“Then I think the obvious spot would be that Super Alpha.” Celesta stood up, in turn causing all her staff to leap to their feet too. “Keep the sensors trained on that spot and begin getting me a picture of what in the hell is going on down there. Lieutenant Commander Adler, I’d like you to turn over that task to CIC. I need you doing your primary job and protecting the ship. You’re authorized to bring the redundant passive array online to scan local space and make sure nobody sneaks up on us again.”

“Should we deploy the gravimetric detection system?” Adler asked, referring to the six small autonomous drones that could form a laser grid that detected minute changes in gravity, alerting them that something with mass was moving close to them.

“I’ll keep that option open, but not right now,” Celesta shook her head. “The system broadcasts a constant telemetry signal to the ship that will alert them that somebody has snuck into their system. We’re still going to maintain strict emission protocols for the time being.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Adler nodded.

“Lieutenant Commander Washburn,” Celesta continued. “After you get the CIC settled and collecting every scrap of intelligence that comes from that planet, I want you working on some outside-the-box ideas to get us a better look down there. You’re free to pull in other departments as you see fit. If nobody has anything else? Dismissed.”

They all filed out of the conference room and back to their duty stations, while Celesta leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment. The stress of the situation was building and she had to admit that she was not only scared beyond belief but had no idea what to do next. She briefly wished for a moment that the ship she was sitting on was the Ares and she was still the XO … but then she remembered what Captain Wolfe had told her about all those insane situations they’d flown into during the war.

After his retirement, as his last bit of advice to his former XO, he said that he’d been scared shitless during at least eighty percent of the combat hours his ships had logged. Despite appearing cool, calm, and relentless he was quaking in his boots, but he knew that if they were to have any chance of making it through then the crew couldn’t know that. The ship could only have one captain and any perceived weakness on the bridge invited debate and insolence in the crew. He’d compared a starship crew to a pack of dogs, and while his metaphor had been crude, it was apt: There could be only one alpha, and if she wasn’t it someone would challenge her for it in situations like they found themselves in now.