The USS San Clemente floated motionless docked within Deep space 17. The warp core powered down meaning the nacelles had lost their blue glow. The hull was freshly polished, small figures of crew finishing their work, busing themselves dotted throughout in EVA suits. Worker bees drifted around the vessel. Inside, the ship had paused, as if it was holding its breath while waiting for its next assignment.

Cdr Jorik Traven stood in front of his viewport within his ready room. He held a mug in his hand, though the contents had long cooled. The relays were back up and running within the sector, allowing information to pass freely from deep space vessels to Deep Space 17 and 4^th Fleet Command. This small, utility vessel had become the reason TF17 could once again talk to each other in the darkness.

It was supposed to be an easy repair mission, but somewhere between the damaged relays the crew had discovered something unexpected. The object being a mix between organic and machine, a probe of some kind and all data pointed toward a distant region of space.

The Door chimed, “come,” he ordered, turning around as they opened.

His first officer, Lt Cdr. T’Lenar entered, as crisp as ever clasping a PADD in her hand. “Captain, our new orders have arrived from command”.

She passed it to Traven, he accepted and glanced at it. It read:

Reassignment – USS San Clemente
Fourth Fleet / Shakleton Expanse Support Division

“Exploration support?” he said out loud, “logistics. relay expansion, etc etc.”

T’Lenar raised an eyebrow. “Indeed Captain, it appears as Starfleet Command have developed a confidence in the USS San Clemente’s…. adaptability.”

Traven scoffed “That’s certainly one word for us.”

“would you prefer stubbornness?” she replied.

He smiled, “maybe a bit of both.”

He looked out at the interior of the station again, watching as the engineering crew prepared the vessel for departure. “It feels strange,” he said, “we’ve spent months ensuring that vessels out there can stay in touch and we’re about to become one of them that needs it.”

T’Lenar tilted her head, “one may call that balance, Captain.”

Before he could respond the comm chimed, “Bridge to Captain. Engineering reports final warp calibration is complete.”

Traven tapped him combadge, “understood,”

He looked to T’Lenar and headed toward the door, “Lets see how she sings.”

In main engineering the warp core came online, the blue light of the core throbbing steadily. Brunak could feel it through the deck as he leaned against the upper console.

He scratched his chin through his beard. “Perfect” he said finally, though he still sounded a little suspicious as the blue of the core reflected on the panels surrounding him.

Lt Cdr. Rynka Korren was kneeling by the diagnostic station with her head inside the panel underneath. “Coming from you that’s some high praise.”

Brunak grunted. “the core is running to smooth, no ship ever behaves itself this much, I think she’s waiting to catch me off guard.”

“Or we’re competent enough to have her running well.” Korren replied without taking her head out the panel.

He gave her a glace, “are Cardassian’s always so smug about their work?”

“only when I know I’ve done a good job” she said as she replaced the cover to the workspace.

He laughed out loud, “ok, you’ve earned your keep Korren, you can help in engineering.”

“good,” she said, looking up at the core, “I’ll make sure the Captain here’s of your praise.”

“don’ t push your luck” he replied.

In Sickbay Dr. Reyna Paldor was reviewing the final inventory before they headed out again. PO Rebecca Thorne was replacing hyposprays in neat rows. The room had been sterilised but still had a hint of replicated tea.

“All is quiet for once” Paldor said, “I almost don’t trust it being this quiet.”

“That’s because most the crew are running riot around the starbase, before they’re stuck with us for the next few months,” Thorne replied. “ships always feel a little different when docked.”

Paldor have a small smile, “you’ve been talking to councillor Venn again.”

Thorne returned the smile and shrugged, “she’s good company on the long nights. Plus she’s not really wrong. There’s definitely a different feel to the Mente now.”

Paldor looked toward the closed door, “lets hope that feeling is confidence and not heartburn”

Thorne smile grew. “We’ll be ready either way.”

In the counsellors office, Lt. Sora Venn sat alone with the lights dimmed. She had her eyes closed, listening to the ship. She didn’t need to use her Betazoid abilities, the ship had its own language. She could sense the emotional residue of their ships shakedown mission, it was part of the ship now.

Faintly, she felt another echo. It wasn’t something someone could hear, but only feel.

The console on her desk beeped softly. She walked over and studied the display, it was an alert to a signal that Zoral has assisted her with. The signal was faint, buried in subspace, the origin was unknown but the direction was clear…. The Shakleton Expanse.

Sora tilted her head, “you again,” she said out loud.

She felt…. Curiosity. The same subtle curious hum she felt on Relay Charlie. The same feeling when the object had whispered to life.

She opened a log entry:

“Counsellors Log, supplemental. Subspace anomalies from our previous encounter persist, the telemetry implies their origin being within the Shakleton Expanse. I feel no malice but there is an intelligence. My recommendation, continued observation,”

She paused for a moment, then added.

“It feels like someone is holding the door open, but what is beyond is shrouded. End Log”

Back on the Bridge Traven entered followed by his first officer. The crew were at their stations making their final preparations.

T’Lenar took her seat and tapped the console on the arm of the chair. “docking control reports all moorings are released”

Traven nodded toward her, “take her out.”

T’Lenar, looked toward Lt Kree who has spun his chair to face toward the seats at the centre of the bridge. “you heard him Lt, take her out”

The USS San Clemente came to life, pivoting toward the main doors which were waiting open for her. She floated out of them with ease, ready to once again head out into the black.

Kree glanced over his shoulder, “she’s purring Captain, shall I take her for a spin?”

Traven smiled as he got comfortable in his chair. The familiar sound of the leather creaking sounded around the bridge.

“I think she wants to just as much as you Lt.” he said “lets not keep her waiting, set course for the Shackleton Expanse.”

Before he gave the word he glanced around the bridge once more. They were no longer a new crew, the fresh smell that lingered previously had dissipated. He turned on the shipwide comm.

“This is the Captain, the Mente was built to keep others connected,” he said, “And she’s done just that. Now it’s our turn to find out where the signals come from and maybe meet who is listening.”

A few smiles flickered around the room. Even T’Lenar nodded in agreement with her Captain.

“Helm,” Traven Said, looking at the stars on the viewcreen. A never ending sea, and someone within it….discovery. He straighten in uniform

“Do it.”

The USS San Clemente surged forward, the blue of the nacelles shining in the darkness. The hum of the warp core deepened, filling every deck, she felt alive again.

Behind her in the distance, a newly restored relay network full of new signals. Vessels connected in the darkness, orders being relayed and families connected again through the subspace waves.

Ahead lay the Shackleton Expanse. A vast area of space where warp travel had been restricted due to an unknown anomaly, now dissipated, opening up the region for exploration.

As the Mente disappeared into the distance one final signal echoed faintly though the sensor logs. It matched that of the past patten recorded from the strange hybrid creature of Relay Charlie.

Three simple words flickered across the science console before vanishing into static: “We See You.”

The USS San Clemente flew onwards.