The Cardassian ships at the aperture hadn’t made the situation calmer at all.

In fact, their arrival and their immediate demands, causing the collapse of Mac’s carefully hashed together ruse, had elevated the situation from a mere stand off to a much deadlier Mexican Standoff. One where Mac was increasingly wondering just how long it would be before either the Breen or the Cardassians realised he was holding them up with menacing talk and finger guns versus any actual bargaining power.

“Well, at least we’ve managed to get them to agree to talk,” Captain Martin Stenz said, sitting opposite Mac in the briefing room aboard Republic. “But tell me we’re using something like your captain’s mess or the such? I don’t like the idea of either the Breen or the Cardassians being a mere door away from Repubic’s bridge.”

“The formal captain’s mess?” Mac asked for clarification. “Cripes, I’ve had dinner in there like…twice now?”

“I’ll have it prepared,” came a soft voice in response. Revin had sat herself in the shadow of her partner when Stenz had come aboard, remembering she was actually just a crewmember and not the Subcommander she was pretending to be. “Shouldn’t take long.”

“No, you won’t,” Sidda responded, turning away from Mac and Stenz to Revin. “You’re playing a role, remember? I won’t have you flustered preparing for guests.” Then she turned back to Mac. “Not to worry, boss. Trid and I will get it sorted.”

“Very good Commander,” he answered and Sidda was on her feet, a hand draping along Revin’s shoulder for a moment longer than was strictly necessary, and she was off, leaving Revin in a room with two starship captains.

“You know, if the Republic hears about this,” Stenz said, having waited for Sidda to leave before nodding his head at Revin, “there could be some diplomatic blowback for you. And plenty for her.”

“They can bite me,” Mac answered, then winced slightly when he remembered who he was talking to – an old Academy instructor. “I mean to say –”

“You said exactly what you meant,” Stenz interrupted with a broad smile. “I wasn’t trying to warn you off, just highlighting a problem. It’s still a clever ruse and I actually do like it. But you should be ready for any potential problems in the future.” He then turned to Revin. “Crewman th’Ven-Sadovu, I’ve known more than a few Romulan officers in my time. Your very short conversation with the Breen was, in my estimation, spot on.”

Revin’s smile threatened to blind both older men as it encompassed her whole face. “Thank you, sir,” she answered. “Though in truth, I was playing to a few bad stereotypes I could think of.”

“Oh, she is bubbly,” Stenz said with a snort to Mac. “So, when are we expecting our guests?”

The answer of fifteen minutes turned into twenty minutes before Gul Dremel and her entourage beamed over from the Vetal. And after a brief round of introductions, silenced settled over the captain’s mess as the Cardassians refused to engage in anything approaching small talk.

Gul Darket was about Mac’s age, maybe a few years either side. She was in the younger generation of command officers, even in a post-war Central Command. But the information Sidda had sourced from Commodore Kravchik had been lacking on just which side of the political aisle the woman sat.

What the intelligence report had to say about their even later guest, Thot Ren, could be summed up as ‘murderous, slaving pirate’ and was filled more with how he operates to help anyone build up a decent counter-plan. It highlighted stubbornness in the face of adversity up to a point before noting, in typical Vulcan charm ‘a propensity for disengagement and expedited retreat in the face of overwhelming adversity’.

Five minutes of silence, of uncomfortably staring at Darket, or at the wall behind her, before the door hissed open to admit Thot Ren, dutifully escorted by Sidda, who guided the hulking Breen in his beige environment suit to the seat nearest the door. It put him in direct opposition to Revin, who was keeping a remarkably passive expression, the long sides of the table taken up by Mac and Stenz on one side, the Cardassians on the other.

Then again, only the one Breen had come over and with their suits, Mac could be dealing with Thot Ren, or a look-a-like for all he knew.

“Right, well, we’re all here now, we’ve all had our pieces to say over subspace, so I think we can skip introductions, yes? Save for Captain Stenz here, captain of the Sagan.” Mac’s breaking of the silence seemed to be a signal for Darket to suddenly become animated again as she nodded in understanding. “We’re all at a bit of a crossroads regarding the portal, and I’m hoping we can come to some sort of agreement without resorting to violence.”

“Where is Fleet Captain Theodoras?” Darket asked suddenly.

“She is currently with two of our ships exploring the aperture and where it might lead to,” Mac answered. “We’re monitoring the aperture from this side with some colleagues from the Romulan Republic and awaiting the Fleet Captain’s return.”

“Then unfortunately, wherever she is, she’ll have to make her way back the slow way,” Darket continued. “I have strict orders from Central Command to close the aperture immediately. I came here merely as a curtesy to let you all decide to retreat.”

Technological screeching emitted from the Breen, who otherwise sat impassively. “We will not allow the Cardassians to seize the portal,” the universal translator eventually caught up. “It belongs to the Breen.”

“Here we go again,” Stenz muttered in Mac’s ear under the guise of whispering advice in his ear.

“Is the Confederacy extending a formal claim over this region of space?” Mac asked. “Because the Tzenkethi might have something to say about. The Federation as well.”

“The Union doesn’t care, so long as we close the Underspace entrance immediately.” Darket shook her head. “Come now Commander MacIntyre, you’ve –”

“Captain,” Mac interrupted.

“Pardon?”

“Captain MacIntyre.” He starred right at her as he corrected her. The slip was telling, but he couldn’t figure out what it meant right now. Something to file away for later.

“Captain MacIntyre,” Darket restarted. “You’ve seen the risk this portal presents. Let us close it for the safety of the region. Without it, the Breen have little reason to extend a claim.”

“And without it, my people won’t be able to return here.”

“Not my concern,” Darket answered.

“Surrender the portal to the Confederacy,” Thot Ren’s translator started barking out, “and we will graciously allow your ships to return to you unmolested when they return.”

“Oh, you can’t seriously be entertaining such a ridiculous claim,” Darket barked out. “This creature takes slaves and murders innocents for fun. You’ll never see your ships again. At least my offer you know they’re stranded somewhere else, not slaves to the Breen.”

“Well, the way I see it,” Stenz said, using his practised teacher’s voice to be heard and stop the conversation. It even seemed to translate somehow for the Breen. “You can’t seize the portal without us,” he pointed to Ren. “And you can’t push the Breen out of the way to do whatever you want to do without us either,” pointing at Darket.

“And whichever side acts first has to contend with the fact that we will favour the defender first,” Mac added.

Revin then leaned forward, a few eyes turning at the motion of the Romulan at the table. “And then you’re in a standoff with Starfleet and the Republic Navy, to which I can assure you, my ships will be entering into fresh.”

“I shall simply call in more reinforcements,” Darket declared. “Enough to force the matter.”

“Most of a standard day away, at top speed, yes?” Revin challenged. “Should hopefully be long enough for the Breen to do exactly the same, yes, Thot Ren?”

“Reinforcements are already en route,” the Breen answered.

“Marvelous. As always, never trust a Breen.” Revin sighed, shook her head and sat back in her chair. “So, whoever arrives first upsets the balance of power and wins. How dull.”

Darket whispered in one of her subordinate’s ear, who was immediately tapping away into a padd they had with them, likely sending orders to get Cardassian reinforcements underway.

The race was on.

“Well, since we’re seemingly in a race then, and I would dearly like to avoid some sort of misunderstanding until the situation changes, perhaps we could agree at least on keeping our distances so as to avoid a misunderstanding?” Mac took in a deep breath, preparing himself for this next part. “Starfleet will monitor the aperture and prevent either Gul Darket closing it, or Thot Ren from seizing control.”

“I don’t like this,” Darket answered. “But it’s acceptable to –  ”

“Lieutenant Jenu to Captain MacIntyre,” Trid’s voice emitted from Mac’s commbadge suddenly, her words fast, urgent. “The aperture is doing something, sir.”

“Define something, Lieutenant.”

“Lake here, sir,” came a new voice in the conversation. “Neutrino emissions have increased, tachyons too. I’d say something is on its way. In fact…the aperture is opening.”

“Put it through down here,” Mac ordered. And quickly enough, a hologram snapped into being above the table, giving the same image as what those on the bridge would be seeing.

The orange-brown portal was expanding from the angry wound it had been this whole time to something much larger. And this time traced with flecks of red lightning. Blinding white light spilled from the centre before being masked by something growing, pushing through from the otherside of the dimensional barrier that separated real space from Underspace.

Slowly the leading edge of the saucer of a Galaxy-class cruiser could be made out, growing until the neck started to emerge, leading to the blue and brown deflector dish, the red bulbs of the nacelles and eventually the entirety of the USS Perseus was once more amongst their numbers.

“What Starfleet trickery is this?” Thot Ren demanded.

“We told you our ships had gone through,” Stenz answered. “We were waiting for their return.”

“Lies! That is a Galaxy-class starship. We know Starfleet recently defeated a Borg cube with just one of those ships. This is a provocation against the Confederacy! Are were coordinating its delivery to this region.”

Both Mac and Stenz turned to each other, a little taken back at that declaration. It was more than a little unhinged and yes, at face value, that was what happened recently over Jupiter. With a few key facts missing, mind you. But both men seemed to work on the same wavelength here, a single nod before they went to play that angle.

Only they were too late.

“Indeed,” Revin said. “If Starfleet is deploying one of their rare and newly refitted anti-Borg starships to the region, I do wonder what that could imply? After all, they wouldn’t need such a powerful vessel for the likes of the Confederacy.”

That, Mac had to admit, was a better bluff. And scarier too.

Would it work? Likely not for long, but he didn’t need long.

 And just as he was about to add to Revin’s comment to play for more time, another shape started to emerge from the portal – USS Atlantis.

“Fleet Captain Theodoras is requesting an update and direction on the current situation,” Lake asked from the bridge. “What should I tell her, sir?”

Mac smiled. Chuckled to himself and then stood up, staring at Darket for a moment, then glanced at Ren briefly. “Tell the Fleet Captain that we’re just seeing some guests off the ship, then we’re departing.”

“You can’t be serious?” Darket snapped. “Your ships are back; you should assist us in closing the portal.”

“Actually Gul, I’m just going to do what you first demanded – offering no resistance to Cardassian military operations. Now, if you wanted to study the portal, I’m sure we can come to an agreement. If, and only if, you agree to leave it alone.”

Darket starred back at him, her eyes narrowing. “I have my orders. The portal must be closed.”

“Then, for your sake, I hope your reinforcements arrive before the Breens do.” He then turned to Thot Ren. “Get off my ship.”

He had to give the Breen points for understanding when nothing else was needed to be said. Ren just stood, turned around and followed Sidda out of the room without a word. Darket and her people where soon escorted out of the room.

“Well,” Stenz said after the doors closed, “timing on that was perfect.”

“Tell me about it,” Mac responded. “I need a drink.”

“You and me both,” Stenz said as he clapped a hand on Mac’s shoulder. “Where’s the bar on this boat of yours?”

“If the good captains would follow me,” Revin said as she stood, blinking a few times, then opening and closing alternating eyes for reasons Mac couldn’t place. “I understand the barkeep just got finished playing pretend.”

“Wait, you’re in Services?” Stenz asked in surprise. “Oh, this is better and better. I have to know more!”

“Ask away,” Revin said as she walked down the length of the table opposite the two men. “But first, the Pnyx is only a short walk away.”