Things had been quiet onboard the Knight as they were currently docked at Brahms Station which was above Avalon II. Most of the crew were taking advantage of the facilities that were located on the station, after the events of having to watch what had taken place on Earth during Frontier Day. While they were unaffected due to them being docked at Starbase Bravo at the time, the Gagarin didn’t fair so lucky.

Even though the Jupiter Signal didn’t reach them they still had to purge the fleet formation mode from their system. They also identified a good majority of the younger crewmembers with having nanites in their DNA. Thanks to Dr. Crusher they were able to recalibrate their transporters and send them through the transporters to remove those nanites.

Things didn’t go as smoothly as one would have hoped as some were sceptical and scared to go through the transporter. Though they all went through in the end with some reassurance. While others were on the station Rayu Isha was sitting in her office going over reports trying to get her mind off things. They had a few days before they were scheduled to depart Avalon.

Her door chime went off she looked almost a bit irritated by the interruption, letting out a sigh while looking towards the door. “Enter.”

“I hope I am not disturbing you, sir,” came the voice of Piyu Jaiett her newly promoted first officer.

Shrugging while motioning for one of the empty chairs before getting up from hers and making her way toward the replicator. “I could use a break anyways, care for a drink?” Isha asked as he shook his head indicating that he was alright. “Coffee, black.”

After getting her cup from the replicator she walked over to where Piyu was sitting and sat down next to him. “You have been in here for hours, is everything alright?” asked Piyu as Isha had taken a sip of her coffee with a look of concern upon his face.

“Just needed to get some things finished, it’s been quiet.” Isha replied waving a hand gently, “I just lost track of time.”

“Want to go have lunch?”

“Sure, I could use a break.”

Just as they were getting up from the chairs they had been sitting in the sound of her computer beeping, raising an eyebrow Isha moved around her desk. Turning on the computer she saw the face of Azras Dex on the other end. “Sorry to interrupt you like this,” Azras began with an apologetic look on her face.

“It’s alright,” said Isha as she sat down in the chair. Piyu sat down quietly listening to what was going on. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“I just received a distress call from the SS Valkyrie near Talaran space.” Azras began with a short pause, “their engines seem to be on the fritz and are requesting our assistance in repairs so they can complete their delivery.”

“Any idea of why their engines just failed?”

“They are unable to figure out why or even how to go about fixing it so they called for assistance.” Azras said as she looked at her, “I am sending the Knight to render aid and get them on their way.”

Looking up from her computer she motioned for Piyu to go recall the crew. Piyu nodded and walked out of her ready room before she looked back to Azras. “We will leave as soon as the crew return,” Isha replied as she had just received the coordinates to where the Valkyrie was located.

“Thank you, Commander, good luck,” Azras replied before ending the communication, the screen turning off.

Isha sat there for a while pulling up the information about the Valkyrie that she could find and the coordinates that were provided. It was an Antares-class freighter and looks to be in better condition than some she’s seen. Though it seems to be over twenty years old and has been through a couple of owners throughout the years. Shutting her computer off after downloading the information, she got up from her chair and began to make her way out onto the bridge.

She noticed that her bridge staff had returned, “status report.”

“All crew have returned,” Piyu replied.

“All systems are online and ready for departure,” Jerra replied from the helm.

“Engines are online and operating at a hundred percent,” said Kisha from the engineering station on the bridge.

“Open channel to Brahms Station,” said Rayu as she sat down in her chair. Once she got the nod that the channel was open, “Knight to Brahms Station requesting permission to disembark from the starbase.”

“Brahms Station here you are clear for departure Knight,” came the voice of the docking master replied before the comm channel ended.

Looking at Jerra who was looking back at her, “retract stations mornings and docking clamps. The back us away from the station,” said Rayu as she adjusted in her seat. This was their first mission without the other two ships in the squadron. “Once clear set a course for these coordinates warp nine.”

“Aye sir,” Jerra replied as he turned around with a grin as he tapped a few commands into his console. The mornings detached from the ship and a few seconds later the docking clamps disengaged. The ship began to slowly move away from the station and the other Saratoga and Triumph. Once they were at a safe distance he looked back at the commander. “Course and speed laid in.”

“Engage.”

“Aye,” said Jerra as he tapped a few buttons and the ship went to warp towards its destination.

Tapping the controls on her chair console she opened a shipwide channel. “Senior staff report to the observation lounge in fifteen minutes,” she replied with a quick pause before speaking. “Along with Lieutenant Derohl,” Rayu said before tapping the console again ending the channel. This caused a few turned heads about why a junior officer would be joining a senior staff meeting.

“You have the bridge,” said Isha as she looked at the relief officer as both Isha and Piyu walked towards the observation lounge to prepare for the briefing. Upon entering she could see the confusion in Piyu’s eyes.

“Why did you ask Derohl to join us?”

“One of her previous hosts has experience with Antares-class freighters and would like to get her knowledge.”

“Gotcha that makes sense,” Piyu said as they sat there chatting amongst each other as they gathered all the needed information to prepare for their upcoming staff meeting. “This seems to be a simple enough mission, we should be back in no time.”

“Yeah, we should be though nothing seems to always go as planned.”

Piyu nodded with the statement as things don’t always go as hoped or planned. He could tell something was bothering her, “you alright?”

“Yeah, just feels different going on a mission without the squadron,” Rayu replied honestly, though she knew they were fully capable of handling a mission by themselves. Working her jaw for a brief moment before looking at him. They chatted amongst themselves while they waited for others to arrive.

It had been a few hours since they departed Avalon Fleet Yards and they still had several hours to go before arriving at their destination. This was their first mission without the other two ships, they were on their own to assist a broken-down freighter. Nilah had been sitting in the lounge near the far window drinking coffee while looking outside. The view of them at warp still fascinated her.

They were on their first mission after the events of the Lost Fleet invasion and Frontier Day. What could have been if they hadn’t been safely at Starbase Bravo undergoing repairs. She was at the age where she would have turned into a Borg, she couldn’t fathom what she could have done. That thought gave her goosebumps causing her to shake her head.

So lost in thought she didn’t see Lieutenant Pazal walk up to her. “Is this seat taken?” Kisha asked as she could tell something was bothering her. She thought that she would just let her be but decided to at least see if she wanted company.

She looked at her for a moment before returning her gaze to the window. “Help yourself,” she replied as it didn’t matter much to her.

Taking the offered seat she looked at her with a tilt in her head. “Are you alright?”

“I am fine,” said Nilah even though it was a lie. She was in no mood to talk and was still a bit irritated by the staff meeting she was dragged to. Not just because of her knowledge and skills but one of Derohl’s previous hosts.

Working her jaw from side to side before taking a sip of her coffee as silence fell upon them for a while. “Could have fooled me.”

“Why am I here?” Nilah asked which caught Kisha off guard.

Looking at her for a moment thinking of how to respond to her question. “Because you’re a gifted engineer,” she simply said.

“Why do I find that so hard to believe? Is it because of my talent or that of my previous hosts?”

Now she was beginning to see what was bothering her. “I know you are still adjusting to everything but believe me when I say this.” Kisha began as she paused for a moment before she continued. “You are very talented, I think that the symbiont’s previous hosts only enhanced your knowledge and skills.”

Nilah looked at Kisha for a moment and could see the sincereness in her voice. “Why did Commander Rayu make it sound like I was only there because of the experience of one of Derohl’s previous hosts?”

“To be honest no one here knows that much about the Antares-class freighters.” Kisha began to explain, “Commander Rayu noticed that one of the previous hosts used to serve on one as an engineer for a short time. She felt it was a logical choice.”

“We can learn from that experience and know that we will be able to help them properly,” Kisha added before she took a drink of her coffee while she too looked briefly out the window.

Nilah let out a huge sigh as she knew that Kisha had a point. “I suppose you’re right, I don’t know why I feel like this.” She took a drink of her coffee as she thought she had come to terms with everything. It looked like it was going to be a longer process than she anticipated.

“I am sure things will just take time and please know you are not alone.”

“Thank you Lieutenant Pazal,” Nilah said with a soft smile.

“Please call me Kisha when not on duty,” said Kisha as she saw the time. “We still have several hours before we arrive. Why don’t we get some sleep as it’s getting late.” Kisha suggested as she stood up from the chair grabbing the glass of coffee she had been drinking out of.

“That sounds like a lovely idea,” Nilah replied as she too stood up before taking another glance out the window. The view had been almost intoxicating to watch. She found it fascinating and calming watching the ship at warp. A short time later they deposited their cups at the replicator to be recycled before exiting the lounge. Each heading off in separate directions.

Taking the turbolift to the deck where her quarters were located. She happened to get lucky that she was able to get quarters to herself without having to share with someone else. She enjoyed having her own space where she could just spend time away from everything.

Upon arriving she entered her quarters and looked around almost feeling embarrassed as her quarters were a bit of a mess. She’d been in a funk lately that cleaning was the last thing on her mind. She took a few minutes to tidy up her quarters getting it back to where it needed to be.

Looking around her quarters after she finished, she was pleased with how they looked. Not to have to feel embarrassed by the state if someone decided to show up unannounced. Satisfied Nilah walked through the living room towards her bedroom and into the sonic shower after getting undressed. Having had a long day she needed the calmness of the water beating down on her to wash away the yuck she was feeling.

Upon finishing she dried off before getting dressed in her nightgown. Putting on her robe she walked to the mirror looking at herself for a moment before grabbing her brush. She began the motion of combing her hair while looking at her reflection. She thought about different things until she finished.

Walking back out into her living room heading for the replicator to get a bit of a snack. After ordering a bowl of fruit she sat down on the couch and began to eat while she picked up a PADD and began to read a book she had been reading. She spent the next hour reading before heading to bed for the night. Knowing tomorrow they were scheduled to arrive at the Valkyrie and she and other engineers would be busy.

Commander Rayu’s ready room was a bit smaller than some. However, it was comfortable with her desk near the middle of the room. It was in the shape of a half circle. Two chairs adorned the front where guests could sit along with a bit more oversized chair behind the desk for her. Near the far wall next to the window were a large bookshelf that reached the ceiling with a couch next to the window and a sofa next to it. Then in front of the couch was a glass coffee table that was in the shape of an oval. She had it adorned with elements of her personal belongings to make the space feel relaxing.

Rayu was sitting on the sofa looking out the window as they traveled at warp towards their destination. Lost in thought with a PADD in her hand thinking about what lay ahead of them. She had been studying the SS Valkyrie an Antares-class freighter whose engines had all of a sudden stopped working. Many thoughts had crossed her mind as she wondered what the cause was with very limited information. Wondering if they were hiding something from them. 

The Knight dropped out of warp at their destination, which caused Rayu to seamlessly snap out of her trance as the stars were no longer flying by at the speed of light. She sat there for a few more minutes just looking out to see the freighter sitting there dead in space. Standing up from the chair she was sitting in she began to walk towards the door just as Sreivik came over the comm channel letting her know that they arrived at their destination.

Rayu walked out onto the bridge and looked at the viewscreen that showed the Valkyrie. She looked over to her science officer. “Are you picking up anything on sensors that could explain their problems?” Rayu asked as she wondered if there might have been a firefight and they were afraid to admit it.

Ledire Turi tapped a few buttons. “I am not detecting anything out of the ordinary.”

Working her jaw as Raya Isha took her seat thinking before turning to Sreivik. “Hail the Valkyrie,” she ordered as she adjusted in her seat.

“Aye sir,” came the reply.

The screen changed to the view of the bridge of the Valkyrie which looked as if they had been through hell and back. Sitting in the seat that was stationed in the middle of the bridge, which she assumed was the ship’s captain was a middle-aged Orion woman. Rayu Isha was getting a feeling that something was off about the woman, she couldn’t place it but it felt as if she was hiding something more than just a ship that had broken down. She looked briefly over to Piyu Jaiett whose eyes widened in disbelief giving the feeling that he felt the same way she did. “Commander Rayu Isha of the USS Knight, we have responded to your call for assistance. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

“Captain Tashu,” she simply replied. “We are grateful for the assistance as we need to be on our way as soon as possible.”

“I will send my engineers over to repair your engines,” Rayu replied with a reassuring smile even though deep down she knew something wasn’t right. She would start investigating while their engineers worked on repairing the ship.

“Thank you,” came the reply before Tashu ended the channel.

Rayu worked her jaw before puffing out her cheeks and blowing air out. Something was definitely up that didn’t sit well with her. “Piyu, Th’atiarian, and Turi can you come with me to my office?”

The four of them walked into Rayu’s ready room and each took a seat. “Who here was getting that feeling that Captain Tashu is hiding something?” Rayu asked looking at the three of them as they nodded in agreement to her question.

“What do you think they are trying to hide?” Sehl asked.

“That’s what I would like to find out,” said Rayu. She looked outside the window so that one could see the ship through. “I don’t know if they are trying to hide how they lost their engines or they are trying to hide what they are transporting.”

“Do you think a Federation cargo freighter is hauling something illegal?” Piyu spoke up.

“That is a possibility,” she replied which brought her to why she called Sehl and Ledire in here. Looking at the two, “I need you two to work together to figure out what they are hiding. Though I would like you to do so without tipping them off where they react in a way we don’t want.”

“Understood,” they both replied in unison.

“I hope we don’t find anything and it’s just nerves,” Piyu stated.

“One can only hope,” Rayu responded before letting out a deep breath that sounded as if it was a sigh. “Dismissed.” The three of them stood up from their chairs and walked out of the ready room to begin their work. Rayu rubbed her hands on her face, beginning to wonder if things were only beginning. She hoped they wouldn’t find anything out of the ordinary and could just get their engines running, letting them be on their way.

“Commander Rayu to Lieutenant Pazal,” said Rayu as she tapped her commbadge.

“Pazal here,” came the reply.

“Get your team ready and head over to the Valkyrie. They are expecting you,” she ordered.

“Understood sir,” replied Pazal.

“Report anything unusual you find. It doesn’t matter how unimportant it might be,” Rayu ordered, wondering if they could find out anything from their end.

“Do you think there might be some foul play here in regards to what happened?” Pazal asked as Rayu heard the tone of her voice change which was that of confusion coming from that question.

“I am not entirely sure but I have a feeling they are hiding something,” Rayu replied.

“I will report anything out of the ordinary, and give a full report when repairs are complete.”

“Thank you,” Rayu replied before the comm channel ended leaving her sitting there in silence. Standing up she walked over to the window for the second time staring out at the ship. Thoughts ran through her mind wondering what was going on, things were not as they seemed and she was determined to get to the bottom of it while still assisting them.

Walking out of her ready room she needed to go for a bit of a walk to help clear her mind. “Piyu, you have the bridge,” Rayu said as he just nodded in agreement before she walked into the turbolift and towards the holodeck where she would bring up her favorite program. Here she would spend the next while unwinding and clearing her mind of everything, giving her a clear mind to be able to focus fully on this mission with an open mind and not just jumping to conclusions before the investigation was completed.

The Valkyrie was in disarray all over as if no one cared about how it looked. Giving the impression that they only cared about delivering their cargo and making some currency. After the engineering team arrived onboard the freighter, was led down the corridor towards engineering by what appeared to be a very young woman. She didn’t share her name and was rather cold about them even being there.

Kisha Pazal had wondered how this ship even lasted this long, it was in such disarray. Looking at Nilah as they continued their journey, Pazal could see that she had a look of disgust on her face as she seemed appalled just as much as she was by the state. Leaning over to Nilah and speaking in a whisper where only she’d be able to hear her. “I am surprised they haven’t decommissioned this ship with the state she is currently in.”

“Agreed,” Nilah responded as they finally reached their destination.

Upon entering engineering their guide quickly disappeared leaving them to their own devices. Engineering seemed to be empty except for a couple of people whom she hoped would be engineers. Though they weren’t doing anything but talking amongst themselves. Pazal raised an eyebrow as she got out her tricorder and walked to the central computer console, while Nilah made her way to the warp core.

Engineers spread out to different consoles and all began to get to work to diagnose what the issue might be. Pazal began to run a full-on diagnostic of the computer core to see if they could get an idea of what was going on. While the diagnostic was in progress she took the time to look around engineering. Wires were needlessly hanging around, and EPS manifolds were visible and looked to have been rigged to hold out longer than they should have.

Pazal looked to where Nilah was standing and she could visibly see that she was getting a bit frustrated. To her it seemed the warp core was giving her trouble, she was about to go over and find out when the computer beeped. Indicating that the diagnostic was complete. She would find out in a moment what was bothering Nilah first, she needed to see what the diagnostic found.

While Pazal was reading she could see in her peripheral vision Nilah walking up to her. She could see that she was frustrated. “The warp core is locked up completely. I am unable to access it to even get a diagnosis.”

“That doesn’t surprise me with everything that is wrong with this ship. It needs to be towed to a shipyard for a complete overhaul.” Pazal replied showing Nilah the diagnosis as well as points around the room at things that she could visibly see.

“Yikes,” replied Nilah.

A loud sigh escaped her lips loud enough as others in the room looked up from what they were doing. “It is going to take a week if not longer for us to get them operational.” Pazal replied as she rubbed her hands on her face, “I’ll need to have a meeting with both Commander Rayu and the freighter’s Captain. Cause I know they won’t like what I will have to say.”

“What do you need me to do in the meantime?” Nilah asked.

Pazal had a PADD in her hand inputting information into it of what was needed which was quite a lot. Though a lot of it would have to be completely overhauled they would get it up and running enough for them to complete their delivery and make it to a starbase. Once she was finished she handed Nilah the padd which she took looking at it while Pazal spoke. “I need you to head back to the Knight to begin fabricating these items, take a few engineers to assist you.”

“Understood,” Nilah replied.

Pazal stood there watching Nilah walk off grabbing a couple of engineers before making her way out of engineering. Working her jaw for a moment looking around, she just couldn’t get over the fact that they let everything get as bad as it was. Pazal just stood there procrastinating on heading back to the Knight to speak with Rayu Isha and hopefully the freighter’s captain. She wasn’t looking forward to that meeting as she had a feeling that what she would have to say would go in one ear and out the other.

Blowing the air out of her cheeks she walked out of engineering towards the transporter room while tapping her combadge. “Commander Pazal to Commander Rayu,” Pazal said as she waited for a response.

“Go ahead Commander,” Rayu replied.

“I need to have a meeting with you and the freighter captain.” 

“Is everything alright?”

“Not really but I’ll explain everything that we found in the meeting,” Pazal stated when a sigh escaped her lips.

“Understand, see you shortly,” said Rayu before the comm channel closed.

A short time later she arrived back onboard the Knight. Pazal made her way to her office to write up a report that she would share at the meeting. She has seen many things during her career, though this one seems to take the cake. After arriving she spent the next fifteen minutes working on her report before she headed to the briefing room where the meeting would take place.