AAG - Chapter 63!
Added 2025-09-02 20:23:37 +0000 UTCI hope you guys like chapter 63, the interview from last chapter will have a huge effect on Gothic's life (and the quadrant) going forward, in ways you will see in-chapter and many that you won't. As you'll see, it was important to me to show how people reacted (in this case in real-time) to the interview. The people I chose to showcase are obviously very important people, with direct interaction with Kessik IV, Gothic, the Federation, and Starfleet, so not exactly just normal civilians, but still, you're getting a glimpse into conversations and reactions taking place across the Federation and beyond. That I can promise you. You will have to use your imagination, at least a little, on what those particular conversations look like. (I am tempted to do one set at Section 31, though.)
I was overwhelmed by life during the writing of this last chapter in many ways. Life and work are taking up more of my time than ever before, to the point where my wife asked if I should still continue with all this, especially since it's taking up a lot of weekend time that I could be spending with the family. I told her I love it, though, so it's not work, and I really don't want to give it up. She accepted that.
My goal remains, as it has been for the last four years, to release one chapter a month, but until I find a new equilibrium with work/life balance, I can't make any guarantees, unfortunately.
Anyways, you guys aren't here for me, you're here to get a glimpse into an SI's life in the Star Trek dimension! :-) I hope you enjoy chapter 63 and as always, let's discuss in the comments. Your longtime and continued support means more to me than you'll ever know. Thank you.
Comments
Got to look after family to, work and life( family and you) all important, love what you make love this story and would hate to see it end but you need to look after the base that looks after you
Elric
2025-11-06 21:39:46 +0000 UTCIt might be a bit late he has been very busy these last few months so give him a little time
stephen lyman
2025-10-17 17:14:27 +0000 UTCIs there not going to be a chapter for October?
James Lector
2025-10-17 14:37:27 +0000 UTCHey Joe, great chapter, I’m hoping section 31 Has a Nasty file on Admiral Erik Pressman Cross the red line with section 31 I got a feeling with another agent of section 31 on board enterprise. I’m hoping session 31 Next couple chapters you should send Gothic back to Bajor. When the incident with the Klingon happens and gets dragged it with that When that settles down, and When you get done with the He’s owned planet gets done, he could Visit Darwin Station to help them out with the kids and The scientist/parents could study Gothic a little bit. Hey Joe, I could use time skips to speed up the story That Is your call to your story.
jeff027
2025-09-23 02:57:41 +0000 UTCGreat question, and something I've never really considered, to be completely honest. The shows are completely silent about it, not even a hint or anything for us to make an educated guess.
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-20 00:44:57 +0000 UTCBrilliant chapter I do look forward to when Gothic returns to Bajor though
Darren Burns
2025-09-12 01:21:34 +0000 UTCIm wondering what happened to Lauren along with the other augment’s parents where they allowed to talk to them or did they never see them again.
Mark
2025-09-07 08:21:25 +0000 UTCThanks, Charlie! Glad you liked it. :-)
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 04:27:03 +0000 UTCGothic has become influential, but I'm not sure if public side of Starfleet would appreciate or ever ask him for training or help. Section 31 has done that, we've seen that already in the story, but Starfleet proper would probably be reluctant. Neural interfaces have been around for 2 centuries. They created one with human tech in Star Trek: Enterprise. I think the technology has fallen out of vogue, to be honest. And it's lack of adoption in the many years since is probably yet another aspect of the Federation choosing to limit the power of Starfleet, just like how they don't use much automation. Gothic could probably reignite some interest in the technology, but it's an advantage he really doesn't want out there when his enemies could copy it to improve themselves too. Thank you for your longtime support! :-)
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 04:26:28 +0000 UTCIronically, this chapter was a third of the way done before I decided to add Martok in the room. It would have been a lot poorer for it considering how many reactions came from him and just how fun he was to write. A teachable moment! Yes, that is the hope. Both Picard and Riker were given some uncomfortable truths. We'll have to see if anyone's eyes are opened by it all. We saw their reactions (and their POVs) so we know that they were surprised by everything. HA! Pressman would lose his shit if he realized that Gothic has his phase cloak. Appreciate you saying that, David, truly. This story has been a labor of love for me, and a whole lot of fun. While my story has definitely benefitted from this fandom being so underrepresented, I really wish there were more quality fanfiction stories in Star Trek out there. Thank you so much for your longtime support, David! :-)
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 04:16:21 +0000 UTCCan't agree with you more! :-) The conference room scene is a classic of Star Trek and where a lot of shit gets done. Yes, this interview will be embarrassing to many. It'll also be infuriating to many third parties, like the Cardassians and the Romulans, who have benefited greatly from the Federation's self-imposed weakness. Many powerful factions are not going to be happy with Gothic for shining a light on this. Thank you for your longtime support, my friend! :-)
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 04:09:09 +0000 UTCAppreciate you saying that, Alex. I am strongly considering a Section 31 reaction, albeit a brief one. Thank you for your longtime support! :-)
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 04:05:29 +0000 UTCOne of the best?? I will definitely take it! When I wrote this chapter I knew it would be polarizing with a whole lot of people hating it, so I'm really glad to hear that you think it's one of the best. I wanted to give a glimpse into the many reactions across the Federation Gothic's interview is going to spawn. Thank you for your longtime support!
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 04:04:11 +0000 UTCThere are a lot of things that Gothic has considered making a holonovel of, but he knows his audience. The Federation as a whole would reject it, maybe even condemn him. The Klingons, though, would love it. The real money makers are going to be the holonovels with broad appeal. And it's not just money and sales that are driving the bus for Gothic. He wants to engender a beneficial change too. Creating the Harry Potter series for the youth of the Federation was his way of providing them with something other than a program meant to teach about science and the natural world. He wanted whimsy and imagination and a belief in something other than hard science. Thank you for your longtime support! :-)
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 04:01:53 +0000 UTCIf I do include a Section 31 reaction, it'll be pretty, not a whole chapter. Though I do think that would be pretty amazing to read. I just don't have the energy to write that as the author. People will likely either be super defensive, or they'll take all these facts with an open mind. So glad you caught the skipping forward! Thank you for your support! :-)
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 03:57:26 +0000 UTCPrejudice can make reasonable people act irrationally at the best of times. His actions are going to raise eyebrows and there may be a price to pay. Jellico is a very polarizing figure, isn’t he? :-) There are some that saw that TNG episode and thought what an ASSHOLE and others who thought, ok, he’s got a very different command style from Picard but so what? I think both are valid and why he’s been fun to write. Worf is a very competent officer, but yeah, this is a bit out of his wheelhouse. Picard is many things, but he ain’t stupid. Gothic knows Picard has a great point, which is part of the reason why he doesn’t want to release most of his technological secrets, like the more advanced holography, transporters, power generation, weapons, and the slipstream drive. But the GODS net could be super useful in the future Dominion War. Just in freeing up fleet assets from planetary protection duty could make a HUGE difference in the war to come. I have to admit, part of me has wondered if maybe I’ve made Gothic too rich at this point in the story. But you’re right, all these funds and resources can be invested. A lot will be funneled into his shipping business and the construction of his cargo fleet, any excess funds may just be used to expand his portfolio that he knows will grow with the future war. Ha! Kira would hate that! Glad you liked that bit. Gothic has been great for Bajor in ways that are both visible and invisible to the people of Bajor, but there is plenty visible for them to accept him, especially if his rule is benevolent and leads to them prospering. Him being a human and NOT Bajoran by birth would be irrelevant to most of them. Teamwork makes the dream work….classic! Yes, the Risians would greatly respect that kind of work ethic. I’m strongly considering a detour to Darwin Station on his way back, but given how many people are complaining about how long I’ve stayed on Kessik IV, they might just lose their minds. I have an idea for a power up that fits the story if he goes there, but I’m worried it’ll make him too OP or it’ll be too hard to write going forward. Still thinking on that one. That was Gothic’s hope. The interview and the verifiable facts that were revealed during it are going to make many people ask some very uncomfortable questions. The question is, will people get defensive and try their darndest to defend the status quo? Or will they keep an open mind? I have plans for Pressman next chapter. That’s all I’m going to say. Until this moment I hadn’t really considered giving him a private moment with Tessa. There are too many others that were higher priority in my mind. Thank you for your longtime support! :-)
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 03:53:41 +0000 UTCHigh praise coming from someone who didn't think they'd like it! :-) Yeah, there are definitely going to be some uncomfortable questions in his future. Someone like Gothic, who has seen so many of the Star Trek shows, has seen Starfleet's evolution into what it is now. He has that clarity of perception from a 100k feet up that can only come from an outsider. In the modern day, Starfleet views its defensive duties as something they reluctantly need to do between first contact with new species and exploration/science. 22 years?! Is that canon? If so, I didn't know that. Damn. I guess I can see why. They need those folks to stick around since their admission standards are ridiculous. War has a way of cutting through the bullshit and forcing a frank reassessment of priorities. I really like Martok too. In fact, in an earlier iteration of this chapter he wasn't even present during the interview, but then I added him and I was so glad that I did because he had such an interesting viewpoint to share. The chapter would not have been as good without him. Thank you your longtime support!
Joseph Orlando
2025-09-07 03:29:27 +0000 UTCAgreed I cant wait for Gothic and Kirs to reunite myself
War sage
2025-09-06 07:01:39 +0000 UTCI am rather tired of this planet by now. I think we've been here a year in real life?
Durdens Wrath
2025-09-05 23:44:37 +0000 UTCI really hope we move on. I've missed Kira. And I want to see what Gothic does with the robots and with the armor tech he got from the Navigator ship. If I assume right, all of the ship is repaired back to spec, and all power conduits are coated in that unique substance?
Durdens Wrath
2025-09-05 23:43:37 +0000 UTCAn excellent chapter. I didn't think I was going to like it but it turned out great. I think Pressman might be forced to answer some questions from Starfleet soon. Not only from what Gothic revealed from the interview but he pretty much lost his shit in a roomful of Starfleet officers and Federation officials, not to mention a respected foreign officer. The interview will raise interesting questions to say the least. I loved Gothic pointing out how so many officers in Starfleet feel that defense of the Federation is such a low priority and only with great reluctance accept that Starfleet is the main defense of the Federation. When Gothic raised the point about the age of some of the designs of the fleet he missed another point I believe. How long some officers can spend in a post if they wish it. Picard was in command of the Stargazer for 22 years. I recently watched the TNG episode "Peak Performance" and thought that if command from post Dominion War had heard what Picard and Riker said they both would of found themselves reassigned to some outpost where they couldn't do any harm. I liked Martok here. It's interesting to see him before he lot his eye and spent time as a Dominion prisoner. I hope Martok shows up again. Maybe at DS9 to observe some exercise with the Bajorans and Starfleet.
red demon
2025-09-05 17:10:14 +0000 UTCI reread chapter 62 and it made chapter 63 just feel like a rewrite with some perspective changes. It felt like a written version of a reaction Youtuber. There were some great reactions, but it still felt like I was rereading the previous chapter. It's still good to see a new chapter though. I hope we can get back to a schedule or at least see better communication.
JJ
2025-09-05 14:04:58 +0000 UTCDamn fine chapter. I wish I can say that Pressman trying to stop the broadcast was a surprise but not really and this has to be hurting Pressman image with alot of powerful people in Starfleet command. OK I believe it can now certainly be confirmed that Jellico is not a hardliner and that makes me happy. Yea unfortunately for Worf while good at his job when it comes to spycraft thats a bit beyond him, so glad he went to SI. Yea, like I mentioned in an earlier chapter the GODS net itself as even just a proof concept will cause alot of buzz and even on the Enterprise with many engineers and scientists almost kind of obsessive drive with them stopping whatever there doing to not loss a possible breakthrough and I would bet on the Cairo while Jellico is more strict its similar and however i would raise Picard as scientists and Engineers arcoss both the Alpha and Beta Quadrant's and likey the Dominion will soon be racing to understand the underlying science or trying to build there own or counter the GODS net, and in a way Picard is right that this would cause an arms race. I mean if by the end of the chapter Picard dosen't realize that for Pressman it is prejudice. Hmm I suspect once the money starts flowing in for the GOD'S lease both Gothic ,Annika and Gothic's AI's have a number of other business projects and investments to pour funds into and if not, I'm sure Quark and Zek have some ideas. That a Starfleet Intelligence threat assessment said that not would Gothic have a 93% chance of leading a successful coup and installing himself as the new head of head with with majority support of both the civilian population and within the military if he wanted to but that Bajor would thrive under his leadership is hilarious. Hmm maybe Kira for first lady of Bajor lol. ....Pressman needs mental assessment. I liked Picard reaction to Gothic's assessment of the Hurq as Gothic raised several critical points. Yea if both Duras sisters couldn't handle Gothic, not surprised he was still to much for Troi and Beverly.....but hey keep working at it and remember team work makes the dream work......hahahahaha Hey gald to see Darwin Station brought up again Gothic need to make a detour at some point, though if the Klingons know about it would bet money the Romulans do as well...not sure how i feel about that. Damn the interview really raising some difficult questions and Picard is can see representing many in Starfleet and the Federation being asked these difficult questions. I feel things with Pressman will come to a head soon as the man is on a hair trigger as the only thing holding him back at times is officers like Picard and Federation government officials or members of Federation member worlds government and somthing tells me after this interview he will find lot less support among Starfleet officer corps for his antics which will make him more desperate. Huh, that the omi tool is banned by Starfleet command is certainly interesting. Hmm, curious to see if this leads to some change. Something tells me Tessa is going to be having her own 'private interview' with Gothic lol.
War sage
2025-09-04 22:09:23 +0000 UTCGlad to hear you are still planning to continue, and would be interested in seeing the section 31 reaction, if in abbreviated form. I think this was quite an interesting pair of chapters, really kind of laying a lot of details tossed out in various chapters all at once with both the public and major players getting it all laid out at once. Surely will lead to huge ripples going forward, both positive and negative. I liked that the interview kind of skipped forward while they reacted as if conversation occurred in an in person reaction.
Talsen
2025-09-04 21:34:58 +0000 UTCJust thought this after playing warhammer 40k. If Gothic ever made a holo game on that i wonder how bad the federation would lose it. LoL
Will Turner
2025-09-03 19:48:08 +0000 UTCAgreed, some kind of status report would be really appreciated. I've started to subscribe month-to-month, as much as I love the story, I'm not willing to pay out of the goodness of my heart.
Durdens Wrath
2025-09-03 11:28:32 +0000 UTCAn excellent chapter, one of the best. I wonder when Sloane might consider Pressman more trouble than he is worth?
Durdens Wrath
2025-09-03 11:26:35 +0000 UTCTake care of your self and a section 31 one would be very interesting.
Alex Wierzbicki
2025-09-03 07:09:10 +0000 UTCJust like in TNG some of the best scenes take place in the conference room. It felt like the Federation had someone sneak in its room, steal its diary and read over the PA system at school. Or as Master Yoda might say: "Mmm. Lost its way, The Federation has. How embarrassing. How embarrassing. As always, I'm looking forward to more.
maddsloth II
2025-09-03 05:49:29 +0000 UTCLoved the exposition, and the Martok segments. I do hope we see more of him in the future - maybe he'll even get Worf to loosen up even more. And seeing the reactions from Will, Jellico, and all the others as these 'uncomfortable truths' were made known was actually quite interesting. It works as both a wake-up call, and as a teachable moment. Pressman's actions are going to become a real nuisence, I can tell - I almost can't wait to see what happens if/when he learns that Gothic has his precious phased cloak that he was never supposed to make...lol, I can just 'see' the veins bursting over the man's temple. As for your publishing schedule? Take all the time you need, my friend. Your family must and should always come first, and your work obviously has to take priority over your hobby. Write when you can, and when you can enjoy it most. We can all wait - if anything, it just makes reading the new chaps all the sweeter. You take care of yourself, Joe. And thanks for the chapter!
David Maddern
2025-09-02 23:00:36 +0000 UTCBefore I even read the chapter I would like to ask you @Joe Lawyer, will you try to at the very least communicate with us your readers monthly? Would you dedicate yourself to that at the very least? Doing so will give you a release valve so that if your work life balance gets out of wack you can skip a month. Just drop your reader a sentence or two letting us know you're well and you need time for the next chapter. Personally, I will understand a delay in favor of reading your continued work. Now I'm off to read the latest chapter, which I thank you for.
RegularReplacement
2025-09-02 21:42:19 +0000 UTCSo good! I loved it and can't wait for more! I'd also love to see a Gothic boot camp for the Enterprise crew when/if the Ferderation get their act together and start building new ships. Do you think that because the neural interface is too much for a human mind, Gothic could fabricate one for multiple people to share the load? Pacific rim esque?
Odd676future
2025-09-02 21:30:30 +0000 UTCExcellent chapter thanks. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
Charlie Lawson
2025-09-02 21:19:35 +0000 UTC
