracking. Helm, move to intercept, maximum warp.”
“Aye sir, course laid in.”
“Red alert, battle stations!”
The bridge lights dimmed as the alert lights started to glow red. The klaxon started to sound, and well, everyone sprung into action.

Siobhan continued tracking the movements of the incursion ships, still on a course towards one of the main outposts that was not too far from the border. It seemed to her more as a raid than an actual invasion, but the Los Angeles could and would not let the incursion go unanswered.
“Captain, Jem’Hadar ships coming into visual range in about 90 seconds; weapons range in 180 seconds!”
“Affirmed. Phasers ready, torpedoes hot when in range.”
“Thank you both. Mr. Spencer, unleash hell when in range.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Ships in range now!”
“Fire at will!”
Phaser beams begin flying forth as the ship shudders from enemy fire. The shields glowed blue with every hit. The Los Angeles, however, was giving as good as she got. With another phaser hit, one of the enemy vessels exploded in a brilliant flash.
“Splash one, Captain!” Thomas cried out with glee.
“Well done Mr. Spencer. Well done.”

With one of the fighters gone, the other three ships promptly returned fire and began to withdraw. Everyone was taken aback by the actions, since Jem’Hadar were not known for retreat. Something odd was going on, but for now, everyone was glad the Jem’Hadar retreated, since it defused tension on the bridge.
“Okay, that’s kind of weird. Miss Pearse, please compile a report on our engagement here. Everyone else, stand down red alert, maintain scans and patrol.
“Aye, sir. Standing down red alert. The bridge lights came on, though the light bars went back to their default yellow alert status. Saoirse started downloading all sensor data onto a PAAD for further study. Something was off here, and she was determined to find out what.

Captain Oteng sat in the conference room at the head of the table, PAAD out in front, listening intently to his Operations Officer. It had been a day (or maybe two) since the Los Angeles had encountered the Jem’Hadar patrol. After the first ship was destroyed, the others had retreated, and that didn’t sit well with anyone on his staff. After the battle, Lt. Commander Pearse had excused herself while she reviewed the logs and sensor readings. Afterwards, she had made a most unusual request…to recover key parts of the destroyed Jem’Hadar wreckage. She and Eloísa had both come up with the fragments that would be most useful, and well, it was an idea worth pursuing. Now, Lt. Commander Pearse was presenting her findings, and well, he was disturbed.

He tuned back into what Saorise was saying as she presented.

“After intensive scans, we were able to retrieve the parts that contained records, though they are obviously incomplete. If the Jem’Hadar even suspected that we could access these pieces of intelligence, they would have not retreated as easily. Their retreat was ordered by the Vorta, so far as we can tell.”
Captain Oteng interrupted. “To what end? Are they testing our response and tactics, or are they distracting us from something more nefarious?”
“Well, Captain…it’s too soon to tell. We need to do more analysis, but preliminary evidence points toward some combination of the two. In my opinion, I believe the Jem’Hadar were testing our response time. Seeing how fast we can get to anywhere on the line.”
“Hmmm…okay. Thank you Commander. I appreciate it.” Fabien turns to Brooklyn. “I want to increase our alert condition to yellow alert, and make sure the shields are online and at full readiness.”
“Aye sir. Permission to leave for the bridge?”
“Granted.”
With that, his first officer gets up and walks out of the meeting, leaving the rest of the staff gathered around the table.
Captain Oteng looks around the conference room and then stands up. Per tradition, everyone also stands at attention.
“Alright everyone; thank you; we will reconvene tomorrow, barring any more developments…”
As soon as he says that, the red alert klaxons go off and the ship shudders.
“Dismissed! Everyone to stations. Doctor, head straight to sickbay.”
“Yep, was thinking that myself.”

With that, the senior staff disperses and leaves the conference room. They walk with purpose onto the bridge where a full-blown engagement is in progress. Captain Oteng heads straight to his chair, steadying himself on the railing as another hit comes through. “Report!”
“Captain, two Jem’Hadar ships have just crossed the border, gunning straight for us; we’re taking fire but also giving as good as we have.”
“Right. Helm, continue pattern epsilon; Mr. Spencer, fire at will!”
The phaser array comes to life as the ship maneuvers into position and fires its phasers, hitting one of the ships.
“Captain, torpedoes ready, and targeted. Continuing phaser spread.”
“Helm, move us closer, increase our speed to half-impulse, combat maneuverability.”
“Aye sir. Closing range.”
Captain Oteng pulls his display closer, then at a close distance, he calls out “Fire torpedoes, full spread, maximum efficacy!”
“Firing sir!”
The three torpedoes leave the ship and one after another, impact the Jem’Hadar fighter and destroyed it. The other fighter continued firing on the Los Angeles, even after its companion was destroyed.
“One eliminated, Captain.” Saoirse spoke up from the Ops position.
“Helm, move to engage the second one; Mr. Spencer, you know what to do.”
A chorus of “Ayes” rang out as the two carried out their orders. Soon, the second ship exploded, and Fabien let out a sigh of relief.

That was two engagements within days of each other. Something didn’t feel right about what was going on.

“Miss Pearse, my ready room please. Commander Abramov, you have the bridge. Stand down from red alert and begin battle assessment and damage control.”
“Aye sir, I have the bridge.” As soon as Fabien stands up, Brooklyn stands up and moves to the Captain’s chair. Tom is busy inputting orders and beginning to download the sensor logs and other reports. As everyone completes their tasks, Fabien allows Saoirse to enter his ready room, ready to discuss what just happened.

“Approaching designated co-ordinates now.”
Lieutenant Stuart announced from the helm. “Picking up the USS Los Angeles on long range scan” added Tholakath.
“Signs of a recent engagement within the last 24 to 36 hours.”
As they dropped out of warp close to the other ship the young Cardasian spoke again. “She’s powering up her weapons and preparing to fire!”
“Who at?” Devron yelled.
“Us!”
“Shields!”
Devron turned his head to the left.
“Ensign Cho, can you raise them?”
The young Korean woman sent out a general message to establish contact with the other Federation vessel. But not before a phaser blast from the Los Angeles had struck them.
“I have them, Captain.”
“On screen.”
A head and shoulders view of Captain Oteng appeared on the main viewer at the front of the bridge.
“This is the USS Jaxartes, Lieutenant Devron, commanding.”

Captain Oteng had been juggling the soccer ball, doing something to alleviate the nervous energy he felt as he reflected on the events of the last few days.. The moment of truth had arrived. He put the ball back on its pedestal, and turned toward the door. “Enter.”

The doors open, and Lt. Devron is there with Commander Abramov.
“Captain, this is Lt. Devron, in command of the USS Jaxartes. Lieutenant Devron, this is Captain Fabien Oteng, in command of the USS Los Angeles.”
“Thank you Brooke. Dismissed.”
Brooke smiles, nods, and exits the ready room, leaving Captain Oteng and Lieutenant Devron alone together.
“Lieutenant, it’s very nice to meet you. Welcome aboard the Los Angeles.” 

“Glad to be here Captain,” replied the young Lieutenant. “And apologies for the mix up on our arrival.  I should have realised we’d be giving off an unfamiliar warp signature.  As for the transponder malfunction, I’ve got my Chief looking that over.”
Captain Oteng nodded with approval. “I’m glad you’re here. We have a bit of a mystery on our hands, and a fresh pair of eyes could be useful.” He hands Lieutenant Devron a PADD containing Lt. Commander Pearse’s report and analysis.
“In the past three days, we’ve had two engagements with Dominion forces. The style they’ve adopted is hit and run tactics; though we’ve managed to destroy one or two of their fighters, they just retreat. By the records, the strategy doesn’t make sense. We need to figure out what’s going on.” Captain Oteng’s visage becomes resolute and determined. He was implacable in his quest to figure out what the Dominion was doing.
“What do you think, Lieutenant, based on what you’re reading? What’s your take on the situation?” 

“All I know about the Dominion is stuff I’ve read about and the occasional story from those that saw action during the original war.” Devron replied frankly, “This as you say, isn’t their style.”

“Exactly. We need more intelligence.” Right as Captain Oteng is finishing his sentence, the intercom chirps.
“Captain, the Task Force CO is sending us a message. Would you like to have it now?”
“Pipe it through, Commander Pearse.” He turns to Lieutenant Devron. “Our Task Force CO is hailing. I hope there’s more information from Command.” 

“Anything will help.” Jason said in a low murmur

Barrington idly tapped his desk as he waited for the comms system to catch up. It wasn’t a surprise with the amount of calls going out as the fleet tried to co-ordinate against the new threat. 

The screen cleared and he found himself looking at not one, but two Starfleet officers. 

“Good morning, gentlemen. Captain Oteng I was expecting,” he said, shifting his attention to the other man, a Lieutenant. “Which would make you…”

“Lieutenant Devron, Sir. Captain of the USS Jaxartes. Sir.” He answered with a slight nervousness

Barrington nodded. “A pleasure to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances.”

He leaned forward on his desk, steepling his fingers. “I’m sure by now you will have heard reports that the Lost Dominion Fleet, the one that disappeared at the end of the Dominion war, have reappeared and are now causing havoc. Fourth fleet has mobilised to contain the threat and stabilise the Deneb sector, and I’m going to need both the Los Angeles and the Jaxartes for border security.”

“Yes, sir. We’re currently on station and we’ve held the line against three attacks so far. There are some things that you probably will want to know though..” Captain Oten looks down and taps a few functions into his console. “Captain, you should have the latest after-action reports written after the Los Angeles’ encounters with Dominion forces. My Operations Officer has been trying to figure out a mystery about strange behaviour by Jem’Hadar; after they attack, they run. The Jem’Hadar aren’t known for retreat.” 

Barrington’s console cheeped as the report arrived. 

“Indeed, they are not,” he replied with a frown. “Thank you, I’ll pass them along for analysis. We’re currently building a picture of exactly what the Lost Fleet’s movements and tactics are.” 

He reached forward and typed quickly. “I’m sending over the patrol routes I need you to cover. But, if a situation develops, you are authorised to use your own initiative in defence of Federation citizens, planets and installations.”

Captain Oteng nodded. “Am I to understand that I have operational control on how to proceed and as long as the line is held or territory gained, we’re good?” 

Barrington nodded, his expression serious. “Indeed. I don’t think I need to tell either of you that the situation we are facing is normal. Exercise your judgement as Starfleet officers, in accordance with fleet directives.”

He relaxed a little as he regarded them both. “Basically, don’t go blowing up any installations unless you can demonstrate that you had a valid strategic reason to do so, and no war crimes.”

Captain Oteng laughed. “Got it. Well, that makes sense.” He then gets a mischievous smile on his face. “So you said no war crimes…how ironclad is that directive?” He gives off the ‘I’m genuinely kidding’ vibes, hoping to set his CO at ease and give him a good laugh, which it looked like he needed. 

Barrington chuckled. “Do anything that causes me problems and I’ll assign the pair of you to retrieve every piece of the ships my other CO’s are bound to destroy,” he said with a grin.

Captain Oteng gave Barrington a smile that turned into a chuckle.
. “Operation Clean or else Operation Clean-up, got it. We will figure it out. That being said, thank you Captain. We’ll start working on our operations. Are there any further instructions, Captain?” 

Barrington inclined his head. “Stay alive and one final thing… trust only the Fourth.  Barrington out.” And with that, he cut the comm. 

The young lieutenant who’d remained silent for a few minutes, listening to the two Captains’ exchange; switched to a view of the surrounding stars on the Padd he’d been given and scrolled through the information regarding each of their associated planets.  He stopped at one in particular; nothing that special, M-class, slightly smaller than Mars, but with a rather dense ionised cloud layer which appeared to have blocked any attempts by the Los Angeles to scan it since their arrival. “Mind if I take a closer look at this place?” He pointed to the planet’s location on the star chart, just half a light year away. 

Captain Oteng nodded. “Yeah. I’m not sure what that place is, so we flagged it and sent it to Starfleet Intelligence; perhaps they can use it. Although…if you’re up for a little reconnoitring, perhaps we can figure out what it is.” Captain Oteng stands up and turns to look out the window of his ready room. “Lieutenant, let’s develop an op for reconnaissance and intel gathering, and reconvene in a few hours with our staff. That way, we can present the op and go from there. Not sure if that makes sense?” He looks expectantly at Lt. Devron. 

“Whatever you feel best.” Replied Devron. “Myself and my crew are here to hopefully make things a little easier.”

“Excellent. Let’s reconvene in the conference room with our command staff in 3 hours. Then go from there.” 

Devron stood up and shook Otengs’ hand. “I’ll head back over to the Jaxartes then.”  He walked towards the door which swished open.

Captain Oteng remained standing, thinking about what his next move was.