The bridge of the Yorktown was dimly lit, contrasting against the brightly illuminated consoles and the faces of the crew staring at them. The occasional hum of the strobing red alert accent lighting broke through the dark room. Lieutenant Zemess finally reported, “No sign of the Titan, sir. It looks like she got away… again.”

“Damn it,” Commander Branson slammed her hands against the console she was hovering over, watching the sensor display in real time. “There is no way they should be able to get away from us like this.”

Largely ignoring the uncharacteristic outburst, Jerok asked Commander Sul, “Any word from the Mestral or Trumbull?”

“Nothing, sir. The last report was two hours ago from both ships and they reported no sightings of the Titan. Just more sensor decoys,” the Betazoid responded directly.

“Sir…” an alarm klaxon went off at the tactical console as Zemess intently scanned across the console. “I’m picking up the Titan’s transponder, again. Half a light year away.”

Jerok let out a sigh. Probably another instance of them catching their own tails, but they had to investigate. “Helm, set an intercept course, maximum warp. Comms, send coordinates and notify the Mestral and Trumbull to rendezvous with us at the location of that signal.”

The bridge was relatively quiet as the crew waited with bated breath. Their short journey felt like an eternity, another expectation that the Titan would be there. But each time their tactics were sound. Jerok knew that they had a lot of experience on that ship, and trying to catch them wouldn’t be easy. 

Finally, the Yorktown dropped out of warp to a familiar sight. Jerok sighed in frustration, again, as in front of the view screen was another decoy transponder beacon. The Mestral and Trumbull dropped out of warp, all three ships encircling the transponder.

Jerok watched as his first officer lost her cool again. “How are we being outsmarted by Shaw, Riker, whoever is on that ship?!” she shouted slamming her fist against a console again. 

But what she said gave Jerok immediate pause. Almost a chilling freeze up his spine. He almost didn’t want to believe it at first. But knowing what he knew about the Titan being taken over by “renegades” made him wonder: ‘If it could happen on the Titan could it happen on the Yorktown?’

But how did she know? How did Commander Branson know Riker was on that ship? That was a piece of information Starfleet Command shared with him when he got his orders, but it was something he went out of his way to keep shielded from his crew. He tapped a few commands into the arm of his command chair. Moments later, four security officers stepped onto the bridge.

Jerok, without hesitation, firmly ordered them, “Security, please take Commander Branson into custody. Hold her in the brig until you receive further orders from me.”

The entire bridge crew turned their heads in confusion. In that confusion, Branson lunged at one of the security officers trying to grab his phaser pistol. Another security officer turned and backhanded the first officer, staggering her back a few steps. Once she regained her footing, Jerok saw her face as it shimmered back to a near perfect complexion. Something he thought he’d never lay eyes on again. Something he hadn’t laid eyes on in 30 years: a Changeling.

Commander Sul, perhaps one of the few officers who was also serving during the Dominion War, immediately slapped a few commands on his console as the ship wide comm system opened, “All hands, intruder on the bridge.”

In the chaos that ensued all four security officers tried to subdue the Changeling pretending to be Commander Branson. Ensign Thomas and Lieutenant Zemess fled their stations to join the brawl. Commander Sul pulled a phaser pistol out of one of the storage lockers on the side of the bridge and fired it at the Changeling on the highest stun setting. 

Jerok and Sul exchanged a look, and Jerok nodded. They both knew – probably better than any of the younger officers on the ship – what had to be done. Sul changed the setting on the phaser as Jerok yelled, “Everyone stand back.”

As the crowd dispersed around the Changeling, who seemed confused, Sul pointed the phaser pistol. The Changeling only had a second to react, but not enough time. The Betazoid squeezed the trigger, vaporizing the Changeling into a pile of ash.

No one said anything as mere seconds seemed like quiet hours had passed. Finally, Commander Sul spoke up, “… are we chasing Changelings on the Titan?”

Jerok responded very matter-of-factly, “I don’t know, but I fear we may have a bigger problem than one stolen ship.”