Taking a deep breath, Sazra sits in the waiting room in her new and fresh uniform. She had requested some time with Captain Takato, but it was a hectic time for her. Sazra had gotten the most recent news of everything that had happened since she got trapped in the underspace. These apertures had appeared across Federation space, and luckily, the Polaris Squadron intervened even if a planet had lost its trajectory. Sazra had only briefly met one of the ships during Lost Fleet. She leaned back on the couch as she waited. The under space had been spreading in Federation space and appeared in other locations such as the Klingon Empire, Romulan Republic, Devore Imperium, and Cardassian Union, if not more. 

The last one was troubled. The Cardassian Union seemed to dislike the idea of people entering their space without permission through these new travel corridors. “Destabilizing the under space….typical,” Sazra shook her head in disbelief as she talked softly. 

“Captain Kobahl, you may enter the office,” the secretary announced. Do you wish something to drink?” 

Sazra stood up, straightened out her jacket, walked to the door, and shook her head. “No, but thank you for your kind offer.” She smiled at her and entered the office, seeing her boss looking at a PADD. However, her desk was a mess with PADDs, and she stopped before it. “Captain Kobahl reporting,” 

“Ahh, well, you are not reporting in but visiting. You requested the meeting, dear.” Ryoko looked up from her PADD and waved to the seat before her. “I am sorry for responding so late to your request, but I have been….well occupied is the understatement of the year.” 

Sitting down, per the offer, “Thank you for seeing me in such a chaotic time; how is 86 doing right now?” Sazra wanted to break the ice a bit. But she also wanted to know the current situation of the task force she had been serving for almost a year. 

Placing the PADD onto the table, “formal, it is a shitshow, not so formal, is a shitshow” Ryoko tried her best to formalize the words for what had happened for the last couple of weeks. “I got ships disappearing, stations dealing with other quadrant species, and lots of questions and no answers to be given.” She looked at Sazra. “So, how is the Mariner doing? I am sorry, by the way, for the losses you endured during this event."

“Much appreciated, Captain. The Mariner is currently in docks, and an assessment is being made as we speak about her condition. I hope Starfleet Corps Engineers can fix her. After all, she deserves to be among the stars, not caught in the web of a Starbase dock.” She smiled softly. 

Taking a deep breath and leaning back in her chair, she said, “That is good. But that is not what you are here for. Spill it, Sazra. What do you want?" Ryoko searched Sazra's behavior for a hint of what might be coming. 

A small chuckle came from Sazra as she sat straight in her chair while looking around, trying to formulate the words herself. “You have received the station medical officer's report on my condition.” Sazra felt a surge of sadness in her voice. “I am here to discuss those findings and my future with Starfleet.” 

Ryoko took a deep breath and nodded in her direction. “I have seen the report pass my desk; I still have it somewhere here.” She looked around her desk and stopped, looking back at Sazra. “I know what you are thinking, you wish to resign your position and rank from Starfleet and retire? It is sensible to do in your position, but your medical situation puts you in a concerning position.” 

She felt like she had hit a brick wall; confirming what she wanted to talk about and telling it herself were two different things. Sazra nods to Ryoko. “That would be a correct take on the situation and why I am here.” Now that formality was out of the way, she needed to follow procedure. Her codes are inactive, and she turns in her Starfleet equipment and clothing. What kind of life as a civilian would she be accepted in these days?

“Denied” 

Her mind broke from the thoughts, and she looked at Ryoko, who looked rather calm. “Denied? What do you mean, Captain? You have read the situation. I am unable to travel on a ship. If I get caught in a situation such as what happened in Delta Quadrant or now in underspace, I could die.” Sazra had no idea what Ryoko was thinking about the given situation. Why did she deny this request? There was a part of her relief to hear her boss say this, but it didn't make much sense. 

Looking among the PADD's, Ryoko started to say, “You are completely right in your perception of the situation. You are unable to travel a ship as the chance that you will be dragged into a highly stressful situation would escalate your condition, and you might get another heart attack. This something no one wants.” She looked at PADD and pulled it out of the tower of PADDs. “But given the situation that you are deadly aware of, we are in a shortage of seasoned command officers, so I need to look for different options.” 

“So….I am offering you an alternative option that might keep you within Starfleet.” She reaches out to the PADD at Sazra's direction, who takes it from her. “This is Hecate Station, a Copernicus-class located below the Betreka Nebula near the Klingon borders. It's been in service since 2388 and has been the pinnacle of trading and diplomacy towards the Klingon Empire. It has a secondary role as a patrol base of operation for the area” Ryoko stabilizes the tower of PADD"s. 

Scanning the data on the PADD, Sazra looked up from it and at Ryoko. “You want me to command a station?” 

Ryoko gave a brief nod to that question: “There are some strings to it, but seeing the situation with the empire being on the verge of civil war, I need a strong, experienced Captain there who knows what they are doing.” Ryoko smiled softly at Sazra. “You will not be traveling, so that solves the issue of your medical condition, will it not?” 

“I don't have any experience with running a station. How many souls are on this?!” Sazra was scanning the information before her on the PADD. 

Thinking briefly, “I think it was about two thousand people who serve in such a class. It is a key location, so a certain degree of value is attached to it.” Ryoko leans forward onto the table. “Do not underestimate yourself, Captain. You had done great things when you left the academy, survived the Blood Dilithium Operation, the Lost Fleet, and now the underspace. You are more able to command this.” She shrugs a bit. “There is a but to this, I will elevate you to division commander again.” 

“Again?” Sazra vaguely remembered the first attempt, something about the USS Tokyo.

Taking a second for this, “The original draft was to have the USS Tokyo and the USS Mariner be combined as a division where you would lead and do your exploration while the Tokyo had your back in Delta Quadrant,” Ryoko shrugged a bit. “However, the Borg situation kinda throws a hissy fit in that plan. The Tokyo crew has been disbanded due to legal issues, and I am combining them with the Hecate Station and a new ship that I will announce soon. Paperwork is a drama…” The last bit Ryoko muttered to herself, “Basically, what I am saying is that Commander Ruslanovna can no longer ignore the call. She has to step up her game."

There was a lot of news being processed before her. She was going to stay in command, and her girlfriend would remain with her, but command a ship of her own? “What about Mariner?” 

“Mariner needs fixing. As you said earlier, the estimation will be roughly a few weeks, if not months. The warp cell needs to be replaced and reinforced, and it will most likely receive a new Captain. I know how much you are attached to her, but this is truly for the best," Ryoko reassured Sazra in the matter. “Alright, let's do this; I will let you think about this….you choose….take command of Hecate Station or retire from Starfleet. Both answers I accept, but I want you to think about it.” Reaching out a hand.

Sazra grabbed Ryoko hand and shook it standing up “Thank you for giving me the space to think about it….I do need that,” She bluntly pointed out.

“I understand; you are dismissed, Captain.” With that said, Ryoko saw Sazra leave the office as she took a deep breath and looked at the PADDs, grabbing one of them. “USS Jaxartes….what adventures have you been doing lately.” She started to read.