—- USS Luna —-
 

Captain Adriana Cruz looked at the two Vulcans who were, at least temporarily, members of her crew and nodded. Glancing over towards Lieutenant Commander Gabriella Miller she asked her Chief of Science, “We got them setup with what they need?”

Miller nodded, “We got the lab during our recent refit, everything’s in place for a study of the anomalies in the Triangle.”

“Lieutenant Commander Miller has been most, accommodating,” the female Vulcan said her name Setiv.

Cruz nodded, she was glad to hear it, but had expected no less. The science team on the Luna was used to working with others, such as their brief time with a Romulan scout ship studying anomalies in Romulan space, until her former XO had called in a Klingon attack and destroyed the Romulan ship.

She leaned back in the faux leather chair of her ready room and nodded, at what passed for a high compliment from a Vulcan. Outside the window they were going at Warp Seven to a reported anomaly prior to heading to the Triangle where they would explore and do whatever ‘science stuff’ the scientists wanted.

“All seven members of your team have quarters sorted?” Cruz asked, knowing that very likely Lieutenant Commander Tashai had already sorted that all out.

The male Vulcan, Sverin, nodded, “A member of your operations team saw to our needs.”

There was a chime indicating a message from the bridge. Commander Olivia Carrillo’s voice came out of a speaker hidden in the room, “Ma’am, you had better come out here, we have a tail.”

“It is not logical for the ship to grow a tail,” Sverin said.

“It is a human expression meaning we are being pursued,” Setiv said as if to indicate that some Vulcans were familiar with human words and phrases.

“Alright everyone, dismissed,” Cruz said rising and heading for the door and the bridge of the USS Luna. She nodded at her XO and said, “What do we got?”

“Romulan D’deridex-class,” Carrillo said, “behind us about a hundred kilometers.”

Cruz whistled, “Even with a treaty that’s a heck of a thing to be flying in Federation space without notice. If they aren’t cloaked they want us to see them. Drop out of warp, come around and face them. Yellow alert.”

“Yellow alert,” Carrillo repeated nodding to tactical.

At the tactical station Lieutenant Claudia Jara reported, “Warbird’s shields are down, dropping out of warp.”

“Hail them Jara,” Cruz said.

A stern looking Romulan male appeared, “This is Commander Sibolv of the Tal Shiar, I am looking for the human Captain Cruz or the USS Seattle, is this you?”

Cruz nodded, “I no longer command the USS Seattle, but that is me.”

“You assisted a lost colony of Romulans, and left your doctor behind, is that true?”

“One of our doctors remained behind, Doctor T’Rala Mathews, she was our Assistant Chief Medical Officer.”

“I was tasked with retrieving our people, and now I have your doctor to return,” he said, he smiled a thin almost artificial looking smile, “Perhaps you could join me for dinner this evening.”

Cruz glanced at Carrillo, already anticipating her First Officer’s objection about going on away missions and heading into danger. Still she wanted to get back T’Rala and while the Tal Shiar were not to be trusted if the man had wanted to do her harm it would have been relatively easy to beam a crew of Romulans on board.

“I assume you’re going to the anomaly in the Triangle, as are we,” Sibolv said, “we might as well observe it together, in the spirit of cooperation.”

Cruz nodded, “I am sure my First Officer will object but I accept your invitation, thank you. I’ll bring a bottle of wine.”

As the communication ended it did not take long for Carrillo ask to see Cruz in the ready room to do just that, object. She reasonably pointed out that the Tal Shiar were not to be trusted and the ship could not lose its captain.

“Do you want to go and pretend to be me?” Cruz asked, “I doubt he could tell the difference, people always ask if we’re sisters. Romulans have a hard time telling humans apart.”

Carrillo sighed at the teasing, it was a stretch to suggest a high ranking Tal Shiar operative would be that oblivious to be unable to tell them apart. “Look, I just want to do things by the book, I don’t plan on getting my command by getting my captain poisoned.”

Cruz winced, “Okay fair, but low blow chica.”

“So you’ll back out?” Carrillo said.

“No, but you’re getting better at standing up to authority,” Cruz said.