Captain’s Log, Supplemental.

It’s over. We made it. I’m over.

In a shared ultimatum, Commodore James McCallister and I offered the Vaadwaur Supremacy a choice on behalf of Starfleet and the Delta Coalition. We offered to cease our hostilities if they agreed to a ceasefire and a withdrawal to their home star system.

It’s time for the Vaadwaur to become a galactic citizen, engaging in negotiation or non-interference, rather than manipulation and oppression. Their conquest can’t continue unchecked now the major powers in the Delta Quadrant know exactly where to find them.

If the Supremacy refused, I agreed to press our advantage and resume our attack all the way to the surface of their colony. Commodore McCallister was prepared for our squadrons to fight the Vaadwaur until… until…

But the Supremacy agreed. Their losses in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants were far greater than we knew. They agreed to a ceasefire.

Constellation Squadron has taken up position outside the Vaadwaur star system, offering medical aid and engineering support to the remaining members of the Delta Coalition. Without a slipstream drive or access to Underspace, most of them will have a long flight back to the Nacene Reach. The Pralor battlefleet was the first to leave on their own, almost as soon as the Vaadwaur agreed to the ceasefire. They’ve flown off to return to their own never-ending war.

Others have already headed back to their home territories, but many have remained with us as we pause to plot our next course.

The hum of the transporter beam was deeply comforting after the aural assault of phaser blasts and explosions from the past few weeks. As he materialised on the transporter platform, aboard Constellation, Leander Nune reflected on the mutual benefits of an afternoon crawling through a Vidiian warp core.

Without any explanation or preamble, he said, “There’s a kind of elegance to Vidiian dilithium matrices that we don’t see in Starfleet design. Don’t you think?”

Yuulik looked at him with that wild look in her eyes, as if she were trying to decide if she should tell him she hadn’t been listening to a single word.

“Sure,” was the only answer she gave. Then she took a step towards him and, without asking for permission, rubbed Nune’s nose with the hem of her sleeve. Her uniform smelled of ionised air, a side effect of the Vidiian power systems.

Nune raised an eyebrow at her, and Yuulik replied, “You have a bit of dried coolant–”

He smiled fondly and, noticing her distracted fidgeting, asked, “What’s on your mind?”

Yuulik glanced over her shoulder, and she didn’t say anything until the engineering team filed out of the transporter room. Nune watched her, and he didn’t say anything either. He wiped his face with his sleeve, brushing away any other errant coolant dust.

After taking a deep, steadying breath, Yuulik said, “I want to thank you for not mocking me when I suggested we,” and she mumbled the rest, “have a baby.”

Although Nune nodded briskly, he gave Yuulk space to say as much or as little as she chose to say.

“Counselor Turro thinks it might have been some…” Yuulik shrugged. “Reaction to our captivity by the Kazons.  My nervous system crying out for help.”

Nodding again, Nune said, “We were facing the end of our lives, or at least the end of our lives as we knew them. It’s only natural for your attention to go to the extension of your life or your legacy.  To try again where you left off with Addie.”

Yuulik said, “Turro reminds me that not everyone responds to stress in the same way. You went stoic. I went… reproductive.”

“I accept your apology, Yuulik,” Nune said with a bowed head and a soft chuckle.

“I didn’t apologise,” Yuulik shot back sharply. “I posed a hypothesis that may not even prove to be true. Honestly, it’s you who should apologise for not being more understanding, as a sensitive Betazoid.”

“Or,” Nune proposed, “neither of us has need to apologise for speaking our hearts in any given moment.”

Captain’s Log, Supplemental,

After four days of monitoring the Vaadwaur fleet on long-range sensors, they’ve lived up to their promise. All Vaadwaur that came through the nearest Underspace aperture have retreated to their colony world.

Constellation Squadron set course to the Nacene Reach, having committed our protection to Governor Vesht’s refugee flotilla. My senior staff questioned the decision to extend our Delta Quadrant mission so far beyond what we had planned, but we gave our word to the Trabe. We wouldn’t have survived without them. We’re Starfleet. We find a way.

For a week, ships from three Kazon sects followed the flotilla at a small distance until infighting began between them. Without notifying us, Governor Vesht took advantage of the distraction. The Trabe left Constellation Squadron behind with the Kazon, taking advantage of the sensor-detritus in the Nekrit Expanse to hide their ion trails.

Without a Delta Coalition to protect, I’ve set a new course for the Markonian Outpost. From there, we can restock for the journey back through the Barzan wormhole, or keep trekking through the Gradin Belt.

I haven’t decided which it will be yet. I don’t think I’ll know until we get there. Maybe I don’t want to know the answer.

Being so far from Starfleet Command, and putting the Vaadwaur’s invasion behind us, the luxury of indecision is its own kind of freedom.