Vashara Vaella stared, noiselessly. It may have only lasted a few quiet moments after the announcement from the Conn, and some of the bridge crew would read half a hundred things into those few still seconds, but they were moments that left the Captain of the Orion calm. Inside, and out, even as the ghosts once again took the bridge with her. Because for a few moments that seemed to Vash to stretch into eternity, it was no longer the USS Orion, it was the USS Cosmo. That day started the same way.

[i]We've picked up a Dominion ship on the sensors.[/i]

Fire and blood filled her nostrils, breaking those few moments and bringing Vashara back to the Orion. No longer Cadet Vaella, she remembered immediately, as her voice remembered how to sound off. If those who thought the momentary pause was a sign of weakness, the easy confidence in her tone would suggest they think twice. And if they looked close enough...they would have seen her smile. 

"That's funny, they're not supposed to be there...think they're lost?" She asked the Conn, who proceeded to widen his eyes as he realized his Captain was [i]actually[/i] asking him that question. Before he could respond, Vash gave a wave of her hand. "Yeah, probably not." With that began a rapid fire of commands, as quickly as she could think, to give everyone as much time as she could. 

"Red Alert," the bridge immediately darkened, every other moment glowing in crimson light. "Conn, turn about and crawl in their direction. Tactical begin to charge and ready everything forward firing, disable the warnings when they pop up--Engineering you'll need to reroute power, I don't care where you find it, and have quick response teams ready for when a power relay blows. Ops, feed me everything you have on this Dominion ship to my chair. Security, ready a boarding party, as armed and armored as you can get them."

Vash looked this way and that, but didn't find the Orion's Chief Medical Officer, "Someone tell Sick Bays to ready for causalities, and possible enemy causalities.  Comms, open a channel to the Dominion craft, audio only please." After a brief setup, the Comms officer gave the signal. "Dominion craft, this is Captain Vaella of the Federation starship Orion. You are violating Federation sovereign space, turn back and leave or I will be forced to destroy you."

With a motion to cut the channel, the message came to a quick end. "Alert Starfleet Command, and all nearby Federation vessels." Vashara's eyes and attention were already on the small screen that appeared upon the arm of her command chair, every bit of information on the Dominion craft processed in under half a minute, her eyes sparking upward to Ops. Vash already had her plan of attack. "Ops, start preping the main deflector for a particle burst. XO, got a moment?"

Vash was on her feet, motioning with her head in the direction of the Ready Room.