“It’s an invasion! We should prepare to fight them with all we have!”

“It’s not an invasion you simpleton. It’s exactly as they said would happen – another of their great ships coming to help them out.”

“Oh, so you’re just going to take them at their word? Not even going to consider that maybe, just maybe I’m right?”

With a sigh that could be heard across the continent, Administrator Vil stabbed at the button on the TV remote, turning the wretched device off. Silence hung over the office for a handful of seconds before they turned to face their two guests.

Rejach Vaanj was stunning in their full dress uniform, now adorned with the proper rank insignia after their promotion a week ago. It was a growing trend across the entire Conglomerate space agency – promotions and accolades for all it appeared. It had been part of Vil’s plan eventually anyway, but popular opinion and the President seemed to want to push such recognition along at speed rivalling the Nimma itself.

The other guest was the captain of the alien starship presently in orbit – Atlantis. Lost city sunk beneath the oceans was apparently the best literal translation, but such a mouthful that everyone had simply stuck with the alien’s name. They’d met already nearly two weeks ago, but it had been a whirlwind of introductions at the formal state dinner. That it had only taken this long to meet this ‘woman’ was not so much a testament to how busy the alien’s schedule was, but Vil’s own.

“As you can see Captain Theodoras, you’re rescue ship couldn’t have arrived at a better time,” Vil said with evident and hopefully understood sarcasm, which the woman’s smile hinted that she had received. “Are all the ships in your Starfleet so truly massive behemoths?”

“Some are bigger,” she answered with a smile. “But no, most of them are smaller. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting something as large as Perseus to arrive on the scene. A combination of factors allowed her to be the ship to bring our replacement warp core to us.”

The aliens applied their genders to their vessels too, something which served as another reminder of how alien they were. And yet so similar as well. So very, very similar. It was disconcerting and reassuring all at once. Something for the biologists and sociologists to figure out in the coming years.

“I see,” Vil said. “President Gren has, until they declare otherwise, appointed me as the Conglomerate’s Ambassador to Off-world visitors. Their reasoning being I’m in charge of the space agency and aliens come from space.”

“That and President Gren is afraid of you?” Captain Theodoras said and to which Vaanj coughed in response to disguise the start of a laugh. “Your lack of political ambitions but dedication to your causes is something I do know about Administrator. And I respect too. I’m sure you’ll be a credit to your nation in this new position.”

“Hmm…” Vil glared briefly at Vannj before relaxing and turning back to this human woman. “I am concerned that your two ships are causing…unrest to be amplified.”

“You want us to move away from Qal,” she answered.

“I do.” These humans were seemingly apt at reading people, Captain Theodoras always being able to guess the gist of Vil’s requests without needing extensive clarification. “I’d prefer in fact if you were to depart even. Give our world some time before visiting. Let us…” They trailed off, searching for words.

“Let us grow into this new reality,” Vaanj stepped in. “Find our own way.”

The human smiled. “We’ll need another twelve hours but we can get out of your hair soon enough. Before we go though, I’ve got a couple of gifts I want to give to your new Union. To be shared across of Qal.”

“Like what?” Vil asked.

“You’re on the cusp of so, so much. And sure, we could leave and let you stumble around and find out, but there’s a few things we think are safe enough that’ll just make everything so much…safer.” She leaned forward and set a tablet down on Vil’s desk. It was the same make and model even as the one set in a single stand on Vil’s desk they used when away from their office. And on the screen were blueprints. “Technical journals and explanations for an early generation subspace radio, as well as detailed specifications for how to build one using technology you have already on Qal.”

“This is one of your faster-than-light communication systems?” Vaanj got in before Vil.

“Similar enough to ones my ancestors used, yes.” Tikva sat back, smiling. “Maximum range of five light years and weighs a lot, I won’t lie, but across your star system, it’ll be near-instantaneous. You scrounge up the parts we can even deliver some free of charge to the science outposts and the asteroid mining operations on our way out.”

“This is…thank you,” Vil said, setting the tablet down. “I shall see what we can do.”

“Happy to help,” the human replied. “Now, you said you also wanted to talk about…”

Beaming aboard the Perseus was like stepping back in time. Not quite back to the ship’s original era of the 70s, but certainly a decade or more from when the ship was last given a major refit. Tikva’s return to Atlantis was delayed, a request to visit Perseus getting in the way and one she couldn’t really ignore at all.

Perseus was here to help out after all. And Rachel Garland needed to be strangled for her idiotic jump scare.

And then hugged to death since they hadn’t seen each other since before Tikva had taken command of her second starship Atlantis.

Then strangled some more for good measure.

Killer her till she dies of it.

She’s a friend.

So kill her all friendly like till she dies of it.

Tikva shrugged in agreement with herself as she rode the turbolift silently with the security officer who had met her and was escorting her to the conference room. He was just as fresh-faced and new as everyone else aboard this old ship she’d seen so far – a result of the horrors of Frontier Day that Atlantis had managed to avoid by luck and circumstance.

Eventually, the young man showed her to a door and departed, letting her cross into the conference room unannounced and unescorted. Atlantis’ was warmer and softer than the conference rooms of even newer designed ships, but Perseus’ was harking back to an even older generation and had been preserved as such despite many refits over its lifetime.

Warm carpets, wood accents, beige walls – the whole effect gave a comforting and regal space.

And there, sitting in a chair while staring at the door, sat one Rachel Garland, who jumped to her feet immediately. “Bug!” she screamed before wrapping Tikva up in a hug that instantly evaporated all intent to kill Rachel.

The hug was as always completely unprofessional, but this time Rachel had the good graces to make sure no one was around to see it. And with pleasantries set aside, the two women let go of each other.

“I’ll kill you later,” Tikva muttered as Rachel guided her to a seat.

“Oh, the whole boo thing?” came the response. “Maybe give me a few minutes, see how you feel about it then.”

As they sat a Perseus was moving about in orbit, bringing it closer to the only other real starship in orbit of Qal, the silhouette of Atlantis rising in the distance between the older ship’s nacelles in the far distance. The faintest blue tinge touched the conference room’s ceiling as a shuttle departed the main shuttle bay, a tractor beam slowly dragging the heart of Atlantis out and towards Tikva’s command.

“Brand new, out of Beta Antares just like the rest of that beautiful ship of yours. And it’s been tested as well, so no worries there. Find out what caused your problems in the first place?” Rachel asked.

“Ra’s pretty confident he’s found it now. Looks like a freak accident from what he can tell. A part burned out, diagnostics didn’t catch it, it wouldn’t let the antimatter assembly close and kept switching close orders into open ones.”

Rachel whistled as she shook her head. “Damn Bug. Glad your people have their heads tied on though.”

“So am I. Hell, a year ago I’d have said I had a young and experience-lacking crew, captain included. But now…we’re one of the more experienced ships in the fleet.”

“Don’t get me started on experience-lacking crews,” Rachel muttered. “Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t turn down a chance at a command, but damn, some of my senior officers are wet behind the ears.”

“Yeah about that, when were you going to tell me you had a command of your own?”

“Boo,” was all Rachel gave by way of an answer.

“Bitch.”

“Love you too Bug.” Rachel snorted before continuing. “Perseus needed a captain, I happened to be a captain. I got the offer and decided I’d follow in my crazy friend’s footsteps of accepting all offers given and went for it.”

“She’s a lot of ship.”

“Oh yeah. Certainly a lot more than the Aleutian Islands that’s for sure. But hey, that’s why I did some time on the Wellington. Get used to big ships.”

“Got a yeoman?” Tikva asked.

“What? No. Gods Tik, this isn’t the 2300s.”

“Get a yeoman,” Tikva insisted. “Just trust me. Get a good one, worth their weight in latnium. And no, you can’t have mine.”

“I do need a tactical officer –“

“No.”

“But what if I want a tall Amazonian warrior standing at my back?”

“Get your own.”

As the bickering descended into friendly banter, the new beating heart of Atlantis had finally slipped free and was crossing the kilometres separating the two ships. No doubt every telescope in and around Qal was pointing at them, watching this ballet that Starfleet considered routine enough to have plans for.

“You said that wasn’t the prettiest thing you had for me?” Tikva asked, the two having moved to the window to watch before the warp core became too hard to see.

“Aside from myself?”

“Rhea,” Tikva half-growled.

“Spoilsport,” Rachel countered, before stepping over to one of the other chairs dutifully tucked against the table. She returned promptly with a small box in hand, having hidden it in the seat of the chair. “Tikva Theodoras, will you do – Ow!” she shouted in mock pain as Tivka punched her in the arm before snatching the jewellery box away and snapping it open.

“The fuck is this?” Tikva asked, turning on Rachel.

“A promotion sweetie,” Rachel laughed. “Fleet Captain Bug.”