“To be honest they seem quite happy here.” The holographic figure of Anyok tilted her head quizzically at the end of the conference table. “They don’t seem to be lacking for supplies or infrastructure. They seem to have everything they need save for some minor computer components but they’re confident they can find those amongst the wrecks.”

“Anything in particular?” Oyvo leant forward over the table, her body barely supported by her weary elbows, her body aching after hours of co-ordinating the shuttle and worker bees in Helios’ air space alongside Lieutenant K’Sal. ”We could make a show of goodwill?” She looked to the acting captain at the other end of the table, who sat stroking his stubble-covered chin. 

“Some network switches, a few reels of data cable, maybe some data storage units. There is a massive amount of data they’re collecting from the wrecks and they lack the computing power to investigate it properly.” Anyok scratched at the large crest of feathers atop her head. “It seems an odd thing to focus on but it seems they’re more interested in that than returning to space.” 

“What little we’ve seen of the Kazon have always been as raiders and hunters looking for supplies, perhaps the abundance of this planet has given them a chance to explore a different life.” Eyma offered, playing with the remnants of her tea in her hand, the brown liquid swirling in pleasing circles as she toyed with the mug. “It’s amazing what a solid supply of water and food will do for a people.” 

“Kylana also indicated they had little success in opening the portal or undertaking faster-than-light travel in the system due to the solar interference. It is not unreasonable that they turned to other interests.” Bahir added, his coral-skinned hologram standing next to Anyok’s at the end of the egg-shaped table. 

“Are we still having trouble with the warp drive?” Bib’s attention was beyond the room, returning to Federation space was top of his list, the Kazon were secondary. 

The room waited with bated breath as Oyvo and Nakashri exchanged frustrated glances. Oyvo finally broke the silence with a sigh. “Unfortunately yes. The ambient subspace interference is stopping us from generating a stable warp field, we get a few seconds in and the field just collapses, and then all the nacelle coils need to be discharged and reset before we can try again.”

“A few seconds is better than nothing, can we not make a short jump?” Bahir questioned from the surface of the marshy planet. “Make it further out of the system and away from the interference?”

“How’s collated data suggests the subspace interference extends several lightyears outside of the system.” David mused. “We’d be bunny-hoping for months, assuming the interference doesn’t get worse.”

“And we don’t damage ourselves in the process,” Oyvo added. 

“The portal then?” Bib’s eyes were fixed on the simulation of the white-hot crack in the sky that slowly hovered holographically over the centre of the table, its jagged form smiling predatorily. 

“We do believe we can open the portal, Voyager’s data indicates a subspace field can widen the gap and allow access to Underspace. With main systems back online we can generate that, even if only for a few seconds. It’s not enough for warp but it’s enough to wedge the portal open.” Oyvo offered, summoning a projected model above the centre of the table where a miniature Helios slowly slipped between the toothy maw of the anomaly, protected by a flickering subspace field. 

“We would still be lost in the Underspace’s labyrinthine network,” Bahir stated, his holographic eyes narrowing as his attention was caught by something off-screen. 

“Now that short-range sensors are sort of back online thanks to the amazing work of Nakashri and her team.” David acknowledged with a nod, the weary Kelpian Chief Engineer slumped in her chair, quickly losing the battle with her sleep-filled eyelids. “We have found this.” The young man summoned a set of data over the holographic crack, dismissing the round form of Helios as a path of cloudy haze flowed out from the portal, reaching back into the distance towards the planet like an orange-tinged brick road. “Look familiar?”

The room remained silent, save for the beginnings of a gentle snore from Nakashri, who had lost the battle with consciousness. 

“It’s plasma, from the Badlands.” David smiled, his wide grin peeking out from his mess of a dark beard. “It seems we weren’t the only thing that got dragged through.”

“You think we could use it as a thread, to guide us back down the right path?” Anyok chirped, her holographic beak chattering quietly as the mote of hope. 

“I believe we can track it back down the Underspace yes. There is a time constraint as the plasma is dispersing, so we would need to move sooner rather than later.” David’s smile almost hummed, it had been no secret the young man was struggling with the idea of being so far from Federation space. 

“It would mean leaving any chance of further negotiations and development with the Kazon behind.” Bahir clarified, his brow furrowing in the direction of his miniature holographic representation of David on the surface of the planet.  

“Only in the short term, I’m sure someone could come back and pick it up, maybe even us, but we’re in no state to do that now and we might lose the route home.” Oyvo gulped audibly. “Without the plasma thread, we could easily get lost in the Underspace.”

All eyes, holographic or otherwise on the room turned towards the figure of Bib, seated at the head of the table.

Bib stroked his scruffy chin again, playing with the short hair in his fingers as he chewed his cheeks in contemplation. After a long moment, he returned his attention to the assembled officers, dismissing the holographic projection of the Underspace portal. “I think we have to take the portal, Oyvo’s right we can’t risk losing the thread but I assume we’ve got a bit of time to at least leave some supplies and a promise to return?” 

“I believe so…” David began before a chirp of his combadge interrupted the room. 

“Ensign How to Lieutenant Mitchell.”

“I’m almost finished How, can it wait?” David’s face suddenly flushed with embarrassment by the interruption.

“Unfortunately not, I’m transmitting data to your console now. We are quickly running out of time.” David’s eyes grew wide as the data began streaming in from the stellar cartography lab where the young Lutrinae officer spent his days. Massive spikes of exotic particles and radiation began filling the screen as the data from the newly repaired sensor systems began fluctuating wildly. 

“We’re seeing a massive tetryon buildup at the portal, it’s causing the aperture to lose cohesion. I estimate only an hour at most before it disappears.”

Bib stood from the table, suddenly filled with renewed energy. “It seems the decision has been made for us. Bahir, thank your hosts and return immediately. We’re leaving.”

“And if they ask where we are going?” Bahir asked, caught off guard by Bib’s sudden urgency. 

“We’re going home, hopefully, someone will be back to continue this conversation later.” The two holographic officers nodded their understanding before dissolving into the air. “Eyma set a direct course to the aperture, we’ll depart as soon as the away team are aboard, and start working with David on a way to follow this plasma string, it’s our only navigation tool. Oyvo, would you mind waking Nekashri, between you start to securing the ship and battening down the hatches, we don’t know how rough the journey is going to be.” 

A moment of motionless silence hovered in the room as the crew were stunned by the man’s unexpected decisiveness. 

“Let’s get going, we’ve got a labyrinth to get through!” Bib cried, causing the assembled officers to jump from their seats and begin about their tasks. “And let’s hope we don’t meet any minotaurs on the way.”