Though early in the day, Levy felt quite excited about what was happening that day. An old friend of the station was visiting, and it was a nice distraction from the events of the last two days. The sudden arrival of the Caatati had been unexpected; what the station’s crew had achieved in the past forty-eight hours was nothing short of a miracle. 

Walking down the corridors of the docking ring, Levy tugged on the ends of her dress uniform. She had worn different versions of the Starfleet dress uniform many times over the years. With its familiar feel and close fit, this one was just as comfortable as the last one. Approaching docking port one, she turned down one more junction and saw the rest of the senior staff all standing there, talking quietly. 

“Am I late?” Levy asked the group.

Sturok turned to face her, “The admiral’s ship has just docked.”

“Which ship brought him?” Levy inquired.

“The Destiny,” Sturok replied. 

Jaret moved through the small group and approached Levy. “Ready to see the old man again?”

Levy chuckled. “Just make sure that he doesn’t hear you say that.”

Jaret smirked back as Harper announced that the final docking procedures were complete.

Turning her attention back to see everyone else, Levy noticed that their first officer and chief operations officer were absent. She couldn’t blame them for not being there. In the last two days, they had full hands to help their son with his recovery. The noise of the airlock opening made her snap to attention just as the honour guard played the boatswain’s whistle. 

“Admiral on deck,” Harper called out. 

Fleet Admiral Luke Duncan stepped through the airlock with an almost towering figure. His almost silver hair, impeccably styled, framed a face that was both rugged and refined, with piercing blue eyes that missed nothing. They were eyes that had seen countless missions and witnessed the triumphs and tragedies of deep space exploration. 

Duncan’s gaze swept over the assembled officers. He paused, allowing the silence to build before he broke it with a firm and reassuring voice. “At ease,” he said, his tone rich with authority yet warm.

“Welcome back to Deep Space 19, Fleet Admiral Duncan,” Jaret said, her voice steady but friendly, filled with the crew’s respect and admiration for the admiral.

Levy smiled at this moment. The admiral had once been the first commander of this station. He had served among many who stood before him now. Levy was one of them, and their shared history was a bond that couldn’t be broken. They had served together on the Galaxy, the Odyssey and Deep Space Nineteen. She was pleased to see him, especially after they were all led to believe he was dead over three years ago. A victim of the rogue changeling and Borg conspiracy that had been unearthed recently, the admiral had been captured and replaced by a shapeshifting infiltrator who then orchestrated the admiral’s death. When news reached D-S-Nineteen that the real Fleet Admiral Duncan was found, a sense of joy swept through the station. 

Levy caught his eye after he had greeted Jaret with a brief hug. “Dawn, it’s good to see you,” He said in his thick, gravely British accent. Duncan leant in to give her a short embrace, too. 

“It’s good to see you as well, sir,” She returned as they hugged. 

“It’s good to see you all,” Duncan said to everyone as he greeted the likes of Sturok, McCord and Fitzgerald. The others present had either heard of Duncan’s legacy from the others or knew his reputation. 

The other person who joined him was his wife, Captain Nicola Duncan. She stood poised just behind her husband, exuding a blend of elegance and strength. Nicola Duncan had a tall, athletic frame, her auburn hair framing a face marked by calm determination. Her green eyes sparkled with intelligence and depth, reflecting years of service and command. As a former science officer, she had made her own career over the years. She had turned down many promotions to become an admiral and even the opportunity to command Deep Space Nineteen. After her husband’s apparent death in 2399, she retired from Starfleet service but was asked to return to duty during the Archanis Campaign and hadn’t stopped since then. Levy and she had been friends back when they had all served together, so she was pleased to see her. However, seeing Nicola standing beside her husband reminded Levy what a power couple they both were. They complemented each other so well.

Jaret then gestured for them to make their way towards the main wardroom, where they had organised a small event to welcome the Duncans. As the two admirals led the group, Levy grinned at Nicola, and they fell into sync immediately.

“It’s lovely to have you back, Nic,” Levy said as they linked arms.

“It’s lovely to be back, Dawn,” Nicola replied with a smile on her face.

Not wanting to pry too much, Levy looked at her friend. She was pleased to see the happiness she had lost a few years ago splashed across her face. “How are you doing anyway?”

Nicola immediately knew what Levy was indicating and responded positively. “I was planning to retire fully and give up the uniform for good on Frontier Day,” Nicola shared. “However, the news of Luke’s discovery changed everything.”

“I see you’re still pushing back on those admiral pips,” Levy remarked.

“Right back at you,” Nicola said. “Being an admiral isn’t something I want right now, and joining Duncan as part of the Fourth Fleet Operations seems like a decent opportunity. Trying to rebuild what was lost to the Fourth Fleet from Frontier Day has been a challenge.”

“Tell me about it,” Levy said with a smirk. 

An hour later, the small gathering to welcome the Duncans back to Deep Space 19 was well underway. Levy had observed both of them mingling with the entire senior staff. The Horins had also arrived and were introduced to them by Admiral Jaret. 

“So, how long are you guys here for you?” Fitzgerald asked Nicola. 

Levy stood close to the station’s chief science officer and the captain, enjoying their time catching up. Fitzgerald had been Nicola’s protege/deputy years ago, so all three women had built a strong bond.

“Shorter than Luke would like,” Nicola replied between sips of her glass of orange juice. The catering team had provided this reception with a breakfast spread. As such, most of them enjoyed pastries and diced fruit and drank coffee, tea, and fresh juices. 

“Oh, I thought you were here for a few days; I’ve got Governor Thompson joining us later,” Levy stated.

“With what’s happened here with the Caatati and elsewhere, Luke and I’s plans have changed,” Nicola replied.

“What do you mean by elsewhere?” Fitzgerald asked. “Do you mean with the subspace tunnel?”

“Make that a plural, Layla”, Fleet Admiral Duncan said as he approached the three women with Jaret beside him. 

“Come again, sir?” Fitzgerald inquired. She was intrigued by what he meant. 

Duncan smirked at his wife and then looked at Jaret. “Taila, you don’t mind if I take over this gathering and turn it into a briefing?”

Jaret was just as intrigued as the others. She gestured for the fleet admiral to proceed. 

After gathering everyone around the central table, Fleet Admiral Duncan excused the interruption to the reception, thanked everyone for welcoming him and his wife back to the station, and explained that his visit wouldn’t be as long as planned. Pressing a few buttons on the table’s console, he activated several sensor logs, and they all appeared in front of them, floating in the air. 

“What you have discovered with the Caatati isn’t an isolated incident,” Duncan explained. He pressed another button, “These subspace corridors are, in fact, an extension of Underspace.”

“Underspace?” Hawkins quizzed. 

“They are a network of subspace corridors linking vast quantities of the Delta Quadrant. The Turei Alliance manages them,” Sturok clarified. 

“Commander Sturok is correct, but for some reason, that network is now appearing across the galaxy,” Duncan reported. “For example, while on patrol in the Setlik sector, the U-S-S Columbia has discovered a small flotilla of alien ships native to the Gradin Belt region of the Delta Quadrant. Starfleet assets are reporting a number of similar incidents taking place not just in the Delta Quadrant but in all four quadrants.”

“That’s alarming,” McCord said dryly.

“Indeed it is, Sandra,” Duncan confirmed. 

“And you think what brought the Caatati here is the same, sir?” Fitzgerald checked.

“They are,” Nicola confirmed. “We’ve compared your analysis to the readings based on what other ships have encountered, and they’re a perfect match.”

“The arrival of alien ships in our space threatens Federation security,” Harper stated.

“Indeed, but we are hoping to prevent any escalation from our side,” Duncan said.

“Is there any other data we have on these new underspace corridors?” Jaret asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Some are starting to stabilise,” Nicola replied. “We expect the one in the Kovar system will start stabilising in the next few days, allowing for two-way travel.”

“We could send the Caatati home?” Anizza said quickly.

“Potentially, commander,” Duncan replied. “However, for now, we want this aperture to be secured in case other visitors come through.”

 “The Hirogen?” Jaret asked the superior flag officer.

Duncan nodded. “Yes, and any other hostile races from the Delta Quadrant.”

Nicola pressed another button, and more sensor scans appeared, showing what looked like a rudimentary map of the underspace corridors. “We’re still trying to understand which apertures open where and how they’re connected.”

“What are orders then, sir?” Jaxxon asked.

“Secure the aperture by moving Deep Space Nineteen out of orbit of Kovar and then prepare for reinforcements to arrive.” The admiral replied.

“Reinforcements?” Jaret probed. 

Duncan nodded. “I’m sending several ships to the station to bolster defences and prepare to explore what is on the other side of the aperture once it has stabilised.”

Fascinated by this new approach, Levy wondered what this meant for their visitors from the Delta Quadrant. Ever since they had relocated them to Kovar and repairs to the ships were now underway, the Caatati had become almost insufferable with their demands. Levy had to remind her staff that they were helping a traumatised people and that giving in to their requests would not harm them in the long term. She was trying to rebuild their strained relationship. It didn’t help that a particular local politician was upset by their arrival on his colony without prior warning. Taking a breath, Levy spoke up.

“What about the Caatati on Kovar? They’ve made an official request to become asylum seekers within the Federation.”

“We’re right in the middle of legal proceedings, and there’s over two thousand of them we must process,” McCord added. “It doesn’t help that Governor Thompson is making the situation difficult.”

“I will visit Governor Thompson later to inform him that the Federation Council has approved the Caatati’s request to stay. In return, make them feel as comfortable as possible.” Duncan ordered. “Furthermore, the fact that the Destiny will be unpacking another hundred orbital weapon platforms for Kovar’s defence should keep him happy.”

“That should definitely help,” Levy said. “Are all Federation worlds affected by these apertures having similar approaches with defence upgrades?”

“In some form or another, yes,” Duncan confirmed. “The station will be designated the homeport for this new squadron.”

That piqued everyone’s interest further. 

“What squadron, admiral?” Jaret asked.

Duncan smirked. “The Odyssey.”