Chapter 7:

Mihajlovich had a grim expression on his face; he was in deep thought. So, a Strunin Representative was on that ship. His calculating mind was thinking of what might be the reason for him wanting to make direct contact. He was interrupted by a loud laugh to his right; it was Greg, trying to contain his laughter and failing.

Mihajlovich turned and raised an eyebrow; even Adams looked at Admiral Grayback with his eyebrow raised, well, it was more of a squint.

"Garden, really? This guy's name is Garden. Does he have flowers growing out of his ass? His farts might smell like roses. I thought that was an expression, might be true for this guy," Gregory spoke in a joking manner, unable to stop laughing. At this point, the whole bridge crew was trying not to laugh. The mood on the bridge had been serious for the last six years. Gregory was completely professional, including the entire crew of the Titan. But with Mihajlovich back, the mood seemed to have changed. At least Gregory started being, well, Gregory. He liked to make others laugh and always tried to keep the mood on the ship and the fleet positive as much as he could. Considering what their mission was, or well used to be, trying to keep spirits up was the job of a leader, and for Greg and Aleks both, bad humor was always a good distraction. Gregory was not by any means stupid; you don't just become an Admiral for being friends with one. Greg was a fine leader, and this was the perfect time to make a joke. And regardless, the guy's name is Garden, even Adams was trying to hide a smile. Then Mihajlovich scowled at him and with a look of complete seriousness said,

"So… You want to plant your seed in him, Greg?"

The whole bridge burst out in laughter. It had been years for most of the crew, but having their leaders here making pointless banter gave off a feeling of familiarity, like they were breathing new life into the crew. Adams was hunched in his chair while holding his face with his palm.

"I'm under the command of lunatics, great."

He wanted to be irritated, but being honest with himself, that was kind of funny.

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Then Mihajlovich addressed the crew.

"Okay, everyone, let's get back to business. Keep it together. Gregory, Adams, I need input on the course of action. It seems this Garden Ren is some kind of Strunin dignitary and wants to establish communication with the Dominion. Those Fusar are out of the way; usually, we would tell them to just leave, but I don't actually think they can, with the damage to that transporter. I assume that they can't leave the way they came. I told them to jump out, but maybe they can't, since the warp drive on that transporter is completely shot. I am interested in their synchronization technology in FTL. We can't just blast them without a real valid reason, and if we did, that might cause a huge issue for us in the near future. We can't follow the regular Xeno protocol. Taking everything into account, we may actually need to communicate, and they are still broadcasting that distress signal. So, gentlemen, what do you suggest?"

So, Mihajlovich is thinking rationally it seems, so that means he ordered the destruction of that fleet with seemingly clear intentions. I need to be careful around him; it seems he had a facade up for the last six years. He is far more dangerous than I assumed. I should follow orders for now. Adams was trying to think about what to say, but Gregory spoke first.

"I suggest we make contact. We don't want an incident or to take any action that might endanger our people. If we take violent action, they might trace it back, and it would be plain murder, and you know my thoughts on that."

Mihajlovich nodded.

"Sir, may I?" Adams asked.

"Yes, Adams, I asked for your input. You don't need permission to speak; it's your job to share insight. You can do that freely."

Adams was surprised by this, but he could maybe salvage this whole situation.

"Sir, I suggest we send a message to the Despotate and ask for a course of action. I don't think it is wise to take further action without the proper approval."

Mihajlovich raised an eyebrow.

"Adams, that would take two days, as you are no doubt aware, and we have three Admirals here. This is no longer a high-risk situation, or at least we are not facing a fleet, but we still need to take action now. They are still broadcasting a distress signal and waiting on a response. I need a resolution now."

Greg spoke,

"I still suggest diplomacy; let's see what they want. We can politely refuse and move on. If they need aid, we can provide some if it doesn't affect our security."

"Right, I agree. Adams, what about you?"

"I, ah, yes, I agree. We can at least attempt to get rid of them as soon as possible. We will need a delegation it seems."

Mihajlovich nodded and then turned to look at the comms officer who opened a channel.