The Liris dropped out of warp near Barzan II, and quickly turned towards the wormhole.

Sh’ill was sat in his chair, looking out at the planet and wormhole that had just appeared near the ship, and was thinking about what was before him. “Hmm… isn’t that looking nice. And that… that is what Starfleet is relying on to get us to the Delta Quadrant. Doesn’t look like much, but it’s there.”Sh’ill got out of his chair, and walked over to the helm, where Lieutenant Junior Grade Delvok was sat, as Jatia and Xasin were making last minute preparations for the wormhole.

“Lieutenant, take us to within 500 kilometers of the wormhole, and then halt. I want us to stay there. Meanwhile, get out a star chart of what’s beyond that wormhole, and chart us a course to the Markonian outpost, to the staging area.”Sh’ill looked down at Delvok’s console, and watched as the Vulcan entered the course, and slowly approached the wormhole.

“Great. Hold here.” Sh’ill walked to the MSD, and looked upon it for just a moment, making sure that he had some privacy, and tapped his combadge.

“This is Lieutenant Commander Sh’ill to Lieutenant Erti. Come in, please.” He announced, and waited for a response.

Meanwhile, down in Engineering, the Bolian Ensign was finishing his check on the plasma injectors, while the Bajoran Lieutenant was checking the antimatter injectors.

Hearing the Captain pipe through on comms, Jatia tapped her combadge, and responded.“Lieutenant Jatia here. How can I help, Captain?” She said in her usual cheery voice as she continued to check the injectors.

Sh’ill responded in his usual gruff voice, not trying to sound particularly happy. “Lieutenant, when can we get underway? I understand that you want to get your… stuff together down there, but we’ve only been in space for a few days, there’s no need.

Jatia leaned against her console, and got a bit angry. “Captain, it’s better to check than to blow apart in the middle of that wormhole that Starfleet is sending us through.”

Sh’ill too got a bit angry, and carefully snarked into the comms channel. “Alright, but you have 10 minutes to finish up, and not a second more! I want to be through that wormhole in the next millenium, Lieutenant.”

Jatia snarked back a bit, and responded. “All right, all right, we’ll finish up soon. Erti out.” With that, she closed the comms channel, and turned to the Ensign. “We have 10 minutes, let’s get to it.”

Bok quickly turned around, and looked over at her. “Yes, ma’am. Right, we only have the main core left, that should be quick.” With that, he finished on the injector console, and walked over to the warp core.“Checking it all would take 3 hours, so let’s check out the dilithium unit and energy shunts only. Right, let’s do this.”

Jatia nodded, and started examining the warp energy shunts, making sure that they were all right. Meanwhile, Xasin was checking out the dilithium chamber, as agreed.

After a while, Sh’ill heard the familiar woosh of the turbolift doors, and turned over in his chair to look at the Lieutenant and Ensign that had just walked onto the bridge.“Ensign, take the helm, Delvok, by the tactical console, Lieutenant, report: Are we going to blow up as soon as we enter that wormhole?”

Jatia smiled, and walked to the MSD, where she looked at it for a few seconds. “No, we’re not going to blow up, Captain. We checked it all.”

“Well, in that case, let’s get moving. Ensign,” Sh’ill turned in his chair to face Bok, “take us into that wormhole, slowly.”

Xasin slowly nodded, and accelerated the ship, heading right into the wormhole. As they approached, the wormhole flared up, and revealed a gaping hole inside, into which the Liris entered.

Now in the wormhole, there was a whole light-show waiting for them all. The wormhole walls flared up and down at will, but it was all soon over, as the Liris exited the wormhole, and out into the Delta Quadrant.

Out in the Delta Quadrant, Sh’ill quickly stood up, and walked to the helm.“Ensign, there should be a charted route from here straight to the Markonian Outpost. Use that route, and do not deviate from it. We do not know who or what could be lurking here. Maximum warp, now.” With that, Sh’ill sat back in his chair, and looked as the ship sped up to warp speed.

His XO walked up to him, and leaned down to talk to him. “Commander, what are we planning to do at the outpost? We’re here, we have weapons, we’re ready. Why go there?”The Captain looked up at her, and smirked. “I want to have a talk with the people aboard the outpost, especially the Starfleet ones, and find out what we can do to help. That’s why we’re heading there. And I would appreciate it if you didn’t question my orders in the future, unless you feel that I have gone either insane or that they are stupid orders.”

“Alrighty then, cat man. I’ll take your word on that.” Jatia responded, and stood back up normally, and walked over to the helmsman, Ensign Xasin.

“Captain seems a little angry today, doesn’t he?” Jatia whispered to him, hoping to the Prophets that Sh’ill’s Caitian ears weren’t able to hear her.”

The Bolian didn’t even look up from his work, and only half-hushedly responded.“He has reason to be, I’ve seen that he likes taking things slowly when it comes to things that he doesn’t know very well.”

Jatia thought about that for a moment, and walked off to the side of the bridge, and leaned on the wall. “Thanks for the advice, kid.”

Sh’ill could do naught but raise an eyebrow at the two’s conversation, but that eyebrow was quickly raised even higher as they dropped out of warp near the Markonian Outpost, and quickly started approaching it.

The Liris quickly approached the station, maneuvering expertly between the larger docked ships, and to a free dock.

Right as it was making its final approach, Sh’ill got to the OPS console at the back of the bridge, to make sure that the docking was done right, he wanted to do all that was possible to make Starfleet a well respected organisation here that doesn’t have the reputation of damaging any docking ports or airlocks.

“Right… ENSIGN, SLOW DOWN TO ONE QUARTER THRUSTERS,” Sh’ill yelled out across the bridge in his signature deep bass, “AND STOP MOVING ON MY MARK!!”

The Ensign followed the orders exactly, and slowed. A deep “MARK!!” echoed across the bridge, the engines were immediately cut, and there was the signature damp thud of a docking port connecting to the ship.

Sh’ill moved to the centre of the bridge, and got everyone’s attention. “Right, this is an alien station, and even though it has been stated as safe, we go in in pairs, and no leaving your partner. Got that, people?” Sh’ill looked around, and saw the approving nods of everyone, and then walked to the turbolift.”Then let’s move, people. Computer, lock the ship down once everyone has left.”

With that, the crew stepped into the turbolit, out into the hallway, and out into the station.