The Koloth is able to talk to New Lhasa again, and agrees a lower price for its services than that demanded by its negotiator. While the Koloth is returning to New Lhasa for some R&R, it agrees to join the planetary defense force. It also intercepts a mayday from the Orion ship Beowulf, which is falling into the gravitational well of a gas giant. It succeeds in rescuing 6 of the 11 crew before the Beowulf explodes, and escaping from Belara IV itself.
M'Kress, Petersen, Hillback, Sila (an Engineer) and Ferra (a nurse) set off in the Tamar to assist. They recover wreckage, and a body, and transfer the Orions from the now damaged and slow-moving Koloth and make their way home. What they don't know is that the Beowulf was carrying a Changeling ambassador bound for Tholian space. It crashed because a navigational error drove it into Belara IV. Its Captain made the error because its navigator cum first officer was dead. The first officer was dead because he discovered the changeling and was going to warn New Lhasa. But Starflet don't know this. When it tries to get into the lab, they detect an attempt to force the doors, but not that the changeling got into the lab and is still there.
Hillback, Ferra, and Sila examine the body and wreckage in the lab (whilst the changeling sneaks out.) Petersen interviews the Orions, one by one (to be overpowered, sedated, and replaced by the Changeling.) Hillback discovers that the body (of the first officer) was murdered. When changeling-Petersen gets back, M'Kress runs a full scan of the ship, and discovers the unconscious body of Petersen. Changelng-M'Kress takes Hillback to investigate, and covers tracks by knocking out Hillback and killing two of the Orions. It returns to the bridge, slips up in explaining the unconscious body, and tries to kill M'Kress. It loses the ensuing firefight, and hides.
Petersen and M'Kress initiate a systems lockdown and ask the Koloth to tow them home - so as to quarantine the Changeling. Their sensors detect the Changeling when it attacks a corner of the aft living section (it realises it is doomed, so it wants to destroy its diplomatic papers). It is finally killed in the second firefight.
Back on New Lhasa, the Orion Captain confesses, and Starfleet pieces together the plot. They also begin to decrypt the surviving Dominion padds.
I had been meaning to pay tribute to Traveller for a while by featuring a Mayday from a Free Trader Beowulf. Traveller was the first really popular Sci-Fi RPG and featured that mayday heavily on its cover and promotional material.

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