The Nareen system wasn’t quite settled down as a fully formed star system- wisps of gas and dust from the old protoplanetary disk still snaked across the system’s plane, lit in the light of the young star in ribbons of pink, orange, and blue. Normally, the interference wouldn’t be enough to hide any ship within from standard sensors of the day… but the Draxan ships seemed to be somewhat behind the times, because they made no notice of Wasp as she crept along one of the ribbons of gas.

Song’s fingers tapped nervously against her knee as her eyes bored into the viewscreen, focused on the four contacts as they thundered across the system. “What exactly are we looking at, Az?” she finally asked, breaking the uneasy silence that had settled on the bridge. Wasp was no stranger to combat, but half her crew’s last experience with major fighting was on a California-class against the Vaadwaur. The Oakland veterans aboard were understandably a little more than queasy about this.

The Betazoid cleared his throat, stilling his own hands at the tactical console. “If I had to make an estimation? Two cruisers and a pair of escorts. Can’t tell for sure if it’s a heavy and a light, but they seem to be distinct classes and one of them is slightly larger. Escorts seem identical.”

“Anything from Mok’tal?” She’d almost said “anything from Kurino”, but held her tongue at the last minute. She’d been made fun of enough for her apparent ties to the Klingon. No defence of “we used to be on the same station when I was a security officer for diplomats” dispelled a rumor mill on a Defiant-class.

“Nothing yet.” Az, as ever, was the epitome of calm, untroubled by the Bird of Prey’s silence. “Doubt she wants to risk giving her position away, now that we’re relatively close. Even if they can’t detect us in this gas, they’ll probably recognize a burst transmission coming from empty space behind them. On the plus side, they’re not making any sudden maneuvers or course changes, so it’s possible they don’t have knowledge of starship cloaks.”

“If they did, I’m sure they’d be using them by now,” Song replied, sinking into her chair with a huff. Antsy. Waiting for the Draxans to do something was like waiting to see if a bomb was about to go off. “What’re they heading for, anyways?”

The console beeped under Az’s fingers as he worked to uncover the answer. “Looks like… one of Hypatia‘s probes over one of the sixth planet’s moons. Never picked up anything of note, but nobody’s swept by to pick it up with the whole scientific excitement on Nareen.”

“You think they think the probe is something else?”

He just shrugged. “Suppose it might look like a shuttle or a fighter to unaware sensors.” A pause, glancing back at the screen. “Yep, one of the frigates is breaking off and making a run for the probe.”

All eyes turned back to the viewscreen as one of the smaller Draxan ships slid out of formation and accelerated towards Hypatia‘s probe. After a moment, it opened fire- dull-red beams and a photon torpedo flying from its nose. Overkill for a probe… but a poignant warning nonetheless.

“They definitely thought it was something nastier,” Rakko piped up from the helm, a frown furrowing the Caitian’s furry features. “Why else waste a torpedo on a probe? Probably expected it to have shields, too.”

“Didn’t detect any comms transmissions to the probe before they fired, either,” Rainet added. “If they thought it was a manned craft, they definitely shot first and asked questions later. Or, never, I guess.”

The frigate slid back into formation and continued to approach the squadron… only for the other frigate to abruptly detach and haul off… straight towards Wasp.

“… I think we’ve been detected,” Az announced. “Significantly closer than I thought, but apparently their scanners struggle compared to ours. They’re approaching with weapons and shields at full power.” The Betazoid turned back to Song, an eyebrow raised. “Orders, skipper?”

Song’s eyes narrowed at the oncoming frigate. Against a Defiant, she likely wasn’t much of a threat, especially with Mok’tal lurking somewhere beyond. But a fight would likely draw in the cruisers, and her orders were explicitly not to engage…

“Rakko, put her over hard starboard and punch it, loop us back around towards Nareen in a nice, gentle arc,” she ordered. “We’ll either draw her off from the cruisers or just flat outrun her. Rain, get on the line with Al-Batani, tell them we’ve been detected and are breaking off under pursuit. Once we’re clear of the nebula, hail that frigate and we’ll see if we can’t have a chat.”

“And Mok’tal?” Az asked, chair creaking as he leaned back to regard the captain.

“Kurino knows what to do. She’ll keep shadowing the fleet.” I hope.

With practiced ease, Wasp hauled about a full 180 degrees and roared to life, impulse engines thrumming as the little escort blasted out of the gas ribbon. The frigate, falling behind, nonetheless kept to pursuit.

“We are clear of the gas,” Rain declared, lips twisting with worry.

“… here goes nothing,” Song muttered under her breath. “Open a channel, Rain.”

“Already done.”

Song nodded, wiping her clammy palms on her pants and keeping her quiet praise of the woman’s speed to herself. “Alright. Unidentified vessel, this is the Federation starship Wasp. We come in peace and are here on a scientific survey mission. Please respond, over.”

And as the silence sank, she already had a feeling the Draxans weren’t exactly here to play ball.

“Wasp is breaking off from her position,” Hel’ka announced, breaking the anticipatory silence that had gripped Mok’tal‘s bridge like a vise. “She has one frigate analog in pursuit.”

Any other Klingon vessel would wonder why a clearly superior Starfleet combat ship didn’t immediately turn the frigate into a finely distributed debris field, but if the question was considered, it wasn’t stated aloud. Most of the crew knew better.

“They grew much closer than expected before being detected,” Kurino mused, one hand rubbing her chin in thought, the other still idly toying with a mek’leth. “Song will be attempting to buffer the frigate, delay her return to her squadron.”

“Our orders?”

“Continue on course.” Kurino settled back in her seat. “She is relying on us as the hidden knife held against the throat. The Draxans will act aggressively to the others, and only then will we drop our cloak.” She looked back at her mentor with a toothy grin. “You taught me the element of surprise may turn the tide in difficult situations. I have no complaints with playing Starfleet’s blade up their sleeve. And you?”

“You’re still too soft with that human woman,” Hel’ka half-jokingly admonished, “but we shall hold our course.”

“She has my trust, Hel’ka.” Kurino’s mek’leth spun idly in her hand. “And she will prove herself worthy of yours, too.”