The morning had come quicker than anyone would have liked, it didn’t help when Tilana woke up earlier than she needed to. Tilana sat up in her bed and rubbed her face letting out a sigh, not having gotten much sleep due to having a lot on her mind with this upcoming mission. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed she stood up, taking a moment to stretch before making her way into the washroom.

Looking into the mirror that she had placed right above the sink, her eyes looked like she hadn’t slept in a week. Dark circles seemed to dorn the bottom of her eyes along with wrinkles of age adorning the sides of them. Turning on the water she splashed water on her face and then rubbed her face again before drying it off.

After quickly changing into her uniform and brushing her short hair, Tilana walked into the living area. Letting out a yawn she made her way to where the replicator was located. Tilana ordered a cup of coffee and a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Taking the plate and cup that appeared, she moved over to the table that was nearby she sat down and began to eat.

There had been so many things running through her mind with what lay ahead of them, that she was unsure if she could pull things off and be able to act Romulan. Tilana had left that life a very long time ago, to where she never looked back. She’s been in Starfleet for the better part of her adult life. Looking out of the window things remained the same as they were yesterday, ships coming and going from the starbase.

After a few minutes of sitting there just looking out Tilana blinked her eyes standing up from the chair she had been sitting in. Grabbing the dishes she had finished a long time ago and putting them back into the replicator for recycling. As Tilana headed towards the door, she picked up the PADD that she had laid on the table that was located by the door last night.

As Tilana began to walk down the corridor she heard a voice call out from behind her. She stopped and turned around to see who it was, noticing it was Commander Ritru she waited for her to catch up. “Good morning Captain,” Ritru said with a smile as both she and Chon’al just arrived on board a few moments ago.

“Morning Commander,” Tilana said as they began to walk down the corridor toward the turbolift that would bring them to the bridge.

“I spoke with Commander Torath last night,” Ritru began as they walked into the turbolift. “He has agreed to assist us in our mission and will meet us at the requested coordinates.”

“Bridge,” Tilana ordered before turning her attention back to Ritru and what she had enclosed. “Wonderful,” Tilana replied with a fake smile as dread washed over her. She hadn’t set foot on a Romulan ship since before she left Romulus and joined Starfleet. The thought of being on one again didn’t go well with her.

“You alright?” Ritru asked.

Glancing at her she could see the concerned look in her eyes, she began to wonder if she was being that obvious that this was bothering her. “Perfectly fine Commander,” Tilana said, not saying much more as the doors opened to reveal the bridge. Walking out she looked to see that Aleish had already arrived. “Report.”

“All stations report ready,” Aleish replied as she stood up from the chair. “Starbase 93 has given the all-clear for departure,” she added.

“Lieutenant Raro,” said Tilana as she walked to her chair and sat down. “Begin departure procedures and move us away from the station until we are clear to go to warp,” Tilana ordered after sending her the coordinates for their destination.

“Aye sir,” Raro replied.

The ship began to slowly move away from the station until they were in the clear. “Engage,” Tilana replied as the ship jumped to warp heading for the old Romulan Neutral Zone to meet up with the IRW Aldore. Standing up from her chair handing the PADD she had been holding in her hand to Commander Trol. “I want the away team in the observation lounge in fifteen minutes.”

Aleish took the PADD looking at it and noticed that Tilana was leading the team. Tilana could tell she was going to protest and motioned for her to move to the ready room. Turning to Ritru. “You have the bridge.”

“Aye sir,” Ritru replied.

“Do you think that is a good idea?” Aleish protested as Tilana walked around the desk and sat down. “This is a potentially dangerous mission that has so many possibilities of going wrong.” 

Tilana sat there looking at her first officer, acknowledging her concerns. “I understand your concerns but,” she began before pausing for a moment. “This is exactly why I will be leading this mission, not just because I am a Romulan but because I have led undercover missions many times during my career. It was one of the reasons why Commodore Dex decided to send the Triumph instead of sending the Knight or even going herself.”

Tilana could see that Aleish was processing the information and trying to come up with an argument. “I still don’t like it,” Aleish replied.

“You think I am exactly looking forward to it?” Tilana asked though she wasn’t exactly looking for an answer. “I am not exactly thrilled to be ‘acting’ Romulan. I left that life a very long time ago and never looked back,” Tilana admitted as she worked her jaw for a brief moment.

“I will have the Triumph be close by to respond if needed though far enough away that you will not be detected by anyone at Freecloud,” Tilana said which caused Aleish to nod in agreement as that would be agreeable.

“Understood,” Aleish replied as Tilana could tell she felt defeated about talking her out of leading the away team. She knew how she felt as she too had to do the same when she was a first officer. “I will get the away team gathered together within the observation lounge.”

“Thank you,” Tilana smiled as she replied.

Aleish headed out of the ready room as Tilana sat back and began to prepare each PADD with the information that the away team would need. Upon finishing she gathered the PADDs in her arms stood up walked out of her ready room and headed into the observation lounge. Tilana would begin to prepare the team for what was ahead of them as well as the undercover identities they would assume during the mission.