A/N Well, what can I say. I couldn't believe how long it had been since I updated. The summer just flew by. Based on my past history, I will not make any promises but will hopefully never have such a long time between chapters again.

I want to thank LoErneBraska for the review. I also received PM's from ShanRQuinn and Mojo01. I really do appreciate your input.

The Andorian fleet was the first to arrive. Although Helena had agreed stay aboard the Vester, Thrang could not argue with her when she pointed out she should be with him and Shran aboard the flagship.

Within the next few hours all of the other fleets took their place. The over two hundred ships from the four planets was indeed an impressive sight. But with the pride came the realization of what they faced and that many of them would be casualties of what was coming.

President Samuels spoke first from the bridge of the Intrepid, his image showing on all ships of the fleet.

"It is impossible for me to put into words the emotions I feel as I view this armada. That planets that were once enemies have come together in a common cause. I know that the path ahead is not ordained, that we do not know what the future holds, but I cannot believe that the effort that has been put forth to enable us to reach where we are now will be in vain. For this fleet is a symbol of the resolve of the inhabitants of all four planets. With their support and their belief in our struggle, we cannot fail."

"We have come out here to show our support for this effort. To proudly sent you on your journey. It is good that we do this. But, in the end, it is your courage and fortitude that will determine the outcome."

"May whatever providence that guides our path, be with you on your journey."

"Know that the thoughts and hopes of the peoples of the Alliance go with you."

After a few moments, the scene changed to the bridge of the Andorian flagship where Shran stood with Thrang and Queen Helena.

The Queen began, "I am Queen Helena of Andoria. While I will not bore you with ancient history, I do want to say that I am the first Queen of Andoria to ever leave the planet. I did not make this decision lightly. But in the end, I knew I needed to be here, to show my support for the soldiers not just from Andoria but all those who are ready to set forth on this perilous undertaking. Although I claim no great prescience, I strongly believe that this is the beginning of an epic journey that will lead to a new beginning, a new renaissance."

Then Thrang spoke, "I am not an orator or a statesman, but a soldier. I know you will all do your duty and make your peoples proud."

"Long live the Imperial Guard, Long live the Queen, Victory to the Alliance!"

Then, in a moment that could have even been considered humorous if not for the gravity of the situation, the scene changed from that cheer to the bridge of the Charon, where T'Pau stood regally in her Vulcan robes, stoic and somber.

T'Pau had been struck by the fact that like her, the Queen of Andoria had ventured for the first time from the soil of her planet. She was reminded how there were common forms of reference among peoples that were so different. She had been a little stunned by Thrang's military chants but had recovered before the spotlight turned to her.

"Many of you know that I was against Vulcan joining the Alliance. But I have become convinced it is vital to the continued freedom of all the planets involved. I admit that I have long been an advocate against war, feeling that other solutions are possible. But I now strongly believe that the nature of our enemy precludes any action but our need for self-preservation. Now that the conflict is at hand, there can be only one result, victory for the Alliance. I strongly believe that we will prevail. I have been inspired by the strength and resolve of not only the people of Vulcan but of all the planets."

The scene then changed to the Tellerite ship and surprisingly it was Gral who spoke. "I have spent my life as both a soldier and a diplomat. I have fought many battles against the Andorians. I have long considered them my mortal enemies. In my first encounter with the humans and Admiral Archer, I distrusted them as well. But time and events have shown me that as different as we are, even with the walls we have built to keep us apart, we also have much in common. We all desire the same goals. To live in peace, to retain our freedom, to live our lives as we see fit."

"These men, who I once detested and distrusted are now my friends. I would and am entrusting them with my life. If an old cantankerous solider like me can change so much, I have no doubt anyone can. I was struck by what the Queen said. Like her, I believe this is not just a means to an end, to win a war, but the beginning of something greater."

The scene then shifted to the Bridge of Enterprise, where Archer stood next to T'Pol. Archer shook his head and smiled ruefully. "I am expected to follow that? I am sure I speak for all of us in the fleet when I find it impossible to express my awe and admiration of what I have heard. I also know that every man and woman who serves on this fleet are determined to do what it takes to achieve our goal. We all know what is at stake. It saddens me to know that many of us will not return. But I know that no leader has ever been so blessed with such a dedicated and resolute group of soldiers. With your backing and our belief in the rightness of our cause, we will prevail. To you with us here and to all the peoples of the Alliance we pledge our lives and honor."

With that the scene changed to an overall view of the fleet. Queen Helena and Thrang talked briefly with Shran and then returned to the Vester.

T'Pau and Minister Kuvack spent some time with Captain Sopek and Soval, before they returned to the Sarata.

After some last discussions between the War Committee and the War Council, Archer gave the order for the fleet to go to Warp. Suddenly there were flashes of light and the fleet was gone.

The remaining four ships then also went to warp heading for their home planets.

Although the Vester was equipped with one of the detectors and nothing was showing on any sensors, Thrang did not relax until the ship reached Andoria and the Queen was safely back on Andorian soil.

A few days later on Earth, after the Intrepid had returned, Trip came out of the bedroom ready to head out to monitor the progress of the two new Earth ships. He stopped and was overwhelmed with emotion when he saw Natalie breast feeding Charlie. It was such a beautiful sight. God, he loved them both so much.

Natalie looked up and smiled. He walked over and gave her a tender kiss on the mouth. Natalie then said, "Turn on the TV, they are going to show the shots of the fleet leaving this morning."

Trip looked at his watch, then shrugged and decided they would wait for him. He walked over and turned it on.

They sat quietly and watched through the speeches, but none of them had the same impact as they felt when they saw the fleet go to warp. Suddenly, it was very real. The fleet was gone, who knew under what circumstances would it return. How many deaths would there be before it was over. It also made them realize that Trip would soon be joining them. As Natalie finished with Charlie, she put him down and they just held each other, until Trip left for work.

Mercy and Jane McBride had also watched. Mercy had written letters to T'Pol but they had been told they would not be delivered until the fleet was deployed. They both just sat there quietly for some time after the show was done, then returned to what they had been doing.

Trip's shuttle docked with one of the two new ships that were advancing faster than expected, they would be ready for testing in just a few days. Entering the Admiral Forrest, he was met by Captain Howard Stenson. "Welcome aboard, Trip."

"Thanks, Captain, is Commander Baxter on board?"

"Yeah, she's down in Engineering. She tells me we're close to being able to start testing."

As Trip headed toward Engineering, "I was thinking probably by the end of the week."

Trip entered Engineering and was met by the ship's Chief Engineer, commander Rebecca Baxter. If anyone personified Tomboy, it was her. Her hair was cut short and Trip had never seen her in anything but jeans or her uniform. She was thin and plain looking, but in what really mattered, she knew her stuff and Trip enjoyed working with her.

"Hey, Rebecca, how's it looking this morning?"

Rebecca smirked, "Well, Commander, glad to see you, had a little trouble getting out of bed this morning?"

"If you must know, I watched the fleet launch."

Rebecca sobered up. "Yeah, I watched it with most of the crew. They had it set up in the mess hall."

She looked at him, "Sure made it real. Hard to believe we'll be joining them soon."

Trip nodded and then asked, "Have you located the problem with the manifolds yet?"

"No, but I think I've isolated where it's at. Here, let me show you."

Soon they were busy at work.

Thirty-eight days after leaving Earth, the Alliance Fleet arrived at its planned destination. They arranged themselves with the Tellerites to the right, the Andorians and Humans in the middle and the Vulcans to the left. The four flagships were placed to the rear.

One of the first orders of business was to call a meeting of the War Council. They met in the conference room of the Charon.

Archer sat at the head of the Table with T'Pol to his left. Soval, and Captain Sopek were to her left. Shran sat at the other end of the table with Brahn, Gral, and Frag across from the Vulcans.

Archer was the first to speak. We have several things we need to cover but I want to establish something right away. Before I do, however, are the translators working?"

Gral spoke up, "I think that everyone present is sufficiently fluent in English. Isn't that correct? With everyone agreeing, it made everything easier.

Archer continued, "That should facilitate matters. Now, what I wanted to cover is that in this room during these meetings, we are all basically equal. I want a complete and honest discussion. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings or anyone holding back information or questions because they are afraid of any repercussions. Also, there is no chain of command for the top four members of this council except me. Gral, Shran, and Soval are to be considered of equal rank. But all of them report to me. Outside this room, I am in command and my orders are to be obeyed. Does anyone have a problem with any of this?"

It seemed like both Gral and Shran wanted to say something but remained silent.

Archer went on, "I wanted some help on how we should handle the Earth Fleet. With only two current ships and even with the plans to rapidly expand that, it will some time before we have a significant number of ships. I was hoping to put Captain Hernandez in charge of the fleet but that seems pointless until and when the fleet grows. Does anyone have any suggestions on how we could handle it?"

Gral spoke up, "The most obvious solution would be to roll them into one of the other fleets, perhaps the Vulcans?"

Before Archer could comment, Shran interjected, "I think we should try to have them retain their identity. They are a part of the Alliance. I would be willing to have say thirty Andorian ships added to the two Earth ships and put them under Captain Hernandez's command."

It was difficult for Archer to hide his surprise and he noticed many of the others were not making any attempt to do so. He asked Shran, "Your Captains would have no problem taking orders from an Earth Commander?"

Shran smirked, "Isn't that what we are all doing already?" Then he went on more seriously. "We all know the Earth presence will grow. I think we should already have a fleet for them to join. I do not think it would be best to keep adding them to another fleet."

Soval broke in, "That does seem logical. I have no objection to adopting General Shran's suggestion."

Archer said, "It certainly is more than acceptable to me. Gral?"

"If Shran has no problem with it, I certainly do not."

Archer continued, "That's all I have for now, anyone else have anything?"

When no one volunteered anything, the meeting was adjourned and everyone returned to their duties. For now, there seemed to be nothing to do but wait.

The work on the two starships went even faster than Rebecca and Trip had forecast and soon they were declared fit for service. All crew members were given a week off to put things in order and say goodbye.

Trip and Natalie spent all the time together with visits from Lester, Trip's parents and Dave and Ellen. Finally, it was the night before and Trip and Natalie made love and then sat up and talked. Trip had never dreaded anything more than him leaving the next day. But nothing had changed, he and Natalie both knew he had to go. They said their goodbyes at home with Natalie assuring him she would be all right. That she had the support of both hers and his families.

Twelve hours later, Natalie cried softly into her father's arms as the news showed the Geneva and the Admiral Forrest leaving to join the fleet.

Solon looked around the Palace Conference Room. It was felt to be the one place on Romulus that would have fit in perfectly on Vulcan. While the rest of the Palace had been renovated many times, this room was basically still the same as the day the Palace was built. Oh, new technology had been made available but did not affect the overall look.

He looked around at the others at the table. Torok was to his right, with Kernot the head of the Senate Committee on Military affairs next to him. Sitting across from Solon was Senator Notal, the head of the Senate with his chief assistant next to him. They were all waiting for Vandor to arrive.

Just then Vandor entered and took his place at the head of the table. As well and as long as Solon had known him he was still taken about how Vandor was able to immediately dominate a room.

Vandor smiled and started, "Good morning, Gentlemen. Glad to see you are all here. We have a lot to cover."

"Two days ago I received messages from the four ships that have been monitoring the planets of the Alliance. They informed me that the Alliance Fleet has been formed and has been deployed. From all we know, they have committed almost all of their resources to this fleet as far as Warp 5 or faster ships.

He hit a button and information was displayed on the screen behind him. "This is the breakdown of the fleet. As you can see, it is made up primarily of Andorian and Tellerite ships, with just forty-eight Vulcan ships. Earth is represented by only three ships including Enterprise."

"From my and others presentations to the Senate, explaining my reasons for launching the attack on Earth, you know my belief that the creation of this Alliance is due to a large part because of the actions of four men and one woman."

"It should therefore not become a surprise that they are an integral part of this fleet. Newly promoted General Shran is the leader of the Andorian Fleet, Viscount Gral the Tellerite Fleet and Ambassador Soval the Vulcan Fleet. For those who have absorbed what I have been trying to convey, you would expect that Archer and T'Pol would have a large role. Well, newly promoted Admiral Archer is the Supreme Commander of the Fleet and the newly promoted Captain T'Pol is in her normal position, at his side."

Notal spoke up, "I still do not understand why they would choose Archer to lead when Earth has only provided three ships."

Vandor shook his head, "You apparently have not absorbed what I have been trying to tell you, Archer is the rock upon which the Alliance is built. It is not a coincidence that in the years since Enterprise was launched, the situation in the Quadrant has changed dramatically. Fate, or whatever name you wish to ascribe to it, has so far chosen him to be the catalyst."

"But now, his luck has run out. We will see to that. His fleet is fatally flawed with the weakness of the Tellerites. I also believe that as they suffer losses, the Alliance will break apart. Each will blame the other. You do not undo decades, even centuries of animosity in such a short time. As the Vulcans and Andorians come to realize they are fighting this war alone, they will work to save themselves."

"But we must strike swiftly. Our reports show that the Earth is making a huge effort to create a Fleet of much improved ships. Enterprise has already been upgraded."

Torok broke in, "Where is this Fleet? Do we know what their plans are?"

Vandor answered, "It is located about half way between Earth and Romulus. I believe they plan to battle us by giving ground grudgingly, to have room to attempt to nip at our attacking vessels."

Notal contributed, "Would it not be better to just go around them and attack the home planets, bringing them to us?"

Vandor nodded, "That is certainly a possibility and is why I have called you all here today, to determine our best course of action and to decide who should lead our fleet."

Solon interjected, "What about the size of the fleet, should it be larger?"

Vardon answered, "Perhaps, but with the current situation in the Empire, I feel this should be more than enough. As I have said, with the Tellerites, they are much weaker than the two hundred ships suggest. Then of course, with our advantage of cloaking, our fleet numbers are enhanced."

Kernot spoke back up, "Although I see some merit in what my colleague has said, in the end victory will come when we destroy their fleet. There is also the point that attacking the home worlds could serve to strengthen their resolve."

Vandor nodded and said, "There is also the fact that the planets each do have defenses which could weaken our fleet before we met theirs."

Torok summed it up, "So with what both of you have just said, plus the need to act swiftly, I would propose we deploy a fleet of two hundred ships as soon as possible and engage their fleet."

Vandor continued, "Do we agree on this, does anyone still have any objections or another idea?"

When no one spoke, he went on, "Very well. Now who should command it?"

Solon spoke first, "With all that is on the line, should we not use our best? I would suggest Venter."

Vandor answered, "What you say is correct, but I hesitate to remove him from his current situation and risk having the Western District explode again. What do the rest of you think?"

Torok went next, "While I understand Solon's position, I must agree with the Praetor, it is just too risky with the current status of the Empire."

Ketnor then said, "What about Admiral Valdore?"

Everyone looked quizzically at him. Finally, Torok spoke, "It has been some time since he commanded a fleet and is currently in exile for his actions with the drones."

Vandor ran his fingers through his hair and said, "That is true, but he was an excellent commander before he was 'promoted' to work on projects. There is also the fact that he has a personal interest in destroying Enterprise and Archer. Although I had not thought of him, I like the choice. Another point in his favor is that we will not be pulling someone from a vital job. Does anyone have any objections or other suggestions?"

Although each of the others seemed on the edge of saying something, no one objected.

As the Romulans finished up their plans and began to make preparations for the attack, Commander Charles Tucker III, aboard the Admiral Forrest, accompanied by the Geneva, reported to the fleet for duty.