(Half a year after the previous chapter)

It had been a hellacious week (in terms of Earth time), and I had the Borg to thank for it. A strange, altered strain of Borg that were more susceptible to weapons and had a different objective than usual had attacked a small Federation fleet nearby and the Firestorm-B had been ordered to help out. That was only the beginning.

Due to the nature of the engagement, Colin was forced to remain in my quarters at all times. Naturally Colin was upset, and started whining about being banned from the bridge. This wore on my already thinning patience, making the battle just that much worse. Needless to say we still won, at which point I immediately brought Colin to the bridge again. Not only did it make him happy, but I'd kind of missed having him in my lap.

After ensuring that the last of the Borg had been defeated and that the fleet no longer needed assistance, we headed out of the quadrant. We had been ordered to assist in a mission taking place in a nearby sector, acting as part of a task force, so I figured it was best we head that way now that we could actually do so.

"Lig, set a course for-," I started.

"Incoming hail from Earth Spacedock!" AJ cut in.

"Onscreen," I responded. Admiral Quinn's face appeared on the main viewscreen, the Trill not fazed at all by my attire.

"Captain Keith, I'd be much obliged if you'd transfer our little conversation to your ready room," he remarked.

"Right away sir," I responded. AJ forwarded the transmission from the bridge to the terminal in my ready room, meanwhile I left Colin with her and entered the room alone.

"What's this about sir?" I asked as I sat down.

"You, Captain. Several other Captains have organized what they call 'Discovery Fleet' after Earth's iconic space shuttle. The fleet needs someone to oversee it, however, and the captains that formed it requested that you be that officer," Admiral Quinn answered.

"M-Me? Why?" I sputtered, shocked.

"Apparently you're well known amongst the members of the fleet. Their reasoning aside, I've gone over your service record and I must say it is exemplary. I see no reason to deny the other captains' request, therefore, it is my honor to promote you to Vice Admiral and place you in charge of Discovery Fleet," Quinn explained.

"W-Wait, what about the Firestorm-B, and my family?" I asked worriedly.

"Calm down, Admiral, there is no need to worry. The Firestorm-B shall be upgraded to an Odyssey class ship, and become Discovery Fleet's flagship. Your wife, Commander Keith, shall be promoted shortly and take command of the vessel. Despite not being its Captain, you can remain onboard the Firestorm and command the fleet from there," Quinn answered. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright then, thank you sir," I responded. With that, the transmission ended. Standing up, I walked back to my chair in the bridge and sat down for likely the final time.

"Commander Lig, transwarp to Earth Spacedock," I ordered.

"But sir, our mission!" Commander Thryiss interjected.

"Plans have changed, Commander," I responded. Without further ado, the transwarp sequence was activated and we soon found ourselves back in the Sol System. I then promptly dismissed the crew to Earth Spacedock for a week's vacation. In the meantime, I headed for Admiral Quinn's office to sort everything out.

(1 week later)

The Firestorm's crew was shocked when they returned to the shipyard after their vacation, only to be beamed onboard an Odyssey class vessel dubbed the Firestorm-C. In the ship's bridge, the officers were shocked again at the sight of AJ sitting in what had formerly been my chair. I laughed inwardly as I hid in the ready room; just the sounds of their reactions were priceless.

"Where's Austin?" Lig asked worriedly.

"He's just fine, Commander. In fact, he has a surprise for you and the rest of the crew," AJ responded. Grinning widely, I stepped out of the ready room and into the bridge. The officers were shocked to say the least. Not only was the Vice Admiral rank insignia on my chest, but I also wore a brand new, custom-tailored uniform.

The main part of the outfit was a golden yellow onesie made of cotton material. It was soft to the touch, and very warm. Over the onesie I wore my custom-made Vice Admiral's coat, which fell just below my crotch as compared to the usual low-thigh level. The coat was mainly a dark gray color, matching the uniforms of the other crew members. The shoulder area was white, unlike my previous uniform, and there were blue areas on the neck, shoulders and the outside of my wrists. On top of it all, the entire coat was bordered by blue trim.

As the crew took in my new appearance, I realized I probably looked like a little kid in a Halloween costume. The bridge officers, who were used to my attire, found me rather cute though. I wound up taking another picture with Colin and Lig, but I didn't mind in the least bit. Once everything died down, I sat down next to AJ in front of the main viewscreen. Colin immediately climbed into my lap, wrapping his arms around me. I smiled and looked over at Lig as he sat down in the First Officer's chair. Things would certainly be different from now on.

"Captain, incoming transmission!" Thryiss remarked.

"What is it Commander?" AJ asked. I couldn't help but smile; she was a natural leader.

"Apparently a fleet-wide meeting has been scheduled in our conference room… five minutes from now!" Thryiss responded.

"I guess it's time to meet our mysterious comrades! I'll see you in the conference room, Captain," I remarked, standing up, "Commander Lig, can you take care of Colin for me?"

"Of course, sir!" he responded, accepting my padded son. Colin held on to Lig happily, having no problem staying with his diaper-wearing godfather. Smiling at the sight, I turned and headed to the nearest turbolift. Eventually I arrived in the ship's conference room, and took a seat at the head of the table. AJ arrived shortly thereafter; having made sure the bridge was being run smoothly without her.

We didn't have to wait long for our comrades to show up; the first arrived only a few minutes later. I was surprised to find myself greeting an old friend from Starfleet Academy, Captain Wolfgang of the U.S.S. Guardian. We shook hands, and then had a laugh over a joke he made about my uniform. Just as Captain Wolfgang took his seat, two more of my friends from the academy walked in. I happily greeted Captain Prower and Captain Seville, from the Tornado and Endeavour respectively.

Eventually we were also joined by a couple of my other acquaintances, Captain Wolfe of the Sovereign-class U.S.S. Valiant, and my friend Captain Kirk Stewart. We often joked about the latter in comparison to Captain Kirk of the original Enterprise. With six Captains- AJ included- sitting at the table, I assumed the entire fleet had arrived. However, before I could head back to my seat, the doors slid open one more time.

"D-Dad?" I sputtered in shock. My father, Captain Tyler Keith of the U.S.S. McCoy, smiled back at me. My mind told me to act orderly in front of my fellow officers, but my body wouldn't listen. I hugged dad tightly, not having seen him in quite some time.

"Nice to see you too, son. You look good in that uniform," he remarked, smiling and ruffling my hair.

"Thanks dad," I responded. After a short while, I managed to pry myself away from my father. Sitting down across from him at the head of the table, I called the meeting into session. Originally I'd been scared to run a whole fleet, but now I knew that I'd have my friends helping me. I smiled as the meeting began; this was going to be fun.