A/N I own nothing and just write for the joy of it. I want to sincerely thank EroSlackerMicha, Alastairnyght, BelladonasMom, and orionastro for their reviews and input. I really do appreciate them and reflect on what they say. I also do not want to forget to thank all those that honor me by reading my story.

For those of you who may not have read the reviews, Alastairnyght pointed out to me that I have been wrong when discussing the Tellarites and their home planet. I am repeating my response to his review here.

Well, that's embarrassing as hell. From now on they will be Tellarites and their home world just Tellar. I did notice on Google that it was also called Tellar Prime. I am curious how I ever got The Teller but I guess that will just be a mystery. I do want to sincerely thank Alastairnyght for pointing this out to me. I hope it hasn't hurt anyone's enjoyment of the story.

Okay – on with the story

It was 2000 hours and Admiral Gardner was still at his desk. It had been early that morning when the War Council had notified the War Committee that the Romulan fleet was in sensor range. They reported that all still looked normal and that the Romulans were cloaked, which seemed to mean they still were not aware they could be detected. There was a two-hour delay in receiving messages so he was sure the Fleets were engaged in battle. He had stayed late in the faint hope he would hear something. In spite of their confidence they had the element of surprise, there was so much that could go wrong. He knew the next message he would receive could signal a great victory, a costly victory, or a crushing defeat.

Finally giving up, he left his office, but first notified the communication officer on duty that he was to contact him immediately, no matter the time.

He arrived home and found his wife had saved him supper. After eating, he sat with her, holding her hand. She knew something was bothering him, but had long ago learned not to ask. They went to bed at 2300. It was 0400 in the morning when his communicator beeped. Quickly grabbing it to try to not awaken his wife, he learned from the communications officer that an encrypted message had arrived for his eyes only. Now completely awake, he hung up and called his driver to pick him up.

Telling his wife to go back to sleep, he quickly got ready and within an hour was on his way to Starfleet Headquarters.

Upon arriving he was given a PADD containing the message and quickly took to it his office and used his personal coding machine, tied to his retina scan, to decode the message. Anxious to see it but almost afraid to look, he took a breath and began to read.

To the War Committee

From Admiral Jonathan Archer and the members of the War Council.

We have engaged the enemy and achieved total success. The Romulan Fleet has been destroyed. Two of our ships were slightly damaged and twenty crewmen have been injured, none with death-threatening injuries. We believe we have prevented any of the enemy ships from escaping but cannot be sure. We have sent the science ships back out with several ships of the fleet to look for any such ships although it is a slim chance we will locate any. In any case, it is our opinion that we have probably lost our element of surprise. Future battles are expected to be fought on a more equal basis. A full report will follow.

Admiral Gardner expelled the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. Suddenly a feeling of relief rolled over him. That was quickly followed by him having a huge smile. He knew this was just one battle and many more difficulties lie ahead, but he was going to enjoy this to the fullest.

Checking the time, he saw it was 0630. He contacted the communications officer and told him to send a message to the President that he wanted to meet with him as soon as possible. He knew it was early but he couldn't wait to share the good news with President Samuels.

He soon got a call back that the President would meet with him at 0900. Evidently, he wasn't the only one up early this morning.

After arranging for a shuttle to take him to Geneva, he decided he better go home and make himself more presentable.

Promptly at 0900, he entered the President's office. Fighting to keep a smile from his face, he greeted him and after he was seated, could wait no longer.

Reaching out to hand the President the PADD, he said, "I just received this from the War Council."

The President quickly took it and as he read it, Admiral Gardner had to smile as he saw his face change from concern to a big smile.

"This is fantastic, Matt. We have to get this to the rest of the War Committee as soon as possible."

Pushing some keys on his computer, he spoke to the officer on duty at the Communications Center. "Commander Watkins, I have a vital message that needs to be sent to the members of the War Committee at once. It will be encrypted at the highest level and will be sent to the committee for their eyes only. Admiral Gardner will deliver it to you himself."

After signing off, he turned to Gardner, "Before you leave, I would like to discuss something with you. I would like to give a speech to the public but not exactly sure what to say. Even though the War Council seems to feel we have lost our edge, I think we still need to treat it as top secret. How can I tell them about our complete victory without giving something away?"

"I understand, Mr. President. I agree that we should still err on the side of caution. I would just tell them it was a great victory and that information about damage and casualties for our Fleet need to be kept secret."

"Thanks, Matt, that sounds good. I'll get with the Networks immediately. Will set it up for two o'clock today. Why don't you add a message to the War Committee telling them of my intent to do so?" After a small hesitation, "You might want to share our concern on keeping the information about our detectors secret."

"All right, Sir, I'll get that done right away."

After Gardner left, the President looked at the pictures of his family on his desk. "Well, Nancy, I know it is just the beginning, but at least it is some payback for what they did. I just wish you were here to celebrate it with me."

It was midnight on Vulcan when the message arrived, but the Subcommander on duty did not hesitate to immediately contact Minister T'Pau.

When T'Pau was awake and had received the notice of the message, she told the Subcommander to contact Minister Kuvack and have him meet her at her office. She then got herself ready and traveled to the Council Building. Kuvack was there waiting for her. They entered her office and T'Pau used the same device that Admiral Gardner had used to decode the message. They had received the machines from the Andorian Intelligence Service. To be sure none were obtained by the enemy, they had taken all twelve of them for use by the Alliance. Four were on the flagships of the fleet, four were in the offices of the War Committee leaders and the last four were in a vault at Starfleet, guarded twenty-four hours a day.

After she read the message, T'Pau stated, "This is most satisfactory." She passed it to Kuvack, who shared her gratification. Reading the message attached by Admiral Gardner and realizing the president would be speaking in less than four Earth hours, she decided she would give her speech at two o'clock Vulcan time. They both agreed on the importance of doing their best to keep the detector information secret as long as they could.

This scenario was carried out similarly on the other two planets of the Alliance, Andoria receiving the message mid-morning and Tellar in the afternoon. But unlike the others, both Premier Gartl and General Thrang were not about to show any restraint about the totality of the victory and when they reported to their subjects, crowed about the minor casualties of the Alliance while relishing in telling them of the crushing of the Romulan Fleet. But they still did not mention the ability to detect Romulan ships.

When Natalie heard about the upcoming President's speech, she was of course very nervous about what information it could contain. She prevailed upon her Father to be with her.

Promptly at two o'clock, the President spoke on all social media.

I have asked for this time today to bring you up to date on the first serious action of the war since the attack on Earth. Yesterday, The Alliance Fleet joined in battle with a fleet of over two-hundred Romulan Ships. This would be the first great test of the war. To see if we could stand up against an invasion fleet. I am proud to report to you today, that our forces were victorious, driving back the attempt of our enemy to attack our home planets. Great damage was inflicted on their fleet and while you can understand for reasons of security, that I cannot reveal what damage our fleet received, I can assure you that we suffered no deaths. It was a great victory, with the enemy suffering a crushing loss. Now, it is good for us to relish this moment, to honor our brave soldiers, but we must not forget this is but one battle and difficult times still lie ahead.

Thank you for your time, and may a favorable providence continue to cover our path.

Of course there was great relief across all of Earth, and a renewed belief in the destiny of one Jonathan Archer.

Mary Robbins had acted on her resolve and had offered her services to Starfleet. She agreed to be a person that would meet with those who lost loved ones in the war. The news about the victory made her relieved and happy but also reminded her that this was all very real.

Penelope heard the news sitting next to David. She had finally responded to his repeated urgings and had set a date. But while she was relieved when she heard the good news about the battle, she reluctantly had to admit it also forced her to face the knowledge of who her true love was.

But at the home of one young girl and her mother, the relief and joy they felt that their heroes had been triumphant and were okay, was unfortunately deeply tempered by the fact that a few days before, with just over a month to her twelfth birthday, Mercy McBride had displayed the first symptoms of the final, fatal stage of Torrin Syndrome. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, Mercy had met the news with courage and poise, helping her Mother and Grandparents cope with what had happened.

Mercy did make two requests of her mother. First, she wanted to be sure that Archer and T'Pol were not informed. She said, "They have enough to worry about."

She then asked her mother if she thought it would be all right if when the time came, she could wear her Starfleet uniform. That it would be okay with everyone. Her mother, fighting to control her tears, said she was sure everyone would be proud to have her do so. To that, Mercy smiled and said, "Cool."

The Cornot was struggling. The repairs to its engine had apparently not been complete. The Chief Engineer had told the Captain that if they didn't slow down, the engines could explode causing a reactor breach. Reluctantly, they had slowed to Warp 6. Knowing the vital knowledge they carried with them, they were afraid of being detected. Fortunately, it was only a twelve-hour journey to a point where they could send a message to Romulus. They were only three hours away from that point when their long-range scanners picked up a small ship and three Alliance warships approaching at Warp 7. It was apparent they would be caught before they were able to send a message. They were cloaked but the Captain knew that was no longer any certainty of not being seen.

In the end, the decision was an easy one. They would be destroyed in any case. They needed to do all they could to get a message to Romulus; the entire future of the war could be at stake. No one in the crew was surprised when the Captain ordered them to proceed at maximum warp. Just before the ship was destroyed when its reactor exploded, they were able to get off a desperate message.

The crews and officers of the Fleet were celebrating, even as ships searched the scene of the battle for any debris that could give them clues to the Romulans, but evidently the Romulan self-destruction explosions created a searing heat that destroyed evidence quite convincingly.

During the celebrations, Admiral Archer was conspicuously absent, staying in his Ready Room. With the other members of the bridge curious about what was going on, T'Pol finally knocked on the door. Upon receiving an invitation to enter, she found Archer sitting behind his desk, apparently deep in thought. As she found a seat, he asked her, "What do you think is the number of crew members on a Romulan ship?"

Surprised, she answered, "From what we know, is comparable to our ships, anywhere from 80 to 100."

Archer went on, "Let's say eighty, that would mean a total fleet complement of over 16,000 men and women. How many wives, husbands, and children were left without a member of their family?"

He turned to look at her. "How many are going to die before this is over? How many of ours?"

He went on, "Why, T'Pol? Why are they doing this? Why us? We are a long way from where they operate. We are no threat to them. Why are they so interested?"

T'Pol had asked herself the same questions. She had no real answers. But she did wonder if it had something to do with what Daniels had said about the future. About a Federation of Planets. Were the Romulans acting in a way like the Xindi? Were they worried about the future? Ironically, the very actions they had taken to tear the species apart had brought them together.

She spoke up, "I have no answers for you, Admiral, but it is apparent they do not intend the Alliance to last."

Of course, the missing piece that would make it clear to them what drove the Romulans was their desire to return to Vulcan.

A myriad of emotions assailed Jane McBride as she watched her daughter, pride, anger, sympathy; but mostly sadness. Mercy was working on a letter to be sent to T'Pol 'later' as she referred to the time after her death. She was past due for the time for her pain killer and Jane could see her face grimacing from the pain; but she knew Mercy was intent on finishing.

Jane again railed against all the Gods, Forces, and Devils; that none of them would allow Jane to take on Mercy's burden even if they should increase the pain a hundredfold.

Suddenly, Mercy put down her pen. "I'm finished, Mommy."

Jane quickly grabbed the hypo and moved toward Mercy saying, "That's wonderful Mercy, do you want your shot now?"

Mercy nodded and Jane quickly pushed it against her neck. Thankfully, the drug worked almost immediately and the pain disappeared from Mercy's face. But each day it took higher and higher dosages to stop the pain. Mercy went on, "Remember, Mommy, you promised you wouldn't send this 'til later. "

"I remember, Mercy."

"Mommy, can you hold me?"

"Of course, Honey." Jane picked her up and carried her back to the couch where she sat down and held Mercy on her lap with her head resting against her mother's chest. Jane gently ran her fingers through Mercy's hair.

They stayed that way for some time. Then suddenly Mercy looked up and said very quietly, "I'm tired, Mommy, I am sooo tired."

Jane looked down at her, not caring that tears were running down her cheeks. "I know, Mercy, I know. Don't fight it, it's time for you to rest."

Mercy put her head back down. Then she just quietly said, "I love you, Mommy." She then mercifully fell asleep as her mother answered, "Oh God, Mercy, I love you so much."

Portor was glad to see that it was just over an hour before his shift ended. He disliked working during the night. It was mostly 7 hours of sitting around. There were so few messages at night that he wondered why they even bothered to have someone on duty. Then he had to admit that someone might need help or needed to urgently contact someone at the Palace. To his astonishment, the communication computer announced there was an incoming message. He was informed it was encrypted and had come from the warship Cornot.

Portor didn't realize it, but he was about to make the most important decision of his life. Normally, since the message was not noted 'For his eyes only,' he would decode it and based on what it said, either attempt to deliver it immediately or leave it to be delivered in the morning. But something about this message bothered him. He knew the Cornot was part of the invasion fleet, but of no special importance to the fleet. Also, one would expect such a message to be directed to someone. He finally decided to play it on the safe side and contact someone he knew it would be safe to entrust the message to, whatever it contained.

Solon was surprised to hear from the night communications officer, but when he heard where the message had come from, he decided he better check it out. Upon arriving at the room, he asked the man on duty if he had decoded it. When he said he hadn't, he told him to remain there and took the message to his office. When he decoded it, even his stoicism was severely tested. Quickly, he returned to the Communications Center. He knew he should kill the one who had received the message. Not only was he a possible witness, but he might have lied about not decoding the message. But then he reflected that the death would only cause more problems and questions so he decided to believe him. When he got there, he told Portor that he "No longer needed to concern himself with the message, that he would take care of it."

The implied threat was not lost on Portor and when his relief arrived, he left thinking he had narrowly escaped death.

Solon immediately contacted Vardon and told him he would meet him in his office immediately. He had been waiting in the Praetor's office for about a half hour when an obviously irritated Vandor entered.

"This had better be good. You are the only person that could get me to leave the arms of a beautiful woman just on your say so."

Solon handed him the PADD with the message, "This arrived some time ago from the Cornot. Fortunately, the man on duty chose to call me instead of decoding it."

Taking the PADD, Vardon said, "I assume the man is dead."

"I decided to believe him and thought his death might cause other problems."

Vandor looked surprised at him. "This Palace life must be making you soft."

Holding the PADD up, he said, "Will this make me want to kill you?"

"It may make you want to kill yourself."

Vandor raised an eyebrow and began to read.

All is lost. The fleet is being destroyed. From messages I received from the ships, the Alliance can detect cloaked vessels. I am sending this message even as my ship is being destroyed. Long live the Empire.

Vandor looked up and Solon saw something in his face and eyes he had never seen before, despair and perhaps a touch of fear. But then it was gone and replaced with pure rage as Vandor hurled the PADD across the room. It took him some time for him to recover, but then he finally said, "I guess I owe that first Tribune an apology, we know now he probably didn't get caught decloaked." He then hesitated before saying, "Should we have seen this coming?"

Solon had been thinking that same thing and had come to a conclusion. "No, even now it seems impossible that they should be able to see our ships. We would have never suspected it." After a moment, he continued, "It is amazing though that they have apparently been able to keep this secret."

Vandor interrupted, "What by the elements do we do now? When this gets out, everyone will want my head."

"That is true, this was a defeat beyond anything we have experienced before. But it is also true that many will realize how this could not be foreseen."

"You think that will matter? Who will want to follow a Praetor who had presided over this?"

Solon thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, I believe there are really only two men that you need to keep on your side, Venter and Ruddick."

Vandor sat up, hope on his face for the first time. "That's true, with them on our side, we should be able to forestall any threat. But there is also the question of the Senate. I have several enemies there."

"Yes, but those enemies have no armies and we have dealt with Senators before."

"You're right. We need to get with Riddick and Venter right away and hope you are right, that they will understand that this was not of my doing. That it was impossible to see in advance."

Although Venter and Ruddick were both stunned and appalled by what they were being told, they finally did agree that it was beyond Vandor's control. They agreed to continue to back him. Venter then pointed out that the Empire should follow the Alliance lead and keep the truth hidden as much as possible. The Empire had many enemies who would be interested that such a device existed.

With them in their camp, Solon and Vandor went before the Senate to report what had happened. But they also took steps to have Riddick bring his fleet back into the skies over the city and place several of Solon's followers outside the Senate as 'security'.

The Senators were shocked and angry. But those that wished to oppose Vandor and punish him for the disaster, were held back by the fleet overhead and a message from Venter stating his continuing support. They knew no fleet could be produced that would move against those combined forces. Many, noting Solon's men outside, remembered what had happened to those that opposed Vardon in the past. But someone did need to pay. Because it was his recommendation that Valdore be the commander of the fleet, Ketnor gave up his position as head of the Military Committee. But the real blame came to rest on Torok. Censured for his role in developing the battle plan and his responsibility for Military affairs, Torok was removed from his post and ordered to be arrested by the Senate. Torok took the honorable way out by impaling himself on a sword. The Senate also agreed that the information about the detectors should be kept from the public.

The Senate then reaffirmed its backing of the Praetor.

The full extent of the disaster was kept from those in the Core. Although admitting the fleet had failed to destroy the Alliance fleet, it was portrayed as an equal battle with heavy casualties on both sides. Since many of the dead soldiers came from outside the Core, the total loss of life was never assessed. The official line also stated that the surviving part of the fleet were remaining in the field.

Tribune Manok was named the new Minister for Military Affairs. One of his first recommendations was that instead of launching another large attack on the Alliance Fleet, they should work on ways to undermine them. He suggested going after their supply chain. Although he wanted to seek immediate revenge, Vandor agreed and they began to work on plans to accomplish that goal.

Although they were able to hide the truth within the Core, in other areas of the Empire, that had contact with traders and others from outside the Empire; the fact that the Empire had suffered a disastrous loss, raised hopes and gave courage to those who fought against Romulan control. When this victory was added to the legends of what had happened with the Xindi, a new hero arose. The name of Archer began to ring through many of the rebellions occurring in the Empire.

T'Pol was at her station when she received a message from the Admiral that he wanted her to join him in his Ready Room. She knew he had received a communique from the War Committee and assumed as was the usual case he wished to discuss some of the points with her before taking it to a meeting with the War Council.

When she entered the room and shut the door behind her, she was surprised that Jonathan was sitting on his desk by her chair looking very serious. Suddenly, she felt a sense of foreboding. As she took her seat and looked up at him, he said very sadly, "Included in the message from the Committee was a personal message for you and me from Admiral Gardner. After a moment of hesitation when he took a deep breath, he looked her in the eye and said, "There is no easy way to say this, he wanted us to know that Mercy has died."

T'Pol sat there, absorbing what she had heard. She had known logically of course, that this moment would come, but now that it had, she felt a deep sensation of having lost something, leaving a hole that she doubted would ever be filled. Summoning all her Vulcan control, she said quietly, "That of course was at some time to be expected."

Archer answered, "I know, but I guess I just wanted to believe that somehow she would avoid it."

He reached out and touched her shoulder. "All you all right?"

She leaned into his touch and said, "Yes, Jonathan, I am fine. It does of course deeply sadden me."

"Do you want to take some time off? Need to Meditate?"

T'Pol considered it, but realized she would rather be working and not have time to dwell on it. "Thank you, but I think I would rather stay at my post."

Giving her shoulder a squeeze, he removed his hand and said, "I understand." Then he said, "If you need to, I am available anytime for you."

She reached out and touched his arm, "I know. But I also know you felt as much for her. And I am also there for you."

Then, surprising herself, she formed her fingers in the position for a Vulcan kiss. Holding her hand out to Jonathan, she told him, form your fingers like this. When he did, looking inquisitively at her, she then touched her fingers to his saying, "This is a Vulcan way of showing affection, much like a kiss." She was surprised to find that it felt good and gave her comfort, she was not sure If that would be true with a human. She was gratified to see that it seemed to give him comfort as well.

When they reluctantly parted their fingers, Archer sighed and said, "I suppose I better inform the Bridge crew. I think I'll have Phlox and Trip come up since they spent time with Mercy."

When Trip and Phlox joined them on the bridge, he broke the news to all of them. All were of course saddened, and although deep down they knew this moment would come, they had all wanted to believe it would somehow be prevented. When Hoshi began to sob quietly, Travis went over to console her. When everyone had come to grips with what had happened, they spent some time talking about Mercy and especially her time on Enterprise. Archer made the same offer to them to take time off if they wanted, but all, like T'Pol, felt they would rather be involved in work. Archer also announced it to the crew as some of them had also interacted with Mercy.

Deciding that following their regular routine was best, Archer then did discuss some of the information from the War Committee with T'Pol and they attended a meeting of the War Council that afternoon. Archer and T'Pol had their usual supper and talked of other matters.

That night in her quarters, T'Pol entered into her usual meditation. But then she suddenly stopped and got to her feet. She walked over to her shelf and took the action figure from it. After looking at it for a few moments, she held it to her chest and for the second time in her life, cried unashamedly, the tears cascading down her face. After a time, she pulled herself together and gently returned the figure to the shelf. She then went to her bathroom wiped away the tears. She then returned to her meditation.

Lester Warren was in an excellent mood. All the hard work he had put in getting the Starship plants up and going were finally paying off. All of the twelve plants were on schedule to produce a new ship every six months. Added to the news about the Alliance victory, he was enjoying a rare moment of satisfaction. He knew it would be short-lived though. The War was far from over and many challenges lie ahead.

For President Samuels the victory had come at an auspicious time. The Election for the Presidency was only a month away. Although it had been doubtful he would lose his job in the middle of the war, especially with his personal tragedy, the victory all but assured his reelection.

When the mail came in the month after they learned about Mercy, T'Pol was shocked but pleased upon discovering she had letters from Mercy and her mother. She immediately took them unread to share them with Jonathan. When they looked at Jane's, she had a note they should read Mercy's first. They sat close together and read it.

Dear T'Pol,

Hi, T'Pol. When you receive this letter, I will be with my Daddy. I was afraid that I might not find him because I didn't really know him, but Mommy said he loved me very much and he would make sure I would be with him. This has been hard but I just think how strong you would be and I decided I will be like you. I get to wear my Starfleet uniform when it happens. Mommy told me it would be okay, but I was still worried. She contacted Starfleet and I got a letter from Admiral Gardner saying they would be proud to have me wear it. It was so cool! Please don't be sad. Thanks to you and Admiral Archer, I have had the greatest adventures. When you come home, I hope you can visit Mommy and Grandpa and Grandma. I hope that Vulcan has the same heaven because then I will someday see you again. I love you, T'Pol, just like you were my other Mommy. I better go now, I need to get my shot.

Sincerely,

Mercy McBride

Archer reached out and took her hand. She looked up gratefully at him and was surprised to see tears in his eyes. She squeezed his hand and he got control of himself. Then they started to read Jane's letter.

Dear Jonathan and T'Pol,

I am sorry that I didn't contact you when Mercy showed symptoms of the final stage, but Mercy asked me not to. She said, "You had enough to worry about." You guys would have been so proud of her. She was so strong she made me and her grandparents be strong too. I know she told you she is wearing her uniform. I was so surprised when Admiral Gardner took the time to answer. But then, he and his wife showed up at the funeral! He said he was there because he knew you two would be there if you could. I thanked him for the letter, but he said it was no problem, that he had been moved about how I told him how courageous Mercy had been. He said he wanted to let me know how proud I should be of her. Then he told me that a son of a dear friend of his had also died of Torrin Syndrome. He was only seven years old.

I miss Mercy every day, but it is easier because of how happy you made her and what you did for her. I know I am a broken record but I also know you will never be able to know how much it meant to us.

I pray every day for you to return safely.

Your Friend,

Jane McBride

T'Pol spoke up, "I never told you this. Do you remember when Mercy visited my quarters when she was on Enterprise?"

When Archer nodded, she went on, "She told me that no one with Torrin Syndrome had ever lived to be twelve years old. She said she might be the first. I told her I thought she would.

Archer smiled, "She made it."

T'Pol gave her smile, "Yes, she did."

Then suddenly, T'Pol realized she needed to be held. She rose and reached out. Archer took her in his arms. She put hers around him and laid her head on his chest. For a moment, she wondered if she was getting too emotional again, that she was not a Vulcan. But then she knew how wrong that was. Her love for Jonathan was worth losing a little control. She was where she wanted to be, where she needed to be, where she belonged. She looked up at him and he tenderly kissed her lips. Then she put her head back on his chest. They remained that way for some time before they reluctantly parted.

Jhamel heard the news about the battle when she was with the Aenar. She had been splitting time equally with them and her home in the capital. Lately, she had been thinking of the possibility of visiting Earth. She knew it would be difficult but had decided she would like to spend some time with Natalie and see her son. She knew that General Thrang was planning a trip to confer with Admiral Gardner and President Samuels. She would approach him when she returned to the city.

Margot heard the news with her son. He had worked to spend time with her because he knew how much she missed his father. He would have thought she would have become used to his father being away, but there had never been the uncertainty that came with this war. She had also confided in him that she just had a horrible feeling that she would not see Gral again. He tried to dissuade her but he was not able to.

A few months after the battle, everyone was excited as a new group of Earth ships arrived. Eight new ships arrived, bringing the entire total to seventeen and sixteen with the Fleet. Captain Hernandez now had a real start to commanding an Earth Fleet with more in the pipeline.

After he had welcomed them, Archer turned them over to Columbia. As the rest were moving off, Hoshi announced that they were being hailed by one of them. Surprised, Archer said, "Let's see what he wants."

"Admiral Archer, Captain John Stewart. I have a direct order from Admiral Gardner that you allow my ship to pass in review."

Caught off guard, Archer answered a little sharply, "What's this all about, Captain?"

Looking a little nonplussed, Stewart continued, "Admiral Gardner's orders, Sir." Then quietly, "I believe you will understand when you see my ship."

Archer, resignedly, "Very well, make your pass. Travis, put it on the viewscreen."

The ship passed in front of Enterprise, its name clearly showing, Mercy McBride.

Archer, with mixed feelings of surprise, joy, and a touch of sadness, felt his heart in his throat. He glanced over at T'Pol and although she was stoic, he could see she shared his feelings.

He then addressed Captain Stewart, "I understand, Captain. Thank you."

"Your welcome, Sir."

After a moment, Archer continued, "You realize you and your crew have a proud and courageous name to live up to."

"We know, Sir, and will do our best to do so."

"You better join the others now."

As the ship moved off, everyone on the bridge, with the exception of T'Pol discussed excitedly what they had seen. They marveled at what Admiral Gardner had done.

Then when everyone finished and the bridge was silent, T'Pol brought amazement and joy to the others when she simply said, "Cool."