LOG 201 – SAFE HARBOR

Captain's Log, Stardate 58031.6.

The USS Melbourne has been at the Na-Zek homeworld for the better part of a month, where the Na-Zek have graciously permitted us the use of one of their orbital drydocks to conduct our repairs. Unfortunately, the Na-Zek technology is not fully compatible with our own so Chief Engineer Tarka has had to get creative to try and bring the Melbourne back to full health, even with the ship's own impressive repair capabilities. Ambassador Sh'Rassa has been taking advantage of our extended stay to request assistance with the embassy facilities and in his ongoing diplomatic efforts in the region. It appears that we have little better to do, as there has been no word from Starfleet on what our next mission will be.

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four

PART ONE

Since arriving at the Na-Zek homeworld of Ravaya, Cmdr. Partav has taken charge of coordinating the repairs with the Na-Zek alongside Chief Engineer Tarka and Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress. Capt. Mitchell has found himself planetside more often than not, usually alongside Lt. Cmdr. Tir. Mera Tir has taken advantage of her time there to get in some hiking, and the Captain has been joining her. Nearly four weeks have passed since the Melbourne was damaged in battle with the K'thon, and Capt. Mitchell is starting to grate at the lack of information from Starfleet concerning his ship.

Chief Tarka and Cmdr. Partav are crowded into a Jeffries Tube, clad in maintenance jumpsuits bearing the wear of crawling through the interior of the ship, where the Chief is showing some of the workarounds she has had to do due to the nature of the parts and materials available from the Na-Zek. They are interrupted by a call from the Bridge, where Ens. Garrett informs Partav that they have received an encrypted message from Starfleet Command that is marked as Captain's Eyes Only. Partav tells Garrett to inform the Captain, before he and Tarka return to their work.

Capt. Mitchell and Lt. Cmdr. Tir are on another hike in one of the Na-Zek forests when the message comes in from Ens. Garrett. Mitchell orders he and Tir beamed up the Melbourne, where an Ensign hands him a uniform jacket before the Captain heads for the Bridge. He acknowledges the crew on the Bridge before he heads for his Ready Room to view the message. The message itself is short and to the point, the Melbourne is expected in the Cineres system in four days, with no additional information. Though frustrated at the lack of details, Mitchell is not one to disobey orders. He opens a shipwide broadcast and informs the crew, indicating that he wants the ship ready to depart in 24 hours.

Any crew still planetside are recalled and everyone is put to work getting the USS Melbourne prepared for whatever is coming. As the clock ticks down, Capt. Mitchell holds a briefing with the senior officers. Astrometrics provides the details on their destination, noting that they themselves had mapped the Cineres system early in their mission and that it was an unremarkable red dwarf star with a handful of planets, one Class L but none Class M. Mitchell takes in the information, commenting on the lack of details and wondering if the whole thing is a "make-work project". At the 24-hour mark the preparations are complete and Capt. Mitchell orders Lt. JG Reydon to take them out of drydock. Once the ship is clear, a course is set for the Cineres system and the Melbourne goes to warp.

Starfleet maintains its silence while the Melbourne is en route. Seeking any information, Capt. Mitchell contacts the Orion trader Talani Vartok to see if she is aware of anything related to the Cineres system, but she has not heard anything. In the end all the crew of the Melbourne can do is follow the orders they have been given. As instructed, the ship arrives at the Cineres system four days after the receipt of the message. The first thing they detect is the presence of two Starfleet vessels orbiting the Class L planet in the system, identified by their transponder codes as a pair of California classes — the USS Oakland and USS Barstow. Capt. Mitchell has many questions as the Oakland hails them, but finds at least a partial answer as a Federation Starbase drifts into view, also orbiting the planet.

A channel is opened with the Oakland and the familiar face of Capt. Amina Ramsey appears onscreen. She welcomes the Melbourne to the system, noting that they were expected. Ramsey has little other information, though. The Oakland and the Barstow had simply received orders to tow the Starbase to this system and have spent the last few weeks doing just this. As the Melbourne gets closer, it becomes clear that the Starbase is not operational yet. Capt. Ramsey confirms this, indicating that the Oakland and the Barstow, and presumably the Melbourne, are to help get it up and running. Capt. Mitchell wants more details, so proposes they and their senior officers meet aboard the station.

Mitchell beams over to the Starbase along with Cmdr. Partav, Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, Lt. Cmdr. Tir, and Lt. Stuart. Joining them are Capt. Ramsey and several of her crew from the Oakland — Lt. Ottessa Warren, Lt. Durga, and Lt. Drew Prachett; along with Capt. Lincoln LeGault of the USS Barstow, a human male in his early 50s, his First Officer Cmdr. Ellie M. Harrelson, Vulcan Chief Engineer Lt. Cmdr. T'Laris, and Caitian Science Officer Lt. R'rowllar. They have assembled on the large open area that will eventually house the station's Galleria, with spaces for a variety of businesses to be set up. They are met by Lt. Cmdr. Jay Lee, who is the Station Manager assigned to the Starbase, and Cmdr. Griff Nall, a Bolian from the Starfleet Corps of Engineers who is in charge of completing the construction of the station.

After the introductions are made, Lt. Cmdr. Lee informs the assembled officers that the station is officially designated as Starbase 454, with the code name of Cygnus Alpha. What continues to bother Capt. Mitchell is the why, as in why has Starfleet brought a Starbase to this system in the first place. Cmdr. Nall seems to think it is obvious, that the Federation wants a stronger presence in this area of space, but Mitchell needs more. He had also hoped that the Starbase would be able to help with the repairs to the Melbourne, but is informed by Cmdr. Nall and Lt. Cmdr. Lee that the station won't be able to provide that sort of capability until after it is made fully operational and has time to build up its supplies. In the end Mitchell can only agree for the Melbourne to render whatever assistance it can and the officers return to their respective vessels to begin coordinating on the next steps.

While Cmdr. Partav assembles a team to work on the Starbase, Capt. Mitchell confers with Lt. Cmdr. Tir on her theories about the station's purpose and why the Melbourne was brought in when Starfleet knows she is not up to full capacity. Mera notes that the Starbase is a Frontier class, specifically designed to serve as a central hub in new regions of space. When fully operational it will not just be a base of operations for Starfleet, but also serve a diplomatic function and act as a trade hub. As for why it was placed in a relatively unremarkable star system like Cineres, she can only speculate that this is to reduce the likelihood of the other starfaring powers in the area attempting to claim it as their own territory. The system's position is also not far off the routes that vessels from Federation space would be following to get to the newly mapped parts of the Alpha Quadrant that the Melbourne has been exploring since the ship arrived in the area.

Mitchell still has his doubts, but there is little he can do about it until Starfleet decides to provide more information. He checks with Partav, who confirms that the main team is ready to beam over to the Starbase to start coordinating with the groups from the Oakland and the Barstow and the skeleton station crew already at work. The Captain concurs and gives him clearance to go.

PART TWO

Cmdr. Partav's team on the Starbase consists of himself, Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, Lt. Loto Stuart, Lt. JG Nal Tradis, and Ens. Shryra Theless. Like the Captain, Partav has suspicions about the station and the circumstances so he tells the team to keep their eyes and ears open as they get to work. Partav heads for the station's Operations Center to coordinate from there while Lt. Stuart and Lt. JG Tradis head for the Starbase's extensive Medical Facilities, leaving Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress and Ens. Theless to go to Main Engineering.

In Engineering, Ahn'Kress and Theless meet with CPO Rugast Dagran, the station's Tellarite chief of operations. He shows them the base's massive fusion reactors, which had been partially decommissioned and must be restored before they can be fueled and restarted. The USS Barstow has gone to the star system's sole gas giant to use their Bussard collectors to gather up hydrogen to fill the Starbase fuel tanks, so the team on the station needs to get the reactors ready for when the California class returns. Ahn'Kress and Ens. Theless get to work alongside the teams on the station, with Shryra pulling out her own set of customized engineering tools to the puzzlement of Dagran.

On the Starbase Medical level, Lt. Stuart and Lt. JG Tradis meet Dr. Shannon Blakely, the station's chief medical officer. Following Partav's suggestion, Tradis links to the Melbourne's computer to check out Dr. Blakely's record. What it shows is a talented medical professional, known more for her research work than as a physician. More notable is that she seems to be the kind of officer who is able to drop everything and head off to wherever she might be needed when Starfleet Medical comes calling. This adds more evidence to the Melbourne crew's growing theory that the deployment of the Starbase has come together very last minute. She passes her discovery onto Cmdr. Partav in Operations.

For her part, Dr. Blakely is more concerned with getting the station's six sickbays online. She knows Lt. Stuart by reputation and is glad to have his expertise since none of the six Mark III Emergency Medical Holograms installed seem to be working properly. While Loto works on that, Tradis finds herself in charge of the teams installing the equipment in the different sickbays, making sure things are put in their proper place to provide the best patient care. Loto does soon get the EMHs activated, while Dr. Blakely is pleased with Lt. JG Tradis' work setting up the patient care facilities.

Having received Lt. JG Tradis' message, Cmdr. Partav pursues his own line of inquiry. He asks the Station Manager, Lt. Cmdr. Lee, how he got this assignment. Lee informs him that prior to this he was the Third Officer in charge of station operations on Starbase 9 and that the promotion and assignment to this Starbase came through very quickly only a few weeks ago. He had little time to take it in before packing his things and boarding a Runabout to rendezvous with the station as it was already under tow by the California classes. The other officers in the Operations Center have similar stories; they all meet the skillset criteria, but more important seems to be that they were all able to be quickly transferred from their prior positions.

The work continues in Engineering, where the Cmdr. Nall has stopped by the check on the progress. Ahn'Kress does a little digging into the Commander, seeing that according to records the Bolian is known for his efficiency and high standards. He was with the Starfleet Corps of Engineers at the Utopia Planitia fleet yards on Mars when he was called in to oversee getting this Starbase operational. Thanks to Ahn'Kress and Shryra's efforts the fusion reactors are brought up to speed and are just awaiting fueling. CPO Dagran addresses their next task in Tellarite fashion, asking "Where the hell is the Barstow?"

That question is also being asked in the Operations Center, as Lt. Cmdr. Lee notes that the Barstow is not responding to hails. Partav contacts the USS Melbourne, informing them of the situation and Capt. Mitchell has Lt. Steck at the science station scan the gas giant. Even with the advanced sensors on the Melbourne, at this range there is little that can be detected through the gas giant's magnetic field, especially as the USS Barstow would have been dipping down into the planet's upper atmosphere to collect hydrogen and deuterium. Still, Steck's keen Vulcan analytical mind notes an anomalous plasma trail amongst the energetic bursts in the gas giant atmosphere, one that might be evidence of a plasma leak from a warp engine.

Capt. Mitchell informs Capt. Ramsey on the USS Oakland that the Melbourne will check into the situation and that they should stick by the Starbase. He orders Lt. JG Reydon to go to full impulse to get them out to the gas giant as quickly as possible. Knowing the Captain's confidence in him, Echo brings the ship into a tight orbit skimming the upper atmosphere, neatly sliding into position where Steck had detected the plasma trail. There is no sign of the USS Barstow, so Mitchell orders Steck to scan if the ship has gone down. Using the plasma trail as a guide, Steck confirms the presence of a magnetic anomaly several kilometers down in the gas giant's dense atmosphere that would indicate a starship hull. They are deep down, so the Melbourne would need to enter the turbulent atmosphere as well to get close enough to use her tractor beams. Steck's scans along the plasma trail also show that there is debris at the point of origin, and an analysis shows the debris likely comes from the Barstow and, more importantly, that it shows signs of being hit by disruptor fire.

Capt. Mitchell orders the ship to Yellow Alert and has Steck scan for other vessels. He confirms ion trails from the impulse engines of two other ships, though he cannot discern what type of vessel. There is no indication of these ships leaving orbit, so the Vulcan theorizes they may be hiding in the gas giant's upper atmosphere. Mitchell orders Red Alert and for a shuttle to be reinforced to go down to try and find the Barstow. In the main shuttlebay, Bajoran Ens. Kito Ainae gets to work, completing the job in record time and allowing a rescue team to depart as the Melbourne goes hunting for the other ships. That hunt does not take long, as once their targets realize they have been detected the two vessels rise up to confront the USS Melbourne, revealing themselves as a pair of Breen cruisers.

PART THREE

Attempts by the Starbase to reach the USS Melbourne are receiving no response, so Cmdr. Partav suggests to Lt. Cmdr. Lee that, given the station's inability to use shields or phasers until the reactors come online, he prepare for the possibility of hostile action. While nothing is certain, Lt. Cmdr. Lee agrees and contacts the head of station security, Chief Nilsson, and encourages him to start running drills with his teams. Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress offers to help the assistant station manager Lt. Levin with trying to raise the Melbourne and they realize that it is not normal interference blocking communications but the presence of an active jamming field in the vicinity of the gas giant. Lt. Cmdr. Lee orders the station to Yellow Alert and hails the USS Oakland.

Capt. Ramsey, Cmdr. Partav and Lt. Cmdr. Lee confer on the situation. With the station effectively defenseless, the USS Oakland cannot afford to leave it alone to investigate. Lt. Cmdr. Lee points out that the Starbase does have two Danube-class runabouts that were used to transport some of the crew here. Cmdr. Partav requests to take one of the runabouts to investigate what is happening at the gas giant, a request quickly granted. Partav calls in the senior Melbourne crew members who are also on the station; Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, Lt. Stuart, Lt. JG Tradis, and Lt. Theless; and they depart onboard the runabout USS Nelson.

At the gas giant, Capt. Mitchell orders hailing frequencies opened and tells the two Breen vessels that due to their actions they must stand down and surrender or they will be fired upon. The response from the Breen is to lock weapons on the USS Melbourne, so Mitchell orders Lt. JG Reydon to get them away from the upper atmosphere and out to the gas giant's system of moons to give them more room to maneuver. Under the Betazoid's deft hands the Parliament-class starship nimbly slips past the two attackers, who are forced to lay in a pursuit course out to the moons.

As the Breen vessels close in on them, Mitchell orders Lt. Cmdr. Tir to open fire and she rakes the faster Plesh Thal frigate with a succession of phaser blasts, weakening its shields and giving its crew a rude awakening. At the science station, Lt. Steck scans the frigate to assess the damage done, spotting a weakness in its shielding while also confirming that its disruptor weapons match the pattern of damage on the debris from the USS Barstow. The other Breen vessel, a Chel Greet battlecruiser, arrives and begins moving into a firing position. Capt. Mitchell calls down to Engineering to reinforce the hull to aid Echo's evasive maneuvering and Ens. Kito obliges, rerouting power to the ship's structural integrity field. Even with this, however, the battlecruiser is able to strike the Melbourne with its energy dampening weapon, causing several critical systems to begin to shut down due to loss of power.

The USS Nelson warps into the area in time to witness the Melbourne reeling from the hit. While he focuses on piloting the runabout, Partav barks out for someone to open a channel to the Melbourne. Lt. Stuart is able to penetrate the Breen jamming field and raise the ship, allowing Mitchell to give them a quick summary of the situation, ordering Partav to head for the stricken USS Barstow. Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, familiar with the effects of the Breen energy dampening weapon from her time during the Dominion War, says she needs to beam over to the Melbourne, so Partav does a fast flyby of the ship long enough for Ens. Theless to transport Ahn'Kress over while simultaneously beaming Ens. Kito to the runabout so she can reinforce it for entering the gas giant's atmosphere as she had done earlier for the rescue shuttle.

Now aboard the Melbourne, Ahn'Kress immediately sets out trying to counteract the effects of the Breen weapon. She makes some progress, implementing a similar bypass as she had years earlier aboard the USS Venture, but suffers a setback when the Melbourne's power systems, recently repaired with Na-Zek rather than Starfleet technology, are unable to handle the load. With the little power available, Tir launches quantum torpedoes at the Breen frigate, taking advantage of the weakness in its damaged shields that Steck had spotted. The torpedoes strike true, causing multiple hull breaches in the enemy vessel and damaging its engines, effectively taking it out of the fight.

The second Breen vessel remains a threat, however, and fires its disruptors into the Melbourne, hitting several areas along the forward hull. The ship is able to survive the blasts without any breaches thanks to the repairs done by Chief Engineer Tarka after the battle with the K'thon. Knowing they were dealing with less than ideal repair materials, Capt. Mitchell had requested that she reinforce the repaired area against K'thon energy weapons, and those efforts luckily prove equally effective against Breen disruptors. With that stroke of luck, Capt. Mitchell turns his attention to Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, encouraging her and letting her know he has full confidence in her abilities. The Caitian redoubles her efforts and she is able to complete the bypass, rerouting the ship's EPS channels around the critical region impacted by the dampening weapon.

The Breen battlecruiser continues firing on the Melbourne, but Lt. JG Reydon's evasive maneuvers manage to keep them from being hit long enough for Lt. Steck to start channeling reserve power through Ahn'Kress' EPS bypass. To buy some time, Mitchell orders Reydon to perform a micro-warp jump to get them away from the Breen. The tactic works, but the Breen ship soon catches up and reestablishes a targeting lock on the Melbourne. The crew are ready, and with Steck's guidance Tir fires another pair of phaser shots at the incoming vessel, weakening its shields and rocking the Breen ship.

This delays the Breen long enough for Ahn'Kress to finish Steck's work and bring the ship back to almost full power. Reydon's piloting again saves the ship from taking a hit, and Lt. Steck is able to provide Lt. Cmdr. Tir with another targeting solution on the Breen. This time the phaser strike drops the last of the Breen's shields, damaging its hull and weapons. The Breen ready to retaliate, but now Ahn'Kress has been able to channel the restored power into the Melbourne's deflectors, bringing their shields from nothing to 75% of full strength. The Breen vessel seems to have second thoughts and flees the system, pausing only long enough to fire torpedoes at its own crippled sister ship to prevent its capture before warping away.

The immediate threat has passed, but now the Melbourne's attention turns back towards the gas giant where Partav and his team have been attempting to save the crippled USS Barstow.

PART FOUR

The runabout USS Nelson dives down into the gas giant atmosphere. Cmdr. Partav immediately has to wrestle with the controls to keep the craft steady while asking Lt. Stuart to get a fix on the USS Barstow's location. Sensors pick out a large mass of tritanium, the hull of the Barstow, several kilometers below and falling. As they get closer, Ens. Theless is able to get a response to hails, with the Barstow's First Officer, Cmdr. Harrelson, replying. She informs the runabout that she is in the ship's main engineering, in the secondary hull, and that they have been cut off from the saucer section and have had no contact with anyone there. Partav brings the runabout down and they finally get a view of the damaged USS Barstow.

A visual inspection clearly shows the damage to the starboard warp nacelle and its connecting strut, as well as damage from several weapon hits on the saucer section, including a large breach where the bridge used to be. Partav orders Lt. Stuart to conduct a more detailed scan to assess the damage. Besides the visible external damage, the scan reveals extensive damage inside the saucer section, despite relatively few hull breaches. Ens. Theless examines the scan data and realizes what must have happened. She points out that the Barstow was gathering hydrogen and deuterium with her Bussard Collectors to provide fuel for the Starbase fusion reactors and this means it was equipped with extra large deuterium tanks. The port side tanks appear to have been breached, resulting in a massive internal explosion at the back of the saucer section. The port side impulse engine and shuttlebay are both destroyed, as are the connecting umbilicals and turbolift in the port nacelle strut, fully cutting off the saucer from the engineering section. The starboard impulse engine appears intact but is offline, and down in the engineering hull the scans show the warp core is also offline, leaving the ship on battery power only.

The scan does show approximately 50 life signs in the engineering hull, and nearly 200 in the saucer section, promising numbers though also meaning that a third of the crew have been killed. The life signs in the saucer section are scattered, mostly in the forward sections, with the largest concentrations in the Crew Lounge and in Cetacean Operations. Lt. JG Tradis is keen to get on board to help treat casualties, along with the need to assess the damage and if it is possible to get some systems back online. Partav maneuvers the runabout to one of the dorsal personnel airlocks on the less damaged starboard side of the saucer to get access. The maneuver is difficult but he is successful and, once the seal is in place, Lt. Stuart, Lt. JG Tradis and Ens. Theless are able to open the bottom hatch in the runabout and cross over. Once they are clear, Partav takes off with just himself and Ens. Kito remaining aboard. Partav then brings the runabout over the rear of the saucer section and has Ens. Kito lock on the tractor beam, using it and the runabout's thrusters to keep the Barstow from sinking any deeper into the gas giant's atmosphere.

Inside, Lt. Stuart, Lt. JG Tradis, and Ens. Theless work their way towards the interior from the airlock at the outer edge of the saucer section. Their first target is Cetacean Operations, the closest concentration of life signs. They reach a closed bulkhead door, and Tradis scans the other side. The atmosphere is thin, and slightly toxic, so she injects Stuart and Theless with tri-ox compound to assist breathing when they open the door. Ens. Theless engages the manual bypass, unlocking the bulkhead and air from their higher pressure side rushes past them, helping clear some of the toxicity ahead of them. Lt. Stuart forces the doors open enough for them to go through. On the other side the corridor is charred black from the fireball that ripped through when the deuterium tanks breached. As they work their way around peering through doorways blasted open, Tradis realizes that the destroyed area they are passing through is the half-melted remains of the ship's Sick Bay.

After passing through another bulkhead door the trio reach Cetacean Operations. Crowded inside are 47 of the surviving crew, including the two dolphin navigators who call the room home. Lt. JG Tradis takes charge, getting Lt. Stuart to serve as her assistant. Thanks to her efforts the wounded are triaged and those in the most danger are stabilized, ensuring their survival as long as they can be transferred to medical facilities within the next day. Among those assessed, Tradis also makes a point to identify the engineering personnel and see that they are capable of helping get systems back online. Outside, the runabout's tractor beam is disrupted when the section of the Barstow's hull it was attached to comes loose. Cmdr. Partav has to regain control of the runabout and maneuver to another position so Ens. Kito can reestablish the tractor. They succeed, though not before the Barstow sinks a little deeper and causing more strain on the damaged vessel.

When the ship stabilizes again, Lt. JG Tradis takes a handful of the Barstow crew with medical training to seek out the other survivors while Lt. Stuart, Ens. Theless and a team of Barstow engineers head back towards the center of the ship, aiming for the vessel's auxiliary control room. They pass back into the damaged area of the saucer and find that not only is the auxiliary control completely destroyed, but the adjacent computer core has also been damaged beyond repair. They brief Cmdr. Partav, who has to adjust the plan he had been formulating in his head. Rescuing the Barstow always hinged on getting engines online, so Partav wants the repair team to head for the surviving starboard impulse engineering section. With auxiliary control out of action, Partav has a new idea to use the runabout's helm to also remotely steer the Barstow, but without a main computer there is no way to make a remote connection.

Partav contacts Cmdr. Harrelson in the Barstow's engineering hull to outline his idea and let her know the situation in the saucer section. The engineering hull shuttlebay still has a pair of functional shuttles, plus the rescue shuttle dispatched earlier by the USS Melbourne, and Partav proposes taking one of the surviving shuttles up to the starboard shuttlebay in the saucer section and using it as a relay. The shuttlebay is intact but exposed to vacuum, so work will need to be done in spacesuits. If the shuttle can be hardwired to the impulse engineering systems, it can act as the relay to allow the runabout helm to steer the Barstow. Cmdr. Harrelson agrees with the plan, and proposes that they also evacuate the people from the engineering hull and cut the saucer section loose to lighten the load and make things easier to steer.

Luckily, the USS Nelson had been used to transport personnel to the Starbase so was configured for passenger transport. In an emergency it is capable of carrying 40 people, nearly the full complement of survivors in the engineering hull, with the other shuttles able to take the remainder. Cmdr. Partav has Ens. Kito cut the tractor beam and he maneuvers the runabout to the engineering section, where the other shuttles take off with their people to make room for the runabout in the cramped shuttlebay. The remaining personnel climb aboard the Nelson, making things crowded but still within the craft's capabilities. With everyone onboard Partav returns to his position over the saucer section and the tractor beam is reengaged to again stabilize the ship.

The repair team reaches the starboard impulse deck and Ens. Theless confirms that the fusion reactors and impulse manifold appear to be intact, though the control interfaces are completely destroyed. Shryra rolls up her sleeves and manages to cobble together an improvised engineering console, then she proceeds with the engine startup process. With Lt. Stuart's assistance she powers up the impulse manifold and starts the fuel transfer from the surviving deuterium tank before moving on to the engine power up sequence. Once it is clear that the engine is operational, Lt. Stuart takes some of the other engineering personnel and starts stringing an ODN (Optical Data Network) cable up through the Jefferies Tubes to just beneath the starboard shuttle bay. After striving to find a functional data port, Loto is finally able to force the cable into a connector and a link is established with the cable that Cmdr. Harrelson and her team have run from their shuttle in the bay above.

With everything ready, engineering teams race to the connector points of the nacelle struts and trigger the explosive bolts that manually detach the nacelles. The saucer section shudders as the nacelles and engineering hull drop away down into the depths of the gas giant. With this done, Cmdr. Partav again has Ens. Kito cut the tractor beam and he maneuvers the runabout to a position ahead of the saucer section. From inside the Crew Lounge where she is treating another group of survivors, Lt. JG Tradis spots the runabout and tells the others that it is her First Officer at the wheel. In position with the link to the shuttle operating, Partav orders the Barstow's surviving engine fired up to one-quarter impulse.

The saucer section begins to move, and Partav's console lights up with alarms. He realizes that because only the starboard engine is firing it is putting major stress on the hull and making the saucer that much more difficult to control. He matches speed to keep ahead and compensates with his maneuvering. From the shuttlebay, Cmdr. Harrelson begins feeding Partav the data he needs and he is able to keep things pointed in the right direction. It is a rough ride, but the saucer section begins to rise up out of the atmosphere. Ens. Theless and the team in engineering keep a close eye on the systems as they begin to strain and threaten to overload. Finally the runabout breaks out of the cloudtops, followed by the USS Barstow saucer section. They find the USS Melbourne waiting and Partav orders Ens. Theless to cut the engines as the Parliament-class is able to lock its own tractor beam on the Barstow saucer and pull it free. The Melbourne tows the Barstow to the waiting Starbase where it is placed in one of the docking berths and the remaining crew evacuate to the station. Wounded are taken to the Starbase Sickbays where the combined medical staff from the station, the USS Melbourne and the USS Oakland are able to treat all the injuries, preventing any further fatalities.

The Melbourne and the Oakland are able to get the Starbase fusion reactors fully fueled and operational, and two days later more Stafleet ships arrive. The Luna-class USS Oberon, Steamrunner-class USS Nautilus, and Nova-class USS Cassiopeia (this last vessel one familiar to the crew of the Melbourne) warp into the system, with the Oberon carrying Rear Admiral Michael Pollard, the flag officer tasked with taking charge of the Starbase and overseeing Starfleet operations in the region. After a brief formal ceremony for the Admiral's assumption of command, he calls in the three starship captains for a more detailed briefing, Cmdr. Harrelson now serving as the acting captain of the Barstow after the death of Capt. Legault when the Barstow's bridge was destroyed in the Breen attack.

Capt. Mitchell's initial question is why they were not warned about the Breen threat, to which Adm. Pollard replies that it was not anticipated. The whole point to the rushed, and hush-hush, deployment of the Starbase was to prevent any enemies from being able to respond in time to disrupt anything. The fact that a pair of Breen warships were able to not only learn about the Starbase and its intended location but to get here only days after the station's arrival is a matter the Admiral intends to take up with Starfleet Intelligence. After Capt. Ramsey and Cmdr. Harrelson take their leave, Mitchell adopts a more confrontational tone and asks the Admiral why the USS Melbourne was effectively abandoned by Starfleet for almost a month after their confrontation with the K'thon.

Admiral Pollard is sympathetic, but not apologetic. He informs Capt. Mitchell that things have been chaotic in the Alpha Quadrant. The increasing Breen threat is just the tip of the iceberg. Things still have not fully settled after the end of the Dominion War five years prior. Relations between the victorious Alpha Quadrant powers are getting frayed over the status of former Cardassian territories. In the midst of this the Tholians have also started making noise. Add in to this sudden emergence of the Pakleds as a serious danger and Starfleet has been stretched thin. The Melbourne's revelation of the K'thon threat also started up a fresh debate. The consensus on the Melbourne was that it was safe where it was for the interim while that debate went on. In the end, the need to secure this region of space became clear and so the decision was made to deploy Starbase 454. The secrecy and haste was needed to get it in place before any potential enemies got wind of it, though obviously that tactic failed.

The Admiral finishes up with telling Capt. Mitchell what the USS Melbourne's next assignment is — the vessel is to return to Federation space, specifically to report to Starbase 20 where she will undergo repairs and refit ahead of receiving her new mission.