‘Valance to away team; we just detected a massive power surge at your location. Report!’ She was on her feet in the centre of the bridge, barking across comms almost before Caede had finished his report, her hands balled into fists.

There was a crackle over the communications system, then Cortez’s voice came through. ‘Away team here! A power core overloaded with Logan and Brok’tan still in the containment room – they’re both down -’ Cortez was a professional, her words clear even though they were thick with fear and uncertainty, but then there was a low oath as distant voice in the background mumbled. ‘Brok’tan’s dead. Logan’s moving – request we beam him immediately to Sickbay!’

‘Already on it,’ Caede was saying, hands moving as Valance rounded on him.

‘Starfleet protocols say he should be in a medical quarantine, Centurion,’ Walker’s clipped voice interjected. Valance would have shut him down for giving instructions on the bridge, but he was right, and the low grumble from Caede made it clear the reminder was heeded.

‘He’s aboard,’ Caede said a moment later. ‘In a secure theatre in Sickbay. I’ll let Starik figure the rest out.’

Valance paced. ‘Cortez, we’ve got Logan. What’s going on?’

All that came next was the shouting. She heard Kharth yelling, Torkath yelling, and then a long beat of silence. The crackle of a mute. Then:

‘Torkath’s beamed back to the Qor’otan – he’s pissed, Kar, he thinks I – I might have killed Brok’tan…’ Cortez swallowed audibly. ‘We don’t have a whole picture of what went down here, but he might do something rash. You should – you should beam Commander Kharth back aboard, though; Airex and I can wrap up here.’

Valance’s chest tightened at the familiar address given so thoughtlessly. ‘We should get you all back -’

‘Negative.’ That was Airex, now cool and professional. ‘We’ve more to go over here. Beam the commander back. We’ll be fine.’

‘Alright.’ Valance swallowed, her mouth dry, and she turned back to Caede. ‘Beam the commander. Sickbay.’

He frowned. ‘They didn’t report injury -’

‘Sickbay.’ Logan was down, and Kharth hadn’t said a word over comms. Whatever was going on, she wanted her XO far away from duty in that moment.

When the young ensign at Tactical looked up at her with wide eyes, she realised how short-handed the bridge now was. ‘Captain, the Qor’otan is raising shields and charging weapons.’

‘Red alert,’ she said coolly, less surprised than she’d hoped. ‘Kally, hail them.’

When the viewscreen flickered to life, the Klingon bridge was a hive of activity, crew bustling about their stations. Above it all sat Torkath in the command chair, fist resting on his armrest, leaning forward with a sullen gaze.

‘Brok’tan is dead,’ he intoned.

Valance swallowed. ‘I was informed. I regret to hear that. He was a fine warrior.’

‘Dead,’ Torkath continued as if she had not spoken, ‘due to Starfleet arrogance. You spoke of cooperation, Valance. Instead, your people have sidelined the Empire’s investigation, sought to control the flow of knowledge – to control this site, this dangerous facility that birthed the fissure. And in your arrogance, you mishandled the equipment that killed my warrior.’

‘You’ve suffered a loss, Torkath, and I grieve with you,’ said Valance, knowing getting drawn into the particulars would be pointless – especially when she hadn’t been present. ‘But there is no need to be rash. Let my officers finish their study on the facility. We’ll share all data as it becomes available -’

‘I do not believe you,’ Torkath said simply. ‘The Empire cannot secure this site. And I cannot trust it to the Federation. Better for its secrets to be lost than abused.’

‘Captain.’ In the disruption, Walker had gone to stand at the shoulder of the young relief tactical officer, and his eyes flashed as he looked up. ‘They’ve locked weapons on the facility.’

Valance stared down the viewscreen. ‘My people are still aboard, Torkath, and you don’t have the right to -’

‘Then they can be consigned to dust, along with the secrets they sought to keep.’ Torkath jerked a hand to an officer on his bridge. ‘Target the facility’s fusion core.’

‘Destroy that facility and kill my people, and you start a war, Torkath.’ Ice had settled in her chest, cold and hard, and Valance found her voice coming with the same implacable chill. ‘Do that, and I will end it, here and now.’

There was the faintest chirrup from the tactical display off her armrest, and out of the corner of her eye she noted that Endeavour had locked weapons on the Qor’otan. She did not move.

Torkath’s lowered his head, his glower still intent. ‘You have thirty seconds to beam your people away, Valance.’

The viewscreen went dead, and Valance glanced over her shoulder to see Walker had assumed the Tactical station. She gave him a curt nod, the sense of gaping openness at her back with the absence of Kharth, Airex, and Logan less pronounced. Then she turned to the fore. ‘Get our people back aboard,’ she said to Caede.

‘Trying,’ the Romulan snapped through gritted teeth. ‘Tri-quantum radiation levels have spiked – I don’t know what they’re doing over there, but there’ve been fluctuations in the power systems…’

‘If we leave them over there,’ said Walker, ‘it might be easier to make Torkath back down. He’s angry, he’s not insane.’

‘I’m not gambling with our people’s lives like that,’ said Valance coolly. ‘Lindgren, put us closer to the facility – between it and the Qor’otan’s weapons. Might help us punch through interference, and might make them blink.’

‘That’s a lot of “mights,”’ Lindgren pointed out, but she obeyed smoothly.

‘Kally, try to contact the away team, let them know the situation,’ said Valance, ‘and let me know when Torkath wants to chat again.’

She felt the deck hum as Lindgren manoeuvred them, saw the tactical readout shift as they reoriented themselves in relation to both the asteroid facility and the Qor’otan.

‘Still nothing from Torkath,’ Kally said desperately.

‘He’s not changed his firing solution,’ called Walker, ‘which means that if he opens fire, he hits us.’

‘He’s not blinking,’ Valance mused.

‘You’ve challenged a Klingon lord, Captain,’ said Caede wryly. ‘Do you got a choice now other than to beat him or humiliate him? We should punch first.’

‘If we fight,’ Lindgren told him coolly, ‘people are going to die.’

‘He has to know that, too,’ said Walker. ‘Recommend we fire a warning shot. We’re past the thirty seconds – he’s thinking. Let’s give him more to think about.’

Valance paused. Her eyes landed on Kally, hoping for a sign of contact from the Qor’otan or the away team, but the young comms officer just shook her head. Valance grimaced. ‘Fire that warning shot. Then immediately hail them.’

‘Torpedo away,’ called Walker. ‘Close, but not too close.’

‘Channel’s open, Captain; that’s as good as I can do,’ said Kally apologetically.

Valance eased back onto the command chair and drew a deep breath. ‘Lord Torkath. I think I’ve made it clear that if you want to destroy this facility, you will have to fight. I understand your rage. Whatever happened down there has one of my senior officers in sickbay. Once more, I, too, grieve for Brok’tan – he was a good man, a man of honour. And I know that the last thing he would want is for his death to spur us into cheap blood-letting against one another. That may soothe our raging hearts, but it will not get us answers – not today, and not tomorrow.’

She hesitated, feeling the eyes of the bridge crew upon her – Walker, suspicious; Lindgren, hopeful; Caede, unimpressed. ‘Leave us to finish our study, and you have my word as a daughter of the House of A’trok that we will share our full findings with the Empire. Leave now, and do not let Brok’tan’s death shatter the cooperation he sought in life.’

Silence met her words, ringing in her ears almost louder than the chirruping of bridge systems. Then –

‘They’re breaking off.’ Lindgren’s relief was palpable. ‘Coming about on a course to take them out of the asteroid belt.’

‘No word,’ said Kally. ‘Not so much as an acknowledgement.’

‘They heard us.’ Valance scrubbed her face with her hand. ‘Good work, everyone.’ She glanced over her shoulder at Tactical, eyes meeting Walker’s. ‘Thank you for your assistance under pressure, Commander.’

‘I hope I didn’t overstep,’ he said gently, ‘but you seemed to need a more seasoned hand on the guns.’ He inclined his head. ‘That was impressive. You gave him a graceful climb-down.’

‘The problem with escalating is that it narrows your options,’ Valance mused, and looked about the bridge. ‘Now get me the away team. And, someone…’ She hesitated. ‘Someone get me the status of Jack Logan.’