“Nineteen warp signatures, confirmed, sir,” announced Rosle over the comm, her voice tight with urgency.

That news sent a slight shiver down Captain Duncan’s spine. That news sliced through him like a blade of cold steel. His gut twisted. Nineteen warp signatures didn’t just mean trouble. It meant a storm was coming. He hated when his instincts told him things were about to go sideways, and right now, they were screaming. Taking a steadying breath, he acknowledged the report from the starfighter group commander and tapped his armrest console.

“Rosle, fall back to our position and maintain patrol formation,” Duncan ordered.

“Aye, sir.”

The channel closed, and Duncan instantly looked over to the communications station. Sitting there with his back to everyone else was the young Samwell Bollwyn. Over the last few months, he had risen to the challenge of leading the communications department exceptionally well. Though there were times when he was nervous, especially in the large senior staff meetings, he was becoming more and more experienced. “Lieutenant Bollwyn, order all remaining starfighters to launch. Then, have the Orion and Triton form up with the Odyssey. Tell Captain Patterson what is happening and have her stand by. I don’t want their mining operation to be interrupted.”

“Aye, sir,” Bollwyn replied crisply. The young Ventaxian officer began tapping in the commands to relay the orders to the squadron. The precision and speed with which he worked impressed Duncan.

“Yellow alert,” Duncan said next. The lights dimmed slightly across the bridge as the ship adopted a heightened defensive posture. He then opened a shipwide intercom channel and signalled for Commodore McCallister and the rest of the senior staff to report to the bridge.

He stood and walked to the centre of the bridge, hands clasped behind his back as his thoughts raced. Their starfighters had been patrolling the outer rim of the dense stellar cluster they were using for concealment while mining the precious benamite crystals. This project had been one of the squadron’s most delicate operations since entering the Nacene Reach. If the incoming ships discovered them or worse, were hostile, then everything they were working for could unravel.

“Brianna, can we get a clearer scan of those warp signatures?” Duncan asked, glancing toward the science station.

“Not from our position,” replied Reddick. The chief science officer had only just turned up on the bridge with Tierra to conduct a test on one of the new systems they were installing for the quantum slipstream drive. Now, she was trying to understand what their sensors were telling them about the incoming vessels. “But I’m redirecting one of the long-range probes we launched earlier. Adjusting its course now. We should have more detailed telemetry in two minutes.”

“Good. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious.”

Before anyone could reply, the starboard turbolift doors parted with a soft hiss, and Commanders Hunsen, Tomaz, and Court emerged.

Duncan caught a glance from Court, his husband, who gave him a slight, silent nod of reassurance before moving to the mission operations station. Tomaz, the squadron’s chief strategic operations officer, headed to one of the tactical consoles while Hunsen, his dependable first officer, took his seat to Duncan’s right.

“I take it we’ve got some party-crashers?” Hunsen asked, pulling up the latest report onto his display beside him.

“Uninvited ones, yeah,” Duncan said, stepping back into his command chair. “Our fighters detected a fleet inbound. Nineteen ships in total, and we’re still blind to who they are.”

“Just us, the Triton, and Orion right now?”

Duncan nodded. “Destiny is still on the far side of the cluster, deep into their mining op. We’re on our own for the moment.”

“Great.” Hunsen exhaled and tapped his console. “Let’s prep the Telemachus. Just in case.”

Across the bridge, Court acknowledged the order and began configuring the Aquarius-class escort craft docked at the Odyssey’s stern.

Another moment passed, and the rest of the senior bridge officers entered, including Lieutenant Commander Keli, Counsellor Horin, and Doctor Slyvexs. Just behind them came the tall figure of Commodore James Preston McCallister, his expression unreadable but focused.

“Report,” he said, stepping beside Duncan.

“Unknown fleet approaching, sir,” Duncan stated directly. “Nineteen ships, varied mass and configuration.”

McCallister looked down at the helm. “Mister Paynkor, I hope you’re ready to impress us again with some of your fancy flying.”

“Absolutely, sir, ” replied the chief flight control officer with a confident smirk. Paynkor had somehow been able to stabilise the ship after it was deposited in the star cluster, even with the chaos happening to them and the others in the squadron. “I may need more power to the impulse thrusters to keep us ahead if anything goes down.”

“Don’t worry, Elddie. We’ve got auxiliary and emergency power, ready to be transferred if you need it,” assured Dalen, who was next to him at operations. 

McCallister grinned briefly at Duncan, impressed by the efficiency of his senior staff. Over the past few months, Duncan had trained the newest members of the Odyssey into the well-oiled machine it had become. Moving on from that proud moment, McCallister turned his attention back to his former first officer. “What else do we know about this incoming force?”

Duncan cleared his throat before answering. “We’ve just redirected a probe for a closer scan.”

As if on cue, Reddick’s voice chimed in.

“I’ve got a match,” she announced. “Talaxian vessels. Mostly freighters, some light escort craft. All of them are damaged. Severe in some cases. Looks like they were attacked. ”

McCallister’s eyebrows rose. “Talaxians? I wondered if we would encounter any of them. Their trade routes are well known in this region.”

Counsellor Horin’s voice came next, softer but filled with concern. “I can sense them. Hundreds. Maybe thousands. So much fear and despair. It’s overwhelming.” She took several breaths in as she gripped her chair’s arms. “They are scared beyond doubt about what has happened to them. I don’t think any of them are used to it.”

Duncan frowned. “Perhaps the convoy is more civilian-based?”

“Possibly,” Horin said. “It’s as if they didn’t expect to be attacked. Like it was one big surprise.”

Tierra then spoke up. The Deltan chief engineer had been sitting next to Reddick this entire time, placing their test on pause to deal with this issue. “They’re limping, barely holding together. Their warp cores are running hot, and they’ve vented atmosphere on at least four ships.”

McCallister’s eyes lingered on the battered Talaxian ships a second longer than usual. He’d seen too many convoys like this in the Dominion War. Crossing his arms, McCallister looked at Duncan. “I hate to ask this, but how much can we spare to help them?”

Duncan didn’t answer right away. He leaned on the console beside him, eyes narrowing as he thought. “Between us, the Orion, and the Triton, our emergency reserves are enough to offer limited medical and engineering aid. But if we overextend, we will have to cut back on so much while we finish the extraction of the benamite and test the quantum slipstream drives.”

“And if we get discovered before then,” Tomaz added, “we’ll be stuck here.”

“We’d be risking the whole squadron,” Duncan said. “And we don’t even know if they were being pursued. Who knows what could be waiting for them outside this cluster?”

“That’s not the question you should be asking,” interrupted Doctor Slyvexs as she stepped forward, her expression sharp and disapproving. “We’re Starfleet officers. People are hurt, dying, frightened. We help. That’s the only issue that matters here. Anything less, and we’ve already lost our way.”

Both Duncan and McCallister exchanged glances. The Denobulan chief medical officer had made her point, and not for the first time. Slyvexs had always possessed that disposition with both command officers. She was good and would consistently champion what was right. It was one of her many qualities that garnered admiration from so many aboard the Odyssey, along with her wit, dry sense of humour and fantastic bedside manner. 

McCallister gave a slight nod, conceding. “She’s right,” He said quietly but firmly. “No matter what’s out there, we’re not letting them suffer alone.”

Tierra then spoke up. “I’m just going to say this now. We may be unable to assist the Talaxians with all their repairs unless you don’t want us to finish the QSD project.”

“Lieutenant Bollwyn,” Duncan said, straightening up after hearing what Tierra had said. He knew what needed to be done, and they would have to make sacrifices. It was the right thing to do. “Open a channel to the Talaxian lead vessel. Let’s see how we can help.”

“Aye, sir. Attempting to make contact now.”

Before Bollwyn could finish, Keli’s voice interrupted from tactical. “Captain, I’m picking up trace energy signatures on several of the Talaxian vessels. I’m cross-referencing now—” She paused, then her eyes widened. “Confirmed. Residual Vaadwaur weapons signatures. Multiple impacts consistent with the battle damage.”

Duncan swore under his breath. “Vaadwaur.”

The word hung over the bridge like a stormcloud. No one moved for a second or two. 

“That’s not a coincidence,” McCallister muttered. “Not with what Reyas and Niro found on that planet.”

Duncan turned to face his senior staff. “Red alert. Shields up. Charge all phasers and load all torpedo launchers. Samwell, hold that transmission. Keli, I want continuous scans for any other warp signatures. If the Vaadwaur are nearby—”

“We’ll see them coming,” she replied urgently with several nods, understanding what her commanding officer wanted.

The bridge lights shifted again, bathing the Odyssey in red as battle stations were engaged.

Duncan exhaled sharply. “First a buried Vaadwaur base, now a Talaxian convoy attacked by them? What the hell is going on?”

“I don’t know, but I want to find out,” McCallister said. “But we can’t do it from here. Max, I want you to meet with the Talaxian convoy leaders. Take Tremt and Louwanna with you. Find out what happened. If they’re being hunted or if this is something else. We need to know sooner rather than later.”

Duncan nodded. “Understood. In the meantime, Doctor Slyvexs and Commander Keli can begin leading on relief teams.”

“Good plan,” McCallister agreed as he started to head towards the nearest turbolift. “I’ll contact Captains Reyas, Niro Krabreii, and Banfield. We’ll convene a strategy session and compare what the Astra and Bellerophon found. If the Vaadwaur are waking up again, it’s not just a problem for us; it could affect the entire region and who knows where else. Maybe even the whole damn quadrant.” McCallister turned to Tomaz. “You’re with me, commander. Let’s bring the other captains up to speed.”

Duncan looked over to Bollwyn. “Samwell, inform the lead Talaxian ship that we are happy to assist with their injury and some of their repairs. Maybe they’ll have the supplies we can use to repair them. Also, invite their leaders to join us here on the Odyssey. We want to find out what happened to them. Maybe they can tell us what’s happening in the local area.”

“Aye, captain,” Bollwyn replied. 

The viewscreen shifted to show the battered convoy in full. The Talaxian ships drifted like wounded birds, limping toward a nest that might no longer be safe. 

Duncan rubbed his chin, eyes narrowing. Too many unknowns. Too many risks. And not nearly enough time. Sometimes, being a Starfleet captain meant making impossible calls. This felt like the first of many.

And this new storm, he knew, was just beginning.