Naruto: Infinity Divide

Passing the Torch

Blanket Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Trek

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This installment we touch on things with Aurora and Vyorin. Here is Chapter 109, Enjoy!

Port = Left

Starboard = Right

[ ] Signifies a foreign language

{ } Signifies hand signs

~ ~ Signifies singing

Last time:

Niwara's House

Roway was eating in her boss's kitchen with Niwara. "I don't remember falling asleep to be honest." she said. "It's all kind of a blur."

"That's because R'raak rendered you and Zosha unconscious with a Vulcan nerve pinch."

"You mean that neck pinch thing?" asked the aide. Seeing Niwara nod, she said, "I thought it was just a myth."

The Doctor shook her head. "It's very real. It is part of the martial art Ponn-ifla."

"Your brother knows martial arts?" asked Roway enthusiastically.

"My brother and I both have Mastery of the Vulcan Ponn-ifla and the Terran Mizongquan among others." answered Niwara. "We learned Ponn-ifla from my Grandfather Sovar and Mizongquan from my Mom Shizuka because we are both very flexible. R'raak and I were learning martial arts for as long as I remember."

Luckily, Niwara had explained in the past that her Father had multiple wives and therefore she had multiple Mothers. It wasn't unheard of on Cait but harems were considered very outdated in modern Caitian society. "So does your Maa practice martial arts too?" asked Roway.

"Maa's a pacifist but knows the basic tenets of ponn-ifla so she can defend herself." answered the black-haired beauty. "Starfleet is the military after all."

The cousins bid their hosts farewell after Niwara formally apologized for getting them stoned out of their minds. Zosha and Roway both took it in good humor, but it was obvious that the Doctor was mortified.

After Roway and Zosha left, R'raak said, "Well, we learned something new today. It could have been much worse."

Niwara replied, "Yes, it was only a mild disaster." She looked up at the stars and said, "I wonder how the rest of the family is doing…"

Chapter 109

Stardate 2306.365, United Federation of Planets, Sol System, Planet Earth, San Francisco, Starfleet Headquarters, Bureau of Design & Construction

It was New Year's Eve on Earth, and Admiral Lucien Tolm was at his retirement party. He was 105 years old and had earned it. Lucien smiled and said to his many friends and colleagues as he finished his speech. "…I never imagined I'd serve in Starfleet so long or meet so many brilliant and creative minds. It's been an honor and a pleasure to have worked with all of you."

There was loud applause from the many in attendance including Fleet Captain Naruto M'Fau. He was sitting next to his Great Aunt Captain Vach M'Fau. Naruto shook hands with the old Admiral and said, "You will be missed sir. I wish you a fulfilling retirement. Live long and prosper."

Many people expressed their best wishes to Tolm and the Admiral marveled a bit at the crowd. The Explorer and Mercury prototypes were both nearly completed and were considered his crowning achievements. 'It's been a wild ride, but a good one. The Admiralty hasn't decided who my successor will be, but I gave them my recommendations. I suppose it's really none of business regardless. It's time to hang up my guns for good and enjoy some time with my family.'

Planet Mars Orbit, Utopia Planitia Shipyards, Floating Repair Dock One, NX-10521 U.S.S. Ambassador

Starfleet Academy had come up with a new program in the last few years. They were trying to create a next generation Think Tank and chose twenty-five Starfleet Cadets between the ages of 18 and 22 that they deemed exceptional across the board. The mythos surrounding the original Think Tank (even among Starfleet) was that they just happened to join the navy at the same time and were brilliant. The reality was they were handpicked by Section 31. This new group wasn't.

The new cadets included Vyorin and Aurora M'Fau who were both 18-year-old first year cadets. There was one other relative of the original Think Tank, Medical Doctor Shay Wilson who was the niece of Doctor Shelley Wilson and was 19. The rest of the cadets were handpicked out of the top scorers of various years.

Unfortunately, the so-called New Think Tank didn't have the cohesion or the dedication of the original. Yes, they were exceptional, but many had egos that exceeded their test scores and felt very entitled as a result. It was more of a clique than a unit.

Regardless, the twenty-five chosen cadets were put aboard the brand new NX-10521 U.S.S. Ambassador that was being completed. They had been on board the new ship for a month loading and finishing the ship's fitting out. Because the Explorer type was designed and built with lots of extra room (for possible future use by crew families), they had classrooms with instructors aboard for the special cadets.

It was an accident waiting to happen as far as Fleet Captain Naruto M'Fau was concerned. When the Starfleet Admiralty suggested the original Think Tank transfer to the Ambassador from the NCC-1602 Wolverine instead of going to the new NX-1602-A Wolverine, they nearly mutinied and the Admiralty backed off. The Wolverine's crew had enough issues completing their own new ship without having to nursemaid a bunch of little egomaniacs…

The net result was the U.S.S. Ambassador was combining her maiden voyage with a cadet cruise much as the U.S.S. Darwin had done 34 years before in 2273*①. The scheduled day for launch was Stardate 2307.001. It was the job of one Commodore Mei Terumi to command this new vessel, and she was determined to make the shakedown cruise a success.

U.S.S. Ambassador, Shuttle Bay

There was a mass of activity loading the ship's stores and the cadets were in the thick of it. Working backbreaking twelve-hour shifts was taking its toll and errors were bound to happen. Sadly, two enlisted personnel had already died in a loading accident and the general mood on the U.S.S. Ambassador was melancholy. The cadets were understandably down and the M'Fau siblings were coping the best they could.

Vyorin was paired with a roommate named Akira Suzuki that was the grandson of Captain Hiro Suzuki who was in the Starfleet Bureau of Design & Construction. It was a happy coincidence the two young men were both well versed in starship design, but Cadet Suzuki was assigned to engineering whereas Vyorin had been rammed into command against his will.

Aurora had a roommate she already knew, Cadet Mercedes Dubois. Mercedes had a full Doctorate from the Daystrom Institute in Political Science and had been thrilled to see Rory again. The young French women immediately put a request in to be roommates with the redhead and was gregarious as ever. Aurora was stuck in command like her brother, but Mercedes was in the command branch by choice.

They were all four in the shuttle bay offloading supplies when they heard something snap above them on the port side. A massive cargo container broke loose from the workbee towing it and Aurora pulled Mercedes clear of the huge falling object. Vyorin saw the accident happening from further away and was only able to body flicker a female human cadet out before she was killed.

The remaining special cadet and two enlisted personnel were crushed to death an instant later…

Bridge

Commodore Terumi was reading the reports. "Cadet Timothy Jensen, deceased. He was 21 years old. Crewman Joyce Brannigan, deceased, 27 years old. Crewman Gerald Tuttle, deceased, 31 years old. What a disaster…"

Then she read who survived. "Cadet Mercedes Dubois saved by Cadet Aurora of Vulcan and Cadet Bianca Castoldi saved by Cadet Vyorin of Vulcan, investigations and statements pending. Three more of my people have died and we haven't even left the dock yet…"

Cadet Living Quarters, Deck 7*

Cadet Bianca Castoldi was 21 and the highest scorer in her year. She had always been number one. It was the natural order of things. Bianca was born to old money in Venice, Italy on Earth. Her Father was a starship captain during the General War. The girl was always first in looks, first in sports and first in grades…but when that multi ton cargo pallet fell above her, she froze up. The Castoldi heiress knew she was dead in that dreadful instant.

Then she felt strong arms grab her and a strange swirling sensation before she passed out. Bianca woke up in sick bay and cried her eyes out when she found out her classmate Tim Jensen was crushed to death. She wasn't that close to Jensen, but he died in an awful way. The young woman was seeing the ship's counselor and was still a bit in shock about the whole situation. Cadet Castoldi owed a Cadet named Vyorin her life -and she didn't even know who he was…

Stardate 2307.002, Engineering Deck 1

Cadets Vyorin M'Fau and Akira Suzuki were examining the magnetic lock that failed on the workbee in the accident. They also had the magnetic lock from the previous accident that took place two weeks before. The two incidents were considered unconnected and had already been written off, but Vyorin had a hunch that something was amiss, and he trusted his instincts.

Akira said, "Both locks were made by Misawa Heavy Industries on Mars and have serial numbers from the same batch. They were brought aboard the Ambassador months ago. That's all I've got."

Vyorin was examining the first mag lock under a molecular scanner. "They sheared off at the exact same angle. The odds of that are incalculable."

"Are you suspecting a casting flaw?" asked Akira. "It would explain a lot if it was a bad batch."

"It would indicate subpar quality control at the very least." replied the Vulcan hybrid. "We need to examine others from the same batch." 'I may be overthinking this, but it could also be sabotage…This looks intentionally cut rather than a casting flaw…'

Cargo Deck

"…Suzuki, it's packing container Alpha 121." said Vyorin as the two walked down the numerous isles of storage units.

Akira grumbled, "Of course it's the last one on the bottom at the very back. Help me out here Vyorin."

The brunette Vulcan slid the container of mag locks out and opened it. Most of the locks were already out and in service. "This isn't good." said Suzuki. He pulled one of the remaining locks out and handed it to Naruto's son.

Vyorin ran the scanner over the mag lock and said, "It's got the same exact flaw. If we hadn't seen the other examples, it would be unnoticeable."

Engineering Deck 3

The pair of cadets went to see the Chief Engineer, Karl Reuters. He was an older man that always seemed to be out of breath for some reason. The Chief asked, "What is it two Cadets would be bothering me for? I'm a busy man."

"All the magnetic locks we examined from container Alpha 121 are flawed." answered Vyorin without preamble. "The two fatal accidents with the mag locks breaking were from that container. It needs to be investigated before more deaths occur."

Reuter's shaggy eyebrows raised. "Show me." he ordered.

The Chief Engineer looked over Akira and Vyorin's evidence before ordering the cargo loading and everything else to a halt and called Commodore Terumi to Engineering.

Mei showed up a few minutes later and Reuters explained the full situation with the two Cadets present. The Chief said, "These boys found it. I think we're dealing with some kind of industrial sabotage, Commodore. I can't think of any other reason. We need to track every mag lock out of that container down and replace them."

The redheaded Commodore sighed. "Five people dead… I'll get Security involved. For now, just track the locks down and replace them." She looked at Vyorin and Suzuki. "How many mag locks were there total?"

The M'Fau boy replied, "There are fifty per container. Thirty-six are in use, two failed and twelve remain unused."

She said, "You two have done well. Chief Reuters, start pulling those locks under the pretense of a safety inspection. If it is sabotage like we believe then we don't want anyone to know we're on to them yet. Make it happen."

The Chief Engineer saluted. "Understood Commodore. You two cadets are with me."

…The next 48 hours, Akira and Vyorin were worked to the bone removing, examining and replacing faulty mag locks. In the process they learned workbee and shuttle lock mechanisms inside and out. Both were working under the close scrutiny of one officer or another, but they did well and got positive marks.

Reuters got to know the two boys a bit and wondered why Vyorin wasn't in engineering though…

Stardate 2307.005, Shuttle Bay Deck

It took three days, but the last of the faulty mag locks were replaced and Starfleet Security was doing an investigation of the situation with Misawa Heavy Industries on Mars. No one out of a select few knew that the faulty locks were under scrutiny. It was simply presented as all routine.

In the meantime, the (delayed) loading of the U.S.S. Ambassador began again.

Mess Hall

Mercedes was sitting and eating with Rory in the Ambassador's mess hall. The blonde French girl introduced Aurora to a friend she'd met at Starfleet Academy, Cadet Bianca Castoldi. Bianca was still under counseling after her brush with death but had returned to duty.

The black-haired Italian girl wasn't sure what to think of Rory. She'd never really associated with Vulcans and the quiet redhead greeted her with the traditional Vulcan salute and said, "Peace of long life." before returning to her meal.

"How are you feeling Bianca?" asked Mercedes. "I had to see a counselor before they let me return to duty. I haven't seen you in a few days and was worried about you."

The Italian girl sighed. "I was really shaken but I'm doing better. I resumed full duty today. I guess you and I were lucky. Poor Jensen…"

"We were really lucky." agreed Mercedes. "Rory here pulled me clear."

"I was rescued by someone named Vyorin, but I don't know who he is." said Bianca in a depressed tone.

Sadie almost squealed. "Rory, why didn't you tell me Vyorin saved her?"

The redhead answered, "I was unaware that Cadet Castoldi was the person he rescued."

"Please just call me Bianca." said the Italian. "How do you know this Vyorin? Is he handsome?"

"He's very handsome!" exclaimed Mercedes.

Rory answered Bianca and said, "Vyorin M'Fau is my brother."

"Mmffa…What was that name again?" asked Bianca.

"It's unpronounceable by most human tongues." explained Aurora. "Our clan's name is pronounced M'Fau. Do not be concerned if you cannot say it correctly."

"I'd like to meet your brother and thank him." said the Italian girl. "I owe him my life after all."

"He's probably asleep right now." said the redhead. "We work opposite shifts currently. I'll see if I can arrange to meet you next time I speak with him."

Stardate 2307.007, Planet Mars Orbit, Utopia Planitia Shipyards, Floating Repair Dock Two, NX-1602-A U.S.S. Wolverine

While the crew of the U.S.S. Ambassador was dealing with possible sabotage and endless delays, the officers and crew of the U.S.S. Wolverine were both happy and sad. NCC-1602 had been offloaded and deactivated at Starbase One Space Dock two months ago and was towed to Memory Alpha to serve as a museum to the General War. The original Think Tank grew up on NCC-1602 and were depressed to leave it behind.

Now they were aboard the shiny new NX-1602-A and the crew was excited to surpass all the records they'd set themselves. There were barriers to be broken, and the new U.S.S. Wolverine was going to do it!

The only real black spot on their transition was the Admiralty's lunatic idea they should be aboard the new U.S.S. Ambassador instead of the U.S.S. Wolverine. Suffice it to say, they rejected the idea with extreme prejudice. Naruto himself was ready to burn Admiral Dennis Sloan at the stake for even suggesting the concept. Fortunately for all concerned, the Personnel Division quickly withdrew their idea…

The loading of NX-1602-A was completed and she was ready to go. The crew both new and old were all eager to begin testing but were waiting on the Ambassador that was lagging behind. Starfleet originally was going to have both ships leave dock at the same time on New Year's Day and the Wolverine was ready.

With all the fanfare surrounding the new vessels they had to wait rather than proceed on schedule. As a result, the Think Tank was running every test they possibly could while stationary as they acclimated to their new home.

Doctor Alison Fairbank's Quarters

Alison was sitting back at her desk talking to her daughter Aurora on the viewscreen. "So, the Ambassador is still not ready?" asked the older redhead.

Rory nodded. "There have been several complications. My roommate Mercedes Dubois seems to think it gives us more time to socialize but I have concerns."

"What does your brother think?" asked Alison.

"Vyorin and I are on opposite twelve-hour shifts, so we rarely see each other." answered her daughter. "The stress levels are very high throughout the ship."

"It's to be expected. A new type of ship is going to have unexpected problems." said Alison. "At least you already know your roommate."

Aurora sighed. "Yes, Sadie is talkative and outgoing as ever. It is difficult to get time for my meditations with her around."

"Hang in there, kiddo." said her Mother with a warm smile. "You'll get through this. I can tell you are tired. Turn in and get some sleep. I love you. Tell Vyorin I love him too."

The younger redhead yawned. "I will Mama, goodnight."

"Goodnight Rory." replied Alison as she signed off. 'I'm so proud of you, my girl.'

Stardate 2307.009, Planet Mars Orbit, Utopia Planitia Shipyards, Floating Repair Dock One, NX-10521 U.S.S. Ambassador

It had been a difficult, uphill battle, but the U.S.S. Ambassador was (mostly) ready for launch. The ship had passed Captain Vach M'Fau's thorough inspection, and the new launch date was Stardate 2307.014, two weeks behind schedule. Commodore Terumi would probably have hung herself if there had been more delays…

Given they had a few days before the highly publicized launch, Mei ordered the crew to stand down for the time being and relax. Stress and tempers had been at an all-time high and the crew needed to decompress a bit before heading out on the ship's maiden voyage. 'God, I hope nothing else goes wrong.' thought the red-haired Commodore.

Deck 7, Cadet Quarters

With the orders to stand down, the Ambassador's crew didn't have shore leave but they were allowed to relax and take advantage of the extravagant recreational facilities*③ on board which included an Olympic-sized swimming pool, fighting mats and all kinds of exercise equipment to stay in shape.

Cadets Bianca Castoldi and Mercedes Dubois decided to enjoy the swimming pool. Naturally, Sadie felt they should include Rory who was in deep meditation when the two European beauties came crashing in…

They found Aurora sitting motionless in the lotus position wearing her crimson M'Fau robes. She looked asleep in the dim lights. Sadie asked, "Rory, are you awake?"

The redhead opened one emerald green eye and said, "I was meditating. How may I help you?"

Bianca smiled and said, "Meditating? That's so boring! Let's go swimming on the rec deck. I want to meet your brother, too." 'Hopefully in swim trunks so I can size him up!'

"You do have a swimsuit to show off your body, don't you Rory?" asked Mercedes.

Aurora asked, "You mean a bikini, correct? I recall you were always fond of those."

"Of course I do Rory!" cheered Sadie. "You don't want to hide that body of yours from the boys."

'So much for a quiet day of peace and reflection.' thought the M'Fau girl. 'No doubt Sadie will hound me until I comply.' "Very well, I shall join you. Let me retrieve my swimwear and change."

Aurora stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later in an emerald green bikini that flattered her lithe, petite frame. She inherited most of her features from Alison but also was a bit curvier from her Grandmother T'Ara's side. The redhead was quite stunning.

Bianca's eyebrows raised in surprise. "That looks really good on you, Aurora. It's sexy." 'It seems I'll have some competition outside of Sadie…'

Recreation Deck, Swimming Pool

The three girls went down to the pool to swim and wow the crowds in the two human girl's minds. The atmosphere was very festive, and alcohol was flowing liberally. To no one's surprise, the trio were soon offered drinks by the boys there.

Bianca expected this, Mercedes was pleasantly surprised, and Aurora was…Vulcan. She seemed cool and remote to the males which actually attracted them even more. The Italian girl was a bit befuddled at Rory's apparent popularity but asked. "Is your brother here Aurora?"

"I don't see him around." answered the M'Fau girl. The redhead motioned towards a short Asian male and said, "That's Akira Suzuki, Vyorin's roommate. You should ask him."

Suzuki was admiring the bathing beauties when Bianca came up in her white bikini holding a cocktail. "Are you Akira?" she asked sweetly.

'YES! Thank you, god!' thought Suzuki as his eyes took a walk over Bianca's body. "That's right, I'm Akira Suzuki."

"I'm Bianca Castoldi." said the Italian girl. "I heard you are Vyorin's roommate. Is he around?"

Akira barely managed to keep his face from falling to the floor. 'Never mind, god.' he thought in disappointment. "Vyorin didn't want to come to the pool. I think he's watching the spars."

"He's over at the sparring mats?" she asked.

"That's where I saw him last." answered Akira. 'What would a total hottie like that see in Vyorin of all people? He's a good guy, but he's so…logical.' thought the engineer.

"Thank you, ciao!" she said as she walked away with some extra sway in her hips.

Suzuki sighed. 'At least I got to see some nice eye candy…'

Sparring Mats

Vyorin M'Fau was bored. He had come to see the proficiency of the fighters aboard but compared to the likes of his Grandfather Sovar and Father Naruto, they were all pushovers. He watched the various styles of Terran martial arts and remembered his Mom Shizuka demonstrating many of them.

His Mastery was in kareel-ifla and the Terran karate that he learned from his Mum Samui. His sister Rory's Mastery was in V'Shan and jeet-kune-do. Then there was 'baby' Sakuya who was a Master of just about every martial art she learned. 'Honestly, my baby sister is a monster.' he thought.

"You look awfully bored, son." said a human male with a karate gi and a black belt. "I have to wonder why you're here."

Vyorin said, "I am just here to observe the Terran martial arts. I know more about Vulcan martial arts from where I grew up."

"How about you demonstrate a Vulcan martial art?" asked the older of the pair. "…I mean, if you have training. I know a bit about V'Shan."

The brunette Vulcan said, "My Mastery is in kareel-ifla. It's very different from V'Shan."

"Why don't you show me?" asked the man. "Taekwondo is my area of expertise. If you're comfortable with it, I mean. I'm Trent Collins by the way."

'I've heard that name before.' thought the Vulcan. Naruto's son said, "I am Vyorin M'Fau."

"That last name is a mouthful." said Trent humorously.

"Just call me Vyorin." replied the brunette as he stood up.

Bianca came up just in time to see Vyorin walk into the ring and noticed he had the same facial birthmarks as Rory. 'That must be Aurora's brother! What's he doing out there with Security Chief Collins?'

Trent Collins said in a commanding voice, "We're going to see some Vulcan martial arts. This is Cadet Vyorin. He's a practitioner of a style called kareel-ifla."

The Italian girl bit her lip when she heard someone in the crowd say, "That Vulcan kid's going to get flattened by the Chief. He's an 8th dan*④ in taekwondo."

"…Collins will probably treat him with kid gloves. He's not heartless."

"…Vulcans are pretty strong, aren't they?"

"…I guess we'll find out…"

Bianca thought, 'I really hope he doesn't get beat up too badly. He looks handsome from here and has a great body.'

…Vyorin took the defensive kareel-ifla opening stance as Collins assumed a ready stance. The referee yelled to begin, and Trent started with a strong mid kick followed by a fast upper kick. As the Security Chief attacked with a flurry of kicks and punches, he thought, "This kid's defense is like iron! I feel like I'm hitting metal!'

Everyone watched as Vyorin deftly blocked the Chief's strikes even though Collins was practically a blur in motion by now. 'He's gauging me, and I haven't even connected yet.' thought Trent.

The Security Officer hopped back just as Vyorin took the offensive. Everyone gasped as the Vulcan blurred inside the Chief's guard and struck his center mass with a thunderous open palm.

Collins lost all train of thought as Vyorin's hand hit him. He felt weightless as the blow travelled out from his center like a wave to his fingers and toes. The Security Chief tumbled on impact when he hit the mat and rolled to a stop on his side. Then Collins forced himself over on his back and tapped out. He coughed weakly. "I'm out…I concede."

The stunned referee declared Vyorin the winner in a disbelieving voice before calling for medics to check on the gasping Collins. The wide-eyed crowd was gawking in shock as the older man laid there unmoving.

A few minutes later, Security Chief Collins chuckled weakly as the medics checked him over. He wheezed out to Vyorin, "Kareel-ifla is something else kid, I think I'm going to be sore in the morning. Maybe we can swap a few moves later."

Vyorin nodded in concern. One of the medics said, "You should be alright, Mister Collins. That one hit was unbelievable though. You won't be doing any sparring the rest of the day."

Cadet Bianca Castoldi was awestruck. She knew Security Chief Collins was well respected and powerful, but Vyorin took him out in one hit…'Just how strong is he?!' she wondered.

Swimming Pool

Mercedes was wondering where Bianca had disappeared to as she flirted with some of the young men. The French girl saw Aurora's red hair break the surface of the water in the pool and called out to her. "Rory, can you come over here?"

The M'Fau girl swam over and climbed up the ladder out of the pool. As the water cascaded off her wet, ivory skin and slicked back red hair, it was captivating to the eye. The males stared dry mouthed as they admired her lithe, shapely body. Coupled with the chakra crackling in her eyes she was absolutely devastating and most of the men stood paralyzed.

Rory aske Mercedes, "What is it you need, Sadie?"

The blonde asked, "Do you know where Bianca got off to?"

"I believe she went looking for Vyorin." answered the petite redhead.

"You have the most wonderful eyes…" said a starstruck admirer to Aurora. "Your name is Rory?"

The redhead answered, "My name is Aurora M'Fau."

"M-mow what?" asked another guy.

Mercedes laughed. "It's a Vulcan name. I can't pronounce it either."

"I'm Arthur Watkins." said a young man. "Why do you have a Vulcan name, Aurora?"

Rory motioned towards her pointed ears. "Because I'm Vulcan."

"Oh, wow!" said Arthur. "I never knew Vulcan women could be so hot." 'I was so busy looking at her body that I missed her ears.'

At that point, Aurora would have facepalmed if she was anything but a Vulcan…'I'll never understand humans…' she thought morosely.

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: See Chapter 26.

*②: Deck numbers -The Ambassador Class is listed as having 33 decks, 3 of which are dedicated to Engineering. I have yet to find a proper internal layout, so the deck numbers are approximations for now. I'm using the plans as a guide.

*③: The extensive rec deck was incorporated for the possibility of civilians later.

*④: An 8th dan black belt in taekwondo signifies a Master rank as I understand it.

Both the U.S.S. Wolverine-A and the U.S.S. Ambassador will be in the story for now. The plot can go in several directions at this point so the next installment may take a while to write. See you next time. Blue out. 3/22/25