[Chris Wilkinson]

I'm currently working in one, I'll hopefully have it posted soon

[Chris Wilkinson]

A Step out of Time by Chris Wilkinson

The crew of the Broadsword were tired after a having to fight a number of battles since the start of the war with the Romulans. It was hard to believe that after the conflict with the Xindi, however brief, that Earth would find itself in conflict with another species so soon.

The ship had been sent to the Devron system by the command council to do a planetary survey of the fourth planet, and as the ships captain, Chris Wilkinson walked onto the bridge as the ship was dropping out of warp. He’d made sure that when he got command, his station in the ready room had a readout of all the ships critical information.

He looked at the planet as they approached on the viewscreen, it didn’t look like it was anything special and couldn’t understand why the admiralty wanted a detailed topological scan of the surface, but it wasn’t his place to ask why.

“Bring us into orbit, let’s get this done as quickly as possible” he said to his crew, each one manning their posts vigilantly. “Tactical, keep an eye on sensors. I want to know if there’s anything that looks out of place.”

The tactical officer was a young British officer by the name of Bradley. This was his first mission with the crew, so he was still getting to grips with how the crew tended to operate. “Aye sir, I’ve set the computer to take us to tactical alert if any other ships appear within fifty thousand kilometres.”.

Chris nodded at this, knowing that one of the tactics favoured by the enemy was to deactivate their cloaking device close to the target and fire before the others could react. He’d watched it take down a number of other ships in the fleet.

He could see his crew working as quickly as they could as the planet in front of them spun lazily, unaware of the galaxy around it. He almost wished that it were that easy for a person to be like that in the current climate. He’d just started to relax as it seemed like this was going to be one of their least eventful missions when the bridge lights dimmed and the all too familiar klaxon sounded. He swore under his breath as the crew started to react.

“Report” he called out, knowing that in these conditions his crew would only speak if they had to.

The Science Officer was the first to chime in, “Two ships have just appeared on sensors, they’re within twenty thousand kilometres…” was all he could say before the ship shook violently. These ships, were clearly the enemy.

Chris knew the hull plating had been activated in time as if it hadn’t, there would’ve been a lot more visible damage on the bridge. “Return Fire!” he said loudly, making sure he could be heard over the alarms, his hands gripping the arm of his chair. The last thing he wanted was to be thrown out of it.

He barely listened as his crew started to call out the damage reports as the Romulan vessels started to target the nacelles. He knew if he didn’t give the order to go to warp, the ship would be stranded.

“Take us to warp, any course” he exclaimed, knowing they’d just failed in their mission. As he watched the helmsman push the ships throttles forward, he felt the heat as the console in their briefing area explode due to the assault. He was lucky that none of the shrapnel flew his way.

“Somebody put out that fire quickly” he said to the crewman who’d been working in that area. He could see the blood on their faces as they’d been hit by some of the smaller pieces, each one already with an extinguisher in their hands.

As Chris looked forward, he could see the streaked pinpricks on the screen as the ship jumped to warp, but the ship was shaking violently around them. He’d never felt something like this in all of his years on starships. He pushed the comm button on the arm of his chair.

“Engineering, what’s going on down there?” he said as calmly as he could. He had to maintain his composure to maintain that air of command.

He counted the seconds in his head as he waited for the reply. His mind wondering if there was an emergency going on that they were trying hard to fix. His mind began to race, going through every possible scenario which would explain the silence.

Before anyone could respond the ship lurched violently, Chris was thrown out of his chair and onto the floor as the lights went out. His head narrowly missing the helmsman chair. He could hear the groans of the bridge crew as everyone started to pick themselves up, the only people still in their chairs being the helmsman and communications officer.

The bridge was silent now, as the emergency lighting came online. Chris stood up and tugged on his jumpsuit as he put his hand on the chair in front of him.
“What was that?” he asked everyone, hoping that someone would have an answer. He looked forward at the screen and he could see the stars as they were normally, but moving lazily round. As if the ship was drifting.

The science officer started reviewing their sensors, their hands moving over the console as they stared into the viewer.

“I’ve no idea… but it looks like there are other ships out there” he said, trying to get a fix on them. “They’re not any design that I’ve ever seen though.”

This piqued Chris’ interest as there shouldn’t have been anything nearby that wasn’t familiar. He tapped the helmsman’s shoulder “Steady us up, and take us towards those ships nearby.”

He looked over at his comms officer, “Transmit a distress call on all channels, I don’t want us to be stuck when those Romulans reappear”.

As he took his seat, one of the unfamiliar ships appeared on the screen. He didn’t have to ask for it to be magnified as he’d worked with his crew for some time. The ship on screen looked like nothing he’d actually seen, but it’s sleek design with what he assumed were nacelles on each side of the lower section did have a slight air of familiarity.

“They’re hailing us Captain” he heard called out, his eyes transfixed on the screen. Wondering who it was piloting that craft. “Put them on screen.”

As the screen changed from the view of the ship to it’s interior, his breath caught in his chest as he saw the other crew appeared to be mostly human. Their uniforms completely different from his own. Before he could say anything the other captain spoke first.

“I’m Captain Ryan Boothroyd of the Federation starship Saratoga. It’s not often we find a museum piece so close to Romulan space.”

Chris was taken aback by this stranger calling his ship a museum piece. She was one of the most advanced ships in the fleet.

“I’m Captain Chris Wilkinson of the Earth vessel Broadsword. I don’t know who you are but my ships hardly an antique, she’s state of the art.”

He watched the other figure speaking to someone off screen, clearly, they’d muted their audio so he couldn’t hear what was being said. After a minute, they came back to the conversation.

“If you are who we think you are, then we’ve finally solved a centuries old mystery. What’s the date captain?”

An unsettled feeling spread throughout Chris’ gut as he listened to the other, almost tempted to close the communications channel and try to get through to Starfleet headquarters.

“It’s May 5th, 2157” he said slowly.

The stranger nodded and let out a soft sigh. Unsure how to break this to the people on the oldest ship he’d ever seen. Older still than the training ship they still used in Starfleet Academy.

“I’m really sorry, but it’s 2406…. Welcome to the 25th century”

[Stormy]

The Fruit(less) Conundrum

Fleet Admiral Gideon Daniels sat in the captain’s chair with a thousand thoughts running through his mind like worker bees flitting around repairing a battle-scarred ship. Within moments he would need to collect those thoughts and make a decision that could determine the fate of the Federation as well as his home world, Earth.

The Federation president had placed on him alone the responsibility to make a decision which had the potential to send the Federation into a full-scale war or to proclaim peace for the foreseeable future.

Little to nothing was known about those he would soon meet. An almost mythical race, the Gliresians were a race cloaked in mystery. Some said talk about them amounted to no more than rumors or figments of the imagination from people who had been in space for far too long.

Yet, someone claiming to be Gliresian had initiated contact with the Federation and expressed an interest in the possibility of becoming a member. The questions had been countless and each had been answered with the exception of one. And that was why the Kettle Creek and its commanding officer had been dispatched to this remote corner of space.

The role of ambassador was not new to Daniels. He had become the Federation’s go-to flag officer when it came to such matters and seldom did he fail. His success was partly due to his time as one of the Borg, where he obtained a massive amount of information on species throughout the universe.

His success was also due to Daniel’s uncanny sense of fairness. Whatever the situation, whether it be negotiations between warring species or trade talks, Daniels’ instincts allowed him to quickly analyze the situation and find a compromise that worked for both sides.

When negotiations and compromise were not an option, however, Daniels was quick to act and was considered one of the best military strategists and fiercest military leaders in Starfleet. Early in his career as a Stafleet officer Daniels had earned the nickname “Stormy” and it had followed him to this day.

“Open hailing frequencies. All channels,” said Daniels.

“Hailing frequencies open, sir,” replied Chief Communications Officer Rissa.

“This is Fleet Admiral Gideon Daniels, commanding officer of the U.S.S. Kettle Creek. I serve as ambassador from the United Federation of Planets and bring the answer to your question. I await your response.”

While only a handful of seconds passed, to Daniels it seemed almost like an eternity. Suddenly an image appeared on the screen which appeared to resemble a mouse with humanoid characteristics. The head was definitely shaped like that of a mouse, coming to a point at the nose. The eyes were solid black and rounded and its mouth was punctuated by two incisors protruding from underneath its upper lip. Two rounded ears, somewhat larger than the average mouse ear flanked each side of the head.

The head was perched on a somewhat bulbous body with short twiglike arms, hefty thighs and spindly lower legs.

The Gliresian was dressed in a multicolored robe-like garment that extended just below the torso. At the top of the robe was blue, which faded into yellow as it went down, then red, then green in a pattern similar to an older Earth style known as tie-dye.

A gold chain with a star-like medallion hung around the Gliresian’s neck. Strangely enough, in the center of the medallion was what appeared to be a cat’s eye stone.

The Gliresian twitched his nose slightly, then said, “Greetings, Admiral. I am Retnilps, High Chancellor of the Gliresians.” He then held out his hands, palms somewhat up. “This is truly a momentous occasion. I trust you come bearing the answer we seek.”

“I do,” said Daniels. “The answer you seek has caused a great divide in the universe over the past several centuries and there are those on both sides who passionately defend their point of view. Because of this, the Federation has always been reluctant to take a stand. That being said, establishing a relationship with the Gliresians was important enough to us that we chose to finally do so.”

“I am glad to hear this,” said the chancellor. He then closed his beady eyes, bowed his head and said, “Pray tell. What is the answer.”

“The answer is…no,” said Daniels. “Pineapple does not belong on pizza.”

A slight smile came across the chancellor’s face. He then slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. “Very well, admiral. Let us move forward with our negotiations. The Gliresians look forward to a long and, shall I say ‘fruitless’ relationship.”

[Emmy]

The Rescue by Emmy

The Vengeance travels elegant and undetected through deep space. She has just managed to escape an undine ambush duing a routine research mission a few minutes ago.
'Keep the scanners peeled. I need to know when these undine monsters are gonna strike back.', says Emmy, the commanding officer.
Vic, the man at the science station, turns around and stares at Emmy, his face incredibly pale.
'Vic? Are you allright? What's wrong?, asks Emmy.
' Captain, our systems are failing. We just lost our long range sensors. Shortrange sensors still active. Impulse at 80% and falling. Shields at 90% and falling.'
'Do you know that causes these failures?'
' I...I don't know. Those undine torpedoes must have done more damage than we thought.'
Emmy grabs her hands into her chair and bits her lip.
'Damnit. I want repairs. NOW'

Suddenly, an proximity alert tone can be hard allthrough the ship.
The crew on the bridge gasp in shock while Steffen, the helmsman, shouts, 'Something's coming out of warp!'
'federation?', screams Emmy.
'I.. don't know.. I can only tell when we have visual. For some reasons, we can't scan the ship... or ships', points out Vic.
' Great.... Let's see their shi--', Emmy stops dead end while she recall the ship design displayed on the viewscreen.
Someone whispered 'We are doomed' and everyone know that is true.

The undines are back. With an entire fleet.


'Damnit, I want emergency signals transmitted on all channels.' , commands Emmy immediatly.
Her ship wouldn't last long without her shields and impulse , Emmy knows that for sure.
But, they still have their weapons online, right?
'Vic, tell me the status of our weapons! NOW'
Vic is about to answer but is interrupted by a large explosion on the bridge. Everyone on the bridge is being thrown into the wall, consoles , depending on their position. Emmy hits the floor very hard with her head and she could taste blood in her mouth right away. A sharp pain runs through her entire body as she tries to stand up. Damnit, just what I needed. What the hell was that?.
She tries to swallow the blood taste and mumbles, 'Is everyone alright? What the heck was that?'. Vic rushes to her side and helps her standing up.
'That was a undine torpedo , launched directly at our bridge. Unfortunately we can't return fire...the attack damaged our circuits.... Sir, we are helpless.'
'No, I won't accept it. Any answers to our calls for help?'
When she looks around her bridge, she instantly knows that there would be no answer. The bridge is a total mess. Everyone is somehow injured.
Head injuries. Open, bloody cuts somewhere.
That was when she realize that today would be the day where the Vengeance won't make it home.
Destroyed- by an undine fleet.

The undine fleet leader opens the entire fire onto the Vengance. The elegant black ship is being ripped apart by mutiple torpedo explosions. Her entire hull is decorated with holes from the detonations, now that the hull is unprotected without the shields.

Emmy slams her fist into the nearby wall in anger.
'This can't be happening. My ship..she won't last longer....', she murmus in despair, paired with anger.
Suddenly, an all-too-familiar ship appears on the already damaged viewscreen.
An old friend has come to the rescue. Emmy smiles as their are being hailed.

'Do you mind us giving us a helping hand?', asks Emmy politely.
'Sorry for my manners, Emmy, we better shoot first and talk later, when these sons of bitches are torn into shreds.', Ragnrock states out and ends the transmission.
With that being said, he immediatly opens fire onto the undine ships. Thaks to the heavy armored and firepower similiar to the Vengeange, the Freya deals with the ships in no time. Within 20 minutes, the entire undine fleet is nothing but debris floating through space.

Rag immediatly beams over with a engineer team and runs onto the bridge.
'Emmy? You okay?', asks he while approaching the injured captain of the Vengeance.
'Well, let's leave it that way...It could have been worse.Don't worry about the ship.'
'Hold it right there. I was asking if you are alright and not the ship. The Vengeance can be easily repaired, yet completely new build if necessary. You in the other can't. I don't care about what happens to your ship, I never really have. But I do care about what happens to you. We've knwon each other since Starfleet Academy', says Rag calmly while giving Emmy a hug and continues, 'Let's get you to medbay.'
Emmy smiles at her best friend for a long time.
'Thank you. For always having my back.'
'That's what friends are for, right? And don't worry, I know, I can count on you,too.'

For a first time in a long time period, Emmy feels happy. Her ship is gonna be okay, her crew would survive, and , that's the main reason, she knows that there is and always be the one person who she can rely on.
There are friends, there is family, and there are friends that become family

*I have Rag's permission to use his name in my story

[Kyuusaku]

Communiques
by Kyuusaku

The gentle sounds of rain falling on the roof and outside of his bedroom window pleased him. The rain did not fall often on his planet; it was a welcome event. Other children seemed to be dismayed by the fact that they could not enjoy the outdoors this afternoon, but not him. The rain gave him reason to stay inside and enjoy solitude without drawing attention to the fact that he was. His parents held the opinion that a well-adjusted child would wish to spend time with other children. The simple fact was that he had no friends. He had acquaintances and classmates, but the word friend was foreign to him. On those times where he was expected to be outside, he would do so only to keep up the pretense of normalcy. If he were allowed to exist within the walls of his room, he would be very pleased. Within his room, he was safe. Safe from all attention, secluded from the public eye. Safe not only from having to engage in empty conversation, but also from enduring ridicule from those who thought he was different. Regardless of what teachers, parents, and all adults would believe, children would remain the cruelest of beings while simultaneously oblivious to the depths of their own actions.

So the rain was more than just a pitter and patter that soothed him, it represented the blessed opportunity to sit and think. Or read. Or play a game of tri-dimensional chess against the home computer. Or contacting those on other worlds. Recently, through the technology of subspace messages, he derived enjoyment from corresponding with a Terran child. She was the same age as he. She enjoyed similar interests. She even knew how to play some of the same games, including some that were not indigenous to her culture. He was curious about her, and she was curious about him. Questions, answers, musings, observations, and opinions flittered over subspace every day. In some cases, every hour. After the first week of contact, she expressed feeling a bond with him. He replied with the same perception.

Today, however, the waiting message indicated that she was experiencing a situation that troubled her. Pressure was being brought to bear upon her by her parents, indicating that she should select an occupation similar to their own. Until that moment, she expressed she had no plans for her life. She felt she was too young to make any such decisions. She asked him if he had already thought about what he would do with his life. He didn’t hesitate in his reply, stating that he would most likely follow in his father’s career choice. He was proud of his father’s accomplishments and hoped that one day he could make similar contributions. She didn’t believe him. In reply, he asked her is she was proud of her parents and what they did. Her response was curt and biting, stating she was very proud of her parents. His suggestion was simple. Why not follow them?

Hours, then days went by before he received any response. He remained patient, however, never prodding. It was as if they had an understanding. It was not unusual for a week to expire before either of them would be able to respond, sometimes, but in this particular instance, it bothered him. Did he misstep? Was his question too personal, perhaps? After the first week, he began to stare at the screen before him. No message today, just like the other nine days. The lack of communication began to gnaw at him. His usual diversions did not serve to divert him enough. If he had friends beyond this subspace link, he thought to himself, then perhaps he could seek the opinion and perspective of those objective to this situation. Even his parents remained unavailable for comment, being engrossed in their own occupations. As the days went on, the absence of her correspondence began to pervade into his every thought.

Fifteen days, twenty-two hours, seven minutes, and thirty-four seconds later, her reply appeared upon his terminal screen. She felt the need for deep thought on the subject, and the answer she would determine had to be more than just a fleeting response. In her society, children her age were forced to consider their options. It was determined at this age into which skill set they would pursue in order to be of benefit to that society. She was dreading having to make that decision, because she felt very content. If she could remain as she was, doing what she was, her life would be very fulfilling. Due to the pressure, she decided for herself that leaving the colony would be best for her. Not just away to another place, but to a specific place. A starship. In Starfleet. The application process for Starfleet Academy preparation schools was a lengthy one, and without discussing it with her parents, she seized the initiative and sent in the application.

He was stunned. It was a very bold stroke, even for her. He wanted to know how she felt. She replied that she felt good about the decision. She hoped she would be able to make contributions by her own right. Not out of obligation to her family, but out of obligation to her. Her parents, she explained, were the colony’s leading biochemists. They wished for her to continue their work within the colony’s laboratories. It was the plan they had given her, but it was one she had no desire to see through.

Another wave of amazement washed over him. How could she defy her parents’ wishes? She fired back, how could she live with herself if she did otherwise? Better to have lived doing what she loved than die never having even known what those dreams might be.

He pushed himself away from the terminal, logging himself off for the night and getting into bed without transmitting another message. It was a strange notion to him, but then most Terran notions were rather alien. His father would most likely advise against continuing this correspondence, he would advise that he sever this relationship before it caused any further distress. But the correspondence and relationship were things he desired, he wanted to continue to learn more. Not only did he gain insight into other culture, but perhaps one day, he could put that knowledge to use. For the moment, his mind was upon his own decision to follow his father’s plan.

He ran a finger over the point of his right ear, smoothing the hair on that side in order to get comfortable on the very thin mattress he was used to sleeping on. His father enjoyed acclaim as a starship design engineer, in the private sector. It was a field that still held great interest to him, but had he adopted his father’s career plan as his own and then altered his mindset about it? The possibility born within his mind. Maybe he told himself enough times throughout the years, convinced himself that his desire was to work with his father. What if he also held the notion of striking out on his own, leaving his colony behind like she had decided upon?

Starfleet.

Starships.

Adventures.

Discovery of both within him and the far reaches of known space made his outlook change, and that caused him to rest uneasily. Perhaps, clarity might arrive after a period of time and reflection.

Right now, it was time to sleep.

He had school in the morning.

[RagnrockS7G]

The Rescue by Emmy

The Vengeance travels elegant and undetected through deep space. She has just managed to escape an undine ambush duing a routine research mission a few minutes ago.
'Keep the scanners peeled. I need to know when these undine monsters are gonna strike back.', says Emmy, the commanding officer.
Vic, the man at the science station, turns around and stares at Emmy, his face incredibly pale.
'Vic? Are you allright? What's wrong?, asks Emmy.
' Captain, our systems are failing. We just lost our long range sensors. Shortrange sensors still active. Impulse at 80% and falling. Shields at 90% and falling.'
'Do you know that causes these failures?'
' I...I don't know. Those undine torpedoes must have done more damage than we thought.'
Emmy grabs her hands into her chair and bits her lip.
'Damnit. I want repairs. NOW'

Suddenly, an proximity alert tone can be hard allthrough the ship.
The crew on the bridge gasp in shock while Steffen, the helmsman, shouts, 'Something's coming out of warp!'
'federation?', screams Emmy.
'I.. don't know.. I can only tell when we have visual. For some reasons, we can't scan the ship... or ships', points out Vic.
' Great.... Let's see their shi--', Emmy stops dead end while she recall the ship design displayed on the viewscreen.
Someone whispered 'We are doomed' and everyone know that is true.

The undines are back. With an entire fleet.


'Damnit, I want emergency signals transmitted on all channels.' , commands Emmy immediatly.
Her ship wouldn't last long without her shields and impulse , Emmy knows that for sure.
But, they still have their weapons online, right?
'Vic, tell me the status of our weapons! NOW'
Vic is about to answer but is interrupted by a large explosion on the bridge. Everyone on the bridge is being thrown into the wall, consoles , depending on their position. Emmy hits the floor very hard with her head and she could taste blood in her mouth right away. A sharp pain runs through her entire body as she tries to stand up. Damnit, just what I needed. What the hell was that?.
She tries to swallow the blood taste and mumbles, 'Is everyone alright? What the heck was that?'. Vic rushes to her side and helps her standing up.
'That was a undine torpedo , launched directly at our bridge. Unfortunately we can't return fire...the attack damaged our circuits.... Sir, we are helpless.'
'No, I won't accept it. Any answers to our calls for help?'
When she looks around her bridge, she instantly knows that there would be no answer. The bridge is a total mess. Everyone is somehow injured.
Head injuries. Open, bloody cuts somewhere.
That was when she realize that today would be the day where the Vengeance won't make it home.
Destroyed- by an undine fleet.

The undine fleet leader opens the entire fire onto the Vengance. The elegant black ship is being ripped apart by mutiple torpedo explosions. Her entire hull is decorated with holes from the detonations, now that the hull is unprotected without the shields.

Emmy slams her fist into the nearby wall in anger.
'This can't be happening. My ship..she won't last longer....', she murmus in despair, paired with anger.
Suddenly, an all-too-familiar ship appears on the already damaged viewscreen.
An old friend has come to the rescue. Emmy smiles as their are being hailed.

'Do you mind us giving us a helping hand?', asks Emmy politely.
'Sorry for my manners, Emmy, we better shoot first and talk later, when these sons of bitches are torn into shreds.', Ragnrock states out and ends the transmission.
With that being said, he immediatly opens fire onto the undine ships. Thaks to the heavy armored and firepower similiar to the Vengeange, the Freya deals with the ships in no time. Within 20 minutes, the entire undine fleet is nothing but debris floating through space.

Rag immediatly beams over with a engineer team and runs onto the bridge.
'Emmy? You okay?', asks he while approaching the injured captain of the Vengeance.
'Well, let's leave it that way...It could have been worse.Don't worry about the ship.'
'Hold it right there. I was asking if you are alright and not the ship. The Vengeance can be easily repaired, yet completely new build if necessary. You in the other can't. I don't care about what happens to your ship, I never really have. But I do care about what happens to you. We've knwon each other since Starfleet Academy', says Rag calmly while giving Emmy a hug and continues, 'Let's get you to medbay.'
Emmy smiles at her best friend for a long time.
'Thank you. For always having my back.'
'That's what friends are for, right? And don't worry, I know, I can count on you,too.'

For a first time in a long time period, Emmy feels happy. Her ship is gonna be okay, her crew would survive, and , that's the main reason, she knows that there is and always be the one person who she can rely on.
There are friends, there is family, and there are friends that become family

*I have Rag's permission to use his name in my story

Big thank you to a great friend for including me in her great story! also so far I have really enjoyed every one story here, so many great writers!

[Mack]

Just a quick reminder, that this closes on the 15th, so if you're working on a story to submit it by tomorrow at the very latest. Winners will get announced after UFPAC.

[Walter]

New Beginnings By Walter

Walking the corridors of the habitat section of starbase 294 had been something of routine for Cadet Sanders but this time it was different. He could feel the ever growing anticipation that usually accompanies big change and he wasn't sure if he was ready.
He walked for a few minutes more and pondered until he had reached the end of the corridor and was greeted by the pale blue doors of the officers lounge which were emblazened with starfleet insignia. He paused for a second then entered, he knew he wanted to have a good look at his new posting before boarding her, as if in some way that would help alleviate his anxiety.

His walk slowed as he approached the large observation window. He had looked out of that window so many times before and yet he couldn't help but see his future for the first time through it. He felt him self pause and then... There she was! The perfect blend of form and function, the U.S.S Cassini. An excelsior class vessel by design and one of the more recent models of the class to be equipped with newer more efficient engines . Since the original transwarp program had been scrapped due to 'technical issues' and 'safety concerns' although nothing concrete was ever released to his satisfaction starfleet had focused on more conventional modes of propulsion and had made a concerted effort to make her one of the fastest in the fleet.

He pulled himself away from the window and sat down on one of the burgundy sofas that were littered around the lounge. A member of lounge personnel approached, she was a mature woman with flecks of grey running through her brunette hair. She gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, "Marta at your service, ... your first posting huh?" she said in a warm yet inquisitive manner. He pondered her question trying to think of a response that wouldn't betray any of the confidence he had initially built up to leave his quarters this morning. "yes ma'am I'm just awaiting the signal to board the ship I have been assigned to" he could feel a bead of perspiration glide down his forehead at a speed so slow it seemed to defy basic physics. She had clearly noticed but she detracted from it immediatelly.

He wiped the bead away and focused on what she was about to say. "you'll be fine" she smiled "I have seen many just like you pass through these doors over the years and each and everyone one of them has worked up the ranks". "now, how about something to drink?" she said. He could tell she was trying to help alleviate the pressure which was now written all over his face. "a coffee will do thank you" he ordered the drink hastily without realising what he had actually ordered. "coffee!?" she let out a little laugh and then took it upon herself to correct the cadets order. "I think coffee might not be such a good idea, how about I fix you a nice cup of Bolian tea instead?".

She was of course right, "that sounds like just what I need thank you". She walked casually over to a bar that was neatly etched into the corner of the room and began making his drink.
He looked down at his bag of possessions and opened it up, there on top of a neatly folded pile of clothes among which was his spare uniform layed a solitary padd. He picked it up and pushed in a key sequence and watched the screen transform seamlessly from a matte black into the image of a woman, his mother. Cadet Sanders had never known his father and his mother was killed in an incident with the romulans a few years ago. He wanted to see her face as it brought him the sense of calm he desperately needed. No sooner had he slipped the padd back in with his belongings had Marta returned with his beverage.

She placed the cup down onto the table infront of him but just as she did so the stations intercomm beeped followed by an audio announcement which echoed all around. "now here this now here this, cadets assigned to the U.S.S Cassini please report to airlock 4 Beta immediately" the comm silenced and Marta who had been so nice to him glanced down at the drink then up at his face and simply said "you'll have to get used to that I'm afraid". As soon as she had returned to her duties he stood upright with a jolt and began to make his way to the airlock. He saw the maroon shapes of ensigns, captains and everything else in between as he walked the corridors one last time. They were just blurs to him as all he could think about was who would he be sharing his quarters with and what would his first duties entail.

Finally he had reached the airlock and he observed a steady stream of people making their way on board the ship. He too started to join in with the organised chaos and eventually his footfalls which had been metallic clatterings were replaced by soft carpeted muffles. He had made it on board....
He had been spending the last few months committing the ships internal layout to memory and navigated the deck he was on with ease. He knew he had to find his quarters and then report directly to the captain and no sooner had the thought of meeting the captain passed through his mind had he found himself at door 59-c, his home for the next year. He pushed his personell code into the door panel, it chirped briefly and the door slid open with a hasteful grace.

A young male caitian with an Amber like coat was stood in the center of the room. He had clearly unpacked all of his belongs already and had been waiting to greet him. "hello I'm Cadet Nohl pleased to meet you" he said whilst simultaneously extending his arm for the obligatory handshake. he had a somewhat inquisitive look about him although that could be said for all caitians as they were all naturally curious beings. "pleased to meet you, I have been looking forward to meeting you" said Sanders. Although a true statement, Sanders found himself looking forward to getting to grips with the ship itself and potentially meeting her Captain ...

Cadet Sanders began to take out his personal items, clothes etc from his bag and placed them in their correct locations around the quarters. Nohl was perfectly content to just observed the Cadet and seemed intrigued by his choice of placement for each item. "something wrong?" Sanders inquired? "not at all, I have just always found it mildly amusing that humans seem to focus on the work before fully taking in their environment" Nohl said with a smile on his face. With that Sanders fleet compelled to stop what he was doing and scanned the room with his eyes. It was a spartan room, it had an angular shaped bulk head which dominated the ceiling of the quarters. Their bunks were located to the far left and looked remarkably crisp, the sheets were royal blue and were accompanied by a single pillow each which seemed to merge with the aesthetic of the room seamlessly. A sonic shower and wash basin were located in a small room just adjacent to the main room.

Sanders felt that he had sufficiently 'taken in his enironment' partially to quell Nohls original observation about humans but also because he was genuinely eager to see it all. "Where's the lavatory?" Sanders asked
"oh it's..." 'BURRRBUP' The sound of the ships internal comm system had activated interrupting Nohl before he had a chance to answer and was promptly followed by an audio announcment.
"This is Captain Lessing to all decks. prepare for departure of starbase 294, secure all stations and report to your designated posts".
The channel ended with a simple beep and both cadets just looked at each other and grinned.

They knew that this was it, the start of a new chapter. "I guess we should follow our orders" said Nohl.
"where are you posted?" asked Sanders
"Oh, I'm on cargo bay duty" said Nohl. "and you?" he asked.
" I have duties in main engineering and cargobay inventory when needed" Sanders responded.

They both exited their quarters and began their route to their respective postings.
the decks design was quite militaristic with grey metal wall panels broken up only by the blue and green glow of lcars terminals which appeared at intervals of a few metres apart. The floor had diamond plated strips on either side of the corridor and a strip of teal carpet down the centre. Sanders couldn't help but admire the simplicity of it all even if he was aware of the tangled Web of technology that was located behind its facade.

Sanders had reached reached the turbolift and entered. "Engineering" he said out loud to the computer and waited patiently as the decks rushed by for it to reach his destination. The turbolift halted and the doors opened, he exited and walked a few metres until he arrived. The large blue doors of engineering greeted him briefly before they parted and he could see the whirling light show of purples and oranges emanating from the heart of the ship, the warpcore. This impressive sight was broken up only by the rushing of people walking to and fro. Engineering looked like a theatre stage with every person carrying out their scenes each completely consumed by their own roles, using every kind of tool and equipment available.

This flurry of movement and sound was lulled by the gentle hum of the warpcore which as he approached closer became louder and like the rhythmic pulse of a heart it seemed to bring order to the stage in which he had now been completely consumed in himself.

A stern looking man who looked like he was carrying every stress of the ship on his shoulders made his way towards the cadet. He was quite a tall man whos insignia immediately gave him away as being the chief engineer of the vessel and so the stress that Sanders had detected in his face and through his body language now made sense. "Cadet!" Said chief Munro "I need you to re-allign the antimatter flow regulators before we can jump to warp" he said with a sharp authoritarian tone. He then gestured at another member of the engineering staff "lieutenant Harper go and assist him". Before Cadet Sanders could properly introduce himself he was being whisked away from the warpcore and towards a Jeffreys tube.
"don't worry" she said in a tone not much louder than a whisper, attempting to say it covertly. "he's just under alot of pressure from starfleet, we have alot of speed records to break this afternoon that's all" she continued.
"it's ok" he said "i just didn't expect things to be so.. So..."
"stressful?" she finished the sentence for him as he was clearly uncomfortable speaking ill of the opportunity to serve aboard a starship.
"exactly" he said.

They began there descent to a lower deck via the Jeffreys tubes. He could feel his hands beginning to waver as each rung he grasped seemed to rub away a layer of skin.
A far cry from the seemingly comfortable and thought out layout of the ships corridors he thought.
They had travelled through 3 decks until they had reached a junction. A small space in which they could stand up right and begin the task they had both been assigned.
She handed him a tricorder " ok you keep scanning the flow rate whilst I begin to alignment of the regulators" she ordered.
"ok everything's looking good" said Sanders. He worked the tricorder like a musical instrument he had been playing for years and had a face of concentration that could not be broken.
"there" she said
"that's done it, the antimatter flow regulators have been re-alligned now let's get these readings back to engineering".
They made their way back up the Jeffreys tube to engineering.
A short while later they emerged It seemed just as hectic an environment as before as all stations were preparing for departure.

The ships docking latches were disengaged and the huge excelsior class vessel began its departure. It glided through the starbase interior passing smaller shuttlecraft and workerbees as it did so. The doors of the starbase began to open and the U.S.S. Cassini emerged from it's cavernous interior and into open space.
"helm I want full impulse until we reach the outer edge of the system" ordered the captain.
"aye" said helmsman Porter.
The ship began to pick up speed and was a magnificent credit to the engineers who had constructed her.
"now approaching the outer rim captain" said Porter.
"set a course for Borea IV.. warp 7!"
The entire bridge crew passed a communal smile.

The image of stars on the ships viewscreen began to distort and a thousand streaks of light began rushing towards the ship and was finalised with a large white flash.
"we have entered warp captain" said Porter, he glanced down at his console and watched as it rose up to warp 8.
"we have reached warp 8 and speed is constant sir" he continued.
The captain regarded his update and immediately turned to face the tactical station.
"how's structural integrity holding up lieutenant commander?"
A confident looking woman acknowledged the captain. "structural integrity is holding at 90 % of maximum but the drop was to be expected sir" she said.
"excellent work everyone i'll be in my ready room, Mr Vesh you have the bridge". A Denobulan rose from the operations console and began to make his way to the captains chair
"aye captain" he said.

Sanders had been busying himself with what seemed like an endless list of tasks assigned to him by the chief engineer. He carefully placed a hypospanner back into the tool kit that had been at his side all morning.
"Ok Cadet I think you've earned yourself a break we can handle it from here" said chief engineer Hawkins in a much calmer tone than Sanders thought possible after the way he had spoken to him on their first encounter. "oh and cadet.. I apologise for the way I addressed you earlier" he extended his arm to initiate a handshake. "I want to make the cadets assigned to me the best and the best way to do that is to push you, no hard feelings?" said Hawkins.
"no Sir I just hope that I can meet your expectations" said Sanders.
"Cadet I hope you not only meet my expectations but you surpass them too" and with that he returned to a panel on the wall just to the left of the warpcore bringing the conversation to a some what abrupt end.
Sanders exited engineering and knew exactly where he wanted to go, to his quarters. He started walking down the corridor and entered the turbolift once more, the doors parted and he entered. "deck 20" he said.
Upon arriving at his quarters he paused for a second and then entered. He laid on his bunk and contemplated the events of the morning. His minded had started to wander and the imagery had become that of his parents... 'burrbup' the comm panel next to the bunk had initiated. The voice of the Captain began to fill the room "Cadet Sanders this is the Captain please report to my ready room" the terminals blue and green key panels which were seamlessley placed beneath a sheet of transparent aluminium faded and the entire panel was black. "I'd best be on my way" he thought. It was one thing to curry favour with the chief engineer but he absolutely had to make a good first impression with the captain.
He had made his way through the ship, as he used the turbolift to get to the bridge he could feel his stomach turning into knots of anxiety. The turbolift halted as it had reached the bridge and the doors opened to reveal the calm and composed room that was inhabited by the ships senior officers.
"Cadet Sanders" said Mr.Vesh "I understand the captain is waiting for you" he continued. He then gestured towards a door way that was located on the other side of the bridge.
Sanders walked across the bridge he attempted to focus purely on his destination but his eyes strayed as the many consoles and stations on the bridge were too distracting not to have a peek. The door had its designation on a strip that slashed through the middle and read
'D01 - Captains quarters'

"Cadet Sanders please come in and take a seat" said the Captain
Without making eye contact. His concentration was occupied by a PADD that was firmly within his grasp.
Sanders approached and sat down, immediately he had a pang of deja vue as this was similar to a situation he had once found himself in at the academy.
The Captain placed the PADD down on the table and and looked up, he regarded the Cadet and smiled.
"how are you settling in Jona?" a perplexed expression passed over the Cadets face. Why did the Captain, a man who was responsible for a crew of 350 bother himself to learn the name of a lowely cadet? Before his mind began to dissect the query he replied "I'm enjoying the challenge sir".
"excellent, I'm expecting great things from you Jona". There it was again, why had he used my first name and not my rank? . The captains smile dropped and he spoke the words that every Starfleet officer dreaded let alone a Cadet. "Cadet, what I'm about to tell you is classified"......

[deuZige]

Well hello there!

After a long period of absence i decided to come back to the corner of the internet where i've aquired my most cherished memories.

Yes, i am referring to the United Federation of Planets Forum.

This was prompted by a casual remark someone made yesterday about something that had been posted here on this forum on a Discord server.

While seeing what i needed to do to reactivate my account "and all that" my eye fell onto this thread. The thread acted like a Black hole on my focus and attention, so i abandoned everything and all that i had been doing, or had planned for today and tomorrow.

There is very very little at this moment that i want more desperately than to enter into this contest.

So my most immediate question i guess is now:

what do i need to do to be allowed to participate?

Please help me in ignoring and surpressing my emotions and feelings, making the next few days at least feel like the start of a better ara. Getting an entry done in time will keep my mind occupied for at least 20hrs. That can only lead to 10hrs of unconsciousness after which the catching up and re-engaging in the forum will keep me happy for another day or two. With the added benefit of a certain cdpr game i've been able to aquire i am sure i can make it to Saturday. Then i can spend 7 hours with my son again, charging me back up to get through the next cycle of 13 days, 17 hours.

Thank you in advance for any time or effort spent in helping me with this.

[Petrarch]

Well hello there!

I've processed your application this morning so you're now a CL3 registered member again and you're free to participate in the competition. Just as a heads up, you've made it just in the nick of time as tomorrow (the 15th) is the final day for submissions so you've still got some time to get an entry in.

[deuZige]

On board of the small Civilian Personal Cruiser "JahWahDan"

Conflicted. That was the best word to describe his feelings about what they were doing. Both in the feelings themselves and in which of the feelings he wanted to feel. A glance to his left, again, strengthened him in resolve. Amk’s expression was focused, determined and as angry as he had ever seen his kid look in his entire life. Not a trace of doubt, insecurity, fear or anxiety to be found. “Looks like all systems are holding up Dad!” Amk said as he noticed his father looking his way. “Just like you said they would, no glitches or malfunctions!” the 13 year old added, a hint of pride mixed in with surprise in his voice. Shake pretended not to notice, and continued to focus his attention on the sensors and other data sources they were using to keep track of the traffic in the Sol system in order to minimize the chances of anyone noticing their little ship enough to wonder who they were or what they were doing. He knew that when Ellie, Amk’s foster mother, learned they were gone, she’d go straight to her ex husband in Star-fleet and get him to intercept the “JahWahDan” before it could get away. Inside Sol, that would be the end of it. They wouldn’t stand a chance to outrun or outhide any of the 12 ships Star-fleet could call on in the Federation’s capitol world’s star-system. Once they got to the cloud though, they would have a chance. They might even make it out and into warp. Shake’s chest tightened and his heart glowed with warmth at the thought. “Focus, keep your mind on what we need to do, don’t think of anything else. Keep that emotion in check” he said, surprising himself he said it out loud.

And if Amk had to be honest, with himself as much as with his father, he would have to admit he had not expected this level of performance and quality from his father. Of course nobody had fired any weapons at them, yet, and they hadn’t faced any other challenges to their circuitous route through the system either. But on the whole the ship, the “JahWahDan” , was not only functioning adequately and arguably safely but it was neat, clean and aesthetically pleasing enough to feel comfortable. If Amk hadn’t been witness to the ship’s parts being collected over the course of most of his life he might have even be forgiven for thinking his father hadn’t built it at all. All his life he had only known his father as the textbook example of a poor, very unlucky and naive man. He had always been on the loosing side of a battle against debts, against prejudice., against his past and seen him often be a victim of his own refusal to accept injustice or to assume most people are not ethical, just or honest and will take advantage of you when they think they can.

That meant that though Amk had never gone hungry and always had everything he needed when he needed it, it always seemed to be used or squired in an unorthodox manner. He couldn’t remember many things that his father had done that didn’t have something odd or different from what most of the other children he knew had or did. Of course that was not surprising because of the difference in budget that other families available compared to him and his fathers, often non-existent, budget. His clothes were often second hand or non-brand and sometimes the things he got were brand-new, but from old leftover stock that were a few years old. This was just the way things were when you were poor, but that wasn’t the whole story with his father.

For some reason his Father always seemed to get caught off guard or unprepared for the things that other father and mothers seemed to consider self evident and instinctive. There were things his father did not think about or notice which most people considered essential or foundational parts of daily life. Other things which his father spent much effort on or considered important and essential part of a person’s personality or character were simply circumstantial to most other families. His father could be very emotional and principle rigid about some things that simply didn’t matter to others and he could be oddly callous and dismissive of other things that others found as essential to their lives as oxygen was to breathing. Amh himself had never had much cause for concern about anything, nor did he ever really in any way held back or damaged or in trouble because of any of that. In fact he found he often got more out of any situation than others or even had advantages compared to others in his surroundings that helped him come out on top or had the most to show for his efforts after all things were said and done.

He had a strong moral and ethical foundation knowing wrong from right very early, and learned to understand there were times for everything and that those times seldom synchronized with what he wanted. He also learned very quickly that when you are in a group you needed different ways to get what you wanted then when you were on your own or in a duo. In a group he knew that if you can get the group to want what you want you had the biggest probability of beings successful in getting it. When you’re on your own or in a duo you need to take the initiative, and do what needs to be done to get the result you want to get, and to rely on your own strengths as well as to know your limitations and act accordingly. He had also learned the value of accepting that sometimes you simply couldn’t win and that dwelling on such things only made the time spent on things like that was time you were unhappy, created unhappy memories and time you could have been spending on something that could get you something you wanted, time you enjoyed and that could make you feel good in the future when you remembered them or shared them with others, who then also gained something from it.

When he and his father, who had been assigned custody of Amk, with his mother gone to live far outside the Federation in the Ferengi Alliance finally moved out of their little tiny 2 room apartment and into into a 3 bedroom, kitchen and living room house with 2 floors and an attic Amk didn’t understand the change that he witnessed in his father. He was still the same man, with the same problems and same odd ways that made him who he was, but he had noticed there had been a change in his father’s behavior.

He noticed that his father became less insecure, less demanding and more tolerant in their day to day lives. There seemed to be less pressure weighing him down and when he saw a holodocumentary about the Bajorrans and their history, about the Cardassian occupation and about their liberation he couldn’t help but notice there were things he recognized in his father. Things his father would stress about privately but never spoke of to anyone else now seemed okay to talk about. Things that his father had obsessively made a point of overdoing and seem principally important to him seemed to matter far less, or his need for others to see how much he valued things to be done excellently went away. He had started (or returned to) other things, things Amk could tell he really cared about or enjoyed, but he had felt could be considered to be inappropriate or even bad. Some on moments Amk wasn’t there, others he even shared with Amk.

One of those things was the building of things out of “sourced” materials and parts that did things they were not designed for or were thought to be capable of. Another was simply doing things that made him feel happy and enjoyed doing for the sake of that joy. In the last year or three Arendhad understood that came from his father’s phylosophy that he’d lived by before he had met his mother and became a Married Father, and sole provider for the family. A philosophy that he couldn’t live by anymore and had to replace with the responisbilities in that role, and even had to denounce when he became single Father in a society and culture in which responsible and caring for a child from the age of 1 until puberty was best left to mothers and fathers were considered unsuitable. Anyindulgance in anything not directly related to raising or caring for the child was seized upon as an argument in support of this cultural prejudice, and subsequently abandoned by his father.

The more Amk grew up the more he learned about his father’s sacrifices and the more he understood how deeply the sadness his father must have felt under the constant scrutiny from his mother, the government services and society at large. Having been financially destroyed by his mother before she had left him, taking from him the means to afford a home fit for raising a child, and then loosing the only chance of one day clearing his debt when he got fired from his job must have annihilated the hopes and dreams he had left completely. But he had never let that influence his relationship with Amk, nor allowed it to have a negative effect on Amk’s childhood. Neither did he allow the anger, bitterness and hatred he must have felt about his misery to effect Amk’s upbringing or Amk’s happiness.

When they had moved to their new, family appropriate and socially acceptable home his Father had felt he finally complied with the qualifications demanded of him as a father and the constant threat of having his son taken from him had lifted. The constant scrutiny of his mother gone, and that of the government;’s services reduced to one councilor visiting him once every two weeks for coffee emphasizing to him that he had proven himself worthy. It lasted almost 6 years, but in the end spite, lies and prejudice gave a government representative the opportunity to justify taking Amk from his father and place him in a Foster family. They had never been apart from each other for more than 12 hours before, and suddenly their time together was reduced to 7 hours every 14 days. Judges had later confirmed his Father’s case stating that they never should have taken Amk from his Father but that Amk had now been away for so long that going back would be to disruptive for Amk in his development and could not be justified. That was almost two years ago now, after three years his Father had devoted his entire life, his existence, to fighting the courts and the system to get Amk back, with no one listening or caring enough to give him even a chance losing court battle after court battle. After all that, it had destroyed what was left of his Father to hear he had been right all that time, yet being denied the justice that he and Amk had deserved.

He had not let that effect his time with Amk, hiding the pain and suffering life had become for him but Amk knew. The last year the only thing that had kept his Father alive was knowing how much it would hurt Amk if his Father would have died, and the little bits and pieces that slowly collected in the workshop behind their house and they worked on together from time to time. The bits and pieces that had become the “JahWahDan”. When his father had told Amk that it really worked his father had found a working, fitting and safe matter-antimatter core it was all Amk could think of day and night. He started learning all he could learn about the "JahWaDan 's systems, specifications and then took holonet web courses on Stellar cartography, navigation and warp mechanics. Nine months later, three days ago, he had given his Father the fully worked out plan that Amk had put together, and said that he wanted to take the JahWahDan with his father and escape with it to “”Earndianu” and never come back. And he could not deny that up to that moment he had not thought they would actually pull it off.

“Amk, I think that Cruiser heading from Utopia Planetia to ESD is changing course.:” Shake’s voice shocked Amk’s mind back to the console’s and the information they provided. “aaah, yes, I think you’re right. And ah, there’s a call coming in, it’s…. “ Amk said, stopping midcentence. “It’s the USS Zhengzhou! They’re asking to speak to you dad” he finished a second later, eyes wide like saucers.

Shake;s breath cough in his throat. It couldn't be!

Could it?

His own screen confirmed Amk’s words though. The USS Zhengzhou – C was hailing them, the Zhengzhou was the cruiser out of Utopia that had turned in their direction.

“ Okay, on screen. Let’s see if I’ve gone from the most miserably unlucky punchbag of the universe to the luckiest son of a bitch to have ever lived.” he said, more to himself that to Amk. Amk’s smile cracked hearing his father’s less than civilized expression.

The forward view screen lit up with the one face in the Galaxy who would be sympathetic to their cause. Commander Ferdi Janssen.
No, Captain Ferdi Janssen Shake thought, noticing the fourth pip on his best friend’s collar.

“Heee, ouwkees!!! How’d you pop up, after three months of radio silence, on a shiny new ship no less?!?!” he greeted happily, more enthusiastic than he felt. He knew his friend had been debriefing and was being reassigned at UP for the past months and that Ferdi couldn’t risk talking about it, so chose not to talk at all.

“Ouwkes, is that faint Sensor echo near Mercury you? Did you really get the “JahWahDan” off the planet? And at three quarter impulse?? You’re shitting me!” the Star-fleet Captain said.

“ Told ya it’d fly!” Amk said, and added “Dad and me can do anything together, and you know it!:”

Shake faked to only then notice his friend’s rank. “Huh….:” he said, leaning in to squint at the view screen. “Daaaaaayum…. I’ll be damned. You did it dude! Congratulations Ouwkes, Ca;captain Ferdinand Janssen. I still can’t believe you made it through the academy dude, let alone all the way to Captain! So that cruiser is YOUR cruiser? Way awesome dude. I have officially nothing but respect and admiration for you! I Coming from where you came, that is nothing but amazing!” Shake said. Off screen his hand tapped the control for the subspace engine’s throttle up to 80%. They were almost there, just a few more minutes, and they might have a chance.

“ Well, I am as impressed with the JahWahDan….” he said, then turned to the left as an officer said something to him. “You sure you want to push her that hard outtakes? She is still a collection of bits and pieces I watched you haul into your back yard over the course of what… 8 years?” Fred said, letting Shake know their sensors were nothing but state of the art. On screen Fred could be seen taking a deep breath.

“And eeeh… “ he began, then shook his head. “You know, our Comm-computer isn’t completely configured and calibrated so we can’t get more than one subspace comm connection connected simultaneously at the moment…. But eh… could Star-fleet have any interest in that ship of yours? They’re asking about a Father having taken his son without permission from the eh… Certified Foster care Institution's designated guardian…. Waaaat… Could they mean Ellie with that or something?” Fred babbled.

Amk looked at Shake and Shake winked. He knew that they’d have nothing to fear from Fred. “Ouwkes, you know us. We’re taking the JahWahDan out through the cloud just to see if the warp field will form and then turn back. We can’t take her out for testing and NOT see if the warp field will form.” Shake said for the benefit of giving Fred plausible deniability. “And it took us a little bit longer than we thought with all the traffic you Starfleeters are generating around Mars these days. We’re late for Amk’s pickup, and well….. You know Ellie. If I don;’t call her to let her know she freaks all the way out and embarrasses her hubbie at SF Logistic Division. So if that’s about us, that’s what it’s about. Are you gonna make Amk miss the JahWahDan first warp test? You’re not a ♥♥♥♥, I know you. You’re gonna tell Ellie to relax and that we’ll be back within… two hours. Right?” Shake asked his friend.

The smile on his friends face spoilered the answer, upon which Amk grabbed his dad in a hug, while tears began to pour across his cheeks. Shake’s own tears of joy, overwhelmed with the realization they’d going to make it and be a family together again, blurred Fred’s image so much he never even saw the wink that he gave.

Before the comm signal cut off Fred’s answer was

:” Jah Wah Dan?”

The End!

I AM SSOOOOOOO HAPPY I AM BACK!!! MISSED Y'ALL!

- - - Updated - - -

I've processed your application this morning so you're now a CL3 registered member again and you're free to participate in the competition. Just as a heads up, you've made it just in the nick of time as tomorrow (the 15th) is the final day for submissions so you've still got some time to get an entry in.

Many many thanks!
I just made it in time. I haven't enjoyed myself so much in months, the whole time i wrote the entry!

I think i've made it past the 400 mark though

Good luck to all the participants and i hope you had as much joy writing your stuff as i had with mine!
Thanks for having me back!

[Mack]

Thanks all for the submissions, all entrees are now closed!

[Mack]

Update : Still awaiting panel votes. Winners will be posted soon after Christmas!