The Busan Star ran hot. The crew was quiet, for once. The trace still flashed on Rhian’s monitor like a ghost, impossible to shake.

Kim sat in the command chair, his finger tapping across the armrest. His crew watched him. Some waiting, some judging, all of them unsure of what to do next.

“We can’t outrun this forever,” Rhian said finally. “Whoever tagged us isn’t going to give up.”

Varin folded his arms. “Then we need allies. Preferably ones with teeth.”

The silence was only interrupted by the hum of the ship.

Kim exhaled. “There’s one place we can go.”

Sae-jin glanced up. “Please tell me you don’t mean.. no you can’t mean her?”

Kim didn’t look at her. “Deep Space 12.”

That got reactions, snorts, groans, and raised brows. Even Kordath muttered something unrepeatable in Klingon.

Min-jae leaned back against the bulkhead, arms crossed. “You’re talking about running straight into the Federation spotlight. Into her spotlight.”

Kim sighed. “Keira can help us. And right now, we need help.”

“Your ex-wife?” Sae-jin finally said, skeptical. “The Ice Queen herself?”

“Stone,” Rhian corrected. “That’s what they call her. Cold stone.”

Kim ignored them, staring out the nearby window. “We go to Twelve. We don’t have a choice.”

What Kim didn’t know, what none of them knew, was that the team at Deep Space 12 already had ghosts of their own. Ambrose Nichols being at the top of that list. Captain Kim was bringing the storm with him.

As they headed to Keira, to Deep Space 12, the trace on Rhian’s console never faded. Somewhere out there, someone was following their every move.

Their escape from Freecloud hadn’t gone unnoticed. The signal that locked itself to the Busan Star was already traveling across subspace, bleeding into channels meant to stay hidden.

And far from here, aboard the USS Galileo, someone else was about to step into the fire the Star had sparked.