“Did we really have to turn the bridge into a viewing area?” Commander Jake Lewis asked frustratedly as he glared at the throng of officers assembled on the bridge. This was the heart of a warship, not a place for lookie loos to watch flybys and fireworks.

“Orders straight from Command,” replied Lieutenant Commander Ekkomas Eidran. “If it’s got a view, it’s to be made available for people to enjoy the festivities.” The young Betazoid officer was beyond excited, a feeling mirrored by the emotions he could feel emanating from the crew. Frontier Day was to be the celebration of the century, and they had a front row seat.

Standing between the pair, Fleet Admiral Allison Reyes said nothing, but the look on her face said everything. She couldn’t find it in herself to celebrate Starfleet today. Not after what had just transpired. The abductions, the torture, and the murders, all signs pointed to Starfleet. She’d only come to the bridge because it was expected of her, and because she didn’t have anywhere better to be since the investigation was at a dead end.

“Incoming communication from Fleet Command,” reported the comms officer right on schedule.

“Broadcast ship-wide,” ordered Lieutenant Commander Eidran as he beamed ear-to-ear. 

The chatter died down as the voice of Fleet Admiral Elizabeth Shelby filled the bridge, the observation deck, the corridors, and everything in-between. 

“Two hundred and fifty years ago today, the Enterprise NX-01, the first warp 5 capable vessel to be constructed by human hands, made its maiden voyage…” 

The Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet spoke in a proud, distinguished tone, but standing there listening from the bridge of the USS Serenity, Admiral Reyes was unconvinced. Was Elizabeth involved in what they’d stumbled upon? With the cold shoulder she’d gotten at HQ, and the boldness of their mysterious enemy, it was hard to believe her hands were clean. Something of this magnitude would have required high level support. Besides, she reminded herself, the fish typically rotted from the head.

“With it, a crew of 83 souls embarked on a journey, one of bravery, perseverance and sacrifice that would lead to the birth of what we know today as Starfleet…” 

As the speech continued, a lieutenant in teal stepped off the turbolift and approached the command island. Her arrival went unnoticed by those who stood transfixed, staring out at the majestic sight before them, but Admiral Reyes and Commander Lewis turned at once, hoping for news. In this moment, they cared far more for what their counselor had to say than the CinC.

“That private frequency you asked me to keep an eye on,” Dr. Hall said quietly so only Reyes and Lewis could hear. “You’ve got an incoming call. Not sure I understand how, but it’s her.” She didn’t so much as glance at the viewer. Such a performance neither impressed nor interested her.

“Our retired friend?” Admiral Reyes asked with a hint of surprise in her voice. It had been a hail mary to monitor their old frequency, but Admiral Reyes had figured that, if by some chance her old friend resurfaced, she might try that frequency to stay off the radar.

Dr. Hall simply nodded, and without another word, the three of them turned for the Admiral’s Ready Room. Lieutenant Commander Eidran and the rest of the officers on the bridge were far too enamored by speech and spectacle to take any notice of their departure.

“Computer, seal the Ready Room,” Admiral Reyes ordered once they were safely in her office. She approached the wall-mounted viewscreen, and after the the computer gave the appropriate acknowledgement that the room had been sealed, she activated the terminal to accept the call.

“Allison, it’s so good to see your face,” smiled an elderly Trill woman from the other side of the link. But her smile wasn’t one of happiness. It was one of relief. And beneath that smile, there was pain and exhaustion. “I… I… it’s been… it’s been an ordeal.” She looked like hell.

“I am so sorry,” Allison Reyes replied with deep sincerity. “If I’d known…”

Aria Edir raised her hand to stop her old friend. “Please Allison,” the retired Rear Admiral said. “You couldn’t have known. None of us could have. But this situation, it runs deep… Far too deep to put over a link, even one as secure as this one.” Edir glanced around nervously as if someone might be watching. “We need to meet.”

Commander Lewis furled his brow. He didn’t like that idea one bit. Aria Edir had been missing for weeks, and now suddenly here she was out of the blue. “If you don’t mind Admiral Edir,” Commander Lewis said, jumping in before Admiral Reyes could respond. “How exactly did you escape?” His tone was mildly accusatory.

The retired Rear Admiral seemed not the least bit surprised or annoyed by Lewis’ question. She understood where he was coming from. If she was in his shoes, she would have been just as suspicious. “I killed them,” the aged Trill woman replied coldly. There was a darkness in her eyes. “They made a mistake, and they died for it. I killed each and every one of those bastards, and then I got myself out of there.”

The Commander looked at her suspiciously. It seemed too good to be true. Aria Edir was nearly seventy and hardly looked like a killer. How had she engendered her escape? Their enemies were not novices. He’d faced them firsthand in Milan and outside of Healdsburg. These were stone cold operators, with military grade training and equipment, who’d only been bested by surprise, daring and a little luck.

Admiral Reyes could see the doubt on Commander Lewis’ face, but she did not share his doubts. She knew Rear Admiral Edir’s warrior spirit. She’d seen her in her prime, and that spirit never fully left you. “Aria was duking it out with the Cardassians while you were in grade school,” Admiral Reyes assured Commander Lewis. “And she may have more Jem’Hadar scalps under her belt than you do.”

Commander Lewis frowned, but he could tell Admiral Reyes’ mind was made up. He just hoped she wasn’t letting past experiences taint her judgment.

“Where are you now Aria?” Admiral Reyes asked.

“I’m on Sol Station.”

“You’re what?” Admiral Reyes choked on her words, caught completely off guard. That was certainly not the answer she’d expected.If she were in Edir’s shoes, she would have found a quiet little hole to hide in. Not gone straight into the belly of the beast. “Why?”

“Not for Frontier Day, I assure you of that,” Aria Edir replied grimly. “When I escaped from those assholes, I found myself in the bowels of Sol Station in a cordoned off maintenance section. Can you believe that? They were holding me on Sol Station!”

Shock was the only way to describe the looks on the faces of the three officers standing in the Serenity’s Ready Room. They’d extracted Lieutenant Morgan, Chief Shafir and Aria’s husband from a villa north of San Francisco that had the trappings of a black site, but the idea that Rear Admiral Edir was being held on Starfleet’s premier spacestation was something different altogether. It meant this was absolutely a Starfleet operation.

Admiral Reyes opened her mouth as if to inquire further, but Aria Edir raised her hand once more. “No more over the link,” Edir insisted. “I’ll send secure coordinates.”

A chirp acknowledged that the coordinates had been received. Admiral Reyes glanced at them. They were up near the command deck on the main promenade. A public space where shenanigans would be hard to pull off. 

“See you soon,” Admiral Reyes said and then she cut the link. She looked over at Commander Lewis, who was already opening his mouth to protest. But she wasn’t having any of it. She felt guilt over putting her old friend in this place to begin with, and she wanted answers. “I’m going over there Jake. It’s not up for debate.”

“What if she’s being forced to say these things to entrap you?”

“Rear Admiral Edir would die before doing that.”

“If you insist on going, then we’re coming with you,” Commander Lewis said firmly. The Admiral could agree to those terms. It was a reasonable  given the situation. But then Lewis’ combadge chirped. He tapped it. “Lewis here.”

“Commander, we’ve got a problem,” came the voice of Ensign Rel over the link. The young member of the Hazard Team sounded completely panicked. ”I just went to check on Mr. Ellis, and when he didn’t answer, I let myself into his quarters. His security team is dead, and he’s missing.”

How? They’d taken every precaution. No one besides his team, plus Lieutenant Commander Eidran, Lieutenant Krer, and a half dozen handpicked security guards, even knew that Aria Edir’s husband was aboard, let alone where they’d hidden him. “What about Morgan and Shafir?” asked Commander Lewis, his mind going straight to their teammates they’d also just rescued.

“They’re fine. Dr. Brooks and I went to check on them immediately. We’re with them now in Mr. Ellis’ quarters, trying to pick them apart for clues.”

Commander Lewis’ mind was racing, and he was split on what to do. He didn’t want to leave the Admiral unprotected when she went over to Sol Station, but they now knew agents of their enemy were on board. “Allison, I don’t suppose I can convince you to wait to go over to Sol Station?”

“Absolutely not,” Admiral Reyes replied firmly. “Edir may know what the hell is going on.” She cold see the worry on his face. “I can handle myself, Jake,” she assured him. “And Dr. Hall can watch my back. You’ve got a traitor to hunt.”

He didn’t like it, but there wasn’t a better option.