Commander Anacostia-Bolling twisted around in her chair as she heard the swish of the door open. “Sorry about cutting your brake short.” She apologised to her XO.

“What’s up?” The Trill asked, noting they were travelling on impulse power.

“Our friend out there just dropped out of warp.”  The Commander pointed towards the main viewer even though the ship they’d been following wasn’t visible at the time; even on maximum magnification.

“So you think we might be close?”  Alara asked moving over to join Beriev at the science station. “Better see what we can spot out there, then.”  She started giving instructions to the Saurian on which parts of the analysis she wanted him to focus on, whilst concentrating her effort elsewhere.

They had arrived in the vicinity of Fyresia a Supergiant star, with no less than 15 orbiting planets of varying types and sizes, along with a myriad of moons and other bodies.  It was going to take an absolute age to check every one of them.  It was for this reason the da Vinci slowed down even more; to the galactic equivalent of a snail’s pace.

“Almost as good as hiding yourself inside a nebula.  Only without the issue of reducing your own ability to detect any approaching vessels.”  Anacostia-Bolling commented as she took a look at the data being presented to her. “I’m annoyingly impressed.”

“Hidden in plain sight.” Her helm officer added.

The Commander looked across to her communications officer.  “Inform Command of our position and request any available ship in the sector.”  She paused a second. “Also check with Commander Salan and confirm the Jaxartes ETA.”

A couple of minutes later the communications officer had an answer.  “Commander Salan confirms the USS Jaxartes is 11 hours behind us, and The USS Sizemore should be able to join us in17.” Ensign Phillanie paused a moment. “No other vessels within range to reach us in the next 36 hours.”

“Thank you Ensign.” The Commander replied. “Inform me if that situation changes at any point.”

“Understood.”

A Saber, a Steamrunner and a Raven-class; going up against a Norway and an Orion Pirate ship.  Anacostia-Bolling ran the numbers through her mind.  Firepower, shield strength and manoeuvrability of each vessel.  The statistics made it a close thing and she didn’t want to go in all guns blazing; if there was a chance of failure.  He former Captain had done that, and the Commander owed it to this crew, not to make the same mistake.

Alara Ley the Trill First Officer had been half listening in whilst performing her own tasks.  She stepped across to the Captains, placing her hand on top of the Commanders.  “We trust you to make the right call.”

Mary wasn’t sure if her XO and friend meant ‘We’ as in herself and her symbiont or her and the crew in general, but she understood the sentiment.

It was time to move things up a gear, there were a lot of planets and moons out there to cover and the long it took them to move through the system, the greater the chance of being spotted or the USS Stavanger slipping away unseen.

“Prep shuttles Shirley and Mona Lisa for launch.” The Commander instructed.  “They can help speed up the process of scanning the system and hopefully our friends out there won’t spot them first.”

Alara made a request to take charge of one of the shuttles and Anacostia-Bolling nodded her approval, before the Trill officer raced off the Bridge.

‘You know in situations like this we’d usually take a shuttle each.’ Her symbiont Ley commented.  In the past that had been very true; more than once during a mission, husband and wife had took command of two separate shuttle craft.  Now of cause that wasn’t an option, Mar was only here in spirit.  She did know that Lieutenant Giovanni Agusta was a good officer and so one she could trust to do a thorough job.  He would be taking Shirley; which had been with the da Vinci since its Corps of Engineer days.  Whilst she’d be taking the Mona Lisa out on its first operational mission.

**********

At the same moment Chameleon in the guise of Ambrose Nichols had just been beamed across to the USS Stavanger from the Orion Pirate ship along with Nurse Sarah Folland, playing the role of his companion and lover.  She kept close by his side her hand brushing the back of his, in a sign of affection the Petty Officer hoped would look believable and genuine.

Were as he wore a finely tailor suit, or at least one that had been replicated to look expensive and well made; she had on a simple creamy coloured dress which almost reached her ankles.  It wasn’t the kind of clothing Sarah would normally choose to wear, but she did kind of like it.

Two people were there to greet them in the Transporter Room; one the typical muscular brut of an Orion, who probably used his fists more often than the Starfleet issue hand phaser he was holding.  It was almost lost between his chunky fingers.  The other man was dressed in a red Commanders Uniform and had his own weapon holstered.

Chameleon had worked with this man for several years and knew he’d been the one to try and kill them.  Given the chance he would have leapt forward and strangled the guy to death right there.  But that wouldn’t help the mission and would probably cost Nurse Folland her life.  She was certainly brave, and was he allowed to say ‘beautiful’.

So instead he held out his hand and the two shook.  “You must me Commander Armitage. “ Chameleon commented. “Navaar mentioned you during our first meeting.  There was no way of knowing if that was the truth, but Chameleon felt it more than likely.

“So what brings you here?”  Armitage questioned. “I wasn’t told to expect anyone.”

“Potential buyers wanted my opinion on this vessel before the committed themselves.” Chameleon replied.  “So I am merely here to check on the merchandise, as it were.”

“I should check with the boss.” The former commander mused.  “Tavil shouldn’t have brought you here without informing us first.”

Tavil was the Captain of Dagger 2, and it had been Chameleon who’d convinced him to bring them here unannounced.  “Apologies for that, it was entirely my fault. I was hoping to surprise Navaar.” 

“I’m afraid she’s not on board.” Armitage replied. “She’s gone to make her own arrangements. We had information Starfleet had you?”

“They did.  But I have enough friends in the right places.”  Chameleon didn’t know what friends Ambrose Nichols had or where they might be; but then this idiot wouldn’t know them either.  “I’ll just have to change the way I do things.  But they’re not going to stop me.”

“If I give you the guided tour; what about your companion here?” Armitage gestured towards Sarah.

“She knows as much about all this as I do.”  It was an honest enough statement, without giving away the fact neither of them knew all that much.  Right now they were just playing for time and hoping that the da Vinci was closing in at this very moment.

Armitage started by taking them to Main Engineering; were three Orion’s, a Benzite and a human were all working away.  “You look like you’re ready to go somewhere.”  Noted Chameleon, eyes scanning the room.

“Oh, we have to be.” Smiled Armitage. “Just in case the Federation show up again.”

In their last engagement they’d had the advantage of cloaked Romulan mines to protect the Stavanger, but those had been the only ones they’d managed to acquire.  Despite being around 70 years old, they’d done their job.  It was just a shame Captain Eglin had survived the battle.  That was twice Armitage had failed to kill his former colleague.

Further along Chameleon sensed there was something slightly off with this tour, but couldn’t figure out what.  A gently squeeze of Nurse Folland’s hand was meant to be reassuring to the young women.  Then the realisation of what part of the ship this was and that they’d acquired extra escorts.  Beyond the next set of doors, was the Brig.

“And this is where I must leave you, Chameleon, madam.” The smile was more sinister this time. “Don’t look so surprised.  It was a good trick, but since we received the same Transporter upgrades as every other Federation vessel right after Frontier Day.  I knew who you were from the very second you arrived.”

Chameleon and Folland were both marched into one of the Holding Cell, and the force field raised. “I’m sorry for getting you into this.”

“This time you’re going to stay dead.” Armitage gloated.

**********

From the cockpit of the Mona Lisa, Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley scanned the sensors for any sign of the pirate vessel or the stolen Norway-class.  They’d been out there for eighteen hours now, taking it in turns with the other members of her team to monitor things or eat and sleep.  Thought she herself had spent more time working than anyone else. ‘You do know I could put you to sleep.’  The voice of her husband courtesy of her symbiont sounded both worried and annoyed.  Though she wasn’t sure is a symbiont would ever do that to a host. ‘Just five more minutes and I’ll take a two hour rest.’

‘You said that, ten minutes ago!’

She only needed a minute of that extra time. “This is the Mona Lisa to da Vinci.  I have the Stavanger. Repeat I have located the USS Stavanger, and she appears to be alone.”