“Captain Drake, it’s nice to finally talk to you,” Nitus said to her.

“I’d say welcome to the Archanis Sector, except that you’ve already been quite busy getting to know the place,” Captain Elsie Drake replied with a smile. The diligent deputy commander of sector operations had been tracking the California class utility cruiser’s movements ever since the Paramount arrived in her AO, just like she did every asset in the region. “We appreciate your assistance with recalibration of the border sensor arrays. It may not be glamorous work, but it is necessary now more than ever.” Especially, she thought to herself, since Toral had taken power across the border. The Empire wasn’t as it had been before. “I gather this isn’t a social call though. What can I do for you?” 

“We find ourselves in a bit of a pickle,” Nitus replied, her expression serious. “We received a distress signal from the Orion vessel Viridian’s Grace. When we arrived at the location, we found a civilian-owned K’t’inga-class vessel a mere AU from the border. Battle damage was evident across its hull, it was leaking plasma and its warp core was failing but we’ve managed to stabilize it. Some of the Viridian’s Grace crew was hurt due to the plasma leak, but we’ve managed to patch them up, and they are undergoing a final check before we let them go.”

“Do you have any idea of what they were doing out there?” Captain Drake asked. The proximity of a heavily damaged Orion ship so close to the complicated border made her wary.

“No, ma’am,” Nitus responded. “They have been highly sensitive about the contents of their cargo hold. So we can only assume that it must have been some kind of deal gone wrong.” The Half-Romulan realized that there may very well be an illegal trade of goods across the border. Which couldn’t be good for future encounters with the Empire and with the recent events in the Empire’s political system this could be bad for the Federation and its Romulan allies.

As the Commander spoke, Captain Drake used the PADD on her desk to search the Federation Mercantile Service’s database for data related to the Viridian’s Grace. There was nothing in the logs whatsoever that explained its present whereabouts. Whatever it was up to was off the books.

“I’m going to be frank with you, Commander,” Captain Drake replied. “Given what you’ve reported, and the recent issues we’ve had with smugglers looking to exploit the unstable situation, I’m not inclined to just let them go on their way without some answers. Hold them there. Come up with an innocuous excuse as to why, while you dig a little deeper. I’m also going to dispatch the USS Lincoln to assist. Captain Cayde is less than a day from your present position.” Nitus was by no means an inexperienced commander, her experience stretching back to the Dominion War, but these were Cassidy Cayde’s borderlands. He knew them better than anyone, having been here since long before the recent Archanis scale up, and she figured it’d be good to have his presence alongside the Paramount if there was more at play.

“Understood Captain,” Nitus said. She was pleased she would be getting reinforcements, and a Gagarin-class, at that, would be of great help if something turned up. “I’ll have Commander Blix come up with some medical reason to hold the crew and have Commander Davidson find something wrong with the ship.”

Captain Drake nodded, appreciating that her colleague understood the assignment. “Toe carefully Commander. The Klingon border is not as it once was.”

“Understood ma’am. We will keep you posted if anything comes up. Paramount out,” she said as she ended the conversation with her superior. Stood from the desk and walked over to the large panoramic window looking out to the space beyond. Tapping her combade she spoke, “Nitus to Davidson and Blix.”

They both responded at the same time. “Come to the ready room. The three of us need to talk,” she said as she walked over to the sofa against the wall and sat down. They both acknowledged her request and then ended the comms link.

“Captain Drake has ordered us to hold the Viridian’s Grace here. So I need you too,” Nitus said looking at Cada then Zahir. “To find some medical reason to hold the crew and some engineering reason to hold the ship. The sector has had issues with smugglers that have been exploiting the unstable situation in the region. The USS Lincoln has been dispatched with a seasoned borderlands commander to provide help while we hold them here so we can investigate what happened.”

Both Zahir and Cada nodded looking at each other as they both smirked. Cada stood up, saying, “One of the crew members has some kind of particle or something in their blood that doesn’t seem right. It might have something to do with the plasma. I may need to hold them for a few days.”

“The EPS distribution on the ship is messing up one wrong move and the whole system could go down. I need to get back over to oversee repairs,” Zahir said as she looked at Cada smirking before she turned to Nitus, her smirk dropping as she spoke. Nitus chuckled softly at the fact her subordinates understood the assignment. “Well I wouldn’t want to hold you from your very important work,” she said smirking as they both left the ready room greeting Tsoni and as the Half-Vulcan Officer stepped into the room after them.

“Yes, Number one. What is it?” Nitus asked as she sat down still smirking at the little exchange from before.

“Do we have new orders, Commander?” T’Soni asked as she stood behind one of the chairs opposite of the desk. Nitus gestured for her to sit down.

“Yes… and no. We have been ordered by Captain Drake to hold the Viridian’s Grace here. While we investigate what happened and what they are doing out here so close to the border,” Nitus said as she sat back in her chair.

“So basically the same thing you ordered us to do?” T’Soni questioned. She understood the tumultuous landscape of the border as of recent but she wondered if somehow what they are doing is illegal.

“Essentially, the USS Lincoln is less than a day from us and had already been dispatched to provide assistance,” Nitus said as she stood from her desk walking to the other-side. “T’Soni, something is off with this you must see that.”

“Commander, I do agree that something is definitely not right with what is going on here. But I’m concerned are actions may be illegal,” T’Soni said looking to Nitus. Her eyes carried a message that wasn’t spoken but could be heard. Nitus sighed as she looked to the floor. She understood what her first officer was meaning but she needed to know what was happening. The border is already a powerkeg its only a matter of time before it blows.

“I understand, Number one,” Nitus said her voice low shuddering ever so slightly as she spoke. “But you have your orders. I will how ever voice your concerns with Captain Drake the next time we talk.”

T’Soni stood from her chair nodding to Nitus as a sign of respect as she left the room. Just as she reached the doors she turned back to Nitus. “I don’t think he is involved,” she said before turning and leaving the room.

Nitus looked up to where T’Soni just existed. Her words lingering in the air. How could she tell Nitus asked her self. She hadn’t heard anything about her brother or Crimson Fleet since they encountered them all those months ago. Every mission she was sent on she hoped it would her to figure out what was he doing? Where are her other siblings? Where is her father? But hearing those words she had to forget about all of that. He was somewhere doing something and if they crossed paths again she had to remember. She is a Starfleet officer first.