“Captain’s log stardate seven-eight-seven-five-eight point three two. After finding a Caatati ship disabled, we are providing aid to its crew and passengers. The Triton has moved on to help another one of their ships we picked up an hour ago.”

“Besides the damage they’ve sustained, the rest of their ship appears operational. Jayshon is already leading on repairs, while Sarella and Krizon are providing medical relief to the Caatati themselves.” Jirani reported as she passed a PADD to Reyas. 

The two women were in Reyas’ ready room. Reyas was standing behind her desk, and Jirani was opposite her. Taking the PADD, Reyas skimmed over the summary and listened to her first officer. “And they don’t know what hit them?”

Jirani shook her head as she shared what she had found out after leading the first away mission over to the Caatati ship. “No, they said they were cruising at warp seven, and then something knocked into them. Their sensors registered a high amount of gravitons and tetryons before the crash.”

“Any ideas on what it could be?” 

Jirani shrugged. “It’s no bigger than a one-person shuttlepod if that. But their sensors should have registered it before they collided with it.” 

“It could be nothing, something natural to this part of space. In the meantime, get Jonarom to look into it,” Reyas instructed. 

“He’s already on it with Ryan and Leanah,” Jirani replied. “They’re worried it could be a navigational anomaly.” 

“They’re a good team, those three,” Reyas said with a smile before she sat in her chair. SinShe went on to thank her first officer for the update. “Well, so far, our first mission is going well.”

“So far,” Jirani echoed with hesitation. “We still need to see if these Caatati will read the message we brought and return to Kovar with us.”

“Give them time to come to terms with what’s happened, and then we can ask them,” Reyas said. “How’s the crew getting along?” She gestured for Jirani to sit in the chair on the other side of her desk. 

Sitting down, Jirani nodded, showing her happiness with how the crew were moving forward together. “We’re still in the honeymoon period, but helping a distressed alien race on the far side of the galaxy should be enough to bring them further together as a team. I hope.”

“Good, just make sure you keep tabs on everyone. It’s a relatively young crew, with some being used to serving with others of a superior rank above them in a department,” Reyas advised.

Jirani nodded. “I am, and don’t worry, they’re doing a good job so far.”

Reyas realised she was being a bit of a mother hen to her new crew. “I’m sorry, Edeena; it’s not that I don’t trust you; it’s just the first set of jitters for me. I’ve normally had James closer by, and with me being away from my boys. It’s just a lot to get used to.”

“I understand, I’m feeling the same,” Jirani admitted. “As you said, we were used to having others around us make big decisions. Have you heard from Alfie?”

Reyas shook her head. “No, besides him moving into quarters with Jordan, nothing else.”

“Do you think they still think we don’t know about them two?” Jirani asked with a chuckle.

Reyas giggled, too, shaking her head in disbelief about her son’s attempt to hide his romance from them all. She found the whole thing amusing. “The fact they forgot we were keeping tabs on them during that field excursion and that I’m his mother is still entertaining. I can’t get over the fact that Alfie still thinks we haven’t picked up on anything. I tried to advise him, but I think he has done much growing up in the last few years and needs his own space and time to learn things for himself.”

 “I remember my first cadet fling,” Jirani admitted. “If Alfie and Jordan become serious, at least you know who his new in-laws will be.”

“Are we talking about Max and Tobias or that raging AI system that stranded me and others on its ark to look after its dead crew’s memories?” Reyas questioned lightheartedly. The memory of her, James, and most of the adult population of the Odyssey being kidnapped by an alien computer over a year ago was not one she wanted to revisit. 

“The former,” Jirani laughed. “At least they’re not the Borg Collective.”

“True,” Reyas agreed. “I am surprised; I genuinely thought Jordan would stick it out with Cadet Grant.”

“Beatrice?” Jirani asked. “Nah, she’s very high maintenance.”

 The two women chuckled. 

“Ah, to be young and in love!” Reyas swooned. 

The intercom then went off. “Jonarom to Captain Reyas.”

Tapping her combadge, Reyas replied to her chief science officer. “Go ahead, lieutenant.”

“Sorry to disturb you, ma’am, but we’ve got something to show you.”

“On my way,” Reyas replied as she led her and Jirani out of her office and back onto the bridge. As she stepped across the bridge, Reyas was starting to enjoy being in command of the Intrepid-class ship. Initially, she resented the idea of moving away from the Odyssey, but in the last few days since she took command and assembled her crew, she relished it all. 

“What do you have?” Reyas asked as she approached the science station where her young trio worked. They were all lieutenant junior grades and had been transferred from the Odyssey. In the centre of them was Jonarom, her chief science officer. She had seen him in action on the Odyssey while being its chief communication officer, but he had been the chief science officer here on the Bellerophon before the Dominion Lost Fleet invaded the Deneb Sector. After the Bellerophon had been significantly damaged during a battle, Jonarom was transferred to the Odyssey. While there, he helped Reyas train their cadets, and during that time, he showed her that he was better off leading a science department. When she was given the Bellerophon, Jonarom, Jirani, Corben, and Hilgan were among the few people she had asked to return to Bellerophon. Thankfully, they all said yes. 

Jonarom, sitting in the seat, spun around to face his captain. She knew he was doing his best to put his best foot forward for her. She appreciated it and understood why he was doing it. Before a former chief science officer herself, she knew the pressures of the job. 

“We know the Caatati didn’t encounter anything natural or a resident of this part of the galaxy,” Jonarom shared. “Our full analysis shows that they were cruising in normal conditions.”

“So what hit them?” Jirani questioned. 

“It didn’t hit them; they drove into it,” answered Chambers. Lieutenant (junior grade) Ryan Chambers stood just behind Jonarom’s chair. He was holding onto the back. The taller Human was the same age as Jonarom and was one of the finest pilots stationed on the Odyssey. He had just been an ensign when Reyas had offered him a promotion and a new posting. Leaning just over Jonarom’s shoulder, he tapped a button to bring up the sensor logs from the Caatati ship to show Reyas and Jirani. “It was an artificial object, set up to be undetectable. Their sensors wouldn’t have seen it,” Chambers shared as he pushed back a lock of his tousled style auburn hair. 

Chambers, though relatively young, knew his job. He brought confidence and cheekiness to it, which made everyone like him. His fair skin contrasted with his eyes, which were a piercing shade of green. Before Reyas could ask the young pilot what it was, he was already showing them the next piece of data. “Jonarom and I were able to piece together what we think the object looked like before it crashed into the Caatati ship; as you can see, it was a buoy.”

“We asked Leanah to analyse the energy signatures and hull composition,” Jonarom added, giving the operations officer a chance to speak. 

Lieutenant (junior grade) Leanah Mai had stood to Chambers’ left, the furthest away from the captain and first officer. Her arms crossed against her chest, and she lacked confidence, but as she pushed her long black hair behind her left ear, she appeared to bring some confidence back before speaking. “I am certain, ma’am, they hit a buoy created by the Cardassians.”

“The Cardassians?” Jirani echoed.

Reyas crossed her arms, too. “They’ve certainly been busy,” She muttered. “Can we work out what the buoy was for?”

Mai shook her head. “They had planted this one into subspace, and it was sending out low levels of tetryon particles.”

“Any speculation as to why tetryon?” Reyas asked Jonarom.

Jonarom shook his head. “I’m still trying to determine that, captain.”

“Now we know what it was; perhaps we should scan for others,” Jirani suggested. 

“Agreed,” Reyas said before praising the three senior officers before her. “Nice job to you all.”

The proximity alarm went off before they could thank her, and Jonarom looked down at his sensor readings to find out what was happening. “Umm, captain, we’ve got a Cardassian ship dropping out of warp close to us.”

“Class?” She asked.

“Galor-class,” He answered. 

Jirani and Reyas exchanged concerned looks with one another.

“I thought the three Cardassian ships we saw earlier with Odyssey were all Keldon-class?” Reyas checked.

“Apparently not,” Chambers said as he dashed across the bridge towards the helm. 

Heading back to their own posts, everyone took up their stations as their guests slowly approached them. 

Kurnath, the ship’s chief security and tactical officer, spoke up with his deep Klingon voice. “Captain, the Cardassisns have their shields up and weapons fully charged.”

Appreciating Kurnath’s calm and relaxed reaction to that, Reyas (before she sat in her chair) told him to do the same for them. “Charge phaser and load all torpedo tubes.”

“Captain, they’re hailing us,” Mai announced after she had returned to the operations station.

Reyas sat comfortably in her chair with Jirani to her left. She crossed her right leg over her left and placed both hands on the arms of her chair. Once she calmed herself, she told Mai to signal to Triton and the others that they may need a backup before ordering her to open a channel for their new arrival. 

The viewscreen flickered from the image of the approaching Cardassian ship to that of a Cardassian Gul sitting on her bridge. “I am Gul Karinas of the Bralek. What are your intentions?”

Not flinching or showing concern, Reyas replied smoothly. “I’m Captain Karyn Reyas of the Federation starship Bellerophon; I could ask the same of you, Gul Karinas.”

“We are here conducting scientific research,” Karinas eventually replied after smirking at her Federation counterpart.

“That’s funny that you should say that, as I am doing the same thing while helping these poor Caatati,” Reyas replied, keeping her sarcasm low. “They appear to have run into something that belongs to the Cardassian Union.”

“What is it?” Karinas demanded.

“A buoy of some kind, it was heavily hidden and was emitting tetryon particles. I’m curious to know Gul Karinas. What type of research are you undertaking?” Reyas asked sweetly. 

“It is of no concern to you, but if these Caatati have destroyed our property intentionally, then-”

Reyas interrupted immediately. “No, gul, they didn’t destroy your property intentionally. They were cruising at warp when they collided with it.”

Karinas studied Reya for a moment. “We will expect compensation.”

“Compensation? What for?” Jirani shot back. “These people have been devastated by the Borg and have lost everything. You expect them for your mistake in plating something in their home quadrant without any disregard of warning any travellers.”

“They should have better deflector technology. I expect repayment for our equipment, or we will take it by force,” Karinas warned.

“Lieutenant Mai, tell the Triton and other ships in the squadron we need them and to come in weapons hot,” Reyas ordered before returning her focus to the rude Cardassian on her viewscreen. “You try and take anything from them, then we will defend them.”

“You have no jurisdiction here, captain,” Karinas stated.

“Neither do you,” Reyas said before looking over her right shoulder. “Lieutenant Kurath, load a full spread of high-yield torpedoes on the Bralek’s engines, standby to fire on my command.”

“With pleasure, captain,” Kurath answered.

Reyas focussed back on Karinas, “Shall we dance, Gul Karinas?”