The USS Givens smelled like fresh polish, each surface gleaming. For an older steamrunner class vessel she was certainly looked after. A middle aged Barzan woman in Starfleet uniform paused inside the airlock for a moment, she took a deep breath before stepping on board.

“Good morning,” she said, “I’m Envoy Cdr. Tahlari Vahl” she told the crewman waiting with a PADD.

“Welcome aboard Commander,” he replied. “Ops has assigned you to guest suite three-alpha. Your travelling companion is already aboard. In addition, we’re transporting a new crewmember to the Mente as well.”

Vahl nodded in thanks. Her breather hummed softly as it adjusted to the environmental system on board. She adjusted it slightly to compensate for the new environment and headed toward her suite.

—–

The door opened to reveal a large window with the starfield beyond. There was a large table that took up a large portion of the room with a seating area next to it. Vahl’s two bags waited for her on one of the chairs. The door chimed before she had time to check out the rest of the suite.

The door swished open to reveal an Efrosian woman in civilian clothing. Her curly long blonde hair wore down past her shoulders. “You must be Vahl,” she announced stepping through the open doors. I’m “Li-Sareth, from the Independent Archaeologists guild, I was told there would be tea?”

“I was told you would have questions,” Vahl replied.

Li-sareth laughed and dropped her satchel down on the table with a thump. She produced a small tin with loose leaves “tea first, the questions will come while it brews. Can we use your replicator for the water? I don’t trust them with the leaves but they can boil the water with the best of them.”

“please, do” Vahl replied gesturing toward the replicator in the suites wall.

As Li-sareth prepared the tea on the table, Vahl studied the archaeologist with a quietness that made junior diplomats wonder if she could read minds. She couldn’t of course.

“You’re bound for Caelari Prime,” Vahl said. “Can I ask, why risk the expanse? We’re still not sure what’s out here.”

Li-sareth poured and then held the coup to her face and blew. “Because, sometime a rumour has basis in truth and there are a lot of rumours coming from the Expanse,” she said.

The door chimed again, the doors swished open to reveal a Caitian Ensign in operations gold with one paw still on the frame. Lonara, according to the manifest Vahl had read prior, she was joining the journey while on her way to her new assignment on the Mente.

“Ensign Lonara reporting,” she said and braced up.

“Come on in Ensign,” Vahl said, “You’re precisely on time.”

“Tea?” Li-sareth said gesturing to the seat next to her.

Lonara blinked, “is it… permitted?”

“Ensign, if tea ever becomes a violation I’ll resign,” Vahl replied dryly. “Welcome to the USS Givens, We’re a small group, just the three of us. I’m Vahl, Starfleet Envoy and this is Li-Sareth, who loves to dig holes in peoples history.”

“Ma’am” she said to each with a nod and took a seat.

She starfield shifted out the window as the Givens adjusted he course now all were on board.

“So Ensign,” Vahl said after taking a sip. “why the San Clemente?”

Lonara’s feline ears tilted back and then pricked up again. “There’s a counsellor on board who didn’t laugh at me when I wrote a paper about ladders.”

“Ladders?” Li-sareth said.

“The hierarchy kind,” Lonara continued. “how Starfleet is one, yes there is a hierarchy but also that Starfleet is more like landings where people meet sideways. I’ve been in touch with her and if feels like the Mente embodies this and I could find a place there.”

Vahl nodded, remembering the ideas of youth. “you may find that your landing will need a mop, but you’ll have good company around you.”

The conversation continued, talk of their time at the Academy. Li-sareth’s time spent under civilisations discovering their origins rather than knowing them now. The only thing stopping the flow of conversation being a chime to indicate the mess was serving breakfast.

—–

They arrived at the mess, looking around and seeing a cross section of the crew. The mixed colour of uniforms spread across the tables. Operations, engineers, scientists all sitting and eating together. The room went quiet as they took in their guests, easing as Li-sareth began to speak to a junior crewman about the patten the glossy flecks made in his mug when he stirred.

Lonara headed straight to the servery finding the meat dish that she smelt the moment she entered the room.

Vahl grabbed the first thing she saw, she wasn’t fussy and wanted to get seated as quick as possible. She joined a longer table that still had space, the seated crew cautiously watching their senior officer guest.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to evaluate you,” Vahl said. “I’m just catching a lift to Caelari, one of ours and a Klingon Vessel are already there but need a little…. Assistance.”

Li-sareth sat next to her, “already making friends Vahl?” she didn’t wait for an answer “don’t let the Commander worry you, she’s telling the truth you know.”

“And what are you?” a young Tellarite Lt said looking up and down Li-sareth’s civilian clothing.

“Archaeologist” she replied quickly, “I heard that the expanse is full of things that have been hidden from view for a long….. well…. forever.”

“you’re not Starfleet?” the Lt asked.

“Nope, too many rules” Lis-sareth winked and smiled in reply.

“You know,” replied the Lt. “there are things hidden away on a Starfleet ship that rule breakers might enjoy.”

“I know,” she replied “I’ve seen a few in my time,” she snapped her head back to Vahl who was trying her best not to listen to the back and forth. “That reminds me, there’s something I want to show you both.”

—–

The trio finished their food and headed to the observation lounge. They found a quiet corner and Li-sareth produced a small device, seemingly from thin air. She clicked a button and a holographic chart appeared in the middle of them.

Nodes and lines appeared, not of planets but of people; the Communion of Light, the worker councils the Children of the First Light, Starfleet, the Klingons and a thousand more smaller points.

“Everyone draws maps,” Li-sareth said, “Me, I draw maps of power, not to conquer it but to avoid stepping on it.”

“Every culture, every system is unique. Yes there are similarities but each has its own history. The Expanse looks different.”

She clicked a button which zoomed out on the display. Now the Caelari system being a single point surrounded by others representing the expanse and its peoples.

“Each culture, each planet here holds similarities. The big one being the spires, my contacts….”

“Contacts?” Vahl interrupted. “where are you getting this information, not even the classified reports I’ve received are this detailed.”

“Don’t worry Vahl, we’re on the same side….” Li-sareth smiled “This time,” her smile grew larger.

“I’ve heard whispers of an old empire, one which spanned this expanse, this Vesda.”

Vahl shook her head, “Yes, I don’t know how you have heard about this but everything seems to indicate their technology spread though out.”

Lonara’s tail flicked thoughtfully. “So, what to we do?”

“You” Vahl said, “go to the San Clemente. Captain Traven is as good as they come, learn from him and his crew. You will be fine, us however….”

“Yes, and we,” Li-sareth said, “head to a city with bells and a religion built from suffering.”

“You make it sound simple” Lonara said.”

“It is,” Vahl replied. “At least until people get involved.”

—–

The Givens rode the last hours to the rendezvous in relative peace. Vahl used the time to send three messages; to the Caelari High Luminary, to Captain Traven of the Mente and to Captain L’rena of the Y’tem.

In her small guest cabin, Lonara sat on the edge of her bunk. Unable to sleep with the anticipation of her first assignment. She thought of her times at the Academy, the friends she met that were posted across the galaxy, he thought of her family that she left behind, and she thought of the unknown ahead of her.

Li-sareth wandered the Givens corridors with a happiness of an archaeologist who’d found herself locked in a museum after hours. Gazing at each panel that she came across, learning the not so secret secrets of this old Steamrunner class. She never knew when she may need it.