“To think we’d be called back here immediately after arriving at New Romulus”  Sky muttered, piloting the small shuttle across the shipyards.  “After all that we went through here, coming back so soon feels like a punch in the gut.”

Desiree nodded in agreement, Greystroke sitting on her lap, purring.  “To be so suddenly reassigned from the Marduk, do you think it has anything to do with what happened?”

“I believe so.  Wouldn’t put it past command to decide to move us up to a ship that lost her captain rather than trust someone who was in the area and affected by the Borg signal.”  They reached Shipyard dock 47-A.  “There she is.  The USS Rome, New Orleans class.  She’s on the older side, but she’s been through more than most active Starfleet Officers.  She served in the first Dominion War, fought Cardassians during the border skirmishes, and has visited more planets than even Captain Archer’s Enterprise.  In the words of Dr. Mccoy, if we treat her right, she’ll bring us home.”

Outside the viewport, the Rome slowly grew bigger as they approached.

“Shuttlepod Beta-14, you are cleared to dock in the Shuttlebay, pad 2.”

Sky tapped the console, “Roger Rome, on approach.”

Desiree snickered, “Imagine the face of the poor officer, not realizing he’s already spoken with the new Captain.”

“Hey, I’m not all that bad.” He protested.

“Speaking as your former XO, yeah you can be.”  Desiree stroked Greystroke, who also nodded.

“Still partially upset they didn’t offer you that position.”  Instead the position had gone to the highest ranked surviving member of the former crew.

“We all know that they wanted to smooth over the transition for the rest of the crew, the did just lose all of their senior staff in a rather traumatic event.”

“So I should be expecting a partially hostile crew, and have a lot of work for the new councilor as well, right?” With a thud, the shuttlepod touched down at pad 2.  Sky skillfully shut down the shuttlepod’s engines, before swiveling in his seat to face the rear door.  “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

On the bridge, a young Romulan woman in a Starfleet uniform was leaning on the forward bulkhead, near the Helm Officer. “I’m serious! After everything that went down, they’ve changed out half the crew, and we’re getting a new Captain.  It’s obviously section 31 taking the chance to plant observers.”  She exhorted to the young, and frankly uncaring, Ensign.

“Sindari, you served in the Romulan Star Empire’s navy for less than a year.  I sincerely doubt there’s anything you know that would warrant Section 31 getting involved.”  Ensign Garrett Mayweather sighed as he tapped his screen, running a calibration for the billionth time.  “Even if they were to do so, what makes you think it would be so obvious?”

“It’s almost more perfect that it’s obvious!  Then while I’m distracted sussing out the new Handler, the secret secondary agent will get me.”

Just then the console beeped.  Ensign Mayweather tapped it, rubbed his tired eyes, and tapped it again.  “I hope you get used to the idea of a new captain, cause he just landed in the shuttlebay.”