The Warlord crew stood in stunned silence as Commander Kirk shared the news Captain Velasquez gave him. It put a very somber mood on what was to be a celebratory occasion. Although the award ceremony was to begin in just a few minutes, he wanted them to know before anyone else did. Lydia did that for him, it was the least he could do for them. As he searched for the right words, inspiration came to him again.

"Now, everyone... you need to know that this was Captain Velasquez's decision. She could have returned to duty if she wanted. The physicians had cleared her. She had retired already, though. Although it's okay to be sad at her departure from our crew, we need to be happy for her. She's doing what's best for her. We will go on. Soon, we'll have a new captain, a new ship, and a new mission. Our greatest days are yet to come. So, get to your seats, everyone. Enjoy the award ceremony. Enjoy the party afterwards." He smiled. "Enjoy having Sunday to recover." The crowd of almost one hundred laughed. "And we're back to work as normal on Monday. Dismissed." Everyone but the bridge crew went to their reserved seats in the Great Hall, most now with smiles.

Doctor Rass, T'Nia, Elaine Davies, Tom Kelly, and Tony Moreau stayed with Stephen. They would be on stage with the Enterprise bridge crew to receive the commendations for their respective crews. T'Nia cocked her head as she approached. "I am impressed," she started. "The crew seemed truly inspired. Perhaps you should consider asking for the Captain's seat yourself."

"Bite your tongue," Kirk replied quickly. "I've had enough of that captain's seat to last awhile. Besides, the last thing I need is one more comparison to great-granddad."

T'Nia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"He was thirty-four when he was promoted to captain." Stephen fidgeted with his collar again.

"I see," T'Nia started. She noticed Stephen's collar clasp had come undone. "You need to stop fidgeting with your collar. You unhooked it." She walked over to him as he struggled to rehook the clasp.

"I hate these stupid formal uniforms. I feel like I'm wearing a dress." Without a mirror, it was proving overly difficult for him to fix the problem.

T'Nia attempted to hook it for him. "Here, let me help..."

Dismayed that he couldn't fix the problem himself, he attempted to move her hands away and finish the job. "I can do it myself. I'm not a baby, you know."

"You are missing the loop..." she commented, still trying to help and swatting away his hands.

"Well, if you'd stop getting in the way..." Kirk retorted.

The two continued fighting over who would fix the collar. Eventually, it was reattached, though no one could be certain who actually DID it.

"Told you I could get it." Kirk stated with finality.

"Hrmph." T'Nia replied, fixing her hair after the 'altercation'.

Tom leaned over to Tony. "Okay, tell me... are they in love or related?"

Tony looked over. "I have a tough time figuring that one out myself."

Elaine, having tried to remain distant from the rest of the group, couldn't help but smile. Since Tuesday, she had spent a great deal of time thinking. Regretfully, her 'friends' weren't too helpful when she told them about her problem. Their recommendation was to go out partying again and forget about it for awhile. When Elaine disagreed, they left without her. Up until that point, she had almost convinced herself to attempt a transfer. Her friends' unwillingness to stay with her in a time of trouble confused her even more. Now, having watched this group of friends interact, both on duty and off, she longed for more. That was before this incident. Now, she truly felt guilty for having spurned Tony the way she did.

All their discussions came to a halt as they saw another group of people enter from the far door to the room just behind the stage with them. It was the bridge crew of the Enterprise. Captain Picard entered first, quickly followed by the newly promoted Captain Riker, Deanna Troi, Commander Worf, Liuetenant Commander Geordi LeForge, and Doctor Beverly Crusher. He had gotten to know them quite well shortly after their battles with the Reman warships. Conspicuously absent was their science officer, Commander Data, who perished during the battle.

Kirk felt a conflicting set of feelings towards Captain Picard. His reputation, though slightly tarnished by some incident with the Son'a and Ba'ku, was still legendary. It was an honor to meet and talk with him. On the other hand, he had gotten to spend time with his great-grandfather, who had somehow been spared the 'official' death on the Enterprise B, only to die on Veridian IV just a couple of years ago. Kirk admitted to himself that he was actually jealous of Jean-Luc Picard.

Jean-Luc headed over immediately to the Warlord crew and extended his hand to Stephen. "Well met, Commander."

Stephen shook off his conflicting emotions and grasped Captain Picard's hand. "Hello again, Captain. How have you enjoyed your vacation?"

Picard looked momentarily distant. His mind went back to the week he spent in France visiting his sister-in-law. Regretfully, both his brother and his nephew died in a fire not too long ago... not long enough ago. "It was... bittersweet." Picard finally admitted. He smiled as his thoughts returned to the present. "How have you enjoyed your time off?"

"It's been quite restful," he replied with a smirk, "except for the hole in my living room ceiling."

The two crews mingled behind the stage and bantered about with small talk for quite some time, while the President of the Federation recanted the events around stardate 56844.9. In turn, they each congratulated William Riker on his recent promotion as well as his first command, the USS Titan. Apparently, both Deanna and Will would be stationed on the new, deep exploration vessel. Once the Enterprise had finished with its repairs, it, too, would resume deep space exploration as well.

The crews continued happily talking to one another, until the President's administrative assitant came back hurriedly. He was a small man with a receding hairline. Although he probably wasn't past his forties, the worries of keeping a UFP President organized had aged him far beyond his years. Still, he seemed rather upbeat as he approached the group. "Alright, everyone," he started as he clapped his hands. "It's time for your big moment. Now, let me tell you what's going to happen..."