The bridge experienced a tense vibe; people were on edge due to the nature of the mission they were heading toward. Time was running out as Dhaillak’s fate was slipping away with the constant skirmishes by House T’Vagh. They were only a day into their journey and nearing K-7, where they planned to receive the latest data. Ensign Keeyiro Cho, the Assistant Chief Operations Officer, served as the officer of the watch, since Captain Ruslanovna and Commander Yoon-Jung were busy making preparations for the upcoming mission.

At the Astrometrics console, Tharek blinked and double-checked his readings. The Coridanite looked up. “Ensign Keeyiro, can I get your thoughts on the latest data package K-7 just sent us regarding our mission?”

Cho tapped her console, pulling up information on House T’Vagh at her chief’s request. She shrugged. “I’m a little busy… can it wait?”

“Not really. It might need your guidance,” Tharek answered.

“Guidance?” Cho stopped what she was doing and walked to Tharek’s console, inspecting the data. “An unexpected subspace transmission from the Romulan Republic and the USS Archer? It says that a Republic outpost near Dhaillak reported suspicious Klingon activity. The Archer also has sightings of House T’Vagh. Chief al-Jalali, what do you make of this data package?”

Aakif al-Jalali, the Master-at-Arms and acting tactical officer, studied the information. He shrugged, rechecking it. “They’ve picked up an unusual warp signature on their long-range sensors, which aligns with T’Vagh’s known configurations.”

Silence fell on the bridge as everyone turned to Cho, the officer of the watch. Cho could feel the weight of responsibility. Though she was experienced from her time on the Mariner, she still carried the burden of punishment and the secret of mutiny. She reminded herself this was no time for doubt. This could earn back the respect she deserved from the command team.

“Tactical, set a yellow alert on standby. I need more data before I make the final call.” Cho returned to her console and began decrypting the Klingon transmission.

“We might want to notify the Captain or First Officer,” Tharek suggested. A few bridge officers nodded in agreement, while others hesitated, thinking more intel would confirm whether yellow alert was warranted. Tension built, since they all knew how dangerous House T’Vagh could be.

Cho shook her head. “Give me some time to gather more data, Chief. I want to be certain.” She was determined to avoid causing unnecessary alarm. Yet the suspicious readings might mean T’Vagh forces were closer than expected, so delaying too long could leave the Gemini unprepared.

Seeing the growing tension, Cho turned to Aakif. “Activate our minimal readiness protocols.” She noticed his surprised expression. “Shields on standby, weapons charged but not overtly readied. We don’t want to attract attention.” Then she looked at Tharek. “Boost the sensors and ping the outpost. We need all the information we can get, and I’ll compile what’s relevant for the command team.”

Tharek nodded, extending the sensors and sending the ping to the outpost. Everyone did their best to provide data or assistance. Soon, a second urgent transmission arrived. Reading it, Cho realized it was exactly what she had feared. She tapped her comm badge. “Bridge to Captain Ruslanovna, ma’am, you might want to see this.”