Chapter 3

Captain's log; stardate 58075.8: The USS Orion has just become the flagship of Vice-Admiral Kathryn Janeway. We and the Lakota are on course to rendezvous with a Starfleet task force. The Admiral has not yet explained the purpose of this task force, but there is to be a meeting on board the Orion in which she will explain things.

Henry sat in his chair to the left of Adm. Janeway. Lindsey had left the bridge to make sure the conference room and ship's staff were ready for guests. The Orion would soon be playing host to not only an admiral but also to several starship captains. Everything needed to be in shipshape.

The turbo lift doors opened, and Henry saw Lindsey walking down to the lower part of the bridge. On her way to the first officer's chair she passed the captain's chair, in which sat Adm. Janeway. "Admiral," said Lindsey as she acknowledged her superior officer and commander. Lindsey seemed to be handling the situation well, but Henry wondered how she really felt about having the command of her ship taken away from her.

Janeway acknowledge Lindsey and said, "Commander, did you perform the security sweep I requested?" Henry resisted a cringe. It had not escaped his notice that Janeway referred to Lindsey by her rank of commander instead of the title of captain due her as commanding officer of a starship.

"Yes, Admiral," reported Lindsey. "My head of security, Lt. Cmdr. Grant, did the sweep himself. The conference room is clear. On his own initiative, he asked to sweep the whole ship, starting with critical areas. I allowed him to do so. Are we expecting eavesdroppers?"

"One can never be too careful in this neck of the woods," answered Janeway with a smirk. Lindsey returned the smile and sat in the first officer's chair next to the Admiral. When Janeway first came aboard, Henry noted that she had been extremely formal, perhaps to let everyone know that she was in command. But since then she had become softer and more personable, revealing the experienced captain of Voyager that was underneath the admiral's uniform.

Johnathan issued an update from the navigator's chair. "Three minutes to rendezvous."

"Thank you, Mr. Mikkelson," said Lindsey. Henry waited patiently as the entire bridge crew mentally counted down the three minutes. Finally, Lindsey issued the order. "Mr. Ryan, drop to impulse." The Orion reduced from warp speed. The viewport changed from streaking stars to the image of three starships orbiting an inhospitable moon. Two of them were Defiant class ships, and the third was an Ambassador class ship. Sensors confirmed that the Lakota was still on the Orion's starboard wing.

"Sensor Chief, what are the names of those ships?" asked Henry.

Chief Petty Officer Shelton responded, "The USS Resistant, the USS Courageous, and the USS Hercules."

"The Hercules?" asked Lindsey with a tone of surprise. "NCC 26533, Ambassador class?"

"Yes," answered Shelton with a bit of wonder. Henry too was curious at how Lindsey would know a random starship's hull number. Rather he was curious until Henry realized that it was only one number off from the Orion's hull number of NCC 26532-A.

Janeway was also apparently curious in Lindsey's sudden interest. "Do you know something about the Hercules, Miss. Lander?"

"A little something." Lindsey pointed to the ship. "The Hercules and the original Orion were sister ships: both Ambassador class and built almost simultaneously. The Orion launched just three months prior to the Hercules."

Lindsey continued, "Both ships served Starfleet for a long time and were about to be retired when the Dominion War broke out. Unlike the Orion, which was mostly dedicated to convoy duty, the Hercules was hastily refitted and saw front line action. It was damaged in the Battle of Bajor and the retaking of Deep Space Nine. It was repaired in time for the Battle of Cardassia, where it was once again severely damaged. And once again it was repaired." Lindsey deliberately looked over at Lt. T'Sel, the new science officer. "The Hercules has had so many parts and components replaced that it might be considered to be an entirely different ship." T'Sel merely raised her eyebrow, leaving Henry wondering about the nature of the inside joke.

"Impressive knowledge, Miss. Lander," remarked Adm. Janeway. "I'm curious as to why you would know all this."

"I served for five years on the original Orion. I took the time to know her and her history. The Hercules is her sister ship, and in my mind is still connected to the Orion. I guess that makes her an…auntie-ship to the Orion-A." Lindsey grimaced as she realized how silly she had just sounded, and Henry found the look on her face incredibly cute, but he forced his mind to think of something else. Now was not the time to be thinking about his relationship with Lindsey, especially with an admiral sitting between them.

"Is Capt. Jenner still in command of the Hercules?" asked Lindsey trying to make everyone forget her 'auntie-ship' comment.

"Yes, Samuel Jenner is the captain of the Hercules," responded Janeway. "Do you know him?"

"No, not personally," said Lindsey.

"I've heard of him," said Lt. Cmdr. Ser'rek Thrim. The Andorian officer was standing at the tactical station behind the railing which was above the command chairs. Thrim was also the Orion's second officer, which entitled him to join a senior staff discussion. "His command of the Hercules was incredible and heroic during the Dominion War. But it was also costly. As Capt. Lander stated, his ship was nearly destroyed twice, and he lost a lot of his crewmen."

"It is for his war experienced that I choose Capt. Jenner," said Janeway. "I needed someone who understands how bad things can become."

"War is brutal," responded Thrim. Henry shuttered. Ser'rek Thrim had once been first officer of the Woodrow Wilson. He had been on the ship when it was destroyed during the Dominion War. Seeing his friends killed had changed the Andorian into a brooding and angry man. It had cost him his rank of commander and led him down a dark path, where Section 31, the amoral shadow of the Federation, found him and put him to their own use. Fortunately for everyone, Lindsey was able to change Ser'rek's mind. Having seen how the war had affected Ser'rek, Henry wondered what this Capt. Samuel Jenner was like. He hoped that Janeway had chosen him well, because Henry did not want to deal with any more warmongers.

Lindsey appeared to have a more immediate concern, "Admiral, we are not going to war, are we?"

"Possibly," answered Janeway. "But not with the Romulans. All will be made clear at the meeting." Lindsey appeared content with the answer for the time being. Janeway issued an order. "Hail all four ships. I want to talk to the captains."

"Yes, Admiral," said the operations officer. "All ships are responding."

"On screen," said Janeway. The viewscreen changed to display the faces of four starship captains, each getting a corner of the screen. In the upper right was Erika Benteen, captain of the Lakota. On the lower left was a Bolian male captain, and on the lower right was a Human female captain. Henry presumed them to be the captains of the two Defiant class ships. Lastly in the upper left was an older Human male, presumably Capt. Samuel Jenner. He had the look of a hard man with an expression that Henry found unnerving.

"Captains, this is Adm. Kathryn Janeway. There will be a meeting on board my flagship, the Orion, at 2200 hours. I want each of you and your first officers present." All four captains acknowledged the order, and Janeway gave the signal to cut the transmission. "Miss. Lander, finish your preparations and be ready to receive visitors."

"Yes, Admiral," said Lindsey as she stood up. "Mr. Hickensen, you're with me."

Henry stood before the transporter pad. Lindsey was already in the conference room arranging the meeting. The duty of welcoming the other captains fell to Henry and Ser'rek. The transporter chief got his attention. "Commander, the Resistant is ready to beam over its captain and first officer."

"Give them the go ahead." The transporter chief sent the signal, and soon two transporter silhouettes appeared on the pad. Henry stepped forward as the silhouettes changed into a woman perhaps in her early 40's and a Vulcan male. "Welcome Capt. Shelby to the Orion. I am Lt. Cmdr. Henry Hickensen, first officer. And a welcome to you, Cmdr. Varik."

"A pleasure, Mr. Hickensen," said Shelby as she stepped down from the platform. She looked around at her surroundings. "This reminds me of the Enterprise-D."

Henry indicated his intent to escort the captain, and she obliged. Her first officer fell in step behind them. "Captain, I was not aware that you served on the Enterprise."

"Only briefly," answered Shelby. "But it was…memorable. I assisted Capt. Picard in an investigation of possible Borg activity in Federation space. I will never forget those days," said Shelby a bit subdued. "All those ships destroyed at Wolf 359, and the sight of the assimilated Picard." Shelby shuttered. "There has never been a moment in my career in which I had been more terrified, nor a moment of which I am more proud. At the time, I thought I was something great, but now looking back I see that I was among greats. The crew of the Enterprise saved Earth that day, and I was a part of it."

"That's quite the experience," said Henry, not knowing what else to say. "Now you are the captain of a Defiant class starship."

"Yes, the Resistant. I took command of it about two years ago."

"So, you didn't command it during the Dominion War?"

"The Resistant never saw action in the war."

"A Defiant class ship that didn't go to war. I didn't know that happened."

"It wasn't finished yet, Commander," said Shelby as they rounded the last corner.

Henry was puzzled, "I thought Starfleet stopped producing those ships in times of peace."

"They did, but they finished the one they were still working on. The first captain of the ship insisted that it be named Resistant. He said it was a way to show that the Defiant class was returning to its original purpose."

"Which was?"

"To counter the Borg," said Shelby as the door to the conference room opened.

"The Resistant will not be futile," said Henry. He allowed Shelby to step into the room full of Starfleet captains. As Henry followed her in, he added, "I am not sure that the Borg will understand the irony."

"If you knew the Borg like I do, Commander, you would know that the Collective will receive the message loud and clear," said Adm. Janeway as she approached the three of them. "Capt. Shelby, Cmdr. Varik, welcome."

"It is an honor, Admiral," said Shelby, addressing Janeway with formality. "But it is also a bit worrying. Five starships and an admiral assembled on the Neutral Zone?"

"All your questions will be answered shortly," said Janeway. "Please take a seat."

Lt. Selina Chaput-Mikkelson approached, "Capt. Shelby, we have two seats for you and your first officer just over here."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. And congratulations," said Shelby as she indicated Selina's quite obvious baby bump. Shelby seemed to spot someone over Henry's shoulder. "Varik, let the lieutenant here lead you to your seat, I will join you shortly."

Henry watched as Selina escorted Varik to his place. He then scanned the room. Admiral Janeway had returned to her spot at the end of the table. Lindsey was greeting Varik in the traditional Vulcan manner. The Bolian captain of the Courageous and his Human female first officer were sitting on the window side of the table. Capt. Benteen and her first officer were also on board, the first ones in fact. Only Capt. Jenner of the Hercules was yet to arrive. Henry found himself glad that Ser'rek would be the one to greet him.

Henry became aware of a woman standing beside him. He turned to find that it was Ens. Annika Hansen, Janeway's personal assistant. She addressed Henry, "Lieutenant Commander, your hospitality officer is very," she seemed to be searching for a word. "…pregnant."

"Yes, Ensign, Lt. Chaput is about four weeks from her due date. She is refusing to take maternity leave just yet, but our chief medical officer has only cleared her for light duty. So, the Captain put her on hospitality duty."

"I understand. It reminds of other another crewman I've served with," said Hansen. "She too was incredibly stubborn, especially when she was pregnant."

Capt. Shelby approached the conversation. "Pardon my interruption, Commander." When Henry indicated that he wasn't offended, Shelby turned to Hansen. "Forgive me if I am mistaken, Ensign, but you are Seven of Nine are you not?"

"Yes," replied Hansen, and Henry's curiosity was piqued. "Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One was my Borg designation. I still go by Seven of Nine from time to time, but I used the name my parents gave me as my official name when I enrolled in the Academy."

"It is an honor to meet you, Seven of Nine," said Shelby. "I read you Academy graduate thesis: The Borg and How Starfleet Can Counter Their Threat."

"You read the whole thing?" asked Hansen skeptically.

"Indeed, I did," answered Shelby. "I have always been an over achiever. Besides, researching the Borg has been my specialty since the Enterprise first encountered them."

"My advisor forced me to cut down the length of the document. It still exceeded Academy standards," said Hansen.

"How long of a document are we talking about?" asked Henry.

"My finished product was just shy of two hundred thousand words."

Henry nearly dropped his jaw. "That's almost five hundred standard pages!"

"I cut the project down by about seventy percent. There was much more I wished to say."

Shelby wasn't as shocked as Henry. "Do you by chance have the original full version of the document available?"

"It is not a publishable draft; but yes, I do have it," said Hansen.

"I would like to read it," said Shelby.

"I will get it to you as soon as possible, Captain."

"Thank you, Ensign."

A bell chime noise indicated that the meeting was about to begin. Henry was somewhat relieved to be excused from the conversation. His own academic history paled in comparison to the two women he had just been talking with. Henry took his place next to Lindsey. He noted that Capt. Jenner had joined the conference room while Henry hadn't been paying attention. Selina, Ser'rek, and other support staff exited the room. This left only the captains and their first officers at the table with Admiral Janeway. Ens. Annika 'Seven of Nine' Hansen also remained, seated next to Janeway.

"I am sure that you are all wondering way I have assembled this task force and why this sector is at yellow alert," said Janeway. "To answer that, I want you all to view this transmission we received from Romulus. Ensign."

Annika Hansen activated the viewer, and everyone watched the chaotic bridge scene of the Romulan warbird under attack. Henry felt his blood go cold. All the pleasantries that he had exchange with Capt. Shelby became meaningless. Even if he closed his eyes, Henry still saw the Borg cube haunting his vision.

Lindsey felt her heart race as she watched the video of the Borg attacking the Romulans. The last part, when she could see Borg drones beaming on to the bridge, hit her that hardest. She couldn't imagine a fate worse than being assimilated. She would rather die than have her body and mind being taken over by the Collective. Despite all the deeds that the Romulans had done against Lindsey and her crew, she couldn't help but feel sorry for them. She wondered what kind of man Centurion Trindak was, and what he had become after assimilation.

Lindsey looked around the room. The face of everyone in the room, except the Vulcan Cmdr. Varik, exhibited some emotional reaction. Benteen looked a little whiter than normal. Shelby was nodding with understanding, as she probably reasoned it was her Borg expertise that had brought her here. Lindsey wondered what her own face looked like. Did her worry show through? Probably.

The recording ended, and Janeway addressed the table. "Both Tal'Aura and Cmdr. Donatra have requested Federation assistance in repelling the Borg from their space; citing our Dominion War alliance. Starfleet is not interested in aiding the Romulans in their own space, but a Borg threat cannot be ignored. Thus, we are being sent into Romulan space."

Lindsey's heart nearly stopped. She had been trying for two years to get her ship and crew reassigned away from the Romulan Neutral Zone, but now she was being asked to enter Romulan space.

"The Romulans are alright with us entering their space?" asked Benteen.

"It was their request," replied Janeway. "They wanted our experts on the Borg and our starships. As far as experts, we have some of the best in this room: Ens. Annika Hansen, a former Borg drone that Voyager liberated; Capt. Shelby, who has made much of her career countering the Borg threat; and myself, who has had numerous encounters with the Borg in the Delta Quadrant."

"Admiral, if I may ask," spoke Shelby. "How about Capt. Picard and the Enterprise? Or even Capt. Riker and his Titan. They too are experts on the Borg."

"Unfortunately, they are unavailable," answered Janeway.

"What about Voyager?" asked Barto, the Bolian captain. "Does it not possess technology to fight the Borg?"

"Indeed," answered Ens. Hansen, speaking out of line. She realized it, but Janeway encouraged her. "Voyager has advance technology that has proven effective against the Borg. But the Borg will adapt. It is only a matter of time before the effectiveness of this technology is diminished."

Janeway picked up the line of reasoning, "And if the Borg come into Federation space, we want those weapons to still work."

"So, we run to help the Romulans, but keep the best weapons for ourselves," said Capt. Jenner with an understanding nod.

"Something like that," replied Janeway.

Lindsey had an objection, but Varik, Shelby's Vulcan first officer beat her to it. "Would not the Romulans at least be somewhat aware of Voyager's technology? And if we show up without it, will they not be upset?"

"Correct on both accounts, Commander," replied Janeway. "However, I still ask you to not speak about Voyager with any Romulans. It is better not to remind them." Janeway lead forward and deepened her voice. "There is another reason to withhold Voyager. This all could be a Romulan deception. It may be that Voyager and its technology is their target. While we have such technology, we are a threat to them. But were they to gain it, it would be their advantage."

Barto turned to Benteen, "Capt. Benteen, you have been on the Neutral Zone for two years now. Do you think the Romulans could be fooling us?"

"We have certainly seen such trickery before," said Benteen. "And the Tal Shiar might even have access to Starfleet data on the Borg, enough to make a forged video."

"Such a forgery would be…difficult," inserted Ens. Hansen.

Benteen continued, "I would say that it wouldn't be beneath the powers currently running Romulus or its military to create such a deception. Capt. Lander, you have had more dealings with Romulans than I. Your thoughts?"

Lindsey felt all eyes turn towards her. She realized that Benteen had addressed her deliberately so that the other captains wouldn't forget about her. Lindsey appreciate her supervisor looking out for her. "I have dealt with one Romulan in particular, Cassius Gaiath, a member of the war hawk party. And if that party was running Romulus, I would absolutely say this is exactly the kind of deception I would expect. However, this does not line up with the recent behavior of the current powers. Praetor Tal'Aura is more focused on maintaining her frail hold on the government, and Donatra, at times, has seemed pro-Federation. However, I wouldn't put it beneath either of them to turn on the Federation if they thought it would be helpful to them personally or be good for Romulus. Personally, I think the Romulans are being sincere, but we should proceed with extreme caution."

Shelby put forth a question, "I am not ready to dismiss the Romulan deception theory. Would it not be extremely difficult for a Borg cube to travel to the Alpha Quadrant since Voyager destroyed their transwarp hub?"

Annika Hansen again answered. "The transwarp hub destroyed by Voyager was one of six. With it destroyed the transwarp network was greatly hampered. The Borg will eventually regenerate that hub, build another one somewhere else, or reroute their network. It has already been four years since the destruction of the hub. Much work by the Collective will have already been done. That fact aside, I believe transwarp travel would still be difficult, though I would not use the word extremely. However, if there is a cube in Romulan space, the Borg would have used many resources to get it there."

"Which brings up another point," spoke Jenner. "Why Romulan space? The Borg have focused on Earth and Federation space for years. Why take the war to Romulus?"

"Point of information, Captain," spoke Shelby. "The earliest evidence of Borg activity was found on both Federation and Romulan sides of the Neutral Zone."

This time Henry spoke up. "Maybe the Borg find it too difficult to reach Earth, so they are settling for Romulan space."

"A possible theory," said Janeway. "But it may be very difficult to guess the Collective's motivation."

"My theory," said Jenner. "Is that the Borg know about Shinzon's coup two years ago. Romulus is weak, and ripe for the taking. The Borg see the opportunity."

Hansen spoke again, "The Borg typically see themselves as superior to their opponents. They rarely exhibit such opportunistic behavior. They see a race they wish to assimilate, and they assimilate it."

"Resistance is futile," quoted Lindsey.

"Exactly," responded Hansen. "The Collective does what it wants, and it does not play politics."

"That may change once they have assimilated the Romulans," said Jenner. Lindsey resisted the urge to laugh at the inappropriate joke.

"Joking aside," said Janeway. "If the Borg invade Romulan space, they will become a major threat to the Federation. Like it or not, helping the Romulans is in our best interest." Janeway stood up. "That is why the Orion, the Lakota, and the Hercules will be traveling to Romulus. From there we will be assisting the Romulan fleet in confirming the presence of a Borg cube, and addressing the threat."

"And how will we be helping them address the threat?" asked Jenner.

Janeway answered, "We will assist the Romulans in pushing the Borg out of their space with our experts and, if necessary, our starships."

"The Courageous and the Resistant will not be coming?" asked Capt. Barto.

"We don't want to over commit," said Janeway. "The Courageous and the Resistant are our back-up force. It will be your job to pull us out if we get into trouble, whether that trouble be of the Borg or Romulan variety. Capt. Shelby, your expertise on the Borg will be needed with us. Will your first officer be able to command your ship in your absence?"

"I am confident in Cmdr. Varik's ability to command," said Shelby.

"Good. We may very well need him," said Janeway. "If there are no more general questions, let us move into the details."

After all the captains and their first officers had departed and the conference room was empty, a transporter silhouette appeared in the room. It transformed into a pointy-eared woman in an all black, unmarked uniform. She silently made her way to the wall opposite the window. She took from her belt a bladed tool and used it to remove a wall decoration. Hidden inside the decoration was a small listening device. The woman replaced the decoration, taking care to hide any sign that it had been tampered with. Then the woman tapped a hidden communications device on her belt, and a transporter somewhere beamed her out.

Adm. Janeway sat at her desk in the captain's ready room. Lander had yielded the room for Janeway's own use. It felt different than Voyager's ready room. For one thing, it was on the other side of the bridge. It was also more businesslike, with less seating. Many of Lander's decorations were still in the room. One of them was a model of a starship. It was common for captains to have models of previous commands. And so, Lander had a model of the original Orion. But next to the model ship was a photo of the late Adm. Taylor, the ship's captain who was killed in the line of duty. It was a reminder that Lander had only been the acting captain of that ship.

There was a chime at the door. "Enter." In walked Capt. Erika Benteen of the Lakota. "Captain," said Janeway with surprise. "I expected you to be back on your ship."

"I wanted to talk to Capt. Lander and her first officer for a moment before returning to the Lakota. I was also hoping to have a word with you, Admiral."

"Of course, take a seat." The female captain sat upright in a formal posture. She was still young for a captain, although not nearly as young as Lander. Nonetheless Benteen had been aged by the Dominion War. Janeway had been lost in the Delta Quadrant for the duration of that war, but she had seen its effects when she had been reunited with officers she knew before the war. No one who served on the front lines came away unaffected. "What can I do for you?"

"I have a question for you, Admiral."

"I made time for questions in the briefing," said Janeway as she offered a cup of coffee to Benteen.

"I did not want to ask this question in front of the other captains." Benteen waved away the coffee.

"Go ahead. I'm willing to entertain a question or two," said Janeway.

Benteen took a deep breath as if to focus herself. Janeway found this to be strange. "Why did you choose the Orion as your flagship?"

Janeway tried to read Benteen's face to see if she could understand why a captain of another ship would ask such a question. "The Orion is the tactically superior vessel in the taskforce. As a Galaxy class she is superior to both the Lakota and the Hercules. As a new ship she is also equipped with the finest technology and upgrades. Would you rather have me choose the Lakota?"

"No, Admiral," said Benteen, who held Janeway in an intense gaze. "I just wondered if it had anything to do with the Orion's captain?"

Janeway smiled as she thought she understood Benteen's concern. Benteen was Lander's supervising captain while Lander went through a type of probationary period. "I have every confidence in Cmdr. Lindsey Lander. You forget, I was instrumental in getting her this assignment."

"You mean this 'command' for 'Captain' Lindsey Lander."

Janeway's smile faded. "Is the distinction so important?"

"Admiral, are you aware of the circumstances of my ascent to the captain's chair?" asked Benteen in what seemed to be a sudden change of topic.

"I know that Adm. Layton gave you the command of the Lakota just before he was arrested for an attempted military coup on the Federation's government," answered Janeway.

"Are you also aware that my first official action as the captain of the Lakota was to fire upon another Starfleet ship, the Defiant?"

"I had read that," answered Janeway neutrally. She was not following the other captain's logic.

"Fourteen people died that day: Twelve under my command, and two on the Defiant. I am responsible for all of those deaths. After that incident there were many who were calling for me to be pulled off the Lakota, and even having my commission taken from me. I thought it was inevitable that I would lose command of the Lakota. I also knew that with a tainted career, I would never get another command. But Capt. Sisko stood up for me and for many others who followed Layton. Starfleet allowed me to keep my command, but I was well aware that I was on a short leash."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Janeway.

"To show you how for the first four years of my command I was on edge. There were times when I was issued orders that I thought put my ship and crew in excessive danger, especially during the Dominion War, but I knew that if I objected to my superiors, they would simply pull me away from the Lakota and replace me with someone else."

"What is your point, Captain?" asked Janeway in a deeper tone, as she began to guess at Benteen's intent with this conversation.

"My point is that Capt. Lander is in a similar situation. She holds only the rank of commander and has been the assigned captain of this ship only on a probationary basis. She knows that if she does not meet with Starfleet's expectations, she will lose the Orion. She must trend carefully. Such a situation leaves her vulnerable to the whims of Starfleet Command…and admirals."

"Are you implying that I am taking advantage of Lander and trying to steal her ship?" asked Janeway, no longer hiding her anger.

Benteen answered in a calm but straightforward manner. "What I'm saying is that it doesn't matter that Lander has only three pips on her collar or that Starfleet sees her command as probationary: Lindsey Lander is the captain of the Orion, even if she is not able to assert herself as such." Benteen put her right arm on the desk and leaded forward as she pressed her point. "Lander has been in the command of this ship since its launch. She knows it better than almost anyone. She has handpicked several of the crew members, and in their eyes, she is their captain."

"And you think I've forgotten this?" Janeway's anger had reached a high point. Who did Benteen think she was, coming in and lecturing an admiral?

"I merely reminding you that this is Capt. Lander's ship."

"This ship is not the property of an individual. This ship belongs to Starfleet."

"I did not mean that the Orion was owned by Lander," said Benteen. "But I think you know exactly what I meant. And, in all due respect, Admiral, I don't think you would have said such a thing if you were still the captain of Voyager."

Janeway stood from her seat. "You are bordering on insubordination, Captain!"

"Something that Lander cannot afford to do," said Benteen in a calm voice. She rose slowly to her feet in a nonthreatening manner and stood at attention. "I have spoken my peace, Admiral."

"You're dismissed. Return to your ship immediately."

"Yes, Admiral." Benteen gave Janeway a formal nod, did an about face, and left the office. Janeway returned to her chair. She refilled her coffee and held the cup beneath her chin, allowing the warm steam to flow over her face as she brewed in her anger.

Lindsey looked up from her data pad as Benteen left the ready room. "Capt. Lander, I will be returning to the Lakota immediately. I regret that we will not have time for our meeting."

"Sorry to hear that, Capt. Benteen."

"As am I." Benteen soften her expression. "Stay strong, Lindsey."

"You too, Erika," answered Lindsey. Benteen turned and left the bridge.

"What was that all about?" asked Henry.

"I'm not sure," said Lindsey. "It is not like Erika to be so abrupt. Whatever she and Janeway talked about it wasn't too pleasing."

"How does that affect us?"

"Hopefully, it doesn't," said Lindsey. "Have we evacuated our civilian population?"

"Except those who wished to remain on board," answered Henry. "We really don't have many civilians on board."

"I know," said Lindsey. "But it is still good to let them remain in Federation space. How are the upgrades coming?"

"Good, so far. O'Hara requested to borrow Lt. Kustov from the Lakota for the upgrades to our torpedo tubes. The two of them should have the quantum torpedoes installed and ready within the day."

"Vlad is back?" asked Lindsey as she remembered the Russian officer who had to take over Engineering on the old Orion.

"Only for a bit. The Lakota will want him back." Henry leaned in closer. "I suppose we will have to cancel our dinner tonight."

"Nonsense," said Lindsey.

"Lindsey, we have an admiral on board." Henry tried to keep his voice low and out of earshot of the bridge crew. "Don't you think that is a bad idea?"

Lindsey smiled at Henry. The weekly captain-first officer dinner was in reality a clandestine date night. Fraternization between a captain and a subordinate was strictly forbidden by Starfleet, but Lindsey and Henry were taking the risk. "I going to invite the Admiral to join us."

"You are?"

"She's the flag officer of this ship. Shouldn't she be at the Captain's dinner?"

"I guess so," replied Henry nervously. "I am going to check on some of the modifications the Admiral's ensign has been working on."

Lindsey laughed inside herself as she recognized Henry's attempt to change topic. "You do that. Let me know how they are preceding."