They had barely set foot outside of the medical tent before their cover was nearly blown.

‘Crewmen! Give me a hand?’ Being called for by an officer to help with what looked like loading a few supply crates onto the back of a flatbed vehicle wasn’t an immediate problem. Rosewood and Cassidy could head over to grab the first crate and haul it up without question.

The problem came when they straightened, and Rosewood realised the officer in question was none other than Elara Galcyon, captain of the USS Liberty. He turned away at once, making a show of ensuring the loaded crate was strapped up properly. They’d never met, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t recognise him.

‘Thank you,’ Galcyon said, sounding none the wiser. ‘I want to get back out there as quickly as possible.’ She was a tall, elegant woman, and even while wearing her red field jacket open to waylay the dust and sweat Tau Mervana coated everything in, held an air of easy, relaxed authority.

Cassidy read Rosewood’s cue to take charge of the situation, grabbing the next crate. ‘Happy to oblige, Captain. You shouldn’t be worrying about this stuff yourself.’

Rosewood winced as he thought he heard an edge in Cassidy’s voice, and winced again when it sounded like Galcyon had also picked it up.

‘Not everyone can get to the relief station, Crewman.’ When Rosewood chanced a glance back, Galcyon had a hand on her hip, her head cocked as she regarded Cassidy. ‘We’ve only got so much time here and I want to make sure everyone who needs help can get it.’

Cassidy grunted, and looked surprised when Galcyon bent down to help him load the next crate. ‘Of course,’ he said, a little – Rosewood thought – unconvincingly. ‘I mean, you worrying about it. Going out there yourself.’

‘Don’t worry. Lieutenant Maddox has my security taken care of. But it means something, even here. Not just for a Starfleet ship to show up and help, but for a Starfleet captain to show up and help. Not to mention that I shouldn’t ask you to take any risks, going out into those streets, that I’m not prepared to take on myself.’

Cassidy’s response was, again, monosyllabic, and while Rosewood approved the idea of avoiding getting stuck into a conversation, he decided to take the risk of showing his face to help finish loading quickly before the two beat a hasty retreat.

‘Stay careful out there, Captain,’ said Cassidy as they departed.

They were twenty seconds’ quick walking away before Rosewood spoke, dropping his voice. ‘Did you have to make that sound like a threat?’ he hissed.

‘Naïve nonsense,’ Cassidy grumbled, head down as he stalked towards the exit of the shelter. ‘It’s the job of a captain to not take risks you ask your rank-and-file to take. She can’t make a serious difference here, so by showing her face she’s just performing to make herself feel better in the here-and-now.’

‘Maybe, but – does it matter?’ Rosewood didn’t have enough of a read on Galcyon to agree or disagree with the appraisal. He certainly didn’t care. ‘We’ve got a job to do.’

Cassidy glared at him. ‘I don’t need lecturing about that.’

Seems like you do. It was one of many thoughts Rosewood kept to himself, and they stayed quiet until they made it out of the shelter, down the street, and back to the rest of the Rooks waiting in the Nomad.

‘How we looking?’ said Tiran as they eased into the vehicle.

‘Yeah, is it nice in there?’ asked Nallera. ‘All the modcons of a refugee facility? Aircon? Iced water for the locals?’

‘They have a spa,’ said Rosewood. ‘We should go when we’re done.’

‘We have a location,’ grunted Cassidy, handing the PADD to Tiran. ‘Let’s go before these jokers book us in for a manicure with Captain Galcyon.’

‘She was nice to him,’ Rosewood explained as the Nomad pulled away and into the streets of Tau Mervana. ‘I think he’ll never forgive her for that.’

Either to blunt the banter or simply out of disinterest, Aryn leaned towards the front compartment. ‘So, Boss, I’ve been looking over local movements on sensors and talking to Blackbird; Falaris is still monitoring comms. I’ve got the start of a profile on the local situation.’

‘Hit me,’ said Cassidy, lounging back in the passenger’s seat.

‘Two main warlords; Arkaran and Korask. Both former Romulan officers; Falaris dug out some files. Arkaran’s trying to maintain this sense of old authority, patriarchal control; Korask is more of a loose cannon. That makes him on the surface more dangerous, more likely to decide it’s time to kick off and take everyone’s stuff, but Arkaran has been piping stuff to his followers on the planet that they should be cautious of the Liberty’s help. I don’t think he’s just trying to undermine what Galcyon’s doing, even though he agreed to it – I think he wants to stop the resources Liberty dumps here from spreading too far, so he can grab it…’

Rosewood leaned against the window, letting Aryn’s analysis wash over him. It was all the sort of evaluation he’d expect from an intelligence analyst, and Rosewood knew he should listen harder – not just to pick up on the local situation, but to better understand why Cassidy kept Aryn around, even in situations when a biochemist wasn’t so much use. But the streets of Tau Mervana rushing past the rear window was soothing, almost hypnotic; sand and smoke, a seething underbelly of tension at rest for now. They rushed past gaunt faces, suspicious eyes; past abandoned roadblocks and buildings shattered by war. It was unlikely they could have travelled the city without being noticed, but Rosewood felt they’d overestimated how much they could blend in on these streets.

‘It’s not just so he can get stuff,’ he said, surprising even himself when he butted into the conversation. He didn’t look back, and shrugged as he felt the eyes of Aryn on him. ‘Arkaran, I mean. It’s so he doesn’t seem like the bad guy if he needs to reignite the violence. The language you’re saying he’s using in these communications; patriarchal is right. He wants to be the solution, the only solution. The father of this world. Starfleet’s not giving the help – he’s the solution, he’s the one who’s getting Starfleet to help. And can stop it as he chooses.’

When he turned, it wasn’t just Aryn watching him, but Cassidy and Nallera. ‘What?’ He shrugged. ‘I’m not just a pretty face.’

‘Thank God for that,’ groaned Cassidy, turning away. ‘Good work, Aryn. Hopefully, we don’t need to know these guys’ portfolios, but it helps to be prepared.’

It took another fifteen minutes before Tiran pulled the Nomad into the shadow of a high-rise building that had seen better days and said, ‘We’re here.’

Night was settling on Tau Mervana, and lighting was hard to come by. Street-lights were out, so they were reliant on the few windows from this building and the other nearby high-rises through which any light at all shone. There’d been fewer and fewer people in sight as they headed for this part of the city, which left Rosewood’s chest tight as he set foot on the dusty street.

‘Aryn,’ Cassidy called again, ‘stay with the Nomad. Don’t want any locals showing too much interest.’

Rosewood wasn’t sure what the wiry Aryn would do if someone tried to jack their ride, but he presumed he could just drive off in a pinch. It felt a little reassuring to have Tiran and Nallera with them if Cassidy wanted him in the meeting with Ireqah.

‘Verior says we want the thirteenth floor,’ said Cassidy, looking up. ‘This is just an apartment block. So much for a secure safehouse.’

‘Secret is secure,’ Tiran reminded him as they tromped to the door.

‘Can’t be that secret,’ Cassidy mused. ‘We’re here.’