“It doesn’t look like they’ve detected us, captain,” Zemess clicked his tongue as his hands were gliding across the tactical arch’s consoles. The Saurian input several commands, adjusting the tactical view several times. Jerok could hear the computer accepting the commands, almost with deafening silence on the bridge other than the noise of the console’s beeping taking up the air.

“Have they detected the array?” Branson asked as she stood from her seat in the command center and walked towards the viewscreen.

“It would appear so. But I’m not sure they know what it is yet, other than strange readings,” the tactical chief responded.

“They haven’t started blasting it yet. So I would agree with that assessment,” the Romulan captain said, also standing from his command chair.

After a few short moments of silence, which seemed to be forever as far as Jerok was concerned in the tense moment, a flurry of bridge consoles began to come to life with alarms. “Lieutenant?” the captain queried.

“We’ve been detected, they’re getting ready to run.”

“Helm, set an intercept course. Tactical, disable their warp engines,” the Romulan released quick, decisive commands as he returned to the command chair. The Yorktown emerged from the planet’s atmosphere, phasers firing relentlessly on the Vor’cha-class cruiser. The Yorktown’s hits were pinpoint and accurate, hitting the Klingon cruiser directly in her starboard nacelle with multiple shots. As the Yorktown came aside the Klingon vessel, Jerok asked, “Why aren’t they firing back?”

“We may have a problem. It looks like an overload is building in their warp core,” Ensign Thomas reported from the front helm station.

“Back us off,” the first officer ordered.

Jerok turned his head back to the tactical station and locked eyes with Lieutenant Zemess, “A lucky shot?” he was genuinely curious.

“Or a self-destruct…” Zemess responded as the entire bridge was filled with the light of the Klingon battlecruiser exploding in front of them.

“I think it is a safe bet that was a D’Ghor vessel. Can we trace their warp trail and find out where they came from?” the captain asked.

“I believe so, sir. We should be able to follow their path. If I’m reading this right, it looks like their last destination was a planet about 3 light-years from here,” the helm officer reported.

“Zemess, drop a probe set to scattering mode on the planet. That should disperse any errant signals and keep any more unwanted guests from arriving. Ensign Thomas, set a course for that planet,” the Romulan captain ordered.

“Aye sir,” the helmsman responded. Sliding his hand across the large helm console, he punched in several commands preparing the ship for warp. “Course laid in sir, ready whenever you are.”

“Engage,” Jerok ordered. The ship came about as it left the high orbit of the array’s planet, the icy glow of the planet’s surface behind her. As the ship climbed and climbed it blew the debris of the Klingon cruiser past it. Finally, the nacelles gave a sharp glow as the ship disappeared into subspace.

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In this release:

• The Yorktown is spotted by the Klingon cruiser and is forced to engage it before it runs.
• The Klingon cruiser is hit critically, but not mortally wounded. An apparent self-destruct is activated.
• The Yorktown is able to scan for the ship’s warp trail and track where it came from and is now setting course for that planet.
• The Yorktown also left a probe set to scattering mode so that no more unwanted guests will be able to pick up and investigate the array’s abnormal readings.