Star Trek Enterprise - Fate Ch. 06

"The ones who get caught are the ones who want credit for the deed. I needed no credit and I spaced it out far enough and randomly enough it was never noticed. Believe me, if I had been caught . . ." she stopped for a moment and imagined her father's reaction. "Well, Dante never saw the levels of hell that I would have gone through. You know, with minimal modification I could do all sorts of things to your ship, captain."

"I would rather you didn't." He said, the humor suddenly gone.

"You have my word. I will not hurt anything on your ship. I've already done everything to it that I could think of anyway. I probably blew it up at least a dozen different ways."

"If this ship is in a museum, how is that possible?" He asked, rather puzzled.

"My Father's ship had a place they called the holodeck. It's a virtual reality facility mostly used for recreational purposes. It uses a combination of transported matter, replicated matter, tractor beams and shaped force fields to create holographic worlds. You can visit places depicted in novels or recreations of real life places. Crew members could visit and go on adventures, relax . . . do anything they wanted. You could tell the computer you wanted someplace like Pensacola beach, for example, and then when you go inside it's exactly as though you're there. You can walk up and down it, feel the sand and taste the water."

"The Xyrillians we met had a technology like that on their ship. They shared the information with us, but at this point we haven't been able to develop it."

"When I was about eight or nine I was caught trying to sneak into the engine room because I wanted to see how it worked. I had just finished reading about your father's engines and was dying to apply the knowledge. My father took me to the holodeck and brought up your Enterprise and showed me around. He set it so there would be no people on board just me and made sure it stayed in safety mode so I couldn't get hurt. Some of my happiest childhood memories were spent wandering around the NX-01, tearing it apart, putting it back together, flying it, stealing its shuttle pods, firing its phase cannons. It's possible I know it better than you." She giggled again.

"That's why you were familiar the plasma injectors."

"I may have cracked a few on the holodeck. It simply made me better at spotting the fractures. Much of the engine I taught myself but there were a few times I was completely lost so I had the computer bring up Commander Tucker and he taught me a few tricks of the trade. After a while I got where I didn't need him anymore. Is it getting a little warm in here?" She asked fanning herself. She looked at the image of her father, her face becoming serious. For a moment she could almost hear him explaining warp propulsion in as simple of terms as possible while holding her model of Enterprise-D. She quickly shook the memory away then turned off the PADD and put it back into her pocket. Leaning back in her chair, her eyelids started to get heavy.

"Perhaps I should help you get back to the guest quarters." Archer helped her up and walked her down the corridor.

"I've never had synthehol make me feel this way."

"That wasn't synthehol. That was genuine alcohol. There's a reason I didn't drink very much."

"Oops" She giggled as they got into the lift. "I've never had real alcohol. I suppose this means I'm a little drunk."

"You're definitely a couple chapters into the novel." He answered, bemused at her behavior.

"You know, I had a roommate, Marnie, she was a Risian who was a year older than me. She kept a picture of you and I think she used to kiss it goodnight." She giggled again as they left the lift and walked down G-deck corridor.

"Really."

"Oh yes. God knows what else she used to do with it" Danaë kept giggling at the thought. "You were older, of course. Your hair was solid gray and there were far more lines in your handsome face. I think it was from when you were an ambassador or president maybe . . . retired . . . I don't remember. She used to say she was going to find a way to go back in time and marry you. The two of you would raise lots of babies and beagles. I thought she was a ninny." Reaching the guest quarters Danaë fell with her back against the door and looked at Captain Archer. "I used to see that picture and hear my father telling me what a great man you were and how you paved the way for us all. God, I hated you." At her words Archer was taken back and almost offended. "Oh, don't look like that. I didn't really hate you. I didn't know you, but I am quite grateful to know you now."

Still leaning against the door Danaë's demeanor became more sober. Her sharp eyes studied his face taking in his every look and facet. She must have been shown his image a million times growing up, but never had she really seen him. In her short acquaintance she found she enjoyed the sound of his laughter. He had the warmest smile and in particular she liked the way slight crow's feet appeared at the corner of his eyes. He never smiled in any of his official photographs and somehow she had always assumed he was stern, stuffy and had no sense of humor. Like all historical figures, he had become larger than life, the real person becoming lost in the myth. Now he was standing before her as nothing more than a man, warm, caring, witty and certainly flawed. Jonathan Archer the man was far more attractive than the president or Ambassador she knew he would be in the future.

"Before I go to bed there is one thing I would really like." She said.

"What is that?" At these words Danaë pulled him down by his uniform and locked his lips to hers. At first he was surprised and even told himself to push her away, but he couldn't. The feel of her lips was warm and sweet. She let go of his uniform and enveloped him in her arms, holding him close to her. His hands gently held her head, each soft gold curl spilling through his fingers. As their kiss grew deeper, the natural temptation between a man and woman so attracted to each other whispered softly in their ears and through their bodies, only to be drowned out by the loud memory of Starfleet regulations. After a moment Danaë pulled back, smiling.

"That would have killed Marnie." She pressed the button opening the door then quickly went in as it closed behind her.