A/N: With the failure of my hard drive at the beginning of this year, and the subsequent loss of everything I had already done, I found it hard to get the motivation required to get this going again. Add to that this story was fighting me somewhat from Day 1, and you can begin to see my trouble. That said, let's see if I can get this thing to roll once more.

After performing certain daily duties around his home, he turned his room into Federation Style quarters. When he had finished, Alex had a very nice computer, with far higher processing power and speed that anything currently on Earth today. After feeding the video taken earlier into it, and setting it to render into something a little more palatable for a tv show intro reel he began research on the Defiant-class starship. Without a ship, Alex knew that his efforts would be worthless.

After an hour of intensive research and development, Alex had enough to go on, and he sent the batch of files to the family printer. It was just a black-and-white duplex laser printer, built around what sounded like a jet engine, but it could throw pages out rather quickly, one front and back every thirty seconds or so. After retrieved the images, he touched them with his power, pushing color into the images, making them as vibrant as his screen had displayed them. An attribute sheet cobbled together from a variety of sources joined the images, and he placed the papers into a manila folder, and stenciled "Defiant", "Phoenix", and "Production Use Only" on it. After placing the folder in a hidden compartment, he fell onto his bed, asleep before his head hit the pillow.

It was nearly noon when he woke again, and after gathering his things together, the young mage swished his staff and disappeared.

The first thing that appeared in the desert of Nevada was an ornate wooden staff, with many decorations worked into it, and a blue stone at the top, cut like a rectangular prism. A moment later, its wielder appeared behind it, blinking in the bright sun. Nearby, a rattlesnake took note of this new being, and vigorously shook its tail.

"Yeah, yeah," Alex replied. "Try it, and die, reptile." Even as he said it, he began to slowly back away from the snake. Once sufficiently far away from the snake, he changed his grip on the staff, holding it out so that it was horizontal, and level with his shoulders. In his other hand was the manila folder he had prepared the night previous, full of information concerning the Phoenix.

A voice was heard. It was his own voice, but it wasn't, and it was ordering the universe to break itself yet not suffer the pain of such a catastrophy. Papers flew everywhere, but they weren't paper. For a moment, duranium plates were made of cellulose, but they were metal. The sun was bright, providing heat and light to the planet, and the only light was blue, coming from a rectangle prism. The light was cold, yet the man was sweating profusely, and though The Voice only spoke at a quiet volume, as in a library, the noise of his speech roared like the engines of a thousand aircraft. He was deaf, yet he could hear the snake, its scales scraping the ground as it slithered away…

…And then he finished, his arms sinking down and twisting the wrist to arrange the staff vertically once more. A relatively small starship was sitting on the ground, completely powered down. Alex mumbled a few words, glancing down at his soaked shirt and pants, and the dampness drained away, leaving his clothing clean and dry again. "You know, I really would appreciate it if you didn't feel the need to do that, Aura," he complained.

"Not my fault," a feminine voice replied, emanating from the staff. "Why are we out here in this really dry place, anyway?" The word dry had been spat as if it were a curse, and Alex smiled in spite of himself.

"Because people gather more where there is water. You know the rules. I'm not even supposed to be doing this sort of thing, but since I'm doing it, I'm at least taking some precautions against the whole world seeing it."

"The governments of the world will notice," Aura pointed out. "At least, those with satellites."

"Yeah, but they already know of magic. The public…not so much," Alex replied. "Now, back to the wet thing…"

"Part of my design," Aura defended. "My focus came from the sea, and my wood from trees that rely on the sea. As such, moisture is a natural consequence of channeling power through me, especially at such…intense levels. What did you do?"

Alex shrugged carelessly. "Created a ship out of a folder," he answered. His staff did not bother to respond to the answer, not having words to convey what if felt about the matter. "Well, would you mind taking me back to Cameron's apartment?" Alex asked, after several seconds.

"Oh, got yourself a girlfriend?" Aura asked teasingly. Once the mage was standing outside the apartment door, Aura added "Congratulations. I've been telling you to get a girlfriend for some time now."

"She's not my girlfriend," Alex growled. "I've told you a million times, I'm waiting for the right one."

Aura's crystal glowed for a moment and the doorbell rang. "Whatever you say, little mage," she said, before going silent.

The door opened to show Cameron, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, with fuzzy pink bunny slippers on her feet, and a steaming cup of tea in her hand. "Alex!" she said happily. "Come in. What's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you felt like piloting a starship for a while today," Alex replied easily.

"Oh, sure. I should get changed though…" Cameron laughed. "I see you've got a big staff," she added impishly.

"Yeah, she's useful for the heavy lifting of the magic that I wield."

"She?" Cameron asked, disappearing into her bathroom.

"Yeah, her name's Aura. She's made of redwood with a moranthanite gem for her focus," Alex explained.

"I can also talk," Aura added.

"Wow, that's not what I expected," Cameron said, after several seconds of silence. "Then again, I'm not sure what I expected when you said that you were a magician."

"You were probably thinking of Dumbledore," Alex said. "Or perhaps Gandalf. Problem is, I'm not the adventuring type of wizard who can expect to save the known world every one hundred and fifty years or so. And I'm most certainly not…eh, how to put this delicately…of a different preference?"

On the other side of the door, a cabinet slammed, and then the door swung open and the light clicked off.

"So. To the Phoenix?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, gimme a moment to lock up here," Cameron said, walking over to the door. "You aren't able to come in without permission, right?"

"I could…" Alex hedged, "but it would take a lot more effort."

"More effort your pale white ass!" Aura shot back. "Even with me in hand, it would take you three hours, and a literal fuck-ton of magical power. You would be as weak as a kitten afterwards."

"Oh, shut it, Aura. Ladies don't swear," Alex said sternly.

"Lucky I'm not a lady then," Aura replied. "I'm a magic stick, and I can say whatever I feel like saying."

"Hmph. Regardless, Cameron. Someone could get in, if they were very determined, but it would require special equipment, and most such equipment is outright illegal to have, and the rest is highly restricted. You see, any place you could call a home has a shield of sorts that prevents magicians and other magical being from entering your room. There are…unsavory elements in the thaumaturgical realms. Most of the time, things balance out, but every now and again, something big and nasty comes along, and a larger than average smackdown team is required. Once in a while, it gets away. Almost anything that would want to get into your room would be smacked down well before they could succeed, or even think of it."

"That's reassuring," Cameron said, obviously relieved. "So, where's this ship?"

"Aura, if you would be so kind?" Alex asked.

"It would be my pleasure," Aura replied. A cold blue light pulsed from the staff, and their surroundings blurred to reveal the Nevada desert.

"Oh, wow," Cameron breathed, spinning to view the desert. "It's so beautiful!"

"It's also dry," Aura complained. "Seriously, could you possibly find a place with less water?"

"How does hard vacuum sound?" Alex retorted.

"Ok, fine, I'll stop complaining," Aura said, subdued. "At least here, I've got your sweat…"

"That's gross, Aura," Cameron said mildly. "So, what's the ship? Defiant, obviously, but beyond that…?"

"The Draconis and Phoenix," Alex answered calmly.

"Two names?"

"One is an intelligence, the other is the ship. I presume you've read the story this comes from?" Alex asked.

"Yes. It's interesting. I can't wait to see what it's going to be like on TV," Cameron answered.

"Well, let's go aboard, shall we?" Alex invited, gesturing towards the ship.

A door on the side was open, with a short set of stairs that touched the packed dirt. The airlock terminated at a bulkhead door, and Alex pulled off a panel, exposing a small lever. A sharp tug on the lever opened the doors about six inches, and the rest could be pried open by hand.

"So…what's first?" Cameron asked, looking around the dark corridors.

Aura's crystal illuminated as she said "Powering up the ship obviously. I'll provide light so you two can get the ball rolling."

"Engineering," Alex supplied, hefting a small device.

"What's that?" Cameron asked as they walked.

"You might call it the starter," Alex said. "It provides power to the console it's attached to. Having power means that we will be able to get everything started up. Usually, a Federation starship is on external power for several weeks during construction, because the equipment on board isn't ready to handle building power on its own, or isn't even installed yet."

"Ah."

The pair reached Engineering without further conversation, and Alex immediately attached the power source to the main Engineering console, which lit up after several seconds. He peered at the screen for several seconds, judging the various choices laid out on the screen, then tapped a button, which changed several icons. He tentatively touched another button, then three others, which led to the secondary engines starting up with a faint humming through the deckplates. A moment later, all the lights came on, and Aura's glow subsided.

"So, what's the humidity in here? It's better in here than out in the desert," Aura commented.

"This is Federation standard atmosphere," Alex explained. "It's a bit more humid, to accommodate a few races that particularly enjoy a more humid environment, such as the Betazoids."

"Nice of them," Aura said happily. "It's not quite being at the beach, but its close, and I like it."

"Glad you like it," Alex answered absently, prodding a console. It squealed harshly in response, and he backed away slightly.

"Just what are you two doing?" A synthetic voice demanded. "And who are you?"

"My name is Alex, and this is Cameron," Alex replied. "I was attempting to power up the warp core."

"I'm going to hazard a guess that you had no clue how to do that, and only just barely managed to bumble your way into turning on the secondary engines," the voice snarked.

"So, you're Phoenix, right?" Cameron asked.

"Right in one," Phoenix replied cheerfully. "So…sososo, warp core…ah-ha! Got it!"

Alex and Cameron both raised an eyebrow, but a moment later, the warp core started up, a steady thrum accompanying the flowing blue lights.

"Well, that was easier than expected," Alex said. He pulled out a combadge, and pinned it onto his shirt, then tossed Cameron the bracelet that would reshape her to match Amaranth.

"After I get my camera set-up, I'd like you to make a low pass, running from the North. Then, I would like Amaranth to issue an order about standard orbit," Alex said.

"And what stops me from simply…running away?" Phoenix asked. "For that matter, who says I even have to let you out? I could simply go and explore the universe as I saw fit, and I highly doubt you could stop me. My forcefields are extensive, and I could easily keep you somewhere until you expire."

"That's a bit morbid there, Phoenix. How's about we stop with the implied death threats now?" Cameron asked. "Besides, I could be Amaranth."

"True enough," Phoenix replied. "Accepted. And you, mage?"

"You said it yourself. I am a mage. I have the ability to teleport, and even warp 9.9 won't throw me off if I chose to teleport past a forcefield. I can also protect myself from hard vacuum, and gaseous means of incapacitation. Also, I do possess control magics that, when amplified via Aura here, would be more than enough to prevent you from anything untoward. I do think about it before throwing myself headlong into something," I answered.

The thrum of the warp core dominated the room for several moments before Phoenix spoke again. "You have done your homework well then. Besides which, it helps you that I am ensconced within a Federation starship. I will comply with your wishes, little mage, and willingly at that."

Alex released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and smiled. "Excellent. So, a North-South flyby, then Amaranth orders a standard orbit while on approach from the Sun towards Earth sound good?"

"Certainly, it will be good to be flying once more. Being seated on the ground like this…irritates me. Starships were most certainly not intended to be desert floor decorations," Phoenix stated authoritatively.

"Very well, let's hit it!" Alex said, walking towards the airlock. "I'll comm you when I've got the camera set up. Go ahead and take off as soon as I have disembarked."

Phoenix didn't bother to respond, but merely transported the mage directly outside, and took off immediately. Alex grinned as he watched the ship move towards the north, then began the setting up of the camera.

"Okay, go ahead and come back this way, and when you pass me, if you could be positioned such that I'm about two hundred meters off the starboard beam, that would be magnificent," Alex said, after tapping the commbadge.

"Acknowledged," came the mildly distorted reply. Two minutes passed, and then the Defiant-class starship came into view, a hundred feet in the air, and climbing. Everything about the ship screamed a supreme confidence, and the strength to back up that confidence. Roughly two thousand yards past the camera, the Draconis pitched into an extremely aggressive climb, and gained altitude at an ever increasing speed.