Joseph Orlando

AAG - Chapter 65!

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope this next year brings you even more happiness and joy than the last.

To all you guys wanting Gothic to leave Kessik IV at slipstream speeds, your wish has been granted! Unfortunately, because you've been reading my story for a million plus words now, you know I can't help myself but put in a plot twist. I hope you find it interesting as I lay the groundwork to jump into the events of a TNG episode. How much effect this will have on the future of ...

Chapter 65 - Teaser!

Still working on this chapter, but wanted to drop the teaser before the new year. My plan was to write all day and ideally finish the chapter, but then I had an emergency estate planning appointment. Guy is 89 and having brain surgery on Friday and needed everything completed by tomorrow, so the day was well and truly shot.

Anyways, from me to you and yours, I wish you guys a very Happy New Year! Let's make this next year even better than the last.

_______

“We have fu...

Chapter 64 - Dress Inspiration Honorable Mention 1

Keep in mind, Gothic was yoinked from his home dimension in 2016, so he has no freaking clue who Sydney Sweeney is. I can think of a few ways to work her in, but I sometimes wonder how he has time to work during the day with all the sex he's probably having.

AAG - Chapter 64!

This chapter was hard to finish, but very fun to write. I hope you'll find it worth the wait. I want to say a whole lot more, but I also don't want to spoil anything, even inadvertently. You'll understand what I mean when you've finished the chapter.

As always, let's discuss in the comments! Enjoy! :-)

Chapter 64 - Early Teaser 1!

Hope you guys enjoy this early teaser from Chapter 64. I've been working on chapter 64 all weekend and will tomorrow as well. The chapter should be out probably end of next week or a little after.

_____

“My Lord has questions for you, slut,” Lauren growled. “I think you’re holding something back, and he will get it out of you.”

For a moment, fear cut through the arousal—but it was quickly drowned out as the bliss technology around her breasts and cunt ...

Chapter 63 - The inspiration for the pre-interview dancing.

Yes, in the back of my mind I was picturing a version of the dancers in the 1987 movie, The Running Man.

______

Did his two senior officers really need to giggle quite so much while watching it?

And did the show truly require nearly naked men and women dancing provocatively between segments? What possible journalistic value did that serve? He had once posed that exact question to Beverly and Deanna—only to be met with laughter. At their captain’s expense, no less!

...

Chapter 63 - The trouble with laser weapons in Star Trek

I just stumbled upon and watched TNG's Season 2, Episode 5, Loud as a Whisper and I found myself once again pondering laser weapons in the Star Trek universe and having a hard time reconciling them with the more traditional Star Trek weapons. No matter how you slice it, laser weapons, at least for anti-personnel uses, seem just superior in virtually every way.

In Star Trek, I've seen people jump out of the way of slow ass phaser beams and disrupter bolts, and shrug off stun shots. L...

Chapter 63 - Frost/Nixon Interview

It doesn't fit the circumstances of Gothic's interview perfectly, but the famous Frost/Nixon interview was in the back of mind as I wrote chapters 62 and 63. The embedded video here is from the 2008 movie where Nixon says the famous line. If you've never seen the movie, it's worth a watch.

Chapter 63 - What is "Mission Creep?" p. 2

This term, I think, perfectly applies to Starfleet when you compare the organization from even 100 years ago to the present.

Chapter 63 - What is "Mission Creep?" p. 1

“Ah,” Data interjected quietly. “I believe our term for this phenomenon is ‘mission drift’… or perhaps ‘mission creep.’”

“I’m unfamiliar with that term, Data,” Crusher admitted.

“Ideally, an organization’s mission should guide both its grand strategy and its day-to-day choices,” Data explained. “When that alignment breaks down, the organization risks losing sight of its core purpose—and, eventually, its very identity.”

“Is that always a ...

AAG - Chapter 63!

I 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 ...

Chapter 63 - Teaser!!

I'm sorry about the delay guys. Work and life has been overwhelming and I truly appreciate all those people who messaged asking if I was ok. I am ok, truly, but just overwhelmed.

I've been working all weekend trying to finish chapter 63 and have made some great progress. My goal is to have it out early next week, even if I have to work this entire holiday weekend to do it.

Thank you guys, from the bottom of my heart, for coming on this journey with me and for your great patience.<...

Chapter 62 - The shipyards of the Federation

Picard took a breath, his expression carefully neutral. “I am the captain of a single Starfleet vessel, even if it is the flagship. Matters of fleet logistics, design, or shipbuilding fall far outside my official authority.”

That was a weak response to my ears and likely to everyone watching, but what else could he realistically say? Remaining silent for too long would have been far worse.

“I understand, I really do,” Tessa said, nodding with a hint of feigned empathy. “...

Chapter 62 - The Stargazer Legacy

"The first vessel that I served on as captain was called Stargazer. It was an overworked, underpowered vessel, always on the verge of flying apart at the seams. In every measurable sense, my Enterprise is far superior. But there are times when I would give almost anything... to command the Stargazer again." 

This quote appears in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics," where Picard reminisces with Scotty on the holographic bridge of Scotty's Enterprise. 

Pic...

Chapter 62 - The USS Stargazer

“I don’t doubt their dedication for a second, Captain,” Tessa replied smoothly. “But my question wasn’t about the valor of their crews or their lives of service, doing the best they can with antiquated starships—it was about whether it makes sense to send those crews into danger aboard outdated vessels. Ships that, however noble their long, long service history, may not offer the protection Federation citizens deserve.”

Picard didn’t flinch, but his jaw...

Chapter 62 - "Freedom isn't free..." p2

An American idiom paraphrased from a quote by Thomas Jefferson.

Chapter 62 - "Freedom isn't free..." p1

“There’s a lot we can do—in the short-term, mid-term, long-term. Some things will be harder than others, but only if we have the will to see it through,” I said, deliberately sidestepping the question. I’d already given them a lot to absorb all at once, maybe too much. “There’s a powerful saying from my past that feels particularly fitting here: ‘Freedom isn’t free; it is paid for with the blood of patriots.’ The defenders of Kessik IV who lost their lives fightin...

Chapter 62 - The interview chair

I shifted a little in the comfortable purple cushioned chair that had been set up on a stretch of flat land in the Black Flats on the planet, glancing at an identical chair across from me. The chair was definitely in the futuristic, Star Trek design-chic, almost like a throwback to the Kirk-era captain’s chair on the bridge of the original Enterprise.

Even in a supposedly post-capitalist utopia, culture had its inertia. Design trends still echoed power and legacy, much like t...

Chapter 62 - What is an uttaberry?

Jarvis helpfully brought up a scan report in my HUD. Tyr had completed a chemical analysis of the liquid the second it had been brought out. The drink had been identified as uttaberry juice—a tart, blueberry-like fruit native to Betazed, often used in crepes and pies. Either she was simply a fan of exotic alien juices, or my theory about her Betazoid heritage was looking more likely.

“It’s uttaberry juice, from Betazed. I just love it,” she said with a bright, practiced gush. �...

Chapter 62 - Tessa's Dress

The ‘journalist’ in front of me wore a bright, inviting, but calculating smile—one meant to charm, to disarm. I recognized it for what it was: a weapon as finely tuned as the rest of her. Her outfit was a masterclass in dual-purpose design—somewhere between an evening gown, overskirt, and formal jumpsuit. It managed the hard to achieve trick of being both alluring and professionally appropriate. Even the artfully elevated cleavage, enhanced just enough by the cut and tightness of the ...

Chapter 62 - "Damn the torpedoes!"

Tessa leaned forward, eyes intent. “Why do you think that is, Admiral?”

I hesitated noticeably, aware this interview would have far-reaching consequences—both positive and negative. Sharing such candid thoughts at a private reception in Ten Forward, even amid influential company, was one thing. Broadcasting them here, potentially to hundreds of millions of people, was quite another.

I sighed. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

“That was by design, and unfortunatel...

Chapter 62 - The voice of the people...

“There’s a proverb from ancient Earth that guided my thinking,” Moss said. “It says, ‘The voice of the people is the voice of God.’ My administration and I deliberated carefully, and we decided the most legitimate, transparent path forward was to place the decision directly in the hands of the people themselves. Yes, this technology offers substantial protection—but it also comes with a substantial cost and let’s be honest, no small amount of political controversy, both intern...

AAG - Chapter 62!

At 23,376 words this is the longest chapter to date, guys. It's also an experiment of sorts. I wanted to challenge myself, to stretch my writing skills, and what started off as a single scene in this chapter became the ENTIRE chapter. Once you read it, I think you'll understand why I couldn't and shouldn't cut it off early, given the implications this chapter will have stretching years into the future, well into the Dominion War years.

As always, I welcome your thoughts. Let's disc...

Chapter 62 - Teaser!

Trying something new this chapter, guys. I think you'll find it pretty interesting. :-)

______

The Black Flats. Kessik IV.

I shifted a little in the comfortable purple cushioned chair that had been set up on a stretch of flat land in the Black Flats on the planet, glancing at an identical chair across from me. The chair was definitely in the futuristic, Star Trek design-chic, almost like a throwback to the Kirk-era captain’s chair on the bridge of the original Enterpr...