LCDR Varyn K’lev stepped into the Culver City’s engineering lab, located just off of the cargo bays.  Inside, a small team of engineers, overseen by Lieutenant Pelix and Ensign Tiza, flowed around a work table, on which a probe rested.  The probe looked rather different than a standard model of its type, showing additional camera apertures and magnetic plating; its engines had been reduced to maneuvering thrusters only, as it would be reliant upon the launcher for it’s momentum and would only need to alter course as necessary.

K’lev joined his chief engineer and quartermaster.  “How’s it going?”

Pelix huffed.  “We just finished testing the probe; got a minor glitch with the mag-clamp, but that won’t take long to fix, then it’s ready to deploy.”

K’lev nodded, turning to Ensign Tiza.  “You got a list for what went into this probe?  When it works,” he smiled, confident in the skills of his chief engineer and quartermaster, “we need to be able to tell everyone how you two and your teams did it.”

Tiza nodded eagerly, a grin spreading across his face as he handed a PADD over.  “It’s all here!  We did have to do some custom work, too, but that’s included as well.”

K’lev scanned over the display’s contents quickly, then handed it back to the ensign.  “Excellent!  Please send it all to Chief Bong; I’ll make sure it makes it into the final report, with credit where it’s due.”

As Tiza beamed, K’lev turned his gaze back to the engineering team.  He watched them work for a few moments before looking between the two ensigns.  “Once that clamp is fixed, please bring the probe to the starboard torpedo launcher.  Let me know when you’re ready to load it.”  With that, he clapped each on the shoulder, said “Great work, both of you,” and then left the room.

A turbolift ride deposited K’lev back on the bridge; Lieutenant Lotharys stood from the captain’s chair and resumed her station as he took his seat.  “Ari,” he said to Ensign Phillips at the helm, “think you can get us over towards where the asteroid field crosses the Tholian border?  Chief Bong thinks it’d be a good place to leave our little present to see who picks it up, and I agree.”

Phillips nodded.  “I’d love to try,” they replied, then set to work.

Culver City began edging towards the asteroid belt at low impulse, dropping down to thrusters-only as she started to get truly close to the border.  At a signal from K’lev – “Okay, I’d say that’s close enough” – Phillips shifted the thrusters to station-keeping, and Culver City drifted to a halt.

“Great work, Ari!  Ophelia, keep an eye out; hopefully the Tholians aren’t worried about us, but let me know if they get curious.”  He then tapped his combadge.  “K’lev to Pelix and Tiza.  How’s the probe coming along?”

“We’re about to put it on the loading tray now, sir,” came Tiza’s reply, followed by a much more gruff “I told you we’d let you know when it’s ready,” from Pelix.

K’lev chuckled.  “True!  But you know me, Pelix; worry, worry, worry…”

Pelix huffed.  Only a minute or so later, Tiza spoke again.  “It’s loaded!  Our special probe is ready to fire.”

“Great work, both of you!  K’lev out.”  He then turned to Chief Bong.  “Please make sure that our report includes the plans for the probe, and recommends recognition for Pelix and Tiza and their teams for making it happen.”

His gaze then landed on Ensign sh’Livo at tactical, and he walked over to join her at her station.  “Okay, Tyrisa, let’s launch this thing.  We need a good spot for it; not too visible among the asteroids, but in one of the Tholians’ patrol routes to improve the odds they pick it up.  Got something for me?”

The Andorian ensign called up a few coordinates on her console.  “Any of these should work, I think.  But I’d suggest Point Charlie,” she said, calling up that coordinate, the third on her list, for his review.

Point Charlie, as she’d called it, was actually near what appeared to be an intersection of two patrol routes, with a small cluster of smaller asteroids towards the in-system branch of one of the routes.  The Point was among that small cluster, though outside of the mag-clamp’s reach of any of the asteroids in case any of them had magnetic cores; the sensor data indicated that none did, but the gravimetric distortions coming off of Rhontaka II were complicating the scan.  “An excellent choice, I’d say; you agree, Ophelia?”

Lieutenant Lotharys checked the coordinates, then nodded.  “Looks good to me!”

K’lev rubbed his hands together as he returned to his seat, though he remained standing.  “Chief, you’ll guide the probe to Point Charlie, and make sure it stops there and acts natural.  Tyrisa, you may deploy when ready!”

sh’Livo touched a single control, and the modified probe hurtled out of Culver City’s starboard torpedo launcher.  Bong expertly guided it to Point Charlie, ensuring that it was drifting naturally among the asteroids.  With the probe now in place, K’lev turned to Lotharys.  “We getting good telemetry and images from the probe?”

Lotharys checked her displays.  “One moment…. Yes, there it is!  I’ve got it; good telemetry and images both!”

A series of grins passed around the bridge crew.  K’lev took his seat.  “Fantastic!  Please share the feed with the rest of the task group; six ships’ eyes are better than one’s, after all.  Now, let’s see if this works…”