On Trip's viewscreen in his temporary office at Riverside Shipyard was the upset face of Elaine Tucker. An hour before he received this comm he got one from Lizzy. She had finally told their parents about Starfleet Academy, so he expected this comm. Trip leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face with his right hand. He did not like dealing with his mother when she was angry. Long ago she was a Math professor at a college before she met his father. He always thought she was the professor you didn't want to get angry because she'd vivisect you.
"Did you know she was going to Starfleet Academy, Trip?" Elaine asked coldly.
"Yes, ma'am, I did," sighed Trip.
"And you didn't tell me?" she snapped.
"It was up to Lizzy to tell you not me. She's an adult, ma," argued Trip.
"She is my youngest child. I don't care if she's an adult or not, young man, she is my child," stated Elaine. "How can we get her tossed out of the academy?"
"We can't. I can't. If she misbehaves enough then she can get herself tossed, or if she fails too many classes," stated Trip, knowing Lizzy wouldn't misbehave or fail a class.
"I bet you know some admiral that can have her thrown out," said Elaine.
"Ma, I'm not getting Lizzy thrown out of the academy. She is supposed to report in two months. She will report in two months," stated Trip.
"You won't help then?" she asked.
"Ma," sighed Trip.
Suddenly, Elaine disappeared then Charles appeared. He seemed less upset.
"Hey, son," Charles smiled.
"Dad," Trip greeted him.
"Your mother won't be talking to you for a month or two. Just be aware of that," grinned Charles.
"I know," Trip shrugged.
"Your sister surprised us," he said.
"I thought she would. Listen, it sounds like she loves Interstellar cartography. I guess she wants to chart unexplored areas of space," said Trip.
"I know, Trip. Lizzy, like you, always had an adventurous side. How do you think she'll do at the academy?" asked Charles.
"Well, she smart, so she should be fine with the academic side, and she has always been athletic, so the physical side shouldn't be too big of a problem for her. I think she'll do fine," he said.
"Yeah, me, too," sighed Charles. "How do you like spending time at a shipyard?"
"Well the secondary hull, the Engineering hull, as we are calling it, is done and the primary hull is almost complete. I'd say in seven weeks we'll be ready to get this ship to Jupiter Station," said Trip.
"I'd love to visit that shipyard," said Charles.
"Well, it has marines all over it with signs letting people know that trespasses will be met with lethal force," chuckled Trip.
"I guess I won't be sneaking into that shipyard," laughed Charles. "You better get back to work."
"Actually, I have a lunch meeting with AG. He wants an update on the ship," said Trip.
"Better get going," smiled Charles and the viewscreen went blank.
Trip got up and adjust his gold jacket. He still wasn't used to the idea of him being command only. In ten minutes he was due to have lunch with AG at a local dinner called Star Food. The town of Riverside loved the fact that starship were built there. Trip headed off.
STSTST
Now that negotiations with Earth were over, Solkar decided to visit Skon on Earth. The Vulcans opened diplomatic relations with United Earth by opening three embassies. One was in Paris, where Soval was housed and acted as the primary ambassador. It was thought that Soval should handle direct relations with UE government. There was a smaller embassy in New York where the UE DiploCorp was located on the grounds that was formerly the UN. Saavak was promoted from adjunct to envoy and placed in charge of the New York embassy. Finally, they opened an embassy in San Francisco in order to have direct relations with Starfleet, where Skon was located. T'Pol became his adjunct for many reasons, the most important one was her experience as a spy.
On the first day of his job as ambassador Skon made the offer of the Vulcan star charts to Starfleet. They were now negotiating terms, though Skon was told that an adviser and observer was non-negotiable by High Command. They wanted to get a Vulcan on the NX starships. The San Francisco embassy was actually located in Sausalito and it was more a compound than an embassy. Near Richardson Bay, it was a fenced off area that was guarded by Vulcan security and currently housed fifty Vulcans and was growing. Because of its location it was much colder weather than Vulcans were used to so that they wore insulated clothes to keep them warm.
Solkar was escorted by T'Pol to Skon's office, which had a window which overlooked the bay. When they entered he was standing at the window with his hands behind his back staring at the water. Skon had become fascinated by large bodies of water since he came to Earth. Although most Vulcans found large bodies of water unsettling since there was so little water on Vulcan, he found it calming. He turned and greeted his father.
"Solkar, it is a honor to have you visit," he said.
"It is satisfactory to see you, Skon," replied Solkar.
"Ambassador, I have work to do," stated T'Pol.
"You may go, T'Pol," said Skon.
She left them alone in Son's office. Skon motioned for his father to sit on a couch. He did. Skon joined him.
"Your aduna T'Mellis sends her greetings. She told me to tell you that she will be coming for a visit once Sarek gets a break from the academy," said Solkar. "She also told me to inform you that she has started teaching Silek, preparing him for the day he enters the Science Academy."
Skon nodded his appreciation. He reached into his robe's pocket and took out a scrambler. Turning it on, Skon now felt free to speak.
"You worry about the Directorate listening in?" asked Solkar.
"I do," said Skon.
"Prudent," agreed Solkar.
"I think the High Command is aware of my opinion that we should not try to manipulate Humans. I think they are concerned with my future actions," said Skon.
"We should not interfere in this species growth. But I do think we should influence it," said Solkar.
"We are in agreement," said Skon.
"Soval has already caused some friction in Paris with UE government. He tried to convince them to break off relations with Andoria," stated Skon.
"Did he convince them?" asked Solkar.
"No. He irritated them," Skon answered with a hint of humor.
"I knew that Humanity had potential," said Solkar. "Soval dislike for Andorians is illogical."
"Shall we go for a tour of the compound?" asked Skon.
"That would be agreeable," said Solkar.
Skon turned off the scrambler and placed it back in his pocket. They two men stood up and exited the office in order to take a tour of the Vulcan compound.
STSTST
Trip arrived at the dinner. He saw AG already seated at a booth. It appeared that his captain had also already ordered him a club sandwich and a cup of coffee. AG was putting ketchup on his French fries, as Trip sat down. Trip added cream and three sugars to his coffee then took the ketchup bottle from AG and put some on his French fries.
"How are things going with our ship?" grinned AG.
Over the past month and half Trip had received weekly comms from AG for updates. This was his first visit.
"I'd put us in Jupiter Station in seven weeks," said Trip.
"Well, I'm glad I'm here then. We need to pick a chief engineer for our ship," said AG.
He picked a PADD up beside him and handed it to Trip. Trip started to look at some of the names. He knew some from reputation, good and bad, then he noticed a name which caught his attention. Angus Macfadden. He worked with Macfadden on The Guardian increasing their warp speed. Macfadden was a true engineer, who loved his engines and getting his hands dirty. He was a few years older than Trip, but he was easy to work with, which would come in handy.
"Lieutenant Angus Macfadden. I've worked with him. He's good and he was the chief engineer of a Daedalus Class, The Guardian," said Trip.
"Okay," smiled AG," I'll offer him the position. Think he'll take it?"
"Most engineers would give their left hand for a chance at working on an NX," said Trip.
He took a bite of his club sandwich. Trip was always surprised how good the food was at Star Food. AG tried his sandwich and moaned with pleasure.
"That's not just mayo on this sandwich, is it?" asked AG.
"It garlic mayo," grinned Trip.
"Hell, I should go in the back and offer the cook the position of chef on The Enterprise. We are going to need a good chef. I hate eating the same thing every day. Of course, we are also going to need a good quartermaster," he said.
"I know I should be working on filing out the crew, sir. I apologize that I've been busy here," stated Trip.
"Trip, you are where you supposed to be right now. You're making sure our baby gets to Jupiter in tip top shape then you job is to make prefect at Jupiter along with Macfadden and whoever else we end up in Engineering," smirked AG. "Don't worry about me. I have my methods on getting the best people for the job."
"Can I ask how?" Trip inquired.
AG ate some fries then took a sip of his coffee.
"I find out who Jon is interested in and steal them. So, far I've got the leader for our marines, Captain Bennett Hayes; the COB for our ship, Chief Petty Officer Edgar Wrenn; and a ship's doctor, Dr. Phlox. I'm also working on the comm officer. Her name is Hoshi Saito. She's supposed to be a genius at languages," grinned AG.
"Damn, Jon must hate you," laughed Trip.
"He's a little angry at me. I owe him an expensive bottle of something," chuckled AG. "You got anyone else?"
"Well, a captain I know recommended a tactical officer. His name is Lieutenant Malcolm Reid. You handle ops as the XO. I'm working on a damage control officer and a science officer. Once I have them the Bridge is complete.
"How many marines will we carry?" Trip asked.
"Five fireteams, that's twenty men and a captain. It was supposed to be lieutenant but I wanted Hayes and he wanted the adventure. We still need a head of security. Our new COB is working on that for me," said AG. "Wrenn has already jumped in and gotten to work. He's a tough old space dog. You'll like him, Trip. He's full of stories about when all we could manage was warp 2. Wrenn knew and Jon and me at the academy where he was teaching weapons and hand to hand for a year."
Trip smiled. It sounds as if the staffing of the Enterprise was coming along great.
"Sounds like we are going to have a helluva crew," said Trip.
"We are, Trip; we most definitely are," grinned AG. "Enough shop talk. Let's eat and talk about nothing. So, how are Iowa girls?"
"Been too busy to find out," grinned Trip.
"Are you telling me the truth because Jon said you had no problem picking up women?" asked AG.
"Right now I've got no room for any other woman in my life but the Enterprise," said Trip.
"I can't give you shit when you put it that way, but I want you to have a personal life, too, Trip. I don't want you burned out until we are in space," smiled AG.
"I find ways to relax. You don't have to worry about burnout," Trip assured him.
AG took a huge bite out of his sandwich then drank some of his coffee. Trip took another bite. Once he had swallowed, he took another so it wasn't up to him to make conversation.
"I'm returning to Starfleet Headquarters tonight. Anything you want me to send you or do for you," offered AG.
"Nothing I can think of," said Trip.
"Well, if you do think of something then comm me and I'll get it for you," AG told him.
"Thanks, sir," said Trip.
"AG. Call me AG, Trip. Sir and Captain are for the Bridge," smiled AG.
"Okay, AG," said Trip.
STSTST
Admiral Forrest and Admiral Leonard sat at Admiral Forrest's conference table in his office waiting for Ambassador Skon and his Adjunct T'Pol. Since they were supposed to have a 0100 hour appointment, Forrest had hot mint tea waiting for them. Slowly after many meetings, he was starting to understand Vulcans. The door to his office opened and his Adjunct Commander Anna Nogura, the niece of Fleet Admiral Nogura, escorted Skon and T'Pol into the office. They were both wearing formal robes. Forrest and Leonard stood up, nodded their heads in respect, and Forrest motioned them to sit. They sat down at the conference table across from Forrest and Leonard.
"May I pour you both a cup of mint tea?" Forrest asked.
"Thank you," said Skon.
Forrest poured them both a cup of mint tea. Skon sampled it, as did T'Pol.
"This is quite good," said Skon. "I have had green tea and chamomile tea. I shall have to add this mint tea to my selection."
"I'm glad you liked it," said Forrest.
T'Pol took another sip of her mint tea. The flavor surprised her. She found it pleasurable, not that she would share this information with Skon.
"Have you talked with UE officials about our offer?" Skon asked.
"More than I like speaking to them," smiled Forrest.
This remark brought a smile to Leonard's face.
"UE government has left it in the hands of Starfleet to make an agreement on these star charts. I have spoken to Admiral Nogura and he has left it in my hands to come to an agreement or not," said Forrest.
"As you Humans would say what is the stumbling block?" asked Skon.
T'Pol raised her left eyebrow. It surprised her that Skon knew Human colloquialisms and even more surprised that he would use one, though she understand how it made communications easier.
"The adviser and observer," Forrest answered.
"The charts, include intelligence that Vulcan High Command feels need to be shared with delicacy. How do you see a solution to this situation?" asked Skon.
"The adviser and observer will not have an actual position on the crew. They will be treated like a diplomatic envoy," said Forrest.
"I do not find a problem with that," said Skon. "May I suggest some a candidate to you?"
"If you have someone in mind then why not," said Forrest.
"T'Pol is my adjunct. She has diplomatic training, but she also spent ten years in space on various Vulcan starships. Her rank is SubCommander, which translates to the same as Commander in Starfleet. Also, she has already been exposed to Humanity and is getting to understand Humanity. I recommend T'Pol as the adviser and observer," offered Skon.
T'Pol didn't expect this, but it made sense to her. She would be the perfect candidate in the eyes of Soval and the High Command and for reasons she didn't understand Skon thought it would be a good position for her.
Forrest looked over at Leonard, who smiled and nodded in the positive.
"I agree. T'Pol would be an acceptable candidate. I do ask for one stipulation, though. I'd like her to take a few classes at Starfleet Academy, not so much that she needs them but to give her a sense of how we do things. Would that be acceptable?" asked Forrest.
Skon looked over at T'Pol, who nodded yes.
"It is acceptable. I shall tell Ambassador Soval that we have an agreement and he shall tell Vulcan High Command," stated Skon.
"Well, this is turning out to be an excellent day," smiled Forrest.
STSTST
Captain Archer flew his own shuttle to the Riverside Shipyard. The pilot sat in the co-pilot seat and let a man who was a legend among pilots fly. He landed the shuttle gently then extricated himself from the seat and exited the shuttle. The plant manager and supervisor of the Columbia Project were waiting for him. Today, they started building Columbia.
"Captain Archer, it's a honor to have you here," said the plant manager.
"Thank you, Mr. Jennings," said Archer. He looked at the supervisor. "Miss Perez."
"Captain," she smiled. "Shall we take you on a tour?"
"Will I get to see the Enterprise?" asked Archer.
"We can arrange that," said Jennings.
The tour of the facility where Columbia was being built took an hour. Archer smiled, nodded, and even occasionally asked a question or two in order to make it seem like he was interested. Jennings left them after the Columbia tour then Nina Perez took Archer to see the almost complete Enterprise.
As they neared the large impressive starship Archer's heart skipped. The Enterprise was beautiful. He didn't want to be jealous of AG, but it was absolutely beautiful.
"Hey, Cap'n," said a familiar voice.
Archer turned around and saw Trip standing in his uniform with a hard hat on.
"You lucky bastard," Archer grinned.
"You like the ship, huh?" said Trip.
"The Columbia better be as beautiful," said Archer.
"It has the exact same design," said Trip, but they both knew that no two ships were really alike. They always had their differences.
"How about I give you a tour of Enterprise as best I can?" offered Trip.
"I need a hard hat," smiled Archer.
STSTST
Archer and Trip did the tour then ended up at a local bar that workers and Starfleet personnel visited. It was called The Haven. If you wanted to dance there was a dance floor and if you wanted to drink there was a long bar. They sat at the bar and Archer ordered them each a single malt scotch. When their drinks arrived they toasted the Enterprise.
"You really like her, Cap'n?" asked Trip.
"I wish she was mine, Trip," said Archer.
"I'll miss having you as my captain, Jon," said Trip.
They each sipped their drinks.
"So what will they be having you do while they build the Columbia?" Trip asked.
"I'll be teaching at the academy," grimaced Archer.
"Really," Trip said excitedly.
"You're more excited by it than me," said Archer.
"Lizzy is going to be at the academy. It's her freshman year. Maybe you can check up on her for me," Trip said.
"I'll probably have her in my class. They said I'll be teaching a freshman class and two sophomore classes. Oh, joy," said Archer.
"And Erica?" he asked.
"They've found grunt work for her, or should I say desk work until we can start staffing the Columbia," sighed Archer.
"Sorry about that, Jon," said Trip.
"I'll check in on Lizzy, Trip. You know how I feel about your family," he said.
"Thanks," grinned Trip.
"I've arranged for a hotel room for the night, so let's get drunk. After seeing the Enterprise, I feel like getting drunk," said Archer.
"Why not, Cap'n?" said Trip.