A/N Still not my property. I want to sincerely thank Mojo01 for the review. I wonder sometimes if I use too many OC's. But I have had this story in my head for a long time and I would feel remiss if I didn't give my characters their moments.

When Archer awoke, he wondered for a moment where he was. Then he felt something very soft pushing against his arm. It all came back to him as he saw T'Pol lying next to him. During the night she had moved and her breasts rested on his forearm. Suddenly, unlike the night before, it was no longer just being there for each other. His body was sending a different message.

He slowly moved his arm, hoping to not embarrass himself or T'Pol. But she chose that moment to awake. He saw her look down and was surprised to see her Vulcan smile. He was now very aware of what she was wearing and knew he needed to move away or it would be very difficult to avoid actions they had agreed to refrain from.

He got to his feet and then realized his body was not conforming to his good intentions. He quickly turned his back and found his sweatshirt.

T'Pol found his actions quite interesting. She had of course studied human anatomy and recognized his situation. She asked innocently, "Is there something wrong, Jonathan?"

Archer stared at her, once more she surprised him. He decided to see how far she would carry this. "Are you offering to help, T'Pol?" He was rewarded with a very unvulcanlike blush.

Deciding this was getting dangerous, he moved to leave, but she rose and walked toward him, then embraced him and passionately kissed him. He returned the kiss and his hand instinctively rose to cup her breast. She moaned into his mouth.

But just when they were approaching a point that would be difficult to pull back from, the room communicator interrupted, Hoshi's voice intoned, "Bridge to Captain T'Pol."

It served to break the mood and T'Pol reluctantly pulled away. "T'Pol here."

"Captain, do you know where the Admiral is? I have an urgent message from Admiral Gardner. He insisted I get it to the Admiral at once."

T'Pol looked inquisitively at Archer, who just shrugged and spoke up, "I am right here, Hoshi, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

A slight hesitation, then "Yes, Sir."

Archer looked down at her, "That was close. It appears we may not be ready to be alone." Then he smiled, "But I have to admit I kind of wish Hoshi would have left us alone."

"I feel the same."

Archer gave her a quick kiss and left.

Archer sat in his ready room, waiting for Hoshi to finish up the connection to Earth. He wondered what had made the Admiral decide to utilize this form of communication. With a delay of over thirty minutes, it made for a rather tortured conversation. He had learned you needed to say as much as you could each time and avoid trying to treat it as a normal back and forth.

Hoshi's voice broke in, "We're ready, Admiral."

"Ok, Hoshi, send it through."

Admiral Gardner's countenance appeared on the screen. To avoid having to watch him speaking off and on with possible gaps, each speech was captured and sent all together. They would do the same for Archer's reply.

"Good morning, Jon. I know it is unusual for us to communicate in this way but I wanted to make you aware of this as soon as possible and get your response."

"For some time, the President has been considering a mission. The idea for it came from intelligence we received about a small planet located between the Fleet and Romulus. Apparently, it contains a huge Dilithium mine, a primary source of power for the Romulans."

"In some ways, the Romulans appear to treat it as we did the Depot. That is, that it is largely impervious to attack. When they terraformed the planet, they also treated the atmosphere so sensors cannot penetrate it. Also, the mine itself is so deep inside the planet that it could not be destroyed from the air even if you could pinpoint its location. The intelligence did provide a way that you can create a corridor to enable you to teleport someone to the surface."

"Because of these defenses, the Romulans keep only one ship in orbit. However, there is an armed Reman force on the planet itself. It is estimated at approximately two thousand soldiers."

"I know for some time that President Samuels has wanted to somehow take the offensive, to attack rather that just defend. To that purpose, he had a freighter converted to a troop ship and equipped to travel at warp seven."

"He has decided to send the troop ship and two starships to the planet and destroy the mine. Demolition experts will plant explosives deep in the mine and hopefully make it inaccessible for a long period of time."

"He plans to man the troop ship with 2500 soldiers of the Terran Army. They will be teleported down to engage the Remans and plant the explosives. As far as the starships, twelve new ships are ready to leave to join the Fleet. Two of them will be utilized for the attack."

"I want to make something clear. I have been against this attack from the beginning. I consider it far too dangerous. With the losses we have suffered in the last battle, I do not want to deprive the Fleet of even two ships for any amount of time. There are just too many unknowns. I have made my opinion known to the President but he is adamant about this. I even had the War Committee try to change his mind. But he is not to be denied."

"The ships are set to leave in the next week. They will rendezvous with the Fleet and then continue on to their mission. Whatever happens, you are not to attempt a rescue. We cannot afford to lose more ships."

Archer was stunned. What was Samuels thinking? The whole thing seemed very Quixotic. Gardner was right, even two ships could make a difference. He could assume that the Romulans would want to take advantage of his current situation.

He prepared his return message. "I agree with you Admiral; it seems highly speculative to me. I assume that there are no steps I can take to prevent it. If you think it will have any effect on the President, you can convey my concerns as well. Thanks for the heads up."

Gertrud Schneider was deeply torn. On the one hand, she was getting the opportunity she had always wanted, to lead her soldiers into battle. It was just that she never envisioned it being on a planet millions of miles from Earth against a largely unknown enemy.

She reflected back on the path that had led her to this.

Gertrud Schneider was the only child of a German military family. For hundreds of years, her family had served in the German military. As an only child, it was her future as well.

Nature had played a cruel joke on her. Something in her anatomy made her in the general shape of a barrel with no feminine figure at all. Her breasts were no more than a man's. With her looks, she had often been ridiculed. She had two sexual experiences in her youth, one with a man and one with a woman, both had ended badly for all involved.

She had taken her frustration and sublimated it into military service. She was the outstanding student at the Military School she had been sent to. When she reached the age of eighteen, she was ready to begin her military career. But fate was not done with her. It was that very year that the Vulcans accomplished perhaps their greatest feat for Earth; the formation of a World Government.

One of the consequences of that achievement was that all national militaries were disbanded. Two fighting forces kept their identities out of nostalgia but were under control of the World government, the United States Air Force and the British Navy.

Undeterred, Gertrud rushed to join the newly created Terran Army.

Once again she proved her mettle, and was quickly promoted to Lieutenant. But only three years after she joined, the Government decided there was little use for a land army, especially in lieu of the creation of a new elite force dubbed Military Assault Command Operations (MACO). It was decided they would be converted to a largely ceremonial force.

This was unacceptable to Gertrud and with permission of her superiors, she went directly to Parliament to make the case that it was of value to have a regular military force. She argued that it provided an outlet for young men and women. That military training was of great value. Impressed by her dedication and enthusiasm, Parliament agreed that the Army would continue to be trained as a fighting force for the next five years. When Gertrud pushed for a more permanent solution and became a constant thorn in their side, Parliament surrendered and since she was such a champion of it, decided to promote her to Major General and be in command of the army. But they also limited the size of the force to ten thousand soldiers.

Gertrud proudly accepted it and for the next fifty years, commanded the Terran Army. For the last ten years she was assisted ably by Colonel Mark Braddock. Under them, the army became a well-trained military force. She became a legend among her soldiers. She lived in a room just off the regular barracks and ate all her meals with them. Their only regret was that she never was able to lead them into battle.

After three long months of travel, the three Earth ships arrived at the planet they had deemed Roswell. As expected, there was only one Romulan ship. As they came out of warp, the Romulan ship moved away. Captain Arnold of the lead Earth ship Arizona knew they would have called for help. The intelligence source placed the nearest Romulan base approximately ten days away.

Utilizing the technology the intelligence had suggested, they were able to form a corridor through which they could teleport the army to the surface. Once again they had trusted the source to choose a place away from the main Reman base. The troop ship had twenty-five teleporters and it took some time to get the entire army on to the planet.

As soon as her entire force was on the ground Gertrud set out toward where she had been told the mine was. She hoped the source could continue to be trusted. She had been told the two armies should be using comparable weapons.

She took the precaution of setting up a phase cannon along their path just in case they needed to retreat.

Her two demolition experts, Sam Gordon and David Marshall stayed close at hand. It took three days of marching before they were confronted by the Reman Army. For some time, both armies stayed in their positions observing the opponent. Then Gertrud made her move. She split her forces, taking 1500 men and moved to outflank the Remans. The remaining thousand men formed a line to cover her and provide reinforcements. The Remans moved to confront her and the battle began. For twenty-four hours, the battle ebbed and flowed, with neither side gaining an advantage. Gertrud realized this could not continue. They were slowly losing soldiers and no closer to reaching their objective. She knew she had to take a chance.

Hoping to take the enemy by surprise, she led her forces in an all-out attack against their left flank, hoping to be able to get them caught between her and Braddock's force. The attack seemed to be working and they were gaining an advantage when the Remans stunned her by suddenly sending their entire force against Braddock's line. At first it looked like their plan would succeed. The Earth line appeared to buckle, but then it became apparent that Braddock had kept a force of perhaps 250 men in reserve. At exactly the right moment, they counter-attacked and forced the enemy back. Now the advantage swung completely to the Terrans. The remaining Reman Army was caught between them and victory seemed to only be a matter of time.

Captain Arnold was in his seat when his armory officer informed him, "Sir, five ships are approaching. They're Romulan."

A Romulan Starship and four Troop ships dropped out of warp. Unfortunately, their source apparently had not known that the soldiers on the surface were exchanged out on a regular basis and their replacements had arrived.

There was no way for Captain Arnold to warn the Terrans. You could only communicate through the corridor and he knew they were no longer there. He could try to attack the troop ships but they were protected by the two Starships. He had strict orders not to risk his ships. It appeared the Romulans were of the same mind.

The Romulans quickly opened a corridor and were informed of what was happening on the ground.

As the Terrans continued to entrap the Remans, Gertrud was shocked when suddenly one hundred Reman soldiers appeared out of nowhere. As they stepped forward, one hundred more appeared behind them. Suddenly, it was the Terrans who were in danger. As the full contingent of two thousand Reman troops reached the ground, it was apparent the battle was lost.

Gertrud knew their only hope now was an organized retreat and try to save as many lives as they could. With a heavy heart, she told her aide to signal the retreat. Even in that horrible moment, she could feel nothing but pride as her soldiers maintained their control and followed their training. She quickly joined with her men as they began their escape.

Sam Gordon and David Marshall watched in amazement. It seemed they would not get their chance.

Marshall spoke first, "Come on Sam, we need to get out of here"

"Hold on a minute. I think I can maybe get to the mine."

"Are you crazy? Come on, let's go, we're falling behind."

"No, look, all the Remans are getting in the act. There will soon be no one between me and the mine. I think I can hide out and then get past them."

"You're nuts, but I guess it's worth a try. Let's find a place to wait until they clear."

"Not us. One person has a lot better chance of going undetected. Here, hand me your bag."

"Why do you get to be the hero? I'll go."

"It was my idea. Besides, you have a wife and kids to take care of. Now, give me your bag."

Marshall reluctantly handed it over. "Good luck, Sam."

"Thanks, Dave."

Sam moved to hide behind some rocks as David hurried to catch up with the retreating army.

Although the troops were following their training, it was a long and deadly retreat back to the corridor. Gertrud's foresight in placing the Phase Cannon proved to be a godsend and enabled them to save more lives. But then, when they were only a few hours from safety, there was the sound of a huge explosion. In spite of the situation, David Marshall had to smile. Sam had done it. He quickly informed Gertrud what he thought had happened. She was amazed; it appeared that as costly as it had been, the mission would be a success.

Finally, the retreating army reached the corridor and what was left of the attack force teleported out.

Gertrud was greeted by Captain Arnold. Before he could speak, she said, "I need to go back down there." As he just stared at her, she went on, "I have to try to arrange to carry out our dead."

Arnold finally got his voice, "I am sorry, General, but that is not going to happen. We need to get out of here."

Colonel Braddock then spoke up, "No, Captain, she's right. But I am the one that is going down."

Gertrud looked at him, "I am going down. I have a better chance as commanding officer." As he started to protest, she said, "That's an order, Colonel."

Seeing that the Captain was about to speak again, "Please Captain, you have to at least let me try. We can't just leave our dead on this God forsaken planet."

Arnold seemed to waver but then said, "Don't you think you should take some men with you?"

"No, I am not going to risk any more and one person should not be seen as a threat."

Commander Turki of the Reman force on the planet was not happy. Although they had routed the enemy, some had escaped. Worse, the explosion had collapsed the entire mine. It could be over a year before they would be able to get back where they were. Even then, who knew how much Dilithium had been destroyed. The Romulans would not be pleased.

At that moment, to his amazement, a human woman materialized not too far from him. Seeing she was alone and not armed, he told his men to hold their fire. Walking over to her, he was surprised to hear her speaking in Romulan. He realized she was wearing a translator.

"I am General Schneider, commander of the Terran Army. I have come unarmed and alone. I need to speak to your commanding officer."

"I am Commander Turki, why have you decided to give your life away?"

"Commander, as a fellow soldier, I hope to convince you to let me bring my fallen warriors home."

He stared at her, amazed at her courage. And he did understand, he would do all he could to see that his soldiers were returned to their families.

To her amazement he agreed. But they had only three hours and no one would be armed.

Gertrud wondered if she could trust him but decided she had to. She quickly contacted the ship and soldiers were sent down with gurneys.

The next three hours were a surreal sight as the Terran Army and the Remans worked together to gather the dead of each.

When the last bodies had been sent to the ship, only Gertrud and a couple of her men remained. She turned to Turki, "Thank you Commander, you are an honorable man."

"I am afraid I cannot let you go."

"What, but you said."

"I have kept my word. Your dead have been returned. But you have shamed me. The destruction of the mine has cost me my career and perhaps my life. I will avenge myself on you. It will be a fair fight. If you should kill me, you will be allowed to leave. No one on either side will be allowed to interfere. The battle will be with swords to the death."

Getrud stood there stunned. But she realized she had no choice. She nodded and then explained the situation to the men left with her. They objected and wanted to help but she ordered them to stand by.

Turki handed her a sword. Getrud had been a fencer and had actually also had some training with swords. But she was almost seventy years old and although she had kept herself in excellent shape, she knew she was no match for the powerful Reman facing her.

For a short time, she was able to defend his blows, but they both knew it was only a matter of time. In spite of her situation, she had to smirk to herself that even if she could strike a blow, she didn't know where she should strike. Who knew where his vital organs were located?

Then she had an insane idea, perhaps he didn't know where hers were either. If she would allow him complete access to strike her anywhere except in the head, he would presumably hit her where his vital weakness was. If the blow was not fatal, she would know where to strike. She knew the odds were astronomical that it would work, but she really had no choice. On his next attack she overprotected her head. She saw what appeared to be a grin on his face and he swung his sword down striking her at rib level on her right side. The blow was horribly painful and blood spurted out, but she still had enough strength to strike him in the same place. Although her blow was delivered with less power, the result was more satisfactory, blood came gushing out and he had a look of amazement on his face as he collapsed on the ground. Gertrud collapsed next to him feeling herself threatening to black out. Two Reman soldiers came over and found Turki was dead. They announced she was free to go. Her two men rushed to her, one tearing off his tunic to attempt to stop the bleeding as they signaled the ship to beam them up. The last Gertrud remembered was Colonel Braddock, "My God, General. Hurry, get her to sickbay."

Gertrud awakened, feeling groggy she struggled to figure out where she was. Then it all came back to her. As her eyes focused, she was stunned to see the smiling face of Admiral Jonathan Archer above her.

"Welcome back, General. Everyone thought we had lost you. You have been sedated for over a month. It appears there was some kind of bacteria on that sword that caused a very nasty infection. But with Phlox's help, it is all gone."

"Where?"

"You're on Enterprise. Now, I better quit talking. There is someone that has been waiting a long time to see you, but I needed to assert my rank and congratulate you on the success of your mission."

"Thank you, Sir."

"And now I better step aside before the Colonel risks his career."

The smiling and concerned face of Colonel Braddock replaced him. "It's great to have you back, General, we thought we'd lost you."

Gertrud stared, was that a tear on his cheek?

She got out, "How many…?"

Braddock had to smile sadly; he had known her first thoughts would be of her men. He looked her in the eye, "We had 1,321 dead."

Gertrud felt herself tearing up, she had lost more than half of her command.

Braddock knew what she was thinking. "It could have been far worse. Only your training and leadership saved as many as we did."

"Where is everyone?"

"They're all aboard the ship. Now that you are feeling better, we will be leaving soon for home."

He surprised her by taking her hands. "We have all been pulling for you. No one wanted to go home without our commander."

Gertrud was getting ready for bed. Except for a small scar, all physical signs of what had happened had gone. As soon as she was able, she returned to her men. Now, three months after returning, things had seemingly returned to normal.

She was surprised when there was a knock on her door. Who would want to see her at this hour?

She put on a robe and opened the door to find Colonel Braddock there.

"What is it, Colonel? Is there a problem with the men?"

"No, there's no problem. May I come in?"

She stepped aside and walked with him to her desk. He spoke up, "This could have waited until tomorrow but I wanted to get it over with."

He looked down at her, "I am turning in my resignation. I feel Marge has waited long enough."

Gertrud felt sadness but understood. Braddock and Marge had been in love for many years. She had patiently waited for him to leave the Army, knowing how important it was to him.

Gertrud smiled, "Yes, she has." She hesitated, "We will miss you. I'll miss you."

Suddenly a strange smile appeared on his face. He seemed to make a decision. Suddenly, he moved toward her and before she could stop him, he embraced her and kissed her on the mouth, his tongue seeking entrance. She recovered and pulled back, "Colonel…"

He smiled and said, "Under the circumstances, I think you should call me Mark."

Then he kissed her again and she was stunned when she felt herself respond, feeling things she never had before. Then his hands pulled her robe off her shoulders and started to open her nightgown.

She put her hands on his trying to stop him, "Don't…"

"Shh, Gertrud, let me do this."

Suddenly she was ashamed, "But I am so ugly."

Then her gown was open and his hands were on her pitiful breasts, tweaking the nipples. Then he bent down and ran his tongue over them. "I think you're beautiful."

As he continued his ministrations, Gertrud found herself almost believing him. Pleasure coursed through her. She moaned and murmured, "Mark…"

Then he stepped back and disrobed as she looked in awe at his beautiful body. Then he swept into her arms and kissing her passionately, carried her to her bed.

Major General Gertrud Schneider, supreme commander of the Terran Army, gasped as he entered her and then succumbed to her first orgasm.

Afterwards, they both got dressed and she said quietly, "Thank you, Mark."

He smiled and kissing her gently on the mouth, said, "It was my pleasure."

When he reached the door, he turned and coming to attention, he gave her a crisp salute which she returned.

After he left, she took his discharge papers and quickly signed them. Then, returning to her bedroom, she smiled contentedly and was soon fast asleep.