Hello dear readers of all my genre writing. It's been a long time since I posted as life has been busy and been posting elsewhere. I hope life will treat me well this upcoming year to get back to my regular writing on this site. Well, Merry Christmas as this should be posted on Christmas Eve of 2023.

A little note about uniforms, this is about a year before First Contact and the DS9 episode that introduced those uniforms, so Starfleet still uses a mix of Post-Season 3 TNG/Early DS9/VOY uniforms as seen in Generations. Also, the 'dress' uniform with an addition of a collar is still in use.

Chapter 3 - Certain Points of View

USS Tori (NCC-1725)
Constitution-Class (Enterprise-subclass)
Somewhere in the Archanis Sector

Captain Eric Benedict made his way down one of the many corridors to inspect his ship. He glanced over the crew as they went about their duty going from one place to another, repairing battle damage and performing maintenance with various panels pulled off the side of the interior bulkheads. A shared soft smile and a polite nod between him and his crewmembers that noticed his presence as he walked past them was all that was needed to convey the shared pride in their work and for their ship.

He stopped at one open door with various engineers going about their business of going through diagnostics, swapping out parts and mending connections. He saw his chief engineer, an apparent human male, in maintenance overalls directing his engineers to various tasks. He called out, "How is she Chief?"

The chief engineer, a man in his early forties with a muscular build, blonde, neatly trimmed hair with just a touch of grey at the temples and a worn, but jolly expression, turned to face the apparent young captain. On his collar were four pips, indicating he was a rare 'Captain of Engineering'. He answered with an upbeat tone laced with a light German accent and grin, "The old girl took a pounding, but she held up well. We just had a few power overloads here and there that are being patched up as we speak. The shields took a pounding though, especially the forward shields. The generators nearly blew out and we did have some emitters overload. We're tuning this generator back up, reinforcing the housing frame. I have a crew replacing the emitters so we don't have any gaps in shielding. There are plenty of scorch marks on the primary hull from bleed through, but no breaches. I want to do a visual inspection of the hull when we get a chance captain."

"I don't know when we'll get a chance to stop and take a breath Chief. The Klingons are hunting us just as much as we're hunting them. Are we covered for parts?"

"Plenty sir. I made sure we stocked up before we left the last dock and there are plenty of Miranda and Excelsior parts in the fleet if we really needed anything that I can't fabricate," he confidently answered then took a step forward to the young man. He lowered his voice, "Griffin is already working his connections to pick up anything else we might need… maybe a stray quantum torpedo… maybe a case of those new compression phaser rifles… a lot of ships around."

Benedict slightly nodded his head with a reserved expression then whispered back, "As long as what he does doesn't disgrace the uniform, he's free to put his skills to use to get what the Tori needs… but if he could get a dozen of those latest tricorders for Kozak…"

The older officer gave a slight nod and answered, "Understood sir."

"Thank you Chief. Anything else?"

"No sir."

"Well then, keep me up to date."

"I will sir."

A sudden sizzle then a few sparks flew deeper in the room, startling one of the engineering mates.

The Chief turned around and pulled tool from his belt, calling out as he started walking over to the embarrassed crewman, "I told you that you needed a hydrospanner for that!"

Benedict fought to keep a smile off his face, knowing his Chief couldn't be happier. He left the engineers to continue their work. He walked further down the corridor then stepped into a turbolift. He called out, "Deck Seven, Sickbay."

The lift started to move with the soft expected hum and a few moments later the doors parted and he stepped out onto the deck. He needed only a few paces to reach one of the entrances to Sickbay. The doors parted for him then he stepped inside. He walked a few more paces inside and saw the row of beds were empty. He knotted his brow, a little concerned and confused as there had been reports of casualties.

He made a left, pausing just long enough to give a nod to the duty nurse, and walked to the chief medical officer's office. He rounded the white door frame then tapped on the glass wall under the doctor's printed name: Dr. Crystal Westbrook, M.D. to get her attention.

The doctor looked up at her PADD, meeting his gaze with a soft smile. She was a lovely young woman that appeared to be in her mid-twenties with fair, nearly pale blemish free skin with a symmetrical face, meticulous eyebrows that were sharp, but then gently rounded over her brow above her eyes. She had dark brunette long hair that at the moment was done up in a bun behind her head to keep it off her collar and shoulders, revealing her pointed ears. She wore a blue 'skant' uniform with lieutenant commander pips on her collar and a medical coat over her uniform.

He returned the smile and asked with a curious tone, "Doctor? Where's the casualties?"

She gave him a supportive smile as she answered in a calm voice, "We got lucky sir. No deaths, but we had seventeen injured from blunt trauma from jostling around to power overloads at various points throughout the ship. We patched them up with no problem and sent them back to duty, but there are three cases of radiation poising in the bow. They're in isolation for the time being, but fortunately, they should all make a full recover."

He sighed in relief, a weight seemingly a bit more off his shoulders and rested against the side of the frame. He politely smiled to her and spoke, "Thank you doctor."

Her smile grew a little bigger as she spoke, "I'm glad I could give you some good news."

"I am too."

She motioned a hand to him that he could have a seat and asked, "How's everything else?"

He accepted her invitation and had a seat in one of the brown chairs across from the white desk. He settled in comfortably then gave her a tired smile as he answered, "We're in good shape, far better than others I hear. It's worst on some of the other ships."

She nodded her head and her smile faded considerably. She quietly asked, a hint of worry lacing her voice, "Any word on what's happening at Archanis?"

"We've been on subspace silence for the most part, but we picked up a few stray transmissions. It looks like Bullock was able to push them out, but the Klingons left behind on the planet are putting up a nasty fight. I can only assume it's a bloody mess."

She slightly bowed her head and sighed, "Do you think the Klingons will come back?"

Benedict took a deep breath then slowly let it out before replying, "They'll come back for round two. We've finally given them the fight they were hoping for the last hundred years and they're not going to let up now. It's going to get worst from here."

The lovely doctor's shoulders slumped for a moment then regretfully replied, "I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

He slightly cocked his head to the side, put on a ghost of a smile and regretfully answered, "Me too."

The pair shared a glance with one another, picking up one each other's emotional state. She had the unfair advantage of being a limited range telepath.

The captain for a moment wondered if she was doing a brief psychological evaluation of him. He was about to question her, but she quietly remarked, "You'll get us through it."

He cracked a soft smile as he replied with a bit of levity in his voice, "That's a lot of faith to put in me doctor. It looks like we're going into the war our grandparents and great-grandparents had nightmares about."

Her smile grew bigger as she commented, "It doesn't take a lot with you."

He chuckled and she joined in with a soft laugh.

The relaxed mood was interrupted when there was an all call throughout the ship, "Captain Benedict, please report to the bridge. Captain Benedict, please report to the bridge."

He crossed his right arm over his chest and tapped his combadge and answered, "Benedict here. I'm on my way." He tapped it again then commented, "Duty calls."

She snorted out a laugh, "Duty calls. Door is always open for you."

He nodded his head as he stood up. "Thanks Crystal." He turned and headed out of sickbay, but paused when he heard her call out, "Saint?" He partially turned and looked over his left shoulder. He gave her a curious smile and asked, "Yes?"

She quietly answered him, "I do have faith in you to get us through this."

Benedict took a deep breath then slightly bowed his head to her then turned again to head out of sickbay.

The doctor relaxed in her seat and once she heard the sickbay doors open then close, she glanced around to see that none of her staff was in her line of sight and hopefully out of earshot. She brought her hands together in a form of prayer, but middle and ring fingers parting in the Vulcan salute and the pads of her thumbs pressed together. She quietly spoke, "God of War, I have never prayed to you. I have prayed to your brother of peace countless times, but hear my prayer. Grant my request: protect my captain. Give him the strength and courage to lead us into battle to face our enemies and conquer them so that all of us can go home alive."

After she spoke, she took a deep breath, feeling the hint of regret of praying to the old god, but simply embraced the feeling then discarded it. She knew any momentary feeling was far outweighed by her concern with his and the crew's safety.

The port turbolift doors parted and the apparent young captain stepped onto the bridge with someone calling out, "Captain on the bridge."

Petty Officer Reese stood up from her communication station, took a step towards him then quietly spoke, "Priority call from the Saratoga. Admiral Bullock wishes to speak to you."

"I'll take it in my ready room," he acknowledge with a slight smile and nod of his head. He walked past her, around the back of the bridge then stepped into the starboard turbolift. Once the doors closed, he called out, "Ready Room."

The turbolift rotated about a hundred twenty degrees to port and stern then another set of doors opened. He stepped out into corridor, walked several paces then turned to his left to step through the parting doors of another room. The room was a cramp office, but enough for his purposes. He took a seat behind the desk attached to the wall then tapped a button on the older desktop commuter.

The computer asked in the familiar voice throughout the fleet, "Please identify for voice verification."

"Benedict, Eric Nathaniel, Captain, USS Tori."

A few moments later, the black screen displaying the Federation Seal was replaced by the image of Admiral Bullock.

Benedict respectfully greeted, "Admiral."

"Captain. I will keep this brief. The political situation has changed since our victory in the Archanis System. The Klingons are apparently willing to talk, so you are to proceed to the coordinates we are transmitting to your ship at best speed to rendezvous with another Starfleet vessel, pick up our initial negotiator then return to the Archanis System. By that time, hopefully an exact meeting place and time will be worked out. Once that happens, you'll proceed to that location. The diplomat is in charge of the mission, but of course you are still in command of your vessel and be the one to make the decisions best to insure the safety and security of your ship and crew. We'll keep you up to date as the situation develops."

"Aye sir. What ship are we meeting?"

"For security purposes, I can't tell you. This may be a secure line, but…"

"Understood sir. We'll know them when we see them."

"Quite correct captain. Good luck and Godspeed."

"Thank you sir."

The image was switched back to the Seal of the Federation. He tapped the button to turn the monitor off then stood up to head back to the bridge.

A few moments later, Captain Benedict stepped back onto the bridge and walked around the back of the bridge to the communications station. He quietly whispered to her, "Miss Reese, we're receiving a set of coordinates. Please transmit them navigation."

"Aye sir."

He turned his attention to the dual consoles beyond the center seat. "Commander Harrison, coordinates are being feed into the navigation station. Once you receive them, confirm the course."

The Lt. Commander slightly swiveled in his seat to the direction of the captain and replied, "Aye sir."

He gave his final order, "Mister Griffin, engage at warp nine once plotted."

"Yes sir," the young lieutenant answered as his fingertips started dancing along the console.

A few moments later, Harrison called out, "Sir, those coordinates takes us out of the Archanis Sector and towards the Federation core."

Benedict sighed then replied with a hint of regret in his voice, "I know, but we'll be back. We're not running from a fight. Is the course set?"

"Yes sir."

"Then Mister Griffin, engage."

"Aye sir," the young lieutenant replied then pressed the button to engage warp speed.

There was a soft vibration under the captain's feet and every other person onboard for the briefest of moments before it smoothed back out to nothing, signally the ship had jumped to warp.

Captain Benedict followed up his last order, "Miss Reese, inform department heads they'll be a short briefing in half an hour."

"Aye sir," the young woman answered the turned her attention to her station.

Federation Council
San Francisco, CA
Earth, Sol System

The council had been in session for most the day into the waning afternoon and early evening to take care of the daily business of the Federation that couldn't be handled by the individual member worlds. The conflict with the Klingons had dominated much of that business. Councilman Shay and his colleagues had used the time wisely to sure up those that agreed with their sentiments in regards to the Klingons.

They had found support from the expected groups such as the Andorians, Centurians, Martians, Caitians and Rigellians. There was tacit support from the Tellerites and Bolians—where Min Zife didn't want his platform being undercut by Shay—while the Vulcans and Deltans remained neutral on the matter and considerable hesitation from a number of supporters of the president.

After checking the vote count for a fifth time, Councilman Shay was to take the floor and introduce his bill, but before he could make his motion to speak, the chairman announced, "Gentle beings, I've just been informed that the President will be arriving shortly to address the council. I would ask you take your seats."

Shay retook his seat and passed a glance to Gloranna and Tobin from across the chamber. He gave them a look to be patient and see how the President was going to play his hand.

A few moments later, the President walked into the chamber and out of respect, the councilmembers stood up. Some started clapping then others joined as Jaresh-Inyo walked through the chamber and took the chairman's podium.

The clapping faded over the course of the next several moments then the President began to speak, "Good evening. As you may know from your colleagues and news reports, Starfleet has successfully driven out Klingon forces and retaken the Archanis system—"

A round of clapping momentarily interrupted him, sweeping through the chamber. He looked a little hesitant at the display as clearly in his eyes, the more militant wing of the council was gaining a greater foothold. He waited for the clapping to cease then continued, "There is sporadic fighting throughout the rest of the sector, but we have retaken most of the sector. The next question is where do we proceed now?"

He paused for a moment then continued, "After consultation with my cabinet, ranking members of the council and Starfleet, I have decided that we should attempt another diplomatic solution to this conflict. I have sent Gowron another diplomatic overture in the hopes we can end this conflict before it escalates and put more lives in danger. With this victory, we have shown Gowron that the Federation is more than willing and capable of defending herself and that continued conflict would be wasteful and pointless. He has responded to my offer and will be meeting with a representative to begin laying the groundwork for true and faithful negotiations."

There was a wave of conversation among the council members, some starting to get louder and louder as it would appear that small arguments were breaking out.

The chairman gently banged his gavel and called out, "Order, there will be order."

The chamber grew quiet after several seconds then a light in front of Shay's seat came on, indicating that he wished to speak. He stood up, making sure he was seen and wished to address the chamber.

The chairman waited to make sure the president had finished conveying what he wished say to the council then called out, "The chair recognizes Councilman Shay of Izar."

Shay raised his voice regardless of the microphone, "Thank you Mister Chairman."

He looked across the room to his fellow representatives before he began, "I know I speak for my colleagues in saying Starfleet has our utmost thanks and appreciation for their courage and the sacrifices they have made in order to protect the Federation. In the coming days, we will be celebrating this victory while families across Archanis and the Federation will be mourning the loss of their loved ones in the defense of our way of life, of our very freedoms. We will mourn with them… and we will have to make sure that heroism is not in vain, so with our original effort before this news to support them and Starfleet and now fortunately the President's negotiations with the Klingon Empire to bring this conflict to an honorable and victorious end—where it is my hope we will receive reparations and the handing over of war criminals from the Klingon Empire—I am introducing the Federation Defense Act."

Another wave of murmurs swept the council chamber. He let them pass for a moment until the chairman had to restore order. Once the chamber was quiet, he continued, "It will provide additional funds to Starfleet to continue to modernize the existing fleet, expand the fleet with constructing vessels of the latest classes, bolstering planetary defenses and provide additional services to Starfleet personnel and their families. This will now also give the President additional diplomatic leverage in negotiations in reminding the inhabitants of the galaxy that the Federation remains open to peaceful coexistence and friendship with our interstellar neighbors, but we will defend our citizens, sovereign territory and our allies against aggressive interstellar actors."

The President eyed the Izarian representative, initially remaining quiet as Shay not only carried out his countermove with the announcement of negotiations, but framed the introduction of such a measure as to look like he was in support of him. He saw it as a cleaver move to maneuver him into supporting the Izarian councilman's military expansionism.

Another light came on, one from Councilman Tobin.

Shay saw the light and spoke, "I yield my time to the representative of Trill."

"Thank you Councilman and Chair. I second Councilman Shay's bill to be considered by the full council as it has already passed out of committee. We should all do our due diligence in reading the legislation and offering amendments as quickly, but carefully as possible to make sure that we give Starfleet and the president has all the means of the Federation behind him."

The President looked to the chair, indicating that he wished to speak. The chair gave the time to the President, allowing him to speak. He put on a diplomatic smile as he replied, "Thank you Councilman Shay. I appreciate the voice of support, but I am not sure that increased militarization would send the correct message to the Klingons. It may signal to them that we are not being sincere in our desire for a peaceful resolution, but simply stalling for time."

Shay was quick to respond in a calm and mannered voice, "I respectfully disagree Mister President. We do not have to stall for anything. They were the aggressors, are now on the defensive and if anything, maybe they are stalling for time to regain their strength for a counteroffensive. I wish for the best and support your effort for a diplomatic solution that does not surrender any sovereignty to them, but we must prepare for the possibility they are not responding to our offers of peace in good faith and that we are not bluffing in willing to defend ourselves. The galaxy has known for the last two hundred years that we do not wage wars of aggression. The Federation herself was born out of protecting ourselves. We do not invade our neighbors. We defend ourselves time and time again when we come under attack and hesitate to effectively strike back… to our determent at times."

The Betazed representative stood up, speaking without being recognize, "I agree with Councilman Shay. There is an old human saying, 'Si vis pacem, para bellum', translated roughly as: 'If you want peace, prepare for war'. I see that it is quite fitting here. We want peace, but we must not hesitate to defend ourselves. We have been hesitant too long with several of our neighbors and it only invited attack and massacres of our people. Mister President, you must have the force to back up any conditions set or the Klingons could see it as nothing more than weakness and strike again. We implore you to let us give you that support."

Jaresh-Inyo was about to counter, wanting to focus purely on diplomatic efforts, but noticed that the Bolian representative, his political opponent for the presidency was about to stand. He quickly rethought what he was about to say then replied with a heavy heart, "Very well. In the spirit of support for our diplomatic efforts, I will not oppose the necessary funding increase at this time."

The statement seemed to take the wind out of him and his presidential opponent, Min Zife. The President's shoulders slumped, a tired expression forming on his face while Min resettled in his seat.

Jaresh-Inyo relenting gave a moral boost to Shay's side and over the next few minutes, the council went through the procedural motions to bring the legislation to the full floor for consideration. Some objections were made to prevent the spending bill from being introduced, but they were quickly overruled. After the last procedural hurdle was cleared, the chairman opened it up for discussion and adding of amendments. However, since the vast majority of the council had not read the bill, any vote would not be scheduled until sometime later in the week.

Another half hour passed before the council was adjourned for the evening and the members started heading out to head to various places.

As Shay made his way to catch up with Gloranna and Tobin, he was stopped by the Earth representative, Councilman Adams. He smiled to the Izarian representative as he spoke, "That was an interesting play Shay."

"Play? Doing exactly what I told him I was going to do? Or was openly supporting the President's position is what surprised you?"

"The support as you made it quite clear that you were against the negotiations."

"I'm against negotiations where we're giving then Klingons anything. If you can find a way of getting them to completely withdraw from our space without giving them anything, that's fine by me."

Adams smiled, almost a predatory grin forming on his face as he replied, "I'm glad you feel that way because your son-in-law is on the envoy mission."

Shay cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Pardon?"

"The President is going to send Captain Picard to talk to the Klingons, but the Enterprise isn't ready, so your son-in-law's ship, the Tori, is going to take him. I think it's a bit poetic. It was a Constitution-Class that was pivotal to peace with the Klingons and we're sending another one in hopes to reforge that peace."

The Izarian representative held his tongue for a moment, feeling a surge of anger as it was clear that Adams and the President was using his son-in-law as some political pawn to get him to back away from his position. He forced a confident smile, one used in many profitable poker games, and replied, "Yes, quite poetic, a captain of the Enterprise on a Constitution… If Picard gets them to withdraw and end this conflict while my son-in-law is with him, we get the peace we all want and Eric just may go down in the history books like Kirk and Spock. Maybe fortune is smiling on us."

Adams cocky smile faded a tad and semi-confidently answered, "That is one way to look at it… well, if you'll excuse me, I have an engagement I must attend to. Good evening." He hastily turned and walked away, a hint of frustration on his features before his face turned away.

Gloranna and Tobin each gave Shay a concerned gaze as they had just been within earshot of Adams' news, each wondered what their friend had in mind, well at least Tobin did as Gloranna easily picked up his emotional state even as he closed off his mind.

Shay took a deep breath then turned to face them, his expression turning into a cold mask. He calmly answered their unasked question, "If Inyo wants to play hardball, we'll play hardball. We're getting this bill pushed through tomorrow and if those negotiations fail… we'll push through a declaration of war and legislation to fully mobilize Starfleet. We need to talk to Res now."

He walked around his colleagues and friends to head out of the council chamber. They quickly tagged along as they knew they had much work to accomplish.

Observation Lounge
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)
In Route to Rendezvous Point

Captain Picard took a seat at the end of the conference table while the rest of his senior staff had already taken their seats. He tugged down on his shirt, a habit of years wearing the command shirt and it always riding up when he sat down. Once he adjusted it and got comfortable in his seat, he began, "About half an hour ago, I received a message direct from the President to proceed to a set of coordinates where we will rendezvous with another Starfleet vessel. Commander Data, Counselor Troi and I will beam over and they will take us to meet with Klingon representatives in the hopes that I will be able to restart negotiations to find a peaceful solution to the conflict over the Archanis Sector."

The room remained silent over the news, yet there was a levity of hope that seemed to pass through the room.

Commander Riker cocked an eyebrow as he wore a curious, perhaps a little perturbed expression on his face. "Sir, I don't believe there is a better person to help start negotiations back up, but why would the President have you travel by another ship? Why not just send the Enterprise?"

"I raised that same point too after the President informed me of the mission, but Starfleet Command feels the Enterprise is not ready to go into such a situation as we are still getting familiar with her and only beginning our shakedown. They don't want to risk the Enterprise against the Klingons in her condition."

Riker regretfully sighed, "It doesn't sound as if they have particular confidence in the success of this mission and it could end up in a firefight."

"I cannot speak to their confidence, but there is definite hope on the President's part in reopening the negotiations. There are hardliners in the Federation Council that believe a military solution is called for in this matter. They're the ones that were able to rally enough of the council to reject the initial ceasefire meant for negotiations, but now that we've won a victory, it's given the President the political opportunity to try again."

Riker replied with a lace of sarcasm in his voice, "So now that they have their pound of flesh, now they're willing to allow us to talk to the Klingons?"

Picard paused for a moment, silently and partially agreeing with the sentiment then continued, "Whatever the case may be, we have the opportunity to end this before there is any more bloodshed and I for one intend to take it. Hopefully I can convince the Klingon representatives to make Gowron realize that the best course of action is to open formal negotiations and agree to a ceasefire. It will allow for cooler heads to prevail."

Lt. Commander Geordie La Forge idly asked, "Sir, how likely is that to happen? Gowron invaded the Cardassian Union and us and refused to withdraw when it was exposed he was wrong in both cases—he even stripped Worf and his family of honor and the property for refusing to go along with the invasion."

Picard nodded along, signally he agreed with the injustice and sheer pettiness Gowron had done to Worf, but had to put the good of the Federation over his loyalty to his former security chief. "You raise very good points Mister La Forge that will not be easy to overcome. I believe there is a certain level of pride playing on Gowron's part. Invading the Cardassian Union and the Federation may have served the purpose of placating the more… hawkish elements within the Empire, but ultimately he was urged to act by a trusted advisor that turned out to be a Changeling, making it appear that he was simply a pawn of the Dominion. He is perhaps in an untenable position of having to push and hold onto territorial gains or he faces possible removal or outright assassination for being manipulated into such actions."

Riker regretfully remarked, "So he might not have any more room to negotiate than you do sir if there is continued pushed by those council members?"

"That may be the case Number One, but we have to try before the Federation is pulled into a full scale war and leave us open for a Dominion attack."

"Yes sir."

Picard continued, passing a glance to Data, "Mister Data, I wish for you to familiarize yourself with everything we know about the current Klingon political structure, particular backers or potential detractors of Gowron along with the current strategic situation along the border."

"Yes sir."

"Commander La Forge, we'll be at the rendezvous point in less than a day, but in that time, if there is anything you and the engineering staff can do to expedite our shakedown in case the Enterprise does find herself in battle, do so."

"Aye sir."

Picard glanced over his senior staff one more time as he spoke, "If there are no other questions, dismissed."

Briefing Room, Deck 2
USS Tori (NCC-1725)
In Route to Rendezvous Point

As on the flagship of the Federation, the captain and department heads of the Tori met in the briefing room on deck two. The captain sat at one end of the table with his chief medical officer sitting cattycorner to his left, Lt. Commander Kozak sitting to the doctor's left then Petty Officer Reese next to her. Lt. Commander Harrison sat cattycorner to the captain's right, Lt. Griffin sat to Harrison's right and past him, Chief Engineer Schultz.

The captain took a short breath then began in a cool, collected voice, "Half an hour ago or so, Admiral Bullock ordered us to rendezvous with a Starfleet vessel at a set of coordinates deeper into the Federation. We're to pick up a negotiator and return to the Archanis System as quickly as possible."

His statement earned him a number of confused expressions with Harrison being the first one to question in a half surprised tone, "We're opening up negotiations with them?"

"Apparently so," Benedict dryly remark, his lips curled into a faint smile.

Griffin followed up with just as a perplexed tone as the chief navigator and first officer, "Over what? What is there to negotiate over? How long it takes them to withdraw?"

Benedict slightly shook his head as he replied, "I don't know and that's not our responsibility to worry about. We're to simply pick the diplomat up and bring him or her back to the Archanis System then to wherever they set up a meeting."

"Respectfully sir, maybe it should?"

Benedict relaxed back more in his seat and let the helm officer continue speaking.

"Negotiation involves a compromise; what can we compromise on? Let them have some of the sector? Give up what has been Federation space for over a hundred years? Give away citizens homes? Is this going to be a repeat of the Cardassian treaty?"

He paused and looked over his fellow crewmembers then continued, "What is the point of being a part of the Federation if some core worlder will just give away other members' worlds whenever there is a dispute? Has the formation of the Marquis not taught them anything?" He paused for a moment and looked to the doctor and hastily added, "No offense meant doctor. I know Centaurians aren't like that."

She replied with a soft smile, "None taken… Martian."

Griffin held back a smirk as the rest of the staff remained quiet after that, clearly no one wanting to veer into the political arena while being in uniform.

The captain remained quiet with them for several moments before he softly answered, "I have no doubt that a number of worlds are asking those same questions and the Council is taking those points into consideration. As they debate and the negotiator does his or her duty, we carry out our duty to defend the Federation."

There was a hint of challenge in the young lieutenant's voice as he questioned, "And if there is another betrayal?"

The starship captain sat up straighter in his seat then replied in a fairly calm voice, "Then each of us will have to do what their conscious and honor demands of them."

The answer seemed to satisfy the helmsman as he relaxed back in his seat and remained quiet.

"Any other questions?"

Lt. Commander Kozak slightly tilted her head and asked, "What are our orders in regards to the Klingons?"

"They haven't been updated. Clearly they will be before we arrive to any meeting place because there can't be any negotiations if there isn't some form of ceasefire among the diplomats."

Lieutenant Griffin questioned with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "What if they decide to just fire on us anyway? They're hungry for war and that would certainly be a message to us that they don't want to really talk."

"They could, so I'm going to trust your flying skills and Captain Schultz's engines to get us out of there if they start shooting. However, it's more likely they're just stalling for time to launch a counteroffensive, so we should be safe while at the meeting area."

Kozak softly questioned, speaking with a smooth tone, "So this is simply a waste of time?"

He turned his gaze to his lovely science officer and replied, "Could be, but that is a decision for the politicians. It gives us time to prepare for such an attack and I know Admiral Bullock is just not sitting back and twiddling his thumbs."

The answer seemed to satisfy the staff.

The captain glanced around, seeing that apparently there were no more questions, so he spoke, "Well then, get some rest and something to eat. We're already halfway into Bravo shift. Dismissed."

The staff started standing up one by one then headed out of the room other than the doctor and Lt. Commander Kozak.

He leaned back and slightly swiveling in his seat to look at the lovely ladies then asked, "So, what's on your minds?"

The pair shared glances with one another then Kozak looked to the captain and answered, "Grif is right. This is very scary if they decide to negotiate away any of our space to them. They got away with it with the DMZ, but what if the Klingons decide they want Sherman's Planet next? Would they give my home away to them? Some Starfleet security goes knocking on my parents' door and tells them they have to leave because it now belongs to the Klingon Empire?"

Benedict took a deep breath then regretfully replied, "If they try such a thing then we'll have a secession movement, telling the core worlds to go to Hell—Gre'thor—in your case and declare their independence before they can be given away and the Federation we know and love dies."

Kozak was hesitant in first speaking, but decided to ask anyway, "And what side would you take sir?"

The apparent young captain paused for just a moment then spoke with clear conviction in his voice, "Unless there was some totalitarian overthrow of the government and I have to liberate my home, I will not take up arms against Izar and I'm certainly not shooting at you."

The lovely science officer snorted out, softly smirking, "That's a relief sir."

The doctor spoke up, a faint, morbid smile on her face, glancing back and forth between her fellow officers, "How did we get to this point? Talking about secessions and whether we'd shoot at each other?"

Kozak answered in a disgusted tone, "When the core worlders decided they no longer had to live up to their obligation of mutual defense and accepted that border colonies could be attacked without any real reprisals, whether it was from the Tzenkethi, the Talarians or the Cardassians. We weren't worth defending and worst, willing to give some of us away so they wouldn't be bothered but would send Starfleet after those that had the nerve to say no in giving up their homes. That is how we got here Crystal: a government more concerned with a foreign power's interest than her own citizens'."

The science officer had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself, clearly getting emotionally worked up about the situation.

The doctor reached over and patted Kozak's opposite hand while the captain remained quiet. As inappropriate at is might have been for her to air her grievances about the Federation government in front of her superior officer, he remained silent on the issue and clearly was going to let it slide.

Benedict finally remarked after Kozak calmed herself, "I still have faith in the Federation and her ideals will get us through this. We're still the United Starfleet to defend those ideals."

Kozak stood up from her seat and sadly looked to her captain. She quietly responded, "With some of the ones I've seen in uniform lately, I wonder about that sir, I wonder about that." She turned and headed out of the briefing room.

The doctor watched her leave, wearing a sympathetic expression for her friend. She looked back to the captain, seeing a solemn expression on his face and a hint of doubt in his eyes. The simple hesitation in his eyes shook her for a moment, causing her to ask in a concerned tone, "What?"

Benedict hesitated in answering, but the doctor's concerned glance encouraged him to answer, "I've had my doubts too. The 'United Starfleet'… I always believed the unofficial creed that no matter where you are from in the Federation, we're one. You wear this uniform and you're one of us that bond us together in a shared ideal and universal brother and sisterhood… that Garth of Izar forged that ideal, but… some things I've seen recently, I wonder too. We were ordered to remove citizens from their homes to give them to the Cardassians and not one captain refused the order. The Marquis formed and we're ordered to fight and hunt them down on behalf of the Cardassians because they didn't want to give up their homes and not one captain refused that order either. Not one captain. Some eagerly followed the orders. I can't believe we wear the same uniform."

The doctor took a breath and looked to the table, contemplating his words. She took a few more moments to contemplate then looked up at him with a confident expression. "Then we need to uphold those ideals more than ever to pick up the slack and show that Starfleet is the same Starfleet of April, Pike… and Decker and Wesley, Kirk and Harrison… Scotty, Uhura and McCoy, for the first crew of the Tori in twenty-two sixty-seven to this one."

Her words rang in his head for a few seconds then he cracked a smile, a faint one, but still there as he answered, "Yeah, we do have a legacy to hold up."

The pair fell in silence, just watching one another until he politely offered, "Would you like to grab some dinner? I think I finally got the replicator to make a decent Pok tar."

She cracked a soft smile as she answered, "I'd like that."

Somewhere in Archanis City
Archanis IV, Archanis System

In an old service basement of a nondescript rundown building on the edge of the capital city, several Klingons were gathered around a table lead by the former military governor. A dozen or so other warriors were camped out throughout the large storage area getting rest, checking and rechecking their disruptors and bladed weapons or just conversing.

The stranded commander pointed to various spots on the map before him and his senior officers as he spoke, "We've been pushed back long these fronts. The Federation is just pouring in too many forces to help the population to hold their positions. We have to go to ground or they'll simply wipe us out."

There were a number of grimaces on his warriors' faces, clearly not liking the order, but none would voice any objection.

"I can see it in your eyes: the shame, the cowardice of such an action. It would be far better to die in glorious battle than to hide like vipers in the grass or in this case, basements and cellars waiting to be found and exterminated, but it is not. It is not honorable and glorious to be led to the slaughter. It's—"

He was interrupted when the lights flickered for a few moments then completely went out. He reached over and turned on a lantern he had previously set aside on one side of the table. It gave an eerie red glow as one their starships about to head into battle.

The military governor confidently, almost wickedly smiled as he explained, "It's wasteful of proud, honorable and skilled warriors… when we can be far, far more effective. That my warriors is the city's power grid going off-line. Starfleet and the local population will be too busy to meet the population's basic needs to chase after us. We will remain hidden and wait for reinforcements."

Once warrior at the table hissed with barely constrained disgust, "You want us to hide and do nothing?"

"I demand that we conserve our forces for when we have the most opportune time to strike. I will not waste what precious resources and warriors we have for simple glorious, yet pointless battles that do nothing for the Empire. Kahless' glory and honor is from forging the Empire, not useless, pointless battles that gained him nothing. We will do the same as they did when Starfleet arrived when our forces come to retake the system: rise up, strike then welcome our brethren when they land."

The warriors thought about his strategy and some disagreed, but none were brave enough to challenge him.

He looked to another warrior and asked, "Jereel, have you been able to infiltrate government or Starfleet communications?"

"Yes my lord. I was able to infiltrate one of the local communications center with access to off planet transmission capability. I should be able to send hidden messages through it on the lower subspace bandwidths not usually monitored."

The military governor smiled, a glint of hunger in his eyes as powerful as in the eyes of his young warriors for battled, and answered, "Excellent. If you warriors are so eager to prove your worth for the Empire, prove it this way: remain hidden and quiet to watch the enemy. We need to determine the full extent of their strength and use this means to contact the Empire to inform them of our observations. We will know our enemy then conquer him to bring more glory and honor to ourselves and the Empire."

The younger warriors glanced to one another, observing what each other thought then heeded his words with respectful and obedient nods.

The experienced commander looked back down at the map and continued, "Now, where would Starfleet land their supplies..."

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Merry Christmas and see you next time.