Author's Note: The 365 Project is an experimental multi-fandom project to write and post at least one short every day for the next year, not including my semi-regular bi-weekly updates. For more details, see the relevent section in my profile. This is The 365 Project, 16 August.

In the immortal words of Samuel L. Clemens... "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR."

Disclaimer: Star Trek and all associated characters and situations are the property of CBS studios, Star Trek Online is the creation of Cryptic and Perfect World, all are used by myself for entertainment purposes without permission or intent to profit... and I just realised that, somehow, I had left out the disclaimers for the last two Elaborations... oops?

Character: Caitian Male Starfleet Engineer
Timeframe: After the mission "A New Link"

-o0O0o-

"An Exercise in Elaboration"
'Links In The Chain'
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'

-o0O0o-

"Captain Kurland commented that the 'New Link' might someday be our friends," Kolez observed as the ship set a course to Deep Space 9, "Wouldn't it be something if they ended up joining the Federation someday?"

"There is a certain precedent," T'Vrell pointed out, "Despite their lack of involvement in galactic affairs, the Xindi Coalition are members of the Federation. Had anyone asked during the Earth-Xindi Conflict about the possibility of United Earth and the Xindi being allies at some point in the future, they would likely have recieved the same reaction that would result from that question being asked today of the Federation and the Founders being allies."

"Yeah, but..." Flores remarked, "They're not really Founders, are they? Besides the Alpha Jem'Hadar, they don't exactly have anything to do with the Dominion and the Gamma Quadrant, and they don't want to for that matter, either. That makes them kind of like, I don't know, Republican Romulans compared to the Star Empire, doesn't it?"

"Well, even if they've claimed Orias III as their homeworld, we can't exactly call them 'Orians', can we?" Kolez quipped, "I think some groups would take offense to that; 'shapeshifters' seems to be used mostly for Undine these days and 'changlings' are Chameloids, Daledians and Kelvans, traditionally... so what do we call them?"

"For now, nothing," the Captain spoke up, "or 'the New Link' for the AAR. When they want to contact us again, they'll tell us what they want to be called, Kolez..."

"What do you think that will be, though?" the Saurian Tactical officer asked.

The Caitian in the center seat shrugged, "As long as we can also call them friends, does it matter?"