‘Attention on deck!’ Ever the professional, Commander Valance was first to her feet when the turbolift doors slid open and Fleet Captain Jericho set foot on Endeavour’s bridge. If he had been an impressive over the viewscreen, he was somehow more so in-person. The communications systems could not pick up the wave of presence emanating from him, amiable smile not undermining the firm steps, the straight-backed posture.

Rourke approached, hand extended, trying to keep his expression as warm and welcoming as possible despite the ice in his gut. ‘Welcome aboard Endeavour, sir. We’re indebted to you for your timing out there.’

Lionel Jericho gave a grin that only made him possess more of the space around him as he shook Rourke’s hand. ‘You’d have handled it, a boat like this against some pirate scum. But I’m glad we could take the pressure off, make sure the station gets the help it needs, make sure the bad guys are being run down.’ He looked away from Rourke for his sweeping gaze to take in the whole bridge, and for the whole bridge to take him in. ‘We watched on long-distance sensors on our race here. They set you a trap, and you were too smart to fall for it. Bad day to be them. Good work, everyone.’

Rourke glanced back, felt the compliments fall onto his crew, and tried to not feel condescended. Perhaps Endeavour would have won the fight themselves – but there would have been a cost. The squadron’s arrival had doubtless saved lives. ‘You said we should talk in private.’ He gestured to his ready room, and without comment or complaint Jericho followed him to the private office.

‘That could have been a real mess out there,’ Jericho sighed once the doors were shut behind him. ‘If you’d followed them onto that mine, I don’t know if we’d have got there in time.’

Rourke watched him a moment, then advanced on the cabinet by the viewport. Beyond he could see the gas giant they’d done battle above, but also, hovering a distance away, the sleek shape of the USS Triumph. ‘I’ve got a good team with good eyes,’ he said, dismissing the compliment, forcing fewer smiles now they were in private. He picked up his bottle of Islay. ‘Can I offer you a drink, sir?’

‘I shouldn’t, but – just the one.’ Jericho’s smile was wry. ‘And I think we can drop some of the formalities behind closed doors, if that’s okay by you.’

With his back to the other man as he poured drinks, Rourke allowed himself just the slightest tightening of the jaw. ‘Sure. Lionel?’

‘Matt.’ Jericho accepted the glass with a tighter smile. ‘The Independence is chasing down that bird you winged. Commander Vornar’s a smart man; he’ll figure out if he needs to bring them in, or if he can follow them to a nest where we take the whole lot out.’

‘If we do, Endeavour’s ready to join the hunt. These were bold pirates.’

Jericho raised a hand to cut him off, then gestured to the seats at Rourke’s desk. Both men sat, Rourke trying to not bristle at being invited to sit in his own office. ‘It’ll be best if Endeavour heads right on for Starbase 86 once we’re done here. The Nighthawk can see if the station will benefit from your help, but me and my ships can deal with these guys. After all – I don’t think they’re just pirates.’

Rourke had a suspicious sip of whisky. ‘Reports say Mo’Kai got vicious these past two months.’

‘Oh, they weren’t House of Mo’Kai ships either, but I’d be shocked if they weren’t freelancers on the payroll. That wasn’t a raid to make off with a load of ore. That was a feint to lure in a Starfleet ship, and a trap to take you down. Would have worked if you’d run into that mine.’ Jericho had a swig of his own drink. ‘But yeah, while you’ve been off in the Delta, things got nastier on the border. Mo’Kai have turned their eye on making the Federation look like they don’t have control in places like the Korwenna Sector, throwing their weight behind the political disruption. Hitting a ship like Endeavour hard so near the border would have been a great prize to them.’

‘Me and my crew aren’t unfamiliar with the Mo’Kai.’

‘I know; that’s not why I want you at Starbase 86.’ Jericho set the glass down and smacked his lips. ‘Best I jump to the heart of things, isn’t it. You’re wondering why I’m giving you orders.’

‘And why you said I and my ship are under your command.’

‘That’s because you are.’ The older man tilted his chin up an inch. ‘You know how bad and difficult this border is. You’ve been here over a year. Now with the Mo’Kai making things harder, Fourth Fleet Operations want me heading up a squadron to keep things stable. Endeavour will join with Nighthawk and Independence following Triumph’s lead on that.’

Rourke fought to keep his expression flat. ‘Border security? Endeavour has a mission; First Secretary Hale -’

‘Is going to continue the good work of the Diplomatic Corps and Starfleet in making friends and helping keep the region on its feet. But that mission isn’t what it used to be, not now the Star Empire’s nothing but dust. Situation’s more dangerous now. So she can run her mission from the Triumph, and I can keep more of a Starfleet hand on the reins.’

Their eyes met for a long moment, Jericho’s gaze firm, Rourke fighting to push back the first thing he wanted to say. In the end he put his glass down, sat up, and said, ‘I don’t think I understand. Endeavour is a powerful ship, an effective diplomatic platform, and you want to put her under an Inquiry-class to -’

‘This isn’t about our relative ships’ capabilities,’ Jericho said, voice going softer. ‘Though it’s worth pointing out that, if we’re gonna be hunting Mo’Kai, maybe a ship with families aboard shouldn’t be taking point.’

‘Endeavour’s a safe -’

‘Nowhere’s safe, and that’s not really the point; like I said, it’s not about our ships. Do I really need to explain it more, Matt?’

Rourke’s jaw clenched. ‘I think you’d better.’

‘First, like I said. The political and strategic situation’s changed. The feel-good mission of making friends and righting wrongs can continue, but it’s gotta be done with more teeth.’

‘So why -’

‘You had a spy in your midst for eighteen months, Matt.’ For what it was worth, Jericho looked like he hadn’t wanted to say it. ‘A spy who cost you a ship – yeah, while you were gone, that’s the belief of Starfleet Intelligence, that it was her and her doppelganger cronies who took out the last Endeavour, not the damn Romulan Rebirth Movement. Who’ve not so much as whispered after apparently having the resources to infiltrate Starbase goddamn Bravo.’

Rourke slumped back like he’d been hit in the chest, but Jericho kept talking. ‘You had an enemy agent right under your nose, running Starfleet intel for a sector’s worth of operations, and were none the wiser. We still don’t know how badly we – you – were compromised. Don’t get me wrong, if we were putting the blame all at your feet you’d know, ‘cos an enquiry would say so. But you bet your ass Command reckons your judgement ain’t the best in the business.’

It took effort to not tighten his grip too much on the glass of whisky. ‘So now I answer to you.’

‘Now that we’re up against an enemy who thrives on infiltration and subterfuge, yeah. Now you answer to me. The mission’s the same, just with bigger sticks, and me calling the shots instead of you or the Diplomatic Corps.’ Jericho subsided with a hint of regret, but his apparent guilt didn’t fade as he pulled out a PADD and slid it across the desk. ‘So your first order of business is to proceed to Starbase 86 for personnel changes.’

The bottom dropped out of Rourke’s gut. ‘I have final say on my crew -’

‘No, Matt. I’m sorry, but you don’t. We’re a squadron now, and I gotta think of us as a collective unit, not a series of individuals.’

Rourke picked up the PADD, not even trying to keep his cool now. ‘Cortez? No way.’

‘Commander Cortez was already in consideration for an SCE post; that transfer’s just being green-lit. So I want her running the squadron’s SCE Team, which is a way better use of her versatility and talent, and I want her running it from the Triumph.’

‘Endeavour is far better equipped to -’

‘I will have my damn staffers on my damn ship, Matt!’ Frustration at last escaped Jericho’s voice. ‘You’ve got some real gems in your crew and I get you not wanting to lose them, but they can be better used other places. I want our squadron integrating better, not just to shore up inexperience in different places, but so we are one team. I’ll be taking one of your department heads for Triumph’s senior staff, just as soon as I’ve figured out the answer to one other question.’

At last, Jericho sounded apprehensive. Rourke’s eyes narrowed. ‘What question?’

Jericho took a deep breath. ‘Who to put in place as your new XO. I’m sending Commander Valance to the Nighthawk.’

‘Absolutely not.’ Rourke exploded to his feet at that, the whisky glass rattling as he knocked the desk.

‘Valance is the most experienced first officer in the squadron, and while Commander Kosst is pretty good, she’s also pretty green –’

Rourke planted his hands on the desk. ‘You’re taking Valance from the Endeavour to be XO of a less-experienced officer on a goddamn Reliant –’

‘To be the XO of a good ship under a good commander,’ Jericho said, also standing. ‘I’ve worked with Kosst a couple years now, and I won’t let you dismiss her. Kosst and Valance will make a great team.’

Rourke’s nostrils flared. ‘Commander Kosst might be the next Jim Kirk for all I care, but this is a demotion for Valance, and you know it. Why not give Kosst one of your officers?’

Jericho tensed. ‘I’d trust my XO, Commander Ranicus, with my life. But she’s only been my first officer about two years since Vornar left for Independence; that’s nothing compared to Valance’s experience.’

So Vornar was one of yours, and you got him his own ship. Now you need to shore up experience on an inauspicious assignment, but you won’t give that thankless job to one of yours. Rourke’s lip curled. ‘And Valance makes way so one of your own gets the feather in their cap of being Endeavour’s XO.’

‘I put a less-experienced executive officer under a seasoned captain like you. Meanwhile I shore up a less-experienced captain with a veteran XO. What do you want me to do, Matt, strip Kosst of her command?’

Rourke’s shoulders slumped, and he stared at a spot on the desk for a moment. When finally he found his voice, he could not find much strength to go with it. ‘Which department head are you expecting to take from me?’

‘I haven’t decided yet.’ Jericho spoke with the most delicate edge making it plain he didn’t have to, not yet. ‘Could be Thawn, could be Arys, could be Airex. Depends on who I send your way.’

‘So pretty much all my bridge officers except for Kharth or Rosewood.’

‘Nobody needs a diplomatic department, and nobody needs John Rosewood.’ There was an unexpected familiarity to the scoff. ‘And I think Commander Kharth’s best staying with you.’

Rourke couldn’t place the tone in the last statement, his head spinning too badly. ‘And my new Chief Engineer?’

‘That’s why I want you at Starbase 86. No transfers will be finalised until then – I’m not screwing around with our duty rosters when Triumph and Nighthawk might have a Mo’Kai hunt on our hands. But replacement staff will meet you there.’ Jericho drained the whisky and straightened. ‘I know this isn’t fun, Matt. I know a good crew’s like family. But it’s my intention for the squadron to be our new family. And Daniran Kosst’s a good officer, and Ramius Vornar’s a good man, but he doesn’t have the command experience you and me got. We’ve gotta be at the head of this.’

‘You’ve got to be at the head of this.’ Rourke straightened.

‘That’s how the chain of command traditionally works, yeah. I don’t expect you to like this. But I’m making these decisions ‘cos I respect the work you and your people have done. This is the nature of Starfleet. And these are the choices which are gonna make us the best we can be to make people’s lives better out here.’ Fleet Captain Jericho neatened his uniform jacket. ‘I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Best this is done quick so we can get to healing and becoming something new. We’re gonna do good things, together, Matt, but first I’ll let you get to Starbase 86 and enjoy the last few days with your people before things change. And change don’t have to be all bad.’

‘While you,’ Rourke rumbled, ‘run down Mo’Kai agents.’

‘While I run down rats on a Mo’Kai payroll.’ Jericho shook his head. ‘Thanks for the drink, Captain. You’ve got your orders. I’ll see you in a few days.’

Rourke watched him go, fist pressed tight against the desk surface. Only once the doors were shut did he grab his whisky and drain the glass. Only once the magnitude of these changes sunk in, moments later, did he swear loudly.

And only once he realised the depths of his complete helplessness in the face of this change did he slump back in his seat, and bury his face in his hands.