Chapter III: Reunited

Cass

You quickly receive a reply:
You are welcome to carry weapons but if any member of your delegations draws their weapon unprovoked, we will consider that a hostile action and break off peaceful negotiations immediately.
We are lowering our shields now so you can beam over at your convenience. If you decide to use this opportunity to destroy us, know that this system is being observed and that the rest of my people are going to find out about it.

Signed,
FF2FVFV2VV22FKendallMoira

Belka says: "You can return to work but keep someone around, just in case. Your injuries were severe and I don't want you to faint in some maintenance tunnel where nobody will find you for the next hour."

Yang's arm is fully healed by now. He's wearing a phaser holster at his side and he's listening to your speech with a serious expression. At one point when he has an opportunity, probably before your speech, he comes up to you, Cass, and says: "Thank you for requesting me for this mission, Commander, I won't disappoint you!"
He seems genuinely happy to be chosen but you also don't get the impression that he's underestimating the risk that comes with it

Lorq, you look through all documentation that you have access to and you can tell that these parasites definitely react differently to certain stimuli than the hosts. You are pretty sure it should be possible to find a way to knock out the parasite without hurting the host. If the host's brain has not been fully disconnected from the body, that should allow you to communicate with the host, not the parasite. If you pool your findings with the ones Kendall got from her research, you might be able to create a prototype but without access to a living parasite, you can't really finetune the device.

Away team

Once everyone is ready and Cass gives the order, you are transported to the coordinates on the Four that the captain has given you. You materialize in what looks like a conference room. There's a large table with a number of chairs around it.
Standing by the table is the captain. He is wearing a dress uniform in the blue of a medical officer but it looks slightly bulky as if he's wearing something else underneath.
There are two guards in the same outfit, although both of them in gold. They're carrying phasers in holsters but don't look immediately aggressive.
The captain walks up to Cass and reaches out his hand to shake yours. "Welcome to my ship, Commander Cassano." He then turns towards the rest of the away team and greets them quickly. He gives his own name again, a series of unintelligible clicks. Then he turns back to Cass. "Please, come with me. Our medical center is just down the hallway. My doctors are getting ready for the operation as we speak."

The corridors are dark. They're made of material similar to the outside so they shimmer dark green in the very low lighting. Occasionally doors break off from the hallway on either side but they are spaced farther apart than they would be on a Consortium ship. You can see in the hallway, but due to the low light, only barely.
"Unless your species is able to produce clicking sounds of different frequencies simultaneously, I don't think you will be able to correctly pronounce my full name. I can teach you an approximation that should be possible to recreate for your vocal system, if you want."

"commander. Zlam. This is fascinating!"

Alex, you get the impression that he is definitely tense but he doesn't seem dishonest. He is hard to read, though, because his mannerism is not quite human.

After a short walk, you reach another door and the captain stops in front of it. It slides open soundlessly and, following the captain, you enter the room behind it. It is large and rectangular, much more spacious than the Potential's sickbay but also noticeably less sophisticated. There are medical tools to perform surgery and some scanners but a lot of medical technology that is present on the Potential is missing here.
A man and a woman in civilian clothing are quickly moving around the room, working on some terminals and gathering tools on a table near the center of the room. Next to the table is a raised operating table out of the same green metal as most of the ship.

Almost at the same time as you, two more people arrive. One of them is Zephyr - or at least his body. The other is a tall, muscular man with white hair and pale skin wearing a regular red spacefleet uniform.

The captain turns to "Zephyr" and says: "Child, I am sorry that we have to do this to you. I swear by my life that you will be joined with a proper host again as soon as we can arrange. For now, this is the only way to ensure our survival."

You all notice that the pale man next to "Zephyr" frowns at these words. He does not seem to agree with the captain but does not say anything.