“And… done,” Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes. He’d finally finished his last report on the Shining Hope mission. “I remembered what I hated about this job.” He stretched and yawned, now it was time to enjoy the starbase. No sooner did he start to stand than his console beeped. “Incoming Starfleet transmission?” Alex hit a button to connect the call and was met with the face of Fleet Captain Th’lora Vehl. “Captain, this is a surprise.”

“We require the Cantabras for another mission.”

“Respectfully ma’am, the crew is less than 36 hours into their shore leave. The mission on Sitera was an especially rough shakedown mission for the crew.”

“Yes, I heard about that. I understand your frustration Commander, but it’s imperative regardless.”

Alex read through the preliminary orders, “I’m guessing it’s an immediate departure?”

Th’lora nodded, “Yes Commander. Vehl out.” The screen blinked and was replaced with the Starfleet logo.

Regrettably, Alex pushed a button to active the crew’s combadges, “Benson to Cantabras crew, we have a new mission. Return to the ship immediately.” And cut the channel.

The Cantabras’ crew sat around the table in the Briefing Room. Various looks of anger, disgust, and disappointment were on everyone’s faces.

“I don’t get it,” Logan piped up, breaking the silence. “They want us to go out again? We just got here. Besides, I was running hot at the Dabo table. I had the dealer right where I wanted them.”

“No you weren’t,” Priam spoke up. “You were losing… badly.”

Logan leaned back in his chair and smiled. “It’s all a part of the strategy Pri. You let the house thinks it’s got you by the shorts and then let down its guard. Then you start raking in the winnings.”

“Your gambling strategy sounds fascinating Carter, but let’s focus. I’m not happy about this either, but try to make the best of the situation.” Alex said. He pushed the button that brought up the mission briefing. “Our target is the Liakso Array telescope, located in-”

“The Arcania Cluster,” Logan interrupted.

“Yes, the Arcania Cluster,” Alex repeated. “You’ve heard of it?”

“Any pilot who’s worthy of flying has. They also know how much of a suicide mission it would be to go there. That place is a navigational nightmare!”

“Good thing we have an ace pilot with us,” Alex smirked, “or was that all talk?”

“Insulting my pride won’t win me over,” Logan leaned back in his chair. “I’m crazy, but I’m not stupid. Entering into the Cluster will be the end of us.”

“Look, it’s the mission we’ve been given. And imagine all the stories you’d be able to tell when we get back.”

“Stroking my ego won’t win me over either,” Logan sighed. “What’s the mission?”

“Like I said, the target is the Liakso Array telescope located in the Arcania Cluster. The Array has been seized by Dominion forces.”

A look of shock flashed across everyone’s faces. “The Dominion?” Carter said, “They haven’t been heard of since the war. What do they want with the Array?”

“Starfleet thinks its surveillance capabilities. It’s theorized they will use it to gain a tactical advantage against the Federation. And then coordinate strikes against Federation worlds. Our objective is to retake the Array and secure it. Failing that, we’ve been authorized to destroy it. Starfleet would prefer the former, but whatever it takes to keep it out of Dominion’s hands.”

“I would prefer the former too,” Priam piped up. “It’s a beautiful device, elegantly built.”

“If we need to, you can watch it be elegantly exploded into a million pieces.” Alex looked to Tani, “You’re uncharacteristically quiet.”

Tani blinked, “I’m with Carter on this. I think it’s a suicide mission. The Arcania Cluster notwithstanding, there’s not a whole lot this ship can do against a Dominion ship. But the Federation built the Liakso Array there for a reason. The astrophysicist in me desperately wants to explore it. And isn’t that the foundation of Starfleet? Exploration?”

“So we’re all in agreement then. We’re going to traverse the galaxy, probably die in the process, but if we don’t die, we’ll be able to drool over the sight of a rare telescope,” Alex recapped.

Carter raised his hand. “For the record, I don’t give a crap about the Array. I’m more concerned about the dying part.” 

“Your concern’s been noted,” Alex said. “Make whatever preparations you need, we’re out of here in ten. Dismissed.”

The crew left the table and filed out of the room, with a mixture of excitement and dread.

Alex stepped into the holodeck and was greeted by a forest clearing, complete with a small flowing creek and footbridge going over it. “Hello old friend,” Alex said with a smile.

“Mr. Benson, it has been a while. Time has been kind to you. Is that gray trying to break out amidst your hair?”

“Ah, that trademark Maltavius humor. Not all of us can be ageless holograms.” Alex responded. 

“You have not practiced for some time Alex,” Maltavius said sagely. “I am not sure where we left off.”

“Yes you do, you’re a computer program. You can look it up in a microsecond.”

Maltavius smiled warmly, something Alex always felt was at odds with the man’s Romulan appearance. “I suppose I could. But do you remember the movements? That, my dear friend, would be the real question.”

“I haven’t done any of them for over a decade, so no.” Alex sat on the grass, “We can get to the martial arts stuff another time. I think I just need a friend right now.”

Maltavius sat on the grass next to Alex, with a worried look, “Of course my friend, what weighs on your mind?”

“I’ve been reinstated into Starfleet. We’re on the holodeck of the vessel I’m in command of.”

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Maltavius said. “Is it an Intrepid like the Bismarck?”

Alex chuckled wryly, “Not quite. It’s a Raven-class. We’re currently on our way to fight Dominion forces to retake a telescope for the Federation.”

Maltavius raised an eyebrow, “In a Raven? That sounds like lambs being led to the slaughter.”

“That’s the consensus of the crew too. Half of them think it’s a suicide mission.”

Maltavius chuckled, “Should I ask which half you fall under?”

“I’m not sure I’d have a solid answer for you.” Alex sighed, “I don’t think it’s supposed to be a direct assault. It’s more of a stealth mission. A smaller ship with higher maneuverability, and all that.”

“There seems to be more than that bothering you.”

“Intuitive as always.” Alex absentmindedly picked at the grass, not meeting Maltavius’ gaze. “I saw April recently.”

“I am guessing from your tone it was not a happy reunion.”

“She is, or I guess was, the leader of a terrorist organization. Starfleet charged me with putting her down.”

“That does not sound like the girl in pigtails I knew. I figure she would grow up to be a scientist or engineer, given how curious she always was.” Maltavius hesitated a while, “So did you?”

“No,” Alex said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I let her get away. I told everyone she was lost in the shuffle of combat. And my crew hates me for it. They don’t say it, but I know they’re thinking it.”

“That’s not an easy decision to make. I am not sure if it were Marianne that I would not make the same decision.”

The two men sat in silence, the only sound was the movement of the small creek.

“She looked just like her mother,” Alex said, finally breaking the silence. “I don’t know if that factored in or not. It reminded me of the promise I made to her. But now she’s a fugitive from the Federation. I don’t know if I did more harm than good.” Alex chuckled, “The best part is the world she was terrorizing? They’re slavers. They enslave their people to mine felmite. I hear that some were children. And they wanted to use our help as a springboard to join the Federation.”

“Not all of the Federation members were at their best when joining. But it is the striving to be better that made them better.”

“I suppose you’re right. I still mentioned it in my report.” 

“Are you hoping the Federation will reject their application?”

“Before you started getting all sagely I did,” Alex smirked. “It’s now in the hands of the Federation, regardless of what I think.”

Maltavius beamed, “I could not challenge your thought processes if I did not. Besides, that is why you came to speak with me.”

“You got me there, man”, Alex said standing up and brushing off his clothes. Maltavius rose as well. Alex stared at the holographic representation of his friend. “I miss you, man. Probably more than I originally thought.” The two men shook hands.

Maltavius beamed, “I may no longer be alive, but I can still exist in this space.” He motioned around the clearing. “And you can speak to me whenever you like.”

“I’ll take you up on that, old friend,” Alex smiled. “Computer, end program.” The holodeck returned to the yellow and black grid as Alex walked out.

“Computer, access Chief Science Officer Lieutenant Commander Liam Marska’s log from USS Mendel. And display them on my console,” Tani said, turning her attention to the console on her desk. The logs that were requested displayed on the screen. “So you did find the microbe,” she said while reading. “You sniveling piece of… whoa. It turns out it was a bioweapon.” She further delved into the logs. “Or it will be if you’re not careful. You’re looking in the wrong place. It should be on the 36th marker, not the 17th.” She sighed, “You’re going to blow up the entire planet. Computer, send a message to-” She stopped herself, “disregard the last command. He wouldn’t listen to me anyway. He’s so far up himself that he wouldn’t listen to me anyway.”

She rose from the desk and flopped on the couch in her quarters. “Computer, replay the last personal log of Lieutenant Commander Liam Marska.”

“Personal officer logs are restricted from non-investigatory Starfleet personnel and senior officers,” the computer stated.

“Override, access code Marska-Sigma-Bravo-Bravo 3-8-5.”

“Override code accepted,”

Liam’s voice came over the speakers in her room, “Personal log of Lieutenant Commander Liam Marska. I’ve become so frustrated with the microbe. If only I-”

“Had a functioning brain that knew to look at the 36th biomarker,” Tani said over his voice.

“I found a replacement for Lieutenant Commander Veva.”

Tani scoffed, “Not likely.”

“He arrived two days ago and already is exceeding the expectations of the job. He respectfully challenges my opinion, unlike the previous colleague in his position.”

“I’m sorry if I’m more right than you.”

Liam continued to speak about the previous week exploring aboard the Mendel and personal matters, while Tani provided a colorful running commentary of derogatory and churlish remarks. Then a pause, Tani almost thought he’d quit speaking. Then he spoke again, and by his tone, Tani could tell he was smiling. “I decided to ask Lieutenant Brosa on a date. I think we’ve been skirting the issue for a few days now. We joked that I could’ve ordered her to go,” he chuckled. “Anyway, we’ve found a great place on-”

“Computer, stop log,” Tani said abruptly. She felt her face flush and the tears coming down her face before she realized it. She sniffled, “Computer, access Starfleet Science Corps on the Arcania Cluster. Narrate the entries.”

She curled up on her couch and numbly listened to Starfleet scientist drone on about the Arcania Cluster.

“So we’re going to the Arcania Cluster,” Logan mused. “Man, you are probably insanely jealous Chavez.” Logan thought a minute, “Unless you’ve been there already…” He shrugged, “Who cares? You were always a jerk anyway. And could never take a joke.”

He stared out of the forward window at the stars blazing by. That was something that you couldn’t do in larger starships. It was always a simulated view. A very convincing one, but a pilot could always tell the difference. He tapped a few buttons to run a flight simulation of the Arcania Cluster. “And… smash-o-crash-o,” Logan sighed at the results. “Computer, what are the probabilities of successfully piloting through the Arcania Cluster and reaching the Liakso Array telescope?”

“The likelihood of a pilot with moderate skill reaching the Liakso Array telescope is one thousand-”

“Whoa, whoa! Computer, stop!” Logan exclaimed and almost jumped out of his seat. “I forgot to never ask a computer the odds.” He paused, “Wait, she said ‘moderate skill’,” he smiled. “Good thing I’m a pilot of exceptional skill. Most of the time.”

He typed in a modification to the simulations. Logan found himself reaching into his pocket and gripping the dog tags inside. “Come on Naran, show me something man.” Another result of failure, Logan laughed. “You always were able to dish out a joke as well as you took one.” 

He pulled the dog tags out of his pocket and held them in his hand. Logan ran his thumb across the engraving. “You must be laughing at this ultimate joke. ‘How is Carter going to get out of this one?’” He stared down at the dog tags, “Well, I don’t much have a choice here. It’s either I figure this out, or we’ll all be crushed into space dust.” Logan gulped, “I hope that’s not the punchline you’re going for.”

Logan punched in commands to run another simulation. “That reminds me: I wonder if Pri has found my prank yet…”

Priam made his way through the dining room. He’d been working for hours on a way to circumvent the Dominion ships. So long, it seemed, that hunger quickly crept on him. Priam looked through the cabinets in the galley. “Ah, real food!” He exclaimed, “No replicated stuff for me.” He pulled a few items, mostly rations, from the cabinet.

Heading to a nearby table, he laid out his found culinary treasures. It wasn’t a gourmet meal, but it would suffice to sustain him. Priam picked up a jar and inspected it. “Jaffra sauce”?” He said suspiciously. “I’ve never heard of this before.” Inspecting the jar, he read, “’Made from the finest jaffra fish.’ What’s a jaffra fish?” He opened the jar and a large plastic sea serpent sprung out of it,” Priam jumped and yelped in surprise. “This has to be Logan’s doing,” he said, narrowing his eyes. He placed the serpent back into the jar and closed it. “It sounds gross anyway.”

Priam turned his attention to the rest of the items, cautiously testing to make sure no tricks were placed on them. He was relieved to find none. The meal was simple: A sandwich with some freeze-dried fruit and protein supplements. After consuming the meal, Priam felt a deep regret as he realized the items were probably for emergencies when the replicators didn’t work. He went to the replicators and ordered a raktajino. Priam picked up the cup and left the dining room, destined for Main Engineering.

The doors to Main Engineering opened, and Priam tapped the top of the door frame twice before entering. He set his cup on the desk and picked up the device he’d been working on. Priam turned it over and carefully inspected it. Something was missing. He snapped his fingers, “Computer, play Ludra Kognus’ ‘The Rejoining’, Act 3, Scene 8, Movement 23.” Slow, mournful orchestral music began to play throughout Main Engineering. Priam hummed along as he inspected the object, “Oh here it is!” He said as he picked up a tool on the table and pressed it into the device. After some careful manipulation, he turned a wire and wound it around the inside of the device.

Priam moved his tool as a conductor would command his orchestra and hummed to the music. He picked up a small spring between a pair of tweezers and inserted it into the device. With a small sigh, he carefully set it inside. He frowned as the music made a triumphant climax. The small spring clicked into place in the device and Priam smiled. He pressed a button on it and sat it on the desk. With a few small clicks and a plastic chip flew out of the device and across the room. “That will do nicely,” Priam said with a nod. “It’s not a jaffra sea serpent, but it will do.” Priam smiled, paused, and broke into a cackle. “Carter will never see it coming.”

“Drop us out of warp,” Alex said from the command console.

“Dropping out of warp… now,” Logan confirmed as the streak of stars slowed to a more fixed setting. In front of them loomed the Arcania Cluster.

“Yellow alert,” Alex called out, and the Bridge was flooded with yellow lighting. “Commander Veva, on Astrometrics for navigational assist. Ensign Mear, watch the deflector, shields, and systems. Ensign Carter… it’s your show.”

“Great,” Logan said with a sigh. “Switching to manual controls,” he pressed a few commands and the manual controls rose out of the console. “And if you have a higher power, I would recommend praying to them.” He pulled a set of dog tags out of his pocket and wrapped them around his wrist. With a cleansing breath, Logan grabbed the controls and maneuvered the ship forward. “Here we go…”

Alex pulled up the projected course on his console. It was a small, simple diagonal cut across the Cluster, not in the cluster for more than 10 or 15 minutes. This should bring them on the back side of the telescope and, hopefully, any Dominion forces that may be there. Alex chuckled internally, when was anything ever simple?

The console screens flickered, “We’re receiving sensor interference from the Cluster. Systems are otherwise reading normal,” Priam announced.

The ship shook, “Just a little subspace turbulence,” Logan simply said, as if reading everyone’s mind.

“I have an anomaly bearing 322, mark 10,” Tani called out.

Logan cast a glance at his display, “I see it. Turning about to starboard,” He said, steering the ship.

Alex stared out into the viewscreen and gripped his console with white knuckles. The viewscreen offered nothing but a swirling, black, emptiness.

“I’m reading a power fluctuation bearing 330, mark 2,” Priam said questioningly.

Tani’s hands flew across her console, “I don’t see anyth- Move hard to port!” She shouted.

Logan maneuvered the controls too late and the Cantabras rolled to the left. “What was that?” Logan demanded.

“It looks like a singularity burst,” Tani reported from her display.

“You’re supposed to be guiding me away from danger!” Carter shot back.

“The burst happened within a tenth of a second. I can’t guide us away from something that doesn’t exist yet.”

“Children, behave,” Alex said, “or I will turn this starship around and take us back home.” He turned to Priam, “How are systems holding up?”

“Shields took a big hit, they’re down to 64%. There are some mild electrical disturbances, but we’re holding.”

“All right, watch for those fluctuations. I don’t want to be caught off guard again,” Alex said.

The minutes ticked by like hours while the ship navigated through the Cluster. The group of Logan, Tani, and Priam worked to keep the Cantabras safe. Alex was impressed by the level of teamwork that was on display. He supposed that in life-or-death situations, anyone could work together.

Alex nervously watched the display as the ship moved closer to the edge of the Cluster. 

“I have an anomaly bearing 148, mark 0, roughly 230 kilometers out,” Tani reported.

Logan looked at his display and did a double take, “What is that? Umm… Commander?” He called over his shoulder.

Alex waited a moment, “Don’t make me guess. Why do I care about something that’s behind us when there are so many dangers in front of us?”

“Because it’s moving towards us, fast,” Tani said urgently.

“Red Alert,” the klaxon sounded, though it was largely pointless. Anyone who would need to know about the emergency was already there. “Carter get us out of the Cluster. I don’t care if it gets us off course, we’ll figure it out later.”

“100 kilometers.”

“Ensign Carter…”

“I’m working on it,” Logan replied. “It’s hard to fly down a pitch-black road and not hit something.”

“50 kilometers,” Tani called out. “Course unchanged.”

“Logan, alter our altitude. See if it just wants to pass by.”

Logan moved the controls and dipped the ship downward.

“5 kilometers. It’s altering its course to match ours.”

“So much for a fly-by,” Alex said. “Priam, focus the shields aft.” He looked at Tani, “How far away are we from clearing the Cluster?”

“Not soon enough at the object’s current speed. 75 meters.”

“We should be able to see it. On screen!” The viewscreen changed to a stern view of the ship. Coming up fast was a creature, almost jellyfish in appearance. Its tentacles were violently whipping back and forth, propelling it ever faster toward the ship.

“It must be one of the Cluster’s lifeforms Starfleet has been studying. It’s so beautiful,” Tani said.

“If it wasn’t trying to kill us,” Alex replied. He pulled up the display on his console. “Everyone brace for impa-,” Alex never got to finish the sentence as the ship rocked violently forward. It began to spin end over end.

“Carter!”

“I’m trying!” Logan yelled back. “That thing hit us pretty hard!”

The lighting in the Bridge blinked, went black, and partially activated. “Report!” Alex shouted to Priam.

“I’m reading multiple electrical failures throughout the ship. Shields are 23% and dropping. Whatever that thing is, we’re losing defensive capabilities!”

Logan began wildly whipping the controls, attempting to course-correct the ship. “30 seconds until we clear the Cluster,” he shouted.

Through all the alarms and steering complications, all went quiet in Alex’s mind as he saw open space. They had cleared the Cluster. “Report.”

“The good news is we cleared the Cluster,” Logan reported.

“And it looks like the lifeform has broken off its pursuit,” Tani said.

“Now for the bad news,” Priam said. “We have multiple power failures throughout the ship. Nothing critical so far, but we’ll need some repairs. And,” he said with a heavy sigh, “our shields have failed.”

“Stand down from Red Alert,” Alex said and the ship returned to normal lighting, what was left of it anyway. He turned to Priam, “What do you mean our shields have failed?”

“What I mean,” Priam said, staring at the display in disbelief, “is they’re completely drained. The ship keeps attempting to cycle them back on, but there’s not enough power. It’s almost as if whatever hit us, drained the power from the entire shield system. I’ve never seen that before.”

“It turns out the Arcania Cluster was chock full of surprises,” Alex said wryly. “How far are we from the Array?”

Carter looked at his display, “At standard warp? A few hours.” He paused, I’m also reading some sluggish output from the port impulse engine.”

“Any Dominion ships out there?”

“Nothing that sensors are picking up,” Tani replied.

“Remember Commander, our sensors took a hit as well,” Priam warned.

“Carter, watch for Dominion ships. If you see any, you have full permission to take whatever defensive measures are needed. And if you see any Federation ships, send a distress beacon.”

“Where will you be?” Logan said, a hint of worry in his voice.

“The three of us will be doing repairs to get us up and running.”

“I’m not an engineer,” Tani protested.

“Today you are,” Alex fired back. “Logan would be a better choice, but his skills as a pilot are needed more right now. Priam, your priority is the shields. Tani and I will work on the sensors and engine.”

The three of them left the Bridge and headed into the turbolift. “All right, Priam you head to Engineering and run a full shield diagnostic.”

“We’ll also want to check the operability status of the deflector array. We won’t be able to warp without it,” Priam said.

“Good idea. I’ll head to deflector control. Tani, head to the computer core and check the overall system status.” The lift doors opened, “We all have our assignments, let’s get to it.” And the three of them went their separate ways.

Alex entered Deflector Control and ran a diagnostic. “The deflector array is only working at 48%,” Alex said, reading the results. “Not enough to automatically deactivate warp, but it’s not recommended. That’s a scary thought.” Alex’s combadge chirped. “Veva to Benson and Mear, the computer diagnostic says there’s a problem in the ‘power transfer conduit’.”

“It must have happened when we were hit by the lifeform, Priam said. “Resolving that will take care of our engine problem. I’m still working on the shield cycling issue. Commanders, you’ll have to address the power conduit.”

Alex pulled up a ship schematic and searched for the nearest access point. The Impulse Access Room, halfway through a Jefferies tube. “I can’t at this moment, the deflector array is still showing 48% efficiency.”

“That’s fine for now,” Priam replied. “It’s less of a priority than the engine.”

“You’re not afraid of getting a bit dirty, are you?” Tani teased.

“I’ll meet you at the entrance Commander. Keep working on the shields Priam. Benson out,” Alex tapped his combadge.

“Carter to Benson, I’m getting a red light on the port impulse engine,” came the concerned voice of Logan.

“Shut it down,” Alex simply said.

“Shut it down?”

“Commander Veva says there’s a problem with the power transfer conduit. We’re on our way to fix it.”

“All right, Carter out.” And the link clicked off.

Alex walked out into the hallway and met Tani at the Jefferies tube. “I appreciate being called out, that was particularly nice.”

“I can’t be the only one getting dirty around here princess,” Tani replied. “Plus, they don’t make the Jefferies that small anymore.”

“This ship is an older design, so I’m pretty sure they’re still small.”

Tani opened the Jefferies tube hatch and gestured inside, “After you, your majesty.”

Alex entered the Jefferies tube and advanced down the corridor. Alex heard the hatch behind him slam closed. He stopped, “What was that?”

“I was closing the hatch. You really don’t do well in enclosed spaces, do you?”

Alex continued his advance, “As I said before, they aren’t my favorite.”

“According to the schematics, it should only be a couple of meters further,” Tani said.

As she said this, Alex called out, “Yeah, I see it just off to the left.” He activated the hatch and swung it open. Alex pushed himself into the room and stood aside for Tani to enter.

“Well this is cozy,” she said, stepping into the room.

Indeed it was, Alex noted. The room could fit 3 people in total. Needless to say, it was cramped for the two of them. Alex moved to the panel and accessed the lockout controls. He tapped his combadge, “Benson to Carter, I’m taking the port impulse engine offline.”

“It’s going to be hard to outrun anything dangerous with only one leg,” Carter warned.

“It’s going to be a tough letter for you to write to Commander Veva’s family regretting their loss.”

“Good point. Let me know when you have it back online. Carter out.”

“Wait, I’m going in there?” Tani said.

“You have to; you’re smaller than I am,” Alex replied, typing in the command codes to deactivate the engine.

Tani narrowed her eyes, “This was your plan all along.”

“No, but it’s a logistic issue.” Alex watched as the lights on the power conduit corridor hatch turned from red to green. The locks on the hatch released.

“Yeah, right…” Tani said, opening the hatch.

Alex smiled, “Have fun, buttercup. I’ll guide you from here.”

Tani gave a noise of disgust, grabbed a tool kit, and disappeared into the tube.

“I… think I made it to the reactor. Round room, looks like it might spin? Man, I hope it doesn’t,” Tani said over the room’s intercom.

Alex looked at the schematics, “It looks like it. Don’t worry, I won’t turn on the blender while you’re in it. Any structural damage?”

“Funny… It looks like it opens a bit here.” A pause, “I don’t see any hull damage. It looks like the lifeform simply passed through the ship, a small victory. Oh..”

“What?”

“I’m guessing this isn’t supposed to be blackened.”

Alex pulled up a picture of the conduit. “No, it’s supposed to have yellow and white striations. And some blue connectors leading to the impulse exhaust.”

“I’m not seeing that. It’s almost as if water was poured in here.”

“Fantastic,” Alex said with a sigh. “You should have some pieces of conduit in your kit. I’ll walk you through the points to connect them. Alex looked at the schematics and relayed the information to Tani. Roughly 20 minutes later, the job was complete.

“I have the last conduit attached. I also scraped a little of the blackened bits off. I’m coming back out.” Tani emerged from the Jefferies tube mostly covered in sweat and dirt. “You owe me.”

“Don’t pat yourself on the back just yet. We’ll have to see if it works.” Alex closed and sealed the power conduit hatch. “Bringing the engine online,” Alex typed in the command code to release the engine lockout. The lights on the hatch beeped rapidly and turned a solid red. Alex watched the screen with bated breath. “If I’m reading this right, it should be running.”

“Nice job Commanders,” came Priam’s voice over the intercom. “I’m showing the engine is functional. It’s at 64% efficiency, but it’ll keep the ship moving. I’ll keep working on the shields.” And the channel clicked off.

“At least something went right,” Tani said.

“It’ll get us to the Array, but we’ll need to get it repaired when this is all over.”

“You always have to look a gift horse in the mouth,” Tani replied.

“I’m the commanding officer, Tani, I can’t afford the luxury of not doing it.” Alex tapped his combadge, “Carter, set a course for the Array.”

“Not to question your authority or anything, but I’m showing the shields still aren’t operational.”

“Priam is still working on them. We’ll have to operate without them for the time being.”

“Sure, I’ll just ask the Dominion nicely to not shoot at us.”

“If that’s what it takes. Think of it as testing your piloting skills if they don’t listen.”

“Flattery is still getting you nowhere.”

“Set a course, Tani and I will be on the Bridge in 5. Benson out,” Alex tapped his badge to close the channel.

They both emerged out of the Jefferies tube and into the corridor. “I’m going to need a little longer than 5 minutes,” Tani said, brushing off her uniform.

“Grease monkey doesn’t look half bad on you,” Alex smirked. “All right, 10 minutes then. See you on the Bridge.” 

“How long until we reach the Array, Carter,” Tani asked, watching the sensor readings.

“It’d be a lot faster if we could go to warp.”

“Alex and Priam are working on the deflector. We can’t warp until it’s working well enough to effectively do its job.”

“We can warp,” Logan said. “It’s just that the system doesn’t think it’s a good idea.”

“You’re the only one that disagrees with that,” Tani countered.

“I’m just sayin’, the system’s never met my piloting skills,” Logan smirked.

Tani opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Alex’s voice over the intercom, “Benson to the Bridge.”

Tani pushed a button on the console, “How are things going down there?”

“I think I figured out the problem. The deflector array should be coming mostly online, enough to safely warp anyway. But stay at impulse for now, we don’t have shields in case we run into trouble.”

Tani stared at Logan, “I couldn’t agree more Commander.”

“I’m going to check on Priam. I’ll let you know when we get the shields back online. In the meantime, let me know when we reach the Array. Benson out.” And the channel clicked closed.

The doors swooshed open as Alex entered Main Engineering. “How are things going in here?” he said, before noticing the room was empty. “Priam?”

“Up here Commander,” Priam shouted from the upper level. “I think I’ve figured out the problem with the shields. When the entity struck us, they overloaded the shield emitters on the port side. And that caused a catastrophic failure throughout the network.”

“Can you fix it?” Alex asked, looking up at Priam.

“Not completely. I estimate I can get about 84% out of the remaining emitters, but not for long. We’d have to get it fixed the next time we dock.”

Alex climbed the ladder to reach the upper level. “There seems to be a lot of that going around today,” Alex mused. “What if we rotated through the emitters?”

“That would buy us more time,” Priam pulled up a diagram of the ship. “The emitters here and here,” he pointed as he spoke, “took the brunt of the damage. If we rotated power, we’d have to overcompensate with these emitters here on the port side.”

“We’ll have to focus our shields then. And make sure Carter keeps enemies on the starboard side.”

“That might be easier said than done,” Priam said as his console beeped. “The emitter testing is done.” He pushed a few buttons. “Efficiency is at 82%.”

“It’ll have to do. Nice work Ensign.” Alex tapped his combadge, “Benson the Bridge, set a course for the Array, maximum warp. I’m on my way to the Bridge.”

“All right ladies and,” Logan paused, “lady,” he corrected himself, “and gents, we’ve arrived at the Liakso Array,” he said, as the ship dropped out of warp.

“Sensors,” Alex called out.

Tani shook her head, “Nothing on short-range. And nothing on long-range.” She motioned to the viewscreen at the floating telescope. “It’s just… there.”

“Maybe they didn’t think anyone was stupid enough to come out here,” Logan said with a smirk.

“The Dominion is a lot of things, but careless isn’t one of them. What do scans of the Array show?” Alex asked.

“Humanoids, I can’t tell anything beyond that,” Tani reported.

“Great,” Alex sighed, “we know someone’s over there, but not who or how many. Can we dock with the Array?”

“There are 7 docking ports we can use. I wouldn’t recommend using them in case the Dominion return,” Logan said. 

“Sensors show warp signatures from Jem’Hadar ships,” Priam piped up. “They’re fairly recent, only a few days at most.”

“Okay, a little more insight,” Alex said. “Carter, hail the Array.”

“No response,” Logan reported. 

“Fantastic. Tani, Priam, you’re going over to say hello. I agree with Carter’s assessment and we’re not going to dock until we can confirm control of the Array.” He pulled up a schematic of the Array, “When you get over there, assess the situation on the Array. It could simply be communications are down, making it impossible to respond.”

“That’s optimistic,” Tani said.

“Best case scenario,” Alex replied. “Worst case is you’ll be walking into an entire company of Jem’Hadar soldiers.”

Tani’s eyes widened, “Not the most cheerful thought.”

“Regardless of the situation, make your way to the central control unit here,” he pointed. “According to records, the control center is shielded. We’ll get you as close as possible, but you’re on your own after that. Best case scenario we’ll have this wrapped up and be home by dinner.”

“And worst case?” Priam asked worryingly.

“We might be home after a few dinners,” Alex replied.

Tani and Priam stepped onto the transporter pads. Alex moved to the controls.

“Be safe over there,” Alex said, looking at Tani.

“Thank you, Commander,” Priam responded.

“Is that concern in your voice Alex?” Tani said with a raised eyebrow.

“Concern for the possibility of a new XO. Breaking them in sucks; I have you trained exactly where I want you.”

Tani smirked, “Understood.”

“Energizing,” Alex announced and the two officers disappeared in a swirl.

When the transporter cycle was completed, Tani and Priam found themselves in a side corridor. Priam opened his tricorder, “It appears we’re on the Lower Promenade, in a shopping district.” He looked at the tricorder readings, “Wow, this place is massive. It looks a lot bigger from the inside. The elegant design of this place…”

“I’m enamored just as much as you Priam, but we can fawn over it later,” Tani tapped her combadge, “Veva to Cantabras, we’ve arrived on the Array. We’ll report back in when we get to the central control unit.”

“Understood Commander, we’ll watch the skies up here.”

“And remember, you promised us all dinner if we wrapped this up quickly,” Tani smirked. “Veva out,” and tapped her badge before Alex could respond. 

Tani scanned back and forth with her rifle, “All right, which way?”

Priam read from his tricorder, “According to this, it’s to the east just past this next juncture. It’s pretty straighf-”

“Shh,” Tani interrupted, straining to hear. She looked at Priam, put up three fingers, and pointed.

Priam nodded, quietly closed his tricorder, holstered it, and leveled his compression rifle. He pointed to his tricorder, held up four fingers, and pointed upward.

Tani and Priam watched as three Jem’Hadar walked past their position. They both instinctively stepped further into the darkened corridor. The two of them followed the Jem’Hadar with their rifles until the soldiers disappeared down the Promenade.

“Well, that answers that question,” Tani whispered, finally breaking the tension. “You said there were four above us?”

“According to the tricorder,” Priam said, exhaling his held breath.

“Any non-Jem’Hadar life signs?”

“I detected some before I shut down my tricorder,” Priam replied. “They’re mostly concentrated in storage areas. I would guess they’ve been taken prisoner.”

“That doesn’t make sense. The Jem’Hadar conquer and destroy, they don’t take prisoners. They must need them for something.”

“It makes the Array easier to access?” Priam suggested. “Instead of brute forcing the system, they could use the scientist’s access codes to bypass security protocols.”

“So we’ll do the same. Find the nearest grouping of scientists,” Tani said.

Priam opened his tricorder, “There’s a storage area about 100 meters to the east. It looks like there are five adult life signs.”

Tani nodded, “Lead on.”

The two quietly made their way toward the storage area, ensuring they didn’t alert the Jem’Hadar above them. More than a few times they had to duck into side corridors to evade Jem’Hadar patrols. Seconds ticked by like hours. Finally, they arrived at the storage area and, surprisingly, found it unguarded.

Tani and Priam cautiously made their way to the door. Priam looked over the door panel while Tani nervously swept the surroundings with her rifle.

“Can you open it without triggering an alarm?” She asked.

Priam opened the outer housing and connected its wiring to his tricorder. “It’s not a derelict missile silo built into a mountain that’s been seized by a terrorist organization, but I think so.”

Tani looked over her shoulder, “Was that a joke Priam? I’m proud of you,” she said with a smile.

The door whooshed open, and Priam replaced the panel. He and Tani entered the room.

“Please, no more!” One of the men exclaimed, covering his face.

“Shut up,” Tani hissed at the man. “We’re here to help,” she kept her voice just above a whisper.

“Commander, look,” Priam said sorrowfully, motioning towards the group.

Tani took stock of the five scientists: Four men and one woman. All of them had bruising and open cuts throughout their bodies. The man who shouted looked like he’d taken the brunt of the abuse. Tani was surprised the man was still conscious.

“We’re here to help,” Tani said, softening her tone. “To do that, we need your access codes to central control.”

The man nodded swiftly. He was in his sixties or seventies, with tufts of white hair at his temples. His face was a grotesque canvas of bruises, swelling, and redness that formed a caricature of itself. Priam offered him a PADD, which he readily accepted. The man typed in a series of codes and handed it back to Priam.

“This will give us access to the entire Array,” Priam informed Tani. “Thank you,” he said to the man. “We will make certain they regret what they have done.” The man nodded solemnly and attempted to smile through broken teeth.

“We’ll leave you here for now, this is the safest place currently. When we regain control of the Array, we’ll come back for you,” Tani said. She and Priam closed and resealed the door.

“Do you think we’ll be able to retake the Array?” Priam asked.

“I honestly hope so,” Tani replied.

“How long do you think they’ve been abused?”

Tani scanned the corridor. “It’s hard to say. Most of their wounds looked older, but the way the scientist reacted… it must still be going on.”

“Or it’s deeply embedded in their minds.”

“Yeah…” And the two of them fell silent.

After twenty minutes of stealthily moving through the Array, dodging Jem’Hadar patrols, the team made their way to central control. Priam consulted the PADD, entered the scientist’s command code, and the door whooshed open. The two stepped inside.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this,” Priam said, taking in the room.

Central control dwarfed the two of them, it could easily accommodate five hundred people. There were several consoles, banks of backup power generators, and multiple display tables (with display screens) to strategize and theorize various research findings.

“Those power generators are amazing! Just one of them could power the Cantabras for a month,” Priam said in awe. He darted between the consoles and display tables.

“Focus Priam! We can explore later.”

Priam nodded, “Apologies Commander, I’ve never seen an operation like this before.” He sat down at one of the consoles. “Well this is interesting…”

Tani walked backward to the console, sweeping her rifle between all the exits, “What?”

“It appears there’s a data transfer between the Array and a Jem’Hadar ship.”

“A data transfer of what?” Tani said, looking at the console screen.

“It looks like thousands of teraquads of information. Ship positions, starbase defense schematics, Federation colonies. It’s almost as if… oh no.”

“Talk to me, Ensign.”

“With this kind of tactical information, the Federation wouldn’t last but a few months. This is far beyond what Starfleet originally thought.”

“Can you shut it down?”

“With the access codes I might,” Priam began frantically typing at the console. The console beeped.

“Tell me that was a positive beep.”

“They rewrote the access codes and I’m locked out.” Priam paused to look at the console screen. “I’m picking up a ship on long-range scanners. I think we’re about to find out to who the Array was transmitting.”

Another console beeped, drawing Tani’s attention. “And it looks like we’re about to have company. And I don’t think they’re coming to help us unlock the console.”

Alex stood at the Command console, eagerly awaiting an update from the away team. It always caused feelings of apprehension to send a team with little information, but this time it was half his crew. If they didn’t make it out… No, Alex immediately shoved those feelings out of his mind.

“Will you stop doing that? It’s becoming irritating,” Logan said.

Alex shook his head to clear it, realizing he was drumming his fingers on the console. “Oh, sorry,” he said, taking his hand off the console. “Has there been any word from the away team?”

“Not since the last five minutes you asked,” Logan responded. “But the communications are transmitted throughout the Bridge.”

“Have you figured out a way to track-”

“Not since the last five minutes you asked,” Logan answered without looking away from his console.

“Do you see anything on-”

“No,” Logan said with irritation. “I haven’t figured out a way to track them through the Array and there’s nothing on sensors, long or short-range.” He turned around, “Why don’t you get a cup of tea or walk to the back of the ship? Something besides asking me if I’ve accomplished what I’ve been trying to do for the last twenty minutes.”

Alex sighed, “I’m sorry Carter, I’m just-“

“Me too Commander, but there’s not a whole lot we can do right now. We can’t lose them; I’d make a crappy engineer and your science is… not good.” Logan’s console beeped. He turned around and looked at his console, “I’m picking up something on long-range. It’s a Jem’Hadar ship.”

Alex’s body tensed, “Red Alert, take us on the opposite side of the Array as the ship.”

The Red Alert klaxon sounded. Logan’s fingers flew across the console, “Moving into position…”

“Keep the ship on our starboard side, but be subtle about it. We don’t want them knowing we’re weaker on that side.”

“So keep them away from our weak side, without revealing we have a weak side,” Logan chuckled wryly, “That sounds easy enough…” His console beeped, “Ship within viewing range.”

“On screen.”

The viewscreen blipped and showed a Jem’Hadar fighter dropping out of warp.

“A single fighter? That’s it?” Logan said, unimpressed.

“You can be offended later. It’s probably a scouting ship to find out what happened on the Array. We should be thankful, that ship alone has enough firepower to take care of us.”

“We’re being hailed,” Logan said nervously.

“They came all this way, there’s no sense in being rude.” Alex motioned to the viewscreen, “On screen.”

The viewscreen was replaced by a Vorta woman, “I am Loumah 4, commanding officer of this Jem’Hadar vessel.”

“I’m Commander Alexander Benson of the USS Cantabras. What can I do for you?”

“Commander, you misunderstand. It is we who can help you. This structure is Dominion property. If you do not depart, we will be forced to fire-”

“Incorrect. The Liakso Array is the property of the Federation. They built it for scientific surveying purposes.”

“The Dominion discovered it was insufficiently protected so we have secured it. That makes it Dominion property.”

“Unfortunately, the Federation Charter doesn’t have a ‘Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers’ clause in it. I know, I’ve looked.”

The Vorta’s expression became deadly, “Your final warning Commander, depart or we will destroy your ship.” And the viewscreen returned to that of the Jem’Hadar ship.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” Alex said.

Logan’s console beeped, “They’re moving into an attack position.”

“Keep the Array between us. They won’t risk hitting it to get to us.” Alex pulled up the Tactical console, “Bring us around for an attack run.”

The Cantabras emerged from the other side of the Array, launching itself at the Jem’Hadar fighter. Both ships exchanged phaser fire, ending in a stalemate between each other’s shields.

“Shields still holding at 84%. Carter, switch to manual controls,” Alex yelled.

“What? Why?” And all at once the realization hit him. “Oh no, no no!” Logan protested.

“Yes… set a course for the Cluster. Maximum warp.”

“Do you remember that time we almost died and left our ship completely crippled? That was fun, right? Imagine that, but with Jem’Hadar breathing down our necks!” Logan yelled over the commotion. He sighed and activated the controls, “Course laid in. The Jem’Hadar ship is firing torpedoes.”

“Evasive maneuvers,” Alex replied. He fired a stream of phaser blasts at their torpedo launcher. As predicted it did little damage but kept them interested in the Cantabras. The Jem’Hadar ship kept pursuit.

“We’ve reached the Cluster,” Logan reported as the ship dropped out of warp. “Are you sure about this?”

“Trust me, I have an idea.” Alex split his display between Science and Tactical consoles. “Take us in, I’ll watch the sensors.”

“Taking us in,” Logan moved the ship into the Cluster. “Dangerous, hostile conditions to the front of us, and deadly Dominion fighter behind us… what could go wrong?”

Alex pulled up the logs from their last journey into the Cluster. “Carter, I’m sending you coordinates.” His console beeped, “Hard to starboard!”

Logan quickly moved the ship as a singularity appeared and stole a glance at his console. “Are you nuts!?”

“The enemy of my enemy, Carter. If you have a better idea, I’m all ears.”

“We’re about to be all atoms…” Logan said, moving the ship to the designated coordinates.

Alex looked at his console, “There you are… I have an anomaly roughly 200 kilometers out, bearing 93, mark 0.”

“The Jem’Hadar see it too. They’re moving to engage.”

Alex changed the viewscreen to that of the Jem’Hadar vessel. He watched as they engaged the jellyfish life form. The ship launched a barrage of torpedoes at it. This slightly slowed the creature, but not stopping it. Suddenly, as if decloaking, two more jellyfish emerged from the space near the life form.

“Okay, that’s horrifying,” Logan said, watching the two join in the attack.

An urgent beep drew Alex’s gaze to his console. “The Jem’Hadar’s warp core is overloading. Carter, get us out of here!”

“You don’t have to tell me once!” Carter said, maneuvering the ship back out of the cluster.

Alex watched the viewscreen as the Jem’Hadar ship shined brightly, and explode.

“We’ve cleared the cluster, Commander,” Logan said with a sigh of relief.

“Stand down from Red Alert. Carter set a course for the Liakso Array, maximum warp. We have to pick up something we left behind.”

“How long will it take to gain access to the Array?” Tani said, quickly checking over her rifle.

Priam’s eyes darted around the console. “I’m not sure, months probably.”

“I’d guess you’ve got about,” Tani checked the room displays, “twenty minutes, max.” She shouldered her rifle and began looking for an access point to the ceiling. “I’ll try to hold them off as long as I can, you keep working on the computer.” Tani located an access ladder and began climbing it. Once she reach the ceiling, she opened a hatch and looked outside. “I’d bring that estimate down to ten to fifteen,” she called down.

“Still working…” Priam replied, his fingers moving through various command codes.

Tani locked her leg in the ladder and leveled her rifle at the advancing Jem’Hadar. A couple of short blasts took out a few but only put a small dent in the advancing forces. Tani watched as they quickly made their way to Central Command. A few more blasts and part of the advancing horde stopped to return fire. Tani quickly ducked into the room as the fire skidded across the roof. “How are things going?”

“It looks like a Jem’Hadar fighter has engaged with the Cantabras,” He paused, “it looks like they’re leaving.”

“They’re leaving?!”

“Both ships just went to warp. I’m not seeing either of them on sensors.”

The room shook as the walls were hit with phaser fire. “We’ll worry about that later,” Tani said, “we have to get out of here first. Keep working on the system.” She popped back out of the roof, fired a few short blasts, and ducked back into the room. This resumed for several minutes. And then all went quiet.

Tani cautiously poked her head up through the hatch and looked around. The phaser fire had stopped and the Jem’Hadar were lined up on either side of the gangplank. “That can’t be good,” through her scope, she looked further down the corridor. 

Six Jem’Hadar were carrying a large metal beam, three on either side. They marched in sequence to Central Command.

Tani ducked her head inside the room. “Priam, I don’t mean to rush you-”

“Then don’t,” Priam interrupted with a tone of finality.

Popping back out of the hatch, Tani let loose a few blasts from her rifle. She quickly ducked as it was returned in spades from multiple Jem’Hadar. Looking through her scope, Tani saw the columns of Jem’Hadar aiming their weapons at her position. “Looks like I lost the element of surprise.”

The room began to shake as the Jem’Hadar used the beam as a battering ram. Tani closed the hatch, locked it, and moved to a table in the room. She leveled her rifle at the door being rammed by the Jem’Hadar. They’d have to come one at a time, at least in the beginning.

Priam let a chuckle of incredulity.

“Did you get access to the computer?”

“Well, no… but something that might help.”

“I have a battalion of Jem’Hadar ready to bust through that door any second. And I’m trying to figure out how to stop them. I’ll take any help I can get,” Tani said, never taking her eyes off the door.

Priam typed a few commands and blast doors over the hatch and the main door slammed closed.

“Emergency intrusion countermeasures have been initiated,” a voice rang throughout the Array. Tani and Priam heard the multitude of phaser fire ring out.

“What is happening?” Tani asked in disbelief.

“I turned on the Array’s defense system. I used a really old algorithm to target Dominion faction members.” Priam turned on the displays in the central console. Views throughout the Array showed several Jem’Hadar struggling against the Array’s automated defenses.

“You’re a genius Priam!”

“It won’t eliminate them, but it will make their numbers more manageable. And Commander, I apologize for being curt with you earlier. I was under a lot of stress,” Priam said with guilt in his voice.

Tani smiled, “Priam, you saved us from certain death by Jem’Hadar. I can forgive you for some rudeness. Now let’s go make the Jem’Hadar regret stepping on the Array.”

A phaser rifle blast rang out throughout the Array, and then silence.

“Did we get them all?” Tani asked with a heavy sigh. She blew her hair out of her face in frustration.

Priam shouldered his rifle and opened his tricorder. “It looks like it. I’m not detecting any Jem’Hadar life signs.”

“Great,” Tani said, shouldering her rifle. “We did it.”

“We still have to attend to the scientist’s wounds, repair the damaged countermeasures, rewrite the Array’s command codes, and reestablish the Array’s exterior shielding.”

Tani wagged a finger in mock disapproval, “Don’t let Benson’s negative slant on things infect you, we did good work here.”

“We did, agreed.”

“Besides, you’ll have all of that other stuff wrapped up in an hour,” Tani said with a smile.

They both chuckled.

“Cantabras to Veva,” Alex’s voice rang out on Tani’s combadge.

Tani tapped her badge, “We thought you abandoned us here.”

“We had to introduce some new friends to some old friends. And that can be an awkward situation. How are things over there?”

Tani looked at the dead Jem’Hadar at her feet, “We had a little get-together, met some new friends, and had some laughs. But things got a little rowdy and we had to politely, but firmly, ask them to leave.”

“Very rude, but I’d expect nothing less from them. We’re going to dock in port… six. We can compare notes.”

“We’ll see you there. Veva out,” and she tapped her badge to close the channel. She turned to Priam, “You don’t happen to know where docking port six is, do you?”

“Well, I think that’ll about do it,” Alex said, carrying the last Jem’Hadar body into the shuttlebay.

“What do you suppose they do with them?” Tani asked.

“I’m not sure, I never thought about it. They can’t exactly send them back to their families.”

“Jem’Hadar don’t have families, they’re created in birthing chambers,” Tani frowned. “I hope it’s something respectful; I know I’d want the same in return.”

The two of them walked out of the shuttlebay, headed for Central Command.

“Have you ever thought about being stationed in a place like this?” Alex asked as they walked.

Tani shook her head, “I’m not much for science logistics. I like to discover science, not process it after its discovery. Don’t get me wrong,” she motioned to the open corridor, “this is impressive, and they do amazing work here, but I have to be out amongst the stars.”

“On a planet, cataloging every leaf and rock,” Alex stated.

“Discovering a microbe that could be the natural evolution in Starfleet weaponry,” Tani shot back. “And just because I’m not in the stars, doesn’t mean I can’t feel like I’m a part of them.”

“That’s a fair point,” Alex said. The rest of the walk was silent, the only sound was their boots on the metal grating. Finally, they arrived at Central Command.

Tani looked around at the hive of activity. “This place is a lot more active than the last time I was here.”

“Oh Commanders,” Priam said, turning away from his console. “we’ve about finished up with the rewriting of the command codes. The scientists have been an amazing help.”

The scientist Tani and Priam had used the command codes from approached the group. “Commanders,” he said in a thick German accent. “I am Dr. Augustin Waldner, head scientist for the Liakso Array. I thank you both for repelling the Jem’Hadar threat. I don’t know how much longer they would have kept us alive.” He winced and grabbed his cheek. “I’m afraid our dermal regenerator can only work so quickly.” His face was mostly healed, but the previous damage was still apparent.

Alex shook the man’s hand, “Sending Commander Veva and Ensign Mear to help was the right decision. The way things are progressing, things should be back to normal in a couple of days.”

“Whatever normal will mean going forward,” Waldner chuckled and returned to his console.

“How are things coming along?” Alex asked, putting a spoonful of food in his mouth.

Priam consulted his PADD, “The shields should be done by the end of the day. And that’ll finish all of the needed tasks.”

“I’m not much of an engineer, but the sentry guns’ targeting systems are similar to a fighter’s,” Logan remarked. “What is this stuff?” He asked, letting the food plop from his spoon back into the bowl.

“They haven’t gotten the replicators online yet,” Tani said.

“It’s food you should be thankful to have,” Alex remarked. “The crew here is doing the best with what they have.”

“All right, I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful,” Logan said defensively. He picked up his bowl and left the table.

“That wasn’t necessary,” Tani said after Logan had left earshot.

“No, it wasn’t,” Alex admitted with a sigh. “Something’s been bothering me this whole mission.”

“What’s that?”

“Twenty-five plus years ago, the Dominion signed a treaty relegating them to the Gamma Quadrant. And all of a sudden, the Jem’Hadar attack… a surveying array? It doesn’t add up.” Alex sighed and started to stand, “Finish up what you need to, I’m going to return to the Cantabras and see if I can get to the bottom of this.

Tani grabbed his arm, stopping him mid-stand. “First go apologize to Carter, he didn’t deserve to be unloaded on because you’re overly stressed.”

Alex nodded, “All right. I’ll meet you all back on the ship.”

Alex gave his report on the Liakso Array to Commodore Kuniko, who listened intently as he spoke. 

“Commander, that is wonderful news,” Kuniko said, practically beaming. “The Liakso Array will be a vital asset to the Federation.”

“It was touch and go there for a while, but that’s why we came here.” Alex frowned.

“Something bothering you Commander?”

“Permission to speak freely.”

Kuniko smiled, “I not only allow it, but I also encourage it from fellow officers.”

“What would the Jem’Hadar want with the Liakso Array?” Alex asked, “We don’t hear from them for twenty-five years after the Treaty of Bajor, and all of a sudden they show up wanting a surveying telescope?”

Kuniko lowered her smile. “It’s hard to know what the Dominion wanted with the Array. Our intelligence suggests-”

“’The Dominion is exploiting it to track the movements of ships throughout the region. And utilizing this data to strategize their attacks on various Federation worlds.’,” he quoted. “I’ve read the mission briefing Commodore. Tell me something that isn’t in the official reports.”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing confirmed at this time.”

“I wish I could believe that,” Alex replied, “that this was some sort of isolated event.” He decided to show his hand, “I’ve been hearing chatter about various Dominion incursions throughout the Deneb Sector. So looked into the claims. And I’m pretty good at investigating.”

The Commodore’s smile dropped completely.

“You see, I figure the Liakso Array would be as vital to the Federation as it would to the Dominion. And for the same reason,” Alex added. “The Federation, Starfleet specifically, could track the movements of Dominion ships throughout the Sector.”

“That’s a wild theory and accusation, Commander.”

“I’m not done,” Alex said plainly. “I decided to try out the Array, it’s a neat toy. The scientists were all too happy to let me, although they didn’t know why I asked. I was able to backtrack Dominion movements throughout the Sector. It appears they’ve been out here for weeks, months even. Which begs the question, why is Starfleet only doing something about it now?”

A long pause and Commodore Kuniko spoke again, “What’s the answer?”

Alex shrugged, “I don’t know, and Starfleet probably doesn’t either. They arrogantly believed it was nothing? The thought of facing off against the Dominion again terrified them? But, hey, at least you have your spy satellite now.”

“I don’t appreciate your insinuation, Commander Benson.” 

“And I don’t appreciate my crew being sent in half informed of a situation! It tends to get people killed!”

“I would advise you to watch your tone, Commander,” Kuniko said. “There are penal colonies less forgiving than 6423-91.”

“You came to me, not the other way around.”

The two of them stared at one another through the console screen. Finally, Commodore Kuniko took on a diplomatic face and spoke again, “I look forward to reading your full report Commander Benson. We will contact you with your next mission. Until then, enjoy your shore leave. Kuniko out.” And the console screen blinked and was replaced by the Starfleet logo.

Alex gave a mock salute to the screen.

Alex rubbed his eyes as he heard the alert appear on his command console. Things became clearer and it appeared his suspicions were correct. He frowned, it always disheartened him when he was correct about bad things. Why couldn’t he ever be correct about the good things? “You’re delaying Alex,” he said to himself. Alex sighed and hit the communications button, “Benson to Cantabras crew, report to the Briefing Room.”

As the moments ticked by, the crew appeared in the Briefing Room. He sat in quiet contemplation until they were all assembled. “I received an alert from Vice Admiral Beckett. Apparently-”

A collective groan was let out from the group.

Alex put up a hand to quiet them. “There is a Dominion force assembling at Farpoint Station. There has been a fleet-wide alert for assistance in engaging them.”

“We just finished up here!” Carter protested.

“It wasn’t a request,” Alex said, looking down at the table. “Command thinks if Farpoint falls, this whole sector does too. And everything that’s been done here will be for nothing. Some incredible sacrifices have been made in this sector. Trust me when I say not all of the crews have been as lucky as us.”

“Who needs luck when you have skill?” Carter said with a smile. He dropped it when he saw all the somber faces at the table.

“Priam, what’s the ship’s status?” Alex asked.

“The shield emitters are mostly repaired. I can get the shields to nearly 100%. I haven’t had a chance to work on the port impulse engine so it’s still 64% efficiency,” Priam reported.

“What about tactically?”

“Phaser arrays are undamaged and we still have our full complement of torpedoes.”

“All right. Carter set a course for Farpoint Station, maximum warp. Dismissed.” The crew stood up and headed towards the door. “Tani, a moment.”

Tani stopped and turned to him.

“I wanted to say thank you for holding down things on the array with the Jem’Hadar. If the fighter hadn’t shown up, we could’ve provided reinforcements.” He paused, “And when we get a moment, I want to talk about what happened on Sitera.”

“I’m not a damsel in distress. I can hold my own against tough odds, I’ve been doing it my entire life. And it would be nice to hear why you let a terrorist leader purposely escape. Letting her terrorize another world, or return to Sitera after we’ve left. And why you jeopardized an entire mission to save your niece. I would love to know your objective rationale behind that.” A long pause passed, “Are we done here?”

“Yeah, we’re done.”

Tani walked out of the briefing room, leaving Alex alone.