A/N These characters still belong to Paramount.

A/N I want to thank EroSlackerMicha, schokolowski, donsamb, and LoErneBraska for your reviews. I do have to single out John Andersen, who has honored me by choosing my story for his first ever review. All you guys make my day and bring me joy.

Solon headed for Vandor's office. It had been three months since Vandor had surprised them about attacking Earth. When the fleet did not report back when expected, three ships had been redirected from their station about half way to Earth to determine what had happened.

While there was a communication network that enabled Romulus to be in contact with their ships to a point about half way to the Quadrant, there was currently not a direct route to them beyond that point.

It had taken the ships almost two months to travel to Earth and return to a point they could communicate with Romulus.

They had just reported back about the fate of the original fleet and the limited damage the Earth had received. They also brought news of the new alliance that had been formed. Romulus would not receive an official declaration of war for another couple months.

When the ships had been redirected, Solon had ordered that any communications received be delivered to him personally. He was now on his way to inform the Praetor. He was not looking forward to it. He did not dare entrust it to anyone else however.

Solon was aware that Vandor had the capability to become violent and knew he might be the one man that could forestall it.

Passing quickly through security, he entered the office. Before he could even sit down, Vandor growled, "Well, let me have it."

Solon paused and handed the Padd over. Vandor quickly read it then threw the Padd against the wall. Then he screamed, "What kind of commander lets a cloaked fleet be destroyed? Twenty of our best cruisers gone! And what did they accomplish? One city destroyed! Archer still alive and now they have formed an alliance against us!"

Solon let him rage for a moment, and then said calmly, "Let's place the blame where it belongs. It was your impetuousness and our acquiescence that brought this disaster on us. It was a fool's errand from the beginning."

Vandor stared at him and then went livid, pulled a knife, and started to move around the table.

The sword appeared as if by magic in Solon's hand as he stood calmly awaiting an attack.

The Praetor halted, and then getting control of himself, returned behind the desk, replacing the knife in its sheath.

He stared at Solon, "Any other man would be dead."

"I am not any other man."

Vandor slumped into his chair as Solon finally took a seat.

After a few minutes, Vandor looked up ruefully. "I messed up, huh."

Solon had always been amazed how Vandor's moods could change so quickly. It appeared he had recovered his senses.

"We did not oppose you."

Then Vandor gave the smile that had charmed many, "I guess the only thing to do now is win the war."

Solon gave what passed for his smile, "That would be the logical thing to do."

Vandor sat back, "We better get Torok up here and I'll have to make some kind of report to the Senate. I still think that we can end this fast. A fleet of two hundred cloaked ships should be able to destroy their combined fleet. Let's find out what type of intelligence we can put together on what they have."

Solon nodded, carefully refraining from saying that should have all been done before. Their arrogance had gotten them here, but it would all be forgiven if they prevailed.

It had been six months since the attack. There had not been any sign of Romulan activity. Archer and T'Pol had seen little of each other during the period. She and Trip had made a breakthrough on duplicating the detection device but it had occupied almost all their time.

Archer had been in space, working with the other planets to attempt to coordinate efforts between the fleets.

Natalie Tucker sat in her living room looking out the window that viewed the front yard. Now nearly seven months pregnant, she contemplated the coming birth. She had seen little of Trip in the months since the attack. Part of her was angry at him that he did not share in her pregnancy. But she believed what he had told her, that what he was doing with T'Pol was vital to the conduct of the coming war. He said it was absolutely top secret and even telling her that was dangerous.

She was grateful for the support of her father and her sister-in-law who had both stayed with her at various times, taking care of whatever she needed. Except her need for Trip.

But now, as the time for the birth neared, she was facing another question. Her father had accepted that Trip was needed at Starfleet but looked forward to having Trip join him when they were done.

Natalie instead was very torn. For herself, she wanted Trip to be safe, to stay on Earth, to be with her, to be there for the birth of his son, because she loved him. But she also knew that, even if he would not admit it to himself, he would never forgive himself if Enterprise went off to war without him. So, she needed to convince him to go, no matter how much she wanted him to stay, because she loved him.

Starfleet headquarters was a sea of activity. Starfleet Security, MACOS, and the Terran Army were everywhere. Overhead, ships from all four planets circled in orbit, with others patrolling the surrounding space.

On the fourth floor, Sergeant Wendell Harding and Ensign Patrick McDay stood guard outside a large meeting room. In that room, the leaders of the alliance would make the decisions on how to conduct the war.

Each of the soldiers were armed with Phase rifles, watching down the hallway that led to the room.

Harding looked around, then spoke up. "Well, they are all in there except for the President and Admiral Gardner."

Looking around again, McDay snickered, "Do you know if the Tellerites were both men or women or what? They all look alike to me."

"You better be careful with that kind of talk. If Admiral Gardner ever hears you said that, you will be working on a garbage scow. Did you see those Andorians? Those uniforms are something else."

"Yeah, especially the woman's, I have never seen so much blue skin. I think it's my new favorite color."

"Janice better not hear you say that."

"It's okay, her eyes are blue."

"Her eyes are brown."

Harding acted affronted, "How do you know what color my girlfriend's eyes are?'

McDay was about to answer when he suddenly straightened up.

Just then Admiral Gardner and President Samuels came around the corner.

The two guards became alert and watched them approach, surveying the area behind them.

Harding opened the door as they came up to them. Samuels said, "Good morning, Gentlemen."

Both nodded and returned to their posts as Gardner followed the President through the door. Gardner then stuck his head back out and said, "Stay alert out here."

Both answered, "Yes, Sir."

Samuels and Gardner moved forward to the large table located in the center of the room. Six individuals, two from each planet of the alliance sat at the table, with their aides seated in chairs behind them.

Samuels and Gardner sat at the table where their aides had laid out papers and PADDS.

Gardner looked at the individuals seated with them. He had met most of them. But in a way all this still seemed surreal. These aliens would be his counterpart, his allies, in a war.

General Thrang and the military commander of the Imperial Guard, Commander Tarran, represented Andoria. Gardner was proud of himself when he didn't look at the impressive assets of the Commander.

Minister Kuvack and the Minister of defense, Soroc, represented Vulcan. As expected, Minister T'Pau had no intention of leaving Vulcan.

Premier Gartl and Viscount Marl represented The Teller.

Samuels began, "Welcome to Earth. It is an honor to have you all here. Before we begin, I would like to clarify one point. I understand that this group has the complete authority of their planets to make the final decisions on what is discussed during these meetings. I especially want to have Minister Kuvack assure us he has the full backing of Minister T'Pau."

Minister Kuvack answered, "I assure you all that I speak for the Vulcan government and the Vulcan people."

"Very well, I believe we are ready to begin. You all have the agenda before you."

"It has been previously agreed that the war will be conducted by a War Committee consisting of the four leaders of each planet. Three of us are here now. The only change is that Minister Kuvack will be replaced by Minister T'Pau. I also want to remind you that all parties must be in agreement on each decision. Each one must be unanimous."

Now, the first item on the agenda is how we will refer to the alliance. I believe formalizing it will enable us to better communicate to our citizens when we discuss the war."

Everyone agreed and a discussion followed. They soon arrived at two choices separated by one word. Either 'The Alliance of Planets' or 'An Alliance of Planets'.

Admiral Gardner was surprised as he watched the President and the Tellerite premier go back and forth arguing which one they should adopt. But then he realized Samuels was doing it for the Tellerites, who were obviously enjoying the debate. He knew that the Tellerites often felt they were the extra wheel in the alliance, because of the deeper relations Earth had with both Vulcan and Andoria. He had to smile to himself as Samuels finally conceded and the alliance was officially called 'The Alliance of Planets'. In the future it quickly became known as just The Alliance.

With that behind them, they discussed if they should have any symbol that would designate the alliance and perhaps be part of the uniforms of the different planets. They finally decided they would have a patch created that could be put on the various uniforms.

They put off deciding who would design the patch, realizing that might be affected by later decisions.

The next order of business could have proven to be more difficult, but everyone quickly agreed that English should be the prominent language of the alliance. This was not done to honor Earth but just that they all knew it was by far the easiest to learn. They also decided, for the sake of conformity, they would change over to just Vulcan translator devices.

They then decided that because the patch might contain letters or words, and it was now agreed that would most likely be in English, the designing and manufacture of the patches fell to Earth, with the proviso that the final design would have to be approved by the War Committee. It would turn out to be a white letter A superimposed over four colored stripes, each representing one of the planets, Black for Andoria, Brown for The Teller, Red for Vulcan, and Blue for Earth.

All had gone surprising smoothly up to then, but as they broke for lunch, catered by Chef from Enterprise, they knew the more difficult issues laid ahead.

When they had all returned to the War Room, Samuels announced the next item. How the War would be paid for.

It was understood that the two wealthiest planets were Earth and Vulcan. Aside from the fact neither Andoria or The Teller were rich in resources, years of conflict had sapped both planets.

Samuels spoke first. "To begin this item, we need to agree on what costs will be paid or reimbursed by the alliance. I will start it by suggesting two items we identified during the morning meeting. That is, the patches for the uniforms and the translating devices."

Premier Gartl came next, "All expenses relating to maintenance of the fleet should be paid. Including repairs to ships damaged in battle.

Minister Kuvack said he agreed, "But it should be as of a given date, Vulcan does not intend to pay for past maintenance or damage."

Thrang suggested, "How about the day of the attack?"

Kuvack shook his head, "No, only a small part of the combined fleet was involved in that. I will agree to pay for damages incurred during the attack, as those to the Earth ships but no others. I suggest the same rule apply in the future, only for ships that directly engage in the war."

Samuels spoke next, "I agree with the Minister about not using the attack date. But, I also think that when a date is agreed on, any maintenances should be covered. All ships should then be considered part of the fleet."

The Premier said, "I am willing to stipulate to that."

Samuels turned to Kuvack, "Minister?'

Kuvack nodded. Samuels then looked at all four, "We are all in agreement then?"

Thrang spoke up, "How about the expense for building new ships during the war?"

Kuvack shook his head, "Vulcan will not pay for others to build up their fleets." But he added, "We do agree that once they are built, their future maintenance will be covered."

Samuels then spoke up, "I believe we should clarify one point. All these items are only for the length of the war with the proviso that any damage incurred during the war will be paid even after cessation of hostilities."

He then said, "Are we all in agreement then?"

Getting an Ok, he asked, "Next item?"

It was the Premier again, "All wages of crewmen and officers should be paid by the alliance. Also, all bills dealing with their health. Of course, all items such as fuel and other expenses in running a ship should be covered."

Thrang asked, "How about the pay of those who support the war, mechanics, etc.?"

Samuels said, "I think that would be impossible to identify. I would rather see them get paid for their time only when it is directly involved with the war."

Admiral Gardner spoke up, "I also believe all funeral arrangements, etc. should be covered."

Samuels nodded, then said, "Anything else along this path?"

Kuvack said, "I hate to bring this up, but what will the crewman and officers be paid? Will each planet set their wages or should we have uniformity across the fleet?"

Gratl answered, "I would believe it would be better to pay a uniform rate, but it would have to be what the highest rates are now. I wouldn't want to cut someone's pay, especially as they are now going to war. I wonder though, after the war, when some us us would have to lower their pay again."

After a brief silence, Samuels said, "I think it needs to be uniform at the highest rate. We will have to identify what rank in one fleet corresponds to in another fleet. As for after the war, I would think they would realize the higher pay was due to the war."

He then addressed them again, "Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?"

After no one said anything, Kuvack said, "Whatever we decide here, there will be many questions as to whether something should be paid or reimbursed. Who will make those decisions? And who will be responsible for disbursing the funds?"

Thrang answered, "I believe we should create an independent committee to handle it consisting of individuals from each planet appointed by the War Committee. We could call it the…War Finance Committee."

Samuels said, "I would agree to that. But I think they would need to be audited on a regular basis."

Gratl said, "How about if they submit a detailed report to the War Committee every six months? The War Committee could also have the right to do a surprise audit at any time."

Everyone agreed to that. Now they were back to the big question, where would the money come from and how much may be needed.

Samuels had known this was to me a major factor in the future of the alliance. With all that had been done, there was still a chance for the alliance to break apart. His main concern was the Tellerites. He knew they were already feeling that they were thought of as the weak link. The trouble, it was true to a point. Although they were currently much militarily stronger that Earth, they realized that the future potential laid with the humans. They were also leery of the others, knowing they would be in a bad position if Vulcan and Andoria were to unite against them. Samuels thus knew that if they pushed too hard on the money situation, they could alienate the Tellerites and perhaps even the Andorians.

With that in mind, he had contacted T'Pau and found she shared his concerns. Having taken the step of joining the alliance, T'Pau was determined for the endeavor to be a success. Between them and their legislative bodies, they had worked out a plan that would put the financial burden on them. They hoped it would show their interest in treating the Tellerites and Andorians with respect, not have it look like charity.

Samuels now spoke. "I and Minister T'Pau have prepared a proposition we believe is an equitable way to satisfy the monetary needs of the alliance. With your permission, I would like to present it at this time."

The others were surprised but agreed to listen.

"First, we would all contribute to a war chest. This money would then be used by what we have already decided would be a War Finance Committee. As was agreed upon, this committee would administer the funds under the watch of the War Committee. They would also instruct the committee if they required more funds. The fund would then be replenished according to the same formula under which it was originally established."

"Second, since I think we would all agree the Vulcan currency is the most respected and accepted by the galactic community, it should be the currency of the alliance. The contributions of the planets would reflect the current rate of exchange. For example, Earth would contribute two Earth credits for each Vulcan dollar."

"The basis for how much would be paid by each planet would be based inversely upon the number of ships the planet provides to the fleet. We will discuss the fleets more in the military meeting tomorrow but obviously Earth and Vulcan would contribute the most."

"We estimate that we should set up a war chest of 50 trillion Vulcan dollars. That is based on a war that would last three years."

As he finished, the Tellerite and Andorians were shocked, this was a better deal than they were expecting to get after having to fight for it. They became suspicious, looking for the catch.

Finally, Thrang asked, "Who will determine the rate of exchange?'

Kuvack answered, "Right now, one is set by the Rigelian Trade Commission who as you know, trades with all of us. But if you object to using that, I am sure we can find one we can all live with."

The Premier asked, "What happens if there are excess funds?"

Samuels answered, "They will be paid back to the planets based on the same ratio as they were originally contributed."

"Will this number change if the planet loses or adds ships?"

"No, no one will be punished further for losing ships."

Still suspicious, but not able to see any danger, Andoria and The Teller agreed.

Rising, Samuels said, "Thank you all. Nothing will be signed until after the Military situation has been discussed tomorrow. If anyone thinks of anything, we will discuss it then."

As the others began to rise, he added, "Don't forget we have a social event planned for tonight which we hope you can all attend. Shuttles will be outside the hotel at 2000 hours."

With Enterprise back on Earth, Hoshi and Travis spent all their time together, mainly in their apartment.

Archer and T'Pol also spent time together, sharing meals and taking Porthos for a walk along the beach. They talked about ship business and sometimes previous events on Enterprise, but mostly they just quietly enjoyed spending time with each other.

Mercy McBride finished her first letter to T'Pol. She wanted to be sad because of the war, but knew she had to be strong like T'Pol would be.

Natalie and Trip sat together on their couch, their bodies touching and their hands entwined. Trip and T'Pol had finished their work and Trip had spent his time with Natalie, wishing he could have been with her more for the entire pregnancy.

Natalie had finally worked up the courage to talk to Trip.

"Trip, we need to talk."

Trip looked up guardedly but managed a smile. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Natalie had to smile but then turned serious again. "Trip, I love you."

He interrupted by saying, "I love you too."

"Please, Trip, let me finish."

Looking worried now, he said, "Okay."

She squeezed his hands and said, "I love you, and I want more than anything for you to stay home and be with me. To be safe."

She hesitated and took a deep breath, "But we both know you will be miserable and never forgive yourself if you let Enterprise leave without you."

She looked into his eyes, "Because I do love you, you have to go."

Trip started to speak, as if he was going to object, but then he sighed, "You're right, Natalie, as much as I want to stay, I belong with them."

With both them tearing up, Natalie managed a small smile and said, "But you have to promise me, you'll finish them off fast and come back to me and Charlie."

Trip smiled and reached over and kissed her softly on the mouth. "I promise."

Natalie then said, "I know you could leave anytime, but don't worry, Dad and Elaine said they would be here when Charlie is born."

Trip straightened up, "No, no. I agree I need to be on Enterprise, but there is no way I will miss the birth of my son."

Natalie looked shocked, "But, what can you do if they order you out?"

He reached over and took her face in his hands, "Listen to me. I will be there when Charlie is born. If Starfleet wants me on Enterprise, they'll just have to figure out a way."

Natalie smiled, "Okay, I believe you." After a moment, she said, "We should talk to Jon as soon as possible."

Trip nodded, "I'll contact him tomorrow."

Then he looked leeringly at her, "But right now, I have something else in mind."

They fell into each other's arms.