“So we’ve been able to restore their life support, environmental controls and plug up those massive hull breaches.” 

Commander Hunsen was updating Commander Cambil about the repairs with the Kraylor ship while they stood in main engineering. The chief engineer passed her a PADD with a more detailed report of his team’s work so far. Stood around the main ‘pool table’ by the large entrance, the two had been catching up.

“Great, where do we stand in restoring their engines?” Cambil asked as she glanced down at the PADD in her hands then back to Hunsen.

Crossing his arms against his chest, Hunsen sighed. “Their impulse engines are completely destroyed. Without access to a repair facility then it will take us several weeks to get them rebuilt, so I’ve got my people focusing on warp engines instead.”

“A wise decision.” Cambil stated. “Anything else?”

Hunsen took a moment to scratch his chin and he then shared his final thought. “There is one thing and I’m sure it’s nothing but…” He paused and then he could hear Cambil encouraging him through her thoughts and her stare. “It’s just there’s one piece of hardware missing from the Kraylor ship.”

“What is it Tremt?” Cambil pursued, realising whatever it was that it was irritating him for knowing it.

“Their cloaking device.” He answered. “The way it was removed was done by someone who is an expert in doing it in a way that it could be easily returned without much effort.”

“Are the Kraylor aware?” Cambil inquired.

“I don’t think so.” Hunsen replied. “But there’s only a handful of people on Odyssey who could do it, but before I visited their ship only one of those people visited it and had the time to do it.”

Raising her hand to stop him, Cambil knew what he was trying to say. “Let’s keep this off the record and we won’t talk about it for now.” She sounded disappointed as she knew who may have done it. “Are we clear Tremt?”

“Crystal.” He said with a disappointed sigh. 

Handing him back the PADD, Cambil thanked him and asked him to keep her apprised of their efforts in restoring the Kraylor’s warp drive. Leaving engineering, Cambil moved through the ship and made her way to the auditorium. She had to do something about what was happening and there was only one other person she could go to about it. Stepping into the large crew lounge, she saw Commander Reyes sat at the far end with her sons. They were enjoying an evening Mrs together. The scene looked odd without James there.

“Karyn, sorry to interrupt.” Cambil said as she looked on at the captain’s wife. “I need a word.”

Realising there was something on her mind, Reyes picked her napkin up and dabbed her sides. Excusing herself from her teenage boys, she walked over to where Cambil was. “What’s the matter Bexa?” 

Taking a breath, Cambil kept her tone low. “I’m worried about James and just how far he is taking this mission of his.”

Crossing her arms against her chest, Reyes knew that both Bexa and James had come to almost blows recently. It was no surprise and Reyes had been there with him as well. “What is it now?”

“Did you know he stole the Kraylor cloaking device?” Cambil questioned.

Shocked to hear that, Reyes shook her head. “No? Do they know?”

“Probably not as James left them all under house arrest.” Cambil replied. “Tremt has the evidence. I think we need to raise it to Commodore Bennet at least.”

Considering her duty not only to Starfleet but her vows to her husband, Reyes agreed and soon told her boys she was needed elsewhere  and would return shortly.

After a slight delay in getting hold of their superior, the two women eventually got through to him via a secure channel. Stood in the observation lounge on deck one they started the conversation on briefing the low ranking member of the admiralty on their concerns, both officers eventually finished and waited for the commodore’s response.

“I’m sorry, what exactly is it you want me to do about it?” Bennet asked them.

“Surely sir you can see that the captain’s behaviour to complete this mission is out of the ordinary.” Cambil countered back with. “Something needs to be done.”

It was clear that Bennet was sitting in his office on the Discovery, as his aid passed him something from offscreen to sign off. “Commander Cambil, I appreciate your worry but your captain is undertaking what he has been trained to do for an extraordinary mission. He has my full support. Now I’m ordering you both and everyone else on that ship to get behind him. Is that clear?”

Feeling like they had just been told off, both women nodded in response.

“When he has completed this mission, he will need your understanding that what he did he did for the greater good under some very difficult circumstances. He is having to fight off every natural instinct and focus on one thing only. So cut him some break and do what you both do best at and lead that ship by remaining loyal to your captain. Bennet out.” 

The commodore then went, leaving Cambil and Reyes confused further and this time by Bennet’s words and behaviour.

“This is bigger than we both knew.” Reyes said. “Let’s just get on with the job but be extra precautious.”

“Especially when James returned.” Cambil added.

Hesitating at first, Reyes eventually nodded in agreement. “Indeed, we won’t ever be told what he did or what happened.”

“That’s what frustrates me the most.” The Bajoran first officer said. “How can we help if we don’t know?”

Reyes didn’t answer as she and Cambil knew there was no answer to that question and it would be a burden that James would carry for the rest of his career.

The intercom then went off. “Duncan to Cambil.” Spoke Counsellor Duncan, who was currently in charge of the bridge.

“Go ahead Max.” Cambil answered.

“Two Kraylor ships have just decloaked and are asking why we have their ship in a tractor beam.”

“I’m on my way back now.” Cambil said swiftly as she left the conference room in a hurry. She prayed quietly to the Prophets that this was not going to end in a confrontation