A/N I want to apologize for how long it has been. There has been a lot of big changes in my life. In the end they have turned out great but were very stressful at times and very time consuming. I hope I have not lost my readers and will do my best to be better in the future.
I want to give a very belated thanks to noro and MissSunnyGirl for their reviews. I also want to thank gafling and a guest for reviews of past chapters. I hope I didn't lose guest when he discovered it was and Archer/T'Pol story.
I still own nothing.
For the next few weeks, although they watched Martok carefully, they could not see any proof of what they suspected. There was also no action happening on Andoria with General Torok.
Several months had passed and the Committee had moved through most if not all of the easiest actions in reference to the Federation.
But with Margot due to become chairman, Archer and T'Pol knew one of the most possible areas for conflict would be on the agenda. They knew it would especially be a problem for Andoria and Tellar.
As expected, Lester Warren had been picked to become his party's candidate for President and was an overwhelming favorite to win the election.
Natalie and Jhamel decided it had been some time since they had gotten together with the some of the other women. When they contacted them, everyone was excited and interested.
With him seeing an opportunity coming to create a problem for the conference, Martok told Renda she didn't need to attend. He also had noticed how she seemed to be changing in her feelings about being on Earth. Renda was able to convince him she should not raise any questions. In actuality, Renda had come to enjoy the time she spent with the others.
Natalie looked around at the women seated in her house and marveled again how such an incredible, diverse group of women had come together.
She was especially pleased that Renda and T'Nara had agreed to attend. She knew how much they had changed in the time she had known them.
She was pleased Hoshi could make it. Finishing up, the group were of course Jhamel along with Mary Robbins and Beth Williams.
After everyone had been fortified with beverages, they began to talk.
Natalie turned to Jhamel, "I am so glad that you I have spent this time with you, but I wonder if you are missing your home planet."
"I have to admit that both Shran and I will be glad when we can go home." She paused, "It does look like we are nearing the end."
Renda had to bite her tongue because she knew that Shran and Martok were actually in agreement that they were concerned with the next subject to be put before the committee.
Natalie turned to T'Nara and asked, "How about you and Soval?"
T'Nara hesitated, "We will look forward to seeing our son and grandchild." She added, "But Soval has spent much of his life on Earth."
After some more discussion, Natalie had an idea. She was about to dismiss it but then decided it might be fun to try. A little hesitantly, she spoke up.
"I know this may seem a little strange, but I was wondering if we could play a game. The others looked at her in various degrees of shock.
Hurrying on, she said, "It is called Never have I ever. One person says something they have not done and if any of the others have done it, they need to take a drink. After two rounds the person who has taken the less drinks wins."
While the humans quickly agreed, the others struggled with what she was saying.
Renda was a little nervous about what could be revealed but was surprised to find out she was also interested in what she could learn about the others.
As a Vulcan, the idea of revealing so much about oneself was frightening. But T'Nara had to smile to herself, she had already done many things she never would have imagined herself doing. With a great deal of trepidation, she agreed.
Natalie was a little shocked when everyone agreed. Now that they had, she wondered if this was a good idea. But at the same time, she had to admit she was interested in what would come out.
She smiled, "I'll start and then we will go in turn. After hesitating, she smiled, "Never have I ever had sex with an alien."
Everyone looked at her and then a little hesitantly, Jhamel, Renda, and T'Nara sipped at their beverage. Then they were all shocked when Hoshi took one too.
Seeing them look at her, Hoshi blushed and smiling said, "It was a long time ago."
She went on, "Who's next?"
Realizing they apparently weren't going to get any more information and deciding the non-humans needed a little time, Natalie told Hoshi she could go next.
Hoshi looked at Beth and Mary, "Never have I ever made love to a woman."
Glaring at her, Beth and Mary took a drink. Then everyone was stunned again when Natalie took one too. She smiled, "It was a long time ago."
Mary went next, "Never have I ever traveled on a Starship."
Hoshi, Jhamel, Renda, and T'Nara all took a drink.
Jhamel then volunteered to go next, "Never have I ever had sex with a human."
Nodding ruefully, Natalie took a drink as well as Mary, Beth, and Hoshi.
Realizing she was actually enjoying this, Renda went next, "Never have I ever been on Vulcan."
As Natalie was about to say that since all of them could do that about the planets, she should try something else, she chided herself for almost possibly embarrassing Renda.
Hoshi, T'Nara, and Jhamel took a drink.
They all then looked expectantly at T'Nara. She surprised them all and herself when she said, "Never have I made love to anyone who is blue."
Recovering, Jhamel and Renda took a drink.
Beth went next, "Never have I ever been blind."
Natalie looked a little sharp at her but Jhamel smiled and took a drink.
Beth asked Jhamel, "Jhamel, I have always wondered, can you actually tell he is blue?"
Jhamel was wondering how much she should try to explain, when she smirked to herself, "Actually, he tastes blue."
Everyone was stunned into silence, then led by Natalie, the humans and Renda laughed while T'Nara blushed a lovely green.
After the first go around, the scores were Jhamel 5, Hoshi 4, Renda 3, T'Nara 3, Beth 2, Mary 2, Natalie 2.
Natalie started the second round and decided to try to have the humans catch up a little, "Never have I ever been married more than once."
Beth and Mary each took a drink.
Hoshi thought for a while and decided to take the same route, "Never have I ever been pregnant with or given birth to a boy."
Natalie, Mary, and T'Nara took a drink.
Mary, tired of being suddenly picked on, smirked, "Never have I ever been pregnant with or given birth to a girl."
Hoshi smiled and said, "Touché," as she took a drink. Natalie and Jhamel also took one.
Renda, who was surprised how much she was enjoying being with these women, smiled, "I guess we know what's next. Never have I ever been pregnant."
Natalie was going to note Renda was out of turn but decided not to say anything.
Beth took a drink.
Jhamel smiled, "I guess I will take the last one. Never have I given birth to a boy and a girl."
Natalie smiled and took a drink.
T'Nara shocked everyone when she said, "That's not fair. You did not leave one for me."
Natalie smiled, "T'Nara, that was almost a joke. Good for you."
T'Nara then decided to just go directly after the humans, "Never have I ever been a human."
Smiling, Natalie, Mary, Beth, and Hoshi took a drink.
With only Beth left the scores were, Hoshi, 6, Jhamel 6, Natalie 6, Beth 5, Mary5, T'Nara 4, Renda 3.
With T'Nara and Renda ahead, she decided not to go after them but without thinking it through, decided to try to find out something that had puzzled her for some time.
"Never have I ever cheated on my husband."
Everyone stared in shock and Mary exclaimed, "Beth!"
But then a little embarrassedly everyone looked at Natalie.
Natalie was at first stunned and then found herself becoming angry. Pulling herself together and wishing she was drinking something stronger, sighed.
Then deciding it was time to tell someone, she took a deep breath and in a quiet voice she said, "No, Beth, I do not need to take a drink. I did not cheat on Trip." She sighed again, "I was raped."
Everyone stared in shock as Beth, completely mortified, said, "Oh, God, Natalie, I am so sorry…"
As Jhamel and Hoshi rushed over to her, Natalie said, "It's okay, Beth, I have wanted to tell someone for a long time."
As Jhamel and Hoshi hugged her, all of them tearing up, the others began to recover. At this time, all of them were just women, each feeling the same, each understanding.
After a time, Jhamel and Hoshi pulled back and as they each recovered, returned to their seats. After a time, Hoshi quietly asked, "Who did it, Natalie? What happened to him?"
Natalie turned to her, "It was Parker." She hesitated, "After he finished…," she hesitated again and looked down, "He threatened to kill Charlie and me." She looked back up, "I killed him."
The others looked at her in amazement. Each of them was shocked but all soon felt a great deal of satisfaction and realized they would have reacted the same if someone threatened of their children.
As everyone assured her they understood and told her they were proud of her, they were all stunned when T'Nara rose and went over to Natalie and put her arms around her. Natalie was so surprised she stiffened at first, but then clung to her, tears flowing down her face. The others soon gathered around in a giant hug.
When they finally broke apart, each knew something had changed, that they related to each other in a way that would always be with them.
After a time, when the others headed out, Jhamel stayed with Natalie for a while. Natalie marveled how important this woman was to her.
When Archer and T'Pol arrived for the Monday meeting, they immediately noticed that Shran did not greet them with his normal enthusiasm. They also noticed that Martok seemed rather pleased.
As Margot called the meeting to order, Archer asked for the floor, not without some trepidation. He thankfully felt T'Pol's foot touch his and offer her support.
"Last Friday, I sent each of you a copy of the next subject to be brought up for discussion. I now move that the following topic be brought before the Committee for such discussion and evaluation. And subject to changes, be approved or disapproved."
May it hereby be resolved that the Military fleets of the members of the Federation will be under the command of the Federation itself. The overriding control will be Starfleet Command. All officers and crews of said forces will be considered part of Starfleet and under its orders.
No member of the Federation will undertake any offensive armed endeavors without the backing of the Council.
The only exception to this proviso will be if a member is attacked, it may defend itself, but will need approval to carry the attack forward.
Any unprovoked attack on a member will be considered an attack on all members.
As Shran started to speak, Margot spoke up, "Is there a second?"
Shran glared at Soval as he seconded the motion.
Margot spoke, "The proposal has been moved and seconded. If there are no objections, the Committee is ready to discuss the motion."
Shran quickly broke in, "I could hardly believe my eyes when I first saw this proposal. I even considered the possibility that it could be either a joke or a mistake. Because there is no way that the Imperial Guard will just become part of a larger military force."
He hesitated, "The Imperial Guard's allegiance is to Andoria. If we are attacked, we will defend and crush the enemy ourselves."
Soval spoke up, "What happens if Vulcan is attacked? Does that mean you will not come to our aid?" He went on, "Does this mean the Federation will have no military of its own? It seems to me we will be in the same situation we are now. What good is an Alliance where each planet still only looks to its own interests? What good will be the decisions of a council if it has to still negotiate with its members to carry them out?"
Martok broke in, "Of course Vulcan would take this position. You will presumably have no fleet to protect yourself. You want Andorians to die for you. Where will you be when Andoria is attacked?"
Seeing that Archer was about to comment, Soval spoke up, "While it is true Vulcan may not have a military, that will also be true of many future members of the Federation. We must not only look at the current situation but at the future."
Margot spoke up, "Before we go further, I wish to have something clarified." She turned to Shran, "Are you objecting to the entire proposal or just to that one portion?"
Shran looked at Martok. "We do agree with the concept that an attack against one is an attack against all." He paused, "But we can not agree to a situation where Andoria would not be able to take actions that are in our interest. We will not put the Federation before Andoria."
There was a long silence and the T'Pol spoke up, "I must admit that I am deeply distressed by the position you are taking. While I can see some merit to your opposition to the placing of all military forces under Starfleet and that is worthy of discussion, you are saying that you will put Andoria's interests before that of the Federation is a complete destruction of what we are trying to do." She paused, "The very concept of a Federation is based on the belief that being part of such an organization is in the best interests of its members."
While the others stared at her, surprised that they usually quiet T'Pol make such a speech, Archer looked at her with pride and expressed that to her by touching her foot.
Martok spoke up, "No, Vulcan, the Federation exists to provide a common defense against enemies such as the Romulans and Klingons. It also serves to facilitate trade and to bargain as a unit. But it does not take away the sovereignty of its members. Each planet must be left to make its own decisions as to what is best for it. The Imperial Guard is the heartbeat of Andoria."
Archer broke in, "Her name is T'Pol." He sighed and went on, "It is becoming apparent that while we have accomplished a lot in the past few months, we have done so making our own assumptions. It appears we need to step back and figure out exactly what the creation of a Federation means." He hesitated, "I am thinking we need to take a break, to have discussions with out governments before we can proceed." He paused again, "But first, we must not take any quick actions. I now see we were not ready to discuss or vote on this topic…"
As Archer spoke, Martok looked at Shran and saw him nodding. Just when he thought they could deal a major blow to the Conference by voting against this motion, which he realized was of vital importance, it appeared they were going to miss the opportunity. He was afraid that, given time and the with the Queen's support of the Federation, they would come to an understanding. No, he needed to gamble now.
He interrupted Archer, "I do not see where it is necessary to drag this out. No amount of discussions will change the basic facts, that this Federation as conceived by the Vulcans and Earth will undermine the independence of its members." He then shocked them all, including Shran, when he said, "I move to vote on the motion!"
Shran was stunned. He suddenly realized what Martok was up to. Unfortunately, under the rules of the Conference, he was caught. If it were seconded, it would be defeated because every vote must be unanimous and Andoria would have to abstain because its vote would be split.
Before anyone could say more, Margot, obviously reluctantly, said, "There is a motion on the floor to call for the Question." She paused, "Is there a second?"
Everyone's eyes turned to the Tellarites. It was apparent that neither Earth nor Vulcan would second it. During all this time, the Tellarites had remained silent.
Gernal sighed as he saw everyone looking at him. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke, "I have been listening with deep interest to what has been discussed. From the beginning, the previous Alliance and the steps leading up to this Federation have been inspired and carried forward largely by Earth and Vulcan." Seeing Archer about to say something, he raised his hand, "I know and appreciate what Admiral Archer did in becoming an 'Ambassador at Large, but we all know that none of this would have come about with out Earth's arrival on the scene."
He paused, "I have to admit that I find myself in agreement with much of what General Shran and Martok have said. Perhaps even more than them, Tellar recognizes the need to preserve its independence, to be allowed to make its own decisions." He paused again, "But I see no reason to hurry. It seems reasonable to take time to clearly define what this Federation should be." He looked at Margot, "I will not second the motion."
While everyone except Martok sighed in relief, Soval quickly spoke up, "I move that we table this motion for," he hesitated, "Three months and that the Conference adjourn for that time with the purpose of conferring with our respective governments."
Archer quickly said, "I second the motion."
Margot, obviously relieved, "It has been moved and seconded that the motion before the Conference be tabled for three months, during which time the Conference will adjourn."
She went on, "How does Earth vote?"
Archer said, "Earth votes Yes."
"Vulcan?"
Soval answered, "Vulcan says Yes."
"Tellar?"
"Tellar votes Yes."
"Andoria?"
Shran quickly answered, "Andoria says Yes."
Martok wanted to countermand him but realized he had lost. If he blocked this compromise, it was likely he would lose any possible support he would get from the Tellarites. He had to hope that the pause in the Conference could stop its momentum. He felt he had accomplished as much as he could for the time being.
Margot nodded, "The motion is carried. The Conference will reconvene in three months' time when a final vote will be taken on the motion before the committee."
Martok might have been heartened if he had realized what was happening on Andoria. When he had informed General Torok of the proposal and told him he believed this could split the Committee, Torok decided it was time for him to move.
To the utter shock and consternation of all Andoria, he shuttled five hundred armed troops and marched them into the square inside the palace grounds. It was an event equal to Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon and was a direct attack on the power of the Queen.
