“Admiral Tolak, please extend my thanks to Proconsul Radaik for sending aid,” Fleet Admiral Ramar said, seated around the conference table. He glanced around at the familiar room. Many of those present had gathered here not long ago for a trade summit. Back then, Ramar had been detached, barely engaged in the proceedings. Today, the change was unmistakable as the Fleet Admiral was alert and focused.

His eyes moved from face to face around the table: Admiral Tolak of the Romulan Republic, Ambassador S’Rath of the Gorn Hegemony, Federation Ambassador T’Kethis, and Rear Admiral Viran. These were the individuals who had helped lead Deep Space 2’s defense, each contributing in their own crucial way.

“Of course. As it turns out, my disappearance and subsequent radio silence were enough to warrant a ‘rescue’, once the few Vaadwaur forces in Romulan space were under control,” Tolak smirked as he pulled a datapad from his uniform tunic. Placing it on the table, he motioned the datapad to project the information onto the conference table’s holoemitter. “Our ships encountered several of these along their journey through Underspace.”

The holotable came to life with images of Romulan ships approaching and destroying stations within Underspace, clearly of Vaadwaur design. The Romulan Admiral continued, “It appears the Vaadwaur were using these to both control Underspace at such a wide galactic range and also disturb subspace. It’s why we couldn’t create warp fields or send subspace communications.”

Ramar interjected, “I’ve made contact with Admirals Dahlgren and Beckett. The Fourth Fleet is mobilizing and systematically destroying these stations in Underspace. The Vaadwaur are retreating en masse. And as they do, Underspace itself is…” he paused, searching for the right term, “…. reverting to its more ‘natural’ state in the Delta Quadrant.”

“Admiral Dahlgren has dispatched a small task group of repair ships to assist with restoration efforts,” Viran added. “It’ll take weeks to bring the station fully back online.”

“What about the Vaadwaur themselves?” Ambassador T’Kethis asked, her tone calm and measured in typical Vulcan fashion.

“The surviving ships here retreated through Underspace before it collapsed. We’ve lost track of them and have no intel on their destination or current base of operations,” Viran replied.

Tolak pressed a button on the datapad on the table, shifting the holotable display. He added, “Our engineers, working with Starfleet, have begun analyzing recovered Vaadwaur debris. Their technology is now on par with the major powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, which is far beyond what Voyager encountered. Someone is aiding them. We just don’t know who… yet.”

Ramar cocked his head slightly, “Experience tells me this won’t be the last time we hear from the Vaadwaur. Or whoever their mysterious benefactors are.”

The rest of the table sat in a moment of silence as the reality of what they had just gone through hit them. It certainly felt like what they had experienced was just the first wave in what could be something much bigger.