Léa, who had arrived on the bridge only a minute or so earlier, leaned forward in her starboard-offset seat, just adjacent to Commander Griffith’s on the port side. “Understood, Number Two,” she answered Commander Lektar, her decision to appoint the Drokarian as second officer now apparent and all but finalized in the Vanguard’s command computer infrastructure a few hours before. Of course, Léa had delayed sending any reports to Starfleet on the matter until the last possible minute—not out of procrastination, but as a deliberate way of closing the window in which they might try to interfere.

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” she acknowledged Korn at tactical.

“I’d say we have our trail of cookie crumbs,” she said softly upon hearing Lieutenant Korn’s sensor analysis, one eyebrow rising higher than the other as she looked to Griffith on her left.

“What’s our distance to the Bandari system?” she asked, her attention shifting to the conn. - (OOC Notes: Specifically mentioned @Shirik Lektar, @Zaje Korn, @Greggory Griffith.)

Through the main viewscreen, Léa saw the glowing haze of the Lilac Nebula in the distance. It was the same one she had seen nearly three nights earlier aboard the Hypatia, as she was being brought to Alpha Centauri to take command of a different vessel.

In another life, or another universe, perhaps she still had.

As Commander Shirik reported from her console that at warp seven the Bandari system was about thirty-six hours away, Léa knew intuitively that put them at roughly two and a half light-years. She let her crystal-blue eyes gaze into the gaseous anomaly ahead, marveling at how it looked like an amethyst held aloft in the heavens, lit from within with a promise of wonders. It was beautiful, and for a moment she envied the Kepler and its crew for having been chosen to map such a stunning celestial body.

At least, she might have, had the Kepler been able to complete its mission.

Snapping back from that private thought, Léa raised a curious eyebrow in appraisal as her Number One so suddenly called for the crew to be beaten to quarters. Then again, perhaps the situation warranted that immediate sense of precaution, given the uncertainties surrounding it. She knew as well as anyone that an executive officer’s instincts could prove invaluable, and that ignoring them was a mistake some captains made far too often.

“Very well. Take us to yellow alert, if you would, please.” She affirmed Griffith with a nod.

A moment later she listened as Lieutenant Tanner at the sciences station confirmed the source of the detected ion trail. It matched that of an Oberth-class vessel, which almost certainly meant it belonged to the missing Kepler.

“A good lead, but we should still cover all bases, as the Commander suggests. Lieutenant Tanner, please see that a Class-4 probe is launched in the local vicinity, and that a Class-8 probe is sent on a trajectory toward the nebula. You may need assistance from Engineering..." she paused, glancing to Commander Achaea. "...in order to ensure both are set to transmit their scans via subspace; I intend for us to get to warp as soon as possible, and we cannot wait for them to be completed. Caution is admirable, but too much caution could be fatal for the crew of the Kepler.” Her gaze shifted to the Vulcan at the conn. “Lieutenant T’lol, please set a course for the Bandari system. Warp seven.” She ordered, rising from her seat.

From there, Léa allowed herself a moment to weigh the information as it had been relayed, making certain her decisions were ones she would have stood behind even if she were not the one in command.

Once she felt sure, and after a brief beat of silence, she resumed. “Commander Lektar, please coordinate with Sciences to keep our lateral sensor arrays attuned and powered as we get underway. I want to be certain we do not pass the Kepler if it never made it all the way to the Bandari system, or if something else happened to it. If we detect any shift in the ion trail, or any debris, we will drop out of warp and investigate.” She glanced at Griffith once more before looking again to the viewport and the wonder beyond it.

“Lieutenant Korn.” She addressed him next, spinning on her heel. “Continue to drill your security and tactical staff. Commander Griffith, coordinate with Lieutenant Korn if necessary. I want this ship fully prepared to defend itself if need be. If the Kepler was forced off course, or from its mission, by aggressors, we may find ourselves similarly harassed.” She drew a breath, narrowed her eyes, and adopted an almost defiant look that spoke of her determination. “Just because we are small doesn’t mean we won’t bloody a bully’s nose if they come looking for a fight.” - (OOC Notes: Specifically mentioned @Greggory Griffith, @Shirik Lektar, @Raikon Achaea, @T'lol, @Zaje Korn.)

Raikon turned towards Tanner.

“Due to the size of the Vanguard, our capacity to carry probes is limited. Our torpedoes can double as probes when modified. We've got a few of Types 1 through 4. We'll have to convert one to a Class Eight.”

Standing up from his console, he faced Commander Griffith.

“Permission to leave the bridge, sir.”

Raikon nodded and walked towards the turbolift. As the doors opened, he stepped inside, tapping his comm badge.

“Wryn, Leblanc. Meet me on Deck 3, torpedo magazine.”