Star Trek Enterprise - Fate Ch. 03

The mess hall was quite full when Danaë got there the next morning. It seemed strange not to simply walk up to a food replicator and simply order, but as she continuously reminded herself, this was a different time. Moving down the buffet line she began to notice crewmen watching her and quietly whispering. One thing didn't change whether past of future, word spreads quickly on a ship. She wasted no time in filling her plate and was prepared to go back to her quarters when she heard Dr. Phlox ever sunny voice call out her.

"Danaë, you're looking quite well this morning. Please join me. I can always use some company."

"I'd forgotten what life on a star ship was like." She said as she sat down. "If one person knows something then you can bet everyone does. At this point I imagine every crewmen has heard about the strange woman rescued from the Suliban vessel. They might have even heard that I'm not all there and believe I'm from the future." She commented in between bites of eggs and bacon.

"I wouldn't worry about it. It's only natural, with only 83 crewmembers, gossip is bound to spread." He assured her as she took a drink. "In another five minutes they'll be discussing the mating habits of Crewmen's Bennett and Haymen." At his frankness she almost spit out her orange juice, but managed to quickly swallow.

"Well, I see you certainly keep current on all the chatter." Danaë laughed as she set her glass on the table.

"Actually I just love observing. Humans have proven to be quite fascinating. Their habits, manners... just the way they interact in different situations has been quite an education."

"I'm glad you think so." She responded taking a bite of toast. "There is a lot of species that find us to be nothing more than a giant pain in the ass. One race in particular has been at the top of that list for as long as I can remember." She was careful not to mention the Romulans by name since she was not certain whether or not first contact had been made, fortunately there were others she was certain about. "The Klingons have never been too happy with us either." Though she said this lightly, she knew it to be quite true. Until the destruction of Romulus in 2381 by a supernova, there had been at best an uneasy peace between the Romulans and Federation that always seemed to be tottering on the brink of war. In the 22nd century she wasn't sure if they had heard of the Romulans yet. Finishing up her breakfast she looked up in time to see Captain Archer coming towards her.

"You look well rested. I hope our guest quarters were comfortable. I'm not sure what accommodations you are used to in your time." He said taking a seat at the table.

"A shower, a change of clothes and good night's sleep does wonders. As for the type of lodgings I'm used to, the last decade and a half I spent mostly sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. I have to say, there is still no sweeter lullaby than the soft humming of a warp engine."

"Perhaps you would be interested in a tour of the ship, If Phlox is willing to part with you."

"Please, go right ahead" Dr. Phlox assured them. "Besides, I believe I am about see Ensign Rivers once more attempt to convince crewman Taylor to join him for movie night. Perhaps his luck will change." At this, an extremely wide grin spread across his face making Danaë laugh.

"Movie nights give the crew a chance to unwind and socialize. Commander Tucker usually picks what we see so I'm not sure what it will be this time. We won't arrive at Jupiter for about five days so if you're interested then you are more than welcome to attend." The captain explained.

"You are the second person to mention it. Lt. Reed asked me just yesterday. I didn't give him an answer since, I wasn't sure how long I would be on board. Might be fun."

Since they were already on E-Deck Captain Archer began his tour there. She was already familiar with sickbay and the mess hall so there was no point going back, but she did find medical and science labs interesting. He pointed out the escape pods, launch bay and support facilities then showed where the officers and enlisted crew quarters were. In particular, he made sure she could find his, T'Pol's, Commander Tucker's and Lt. Reed's rooms in case she needed anything. The last thing he showed her was the cargo bays before taking her to the main lift.

Standing in the small compartment she suddenly realized that she was staring at him and quickly made herself stop. To say that everything felt a bit surreal to Danaë was an understatement. She could never have imagined herself walking next to Captain Jonathan Archer or talking to him. In the 24th century this man was an absolute legend. It was in his footprints that each subsequent captain would follow. This man walking with her had been the driving force behind the building of the Federation. He was the one who helped to write the Prime Directive. The decisions made by this man would be left as blueprints for future interstellar exploration. His name was never spoken without including the statement 'greatest explorer of the 22nd century'. She couldn't figure out why a person with two planets named after him was wasting his time with her.

"I suppose this has all been overwhelming for you." He said as the lift doors closed.

"Yes. I rather feel as though I were surrounded by ghosts, but I know that's not the case. Technology is different of course. My first thought was to get breakfast from a food replicator, not a chef. I have to say though, it definitely had a better flavor."

When the doors opened he led her onto the bridge. Her eyes were wide as she took in every detail before her. It was vastly different from the bridge her father commanded and yet its design and basic floor plan were not so very different. She was familiar with each and every station from her countless visits to the holodeck where she used this ship as a hands-on school room.

"You met Sub-Commander T'Pol in sickbay." Archer gestured to the attractive Vulcan woman.

"Yes, but I don't believe we were formally introduced."

"No we were not. I'm Danaë." Danaë was uncertain as to what to make of this Vulcan woman. She had met others of her species before and was familiar with their lack of emotions, but T'Pol seemed to have a skepticism about her that was more pronounced than Danaë was used to.

"Danaë..." T'Pol began, obviously looking for her last name.

"D'Arcy." At her answer Archer raised an eyebrow. This was not the name she had told him in sickbay. This set off a red flag and he began to wonder if she was not a Suliban in disguise. He would not say anything just yet, but he would question her on the discrepancy as soon as they were alone.

The introductions continued with Hoshi Sato the communications officer and Travis Mayweather the helmsmen. She had heard some of their names before, particularly Hoshi's. Her name was inextricably linked to early advances in communication technology. She did not have the same familiarity with Ensign Mayweather, but did not doubt his ability or courage. For United Earth this was only the beginning of deep space exploration and he was the man piloting the ship.

"I believe you already met Lieutenant Reed."

"Yes, we met yesterday." She said exchanging nods and a smiles with the lieutenant. The industrial style of the bridge as well as the rest of the ship brought to mind pictures she had seen of antique 20th and 21st century submarines and other naval vessels. There were no touch screens, but buttons, dials and switches. She leaned over Mayweather's shoulder at his controls. "Warp-4. You're in a hurry to get rid of me, but not too big of a hurry." She slyly looked over her shoulder at Captain Archer who politely smiled back. She looked up at the view screen at all the stars going by. Absently she took a couple of steps back and accidentally ran in to the captain's chair. "May I?" Danaë asked, gesturing to the chair. To her great pleasure he nodded his permission and she almost reverently sat down. Looking out over the bridge from that vantage point brought back so many memories of her childhood that she had to catch her breath a moment. Somewhere in her memory she could hear her own childish voice as she ran to her father in excitement.

"Pa-pa, Pa-pa I visited the NX-01 today and sat in the captain's chair. Do you think Captain Kirk would be cross with me?" Her father quickly explained that Archer had been the Captain of the NX-01, not Kirk and that he doubted that Archer would have minded. Playing on the holodeck and exploring this ship had been some the greatest adventures of her childhood. She had pretended to do battle with the Klingon Empire, the Romulans, and had even conquered the Borg. She didn't dare speak of it to anyone though. At this point they were already uncertain what to believe when it came to her. Trying to explain future technology could only confuse things and she also feared altering the past.

"Back here is the situation room." Archer told her as he pointed to an area just behind the bridge. Danaë stood and joined him in front of one of the consoles. Her sharp eyes took in every detail. Everything is exactly as I remember it, she thought to herself. She must have pressed every button at least a hundred times and opened all sorts of files. She remembered bringing her father here once and he told her some of the stories he had heard about the NX-01 and its crew. In particular he had told her how Archer, Tucker and T'Pol had gone to see the sacred Vulcan Sanctuary of P'Jem and encountered the Andorians for the first time.

From there Archer led her over to another door that led to an office. "This is my ready room." She looked about the office. It was so much smaller than her father's. She had only seen his a couple of times and then it was because of something she had done. Along the back wall she noticed four drawings. Each one was a ship that had carried the name Enterprise. She smiled to herself as she recalled being on the holodeck recreation and using a crayon to add all the additional vessels so it could be a complete set.

"So who are you really?" Captain Archer asked, as soon as the door was closed. She turned and looked at him a bit confused by the question.

"I told you."

"You told me your name was Danaë Picard. A few moments ago you introduced yourself as Danaë D'Arcy. I'm starting to wonder who exactly is on my ship." He set his jaw and it was clear he was in no mood for games. "If you are Suliban trying to infiltrate my ship..."

"My real is Danaë Picard. D'Arcy is actually my middle name. Do a DNA test on me to prove it. I don't mind. I changed it because I am quite familiar with procedure on a star ship. If you haven't already, then soon you will be filling out a full report on your encounter with the Suliban as well as the addition of a guest on board. I thought it would be best if I changed it."

"Do you really think that your name will make that much difference?" He asked.

"Yes, I do. My father will be born July 2305 and as soon as he is able he will start reading all he can about space exploration, the Phoenix, the NX-01 and so on. He will study each of your missions and I want make sure that he doesn't find me. I don't want anyone to find me. If he realizes that the Danaë Picard rescued from the Suliban in 2152 is his own daughter, then it could affect the choices that he makes in raising me. Maybe he would make better ones, maybe worse, but the point is, the future would change.

"In my time there is a law that specifically prohibits any interference in the cultural evolution of any species including time travel. I know it hasn't been written yet in your time, but I have to govern my actions accordingly." What she said had great significance. It was a problem he found himself struggling with many times. As she continued to look around his ready room, Archer contemplated what she said. He still was not certain if she was from the future, but everything she had said since he first saw her made him believe she was.

"I will not disclose your real last name when I make my report, but if I find out that you are lying..."

"Then do what you must for the safety and security of your ship and crew." She said gratefully. The mood became lighter again as they left the ready room and headed back to the turbo lift.

Deck-B only had a few places of interest, but still she took great interest in the astronomical and cultural anthropology science labs. She was even able to add to their knowledge of Andorians by explaining that their antennae worked like the ears of a cat and indicated emotions not evident on their faces and could often times tell them if they were being lied to or if a situation was dangerous. She also explained that if they were cut off it would eventually grow back, but in the meantime their equilibrium was off. One the science officers was very intrigued by the information and wanted to know Danaë was able to learn this. The answer was simply that she observed one of her teachers at the academy that happened to be an Andorian. When he was angry she noticed that the antennae flared back and if someone brought up something he was curious about they came forward. She also noticed subtle movements from them when a cadet was lying or cheating. Though he said nothing, Archer was mentally taking notes for the next time he met with Shran.

Leaving the labs he took her past the computer core and then the deuterium tanks, but they were not much to see. He lead her on through the grey corridors and back to the lift. The next level was Deck-C and there was more there that might interest her.

"So where are you from on Earth?" Archer asked as the doors closed. He had noticed she had a bit of an accent reminiscent of Lt. Reed's.

"My Father's family is from La Barre France where they have been producing wine from the family vineyards for generations. My Mother was born at great-grandfather Pike's ranch in Mojave. I, myself, was born and raised in space, mostly on my father's star ship, also called the Enterprise."

"Is your Father the Captain Riker you mentioned to Dr. Phlox?"

"Oh no, he and Counselor Troi have their own children to worry about. No, my Father's name is... was... will be Jean-Luc Picard."

"Is our ship anything like his?" Archer asked as the lift doors opened.

"Yes and no. They are similar in shape but your ship would fit neatly in the saucer section of the Enterprise-D with room to spare." She answered as he showed her the locker rooms then led her into the gymnasium. "Where your ship has a maximum crew capacity of I think 100..."

"Actually about 130." He corrected

"The Enterprise-D held, I believe, over 1000." She explained as She looked over the equipment that was available. There were treadmills and exercise bikes, weights and even a gyroscope machine. He showed her where the sauna was located then led her back through the maze of corridors to the game room. A twinkle appeared in her eye as she saw the pool tables. Here was a game she loved to play, it was almost as much fun as black jack. Too bad counting cards was frowned upon. The tour continued through the physical and engineering science labs before heading back to the lift.

"I have a question for you." She said as they left the lab area

"What is that?" He asked.

"Do you really have a dog on board?"

"Porthos? You know about him?" to say that he was astonished was an understatement.

"Oh yes, everyone knows about Archer's precious beagles." She explained as they approached the lift. "They're something of an unofficial mascot at the academy. Always a beagle on campus and if I remember correctly always a decedent of your dog. Heaven help anyone who harms them. I remember hearing a story about a guy, I don't remember his name or rank. He was conducting an experiment with a transporter and he used one of those beagles as a test subject. They never found the poor dog and the guy wound up on some remote outpost somewhere for a while. Even cadets who can't resist a prank stay away from Archer's beagles."

Once more they boarded the lift, but rather than continuing the tour and going to D-deck and engineering the captain instead pressed the button for E-deck. When the doors opened again Danaë realized this was not the correct level. Questioning this deviation, Captain Archer assured her that they would get there and to just enjoy the detour. He led her to the captain's quarters where upon she looked up at him with a curious raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure it's appropriate for me to be going in there?" She quipped with a smile as she stepped inside.

"I think it will be fine." He answered. Entering the room her first impression was that it seemed terribly small compared the quarters she had grown up in. Her attention was suddenly caught as she felt something jump up against her leg. Instantly she looked and saw the gentle brown and white fuzzy face of Porthos.

"It's really him." She exclaimed as she got down on the floor and started petting him. She laughed as he licked her face.

"Didn't you have a pet growing up?" He asked.

"Oh no, unless you want to count the lion fish my father kept in a tank in his ready room." She laughed as she rubbed the dogs white belly. "One of the senior officers had a pet cat he called 'spot' and sometimes I could pet him, but an animal of my own, never. Does he fetch or play dead?"

"No, but he's a great listener and loves dinner time, especially cheese." He got down and started petting Porthos as well. The beagle happily wagged his tail enjoying all the attention.

"What is that quote? I think it's one of Emily Dickenson's 'Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell." Danaë looked up at Captain Archer only to find him looking back at her. She wondered what he must think of her, this crazy woman who claims to be from the future. This person who appeared out of nowhere in the middle of space and on a Suliban ship. Suddenly another thought came to mind. "Tell me something, captain, how did you find me with the Suliban?"

"Chance, really. One of their cruisers seemed to appear out of nowhere, traveling alone which is rather unusual for them. We scanned it to see how many were on board and discovered human bio signs. Commander Tucker and Lt. Reed led a team to rescue you."

"Will you be able to send me back? To my own time I mean?" She looked at him with so much hope in her eyes that he didn't answer right away. "It's not that I don't like it here, I love it actually, but it is terribly important that get to my father, even if it's only for a moment."

"I don't have any way of sending you back. I wish I did." His words came out as an apology and she could tell that he was genuinely sorry.

"It's okay." She nodded. She was trying to appear like it didn't bother her, but obviously it did.

"Perhaps you would like to see the engine room." He said, quickly changing the subject."

"Yes, I would like that very much."

Taking her up to D-deck the mood became lighter as Captain Archer told her about their encounter with the Xyrillians. It seemed that they were in need of some help repairing their warp drive, so Archer sent Commander Tucker over to help. In the process it seemed that the chief engineer had gotten a little too friendly with one of their females and gotten himself pregnant. The image that Archer painted of Trip's emotional state and his overactive appetite had Danaë in tears from laughing.

They were still laughing as they entered main engineering, then Danaë's face completely changed. Her hazel eyes grew wide and her face took on the look of a child that had just entered the biggest and best toy store in the world. A thousand memories came back to her with each sound and smell. She couldn't begin to count how many hours she spent as a girl crawling all over this place teaching herself how it all worked.