Sadie Fowler swallowed hard as the feelings inside her agreed, “That’s it, captain.”  Lieutenant William Prentice slowed the Douglas down as they slid closer to the third planet in the system.  Fowler stood behind him, her face awash in her emotions on top of Vocast’s.  Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she fought to control the torrent of emotions erupting within her.

Dread stared at the planet.  It had taken most of the day to use Fowler as a temperature gauge to know where to go, and she wasn’t looking forward to the requisite digging they would have to do.  She asked, “Report, Mr. Shaw.”  Ensign Jake Shaw had slid over to science to assist Sadie.

He read the data, “Breathable atmosphere – reading multiple ruins across the planet in various stages of decay.”  He paused as he worked the console to come up with a number, “We’re looking at three sites that the computer can see.  Prelim data suggests the planet’s infrastructure is over a thousand years old.”  He paused.  Something on the sensors wasn’t making sense.

Dread turned in her chair, “Mr. Shaw?”

Jake struggled to make sense of the data, “Captain, we’re getting readings consistent with an El-Aurian settlement in at least one of the ruin sites…but the other two are unknown.”  He adjusted the sensors, hoping there was at least a clue to the the two sites origins.  “Computer is coming up with an amalgamation of other species on the remaining sites…but the computer’s confidence in the various scenarios isn’t much beyond what I’d call hazarding a guess…sir.”

Helena motioned to Fowler, “I need your eyes, Lieutenant.”  

Sadie gathered herself and returned to her station, searching the screens for answers.  “Ensign Shaw wasn’t too far off base, captain.  The certainty on the one is 95.5%.  The other two…,”  she toggled the sensor readings with the cameras she activated, zooming in on the sites as she went, “I can see why it would confuse the computer.  The other two sites have architecture and design consistent with species we know…to a point.  They’re combined with other settlement architecture that we haven’t seen.  I can’t begin to hypothesize what this means until we get down there and start investigating.”

Dread drummed her fingers on the armrest, “Full sensor and probe work up on each site – I want to know everything we can know.  Mr. Shaw, get me Captain Pantuso on the Dragonfly in my ready room.”  She stood, “Fowler – you have the CONN.”

“You’re serious, Helena.”  Alexandra Pantuso was on the monitor in Dread’s ready room, a look of amusement and curiosity playing across her face.  “This is big.  You sure all you want is our Chief Petty Officer?”

Dread regarded her old friend with annoyance, “Alex, he’s the only El-Aurian I’ve got…and whatever the hell is down there is going need someone who at least has a grasp of what we’re walking into.”

The Dragonfly’s captain shrugged, “I know other El-Aurians, Helena.  Wouldn’t take much work to find one interested in your case.”

Her indifference furthered Helena’s annoyance, “You know they’d be a week out or more.  Vocast is in Sadie’s head now.  The sooner we can figure out why these two are connected, the better our chance of disconnecting them.”  She watched and waited as Pantuso considered the request.

“The truth is…he’s one of the best quartermasters in the business.”  There was a pause, and Pantuso sighed as she finished, “But we don’t get along…well.”  She put up her hands in surrender as if that explained the issue.

Helena knew the woman better than that. “You want your guy in there instead, don’t you?”  Alex answered by rolling her eyes but remaining silent. “Why’d you start to fight with me when I called?”

A shrug from Pantuso, “I don’t like people telling me what to do or how to do it.  Call it a bad habit, but it’s been impossible to shake.”  She sat back in her chair, sipping at a steaming cup, “Plus, it’s fun sometimes to put the screws to people.”  A sly smile flitted across the old captain’s face.

It was Dread’s turn to roll her eyes, “You wonder why they didn’t make you fleet captain over the squadron while we’re out in the ether.”  She felt slightly guilty at throwing shade at her fellow captain—but only slightly.

“No need to get nasty, Helena.”  Alexandra Pantuso’s face remained impassive for a few seconds longer before it softened, along with her voice.  “Truthfully, it’s crossed my mind.  I’ve been at this for a long time.  You start to wonder.”  A few seconds of silence drifted between them before she added, “But I have a big ship, a crew that is teachable…and I’ve got the rimward ends of the Federation to ply my trade.  I just have to put up with Fontana.”

Dread chuckled.  She knew that feeling.  “Out of all of us, you seem the most likely to get wound up by him.”

Pantuso returned the chuckle, “Well, I have to keep up my reputation, or people will start to wonder.”  She tapped at her console, “I’ll talk with Mr. Wyatt and send him your way.  He should be to you within ten hours – give or take.  You can wait that long before you require his special skills?”

Helena resisted the urge to roll her eyes, “I think we can manage, Captain Pantuso.  Thank you for the assist.”

“Anytime, Captain Dread.”  A solemn look flickered across her face as she said, “We’re out here alone – we’ll need to be ready to help each other when the time comes.  Good luck, Helena.”

The channel closed, and Dread was left to sit in her friend’s words.  She muttered, “You too, Alex.  You too.”