Authors Note: Just a little bit of the story that will come into play later, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 33

Promenade area Beta Durani station: Admiral Douglas had just met with General Hague, to go over some of the test results from the new scanners that the Earthforce was installing in their ships. The tests had shown promising results, and the General was ecstatic to say the least. Now the Admiral was just enjoying a quiet moment alone. He heard someone coming up behind him, and then a quiet voice spoke up, "Admiral Douglas?"

When he turned around, he saw an older man standing there. "Yes, can I help you?"

The man came around in front of him and extended his hand, "Senior Chief Nick Charles, retired. May I join you for a moment?"

The Admiral shook his hand, "Charles? You wouldn't be related to Petty Officer Charles would you?"

The man smiled, "Terry's my daughter."

The admiral motioned to the chair in front of him, then waved a signal to the Marines a few tables away. The motion was not lost on Mr. Charles. "Your security I take it?"

The Admiral smiled, "You can't be to careful these days."

Mr. Charles just nodded his head in understanding.

..
"So what can I do for you Mr. Charles?"

"I just wanted to thank you in person for all that you and your crew did for Terry."

"We just helped out where we could. That's all."

Mr. Charles smiled, "I spoke to Captain Santiago Admiral. He's an old friend of the family. He told me how bad Terry had been hurt, and everything your people did for her and the others. I felt that I had to come and thank you personally for what you did. And to tell you that if you ever need anything, anything at all, just call me."

Admiral Douglas had learned a long time ago how to read people, and he could see that Mr. Charles meant what he said. " So Mr. Charles, now that your retired, what do you do?"

" I work for an Agricultural company. We're developing new variants of grains to grow on colony worlds."

"Well Mr. Charles, if I ever need anything, you'll be the first man I call."

Just then, they both heard a tapping sound behind them. When he turned around, the Admiral saw Petty Officer Charles standing there with an older woman.

..
"Dad, you promised me that you wouldn't bother the Admiral."

Mr. Charles got a guilty look on his face, and the Admiral decided to help him out. "He wasn't bothering me Petty Officer, in fact, we were talking about some of the work he's doing now that he's retired."

Both women came up to the table, and were just looking at them. "Is that right Dad?"

"Yeah Terry. We were talking about grains."

He now looked at the admiral. "Well it seems that we'll have to cut our talk a little short admiral. My daughter has promised my wife and I a cooks tour of the station."

The two of them stood up, the admiral rubbed his chin for a moment, then looked at the Petty Officer. "Would you mind an extra guest?"

Terry looked at him, a slight look of shock passed over her face, be she quickly recovered. "Uh no sir, of course not."

The admiral motioned one of the marines over, and whispered something to him. The Sergeant looked a little worried now. "Don't worry Sergeant. I'll keep the Colonel off your back on this one."

"Yes sir."

Now the Admiral held out his arm to Terry, "Shall we?"

..
After the tour was over, the admiral had to admit that he rather enjoyed himself. He had to politely decline the Charles's dinner invitation, as he had other duties that he had been postponing.

"I'm afraid that I have reports to review, the obligations of being the Commanding Officer."

Mr. Charles just nodded, "It was always the paperwork that wore me out Admiral."

They all chuckled a little, and the Admiral shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Charles. Then he turned to Petty Officer Charles, "And thank you for the tour, I can't begin to tell you how long it's been since I've had so much fun."

As he was leaving, he could swear that she had been a little flushed, then he just shook his head and headed for the landing bay area.

..
Admiral Douglas's Office: The Admiral just rubbed his eyes, and then stood up to stretch. It had been a long day, with meetings with Vice President Santiago, and members of the various corporations from Earth. All of them were more than happy to lend the Confed people any help that they would need in setting up a new colony in the Vega system, for a chance at getting access to the advanced technology. He felt he needed to relax, so he was about to go to the gym, when there was a buzz at his door. "Enter."

The door opened, and he saw Petty Officer Charles standing there. "May I come in Admiral?"

"Of course Petty Officer. What can I do for you?"

Teresa sat in the chair in front of his desk, and he sat down behind it. "I wanted to tell you that my mom and dad enjoyed meeting you yesterday."

"Well, you can tell them that the feeling was mutual."

Teresa smiled now, but the Admiral got the feeling that that wasn't all she wanted to say. "Was there anything else Petty Officer?"

"Admiral, do you remember in sickbay when I became nervous around you?"

"Yes I do, but I felt that you didn't want to talk about it, so I let it drop."

Now she seemed to squirm in the chair a little. "Well sir, it's just that while I was recovering, I couldn't wait to see the man who had read me my letter. I kept remembering his voice, and the gentle kiss he had given me."

Her cheeks began to pink up as she blushed. "It may sound silly, but I started to get a crush on you. And then in sickbay when I finally met you, I find out that you're an Admiral."

"Is that a problem Petty Officer?"

..
Now he saw that she was getting a really embarrassed. "It's just that while I was recovering, I started thinking about you. I tried to imagine what you looked like and what you might think about me."

The Admiral was looking at her, "Petty officer, I don't know what to say. I'm a little flattered, but you do know that I'm old enough to be your father."

Teresa looked at him, "I know that, but I heard something in your voice. It made me want to get better faster, so I could finally get to see you."

"And when you did?"

"When I did, I find out that you're a senior officer. I felt that there was no way you could be interested in a girl like me."

He saw that she looked like she was about to cry. "Petty officer."

"Could you please call me Terry?"

He got up and walked around the desk. "Terry, I don't know what to say."

She stood up and she was very close to him. She looked in his eyes "Don't say anything then."

She put her arms around his neck and pulled his face to hers. The kiss was unlike any the Admiral had experienced in a long time. When she was done, she looked even more embarrassed. "I'm sorry sir, I …"

He put a finger to he lips, "Don't be."

And her kissed her this time. After their kiss, the Admiral offered to walk her back to her quarters. She looked at him with a little smile, "I'd rather see yours."

..
They arrived at his quarters a few minutes later, and he asked her if she would like anything to drink. "I'll have whatever your having."

He smiled, and poured two glasses of a deep burgundy drink. He handed her the glass, and she sniffed at it. "This smells like grape juice."

"It is. From my own little stash of grapevines."

As she sipped the drink, she just looked at him. "Where on a ship like this would you have grapevines?"

He smiled, "On my launch. I took up growing them a few years ago. I did it to help keep myself sane."

She set her glass down on his desk, and she walked toward him. She put her arms around his neck, "You are a man of many talents Admiral."

"Yes I am, and by the way, it's Luke."

She smiled at him, and looked deep into his eyes and then kissed him again. As they kissed, he could feel his heartbeat quicken, and the room seemed a little warmer all of a sudden. She was pressed against him, and he was kissing her back passionately. When they separated, he looked at her, "I think we should stop now Terry."

She stepped back a bit and unzipped her top. Then before he knew it, she was standing there in just her bra and panties. She winked at him, "Do you really want to stop Luke?"

..
She made her way over to his bed and pulled back the blanket. She slowly slid under the covers, and then he saw her bra come off. He quickly undressed and was slipping into the bed next to her. He kissed her lips, and their tongues danced wildly against each other's. He reached down and massaged her breasts as he kissed her neck. They spent that night together, learning each other's body and how to pleasure each other. Neither of them slept much, but they didn't care.

..
Admiral Douglas's office: Captain Tate looked at his old friend, and it seemed like the Admiral was tired. "Are you alright Luke?"

His friend smiled at him, "Of course Leroy, why do you ask?"

Captain Tate looked at him, "Well Luke, to tell you the truth, you seem a little tired today. Are you getting enough rest?"

The Admiral just looked at him, "Well actually, I didn't get to much sleep last night."

"Maybe you should see Heidi and get something to help you sleep."

"I'll think about that Leroy, now where were we?"

The two of them finished their meeting, and as Captain Tate was leaving, he looked at Ensign Femia. "Ensign, I think you should have Dr. Lloyd come and see the Admiral. He seems to be having trouble sleeping."

Tony smiled at him, "He's not the only one sir. I didn't get much sleep last night either."

Captain Tate looked at him, "Why is that Ensign?"

Tony looked from side to side for a moment, then said softly, "It may have been the moans and cries of passion coming from the Admiral's quarters last night sir."

Captain Tate showed a slight look of surprise, "Really. Who was he with?"

Tony smiled, "A certain Earthforce Petty Officer sir. But you didn't hear that from me."

Now Captain Tate smiled, and he just looked at the Ensign. "Thank you Ensign." and Captain Tate headed to the bridge.

..
When he arrived on the bridge, Commander Langford came up to him. "I have something to show you sir."

She handed him a printout, and he scanned it. "Has the Admiral seen this yet?"

Hershell smiled, "No sir."

"So what are you planning to do about this Commander?"

"Well sir, I have my most trusted people working on a special mission. The mission is top secret, and on a need to know basis only."

"Do you think the old man suspects anything?"

"I don't know Captain, but for the mission to work, we need to distract him for a few hours later today."

Leroy smiled to himself, and then typed something into the computer. He looked at the screen for a moment, and then looked at the Commander. "Come with me Commander, I think I know just the right person for that job."

..
Guest quarters TCS Mastiff: Petty Officer Charles was reading a story on the monitor on the desk when the door buzzed. When she answered the door, she saw Captain Tate and Commander Langford standing there. "May we come in Miss Charles?"

"Of course Captain."

Captain Tate just looked at her for a moment, "Miss Charles, we need your help with a special project."

"What sort of project sir?"

"Well, the admiral asked Commander Langford to reset the ships clocks and calendars to match those of the Earth Alliance. When she did, she discovered something interesting."

Hershell looked at her now, "It seems that today is the Admirals birthday. Now normally the crew tries to surprise him, but for the last few years the admiral has always taken leave just before his birthday."

"And you want to surprise him."

Now the two of them looked at her. "We think that we can surprise him, but we need your help to distract him."

Teresa looked at them with an impish smile, "OK, I'm in. What do you want me to do?"

The three of them spent the next half hour making their plans.

..
Admiral Douglas's Office, 1600 hours: Ensign Femia buzzed the Admiral, "Yes Tony."

"Sir, Petty officer Charles is here to see you sir."

He smiled to himself, "Send her in Tony."

When the door had closed, he took her in his arms and kissed her, and she kissed him back. When they came apart, he looked at her, "So what brings you here today? I thought you were supposed to be seeing Dr. Lloyd right now."

"It didn't take as long as I thought, and so I came to ask a favor of you."

He looked at her rather suspiciously "What sort of favor?"

She smiled rather impishly, "Do you remember what I said last night?"

He looked at her, "About the Zero club?"

"Uh huh."

"Now Terry, I told you last night that we couldn't turn off the gravity plates in my quarters."

Now she leaned very closely to him and whispered in his ear, "But what about the gravity plates in your launch?"

He thought for a moment, and then he grabbed a jacket off the hook by the door.

..
The two of them went to the flight deck, and he showed her to his ship. They were quickly strapped in and he contacted the bridge. "This is Admiral Douglas, requesting launch clearance."

The CAG got on the line, "Admiral, this is Colonel Lee. Do you need an escort sir?"

"No colonel, I'm just going to be checking out the system. Call it a joy ride."

"Yes sir. You're cleared to launch."

"Roger that Colonel."

Soon the Tarsus was zipping along. The CAG immediately told Captain Tate, and Leroy just smiled. "Don't worry Colonel, this was expected. Just launch a few fighters to keep him on long range contact just in case."

"Yes sir."

..
After the fighters had launched, Captain Tate activated the ship wide comm.

"Attention all hands. The Admiral asked that we switch our clocks and calendars to match those of the Earth Alliance. While doing this, it was discovered, that today is the Admirals birthday. Now those of you who have served with the Admiral for a while know how much he dislikes the crew making a fuss. But given what we have all been through this past month, I think he wouldn't mind a little fuss this time. So at 18:30 hours, all personnel not on duty are asked to be in the beta Landing bay. We will be directing the Admiral to land there, and when he lands, I expect this crew to give the old man a birthday party he won't soon forget."

Now Captain Tate contacted General Hague. "General, were you able to talk to the Vice President?"

"Yes I was captain, and he said he would be more than happy to assist."

Captain Tate smiled, "That's wonderful General, we'll be expecting you at 18:30 hours then."

"We'll be there Captain."

..
Admiral Douglas's launch 18:30 hours: Luke and Terry were just floating near the ceiling of the ship, still entwined. She was actually crying softly. "What's wrong?" "She looked at him, "I never knew it would be this wonderful."

He stroked her hair gently, "Terry, I haven't felt like this in a long time." then he kissed her.

It was then that he heard the beep of his comm. panel. They quickly made their way down to the deck, and he grabbed his jacket and put it on after he was sitting in his seat. He activated the monitor, and saw Captain Tate. "What's wrong Leroy?"

"We have a priority message for you from Vice President Santiago."

"Patch it through."

The monitor now showed the Vice President. "Admiral, we need to talk right away."

"What's wrong Mr. Vice President?"

"Not over the air, I'll be in your office at 19:00. I think it would be better if we spoke privately on your ship."

"Of course sir, I'll see you then."

The monitor clicked off, and Terry floated up behind him. "Well, so much for a grand slam."

He smiled at her, "Next time, I promise. Now get ready."

He brought the gravity plating up slowly, and they quickly dressed and headed back to the ship. As they got near the ship, he was directed to landing bay beta.

..
Landing bay Beta: Terry knew she had one more little bit of distracting to do, so once the ship was down, she got up and walked slowly toward the hatch. She stopped in front of it and put her arms around Luke's neck again. "Any idea when we can do this again?"

He looked into her eyes, "Any time you want to."

She kissed him again, and she really stretched it out. When they broke the kiss, he looked at his watch, it was 18:50, and he sadly took her arms from around his neck. "Sorry Terry, but duty calls."

"Alright, but you just wait until later. We're definitely going to finish this kiss."

He smiled at her, "I can't wait."

..
When the hatch opened, he heard the loudest chorus of 'SURPRISE' he had ever heard. He also saw that the entire landing bay was filled with his crewmembers. Directly in front of him, he saw Captain Tate, Commander Langford, General Hague, Vice President Santiago, and Captain Santiago. He was speechless, and then he saw the banner that read Happy Birthday Admiral.

He looked at Terry, "You know about this?"

She smiled impishly, "Uh huh."

The crew quickly quieted down as Captain Tate held up his hand. He looked at Luke and saw the questioning look on his face, "Admiral. We all know that you don't normally like to celebrate your birthday, but when the commander discovered that today was your birthday. Well the crew and I couldn't resist trying to surprise you."

The Admiral looked at him now, "But my Birthday isn't for another month."

Hershell smiled at him now, "Actually sir, today is your birthday. General, what's the date today?"

General Hague looked at her, "Its October 1st. Commander at least for another 5 hours."