Asgren Valdes had no intention of admitting it, but the Callisto’s situation, and the drastic change in Lieutenant Una’s behaviour had disturbed her. Captain Ceix was someone she had always considered competent enough, and the Callisto was specialized in encounters with telepathic species.

Knowing that they had succumbed to its influence within a matter of days only emphasized the need for a speedy resolution. Losing the Givens and the Callisto was one thing, losing the Sirona to the same fate was unacceptable.

“What do we make of this?”, Valdes asked, turning to her senior staff. They had assembled in her ready room, too tense to take their seats at the conference table, concern etched in their faces. For a painfully long moment, the hum of the ship’s engines was the only thing that filled the silence.

“Should the Callisto show any signs of hostility, the shields will not operate at maximum capacity due to the adjustments we have made.”, K’Shara, their Chief of Security, remarked.

Zantett, whose disdain towards his Klingon colleague was well known, nodded his polite, albeit distant, assent. “I suggest we closely monitor the status of their weapons and return fire if necessary,” he added.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Kamau’s brows knit together in a frown.

“Agreed.”, Valdes nodded, addressing both Zantett and her First Officer. “If it does, I want us to be prepared.”

“Despite the… admittedly odd nature of this encounter, it is still a First Contact, as well as a hostage situation. I believe it should be handled as such.”, Quirell noted.

She had taken a seat and leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, fingers idly tapping against her armrest. She remained the only one who didn’t share the tension of the rest of the crew. At least not outwardly. Valdes was sure that it was a well-curated facade, necessary during diplomatic conflicts, but perhaps misplaced in the current setting.

“What is your suggestion?”, Valdes asked with a tilt of her head.

“I would like to take an away team and negotiate a release of the hostages.”, Quirell responded calmly, raising her hand as the anticipated objections of the other officers came.

Valdes, too, wasn’t convinced. “How do you propose we do that?”

“We can’t lower the Sirona’s shields or what happened to the Callisto will also happen to us.”, Zantett cut in.

“The Callisto was able to establish that telepathic species are at least less affected by the presence. I propose keeping that in mind when forming an away team, and taking a runabout to separate us from the Sirona.”

“A runabout in close distance to a compromised Starship? That’s a death sentence.”

“Which is why we will choose the right team, and you will keep us out of trouble.” Quirell said lightly.

K’Shara nodded slowly. “That way, we could keep our shields up, and keep a safe distance.”

“That ‘safe distance’  would also give us more time to react should the Callisto charge their weapons.”, Zantett agreed.

Valdes exhaled slowly, pressing her lips into a thin line as she considered their options, forcing herself to remain composed. Then, she turned to Quirell “I am in agreement with your proposal, Commander.” She paused, turning to K’Shara and Zantett “But we will not keep a distance. I want us to be close enough to use a tractor beam to bring the roundabout back should the need arise and negotiations remain unsuccessful.”

“Agreed.”

Valdes gave a sharp nod. “Commander Quirell, I am leaving it to you to form an away team you find suitable for this endeavour. Choose carefully.”

Quirell offered a smile, and rose from her chair. “We will be ready within the hour.”

“Will we inform the Callisto?”, Zantett asked.

Valdes thought about that for a moment. Under normal circumstances, she would share this information with any other ship involved. Now, however, she had to consider the possibility that the entity would turn hostile, and use those under its influence to stop them.

They couldn’t risk that.

“No.”, Valdes shook her head. “I don’t see any benefit in it, in particular if the crew is compromised.”

“Understood.”, K’Shara nodded.

“Are there any other concerns?.” Valdes asked, giving barely more than a heartbeat for her officers to speak up. Neither of them did. “Dismissed. And I expect to be updated on any changes immediately.”

As the others left, Asgren Valdes allowed herself a moment to breathe. An encounter with a hostile telepathic presence was one of the things she had avoided thus far, and a chapter she would like to close as quickly as possible.

Preferably with a positive outcome for everyone involved.