Star Trek Enterprise Bk. 03 - The War Ch. 16

The Earth-Romulan War didn't really end but the two sides did come together in a cease-fire. Terms were drawn up with lengthy negotiations from both sides as well as the creation of the neutral-zone. Even with all the many hours spent on diplomacy, the Romulans still never showed themselves. Perhaps this shouldn't have mattered, but it aggravated the hell out of Archer. He wanted to see the species that had nearly destroyed the Coalition of Planets and murdered so many humans and their allies. He attempted to press the Vulcans for information, but in true form, they only told what they felt was necessary, which was nothing. He would have to wait nearly two hundred years before he would ever lay eyes on a Romulan.

The two surviving members of the ground mission on Cheron were healing nicely from their injuries. Acher attempted to thank Maj. Forrest many times over for what he had done for the lieutenant, as well as apologize for his own boorish behavior when the major was first assigned to the Enterprise. He accepted the apology but found himself hesitant when it came to the claims of heroism. Due to the blow to his head, he could not remember anything about that day or the mission. The one thing he did enjoy was the pretty brown haired nurse named Victoria he met back on Earth. Some things were better than any medal.

Four months after the Battle of Cheron Archer and Danaë would stand before friends and family in a more formal wedding ceremony. High on a cliff side in the Santa Monica Mountains beneath the stars and overlooking the sweeping vistas of the Malibu Rocky Oaks Estate Vineyards they exchanged their vows. The guest list had been kept to a scant thirty people, but Archer's fame was such that the public couldn't get enough and security quickly became necessary. Too many members of the press had been caught sneaking around as well as random looky-loos hoping to catch a glimpse.

Folding chairs were set up and lanterns lined the walkways and decorated the platform Archer stood on. He wore his best dress uniform and Danaë...Danaë had never looked more beautiful in his eyes than she did that night. She was dressed in a long antique white silk sheath dress that had a sheer lace cover up covered with Swarovski crystals that fastened just below the bosom. This small detail helped hide her baby bump. Her hair was pulled back away from her face but otherwise it all hung loose with many small crystal stars hanging in the curls beneath her veil. On her head was a crown made of stars, elegant and sparking like the firmament above them. Strange, how nothing in their relationship had ever been planned. Not their meeting, their attraction, intimacy, marriage... not even their two children. It was as if no matter how hard they fought against it, the fates were determined to have their way and thank god they had. Otherwise he would have missed out on some of the greatest joys of his life.

All the stars that shone on that wedding night were nothing compared to countless twinkling lights shining above Archers home in Coober Pedy nearly a thousand years later. Most nights he barely looked up at the sky, but now and then he still liked to look up and imagine he was on the NX-01 flying among them. Tonight he was not gazing at the stars, but rather, he was standing alone in his underground home, pouring himself a glass of Romulan ale. Tonight marked a special anniversary for him and his bride and as such required a very special alcohol for toasting. His choice of Romulan ale was his own personal joke.

Putting the bottle of ale away he carried the glass as walked through the maze of underground tunnels until he came to a very special locked door. Allowing it to scan its retina and then placing his thumb on the adjoining scanner he stepped into a room and gazed upon the lifeless automaton of Dani dressed in that same delicate wedding dress. He walked past it to a brick wall on the other side. He touched a very specific combination of bricks causing the wall to depress and then slide open.

The room he stepped into was a tomb, there could be no other word for it. In the center was the African blackwood coffin that held Danaë's body. The silver handles were still as shiny as they were at her funeral. In the center lay his wife, perfectly preserved in a dark blue satin v-neck asymmetrical gown. She looked exactly as she had when she died, in fact one might almost expect her to awaken at any moment even after so many millenia. At one time she had been buried in a crypt on the Planet Archer IV then moved into her sarcophagus within the monument built to honor her and husband. Jonathan had other ideas though and a little bribery to the right people did wonders. Standing before her now, Archer held up his glass.

"Eight-hundred-and-ninety-two years ago today you won the Battle Cheron for us. It was you who ended the Earth-Romulan War and you who preserved the Coalition, not me. Perhaps next year will be the one when we can toast this day together again and do all those things that we promised to. Everyday I get a little closer to finding what Arik Soong took from you." Sadly he looked down at still life before him. "I will find you. I promise."

He drank the ale then sat down in a chair next to the coffin, believing himself to be the loneliest man on Earth. No doubt he felt that way too, but he was far from alone. Standing invisible at his side was Q watching him and contemplating this strange stubborn human. This was not the first time either. He had been watching for countless centuries. At times he was trying to figure out why his god-daughter found this particular human so interesting. While at other times he simply wanted to understand what drove this man. Was it duty to the kingdom he had built, duty to his long dead wife, or would he finally choose to live for whatever time he had?

This was the test Q had placed before Archer whether he knew it or not and the time was coming when he would force this headstrong, inflexible and arrogant man to choose. Why not? This testing was long overdue. It was because of Archer that the Earth ever dared take its first steps into the far reaches of space and did so before they had reached a more intelligent and less savage evolutionary state like the Q Continuum. Perhaps he should be thankful to this pioneering captain, after-all it had allowed him to meet his favorite pet, Picard as well as his god-daughter, Danaë. Indeed, he should show his appreciation, which is why the final testing would not be this day, but soon enough.

The End?