“What did the spectrum analysis show before we shut it down?”  Jordan Reid asked as she sat in the science office with Hazel Wallaker. A large holo display showed what they knew about the mysterious nebula.

Hazel adjusted the screen. “It was…confusing.  Here and here, we have clear biological indicators.  But then you have this…” she pointed out two markers. “This suggests some kind of mechanical or electrical reading.”  She rotated the readings. “It looks Borg-ish. If we’d kept scanning, we’d have the data to say for sure.”

The Chief Medical Officer felt her pulse quicken at the mention of ‘Borg.’  They’d just closed out a mission where the nightmare creatures had narrowly been prevented from returning.  Reading and consulting on the case had been enough for her.  Jordan pulled up the data from the scan in 2398, “The scans from the last time look normal…until you read between the lines.”  She shifted the data from her PADD to the screen, “First glance – pretty normal.  What do you notice?”

Wallaker stared at the data, mutely wondering what she was missing.  She hesitantly rotated the new stream of data, pulling apart each piece.  She blew out a sigh as she worked to understand what Reid was trying to get her to see. Suddenly, she spotted something that didn’t belong.  She highlighted the data point, “This?”

Jordan handed her the PADD, “Good work. It looks artificial.  You look at our limited data and what we have – something in there that’s not real.  It may read equal parts phenomenon and equal parts biological…but something in there isn’t either.  We’d have to ask the crew from 2398 why they didn’t complete a more comprehensive scan.  It was a Grissom class at the tail end of its shakedown cruise.  Maybe they were just trying to get home.”

Hazel rolled her eyes, “You’re being kind, Lieutenant Reid.  I’d be digging into their logs and telling them off.”  She stared at the data points they’d unraveled, “We’re going to have to sort this out, aren’t we?”

Jordan leaned back in her chair, “This is when the fun begins, Ensign Wallaker.”

On the bridge, Captain Wren Walton handed a PADD with the latest report to the communications officer to send to Montana Station.  The nebula hung on the screen in the distance, and she returned to the center chair.  The longer she watched it, the more she wondered.  If it had been easy to explain away, she would have ordered them to move on. The ongoing updates from Reid and Wallaker were pushing her from curious to concerned.

“Captain, we have a Federation vessel on sensors heading our way.” Lieutenant Matthew Phillips turned in his chair at operations, “They’re requesting to speak to you and you alone.”

Walton didn’t hide her confusion from her face, “They were that specific?”

Phillips returned to the message and read, “Please advise Captain Walton that we must speak with her alone in her ready room.”

“I’ll take it in my ready room.  Mr. Phillips, you have the CONN.”  Walton walked from the center chair to her ready room, her mind reeling with questions.  The Nova was the older cousin to the Pathfinder class Perseverance.  What was it doing out in the rimward, looking for her?

As the door closed behind her, she slid into her chair, tapping at the console display on her desk.  A warning message appeared, and a familiar face filled the screen.  “Prentice?” she blurted

Lieutenant William Prentice smiled, “Captain Walton.”

Walton found her words, “What are you doing here?  I thought you were…,”

“I was. Fleet Captain Fontana was granted an additional science ship, and since I’m in a relationship with my XO in training…”  he blushed a little. “It was suggested that I take the helm of another ship.”  He tapped at the console before him. “I was told to transmit the orders to you only. Commander Park has been assigned as the Nova’s commanding officer.”

Wren blinked, “What?”  She opened her PADD and read the entire message detailing the orders.  “He really is taking that fleet captain title seriously,” she muttered.  Park had been with her since February.  Her growth and maturity had expanded.  Walton realized her reports on her XO had been relatively positive.  Had she fallen into the trap of thinking Park would be around longer?

It was Prentice’s turn to blink, “I’m just the messenger, ma’am.  The orders have us paired with the Perseverance for the foreseeable future.”

She smiled thinly.  “You’re not at fault…and honestly, it’s more mine than anything.  I’ll brief Commander Park and have her transferred over soon.”  He nodded and closed the channel, leaving Wren to wrestle with her conflicting feelings.  Park was a good friend and had become an excellent commander.  What was the saying?  Change was inevitable?  “Whatever it is,” she muttered to herself, “I’m going to have to get used to it.”  She slapped at her badge, “Wren to Park – meet me in my ready room.”  The channel closed, and she grumbled, “Godammnit.”

“The hell is he thinking?” was the first thing Park said.  “I didn’t make a request.”  Her tone was firm, and Walton could see her confusion clear across the face of her XO.

“I think he thinks you’re ready to step into the role on a smaller ship.”  She raised her hands to slow Park down, “The truth is…I think you are, too.”  She explained the reports she had shared with Fontana and the improvement she had seen from Park, “I think I let our friendship get in the way of you being able to move up.  Think about the Park we started with…not a lot of her left in you.”

“The more you talk and the more I think…it feels like the right thing.”  Park swallowed her emotions that had climbed up her throat, “I think I thought the same thing…we’d be a team for a lot longer.”  She chewed on her bottom lip, “I’m glad you’ll still be close, Wren.  It helps that you and Fontana believe I’m ready for this.”  Her smile was tempered by the quiet tears hovering at the edges of her eyes.

Wren stood from her desk and walked around to where Park stood, gently embracing her. “You’ve come a long way, Seoyeon. I’ve still got your back.” They held each other for a long time, the warmth comforting each other. Walton pulled back. “Now, let’s get you ready to take command.”

As she dried her tears, Park began to accept reality.

She would be captain.