“The last excavation teams have been beamed up,” reported Chief Bronden. The Zaldan man stood at the operations console just as Captain McCallister finished at Mission Ops II.

As McCallister walked past Bronden’s station, he tapped the side and thanked his chief of operations. Then, he went down the steps and around towards the bridge’s centre.

Approaching his chair, McCallister was updated by his first officer. “The last of the shuttles have returned, too,” Jaz shared. 

“I’m sure T’Penni will appreciate not having to build any replacements,” McCallister said as he lowered himself into his chair. It was one area of commanding an Intrepid-class ship that McCallister had vowed to keep an eye on, and that was not losing so many shuttles (or runabouts) while in the Delta Quadrant.

“Tricobalt devices are armed and ready,” announced Lieutenant Commander Jiranni. The Bajora woman had pulled her golden blonde hair up into a bun before focussing on the matter at hand. Bellerophon had never fired its tricobalt payload before, so she had to reconfigure the launchers for such a matter.  

Raising his right hand to slow her down, McCallister replied to his chief security and tactical officer. “Hold on, Edeena, let’s give the Themis a chance to take out the shuttle.”

“I don’t see that happening any time soon, sir,”  Jarata stated, changing the viewscreen to clarify his point. “The shuttlecraft’s shields have been altered, and the Justice Wing is having a field day trying to disable it. But, unfortunately, its course direction has it set straight for the moon, hitting the atmosphere in a very awkward position.”

Jaz sighed to McCallister’s left before speaking up. “Those shield upgrades will likely help it on its entry into the upper atmosphere.” 

“Themis is trying something,” Jiranni notified. “They’re firing a torpedo in its path; I’m detecting them charging their forward phaser array.”

McCallister realised what Cambil was trying to do; it was a tactic he had seen his brother use many times. “They’re going to create a photonic shockwave. Full power to shields!”

Themis did as he had predicted, and the viewscreen showed the shockwave. Seconds later, the shuttle flew through it all. Unscathed. Undamaged. Still intact and still heading for them now.

An alarm went off at the operations station, and Bronden quickly responded. “We’re being hailed; it’s Captain Cambil for you, sir!”

McCallister gestured for him to open a channel.

“Horatio, fire!”

In a single heartbeat, McCallister heard the orders from Cambil. He took a breath in and turned to Jirani. 

“No! Wait!” exclaimed Ensign Jonarom from science.

Everyone swiftly turned to the chief science officer. 

“Explain, ensign.” Jaz said, almost irritated that he had interrupted the captain. 

Tapping furiously away at the holographic console before him, the young Ardanan used the interface to take over other projectors on the bridge to show a scan of the excavation. “The ex-drone beamed down to the planet just before the Themis detonated its photonic shockwave.” Jonarom pointed at the green dot that showed the ex-Borg’s lifesign. It was next to the spatial trajector that also showed power. “I don’t know how, but it has been able to bring the trajector back online. If we fire a tricobal device at it while its active, I don’t know what the consequences could be.”

“And if that drone get’s loose somewhere else in this quadrant, we don’t know what the consequences could be either,” Jirani countered. 

The focus shifted to the captain. It was his call. His decision. 

Swallowing hard, Horatio knew that what ever he decided in the next nanosecond would cause damage one way or another. So he went with what his gut was telling him. 

“Fire the tricobalt device, Edeena.”