*I want to be under cearulean skies...*
*With you in my arms...*
*We'll lay together in the sand..*
*And let time pass by...*


---------


"I understand. Thank you Graham." Narciso bowed and turned, taking leave of the office. As he walked out he noticed that Marietta, T'oi and Umax had been waiting for him. Marietta was still jumping around the space in front of the office, showing off her new rank to everyone, and most of them actually knew her or at least of her. She stopped as she noticed Narciso appear, with a smile on his face. She was instantly beside him, almost by teleportation at her speed. "We've been waiting. Come on, the shuttle is waiting for us." She hooked her arm into his and they walked with a haste towards the hanger. Marietta walked with Narciso in front, with Umax and T'oi bringing up the rear. Each talking with the other, Marietta building serious rapport with Umax, trying to show Narciso that this Ferengi was alright. As they entered the hangar bay, they were greeted by a shuttle pilot and made to board a Danube Runabout. In the old tradition, the shuttle took leave of the Spacedock and made its way to the drydocks nearby. "First up, USS Evita Magdylena." The pilot spoke as he turned the shuttle into the drydocks, taking her in between each station. He maneuvered in a way that made it impossible for anyone to see the ship until it was close enough to take in all its beauty. He turned slightly, and the bow of the Oddyssey began to come into view. The decks came into view, the deflector array leading them, and to finish it were those massive nacelles. Narciso and Marietta both gasped at the beauty of the ship. She was specially designed by Starfleet, a massive though sleek vessel. "Oh Narciso," cried out Marietta, "she's absolutely beautiful..." Narciso nodded, as he was speechless. It was astonishing how they had such large vessels. In fact, this was the largest in Starfleet thus far.


The shuttle pulled into a hangar located in the aft of the vessel. an aquarius escort could be seen below them, attached to the Oddyssey. A ship within a ship. Astonishing achievement. The shuttle landed with an experienced ease the pilot had acquired over his years. Narciso stood, Marietta did the same and captured him in a Death grip of an embrace. "Little one, I'll always be right next to you, so don't you fret." Narciso returned the embrace. "I know Mari... I know. I'll see you soon, we can easily talk with each other once we board. Narciso had to be the one to break the hug, otherwise Marietta would never have let him go. Narciso exited the shuttle, and was already amazed by the sheer size of the hanger. Marietta reluctantly took her seat again, and delivered a swift kick to the pilots' seat. "Hurry and get me to the Gladius Arc. The sooner I get there the sooner I can improve her weaponry!" The pilot would have been annoyed, were it anyone else. But Marietta's reputation proceeds her constantly. "Yes ma'am!" He shouted as he took the shuttle out faster than regulations would allow for. This however, brought a smile to her lips.


The shuttle was instantly within range of the Kumari Class Escort, the USS Gladius Arc. It took a mere second to dock, as the pliot never bothered to slow down when entering the hangar. Once it landed and came to a stop, Marietta and Umax both stood. Marietta almost delivered a roundhouse kick to Umax, since he stood there in her way off disembarking the shuttle in order to speak with T'oi. "Umax, Marietta, good hunting...and keep him safe..." Umax gave a salute, "Yes Admiral!" And with a smile he left the shuttle. Marietta took a second to give a strong pat to the pilots back. "Good flying there Tex! Keep it up and be sure to apply for a position on an actual Starfleet ship. We need pilots with your talent." She turned and moved to exit, but she looked to T'oi. "Good hunting indeed. Just make sure the Borg is all you go after." Before T'oi could retort, she moved off the shuttle and the door closed behind her.


The pilot started the engines again and the shuttle took off. The last dropoff would be for T'oi, and his ship was a subtle beauty. It came into range and T'ois eyes lit up. The Vesta was an extremely Versatile ship. Capable of support and of a direct assult. Much like T'oi himself. One could say the ship matched him completely. The shuttle landed in one of the hangar bays that was almost empty. The Vesta had many hangars, but the others were stocked with Delta Flyers, an upgrade given by Admiral Quinn. T'oi left the shuttle, placing his feet on the floor of his new command. His new First Officer, was a person he knew extremely well. It was Commandar Ticklhiem. The mans' Jem'Hadar features made him clearly stand out from the rest of the crew. A Jem'Hadar in Starfleet was extremely rare after all.


"Admiral on deck! Attention!"


At ease everyone, we have work to do. Congratulations Tik, report."


The Jem'Hadar looked at T'oi, "You might want to read the datapad, sir and then I will elaborate."


T'oi grabbed the pad and started reading, Artenais was relieved as Vice-Commander of the Task Force and his new Vice-Commander was Captain of the Evita Magdylena, one Rear-Admiral Reaver. Service appendix followed...T'oi looked briefly astonished and then was disgusted. Artenais was a good man but expediency demanded he be replaced. The order from Quinn made it clear that this was not his decision but that of Commander-Starfleet. Sometimes Starfleet politics irritated T'oi. First on his agenda would be to have Revaer report to him so they could talk about the upcoming engagement. Something was tickling at the back of T'oi's mind, then it struck him, Reaver was the First Officer of the Adonis trapped on the surface when the Borg attacked. Outstanding service record, so T'oi would have little to worry about on that front.


"Tik, my compliments to Rear-Admiral Reaver, he is to report to me at 1800 hours for a Senior Command Conference. I need you to start assigning Element Commanders while Admiral Reaver and I talk. I think the Flag Cabin will be suitable. Is the crew ready?"


"Yes, sir."


Good, we make way no later than 2100 for the Borg front, oh...and Tik?"


"Sir?"


"I want all of the tactical reports written by Commander Geroff, we need some unconventional thinking to defeat the Borg...and put Umax and Geroff in Command of TF Element One."


"Sir, I have read her reports...they are unconventional but I suspect will be highly effective. The 'Delta Attack' in particular is... quite intriguing if I may say so myself. It is a combination of several critically adjoined components that when done with precision, can theoreticaly, destroy a fully armed Tactical Borg Cube. It is.. quite potent. But there are many, many extreme risks involved. The manuever itself requires three ships to act in tandem to be performed. It is no wonder Starfleet has put it away for study only, not practice. If I may sir, this Geroff is a mad woman to have invented such a maneuver. I am rather fond of her work."


"High praise ideed, Tik. I want full implementation available, I want to support this personally, thus...if we need to implement it crews from the Evita, Metamorphoses, and Gladius Arc...and if word of this leaks back to Starfleet? I will personally break that person, clear? I don't have time for theorists who are afraid of the practical point of a sword."


"Yes sir, Admiral! However, there must be modifications, or as this Geroff put 'serious improvements' done to the deflector arrays. She has provided these specifications. I believe them to be doable once we leave drydock. I'll have any required supplies sent to us before we leave as 'repair stock'."


"Are those specifications trustworthy, Tik?"


"It would seem so. She didn't do these alone, the report indicates that she was aided in these studies by a one Narciso Neves-Heliree, a Starfleet Scientist."


"Ah, excellent. I know him. The calculations will be spot on, Commander."


"Understood sir. I shall send these orders of implentation to the specefied crews once we depart. Will that be all sir? If so, I'll send word to Admiral Reaver now."


"Very well, carry on Commander."


Narciso walked along the hallway of the gigantic Oddyssey. His hand brushed the sides of the wall as he moved, slowly building up a rapport with the ship itself. It was something he had always done. He believed the ships to be a living thing, not merely computers and wires and alloy. They were harbingers... Entities. Narciso found himself on the turbolift. "Computer... Where is Rear-Admiral Reaver?" the computer chimed, a soft female voice replied. "The commanding officer is located on the bridge within the Captains' ready room." Narciso bowed his head. "Thank you. Take me to the bridge please." The computer chimed once more and the turbolift was instantly moving. As the doors opened Narciso laid his eyes on the bridge of an Oddyssey for the first time. It was so beautiful. He walked onto the Bridge, noticing all the people within, running about getting the ship ready for departure. He smiled and nodded to all who looked to him as he made his way to the ready room. When he came to the door, he pushed the console and allowed the chime to occur. A voice called out to him telepathically. "You never have to ring and you know that." A smile instantly spread on his lips. The doors opened for him and he walked in, seeing a dark haired man sitting at the desk. The man stood, his height was six feet and six inches. His shoulders broad and strong with muscle, as was the rest of him. A large smile formed on the mans' face as he put his eyes on Narciso. His lips parted and a strong, deep voice came out in the form of a single word. "Imzadi..."


Narciso's eyes quickly teared up, and they began to pour onto the floor. Narciso broke into a sprint, falling into the mans' arms. "I thought you were on the Corona!! I thought you had died!!"


The man grasped Narciso as he crashed into him, the counselor's arms wrapped around him. His own arms warpped around Narciso, a hand on the back of his head, stroking the hair softly, holding him close. "I know... I know. Marietta told me. I told her to tell you right away, instead she must have left you hanging. Then again, she knew you wouldn't believe it unless you had me in your arms again."


Narciso laughed through his tears. "For a second there, when talking to Admiral Quinn, I thought my Grandfather had forced his way in to protect me."


The man tilted his head back, laughing loudly, his voice rich. "That Betazoid Grandfather of yours almost did! He could feel anything in the universe! But yes, he did throw quite the fit."


Narciso tilted his head back, no longer leaning it against the mans' chiseled chest. "Kenneath..."


"Shh... I know. But nothing has to be said and done yet. So drive away your tears. I live, and I would feel this moment... with you in my arms once again." Kenneath tightend his embrace, drawing Narciso in as close as possible. "Just let me feel this moment..." They held the embrace, but were soon interupted by the doors chime. "Come in." Kenneath called out, not letting go of Narciso. The person who came in was an ensign. "Excuse me sir, there is a transmission for you. I've sent it to your monitor here." Kenneath nodded and dismissed the ensign. He reached behind him and turned his monitor to face both himself and Narciso, then opened the transmission. The first thing they saw were large breasts, and a woman screaming at officers. "Hey! hurry up and get that station prepared! The tactical console needs the be well kept!" The accent alone was enough to give the person away, let alone the huge bust line. The woman sat back down on her seat, and her face was suddenly visible again. Kenneath smiled and spoke. "Marietta, I'm happy to see you, Commander!" Marietta laughed and swayed her hand. "Oh, Kenneath you old flirt you," she joked, "I see Narciso got to you. Good! I didn't know how to tell him you were alive. He's so sensitive, he was overloaded with the loss of everyone, that he couldn't even sense you were still breathing." Kenneath nodded, and Marietta continued to speak. "We got word on the Gladius Arc that we'll be departing at 2100 hours, the latest. But these ensigns are so slow!! I swear that they need a good whippin'! I should get my switch and get at them. But, they do show promise. Anyways, I called to make sure you two found each other and to tell you, Narciso, that I got word from Vice-Admiral T'oi in regards to our little side-projects. He'll be sending you the announcement too if he hasn't yet. Anyways I need to get going- HEY!!! THAT DOESN'T GO THERE MORON!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE BRIDGE!?!? GET YOUR ASS TO-" Before the rest could be heard, the connection was cut with a loud 'thud'.


Kenneath turned the monitor off, and returned his attention to Narciso. "We have a lot of work to get done. I still need to show you your lab and-" Once more the door chimed, interupting what Kenneath was saying. "come in." Once more the same ensign entered the ready room. "Sir, Vice-Admiral and Task Force Commander T'oi's Ship is hailing us. They are on the viewscreen." Kenneath nodded, "Thank you, I'll be there shortly." The ensign left and Kenneath looked down to Narciso, placing a kiss on his forehead. "Come on, I need to show you to your seat." He smiled, and let go of the embrace, taking Narciso by his hand. He led him out onto the bridge, three main seats with two other small seats, one on each side. Kenneath sat in the middle chair and gestured to the one on his left. "This is your chair. You are the Commanding Science Officer on this ship." Kenneath smiled and Narciso's eyes went wide. Kenneath stood with a giant smile on his face. "That's right. You have been promoted to Commander." He embraced Narciso, and whispered in his ear. "Congrats baby... I know how hard it's been for you." Narciso rose his hands and embraced Kenneath, who spoke again. "I told Quinn that I wanted to tell you myself. He was thrilled with the idea."


Kenneath stood up straight, then took his seat as Narciso took his. The veiwscreen came on, showing the Metamorphoses' First Officer, the Jem'Hadar known was Ticklhiem. Narciso instantly froze up, and Kenneath grew stern. He too did not hold the Jem'Hadar in the highest of Standings...

*In a Star Ocean, the distance is gigantic.*
*I could be in the Dark and you in the Light*
*Regardless, I hold you in my heart.*


---------------------------


The shuttle turned out to be a Danube Class Runabout. The trip to Earth Space Dock would be quick and efficient. But it gave T'oi the opportunity to observe the friendship between Marietta and Narciso, it was remarkable how they almost always completed each other's sentences. T'oi laughed and smilled along with them, but decided it would be good to think with a clear mind. Rationally T'oi knew the connection between Narciso and himself was still there though hidden, and he could feel a mixture of pain, grief, loss, and some wistfulness. He certainly knew Narciso would feel his emotions back, but he used his meditation skills to minimize the feedback, he did not wish Narciso to feel like he was intruding. Perhaps taking a turn at the helm/navigation station would give Marietta and Narciso a chance to talk without him being present, it might even give him a chance to have some privacy to gather his thoughts.


Having Marietta suddenly appear aided Narciso in pushing back everything that had happened with T'oi. Everything was swept aside, and even though they were assigned to the same task force, Narciso was assigned to a different ship. Sadly, Marietta was assigned to another as well. Narciso wasn't sure how smart Starfleet was in putting Marietta in an escort... That girl could take a Olympic class starship, the one considered a mobile hospital, and turn it into one of the most deadly ships out there. In fact she did once, the Cardassians never saw it coming. Marietta was truly gifted as a tactical based officer, and Narciso shuddered at the thought of her eventually gaining command of her own ship... May the deities have mercy... as Narciso began to lose himself in thought, trying to sort everything out, and focus on the upcoming tasks, such as thinking which of his projects would be in practice, Marietta slipped off to the helm and delivered a strong pat to the shoulder of T'oi, who was pushed forward. As she sat down in the opposite seat, she spoke a single sentence. "Do not think you can have him... Admiral." Marietta's fingers ran along the console and she took control of the shuttle, instantly shown by her putting the small vessel into a spin, and her laughing all the way as the shuttles stabilizers had to be overworked to keep up. She soon evened out and started to drop out of warp, within sight was Earth, and in orbit was Earth Space Dock. Marietta began to pilot the ship into dock. "Almost there boys." she signaled to the two as she glanced back, seeing if Narciso had gathered himself.


The young counselor stayed relatively still in his seat, looking out past Marietta with a void look in his eyes. T'oi sat still as well, anticipating the meeting with Quinn, the report on the ships and men he lost would likely be brought up by the Admiral. The entire situation was... strained. As the shuttle was docked, Marietta stood from her seat and took her steps towards Narciso, lifting him by his arms and helping him disembark, leaving T'oi to his own devices. "Look little one, we'll be fine. You'll be in one of the most advanced Starfleet ships yet. And I'll be the one protecting it." Narciso's eyes lost their void stare and he looked up to the young woman. "I know Mari... That is not my concern, well... My concern in that regard is towards you. Though I've seen you tear a Borg Drone apart with your bare hands... This is different." Marietta shook her head. "No way," she responded, "You and I both know that this will be hard but we will pull through. Besides, guess who is piloting the Oddyssey..." Narciso looked up to her with a questioning and worried look in his eyes. "No..." Marietta laughed, "Yes. When he heard you were to be placed there to continue your anti-Borg research, he flat out demanded to take charge of the ship. He's a stubborn man." Narciso allowed his head to tilt forward, a worried look now more than evident on his face. "He is... too protective lately." Marietta began to walk off, and as she did so she dragged Narciso with her. "We have an appointment to keep. Come on." She turned her head to the side and called out to T'oi, "Hurry up Admiral. You wouldn't want to be late!" Her warning was slightly cold, and she did not show any sign of caring to wait for him so that they could all go together.


T'oi emerged from the shuttle in full dress uniform, his blue and white Admiral's coat looking brand new. He gave a look of regret to Marietta, He looked at Narciso and smiled slightly. "Time to face the hangman, Counselor." With a easy grace T'oi picked up speed, born of a familiarity with the back ways through ESD. "If you will both follow me, I think I can make this trip much shorter." Walking over to a blank wall, T'oi pulled out a small device, a signaller of some sort and a corridor appeared through the formerly blank wall. "Admiral's have back ways everywhere, there is a turbolift to Quinn's office just ahead." The cooridor was spartan with a couple of Jefferies Tubes along the way, the turbolift opened, "Vice-Admiral S'ynek for Admiral Quinn with two guests" The turbolift beeped and a voice said "acknowledged." T'oi glanced back at Narciso who was lost in thought and he wondered if he would live or die. Such choices were not as random as people thought. After a very fast trip in silence, the turbolift opened up behind a command console in the lowere area of the Admiral's office. T'oi could feel the waves of hostility from Marietta and winced, a low-grade headache beginning to form behind his temples. Sometimes T'oi devoutly wished to be spared such feelings, but at this point he had to continue to concentrate to keep his feedback from getting to Narciso, an enormous task considering his not inconsiderable skills in empathy. Captain Akira Sulu greeted T'oi as he emerged, "Vice-Admiral T'oi, his eminence awaits," with a small chuckle. "Go right in." Looking amused, T'oi replied, "Of course, Akira, is he eating Vulcans for breakfast today?" Barely keeping a straight face Sulu said, "I do not know, sir..." T'oi crossed the threshold into Quinn's office.


As T'oi entered the admirals office, Narciso and Marietta made a beeline towards Captain Sulu, making sure no one could see them. "Akira!!!" They both shouted as they practically tackled the poor captain. "Akira, what are you doing in here? Weren't you in command of your own ship?" Marietta asked as the three stood in a group embrace. Akira shook his head, "It's a long story Marietta, a lot has happened since we last met." Narciso's face was lit up in a smile. "You're telling me, 'Captain'!!" The three laughed until Marietta pulled out of the embrace and once again hooked her arm with Narciso's. "Akira, we'll need to catch up later. Narciso here is about to get a promotion!" Narciso looked up to Marietta with a strange look and she looked down. "Just kidding, though you ARE expected to become a commander soon. Haven't you done the bridge officers test?" Narciso rose an eyebrow and he replied. "I'm sure you'll be a commanding officer before me." Akira suddenly broke out laughing, "Now that's a scary thought!!" Marietta looked to him with wide eyes, "If I were Captain already the Borg would no longer be an issue. You have no idea how many reports i've filed in regards to tactical maneuvers and..." Narciso rose a hand and cut Marietta off, "Mari, I read those reports after you wrote them. Every maneuver is... umm... beyond the capabilities of normal helmsmen." Marietta scoffed and began to walk towards the door. "Starfleet simply needs to improve its training program." With that, Captain Sulu waved at the pair, Marietta dragging Narciso along as he returned the wave.


Inside the Admiral's office, Quinn rose an eyebrow at the pair and laughed softly seeing Marietta drag Narciso in, as was their norm. "Two officers reporting in Admiral." Marietta spoke, her tone somewhat serious and her French accent thick as usual. Her eyes glanced over towards T'oi, and she couldn't help but ponder how a man like him got to be in charge of a task force. Maybe he 'was' more skillful than he looked. Narciso broke away from Marietta's grip and walked towards the Admiral. As he did so the Admiral stood from his seat and moved around to the front of his desk. "Admiral Quinn, it's so good to see you again." Narciso said as he rose his hands and had them grasped by the Admirals' own. "Counselor you are looking well." Narciso bowed his head, "Thank you. My grandparents send their regards." The Admiral let out a hearty laugh and tilted his head back before talking again. "Those old relics? I cannot wait to speak with them again. Be sure to send them my own regards in return. I plan to visit both Betazed and Vulcan soon, should our little situation allow it. Now let's talk about why you were all gathered here." Narciso smiled softly before allowing his face to become serious. He stepped back and stood beside Marietta, who stood between him and T'oi.


Admiral Quinn leaned backwards onto his desks' edge. "I'm sure you read the reports Marietta had given to you both. The situation on the Borg front is... growing worse. We've lost many ships. T'oi, my condolences to the men in your task force, I know how close you are with them all."


"Thank you Graham, I appreciate the sentiments. We have all lost many friends this week. I have already started the process of personally writing the families. I understand the Corona was lost with all hands as well?"


At the mention of the Corona, Narciso flinched noticeably, his head tilting off to the side. A tear formed in the corner of his eyes. Marietta took his hand into her own, squeezing it softly. Narciso recomposed himself and returned his glance to the Admiral, who continued to speak. "Yes, T'oi, that would be a well received notion. As for the Corona, we never saw it coming. The Corona was a formidable ship. However it was caught off guard when providing assistance to a Romulan vessel that had drawn the attention of a Borg Sphere... All hands lost, however the Romulan vessel survived the assault. I am sure their sacrifice will not go unnoticed, counselor."


Marietta looked towards Narciso, "They have asked you to be present at the memorial." Narciso nodded his head, allowing the silence to be broken only by Quinn.


"Now, in response to these past events, we have taken a new course of action. We will be placing new ships under you direct command T'oi." As Quinn finished his sentence, the chime of the door was heard. "Ah, good. That should be someone I have been expecting to join us. Enter!" Admiral Quinn looked to the door as a Ferengi walked into the office. It was Commander Umax, the number one to Admiral T'oi. Everyone in the room turned their heads to look at the newcomer. Marietta's eyes went wide for a moment but her facial expression never changed. Narciso's face didn't give any sign of his immediate discomfort, but he inched closer to Marietta, raising his other hand and grasping her by her upper arm, and squeezing her hand a bit more. T'oi noticed immediately the discomfort that Narciso was feeling and remembered a certain incident in his file. "Allow me to introduce my First Officer, Commander Umax., Umax this is Lt. Commander Neves-Heliree and Lieutenant Marietta Geroff each to be atached to ships in the task force. I am pleased to see you, and I am even more pleased you managed to keep my ship one piece. I understand it was a living hell out there."


"Admiral, I apologize for everything, you placed the ship under my command and I failed you. We should have performed better, the loss of the ships was intolerable. All our friends and comrades... It was terrible."


Glancing over at Quinn, T'oi looked at Umax. "Commander, I do not recall any specific complaint filed by the Acting Task Force Commander, Rear-Admiral Artenais about your command or the performance of the Carl Sagan. In fact, I seem to recall reading about the Task Force being outgunned and overwhelmed by enemy numbers. Put in that light, Commander Umax, I must come to the conclusion that without your able command, and that of our fellow ship commanders, the losses would have been much worse. Take a piece of advice, Umax,don't fall on your sword, it's not warranted...you did not fail me or anyone else."


Quinn nodded his head in approval. "Vice-Admiral T'oi is right Commander, you and the Carl Sagan comported yourselves well and honorably, you will make a fine Captain. Soon, I might add."


"Now stop feeling sorry for yourself, Umax and say hello to Narciso and Marietta." T'oi said with a smile in his voice.


Marietta quickly cut in before Umax could say anything. "How do you do, a pleasure." She then turned to Quinn, "Admiral, we are tired and would rejuvenate ourselves. are we to go directly to our assigned ships in the drydock?"


Quinn looked over and rose an eyebrow to Marietta, understanding her wanting to not have Narciso and Umax exchange words. "Ah yes, yes Lt. The ships are finishing up their prelaunch procedures as we speak, and their respective crews are gathering now. It would be best for you all to make your ways there and board. A shuttle shall take you all to your ships. Counselor, I have good news for you which I will send later in private." Narciso's eyes caught Quinns and he wondered if this news was regarding the man who would be captaining the Oddyssey. Quinn stood up straight from his leaning position and moved behind his desk. He reached for something and placed it on the desks' surface. "Marietta. This is for you. It has been a long time coming now, and all your superior officers have voiced their opinions, rather loudly too. Sometimes to promote you just so you would get off their ships.. and onto your own of course, of course..." Quinn laughed loudly and slammed his palm onto the desk. He stood again and gestured for Marietta to come to his side. She complied and took her steps. Narciso let go of her, but she instantly grabbed him and dragged him behind her so they both stood before the Admiral. "Mari.. Marietta, you'll pull my arm out of its' socket if you keep doing that." Narciso complained softly, knowing that it was one habit she would never give up. His presence always soothed her, and she wouldn't have it any other way.


Admiral Quinn only laughed at the notion of Marietta wanting Narciso beside her, and he allowed it. "Marietta, it is my honor to present you with your new rank." Quinn grasped the small box and rose it to chest level, opening it like one would do with a wedding ring. "Congratulations Geroff. You shall henceforth be a Commander." Marietta's mouth opened, or better yet, her jaw dropped down so far it almost hit the floor. Narciso's eyes went wider than ever, and he spoke. "Marietta... You jumped to Commander!" Marietta's lips let off a low gasping noise. Narciso regained himself and shook her slightly. "Mari?? Mariiii??" His hands instantly shot up to his ears as he heard her reply: "HOLY SHIT THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!!" At the top of her lungs, and boy was it loud enough to shatter the alloy making up the office. Quinn only laughed and took the rank insignia out of its case, giving it to her by placing it in the hands of no one else but her new commanding officer, T'oi. As she watched Quinn hand it to her she instantly cursed under her breath. And Narciso couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably as he read her thought of of punching the Vice-Admiral in the gut and throw away her promotion. 'It'll be worth it... it'll be so worth it...' Marietta thought to herself knowing that Narciso had picked up her thoughts. She straightened herself out and fixed her posture. She then walked to T'oi and stood waiting for him to pin it on her collar.


T'oi simply smiled and laughed, "Commander, you and I may not agree on everything, but this is well-deserved, and I am happy to pin your new rank on you. Serve Starfleet well...and kill as many Borg as you are able. We have friends to avenge, and I am honored to have you in Task Force 101. Welcome aboard."


Marietta's lip twitched a bit as T'oi laughed and smiled. On one level she wanted to beat him to an inch of his life for thinking he could have Narciso. On the other hand, She could not agree with him more. The Borg cannot be reasoned with. they are a virus that needs to be quarantined and exterminated. She had already dealt with drones who had been former comrades... she freed them of their pain. "It will be an honor to assist you Vice-Admiral. May the Borg tremble at our coming presence." Marietta bowed and then rose a hand, shaking T'oi's in this new budding 'friendship' with T'oi. If anything could join her and T'oi together, it would be the killing of the Borg. And hopefully no one will say that they can open a communication with the Borg species. Last person who spoke such 'filth' in front of Marietta ended up in a sickbay with their jaw dislocated.


Quinn smiled at the exchange between T'oi and Marietta. As they concluded their small celebration, He then turned to face everyone, grasping another box identical in design to the first one. "One final piece of offical business. Vice-Admiral... T'oi. will you join me please." T'oi looked to Quinn and nodded, a soft smile on his face as he walked and stood beside the Admiral. They both looked to Umax and Quinn spoke. "You know, Commander. I have gotten many upon many recommendations for you. That coupled with your service record. I am pleased to announce that you are now, henceforth, a Captain of Starfleet. And it is my honor, to present you with your own ship, the Kumari class escort, USS Gladius Arc. Congratulations Captain!" Quinn and T'oi broke out into an applause, Marietta did as well, seeing as the Ferengi was to be her Captain and she his First Officer. Narciso applauded as well, softly. T'oi stepped forward and pinned the new rank insignia on Umax. "Well done. I am so glad Umax. It is far overdue." Umax smiled wildly, causing Narciso to sweat a bit.


Admiral Quinn nodded in agreement and took his seat. "Now, that concludes everything save one last thing I must mention. T'oi. The Carl Sagan has been placed into drydock and is undergoing repairs. She faces being decommissioned, but we are trying to pull her through. However, I do regret to say that she will not be leaving drydock for a long time. Instead, I have taken provence and have commissioned a new ship. One properly fitting your rank as a Task Force Leader. You shall be given command of the new Vesta Class vessel, the USS Metamorphoses. Treat her well Admiral. Now, to all of you... Godspeed." Quinn stood one final time as he spoke his last word, and rose a hand to give a salute. Marietta, T'oi and Umax returned the salute, Narciso bowed his head in respect. He never was one for military practices. Marietta gave Narciso a smile and took her leave of the office, T'oi and Umax followed behind her, speaking to each other. As soon as the door closed behind the three, Marietta could be heard screaming at the top of her lungs in celebration. "OH HELL YEAH!!! COMMANDER RANK!!!!" A sudden 'thud' echoed out as though something slammed into the wall, no doubt it was caused by Marietta. She could bring the entire spacedock down if she wanted to... Many people question if she is human...


Narciso stayed behind in the office, and walked to the desk. resting his hands on the surface. "Admiral..."


Quinn looked up to him, seeing the concern on his face. "You never speak so formally unless you are worried. What is wrong?"


Narciso turned his head slightly, unable to look Quinn in the eyes as he asked this. "Who is going to be commanding the Oddyssey that I am to be stationed on?"


Quinn stopped what he was doing, putting down the datapad completely and looked to Narciso, who forced himself to look. "You mean the Evita Magdylena? The commanding officer, will be Reaver."


Narciso almost fell over at the name. "How could you assign him to command?"


"Quinn shook his head. "I had no say in the matter. He demanded it! He even pressed the Starfleet council for it. He has extreme leeway with them. Heck he was almost made the Task Force commander! It was only the fact that T'oi has significant experience with the Task Force that he kept his position. Reaver shall act as his Vice-Commander."


"Admiral... Quinn... You know the situation that has emerged-"


"Yes, yes counselor. I know. And so does Reaver. to be frank I believe that was his reason to gain command. I thought you would be happy with this."


"I.. I am happy to be with him again. The last time we were together was shore leave on Risa... I just want him safe."


"Just as he wants you safe. Go on counselor. He is waiting for you on the Evita Magdylena...."

Centurion is "arrain"
My phone keeps trying to translate the words from Welsh. Makes sense considering Romulan is based off the Celtic language famly

No word for "centurions" in Romulan that we know of--but "legionnaires" is close: rei'karanha--maybe that plus a translation for Stonewall. (Romulan is going to be a bit unwieldy no matter how we slice it.)

Briefs are the core instruments in resolving legal disputes here in the United States and abroad. Lawyers present their arguments in briefs and judges issue rulings based almost entirely on the evidence presented in those briefs. This Supreme Court of the United States page contains all the filings in the cases pertaining to the California Proposition 8 and Defense of Marriage Act cases. Please read the briefs and listen to the oral arguments of the cases currently before SCOTUS. As the Wise Man said, "Willful ignorance is intolerable."

http://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/DOMPRP8.aspx

Added a bunch from 1-28 to 3-25.

Listen to the SCOUTS's oral argument regarding the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8 in the matter of Hollingsworth v. Perry by clicking on the link below; leave symbols to the symbol minded.

http://www.c-span.org/Events/Audio-of-Supreme-Court-Oral-Argument-Hollingsworth-v-Perry/10737439019-1/

The case regarding the constitutionality of DOMA will be heard tomorrow morning and C-Span will host the oral argument beginning a few hours later at 1 PM Eastern.

Quote by MrIzzy

Rainbows & Unicorns!
Izzy

Did somebody invoke my name?

Bibbity Bump!

Are yaw'll excited for the upcoming weekend festivities?!

More details to be announced very soon!

Rainbows & Unicorns!
Izzy

I've not seen "good" player/guild housing since Everquest 2. But, after seeing the trailer here, I have to say that I'm impressed!

C'mon guys spread the word, I want so badly to bring Stonewall to Nexus.

It's very focussed on the Elder game on having tons to do when you hit max, whether its 20m raids, 40m raids, solo content (actual regular content that progresses the story will come through the solo experience), you CAN LEVEL with PvP, there will be WarPlot which are essentially flying guild fortresses that you build up with weapons and defensives and take to the battlefield to test your might. This is probably going to have the most engaging and fleshed out player housing ever. At the moment they are instanced (you can set them to public or restricted to friends) but more interestingly it sounds like they are working on Neighborhoods where you can your friends/guildies can all have your flying island homes all in the same instance.

They are always listening to players and putting in their feedback, this game WILL support mods and the devs are so keen to get the modding community making stuff so that they can pick the best mods and include them in the standard UI.

OFMG SO EXCITED!!!!!

[attachment=1288]mirror_5.jpg[/attachment]

Part Five
The Borg cube that descended upon the Sally Ride from the mirror universe didn't attack immediately -- instead it began reaching out on communication frequencies, attempting to regain contact with the hive of its universe. This gave the Starfleet and mirror MACO forces precious seconds to concoct a defensive strategy.

The Galaxy-class Independence was the clear choice to take the brunt of the assault. The tactical officer aboard the Intrepid-class Krakow was known to have quite a stockpile of exotic weapons, so Captain Orenn ordered that ship to load up transphasic torpedoes. Tactical scans of the cube suggested that its adaptations were very different from those encountered in this universe, meaning that while it was a fearsome offensive machine, many historical Starfleet strategies would catch it flat-footed.

Even so, it was crucial for the Starfleet ships and their mirror rivals to work in concert. Despite suspicions on both sides, an impromptu battlefield alliance was formed.

Flying in formation, the mixed force used the Independence as a defensive break, then swept past it to pummel a single shield arc. The Krakow, still loading transphasic weapons, was limited to beam fire, but the Ride made up for it with a devastating wave of quantum torpedoes and a nest of mines to hinder the cube's maneuvering. The mirror MACO ships let loose with their own exotic weapon system, using disposable one-shot beam focusing arrays to overcome adaptive shielding.

The onslaught battered down the shield arc and caused the kind of hull damage only a Borg cube could possibly have shrugged off -- but that's exactly what it did. The counteroffensive was monumental, leaving plasma fires raging all over the Independence and Cerberus. Even the nimble Sally Ride took enough fire to completely overwhelm her deflectors and cause breaching on some decks. Just as it became clear that the task force would not survive another attack run, Krakow finally reported ready for a transphasic bombardment.

[attachment=1289]mirror_5_a.jpg[/attachment]

And what a bombardment it was. Just as unprepared as the cubes that faced USS Voyager decades ago, this one took the torpedoes directly in its deeply cratered side and broke entirely in half. The structural damage was finally great enough that what was left of the ship wouldn't pose a threat.

But surviving the mirror Borg was only half of the task facing the Sally Ride. There remained the matter of putting a stop to mirror MACO's incursions into this universe.

The mirror forces, lacking Starfleet's edge in counter-Borg technology and tactics, had come out of the fight much worse for wear. While combat would still be devastating for both sides, the Federation would be the clear victor, putting them in much better negotiating territory.

The Admiral Orenn who hailed after the battle still resented the attempted sabotage before the Borg arrived, but he couldn't help but be chastened by the Federation forces' performance in the battle. He took Orenn's explanation that the saboteur was a subordinate acting alone at face value, though he took a moment to criticize the Sally Ride crew's "lack of discipline."

After a great deal of haggling, a deal was sketched out. MACO would release all imprisoned Aetraxi to the Federation and cease all incursions into this universe. They also handed over this universe's version of Night, whom they had tardily brought to expose his mirror duplicate's treachery. In exchange, Starfleet would provide the technological means to drive back the Borg encroaching on the mirror universe, including ship-to-ship countermeasures and best practices for Borg drone liberation.

A particular sticking point was Captain Orenn's insistence that the mirror vessel Cerberus remain in this universe; the Admiral was just as adamant that it be returned to defend its home dimension. In the end, the matter was settled by simple intimidation -- MACO simply couldn't survive a battle in their current state. The Sally Ride captain did agree to provide Starfleet assistance with repairs to the Basilisk.

However, this brought on another debate, this time among the Starfleet personnel aboard the Ride. Counselor Narciso brought up the significant ethical dilemma of interfering so profoundly in the future of the mirror universe, even to avert a Borg invasion. Though MACO was hardly a pre-warp civilization, Starfleet would be handing them technology they didn't have in an effort to influence their development. Would such an action violate the spirit, if not the letter, of the Prime Directive?

After considering the argument, Orenn decided to go ahead with the deal in spite of the counselor's objections. He did suggest that Narciso raise these concerns farther up the chain of command.

Once the Sally Ride had received the transports from MACO and command of the Cerberus, the entire group made their way back to the Briar Patch for repairs, and after a shift break, the bridge crew made their way to the lounge for some R&R.

Quote by karmaFACTORY

Mine is easy to remember and spell fast. Just saying.
And I complete respect SaintPlazma idea.

You forgot easier to say :)

Mine is easy to remember and spell fast. Just saying.
And I complete respect SaintPlazma idea.

The main trailer and the housing trailer certainly made me sit up and take notice. It certainly seems like they're trying to bring some fun back to the genre.

I'll definitely be checking it out.

::knifes Reman in back:: There we...wait what? Oh shit we're allied now? My bad...

Quote by DoctorDisaster

I'm definitely playing a Reman first. I want my life narrated by Obisek.

Quote by DoctorDisaster

I'm definitely playing a Reman first. I want my life narrated by Obisek.

Nice!

I saw this while it is was in planning. (A friend of mine worked at NCSoft). This looks a thousand times better than before B)

It does however look like a crossbreed platform of Lineage II and World of Warcraft. I am interested but if I buy it and log in and it is anything like Aion I am going to have a fit. Good thing my STO accounts are lifetimes B)

Ah crap i want this now that trailer was awesome :D

If people can't tell I'm 100000% excited for this game!