She’d been captain of the Nighthawk for over six months now, and Dani Kosst still didn’t know where she should sit in her mess hall of a morning.

Technically she had a captain’s dining room, but it made her feel shut off and claustrophobic if she didn’t invite anyone to join her. That took planning, and it made anyone attending look like she expected something from them, like this was an ad hoc meeting or a forced bonding exercise. Unless she had a proper occasion, she didn’t use it. Likewise, she could take breakfast in her quarters, but eating in her ready room made her feel like a joyless workaholic.

So Dani Kosst, joyless workaholic, took a table on her own by a window of the main mess hall and knew full well she was making breakfast awkward for everyone. So many of her crew were so young, only a few years off the Academy or Training Command, that they didn’t know how to behave in a downtime situation with their captain just in their line of sight. All she wanted was to eat her scrambled eggs and drink her coffee in peace.

She could see the younger band of her senior officers, all barely grown into their pips, at one of the bigger tables. Ensign Fox was telling some story of hijinks from on their last shore leave, gesturing with her hands as she drew her audience through the weave of her tale, while the others listened in amused captivation. None listened more intently to the pilot than Kosst’s science officer, Ensign Percian, pretending not to be completely enraptured as he fastidiously prepared his tea.

There was laughter and amusement, then one of the young ensigns noticed their CO looking in their direction and sobered. While the rest didn’t spot this, it made Kosst look away to the window. She hadn’t wanted to intrude on their fun.

‘You’re freaking them out.’ Lieutenant Tyrell Rhade slid into the seat opposite her, halfway through a breakfast burrito. ‘Staring like a stalker.’

Kosst jabbed at her eggs defensively. ‘I’m having breakfast.’

‘Do I need to monitor your schedule so I eat with you down here?’

She narrowed her eyes at his patronising tone. Knowing he was joking didn’t help in the slightest. ‘I know how to deal with people.’

Rhade had a munch of the burrito. ‘Didn’t say you didn’t.’

‘I negotiated with the Ritorans and the Farrick to help them end a decades-long war.’

‘Yep.’

‘I’ve advised admirals and ambassadors, even on matters they didn’t want to hear.’

‘For sure.’ More munching.

‘I don’t need you to hold my hand, Ty, while I come down to my own damn mess hall for breakfast.’

‘If you say so, Dani.’ Ty Rhade shoved the rest of the burrito in his mouth in one go.

‘I do. And you have to accept that. Do you know why?’

‘Because you’re too neurotic for me to disagree with you?’

‘Because I’m the captain.’

Rhade brushed his hands together. ‘It’s not even 0900 and you’ve already pulled that card on me.’

‘I don’t -’

‘Bridge to Captain Kosst.’

Glaring at Rhade, Kosst reached up to tap her combadge. ‘Kosst here.’

Her XO’s voice came through, cool and collected. ‘We’re coming up on Delevan, ma’am, but long-range sensors suggest we’re not as alone as we expected. There’s a ship out there matching sensor records of a Fenris Ranger spotted operating around this region.’

Kosst rose, coffee abandoned. ‘What’s our ETA?’

‘Still ten minutes.’

‘I’ll be right there.’ She looked at Rhade. ‘Send up the bridge crew then get to engineering.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘You don’t want to summon them?’

‘We’ve got ten minutes until we drop out of warp and the Ranger will probably immediately turn tail and run. If I tell them to report to the bridge, the kids will drop everything and run. If you usher them gently, they’ll finish their coffee. They’ve got time to finish their coffee.’

Rhade gave a small, lopsided smile, but it soon turned into a smirk. ‘What is it, you’re good with people so long as you don’t have to talk to them?’

‘Something like that.’ She left without letting him drag her into further banter. It wasn’t just that the situation on the bridge sounded like it needed her attention. But Commander Brennos was so stoic that he could have a sucking chest wound and he’d act like it wasn’t a big deal.

The compact bridge of the Nighthawk was indeed a buzz of gentle but urgent activity when she stepped inside. Before she could ask for a report, her broad-shouldered first officer had stood from the centre chair and stepped away, towards his post at Tactical. ‘Seven minutes out, Captain. There’s some findings you might want to see.’

He’d left a PADD on the armrest, and Kosst read it as she sat down. After a moment, her brow furrowed. ‘Take us to yellow alert.’

‘Aye, Captain.’ Two words often wouldn’t carry much tone, especially not from a man like Brennos. But he was, she thought, quietly approving.

Minutes later, Fox and Percian were hurrying onto the bridge and looked rather abashed now the ship had gone to alert. Kosst waved a quick hand to their stations to forestall any apologies; this wasn’t the time for their anxieties. ‘Mister Percian, I want you scouring the system on our approach. There’s a ship out there, and I want to know what they’re up to and if they have company.’

She’d forwarded Brennos’s initial analysis to the Science station, and young Percian’s eyes widened as he read. To his credit, she thought, he was clocking on much quicker than she’d expected. ‘Yes, ma’am. Running a full scan. The gas giant is so massive its magnetic field is quite powerful, and its rings are radiogenic. I don’t know if I can give you the full picture of the system.’

Again he sounded apologetic, and she looked at him. ‘Knowing there might still be surprises is good enough, Ensign. Keep a weather eye out.’

‘We’re coming out of warp, Captain,’ called Fox.

‘Shields up,’ Kosst ordered the moment the Nighthawk eased to impulse. ‘Where’s our Ranger?’

‘In orbit of the gas giant, ma’am,’ Percian reported.

‘Its shields are up, its weapons charged,’ warned Brennos.

‘Are they that happy to see us?’ Kosst asked.

‘I don’t think so,’ said Fox. ‘They’ve not changed course or come to face us or anything.’

Kosst looked at Brennos quizzically. ‘Is someone hiding in that gas giant?’ It was more rhetorical, though his serious expression suggested he was thinking the same thing, and she nodded to Percian. ‘Find out. Fox, bring us closer but let’s not agitate them. Brennos, hail them.’

The viewscreen changed for the gloomy cockpit of one of the compact ships the Fenris Rangers tended to favour. Kosst wasn’t usually one to stereotype, but the face greeting her looked about as typical a hardened spacer as she’d ever seen. ‘What do you want, Starfleet?’ growled the grizzled Ranger. ‘This isn’t your space, you can’t tell us what to do.’

‘I’m Captain Kosst of the starship Nighthawk. It’s a pleasure to meet you,’ said Kosst, tone breezy with a hint of chill. ‘I don’t remember giving you any orders?’

‘You’ve run in here with shields raised. That sounds like you want trouble.’

‘What do I -’

‘And I don’t have to introduce myself.’

Her eyes narrowed as she took in the face. Narrow features of a human male, stubble across the chin, a scar splitting one eyebrow. The same face she’d seen on the arrest warrant Brennos had dug up for her to read on their approach. ‘I only introduced myself to not put you at a disadvantage, Mister… Klein, isn’t it? Fenris Ranger and leader of a band who raided a Federation supply shipment two weeks ago?’

Klein hesitated. Then his expression set. ‘A supply shipment headed for Mirabiel. Where you’d give it to the shelter’s leadership, who’re corrupt, and wouldn’t give it to the people who really need it.’

‘Mirabiel had elections six months ago after Endeavour helped the people remove the old leaders. More than that, Mister Klein, you killed two of the convoy’s crew on that raid.’

‘Captain.’ Percian’s voice was a low, urgent hiss.

She tried to gesture for him to wait, out of sight of the viewscreen. ‘So I do have authority here. Authority to ask you to power down and surrender, as I’m placing you under arrest.’

Klein scowled. ‘Piss on that, Starfleet. I don’t answer to you.’ The viewscreen went dead.

‘He’s charging weapons,’ Brennos warned.

‘But he’s not coming about,’ Fox pointed out. ‘He’s holding position. Waiting for us?’

‘That doesn’t sound right.’ Kosst spun on the chair to face Percian. ‘What is it, Ensign?’

‘There’s another ship in the gas giant’s atmosphere,’ he said, still apologetic. ‘Its hull is taking a significant hammering from the pressure. I think they went to ground there and Klein’s waiting them out.’

‘He’s run someone down,’ mused Kosst, turning back to the front. ‘Take us to red alert. Ms Fox, bring us closer -’

‘One more thing, Captain.’ Percian winced. ‘The other ship’s also a Fenris Ranger craft. Smaller, one-man.’

Fox tensed. ‘Reinforcements?’

‘Klein’s sitting right on top of them,’ Brennos said. ‘His positioning’s terrible if he wanted an ambush opportunity. Captain, many Fenris Rangers disavowed Klein after the Mirabiel attack.’

‘Someone came after him and it went badly.’ Kosst’s lips thinned. ‘Let’s give them a helping hand.’

Fox made a small, frustrated noise. ‘He’s powering up engines. Captain, he’s turning to run.’

‘After him -’

‘Torpedo launched!’ Brennos snapped, then hissed. ‘Not at us. At the ship in the gas giant.’

‘They’re moving to evade it,’ Percian called. ‘But they – yeah. The strain on the hull’s intensifying. Captain, I think they’ve got a breach down there, and they’re falling deeper into the atmosphere.’

Kosst swore silently. Klein had probably wanted his target alive, but decided dead was better than not at all. ‘Fox, bring us closer to the falling ship. Brennos, get ready to bring them out with a tractor beam.’

Nighthawk’s deck rumbled as she entered the upper atmosphere of the gas giant, but she was made of sterner stuff than a battered raider, and held firm. Kosst gripped the armrest as the ship jerked, the tractor beam settling onto the descending Fenris Ranger ship and adjusting their own velocity with the shift in forces. ‘Bring us out with them. Easy as it goes,’ she warned.

‘Captain, Klein’s gone to warp,’ Percian said apologetically.

‘He knew we’d stop for a rescue mission,’ Brennos grumbled. As they rose, Nighthawk settled back down, and Kosst could see on sensors the small raider they were pulling out of the atmosphere. It looked like emergency forcefields had activated, giving them some safety against the breaches.

‘We’re Starfleet,’ Fox said with lingering enthusiasm. ‘We weren’t going to leave someone behind. Especially not if they’re a Ranger trying to bring a bad one down.’

‘Don’t be so sure of that, Ensign,’ said Brennos. ‘Captain, this raider was also at the Mirabiel raid.’

Kosst’s lips thinned. She looked at Percian. ‘Life signs?’

‘One. They haven’t dropped their shields.’

‘To be fair, neither have we.’ She sighed. ‘Hail them.’

The face on the viewscreen this time was a lot more ragged, more desperate, and wore an exhausted smile. ‘I never could be angry with Starfleet for your sense of timing. My thanks, Captain.’

‘It seems you’ve made some enemies among your own friends, Ranger.’ Kosst tilted her head. ‘You’re out of the frying pan, but I can’t be sure you’re out of the fire.’

He raised his hands defensively. He was a worn man in what would be his forties if he were human, with the traditional tattoo-like marking on his forehead of a Risian and narrow, sharp features. ‘I was fighting Klein. Not doing well at it, but we’re definitely not friends. I’d rather not be tarred as guilty by association.’

‘Guilty is a strong word. Under arrest isn’t. Your ship’s clearly been places it shouldn’t have been, Mister…’

The Risian closed his eyes in surrender. ‘Gault. Call me Gault. Guess you’ve got me there. Don’t suppose I can explain this from somewhere not inside a brig?’

‘You’re under suspicion for murder, or being an accessory to murder, Mister Gault. That gets you the brig.’ Kosst leaned forward. ‘Lower your shields, and I’ll throw in a pillow.’

‘Don’t,’ said Brennos, ‘and we leave you here for your friend Klein to tidy up later.’

Gault’s eyes flickered between them, before landing on Kosst. ‘I reckon I’ll take up your offer, Captain Good Cop. Lowering shields now.’ He reached for controls, and a moment later there was a quick nod of confirmation from Percian. Now Gault gave a toothy, hopeful grin. ‘Don’t suppose it can be a firm pillow?’