—- USS Luna, Sol Station —-

It was clear that the engineer in charge of Sol Station was proud of the ship. He was practically beaming as he showed the Captain around pointing at all the work that had been done to bring it up to an almost new condition. It was impressive but Adriana Cruz was not sure why she was there, this was not the USS Seattle that was back at Starbase 415.

”When the Luna and its more famous cousin the Titan launched they had the best sensor array in the fleet. We’ve updated the mission pod with state of the art sensors as well as intelligence gathering equipment. Plus obviously some photon torpedoes,” he said gesturing to a display projected on a transparent screen.

”Interesting,” Cruz said. She was on the space dock for a First Contact refresher course, and now she’d been pulled into this tour which required her to be polite even if none of this had anything to do with her. Perhaps it was a lesson In patience, learning to listen and study while someone was telling you something quite boring.

The human engineer smiled, “New screens, new computers, new carpeting.”

”Lovely,” Cruz said rubbing her foot on the carpet and pretending to appreciate the craftmanship.

”It’s not quite as austere as modern ships, so we wanted to ensure the crew feels like they’re the first,” he explained, “And comfortable of course.”

He lead her onto the bridge and after pointing out the various duty stations gestured to a door, “Here’s the most exciting part.“

They entered a large spacious office that dwarfed the Ready Room on the USS Seattle. It was not yet decorated, though it had sets of wooden shelves on the back which had two ship models displayed. At first Cruz did not look carefully then she saw that the were the USS Seattle, and the USS Luna.

“You’ll stop at Starbase 415 to get the bulk of your crew, and then onto Starbase 85 to finish filling it out. Any design changes on the office can be done there before your first mission,” he said.

Cruz looked at the model of the USS Seattle then back at the engineer, “Excuse me.”

“They didn’t tell you?” he said, “You’re the new captain of the USS Luna. You’re getting about 250 crew here and adding the Seattle’s crew to it. Your first officer will meet you on Starbase 86.”

“Your crew, or the bulk of it, will be arriving now,” he explained further, “We’ve got you slotted to leave space dock in about eight hours. Congratulations Captain.”

He left the Ready Room and Cruz took a seat in the main chair behind the desk. It was a surprise, while she had been planning on how to make the much smaller Rhode Island-class work as a border patrol vehicle now that she was assigned to Task Force 86 a Luna-class made a lot more sense, even if it was no longer the top of the line ship it had been when Captain Riker made the USS Titan famous.

After about twenty minutes of looking around her expanded Ready Room she exited to the Bridge where a crew was already working. Mostly junior officers, Ensigns mixed with Lieutenants but it was enough experience to get them across Federation space. With that she went back on board Sol Station to beam down to Mexico City and retrieve her bags for the voyage home.

Hours later, eight to be exact, the exit from Sol Station was smooth. The USS Luna maneuvered on impulse towards the far edges of the Milky Way galaxy, pointed towards Starbase 415 and then once they were certain all other traffic was out of the way leapt to warp seven. While this was not much more than a ferry ride though Federation space and the crew, even one without department heads, could have handled it, the Captain savoured sitting on the bridge to take in all that it had to offer. Finally she rose and appointed a Lieutenant the acting captain as she headed to her bedroom.

Soon they’d be picking up the rest of the crew and on their way for their first mission.

—- USS Luna, Main Engineering —-

“She’s back. How is it that you always have attractive women waiting to chat with you? You’re so boring,” Assistant Chief Engineer Vanessa Constable teased. She’d become the Assistant Chief Engineer back on the USS Anaheim when she’d been the best engineer in a competition and the unlikely proportion had seen the enlisted woman transfer to three ships as the Assistant Chief despite higher ranked officers being above her. 

”We’re just friends,” said Chief Engineer James Young. The engines of the USS Luna were in perfect shape, so there was little he could do prior to launch. Despite its age the ship had been taken good care of, as the namesake of the class serving on the ship had been a source of pride for the previous crews and that was evident. What little damage there was had been corrected by a few months at Sol Station and a full refit and re-engineering to bring it up to speed with the rest of the fleet.

”Sure, does she know that?” Constable asked but before he could answer ducked out of the office and into the engineering department. She was a frustrating human being, but a talented engineer which Young respected even if she drove him (and at times the senior staff crazy). 

Shortly after Constable’s departure Lieutenant Diya Acharya entered. Not unlike Doctor T’Rala used to before she had remained on the planet with Romulan crash victims. James wondered if there was something to Constable’s claim that they were more than just friends, then set it to the back of his mind as he swiveled his chair to greet her and stood.

“Lieutenant,” he said warmly.

”Lieutenant Commander,” she said and nodded formally and then grinned, “Settling in?”

”It’s better than fresh off the line, this is worn in, but well maintained,” Young said casting his arm about in a gesture towards the entire ship around them. He continued, “Nothing’s really new or impressive on its own, but together it’s a fine machine, and more than that I can fix just about anything on it with the industrial replicators.”

”Sounds like an Engineer’s dream,” Acharya said looking around. Nothing looked that impressive but then again she was not an engineer and other than the fact that this room was bigger than the one of the USS Seattle, she was not quite sure of the improvements. She glanced back at him and brushed a strand of hair behind her ears, “Did you want to visit the arboretum? I hear it’s quite nice.”

Young nodded, “Is there an issue with the climate control there?”

”No I just thought you might like some nature, a walk,” the Chief Diplomatic officer said.

James shrugged, “I guess I can check out the system, see how it works.”

Acharya nodded but looked as though she was not completely satisfied with his answer. She had hoped that he could enjoy time with her and exploring the ship would be draw enough without his turning it into an engineering task. 

—- USS Luna, Arboretum Deck —-

After declaring the climate control an interesting bit of engineering, the Chief Engineer seemed to settle into having a nice time in the expansive deck. For Acharya if the USS Seattle had made her long for the icy vistas of Andoria where she had last been assigned then this went a long way to making space manageable. Already the science department had declared their ownership of the deck and the various plants that lived there, likely a result of having a botanist as the Chief Science Officer. 

Once free to talk around the deck and take in the sights they did so, walking together in silence which eventually Acharya broke by asking a question, “So you doing alright?”

”Sure it’s a good ship, everything is in good shape,” Young answered, which was missing the point of the question.

Nodding as if he’d answered it she tried again, “And you get on with Ensign Constable, and you’re doing okay socially and stuff.”

”She’s annoying but she’s a good engineer and that’s what matters,“ Young said after a beat, again missing what the woman was trying to get at which was a deeper truth. He’d lost someone close to him, for weeks or potentially forever and it had to be hard. 

She tried as a response talking about her own feelings, “I feel excited by the possibilities of serving on an explorer like this. I miss Doctor T’Rala though, she was a unique woman.”

”I didn’t think you knew her that well,” James said, “but yeah she was unique.”

”She’s not dead,” Acharya said realizing maybe her phrasing might have been off, “Just you know… not here.”

”Yeah, not here,” James agreed studying a spider’s web wondering how pest control was handled here. Starships very rarely had bugs on them, but then maybe they were needed for the ecosystem of the plants here. 

—- USS Luna, Main Engineering —-

“How was your date?” Ensign Constable asked when her boss returned.

”It wasn’t a date,” James said simply.

”You went walking through a garden. Did you eat any apples?” Constable asked.

”What no, look she’s a fellow officer it wasn’t a date just exploring the ship,” James said picking up a PADD with engine readouts on it.

“You’re the dumbest smart person I’ve ever met,” Constable said, waving a hand and then returning to work. Engineers, she thought to herself, you can’t teach them anything about women.

—- Briefing Room 2, Starbase 85 —-

The brief jaunt from Starbase 415 to Starbase 85 was uneventful with the USS Luna not straying from deep within Federation space. Once docked with the station some final touches were being worked on by the staff such as further personalization of the Captain’s Ready Room. The senior staff, of which Captain Cruz realized there was a lot of arrived in the briefing room aboard the station where they would go over everything before their initial shakedown cruise and where they were to meet their new first officer. Some of the crew that had been together more or less since the USS Anaheim were starting to feel like the position was cursed. It seemed that every time they got one they were either promoted, quit Starfleet or otherwise vanished. So the mystery officer was the source of much baseless speculation that amounted to nothing.

Calling the group to order Captain Cruz went through her team to make sure they were ready for the task of exploring the Triangle and the worlds beyond Federation space. While they had been able to do some exploring on their way back from being chased through space by the Borg this was their chance to do some real exploration and everyone was excited. A Luna-class ship was the perfect platform for venturing out into the unknown and they’d no longer be overwhelmed by nearly every ship they encountered.

”Lieutenant Avila, how are preparations for the Hazard Team coming?” Cruz asked once the senior crew had settled down.

Rebecca Avila nodded at being asked the question, “We’re starting to gel rather than performing as three separate teams. I’ll be looking at the crew now to see who from the new people will help.“

The team from the USS Seattle was less than a third the crew from the now three hundred and fifty person USS Luna so while they were tight knit they had to learn to bond with the new members. 

“Good that’s what I want you all to do. It’s easy to just rely on the people we’re used to but our crew is bigger now and so is the task at hand,” Cruz said, knowing it would be easy to develop a USS Seattle versus Luna mindset if they did not start on the right foot. She turned to her Security Chief, “How are we tactically?”

Lieutenant Jara nodded, “We’re much better equipped than we were before. It’s a tough ship and no longer the smallest in the fleet. I wouldn’t recommend that we start fights but we can survive them if they come up. Six torpedo launchers in total, six phasers everything has been updated as per Starfleet standard.”

”Engineering?” was the next question.

Young glanced at his PADD, “It’s a reliable ship. It’s maiden voyage there was an accident in the Engineering lab killed the Chief Engineer. No trouble since save the Borg thing on Fleet Day which caused some damage and required the most recent spell in dry dock. It’s beyond what I’d expect though they did a great job fixing it up, modernizing things. Cruising speed is warp seven but we can do warp nine point nine seven five in a pinch. Work is finishing up on your requests for the Captain’s skiff and the shuttles are being delivered after they were destroyed on Fleet Day.“

”On the subject of our shuttles and runabouts. I want us as a ship to come up with a naming convention for them. Captain Riker did ancient Earth jazz musicians, I want ours to say something about the crew,” Cruz said, “Maybe a contest to name them.”

”Flight control?” she said staying on the topic.

”The department is ready. While a few have expressed the sentiment that this ship is not as ‘fun’ as the Seattle to fly the expanded shuttle craft and a runabout will make up for it,” Pr’Nor said.

“On that note I was going to promote Lieutenant Junior Grade Winfield and put him in charge of our small craft, any objections?” Cruz asked.

”None, that is a logical use of human resources,” the Vulcan said.

Before Captain Cruz could change to a new topic the door opened and a large broad Klingon male entered. 

“We are having a meeting,” Cruz said firmly.

”You are waiting for a First Officer, I am la’ Klar of the Klingon Defenshe Force and your new first officer,” he said.

The room was temporarily shocked into silence with only Doctor Va’Tok eventually breaking the silence, “That is unexpected.”

Captain Cruz let the Vulcan doctors words snap her out of her surprised state, the rose and nodded at the Klingon offering him a traditional Klingon military salute of welcome, “I am Captain Adriana Cruz of the USS Luna, welcome. Forgive our surprise, we were not made aware that we were getting a non-Starfleet officer.”

Klar looked around and then declared, “You’re all women, what is this am I being guided to Sto-vo-kor by the Valkyries?”

”Not all of us,” protested Chief Engineer James Young who realized he was quite out numbered. Doctor Va’Tok inclined his head but did not offer any verbal protest.

”A few months ago we suffered a loss during a first contact mission aboard another ship. We’ve adapted but it has left our senior staff less diverse than other ships. However given the long history of Starfleet being predominantly male it is not something that we’ve addressed as of yet. As long as an officer can do a stellar job they’re welcome on my bridge,” Cruz said.

Klar grinned, “Take it as a compliment, to me you are Valkyries, warrior women worthy of serving along side.”

”Again we’re not all women,” Young said and was ignored by the new First Officer.

”On that note unless any section Chief has concerns about their section let’s break and I’ll show the la to his quarters,” Cruz said gathering her belongings.

—- USS Luna, Hallway —-

”It seems a fine ship for what Starfleet uses it for,” Klar said as he and Captain Cruz moved through the corridors after a tour of the highlights of the USS Luna. 

“Exploring is what I joined Starfleet for,” Cruz said, a white lie that Klar called out immediately.

”I thought it was to avoid prison,” he said.

“You read my file,” Cruz said surprised.

”Of course I am not going to take just any assignment. I would have ended up looking at flowers with Vulcans had I done that. I picked your ship because you seemed spirited,” Klar said.

Along a bend in the hallway they stopped and a door slid open. Cruz gestured for her first officer to enter, and he did taking his duffle bag and bat’leth in with him. He looked around and snorted at the luxury of such large and seemingly comfortable quarters.

”Not to your liking?” Cruz asked.

”No it is fine, just comfortable. Klingon ships are more spartan than this,” he said.

“Well put any cushions or anything you don’t want outside the door and ops will take them away,” Cruz said, “My room is down the hall any even cushier. It’s basically a spa.”

”Sounds grotesque,” Klar said, “But I will keep the cushions, for if I have softer guests such as yourself.”

”I appreciate the gesture,” Cruz said.

”You are not from this sector read up on the Hunters of D’Ghor and the House of Mo’Kai, you will meet them soon enough,” Klar said.

Cruz nodded, “Thank you I will.“

”You humans are going to take some getting used to. I am used to a woman offering a fight when I suggest they read something, or do anything,” Klar said.

Cruz smiled, “I am not used to a Klingon telling me to read.”

”What is the human expression, ’There is a first time for everything’?” Klar said, ”Humans know little of Klingons beyond that which they see in their holonovels.”

”Well I’m happy to learn that everything I knew about Klingons was wrong,” Cruz said.

”Not everything,” Klar said.

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

The large Olympic class ship hovered on the view screen. This close to the Triangle the USS Luna was on yellow alert and had deployed their newly formed Hazard team to the planet’s surface to act as guards alongside a team from the USS Hippocrates. Doctors from the larger Hippocrates were also on the planet’s surface. Though the plan had been a shakedown cruise of Klingon space, charting some spatial anomalies that the Klingons had identified but not been able to study the USS Luna had been instead assigned to a baby sitting mission while a Galaxy-class ship was elsewhere. It was, they were told, just going to be a few days and then they could get under way.

Klar, the Luna’s new First Officer seemed particularly amused that Starfleet medical ships needed defending. After a day though this had given way to a restlessness that found him spending much of his free time in the holodeck fighting computer simulated enemies and breaking both arms (on separate occasions) which Doctor Va’Tok had to fix.

”Come,” he barked as Captain Cruz rang his room’s bell to indicate that he had a visitor.

”I wanted to check on you, Va’Tok said you were upset when you left sickbay,” Cruz said, she took a seat at Klar’s indication on the couch and noticed that he had thus far kept the cushions in his room.

”I am simply not used to inaction,” Klar said, “Or being told to ‘be gentle’ with my arms. Do you know how many bones I have broken?”

”I assume it is a number that I’ll find distressing,” Cruz said smiling softly.

Klar grunted but said nothing.

”I did not anticipate a Klingon First Officer, but you’re my right hand. I need you sharp and not trying to kill yourself in the holodeck,” Cruz said, “And as your friend I’m worried about you.”

”Klingons do not make friends of their First Officers,” Klar said.

”Well it’s usually the First Officer that kills the Captain, am I right? I’m hoping you don’t kill me,” Cruz said.

”One does not hope for life over an honorable death,” Klar countered.

”Okay, well I hope when I die it’s a long time from now and not at your hand,” Cruz said.

Klar rose and paced the room, energy pent up trying to expel itself. Cruz wondered if Klingons meditated and considered suggesting that before deciding that the suggestion might just be what pushed Klar over the edge into actually wanting to kill her and usurp control of the ship, though Starfleet ships did not work that way.

”I have dinner with Captain Mueller did you want to join us?” Cruz asked.

”With the doctor in charge of the medical ship that can not even defend itself, no,” Klar said.

”Well then shape up because while I’m away on the Hippocrates you’re in charge,” Cruz said.

Klar considered this then nodded, “I will be fine. Thank you for your concern sir. Adriana.”

—- USS Hippocrates, Ready Room —-

“Ugh Hawthorne was the worst,” the USS Anaheim’s former Chief Medical Officer said.

”He was difficult, but he had his virtues,” Cruz said not wanting to bring up that she’d been in a relationship with him when she was his First Officer. It was clear that the animosity that Captain Michelle Mueller held for him was real and visceal. She had gone on to run her own ship just before Cruz had joined the crew. 

“Well he’s gone now and you’re much more delightful,” Mueller said.

Cruz smiled and raised a glass of wine, she’d brought the bottle, to her fellow CO, “Thank you ma’am.”

Changing topics she addressed the ship, “This is a nice ship. Clean… big….”

”Not as exciting as a Luna-class, but I was basically running a three hundred person medical department. This is just an extension of that. And the clean thing, this is basically a hospital so Operations has instructions to keep it spic-and-span,” Mueller said.

”These is good tacos,” Cruz observed.

”Medical grade replicators is the secret, we have so many of them on board we can use them for food too. Better than the standard,” Muller said, “It’s why I always ate in Sickbay when I was on the Anaheim.“

”I used to eat in the stellar cartography lab aboard my first ship the USS Victory,” Cruz said, “It was an Obena-class. It‘s stellar cartography lab would project the universe all over, I’d never been off Earth so it was impressive back then.”

“Is that what you’re going for, an Obena class?” Mueller asked, “I mean we’re both ambitious women you have to have goals.”

”My goal was Captain, but yes I’d love to command one. Or one of those new Sagan-class ships,” Cruz said musing about the future.

“A Sutherland-class for me, that’s basically like being dean of an old brick and mortar university,” Mueller said.

”To possible futures,” Cruz said raising her glass.

—- USS Luna, Transport Bay 1 —-

la Klar met the Captain in the transporter bay. He was surprised at her light mood, particularly when she asked him if they had invaded Romulan space while she was away.

”You’re drunk,” he said, “would you like me to escort you to Doctor Va’Tok, he could cure you.”

”Time and a huge headache will cure me,” Cruz said stepping unsteadily off the transporter pad. She was able to walk under her own steam but seemed looser and lighter. Klar glanced at the transporter tech who was trying not to notice.

”Well then I’ll take you to your quarters you’re in no condition to interact with the crew, as amusing as that would be,” he said. He’d seen more than a few commanding officers drunk on Klingon ships, but never on a Starfleet vessel, though his experience there was less than a week along. A Klingon would have carried on with their duty, but it seemed sensible that the Captain should not do so.

”You’re just trying to get into my quarters,” Cruz teased and then nodded, “Lead the way my big scary Klingon warrior.”

They walked along the corridor and then took a turbolift. After a short bit they were inside Captain Adriana Cruz’s quarters.

”These are obscenely large,” Klar noted.

”See I told you, I even have a bath,” Cruz said, “And so many soft cushions, you’d hate it.”

”It is extravagant,” Klar agreed. 

Cruz smiled, “That’s the most Vulcan thing you’ve said.”

”I am not a Vulcan,” Klar rebutted.

“No but you have similar design tastes. We humans like soft things, cushions, tribbles, women,” Cruz said.

”And clearly wine,” Klar said.

”And clearly wine,” agreed the Captain.

”You are in your quarters you will sleep and feel like garbage tomorrow, but you will live Adriana Cruz,” Klar said.

”Okay but while I’m sleeping don’t invade Romulus,” Cruz said taking off her Starfleet jacket and boots. 

Klar looked as if he might stay to see if she undressed more but instead he nodded, “I make no promises.”

He turned and left.

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

“We are leaving Federation space and entering the Triangle,” said Chief Security Officer Claudia Jara. The Luna-class vessel was making its way after a brief spell baby sitting an Olympic-class vessel that had been deployed by the neutral zone. After a week of sitting around ensuring that nobody attacked the medical ship it was good to be going out to boldly go where no one (but Klingons) had gone before – deep within Klingon space.

”Yellow alert, Federation policy suggests that we be prepared for anything while here,” Captain Adriana Cruz said.

“Criminals and thieves live here,” Klar the First Officer said dismissively. He sat in the chair next to Captain Cruz but looked uncomfortable doing so, like he wanted to leap across the bridge and into combat. 

Having read up on the Klingon threats the House of Mo’Kai and the Hunters of D’Ghora Cuz could not blame him. Here lived two of the Empire’s existential threats, and it was no surprise that a Klingon military officer would want to leap into combat though there was nothing to fight. Space lay ahead of them, quiet and seemingly undisturbed. 

“How’s our speed Pr’Nor,” Cruz asked the helmswoman.

”We are steady at warp five,” the Vulcan reported double checking the figures on her console. 

At the science station Lieutenant Maria Cortez spoke up, “Ma’am I’m getting three strange readings. Possibly nothing but they’re following us, matching out speed. Spatial anomalies don’t usually do that.”

Cruz stood, and Klar joined her as she approached Cortez’s station, “Ships?”

”Possibly, cloaked. We have new sensors so it’s hard to tell what we can see and what we can’t,” Cortez reported.

Klar looked at the stats, “I’ll contact the Klingon Defense Force, see if they have sent a welcoming committee.”

”Not the high command?” asked Cruz.

”Do you call your Starfleet King every time you have a question?” Klar asked.

”Well he’s the Federation President, but point taken,” Cruz said, “Let me know what they say. Cortez monitor the readings, let me know if something changes.“

”Shall I increase speed Captain?” Pr’Nor asked.

”No point letting them know we might have seen them,” Cruz said, “We already have shields up, let’s just carry on as if we’re oblivious. Lieutenant Jara, tactical assessment, assuming it’s three Klingon ships what are we up against?”

”Unknown until we actually see them but a typical Klingon ship would be hard, three we would likely have to withdraw. We are faster than most Klingon ships, and durable,” Jara said.

”Okay, noted. Let’s see what Klar comes back with, carry on. Cortez let stellar cartography know we might need a hiding place soon,” Cruz said.

—- USS Luna, Ready Room —-

Klar entered. 

“So what did you find out?” Cruz said looking away from the Klingon and out the window.

”If there is Klingon ships out there they are not military ships. At least not with the KDF,” Klar said.

”So could be nothing, could be Romulan…” Cruz said.

”Could be one of the Houses sending their own ships. Could be the House of Mo’Kai or the Hunters of D’Ghor,” Klar added.

“Suggested course of action?” Cruz asked.

”Your seems most Starfleet like, but I would fire torpedoes at the suspected ships and see what scurried out,” Klar said.

”Well let’s try that later,” Cruz said, “On a different note thank you for the other night. When I was drunk.”

Klar nodded, “You like wine, I noticed you have a lot of it in your quarters.”

”Well apparently I own a winery now, I don’t know if my file mentioned that,“ Cruz said, “But you were honorable. I appreciate that.”

”This is a Federation ship, I will not gain command by physically disposing of you,” Klar noted.

”Probably not, though I’ve had some COs where that’s a possibility,” Cruz said, “But also you could have taken advantage of the situation in other ways, without beheading me.”

Klar considered this, “That would not have been honorable.”

“No, but we’re taught there’s limits to Klingon honor and to be careful in placing too much trust in it. Klingons are just as human as humans, if you forgive the expression,” Cruz said.

”You are frail and weak I want a woman who is a challenge,” Klar said.

Cruz smiled, “I’m not that frail or that weak. But thank you. If she liked men I’d suggest Lieutenant Jara for you.”

Klar laughed, “If I liked humans Captain.”

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

When Adriana Cruz returned to the bridge a Klingon warbird was a K’Vort-class Bird of Prey. It was enough of a threat that though the USS Luna out classed it, they were not looking to tussle with it if they did not need to. 

“Where are our other two ghosts?” Cruz asked taking her seat. Klar went to stand behind the tactical console where Lieutenant Jara stood.

”They are behind us,” Cortez said, adding, “Still cloaked.”

”Hail the Klingons,“ Cruz said.

A toothy individual smiled at her, “Captain we were sent here to escort you, and to deliver a welcoming gift from the Klingon Empire.”

”Well it’s nice to have a welcome, but who do you represent? My first officer spoke with the Klingon Defense Force earlier and we weren’t expecting an escort,” Cruz said casually.

The Klingon seemed to notice Klar for the first time and frowned not expecting him, “Well perhaps his information is out of date. Martok himself insisted on a heroes’ welcome.”

”How kind of him, are you the only ship in the area?” Cruz asked.

”Of course we came as quickly as we could, it can be quite dangerous in this region,” the reply came swiftly.

”Of course well we’ll just lower our shields and you can beam our gift over,” Cruz said, “We’ll be a second.”

”He is not with the KDF,” Klar said when the feed was cut.

Cruz nodded, “Let’s try your plan. Jara fire a torpedo at both of our sensor ghosts behind us. Go to red alert. If there’s no ships there, we’ll just be launching torpedoes into nothingness if there is, then we’ve been lied to.”

The brunette woman nodded and with a few inputs into the console fired. She spoke up, “Both torpedoes collided with something. Two more War Birds decloaking. The one in front of us is readying to fire.”

The ship rocked with phaser fire. Jara gripped the console as did Klar. Cruz stumbled to her seat.

”Pr’Nor evasive pattern Cruz Alpha Niner,” Cruz said, “Jara target them all, give them Hell. Let loose everything.”

The pair of War Birds behind them had been caught unaware and with their shields down. The torpedoes had done enough damage that subsequent attacks were catastrophic. One began to pull away, disengaging from the fight while the other which was already poorly maintained simply seemed to collapse in on itself. It imploded and a fireball took its place.

”The third Bird of Prey is pulling away, warp two. The other is gone,” Jara confirmed.

”Hail our escort,” Cruz said, nodding to Klar she said, “That was a good plan. I like winning fights.”

The Klingon was now much more harried, “Fools, you will be defeated by the Hunters of D’Ghor.”

”Well now you seem pretty feeble to me,” Cruz said, which was the worst thing she could think to say to a Klingon, even more than all the Klingon cussing she’d picked up at the Academy. She smiled, “Next time you try to knife someone in a dark alley, make sure they’re not carrying a gun. Jara light his butt up.”

”Lighting his butt up, ma’am,” Lieutenant Jara replied firing several barrages of phaser fire at the Klingon ship. The screen returned to the view of the Klingon war ship for a moment then after several torpedoes struck it, it too was gone, leaving only wreckage in its place.

”Should we purse the other ship?” Jara asked.

”We’re not killers, besides let them tell the tale of how we came, we saw and we dealt with these so called Hunters of D’Ghor,” Cruz said, adding, “Pr’Nor resume course. Warp six.”

—- USS Luna, Ready Room —-

“Sushi?” Cruz asked her First Officer.

”That is raw fish is it not,” Klar asked, “If it is then yes I will toast our victory to the food of your people.”

”Well my people are more tacos and beans but sure, humans eat sushi,” Cruz said, supposing that in a way to a Klingon the difference between Asian cultures and South American ones was negligible. 

“I did not expect you to take up my plan,” Klar admitted stuffing a handful of rolls in his mouth.

”Well the thing is if we’re going to be around the Triangle awhile the best thing to do is to have a reputation. I think we went a long way towards earning one today,” Cruz said.

”That is not very Starfleet,” Klar noted.

”No, but then they gave me a Klingon First Officer. I’m also as you noted, nearly a former convict,” Cruz said, “On the street you get tough. Punch first when you see a fight coming. If we’d stood around waiting for them all to take a pot shot at us, well things might be different.”

Klar nodded, “Perhaps you are half Klingon.”

”That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard you say,” Cruz noted.

”You have brought honor to our ship, you are worthy of my praise,” Klar said.

—- USS Luna, Counselor’s Offices —-

“I’ll take over here Torma,” Lieutenant Yuhiro Kolem said to her Assistant Chief Counselor who had spent the better part of forty minutes not making any headway with the Klingon First Officer who clearly found the idea of therapy both a joke and a personal insult. 

The Gideon woman nodded, rose and left the room allowing Kolem to take her seat and peer at the Klingon who wore a smile on his face.

”You find this amusing?” Kolem asked.

”I know when you are on a hunt and call in an expert, you a empath are here to find me crazy,” Klar said.

Kolem smiled, “Well that’s not exactly what we do here. Everyone on the ship talks with us, even the Captain.”

Klar nodded, “A Klingon ship would not have a head doctor like you.”

”Perhaps not, but let’s just talk okay. How are you liking being aboard the USS Titan?” Kolem asked.

”I was being punished, for standing up to a superior officer and protesting an attack on a lesser armed ship. They could not deal with me in the normal way, so they rewarded me by assigning me here,” Klar said, “However I am enjoying it more than I thought I would. Captain Cruz is, and interesting woman.”

Kolem nodded, “She is, but can you expand on what you mean?”

”I mean what I say,” Klar said.

”Empath remember,” Kolem said tapping her head, “Do you like her like her?”

”You just said the same word twice,” Klar pointed out.

”It’s a human phrase, one used by adolescents to indicate romantic feelings. You can like someone and then you can like them. Do you have the translation now?” Kolem asked.

”I find the Captain, honorable,” Klar said.

”And she finds you honorable, stop being a teenage boy and answer the question,” Kolem said, “Or are you not brave enough.”

”If a Klingon said that to me I’d have ripped your head off,” Klar said, “Maybe I still will.”

”Well that would be disappointing, you’d really need therapy then,” Kolem said, “so I’ll assume you said yes. If you meant no, please correct me now.”

Klar was silent.

Kolem nodded, “Captain Cruz is my friend, maybe my best friend.“

”Why are friends so important to humans, Cruz spoke of me as a friend,” Klar asked.

”Humans and other species value friendship. I trust Cruz to do what it takes to get me through anything the galaxy throws at us. She has my back and in turn I have hers,“ Kolem said, “Maybe we develop it through evolution and the need to survive, but friends are those we trust.“

”If I did like like someone how would I show this in an appropriate way? Klingon mating rituals are, vigorous,” he said.

”Well let’s explain consent,” Kolem said.

—- USS Luna, Ready Room —-

“We’re a few days out from Acamar we’ll show up, pretend we haven’t abandoned them and they’ll pretend they’re not hiding smugglers and then we’ll be on our way,” Captain Cruz said already bored by all the diplomatic nonsense that she’d have to do any all the lies she’d have to pretend to believe.

Klar looked out the window at space, “Why not be honest with them? Tell them the Federation does not visit enough but to stop the smuggling?”

”Well maybe I will, that certainly sounds more fun than the dinner I’ll probably have to attend,” Cruz said, “Kolem told me you saw her. Wouldn’t tell me anything about it, don’t worry they’re sworn to secrecy unless you tell her you are going to kill someone or blow the ship up.”

”She explained to me the human phrase ‘like like’,” Klar said.

Cruz eyebrow rose as if she were a Vulcan, “Oh? I did not expect that. Do you like like someone?”

”She also explained consent and asking a potential partner’s permission,” Klar said.

”Well you’re getting the full treatment,” Cruz said.

”I understand you have a partner on Earth, an Andrés,” Klar said.

”Oh no, he’s my half-brother we’re not, involved. I was dating, well sort of, a man named Ernesto but then I got sent to space for at least a year, and our plans to meet up again fell through and so did. Anyway no, I’m not, partnered,” Cruz said.

Klar nodded, “Then I wish to court you, if you allow it.”

Cruz nodded, “I see. This is not how I expected it, but okay let’s go down this road.“

”Is that a yes,” Klar asked.

”It’s a yes, but I’m your Captain, and on duty you need to respect me,” Cruz said, “Understood?”

”I understand that,” Klar said.

Cruz nodded, “Then proceed with the Klingon poetry I’ll get ready to throw furniture.”

”You are aware of our customs?” Klar asked.

”What girl hasn’t dreamed of throwing a couch at her lover?” teased Cruz tossing a PADD at him.

The USS Luna exited warp on the edges of the solar system, slowing to half impulse as it approached the planet. The drop off in traffic to and from the planet was noticeable, as there was little attempt to hide the fact that most of the current shipping in or out of the world was illicit. Despite noticing the decrease in ship traffic since they had appeared on the planet’s sensors there was a kind of fiction at play from both sides, where the Starfleet vessel pretended not to notice and the planetary government pretended that nothing was wrong.

—- USS Luna, Ready Room —-

“So you will simply not mention it?” Klar said astounded.

”Sometimes in diplomacy you have to play the role of the fool,” Captain Cruz said dropping a PADD into her duffle bag. The door chimed and Lieutenants Claudia Jara the Chief of Security and Diya Acharya the Chief Diplomatic Officer entered carrying similar standard issue Federation duffles.

”Careful I might take offense to that,” Acharya said, “But she’s right, we don’t have the authority to call for them to stop the smuggling and we don’t offer them enough that we can threaten to withdraw support. In turn they know they’re an afterthought for the Federation and won’t be getting much.”

Klar grunted, “In the KDF we would rain hellfire on the world until they agreed to terms we dictated.”

”I knew I liked him,” Jara said.

”No raining hellfire on Federation colonies it’s one of the rules,” Cruz said and Klar looked annoyed but said nothing. She wondered where he had even picked up the word, as it was a uniquely human concept and as far as she knew did not agree with Klingon ideas of an afterlife.

”I’ll be gone overnight, we’re meeting with the Minister of the Interior or some flunky they assigned to take care of me. I’ll have Jara for protection. You are the Captain while I’m away, talk with Kolem if you have any ideas like raining hellfire on anyone,” Cruz said zipping the bag shut and hoisting it on her back. She smiled at Klar, “The ship is yours Captain.”

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

Lieutenant Kolem watched as Klar watched the Captain’s Skiff make its way to the surface of Acamar. Though warp capable it was unarmed and so the USS Luna had to provide protection. It was clear that Klar was anxious about the small craft’s fate, though not because he had any doubts about his own skills in combat. Kolem assumed the myriad of Starfleet rules and regulations was the source of the tension.

”The skiff has landed sir,” Lieutenant Junior Grade William Hume reported at the tactical console. With Jara away he too had moved up a peg in the ship’s ranking and now was running Security, at least for the day.

Kolem smiled at him, her ex-boyfriend, but said nothing sitting in her chair as the ship’s temporary First Officer. Cruz had asked her to keep an eye on things while she was gone, not that the Captain did not trust her First Officer, but that she wanted to make sure he didn’t do something he’d regret without knowing about all the consequences.

”Lieutenant Kolem, please join me in the Ready Room,” Klar basically barked and stalked off the Ready Room, causing Kolem to have to chase after him.

”Sir,” she said when the door had shut behind her.

Klar looked out the window at the vastness of space, ”I took your therapy and asked for the Captain’s consent to court her.”

”And?” Kolem asked surprised she’s assumed this was about something like the Klingon wanting a twelve hour work day.

”She threw a chair at me,” Klar said then pointed at one of the Ready Room’s chairs for guests, “That one.”

”I’m sorry, but at least you tried,” Kolem said sympathetically.

”No that is a good thing. The throwing of furniture by a mate is a sign of interest, though I did not read the traditional Klingon love poetry,” Klar said.

”Look I’m not your advice woman for your relationship, I will just consistently tell you to be open and communicate,” Kolem said, “I don’t know a lot about Klingon poetry.”

”What is a romantic event that I could what is the Federation Standard word, trap her with,” Klar asked.

”I think you mean surprise. You could surprise her, not trap her,” Kolem corrected, “And flowers is good. Maybe a real one, our Chief Science Officer Lieutenant Commander Miller is a botanist and runs the arboretum deck. She may have something.”

“I wish this to remain quiet, you are sworn to secrecy as my therapy human,” Klar said.

”I’m half human but yes as your therapist I keep everything between us,” Kolem nodded.

”Then I will gain flowers by deceiving Miller,” Klar said.

Kolem was not sure that having the First Officer wanting to deceive the Chief Science Officer was the way to go, but she understood that some subtleness was required. So she remained quiet, there were some human interactions that Klar would have to navigate on his own, which was one of the points of these officer exchanges even if he was not officially in that program.

”Is there anything else?” Kolem said, “Remembering that I’m your First Officer and a crew mate and not just your counsellor and date coach.”

”I wish to do something, what do I do?” Klar asked.

”Well these missions are usually a lot of us sitting in orbit while teams interact on the planet. Science teams continue their work, security is training. Take a break on the holodeck?” she suggested.

”I wish to be helpful,” Klar said, “Is there something on board I can kill.”

”Generally not, however there are pirate camps on the surface you could take the Hazard team down and clear one out,” Kolem said, it was an idea given to her by Cruz who had figured that Klar would want to engage in some action while she was gone.

Klar nodded, “I will speak with Lieutenant Avila for her Hazard Team.”

”Very good sir,” Kolem said then exited the Ready Room.

—- USS Luna, Lunar Base Lounge —-

Lieutenant Sylvia Voosha eased into her seat, the skin exposed by her uniform covered on bruises. She had returned from the planet’s surface along with the rest of the Hazard Team about an hour and a half ago and had spent the intervening time in sick bay getting her formerly broken ribs healed. The Ardandan woman did her best to hide her discomfort as the was joined by her fellow Assistant Chief Officers, as part of a tradition that had apparently been going on well before she had joined the command staff back on the USS Seattle.

Lieutenant William Hume offered her a sympathetic nod as he joined the table. The Assistant Chief of Security had also been down with the Hazard Team and while his ribs had fared better he had a now healed phaser burn on his arm. Yi Zhang from Operations was next, and soon the table began to fill as more joined them. 

The Luna had more groups or at least more Assistant Chiefs than the Seattle had had so things were a bit more crowded.

”How was the away mission?” asked newly appointed Assistant Chief Science Officer Maria Cortez.

Voosha answered, “Fine, but our First Officer just kept tying to fight hand to hand against everyone. We had more people, better weapons and we were better coordinated but he just kept running around grabbing guys and yelling about honor.”

”We should insist he comes to training, we can’t just have a rogue Klingon running around,” Assistant Chief Security Officer Hume said. 

“You tell our Klingon First Officer he needs training he’ll rip your arms off,” Yi Zhang smiled. No one from Operations had had to go down to the planet and thus the whole thing seemed amusing to him. Hume getting mildly hurt was always amusing.

”I can do it, he already hates me,” said Chief Assistant Counsellor Torma.

Hume shook his head, “Let Avila do it. She’s in charge of the Hazard Team and has the Captain’s ear. If anyone can make him train it’s the Captain.”

There was general agreement on that point, as nobody really wanted to earn the ire of the Klingon that had been gifted to the Luna as an XO from the Klingon Defense Force. The consensus was he was a bit of a disaster but not a bad guy, just overly enthusiastic when it came to fighting. He seemed to have fit in well despite coming from a military culture, though the real test of him would come in a week when they set off for their mission and shakedown cruise into Romulan space. Could a Klingon keep it together in the territory of the Romulan Free State? 

“So let’s welcome Lieutenant Junior Grade Torma first of all,” said Yi Zhang and the others offered their congratulations as they raised their glasses. He added “Welcome to the Anaheim, or Seattle, or Luna family.”

Since they had just left Star Base 86 a week ago there was little to talk about. They’d been attacked by three Klingon ships, which their Klingon First Officer had helped them destroy, but the ship had not gotten damaged at all. They all agreed that they were happy with the transfer having mostly come off the Rhode Island-class USS Seattle and this was a superior ship to serve in. Mostly their rooms were larger particularly for those that had come up sleeping in hallways aboard the California-class.

“Where do the bartenders stay?” asked Voosha, nodding to the bar where a small group worked serving drinks. 

“They’re holograms,” Hume said.

”This ship doesn’t have holographic staff,” said Assistant Chief Engineer Vanessa Constable.

Yi Zhang nodded, “They have their own rooms, and they’ve got their own spaces. We have about ten non-Starfleet staff including a stylist and such. Non-holograms too.”

As always the meeting broke up after a bit, nothing was resolved but nothing was really at question either. Most of the decisions were made by the Chiefs who headed the departments and the Assistant Chief mostly just had to figure out how to implement the ideas. This early on the shakedown cruise meant that there was little to nothing to figure out at this point. If anything it was mostly for the social element, evidence that they were not alone. Most of them either had duty or had to sleep. Those that had been on the Hazard team’s away mission were hoping for a few hours of rest and rejuvenation after what had been a much more physical mission than they had planned.

Yi Zhang stayed behind, content to nurse his second beer before turning in for the night for another day as Assistant Chief of Operations. Also left at the table once everyone else had cleared off with a colorful blue drink that matched the teal of her uniform was Torma the Gideon Assistant Chief Counsellor. 

“You good?” Yi Zhang asked.

”I thought I was supposed to ask the deep probing questions as the Counsellor,” joked Torma.

The man smiled, stretched and polished off his been, setting the empty glass on the table before sliding out and standing, “Want anything, I’m going for another.”

”Trill Fizz,” Torma said.

”I’ll assume they know what that is,” Yi Zhang said, though of course the bartenders would, he’d made it a habit of trying to stump them but had been unable to thus far. When he came back he had another glass of his beer and another glass of whatever purple liquid made up the Trill Fizz that Torma was drinking. He set both glasses down on the table and slid back into the booth seating.

”So here to shrink my head,” he asked half-joking and half-serious unsure of how therapy worked beyond his weekly meetings with Chief Counsellor Kolem. 

The joke did not earn a laugh but rather a smile from the woman, “Nah, it’s not professional to do counseling over drinks even synthahol. Besides you’re assigned to Lieutenant Kolem I believe, not me. I just don’t have a lot of friends on board, I just arrived and while I meet with people all day it gets too easy to keep them at a clinical distance.”

Yi Zhang nodded, “I can imagine. Us ops people don’t have so many professional quandaries.”

”Don’t steal your exs underpants I suppose is the only one,” Torma teased.

Yi Zhang smiled, “I’ve never served on a ship with an ex. But yes I guess it’s frowned upon to steal underpants. Ex or not frankly.”

Torma made a face, “I dated the First Officer on my last ship. When that ended it got awkward. I eventually had to transfer to a Star Base where I spent two years.”

”Well I haven’t dated the XO yet. A bit hairy for my taste,” Yi Zhang joked.

”The Captain?” Torma asked.

”Haven’t dated her either,” Yi Zhang said.

”But she’s traditionally attractive to humans,” Torma said.

”And so‘s a lot of people who can’t transfer me to one man listening post,” Yi Zhang said, “Including you.”

”She wouldn’t do that, would she?” Torma asked, surprised.

”Who knows, I doubt it but I make it a habit to avoid dating Admirals and Captains,” he said, jokingly, “Even if they’re all after my hot body.”

Torma nodded, “Well good luck with that.”

”Are you hinting that I should ask you out?” Yi Zhang asked.

”It wouldn’t be much of a hint if I had to come out and say it,” she said.

“What are you doing tomorrow? Want to do a holonovel?” he asked.

She smiled, “Sure thing.“

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

Captain Adriana Cruz was pensive. She had found the meeting on Acamar frustrating since it was clear that the official government wanted more attention from the Federation and instead they got semi-irregular fly-bys by ships like the USS Luna whose crew or captains would beam down and make bold promises and then beam away. This time Cruz had not even the offered the bold promises of a better tomorrow. There was nothing to suggest that things were going to change and she did not feel like breaking her promise to a bunch of officials she would likely never see again unless she was sent on another tour to make nice.

Her First Officer Klar Dvrack of the Klingon Defense Force had gotten to beam down, rough some criminals up and then beam back so he seemed more relaxed. While Cruz was not naive enough to think that he was settling in perfectly at least he seemed to be fitting in a bit better though she had gotten a complaint from her Hazard Team Leader that he needed to train with them, to keep them all on the same page. It was something she knew would have to be tackled soon, particularly while he was in a good mood.

”We are approaching Romulan space,” said Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas Winfield, the Assistant Flight Control Officer who was currently behind the conn flying the ship.

”Hold here. We’re expecting someone,” Cruz said. As with Klar the Romulan Free State had insisted as part of entering their space that an observer and a consultant to join the crew of the USS Luna. She wondered just how mad they’d be if they knew that the Klingons had already inserted someone into the position of First Officer.

“Ma’am,” Winfield said dropping them down from the leisurely warp two that they had been traveling at to a stand still. A few minutes passed but right on time a Romulan Warbird decloaked in front of them, it was old, probably pre-Riker and those crews. Still if it had been on the other side of a fight Cruz did not fancy her chances, the thing was armed to the teeth, and while the Luna was better armed than the Seattle was it was still an explorer at heart, not a warship.

At tactical Chief Security Officer Claudia Jara spoke, “Romulan ship hailing us Captain.”

”On screen,” Cruz said and a stern looking Romulan man appeared on the screen. Cruz was glad that her First Officer was not on the bridge at the moment, as she was hoping to put off explaining that staffing choice for a while longer. Like most Romulans he seemed displeased to be there at all.

”I am Commander Tookval of the Romulan Free State,” he said simply.

”I am Captain Adriana Cruz of the USS Luna, glad to meet you Commander,” Cruz answered adding, “I believe you have someone for my crew?” 

“Yes, Sublieutenant Navan will be joining you while you are in Romulan space, and perhaps beyond. She will offer… advisement on the current political situation here,” Commander Tookval said grinning like a man who found all of this annoying and a waste of time. He was old enough to have been in service before the destruction of the old Romulan Star Empire and likely found working with the Federation distasteful.

”Jara lower shields and we’ll receive the Sublieutenant,” Cruz said glancing behind her at the tactical conn. 

A minute later a slander Romulan woman younger (at least in appearance) than Cruz herself was standing on the bridge holding a duffle bag of sorts similar to the ones that Starfleet officers used to move personal effects when transferring to a new ship. 

“Sublieutenant welcome to the Luna,” Cruz said nodding, and then to the screen, “We have the Sublieutenant Commander, if there’s not anything else I will go now to get her situated and we should discuss her role on the Luna.”

Tookval nodded, “There is nothing. I trust the Sublieutenant to fulfill her mission.”

The screen switched to the sight of the exterior of the Romulan ship which then began to fade as it recloaked. Once it was gone Cruz nodded to Jara, “Raise shields, we still have Klingon raiders in these areas.”

Not the KDF, but there were still factions of the empire who saw the scattered Romulan empire as a new chance for expansion. Jara did as she was told and Cruz indicated that her new officer should follow her into her Ready Room where she called for Klar to join them. 

“Welcome to the Luna,” Cruz said taking a seat.

”I am Sublieutenant Sanra Navan reporting for duty, as a representative of the Romulan Free State,” the Romulan woman said inclining her head slightly in a formal way. She smile, a significantly more sincere seeming action than for Commander had used.

”You are not skeptical of this excercise?” Cruz asked, “I was getting mixed feelings from your Commander.”

Navan nodded, “He is of the old ways, he served on the border with the Federation for many years before the governments changed and attitudes changed. There are still many who are reluctant to see old enemies as…”

She was interrupted by the Klingon Klar entering unannounced, “You wished to see me?”

”We need to have another talk about doors Klar,” Cruz sighed, this part she had wanted to handle delicately. 

Both aliens tensed, it was clear that Klar was thinking of violence and that the Sublieutenant wished she had come over with an energy weapon. They eyed each other, but to the Captain’s relief did not kill each other, yet.

”This is la’ Klar Dvrack of the KDF my First Officer,” Cruz explained, “Klar I explained we’d have a Romulan advisor joining us this is Sublieutenant Navan of the Romulan Free State. I’d also like to remind you that your both allies now“

Cruz added “sort of” under her breath, and the pair continued to glare at each other until finally Navan spoke up.

”It is a pleasure to meet you Klar,” she said and perhaps because it was the most acceptable thing she could do and yet the most insulting to the Klingon she sat down across the desk from Cruz and ignored him. She nodded to the Captain, “I will of course have to report this to my government, I doubt that you will find it has any material effect but they should know what kind of pets you keep.”

”I am not a pet,” Klar said.

Cruz grimaced, she did not want to tell Klar to sit down after that, as the directive would come off as insulting but he could not stand behind Navan and look like he was going to pop off her head for the rest of the meeting.

”I expect that you both file reports with your respective militaries and governments,” Cruz said, “I am no stranger to red tape. But I hope that the three of us can get along, whatever our governments may do.”

Klar nodded finally taking the hint from the daggers that Cruz was staring at him and plopped himself in the remaining empty chair.

”Agreed Cruz,” he said.

”How about Special Advisor on Romulan Affairs,” Cruz said, ”That way you have my ear, and you don’t report in to Klar, as you won’t be part of the ship’s command structure. I’m still the Captain, but you’re not needing to man a post. When we’re on the bridge you can both get a seat.”

Navan nodded, and smiled, “That is most wise Captain.”

Cruz rose, “Alright, Klar you have the bridge, I’ll show Navan to her quarters.”

Klar looked like he wanted to protest, even if only for the sake of fighting, but he finally stood and nodded, “Of course I have the bridge.”

—- VIP Quarters —-

Sublieutenant S’anra Navan looked around and nodded, “These are luxurious, thank you for your hospitality. This is significantly more lush than life as a Sublieutenant aboard a Romulan vessel.”

“My last ship the USS Seattle had much smaller quarters, I‘m still getting used to all the space,” Cruz said, ignoring her own pun on the work ‘space’ and the fact that just beyond the large window lay unchartered (by the Federation) space. She pressed on, “We expect to be at a collapsing star in a few days, we’ll be taking readings which obviously you can also have to share with your scientists.”

”How is your crew adapting to life with a Klingon, and thus how will they adapt to life with another former enemy?” Navan asked.

Cruz smiled, “Klar is okay once you get to know him. He’s finding his footing in the ask questions first and shoot later Starfleet culture. A few months and he’ll be a model XO. As for Romulans, well you’re so close biologically to Vulcans but more…. Personable, that I’m sure you’ll fit in. We have a Romulan Assistant Chief Medical Officer and she’s a part of the crew.”

”I look forward to meeting her,” Navan said.

”Well, she’s umm, I had Starfleet contact your government about it, there’s a colony of Romulans founded in the pre-Kirk-era, that was stranded on the other side of Cardassian space. She remained with them until rescue could be arranged,” Cruz said.

”I will speak with my government about that,” Navan said, “And yes I do understand what you mean by ‘Kirk-era’. My father served on a ship back then, before he became a Senator. Pre-Kirk, well that was before many things.”

Cruz smiled, “I would appreciate that her name is T’Rala. Doctor T’Rala. Oh and please join me for dinner in the lounge after you’re settled.“

”The number of recreational spaces that Starfleet puts on its ship amazes me,” she said, adding, “But of course I will Captain.”

The Luna-class starship held fast in the orbit of the sun as it died. There was a light glow around it as the shields absorbed the solar radiation, as it fired a probe toward the sun which disappeared from visual range quickly enough swallowed by the ball of fiery gasses. 

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

“How long will this sun be dying?” Captain Cruz asked generally as the bridge crew watched the sun on the viewscreen. Solar flares seemed to lick at the edge of the shield. 

“The astronomy department told me it could be in the range of 100,000 Earth years,” said Chief Science Officer Gabriella Miller. 

It was a long time, but then nothing happened quickly in terms of astrological phenomena. There was a lot that could be learned, and the Romulans could potentially turn the outpouring of energy as the sun expanded into something useable. That was why Miller was on the bridge, as a botanist she had no more than a layman’s idea about the galactic realities of a sun dying but she did head up the science department and was helping to coordinate the various departments that were collecting data.

“Not a rush job then,” said First Officer Klar from his seat. The Klingon was not pleased to be doing chores for the Romulan Free State, and would rather have been doing almost anything else. He looked uncomfortable in his seat and kept shifting around in a way that was setting almost everyone else on the bridge on edge.

”We’re updating star charts,” Lieutenant Sone said, though most of Romulan space was not mapped, this would allow non-Starfleet vessels to avoid the solar event as it was not safe with inferior shielding. Sone was on the bridge because it had been eventually decided that Lieutenant Scchhttt’aaakkk was better left in his pool so his Assistant Chief would handle bridge stuff.

“Are we safe at this distance?” Cruz asked.

”Shields are holding up fine,” said Chief Security Officer Claudia Jara at tactical, “We’re blocking the radiation.”

As if to prove the point a solar flar collided with the shield but was blocked. This time though the ship shook and Cruz glanced at Jara to confirm they were still protected. She received a nod of confirmation in return. 

“Back us up about five hundred kilometers,” Cruz said to Pr’Nor the Chief Navigation Officer who was the main on to control the ship’s movements. 

The Vulcan woman nodded, “Moving back 500 kilometers.”

Another solar flare hit the shielding and Jara said, “We’re getting some radiation coming through, non-lethal but it’s an odd frequency. I’m adjusting shields.”

Cruz nodded as the ship began to move under the power of its impulse engines. She glanced at her crew who were diligently doing their jobs as another solar flare hit the shields and then she felt herself falling into darkness.

Chaos errupted on the bridge as the Captain, First Officer Klar, Lieutenant Akane Sone, and Lieutenant Commander Tashai at operations all collapsed and seemed unresponsive. Taking the initiative Pr’Nor backed the ship up and additional two thousand kilometers as Lieutenant Jara who was on the lookout for attackers tapped her comm badge, “Bridge of Doctor Va’Tok, we need you and a team, the Captain is down.”

“We have reports of people down throughout the ship. However I will be up as soon as I can,” came the measured Vulcan reply. 

Another tap and Lieutenant Yuhiro Kolem was reached, “Kolem to the bridge, we have a situation.”

”On my way,” came the brisk reply of a Chief Counseling Officer that had just have her assistant collapse in the middle of a meeting, and become unresponsive. As the Second Officer she did not yet know that with both the Captain and the First Officer down she had to command the ship, a fate that she had long dreaded when she took on the role, but one that was part of the job.

She made her way to the bridge where they had more news. Few of the crew had been affected, but given that it was most of the senior Command staff it left the Luna in a pickle, add to that that a wellness check had been conducted and Sublieutenant Navan of the Romulan Free State who was their chaperone in Romulan space had also been affected they were in a potentially serious situation. 

”Well let’s hope we can figure this out before the Romulans want to hear from their officer,” Kolem said as medical staff carted away the injured. She glanced at Lieutenant Commander Miller who would have to be heading up the investigation.

—- Vancouver, 2024 —-

Captain Adriana Cruz sat up in bed. Which was not where she had been, she had been on the deck of the USS Luna observing a solar event. Her hurt as she stood and realized she was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and not her Starfleet Uniform. Beside her sat an old style plug-in electric alarm clock with digits glowing in red. A familiar yelling was emitting from the walls.

Exiting the room via the door she went next door where Klar had seemingly fallen from a nearly identical bed and then knocked over a nearly identical alarm clock. She helped the Klingon First Officer to his feet, and asked, “Do you know where we are?”

”We have been captured,” Klar said, “By our enemies, this is a Romulan trick.”

Cruz shook her head, if the Romulans could snatch Starfleet officers from the bridge of a shielded ship, why transport them to where ever they were and why leave them unguarded? To counter that question Sublieutenant Navan appeared in the door way.

”I heard yelling, where are we?” she asked.

Klar glared at her, “As if you don’t know.”

Navan shrugged, “I am here too Klingon. I know you think us Romulans have magical powers because your people can barley handle fire after all these years.”

Klar bared his teeth at the Romulan.

”Stop it, for now let’s assume none of us kidnapped the others,” snapped Cruz. She let go of Klar and went to the small window opening the blinds and looking out. It was raining. She studied it for a minute and said, “I think this is twentieth-first century Seattle. On Earth.”

“So it’s a human trick?” Klar said narrowing his eyes as if Cruz might have done this.

”Shut up Klingon,” Navan said tucking her ears behind her hair, “Let us go and see what’s beyond these walls.”

The idea of introducing a Klingon to the pas seemed like a bad idea, but Cruz could hardly tell him to remain in the room. Luckily it seemed that nobody noticed him, and even those that interacted with them, such as the man behind the front desk of the hotel they’d woken up in treated him as if he were a human.

”It’s holodeck rules,” Cruz said mostly for herself, “People don’t notice Klar is unusual because they’re not meant to. It’s how we do ahistorical things on the holodeck, for example having a woman captain the Titantic.”

Navan nodded, “So the simulation parameters allow a Andorian to work in an earth saloon, without all conversation being about why they are blue. Computer display arch. Arch. Computer Arch.”

Nothing happened.

”Your holodeck is broken,” Klar said.

”But we weren’t on the holodeck,“ Cruz said, “We were on the bridge.”

”I was in the lounge, and I was not wearing these human clothing items,” Navan said, gesturing toward the jeans and shoes with distaste.

It was a mystery that for now, remained unsolved.

—- USS Luna, Medical Bay —-

”So Doctor Va’Tok, any idea what’s up?” asked Lieutenant Kolem the current Captain of the USS Luna, at least as long as its senior officers were indisposed because of some kind of reaction to a solar flare. She was anxious to solve the problem, get her crew members and her Captain back and return to life as a counsellor.

The Vulcan looked impassive as usual, betraying nothing with his face. He nodded in the direction of Lieutenant Commander Gabriella Miller the Chief Science Officer who went to a nearby screen on the wall and brought up a schematic of the USS Luna.  She gestured to it, “We detected a power surge right at the moment of the crew’s being rendered unconscious. It could be unrelated however…”

She glanced at the doctor and he nodded, “However the electricity in the victim’s brains has dropped to zero.”

”The electrical surge was effectively the same frequency as the ship’s power systems, I’ve confirmed this with Young down in Engineering,” Miller said, “Thus the working theory is that the surge essentially pushed the electricity out of the affected crew members and into the ship. Like an ocean wave pushing sand.”

Kolem wrinkled her nose as she tried to imagine such a thing. She had seen waves and beaches before, but the idea that the crew, or at least a portion of it, had been taken out by a solar wave was mind bending.  She was a therapist at heart, not a scientist, and she was also not a Captain despite her position as the ship’s Second Officer a title she’d held mostly as a favor to Captain Cruz who had wanted her to take it on.

”Okay so why them, and more importantly how do we get them out of the ship and back into their own bodies?” Kolem asked.

”Waves lap, go out and come in. Solar flares don’t, but another solar flare might fix it,” Miller said, “Though none of this is scientific it’s all just us guessing.”

Va’Tok nodded silently in agreement with that. So that gave them a guess as to what might work, but it seemed like a long shot and could make things worse if more crew ended up comatose because of the energy of the solar event.

”Work up a plan. I’m not taking a segment of my crew, including a Romulan and Klingon officer back home without brain wave patterns,” Kolem said.

—- Tombstone, Arizona 1884 —-

It had taken Tashai a few hours to realize that she was a glorified equivalent of a holodeck program. How she had gotten there, to what she assumed was North America sometime in the 1800s she did not know. The last thing she remembered was being on the Luna’s bridge filling out reports on cargo storage and then she had awoken in this hotel that seemed to think she was a dancer.

A familiar face entered the hotel which also was a casino of sorts as well as a bar. With a group of men Assistant Chief Counsellor Torma entered in a large hat, and spurs. She sat at the bar looking miserable.

”Can I help you gents?” Tashai asked, she had not been on Earth in the 1800s but had heard enough of the vernacular to fake it. She had also realized that Torma was dressed as a man so she had clearly been assigned a male role by the computer.

The Counsellor looked relieved to see a familiar face. Before she could responds however one of the men spoke up, “I’m Wyatt Earp and this here is Doc Holiday. We’re on the hunt for the McLaury brothers.”

Tashai smiled, “I need to speak with the Doc here.”

”Have fun Doc, she’s a real looker,” Earp said with a grin.

Away from the group Tashai whispered, “What is going on? I woke up a dancer in this saloon, you’re some cowboy from the American west?”

Torma shrugged beneath the heavy coat she was wearing, “I suppose it’s a holodeck program but I can’t pause it or call for a door. Maybe it’s meant to be a two person program with a cowboy and a dancer who meet up and…”

Despite being a medical professional, Torma did not feel comfortable describing the act in front of a superior officer and especially not one who had the life experience of the El-Aurian woman so she let her voice trail off and that part unsaid.

“I’m not familiar with Earth in this time period but I don’t think being a law officer is safe work,” Tashai pointed out.

”How do you know I’m a law officer?” Torma asked and Tashai pointed to the metal star on her chest. 

”Oh,” Torma said.

—- Vancouver, 2024 —-

The city was not Seattle, that much was clear. Captain Cruz had been to Seattle and seen the Space Needle and this was not it. It was however rainy, so the three stranded officers from three different cultures his in a restaurant called McDonald’s located across the street from a building snapped like a giant ball. It was called Science World, the building not the McDonald’s, and yet there was nothing in it that could help them get home. 

Eating something called a Big Mac, Klar grumbled, “This primitive human food is terrible.”

Cruz did not point out that it was from the same replicators all of his meals aboard the Luna had been from. She ate a chicken sandwich while their Romulan associate picked at a salad. There seemed to be nothing in simulation that they could do to escape their situation, though at least they had money. In fact any time any of them stuck their hands in their pockets exactly the right amount of money for any situation came out.

”I think this is Lieutenant Hume’s simulation,” Cruz said, “He’s from a city called Vancouver in what used to be a country named Canada. He enjoys a sport called hockey, maybe if we attend a match that would be freeing.”

”Does the Federation have a lot of issues with their holodecks?” asked Klar.

Cruz debated exactly how to answer that, “There are challenges with mirroring life as closely as we can. Then meeting strange and powerful races. Well, one trapped me inside a holodeck program until I completed it. Then there are social and societal ways and reasons that holodeck technology can be abused. But it’s likely an overall benefit, as with everything else if used in moderation.”

The Klingon grunted but fell silent.

”So this is earth in the twenty-first century?” Navan asked.

Cruz shook her head, “Perhaps an idealized version. I don’t see any unhoused people, and yet we’re in a downtown major metropolitan center. Everything is too new and clean and nothing seems run down, it’s how someone who has only heard of the past through stories might see it.”

”And you are not?” Navan asked.

”I took Earth history at Starfleet Academy, prior to the Eugenics Wars homelessness, drug usage and crime rose as did the discrepancy between those with power and money and those without,” Cruz said, “Even for Canada this is too clean for the time period.”

”Perhaps there is a hint to escape in that,” Klar said.

”Maybe or maybe it’s just an overly nostalgic Lieutenant Junior Grade. Certainly everything Klingons popularly remember about their past is not without some rose colored glasses,” Cruz pointed out.

”I do not wear glasses of any color,” Klar pointed out.

—- USS Luna, Medical Bay —-

The assembled officers looked down at the Captain’s body, and then those assembled in the medical bay. They had been working for two days straight trying to figure out how to get the brain waves of their crew mates out from the computer back into their bodies. They had set aside the idea of just trying to replicate the situation that had rendered them unconscious, as there seemed no way to ensure that more crew members would not be affected. There was no point in doing this if another ten crew members ended up affected.

On the screen was Lieutenant Scchhttt’aaakkk from the Cetacean Ops department observing, though he was not expected to solve this issue being an expert in stellar cartography and not either solar science of brains. 

”So after we decided that there was no way to block the negative affects of the solar flares, without actively blocking out what energies we’d need to reverse this,” said Lieutenant Commander James Young the Luna’s Chief Engineering Officer, “we decided that we’d need to do something else. Which is how it came to be that we put together this funnel, essentially an energy conduit that plugs into the computer and can lead the brain wave energy of the crew out one by one. We think.”

”It had not been tested,” confirmed Doctor Va’Tok.

The maching was a gaggle of wires and tubs that fed into one of Sick Bay’s computer terminals. It was nothing if not jury rigged.

”And how do we make sure the right person gets into the right body?” asked Kolem making a face, this plan was not a good one but it was the best they had at the moment.

”We need telepaths to guide them out,“ Va’Tok said, “Like a Trill denabie on on the hills of Catmatha.”

”Or an old style Sherpa on Earth,” Young said.

”We have identified twin Betazoids on the crew who could do this,” Va’Tok said.

Kolem, who was half Betazoid herself was not convinced that it was possible, but as the if on que two slender people entered Sick Bay with dark brown eyes. She had seen them around the ship, but never really interacted with them. 

Yi Zhang, who was effectively the Chief Operations Officer while Tashai was down nodded at them, “This is Keerroxa Breasi our Transporter Chief, and her brother Petty Officer Aasus Breasi who is a warp coil specialist in Engineering.”

Kolem nodded, “It is nice to meet you formally.”

Telepathically however asked the pair, “Do you think this plan will work?”

Keerroxa Breasi inclined her head slightly and answered, also telepathically, “I have not heard of such a thing before but the principal seems to make sense.”

“Do we not have a better plan?” Kolem asked the assembled staff out loud.

Lieutenant Scchhttt’aaakkk on the screen answered in a series of clicks and high pitched yelps before the computer’s translator kicked in, “Flying around the sun real fast seemed like a bad way to time travel, but there’s humpback whales in the San Fransisco Bay now.”

Though like most people in Starfleet Kolem believed in the Kirk Exception as it was often called, that Captain Kirk and his crew could do things that should have killed them or ended their career quite regularly, she had to admit that this was true and that Lieutenant Scchhttt’aaakkk was right.

”Okay, make it happen I guess,” she said nodding finally, “good work everyone, thanks for working the problem. Let me know before we begin.”

As she briefing broke up and the assembled crew went about their duties, Chief Keerroxa Breasi and her brother Petty Officer Aasus Breasi followed her hallway.

”We have not introduced ourselves properly we are from the Fourth House of Breasi children of the Great Garbo Breasi,” said Aasus telepathically.

Though the words were Federation Standard to Kolem who had only been on Betazed sporadically, they might as well have been in ancient Andorian, “I don’t have a formal title. I’m was raised on Mars before its destruction and my father did not hold much love of titles. I don’t know what house I would have been in.”

Keerroxa smiled softly, “Your father’s writings and philosophies where well known, truthfully it was hoped that he would marry our eldest sister. Thus you would have been our cousin, but as it is he married an Earth woman.”

”Human,” Kolem said as they moved along the corridor.

”Yes, human. Romantic but then so was his poetry,” Aasus said.

That the whole thing was happening on the telepathic plane made it look like the three were walking in silence though crew members sensitive to telepathic signals may have noticed some chatter, as they passed. 

“We are the fifth and sixth children of Breasi, and thus went to Starfleet to earn our way with our hands,” Keerroxa said. Betazoid hereditary stuff was complicated, but as on Earth in the early days there seemed to be little for later children to do in a family that ran mostly on birth order and hierarchy. This helped explain why the twins had not entered counseling which was a common role for Betazoids to have on starships with Kolem being an example.

”Well I’m glad we finally met, and that you’re helping with our situation,” Kolem finally said aloud, “I should get back to the bridge but we should catch up. We’re practically cousins.”

Kerroxa smiled, “Of course, captain.”

Meanwhile in the Medical Bay Lieutenant Yi Zhang and Lieutenant Akane Sone were plugging in my wires to the console on the wall. Nobody had really known if this was an engineering problem, a science one, a medical one, or something else so much of the work had fallen on Operations and in particular Zhang. Sone who was in stellar cartography was helping, but for the most part the wires and software were his domain.

“Do you think we’d be doing this if it weren’t the captain out cold?” Sone asked feeding Zhang a tube.

”I think we’d be doing it but it’s an added incentive, also the fact that we have both an official from the Klingon and a Romulan militaries affected is added to that,” Zhang said, “We fry their brains by mistake and we could be in a war. Hot pot for dinner?”

Sone who was dating Yi Zhang’s closest friend Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas Winfield nodded, “He tried, but I told him I’m Japanese and sushi would have been more culturally appropriate.”

Yi Zhang nodded. The two were Asians, though from different nationalities in the old Earth sense and Sone had never actually lived in her Japanese ancestral home having been born on a ship and raised on a colony. Zhang had been to China, and was always amused by how wrong people especially humans got Asian cultures. It was one thing for Vulcans to get things wrong, they had no real reference but for an Earth born human to mix up China and Japan was wild to him. Not that Winfield was from either, having grown up on space stations.

”Hot pot is good though,” he said.

”Yeah,” agreed Sone, “tonight I think we’re having tacos in the mess.”

”Explain to him that tacos aren’t Japanese,” Yi Zhang said.

”Ha ha. Why don’t you come? Lieutenant Avila will be there,” Sone said. Seemingly perpetually single, save a brief relationship with Ensign Torma who was one of the ones unconscious, Yi Zhang had expressed interest in Avila though his tastes were broad.

”I do like tacos,” he said.

Sone plugged a wire into a slot on a bio bed. For now they were done, though she knew that Engineering would still have to pour over their work to confirm that everything had gone right. Soon though they hoped to get back their crew members, from Yi Zhang’s sometimes girlfriend Torma, to Captain Cruz and the rest of them. As Yi Zhang had said, they had to do this before something worse happened and they had to explain to the Klingon and Romulan governments why two of their own had been injured or killed on a Starfleet ship.

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

Lieutenant Yuhiro Kolem might well have stayed in bed that day, as it was not shaping up very well. Not only had she just heard the most ludicrous plan for bringing back the minds of her crew mates, including the Luna’s First Officer and Captain, but as soon as the Chief Counseling Officer and current Captain entered the bridge the ship went into red alert as two Klingon warships declocked. This deep into Romulan space they could not mean well and likely it was the Hunters of D’Ghor again who had less reason to worry about the consequences of a incursion into Romulan space as a war between the Empire and the Romulan Repbulic would work to their benefit.

Given that Red Alert had already been declared, and with it the shields had raised and weapons systems had been brough online, she dispensed with those commands, and instead jumped right to, “Hail the Klingons.”

At the tactical conn Lieutenant Jara nodded, the Chief Security Officer raising them and then pointing out, seemingly needlessly, “On screen.”

Kolem was looking at an annoyed, and busty, Klingon woman, “I’m Lieutenant Kolem of the USS Luna, you seem to have gotten mixed up and ended up in Romulan space.”

”I’m Hod Jatar’q of the Klingon Defense Force, follow us back to Klingon space and prepare to surrender your ship under charges of treason,” she said.

Kolem could tell she was lying even without being half-Betazoid, but they did not know that, “You know I’m a Betazoid right, I can read your thoughts.”

The woman’s eyes grew wide and the screen cut out. 

“Klingon ships moving to attack positions, arming weapons,” Jara said.

Tapping her commbage she called the Sickbay, “Doctor Va’Tok I could use the Captain and Klar back now. Whatever you need to do please get them back now.”

”This is not a process that can be rushed,“ the doctor argued but with another tap he was cut off, “Engineering, we’re about the get kicked a few times, can you give me everything we’ve got?”

The voice of Ensign Constable, the Assistant Chief Engineering Officer came though, “Okay, but Young is in sickbay playing with the Captain’s brains. But I’ll get you what you need.”

”Bridge out,” Kolem said, adding, “Give the Klingons the first shot then attack pattern Cruz Seven Two.”

Both Pr’Nor at the Conn and Jara at tactical nodded. Kolem hoped that it was a good plan, though she had Bridge Officer certification but she was not a bridge officer, and not a specialist in tactical matters. Honestly either of the two Lieutenants that he words has spurred into action would have been better Second Officers, and had more experience but it had fallen to her because the Captain was trying to encourage her career. Which was fine, the 2XO role had little in the way of responsibilities, at least until both the First Officer and the Captain had their brainwaves sucked into the computer.

The ship rocked as several Klingon photon torpedoes hit the shields, and Kolem had to sit down in the Captain’s chair. With both senior officers out there was no one who took the seats next to her, and instead the rest of their crew remained at their stations. The Luna moved forward now, guided by the precise Vulcan fingers of the Chief Flight Control Officer Lieutenant Pr’Nor. Neither the Vulcan nor the human behind the Tactical controls were worried, and their sense of calm professionalism was settling to Kolem.

The ship looped around, firing off phasers and torpedoes in accordance to the plan ‘Cruz Seven Two’ that they had been drilled in. The Luna-class ship leapt forward, its more slender profile than the California-class helping to minimize the hits that its shields had to absorb. While it had previously prevailed against three Klingon Birds of Prey the Luna was not at an advantage, and the Klingons already had their shields raised and where on an attack footing. All the Starfleet vessel had going for it was superior engineering. And this time not being in the no man’s land of the Triangle, the advantage was location though that was not immediately obvious to the crew.

”Shields down to seventy-four percent,” reported Jara, bracing herself as the ship rocked through another round of explosions against its shields. She added, “We’ve detected two blips, too far away to tell who they are yet but their sizable ships.”

At one of the panels Lieutenant Elenor Dorian of Strategic Operations said, “We were tracking a fleet of Romulan State ships in that direction. Likely they’ve observed us having issues, we’re invited here remember.”

”Meaning the Klingons have a time limit to finish us off,” Kolem said, “Fire another volley and switch to maneuver ‘Lovell Six Six’.”

If they could hold out for Romulan ships the Klingons would back off. The trouble for the Romulan State is a Federation exploration vessel invited by the government was destroyed in Romulan space after being invited by them was not something that Kolem wanted to think about. The Klingons though had thought that they could sneak in while cloaked, finished off the USS Luna and sneak out cloaked no only damaging the Federation but also potentially igniting conflict between the Klingon Empire and the Romulan State. Kolem had to admit it was a good plan and one that would achieve several aims of the Hunters of D’Ghor while only risking two ships.

As another salvo of phasers and torpedoes hit their shields the ship rocked again and again Lieutenant Jara chimed in with an update of the status of the shields which had fallen to sixty-seven percent at this point.

”Pr’Nor, arc us away from the Klingons, try to make a break for it towards the Romulan ships,” Kolem ordered and was met with a nod. The USS Luna did just that, engaging warp and having the Klingons chase after it, lobbing a few more shots in their direction before falling back and re-cloaking and disappearing.

“Keep up our speed and head toward the Romulans,” Kolem said, and then she tapped her badge, “Engineering how are we doing?”

“Minor damage to decks one through four, all superficial,” came the voice of Ensign Constable, “Some internal damage but nothing we can’t fix up in a few hours.”

Glancing at tactical and Lieutenant Jara she asked, “Injuries?”

”A few reports of sprained ankles, things like that but nothing serious,” Jara said. 

“I’ll be in the Captain’s Ready Room drinking all her wine, don’t bother me unless we’re being boarded by the Borg,” Kolem said tiredly as she headed into the attached Ready Room.

”That is a lot of wine,” Pr’Nor observed, “I assume she was exaggerating, a human body would die well before that much was consumed.”

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

Lieutenant Yuhiro Kolem wanted the floor to open up and swallow her as she tried to smile while being glowered at by a Romulan ship Captain that was anything but happy. He and another ship had just raced across half a sector to save the Federation starship from two Klingon ships from the Hunters of D’Ghor and he was not even being allowed to talk to the Romulan that had been assigned to the USS Luna, let alone the ship’s Captain. Instead he was talking to the acting Captain, a Lieutenant Kolem that he’d never heard of and was not thus far impressed by her winning charm. Or at least what she thought as her winning charm.

”Where is Sub-Lieutenant S’anra Navan?” the Romulan on the screen demanded again, not being easily put off my Kolem’s awkwardness. It did not take a telepathic Betazoid to tell that the glowing man was unhappy with this situation. While she felt that she was a good counsellor, this was beyond her skill set. She lacked both the gravitas and diplomatic touch that came with age. Though the Captain was not much older than her, the fact that her additional years had been spent in command of starships had helped.

The sound of doors opening let Kolem know that someone was entering the bridge. A clipped serious Romulan voice said, “I am here Commander.”

The arrival of Sub-Lieutenant S’anra Navan, La Klar, and Captain Adriana Cruz was a welcome sight to Kolem who allowed herself a breath. It was clear that this turn of events was taking them by surprise have spent the last few days trapped on a holodeck computer program, but the trio seemed to adapt to it on the fly much to the young Lieutenant’s relief.

”We were previously occupied,” Cruz said not going into too much detail, but being honest, “I apologize Commander I am sure you have better things to be doing than interrogating us as to our location.”

The Romulan smiled a smile that was not in earnest, “Two Klingon war ships chasing a Federation vessel around, sometimes I miss the Neutral Zone.”

Cruz shot a look at Kolem and the empath could feel her curiosity spike, “Well again on behalf of the Federation your government allowing us to explore this space has been most welcome.“

The Romulan captain glanced at the sub-lieutenant as if to pity her and her having to serve aboard the USS Luna and nodded, ending the transmission. Kolem sighed and felt herself slumping slightly as the pressure was lifted from her shoulders. She wanted to sleep for a week, though obviously there was going to be a period of debriefing and explanation given the senior staff’s absence, which also had to be explained to them.

”Permission to nap for like a week,” said Kolem.

”I look forward to your report Lieutenant, but yes, go take a break. I’ll talk to you later,” Cruz said, then glanced at Pr’Nor, “Lieutenant Pr’Nor set a course for the next a course for our next destination. Let’s get moving, I have a feeling we’re wearing out or welcome in this sector.”

”Yes ma’am,” the Vulcan said and plotted a course.

—- USS Luna, Lunar Base Lounge —-

The drink, affectionately called ‘The Eagle Has Landed’, was actually acholoic. Lieutenant Yuhiro Kolem was not sure which member of the crew had brought the liquor on board, and given that it was not wine it was not the captain, but she was grateful. It was a drink that helped dull her empathy, quiet the urges and desires of others, and allow her to focus on herself. Almost everyone else in the crew was able to, and so now that her report had been sent off to the captain, she was taking advantage of the possibility that she too could.

Beside her Jack Dornall of the Intelligence Office sat his body pressed closely next to hers, not because the lounge was particularly crowded but just because he was being physically affectionate. The two had grown increasingly close over the past few months and though the captain still had her reservations about the intelligence officers who had been placed within her crew it was fair to say that Dornall had won over the Second Officer. In particular she found the training that he’d undergone to block out telepathy and empathy such as her skills to be particularly attractive. In a world where everyone’s mind was noisy it was nice that his was silent.

”So they all got trapped inside the ship’s computer?” Dornall asked, he was more knowledgeable about threats like criminals, warlords, and raiders. Getting suck in a computer was new for him.

Not wanting to talk about it any longer, and just wanting to move on, Kolem said essentially that, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Dornall kissed her, “It must have been stressful, running the ship.“

He did not add that he should have been considered for the 2XO role, or one of the higher ranked Lieutenant Commanders. He knew his place, and there was not a chance in Hell the captain would put him in charge of the ship, even temporarily. Even if he did out rank Kolem.

He also knew not to try prying, if she had said the subject was over it was over at least for now. He was her boyfriend, not her superior officer and so he knew to act that way and not try to pull rank or to pry. Besides he knew that part of it was that the captain trusted Kolem, seeing as they’d served together for a while now starting back on the USS Seattle. While Dornall had been on one mission on their previous posting, he was not a full crew member back then.

”Two weeks, just flying,” Dornall said, it was a lot of downtime, even if his department would be collecting sensor readings and pouring over intelligence in the interim. Kolem too would have her regular counseling duties that had fallen by the wayside while she was acting-Captain.

“I have so many brains to shrink,” the Chief Counselor joked.

”Tomorrow,” Dornall said taking a sip of his simulated beer, “you can start tomorrow.”

”And I suppose you have an idea of what to do until then?” she asked him finishing her drink.

”I just might, Captain,” he teased.

”At ease,“ she said kissing him.

—- USS Luna, Captain’s Quarters —-

“So you dated the Klingon,” Sub-Lieutenant S’anra Navan asked incredulous as much as the very business like and formal Romulan allowed for. The Romulan was impressed by the USS Luna, though not a war ship it was well designed and spacious. Like most Romulans her first contact, as it where, with the class had come from when the USS Titan under Captain William Riker had helped Romulus following the collapse of the government. If the Galaxay-class and Sovereign-class were seen as enemy ships the Luna-class was the first Starfleet vessel that most Romulans thought of when they thought of potential allies. Not that they did not train to destroy them in the military, even today there was the acknowledgement that Starfleet was an alliance of connivence and one that may not last.

“Well I threw furniture at him, but we wanted different things,” Cruz said, “I was not going to leave Starfleet when he returned to the KDF and be content having a brood of half-Klingon babies.”

”He smells,” Navan said.

”I kind of like it,” Cruz said, then she switched tracks, “Where to next?”

”Next you get to play diplomat,” Navan said, almost as a threat, she grinned.

—- USS Luna, First Officer’s Office —-

“… and the Romulans have granted us access to their subspace relay network, so instantaneous communication with Starfleet can continue despite our distance,” Chief Operations Officer Tashai concluded her report setting the PADD down on Klar’s desk. 

The Klingon did not examine it, and instead turned his attention to something else, “I suppose your Intelligence people told you about the risks of utilizing Romulan satellite arrays.”

The El-Aurian woman nodded, “This isn’t new to the Federation or Starfleet. No secret communications are being sent through and it’s mostly being utilized for personal and logistics traffic. The last thing I’d accuse humans of was of being too open, they can be just as secretive as Romulans. We have two former adversaries aboard, progress is slow but it does occur. Trust me, I remember when the Khitomer Accords were first signed. The idea of a KDF officer serving aboard a Starfleet ship was a stretch back then.”

”Now one is the First Officer, yes yes,” Klar waved his hand to dismiss the words. Like some Trills El-Aurians, though rare, seemed impossibly old. Anyone with honor would have died in combat by now if they were Klingon. 

The trust was he disliked this part of the job, the logistical work. Starfleet vessels seemed to feature less fights and murders than Klingon ones, and more paper work. It was his job to meet with all the section chiefs and get their reports, then summarize them for the Captain. The only one he had enjoyed so far was Lieutenant Scchhttt’aaakkk‘s because the dolphin at least had a sense of humor. 

“Unless there is anything else, dismissed,” Klar waved, annoyed by the whole thing, but wanting to avoid being thought of than less than worthy of his posting. He was not allowed to kill the captain and seize the ship, and even if he did he doubted that Starfleet would follow him the way a Klingon vessel would, so he had to do this menial labor.

Once the El-Adrian woman was gone he rose from his chair, cancelled his next two meetings and left his office heading to the nearest holodeck.

—- USS Luna, Holodeck 3 —-

There was, thankfully, no one in the holodeck when he arrived. Federation ships spent their time looking at plants and the effect of suns going into their supernova phase. It made them great scientists, but it was not what he had signed up to do, and not why he’d joined the Klingon Defense Force. The USS Luna was on its way to do some sort of diplomatic foolishness and play nice with the Romulans. It made him antsy and bored. He wanted to be fighting and breaking up pirate rings. That the Federation and Starfleet spent so much time and effort on this was maddening. No matter what this one starship did or said, no matter how many hands the captain shook or asses she kissed the Romulans would still do what the Romulans wanted and what benefited them. It was the reality of the world even if humans pretended otherwise.

Feeling pent up on the Starfleet vessel that he could not leave, Klar pulled up the Qo’noS the Klingon home world. Or at least the aired deserts of it where civilization had retreated from as it was as unforgiving and stern as a Klingon grandmother. He had not been born on the home world, and other than twice while on assignment had never been yet it was his home. It must have hurt the Romulans to have lost their home world, not that he cared much about the feelings of the enemy.

At Klar’s request the computer created a Bat’leth which he wielded and then an opponent which he struck down as expected. He was well on his way to defeating his fifth opponent when the door opened and in walked Lieutenant Sesi Oari the head of the Hazard Team which was meant to provide tactical backup when required. The Bajoran woman looked around and said, “Well this isn’t a Bajoran shrine during the Gratitude Festival.”

The Bajoran woman set down her bag and stepped from the Luna further onto the simulated dessert of Qo’noS. She nodded at Klar then checked with the computer who was meant to be using the holodeck.

”The holodeck has been reserved by Lieutenant Sesi Oari from eleven hundred hours until thirteen hundred hours,” the computer emotionlessly informed them.

Klar grunted, “I will leave.”

He made his way to the archway that had appeared when Oari had entered. As he passed the smaller Bajoran she put her hand on his chest to stop him.

”I can pray anytime, I can’t always train with a great Klingon warrior,” she said.

Klar snorted, he was skeptical. He was not unaware of the conversations that had been going around the Hazard team about his joining the last away mission and how he had been reckless. Starfleet drilled carefulness and the preservation of life (both theirs and even their opponents) into their officers while he preferred to charge in and upset the situation rather than learn a bunch of hand signs and slowly and methodically disable the enemy’s defenses. 

As if reading his mind, which he was pretty sure Bajorans could not do, Oari smiled, “I said what I meant, you are a great warrior. Maybe not the most subtle one, but then sometimes subtle is not what the situation calls for.”

”You do not think me a fool for rushing in to glorious combat?” Klar asked.

”No, I think that sometimes maybe a different approach is needed but a good enough warrior can make it work,” she said, stepping close to him then spinning in a near three hundred and sixty degree circle to attempt to land a blow at his neck. Klar easily reached up and grabbed her arm halting its momentum he held it still for a moment to show his superior strength then released pushing her back.

”That was not a killing blow,” Klar said, “A warrior should only fight what it intends to kill.”

”That’s not true and you know it,” Oari said, “Warriors train all the time, and don’t intend to kill their sparring partners.”

”Are you saying you wish to train?” Klar said.

”I think I started off saying that,” the smaller woman pointed out.

”Computer create a second Bat’leth,” Klar said, tossing one of the weapons to the security officer.

—- USS Luna, Lunar Base Lounge —-

The two Lieutenant Junior Grade Security Officers were sequestered in a booth. As two humans, both from Earth even if from different places, they had initially had a lot of talk about. Now though though there were content with silence, a different thing for William Hume who in his last relationship had been constantly feeling as if he needed to talk. Dating a half-Betazoid he had felt the need to explain basically any thought that popped into his mind, as his ex (Chief Counselor Yuhiro Kolem) could sense it. With Rosa Flores though he could let his mind drift to the 1984 Edmonton Oilers, or the 1994 Vancouver Canucks and not have to explain anything. He could spend ten minutes thinking about how the curve of her caramel brown neck made him want to kiss it without giving the thought away.

”Hmmm,” Flores said as he kissed her neck, “We’re in public.”

Hume knew where they were, and while public displays of affection were not the norm in the professional ranks of Starfleet they were off-duty and kissing one’s girlfriend seemed to him to be well within the boundary of expected behavior. Granted not all of the things he wanted to do were, but again his own private thoughts were once more his own.

”We both got tapped by the captain for the next away mission,” Hume said, changing the conversation, his arms wrapped around her as if he were her owner. Of course it she did not like the arrangement she was more than capable of dislodging him, and likely putting him in a hold until she called for backup. Flores had joined the ship from a Starfleet recruitment office in Mexico City where she had been working and where the captain was from. It was the captain who had brought her along, wanting more women who had a similar background to her on the ship, feeling as if until this point Starfleet had not done enough to empower women like herself.

Hume was not sure about that, but then he realized that when he thought of Starfleet his family had served since the days of Admiral Archer had been a captain and helped to found the organization. He looked like the pictures of Archer, Pike, Kirk, Johansson, and Picard on recruitment posters. So his joining Starfleet had never been in question, even if he had not had the posters for guidance. The captain’s and Flores’ were much more winding pathways.

”A Romulan starbase should be tons of fun,” Flores joked. While it was not a Vulcan instillation the Romulans were not known to be the galaxies funsters. Though they did have good ale. Perhaps enough of that could ensure that even a sour Romulan would crack a smile.

“Romulans aren’t so bad,” Hume said, though he’d only really known two. The USS Seattle’s Assistant Chief Medical Officer T’Rala and the USS Luna’s Romulan advisor (or whatever her formal title was) S’anra Navan.

“You just like the hot ones,” teased Flores biting his lower lip and pulling on it before releasing it teasing him.

“You’re the one that called them hot,” Hume said defensively, teasing back.

While on the USS Seattle, and now the USS Luna, Hume had found everyone professional the fact was that on a long voyage of indeterminate length, like they were on now, people were people. Most of the species were in some way compatible, if you put the right pieces together, and so being young and fit and healthy they enjoyed themselves while off duty. It was not like a Galaxy-class ship where everyone had families on board and tried to maintain that structure. Most of the senior staff was unmarried (or uncoupled) and so a familial atmosphere was not important. The crew was family, but not in that way.

Flores playfully pushed him away, “Don’t get excited and start asking for additional company. That’s what got you in trouble with Lieutenant Kolem.”

Hume nodded feeling a twinge of guilt. He’d gotten angry with his ex after a proposal had failed and had cheated on her. It had hurt her in ways that he not being as emotionally open as she was, had not intended. He did not want to do the same thing a second time now, as it was a course of action he regretted. 

Thinking of the past ships he’d served on with more of less the same crew though it had ballooned in size on the USS Luna from 95 to nearly 400, they had stablished a nice atmosphere. Tight knit, they were friends and even if he didn’t exactly hang out with either of his captains they knew him and he liked them. Granted Captain Cruz was a bit suspicious of him due to the aforementioned affair that had hurt Kolem who she considered a friend or a confidant or something, but Hume figured he’d deserved that. But to go from the USS Anaheim a California-class ship handling mostly medical emergencies, to the USS Luna a Luna-class ship exploring Romulan space, was quite a thing.

“Do you want a hot tub, then bed,” Hume asked Flores, “I have a new program that’s in Hawaii overlooking the sunset. In a hot tub.”

Flores smiled, “You don’t look as good in a bathing suit as you think you do.”

Hume smiled, knowing she was lying, “You do.”

—- USS Luna, Transporter Room 1 —-

The next day Hume had rushed to get ready for the Romulan station. The Klingon First Officer Klar had been directed to stay aboard the Luna, and yet he was in the transporter room with a scowl on his face.

”Stay in pairs, be friendly, don’t be afraid to smile even if Romulans don’t,” Captain Cruz who was leading the away team said. The Luna was going to dock but the away team was the first contact, their arrival had been arranged.

S’anra Navan the Romulan Officer assinged to guide the Luna through Romulan space ignored Klar, and objected, “Romulans can smile, we are not Vulcans.”

“Let’s put that to the test shall we?” Cruz said selecting a transporter pad to stand on. The rest of the team including Hume, Navan, Flores and Chief Diplomatic Officer Diya Acharya took their spots. With a nod Cruz signaled for transport and the world blurred in blue and while light reforming on a darkened bridge.

Tricorders were immediately flipped open, as the mission very suddenly went from a diplomatic greeting to something else.

”No life signs Captain,” Hume reported, “Over two thousand corpses though.”

”We didn’t scan, this was all arranged with the government,“ Cruz said, the Romulans were still Romulans and had provided strict instructions for how this was to go, and those had not included instructions on scanning the base.

Since none of them had brought phasers Cruz said, “Alright we’ve got to head back to the Luna, get equipped and figure out what happened here.”

Tapping her badge she said, “Cruz to Luna, come in Luna.”

There was silence.

”Your ship is not responding,” Navan pointed out.

”Cruz to Luna, come in, Klar, Kolem,” Cruz tried again, then they all did. Once they had determined that for some reason they were unable to raise the Luna  the situation was assessed and a plan was made. Life support seemed to be the only system with power at the moment.

”Flores, Hume you two take Navan down to engineering and figure out the power situation,” Cruz ordered, “Acharya and I will stay on the bridge and try to raise the Luna. See if you can arm yourself while down there.”

—- The Dark —-

Assistant Chief Security Officer William Hume searched the belongings of another dead Romulan. There was no telling what killed him with their tricorders. Maybe a more sensitive medical device would have worked, but they had not anticipated finding a station full of dead Romulans when they’d beamed over. He managed to find a flash light which helped cut through the darkness. He handed it to S’anra Navan the Romulan Officer who was accompanying the Luna through Romulan space, as he needed to keep searching through the dead.

“This is taking too long,” Lieutenant Junior Grade Rosa Flores said as she did her own search. The two security officers had divided the hallway into left and right and were tackling it methodically. Person by person, or rather body by body.

”It is hard to go fast with no power for turbo lifts,” S’anra Navan said, ”Normally our stations are much more efficient.”

Hume found a phaser on one but its battery was drained. He left it for now, there was no point in encumbering himself with non-working weapons. They were heading first to Engineering to try to restore the power to the station and then to the weapons locker and the armory, there would be something there that they could use besides flashlights.

”Romulans are like vulcans, stronger than humans,” Flores said.

”So?” Hume asked.

”So what could kill nearly two thousand of them without leaving any trace?” Flores asked.

Hume did not want to know the answer to that. He searched the next fallen Romulan and then moved on. After they had all gotten flashlights they had given up searching as they were finding too little to make the delay in getting the power restored worth it. Three beams cut through the darkness as the paid of yellow and black clad security officers followed the Romulan down into the station‘s bowels. When they had finally gotten to the Engineering room it had taken two hours. 

“Hume to Captain Cruz we’re at Engineering, trying to restore power,” Hume said tapping his comm badge. 

For a terrible minute he worried that there would be no response, but the CO’s voice came through after a second, “Good, we’re waiting on the bridge.”

Looking around Engineering Navan spoke up, “Someone put neurocine gas in the air supply.“

The Romulan gestured to a dead Romulan holding a canister. In small dosages it was not lethal, the Cardassians had used it for crowd control, but in an enclosed space like the station enough of it would be. 

Flores opened her tricorder and scanned for the gas, “No sign of it in the atmosphere.“

Tapping his comm badge again Hume called the captain, “Ma’am we have a supply of neurocine gas that an officer emptied into the environmental system. Seems to have faded now, but that may explain the deaths or at least the majority of them.”

”Get the power on, I want to get back to the Luna as soon as possible,” Cruz said over the comms.

The line went dead, an unfortunate phrase given the situation in Hume’s mind, but he did not share the thought with the other two. Flores would likely have heard it, but not knowing human idioms Navan would likely not have. Better to leave to comment unsaid then.

”Why would an officer gas the whole station?” Flores asked and both humans looked at the Romulan. She shook her head as she powered on the station’s systems, Navan had no answers. Romulans were not Vulcans but neither were they irrational and prone to violent outbursts like Klingons. Yet even a Klingon would have found no honor in this course of action.

Lights flickered back on and slowly the station awoke from its slumber as its systems restarted. Though it was missing the Luna’s hum of the engines, most of everything else was recognizable to Hume. It felt good to get things working, as though it was a step in the right direction. 

—- Station Bridge —-

The lights flickered and then came on as the station came to life. Captain Adriana Cruz began resarting the Romulan systems as best she could given that her Romulan was a bit rusty and the way these old systems worked was not as intuitive as Starfleet’s computers. 

“Check the office see if there’s instructions,” Cruz told Chief Diplomatic Officer Lieutenant Diya Acharya.

”Ma’am,” the woman nodded, and entered the office where the body of the station’s commander who they had meant to be meeting right about now, sat at his chair. She searched the bookshelves looking for something about station operation.

”Lieutenant,” said William Hume behind her. Acharya had not heard him enter the office and as far as she knew he was still on the other side of the station. Still it was good to see him.

”I’m looking for a guide to running this place,” Acharya explained.

Hume nodded, “Well keep looking. You would not want to disappoint the captain.”

Acharya nodded, “Anything that looks like an instruction manual, I know a bit of Romulan so I can translate if you find anything.”

Focused on finding the right text she did not hear Hume approach her until his hand grabbed her covering her mouth. Acharya began to twist trying to break free but he was strong, stronger than any human. His grip was like steel as he whispered, “Normally I’d like to hear the scream, but I don’t want to reveal myself yet.”

Acharya felt a sharp pain in her side, then it went numb as she slipped into shock. She felt a warm liquid oozing down her and felt suddenly weak and faint. The world went dark and she felt herself fall from Hume’s grasp.

Cruz was able to get the communications system online as Lieutenant Acharya exited the bridge office. Lieutenants Junior Grade Hume and Flores returned with Navan as well. 

“This is Captain Cruz to the Luna, please respond,” Cruz said as the crew joined her, using the Romulan system to reach out to the ship. 

“Klar here, I am glad to hear from you, we lost contact,” Klar said.

”Something’s gone wrong here, beam us back and we’ll assemble an away team to investigate,” Cruz said, “I’ll explain more when we’re back on board.”

The team assembled and the world dissolved into blue white light once more.

—- USS Luna, Transporter Room 1 —-

The away team rematerlialized on the platform and everyone rushed off to do their jobs. Lieutenants Junior Grade Hume and Flores to the security office, Cruz went to the bridge and S’anra Navan went to speak with her government. Only Chief Diplomatic Officer Acharya had not direct role to play in the emergency response to finding an entire Romulan station dead, so she remained in the transporter room a bit longer.

”Can I help you Lieutenant?” asked Chief Petty Officer Keerroxa Breasi, annoyed that she had to refrain from running the diagnostics she had planned to wait on a tardy officer. 

Acharya shook her head, “No I’m just thinking about how to make my arrival on the ship special.”

Breasi looked at her confused, while she did not have the details of the station the rest of the crew had seemed to be in some hurry and now the diplomatic officer was talking weirdly. She reached out with her mind, being a Betazoid she should have been able to read the human’s thoughts.

”Lieutenant?” she asked confused.

”Oh you’re one of those telepaths I’ve heard about,” Acharya said, “very annoying.”

Breasi reached for her comm badge but Acharya was fast, moving across the room before the Betazoid woman could raise her hand. Acharya pinned Breasi to the wall her hands holding the other woman’s wrists and smiled. A third hand, of sorts, grew out of Acharya’s stomach and formed itself into a blade.

”Thank you for helping me announce myself to the ship,” Acharya said and plunged the bladed hand forward into Breasi’s stomach.

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

Captain Adriana Cruz hunched over the console watching her Chief Science Officer type. 

“I’ve used our scanner readings. They’re incomplete because the station is shielded as you know Romulans are secretive. But passive scanners were running the whole time you were over there,” Lieutenant Commander Gabriella Miller said, “Looking back though them there’s one like sign that pops up but it vanishes then pops up again. Again it could be because the of the shielding.”

Cruz pointed, “Here’s the reading of Acharya and me on the bridge, she goes into the office. Wait why is there two readings? One appears a few minutes later here.”

Miller shook her head, “Not sure, then suddenly Acharya’s life signs get weak. But she was fine when you beamed back right?”

”Totally fine, didn’t mention anything. Yet wait her life sign isn’t moving,” Cruz said, “It’s still there?”

Miller looked at the screen, “I don’t know.”

Cruz turned to Klar, “Send the Hazard Team to look at the bridge and office, phaser rifles for everyone. Go now.”

Klar nodded, “On our way.”

Cruz’s comm beeped, “Cruz here.”

”Captain this is Tashai, you’d better get down to the transporter room,” Tashai said over the comm link.

—- USS Luna, Transporter Room 1 —-

Doctor Va’Tok ran a scan over the Betazoid, “She will live, maybe. Severe internal bleeding however, I’m taking her to the medical bay.”

Two blue suited officers lifted her on the stretcher and began to move towards medical bay and out of the transporter room. Cruz watched them go as Chief Operating Officer Tashai and Chief of Security Claudia Jara stood by and watched. The Luna had not had a murder, or attempted murder, on board before, so this was serious. It was also serious considering that there were two thousand dead Romulans on the nearby station who Cruz could not put out of her mind. Whatever had lead to the deaths of the station’s crew, was now seemingly was on board the ship.

Jara’s team closed off the corridor.

”I’ve put an alert out for Lieutenant Acharya,” Jara said.

Cruz nodded, then her comm badge beeped, “This is Cruz.”

“Klar with the Hazard team,” Klar said on the other side of the communication, “We found Lieutenant Acharya, bleeding in the office. We’re beaming her to medical bay.”

”Stay in groups of two or more,“ Cruz said and then she ended the call, “We need to find out what that station was doing.”

—- USS Luna, Briefing Room —-

The senior staff, minus Lieutenant Acharya, had assembled and taken their seats around the illuminated table. At the head of it was Captain Adriana Cruz who was in a frustrated mood and had the sinking sense that this meeting was about to make her feel more frustrated. When Romulan liaison S’anra Navan began speaking that was confirmed.

“The station was operated by the Romulan military for the past several years, since the collapse the previous government,” Navan began, she was standing and gestured at a semantic of the station on a screen. Continuing she explained, “Prior to the military and the Romulan civilian government taking it over it belonged to the Tal Shiar and was a research station for some of their most dangerous experiments.”

“Meaning weapons,” said Chief Intelligence Officer Chief Jake Dornall flatly. Starfleet had not been blind to instillations like this, and while he had not served against the Romulans he had certainly come across information into just to what extremes they would go to. 

“Weapons and other projects,” Navan said nodding at Dornall, “Near the end of our war with the Dominion we arrested a shapeshifter posing as a Senator on our former home-world. The Tal Shiar took it and brought it to this station for experimenting. The shapeshifter remained imprisoned when the military took the station, but it had undergone decades of experimentation.”

“Why didn’t our scanners pick it up when we beamed it over?” Asked Cruz, “We should have Doctor Crusher’s most recent scanning technology installed.”

Chief Operations Officer Tashai nodded, “We do, but from what Navan is saying extensive genetic and other modifications have been done, it’s likely it looks nothing like a changeling to our scanners.”

“This was meant to be a weapon to be used against the Federation or Klingons,” Navan said, “Efforts would have likely been made to mask its biosigns during transport. Also likely its strength would have been augmented and other things done, under the belief that we could control it.”

The Chief Strategic Operations Officer Eleanor Dorian chimed in, “There is a second issue, a very large Warbird is making its way towards us.”

Navan nodded, “A ship is being sent to clean this up. The trouble is that given the changeling, as you call it, given its abilities the way they will clean this up is destroying the station and the Luna. With everyone onboard.”

“How far away is the Warbird?” Cruz asked.

“Two days,” Dorian said.

“We need to solve this in two days,” Cruz said, “And any of us could be the changling. Great, okay Jara I want guards in pairs around all the areas that the changeling could cause mass death. Engineering air intake areas, environmental controls, warp engineers, whatever.”

“Yes ma’am,” Jara said.

“Unless there’s anything else let’s meet tonight for updates, we have a countdown now,” Cruz said, “I doubt any of us, even if one of us is the changeling, want to miss it.”

—- First Officer’s Room —-

Klar growled, he was ill at ease since the meeting. He had not fought in the Dominon War which had been over long before he had entered the KDF, but he knew about the changelings, They had no honor, and struck without facing their opponents in open combat. He knew that one on one he would prevail, but a changeling was not going to do that.

“Come,” he barked as his door chime rang. In entered the Bajoran Sesi Oari who was a head of the Hazard team and who he had been training with the last few days. After the Captain’s decision not to further pursue a relationship that Klar had defined as most definitely being intended to end up with them marries with children living in the Klingon Empire, Oari had been a looser more relaxed presence in his life. 

She believed nonsense about prophets and all that Bajoran hokum, but Klar had realized that expecting a Starfleet officer to move with him back to the Empire was unlikely, so this was more relaxed.

”What are you doing here?” he asked.

”Rumours around the ship about a changeling?” Oari said, “and I didn’t want to spend my free time alone in my room.”

”So you came for protection,” Klar said showing his teeth in a wide grin. 

Oari laughed, “Actually maybe I could protect you.”

Klar laughed again at the thought of the small woman protecting him. He took a bat’leth from his wall, “If I get my hands on the changeling I will show it the sharp end of my bat’leth.”

Oari smiled, “I love a man with a sword. Can I see it?”

Klar nodded and handed it over, handle side first. Oari examined it, “Nice. I’ve always admired Klingon weapon work.“

Klar nodded, “Forged for my father, he fought the changelings and their minions.”

”Then this is appropriate,” Oari said and seemed to grow two feet taller and twister, the blade slashing at Klar’s neck. He grabbed his neck as it bleed and Oari pivoted stabbing him in the chest with the other end of the Klingon weapon.

Klar fell the the ground, and the last thing he was was himself standing over himself laughing.

—- USS Luna, Medical Bay —-

Doctor Va’Tok looked up from his PADD as Klar entered. The Klingon First Officer seemed in a horrid mood, but then again the Vulcan was not an expert on human (or Klingon) moods. It simply struck him as if Klar was always some form of upset. Switching off his desktop screen he nodded in acknowledgement of the First Officer’s arrival, ”How may I help you?”

“We have the senior staff meeting,” Klar said.

”At nineteen hundred hours,“ Va’Tok said.

”I want an update,” Klar barked.

The Vulcan nodded, patience would do the Klingon well, as an update would be more informative in a short while at the staff meeting when it would be more efficient to brief the entire senior staff and not just the First Officer. Still Va’Tok understood that the Klingon wanted to address this issue like he did most others and that was head on and often with a head butt. 

“We have two dead officers, both security officers, Ensigns Nabana and Claymore who were stabbed in on deck three. We found Lieutenant Acharya on the station and she’s in critical condition, as is Chief Breasi,” Va’Tok said, “Doctor Elordi is in charge of their care.”

The Klingon nodded, “Good work.“

”Now if you will excuse me I have more work to do before our senior crew meeting,” Doctor Va’Tok said.

”So much of this book keeping all logging who died, it must feel exhausting,” Klar noted.

”It is important work, and cannot be overlooked,” Va’Tok said.

The Klingon smiled. One of the ridges on his forhead seemed to shift downward as if melting. The Vulcan noticed this and Klar noticed him noticing. It was over in a second, as Klar’s hand formed into a bladed weapon and lashed out catching the Vulcan in the stomach. The other hand extended covering his mouth and keeping any calls for help from escaping from the Vulcan. When Va’Tok quit struggling, the changeling maneuvered him over to a coat locker and shoved him inside, taking his comm badge and applying it to his own uniform which had changed to be a medical one. The changeling’s entire appearance now was of that of the doctor as he exited the office and entered the main part of sickbay. 

There he saw the doctors and nurses working on the victims, and wanted to finish the job but it needed to keep up this ruse a bit longer, it had bigger targets that the USS Luna’s Chief Medical Officer and getting into that senior crew meeting was vital. Information about counter measures being used against it was worth its weight in whatever these solids used for currency these days.

—- USS Luna, Briefing Room —-

The senior officers took their seats, as Captain Adriana Cruz updated them on conversations she had been having with Starfleet.

”The fleet won’t intervene with the Romulan government, they see this ship as infected and unless we catch the changeling the Romulans are going to destroy the Luna tomorrow then the Warbird arrives,” Cruz said.

Romulan advisor S’anra Navan nodded, the Sub-Lieutenant adding, “They won’t send away teams over the ship they are sending will simply destroy this vessel.”

Cruz looked around, “Where is Klar? It’s not like him to be late. Lieutenant Jara send a security team to his quarters. Va’Tok send a nurse and doctor with them.”

The changeling appearing as Va’Tok nodded, and tapped the comm badge, “Medical send a team to do a wellness check on First Officer Klar.”

Cruz nodded, “How are efforts to capture the changeling?”

”We have doubled up security on all dangerous areas, as well as the Runabouts so it can’t escape. Only you have the authority to have them stand down,” Lieutenant Jara said. 

The captain nodded, “Thank you. Anything from science on updates to scanners?”

Lieutenant Commander Gabriella Miller shook her head, “Without a sample to the DNA we have nothing to go on and any adjustments we make would simply be guessing at changes rather than acting on the situation.”

”Doctor Va’Tok do we have any DNA or anything left behind at the scenes?” Cruz asked.

He shook his head, “No, we have prioritized saving lives over evidence collection but also we have not found any DNA in our scans other than that of the victims’.”

Cruz groaned, “So to summarize the Romulans arrive in a few hours and we’re no closer to catching this thing than we were. How are the crew Kolem?”

Chief Counselor Yuhiro Kolem sighed, “Scared, professional but scared. They don’t know the extent of the issue, or about the Romulans, but people know there’s a changeling killing people.”

Va’Tok’s badge beeped, “Va’Tok here.”

”Doctor, we have Klar in serious condition, taking him into surgery now,” a nurse reported.

The room was quiet. Everyone was thinking that if Klar could be taken out, the large Klingon warrior, then anyone could.

”Let’s work the problem people, nobody wants to see me beg in front of a bunch of Romulans tomorrow,” Cruz said, “Meeting adjourned.”

As the meeting broke up Doctor Va’Tok waited for the Captain, “I did not want to raise it during the meeting, but I had something in my office to show you. It is a sensitive matter.”

Cruz nodded, “Of course, I assume Klar’s being taken care of.”

”My staff are all experts, they are attending to him better than I could be,” Va’Tok said. 

The pair walked to the doctor’s office in the medical bay, and it was clear that work was being done in one of the surgeries. Captain Cruz did not want to interrupt. She generally liked Klar and wanted him to pull through. She entered the doctor’s spacious office with its neat desk devoid of clutter.

”What did you have doctor?” she asked turning in time to see a hypnospray pressing against her neck. She heard a hiss and then suddenly euphoric and strange. Lights seemed brighter, blindingly so as the doctor, or the changeling now she guessed, guided her to a seat.

”The first drug is something the Romulans developed that I brought with me. It makes you euphoric, so you feel so good you’ll do anything I ask. Now Captain what’s the code to take the runabouts?” the doctor who was now shifting away from looking like Va’Tok and into his true form asked.

”London Six Bravo Nine,” Cruz said and smiled.

The changeling nodded and injected her with another drug, “This is a paralytic, to keep you still and from calling out. I wanted to take my time with you but the arrival of a Warbird means I need to leave now. But the nice thing if the drug doesn’t dull your senses, you’ll feel yourself slowly dying.“

It took her comm badge, “Unable to do anything about it. Other than think about how I’ll arrive on Earth one day and kill there. I’ll take a route, it may take years but I’ll pay your family a visit. It’s what I was made for after all, killing human solids.”

From Va‘Tok’s desk it took a surgical laser and activated it, cutting through the uniform on Cruz and then her skin. She simply sat there, unable to respond in anyway as he did unable to move of make a sound.

”I’d have liked to take more time on this,” the changeling grinned, “Get to know you better, before destroying everything you hold dear. Take care Captain Cruz, for the short time you have left.”

The changeling shifted into Captain Cruz and put on the comm badge, she smiled at herself bleeding in the chair and then turned, exiting the sick bay. To the nearest nurse she said, “Doctor Va’Tok is working on a special project for me, please see that he’s not disturbed.”

”Of course ma’am,” the nurse said as the captain headed to the hanger bay.

—- USS Luna, Hangerbay 1 —-

Lieutenant Junior Grade Rosa Flores was one of a team of security officers watching the Runabouts following the Captain’s orders that only she had the authority to launch them. Not being part of the senior staff she did not know exactly what was going on, but rumours were flying that a changeling had gotten on board and was for some reason killing the crew. If it was successfully offing the crew she was not sure why it needed a warp capable runabout, but that was that. The ship only had two warp capable small craft, aside the captain’s skiff, so they were both in the main hanger.

The captain entered the hangar, and headed to the group of four security officers. Nodded and said, “I need this on order of Admiral Janeway. I can’t explain why.”

It seemed unlikely that the Captain would need something like a runabout, there was nothing of interest and they were so far from Federation space that not traveling in the USS Luna seemed inside but she provided the correct codes and so it was not for a Lieutenant Junior Grade or a gaggle of Ensigns to question Captain Cruz or the orders of an Admiral.

”Do you need anything sir,” Flores asked as the Captain headed into the runabout.

”I’ll be fine with the replicator and the rations on here. I’ll be back in a few days,” Cruz said. 

As the door to the runabout closed Flores tapped her comm badge, “Flores to bridge, Captain Cruz is leaving in a runabout. It seemed odd but she had the right codes.”

Her commanding officer, Chief Security Officer Lieutenant Jara replied, “Thank you Flores.”

The runabout lifted off and exited the ship, passing through the forcefield that kept space out and the crew in as it took off at impulse speed readying the jump to warp and away.

—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

Lieutenant Kolem gazed at the view screen and the runabout. Her empathy could not tell if the pilot was the captain or not, only that getting away from the ship was important to it. Not that she blamed the pilot, whoever it was, on that front. The Romulans were coming to deal with the shapeshifter and time was running out of the USS Luna. Starfleet’s position was that peace with the Romulans basically would require the sacrifice of the ship if they could not solve the problem quickly.

“Do you think it’s the captain?” Lieutenant Jara asked at the tactical conn.

”Open hailing frequencies,” Kolem said once more in the unwelcome role of temporary captain, “Get her on the screen.”

”Kolem, I am sorry but I have orders directly from Admiral Janeway,” Cruz said as she appeared on the screen. She seemed sympathetic just as anyone would given what the Luna would face while she was gone. Everyone aboard was going to die, and the captain was leaving the ship first. Cruz frowned, “I would explain more but the Admiral forbid me to.”

Kolem nodded, “Understood captain, good luck.”

The transmission cut out, and Kolem sighed, “I don’t know for sure, it could be the changeling but it could be the captain.”

”The runabout’s warp engines are powering up,” Jara said, “It’s going to warp.”

Instead of vanishing in a blue streak as it entered warp the runabout sped up a few kilometers, then stopped. Kolem spoke, “Bridge of engineering, any reason the runabouts wouldn’t warp?”

”None that I can think of,” said Chief Engineer James Young.

A second voice came through, that of Assistant Chief Engineer Vanessa Constable, “Captain Cruz had me disable all the warp capable craft a few days ago. Other than the ship none of them should be able to go to warp. We didn’t tell anyone, not even Young.”

“Why would the captain take a disabled runabout out without having it fixed before leaving?” Kolem asked.

”Unless the captain isn’t the captain,” Jara said.

”Red alert, Jara have security sweep the ship for the captain, or her body,” Kolem said fearing the worst, “And lock a tractor beam onto that runabout, but don’t bring it onto the ship.”

Hearing the hiss of the turbolift’s doors opening Kolem saw Sub-Lieutenant Navan entering the bridge, “The Warbird is here.”

As if by magic a very large Warbird appeared out of warp, hanging over the Luna. Kolem gulped, this was not great.

”There’s not supposed to be here for another twelve hours,” Kolem said.

”Apparently Captain Cruz arranged for them to be early,” Navan said.

”Hail them,” Kolem said.

The Romulan commander of the Warbird nodded, though mostly to the Romulan advisor, “Your Captain promised me the shapeshifter would be in that runabout. She had us come early to deal with it. Where is your Captain?”

Jara looked up, “They found her bleeding and near death. She’s going into surgery now.”

Kolem nodded, the Romulan Commander had also head and nodded, “Well, my condolences. But that leaves our quarry. I’m hailing the ship now.”

A second screen with seemingly Captain Cruz appeared, now looking frantic, “I was assured you would be arriving tomorrow.”

”When you have the chance to warp to safety,” the Romulan asked, “I believe I heard human captains go down with their ship. But then you are not human are you?”

The USS Luna’s bridge crew watched as the Romulan commander cut the call, and then fired on the runabout. Disabled the small ship could not warp away and while it held out against the phaser fire briefly a torpedo struck it disintegrating it. There was a tense moment and then the Romulan commander called back.

”We are satisfied that the situation has been resolved,” he said then with a curt nod ended the communication. Within a minute the Romulan Warbird cloaked and vanished, leaving the Luna on its own.

”What just happened?” Jara asked.

”The Captain must have known the changeling would flee if it knew that the Romulans were coming and would kill us all. She arranged for them to arrive early, and for the warp capable ships to be disabled, so that the changeling got caught with its pants down,” Kolem said, “Pardon the phrase. She must have known that by making the ships guarded except on her authority, she’d become the target and thus fewer people would die.”

Navan nodded, “It seems brave and stupid to make herself the target. But we are all alive because of that.”

Kolem nodded, “Keep me updated on her status, and Klar’s. Until then I guess stay here, we’ll want to figure things out. I have reports to writs to Starfleet.”