Trying to get comfortable in his new ready room was challenging for Captain Horatio McCallister. He had yet to find the place where he felt the most comfortable. On the Bellerophon, he loved the chair behind his desk and the curved sofa under the windows. Here on the Constitution, he had the choice of many seating opportunities, and everything was brand new. The room (in fact, the whole ship) had that brand-new smell to it. Or was that or the environmental controls were glitching. 

   The Constitution’s ready room was slightly longer than McCallister had accustomed to while on the Bellerophon. Though it wasn’t as big as his brother’s ready room on the Odyssey, it seemed pretty excessive, in his opinion. On one side of the room was his desk, shaped in an almost curved rectangular way and made of black marble. The same material was used to make the longer rectangular-shaped table in the middle. Not as long as the one in the conference room. It allowed for six people to meet. On the opposite side was a booth-like-shaped sofa. Every piece of seating was in a dark red colour scheme. Horatio hated it. Everything was so lavish, in his opinion. That said, most of what he found on his new ship seemed over the top. 

Being the prototype of the new Constitution-III class, and as a nod to some Starfleet nostalgia, when the ship was built, she retained some design aesthetics and choices that made her look more like the original Constitution-class from the twenty-third century with a twenty-fifth century take on it. McCallister felt like he was time travelling when he first boarded the ship. When he met with the lead designer and engineer, he was sure they were trying to express their adoration for the golden era of Starfleet exploration. He understood how much Starfleet wanted to return to its original exploring roots. Still, he wondered if they were taking things a bit too far. The more he walked around his ship, the more he felt they had taken most of it out of the Starfleet Museum. When asked, he even discovered that most of the Constitution’s sister ships didn’t look like this. 

However, McCallister soon realised he couldn’t complain. He had a ship, and the Constitution would be one hell of a ship with what she could do. McCallister felt it in his bones as he had read over her specifications. Even with its retro lines, very shiny surfaces and bright white lighting (of which he had to adjust the power levels a few times), he was starting to adapt to the significant differences compared to the Bellerophon. He did miss one thing, though: the carpet! The softer furnishing had made the Bellerophon more warm, more welcoming, and more comfortable. 

Sat on the dark red faux leather chair behind his new desk, the captain was sipping on his first mug of tea for the day while trying to finish off his breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms and toast. The replicator behind him certainly made better food than he had tasted on the Bellerophon. 

He was reading the latest reports about the ship’s readiness between bites and sips. Most of the crew had reported onboard and were starting to settle in. Adaptations had to be made to most of the ship to host its new crew, especially as most of them had come from the Triton, and many required particular environmental conditions or modifications to the ship’s life support systems. 

Bringing the crews from the Triton and the Bellerophon together seemed like a good idea to him. He had read how James, his brother, had done it with the Odyssey in 2387.  McCallister knew both crews and knew they would all fit on the Constitution. That said, not every single one of them would be joining them. Some would be assigned to the Odyssey. He had spent a few days reviewing his senior staff choices; some were easy to make, while others were challenging. Thankfully, his brother and Captain Cambil had assisted him. Those who weren’t joining him would be offered roles on the Odyssey, especially as the Odyssey had lost a good number from the Frontier Day Disaster. Whatever happened, his brother was sure of one thing. They would not lose anyone in the Odyssey Squadron since the Triton and Bellerophon were now stuck in drydocks at Avalon. Horatio hadn’t entirely understood James’ whole speech about not breaking up the family – things were getting too sentimental lately. He understood why, but he needed a break from it. Deep down, he wanted a brand new start on the Constitution. He wanted it so badly, especially for both the Bellerophon and Triton crews. They (like so many others in the Fourth Fleet) had lost many comrades from the Lost Fleet incursion and Frontier Day. Like a sharp dagger piercing through their chests, the Dominion and Borg had reared their ugly heads one more time to remind the Federation that the final frontier was still a dangerous place. It might be risky to explore, but it was worth it. So now, they all deserved to return to where they should have been: exploring the deep depths of the Delta Quadrant. 

The door chime went off, and McCallister immediately finished the last pieces of his breakfast on his plate and answered it. “Come in.”

Stepping through, smartly dressed in his uniform, was his new first officer. Commander Thaustin. Thaustin had been his first choice to join him on the Constitution; factors outside their control had put them together during Frontier Day, and experience had taught McCallister that the Xindi was undoubtedly someone to trust and depend on.

“Good Morning, Number One,” McCallister said with a smirk as he picked up his mug of tea. “How are you doing this morning, Thaustin?”

The younger, handsome man didn’t look that happy. He passed a PADD in his hand over to the captain. “Permission to speak freely, sir?” Thaustin requested.

Taking the PADD, McCallister was concerned but also confused by Thaustin’s demeanour. “Sure, what’s wrong?” He looked at the PADD’s contents and saw it contained the new senior staff structure for the Constitution. 

“May I ask why I wasn’t consulted on this, sir?” Thaustin said before jabbing the PADD’s screen. 

McCallister placed the device down on his table and responded by keeping himself calm. “I didn’t know I had to consult you on who I wanted on my new ship, commander.” McCallister placed both of his hands on the shiny marble desk surface. He emphasised certain words to remind Thaustin that he was the captain and his decision was final.

“You don’t, sir, but when you told me you wanted to bring everyone over from the Triton, I assumed you meant everyone,” Thaustin replied, crossing his arms against his chest.

“You must have realised that some people from the Bellerophon will be joining us, Thaustin?” McCallister quizzed. “And what’s the issue with our senior staff makeup?”

“With all due respect, captain, I just think there are more experienced candidates that should have those roles,” Thaustin answered. “For example, Lieutenant Commander Jayshon should have been considered for chief engineer.”

Thaustin’s statement about Triton’s former chief engineer didn’t offend McCallister. He would have liked to have worked with the Tamarian, but that would not be the case. “Jayshon was considered for the position but declined my offer. He was also offered the chance on the Themis; instead, he wanted to join the Corps of Engineers on the Odyssey. He cited he wanted a role with less responsibility, for now.”   

“Well, is Lieutenant T’Penni experienced enough to run an engineering department?” Thaustin questioned. 

“She did it perfectly well on the Bellerophon,” McCallister replied curtly. “I take it you have an issue with Lieutenant Commander Jarata?”

Thaustin nodded. “Again, sir, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I think his promotion to lieutenant commander is a little premature and making him third officer may be a mistake.”

“On what grounds?” 

“Again, experience. Or lack thereof.” 

McCallister rubbed his forehead. He had worked with Rubon Jarata for a long time and knew he was someone he considered a close confidant, almost like a younger brother. Without having Jaz or Jirani nearby, Jarata was the next best thing. “I disagree and believe Rubon can perform the duties of the third officer exceptionally well. He did it well enough on the Bellerophon.” He paused. “If you’re worried about the lack of experience on our senior staff, then why aren’t you questioning my choice to keep Lieutenant Natima Lonar as chief security and tactical officer?”

Thaustin was certainly worked up. “Because I know her, sir. She can do the job.”

“Good, because I’m going to rely on you helping me see that, as much as I know that both T’Penni and Rubon will do the same for you. Furthermore, commander, if we are going to get picky about who is from which ship, you should remember that those from the Triton outnumber the Bellerophon crew almost two to one. That said, we are not keeping score here. We are one Starfleet crew, and I expect everyone to remember that. I expect you to enforce that. Are we clear?”

Thaustin nodded. “It’s just, sir, Captain Canção used to have me involved in the selection process of anyone new joining the senior staff.” 

Standing up and walking around his desk, McCallister eased himself back onto the edge that Thaustin was near. “I get that, I do, and I promise you, moving forward, I will listen to your thoughts and recommendations if we need to bring in anyone new to a senior staff position. I want you to be part of that selection process, but remember, I have the final say.”

Thaustin didn’t say anything in response straight away. He almost twitched before he spoke. “I still don’t agree with Jarata’s promotion, and T’Penni will be running a bigger department than the Bellerophon.”

McCallister sighed, “Objection noted, Commander Thaustin. Is there anything else?”

“I’d like you to reconsider the third officer position and give it to Doctor Uknare,” Thaustin answered.

“No,” McCallister said firmly as he got up and walked away from Thaustin towards the booth sofa. He looked over his shoulder. “I want a bridge officer in that position.”

“But, sir, she is more train-”

McCallister cut him off instantly as he turned around to face in the same direction as Thaustin. “That’s enough, Commander Thaustin!” He raised his voice to be stern. “My decisions are final.”

“Then I want it noted. I firmly believe this will cause unnecessary tension among the crew you are trying to assemble,” Thaustin replied.

“I already said your objection is noted, commander, but for clarity, you should know that our senior staff structure wasn’t just picked by me but also vetted by Captain Cambil and Fleet Captain McCallister. Do you believe you know more than them?”

Thaustin was stomped. “No.”

“Good, then I expect this matter to now be dropped, and I do not want to hear any more on it, am I clear?” McCallister said as he made his way back to his desk.

Thaustin blushed a bit. “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” McCallister said as he stood behind his chair and rested his right arm over the top of it. “Is there anything else?”

“No, sir,” Thaustin said formally. 

“Very good, commander,” McCallister said in a similar tone. He was annoyed that they had this exchange. Still, he couldn’t believe the nerve that Thaustin had in questioning not only his own judgement but also that of his brother’s and Cambil’s. “We have six days to prepare this ship and its crew for departure. I don’t expect Starfleet to give us much time for a shakedown cruise, so we must bring our best when we leave with the others via the next entrance of the Barzan Wormhole.”

Thaustin nodded. “I understand, sir.” 

Not sure what else he wanted to say there and then, McCallister nodded to his first officer. “Dismissed.”

Thaustin stood up straight and left the room.

Sighing heavily as he slumped into his chair, McCallister was now questioning his choice of first officer. Perhaps he should have agreed with his brother’s suggestion of having Commanders Tomaz or Flemen join him. That said, he reminded James of his reason for picking Thaustin. If he was Rio Canção’s choice for first officer, how could he turn him away?

McCallister took one more look at the door that Thaustin just used to leave before looking back at his work. He decided he would get back on with it, hoping that the argument between him and Thaustin would be a one-off.

He hoped. 

Walking into the Gateway, one of the premier nightclubs on Guardian Station, Rubon Jarata smiled excitedly as he saw his friends waiting for him by the bar. This would be the first time they would have been in each other’s company since Frontier Day. It was also a chance to get together to celebrate those among them who had received a promotion recently. Jarata was one of them, as were Jonarom and Jirani. This could also be the last time they would be together before the Odyssey Squadron left Starbase 38. The Constitution had replaced the Triton and Bellerophon for the moment. Whether Starfleet could spare any other ships for the squadron’s long-range exploration assignment of the Delta Quadrant would be a matter they would have to wait for. Though Fleet Captain McCallister had insisted on not losing anyone from the Bellerophon and Triton, it did mean, for some, they were being split up. So the plan had been for the former command staff for the Bellerophon to get together for celebratory drinks while they could. Jarata was pleased to be taking a night off the Constitution. Though eager to fly the new ship, he struggled to get along with some of the Triton lot. He couldn’t quite work out what the issue was, but there was undoubtedly some low-level tension that made Jarata uncomfortable. He didn’t like how there was some resentment from those on the Triton being forced to be with those from the Bellerophon. It was almost like they looked down at the Bellerophon lot as if they couldn’t do their work. 

As Jarata strolled further into the dimly lit nightclub, he saw many customers enjoying themselves on the dance floor. Several of them were of different species, and he was sure he saw a few officers from the Odyssey and Themis there. This nightclub reminded him of some similar establishments back on Risa that he enjoyed going to when he was growing up. Knowing how to look the part, Jarata certainly did stand out among the crowd with his sharp appearance. His button-down silk navy blue shirt hugged his muscular frame perfectly, while his sleek black trousers and loafers completed the look. As such, his friends noticed him, and they all got out of their stalls to rush over to greet him. 

After hugging them all, Jarata was so pleased to see them after not being together for a few weeks. “Ah, guys, it’s so good to see you!” Jarata said, grinning from ear to ear. They all walked back to where they had been originally.

Looking at them all, he was impressed that they all dressed up for the occasion, too. Commander Jirani Edeena wore a tight, strapless white dress with her blonde hair all pulled up into a bun, while Doctor Sarella Corben had curled her long black hair while she wore a very glitzy dress that appeared to sparkle in the club’s lights. Wearing similar attire to him was Lieutenant Jonarom. The young Ardanan had swept his dark brown hair back while wearing a purple shirt. Jarata chuckled somewhat, as he knew that the shirt had been a birthday gift he had given Jonarom last year when they had gone out to one of the bars on the Markonian Outpost. Jonarom had asked Jarata for fashion tips, which he was more than happy to provide.

Along with the purple shirt (which was skin tight, and he had undone a good number of the top buttons to reveal his chest slightly), Jonarom was wearing black trousers, too. Beside him was Counsellor Krizon Hilgan. Now, Hilgan had gone all out with what he was wearing. A dark red shirt with matching grey trousers and waistcoat. He and Hilgan had decided to call it a day with their relationship after Frontier Day. It was tough, especially after Jarata had to stun Hilgan during the Frontier Day disaster. Hilgan and T’Penni had tried to assimilate the Bellerophon while under the control of the Jupiter Signal. If it hadn’t been for his and Jirani’s quick thinking on how to disable the ship while it was drydocked, as well as Corben’s plan to catch them both to be put away in stasis in the morgue, then none of them would be standing there today. Jonarom had apparently turned against Fleet Captain McCallister and the Odyssey’s senior staff while on the bridge of the Odyssey. Thankfully, he had survived the ordeal, too.

However, tonight was about them forgetting all of that and coming together one more time to celebrate their new assignments and raise a drink to those who were not with them. Jarata and Jirani had organised their gathering. 

Jarata followed them back to the area of the bar they occupied. 

“Now, get this down you, Lieutenant Commander Jarata, that’s an order!” Jirani Edeena said as she passed a drink to the Risian. It was a shot of something, which they all had a glass of. 

Jarata sniffed it but couldn’t work out what it was. “Aye, Commander Jirani!” He replied, emphasising her new rank as much as she had done with his. Drinking the beverage in one go was like gulping down a bag of bat’leths; it was sharp and probably stupid.

Corben gave a short, disgusted sound as she put her empty shot glass down. “That was revolting,” She said, squirming more.

Shaking his head as he put his glass down next to hers, Hilgan didn’t like it either. “Did I taste blood wine in that?”

Jirani nodded. “A dash of blood wine with tequila. It’s called a Shot of Grethor.”

“It is disgusting,” Jonarom said as he looked at the shot glass and placed it down with the others on the bar. He turned to Jarata. “So, is T’Penni joining us?”

Hearing the young man’s eagerness, Jarata didn’t have the heart to tell the whole truth. “She was stuck in engineering running a level four diagnostic on the warp core assembly; I’m not sure she wanted to leave until it was done.”

“Oh,” Jonarom said, a dash of disappointment appearing. 

Jarata placed a reassuring hand on Jonarom’s shoulder. “Hopefully she’ll make it,” He said. “Anyway, tell me more about your new exciting position, Mister Chief Communications Officer!”

Jonarom blushed at that before answering. His tone was almost flat. “Well, it’s certainly different to the science department.”

“Hey, stop knocking yourself, Jonarom. You’ve achieved the impossible at becoming the youngest department head on an Odyssey-class ship, and it’s not any ship – it’s the Odyssey!” Kilgan said, trying to encourage him.

“Jonarom, we are all proud of you!” Jirani added as she picked up her Bajoran spring wine to take a sip. 

“Yeah, some of us aren’t running our own departments anymore!” Corben dryly said.

“Come on, Sarella, again, you’ve got the chance to work with one of the finest physicians in the fleet, and you’re doing the job that is normally reserved for someone at the rank of a lieutenant commander,” Jarata stated. It was his turn to try and inject some enthusiasm, “Plus, you’ve got a huge medical department that will be working for you. Doctor Slyvexs wouldn’t have considered you if she didn’t think you’re good enough.”

“Fine, I will enjoy it,” Corben said after sighing as she sipped her Cosmopolitan. 

Jarata chuckled to himself; he had always loved how adaptable Corben would be when she was in a situation she didn’t like. He had learned quickly to be straightforward with her and give her the facts; she usually would agree to give something a go. He gave her a wink before going to the bar to order himself a Risan mai-tai. As he waited, the others continued to talk among themselves. Jirani soon joined him. 

“So, tell me, how come you turned down the captain’s offer of joining us on the Constitution?” He asked her.

The Bajoran woman sighed. “I wanted to try something new,” Jirani shared. “I think with Jaz dying and that whole Borg palaver, it’s giving me a new perspective on the direction I want to take.”

“So the Prophets have spoken?” Jarata said as his drink arrived, and he took it.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe, but I get to try out the command division for a bit and teach some of those fine young cadets who need a bit of encouragement after being partially assimilated.”

“I hear you’ll be working with Captain Reyas,” Jarata stated, “Have you two met yet?”

“Yeah, we met for coffee the other day; she seems nice,” Jirani answered. “She definitely knows her stuff, plus she made a personal request.”

“Oh?” Jarata said, wondering what that was. “Do tell.”

“Her son is a cadet on the Odyssey,” She replied.

Jarata nodded. “Oh yeah, the captain has mentioned his nephew before. Archie, right?”

“Alfie,” Jirani corrected. “Anyway, she told me that she didn’t want anyone to think she was giving him an easy ride, no nepotism or anything like that. So she wants me to keep on top of him to make sure he does his best or thinks he can get away with anything because she’s now in charge of the training unit.” 

Jarata laughed. “That poor kid,” He shook his head. “With you all over him, he won’t be able to get a single lock of hair out of line.”

She lightly slapped his shoulder, “Hey, I’m not that bad,” Jirani replied with mock defence. “I met him, and he seems like a good kid. He kind of reminds me of Jonarom a bit. From what I can tell, he isn’t like his mother or father. He might be more like his uncle.”

“Oh, wow, you certainly need to bash that out of him! I don’t think the universe is ready for another Horatio McCallister!” Jarata joked again before sipping more of his drink.

“It’s going to be weird,” Jirani said as she leaned against the bar. “All of us, not altogether.”

“At least we’re not that far from each other,” Jarata said, inferring the squadron makeup. 

“Talking of not being together anymore,” Jirani whispered. “What’s going on with you and Krizon? Do you think you guys will get back together? You make a cute couple.”

Jarata shook his head while chuckling. He looked at Hilgan talking to the others a couple of meters away from them. “I’m sorry, Edeena, I think that’s one connection that the Borg certainly severed and one the Prophets certainly won’t change.”

“Wow, I never thought I’d see the day when you two would end it,” Jirani said with a surprised tone. She looked at her friend. “Am I seeing a new and improved Rubon Jarata?”

He scratched the back of his head. “I kind of feel I need to prove the captain’s trust in me,” Jarata said with a sigh as he dropped his hand. “This promotion is early; I know I can do the job he wants me to do, but I know there’ll be others on the Constitution who disagree with it. So maybe, for a while, I need to be a bit more grown up, a bit more focussed on my job than my personal life.”

Impressed with his remarks, Jirani nodded. “Fair play, but don’t forget all work, and no play will certainly make Rubon a very dull lieutenant commander.”

“I know, I know,” He replied. “I just need to prove it not just to them but to myself, too.”

She raised her glass to his. “To new adventures.”

“To new adventures,” Jarata agreed with a smile. He was pleased with his decision, even if it meant he wouldn’t get to spend every day with this group of people. He knew they would have his back, wherever they were in the squadron. “Now, come on, commander, we have a dance floor, and I want to get Jonarom up on that floating platform to prove he is from a cloud city!” 

She burst into laughter as they finished their drinks and went to the others to push them across to the dance floor, where the music was blaring out, and other people were enjoying themselves.

“So what did Thaustin say?” Doctor Uknare asked as she continued to focus on her PADD and sip on her coffee.

Commander Kazlaf grunted and shook her head. “Nothing, but I could see he wasn’t happy from his face.”

“Are you surprised?” Counsellor Oron questioned. “Conversations between a captain and the first officer are meant to be private. Do you really think he would break that trust?”

“What about ours, Naef?” Kazlaf inquired as she pushed her porridge around. “We’ve all served together for some time. Surely, he could have told us if McCallister had agreed to withdraw his choice for third officer and give it to Kamra instead of that stupid flyboy!”

Putting her coffee and PADD down, the doctor looked at her friend. “I’d like to remind you that I’m not bothered by it. I have a brand new sickbay that is double the size of my old one and a medical staff that is twice as big. I’m in heaven, Belire.” Uknare stated calmly and diplomatically, which only resulted in her friend huffing as she took a spoon to her porridge.

“It’s the principal, Kamra. A more experienced officer should be in that position.” Kazlaf said after swallowing her mouthful of porridge. 

The three officers all went quiet as they knew they wouldn’t get any further with their topic of discussion. Sitting in the ship’s large crew lounge, called The Establishment, they enjoyed what it could provide regarding breakfast. Every morning, a large buffet of fresh food was provided along the top of the main bar, which everyone could help themselves. Holographic servers went around delivering beverages. Since joining the ship, the three senior officers had claimed a table on one of the sides near one of the wide bay windows. 

The Establishment was the name of the Constitution’s primary crew lounge and bar. Hosted by holographic servers, it provided the crew with an area to relax and unwind in between shifts. It was reasonably large that it could host a big diplomatic function of about two hundred people if required. Like the rest of the ship, it was brightly lit and had a classy and elegant design. Different shades of grey and white were used for most of the decor, where black was the colour for the tops of tables and the bar, while gold legs were attached to every chair and stall. Several curved sofas were dotted around the room, allowing large groups to sit together to enjoy a break or drink. To one side of it, there was a stage where a grand piano sat, and by the afternoon, it was played by another hologram. It was certainly different from anything they had experienced while on Triton.

“I don’t think you sitting here protesting over porridge is going to make the captain change his mind,” Oron remarked. “Furthermore, have you spent any time with any of the Bellerophon crew? They’re not as bad as you’re making them out to be, Belire.”

The Elyasian just shrugged in response. “He’s young and probably became a Borg, just like the rest of the other baby-face members of our crew.”

“Actually, Commander Kazlaf, you are incorrect,” spoke a very tranquil and logical voice from a nearby table.

Turning around to where the statement had come from, all three senior officers were met by a calm glare from Lieutenant T’Penni, who was having breakfast with Lieutenant Natima Lonar. 

“I didn’t invite you into our conversation, lieutenant,” Kazlaf snapped back. She was annoyed that a subordinate had overheard her and felt it was their place to say something.

“Though I understand the logic in your frustration with Lieutenant Commander Jurata’s promotion, may I remind you, ma’am, that he was old enough not to be affected by the Jupiter Signal while we were at Avalon. Furthermore, he successfully led the efforts to prevent the Bellerophon from falling to the Borg.”

“Which you led yourself, lieutenant,” Kazlaf countered in an even more annoyed tone. “Tell me if I’m wrong, but you were designated the ‘Queen’ of the attempt to take the Bellerophon?”

“That is correct, commander; I can only deduce that the Borg felt I was the appropriate person to lead such efforts due to my engineering expertise and knowledge. Thankfully, I recall only some of what happened.”  T’Penni paused. “Nevertheless, we divert our attention to the issue; I must insist on you knowing that the commander deserves his promotion for his valiant actions during Frontier Day and in many other circumstances. He is an effective leader.”

“Lieutenant, again, I’ll remind you that I don’t need to hear from any ex-Bs about our senior staff make-up. I’m surprised the captain has you with us. Are you sure you’re cleared to be responsible for such an impressive ship like the Constitution?” Kazlaf challenged.

“Is that how you feel about me, ma’am?” Lonar contested. “If memory serves me right, you were the one who stayed with me after stunning me.” The Cardassian sounded quite upset with the tone that Kazlaf was taking. “Where’s the passion you had there?”

“Only because I couldn’t move and needed to make sure you didn’t reactivate to take out everyone else,” Kazlaf spat back. “I don’t need you being my conscious, lieutenant.”

“I think that’s enough, Belire,” Doctor Uknare said as she placed a reassuring hand on Kazlaf’s arm.

“The doctor is right,” Oron confirmed. “We are one crew now, and we need to set the standard in front of everyone else.”

Pushing her chair back, Kazlaf stood up quickly. Her exoskeleton didn’t quite react as fast, and it almost looked like she was about to fall, but she steadied herself by holding the edge of the table and making her way towards her hoverchair. “I’m not hungry anymore.” 

After Kazlaf left, Uknare and Oron turned to the other to reassure them.

“Don’t take anything she said to heart,” Uknare reassured them. 

“It’s hard to do so when people are reminded of what we did during Frontier Day,” Lornar replied sheepishly. 

“It is difficult,” T’Penni agreed.

Oron and Uknare looked at each other before returning their attention to the two lieutenants in gold uniform.

“Leave it with us to talk to the captain,” Oron assured them. “Just enjoy breakfast for now.”

The atmosphere over breakfast remained tense and uneasy. 

“Captain’s log stardate seven-eight-three-three-three. The Constitution and the rest of the squadron are underway to resume our exploration efforts in the Delta Quadrant. Our destination is the Swallow Nebula region. Our journey through the Barzan wormhole was uneventful, and we are now under escort with a Turei ship to pick up where we left off. In the meantime, breaking in my new crew is becoming more of a challenge than I expected.”

Captain Horatio McCallister could feel his headache worsening as his conversation with his two most senior officers continued. Exasperated at their behaviour last night, he had called them both into his ready room to discuss the matter further. Rubbing his temple, the forty-two-year-old captain had hoped that his new command would be more effortless, but it wasn’t shaping up to be that way.

Before him, on the other side of his desk, his first and second officers sat like a pair of naughty children who had been sent to see the headmaster. Commander Belire Kazlaf gave off an aurora of not being genuinely bothered about the subject matter, just irritated she had been summoned. At the same time, her companion, Commander Thaustin, did exhibit some sense of regret and pain in having this conversation.

“Sir, I don’t understand why we are being chastised over last night’s discussions,” Kazlaf protested. “We weren’t the only ones who allowed the conversation to become-” She paused as she considered her next set of words, “heated.”

McCallister wanted to lose his cool there and then. Instead, he bit his bottom lip. “You honestly don’t see how you allowed the conversation to steer into topics that, at this point, are very raw for many in Starfleet.”

“It’s current, sir,” Kazlaf answered.

“Current?” He repeated in astonishment. Blinking several times, McCallister clasped his hands on his lap. “I’m not sure that is how I would describe it.”

“Shall we not discuss it then, sir?” Kazlaf tested.

Noticing how she was goading him, McCallister sighed. “Commander, I’m not censoring anyone, but I don’t think repeating similar points you raised in the ship’s crew lounge at breakfast a few days ago over dinner was truly needed. Furthermore, I do not appreciate your tone in telling those who served on the Bellerophon that they are fortunate to be serving on the Constitution.”

“But they are, sir, in my opinion,” Kazlaf replied.

“Do you hear yourself, commander?” McCallister challenged her. “You’re whole holier-than-thou point is tiresome and unwarranted. You are this ship’s Second Executive Officer, and I expect you to set the same tone and standard that I set. We are a brand new ship, a new crew, and I don’t need you or anyone else on the senior staff purposefully going out of their way to make anyone on this ship not feel that they are a part of this crew. Am I clear, commander?”

The captain glared at the chief science officer momentarily as she composed herself.

Kazlaf nodded. “I do, sir.”

“If you cannot perform the duties of second officer to my expectations, then I will find someone else who can. Keep your perspectives on who should be and shouldn’t be here to yourself; that is an order. Am I clear again, commander?” McCallister remained focused on her.

“It is, sir.”

“Good; I expect you in the coming days to find a way to repair and resolve any differences you have with anyone else on the senior staff. By the time we arrive in the Swallow Nebula region, I want you and everyone else to be happy and singing from the same hymn sheet. We put on a united front to the entire crew and do not let our differences stop us from carrying out our duties and following the same rules that we all have pledged to follow.”

“I understand, sir,” Kazlaf said with a nod. “And I am sorry.”

“Good,” McCallister looked at her and then told her she was dismissed.

On her way out, she glared at Thaustin as she moved herself in her anti-grav chair.

Once the doors to the ready room were closed, McCallister gave out another huge sigh and got himself up and out of his chair. He wandered to one of the wide windows and placed his right hand against the edge. “Thaustin, I wanted last night to go much better than it did.”

“As did I, sir.” He answered, squirming in his chair and clasping his hands tighter together. His nerves were getting the better of him. “And I am sorry for my actions and comments.”

Snapping, McCallister turned around and looked at Thaustin. “Thaustin, you’re my first officer, but you somehow forgot that last night’s dinner with the senior staff aimed to bring everyone closer. Rather than enable that, your comments and Kazlaf’s only caused more friction. Things would have been much worse if it hadn’t been for our helmsman, doctor and counsellor diverting the topics of conversation. I am not happy, commander.”

“I know, sir, and I am sorry for the part I played,” Thaustin admitted. “I should have gone more out of my way to prevent such awkwardness from happening.”

“You think?” McCallister sarcastically asked as he returned to his desk and sat down. He looked at Thaustin. “Are we going to have a problem?”

“Us?”

“Yes, us,” McCallister confirmed. “Ever since I decided to promote Rubon to lieutenant commander and made the third officer, our relationship has been strained. I know you disagree with it, as does Commander Kazlaf, but at the end of the day, out there,” He pointed towards the door onto the bridge, “I expect you to public support every one of my decisions; otherwise, we have an issue.”

Thaustin shook his head. “We don’t have an issue, sir,” He replied. He conceded that he hadn’t presented himself in the best of light since their reassignment to the Constitution.

“Good,” McCallister said, still snappy. “It is hard enough to deal with supporting a crew that is traumatised from the deaths they’ve experienced, as well as those who the Borg took over, let alone trying to bring two former crews together. I need your support in bringing both crews together to become one. So, I need you to go out of your way and show the crew that you don’t have an issue with Rubon.”

“Understood, sir, and again, I am sorry,” Thaustin said.

“Stop apologising, Thaustin, and become best friends with Rubon.” McCallister sighed. “I promise you, you two are more alike than you realise.”

Thaustin nodded. “I will make amends and get to know him.”

“Thank you,” McCallister said. “I know Kazlaf is more of a hard one to crack, but if you and the others can do it, then I hope she will see the benefit of it.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Then dismissed, Number One.”

Thaustin stood up, and McCallister noticed his sense of relief. The captain could see how much the Xindi-Primate man was kicking himself for conducting himself in a way that he knew that his previous commanding officer would not be impressed.

After being alone momentarily, McCallister ordered the replicator behind him to make a mug of tea. He wondered if they were too premature in launching the Constitution. Perhaps he should have insisted on remaining behind in the Alpha Quadrant for a bit longer so everyone got used to each other. His own stupid pride in wanting to prove that the former crews of the Triton and Bellerophon blinded him in not taking the time to stop and consider the possible ramifications. He certainly wanted a better relationship with his first officer; he didn’t want a yes man, but then McCallister didn’t want someone who would throw a teenage tantrum every time he made a command decision.

Tapping his combadge, he called the bridge to open a secure channel with the Odyssey; perhaps his older brother and squadron commander had some wise words to help. He had done the same thing with the Odyssey over twenty years ago; surely, there were a few tricks that James could share with him.

“First Officer’s personal log, stardate seven-eight-three-three-three point one-seven. The Constitution is now underway on its own exploring an area of the Kotaba Expanse where no one has gone before. I’ve been considering what Captain McCallister has shared with me recently, and I know I need to make repair a few broken bridges with some of the crew.”

Taking a deep breath in, Commander Thaustin stepped through the doorway of The Establishment and looked around. Straight away, the Xindi Primate saw that most of the lunchtime crowd had gone, and those left were finishing their meals while the holographic servers were tidying up. His eyes surveyed the room for the people he was looking for and fell upon them in one of the booths. Walking slowly and calmly, he made his way over.

“Lieutenants,” Thaustin said, grabbing the attention of Lonar and T’Penni.

The two women turned their attention upwards to their superior officer, and both attempted to stand up. Still, Thaustin waved them to stop and sit back down.

“Commander, can we help?” Lornar asked while holding onto her coffee mug.

He shook his head, and Thaustin asked if he could join them, which they accepted, and he noted the quick glance between the two officers. He took a breath in, his second one to calm himself, before speaking. “I owe you both a huge apology.”

“Proceed,” T’Penni said in her calm, Vulcan way.

“My behaviour in the recent senior staff dinner was unfair, and what I said and did was wrong of me.” He admitted.

Again, both women looked at each other, and Lonar replied first. “That’s appreciated, sir; we understand that Frontier Day left some deep, dark scars for many of us.”

“And it will most likely reverberate for some time,” T’Penni added.

“That doesn’t excuse my behaviour. I’m the first officer and should be setting an example, especially to others on the senior staff,” Thaustin shared. “I know I would have received an earful from Captain Canção about it.”

Agreeing with him on that, Lornar nodded. “As someone who saw the Borg devastate her people, she would have reminded us that such actions and attitudes are what the Collective wants us to do and to be fearful of.”

Thaustin agreed. “She was one hell of a mentor, and I suppose I had expected to serve under her for a bit longer.”

“Time is certainly the fire in which we burn,” Lonar said. “It can spoil what we hope for, what we dream for.”

Thaustin smirked at the young Cardassian woman. “That’s undoubtedly a Rio Canção quote there.”

Lonar nodded. “She once said it to me during an away mission in the Delta Quadrant.”

“Her extensive personal experience of the Borg certainly made her an expert on the subject of how they can have a negative impact on a person’s mental well-being,” T’Penni stated. “I once attended a seminar she was guest lecturing at about the Borg Collective at Avalon.”

“She knew her stuff,” Thaustin smirked.

“She did and shared much of her wisdom with you, sir,” Lonar added. “So thank you again for reaching out.”

T’Penni nodded in agreement. “Your apology is accepted.”

“I should have done better, and I will,” Thaustin promised. He looked at them both, “I should leave you and stop intruding on your meal.”

“We’re about done, sir. We were both about to head to the holodeck and have a game of velocity with Lieutenant Ethav.” Lonar stated.

“Please join us,” T’Penni invited him. “Commander Rubon was meant to join us, but he wanted to continue his work on making one of the Delta-class runabouts ‘cooler’.”

Grateful for the offer, Thaustin agreed to it. “I’d love to see how good you are at velocity.”

“Rumour has it that T’Penni was the reigning champion on the Bellerophon,” Lonar shared with a smirk.

“Then let’s see if we can defend the former Triton’s honour then, Lonar,” Thaustin replied with a similar grin.

“Agreed, sir.”

Pleased he had buried the hatchet with them, Thaustin knew he would have to let them win a few games to make them feel good. That said, he also knew that he would have to work harder to prove that his words over dinner were a mistake and that he didn’t blame them for the horrors he and others suffered while on the Triton. The commander shuddered inwards as a flashback came to his mind; he needed to suppress it.

Maybe a game of velocity would help.

Glad it was finally the evening, and her double shift on the bridge today was slowly coming to an end, Commander Kazlaf was sitting at the science station instead of sitting in the captain’s chair. Though she could use her anti-grav unit to transfer herself there, her Elaysian physiology didn’t find the seat that comfortable. Working at the science station gave her more chances to finish off the scans she was making of a nearby binary pulsar. 

“Commander, I’m detecting a high concentration of neutrinos coming from a stern,” announced Commander Jarata.

Another reason for her staying at the science station was to avoid the ship’s third officer and pilot. Kazlaf found his cheerful and upbeat attitude almost sickening. She had no issue with others being happy, but she found the Risian pilot just a bit too much for her liking since she had joined the Constitution. After finding out that he had returned from working on one of the shuttles to take over at the helm for the remainder of the shift, Kazlaf was determined to avoid him so she didn’t have to engage with any of his positiveness. 

No such luck.

Looking over at her sensor readings, she saw that Jarata was right. “Where did they come from?”

“No clue; they just appeared out of subspace and appear to be gaining on us!” Jarata announced.

“Evasive manouvers, Commander Jarata, full impulse!” Kazlaf ordered before tapping on the intercom. “Captain McCallister and all senior bridge crew report to stations.”

“No use,” Jarata reported from the helm. “They’re still gaining on us, and we’re unable to create a stable warp field to make further distance from them. It’s almost as if they’re being controlled.”

“Report?” Captain McCallister asked as he exited the ready room and crossed the bridge. He went over to his chair and sat down; as he did, the holographic LCARS display appeared around him, giving him the ship’s status report.

“An unusual amount of neutrinos appears to have come out of subspace and are now attracted to the ship, sir,” Kazlaf replied. “We are unable to escape from their pursuit.”

“Options?” McCallister asked, just as the turbolift doors opened, allowing for the entourage of senior staff Kazlaf had called all to walk out, led by Thaustin. All of them were out of their uniform as they were all off duty. They hurried across the bridge to their station to assist with the situation. 

“We can’t outrun them at impulse or warp drive, sir,” Jarata said, now he sounded panicked. “Either we let them catch up or-”

Before he could say something else, Kazlaf’s station lit up like a Christmas tree with warning red lights. “Sir, I’m detecting a huge gravitational sheer approaching us with the neutrinos. Impact in eight seconds.”

“Ethav, transfer all power to the shields and deflector,” McCallister ordered his operations officer, who was now beside Jarata.

Ethav’s hands sped across the console before him,  “Done; however, I don’t think it will be enough, sir.” He shared.

Thaustin had sat down in his chair to the captain’s right and opened a shipwide intercom after hearing that news from Ethav. “All hands, red alert and brace for impact!” He tapped another button on his console, and straight away, everyone sitting on the bridge was strapped in while those standing found the nearest seat to get in. Everyone grabbed a handle while watching the phenomena approach them on the viewscreen.

Kazlaf gulped hard as she looked at the sensor readings, trying to get as much information as possible about what was about to hit them. She was trying to run a comparative scan to see if the ship’s records could identify it to anything else that Starfleet had encountered before. 

Her console beeped back, instantly showing what it was, but it was too late. She felt the ship start to shake violently, and like a strong storm, it was hit hard by the oncoming force and pushed from side to side. Holding on tight and closing her eyes, Kazlaf felt the ship spinning on its axis. She could only imagine what was happening to the vessel on the outside. Peeking her eyes open slightly, she saw the sensors flashing on and off, but what she could see was the wave had forced the ship off its course, and it was now flying at incredible speeds. Wherever this was taking them, it would be fair, she thought as she closed her eyes one more time. This time, she didn’t open her eyes. Kazlaf knew the inertial dampeners were at maximum, but the strong force hitting the ship would knock her out cold. 

Darkness came, and she didn’t wake up.  

It took a few seconds, possibly minutes, for Kazlaf to come around. She felt the strong, soft support from her restraints around her body. They had kept her safe, but she was indeed in pain. Her exoskeleton would have absorbed most of the brute force from the wave that had hit them, and her chair’s belt system would have dampened it further, but her body was not used to such extreme movements. Without a doubt, she could feel bruising on her back, around her chest and arms. However, she ignored them for the moment. As she opened her eyes to take in the scene before her, she could see that the bridge was in absolute darkness, and several people were calling out, rushing around in the scene of chaos. 

Pressing the release button, Kazlaf felt a bit more comfortable as she was approached by Counsellor Oron. The large Brikar placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he ran a tricorder over her body. Smiling at her, he confirmed she was injured with just bruises and gave her a painkiller. Instantly, she started to feel better as she stood up. Her station was offline, so she knew she needed help with something else.

“Belire, are you okay?” The captain called out as she rose from her seat.

She nodded. “I am, sir, thank you,” Kazlaf replied as she winced still. The captain approached her, “Are we in one shape still?”

“Just about,” McCallister replied. “Can you get some sensors working and see what’s out there?” He asked, pointing towards the lifeless main screen.

“I’ll see what I can do,” She knelt down to pull off the panel under her console and heard the captain heading over to where Thaustin was. He was bent over something on the floor. She glanced more and was shocked to see the Thaustin treating an unconscious Jarata. She went stone cold, hoping he wasn’t dead, and now kicking herself for behaving the way she did around him.  

“I’ve got a heartbeat,” Thaustin replied with joy and a second later, Jarata coughed as he sat up.

Relief flung over Kazlaf after hearing that. She heard the captain congratulate Thaustin before ordering him to take Jarata to sickbay. Watching further, Kazlaf saw Thaustin comply and carry Jarata towards the turbolift. She caught Thaustin’s eye before the doors closed and gave him a smile, which he returned. He knew how she had felt about Jarata’s promotion, and he had heard her reaction – somehow, during that look, they shared a mental connection where Thaustin understood she hoped nothing terrible would happen to Jarata. The cart’s light showed the disarray in which he now appeared as he carried Jarata in his arms. Thaustin gave her a reassuring look before the doors closed on him and took him down to sickbay. 

While playing with the controls, she overheard Lonar report that the ship’s entire tactical array was offline – no weapons, no shields. After restoring the intercom, Ethav shared that sickbay declared a mass triage emergency on every deck. Emergency backup generators were now kicking in as the ship’s Emergency Medical Holograms were being brought online and assigned to vital areas where projectors were working and crewmembers were trapped or needed help.

A few minutes later, Kazlaf was able to bring her console back online after bypassing a few damaged circuitry. “Captain, we’ve got sensors!” She declared, which prompted McCallister to almost dive across the bridge.

“Tell me what you see, commander,” McCallister instructed, sounding hopeful that they were out of danger and could be left alone to make repairs.

After a few seconds and after checking the sensors more than once, Kazlaf turned around to face him. “Sir, if the sensors are right, we’ve been transported over three thousand light years from our previous destination.”

 Hearing that news from her made McCallister almost gasp. Kazlaf shared in the same reaction as he, only inwards. “Is there anything out there that indicates what pulled us here?” He asked her. 

Kazlaf knew what he was hinting at. After all, they were in the Delta Quadrant, and like a legendary ship from over thirty years ago that had been pulled across the galaxy, the captain was worried they had encountered a Nacene or some other lifeform responsible for the new location. 

Checking her sensors one more time, she shook her head. Kazlaf told him there was nothing out there. “There’s a star system we could reach in less than a day at warp three, but nothing else from what our sensors can show me. The neutrinos and gravimetric shear seem to have gone. There’s no trace of them, but the sensors are heavily damaged, sir. We may be missing something.”

 “Damn it,” McCallister muttered as he punched the railing between the command pit and the outer circle of bridge stations. Everyone else on the bridge had stopped their work and looked at the captain and the commander. 

For the first time, Kazlaf felt flushed and sick from having so many people glare at her. She had no more answers for them. “Captain, if we can launch either a probe or a shuttle, we could use their sensors to determine what is out there.”

McCallister nodded as he walked back to his chair and slumped down in it. “Maybe, commander, but let’s get the ship fixed before we make our next move. We’re in no state to do anything after you’ve made those scans.” 

Nodding in agreement with his assessment, Kazlaf knew that with Thaustin off the bridge, she was the next senior officer after the captain. This meant she needed to work on overseeing repairs and supporting what the captain wanted to be done. 

Kazlaf didn’t get a chance to say anything as the captain spoke up.“Commander, head down to engineering and work with Lieutenant T’Penni to get a repair effort underway.”

“Aye, sir,” She gulped as she got up from the science station and headed towards the turbolift. 

They were in the middle of nowhere, with no power, engines, or defences, and now Kazlaf found herself having to go and work with the Vulcan engineer who had become the Borg Queen on the Bellerophon during Frontier Day. 

Could her day get any worse?

“He’s alive!” spoke Doctor Uknare with a friendly smile as she finished her scan via her tricorder.

Slowly, gradually, steadily, Jarata opened his eyes and attempted to take in his surroundings. Appearing dazed by what he found, Jarata was unsure how he got there. He was lying on a bed in sickbay with the chief medical officer hovering above him. Jarata didn’t remember coming to sickbay, then he remembered. The helm console exploded in his face; Jarata was flung across the bridge and landed hard on the deck flooring. He vaguely remembers hearing the captain screaming for him and then him being carried. The rest was a blank. 

“I take it I’m still in one piece?” He asked the Haliian doctor.

She nodded and smiled. Uknare looked exhausted and dishevelled. Obviously, whatever had hit the ship and caused a lot of the crew to be injured. She must haven’t stopped working in patching everyone back together. “Thanks to Commander Thaustin,” She added. 

“Thaustin?” Jarata crocked as he tried to sit up slowly. Uknare placed her hands to support him as he sat up. He still felt dizzy and a bit nauseous. 

“He gave you the kiss of life,” Uknare explained, “and kept your heart going with his bare hands until you came back around. He then carried you down here.”

“Wow, looks like I owe him a few drinks,” Jarata said.

“You do, and you can buy me one, too,” Uknare added. “You had severe burns across your face and chest from the helm console explosion, several cracked ribs and a broken hip.”

“Ouch,” Jarata said, “but thanks, doctor. I almost feel brand new.”

“Thanks to the marvel of modern medicine!” She replied and passed him a PADD. “The captain said, knowing you, you would want to return to duty the moment you woke up. As a compromise, here are the latest scans of the region that we are in.”

Appreciating the captain had anticipated what he was like, Jarata nodded. “What do you mean by the region we are in?”

“That lovely subspace anomaly, or whatever it was, pulled us across the quadrant by three thousand light years.” 

“Three thousand light years? Wow!” Jarata looked down at the PADD at the information it contained. “Any ideas in what direction?”

“Sensors and the navigational array are still playing up, but Belire thinks we are closer to the shared border of Delta and Gamma quadrants. The captain has halted her plans to launch a probe or a shuttle to make a better determination. He wants the ship in a better state before we start moving,” Uknare briefed him, “However, a nearby star system could provide us with some shelter while we make repairs. The captain wants you to plot an appropriate course that doesn’t attract any attention to any spacefaring races interested in taking the Constitution.”

“That’s sensible and logical,” Jarata nodded and got to work on the captain’s request.

Uknare shook her head. “Just don’t overdo it, and if you feel ill or anything, call me or someone on my staff over.”

Half an hour later, Jarata started getting antsy about lying on the biobed and being unable to move and do much. Though it was late, he couldn’t sleep. It may have been the pain relief medication that Uknare had pumped into him earlier, but he struggled to close his eyes and nod off. 

“Hey, sleepy head,” spoke a masculine voice approaching him.

Looking up, Jarata was surprised to see Commander Thaustin coming towards him. Thaustin had his jacket undone and sleeves rolled up. His usual neat, curly, golden hair was like Uknare’s – scruffy. Thaustin smirked at catching Jarata’s attention. 

“Here comes my saviour!” Jarata said, trying to sit up a bit more. 

“How are you feeling, Rubon?” Thaustin asked as he carefully plopped himself down on the edge of the bed, avoiding the pilot.

“My head’s a bit fuzzy, but I want to return to duty as soon as the doctor allows me,” Jarata responded. “Thanks for saving me.”

Thaustin shrugged his shoulders. “It was nothing, and I can’t have you lying at my feet on the bridge, sleeping on the job!”

Both men laughed at that. 

“Is it as bad as the doctor made out to me earlier?” Jarata asked. 

Thaustin sighed and nodded. “We’re operating on emergency power, repairs are taking their time, and we have no idea where we are.”

“Well, I hope this helps,” Jarata said, pulling the PADD from the side cabinet and handing it to the Xindi first officer. “I plotted a course to avoid anything and hopefully get us to that nearby system in one piece.”

Taking the PADD, Thaustin nodded. “I’m sure the captain appreciates it, but the engines aren’t operating at the moment. The focus is on other systems like life support and shields.”

“Damn,” Jarata whispered. “Do we have any more idea what precisely grabbed us?”

Thaustin confirmed what they thought the anomaly was. “The working theory is the high level of neutrinos somehow trapped us in folded subspace and brought us here. We think that you moving us away at impulse and Ethav’s attempt at transferring all the power to the shields and deflectors may have disrupted or delayed the anomaly long enough to drop us here in the middle of nowhere.”

 “That doesn’t narrow the list of what brought us here and how we get back,” Jarata sighed. “I take it we can’t contact Starfleet?”

Shaking his head, Thaustin explained that the entire communication array was offline. “We won’t be speaking to anyone anytime soon.”

“Commander,” Doctor Uknare said as she walked over to the two men, “I hope you’re not disturbing my patient’s sleep.”

“I can’t sleep, doctor,” Jarata said, coming to Thaustin’s defence. 

“I was just seeing if he was awake and how he was doing,” Thaustin added.

Smiling at the act of kindness, Uknare nodded in approval. “Very well,” She looked at Jarata. “I don’t want to give you anything to make you sleep as I’ve given you enough medicine to keep you alive, but is there anything else I can get you to make you comfortable? Another pillow, perhaps? Or something to eat?”

Jarata nodded to the pillow and agreed to eat something. 

“Let me get it, doctor, you’ve been on your feet for ages. Go take a break while I make Mister Jarata comfortable and feed him,” Thaustin insisted.

Relenting to the first officer, Doctor Uknare shared her thanks for the restbite herself while Thaustin dealt with the Risian.

Though he appreciated the effort from the commander, Jarata was a bit confused by it all. The two of them had barely said much to one another since the ship was launched. After Thaustin had retrieved an extra pillow from storage and had helped put it behind him, Jarata spoke up.

“Sir, not that I don’t appreciate everything you’ve done to save me, but you don’t have to wait on me hand and foot,” Jarata said. 

Thaustin paused in helping Jarata sit up. “I know, but I’d hope you’d entertain me in apologising for being a jerk at the senior staff dinner. What I said was wrong, and I need to make it up, especially to you and the others from the Bellerophon.”

Chuckling, Jarata shook his head. “You really didn’t offend me, and I get it. What happened on Frontier Day will give us all nightmares, but you don’t have to be my personal nurse.”

 Thaustin blushed and chortled a bit, “Well, it’s not just that, but it means I get out of having to hear Kazlaf grumble again about the captain putting a pin in her away mission idea.”

The laughter continued between them for a few more seconds before Jarata smiled at Thaustin. “Sir, if we can start over again, I’d love that.”

“I’d love that,” Thaustin said with a nod. “And when it’s just us, you can call me Thaustin.”

“Likewise,” Jarata said as he held out his hand, and the two shook on it.

Their moment was interrupted by the captain arriving in sickbay.

“Ah, there you are,” McCallister said, looking at his first officer. “Tending to our pilot?”

“Healing some old wounds, sir,” Thaustin said with a smirk and a cheeky wink at Jarata.

“How are you doing, Rubon?” McCallister asked his pilot.

Jarata initially nodded. “Okay, thank you, sir.”

“You gave us quite the scare on the bridge, but thanks to Thaustin’s quick thinking and care, at least you’re still around to help us find a way home.”

“Absolutely, sir.” 

Turning back to Thaustin, McCallister updated him further. “So I agreed to Kazlaf’s idea of launching a probe and a shuttle, and you’re not going to believe what the probe has found.”

“What?” Thaustin asked, curious.

“There’s a colony on the only inhabitable planet in that system,” McCallister said. “And the lifeforms read as Sikarian.”

“Sikarian? Who are they?” Jarata asked.

“An advanced humanoid society that lives in the Nacene Reach of the Delta Quadrant,” McCallister answered. “Voyager encountered them in their first year. They’re quite the hosts when it comes to meeting new people.” 

“If memory serves me correctly, their technology includes advanced transporter technology, spatial projector or trajector,” Thaustin added. He turned to the captain. “Do you think they’re to blame for why we are here?”

McCallister shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows, but they may have answers. I think it’s worth the risk heading there.”

“I agree,” Thaustin said as he passed the captain the PADD from Jarata. “And our pilot has chartered us a safe course.”

“Good,” McCallister said, looking at the tablet. “Once repairs to the engines are complete, we’ll get underway.”

“Sir,” Jarata said, stopping both of his superiors from leaving. “If the Sikarians are to blame for bringing us here, then a neutrino trace scan of their star system would tell us. If I can access the probe’s sensors, I can do it from here.”

“Rubon’s right; we should know if they did this to us before we say hello,” Thaustin advised the captain.

“Very good, Number One,” McCallister said. “Have the sensor feed transferred here for him.”

For once, since waking up, Jarata found himself being able to do something.

“Captain’s log, stardate seven-eight-three-three-six. After almost a full day of repairs, we’ve been able to bring the warp drive back online and limp to the nearest star system in an attempt to find somewhere to hide while we continue with repairs and treating our injured. However, after being contacted by the Sikarian colony inhabiting the only M-class world in the system, I have accepted their generous offer to help us with supplies and spare parts. Their leader, Magistrate Mulier Mala, has invited me and an away team to visit them. My only worry is that Lieutenant Commander Jarata has discovered that the neutrinos that pulled us here appear to originate from the colony. Magistrate Mala has promised to provide us with an explanation for this accident.”

Entering transporter room one, Captain McCallister was impressed to see his away team assembled and waiting for him. They had donned their field jackets and were suitably equipped for their mission. Standing by the transporter controls was his first officer. Thaustin approached him with Kazlaf in tow. Inwardly, McCallister groaned to himself as he knew what Thaustin was about to say. He had already heard the speech about an hour ago in his ready room.

Raising his hand to his first officer, McCallister quietly told him to stop. “Number One, before you say anything else, please hold it. I won’t change my mind in leading this away team.” 

Thaustin sighed and passed his captain the PADD that Kazlaf had in her hands. “I know, sir, but you should see what Beliere has found waiting for you on the planet.”

McCallister took the PADD, wondering what surprise required his first officer to stop him before boarding the transporter platform. He looked at the PADD and was surprised by Kazlaf’s findings. “Are we certain about this?” McCallister as he passed the device back.

“One hundred per cent, sir,” Kazlaf answered. “The debris field and life signs all point to a crashed Hirogen hunting vessel. Monotanium hull plating, tylium-based power source, and a faded dicyclic warp signature.”

Thaustin looked at his captain with almost soppy eyes as if he was about to beg him profusely for something. “Please, sir, take an extra few security officers with you, all armed with phaser rifles.” Thaustin looked like a pleading puppy who wanted their favourite toy given to them.

McCallister couldn’t say no. He looked over Thaustin’s shoulder and saw that Lieutenant Lonar already had an entire team on standby. They were outfitted with excursion jackets over their body armour and phaser rifles slung over their shoulders. 

McCallister looked back at Thaustin. “I see I have no choice in the matter.”

Smirking and then shaking his head, Thaustin replied. “I’m afraid not, sir.”

“Very well,” McCallister sighed as he walked over to the weapons locker, pulled out a handheld phaser, and strapped it to his side before taking a tricorder. He looked at Lonar. “Natima, if we survive this, remind me to organise a time for us to get together to discuss the establishment of a Hazard Team on the Constitution.”

“Don’t worry, sir,” The young Cardassian woman said with a similar smile to the one that Thaustin just had. “I already have the proposal in a draft format, ready for you.”

Shaking his head, McCallister told his first officer that he had the ship just as Commander Kazlaf joined him on the transporter platform. Just in time, she zipped up her jacket as the captain ordered the transporter chief to energise. 

Sikarian Colony

After appearing in the centre of the settlement, the away team stood in what could only be described as an idyllic location. The solid, warm heat from the nearby sun was piercing down as it started to set on the horizon. The sky was clear of clouds, and birds could be heard flying above. The settlement, though plain in design, appeared well-maintained and pristine. McCallister smiled at the welcome change of scenery. He was no longer surrounded by a damaged ship but a welcoming, peaceful world. Somehow, it reminded him of a strong summer in his home town of Cape May on Earth. 

“Welcome to Fabula,” an unknown but friendly tone said as they approached the group of Starfleet officers.

Refocussing on where he was and turning on his heels, Captain McCallister was met by a strikingly beautiful woman leading a group of three others. She was tall and had long, curly golden hair underneath the typical Sikarian headgear. If anyone hadn’t met them before, they appeared human-like. McCallister recognised the woman instantly from his communication with the colony before beaming down. “Magistrate Mala, thank you for letting us visit your world.”

“Captain McCallister, it is our pleasure to have you and your esteemed crew join us,” Mala replied with a friendly smile. Her blue eyes sparkled against the sunset as she stopped just before them. She was wearing a long, free-flowing dress that appeared to be made of silk in different shades of gold and bronze. She looked at the away team and noticed how heavily armed they were. “I assure you, captain,” Mala said, looking back at him, “None of you will be harmed while here at Fabula.”

“I appreciate the reassurance, Magistrate Mala-” McCallister said.

“Please, call me Mulier,” She requested with a more pleasant smile than before. She fluttered her eyes at him.

Returning the grin, McCallister bowed his head in respect and noticed how the Sikarian leader was evident in flirting with him to gain his trust quickly. She was undoubtedly like every other politician he had to deal with. Charming and pleasant at first, their true intentions were revealed later. He wondered just exactly what her intentions were. Could she be trusted? “Thank you, but as I was about to say, we detected the crashed remains of a Hirogen vessel nearby.”

Mala’s disposition changed at him mentioning them. “Unfortunately, yes. They crashed a few days ago and have been working to repair their ship. We tried to help them, but it caused the death of several of our engineers. We’ve been able to prevent them from attacking our colony.”

 Intrigued to hear that, McCallister noticed Lonar taking note of that comment from the corner of his eye. “Well, just to be on the safe side, I’d prefer my people prepared in case they bypass your defences.”

Mala relented. “Very well,” She smiled. “Please, captain, my people are known for their hospitality, and I have not been a good enough host yet. Join us for refreshments as we discuss your needs.”

Before leaving the ship, McCallister had read everything the database had about the Sikarians. A technologically advanced race originated from the Nacene Reach of the Delta Quadrant. Voyager had encountered them in their first year in the Delta Quadrant. They were also avid storytellers and highly keen for Voyager to remain with them. After a black market deal for some of their technology had gone wrong, Voyager quickly left the homeworld of Sikarias. They had yet to be heard from since. Admiral Janeway’s after-action report highly recommended caution when dealing with them. McCallister was certainly following her advice right now. Who could argue with the woman who wrote the book on the Borg and transverse the Delta Quadrant?

Mala led them into a room off from the courtyard they had beamed into. It was airy, bright and filled with luxury seating and huge, long silk drapes dangling from the ceiling. The walls and floors were all white. Soft music was playing in the background – it was pleasant and calming. Mala instructed servants to come out and offered for the Constitution’s away team to sit down. Kazlaf explained she couldn’t due to her exoskeleton (a blatant lie), and Lonar politely declined. McCallister knew what both women were doing and appreciated their cautious approach while he had to place nice with their host. Remaining vigilant as ever, they stood close to the captain as he sat in a plush armchair with enough pillows, making him wonder if it was taken directly from the old fable his mother read to him about the Princess and the Pea. 

“To business then, captain?” Mala suggested after drink and food was offered to them all.

“Indeed,” McCallister confirmed as he sipped on what he thought was water but turned out to have a strong, sweet taste. “The neutrinos that delivered us to this area of the Delta Quadrant appear to originate here at your colony. I’m aware of your people’s advanced technology, so my only question is, did you bring us here?”

Mala sighed and nodded. “We did,” She admitted before apologising profusely to him. “But it was an accident, and I am truly sorry for the distress we’ve caused.”

Surprised that she may have told him the truth, McCallister breathed in. “Can you elaborate further on why and how?”

“We’ve been experimenting with our spatial trajector technology. You see, captain, for it to work on a very long range, we need a planet similar to Sikaris.”

“A mantle of tetrahedral quartz,” Kazlaf stated.

Mala nodded to the science officer. “Yes, that’s right,” She turned back to the captain. “For a trajector to work effectively, the mantle helps us focus and amplify the trajector field. Without it, we are limited in the distance. Fabula is the first planet we’ve found within range of our homeworld that has a similar mantle. We’ve been experimenting with the trajector, and we were attempting to send a probe, and somehow, we think the trajector inadvertently locked onto your ship and pulled it here. I am truly sorry for the stress we’ve caused.”

“Fortunately, no one was killed,” McCallister replied. “Can you use it to send us back?”

“I want to say yes, captain, but we are still working out how the accident happened. Until we are certain, please let us help you with repairs and host your crew. It’s the least we can do for the stress we have imposed on you and them.”

“Perhaps my people can help your scientists understand what happened?” McCallister offered.

“Perhaps,” Mala agreed as she stood up and moved to sit closer to the captain. She placed her hand on the top part of his left arm. “In the meantime, please be our esteemed guests and let us get to know one another. It is rare for us to have visitors. Especially explorers from so far away.”

Smirking at her attempts at flattery, McCallister kept his professional demeanour. Mala was gorgeous, and her smile was very attractive. “I’m sure we could find some common ground between our people.” He suggested. His instinct was to reject what she was offering, but he felt another approach was needed with her. Perhaps playing her at her own game would get more out of her. So he went on the charm offensive. 

“Absolutely, especially as our historical archives show things were not conducted correctly the last time a Federation ship visited our homeworld. We must rectify that.” Mala touched the end of McCallister’s nose with her index finger. She then swiped her finger around his chin slowly and seductively. “We have so much to learn about one another to improve our relations.”

Feeling a bit nervous, McCallister scratched the back of his head. “Very well,” He stuttered as he stood up. Perhaps playing the charming side wasn’t a good idea, McCallister considered. He certainly didn’t want to get that close with her.

Mala grabbed his hand into hers. “I think we would get on very well, captain.” She smiled again and pulled herself closer to him. “Come back later this evening for dinner. anyone from your crew is invited, and we can exchange further details to bring us closer.” She whispered the last word into his ear. 

“Indeed,” He said as he tugged on the end of his jacket and cleared his throat. “Until tonight.”

“I look forward to it,” Mala replied, even more seductively than before, as she let go of the captain and sat back in her chair. “Hurry back.”

McCallister looked at his other officers and tapped his combadge, indicating that he wanted to return immediately.

USS Constitution (NCC-91700)

The moment they were back on the transporter platform, Commander Thaustin was there waiting.

“Any luck in getting through to them?” He asked the captain.

“You can say the captain certainly got through to them,” Kazlaf smirked. “Or through to one of them.”

McCallister shot her a glance of annoyance, and she immediately stopped. He turned back to his first officer. “Thaustin, remind me next time to leave you to deal with diplomatic…” He paused. “Exchanges.”

“Very well, sir,” Thaustin replied, confused as he looked to the others for more clues. 

“Just tell the senior staff to prepare to join us for dinner later with the Sikarian leadership,” McCallister said as he left the transporter room. 

As the group left the transporter room, Kazlaf walked behind them, lost in thought. She made her way to the weapons locker and returned her rifle; the sound of the lock clicking echoed in the room. As she closed the locker, she couldn’t help but think about the unusual interaction between the captain and Magistrate Mala that had just taken place. The weight of the situation hung heavy on her mind.

“You okay there, commander?” Lonar asked as she unzipped her jacket.

Interrupted by her thoughts, Kazlaf looked over. “Yes, thank you, lieutenant, I was just reflecting on how-” She paused as she couldn’t think of the words to describe what she was considering. With Lonar being the only one else on the senior staff on that away mission, Kazlaf realised that she was the only one she could bounce her concern with for now. “Was it me, or was Magistrate Mala too open and whatever she said just didn’t sound-”

“Legit?” Lonar finished. She nodded as she pulled her uniform jacket on. “That went through my mind as well.”

Relieved that she wasn’t becoming too suspicious, Kazlaf gave out a sigh of relief. “In part, I want to believe what she shared, but her intentions are just so-”

“Cringy?” Lonar finished again with a smirk.

“Yes!” Kazlaf felt a sense of relief as Lonar seemed to grasp her perspective and complete her sentences. Pausing momentarily, Kazlaf noticed that there was no lingering animosity from Lonar towards her despite the presence of some hostility between them. Kazlaf was aware that the hostility was coming more from her end than Lonar’s. Ever since they joined the Constitution, Kazlaf had made her feelings known to Lonar and the other younger members of the crew. She couldn’t shake off the thought, similar to how she felt about Jarata, that the younger officers responsible for almost killing everyone in Starfleet a few weeks ago were rewarded with senior positions on one of Starfleet’s premier explorers. Though why she felt annoyed towards Jarata was different compared to those who were made Borg drones (thankfully, he wasn’t one of them), she felt on edge around any of them—had all of the changes Starfleet Medical had done with their ‘cure’ via the transporter worked? She wasn’t confident with it, but she didn’t know what else to trust or think about it all.

Frontier Day certainly made things more complicated.

The Lost Fleet certainly made things more complex when they took Captain Canção.

“That said, I trust Captain McCallister to do the right thing here,” Lonar added as she closed the weapons locker. 

Lonar’s remark pulled Kazlaf out of her trance with her thoughts as she reacted to her statement. “Really?” Kazlaf questioned. “He seemed to find her entire approach uncomfortable and even appeared to be falling for her so-called generosity.”

Nodding, Lonar confirmed her point of view. “T’Penni shared a fascinating story with me about how he successfully negotiated with multiple alien races – including the Antarians, Aksani, Chessu, Imhotep, and Terrellians – to help the Bellerophon resolve a shared issue related to the impact of Blood Dilithium. He skillfully prevented conflicts or wars among the different races and maintained their twenty-five-year peace treaty. Later, he even won their annual shuttle race with Commander Jarata, cementing his reputation as a skilled negotiator and pilot.”

Impressed that Lonar knew so much about McCallister’s past, Kazlaf wondered if her faith in their new commanding officer was rightly put. “Maybe, but he’s no Rio Canção.”

Lonar agreed with a simple nod and smiled at the mention of their former captain. “No, he isn’t, but I don’t think it’s fair to compare them. She had decades, probably centuries, on him with experience, but we owe him the chance to prove himself. Starfleet wouldn’t have given him the Constitution if they didn’t trust him to make the big choices.”

“Perhaps,” Kazlaf said, realising she didn’t want to appear to be verbally bashing the captain behind his back with a more junior officer. “Back to Mala, though; I feel like she’s holding something back.”

“You want me to ask T’Penni to mind-meld with her to get her honesty?” Lonar asked, trying to sound funny as they exited the weapons locker room.

Kazlaf smirked. “Maybe later, but for now, we should keep an eye on her and why we were brought here.”

“You don’t believe what she said?” Lonar checked.

Shrugging, Kazlaf had learnt over the years not to believe anything until she saw the evidence before her. It was the scientist in her. Facts meant facts. Numbers didn’t lie. “I want her to show us how we were pulled here, and then I’ll make my own decision.”

“Okay, well, if that’s the case, let me help,” Lonar offered.

As they walked further down the corridor, Kazlaf was intrigued by Lonar’s proposal. “How?”

“If she’s hiding something, we need to know, right? And if what we know about these people based on Voyager’s encounter, they have a strong sense of values,” Lonar said.

“Their Laws of Canon, if I remember rightly?” Kazlaf stated.

“Yeah, so if everything they’re saying and sharing is legit, they must follow them. If not, then let’s be good detectives here and keep an eye out for any clues. I can do everything that isn’t science-based, while you-”

Kazlaf liked where Lonar was going with this and, this time, finished her sentence for her.“Do the science-based clues?” 

“Exactly, we may see the bigger picture between us,” Lonar suggested.

“It sounds like a plan, but for now, let’s keep it between us as I don’t want the captain’s intentions to find a way for us out of here to be hampered by us putting ideas in his head that are not real.” 

“Agreed,” Lonar said.

Turning to look at Lonar, Kazlaf wondered if perhaps her entire approach was wrong. Maybe she could start to trust the likes of Lonar again. 

Only time would tell, she thought and hoped as they made their way into the nearest turbolift and returned to the bridge. 

Beaming down with everyone else in full dress uniform, Thaustin wondered how this party with the Sikarians would go. T’Penni and Ethav remained on the ship to continue overseeing the repairs and using the supplies the Sikarians had provided them. Right now, Thaustin would have preferred to be on the ship than be entertained by those guilty of the damage the ship had sustained. That may have been the first officer in him thinking that way, while the former diplomatic officer within him knew that this occasion might go a long way in making sure the Sikarians did hold up their promise of sending them back. 

“Commander Thaustin,” called McCallister, “Let me introduce you to Magistrate Mala.”

Thaustin had heard the captain’s recount of his first meeting with Mala. She certainly sounded like someone who was the ‘hostess with the mostess’. Keeping his diplomatic look in check, Thaustin smiled in his usual boyish, charming way. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madam Magistrate.”

“I’m delighted to meet you,” Mala said as she extended her hand towards him.

Thaustin wasn’t sure if he should tap or shake it; he glanced at McCallister, who had noticed his uncertainty of what to do. Confused when the captain pouted his lips, Thaustin had no idea what McCallister was suggesting he do.

“You’re meant to kiss a lady’s hand, commander,” Mala said.

Still unsure about this, Thaustin leant in and kissed it, which caused McCallister to hide his smirk with the glass of drink he now held. “My apologies, I wasn’t aware of that custom, Madam Magistrate.”

“It’s not a Sikarian custom, commander; it’s an Earth one,” She replied. “I read some of the stories from the database that your comrades left on my homeworld. If there’s one thing a gentleman does when he is in the presence of a lady, it is to greet her well.”

“Be glad you had access to our database and not a Klingon one,” McCallister remarked.

“Well, if you excuse me, gentlemen, I must make sure my people are ready for the feast we have prepared for you,” Mala said, still smiling as she bowed her head slightly and made her way across the open courtyard they were using to host this party.

Once alone, McCallister looked at his first officer, “Thoughts?”

Only able to share what he had seen so far, Thaustin shrugged his shoulders before answering. “It’s too early to say, sir, but I would definitely say what Voyager recorded is accurate about these people.” He thought that was a pretty honest and fair answer. 

“What, you mean the whole pomp and circus to show off?” McCallister asked; both men lowered their voices’ volume to prevent others from hearing them. “What gets me is how calm and carefree they are with having the Hirogen so close.”

“That’s certainly a concern, but whatever technology they are using to keep them at bay, it might be something we want to learn more about,” Thaustin suggested. Like the captain, he was indeed perplexed by that matter. “Everything we know about the Hirogen would tell us they would be planning to hunt these people, not ignore them.”

“Nonetheless, here we are sipping on the local champagne as if there isn’t a care in the world,” McCallister said. “What do you think about Mala?” He gestured for them to move around so it didn’t look like they were not mingling. 

After being offered a canapé that looked like it had cream cheese and a dice of salmon, the two men thanked the waiter who presented it to them. They both looked at each other to see who would eat it first. Being the diplomat and first officer, Thaustin took the hint from McCallister and tried the hors d’oeuvre. 

“Not bad,” He said as he chewed on it for a bit longer. 

After trying, McCallister nodded with approval. “Tastes a bit like hasperat.” 

Thaustin agreed with the captain; the strong taste was undoubtedly there. “So, back to Mala,” Thaustin said as they were given more flutes of what was meant to be the Sikarian version of champagne. “It may take longer than we want to see her genuine self.”

“Oh, what makes you say that?” McCallister quizzed. “I’m sure she’s someone who loves to be the life and soul of any party.”

“There’s certainly that,” Thaustin agreed, “However, I think it’s more of a ruse. Most leaders I’ve met like to put on a show in the initial first few meetings and gatherings. She’s no different, especially with how she’s changed her entire appearance for tonight.”

McCallister appeared confused by that notion. “Do elaborate. I mean, yes, she’s not in the same outfit that she wore earlier, but this is a formal gathering. Why would she not change? We did.”

“From what I read about the Sikarians, I do not believe showing off your wealth is their thing. They’re not Ferengi, but look around, sir, how over the top everything is. It reeks of luxury, of richness, and the outfit she’s wearing is very…” Thaustin paused as he considered his words carefully. “Provocative!”

McCallister chuckled slightly. “I suppose.”

“And you did say earlier that she was flirting with you during your first meeting,” Thaustin reminded him. “She is certainly trying to make tonight – arousing.”

“Arousing?” McCalister repeated, surprised at that choice of word.

“Arousing,” Thaustin confirmed. “It’s a typical diplomatic trait used by those who believe they allure confidence and passion. They try to make a personal and lustful connection with the person they are dealing with.”

“Great, it’s not exactly how I wanted my next lot of diplomatic exchanges to take place,” McCallister sighed. 

Thaustin snortled. “It’s not a bad thing, sir; you may be able to build a rapport with her if you let her play the game and flirt a bit back.”

Turning to his first officer with a deadpan expression, McCallister glared at him. “Number One, I’m quite aware of how to flirt. Remind me, once we’ve got out of here, how I used my charm to convince a Talarian general to let me free to save his daughter.” 

“I look forward to it, sir,” Thaustin replied, smiling at hearing that he had convinced McCallister to take one for the team. Hearing McCallister take a deep breath and see him knock back his drink, Thaustin was further impressed with how serious the captain was at doing his job.  Leaning in, Thaustin gave him one more piece of advice. “Sir, as Ambassador Spock once said, ‘the needs of the many’.”

“Thanks for the logical pep talk, Number One,” McCallister said as he patted Thaustin’s shoulder and made his way over to mingle further with Mala and her fellow Sikarians. 

Making his way over to what appeared to be a balcony that looked down over a huge waterfall, Thaustin saw the sun starting to set. 

“I prefer Risian sunsets,” a familiar voice said behind him.

Turning on his heel, Thaustin was surprised to see Jarata on the planet. “Lieutenant Commander Jarata, I wasn’t expecting to see you down here.”

“And let you and the captain have all of the fun? Not a chance!” Jarata replied as a waiter approached him and offered a flute of champagne, which he took after thanking the Sikarian man. 

“How did you get past Doctor Uknare?” Thaustin asked as Jarata joined him on the balcony. 

“She was on her way down here when I asked. I was fed up of staring at the sickbay ceiling. She allowed it as long as I didn’t do anything stupid.” Jarata shared. 

“Well, just keep away from any exploding consoles,” Thaustin advised with a grin before taking a sip of his drink. 

Jarata laughed, “Well, if I’m harmed again, at least you’re nearby to save me again.”

“Nah, you only get one of those, and you’ve already used yours up!” Thaustin replied with a snigger.

 “I suppose having the good doctor nearby then helps me,” Jarata said, still smiling. He looked Thaustin up and down. “You scrub up well, compared to the state you were in when you visited in sickbay.”

Looking down at his outfit, Thaustin blushed at the compliment. “Well, we need to put our best foot forward with the Sikarians.” He looked at Jarata. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Thanks,” Jarata said confidently, which only made Thaustin roll his eyes at his lack of modesty. Jarata pointed over to where the captain was. “I see the boss is putting our best foot forward.”

“Yeah,” Thaustin agreed as he turned around to see the captain speaking not to Mala but to other Sikiarians, who he presumed were important in the settlement. Hopefully, he thought, they were the scientists or engineers that operated the trajector that got them here. 

He and Jarata remained there for a bit longer, talking about the Sikarians, past adventures in the Delta Quadrant and sharing accolades from their careers. Thaustin was starting to see a side of Jarata he liked. He was adorable, in a sort of goofy way, but there was a sense of wisdom that was uncommon for someone so early on in his career. Thaustin did see some of himself in him. They both had aspirations with their time in Starfleet.

Jarata suggested they should go back into the party after noticing Counsellor Oron and Commander Kazlaf walking away from it. 

“We need to keep our best foot forward, right?” Jarata asked.  

Thaustin turned back to Jarata and was about to answer back when he saw something at the corner of his eye coming from the riverside where the waterfall was entering. It appeared to be a bright white bolt of light. It was getting bigger in size, and then he realised what it may have been. Without hesitation, he called for Jarata to duck as the bolt hit the side of the balcony. He felt his feet give way beneath him as the balcony collapsed.

“Thaustin!” Jarata screamed after him.

Within a split second, Thaustin felt Jarata’s strong arms around him as he pulled him up from hanging where the balcony once was. Pulling him up and rolling him underneath him, Thaustin felt Jarata on top of him as he covered his own body over him. Surprised at the quick reaction from Jarata, Thaustin heard several more shots hit the settlement. 

Jarata looked down on top of Thaustin as he lay on top of him. “You okay?” He asked.

Thaustin just nodded and then thanked him. “Looks like you just saved my life.”

“Call it evens,” Jarata said with a smirk.

 “What the hell is happening?” Thaustin asked, trying to look over Jarata’s shoulder underneath his weight in their uncomfortable position.

“No idea,” Jarata answered before he got off him and helped Thaustin get up.   

Thaustin brushed the dirt off his dress uniform and did the same to Jarata as he looked at the settlement. More bolts of energy blasts came and hit the nearby buildings. People were moving away from the fire that was now raining down on them. Screams filled the air instead of the gentle music playing and the low level of pleasant evening exchanges. Then, the distinct sound of a transporter hum appeared everywhere.

Standing tall, wearing their distinguishing chrome blue armour, were large Hirogen hunters. 

  “Prey!” One of the Hunters called out and pointed to the crowd, now screaming louder.

Before they could react, Thaustin saw McCallister being attacked by a Hirogen hunter. He tapped his combadge, calling for reinforcement from the ship as he and Jarata darted across the courtyard towards the captain. The Hirogen he was fighting pulled out a sharp curved knife and slit his arm. The captain fell to the ground in agony. Anger filled Thaustin’s blood as he and Jarata tackled the Hirogen to the floor. The Hirogen slung his heavy arm to knock Jarata off him while he turned to Thaustin and pulled him up by his neck.

This was it, Thaustin thought. He was about to die in the hands of a Hirogen. He tried to grab for air and knock the Hirogen’s grip off him, but he wasn’t strong enough to overpower him. Then he felt himself falling back to the ground as he saw that Jarata had somehow got hold of the massive weapon the Hunter had initially been slung over his shoulder. Not knowing how Jarata had got it off him, Thaustin was just pleased it was in Jarata’s hands instead of the Hirogen. He watched as Jarata lifted the heavy weapon and, within a few seconds, aimed it at the tall alien and shot him almost at point-blank range. The Hirogen stumbled backwards, and he disappeared within a blink of an eye. Not vapourised by the weapon but transported away.

Some Sikarian had shouted out that everything was okay, that they had used the spatial trajector to send the Hirogens away. 

Jarata dropped the weapon and scrambled across the floor to check Thaustin. 

“That’s twice you’ve saved me,” Thaustin stated with a smirk.

“I’m sure you’ll get a chance to save me again,” Jarata responded.

Appreciating the banter, Thaustin noticed McCallister lying on the floor and pointed towards him. “The captain,” He said to Jarata.

Both men hurried over to the captain and saw instantly he was lying in a pool of his blood. 

Thaustin went pale when he saw the blood and then looked at Jarata. They both knew what this meant and what they had to do.

They had to save the captain’s life.

Kazlaf was unprepared to fight off a bunch of Hirogen during a dinner party. However, the Elaysian scientist was a trained Starfleet officer and knew the moment she arrived at the scene of the attack, she had a job to do. She had gone off with Counsellor Oron to visit the other side of the settlement, so when the alarm bell had been rung, indicating the settlement had been attacked, Kazlaf was pleased that her exoskeleton suit gave her a chance to move more swiftly across the path they had taken to escape the party. 

Intrigued to see more of the Sikarian colony, the two officers had left, like others, to explore the settlement after the main course. Magistrate Mala had shared that what they had was open to their guests—an almost Risian value, as Jarata had pointed out. Oron had noticed Kazlaf was not enjoying their evening’s entertainment, so he suggested they go on a walk. Something had been telling her there was something more going on here, but she was worried the captain and Commander Thaustin were too engrossed in making good with the Sikarians. Having access to their advanced technology to get them back to friendlier territory was a high priority for them. At the moment, the spatial trajector wasn’t working. Mala had shared the excuse that the accident that had brought them this far had damaged their systems. The trajector was only able to cope with short distances. For Kazlaf, she knew there was something more about the Sikarian leader she didn’t like. Besides the overbearing flirting she did with McCallister and Thaustin, it was like something was telling her that Mala was hiding something. She was thankful that Lonar shared her suspicions.

Now, with the Hirogen attacking the Sikarians, there was something here that Kazlaf didn’t like further. She had shared with Oron her concerns, and he agreed that not everything here seemed legit, but for now, they had no hard evidence. It was the same barrier that she and Lonar were hitting from their own investigation.

For now, they needed to secure the area, help those injured, and deal with the attack’s aftermath.

Instantly, Kazlaf found the captain in the chaos. He was sat up against a pillar, with Thaustin holding him in his arms as he used what looked like a torn piece of his dress uniform shirt against the captain’s arm. Nearby, Jarata was helping other injured souls. The captain was injured and barely able to keep conscious. Both men had looked like they had gone through a Klingon battlefield. Their uniforms were covered in blood and ripped to shreds. A far contrast to the pristine look they had when they had all beamed down earlier for the Sikarian party.

“Captain,” Kazlaf called after her superior. “Are you okay?”

“I am,” McCallister nodded. It was apparent he was suppressing the pain and lying. He was only awake thanks to Thaustin’s efforts. “What’s the status of everyone else?” He asked in between breaths.

Thaustin pushed the bandage against the captain’s arm further. “I told you, everyone is fine.” He looked at Kazlaf, “The Hirogen just came out of nowhere. A small number of them somehow broke through the Sikarian defence perimeter. It took a few moments for the Sikarians to use their spatial trajector to send them back. A few of us were able to fight them off hand-to-hand. They didn’t have any particle weapons, just bladed weapons. The Sikarians were more bothered about getting rid of the Hirogen and far away from us.”

“Where to?” Kazlaf asked. “Where did the Sikarians send the Hirogen?”

“Who cares?” McCallister said as he struggled to grab his breath. His injury was deep and was causing him a lot of pain. “Where’s Doctor Uknare?”

At that point, Oron came over and joined Kazlaf by the captain’s side. “She’s dealing with a few others who were badly injured, sir.” He said after kneeling. “Can I help?”

“Tell me, Naef, did you ever think your first mission with the Constitution would have us depending so much on your training as a field medic?” Thaustin asked the large Brikar.

The counsellor chuckled as he took out a medical tricorder and checked the captain. “It doesn’t look too bad but will require more than just a dermal regenerator. But you’ve got a cracked rib and possibly a punctured lung, sir.”

 “Why hasn’t anyone beamed up to the ship?” Kazlaf then asked. She realised they were all sitting around waiting for nothing. Or was there a reason?

“The Sikarians have set up a temporary scattering field,” Thaustin informed her. “It’s blocking our transporters and communicators.”

Before she could make another suggestion, she heard an overbearing screech from behind them and instantly, the hurried footsteps of Magistrate Mala came towards them. “Oh my goodness, Horatio, are you okay?”

The captain smiled weakly before nodding. “I will be. Are your people okay?”

“We lost a couple,” The Sikarian leader shared, tears welling under her eyes. “These Hirogen are dangerous. I wish we could sort out our trajector so we can remove them off the planet permanently. Unfortunately, they have been attacking us ever since they landed and without any ships, we cannot move them off our planet. Furthermore, any attempt to reach out to them to find a planet we can send them to has gone unanswered. We know they have training facilities nearby. It would be relatively simple to send them on their way if they gave us some coordinates.”

“Can we not help?” Thaustin offered.

“What do you mean?” Mala asked.

“Surely we could do something to help. Perhaps we could act as mediators?” Thaustin said as he looked at Kazlaf. “Belire, could you and T’Penni do something to help get the trajector to work again for longer distances?”

She was a bit uneasy at answering; however, Kazlaf nodded. “Perhaps.” She looked at the captain, who appeared to be getting worse while in Thaustin’s arms. “We need to get the captain back to the ship.”

“Our trajector may only work in short distance for the moment, but if you agree to help us remove the Hirogen threat, then I promise we will share our technology.” Mala offered.

Instantly, Kazlaf heard alarm bells ringing in her own mind. “I thought your Canon of Laws prevented exchanging such technology?”

“In extreme circumstances, magistrates have the authority to adjust them in a state of emergency. Instead of giving it completely over to you, perhaps I can find a compromise. Maybe give you the plans to make your own spatial trajector compatible with your technology.” Mala looked back to the captain. “How about it, captain? You help us deal with the Hirogen, and we will give you the research to get you and your ship home.”

Kazlaf could see that McCallister could barely remain with ‘it’, and he just nodded, but she was equally frustrated that Thaustin was charmed by the woman again. 

She knew something else bad would happen, and it wasn’t dealing with the Hirogen.

Doctor Uknare sat in the briefing room, her eyes drooping with exhaustion. She had just spent the last few hours treating the wounded Sikarians on Fabula and her own crew members who had been injured during the Hirogen’s gatecrashing of their shared gathering with their new friends, the Sikarians. Her hands were still shaking from the adrenaline rush of the emergency medical procedures she had performed.

As she waited for the senior staff briefing to begin, Uknare allowed herself to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She needed to brace herself for the coming meeting, where she would have to report on the condition of the injured crew members and the progress of the medical treatments. But more than anything else, she would need to contribute to the captain’s primary agenda item: agreeing to help the Sikarians deal with their Hirogen problem. She was no diplomat, no tactician, so she wasn’t sure what she could provide to the discussion, but she knew that McCallister was the type of captain who wanted to hear from everyone. 

Her thoughts drifted back to the Sikarians on Fabula. She had been amazed by their advanced medical technology, which had greatly aided her in treating the wounded. Uknare had learned so much from their techniques and procedures, and she was grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such skilled healers.

But the Hirogen attack had been a different story. Uknare still felt a twinge of anger and frustration when she thought about the senseless violence inflicted upon her crew and the Sikarians. She got it that the Hirogen were mad and angry themselves for being stranded on Fabula. However, she found their stubborn attitude of not letting the Sikarians help them ridiculous. She had treated the injured with the same care and attention she had given to the Sikarians, but the experience had left her shaken. Mass traumas had come second nature to her, especially when one of her first assignments after the academy had been to help with a Romulan convoy of transports fleeing into Federation space. Their ships had all been caught within a minefield. Everyone was hurt by a tremendous amount of theta radiation. She still could smell and taste the burning smell in the air when her ship had beamed her and a rescue team over to one of the freighters. She shook her head as the captain arrived and took his seat.

Despite her exhaustion, Uknare felt she needed to concentrate, so she was grateful to Jarata when he gave her a mug of Tarkalean tea.

“Extra sweet, right?” He asked with a smile.

She nodded in appreciation and thanked him before sipping on it. Uknare looked around the room and considered that most of them had only been wearing their dress uniforms only a few hours ago. They had made an effort to look smart and presentable. Now they were back to looking scruffy. 

Peering down at the captain at the other end of the table, he looked exhausted as she did, and he still had the makeshift bandage that Thaustin had created from his own dress uniform to help his captain. It was tightly put around his arm. Uknare knew that Oron had tried to help, but the captain required surgery. For now, though, McCallister refused to report to sickbay. Uknare had allowed it to go for now but had planned on pulling rank with him as chief medical officer and ordering him to join him in sickbay after the meeting. 

“I’m glad you’re all in one piece,” McCallister said, starting the meeting.

There was a gruff from Kazlaf as she muttered “for now” under her breath. 

Everyone ignored it, but Uknare gave her a glare. She knew that Kazlaf was not always the easiest person to work with, but there was a kindness under there. A soft side that she had seen in private. 

The captain didn’t rise to the bait, which impressed Uknare. He continued with what he wanted to say. 

“To say that the situation we are in is untenable would be the understatement of the century,” He said as he winced and shook his arm slightly. “I’ve agreed to explore the request made by Magistrate Mala about helping them deal with the Hirogen, and in return, they will help us get back to where we came from. Thoughts?”

Uknare noticed that the captain had chosen to use the word ‘explore’, which made her think he wasn’t fully committed to the idea for now but was certainly willing to entertain it. She spoke up first. “Will the Sikarians actually share their technology with us?”

Kazlaf answered, “Seemingly, the magistrate has certain executive privileges that give her authority to take specific actions in times of emergency. Apparently, sharing technology comes under it.”

“Which baffles me with what we know about their Canon of Laws,” Thaustin added.

Uknare could see why the young first officer may have thought that. It was confusing to meet a race with its own version of the Prime Directive, like Starfleet but was willing to bend it when it suited them. She was certain not even the Federation President could order the breaking of Starfleet’s number one general order. Though she knew many past captains may have wobbled on the edge of it. Uknare hoped that McCallister would never be in that position. Her old friend, Captain Canção, once said she had almost crossed the line with it – some directive she had to deal with, which she told Uknare not to worry about for now. 

Lonar now piped up. “Putting the legal implications to one side for now, do we think we can deal with the Hirogen?”

“Depends on how we approach it,” McCallister replied.

“The Hirogen are not known for their diplomatic exchanges, sir,” Oron warned. The large, bulky Brikar counsellor was sat opposite to Uknare. His wisdom and soothing voice resonated through the room. It made Uknare smile to him speak so calmly. He continued to talk. “Their mindset is purely about the hunt. They did not sit with their prey and talk things over. Tonight has proven that.”

“A standard approach with them would be an insufficient use of our time,” T’Penni said. “Logically, we need to consider a way only the Hirogen would understand.”

“I don’t think helping them to hunt the Sikarians can be on the table, lieutenant,” Thaustin said. 

“I did not infer that sir,” T’Penni refuted. 

“Okay, I want to hear all ideas on the table; let’s go through every option,” McCalister said, sitting up in his chair.

Thaustin sighed. “A diplomatic effort should be made, if anything, it’s who we are.”

“I agree,” Uknare said. She surprised herself by saying that but noticed the smile from Thaustin in supporting him.

Looking between the two of them, McCallister gestured for more ideas around that to be shared.

“We’re up here; the Hirogen are down there. They may be able to attack the Sikarians, but we’re in a better position. From here, we have the higher ground, so call them out on their situation,” Thaustin advised.

Agreeing with that idea, Uknare nodded. “Thaustin’s right. The Hirogen try to be macho with their approaches, but they need the Sikarians more than they realise.”

“How so?” Lonar questioned.

Uknare turned to Lonar and answered her. She was surprised that the lieutenant couldn’t see it herself. “They want to get off the planet and need to use the Sikarian technology to achieve that goal. They won’t be able to use it; it’s probably more advanced than anything they’ve encountered.” Turning back to the captain, she continued with her point. “Strike a deal here, captain.”

“The doctor’s right, sir,” Thaustin added. “Be the neutral third party, the mediator in this situation.”

“Even though they’ve already attacked us?” Kazlaf argued back.

Thaustin looked at her. “Did they know we were there?” He questioned. 

“One of them almost killed the captain,” Lonar responded.

“Again, I would argue they didn’t know who we were until they arrived,” Thaustin countered. 

“There’s no harm in trying,” Uknare said, trying to boost Thaustin’s idea. “We don’t need to visit them to call them. Surely, we can hail them or send a communication device down to them to open a channel.”

McCallister nodded. “Okay, that’s one option. What are the others?”

Noticing Kazlaf sitting up, Uknare was surprised when she turned to Lonar and then to the captain. “Sir, we have an idea.”

Intrigued by the sudden change in how Kazlaf was with Lonar, especially after her recent outbursts against Lonar and the others who were made into Drones during Frontier Day. Uknare was still surprised that Kazlaf had got off lightly for her comments. She had only been told off by the captain. Now, Uknare wondered where her friend was going with her thoughts on this Hirogen/Sikarian issue. 

 “Capture every Hirogen through the use of the transporters,” Kazlaf suggested.

Lonar nodded. “We’ve already taken a preliminary look. We think we can beam them all up in one go.”

“And do what with them?” Uknare questioned, surprised at their idea of kidnapping sentient life. 

“Place them in stasis,” Kazlaf offered.

“Stasis?” Uknare repeated, shocked to hear that idea. “Why would we do that?”

“We do it to protect the rest of the crew, doctor,” Lonar answered. “We then beam them down to a different habitable planet and send a message to the next Hirogen ship we pass by.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Uknare said, shaking her head. “You’ll be painting a target on our backs and leaving them to defend themselves in an unknown environment.”

Kazlaf shot a look at Uknare before replying to her. “They’re hunters, they’ll survive, Kamra.”

“Well, Beliere, I think your idea is as barbaric as their own hunting rituals,” Kazlaf looked at the captain. “Sir, we cannot consider that. I’m sure there’s a Starfleet regulation that goes against it.”

“Then why not find a middle ground,” Jarata offered after everyone went silent.

“Tell me more, Rubon,” McCallister said after a sigh.

“Can’t we do a bit of both ideas?” He suggested. “Let’s find the Hirogen Alpha and put him in a situation where he is forced to listen to us. Beam his fellow hunters into stasis, and in return for agreeing to let them go, he has to agree to the conditions of not attacking the Sikarians and working with them and us.”

“That’s not actually a bad idea,” Oron agreed. “We prove our strength to them while still trying to be the neutral third party.”

“We could send an intelligence drone down to the planet to determine who the Alpha is,” Ethav shared. “We can use holography to camouflage it.”

“We would need to adjust the stasis chambers to Hirogen physiology, but it wouldn’t take too long,” T’Penni said before she looked at Uknare. “If you could help, doctor?”

Uknare wasn’t sure about this idea. “Isn’t this still a bit too kidnappy?”

McCallister chuckled at that last word she used. “I suppose it is.”

“What if we beamed them up into a secure area first?” Ethav offered.

“The security precautions wouldn’t be enough to hold them back,” Lonar stated firmly. “Even if we weren’t in a damaged state, I still would object to beaming that many up.”

“Then stasis is probably the right move,” Thaustin said. He looked at the captain, “If you need to assert yourself as the Alpha here, then proving you can control the destiny of his fellow hunters may force him to listen to you, sir.”

“It may work,” Thaustin added.

Surprised she was hearing all of this, Uknare just shook her head, but on one side, she could see the logic of Jarata’s idea.

Rubbing his forehead, McCallister nodded. “Okay, let’s sleep on it for now and get back together early in the morning to hash this plan out.”

Uknare agreed to that idea. A fresh mind was indeed what she would order for them all. 

“Let’s all meet for breakfast,” McCallister ordered before dismissing them.

As the briefing drew to a close, Uknare breathed a sigh of relief. She was looking forward to some much-needed rest, but she knew that her work was far from over. She got out of her chair and walked over to the captain, who was chatting to Thaustin and Jarata.

“Sir,” She said apologetically as she interrupted them, “I’m sorry, but it’s time we properly looked at that arm. Doctor’s orders.”

McCallister nodded in agreement and got up to follow her to sickbay. 

After spending the better part of the early hours of the morning discussing/debating with his senior staff the best route forward with dealing with the Hirogen, Captain McCallister was finally moving forward and hoping that somehow they could find a way to end the conflict the Hirogen had with the Sikarians. He wasn’t hoping to find a diplomatic solution, but everything he read about them pointed to that not being a possibility. Only twice had Admiral Janeway been able to find a diplomatic solution with them, but it was only because, in both instances, they were outnumbered and/or their ships were severely damaged. On another occasion, in a rare moment, Admiral Picard had made diplomatic exchanges with a Hirogen Alpha after the admiral and one of his faithful officers trapped the Alpha. 

Thankfully, in this case, the ‘Janeway criteria’ were met, but the fact they could attack the Sikarians meant they were still resourceful and saw their enemy as prey.

McCallister sighed as he walked along the corridor, holding onto the trigger part of the phaser rifle he now carried. Security across the entire ship was now beefed up as per the request of his security chief. McCallister had agreed to raise the ship’s security alert status to level eight. Armed security officers were posted on every deck and in every section. Everyone was also armed. Lonar had also issued that security force fields around critical and primary systems were erected while non-essential stations were shut down, and those that remained required security clearance to access them. Though her precautions may have appeared over the top, McCallister understood it. They were about to beam aboard every Hirogen, place them in stasis and attempt to negotiate with their Alpha. There were only forty-seven Hirogen, but that was still enough of them to do damage to the ship. 

Entering the stasis chamber storage area, a large area on deck twenty-six, McCallister was impressed at the security arrangements Lonar had mobilised in less than an hour. Lonar was standing with Ethav by one of the primary controls that was separated from the rest of the area. 

“Report,” He asked the two of them. 

“We’re ready, sir,” Lonar said with confidence. 

McCallister then looked at Ethav; the young lieutenant nodded in agreement with Lonar. “Stasis chambers are operational, and every security precaution, besides a ship-wide lockdown, is in place.”

“If we could go to level ten, I would suggest it.” Lonar shared.

“Having non-essential crew confined to quarters isn’t going to help us get out of this mess, lieutenant,” McCallister reminded her before tapping his combadge. “McCallister to bridge, are we in position?”

Jarata answered from the helm. “We’re in orbit above the crash site, sir.”

“We’ve also determined which one is the Alpha, sir, thanks to our intelligence drones,” Thaustin announced.

Turning to the two lieutenants in gold, McCallister nodded for them to proceed. “Energise.”

“Expanding the pattern buffers,” Ethav said as he manipulated the controls before him. “Widening the annual confinement beams, locking on with the targeting scanners and energising.”

 Before them, through the viewports, they could see the transporter effect starting to materialise the Hirogen from the surface, but the process began to take longer, which caused warning lights to appear across the board.

“Report, what’s going on?” McCallister asked his team.

Ethav answered, “We didn’t grab all of the Hirogen in one go, and they’ve activated a transporter inhibitor network; we’re losing the patterns.”

“The transporter system is starting to overload,” Lonar warned. 

“I’m going to have to send all of the patterns back to the surface,” Ethav said in frustration.

“Do it!” McCallister ordered, sharing in the lieutenant’s frustration.

“Hang on, there’s one pattern stabilising that I can retrieve if I narrow the annular confinement beam.” Ethav announced, “Captain, you’re not going to believe it, but it’s the Hirogen Alpha!”

“Then beam them directly to the brig, as planned,” McCallister said with a smirk and looked to Lonar, “Have your teams on standby, lieutenant.”

“With pleasure, sir,” She said with a grin of delight. 

Heading to the brig with Lonar by his side, McCallister could sense the pride radiating from his chief security and tactical officer. The only issue he had to face was dealing with a highly agitated Hirogen Alpha who was now caged in their brig. McCallister entered the nearest turbolift with Lonar still in tow and ordered the computer to take them to the deck the brig was on. 

“Have you got an idea on how you plan to open a dialogue with the Alpha yet, sir?” Lonar questioned, breaking the silence between them.

“It’s partly figured out,” He replied with some confidence in his tone. 

In truth, he was still improvising on the spot. McCallister was no fool; years of working in Starfleet Intelligence had taught him to think on his feet, and his extensive retraining to return to field duty as a captain had slightly prepared him. Further reading of Admiral Janeway’s logs had also helped gain her thoughts on dealing with the Hirogen, but they were almost thirty years old. Picard’s were not as insightful as he had hoped. The Hirogen may have changed. Who knew? In any way, he had to try and achieve a middle ground. 

While their journey remained quiet, McCallister recalled the senior staff meeting from earlier that day. He had never experienced such a divide of opinions. Another challenge he had to deal with. While Thaustin and Uknare promoted a complete diplomatic approach, the likes of Kazlaf and Lonar suggested a more tactical approach. Then, what surprised McCallister the most was the middle ground. Jarata, Oron, Ethav and T’Penni proposed the alternative – a combination of the two approaches. 

Initially, Thaustin, backed by Doctor Uknare, told the captain he thought they should call the Hirogen out and force them to agree to end hostilities; in return, they could cooperate with the Sikarian to return to a suitable location. Uknare had said it was in the interest of the Hirogen to cooperate, or eventually, the Sikarians might end up using their advanced technology to kill them. 

Kazlaf and Lonar (who seemed to be getting on well recently) had a different idea and made a joint proposal. They wanted to capture every Hirogen, place them in stasis and drop them off on the nearest habitable world, far away from the Sikarians. It would require force to seize them. McCallister wasn’t keen on this idea. 

The middle ground came from his third officer, Jarata, supported by Counsellor Oron. The idea was further developed by the technical minds of Lieutenants T’Penni and Ethav. Combining the two original ideas called for using the transporters to capture all of the Hirogen, placing them in stasis, dealing with their leader (the Alpha), and almost forcing a diplomatic approach upon them.

Kazlaf had initially shot down Jarata’s idea as too risky. Her snap was almost as sharp as the blade used by the Hirogen to cut McCallister during their attack against the Sikarians. Even now, after Uknare had performed surgery on his arm, McCallister could still feel the pain of it. She had offered to give him an impressive scar, which he declined. He had enough of those on an emotional level. He wasn’t into all of that macho stuff. 

In the end, McCallister had the final say and decided he wanted to try Jarata’s way. Uknare had worked out a suitable nerve gas that would be enough to render the Hirogen unconscious, while Ethav and T’Penni would work on the transporters. Lonar had said if they were going to try it, they needed to take as many security precautions as possible. While they prepared, Thaustin worked with the captain to review the Voyager files one more time to find something that would give them their way in with the Alpha. There wasn’t much that could help them. 

Now, the plan hadn’t gone complete the way McCallister had wanted – so improvising on the spot and at least trying some element of it was worth a try. He hoped.

“Starfleet,” the Hirogen Alpha said moments after McCallister had come into view of the cell that the very tall hunter was in. 

Besides him stood both Lonar and Oron; McCallister kept his posture solid and steady. He had to remain in control as long as possible. It may have worked with a Klingon and possibly a Jem’Hadar, but he wasn’t as confident about how it would affect a Hirogen. If it would affect them.

“Welcome aboard,” McCallister said in an almost sarcastic tone. “I’m Captain Horatio McCallister.”

“You are prey,” The Hirogen replied as he looked McCallister up and down. “Pathetic, weak prey.”

“Maybe, but this prey has you behind a very powerful force field, which I can flood with a very effective anaesthetics gas that will knock you out instantly,” McCallister replied as he clasped his hands behind his back.

“Our immune system is far stronger than yours,” The Hirogen replied.

“Oh, yes, you are correct there,” McCallister said before picking up a PADD that Oron had placed on the nearby bench before the cell. He waved it in the air. “But as you said, we are Starfleet, and on more than one occasion, your fellow hunters were treated by a very clever and ingenious holographic doctor of ours.”

“Voyager.”

“That’s the one,” McCallister pointed out, still holding onto the PADD. “Voyager’s Chief Medical Officer eventually found the right potent level to be effective against your kind, just in case they were boarded by your kind on their way out of the Delta Quadrant.” McCallister took a step closer to the cell. “Now, it’s been a few years since he created it, and since then, other doctors and scientists have improved on his work. So you could always see the results of it, and we can carry this conversation once you’re awake, or you could place your drive for the hunt to one side and actually listen to me.”

“A Hunter does not talk with the prey,” the Hirogen spat out in frustration before smacking his fists against the force field more than once. 

“Now, there’s no need to have a temper tantrum,” McCallister said sarcastically. “And what you said about a Hunter not talking to its prey, again, I refer you back to the adventures of my former colleagues on board Voyager. On more than one occasion, the Hirogen had a dialogue with Captain Janeway. Your people negotiated an exchange of technology with her for holograms; she also helped stop Iden’s rebellion.”

“Don’t forget the Enterprise’s encounter, sir. Didn’t Captain Picard turn the tables against a Hirogen Alpha when a pact of their ships entered Federation space over a decade and a half ago? I’m sure that resulted in him opening diplomatic relations with them.” Oron reminded McCallister.

Turning to look at the Brikar, McCallister smirked. They had slightly planned that moment. “Ah, yes, you’re right.” He turned back to the Hirogen. “Now, if your fellow Hunters are prepared to speak to two of Starfleet’s legendary captains, who are now admirals, why won’t you do it with me? Is it because I hate coffee and Earl Grey tea?”

The Hirogen squinted at McCallister, his frown becoming obvious through his helmet. 

McCallister sighed. “Okay, if you’re not going to speak with me, then at least listen to what I want to say, and then I will return you to your people.” He sat down on the bench, a chosen move so the Hirogen saw himself as the stronger out of the two. “We know about your ship crashing here, and we get why you’re attacking the Sikarians. They don’t like having you as neighbours and would prefer to have you off their back lawn. Their technology is far more advanced than what I have and what you have. They are prepared to send you anywhere in range of what their spatial trajector can send you. All they ask is you stop the attacks, and in return, they will send you and my ship back to where we belong. We aren’t asking you to help in any other way. Just be patient, hold off on your attacks and in return, tell them where you wish to go, and they will send you on your way. Surely there’s a training ground they can transport you to.”

The Hirogen smirked at McCallister. “Lies.”

“It’s not a lie, it’s the truth.” He replied.

“Lies,” He repeated. “You speak of legendary hunters from your own culture; we know of Janeway’s reputation and how she was a worthy prey to hunt. Many hunters have shared stories about her, but what made her worthy was she could see the deception before her. You are weak and are pitiful to try and follow her in shadow.”

“I won’t lie and say that Admiral Janeway isn’t someone I admire and hold in high respect, the same with Picard, and I’m only early in my career as a Starfleet captain, but I’m not here to try and emulate either of them. I don’t need stories about me being hunted being shared among your kind. I just want to get my ship back to where we belong, and I can’t do that while you’re attacking the Sikarians.” McCallister stated.

“Janeway wanted to get home too, but she could see the truth. She was clever and cunning prey.” 

“And I thought my brother had the Janeway fixation,” McCallister mumbled under his breath. James was a huge fan of Voyager, and exploring the Delta Quadrant was something he had wanted to do; though Horatio admired the woman who had gone the furthest than anyone else, he was more into the accolades of the likes of Christopher Pike and Phillippa Georgiou. “What do you mean by she could see the truth?”

“Ah, the prey has opened his eyes,” The Hirogen said. “We are not here by choice.”

“We know,” McCallister said, “The Sikarians said you crash-landed here.”

“Not by choice; my ship was pulled here by the Sikarians.”

Hearing that revelation made McCallister look up at Oron and Lonar before returning his focus to the Alpha. “You were enveloped by the neutrino wake?”

He nodded. “Subspace was folded around our ship, and we appeared in orbit of this planet. A computer virus was transmitted into our systems, and our ship was badly damaged. It caused us to crash.”

“Are you saying the Sikarians pulled you and us here on purpose? But why?” Oron questioned.

“Not everyone hunts for prey,” The Alpha answered. “After we crashed, those who survived soon found the Sikarians attempting to access our database thanks to their computer virus. Those who came did not survive. We fought them off, but they could access our database.”

“What were they trying to access?” Lonar enquired.

“Our hunting logs.”

McCallister then realised what the Hirogen was saying and what the Sikarians were after. “Your stories.”

He nodded with a smirk. “Clever prey.” 

The captain stood up and looked at both of his officers. “The Sikarians trade in stories; it’s in their culture. If his statement is true, they pulled them here to gain access to their hunting stories to share among their culture. But what I don’t get is, why?”

“We are not the only ones they have captured. There are crashed ships littered across this planet. Visit them, and you will see why.”  The Alpha revealed.

“There have been others they have pulled here?” McCallister checked.

The Alpha nodded. “Search them yourselves; you will find their crews dead and their databases removed.”

Lonar stepped forward to the captain and spoke in hushed tones. “Sir, he may be saying this to deceive us and get us to drop our guard.”

“Maybe,” McCallister replied and looked at the Hirogen straight in his eyes. “Or maybe not.” 

Telling the Hirogen he would investigate what he had said, McCallister left the brig and called his bridge to have them start scanning the planet’s surface. He wanted to find these crashed remains to see if he had been foolish to believe the Hirogen or what he was telling was the truth. He hoped for the latter and, for the first time that day, was sure what action he was taking that Admirals Janeway or Picard would have made the same call.

Almost an hour after the captain met with the Hirogen Alpha, Kazlaf found herself working alongside Lonar in the ship’s astrometrics lab. Together, they were tasked with finding these other crashed sites that the Alpha had said existed.

“Do you think the Alpha is telling the truth?” Lonar asked Kazlaf. 

Shrugging her shoulders, Kazlaf was starting to feel more comfortable around Lonar. The notion that she had been a Borg drone a few weeks ago was beginning to become a distant memory. “I’m not sure who to believe, but from what I’ve learnt about the Hirogen, they’re not a culture who feels the need to lie about something unless it gives them an advantage over their prey.”

 Lonar agreed with that assessment. “And I can’t see why the Alpha would make up such a wild story if it weren’t truthful.”

“Exactly,” Kazlaf said as she continued to work on the sensors on the console she was at. “Furthermore, the fact he had also said they had used Krenim technology to by-pass the Sikarian dampening field to beam in during the attack makes me think there are things down there that are worth salvaging.”

 “Which is another point that confuses me,” Lonar stated. “Why haven’t the Sikarians claimed the technology from these wrecks?”

“The Alpha was pretty adamant that they only wanted their databases. Why take tech when you have more advanced technology?” Kazlaf countered back with. 

“True, which begs the next question I’m wondering,” Lonar said.

Before she could say it, Kazlaf had it on the end of her tongue. She had also considered it, especially since the captain had briefed them on his discoveries from his discussion with the Hirogen Alpha. “When will they come after our database?”

“Precisely,” Lonar replied. “Why leave it for so long? Why make a song and a dance out of getting to know us? What are we missing?”

“Whatever they are up to, I fear they will not like it if we find these crashed ships,” Kazlaf said.

A beep went off at Lonar’s station. “Talking of which, I have one of them.” She used the holographic interface to move it from her console and to display it on the vast widescreen that took up most of the main wall in astrometrics. “A Voth research ship.”

“Any life signs?” Kazlaf asked as she stopped her search.

Lonar double-checked before shaking her head. “None, but it looks like most of the ship is intact.

“Okay, that’s one, let’s see if we can find another,” Kazlaf said as she returned to her work. She had been concentrating her scans on the planet’s oceans; something familiar appeared in her readings. A faint energy signature she knew well. “I’ve got a Turei vessel.” Like Lonar, she threw it onto the holographic interface beside the Voth ship. “It’s on the seabed again; no life signs, but the ship is in one piece.”

“Looks like the Hirogen were right,” Lonar said, sounding deflated.

Kazlaf understood why Lonar appeared down about their discoveries. It meant that their early suspicions of the Sikarians could be correct, and they may not be getting access to their technology to return them to where they came from. Kazlaf sighed out in frustration. After cursing under her breath, she tapped her combadge and called the captain down to see them.

Moments later, McCallister was accompanied by Thaustin, Jarata and Oron. Just like Kazlaf had felt earlier, all of them exhibited the same frustration over the finding. Kazlaf watched the captain leaning over the central console in astrometrics, looking up at the scans of the planet. She could see how peeved he was at the revelations. The locations of the crashed sites were now pinging up. It showed the location of the ships belonging to the Voth, Turei and Hirogen. Alongside that, they had detected several others they couldn’t identify.

McCallister then stood up tall and crossed his arms. Kazlaf wondered if he had just decided on what he wanted to do.

“Number One,” He said, grabbing Thaustin’s attention. “Assemble two away teams. You lead one, and Beliere can lead the other. Get down to the Voth and Turei ships, find out what you can about them and see if there’s any other evidence to support the Hirogen’s claim.”

“Yes, sir,” Thaustin replied. 

Kazlaf then had an idea. “Sir, those ships may have technology or records to help us understand the Sikirian trajector or this virus they use.” She stated. 

“T’Penni and Ethav could reverse engineer anything to help us build a defence,” Lonar added.

Liking the lieutenant’s idea, Kazlaf nodded in agreement.

“Alright,” McCallister said, liking it too. “Anything of valuable, bring back here.”

“Understood,” Kazlaf said.

“Great work, dismissed everyone, let’s get going,” McCallister ordered, his determination to get to the bottom was now etched across his face. Kazlaf knew he now meant business and wasn’t afraid to get things done.

Finally, she thought, we’re getting somewhere.

Finishing off the pre-flight checks, Thaustin was eager to take the Delta-class runabout out to find more clues to the mysterious surrounding the Sikarians and their neighbours, who had all disappeared and crashed on their planet. Sitting in the pilot’s seat, he was flicking through the switches, bringing the small craft to life, when he heard footsteps behind him. Expecting either Lonar or T’Penni to be there (as they were joining him for this mission), Thaustin was surprised to see Jarata standing by the aft hatch after he turned around in the chair.

“Rubon, you lost?” Thaustin asked.

Jarata chuckled. “Nah, I’m just checking that you’re all good here?” 

Thaustin smirked and nodded. “Yeah, I’m all good here. Why?”

Jarata moved down to be closer. “Well, it’s your first mission on the Chimera; I just wanted to make sure you were all okay. Plus you must look after this ship as it’s the captain’s favourite. We won the Antarian Trans Stellar Race in her.”

“We’re all okay, Rubon, and I promise not to get a scratch on her,” Thaustin replied. He was a bit confused as to why Jarata was visiting him. “Is there anything else you need, commander?”

Jarata just flashed him a grin, his dimples appearing in full swing. “Nope,” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll leave you be.” He turned around and started to turn to the hatch he had entered.

“Rubon,” Thaustin called after him and was pleased the pilot stopped. “When we get back, fancy grabbing a drink after all this is done?”

Nodding and still smiling, Jarata accepted the offer. “Sure, just make sure you come back alive. Neither one of us has the other one to depend on!”

Chuckling at that, Thaustin nodded in agreement. Perhaps he was starting to like Jarata and could see why the captain liked him. 

At that point, as he was leaving, T’Penni and Lonar walked in. Jarata excused himself politely as he went by both women. 

“You two ready to go grab ourselves some dinosaurs?” Thaustin asked as he returned to the pilot’s chair with an upbeat in his tone and step. In some ways, he was excited to see a Voth ship, and the explorer in him couldn’t wait to explore more of the world they were currently orbiting.

“That would be an incorrect identification, sir,” T’Penni corrected him. “The Voth are not dinosaurs, sir; they are hadrosaurs.”

“I stand corrected,” Thaustin said as he started to bring the engines on the Chimera to life.

“Did Commander Jarata need something?” Lonar asked as she started to power up the ship’s defences.

Thaustin looked over his shoulder. “No, he was just being a good chief flight control officer and checking to ensure the Chimera was in working order.”

Lonar smirked, which Thaustin caught at the corner of his eye and decided to ignore. Instead, he opened a channel to the bridge. “Chimera to the bridge, requesting permission to get underway.”

“Permission granted, Number One. Stay cool and keep the sand down there!” replied McCallister. 

Thaustin thanked him in between, smirking at his comment; they were about to search through a desert. 

The journey to the planet went without a hitch. As the ship had moved out of orbit above the Sikarian colony, Thaustin had taken Jarata’s advice in taking the long way around to avoid them detecting them entering the planet’s atmosphere. They skimmed just a few meters above the ground, approaching their target at impressive speeds. It was almost a joy ride.

“I’ve located the Voth ship on sensors,” T’Pennie announced at the station behind Thaustin’s right shoulder. “I’m transferring the coordinates to you now, commander.”

Looking up at the screen to his right, Thaustin nodded in appreciation as he slowed them down. Before them, they could see the crashed remains on the small Voth ship. Thaustin was pleased it wasn’t a Voth city ship. Those ships were massive. He looked at the sensor scans coming in of the ship. “As you and Kazlaf found, besides a number of hull breaches from its crash, most of it appears to be intact.”

“Let’s hope we find something of use,” Lonar added.

Thaustin couldn’t agree any more with that statement as he landed them gently next to the craft. “Let’s go,” He said as he secured the ship. Thaustin was pleased they were already wearing their desert excursion gear so they could beam over immediately after picking up their gear. 

Crashed Voth research vessel

Though some light was peering through the cracks in the ship’s damaged hull, it was still pretty dark inside after they had beamed in. Thaustin instantly lit up his phaser rifle and wrist torch, just as the other two did. T’Penni and he had their tricorders out, scanning every inch of the ship, trying to find something useful.

“Sir!” Lonar almost screamed. 

Rushing to be by Lonar’s side, Thaustin wasn’t surprised with what she had found. The skeleton remains of a Voth.

T’Penni bent on one knee to examine the remains and scan it with her tricorder. “They’ve been dead for over three years.” She reported.

Realising nothing could be done for the dead crew, Thaustin instructed his team to continue their search. He didn’t want to return to the Constitution empty-handed.

It took another half hour or so before T’Penni had called Thaustin. She had found an undamaged console in the engineering room. Using a portable battery, she activated it and brought it back to life.

“Anything?” Thaustin asked as partial power came back to life. Several lights flickered around them. 

T’Penni studied the console’s computer directory first. She then nodded. “I am detecting the remains of a computer virus,” She shared.

That news put shivers down Thaustin’s spine. “Is it the same one as the Hirogen had found?”

She nodded again. “Affirmative, sir. I will remove it from the computer mainframe.”

He sighed and was about to tap his combadge when T’Penni stopped him by sharing she had found something else of interest.

“What is it?” Thaustin asked.

“Standby, sir,” She said as she walked away from the console. 

Confused by her behaviour, Thaustin looked back at the screen she had been using. It showed the schematic of what he believed was an engine that appeared to show its current status.

“Sir,” T’Penni said, calling him to where she had gone. “I have found something that the captain may find of interest.”

Intrigued by what she meant by that, Thaustin walked over and asked her what she had found.

“A working transwarp coil,” T’Penni said.

“Did I just hear you right?” Lonar asked as she entered the room. “A transwarp coil?”

“Indeed,” T’Penni confirmed. “If I can attach this to our warp engines, it may help us escape from the Sikarians. It may not be as powerful as a Borg transwarp coil, but it could help.”

Intrigued by that idea, Thaustin looked at Lonar. “Did you find anything?”

She nodded. “More evidence that the Sikarians had been here, sir. I’ve picked up Sikarian DNA over several other consoles, and from what I could tell, their entire computer database was downloaded over three years ago.”

“Very well, let’s take what we can use back to the Chimera and then return to the Constitution,” Thaustin ordered. He was pleased they weren’t coming away without anything, but he knew Captain McCallister wouldn’t be happy with the evidence against the Sikarians. 

Noticing the return of Jarata with a huge smile plastered across his face, Kazlaf looked up from the science she was sitting at. “Everything okay over on the Chimera?” She asked him.

Jarata nodded, still smiling. “All fine, commander.”

Wondering what had made him smile that much, Kazlaf decided to ignore it. She was starting to mellow out and found herself beginning to like the pilot. He did impress her in the recent senior staff briefing in finding a solution they all agreed upon and one that wasn’t as extreme as hers. Though she and Lonar still stood by the idea, that was until what they knew now about the Sikarians.

  Kazlaf was interrupted by her thoughts as Ethav appeared from the aft hatch. “I’ve completed the diagnostics on the immersion shielding and the modified thrusters.” He took the station beside Kazlaf, “We’re all good to go, ma’am.”

Kazlaf shuddered inwards; she hated being called ‘ma’am’. Deciding she didn’t want to comment on it (for now), she thanked Ethav for the update before ordering Jarata to take them out. 

After following a similar route as the Chimera had taken to avoid detection, Kazlaf was pleased with how quickly they got into the water and were now submersed on their way to search for the Turei vessel. 

“Ethav, I want you to keep an eye on those shields; the moment something doesn’t look good, shout out,” She ordered. Looking down at Jarata, she could see the pilot was taking his time in concentrating on operating the Adelaide. Noticing he was biting on the edge of his tongue, Kazlaf smirked. Perhaps he wasn’t that bad, she thought. 

“Commander,” Jarata called out, “I think I’ve got the Turei ship on sensors.”

Looking at her own readings, she confirmed that the pilot was correct. “It seems like it’s resting on the edge of a precipice. It’s carefully hanging in the balance of the water.”

“I’ll reduce our speed to avoid it creating some sort of unbalance,” Jarata informed.

Agreeing with that idea, Kazlaf wanted to be able to search the Turei vessel without it being crushed beyond the precipice it rested on. “Ethav, we should start our scans of the ship, see if there’s anything we either beam aboard or somehow be able to interact with its systems.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ethav replied; again, the ‘ma’am’ made Kazlaf shudder inwards. 

After activating the forward illumination, Jarata called for Kazlaf and Ethav to look at what was ahead of them. Kazlaf looked up from her scans, and there for her own natural sensors to see was the Turei vessel. It looked like a see-saw, carefully balanced on either side. 

“There are no life signs,” Kazlaf shared, “And I would say from the decay of the hull, it’s been here for almost a year, maybe two.”

“Scans show that the Turei must have hit the sea at full speed before sinking to the seabed,” Ethav reported. “I’m detecting multiple hull breaches across the ventral side, plus there’s residual neutrinos. They match the same intensity of neutrinos we encountered via the spatial trajector.”

“Any clues to our Sikarians friends taking a peek?” Jarata asked.

It was a good question, as Kazlaf wanted to know that, too. 

“I’m detecting something that isn’t Turei in origin,” Ethav responded.

“What is it?” Kazlaf asked. She was intrigued if they had just found their treasure of evidence to prove the Sikarians were here.

“It appears to be a small computer device; it’s barely operational, but I would say it’s Sikarian in design,” Ethav reported. “It’s emitting a low-level subspace signal; at the rate of its power consumption, I would say it could barely send a signal beyond a kilometre now.”

  “Rubon, take us within one kilometre of the Turei vessel,” Kazlaf ordered. She was desperate to know more.

“Aye, ma’am, nice and easy,” Jarata replied, gently nudging them forward. A few seconds later, he announced they were within nine hundred and fifty meters of the ship.

Standing up, Kazlaf decided to work beside Ethav. “Anything, lieutenant?”

He nodded at her. “Lots, in fact. I’ve adjusted our transmitter to the same interlink frequencies as this device and have complete access to the Turei database.”

“How? That ship is dead!” Kazlaf asked.

“The Sikarian device is keeping it running, but I can confirm that there’s a computer virus lying within the ship’s mainframe. It’s in a dormant state. Also, the entire database has been copied and transmitted through that device,” Ethav said.

“I would say, is there any technology we can take, but I’m worried the transporters would disturb the ship’s resting place, and it will end up falling into that massive chasm,” Kazlaf said aloud as she looked out at the ship from the forward viewport. She turned to Ethav, “Lieutenant, can you download the Turei database without the virus?”

Ethav nodded. “If I delete the virus using our software, it will be easier to download everything the Turei had on their systems.”

“Do it. There may be other clues or information from their encounter with the Sikarian trajector,” Kazlaf said with a sense of victory in her tone. “Once we’ve got everything, Mister Jarata, take us back to the Constitution.”

“Aye, ma’am,” both men said in unison.

She sighed heavily and decided to ignore the ‘ma’am’ one more time. For now, Kazlaf was pleased with their results.

Captain McCallister sat at the head of the table in the conference room, facing the imposing figure of Hirogen Alpha. It had been some time since their last meeting, and McCallister could sense the tension in the air. They weren’t alone. Counsellor Oron sat to McCallister’s left while Lieutenant Lonar was present with an entire security team, who were fully armed. Glad they were there to keep the Hirogen leader in line, McCallister cleared his throat and spoke up.

“I owe you an apology. You were right about the Sikarians. My crew has found several crashed alien ships, all of them pulled across the quadrant to the Sikarian colony.”

The Alpha nodded, his expression grim. “As I said. The Sikarians have been lying to you all along. They promised you a way home, but they’ve been manipulating you instead.”

McCallister leaned forward because he had been in the wrong to initially trust the people responsible for his ship being replaced. “That’s why I propose we work together. We both have a score to settle with Magistrate Mala and her people. We need to confront them and demand answers.”

The Alpha looked sceptical. 

Oron stepped up, and McCallister appreciated the support. “It’s in the best interests of both our people if we pool our resources together to get out of this situation. Together united, we are stronger.”

“And what makes you think they’ll listen to us?” The Alpha inquired. 

It was a fair question and one that even McCallister had asked himself. He shrugged at the Alpha. “We have evidence that they’ve been lying to us now. We can use that to our advantage.”

“That is not a strong answer,” The Alpha remarked.

“Perhaps, but if we take a diplomatic approach, we may gain further insight into how they did this to us.” McCallister got out of his seat and stepped forward towards the Hirogen. “If we go in full force straight away, then we may lose more than we deal with. With your ship stranded on their shores and mine still heavily damaged, we must plan this carefully.”

The Alpha considered his proposal for a moment before nodding. A sense of relief washed over McCallister as the Hirogen accepted his idea. “Very well. But we must be careful. The Sikarians are cunning and resourceful. We can’t underestimate them.”

McCallister nodded in agreement. “Agreed. We’ll need to proceed with caution. But we can’t let them get away with this any longer. It’s time for them to answer for their actions, and we must prevent them from doing this to anyone else.”

“I do not care about others. All I wish to do is return myself and my party back to the nearest training grounds,” The Alpha said.

“If we can gain access to the spatial trajector, with or without the Sikarian help, then I am sure we can find the nearest training base to send you back,” McCallister assured the Alpha.

“And if we fail?” The Alpha questioned.

McCallister was prepared for that response. He took in a deep breath. “If you and your people are prepared to behave and abide by our rules, we will happily bring you on board as our guests. We will take you back to your people ourselves.” McCallister knew that was a big gamble. 

The Hirogen looked down at McCallister. “Maybe you’ll make for good prey.”

“I’d prefer not to be,” McCallister replied. “The alternative is we leave you here to either try and take the Sikarians out or they eventually kill you.”

“Then let us hope our temporary truce and alliance is beneficial,” The Alpha said.

“Agreed,” McCallister said with a nod. “I will have my counsellor and security chief escort you back to our transporter room and send you back to your people. I will contact with our plan.”

“Very good,” The Alpha said.

With that, the Hirogen parted ways, and McCallister felt a sense of relief that they might be on their way to getting out of this hell hole and a sense of determination to see justice done. 

After the Hirogen Alpha had left, Thaustin walked in. “You all okay, sir?”

McCallister smiled and nodded. “I think we have an alliance with the Hirogen.”

“A step in the right direction,” Thaustin said, pleased for the captain.

“Let’s hope so, now assemble the troops. We need to make a plan that will work!” McCallister commanded as he returned to his chair to begin work on how they would deal with the Sikarians. 

“Captain’s log stardate seven-eight-three-four-one point five. After the discovery of the two crashed ships and discussing the matter further with Hirogens, I have decided to take one final stab at diplomacy with Magistrate Mala. I hope she can be reasoned with, and we can understand why she and her people have done what they’ve done.”

Materialising in the centre of the Sikarian settlement, McCallister looked around to see if their hostess was nearby. As on cue, Magistrate Mala walked out with a massive smile towards her guests. She was flanked by two other male Sikarians. 

“Welcome back, Horatio,” Mala said as she hugged him before letting go. “I’m assuming your return to us means you’ve dealt with the Hirogen?”

Looking at Thaustin beside him, who just smiled at him, McCallister turned back to Mala. “We have them all in stasis on board the Constitution,” He turned to T’Penni, Ethav and Kazlaf, “So as part of our agreement, do you mind showing us the spatial trajector that brought us here so we can begin working together to get our crew home.”

“Oh, what’s the rush, Horatio!” Mala exclaimed in a melodramatic reaction. She flew her arms up into the air as she heralded the news. “Let us celebrate further!”

“Mala, I think we’ve done enough celebrating,” Thaustin said with his best diplomatic tone. “Our crew is very tired, and we wish to return to where you pulled us from.”

“By accident, Thaustin!” She added as she got between the two command-level officers and wrapped an arm in each of theirs. “Come with me, and I will show you the spatial trajector.”

Mala led the away team through the town and towards a building that appeared to be only one floor high, but after entering it and going through some security checks, they went down a flight of stairs into a basement level. There, in the centre of the basement, was a combined laboratory and control centre.

Straight away, McCallister’s engineers and science officer were scanning the device that was meant to be the trajector. Mala had let go of holding onto him and Thaustin and went over to her own team and spoke quietly with them.

With her tricorder out, T’Penni was scanning the trajector when one of her eyebrows arched upwards. “Fascinating,” She said as she looked up from her tricorder. “This trajector is more sophisticated than the one on your homeworld that Voyager encountered over thirty years ago.”

“I would hope so,” Mala said with a smile. “We’ve improved the technology in the last thirty years. I’ve made several refinements myself.”

“Indeed, I am detecting a sophisticated sensor array attached to it that appears to be using the mantle to amplify its targeting abilities,” T’Penni remarked. 

“It’s so precise it could probably pinpoint and teleport a Teirenian ant out of its colony,” Kazlaf commented as she continued to look at her tricorder.

Ethav frowned. “I can’t see what parts of your system were damaged when you accidentally pulled us here.” He showed his tricorder towards Captain McCallister. “In fact, I would say that none of your systems have been replaced in the last year or so.”

Mala’s smile dropped a bit, and then she giggled before clapping. “Bravo, I can see that Starfleet’s finest are just too good for me, unlike this lot behind me.” She pointed to those sitting at various stations. She made a coughing noise, and her entire team took notice as they all turned around with weapons pointed towards the away team. “And I was hoping we wouldn’t have to have this conversation.” She said as she walked gracefully over to the captain. Placing one hand on his chest, Mala fluttered her eyes at him, “I really hoped you would stay for a bit longer and that we,” She paused as she used her other hand to stroke the side of Thaustin’s cheek seductively, “and I mean all of us when I say ‘we’, could have got a lot closer. I was hoping to hear stories from your worlds as we become more intimate with one another.” Mala winked at Thaustin. “It would have made this whole process so much easier and more fun, captain.” She then walked away and removed a weapon from her garment; how she had hidden it from view was impressive. She aimed it at McCallister, who reacted by placing his hands up.

“So what is it that you want, Mala?” McCallister asked. 

She smiled. “I want your database. It’s that simple.”

“Our database?” Ethav echoed. “You lured us here just for that?”

Mala sighed as she looked at the young Andorian. “No, you were meant to have been transported into orbit of our world, but you were the furthest target we’ve ever caught. Something did go wrong, and I had to deposit you a bit further afield than I had planned. I hoped to use the trajector to bring you here, but you came by your own accord, which helped massively.”

“So your spatial trajector didn’t quite meet your expectations?” Kazlaf checked as she copied the captain’s gesture of holding her hands up.

“Oh, it did, commander,” Mala smiled. “You see, you’re not the first visitors to our world.”

“We know about the others you’ve pulled here,” McCallister revealed. “The Hirogen told us, and we’ve visited some of those crashed ships. All you took was their databases, but let their crews die. They were innocent.”

 “Unlike the Hirogen, we don’t need to hunt anyone; unlike you, we don’t need to keep prisoners. We only need the stories we’ve found in those databases.” Mala answered. “The crews of those ships served no purpose to me or my plan.” 

“I still don’t understand why you went to so much trouble pulling so many ships towards your colony to gain access to their databases for stories. Why not trade with them for their stories?” Thaustin questioned. 

“Like the Hirogen, we like to collect trophies too in the form of stories, but our Canon of Laws prevent us from taking them without asking,” Mala replied. “It’s an archaic rule; many on my homeworld become rich from new stories they can share. But the Magistrates stop anyone who takes without permission. So, instead, I can use our trajector to bring the stories to us and then sell them to those in our society who want to hear them. Once their crews are dead, I don’t need to seek permission on what we recover. By sharing the stories from some of the advanced races in the Delta Quadrant, like the Voth, the Turei, hell, even the Borg, and now a ship from the other side of the galaxy, I will be the richest person in Sikarian culture. I would be made Chief Magistrate and be able to control what stories my people are given.”

“You’re talking about a black market operation to advance your own political career,” McCallister said.

“Precisely, captain,” Mala said with a grin, sounding pleased with herself. “Now, let’s get down to business. You will hand over your entire database, or I will use our trajector to kill your crew. I can transport them all to the bottom of our ocean or our sun. The choice is yours.”

“My pilot has orders to delete our entire database if you try anything,” McCallister replied. “I had a feeling there was something more going on here,” He stepped towards her. “And if you kill my entire crew, you won’t be able to access our database once we are all gone. Our computer’s defences are pretty sophisticated.”

“As are ours,” Mala smirked still. “Did your new Hirogen allies tell you about the virus we used to take their hunting logs? We can do the same with your ship. Now, what’s your decision?”

Not surprised at how corrupt she was, McCallister had wished he had listened more to Kazlaf and Lonar sooner. She was totally mad, but her finger was on the trigger that could hurt his crew. He sighed. “I suppose I don’t have much choice,” He tapped his combadge and called up to the ship. He had left Jarata in command, who responded straight away to him. “Rubon, begin preparations to transfer our entire database to the Sikarian mainframe.”

“Sir, did you say you want the entire database?” Jarata checked.”

“Rubon, my dear,” Mala said, interrupting the conversation, “I currently am holding a weapon to your captain’s chest,” She placed her weapon up against McCallister. “If you want to see your captain, I suggest you let me have it.”

“Rubon, carry out what we discussed, and as the magistrate said, let her have it!” McCallister said in a clear voice, annunciating each word clearly. 

“Understood, sir. We’re preparing to send the package down now.” Jarata said.

“So I suppose you won’t be sharing your technology with us?” Thaustin asked after the channel went dead.

Mala chuckled further. “Of course not; there are some rules I cannot break! But bending them a bit is something I can live with.” An alarm then went off at a nearby station. “What is it?” She asked the nearest operator to her.

“Magistrate, we are detecting a Zahl ship coming into range of our targeting sensors,” answered her fellow comrade. 

“A Zahl ship? Now that’s one we don’t have!” Mala said as she turned back to look at McCallister. “I’m about to demonstrate our power and how I will become Chief Magistrate!” Turning back to the operator, she issued orders to bring the trajector online and to target the Zahl ship at once. Only two Sikarians were left aiming their weapons at the away team as the others returned to work. 

A massive explosion went off above them, which caught every one of the Sikarians off guard, but not McCallister and his team. They were prepared. Instantly, the Starfleet away team jumped against the Sikarians nearest to them. Taking away their weapons, they were able to subdue the Sikarians. Kazlaf had tackled Mala to the floor, while T’Penni had performed a Vulcan nerve pinch on the guards. Once the commotion was over, the main door to the control centre opened, allowing Lieutenant Lonar to storm in beside the Hirogen Alpha and his hunters. 

“Good work, lieutenant,” McCallister said before looking at the Alpha. “Thank you.”

The Alpha smiled but didn’t get a chance to say anything as Mala had activated a device she now had in her hands. Again, she had somehow hidden it among her outfit, and after she pressed a button, the trajector came to life and transported her out of the room. Before she was gone, she called out to McCallister. “Catch me if you can, captain!” She waved to him as she disappeared. 

“Damn!” Thaustin cursed.

Holding his phaser up to the Sikarian operator, McCallister threatened him. “Where did she go?”

Holding his hands up in defeat, the Sikaran man cowered before McCallister. “I don’t know, I promise. Only Mala knows how the enhancements to the trajector and the new targeting scanners work. Please, I have children.”

“I won’t hurt you if you tell me what you know. What do you mean by the enhancements and new scanners?” McCallister asked him.

Wobbling as he replied, the operator explained that Mala had made the changes to their trajector herself; none of them knew how she did it, and she didn’t allow them to look at the technology. They only knew the basics. 

“We have her,” spoke the Hirogen Alpha after he looked up from the scanner built within his massive rifle. “She has been transported outside the settlement and appears to be heading to caves filled with an ore, which is blocking our sensors. We will track her and get her.” 

“Shall I go with them, sir?” Lonar asked.

McCallister looked at the Hirogen Alpha and then back to his security chief. “No, lieutenant,” He turned to the Alpha. “Good Hunting, gentlemen.” Tapping his combadge, McCallister knew what he was doing as he ordered Jarata to beam the Hirogen to where they had tracked Mala. Once they were transported out of there, McCallister sensed the others confused by his decision.

“Sir, was that wise? They may kill her.” Thaustin remarked. “If we don’t bring her back, we may be unable to use the device.” 

“The Hirogen want to get out of here as much as we do; they won’t kill Mala unless she forces their hand,” McCallister said. “I can’t uphold our alliance with them if I dictate terms to them.” He turned to the others and asked T’Penni, Ethav and Kazlaf if they could work on the trajector and determine how it worked.

T’Penni took out her tricorder, as did the other two. “I believe so,” The Vulcan engineer said. “It may take some time, sir.”

Satisfied with that response, he turned to the other Sikarians. “Unless you want me to pass you over to the Hirogen, I suggest you cooperate with us on what you know.”

One stood up from the floor and trembled in fear as he spoke. He appeared pretty young, but his bravery in not wanting to be harmed and wanting to correct what his leader had done was admirable. “We may not understand Mala’s changes, but we understand the technology underneath them.”

Appreciating that, McCallister smiled at him. “Help us and the Hirogen get off your colony, and I will compensate you with access to our entire database of stories.”

“That is very generous, captain, especially after what the Magistrate has done to you and so many others,” The young man said.

“It is, but I want to prove to you all that cooperation between people can be done correctly. Consider this a trade that your Canon of Laws will accept.” McCallister remarked with confidence.

The young Sikarian man nodded and encouraged his fellow workers to join him. McCallister looked at Thaustin, pleased that they may be able to recover from this all after all. The finish line was in sight; all they had to do was find out how to use the spatial trajector to get them and the Hirogen back to safe water. 

It sounded all so simple, the captain thought.

“You killed her?” Thaustin said again in complete astonishment.

“We had no choice. She was an elusive prey,” The Alpha said in response. 

The words shocked Thaustin on one side, but on the other hand, he wasn’t surprised. It’s not as if they were Starfleet. The Hirogen had gone off to track Mala after she had escaped them all. Now, she was dead and would not pay for her crimes. “Still, you could have found a way to capture and bring her back.”

“I do not report to you,” The Alpha said, glaring down at Thaustin.

Thaustin understood that their alliance with the Hirogen was finally ending. He was pleased when Captain McCallister stepped in. 

“Either way, we have an agreement, and we will see that it’s fulfilled,” The captain said firmly to the Hirogen. 

“We are ready to leave,” The Hirogen said as he passed a tablet with the coordinates of their nearest training base. 

Thaustin had wondered if this would be the last time they would see these Hirogens as they stepped onto the platform where the spatial trajector was located. Ever since the Sikarians had surrendered to them and the Hirogen, teams from the Constitution had secured the area and had worked with those Sikarians who had agreed to help to understand the technology. 

McCallister took the device and handed the information to the Sikarian who had helped him earlier. His name was Mekhal Fabin, a young scientist who appeared open to assisting them. Thaustin watched as Fabin inputted the coordinates. The trajector came to life, and then he nodded at McCallister, indicating they were ready.

After a few seconds, the Hirogen all assembled on the platform. Thaustin was glad that their alliance with the Hirogen was now ending. 

“For what it’s worth, you would have made excellent prey,” The Alpha said straight to McCallister.

The captain looked at Thaustin and then back to the Hirogen. “Thanks,” He paused, “I think?” He questioned before he gestured for the device to be activated. Within seconds, the Hirogen were gone. 

T’Penni broke the silence after their departure. “Captain, it will take some time for us to reconfigure the trajector for the Constitution’s size. Additionally, I wish to ensure we are fully repaired before we attempt it.”

“Would some tests of it be wise?” Thaustin wondered. 

“Perhaps,” T’Penni replied.

McCallister told the Vulcan engineer to get on with it with the Sikarians before he asked Thaustin to take a walk with him outside the lab and into the open courtyard.

“Something on your mind, sir?” Thaustin wondered. He had noticed an expression of deep thought etched across McCallister’s face.

“Yes,” McCallister confessed. “And it’s one I can’t seem to shake off my mind.”

“You want to share?” Thaustin offered. He had not seen the captain this concerned before. It worried Thaustin.

McCallister indicated for them to walk away from anyone else and into an area of the settlement close to the river where the Hirogen had initially attacked them the other night. 

“Thaustin, I can’t in good conscience leave this technology that Mala had created.” He admitted. “The fact she created it for her own greed and used it to pull innocent ships away from their homes, to simply raid them for stories, isn’t something I cannot ignore.”

Thaustin had a feeling he knew where McCallister was going with this. It had crossed his mind. “Go on, sir.”

“T’Penni still needs time to understand the enhancements she made to bring an entire ship here,” McCallister started as they paused by the river. “The other Sikarians don’t understand it yet, but they will get it themselves once T’Penni works it out and shares it with them. Who’s to say someone else here doesn’t come along, take control, and use the technology like Mala?”

“That’s a huge assumption,” Thaustin said, “But one I agree is worth considering seriously.”

McCallister turned to Thaustin. “Do you get where I am going with this?”

He sighed and nodded. “I am, sir, and I think we need to consider it.”

“Assemble the troops then, Number One,” McCallister ordered solemnly. 

Stardate: 78342

USS Constitution (NCC-91701), in orbit of Fabula, Delta Quadrant 

Thaustin was impressed that everyone had got together so quickly. The moment the captain entered the bridge via his ready room, Thaustin stood up to attention at his seat. “Captain on the bridge!” He called.

Everyone stood to attention and showed McCallister the respect his title and position gave him. However, from Thaustin’s perspective, McCallister had undoubtedly earned it from everyone during this mission. He only hoped what McCallister was about to share with them all wouldn’t damage it further.

“As you were,” McCallister ordered as he walked across the bridge, smirking at Jarata at the helm before standing before them in front of the viewscreen. “Commander Thaustin and I have discussed the moral implications of this situation at great length, and we’ve come to the same conclusion, and it’s not one we reached without deep consideration.”

Thaustin appreciated the captain sharing with everyone that this was a joint decision they made together. They had to be united on this one for everyone to get behind it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t work.

“We could return to where we were before, without any issue, but to do so would leave a piece of technology behind that if it fell into the wrong hands, could cause harm to others,” McCallister said. “I can’t have that on my conscience.”

“None of us can, sir,” Thaustin said in support.

“Agreed,” Kazlaf said as she stood at the science station.

“Totally,” Lonar added.

“Sir, I think you can see we’ve all come to the same conclusion,” Jarata said. “Just say it.”

Thaustin smiled at McCallister. Neither of them knew any of them had discussed what they had discussed.

“How can we live with ourselves knowing that others could be harmed like we and the Hirogen were?” Doctor Uknare asked aloud.

“The Hirogen were lucky to get home, but others like the Voth and Turei weren’t; I don’t want to see that happen to anyone, not even a Borg ship!” Ethav added.

“We’re behind you too, sir,” Counsellor Oron remarked.

“Your choice is the only logical one, captain,” T’Penni finished it off. 

Thaustin loved this moment with them all. Their crew was finally together. He was proud. 

McCallister nodded in appreciation. “Then we are all in agreement that the enhancements that Mala made to the spatial trajector must be destroyed.”

Everyone agreed and supported his statement. 

“We’ll find another way back, sir,” Jarata said carefreely. “If Voyager can, then we can.”

“And it’s only three years from our original position,” Kazlaf said. “If I can use the Turei database to locate other underspace corridors, we will be back before you know it.”

“The Voth transwarp coil may also shed a year or two off our journey if I can fix it.” T’Penni shared. 

“Let’s not forget there’s the other technology down there we could use,” Ethav said. “Give me the word, sir, and I will beam it up into the cargo bays.”

“It sounds like our chance of surviving this journey is looking optimistic,” Uknare stated with a smile. 

“Well, why are we waiting around then? Let’s get to work,” McCallister ordered as he headed to his chair and took it. He turned to Thaustin and smiled further.

Thaustin knew that was the sign to begin issuing orders. They would leave the Sikarian colony but only after removing what Mala had created.

Whatever the price it had on them being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, it was worth it to prevent anyone else from suffering. Thaustin was beaming with the same pride that McCallister had as he told T’Penni, Lonar and the others to begin securing the lab with the trajector. He then assembled an away team to go down to the planet and discuss their actions with the Sikarians.

Delighted to enjoy some downtime, Doctor Uknare was making her way along the corridor wearing just her civilian clothing. A simple white blouse with black leggings and comfortable faux leather boots. She had added a gold chain around her neck and a few bracelets. She looked forward to the downtime she had organised for the senior staff. After successfully getting the Sikarians to understand where they were coming from, the crew removed the enhancements that Mala had created and destroyed her research. T’Penni’s engineers had fixed the warp core, and now they were underway, heading back to the Swallow Nebula region. Before they left Fabula, they had sent an unmanned probe through the spatial projector towards the area the Constitution had been taken from. The smaller device would transmit a data stream to the nearest Starfleet buoy. Captain McCallister hoped that his brother’s ship, the Odyssey (or even the Themis), would pick it up. Within the datastream held a report from him about what had happened, and everyone on the crew had prepared messages for loved ones. 

Uknare took the decision to see the next three years (if they didn’t find a shortcut before then) as an extension of the ship’s deep space exploration mission it was meant to take with the other ships in the squadron. It was a positive way of looking at it, and it was the same vibe that everyone was promoting across the ship. And once Lieutenant Ethav had fixed their hyper-subspace communication array, they would be in touch with Starfleet in no time.

She walked into The Establishment, the crew bar, ready to get things sorted for the private event, to find Thaustin and Jarata sitting at a table in a dimly lit corner, sharing a bottle of bourbon. The bar was quiet and empty, except for the two officers. 

As Uknare approached the bar, she noticed the flickering candlelight reflecting off the crystal glassware and casting a warm glow on the table, illuminating the faces of the two officers. Thaustin was leaning forward, his elbows on the table, and Jarata was nodding slowly. They were discussing the early days of their service on the Constitution, and Thaustin was admitting to Jarata that he had acted out of line. He hadn’t been happy with Captain McCallister’s decision to promote him to lieutenant commander and had taken his frustrations out through his behaviour. Uknare smirked to herself about this. She was pleased that Thaustin was owning his mistakes from the start; she had seen something similar happen with Kazlaf and the other junior officers. Maybe things were improving, she thought. She returned her attention to the two men, who had not noticed her arrival.

 Jarata listened intently, his eyes fixed on Thaustin’s face. When Thaustin finished speaking, Jarata shrugged and reached for his glass. “It’s okay,” he said. “I didn’t even notice.”

Thaustin looked relieved, and he leaned back in his chair. “You mean that?” He asked, which prompted a nod from Jarata. “Thanks, I just wanted to get that off my chest.”

Realising she was witnessing something that may be more than she realised, Uknare cleared her throat just as they were about to share an intimate moment and stopped them from embarrassing themselves in front of the other senior staff, who she was sure wouldn’t be too far behind her. 

Instantly, Thaustin and Jarata stopped moving closer to one another and turned to look at her, their faces flushing with mortification.

Uknare smiled at them and took a seat at the bar. She watched as Thaustin and Jarata composed themselves, taking sips of their drinks and avoiding each other’s eyes. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt for interrupting what was clearly an important moment between the two officers.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t tell anyone. But you might want to remember that the senior staff are gathering here for drinks in a few minutes.”

Thaustin and Jarata looked at each other, then back at Uknare. 

“Thanks, Doc,” Thaustin said, his voice hoarse.

As Uknare went around the bar to grab a drink, she heard Thaustin and Jarata laughing together, their voices low and intimate. Uknare couldn’t help but feel that she had interrupted something special. She made a mental note to herself to give the two officers some privacy in the future.

At that point, the doors opened, and Captain McCallister led the others who were missing into the bar. “Seems you guys have started the party without us!” He said to Uknare.

“Indeed,” She said with a smirk and a cheeky wink at Thaustin, who had got out of the table he had been sharing with Jarata to greet the captain.

Maybe, she thought, this won’t be such a bad trip.