Eos was busier than normal, as the massive viewscreen dominating the room displayed a tangled web of trajectories, indicators, and Starfleet insignias marking friendly vessels. At the center of the chaos, Elena stood with arms crossed. Her eyes darted between the various screens and the lines representing Ambrose Nichols’s trail.

“Lieutenant Prad,” Elena looked to her tactical officer, “give me an update. Where’s Nichols?”

Prad’s fingers flew across her console, bringing up the latest telemetry. “We tracked him through the asteroid belt near Freecloud,” she said. “The Edison forwarded sensor data before they broke off for repairs after their fight with the Orions. Nichols’ warp signature matches a Class-II shuttle. He’s taking a twisting route to avoid detection, but he’s heading for the Corridor.”

Elena frowned. The Corridor was a dangerous and lawless stretch of space, notorious for Orion syndicate activity and rogue mercenaries. If Nichols reached it, their chances of arresting him would drop significantly.

“Do we have anything from the Edison that connects him to his accomplices?”

“Not yet, ma’am,” Prad replied. “We’re combing through logs. Commander Tindal flagged one transmission sent before the attack. It was heavily encrypted, but the trace led to a known Orion relay station.”

Elena felt her stomach twist. Nichols had gone to great lengths to orchestrate his escape, and if the Orions were involved, it meant this was more than a lone man’s desperate play. “Let’s focus on the intel from that relay station,” she said. “And keep the Edison in the loop. If Nichols has a plan, I want to know what it is before he executes it.”

Far from the station, in the dimly lit cockpit of a stolen shuttle, Ambrose Nichols sat crouched over a console. His hands moved as he navigated the encrypted communication system, his eyes darting to the countdown timer on the screen. The message had to be brief; even with encryption, prolonged transmissions risked detection.

The Romulan face that appeared on the screen was familiar; Ambassador Rempeck. “Your delay has complicated matters,” Rempeck said. His voice was as calm as ever, but there was an edge to his tone that Nichols recognized as impatience.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Nichols replied. “Tindal was more persistent than I anticipated. I barely made it out alive.”

“Excuses won’t protect you,” Rempeck said. “You were supposed to be in position two days ago. The Orions are growing tired. We both promised them a lot.”

Nichols leaned closer to the screen. “Then remind them that I’m the reason this operation exists in the first place. Without my product, they wouldn’t even be here in the first place.”

Rempeck’s expression didn’t change. “Your survival is… strategically beneficial. But I warn you, Nichols, if you cannot secure your position soon, I will reconsider the terms of our arrangement.”

The transmission ended abruptly, leaving Nichols a bit taken aback. He exhaled slowly as he leaned back in his chair. He knew Rempeck’s threats weren’t idle. The Romulan operated with cold precision, and loyalty meant nothing to him unless it served his interests.

Nichols’ console beeped, indicating an incoming transmission on a different channel. He activated it, and a gruff Orion appeared. “Mister Nichols,” the Orion said, “You’re late.”

“I’ve had complications,” Nichols replied bluntly. “Starfleet has intensified their pursuit. I need new coordinates for the extraction point.”

The Orion smirked. “We don’t work for you, Nichols. If you want our help, you’ll follow our terms. The extraction point is set. You know the location.”

Nichols gritted his teeth. “Your cooperation was part of the deal. If I’m captured, Starfleet will find out everything.”

The Orion’s smirk widened. “That sounds like your problem. Be at the coordinates in two hours, or we’ll consider our arrangement terminated.”

The screen went dark, and Nichols cursed under his breath. His shuttle shuddered as it dropped out of warp, and he adjusted his course for the Corridor. The Orions were playing their own game, and Nichols knew he was just another pawn. But he had no intention of staying that way.

Back on Eos Station, Prad turned to the Captain, her face pale. “Captain, we’ve intercepted a fragment of a communication from Nichols’ shuttle. It’s heavily encrypted, but we’ve identified the recipient as an Orion syndicate operative.”

Elena’s eyes narrowed. “What’s the message?”

“Still working on decoding it, ma’am,” Prad said. “But the Orion replied with coordinates near the Corridor, as we suspected.”

Elena didn’t hesitate. “Send the coordinates to the Edison. Commander Tindal knows Nichols better than anyone. If they can intercept him before he reaches that rendezvous, we might have a chance to stop this before he escapes again.”

The Edison, still battered from their last Orion encounter, jumped to warp on a new heading. AJ stood on the bridge as he studied the data streaming in from Eos Station. “He’s heading for an Orion extraction point,” AJ said. “This is our chance to cut him off.”

Lieutenant Talresh, standing at the science console, glanced up. “With respect, sir, the Edison isn’t in any condition for combat. If the Orions have a ship waiting, we’ll be outmatched.”

“I know,” AJ replied. “But we’re not here to fight. We’re here to outmaneuver them. If we can delay the Orions long enough for reinforcements from Eos Station to arrive, we might just pull this off.”

The crew exchanged uncertain glances, but they trusted AJ. He had led them through worse odds before.

“Helm,” AJ said, “increase to maximum warp. Let’s show Nichols that the Edison isn’t finished yet.”

As Nichols’ shuttle neared the coordinates, the tension in the cockpit was high. The meeting spot was a small asteroid field, an ideal location known for its ability to protect against unwanted attention. Nichols stared out the cockpit windows, unease gnawing at him. The feeling that this could be a trap wouldn’t let go. But he didn’t have much of a choice.

A ping from the shuttle’s sensors broke the silence, and Nichols let out a heavy sigh. A Starfleet signature flickered on the edge of the field. It was the Edison.

“That man just doesn’t know when to give up,” Nichols said.  He slammed his fist against the console. He quickly engaged the shuttle’s cloaking device; a rare and questionable piece of tech he’d managed to acquire. The shuttle disappeared from sensors, and Nichols guided it deeper into the asteroid field.

But the Edison wasn’t alone. As Nichols scanned the area, several Orion ships decloaked, their sleek designs enhanced with weaponry. “This is getting messy,” Nichols said to himself. He opened a secure channel to the Orions. “The Edison is here,” he said. “You need to take them out before they call reinforcements.”

The Orion’s response was harsh. “Hold your position. We’ll deal with them.”

Nichols clenched his fists as he watched the Orions close in on the Edison. He knew AJ well enough to know that the Commander wouldn’t back down without a fight.

As the Orions fired the first shots, Nichols felt a surge of satisfaction. With Starfleet distracted, he would slip away unnoticed. But deep down, he knew this game was far from over. Nichols initiated the shuttle’s warp sequence, his lips curling into a smirk as the engines hummed to life. Moments later, a brilliant flash lit the distant darkness, and the comm chatter fell silent.