Joseph Orlando

Chapter 61 - What is the Treaty of Organia?

And honestly, I could almost understand Pressman’s paranoia. After all, no one had heard a peep from the Organians in over a century. The last time they’d revealed themselves, it was to unilaterally end the Federation-Klingon War in 2267, freezing entire fleets in place with a snap of their omnipotent fingers. That war concluded with the Treaty of Organia—an agreement upheld not by diplomacy, but by divine fiat. It wasn’t until the Khitomer Accords in 2293 that either side fe...

Chapter 61 - A Harry Potter Howler!

“I joked to General Martok that, at this rate, I was half-expecting the Gorn, the Tholians, or maybe even the Organians to show up and delay us again,” I said with a laugh, joined by the crowd at the sheer absurdity of the idea. Those races hadn’t been encountered in centuries. “The Ferengi betting houses have the Organians listed at 10,000 to 1—mostly because no one’s heard from them in over a century and they’re practically Gods. Personally, I think—”

Naturally, beca...

Chapter 61 - The Organian interference in the Federation/Klingon War

The Organians are pretty mysterious bastards, aren't they?

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While I was in semi-regular contact with Q, I had no freaking clue the Organians had overheard my little joke—nor did I get the sense Q was making it up wholesale. Embellishing, yes, colorful commentary, you betcha, outright lying, no, not likely. That just wasn’t his style. If the truth would sow just as much chaos as a lie, he’d take the honest route every time. Supposedly, that was his co...

AAG - Chapter 61!

The actual testing of the GODS net is done, my friends, now it's just the aftermath before we set a course for home. As always, let's discuss in the comments and thank you for supporting my writing. :-)

Random question, do you guys know if this is true, is AAG the longest running, longest Star Trek story (by word count) in the world right now? If no, what is, cause I'd really like to read that one.

Chapter 61 - Teaser!

I feel confident in saying the testing arc, at least the direct testing, will be wrapping up this chapter. Then, it's only the aftermath.

Just have to polish chapter 61 a bit more and I should have something to publish tomorrow or Monday at the latest. Enjoy! :-)

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“Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to yet another thrilling round of the Gothic Orbital Defense System testing,” I began with a wide, indulgent smile—just enough exasperation to earn a chuckle, eve...

Chapter 60 - What the hell is a Kradge?

"This is an Earth creature called a cow," I said, smiling as I watched their reactions. "A large, hornless quadruped, bred by humans specifically for consumption. It lacks the cunning of a targ or the ferocity of a kradge, but it provides a mighty source of sustenance. For millennia, it has fed humans, grazing slowly in fields, blissfully unaware that its fate is to serve warriors at the feast. Humans used to raise vast herds of them, ensuring a constant supply of meat and milk for humanity."...

Chapter 60 - The Roman Gladius in the movies

This blade is up there in terms of the most well known of all swords. I'm open to changing Gothic's personal sword in the future. Whatever style I choose will, of course, still have an antiproton edge.

What sword should Gothic wield in the future? If there are a number of common suggestions I will put a poll out to let everyone vote on it.

Chapter 60 - Everything you need to know about the Roman Gladius (a video history)

In one hand, the Augment wielded a simple short sword—one of Martok’s men had identified it as a Roman gladius. Just over two feet of blunted steel, double-edged and unadorned. A practical weapon of conquest and death, built for efficiency rather than display. It was a warrior’s blade, not a showpiece for decoration.

In his other hand, held in a reverse grip, was a short, blunted combat knife.

Many warriors would scoff at such small, unassuming weapons, especially when pitte...

Chapter 60 - What and where are the Ketha Lowlands?

Martok’s gaze sharpened, suspicion flickering across his features as he asked, “You know me?”

I could see I’d struck closer to the truth than I had intended, but I wasn’t about to back down. Time to go all in.

“Even with fifteen generations of your family serving the Empire as warriors, those noble houses still couldn’t let you forget your humble beginnings in the Ketha lowlands. They never let me forget mine, either.” I paused, the bitterness seeping into my voice...

Chapter 60 - What is Gre'thor?

Moss didn’t hesitate.

“If you seek to harm my world or its people, we will destroy you,” she growled. “There will be no glorious battle. There will be no songs sung of this day. You will simply be dead—and I will be the one to send you on your journey to Gre’thor!”

Martok’s response was some unholy mix of a smile, a growl, and a bloodthirsty chuckle of appreciation.

“You have my word, Madame President,” he rumb...

Chapter 60 - The Breen, a video summary

The Breen are a very mysterious and powerful race and in terms of what Star Trek knowledge Gothic has access to, Gothic is largely in the dark on the deeper truths about them. Remember he came to the Star Trek universe from his dimension in 2016, so he doesn't have any of the information from the newer shows.

Chapter 60 - What is the Breen Confederacy?

The moment he and his men spotted Tyr lurking in the shadowed corner, their expressions darkened. Given the history between the Klingons and the Breen, I understood the reaction.

“A Breen?” Martok barked, his voice laced with both surprise and distaste, his hand instinctively going to his weapon. His men reacted even faster, reaching for their disruptor sidearms—only to freeze mid-motion as Tyr’s rifle snapped up, already primed to fire. The weapon’s deadly whine fill...

Chapter 60 - The Personal History of General Martok

This is a very nice video summary of General Martok's personal history, taken from canon DS9, Star Trek Online, and a few of the novels sprinkled here and there as some of this was actually new to me.

Chapter 60 - Who is General Martok??

And then, like a mirage fading under a brutal sun, the ship shimmered into view.

A collective gasp swept through the room.

“A Vor’cha-class attack cruiser,” Picard murmured in surprise.

“What the hell are the Klingons doing here?” Moss demanded.

Behind us, Admiral Pressman had practically leapt from his seat, looking as if he wanted to take control of the situation—but something held him back.

Whatever President Moss had done had put the fear...

Chapter 60 - Who are the Kriosians?

If you'll recall that TNG episode, Kamala the metamorph, was Kriosian. Believe me, I've considered putting her in Gothic's path, but he's got so many women in his orbit at this point it feels redundant and potentially detrimental to the story. It's kind of funny to think about Picard and the Enterprise worrying about brokering a peace treaty between Krios and their longtime enemies when, probably shortly thereafter, the Klingons conquer them. That must have been a kick in the nuts to the Fe...

AAG - Chapter 60!

I know what many of you are going to say, without spoiling the reveal, all I can say is that the chapter took me places I had not originally intended and I can see the value of the delay long-term considering how important they'll be in the Dominion War years. I did not want to rush things and I'll just ask you guys to trust me that'll it'll pay off long-term in a lot of ways, big and small.

So, on this Friday, right before your weekend, enjoy the chapter! Let's discuss in the commen...

Chapter 60 - Teaser!

Any guesses my friends on what Gothic will find??? :-)

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“Exactly right,” I replied with an approving nod. “Since the full planetary shielding is active and we are, thankfully, not under attack, I’ll now expand the cloak detection net. You’ll see the increased range reflected in the hologram of Kessik IV. As a reminder, this hologram is being generated in real-time based on data from the defense net.”

With a few taps on my console, the defense platfo...

Chapter 60 - Poll

Guys, this month has gotten away from me in a big way. I've been sick for a few weeks with whatever the hell is going around, I've had client and family emergencies, and this chapter is so dialogue and event heavy it's taken on a life of its own. My goal was to wrap up all the GODS net testing this chapter, but it's the 5th already and I don't want to delay putting this out for too much longer depending on how the poll vote below turns out. (I also lost 3 days of writing in February and yes, ...

Chapter 59 - Eros: An Overview

Delve into the history and characteristics of asteroid 433 Eros, the first asteroid discovered to orbit primarily within Mars's path and the first to be orbited and landed on by a spacecraft.

Chapter 59 - NASA's NEAR Shoemaker Mission to Eros

Learn about NASA's NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft, which achieved the first-ever orbit and landing on an asteroid, providing unprecedented insights into Eros's composition and structure.

Chapter 59 - NEAR-Shoemaker Lands on Asteroid Eros

Experience the culmination of a five-year mission as NEAR Shoemaker successfully lands on Eros, providing valuable data about the asteroid's composition and geology.

Chapter 59 - NASA Spacecraft Orbits Eros Asteroid

Watch a historic moment as NASA's NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft becomes the first to orbit an asteroid, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.

This is a great retro video with narration that matches.

Chapter 59 - Visualizing Eros: High-Resolution Images

Explore a collection of high-resolution images of Eros captured by the NEAR Shoemaker mission, showcasing the asteroid's unique surface features.

Chapter 59 - One Full Rotation of Eros

Observe a complete rotation of Eros captured by the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft, offering a comprehensive view of its surface and rotation dynamics.

Chapter 59 - Eros's Orbit and Physical Characteristics

Understand the orbital path, size, and shape of Eros, a potato-shaped body measuring approximately 20.5 by 8 by 8 miles, and its significance as a near-Earth asteroid.

AAG - Chapter 59!

I was so busy this month with my new law firm, I really wasn't sure I was going to complete the chapter this month. Thankfully, I got it done, and there are moments in here that I really like. I hope you do too.

As always, let's discuss in the comments and thank you for your continuing support! :-)

Chapter 59 - Teaser!

Main Bridge. Onboard the Flighty Temptress in orbit of Kessik IV.

All the boring, seemingly endless meetings in conference rooms—spent with people I mostly didn’t want to be with—were worth it, I thought with a grin.

Now, I was exactly where I wanted to be, on the bridge of my luxurious warship, surrounded by a crew of brilliant, beautiful women, and in complete control of my life in a thousand little ways that mattered.

I turned my gaze to the massive...

Chapter 58 - Have the Federation miniaturized antigrav technology and put it on ancient cleaning implements?!

She stopped for a moment to look into a large colorful window display showing a young boy with a jagged facial scar on his forehead, wearing what looked like a cape, riding an ancient cleaning implement and somehow in midair? Had the Federation miniaturized antigrav technology to that degree? That was troubling to learn, perhaps she should—

Chapter 58 - Imaging a Futuristic Bomb

Just for fun, I had AI create a futuristic bomb made with futuristic spare parts that was portable. These were the two best.

Chapter 58 - Honoring Gothic

Just for fun, I had AI create a soldier being honored by his face in the side of a mountain.

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“Neither is the fact that you could have escaped the blast radius at any time with your abilities. Yet you stayed.” She paused, letting the words settle. “On behalf of myself and the people of my world, thank you. It’s a debt we can never repay, but I promise you—we’ll never forget it.”

Then, with a slight smile, she added, “If you’d like another sta...