It had taken the Engineering team longer than expected to repair the damage to the Leviathan’s main deflector. Two hours after leaving the quantum slipstream, they had finally been able to jump to warp and head towards the stranded Romulan ‘Warbird’ they had rescued almost half a day earlier.

An hour later, they dropped out of warp once more close to the Romulan vessel’s position.

"Sensors are showing that the ‘Warbird’ appears to be intact and I’m reading around six hundred lifesigns." Chu announced. "It looks like they made it after all."

"Still no hail." Dukal stated. "Sensors show that they have multiple hull breaches."

"Can we beam across ?" Aki enquired.

"We could, but the Romulans may take that action as an act of aggression." Chu suggested. "But we could transport a short range sub-space radio, I’d suggest to secondary engineering, the sensors show that area of the ship is undamaged and there appears to be a high concentration of Romulans."

"Do it." Aki ordered.

Ten minutes later, contact with the Romulans was re-established.

"What is your situation ?" Aki enquired.

[We have suffered some hull damage, but nothing serious. My engineers estimate the vessel will be repaired in an hour. We will also have our warp drive back online by then, but not at full power.] The Romulan Captain explained. [We are in need of some major repair work, but we may not be able to reach a Romulan repair base in our present state.]

"Any casualties." Aki asked. "Is there anything we can help with ?"

[A few minor injuries, but nothing our doctor can’t handle.] The Romulan replied.

"Commander, I would suggest that we both return to DS9 to make repairs. You should be able to make enough repairs to your vessel to enable you can complete your journey back to Romulan space." Aki suggested. "It’s about one and a half days at warp six, will you be able to attain that speed."

The Romulan was quiet for a moment, as if he was consulting with someone else. After about a minute, he returned.

[Our engineers say that we should be able to reach DS9 at warp six.] The Captain commented. [We will accept your offer of help.]

Both the Leviathan and the Romulan ‘Warbird’ had finally reached Deep Space Nine and were docked to adjacent docking pylons. Captain Taybar was heading down to Engineering to get a full assessment of the damage to her vessel from Lieutenant Taline first hand.

"So what’s the damage and how long will it take to repair ?" Aki enquired as she sat in the Chief Engineer’s office.

"The deflector is in need of replacement, which will take two days to arrive and another day to fit. I already have crews dismantling the damaged deflector, so by the time the replacement arrives we should be ready to fit it. The damage to the hull is almost repaired and was nothing serious. Several of the EPS manifolds leading to the deflector were also damaged and once we replicate new components will also be replaced." Taline reported. "The main problem is the quantum slipstream drive, we’ve cracked another crystal."

Captain Taybar knew very little about the drive itself or how it worked. But she did know that at the ‘heart’ of the drive was a Benamite crystal, without it the drive was useless.

"It’s going to take a week to get a replacement to us at DS9." Taline stated. "The crystals we brought back with us from the Andromeda-Cirrus galaxy are all being examined at various locations."

"So we’re going to be ‘stuck’ here for a week." Aki said.

"Looks like it." Taline replied. "But it does give us a chance to perform some minor maintenance to the ship, we’ve been through a lot since the re-fit."

"Then I guess some ‘shore leave’ is in order." Aki replied. "I’ll have Commander Rashad to make up a rota. I’ll have to do it after I’ve seen the station Commander, the Major has asked to speak to me in private."

An hour later Captain Taybar was sat in the Station commander’s officer awaiting the arrival of the Major. When she arrived, Aki instinctively stood up and examined the Major. There was something in her body language that Aki didn’t like.

"Please sit down Captain." The Major offered. "I have some news on the USS Hudson."

Something in the way the Major had delivered her statement sent a shiver down Aki’s spine. Whatever the Major was going to say it was not going to be good news.

"Starfleet found the wreckage of the Hudson about a day from Earth. There were no survivors." The Major began. "They still don’t have any clues as to how the runabout was destroyed, but it looks like they were attacked. The wreckage has been taken back to Earth for further investigations. I am so sorry."

Aki was quiet for quite a while as she took in the news. She had lost people before, as had her previous hosts. Even so losing members of your crew was never easy to take, but somehow you got through it.

"Thank you Major." Aki finally stated. "We’re going to here for about a week making repairs, so I would appreciate it if you would keep me advised of any new information that may come about."

"Of course." The Major replied. "You and your crew are welcome to take some ‘shore leave’ whilst you are here. I also believe that there are several new members of the Leviathan’s crew ‘hanging around’. They’ve been ‘bugging’ the constable’s office asking about your arrival. I’ll have the constable let them know that you have arrived and to report in."

"Thank you again." Aki said, rising from her seat.

Heading out of the office, she headed back to her vessel.

"Taybar to Leviathan." Aki stated, tapping her comm badge.

[Leviathan here.] Commander Rashad replied over the comm. [Is there a problem ?.]

"No, but have the senior staff meet me in the main briefing room in an hour. I have something to say. Taybar out."

[Understood. Leviathan out.] Rashad replied.