“All ships report ready, sir,” Dalen announced confidently from the ops station, her voice indicating thorough preparation and a hint of pride. Though she had only taken on the position with less than twenty-four hours’ notice, she (and the others) had quickly transferred to the Odyssey and were quickly acclimatising. 

“Helm standing by, captain,” Paynkor reported from the helm, his tone tinged with the excitement of the impending adventure. The former academy flight instructor appeared to be sitting comfortably in the pilot’s seat. After meeting with Duncan, he jumped at the chance to join the Odyssey. The captain had reviewed his service record and was more than happy to bring someone else who was more than qualified and experienced. 

Taking a deep breath, Duncan looked at his first officer and grinned. This was it. This was the start of their journey.

Hunsen returned the same expression, eyes sparkling with shared anticipation, and gave out the next set of orders. “Prepare for departure, everyone. Helm, set a course for the underspace aperture. Engineering, stand by for warp speed.”

“Commander Reddick, are we all connected regarding shared sensor telemetry?” Duncan asked his new chief science officer, his voice calm but charged with the weight of responsibility.

Looking up from the science station, Reddick nodded in affirmation. “Confirmed, sir. The squadron’s sensors are harmonised, granting absolute vision of what all will behold. We will keep a running record as we enter the underspace aperture.” Reddick’s enthusiasm was laced in her tone. Again, like the other two, she had moved her entire world to be with them on the Odyssey in less than a day. Her cadets had also moved in too.  

“Bridge to engineering, status report,” Duncan asked next after tapping his combadge.

“All systems are ready to go, captain,” replied Tierra. “I’ve reinforced the shielding with the main deflector, just in case we encounter any unknown debris in the corridor.”

“Excellent,” Duncan said as he sat in the centre of the Odyssey’s bridge. As he did, the turbolift doors opened, and McCallister walked out, his presence commanding and reassuring.

“Commodore on the bridge,” announced Keli from the security station.

McCallister waved off the formality with a casual yet authoritative gesture as he walked over to stand behind Duncan’s seat. “Open a channel to the squadron,” he ordered.

Though this was no longer his bridge, McCallister still commanded the squadron and the mission. Duncan knew that it may take some time to get used to these changes, but he had no issues with it. 

“Channel open, sir,” Dalen stated crisply.

“This is Commodore McCallister to all ships; we’re about to mark history as the first group of Starfleet ships to enter this area of the Delta Quadrant since Voyager travelled through it. We need to make a good impression. Stay close, and let’s get through the next phase together. McCallister out.” He nodded to the Bajoran at ops to cut the channel. He looked over at Duncan. “The show is all yours, captain.”

“Thank you, sir,” Duncan replied, appreciating the commodore’s gesture before looking at his helm officer. “Let’s get underway, Commander Paynkor. Take us out, full impulse.”

The Odyssey gracefully detached from the space station, its sleek hull gliding effortlessly away from Deep Space Nineteen. The remaining squadron maintained precise formation as they followed.

“Approaching the aperture, sir,” Paynkor announced, his voice steady yet filled with anticipation.

“Take us in,” Duncan ordered.

Moving in a tight formation, the Odyssey Squadron entered the underspace corridor. The stars blurred around them as they slipped into the mysterious realm and disappeared from the Kovar system. The journey had begun, and the Delta Quadrant awaited them.

Sitting alone at a table in the auditorium, Dalen held a steaming glass of Deka Tea in one hand while glancing over a ship status report displayed on her PADD. She methodically worked through her hasperat, the spicy Bajoran dish providing a comforting warmth. Her focus was solely on her lunch and the report, tuning out the surrounding buzz of the room.

“Commander, may I join you?”

Dalen looked up to see Reddick standing before her with a tray in hand. “Sure, go right ahead,” she said, gesturing to the seat opposite.

“Thank you,” Reddick replied with a warm smile. “I hope you don’t mind the intrusion, but I was hoping us new maidens could stick together.”

Dalen felt slightly awkward at Reddick’s choice of words but decided not to comment on it.

“How are you settling in, Commander?” Reddick asked as she unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite.

“Fine, thank you,” Dalen responded, trying to keep the conversation polite and brief.

“Yeah, it certainly feels like we’ve been thrown into the deep end with all of this,” Reddick remarked. “But have you seen the huge lagoon?”

“Lagoon?” Dalen echoed, puzzled by the term.

“Sorry, I meant pool,” Reddick corrected herself with a sheepish grin.

“You’re Hysperian,” Dalen noted, the realisation dawning on her.

Reddick chuckled as she finished her mouthful. “What gave me away?”

“The odd use of noble language,” Dalen answered.

“Cursed by my own enchantment,” Reddick said with a playful sigh. “I noticed you don’t wear your earring.”

Dalen smirked, not really wanting to get into a long, drawn-out discussion about her heritage. “I don’t believe in the Prophets.”

The ship-wide intercom crackled to life before Reddick could respond or Dalen could say no more.

“All hands, standby to enter normal space. Senior staff, report to your stations,” announced Hunsen.

“No rest for the wicked,” Reddick said as both women stood up from the table. As they started to head towards the auditorium’s exit, Reddick turned to Dalen. “So, Commander, what do you do for amusement?”

Dalen sighed inwardly; she just wanted to get back to work. “Not much, Commander. I like to focus on my work,” she answered as they made their way to the nearest turbolift, her mind already shifting back to the tasks ahead.

McCallister stood at the aft compartment of the bridge alongside Tomaz and Flemen, reviewing the last sets of reports from Starfleet Intelligence about the area they were about to enter.

“The Srivani are going to be the most difficult to deal with,” Tomaz stated from their discussion. “We’ve already adapted our sensors to detect their cloaks and phase variances. However, I’m concerned that these adaptations Voyager made will not be enough.”

“Like everything else, we are using information that is over a quarter of a century old,” Flemen stated. “I’m not so keen on having them placing hot needles in my brain or ageing me.”

“Another reason why I want the squadron working in pairs or a trio is so we can support one another in case we ever have to deal with something like this,” McCallister stated.

“The Bo’mar Sovereignty is going to be one of our biggest barriers,” Flemen commented.

“Yeah, Captain Seven’s little intrusion into their space would have left a bitter taste,” Tomaz stated. 

“Talk to me about the Krenim,” McCallister said. “Bexa thinks they’re worth a shot after she and Taes had saved their colony.”

Flemen pressed a button on the display he was at, and the map of the Kremin Imperium appeared on the screen. “From what we know, their space was under conflict.” With his finger, he circled the area. ” The Krenim have a number of issues with their neighbours, including the Zahl, the Rilner, and the Alsurans.” 

“Great, anyone want to hold a peace summit?” Tomaz suggested.

“Commodore,” Duncan said as he approached the aft section. “We’re about to drop out of the corridor.”

McCallister thanked Duncan before he looked back at Flemen and Tomaz. “Gentlemen, let’s start out small. Go through the database one more time, and give me a list of those governments that Voyager met and left with cordial relationships. I know there are not many, but let’s make some inroads there, especially as-”

“Oh shit!” Duncan grumbled from behind McCallister, interrupting him mid-sentence.

McCallister was shocked to hear Duncan swear, but as he turned himself around, he saw what the new captain of the Odyssey was cursing. 

On the main screen before them was the one thing they were not expecting. A force of Cardassian ships all waiting for them. 

Keli spoke up, looking at McCallister, “Sir, that’s the-”

“Jorrene,” McCallister finished. Straight away, he recognised the hull markings of the ships that had helped them during the Dominion Lost Fleet invasion. “Gul Jacet’s ship.”

“Why on Earth are the Cardassians here?” Duncan asked.

“That’s a good question, Max,” McCallister said.

“Sirs, those ships have raised their shields and are charging their weapons,” Keli announced. 

Duncan didn’t hesitate. “Red alert!”