“Report, Commander.”

Captain Reyas’ voice carried over the bustle of Bellerophon’s main engineering as she stepped off the small lift onto the upper level. The air still held the faint scent of scorched circuitry, and conduits along the bulkheads bore the patched scars of recent battles.

Lieutenant Commander Jayshon, with his broad Tamarian frame, was bent over one of the command consoles, straightened up at once the moment he heard his captain’s voice. The engineer’s dark eyes flicked toward her, and his expression was one of both pride and fatigue. He walked over to meet her halfway.

“The river, once choked, flows free,” he declared, hands spreading over towards the nearby console’s glowing readouts. “Shaka, when the walls fell,” Jayshon declared solemnly, his eyes gazing over to the warp core pulse with its familiar cerulean light.

Reyas glanced at him, arching a brow, but she didn’t press him for translation. By now she’d learned to follow his cadence, to sense meaning in metaphor. The ship was scarred but alive, the heart beating again.

“You mean it’s finally over?” she asked, her voice carrying equal relief and wariness. “We’re fully repaired?”

“Darmok on the ocean. The beast caged,” Jayshon replied, inclining his head slightly, pride softening his usually stern features. His thick fingers brushed across the edge of the railing as if to reassure himself that the Bellerophon was stable. “Uzani, his army with shields raised. Ready.”

Reyas followed his gaze, watching the warp plasma swirl within the containment field. Days of relentless repair crews, of patchwork solutions and systems barely holding together, had finally brought them here. The Bellerophon was whole, or as close to whole as they could manage.

“You and your teams have done well,” Reyas said sincerely, her tone warming. “Better than well, Jayshon. You’ve held this ship together when she should have been nothing but debris. However, we showed those Kazons not to mess with us. Three of their raiders destroyed, and their flagship heavily damaged. If only we were able to rescue our crew.”

The Tamarian’s lips pressed into something close to a smile. “Temba, his arms wide,” he said, opening his broad hands briefly as if in offering.

Before Reyas could respond, the doors to engineering hissed open. Commander Jirani quickly strode in with purpose. She automatically saw her captain and moved with the same pace of haste across engineering. Her Bajoran earring glinted as she moved swiftly up the ladder to the upper level. There was urgency in her steps, but also something bright in her eyes.

“Captain,” Jirani called, already catching Reyas’ attention. “We’ve just picked up something on long-range sensors. Human and Ardanan lifesigns, several light-years out.”

Reyas’ head snapped around to her first officer. “Human and an Ardanan?” she asked, voice low with sudden intensity. “You’ve found Chambers and Jonarom?”

Jirani nodded firmly as she passed her a PADD she had been carrying. “We think so.” Immediately, Reyas started to read over the device’s contents as Jirani gave her a summary. “We believe they’re onboard the same Kazon Predator-class carrier we damaged during our last exchange. It’s in a nearby system, orbiting above a gas giant, probably licking its wounds. Their signatures are faint but distinct. It matches our missing officers.”

For the first time in days, a smile curved across Reyas’ lips, sharp and hopeful. “Finally,” she murmured. “Have the Kazon detected us?”

Jirani’s own expression softened into something close to a grin. “Our sensors are easily fifty years more advanced than anything the Kazons are running, captain. They don’t even know we’ve spotted them. Plus, with the amount of damage they sustained, they’re not in any shape to pick us up from where we are hiding.”

Reyas allowed herself a slight, satisfied smirk. A couple of hours ago, they had stopped and had taken the Bellerophon into the crater of a moon with a paramagnetic core to mask the ship’s energy signature. “Then let’s hope we can do more than just watch them. I’d like to take that carrier apart piece by piece if it means getting our people back. That said, I’d prefer not to make relations with the Kazon any worse than they already are.” Reyas rubbed the top of her temple. She knew she needed to try a diplomatic approach first, even though the Kazon would not respond to it.

Jayshon shifted beside her, his large frame steady. “Kiteo, his eyes closed,” he said gravely. “The mountain hidden, the climb unseen.” His meaning was clear enough: risk and uncertainty lay ahead. Reyas could not disagree with him over that warning.

“Are the Themis or the Constitution anywhere nearby?” Reyas asked after a pause. She wondered if the strength in numbers would force the Kazon to hand over Chambers and Jonarom. Plus, who would want to take on the pride of Starfleet? A Constitution-III-class and a Ross-class, both outfitted with a squadron of Valkyrie-class fighters, were intimidating enough. Reyas wondered if the Bellerophon, now fully repaired, was enough to force the Kazon to reconsider. If they were severely damaged, she could possibly use that to their advantage.

Jirani shook her head, her smile fading into something harder as she answered. “They’re not close enough, I’m afraid. By the time they got here, it may be too late, and the Kazon may have their ships nearer. Long-range sensors have also detected an incoming task group of Kazon raiders. They’re heading towards the carrier. We won’t have time to wait for the others.”

Reyas placed her hands behind her back, her voice steady as she took one more glance up at the Bellerophon’s warp core. She knew what she had to do, and she knew it might annoy her husband. When she had spoken with Commodore McCallister several hours ago, he had insisted she hold until the others arrived to assist. Nevertheless, she knew what he would do in this type of situation. “So it’s on us to do this alone.” She remarked.

“Exactly,” Jirani replied firmly. Her tone was filled with gratitude that her captain was not giving up on their missing crew members.

Reyas slowly turned back toward Jirani, her eyes sharp and commanding. “Get Kurath. If the Kazons think they can cage my officers, then they’ve underestimated me. It’s time we planned a rescue mission.”