The transporter beam faded, leaving Captain Jerok and Admiral Tolak standing on the Yorktown’s transporter pad. The cool, steady hum of the ship surrounded them, a stark contrast to the warm light of Quorath III. Jerok stepped off the pad first, his expression already shifting to match the weight of the situation he had left behind.

Commander Rahal was waiting for them outside the transporter room. With a rigid posture and alert look on her face, she inclined her head, “Captain, Admiral. We have continued monitoring the signal near Quorath VII. It is active and structured. The transmissions cycle every nine minutes. The pattern is consistent with controlled insertion into civilian communications pathways.”

Tolak frowned, “So they are not simply listening. They are shaping information.”

“Yes, sir,” Rahal replied, “The packets contain falsified Republic directives, altered newsfeeds, and predictive behavioral inserts. Someone is trying to guide public sentiment on the planet and also hiding things for the Quorathi officials to pick up and influence their views of the Republic and even Starfleet.”

Jerok began walking, leading the group toward the turbolift, “How long has it been running?”

“Based on some residual decay rates we’ve been able to pick up, it appears to have been running sporadically for at least two days,” Rahal said as she followed. “Likely activated after our initial survey ships departed just over a week ago. It remained dormant until the Free State vessel decloaked.”

Tolak absorbed that in silence. His voice was low when he finally spoke, “This is classic Tal Shiar strategy. They’ll let the council believe the Republic is pressuring them. Then they arrive as the corrective force, appearing neutral and protective. They undermine us without firing a shot.”

They stepped into the turbolift. As the doors slid shut, Jerok ordered, “Bridge.” The lift ascended. Silence grew in the lift for several seconds.

Jerok broke it first, “We cannot allow the Free State warbird to realize we know the outpost exists. If they suspect we are investigating, they will destroy it or potentially call for reinforcements which I’m sure are not far away. We disable it quietly, without provoking them.”

Tolak nodded, “The Devoras will support whatever plan you propose. But discretion is essential. The Free State prefers to act from behind a curtain. If we pull at it too quickly, they will lash out. It would force them to shift into an outright conquering doctrine with the Quorathi, which we want to avoid at all costs. ”

The turbolift doors opened onto the bridge. The crew straightened momentarily at their arrival before resuming their duties. The viewscreen displayed Quorath III below and, in the far distance below, the unmistakable silhouette of the Free State warbird holding silent orbit.

Jerok stepped toward the railing, “Status of the warbird?”

Lieutenant Zemess at tactical replied, “Holding steady position. No active scans, but their sensor profile suggests passive monitoring. They are watching us.”

“Are they watching the relay?” Jerok asked.

“Negative. They appear unaware of our scans.”

Jerok exhaled in relief, “Good. Continue to mask our sensor sweeps as part of our normal monitoring of the outer industrial platforms. Nothing unusual.”

Rahal moved to her station and pulled up a schematic of the Quorath VII moon. The barren rock rotated slowly on the display, marked with the faint signature of the subspace relay.

“Here,” she said, pointing to a small crater near the equator, “The signal originates from a surface installation beneath the crater shelf. Minimal power, minimal thermal output. Easily overlooked unless you were looking for Romulan modulation specifically. We probably wouldn’t have noticed it except we’ve retuned the Yorktown to Romulan frequencies while we’re with the Devoras.”

Jerok leaned closer, “Is the architecture Tal Shiar?”

“Not quite,” Rahal said, “It borrows from Tal Shiar design principles, but clearly modernized to Free State encryption standards and newer hardware. This is not an old installation. It was built recently.”

Tolak’s voice sharpened, “That tells us something important. The Free State did not stumble upon this planet. They found it at the same time we did, or shortly after, and acted quickly. They want the first claim of influence.”

Jerok sighed deeply, “Options?”

Rahal listed them actively before formulation options, “One. We send a shuttle and disable the relay from the surface. High risk of detection. Two. We attempt remote override. Encryption is layered but not impenetrable. Three. We deploy a small team using a neutrino mask to hide their approach. Best chance of staying unnoticed, but the relay might have failsafes.”

Tolak crossed his arms, “Failsafes are almost guaranteed. The Free State relies on control. They will have built this to protect their narrative.”

Jerok considered, “A surface team will need both Starfleet and Republic officers. If the coding architecture is hybrid, we will need both perspectives to avoid triggering the system. We could also deploy all of the shuttles from both the Yorktown and Devoras under the guise of bringing supplies to the surface, allowing one shuttle to sneak away undetected in the chaos.” He turned to Rahal, “Begin assembling a joint infiltration team. No more than five. Quiet insertion. The Devoras will provide additional technical expertise.”

Rahal nodded in response just as a soft alert tone sounded from operations. Commander Sul glanced down at his console, “Captain. The Free State vessel is powering long range communications.”

Jerok’s jaw tightened, “Destination?”

“Unknown, but the carrier wave is consistent with diplomatic traffic. Likely preparing an announcement to the council,” Commander Sul quickly reported.

Tolak shifted uncomfortably, “They will present themselves as the rightful Romulan authority. They will accuse the Republic of deception. And the relay will back up their claims with falsified data. If that message reaches the council before we stop the relay, the damage may be lasting.”

Jerok looked to the viewscreen. The warbird held steady, silent and citadel-like above the planet. “Then we act now,” he said quietly, “Before they speak. Before they twist the narrative.”

He turned to Tolak, “Inform your crew. The Devoras will need to prepare for deep-code analysis of the relay. And Admiral, if the Free State attempts to contact the planet, we need to be ready to answer before they do.”

Tolak nodded, “The Devoras stands ready.”

Rahal stepped forward, “Captain, the infiltration team can launch within the hour.”

Jerok took a slow breath, “Good. Keep the warbird blind. If they suspect anything, we pull back and reassess.”

The crew moved to their stations with renewed urgency. Every officer felt the delicate balance of the moment. One move too bold might escalate the situation. One move too slow might surrender Quorath to the shadows.

Jerok returned to the center of the Yorktown’s bridge, eyes fixed on the moon of Quorath VII glowing faintly on the secondary display.