Commander Sonya Gomez gestured to Soloman to enter the conference room first as the two converged on the door at the same time.

“Thank you, Commander,” the Bynar replied as he stepped through. Sonya couldn’t help but smile at the small alien. The two had been through quite a lot since she first boarded the ship a year ago. They had both watched as someone they cared greatly for had been lost in the line of duty. For Soloman, the loss had been his Bynar partner. In Bynar culture, partnership was essential for proper functioning. And yet, rather than return to his home world to recouple, Soloman elected to stay and serve on board the da Vinci. It took some time, but Soloman was adapting to life without his other half.

Sonya’s bond with the late Kieran Duffy wasn’t anywhere near as total as the one Soloman had shared, but her own recovery seemed just as slow. Her near-death experience on Teneb had been a wake-up call for her to move on with her life, but there were days when she still felt like she was walking through mud.

Captain David Gold’s voice drew her from her thoughts. “Any time you’d like to join us, Gomez.”

“Sorry, sir.” She felt the blood gathering in her cheeks as she took her place at the conference room table. The usual crew was gathered in their traditional places. Sonya quickly acknowledged each and every one with a nod and a smile as she settled into her chair. She felt the odd stare from Mor glasch Tev, second officer aboard the da Vinci. She tried to meet his stare in the hope of unnerving him, but his face remained impassive.

“Commander,” he said curtly with a slight snort. Sonya wasn’t sure if his tone was sarcastic.

The communicator chimed as Anthony Shabalala’s voice filled the room. “Bridge to Captain Gold.”

“Go ahead,” Gold replied.

“We’re on course for Risa, Captain,” Shabalala announced. “I have Captain Scott standing by.”

That surprised Sonya. Risa was usually one’s destination for shore leave, not a mission assignment.

“Patch him through.”

The S.C.E. team turned their attention to the viewscreen over Gold’s shoulder. The Starfleet emblem winked on momentarily and was replaced by the warm, smiling image of Captain Montgomery Scott.

“Captain.” Gold nodded in greeting.

“Good morning, people. As I’m sure you’re all aware, you’re currently on course for Risa.”

“What happened?” Fabian Stevens had a hint of mischievousness in his voice. “Is there a broken blender that needs repair?”

Bart Faulwell chuckled. “The entire Risan economy is on the brink of collapse because they can’t make the piña coladas fast enough.”

This brought a laugh from Scotty. “ ’Tis a wee bit more serious than that. The entire future of Risa is in jeopardy. As I’m sure you know, Risa relies on mostly automated systems to make the stay of their guests as simple and as pleasurable as possible. Unfortunately, those systems are breakin’ down. We’re getting reports of random power drains from certain locales in the Monagas area. It’s affecting everything from the sonic toothbrushes to the sky vehicles to the weather control network. And the power disruptions are spreading.”

“Is it a mechanical or natural phenomenon?” Gomez asked.

“That’s for you lot to determine,” Scott replied. “We haven’t been able to contact Risa for nearly twelve hours now. The energy problems are affecting communications. Our most recent report came from an Andorian freighter. The crew was on leave and left after one day. The heavy rains caused by the lack of control of the weather system made it unbearable for them to stay.”

Fabian grinned. “Well, they could make themselves the number-one destination spot for the Ferengi. A home away from home.”

“I think they’d like to continue serving a broader client base.” Gold turned to his first officer. “Your thoughts, Gomez?”

Gomez felt the eyes of everyone on her. “I would assume the Risan authorities would like this handled as quickly and as quietly as possible. So we don’t want to attract much attention. We’ll keep the initial team small as we assess the situation, then bring in team members as is necessary.”

“Sounds good.” Gold smiled thinly.

Scott nodded his consent as well. “I’ll leave you to your work then. Contact me when you arrive at Risa. Good luck.”

The image of Scott faded from the viewscreen. Gold folded his hands in front of him. “And who will make up this team?”

“Myself, Soloman, and Pattie,” she replied.

Tev let out a snort of surprise. “Commander?”

“Yes?” She turned toward the Tellarite, steeling herself for the challenge.

“I understand your desire to keep the group small. In fact, I wholeheartedly endorse it, but I feel you will need my expertise on this matter.”

“As I stated, Commander,” Sonya began to explain, keeping her tone as even and pleasant as possible, “I will be bringing in personnel as the situation warrants. Soloman will determine if the fault relates to the computer systems. Pattie will determine if the problem is mechanical.”

“It would make more sense to bring a generalist down to determine the cause, then summon specialists as needed.”

“Maybe, but I think this away team configuration is what’s best for the mission,” Gomez said, giving Tev a sharp look.

Tev looked as though he was about to pursue the argument further, but instead settled back in his seat and folded his arms in defeat.

Domenica Corsi spoke up. “I think you should have someone from security with you.”

“Why?” Gomez asked, looking forward to hearing the expected answer.

“What if the nature of these energy drainings is hostile?”

“Then I’ll call a security detachment down. Domenica, this is Risa. This is where you go to get away from your troubles. Even the bad guys lower their weapons there. If we run into trouble, I’ll call you.”

“And what if communications are out?” Gomez noted Gold’s “leave her alone” look being directed at Corsi, but the security chief was ignoring it.

“Then I’ll simply scream at the top of my lungs until you hear me,” Gomez replied with an impish smile that drew a frustrated sigh from both Corsi and Tev simultaneously.

“It’s settled then,” Gold said. “We’ll arrive at Risa in thirteen hours. Unless there are any other questions or comments, you’re dismissed.”

The staff rose from their chairs and slowly filed out of the room. Gomez and Gold watched as they departed.

As the door closed with a whispering hiss, Gold gave his first officer a look. “Gomez, you know that you’ve got final say over any away team you lead.”

Gomez heard the implied word at the end of that, and provided it. “But?”

“Tev had a point.”

“Yes, sir, he did. And honestly, with a different second officer—” Her voice caught, but she recovered.

“—I would probably have him or her along. But as good as Tev is—and I admit, he’s very good—he’s still adjusting to working with the team. Until he does, I want to remind him that there are other people on the ship.” She smiled. “Besides, this is Risa. These are friendly people, and I trust Soloman and Pattie to interact more pleasantly with the staff.”

Gold grinned. “Good point.”