Star Trek Enterprise Bk. 02 - Inherit Ch. 03

On the Enterprise the hour was late with the second members handling ship duties while the first shift tried to get some sleep, at least most of them were. Training exercises had long since ended and both T'Pol and Danaë should have been in bed hours ago, but neither were. As they often did, they had returned to the command center and sat surrounded by every available piece of data on the spheres and at least one steaming hot cup of Earl Grey tea. For the sub-Commander to miss a little sleep was not detrimental. Her Vulcan physiology made it possible for her to still function perfectly even on a few short hours of sleep. The lieutenant could not boast such abilities, but insomnia ran in her family and she chalked it up to another wonderful inheritance from her father. How many times had she woke up in the middle of the night to find him still hard at work at his desk? As much as she wanted to believe it was simply the 'Picard work ethic', the reality was simply that she desperately wanted to solve the riddle of the spheres and end the conflict.

Danaë stood up and rubbed her tired eyes. Staring for hours at all of these numbers and data was starting to become mind-numbing and all of it was starting to blur together. T'Pol looked up from the information she was studying and watched her colleague take a sip of tea in an attempt to wake up. While the sub-Commander still harbored doubts regarding whether or not this woman before her was from the future, she couldn't deny that she was an intelligent and a tireless worker. She had seen her prove herself many times over and respected her for it.

"If you need to get some sleep, I can handle this," T'Pol assured Danaë.

"No, no I'm fine. I just need a pick-me-up," the lieutenant responded, indicating her tea cup and then taking another sip.

The two women went back to their work, but after only a few moments, the sub-Commander's eyes looked back up at her colleague in contemplation. T'Pol was never one to ask advice from anyone, particularly humans, but lately there had been a development in her private life that she couldn't exactly ignore. Normally when she sought advice it was from Captain Archer and then it was usually about more professional issues such as the capturing a fugitive that had escaped her years before. The only personal issues of hers he had dealt with were not planned such as when she was foolish enough to allow a rogue Vulcan to mind meld with her or when they transported the Vulcan Ambassador V'Lar. This issue was far more personal and she was not comfortable asking Archer's advice. Danaë, on the other hand, was a woman and would be far easier to talk to and she knew she could rely on her discretion.

"Lt. D'Arcy, would you mind if I asked you a personal question?"

"No, go right ahead," Danaë answered without looking up from her work.

"When humans engage in sexual intimacy do they always form attachments?" At T'Pol's question the lieutenant immediately dropped what she was working on and looked up at the Sub-commander with wide-eyes and a raised eyebrow. Of all the questions she had expected to be asked, she had not expected any of them to be about sex.

"Uhhh, well, not always. It varies from human to human and situation to situation," she explained. "Is there a particular reason you're asking?"

"I am simply conducting an exploration of human sexuality," T'Pol answered looking back down at her work. "I asked you because I thought you might have an interesting perspective on the subject." While this was not exactly a lie, the more accurate truth was that she was trying to find a way to handle her relationship with Commander Tucker and bury her own emotions.

"Well, ummm, what drives human sexuality just varies. One person may look at it as nothing more than a physical act of pleasureand never experience any sort of emotional connection with it. Sometimes they don't even learn their partner's name." At this T'Pol raised an eyebrow. "Another human might not consider even having that kind of encounter unless there is an attachment of some kind. Others start out just enjoying the act then meet that special person that turns it into something more." Somehow this didn't seem like much of an answer, but there really wasn't a wrong or right way to approach it, not with humans anyway.

"Commander Tucker seems to be the sort that would follow his emotions." the sub-commander observed.

"Maybe. I think it would depend on who he's with. He does strike me as the kind of man that would wear his heart on his sleeve if he should happen to meet the right person." Danaë commented. "I would hate to be the one who broke his heart." Hearing this T'Pol raised her eyebrow again.

"What are your personal feelings regarding sex?"

"I'm not sure I can give you much perspective. I can say that my opinions have matured a great deal since my first time," the lieutenant answered with a slight shake of the head. "In fact, the first time I ever had sex it was utterly amazing, but I was too immature to really appreciate it. My motives were more about giving my father the finger then anything else."

"The finger?" the Sub-commander had never heard this human expression before and couldn't understand what it meant. Danaë had all of her digits present and accounted for so it didn't make much sense.

"Uhhh, " the lieutenant smirked, a bit embarrassed. "That's a rather old expression. To give someone the finger goes back to a time when someone would hold up just their middle finger as a way of telling someone to..." she really wasn't sure how to explain it without delving into antiquated profanity. The blank, deadpan expression on the vulcan woman wasn't helping either. "To be crude, its telling someone to go fuck themselves or to fuck off."

"Fuck?"

"Yes, it means... perhaps this is something best left for you to research on your own." At this the sub-commander raised her eyebrow again while making a mental note to look into the meaning of that word.

"Now that you have matured," T'Pol continued returning to the subject of human sexuality. "What has been your experience?"

Danaë didn't answer immediately. Her mind went back a few months and recalled a forbidden liaison that neither she nor the other party could acknowledge or even speak of. It had been a moment of intense passion and the fulfillment of an attraction that had been going on for quite some time. Unfortunately fate is not always kind and this was not a relationship she was free to pursue. There could be no feelings between them.

"Let's just say that my last experience was... special... and something I will never forget. Fate is not always kind and besides, I wouldn't exactly call myself freeI."

"Free? That would imply that you are married. I was not aware that you had a husband."

"I don't, but like my father before me, Starfleet has pretty much consumed my life. She's one fickle high-maintenance mistress and all I have time for." Looking at her emotionless colleague she gave a half-hearted laugh, then went back to the work before her.

"Curious," T'Pol responded but said nothing else.

The women returned to their work, although the sub-commander would have liked to have asked more questions. Something about the way the lieutenant answered gave her the impression that she either couldn't or wouldn't say anymore on the subject. This was something she could well understand and she respected it. She also knew that the more he probed the more she risked having to divulge that she and Trip Tucker had engaged in a sexual encounter. she would not be doing that

If Danaë and T'Pol were becoming accustomed to putting in long shifts, they had nothing on Captain Archer. He had found it impossible to sleep for more than a couple of hours here and there. The captain's mind was far too busy dealing with the conflict weighing on him to get any rest. His hope was that when this was all over he would be able to crash and just sleep for days until he just couldn't sleep anymore. Carrying a large cup of coffee and looking to distract himself from his insomnia, he went to the command center to see what progress had been made on the research of the spheres. He had expected the room to be empty when he got there and was surprised to find the sub-commander and lieutenant deep in work. Both women looked up to see who had joined them, but Danaë immediately looked back down at her PADD and continued graphing some of the connecting points of one of the spheres.

"Captain," T'Pol said in greeting. The lieutenant quickly echoed her, but was careful not to look up at him. "I was under the impression that your shift had ended hours ago."

"Seems like no one is getting much sleep right now." he commented, looking at each of the women who were supposed to be off duty as well before turning his attention to the chart on display behind him.

"If you're really having issues then perhaps you should see Dr. Phlox. I'm sure he can give you something," The sub-commander suggested.

"No, I'll be fine. It just means I drink a little more coffee." Captain Archer responded with a light dry laugh. As far as he was concerned the crew had enough to worry about without adding him to it. Instead the captain turned his attention to one of the reasons he had come there. "Besides, I left my tablet in here earlier today and I wanted to get it." So saying, he picked it up off the table and held it up as proof. "Have you two been able to figure out anything?"

"We have pin-pointed several of the spheres that seem to be more centralized than others. It may well be the key to the web, but we haven't fully unraveled it yet." The sub-commander rose from her seat and proceeded to point at each of the potential spheres in question while explaining in detail the theory she and Dana ë had come up with. Though they were still a long way from understanding it all, he was glad to see that progress was being made. As they talked the lieutenant used the opportunity to collect her things and swallow the last of her tea. Archer could hear the shuffling behind him and turning his head he saw that Danaë was in the midst of a hasty retreat.

"Seeing how you two have things well in hand, I think I'm going to try and get some sleep." The lieutenant said, but she only made it as far as the door before being stopped by the captain.

"Just a minute, lieutenant." He then turned to T'Pol and assured her he would be right back then followed Dana ë out of the room. Once they were in the empty corridor and the door was closed, he leaned close and spoke a very low voice. "About earlier..."

"Nothing happened, captain," she answered, already aware of what he was alluding to. "We were sparring partners and you were able to work out some tension in a healthy manner, nothing more."

"That's not true and we both know it. I called you Dani," Archer corrected. Part of him was tired labeling every interaction between them as 'nothing', but what else could they do.

"Well, if you did, then it was no different than calling Commander Tucker 'Trip' and I'm certain it will not be repeated."

"Tell me, do you ever blink?" he asked, folding his arms and looking down at her in frustration.

"Blink?"

"Yeah, blink, hesitate, does anything ever phase you?"

"What do you mean?" Danaë questioned, unsure of what he was referring to.

"Well, let's just say that some of the crew have noticed how things can explode near you or shots get fired at you and you keep right on going without even a flinch. To some of them, that's pretty amazing. In fact, I hear there is a bet going in engineering as to what it would actually take to make you blink," he explained. "I've seen you do it on a more personal level. You and I... well, most people would not be able to function on a day to day basis under the same circumstances that we do."

"Clearly I need to get in on that bet. What odds am I getting and what kind of food rations are being anted up?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about," he laughed in response to her reaction.

"Captain, it's what they call chaotic normalcy, nothing else." She brushed a loose hair back behind her ear before continuing. "I've been on a star ship being fired upon since I was four-years-old. This is nothing new. The first time I ran and hid in my father's closet among his boots. By the time I entered the academy, I had already been chased by a killer, been inside a star ship as it crashed landed on to a planet, crawled through duct work, snuck past cybernetic creatures, joined my father in a rebellion against the federation, and even had my own life threatened by my father's clone." Here Danaë sighed and folded her arms around the PADD she was carrying and herself. "Make no mistake though, I do feel fear... and disappointment. Being able to mask your feelings doesn't make them any less real." This was something Archer knew quite well himself. "At any rate, I should probably go back to my quarters and get some sleep." Archer nodded in agreement as she turned to leave.

"Dani..." he started to say. Hearing it she turned back and both stood looking at each other, words on the tip of their tongues, but neither speaking.

"Jonathan," Dana ë finally responded, softly. There was much they both wanted to say, but neither was free to do so, so it was easier to say nothing. After a moment's hesitation he returned to a more casual demeanor and chose the path of least resistance. "Why don't you report to Trip in the morning, he could use another set of hands repairing the engine."

"Of course, captain," With that she quickly went down the corridor and he went back into the command center. Damn, he thought to himself as he went through the door.

"A strange human" T'Pol commented casually. "Always buried in her work and never stays in one place for long, especially when you are present."

"She's a very busy person," he agreed, bringing his coffee cup to his lips. "I'm sure she's probably on her way to her quarters to get a little shut eye."

"Or perhaps to fuck off," the sub-commander added, innocently. Captain Archer had just taken a sip of his brewed beverage and the shock of her words caused him to accidentally inhale the hot drink, snort and blow it back out through his nose.

"What?" he asked, between coughs.

"The lieutenant mentioned this word earlier. Is that not the correct human use?"

"No. I would recommend researching it before you try using it again."

"Of course," T'Pol agreed, realizing by his reaction that she had erred. "Speaking of Lt. D'Arcy," Immediately the captain became a tad nervous and wondered what she had noticed between him and the lieutenant. "I noticed earlier during drills you called her, Dani. Seemed odd. I've never heard you be so informal with her before"

"Oh that was just a slip of the tongue. Right before that I was talking to an old friend of mine back on Earth named Danny Fleming. He was still on my mind and of course the lieutenant's first name is Danaë so..."

"Dani," she responded, finishing his story

"Exactly." The sub-commander nodded and seemed satisfied with this explanation. It wasn't exactly a lie. Archer did know a guy by that name, but he really hadn't spoken to him in years and he felt no inclination to tell T'Pol anything else.

After that the two went back to work on the spheres forgetful of everything else except the mission at hand. When the next shift began it soon became obvious that Archer's decision to have Danaë help Trip had been far wiser than he might have guessed. The trans-dimensional alien had caused extensive damage to the engines as had Lt. Reed when he reversed the polarity and repelled him from the warp core. Just as requested, Lt. D'Arcy reported to Cmdr. Tucker at 0700 hours and began to assist with the repairs. Her hands were smaller and could reach some of the areas that he could not. For the moment it had seemed like old times with both of them cutting up and exchanging a story or a joke as they worked.

Things were more serious on the bridge. They were still following the coordinates taken from Degra and searching desperately for the red giant star. If they could find it then they had every reason to believe they would also find the weapon. Getting the information had been a unique bit of subterfuge. When they had returned to the site of the Xindi weapons test they had inadvertently encountered Degra's ship and taken him and his crew prisoner. Unwilling to divulge any information a new strategy was devised. Dr. Phlox had wiped Degra's memory while Trip and Danaë built a simulator in one of the shuttle bays. Archer convinced him that they had both been prisoners of the insectoids for the last three years and garnering his trust discovered the coordinates.

The ruse nearly worked until there was a slight malfunction and their captive realized the truth. Degra denied the viability of the information until he was once more tricked into believing that the Enterprise had reached the hidden location. Danaë created a program showing the red giant, false readings of other Xindi ships and the levels of kemocite. Wiping his memory again along with his men, they put him back on his ship and left to begin their search.

It was more information than they could have hoped for a few months ago, but there was still no guarantee that it would still be there when they arrived. Finding that trans-dimensional being had added a new level of intrigue to the mission. How were they involved with the Xindi? Now all they could do was wait and see what they would find on Azati Prime. For a brief moment the crew allowed themselves a moment of optimism, before the next fight.

"Two vessels are approaching aft," Lt. Reed declared. "Xindi Reptilian,"

"Hull plating to full power and standby weapons," Archer ordered. He couldn't imagine why they were attacking, unless they were getting too close.

Dolim immediately ordered his ships to open fire on the Enterprise, rocking the ship violently. Without hesitation Archer called for return fire. The hits from Dolim's ship had thrown the engine room into chaos. Watching from his own command center the reptilian leader was taking pleasure at how much damage they had done. One of his soldiers confirmed that they had a lock on the female human and Dolim gave the order to beam her on board.

Cmdr. Tucker reached to help Danaë up, but as she turned to look at him, she suddenly vanished before his eyes in a bright golden beam. In that same instant the reptilian vessel ceased firing on the Enterprise and disappeared into a subspace vortex. Captain Archer was confused. Why did they attack and then leave so quickly? The answer came as he heard Trip's voice over the comm reporting the abduction of Lt. D'Arcy. Archer was thunderstruck. He couldn't think of any reason why they would want her. Worse, he couldn't open a vortex and pursue, leaving his only option to continue following Degra's coordinates. He was completely helpless to rescue her.

Rematerializing on the Xindi vessel, Lt. D'Arcy found herself surrounded by four armed reptilians. She didn't know why they had taken her, but she was not about to go quietly. As they attempted to take her, she instinctively began to defend herself, but was quickly overwhelmed. They took hold of her arms and put shackles on her wrists then began to walk her down the corridor. She assumed they were taking her to the brig as a prisoner. They probably wanted information from her or they would use her as ransom. Archer would never give in to that, she was sure.

Yes, the brig seemed the most likely place, but that was not where they took her. Rounding a corner she found herself somewhere far more ominous than a prison cell. Entering a small room, her eyes fell upon a metal table with straps that was tilted up on one side vertically. There was a hole bored through one end of the table and the very sight of the place sent a cold fear through her. In desperation she whirled around and hit the guard in the head with the shackles she was bound with. One of the other guards quickly subdued her with a hit from the butt of their weapon, knocking her out. Picking her up, they Positioned her so that her face fit neatly through the hole as she was laid belly down on the table. Her shackles were removed and her arms were placed into metal restraints and tightened down. The same was done to her feet.