“Lieutenant Fowler?”  Ensign Jake Shaw turned in his chair at communications.  “I’ve got something…unusual.”  Fowler stood from the center chair, happy to be free of it for however long.  The afternoon was getting underway, and her continued feelings about being in the position of XO had not abated.

She asked, “Define unusual.”  Her eyes searched the display as he switched through his various readings and scans.  “That looks like a distress call,” she concluded.  Sadie noted the slight shake of the ensign’s head, “You don’t think so?”

Shaw tapped at the console, reworking the scans. “It looks like it, but it’s not triggering our systems. It came across the reports ten minutes ago. The comms team caught it and flagged it. I think it’s meant to fly under our sensors and reach someone else.”  He continued applying filters and scans to the signal.

Sadie frowned, leaning down to look closer, “You have a point…who do you think it’s supposed to reach?”

He adjusted the screen to compare it to other similar signals.  “It has hallmarks of a Syndicate signal…but it’s different.  It’s almost like it’s related but not.”

The XO grimaced, “I think we’ve picked up a distress call from the Tougun Network, Ensign Shaw.”  She tapped her badge, “Captain to the bridge.”  She pointed at the screen, “Be ready to talk about all of that when she gets here.”  

Jake felt his heart jump as the XO stepped away to check in with Ensign Catari at tactical.  Helena Dread was a captain with high expectations.  She hadn’t let up since she’d stepped aboard the Gagarin with them, and he’d felt her fire off and on.  He was desperate to prove to her that he knew what he was doing.  It was just that he didn’t know what he was doing sometimes.

The voice of Dread reached him. “Report.”  The Gagarin’s bridge had been modeled after an Akira class. There were small corridors at the rear of the bridge, and the ready room, turbolift, and conference rooms were all tucked in the back. There were no doors to slide open to warn of someone arriving. Often, they were just…there. 

He tapped at the console, and the various details were soon displayed on the screen.  Shaw gave her the rundown and included the latest the sensors could tell them.  Dread walked to the center chair; her eyes seemed to be searching the view screen display.  She turned to the helm officer, “Yellow Alert -intercept course at maximum warp. Fowler – alert sickbay and engineering.  Mr. Shaw respond in kind by saying that we are on our way.  Have your team step up their monitoring of short and long-range communications.  I don’t think we’re going to be alone.”

“…showing a mix of injured and dead in the main operations area – fires are still burning.  The distress call stopped transmitting three minutes ago.  Reading backup power generators are running but won’t last long, captain.”  At tactical Ensign, Athena was running through the reports that the tactical and the engineering teams had worked up as they had dropped from warp.

Dread remained in her seat.  She turned to Athena, “Take your teams first to secure the area.”  She tapped at the arm of her chair, “Away teams begin transport once we have security’s confirmation.”  Lieutenant McKee from engineering, Ensign Dawson from sickbay, and their Chief Petty Officer, Henry Wyatt, had assembled in the transporter rooms.  She remained in her seat.  They were lending rescue assistance to a Tougun Network planetary operations center.  The hair on the back of her neck was permanently raised.  “Fowler – what do we see around us? I have a bad feeling about this.”

Sadie had been watching the long and short-range sensors.  She retasked the sensors, running the scans on repeat, “Nothing on short-range…wait…something…we have three Syndicate model ships on an intercept course.”  She shook her head in disbelief, “This isn’t the first time they’ve come out of hiding on us.”  Fowler turned to Dread, “I can’t tell if they’re Syndicate or Tougun, captain.  Intercept time at one minute.”

Helena gritted her teeth, “Rimward’s never a boring place; brochure’s promise be damned.  Red Alert – signal the away teams to take cover.”  The klaxon rang as the ruby lights descended onto the bridge. Officers scrambled to their muster stations as the seconds counted on the clock at the front of the bridge.  They had been running drills to check their speed.  Dread was satisfied in knowing the times were improving—still plenty of room for improvement.  The screen was then filled with two medium Syndicate ships and one large – looming over them.

Shaw shook his terror loose and reported, “Captain, we’re being hailed by the lead ship.”  Dread nodded. The screen flickered, and then a face she was not expecting appeared. Once his Orion eyes caught hers, a salacious grin grew on his face.

Tougun.

“Captain Dread of the Federation Starship Gagarin.  I had wondered where you would end up.”

Helena controlled her simmering fear, “Tougun of the Tougun Network.  I need to let my teams know to remove from cover.  You were not who I was expecting.”  He waved his acceptance, and she ordered Shaw to transmit the all-clear.  She followed that with, “Stand down to yellow alert.”  The lights faded to the muted yellow.

“Still don’t trust me entirely, Captain Dread.”

“I don’t trust you at all.  A name change doesn’t change a criminal enterprise.  Or it’s local leadership who seems to have a habit of a murder or two.  This is your facility.”  Dread’s mood was sour.  She wouldn’t be able to stand up to Tougun and his ships – the only hope was to find a tenuous way to assist where they could and get the hell out.  Sooner rather than later.

Tougun’s face mocked her with faux outrage, “A murder or two?  You’re being kind.  I assure you my number is much higher than that, Captain Dread.”  He paused, his eys searching the bridge for something.  Dread wasn’t sure if he found it as he returned his attention to her, “Yes, this is my facility.  My people report you’ve sent down engineers, medics…and an unusual amount of security people…including a very unhappy Bajoran.  She has some feelings about the security of her people.”

Athena, Dread mused.  You could never accuse her of ignoring protocol or process.  “I won’t apologize for her.  You seem to have enough resources to assist yours – would it be acceptable for my people to finish what work they started?  We can hand over reports on damage and our progress.”

The Orion’s eyebrows shot up, surprised, “You seem pretty content to leave this hive of scum and villainy behind, Captain Dread.  No desire to attempt to spy, bug, or otherwise compromise this location?”

“I’m a doctor, Tougun, not an operative.  I’d rather leave your people better than I found them.  Who attacked them and why – that’s your thing.  I’d rather not find myself on the business end of their wrath.  They seem to be very focused on you and your operations.”

“You’re not even curious?  Has Starfleet turned over a new leaf?  You’re not even going to ask?  Color me surprised in any other color but green.”  Tougun sat back in his chair.  He didn’t seem sure what was happening – Dread took some satisfaction in that.

Helena decided to bite. “Who is it, then.”

“You are aware of the recent… aggressive stance of certain elements of the Klingon Empire?”  She replied with a curt nod. “One of the pieces in my rise to power was the taking over of a large swath of Romulan Syndicate operations out here in the Rimward.  However, I also cut deals with some extremely minor Klingon houses and a few mercenary groups.”

Dread’s conclusion crossed the finish line as he finished speaking.  She replied, “And now you have some Klingons who have decided that your Romulan operations will be their entry ticket into the festivities at the big house.”

“You are not just a pretty face, Captain Dread.  You’ve got some brains, too.”

Helena ignored him, “Why are you telling me this?  You’re not on our Christmas card list.”

A sly smile crossed his lips, “I may be no more than a murderous thug in your eyes, Captain Dread, but I don’t wish any harm to come to my new Federation friends here in the rimward.  These Klingons on the hunt aren’t going to stay focused on me forever – they have a nasty habit of getting distracted…and old grudges on tanks of Klingon mead are never a good mix.  I do have my reputation to uphold, Captain Dread.” 

The channel cut.  Dread turned to Fowler, “What the hell was that?”  Sadie shrugged.  She wasn’t sure either.  The CO gathered herself, “Order our teams to complete their work, collect the reports, and hand them over to the locals.  I don’t want to wait any longer than we should.”

She moved to stand but was interrupted by alarms, first from Fowler’s station and then from the tactical station. Dread turned to Fowler, who looked alarmed.

“We have four Klingon Bird of Preys on intercept course – five minutes out.  Additionally, two more heavily armed civilian ships are right behind them.”

Helena clenched her fists, “Never boring in the Rimward.  Tell the away teams it’s time to take cover and secure the injured for real this time.”  She gripped the arms of the center chair.  She had hoped to get out before things went sideways.  Life in the rimward, she grumbled.  “Red Alert – signal Tougun – it looks like we’ll have to learn how to be friends, after all.  Damnit.  Helm – evasive maneuvers.”