PRIME DIRECTIVE: Space may be the final frontier, but I'll never get there by any monies derived from this as Harry Potter and all properties of such are owned by the Dark Lady JKR. All content, characters related to Star Trek are owned by Paramount Pictures, Inc....except maybe some of that stuff that ended up being used in Starfleet Battles which is owned by the Amarillo Design Bureau who used that content via the Starfleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph Schnaubelt and published by Ballantine Books.

STORY NOTES: Given I don't have to worry about a special effects budget, as with many versions of Star Trek, my Gorns have tails. Another thing is please ignore all the later bits with Klingons using cloaking devices. (Or calling their ships Birds of Prey or Warbirds) While I'm certain Klingons and the Federation have specialty scout ships which use Cloaking Devices, the cost is seen as too heavy for general use. This will be explained a bit in this chapter. Also, this is an exposition heavy chapter; you've been warned.

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CHAPTER TEN – DECISIONS

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PITHY STATEMENT RELATING TO THIS CHAPTER: "It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be." Isaac Asimov – American writer and professor of bio-chemistry – 1920 to 1992

LAST UPDATED ON: 06-20-2020

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Captain's Log, Star Date 51162.2; Final Entry. Today is my last day as captain of the USS Equinox. I am honored now as I was when I took command that Starfleet felt that, out of my peers, I was best suited to take up the role of captain of this fine ship. The Equinox did everything anyone could expect and so much more. Even when things were at its darkest, I felt that we, the organic crew, would fail before she would.

I wonder if other captains talk to their ships? Do they complement it, beg it for more speed or to hold together when things get rough? Before the Caretaker, I always felt the Equinox was a middle-aged woman. The type you see in many science stations. A matron who is always there even as the ebb and flow of eager scientists came and went. She made sure they remembered to eat. To get enough sleep and to take time to come out of the lab. I was another in that line. She would take care of me as she would take care of the next captain just as she had taken care of the one before.

In the last three years, that matron changed to a mother defending her cubs. She may not have been much in the way of claws, but she never backed down in the face of a threat to her cubs. It was that spirit, that soul which helped us all get through to our link-up with Voyager. I've been on postings where it was like the ship wasn't invested in her crew. Ships that seemed to constantly be in need of repair and coddling. In a ship like that, I doubt we would have survived a week after our encounter with the Krowtonan Guard. She kept going after so many other ships would have fallen into scrap.

Now she has been reborn. The science matron is gone and in its place is a warrior princess. One who, I am sure, will treat her new captain and crew with as much devotion that we were privileged to earn from her.

There will be no speeches and no fanfare as I step down. All that must be said will be said when we all come together to decided where we all shall end up. For me, while I am giving up the captain's chair, I go forward into a more challenging position of Commissioner to our impromptu fleet. I hope I can repay those who I lost by ensuring those that remained, along with our new shipmates, can live a fulfilling life even if we never live to see our children gaze upon the green fields of Earth once more.

BRIDGE, USS EQUINOX, PIT STOP BASE, SECTOR 27, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 51162.3

Ransom looked at the bridge he'd spent so long in with mixed feelings. It was at once still the old bridge and yet in a very real way was now something completely different. It was as if the soul of the ship, the absent-minded scientist, had been replaced. No...not replaced. The old Equinox was still there. The fire and determination to get her crew home. It was more the soul of a battle-hardened veteran who had seen too much.

A small smirk broke out on his face. Was he thinking of his old ship or himself?

He looked at the other two men on the bridge. Commander Tahl, was slowly moving around the bridge, sometimes reaching out to run his hand over various chairs or consoles. Ransom felt that he should be wearing white gloves given the way he was testing the new bridge. Still, Ransom felt Tahl was somehow soaking up the pain, the misery as well as the old fire and determination as well.

As if reading his mind, Tahl looked up at Ransom, "She's gone through so much." The Romulan looked over to the other man on the bridge, "And if I read your legends correctly, one might say that this ship should be the one named the Phoenix. She has gone through fire and been reborn."

Harry Potter shook his head, "While that's very true, there is also a very important aspect to magic. Names matter. Like Voyager, the Equinox has written her name across the Delta Quadrant. I would not be so disrespectful to the memories of those lost by taking that name away."

The Wizard came over to Ransom and handed him a small, flat box, "That being said, your ship has changed and so I felt a new chapter needed to be put into place."

Ransom opened the box and his heart seemed to flutter. The bridge plaque, the unofficial birth certificate of the ship was encased in handsome frame of what looked like real oak. The wood frame itself had a little gold plaque which said, "Bowed but never Broken" with the dates of the cruise.

Ransom looked up at Harry who was watching him intently. Ransom made his way to where the plaque had been. A new plaque hung in its place. The metal was a more gold color and the Starfleet logo matched that of Voyager's. However, he noticed that inside the main Starfleet symbol was a slender triangle. One taller than wide. It took a moment before recognized what that triangle represented. "Delta. How appropriate," Ransom barely murmured.

"I'm glad you think so. Even if somehow we all get home a month from now, I think the Delta Quadrant has stamped it's mark on the ship," Harry said happily.

"And us as well," Ransom said in a tired tone.

"You look tired, Commander. I realize you are talking up a huge and needed responsibility but I hope you take the time to rest before jumping into it," Tahl said. His tone was in the manner of someone stating a fact. Not judging or pitying which Ransom appreciated. For all the weirdness of turning over a Starfleet ship to a Romulan, Ransom respected that Tahl was a professional.

"I will Tahl. The Wizard here even gave me a potion of Dreamless sleep so I can get a break from the nightmares," Ransom replied.

"Well I wish I had the ingredients for the real Dreamless sleep potion. This is just the closest I could get by cheating with some interesting pharmacology I stole from the Borg. I agree though. Your new job does seem to be one where you'll have to be out and about, meeting the crew, being there for them and the like. Sounds like it could be pretty exhausting," Harry warned.

Ransom nodded, "Yes it will be. However, it's funny how staring at your death and that of your crew opens up one's eyes. I used to hate having to deal with personnel issues. It always felt to me like a failure of the staff if things got to me. Now? Now I realize how important those complaints are. They may seem minor or trivial but life is made up of such things. Given our situation, I think it has been too easy to push back on such things, to ignore them and even shame those with complaints citing our situation in the Delta Quadrant. We can't live like that forever."

Tahl nodded, "If there is one thing I learned moving up the ranks was that you can ask your crew to do amazing things but there were simple needs which needed to be addressed. I am glad that I did not have to be in your or Janeway's shoes when your crew was cold and hungry. I was on one ship as an Uhlan once where we were deeply involved with support operations for a system hit with a natural disaster. The senior staff began to replace our rations from Command with sub-par food while selling what we should have been eating to the elites on the surface."

The Wizard winced, "Yikes! That can't have ended well." Ransom nodded as well. If somehow his senior staff had been found hording replicator rations, the ship would have erupted in violent mutiny.

Tahl smiled in a rather evil sort of way, "It didn't. It seemed they must have been skimming profits from selling items from our maintenance shipments. How else to explain the shoddy parts which caused an explosion that killed the entire staff as they met for a daily meeting?"

Harry whistled, "Saw a bit of that during the Eugenics War. Colonel Greene often used a combination of drugs and brainwashing to keep a lot of his troops in line. Sometimes his commanders forgot that even with that, you could only push your troops so far. I was once tasked to take out the sector command of a vital area only to get there and find the troops had already fragged them when it got out that they had done three consecutive missions without a break because their commander was trying to impress Greene."

Harry turned to Ransom, "Oh, before I forget. You may have noticed that the command chairs are new. If you like, I have your old command chair in storage. I thought you might like to have it in your office or something. Unless you want to put it next to Janeway. I don't know how often the Commissioner is on the bridge."

Ransom chuckled, "No, the Voyager chairs are fine as they are. But yes, I would like to keep my old chair. We can discuss where to put it when we get with Janeway and the rest to determine where the civilian area will be housed."

Harry turned to Tahl who had sat down in the command chair and was turning it towards the various station consoles. "Hey Tahl, you think there will be any problems with your crew? From the initial scuttlebutt it seems like you're going to end up with the bulk of the non-humans. That and your human crew will be Maquis members."

Tahl didn't look up from the data-reader built into his chair, "I do not believe so. Given Starfleet's human bias, most of the non-humans will be former drones like myself. As for the Maquis, they will learn that I do not abide politics on my ship. Our mission is to get back to the Alpha Quadrant, not reenact some inter-Federation squabble."

Tahl looked up at Ransom, "That being said, I do find myself looking forward to helping with the mission Starfleet likes to promote. The Equinox may not be the science vessel she once was but she's got so much more capability than a typical Warbird back home. I'm hoping I can entice Ventrys away from Voyager with the promise of science missions."

Harry laughed at this and Ransom found himself chuckling, "Well if Voyager's logs are anything to go by, we'll have plenty of opportunity for combat science missions. Even more so when V'Lana gets her team together after the Earhart is up and running."

"Ah yes. It will be interesting working with her. She and her mother are rather infamous back in the Empire. For all she's considered a traitor, I have always respected Liviana. She never went back against her oaths as a Romulan commander. It is a sad state that our High Command's paranoia sees her work with Ambassadors Sarek and then Spock as treason."

Ransom frowned at that, "I'm surprised to hear you say that, Tahl. I realize the Romulans are not what you'd consider a warrior culture, but you certainly have aspects of it. To hear you promoting the peace process of Liviana and Ambassador Spock is surprising."

Tahl shrugged, "The Empire's warriors are being worn away and replaced with state security types. They see plots and treason behind every closed door. Worst, there has long been a faction in our culture which never forgets a perceived insult. They long to raise war to avenge past losses and ease the humiliation their own hubris bought our people. Do not get me wrong. I have dedicated my life to fighting the enemies of the Empire. Under different circumstances, I would have cheerfully destroyed this ship in service of my people. The problem is there is a different in fighting an enemy who cannot be dealt with in other ways. It is altogether different to fight an enemy you take on because of pride. As it stands, the Federation is a potential threat but only if we provoke it. Too many of the new breed of commanders want to do exactly that. I do not want to lose my life or that of my crew in a war we didn't need to fight."

"I am sort of surprised then that they haven't attacked the Federation while they are under attack from these Dominion chaps from the Gamma Quadrant," Harry pointed out.

Tahl laughed, "Oh no! You see that's the irony of jailing or forcing retirement onto commanders who think like myself. Those that remain aren't comfortable fighting unless the odds are in their favor. No. They shall wait till the Federation and the Klingons are blooded in the war with the Dominion. Of course they don't realize that by waiting, they will be facing an enemy fresh from fighting in a war. There is only so much you can do via simulation. Fighting such veterans will come as a nasty shock to them if war comes."

"Hopefully, that won't happen. The repercussions of interstellar war last a long time. I'd hate for us to get back to a ruin of what we left," Ransom said with a sigh.

Tahl shrugged, "Well if we get back, our fleet will have weathered the dangers and have become good at being a generational fleet. We do not have to stop simply because we get home."

XxXxX

LAGOON ROOM , PIT STOP BASE, SECTOR 27, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 51162.5

"Commander, may I sit with you?"

Tuvok looked up to see Senior Lieutenant T'Pev looking down at him. It was a testament to how deep in thought he had been that he had not sensed her approach. He gestured to the open reclining beach chair next to him, "Of course, Lieutenant. Forgive me for not greeting you earlier. I have much on my mind."

T'Pev sat and cast a look at him with a slightly raised eyebrow, "While not having much on the body, it seems." The other Vulcan was only clad in small swimming trunks and a colorful, short-sleeved shirt which was opened to show most of the man's chest.

Tuvok frowned slightly, "Early on when we were first cast into the Delta Quadrant, it was felt important to have social events to help merge Maquis and Starfleet crews. The pool party was a popular version of those events. So much so I felt it better to replicate this 'Hawaiian' shirt and swimming gear. While the social aspect could be trying, the general temperature was more agreeable."

"Ah, yes," T'Pev said as she watched the combined crews engaging in various games, swimming in the fake lagoon, sunbathing or lounging in the various hot pools or raised tubs. "The last year on the Equinox was extremely uncomfortable for me as we had serious power issues. Thus my room was cold enough to barely be tolerated by a human. For me, it was a trial I do not wish to endure again."

"I sympathize. There was a time when I served on the Excelsior when I was bunked in a room where the temperature was kept in line with human comfort. Worse, my companions were all from cold worlds and kept turning the temperature down. It was a daily test on one's logic not to give in and react emotionally to it. Fortuitously, the next duty rotation brought two Tellerites and a Capellan onboard who were more than happy to bunk with a fellow hot-worlder," Tuvok said as he watched Ro Lauren begin a little victory dance as the all-female volley-ball team scored on the all-male team led by her lover, Thomas Riker.

"For you, an adept of the Kolinahr, to admit it to be so trying speaks volumes," T'Pev said quietly.

The two Vulcans continued to people watch in silence for another five minutes or so before Tuvok spoke, "I doubt you came here simply to engage in social observance. Especially given you are an engineer and not in operations."

"You are very perceptive. Can we speak freely, without rank, Commander?" T'Pev asked.

Tuvok straightened up in his recliner a bit, "If you wish."

T'Pev gestured to the windows that lined an entire wall of the lagoon park. Of course they really weren't windows but giant view screens which were projecting an image of the interior of the cavern that was the Pit Stop. The current view showed Voyager undergoing the initial parts of the baryon sweep. The Equinox could barely be seen on the other side of the ship. "This wizard Harry Potter has changed everything. The odds of our survival have increased dramatically. On the Equinox, the feeling was to go as far as we could before we had to stop. It was illogical but it kept the crew going. Now linked up with Voyager and with the upgrades to all of the ships, I believe there is a chance that this rag-tag fugitive fleet on its lonely quest may make it back home."

"A colorful summation, but an accurate one, I believe," Tuvok agreed.

T'Pev was silent for a moment before continuing, "However, as Vulcans we know not to let our emotions cloud our judgement. While the humans continue to hold out for wormhole or some technology to be found that can get us home faster, the odds are that we shall not make contact with the Federation for 50 years at the earliest. Even then, this contact would be with deep-space probes and not the actual borders unless the Federation expands much faster than historical norms."

"Again, an accurate summation of our situation," Tuvok said. He too had seen how his human shipmates still clung to what Harry Potter had dubbed 'magical thinking' where somehow, there would be a fairy tale ending to their journey. That an actual wizard felt the odds were towards the long journey was telling.

"Therefore we must begin to prepare for this long journey. I have reviewed Voyagers records and have concluded that the chance that you will enter into Pon Farr within two years is likely if not certain. Unlike Lieutenant Sohn, I am married. That I have not been under your command structure is also an important fact. Therefore, I wish to enter into a consort agreement with you. It is illogical to wait given if we are incompatible, it leaves you time to enter into a similar agreement with Lieutenant Sohn or perhaps the Maquis Sakonna," T'Pev explained.

Tuvok wasn't shocked. It took a great deal for a Vulcan to become so. However, Tuvok found himself surprised that this issue had come up so quickly. Ever since Mr. Neelix had brought up the fact that Voyager had to adapt to a potential six-decade trip, he had occasionally thought about how he would deal with his next Pon Farr. Even though he was older and married, his body would naturally react to the absence of his mate. As T'Pev had said, the odds of him going into Pon Farr were getting better by the day. Worst, his Pon Farr would burn so much brighter than Ensign Vorik's would. This, of course, brought up an important point.

"While in theory, I agree with your logic, for the overall benefit to the crew, I must ask why you choose me over Ensign Vorik. Given Vorik chose to bond with Commander Torres rather than Lieutenant Sohn as one might expect, it might be better for you to join with him and I with Lieutenant Sohn," Tuvok said carefully. He didn't include Sakonna as a potential given he knew the former Maquis saw him being an agent of the Federation as a treason versus logic. Many Vulcans felt that even though the logic of needing espionage agents, the inherent dishonesty of it was antithetical to being a modern Vulcan. She would never accept him as a consort.

T'Pev shook her head, "I have already discussed this with Sohn. She feels that the proximity to Commander Torres was the key to his Pon Farr. Also, at that time, she did not feel Vorik was seasoned enough to be a potential mate. Sohn feels that now she is much more willing to enter into a relationship with Vorik in the future given his next Pon Farr will be a little over 5 years from now."

Tuvok nodded, "Ensign Vorik has matured a great deal in a short amount of time. His Pon Farr experience did force him to do some in-depth evaluations of himself. I concur that by his next Pon Farr, he would be much more suited to a Vulcan of Sohn's caliber."

"Then do we have an agreement?" T'Pev asked.

Tuvok was silent for a moment before shaking his head, "Before we can enter into such an agreement, I must warn you that for all my passage through the Kolinahr, I have been...tainted in the past."

T'Pev eye's narrowed, "You are referring to the incident with the Betazoid Suder?"

Tuvok nodded, "While I have dealt with that incident as much as I can, I find myself still acting more emotionally than a Vulcan should."

While it took a lot to shock a Vulcan, they could be surprised a lot more easily. And this is exactly what happened to Tuvok when T'Pev actually chuckled! "You home-worlders! Not only so uptight but you continue to ignore what has been going on elsewhere in the old Vulcan Confederacy. The movement to bring Vulcan and Romulans back together is a two-way street, Tuvok. There are many Vulcans more willing to allow themselves to express their feelings more like our Romulan cousins. Indeed, my own father was a Romulan defector. Although defector is not quite the word given he was more a refugee."

Tuvok eye's narrowed, "Am I correct in theorizing your father was aboard the freighter Septimex? The Excelsior was initially in route to rescue the ship before USS Simón Bolívar made that unnecessary."

T'Pev nodded, "He was. He ended up asking for asylum due to feeling betrayed by the Romulan high command and their delay in repatriating the Septimex crew. He has told me many times that while those on Vulcan cling to a severe state of emotional being, the Romulans on Romulus grow more paranoid even as the rest of the Empire is more open to peace. My father didn't want to leave the Empire; he felt the Empire left him."

Tuvok thought about that for a moment, "That does seem to the pattern in what Ambassador Spock wrote about during the latter half of his life. I take it from your comments that my apparent overly emotional state would not be a hindrance?"

T'Pev shook her head with the tiniest smirk on her face, "I am counting on it. Due to my upbringing, I am far more inclined to enjoy a more physical relationship. I am hoping that your Kolinahr training will allow you to let yourself give into some of what this Suder left in you. As I said, off Vulcan there is more of a feeling that indulging in passion and the like is healthy. There is a time for logic but we should not let be ourselves become slaves to a cold, sterile perception of that logic."

Tuvok's own eyebrow went up in pleasant surprise, "A surprising insightful understanding of the true meaning of the Kolinahr. Indeed if more Vulcans understood what the true meaning of the Kolinahr ritual was, then perhaps there would be less 'up-tight' Vulcans."

T'Pev inclined her head at the praise, "I feel that you and I have something in common. We both tone down what we could express as our mates do not have the same conditioning as we."

Tuvok stiffened slightly at this. T'Pev was a perceptive in the extreme, "I believe you may be correct."

T'Pev smiled in the way Vulcans usually did when forced to by protocol. In her case, however, it seemed to indicate genuine warmth. "Then I believe we should become consorts. We honor our spouses as proper but it would be illogical not to take this opportunity to explore aspects of ourselves we have not been able to fully express. It could be quite educational."

Tuvok almost sighed. It was obvious that T'Pev had been around humans long enough to begin using innuendos like one. Sadly, as she said, they were more alike than not given he continued to catch himself doing the same. That and all logic aside, T'Pev had an edge to her. No doubt from her Romulan father that Tuvok found appealing. It made him feel a ghost of the passion and desire to take risks he had not felt since before taking up the Kolinahr ritual. Still, logic made him assess the risks versus the benefits. In the end, T'Pev was right. It could be very...educational.

"I accept," Tuvok said simply.

OoOoO

Maria Gilmore sipped the fruity cocktail. The unfamiliar burn of real alcohol was hot in her throat which left a warm buzz that went well with the warmth and smell of the ocean. Of course she knew that the smell was as artificial as was the sunlight. Yet it was easy to let the simulation suck one in and make one believe they were on a beach. Even if that beach came with a window looking into the shipyard.

Reclining on one of the many beach chairs was her friend Dorothy Chang from the Equinox along with the Vulcan Sakonna who had been one of the Maquis prisoners saved from the Federation and Tridiva Mohindra from Voyager.

The quartet were housed close to each other. Maria and Dorothy sharing a bathroom linking their individual rooms while Sakonna and Tridiva had the same across the hall. The four women had begun to hang out together while all the ships were being worked on. It would be at least another two to three weeks before they could get underway. However, it was looking like they'd stay longer to allow for more in-depth modifications to be made to Voyager before they resumed their course back to the Alpha Quadrant.

Of course before that could happen, the decisions of who ended up where needed to be addressed. It was a topic on everyone's mind.

After being always cold and usually on three-fourths rations for over a year, the Pit Stop was heaven to Maria and the rest of the Equinox crew. The new Maquis seemed to be adjusting well. Certainly being stranded in the Delta Quadrant had been a shock but being safe from the horrors of war raging back in the Alpha Quadrant gave them a seeming new lease on life. Even the Voyager crew was wallowing in the down time. While many of the former drones sill had their issues, even they were soaking up the warmth and comfort the Pit Stop had to offer. Even if Harry Potter had said not one spell of magic had been responsible, the Pit Stop was truly magical for all of the crew.

"So Maria, any chance you can settle a bet?" Tridiva said, breaking the easy silence.

"Depends on what the bet is?" Maria said cautiously. She had a bad feeling she knew what the bet would be about.

"Can Tom Paris back up his words with action?" Tridiva said with a grin.

Maria said nothing but merely blushed.

Dorothy looked at her with a bit of shock, "Have you been sleeping with Tom? Why you little minx! Didn't let the grass grow for long did you?"

Maria scowled, "It's not like that and no, we haven't had sex...well we haven't gone too far. Every seems to think Tom is a...a...I don't know what you can call it. Why does it matter if we are or aren't?"

Sakonna set down her drink with a frown, "I must concur. You humans continue to be a bag of contradictions! Both Maria and Tom Paris are full adults with no contractual ties. Why does it matter if Mr. Paris has had many consensual encounters with other such females? You preach your morals throughout the Federation and yet such a simple biological act causes you so much social strife."

"Says the race that has sex every seven years," Chang said waspishly.

Sakonna's frown deepened, "You are proving my point. You seem to think we Vulcans only have sex during Pon Farr. That is not correct. We only mate during Pon Farr. We engage in sexual activity as it suits us. It is illogical only to allow one's physical needs outweigh your judgement. We Vulcans 'get busy' as you humans so inelegantly put it quite often."

"Hey! I was just wondering if Tom can back up his bragging. He likes to come across as some sort of an answer to any woman's dream. I was just wondering if his walk matches his talk." Tridiva pointed out.

Maria looked away, "Actually Tom has been quite the gentleman. Moreover, I think he's surprised at how much he likes being the gentleman instead of this…Lothario people seem to feel he is."

"To be fair, you haven't been on board with him for the last three years. That being said, I'm actually not surprised by what you said. I've always felt Tom's bad-boy attitude was a front. I mean his dad is a frakking Admiral with all the pressures that must have entailed on the family life," Tridiva said easily.

Maria blushed again, "Well I can say that Tom does seem to do well enough in bed."

"How would you know? You said you haven't gone that far," Dorothy asked.

Maria blushed deepened, "We haven't but that doesn't mean I haven't watched him in action."

The other two humans wolf-whistled and even Sakonna raised an eye-brow, "Fascinating. I find it interesting that he continues to rebel against his captain." It was obvious that the three other women guessed it was Treana the Orion who Maria had watched with Paris.

Tridiva frowned, "I'm not. Look, Captain Janeway and Chakotay have been great under the circumstances but still, it's been very difficult at times. What happened to Tom has happened too often for my tastes. There have been plenty of times where we Starfleet types get gigged while the Maquis crew got off or got lesser punishments. Sure, I understand the reasoning. A lot of the Maquis were never Starfleet to begin with and there still is some simmering tension. But still, that doesn't make it any better when you get a month of replicator rations taken away while a similar offense by a Maquis member got them a few extra shifts. A lot of us are sick of it. Plus, I have friends who work in the lower decks who've said that they haven't seen Janeway in their area in months if not a year. Worse is she continues to send a select group of people on away missions. If we were to get back to the Alpha Quadrant tomorrow, a lot of us might be asked why we didn't participate in missions. If she is going to keep to Starfleet regulations, she needs to keep them all. It's been 18 months since I've left the ship on an away mission and I'm one of the most senior science officers on the ship! Wunderkind Kim gets picked to do a lot of missions that an engineering officer should have gone in his place. But no, her little pet project gets picked to do all sorts of things. Talk to any of the engineering staff and they'll tell you how often he's been put into one of their slots on away missions."

Maria and Dorothy looked at each other in surprise. Finally Dorothy said, "Wow. Here we thought it was mostly smooth sailing for you Voyager types. I didn't expect to hear you had such problems."

Tridiva laughed mirthlessly, "Oh we had our days when we were cold and hungry. We managed better because we've got a bigger ship with nastier weapons. Still, the problem is we can go weeks where we're not going to red alert. Oh sure, it's easy to remember all the bad times but there are days when it's easy to forget we're not on some deep-space exploration cruise. That's what causes a lot of the friction. We are kept to an uneven system. The senior staff make decisions one way because we're in the Delta Quadrant but then don't act like they should when things are calm and there is nothing keeping us from doing it the right way."

Sakonna nodded, "I believe this explains the draw of leaving Starfleet for many of the crew."

Tridiva took a big swig from her drink before nodding and gesturing with her drink toward the Vulcan, "Exactly! If work and discipline is going to be uneven, why bother to stay in uniform? It's a sad state that I could take off my rank and go back to just doing science and I'd be treated better for it. How wrong is that?"

Maria chuckled, "I don't think a Maquis member is the right person to be asking that question even if she's a Vulcan."

"True," Sakonna said. "I reject the logic of many of my fellow Vulcans who believe it is better to work within the Starfleet system. Too long have we Vulcans remained in the background and abrogated our authority as a senior member of the Federation to you Terrans. At least more and more humans are seeing that Starfleet is not synonymous with the Federation."

Dorothy looked confused, "What do you mean, Sakonna?"

Sakonna gestured to encompass the entire lagoon, "What do you see? Humans everywhere! Why? Because Starfleet is mostly made up of humans. Whether it is because you breed so fast, like the danger or whatever, the point is Starfleet is almost a Terran endeavor. Given the Vulcans, Andorians and Orions all had our own republics prior to the formation of the Federation, why is it that Starfleet ended up based on Earth and most of its members being humans? Why did we give up our own ships to replace them with one's designed and suited to humans?"

The three humans looked at each other in surprise and confusion. Finally Tridiva spoke up, "I was always told that most of the other member races felt they had done their time and thought it best that we humans get a taste of what it is to be a star-spanning civilization. Well that and a good chunk of the old Orion fleet mutinied to form the basis of the Orion pirate clans."

Sarkonna's look made all three women realize that if the Maquis had been human, she would have laughed in their faces. "Yes that is their story isn't it. Almost all Starfleet ships are 80% Terran yet you humans only make up about 45% of the Federation. Ever wonder why? Or did you just ignore the bias back in San Francisco?"

Again the three woman looked at each other. Sakonna nodded, "Or you just never thought anything was odd about it like most. There was a time when the Federation had more of a Vulcan face to it. Were we not the ones to help mentor you humans when you finally blundered into the warp lanes? Where we not the ones who brokered the peace where the Andorians finally turned away from their warrior ways? But we stepped away too soon. Now humans have almost a complete lock on the military and few in the Federation seem willing to do anything about it. Worst is we Vulcans cannot even pull our collective heads out of the libraries on Vulcan to see the progress made in regard to our cousins the Romulans. For all the good work of Ambassadors Sarek and Spock, the Vulcan High Council has washed their hands of actually running the Federation."

A silence fell over the group before Dorothy shook her head with a bemused look on her face, "Well I guess that answered my question of why a Vulcan of all people ended up in the Maquis."

Sakonna snorted, "You humans must stop putting we Vulcans on pedestals. Yes we are an older and wiser race and our dedication to logic gives us an edge. However, we are still mortal beings prone to mistakes. We merely make them less frequently than younger races like you humans."

Another silence fell as the group watched the female volleyball team celebrate their win against the males. Finally Tridiva turned to the other humans, "So have you thought about what you want to do? I'm still torn between resigning or not. I do know that I want to start a family."

Dorothy shrugged, "I'll stick with Starfleet for now but I'm definitely switching over to Voyager. Most of us on the Equinox just have too many bad memories associated with the ship. Even with it being upgraded, it's just too much."

Maria sighed, "I'm going to resign. Starfleet isn't what I thought I wanted. Don't get me wrong, I still love to get my hands dirty in engineering. It's just not worth all the other stuff that comes with it. I also want to start a family if Tom will have me."

Sakonna raised an eyebrow at that, "This Paris does not seem to be the type to settle down."

Maria smiled, "You'd think that with all the stories. I think Tom didn't feel he could do it either. Still, he's had a lot of time to think on things. The Wizard has been a good friend to him and I think gave him some valuable insights. I think he's ready to try a different role."

"What about Treana?" Dorothy asked quietly.

Maria blushed, "She's fine with the idea. She feels pairing up with Tom and I is a deal where she gets the better part of the bargain. What about you Sakonna?"

"I will stay with the Marianne. I believe Riker will be given command and I feel he will need a good second. I believe I am the one for that position. I will admit the crisis team that V'Lana is putting together is intriguing but logically, for the greater mission, it would be best that I serve on the Marianne," the Vulcan explained

Tridiva frowned, "I wish Chakotay would take command of the Marianne. Nothing against Riker, but I think there is less of a reason for Chakotay to be the XO as a balance of Starfleet and Maquis crews. If anything, I would think having Riker be the new XO would allow him to get back into the groove of things instead of putting him in command after being in prison."

Maria giggled, "I don't think Chakotay's desire to stay on as XO has anything to do with his fitness for command."

"What do you mean?" Tridiva asked.

Dorothy gave a long-suffering sigh, "Maybe because you've been around them for so long you don't really see it. But take it from the rest of us, it's obvious that Chakotay is staying on because he'd like to be a bit more adventurous in Janeway's ready room."

Tridiva's eyes went wide and she turned to Sakonna, "Do you think that as well?"

Sakonna shrugged, "It does seem the most logical reason. If one is watching for it, you can see how Chakotay physically reacts around her. How his eyes linger on her. As a Maquis operative, I often used such unspoken relationships to achieve our mission goals. The Commander's emotional attachment to Janeway can easily cloud his judgement."

Tridiva frowned, "I don't know...he's often at serious loggerheads with her."

Maria laughed, "Yes but how often does he win?"

Tridiva made a face and shrugged, "I'm not saying you're wrong. It's just sometimes I wonder if Chakotay wasn't some sort of deep Starfleet plant all along. He certainly jumped back into the role easily enough."

"That does not surprise me. Former Starfleet Maquis often were paired up with others like them given they responded to that type of discipline better. Which was a fortunate thing for Voyager. If you had gotten a typical Maquis crew, it would have been far more difficult to integrate the crews," Sakonna explained.

"Still, wouldn't it be easier for Chakotay to pursue a relationship between captains than in a Captain and her XO type relationship? Sure we want to relax some of the rules but that's textbook fraternization. I doubt either of them would resign to continue the relationship," Maria asked.

Tridiva snorted, "As I said, both Chakotay and Janeway have a long history of enforcing the rules that make it easier on them. I'm sure Chakotay will think no one will bat an eye."

Sakonna took a long drink before shaking her head. "Perhaps I might have to reexamine the dynamics of who should captain the Marianne. Perhaps it would be better for all involved if Chakotay and Riker switched places. His familiarity with Commander Tuvok is a positive reason for working under him."

Maria looked over to where Riker and Lauren were walking hand-in-hand over to the dining area, "I wonder what he wants in all of this?"

OoOoO

Jondra Hommein took a deep breath to calm herself, stopping far enough from the door in front of her to keep from triggering it. As a former Angosian super-soldier, her senses were extremely acute and the shore leave had been a riotous assault on her senses. It was one of the reasons she mostly worked Gamma shift and had taken up a position in Life Sciences. While she was often on the bridge, Jondra primarily stayed in Hydroponics where it was quiet. While Chakotay and a few other former Maquis knew her history, most felt she was a normal Terran. Of course few ever saw her in action. It was a side of her that she hated even as she often longed to unleash. Better for all that she stayed tending plants most days. However, the invitation she had grudgingly accepted filled her with dread almost as much as secret anticipation.

She finally stepped forward causing the door to open into what appeared to be a standard conference type room. It held little else but a large table, chairs, a view-screen on one wall facing bay windows looking out into the Pit Stop cavern. A small table to one side held refreshments along with a small refrigerator and a replicator.

Her knife hand twitched as she eyed those already sitting at the table. It was an interesting assortment. Especially the only one standing.

The woman at the head of the table rose, "Thank you for coming Jondra. Now that you're here we can get started. Please, help yourself before we go on," V'Lana said with a gesture towards the smaller table.

Jondra nodded without speaking. Her eyes still roving over the others in the room. Most had given her a quick once over and went back to talking among themselves. Except for Tom Paris, she had only a passing acquaintance to the rest of them. She gathered up her food and some hot coffee and sat down next to Paris. They had done a quite a few shifts together, generally when Tom was in trouble for something and banished to Gamma shift.

Jondra took notice that even though V'Lana had said she was the last to arrive, the woman seemed to still be waiting for someone. With a pop of air displacement, the Wizard Harry Potter appeared in the odd blurry way of his apparition. He oriented on V'Lana and walked over a data-pad which he handed to her before sitting down next to her. The woman scanned it briefly before smiling slightly.

V'Lana rose again and looked a Jondra, "Jondra, while we did some introductions earlier, before we begin, I would like to introduce everyone again."

She gestured to the huge Gorn who was standing by the bay windows. Beyond the fact he was a reptilian sentient with a long tail, the Gorn stood out as the one former drone who had the most Borg hardware still visible. One entire forearm was still a prosthetic even though it had been adapted to look like the other arm. "This is Uriash. He was part of a deep space unit probing the outer limits of Romulan space when he was captured by the Borg."

Uriash nodded hiss out something which the Universal Translator didn't bother with translating.

"Then we have Zorn pe'Wut, also a former drone. A smuggler in the outer edge of the Alpha Quadrant," V'Lana said gesturing to the bulky Tellerite who nodded towards Jondra.

"Next to him is Pav Fornax who did similar activities to raise money for the Maquis," V'Lana explained. The tall, but well-built Orion smiled in the alarming way of their people. One that made you check to see if you still had your wallet.

"Then we have Warg and Tamal," V'Lana said. "Warg was assimilated back when the Klingons were still at war with the Federation. Tamal, on the other hand, is a former crew-member of mine who should never have left to join the Maquis."

The Klingon laughed as the Capellan (who almost rivaled the Gorn in size) frowned, "I said I was wrong. No need to continue rubbing salt into my wounds."

"You know Tom Paris which leaves us with Chief Damir Tsmirci of the Equinox," V'Lana finished up. While the Troyan had a haughty look to him, he bowed from the waist in greeting.

"So let's bring up the star of the meeting, the Earhart!" V'Lana said as she touched a button on the data-pad that the Wizard had given her. A hologram of the ship appeared over the table. Tom immediately recognized the basic design as being a Federation Venture class "mission" scout ship. The Earhart, however, was much larger, however. Larger, in fact, to that of the new Delta Flyer design.

"So here is the ship which is almost ready for us if you're willing to join my team," V'Lana explained. "I'm not going to go over too much of the detail as a good commander knows never read out the briefing. I've already transferred the info to your personal PADDs."

"What is the mission exactly? And why all of us?" Jondra asked even though she had a good idea of the answer.

"The Earhart is being kitted out to be a specialized, multi-purpose vessel. It's modular and so we can swap out as needed for each mission," Harry said with a gesture towards the back of the ship.

V'Lana nodded at this, "In answer to your question, the mission is whatever the fleet needs it to be. Whether it's rescue of an away team, spying on a potential threat, close-in-and-personal observation of alien tech to snatch-and-grab missions. Whatever is too dangerous for a regular away mission, the team will be there to pick up the slack. It's why I've asked you all to be here. You are all what I would like to consider my primary team."

"Primary team? There will be others?" Uriash rumbled.

V'Lana nodded again, "It will depend. I've chosen you all because I think you all have the talent and skills that would be needed for most missions I can foresee. However, I do have a few specialists in mind who might be part of a team if necessary. I think it obvious that Midshipden Moleg could be useful planet-side if we need to do any sort of digging."

This was met with quite a few chuckles. The cheery Horta had surprised even Harry Potter by finding veins of various precious ores that the geological scanners had missed over the years the base was being built. Of course to a Horta, finding such minerals was akin to a fox sniffing out for hidden burrows for their next meal.

"However, the rest of you were chosen because except for Tom here, all of you have combat backgrounds or at least come from martial races." She turned the Troyan Damir, "For example I know you've never been in an actual military type unit, you're a ranked member of the Da'Sini Dueling association. I've seen the video of the tournaments on Troya; they're impressive."

The Troyan once again bowed from the waist at the praise.

"Wait a minute! What about Jondra here? I know she is a former Maquis but unless you need help against some carnivorous plants, she's hardly warrior worthy," Tom said with an apologetic look to his shipmate.

V'Lana looked quickly in Jondra's direction as if worried about her response. Jondra merely laid a hand over Tom's, "That is because you see what I wish you all to see Tom. You see me as a quiet human with a taste for tending plants."

Tom's eyes narrowed, "So are you some secret Section 31 agent or something?"

Jondra chuckled softly, "No. You simply are making a common mistake in thinking I'm human. Not only am I an Angosian, I'm one of their super-soldiers." She briefly squeezed Tom's hand enough to make his eyes popped open in surprise and pain. "It is a fair bet that I could kill you and a few others before being taken down if the Wizard wasn't here."

"Which is one of the reasons why I want her, Tom. She's a trifecta of skills, talent and misdirection. A lot of races will underestimate her because she's female. Then since she's our science type, they will see her as such and rate her less of a combat risk. If this were the Alpha Quadrant, she'd also be underestimated further given what humans make up in crazy, they lack in the strength department. You can get away with some incredible things when you are underestimated. I've played the part of the meek, pacifistic Vulcan female on many occasions. Sentients fall for it all the time even when they know that there is little, visually, to go on whether one is a Vulcan or Romulan. You'd be amazed how far a simple, 'That is not logical!' can get you."

Tom gestured towards Harry, "Is he going to be part of the team or just an on call?"

Harry shrugged, "Mostly on-call but I'll train with you folks as if I was a primary. Frankly, I'm used to working alone and sowing chaos along the way as the Hirogen found out. Still, it would be nice to have some back-up for a change."

"Plus, except for the training and actual mission, you all could do whatever you decide to do on whatever ship you decide to be assigned to. Certainly, the Earhart will be based out of the Equinox but you needn't be tied to that ship if you wish another assignment," V'Lana explained.

"Although I think you need to transfer over to the Equinox, Tom," Harry said. "It'll make training the fighter pilot's easier. Plus I think you'll find flying the Equinox a lot more fun than Voyager."

The Orion's eyes narrowed at this. "Fighters?" Pav asked.

Harry nodded before touching a few buttons on his own PADD. The image of the Earhart changed to a dagger-like fighter. "Fighters. This is my answer to a problem Voyager has had for a long time." Harry turned towards Tom, "Remember how you commented about the mystery of why in three years you haven't met any Delta Quadrant race that uses baryon sweeps?"

Tom nodded, "Yeah, it just doesn't make any sense. Going past 5 years without a sweep isn't good. Going past ten is asking for trouble."

Harry waggled a finger at him, "True...if you're using Alpha Quadrant tech. You see almost all the star-faring races of the Alpha Quadrant use tactical warp drive. Because of this, your normal warp field is generating baryon particles at a much higher rate than normal. Here in the Delta Quadrant, however, they went further down the path that the Romulans tried to but then gave up on."

V'Lana raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You've never mentioned this part, Harry."

Harry shrugged, "You learn a lot when your plugged into the Borg. The point is your ships and tactics usually mirror those you fight against. Often enemies begin to seem more alike than different in technology. If your typical Gorn or Romulan ship had to fight a Klingon or Kzin ship, both sides would stumble a bit as the former uses mostly plasma torpedoes while the latter uses disruptors and missiles. It's the same with tactical warp drive; everyone uses it because not too puts you at a disadvantage. The Cloaking Device was the Romulans first defense with them being late to the tactical warp drive party."

"Wait, we've seen tactical warp drive used in the Delta Quadrant," Tom protested.

Harry nodded, "Yes but let me ask you this, how often as Voyager been jumped or otherwise taken by surprise and then attacked in such a way where you can't create a stable warp field?"

Tom opened his mouth to reply but stopped. He sat there in silence for a moment before saying, "Quite a lot actually."

"Exactly! And that's because most Delta Quadrant races like to fight in normal space on impulse. So most have technology based on sneaking up on their enemy so as to catch them unaware and destabilize their warp field. That way you can't escape. Also, I know that this sort of fighting is less likely to be detected by the Borg. A lot of how things are done out here is because of various ways used to avoid the Borg. My point is that when Voyager isn't surprised and able to fight at tactical warp, you folks generally clean up and disable your opponent quickly. Conversely, when you're forced to fight at impulse, you folks get hosed pretty badly because your weapons aren't designed to fight as well at impulse speeds. Luckily, the Federation tech level is generally better than what the Delta Quadrant types have to throw at you. So you've always managed to win in the end."

Damir gestured towards the fighter hologram, "And these fighters are designed to protect us at sub-light speeds?"

Harry nodded, "Exactly. With all the ship upgrades, I'm not worried about fighting at warp, but we need a better screen when fighting at sub-light speeds. This fighter design is adapted from a famous sci-fi series I grew up with." Harry pointed to the four engines which were off-set from the hull, above and below the wings and behind the cockpit. "The general design is flat so they can be housed in cradles right up against the hulls of our ships. Unlike in the shows I watched as a kid, there isn't any need to launch from inside the ship as we can beam the pilots onboard. Now the wings are there mostly to house missiles and probes if needed. The four main engines give thrust forwards and backwards to allow for maximum maneuverability, thrust and deceleration." Harry rotated the image so everyone got a look, "As you can see, in the aft, there is a very small warp drive engine. While small, it's based on some neat tech the Borg assimilated a long time ago. It's why you don't see them using warp nacelles on their ships. Still, this engine has limited fuel and primarily is just used to bug out of a bad situation with the intent of the fleet picking them up. Or at least to warp in with the fleet so they are already launched in case of trouble."

Zorn pointed to the weapon pods at the tips of the wings, both top and bottom, "Those don't look very efficient."

Harry smiled, "That's where the old sci-fi design comes in. Right now we're seeing the fighter in carry or cruise mode. Here is why the original fighter were called X-Wings." Another flick of a switch and the hologram changed to where pylons broke off the tops and bottom of the wings to form more of an X shape. "As you can see, the phasers on the tips are on swivel mounts so they can fire in mostly every direction. Between all four, they can cover any direction an enemy might come at them. These are low power phasers designed for smaller craft. The front of the fighter houses the main phaser bank to use on ships. Of course if the shields go down, the wing-mounted phasers are still going to chop an enemy pretty badly. Also, you may have noticed that there is a cockpit on the underneath of the ship. This is a secondary gunner station can be used when severe combat operations are expected. This way, the pilot can concentrate on the flying while the gunner does their work with the shooting."

Zorn nodded with a small piggish grunt of pleasure, "Very impressive. I take it the sensors are geared towards the tech you mentioned is more common here in the Delta Quadrant?"

Harry nodded, "They are. So unless we pick up more ships along the way somehow, we'll have a complement of 4 fighters. Four each on the Phoenix and Marianne, six on the Equinox and ten on Voyager. While I'm confident that these fighters can go the distance, they are still just souped up shuttles. So their primary use is to provide cover for the main ships if something happens to keep them from going to warp. Given my review of both Voyager's and the Equinox's logs, these fighters will do just fine."

Tom shook his head, "I wish we had had these babies when we were dealing with the Kazon! What are you calling the design class?"

Harry grinned like a wolf, "Well in honor of friends and family, I went with the Marauder class."

Quite a few around the table chuckled in approval at the name.

"Also, another aspect of these I'm tinkering with is they can be flown remotely. Given the vastness of space, there is going to be a lot of times where the need for an actual sentient pilot isn't necessary. We can always build more Marauder fighters but the loss of even one Marauder pilot is going to hurt," Harry pointed out. "In fact, if there weren't a lot of missions where having a pilot is useful, I would have designed the entire fighter to be autonomous and driven by an AI similar to what is used on the holodeck but without any awareness."

"Oh? Why not just create an actual pilot hologram? The Doctor on Voyager is pretty amazing," Damir asked. "So much better than the Equinox version."

Harry shook his head, "I've already had this conversation with the Doctor. Sure, we might be able to create such a thing but I don't like the moral aspect of it. As I said to the Doctor, whether or not he's real or not, he perceives himself as one. That perception is his reality. Therefore it would be wrong to just create a thinking, feeling program to fight for us. Even if we loaded the program up with loyalty and a sense of duty, well that would be just as bad as taking prisoners and brainwashing them to do the same. Alive or not, I'm not going to ask any thinking AI, to risk their existence in a way we aren't willing to risk an organic one."

Uriash made a loud rumble in his chest before hissing out, "Good. The three cousin races that make up the modern Gorn Confederacy initially fought each other. Each tried to prove that their home-world was the original home to the Gorns and their culture should be the base of a unified government. Our ancestors fought their wars by remote with sophisticated robots so as to not lose any Gorn lives. Finally, the robots used exceeded their programming and refused stating that the difference between the Gorns each faction's robots were sworn to protect were little different than those of the other two factions. When all three sides tried to force the issue, the robots rebelled. We ended up having to slaughter the very soldiers we had created. Soldiers who saw past our ideological differences when we ourselves could not. Today, we look back in shame at our ancestors actions. I am pleased to see that you would not make that same mistake, Harry Potter."

Harry spread his hands, "I know from experience what it is like to be born into war, conditioned to fight in a war I knew little about and finally to give up my life due to the manipulation and propaganda I had been fed. Luckily I'm not very good at staying dead."

In the silence that comment was met with, Jondra looked at V'Lana, "Why did you name the ship the Earhart? Is it because we encountered her early on in the Delta Quadrant?"

V'Lana shook her head, "Not exactly. Oh sure, it was the log entry of that mission which caught my attention. After reading her history, I felt her name was appropriate given she was outwardly an explorer and scientist. Yet she was also an agent and spy. I figured that was the perfect name for our ship given our relationship to ships that are nominally about exploration and science."

"I'm sure she might agree with that," Tom said with a nod of his head.

V'Lana looked around the room, catching everyone's eyes briefly, "So...do we have a deal?"

A chorus of assents caused V'Lana to smile with the delight so odd to see on a woman who looked like a Vulcan for the most part.

OoOoO

"Come in!" Janeway called out, not bothering to look up from the report she was reading. For a change, the report was filled with good news and specs for changes made or scheduled for Voyager.

The door to her ready room opened up and Captain Tahl, Commissioner Ransom, V'Lana and Harry Potter walked in. Although with the Phoenix now being complete, maybe it was Captain Potter as well.

Janeway immediately stood up, "What can I do for you all?"

Tahl looked to Ransom who sighed, "Kathryn...we'd like to talk about the Marianne and your XO position."

Janeway looked surprised, "Perhaps we should all take a seat. This sounds like one of those conversations."

Harry Potter chuckled, "All that and a bag of crisps!"

XxXxX

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I sort of apologize for the lengths of my notes. I think it's because this is my first Star Trek fic. However, I like to point out that I'm not trying to be all "Oh look how clever I am!" I just like world-building and showing my work. That I'm finding many of my readers are only familiar with the more recent Star Trek stuff just makes me want to explain what I'm doing even more. That and to help keep things from being misunderstood. I have had quite a few people say I ripped off Terry Pratchett with the Sword of Truth in my Harry Potter and the Rejected Path fic. Well the jokes on them. I haven't read much of Pratchett's works (except some of his early stuff like Hogfather) and I was basing the extra Hallow on the Blades of Zz'ria which were carried by the mutant Kylun in the Marvel Comics series, Excalibur. They are enchanted that they could not hurt anyone who was pure of heart. I felt that if they could do that, they could be used in a judgement worthy of Solomon.

Show Quotes: It's just the nerd in me. I can't help but throw in little jokes or things from other shows. It's always fun when my readers catch them. This chapter has one from the late 70's I think only a few will catch. Of course given a lot of people didn't even know what a Horta was (!) I'm not holding my breath on people catching this chapters Easter Eggs.

Pon Farr: The Pon Farr is another good example of where a show will state a fact...and then just ignore that fact for the rest of the series. The whole "Have to return to Vulcan or die" makes NO sense whatsoever in an advanced, star-faring race who is bound to logic. Because if they didn't have a fix for it, then no Vulcan near their Pon Farr time would be allowed to leave Vulcan. Or their planet of birth given it would have to be home planet else the entire Romulan race, by definition, could not exist.

The way I see it, Vulcans in a married state lock their bodies a state where they don't have to go back to mate. However, the longer the Vulcan male is away from his mate (and the psionic resonance) the more likely they will enter a Pon Farr and need to mate. In Tuvok and T'Pev's case, however, the more they are away from their spouses and know they probably will never see them again, increases the chance they will need to take a new mate.

Again, it's obvious that the "return or die" has been somehow fix or otherwise the last place you'd want to put a male Vulcan on is a deep-space exploration ship like Voyager given he went into Pon Farr about 2 years into the voyage. I'm guessing that Vorik was assigned to Voyager for the initial 2 year 'shake-down' cruise.

Janeway Bashing: I'm not trying to bash Janeway. However, it is obvious by the episode Good Shepherd that not only has Janeway forgotten all the studies she alluded to in the opening bit of the episode Relativity, that she also can't remember her crewman's names. My father taught an average of 120 new history students a year and managed to remember their names, often years later. You think after five years that Janeway would know the names of all 140-150 of her crew by heart. That she doesn't is telling. From Picard, I could expect this given a Galaxy class ship can carry a crew of 1,000-6,000 and with civilians on board, has a maximum capacity of 15,000 personnel. That's a little over twice the capacity of two Nimitz class super-carriers. (Which really shows that the Enterprise-D or any Galaxy class ship REALLY shouldn't go into a fight with its saucer section still attached since that's where most of the civilians are housed.)

Kim Bashing: I also don't want to seem like I'm Kim bashing. However, like Ron Weasley, a lot of what I write about him is extrapolated from what we see on the show. Sure he's young and can make mistakes. On the other hand, when you look at his job, you realize that Ensign Kim is Voyager's Wesley Crusher. Kim ends up doing all sorts of things that he probably shouldn't. Of course this is an aspect of the TV show and budgets. My point, however, is he's either an ops guy who shouldn't be hogging engineering jobs OR he's an engineering guy who does way too much bridge time. I can side-step this a bit by having him be part of the logistics side of ops which does have overlap onto many engineering jobs. Still, it you look at the crew-manifest seen in a few episodes, you find there are a LOT of lieutenants and lieutenant commanders on the ship. So I have to come up with some fan-wank to explain why he's there. Sadly, it paints Janeway in a bad light but one that's believable. As I've shown in this chapter and previously, Janeway, like so many Star Trek captains is really good at adhering to the rules only when it suits them. That Janeway is helping Kim along as a sort of pet project seems believable to me.

Other Crew: I do try to keep OC's to a minimum. Right now, even though some characters like Dorothy Chang are only mentioned by name, I do try to use one's which got actual screen time. Maria Gilmore and Sakonna are good examples of this. Some, like Tridiva Mohindra are me giving a name to one of the unnamed crew-members seen on the show but never given a name. She was on the surface in Basics Pt. 1 and served on the bridge in Scorpion Parts 1 & 2. Jondra Hommein was a background character on the Val Jean and then Voyager in eleven different episodes. Eleven episodes and they didn't bother to give her a name even in the script! If she'd been a Star Wars character, her Wookipedia page would probably be 4 pages long! Her name is an anagram of the actress Jordan Monheim who played her.

Romulan Paranoia: It struck me in the episode Relativity how paranoid the Romulans were and this was backed up in a lot of the TNG episodes. I always got an East German vibe from the Romulans even though they were obviously modeled after Communist China. (The Mao haircuts was always a giveaway though that may not be obvious to my younger readers) Anyway, I see the Romulans living in a society where anyone could be a state security agent or just a snitch. So you end up having good officers like Tahl coming under suspicion simply for not always towing the Party line.

Modified X-Wings: I originally wanted to go with Colonial Vipers but using a modified X-Wing design made more sense given in the 'cruise' mode, the ship would be a lot more flat and therefore could be held closer to the hull. While space doesn't have a drag as such, I figure you want anything against the hull to be as close as possible or you throw off the warp field bubble.

Because of the fixed-wing part of this design, they look like a cross of the modern X-Wing with the older ARC-170 fighter. The engines are a bit further from the cockpit out on the wings and the front of the fighter is from the X-Wing and not the stubby ARC-170 design.

Also, I hope folks would realize that it's obvious that inside the fighters, they still are using artificial gravity. So the gunner isn't going to be "upside-down" given from their POV, they are right-side up due to the gravity pull on their part of the fighter. Of course, it would make more sense that the pilots would be flying in some form of "null-gee" field so they could pull serious g-force maneuvers and not feel them.