NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT - PROLOGUE: STARDATE 49196.5 - DEEP SPACE 9

R’Mau, a Caitian male Starfleet Officer in a command red uniform and with four golden pips on his collar, left the Transporter Room in which he had just materialised moments before from his previous posting as XO, the U.S.S. Europa (NCC-1648-E), and crisply walked towards the docking hatch on DS9 Promenade, from where a runabout would escort him to the rendez-vous coordinates with the U.S.S. Leonidas (NCC-538-A), one of the new Ares-class starships developed by Starfleet.

The U.S.S. Po (NCC-72455) has been dispatched from the Leonidas itself, to go to DS9 to collect the new CO of the Ares-class and a couple of other officers, plus some provisions of the last hour, before the very first mission of the starship itself, issued by Starfleet Command and due to start as soon as all the officers and crew were aboard the vessel.

Waiting for him near the docking hatch was Lieutenant Commander Worf, the Klingon Strategic Operations Officer, alongside a young Andorian in a command red uniform and two golden pips, indicating the rank of full Lieutenant.

«Captain,» the imposing Klingon greeted him, once he spotted the Caitian officer walking toward them. «May I present to you Lieutenant Thissen ch’Vatross, your ride for the transfer and the Alpha shift Conn Officer of the U.S.S. Leonidas?»
The Andorian stood at attention, while his new Commanding Officer’s penetrating gaze lingered on him for the first time: «Lieutenant ch’Vatross reporting for duty, sir.»
«At ease, Lieutenant,» nodded R’Mau, before looking back to Worf, «All the provisions needed by the Leonidas are on board, Commander?»
«Yes,» answered Worf, «the provisions and the last officers needed aboard the Leonidas.» An hiss from the docking hatch interrupted the Klingon and two other officers, wearing the gold-mustard uniform of the operations division, came onto the Promenade.

One of them was an Andorian zhen, less robust and muscular in appearance than her compatriot, the other was a Saurian male, both with the insignia of a full Lieutenant on the right collar. Both officers, noticing the four golden pips on the Caitian’s collar and the Caitian himself, stood immediately to attention near Lieutenant ch’Vatross.

«Lieutenant sh’Vaathar and Lieutenant Yamze reporting to duty, sir,» said the Andoran zhen, while both she and the Saurian, Lieutenant Yamze, looked right in front of them. The Caitian nodded to both junior officers, at the same time ordering the pair to be at ease, near whom the two of them had put themselves.

«Are we ready to go?»
The Caitian officer was famous for his lack of wasting as little time as possible, a thing he had honed during his service as T’Vok’s XO aboard the Europa and their previous posting together on another assignment, the U.S.S. Gage (NCC-11672), an Apollo-class starship, where he was the Tactical and Security Chief and T’Vok the Commanding Officer. The starship was sent, with other 40 or 50 ships, to Wolf 359, where it suffered some really nasty damage, and the Caitian was briefly forced to take command when the Captain was injured and the first and second officers killed. A better fate than the one suffered by several others, who got to be assimilated.
«Yes, sir,» answered Yamze, «we’ve just finished unloading the last provisions to the Po and we’re ready to depart when you are.»
«Very well,» the Caitian nodded approvingly, «then we should get underway.»
«Aye, sir,» the three junior officers answered in concert, preceding their CO onto the runabout, while R’Mau remained to share the last series of intelligence information with Lieutenant Commander Worf.

Since the return of the Europa to the Beta Quadrant after the recall order issued by Starfleet Command, all senior officers had been fully briefed about the situation with the Dominion and the cold war that was going on between the Federation and the Dominion itself. During the period spent exploring the Gamma Quadrant, in fact, the Europa’s staff hadn’t been completely briefed properly on the matter, so once the starship emerged from the Bajoran wormhole and had been able to dock after the rescue mission of the civilian transport known as Hikawa Maru, the deficiency of information had been promptly addressed.

Of course, since the runabout Po would’ve been on its own along the route from Deep Space 9 to the Leonidas, Worf had been scrupulous in talking both with Lieutenant sh’Vaathar and Lieutenant ch’Vatross in planning the voyage, with the objective of delivering the new Leonidas’ CO to its freshly appointed command without any kind of accident.

«Are you sure, Mr. Worf, you want to remain here? I’m pretty confident I can find a way to have you aboard the Leonidas in no time.» R’Mau knew very well that the Klingon was a person of honour and that he intended to remain on board Deep Space 9 until the hostilities were over and the relations with the Klingons smoother.
As the Caitian had imagined, the answer offered by the other officer was negative, although it was clear that Worf appreciated the sentiment behind the offer.
«I’ve downloaded onto Po’s computer systems all the available data about the route you’ll take to the Leonidas. I'm positive you won’t encounter problems, but I’ve briefed your officers with all the information required in case of emergency.»

Giving a PADD to the Captain, Worf added: «Your officers and escort had been informed of all the perils about the route you’re going to take from here to the Leonidas with your runabout, sir. We don’t expect any complications, of course, but...»
«…better safe than sorry, Commander, I understand that perfectly,» nodded Captain R’Mau, taking the PADD, «and you’ll be commended for your readiness and your qualms. Is there anything else I should know?»
«Not that I am aware of, Captain.»
«Well, then, I won’t take you from your duties any longer, Commander,» saluted the Caitian, finally following his junior officers aboard the runabout.
«Q’pla, sir,» were the last words uttered by the Klingon, before he too went directly to Ops.

*

«We’re ready to leave Deep Space 9 at your convenience,» Lieutenant ch’Vatross informed the Captain once the Caitian was on board the runabout, while Lieutenants sh’Vaathar and Yamze were checking the last things onto their console or PADD.

«Very well, inform Major Kira that we’re ready to leave and ask them to clear our departure, Lieutenant,» ordered R’Mau, taking the last seat available aboard the Po.
It was Lieutenant sh’Vaathar who acknowledged the order from her Captain, immediately opening a comm link with the communication officer on duty in Ops and asking the clearance for undocking procedures.

After receiving the all clear, Lieutenant ch’Vatross smartly piloted the runabout away from Deep Space 9 at half impulse and then at full impulse, before reaching the coordinates from where he could take the Danube-class ship to warp. The Leonidas, currently under the command of R’Mau’s XO, Commander Ulrich Friedman, would be waiting for them at coordinates almost 15 hours away from the once Cardassian mining station at warp 4.5, after taking onboard the Chief Medical Officer and the Contact Specialist, respectively a Vulcan and a Caitian Lieutenants who had both finished an assignment aboard the U.S.S. Gange, in deep space exploration near the Cardassian border.

«E.T.A. to the rendez-vous coordinates in just under 15 hours, Captain,» was just reporting Lt. ch’Vatross once the runabout jumped to warp, «warp factor speed 4. The Leonidas just notified via subspace that they will be en route in about 9 hours.»
«Very well, Lieutenant,» approved R’Mau, eying up from the PADD he was studying. He disliked being left in the dark of anything and the tiny object in his pawns had some interesting details he hadn’t known before, most likely because it was intel of the last hour.
«Let’s hope that the Breen raiders have received their lessons, once and for all. But let’s monitor the area, just to be sure.»
«Aye, sir. I’m on it,» briskly answered the other Andorian, her eyes fixed on the monitor in front of her.
«Perhaps you should get some rest, sir, we can manage,» she then suggested, without being respectless.
«Wake me up in 8 hours, Lieutenant. I and Lieutenant Yamze will relieve you for the second half of the voyage. That’s an order, Lieutenant,» R’Mau added since his Chief of Security seemed ready to object.
«Aye, sir.»

Back aboard Deep Space 9, Lieutenant Commander Worf had arrived in Ops just in time to witness the runabout Po departure, after obtaining clearance from Chief O’Brien, momentarily in command of the shift while Captain Sisko and Major Kira were closed in the Captain’s office in conference with some Starfleet Admirals.
Considering what had just happened to the Hikawa Maru right after leaving the Cardassian space station, the Captain and the Major had decided to personally report the accident to Starfleet Command, in order to figure out how to better deal with the whole situation.

The fact that Breen privateers had collected enough courage to risk being caught deep in Federation territory was very troublesome and it needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. Not only due to the latest attack to a civilian transport, but also because it may be a symptom of something worse.