AJ stood in the observation lounge, looking out across the table at his Senior Staff. Seated around the table, each officer understood what was at stake. They may not have served with Peter, but the uniform made them a family.  Recent intel from Eos Station had given them a vital lead: a potential depot hidden within an asteroid cluster, rumored to be a Consortium stronghold and the site of Nichols’ elusive tech cache. Now was the moment to act.

“Thanks to Eos Station’s intelligence,” AJ began, “we have a location, but we’ll need to move with extreme caution. If Nichols catches wind of our investigation, he’ll scatter his operations, and we might lose our only chance to expose his network.”

Lieutenant Krev spoke up, “I suggest we position the Edison so that asteroids hide our presence. Deploying drones around the asteroid belt would give us a wider scan range and help us locate cloaked tech without giving ourselves away.”

AJ nodded, “Agreed. Talresh, Nia, I want your teams on sensors and data retrieval. We need any sign of hidden power sources or cloaked infrastructure.”

Before he could continue, Lieutenant Rhea Tanaka, leader of the newly formed Hazard Team, interjected. “Commander, Echo Team is ready for deployment, Captain.”

“Lieutenant,” AJ replied, appreciating her initiative. “Krev, coordinate with Echo Team, and keep it small. We want to move in and out before we’re detected. Rhea, you’ll lead the operation.”

“Yes, sir,” Tanaka confirmed.

“Talresh, Nia, run scans for subspace field distortion. It might help us detect any cloaked tech,” AJ instructed, looking around the room. “We don’t know what to expect from Nichols’ operation, but I have faith in each of you. Dismissed.”

Within the hour, Lieutenant Parker had brought the Edison into the cover of the asteroid belt. The massive rock formations moved silently around them, providing a natural camouflage. The crew held their breath as the ship’s stealth mode engaged, minimizing the Edison’s energy signature.

At the science station, Talresh monitored the scans, her antennae twitching in concentration. Nia worked beside her, feeding tactical data to the drones Krev had launched into the belt. Slowly, they began receiving feedback: energy readings, temperature fluctuations, and slight distortions within the debris field.

“There,” Talresh said, pointing to a series of readings on her console. “That asteroid cluster is emitting a faint, regular power signal. It’s subtle, but it suggests an artificial source, possibly a cloaked structure.”

“Good work, Lieutenant,” AJ replied. He knew what this meant. “Rhea, take Echo Team and assess the situation on the ground. Keep communication open with us.” With a final nod from AJ, the team transported out.

The Hazard Team materialized within the depot, finding themselves in a dimly lit corridor lined with storage containers. Rhea held up a hand to signal silence as she led them forward, motioning for Leila to scan the immediate area.

Leila’s tricorder beeped softly, confirming what they had hoped for. “Federation. I’m also detecting Romulan cloaking components.” She looked up, “Nichols has mixed-and-matched components from different factions. This is more than just a tech depot, he’s dealing in cloaking devices and potentially other classified technology.”

Malik moved carefully alongside her, his training kicking in as he scanned for threats. “We need to stay sharp. If Nichols is in the area, we could be walking into a trap.”

Riko activated her medical tricorder, picking up faint traces of organic compounds. “There are bio-signatures here,” she whispered.

Rhea stopped and activated her comm link to the Edison. “Commander, we’ve confirmed a mix of Federation and Romulan tech. We’re gathering as much data as possible, but it looks like Nichols’ people were here recently, we’ve been able to pick up faint bio-signatures.”

AJ’s voice came through, “Understood. Keep your team safe, Rhea, but get as much data as you can. We need to understand exactly what Nichols is moving through these depots.”

Just then, a noise froze them in place. The sound of footsteps echoed from the adjacent corridor. A small Consortium crew was coming to unload supplies. Rhea signaled for her team to hide behind the storage containers, her hand already on her phaser.

They held their breath as four Consortium operatives entered the room, heading for the cargo hold. One of the operatives, a tall man with a scar across his cheek, glanced at the terminal Leila had accessed. His eyes sharpened as he noticed the active screen, the data feed displaying on the monitor.

Leila cursed under her breath. Rhea motioned for her to stay low. But it was too late the operatives spotted them. The intruders exchanged a quick glance before drawing their weapons.

The ambush began.

Rhea fired the first shot, her aim quick. The phaser struck the lead operative, but the others retaliated, taking cover and returning fire. Malik pulled Leila down behind a crate, protecting her as phaser shots lit up the room.

“Edison, we need immediate extraction!” Rhea barked into her comm as she fired another shot.

The Edison’s reply was swift. “Locking onto your signal. Stand by.”

One of the operatives lunged toward Rhea, but Malik reacted, delivering a well-placed kick that sent him sprawling. Rhea finished him off with a stun shot, clearing a path for the team. Just as another operative closed in on Leila, the transporter beam engaged, pulling them back to the Edison.

They rematerialized on the transporter pad, breathing heavily. Riko quickly began assessing the team’s minor injuries, while Rhea reported to Tindal on the mission’s outcome.

“We encountered hostile forces, Sir,” Rhea said.“They saw us, but we’ve secured intel on Nichols’ tech dealings. He’s dealing in cloaking tech, weapons, and XB tech. There are also several transactions with an unnamed Romulan.”

AJ nodded slowly. “It’s worse than we thought, then. This isn’t just a tech cache; Nichols is trying to run a full-scale operation here.” He looked to Talresh. “Lieutenant, I need you to analyze the data immediately. We need to know if there’s a connection to the Romulan Free State or other factions. Send our data to Eos, as well.”

Talresh nodded, her antennae twitching, “I’ll begin the analysis right away, Commander.”

Turning to Parker at the helm, AJ issued his next order. “Sarah, get us out of this asteroid belt. Take us to a safe distance for regrouping. We’ll need to review the intel before Nichols realizes we were here and moves everything.”

Later, in the ready room, AJ  debriefed the team, as they processed the data. Commander Carter crossed her arms, “If Nichols has cloaking tech and access to weapons, that could be terrible for this sector.”

“Exactly,” AJ  replied. “Which is why we need to move carefully. This operation can’t end here.” He turned to Threx, “Chief, I want you to start looking into ways we can boost our capabilities. We can’t afford to be detected on these missions.”

Threx nodded. “Understood, Commander. I’ll prioritize adjustments to the ship’s energy dispersal systems.”

As the senior staff continued discussing adjustments and next steps, AJ  felt a sense of urgency. This mission had pulled back the curtain on Nichols’ true motives. It was only a matter of time before Nichols reared his head and Tindal knew they needed to be ready.