Star Trek Enterprise Bk. 02 - Inherit Ch. 14

The old man closed the journals and lovingly put them back where he stored them. He rose from his seat and was about to go get something to eat from the food replicator when a familiar ching-a-ring sound met his ears. Immediately he sat back down then, bringing up his tablet, answered the communique. The face that greeted him was one that he never looked forward to seeing, but Rune Lowt always had information worth learning. Smiling broadly, the informant swept his almost shoulder length greasy hair out of his face and stared at the old man with eyes that were a dull green. The elder man was never fool enough to truly trust Rune, but the man had more underworld connections then a stray dog had fleas.

"I managed to dig up more information regarding that colony you're so interested in."

"Good," The old man smiled in return. "Once you give it to me then I will transfer the shipment of dilithium crystals to you."

"Why don't you tell me why you are so interested in this colony?" a momentary flash of life appeared in Rune's eyes and the sight of it was never a good thing. A man who lived on the secrets of others, was never to be trusted. "There is still no proof they ever truly existed and even if they did, we both know the use of synthetic lifeforms are banned."

"Let me worry about why I want this information and instead keep your end of the bargain so I can send you the agreed upon price."

"As you wish." he sniffed, his eyes returning to their natural dullness. "I was able to turn up a record with the stardate of 302768.65851725003 that speaks of their migration to a planet called Hikaru. That was over four-hundred years ago so I have my doubts they're still there." He raised an expectant eyebrow and that ominous hint of light appeared once again in his eyes "I might be persuaded to keep looking."

"In exchange for more dilithium?"

"That is always of value, but I find that secrets can be more valuable."

"Dilithium crystals it is." The old man smirked. He had plenty of secrets, but none he would tell this man.

With that the communication ended and a transfer of files appeared on his tablet. Upon seeing it, he made a single keystroke ensuring the shipment of crystals was on its way to his underworld informant. Satisfied, the elder sat back in his chair, pleased with his progress for the day.

To cap off his success, he reached for his coffee cup only to remember that it was empty and he had been in the midst of getting food when Rune had interrupted. This time he managed to acquire a perfectly grilled cheese sandwich, crisp golden fries and a cup of fresh coffee. He did not, however, get a chance to bite into it. The moment he picked up the plate he heard his front door chime. Putting his food back down, he went to the door and was greeted by the local veterinarian's assistant. In his hand was a pet carrier that emitted a soft whine and had two brown eyes peering out. This day seemed to only be getting better.

"Here's Meggy. Her shots are up to date and she's about as healthy a pup as you'll ever find." He handed the carrier to the old man who thanked him and shook his hand before closing the door.

The elder looked inside the carrier and gazed upon the small brown and white beagle face of Meggy. She was the late pup born from a litter that had its roots going all the way back to a Beagle named Porthos. The old man's normally careworn face took on an air of gentle affection as he set the cage on the floor and opened it. Tenderly he pulled the young pup out and held her as her large eyes looked up at him and a wet pink tongue quickly licked his chin. Setting her on the couch so he could get her some food from the kitchen, the beagle pup tried to follow, but being young, awkward and a bit too energetic, she upset some items on the coffee table in her haste to get down.

Hastily he started to pick them up while simultaneously petting Meggy and reminding her that while she was still a good girl she needed to be more careful. Among the items he picked up was an old napkin with the name Doohan's printed on it and carefully sealed in plastic. He closed his eyes and held it remembering the day he had gotten it. It was one of the last times he would ever gaze upon a living, breathing Danaë. Holding it, he closed his eyes and thought, dear God, how quickly memories can over take the mind.

Stardate 58880.89 (August 19, 2382)

The academy semester was coming to a close and while some were graduating and eager to find out their assignments, others were preparing for a short one month break before beginning a new year. Danaë Picard was in the latter group but another year of classes and studying didn't bother her in the slightest. She was enjoying her freedom away from her father and the Enterprise. In a month she was going to join her roommate Marnie on a trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. She was looking forward to an island adventure, while Marnie was dreaming of parties and handsome men.

The two young women stepped through the door of a favorite local diner known as Doohan's. It was a typical greasy spoon and a favorite hangout for cadets during off hours. In many ways these two young women were vastly different. One year ahead of her roommate, Marnie was tall with dark brown hair and very pale blue eyes. Though she loved Starfleet, she embraced her sexuality and often joked that since she was born on a planet made for pleasure, she couldn't help carrying it with her.

Danaë Picard was shorter with long golden curls. She never minded the attention of the opposite sex, but had quickly learned that in the academy it was her name and connections that drew the handsome young men rather than herself. She put a hasty end to that with careful rumors and concentrated on her studies. She was at the top of her class and had all of the drive and determination of her father Captain Jean-Luc Picard and it served her well. Now the end of the year was fast approaching and she couldn't wait for her vacation with Marnie. She was not the flirt that her roomie was and although she didn't mind visiting a few clubs, she was more interested in snorkeling, swimming with the dolphins and experiencing the culture. Of course if a handsome man came along who wanted to join her... well... she wouldn't mind.

One thing was certain, she found her roommate to be quite a refreshing personality and a constant source of entertainment. She never doubted her friend's intelligence and while she laughed at Marnie's claims about just barely passing her classes, she knew better. Curiosity has led her to hack into the Academy computer system and read some of the files. Her roomie was in fact one of the top students. Danaë never divulged this information to Marnie, preferring not to spoil it for her friend.

In between exams, the two were still dressed in their cadet uniforms, although they had managed to let their hair down. They sat down at the counter and were greeted by the handsome young man working there. Titus and his family had owned this diner for many generations going back at least two hundred years. Rumor had it that one of his ancestors had been the chef on the Enterprise NX-01. Titus, himself, had only just started working there with dreams of culinary school and opening a fancy restaurant of his own. One thing he always had was a smile for these two young cadets and in particular Marnie.

"What can I get for you, ladies?" he asked, eyeing the pretty Risian.

"Tea, Earl Grey, hot and a BLT please."

"And I'll have... a cheeseburger, fries and a lemonade." Marnie smiled flirtatiously at the young man behind the counter exacting a wink from him.

"So, has he seen your new tattoo?" Danaë asked, with a sly raised eyebrow. In the last month Marnie had acquired some new ink on her lower back just above her rear end depicting a Horga'hn from her native planet.

"He has and he has quite an appreciation for the primitive art of other cultures," she answered, making eyes at Titus while he handed them their drinks. Danaë shook her head with a smirk as she took a sip of her tea. When he had gone into the kitchen the pretty Risian turned her attention back to her friend "I have no idea how you drink that stuff." Noticing the cup of tea and making a face.

"Blame my father. I never wanted to drink it until I caught a virus and was taken to sickbay. He made me drink it whenever I got chilled. Somewhere along the way I developed a taste for it." At this Marnie made another face in disgust.

"Speaking of the great Captain Picard, when is he supposed to get here and see you?"

"Sometime next week." Danaë was excited at the notion. He had personally scheduled all maintenance to the Enterprise-E to coincide with the end of her freshman year specifically to come and see her. This was definitely a show of his pride in her and she knew it. From the moment she heard about his coming she had wanted to jump up and down like a little girl, but had forced herself to remain calm and not let on. "Don't you dare say anything to him about Punta Cana," Danaë reminded her roommate as Titus set their food in front of them. The last thing she wanted to hear was a lecture on the dangers of two young women traveling alone.

"I'm not going to say anything, although I can't wait to meet him. I understand he has aged well and is quite... distinguished." Marnie smiled ruefully at her friend. "I also heard that he has never married."

"That's my father you're talking about and while he may have never married, I assure you that you are not his type."

"What is his type?"

"Not you," Danaë answered before taking a big bite of her sandwich. Marnie chuckled then dug into her hamburger.

"Oh, let me show you the bathing suit I got." Pulling out her PADD, Marnie brought up the screen with its background photograph of an elderly, distinguished President Archer. It was his official portrait and he was dressed formally with short, neatly cropped snowy white hair, and his face clean shaven. As always he wore a stern expression.

"Really? That's your background?"

"I told you, someday I am going to go back in time and meet him. We'll have lots of babies..."

"... and beagles, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard it before," Danaë repeated for what felt like the millionth time. The idea of Marnie going back in time to become the bride of President Archer had been a running joke between the roommates since they first met and Danaë had been assigned the task of writing a short report on what the historical leader considered to be the founding principles of space exploration. "You realize that history records that he did have a wife as well as two sons."

"Yes, yes, yes. Admiral Jean Robert Archer who helped design the Constellation-class ships and Dr. Samuel Albert Archer who, among other things, is credited with discovering an antidote for the pollen on Archer IV and making it habitable. The great mystery is who exactly was Mrs. Archer? I'm just as likely a candidate as anyone else."

If either of these young women had taken the time to look into the reflection of a mirrored advertisement hanging on the wall then they might have realized how intently they were being watched. At a table directly behind them sat the old man sipping his coffee. His neatly combed hair was a bit long and a mix of white, grey and brown. He sported a well-trimmed beard and mustache that hid most of his face. His eyes were green, and tired like a man who had seen too much and yet there was a spark of life and hope still shining in their depths. Despite his age he was still quite physically fit.

He really wasn't trying to eavesdrop on the two friends, but couldn't help it. In such a small diner voices tend to carry and Marnie, in particular, didn't speak softly. The old man wasn't bothered or annoyed by their conversation, but bemused. He knew everything there was to know about Danaë Picard and hearing her comment on the mystery of Archer's wife was humorous and ironic. What would she say if she knew the truth?

Of course, no one knew the truth except him. He had made sure of that by using the same modified tricorder Danaë had once stolen from her father's ship and hacking into Starfleet's database. He erased nearly every trace of his marriage and her accomplishments and updated the file for Lt. Danaë D'Arcy to little more than basic information. To anyone on the outside looking in this would seem like a horrible thing to do, but the truth was that he did it for her, for the Prime Directive. He couldn't have her sitting in a classroom studying the history of Jonathan Archer and see her own face looking back at her.

This decision hurt him more than anyone else because he was in fact, Jonathan Archer! He was always proud of her. Erasing that history was like cutting away an important piece of himself and he hated it. He did keep a special file for himself though that had various pictures of her with him, their family and so on. No matter what age she was, she was beautiful to him. When she died his heart died and he imagined that the only thing that could possibly awaken it again was the sight of Danaë.

Now he was here in 2382, sitting in a small diner and there before him was Danaë. My God she was young... so young, fresh and beautiful. She still possessed all the determination that would serve her well in his time, but there was also a cocky arrogance that characterized untried youth. He had a thousand things he wanted to say. Tell her how she would never see her father again after his fateful visit in a week. There would be no vacation to Punta Cana, but rather fifteen years of wandering, maturing and introspection before destiny brought her to the past and the NX-01. He longed to hold her one more time, but all he could do was sit in silence and listen to the conversation between the two young women and enjoy the sound of her voice once more.

"Did you pass the exam on the charter ratifying the Coalition of Planets?" Marnie asked

"Of course."

"Did you pass it or did you change the grade?"

"I passed it," Danaë answered. "I have never had to change my grades. I may have read a few teacher's logs and personnel files, but I have never needed to change my grades." As the girls laughed, Archer smiled to himself. She had a lot more bravado in her twenties then she would have later, but it was still her.

Taking a big bite of her hamburger, Marnie looked up into the mirrored advertisement and noticed for the first time the old man staring at them. Subtly she tapped Danaë on the shoulder.

"Don't look now, but I believe we're being watched." Her pale blue eyes looked once more at the old man's reflection then leaned in close to her friend. "Correction, you're being watched. Don't look behind you but in the mirror." Danaë glanced into the reflection and noticed the man sitting at the table behind her.

"Ignore him, maybe he'll go away. He's probably just a lonely old man." Danaë had been stared at by men before and rarely gave it a second thought. Still, there was something about him that made her uneasy. Not wanting to call attention to it she continued her conversation with Marnie and tried to put it out of her mind.

"Maybe he's attracted to you?" The Risian teased. "Maybe he plans to carry you off to some exotic planet and make you his queen? Maybe..."

"Maybe you need to just lay off the romance novels."

"There is nothing wrong with an old-fashioned romance novel. I'll take one of them over some of the stuff I've seen you read. What was that last one, Vita Nuova?" She brushed her dark hair out of her face and sipped her lemonade.

"It's a love story." Danaë asserted. "In it Dante speaks of falling in love with Beatrice when they were children and continues to do so even when he is mourning her death. Now that is love."

"Yes, but the language is so difficult to read. Besides, things like that don't really happen. They're great as a diversion, but don't take them seriously." For all that Marnie flirted and enjoyed the pleasures to be had in the arms of a lover, the idea of love was not something she believed in. She enjoyed her romance stories, but considered them fiction and not real. "No, I have no great belief that I will find love, but I do think we will find adventure. Always a new species, a new planet or nebula to explore, now that gets my blood pumping."

"I used to look out the windows of the Enterprise-E and wonder what secrets were in each star. What wonders were waiting for us just inside its brilliant light?" This was the Danaë that Archer knew. The one he would see standing in the mess hall staring out the windows in silent wonder.

"Do you ever wonder what it was like in the beginning?" Marnie asked as she finished the last bite of hamburger. "You know what I mean, back when there was only the NX-01 and they were just starting out, no charts, no rules and definitely no Prime Directive."

"Sometimes," she answered, tossing the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth and wiping her hands on the napkin. "I imagine it was more exciting and more dangerous." Putting down her napkin and looking once more into the mirrored sign Danaë could see that the old man was still watching her and wearing an odd smile beneath his whiskers. "Damn, he's still staring at me. I've had enough of this."

"Danaë!" Marnie tried to stop her, but it didn't work. Boldly she whirled her stool around and confronted the stranger.

"Why do you keep watching me?"

"Sorry," he said. "It's just that you remind me of someone I once knew," he answered.

"Well, stop. It's very annoying."

"You're Starfleet cadets," he said, noting their uniforms. "You're wearing blue so I'm guessing that you're going into science and medicine, while you," He turned his attention to Danaë, "Are going in to command."

"You're obviously familiar with Starfleet. Are you a member?" Marnie asked, eating the last of her French fries.

"I was... a long time ago," the old man answered with a faraway look in his eye.

"What ship were you on?" Danaë asked, her curiosity piqued. "Perhaps I've heard of it."

"It's not important," he responded. "What sort of ship are you hoping to command?"

At this the cadet was silent for a moment. Marnie leaned close and told her that she needed to get to her next exam, but was hesitant to leave her friend with this stranger. Danaë assured her she would be fine and to go on. The dark haired Risian looked at the man then back at her friend. She motioned for Titus and asked him to keep an eye on Danaë, then before she left she inconspicuously snapped a picture of the man just in case she would need it before departing.

"You hesitate. Surely you know what kind of ship you want to command?" This question should have been easy to answer and normally she would pop off with whatever she thought the person wanted to hear, but something about this man was different. It didn't feel right being so flippant.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no particular ship that I dream of commanding. The choice of what area I would pursue was made for me," she explained. "You see my father..."

"Your father is the captain of the Enterprise-E and a celebrated Starfleet officer, archaeologist and diplomat. He made first contact with about... 26..."

"27," she corrected.

"27 species."

"I'm familiar with his accomplishments," she answered with a slight roll of the eyes. "Since you know my father, then you also know that there are a lot of expectations for me to live up to." She brushed the hair from her face and glanced out of the window. This was something she had come face to face with the moment she took the entrance exam. She had tried to tell her father once that she wanted to go into engineering, but pressing matters on the ship had called him away and she never got the chance. No one at the academy ever asked, they just assumed she was following Captain Picard's footsteps.