[Bridge to Captain Taybar.] Commander Barker announced.

"Taybar here." Aki replied. "What is it Commander ?"

[We are approaching the border with Ferengi space.] Chu stated.

"Take us out of the stream." Aki ordered. "I'll be with you in a moment."

Aki looked over the sensor readings she had been analysing and shut down her workstation. She rose from her chair and headed across the floor back onto the Bridge of the Leviathan.

"Status report." Aki announced as Commander Barker moved from the command chair and took up his usual position at the Primary science station.

"We are two thousand kilometres from the Ferengi border." Ensign Jarick MacTaggert announced.

"Any Ferengi vessels in the area ?" Aki asked. "Have we been detected ?"

"No vessels in sensor range Captain." Ensign Vasquez reported from the Tactical station she was temporarily manning. She was usually operation one of the security stations, but with no-one available, she had offered to take over.

"Running sensor sweep now." Chu announced. "Still getting a strong signal from Zulu Seven Nine Gamma. It's not a strong signal and it's possible that it could be a sensor shadow. If we continue, we'd be violating Ferengi space and chasing a ghost."

"It's our only clue for the moment." Aki replied. "Helm, set course for sector Zulu Seven Nine Gamma. Enter the stream when ready."

"Understood." Ensign MacTaggert stated. "Entering the stream in five, four, three, two, one…."

The Leviathan entered the stream once more and continued onto their destination.

"How long until we reach our destination ?" Aki asked.

"A little over three hours at our current speed." Jarick stated.

"Good." Aki replied, settling down into the Command chair.

Three hours later, the Leviathan dropped out of the slipstream they had been travelling in and returned to normal space once more.

"Activate the refractive shielding." Aki ordered. "Mister Barker, status report."

"Still scanning the area." Chu reported. "The sensor readings are coming from a planetoid nearby. They've weakened more, I doubt we are picking up the mirror vessel anymore. I'm picking up a lot of small planetary debris, looks like the red giant increase in size rapidly, destroying everything in its path. The planetoid looks like it was a small moon probably pushed out of its planetary orbit as the sun grew closer and destroyed the planet."

"Pass the co ordinates to the Helm." Aki ordered. "Helm, set a course, maximum impulse."

As they approached the planetoid, Chu continued to scan the area.

"Captain, we're picking up a small vessel on the surface." Chu suddenly announced.

"Any life-signs." Aki enquired.

"We're still too far away to be certain." Chu replied. "But the vessel does have a misaligned quantum signature, it's definitely not from our universe."

"Yellow alert." Aki ordered, as the ship was plunged into semi darkness and the yellow alert announcements rang out across the ship.

"Reading a single vessel, definitely not of Federation design." Chu announced. "Still not picking up any lifesigns."

"From what we know, the Terran Empire uses similar designs and technologies to our own." Aki stated. "Are you saying this vessel is not Terran in design."

"Most definitely." Chu replied. "The designs are similar to early Klingon designs, but I'm beginning to get more details on its construction and it could be of Romulan manufacture."

"Let's see if our mirror universe 'friends' can shed any light on this vessel." Aki suggested. "Bridge to i-T'Kul t'Rashad. Could you please come to the Bridge now."

[Understood.] The voice of the mirror universe advisor came back through the intercom.

Moments later, t'Rashad appeared at the door of the turbolift, accompanied by her colleague and friend Eran Dukal and the Leviathan's own resident Cardassian Lieutenant Dukal.

"Mister Barker, could you put the vessel on the viewscreen." Aki asked.

The image of the planetoid changed and suddenly the image of a large shuttle-like vessel appeared on the screen. t'Rashad gave a short gasp as she saw the vessel on the screen.
"You recognise the vessel ?" Aki asked. "Does it belong to the mirror Leviathan ?"

t'Rashad was silent, then Eran announced. "It is the 'Par Maru', it's our ship."

"Mister Barker, what's the status of the ship ?" Aki enquired.

"It appears intact." Chu replied. "I'm picking up no energy readings and no signs of any life down there. It's a dead hull on a dead planetoid, but why would they leave it here ?."

"To act as a decoy." Lieutenant Dukal announced. "We've been searching for a mirror vessel right ?. And we've been trying to do that by looking for quantum signatures which do not match our own universe."

"Of course." Chu said, realising everything.

"What's the status of the planetoid ?" Aki asked. "Is it stable ?. Could we recover the ship ?"

"The planetoid is stable and there's no atmosphere." Chu stated. "We could transport a team down to the surface, but we only have six hours before it rotates back into the light from the nearby red giant, the surface temperature will rise to beyond our environmental suits capabilities. We'll have to wait another twenty-four hours before we'd get another chance.

"Mister Barker, prepare an away team." Aki ordered.

"Captain, I'd like to go with them." T'Kul requested. "And I'd like to take Eran with me. We know our vessel far better than anyone here. If there is damage or any need for repairs, then we can get the ship operational far faster than your crew."

"I was just about to make that suggestion myself." Aki stated.

"Bridge to Engineering." Chu announced. "I need an engineer with knowledge of Romulan or Klingon systems."

[Taline here. I'll send Ensign Blair.] The chief engineer replied.

"Have them suit up for an EVA and meet us in transporter room two in ten minutes." Chu ordered.

[Understood. Engineering out.] Taline said, closing the channel.
"Bridge to Major Phanan." Chu announced, opening another comm channel.

[Phanan here.] The voice of the Leviathan's command marine announced. [What can I do for you Commander ?]

"Could we borrow 1st Lieutenant Truman for a few hours." Chu requested. "I'd like to have a Marine on our EVA mission."

[Only one Marine "] Jon exclaimed. [And why Truman ?]

"We don't expect any resistance." Chu stated. "But Truman has engineering skills that we may need and if the vessel has been booby-trapped or there is trouble, then a Marine could be useful."

[Where do you want him ?] The Major asked.

"Transport room two, ten minutes." Chu said.

[He'll be there in five and I'll have Beta platoon put on standby just in case you run into any trouble and we have to come to your rescue.] The Major stated. [Phanan out.]

"I guess we should get you some EVA suits." Chu suggested to the two advisors. "Let';s go."

Chu and the two advisors left the Bridge and headed to the EVA lockers rooms.