Chapter 18
Archer stared out the window of his ready room, contemplating the madness of what he’d just been told.
(Flashback)
“Admiral, I don’t quite understand, are you reassigning me?”
“No Captain, we’re not.”
“But you just said Enterprise will have a new Captain.”
“Yes, in fact it will have two new captains as well as yourself. The three of you will work together for a year and prove that you can work together.”
“If I may say this is… unorthodox.” Archer wanted to say Insane.
“I am aware of that, however this is the agreed upon arrangement. Effective immediately, Enterprise now has three commanding officers.”
“And just how are we supposed to work?”
“You must work together, agreeing on all things. However, if one of you disagrees with the other two, the crew is obligated to obey the two over the one.”
“And may I ask who these new Captains are?”
“Of course. Your new co-workers will be Captain T'Pol and Captain Shran.”
Archer’s eyes bugged out and he had to fight a bubble of laughter, which may or may not have been hysterical. “T'Pol and Shran?”
“Yes Captain, is there a problem?”
‘Aside from the fact that the three of us will probably never agree on anything, that Shran and T'Pol are trying to share a child, and that Shran and I almost always end up trying to kill each other when we see each other? Nope! No problem.’
“No sir… I just can’t quite get my head around this.”
“I understand that this will be a huge change in the chain of command, but I believe it will work. The point of this assignment is for you three to prove that these three species can work together for an Earth year –Andorian and Vulcan years are a significant bit longer- running a ship. If you can prove that, then we believe there is hope for further co-operation between us.”
“Why Shran and T'Pol?”
“You’ve been able to work well together before, and Shran is the Andorians’ best representative for inter-species co-operation, which is incredible given his record. T'Pol the same, although she will be representing the Vulcan people, not Starfleet from now on, just as Shran will be representing the Andorians.”
P’Jem flashed through Archer’s mind. He had a really bad feeling about this.
(End Flashback)
The bad feeling had not gone away now that he’d had an hour to contemplate it. In his head, Archer knew this plan wouldn’t work. No matter how hard the three of them tried, something would happen to ruin this.
The door chimed.
“Come in.”
The door slid open and T'Pol walked in, Soval in her arms, followed by Shran, who looked like he was still reeling from the announcement. Archer turned to face them, regarding them both with new eyes. No longer was T'Pol his First Officer and friend, no longer was Shran his friend/enemy/ally. Now they were both his co-captains of what had been his ship for over four years.
“So…” Archer tried to form words, but failed.
“This is insane.” Shran summarised the situation quite well.
“Yeah. It is.”
“It is unorthodox.” agreed T'Pol. Shran shook his head.
“About the only good thing out of this as I can see, is that this way, neither of us has to loose out on time with Soval.” Shran threw the baby a look.
“That is a benefit.” agreed T'Pol.
“But, spirits! I have to wear that damn uniform. The only uniform I’ve worn since I left school is the Imperial uniform. How can I wear that Starfleet uniform when I’m still supposed to be representing my own people?”
“Ambassador Soval did not say to me to wear a different uniform to what I wear currently.”
“Of course he would, Vulcan or not he’s still male.” said Shran in a faux-undertone, throwing T'Pol a once over glance before smirking at Archer. Archer smiled a little at the joke. T'Pol threw the Andorian a narrow eyed look. Shran ignored it in favour of saying, “So pink-skin, where’s the encouraging, yet sanctimonious speech you always seem to have ready made for times like these?” Archer narrowed his eyes. Shran shrugged, smirking.
“I can’t encourage something I’m not sure about.” said Archer, feeling no need to hide his opinion. “Quite frankly, if we got through a month without killing each other, I would consider this mission a success, but a year? Every time we meet things go wrong.”
“I think that’s more you than me.” said Shran, shrugging again, “Although to be fair… I don’t have the best record either… oh we are very dead indeed.”
“I hardly doubt we will suffer any worse than we have before.”
“That’s hardly a comfort from what I’ve heard.” said Shran, shaking his head.
“Is your contribution to this ship’s command going to be providing much needed sarcasm?” asked T'Pol, raising an eyebrow at the Andorian. Shran smirked even wider,
“It’s what I did on the Kumari.” There was the faintest tremor in his voice as he named his lost ship, but it was there and it reminded Archer of something.
“Don’t you have half a year left?”
“Of Mandatory plant-side recovery? Yes, but the Imperial Guard has decided to overlook that in favour of starting this assignment. Apparently my sanity is less important than this. I just need to pass a psychiatric evaluation.”
“What if you don’t?”
Shran narrowed his eyes in anger at the suggestion that he wasn’t well, and said, “Then I’m sure I’ll fit in well on this ship.”
Archer let the barb slide, knowing that Shran was trying to cover his wounded pride. T'Pol steered the conversation away from that topic,
“What exactly will we be expected to do?”
“The Imperial Council gave me permission to introduce Humans and Vulcans to allies of Andoria, ones neither species has met before due to the Zenar line agreement.”
“The what?”
“It’s in the agreement made over a hundred years ago, part of which concerned Weytahn. The line was drawn through space, to keep the two species apart.”
“I remember that, the Vulcans referred to it as the Kiri-kin-tha line.” said T'Pol. “It was a line drawn through space, and both sides had to stay on their side of the line. Crossing over would have been considered an act of war.” At this point she gave Shran a scolding look, and Shran gave her a cheeky smile. “Paan Mokar was on the Vulcan side of the line.”
“So what? It was over 150 years old, and required a severe rewrite. You can’t deny things are better now than they were before.”
“I suppose that is true.”
“So… this line, any planets on the Vulcan side were only accessible to the Vulcans but not the Andorians? And vice versa?”
“Correct. However, if a species from one side crossed the line that was not an issue. The line was designed to restrict ourselves, not anyone else.”
“It’s interesting to note that Earth is practically directly on the line. If the line had been drawn slightly different, Andorians might have been Earth’s first contact.”
“Now that would have been interesting… for reference I mean.” Archer added quickly when T'Pol gave him a look. “Just to see the difference.” T'Pol arched her eyebrow at him. Shran cleared his throat,
“In any case, not many species have actually crossed over the line, mainly out of respect towards us and the fact that they didn’t really need to. Enterprise, from what I know, has only ever explored on the Vulcan side of the line, although the Expanse was out of reach of the line, so whether that counts as crossing or not I don’t know.”
“What kinds of species are on the Andorian side?”
“The Betazoids for one, they’re very near the edge of the line, like Earth, which is ironic when you consider what they look like.”
“What do they look like?”
“Why don’t you wait and see pink-skin? There’s also the Caxtonians, and if its all the same to you, I’d rather we not speak with them.”
“Why not?”
“Lets just say… after an encounter with the Caxtonians, a very, very, very long shower will be your highest priority and you’ll smell for days.”
“Are they hostile?”
“No… just awkward. They aren’t humanoid… I don’t really know what to describe them as. There are other species of course, each as interesting and… weird as the last.”
“You consider other species… weird?”
“They think that about us and each other.” Shran looked between the two, “Oh come now, you can’t honestly say that each species you’ve met, no matter who they are, the first word that comes to your mind is weird! Even each other, you can’t say, that, even with all the respect and admiration and whatnot between you, you don’t still think weird whenever they act so… alien to you.” Shran shrugged when they just continued to stare at him, “Well deep down you think that way. Everyone does.”
“So… no matter how much respect you have for a person, you will forever consider them… strange, purely because they are alien?”
“Pretty much… it’s not a bad thing. My friends are weird, my sister is weirder still. It’s a fact, not an insult, and I know they think I’m, weird, possibly with good reason so… it balances out.”
“Are you drunk?” asked Archer at last. Shran smirked,
“Nope, just in a good mood despite how it’s been made very clear that our three governments have lost their minds, because I expected to be dishonourably discharged from the Imperial Guard because of the loss of the Kumari. Instead I got promoted. On second thought perhaps it’s a good thing my government’s gone mad.”
“I highly doubt they’ve lost their minds.”
“Then how do you explain this insane idea.”
“It is not so ridiculous once one considers the facts. According to Ambassador Soval, the point is to put us under more stress than necessary in order to see if we can work together despite it. If we can, then there is hope for further cooperation between our peoples.”
“So… basically, if we mess this up… there’s no hope for further cooperation and all the work we’ve done -I’ve done- will be for nothing?” asked Shran, his eyes slightly wide.
“Essentially yes.”
Shran folded his arms in a stubborn way. “Well that’s not happening –Get me a blue jumpsuit!”
Archer raised an eyebrow. “Sure you’re not drunk?”
“Go to hell pink-skin!”
“No thanks.” sneered Archer. T'Pol looked between them and felt the urge to pray. Soval giggled as he pulled on his antennas.
Trip starred at the three in shock. “I’m… I actually have no idea what to say.”
“Me either.” said Malcolm, shaking his head. “This is a hell of a change.”
“We know, believe us, we know.” said Archer as he stood before his senior officers, with Shran and T'Pol at his side. “But it’s only for a year. After that… well… I don’t know, but this is just for a year.”
“Cap’n, I dunno, I mean… we’re used to one commanding officer. Trying to obey three at once…”
“You won’t necessarily be doing that Commander.” said Shran, “Think of it this way, you’ll have a science captain, T'Pol, a tactical captain, me, and Archer’s a commanding captain. Each of us can be in control of our area of expertise, and work together from that stand point. Also, there is the rule that if two of us agree against another, you are bound to obey the two to the one.” Shran looked around at them, “Look, I’m the stranger here, we all know it. I haven’t been a part of this crew for four years like pink-skin and T'Pol, but I think we can make this work, if we try hard enough.”
“I agree, this is an achievable thing… provided we make a conscious effort to work together properly.” said T'Pol. “It might be hard at first, but I believe that we will become accustomed to it all.”
“If we want to prove that our three peoples can work together, then we need to do this, and do it right.” urged Archer.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense for more than just the captains to be changed? Why not have Andorians and Vulcans as part of the crew?” asked Hoshi.
“That might happen at a later date, but for now, it’s just the three of us.”
Shran folded his arms, frowning in thought. “This won’t be easy for any of us here, lets admit that right now. But the gains from it are huge. We could start off a chain reaction. Soon there might be whole crews compiled of the three species. The Tellerites might join in, we’ll probably see more Denobulans… I mean this could be the best chance we have of achieving the Coalition since Terra Prime sabotaged the first attempt.”
“I agree. This idea is quite… ingenious when you think about it.” said Phlox, a wide smile on his face. “I, for one, look forward to it.”
“It could be fun, and with Shran… Captain Shran I mean, introducing us to new, friendly species, we’ll finally get back to exploring.” said Travis, grinning. Shran pulled a sheepish face,
“Friendly might be pushing it just a little Ensign, but I thank you for the vote of confidence. As for exploring, I’m willing to introduce you to our talking nebula, and show you the planets we’ve explored that I’m sure you’ll find… amusing. Have you ever done ecology studies?”
“Ecology studies?”
“Take that as a no then. It’s when you go to a planet and study the eco-system, learn about how each level of creature lives, the characteristics of the planet that define it from others, that sort of thing. Andorian Imperial Guardsmen do it as a kind of shore leave. Isn’t that what your Starfleet is all about? Seeking out new life?”
“Yeah… sounds good.” Archer smiled, suddenly feeling much more enthused. T'Pol looked intrigued as well. “I want to meet this so called, ‘Talking Nebula’.”
“It’s really not much different from talking with a child really. Still, it can be interesting, provided you have enough patience.”
T'Pol’s eyebrow twitched and she threw Shran a look. Shran caught the look and narrowed his eyes. “Oh very funny.”
“What is?” T'Pol’s eyes twinkled.
Shran’s eyes narrowed to slits and his antennas flicked back for a moment, before he reached out and took Soval out of T'Pol’s arms, holding him to his chest. T'Pol narrowed her eyes now. Apparently Shran had chosen an apt punishment for her little insinuation.
“Anyway…” sighed Archer, “I know it’s asking a lot, but… hey, it could be fun, if nothing else.”
“If we run into people I know, we certainly won’t be bored.” said Shran, shrugging.
“Why do I believe you and feel a sense of dread?” asked Archer, looking at the Andorian. Shran smirked,
“You feel a sense of dread after you sleep with my sister? Pink-skin, you really need to hone your instincts.”
Archer went a funny shade of pink, while Trip snorted behind his hand. When the engineer had gotten his humour under control he said,
“You know, this might not be so bad.”
“Yes well… if you’ll excuse me for the moment… I have to actually pass a test to have this assignment go through.”
“Good luck.” said Archer. Shran pulled a face,
“You just wished me luck with proving my sanity. I’m sorry to say I may need it. Imperial Psychiatric Tests are brutal. I’m going to have Telev get as much ale as possible.”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll be… good and ready for you.” said Archer with a grimacing smirk. Shran smirked back,
“Oh, he knows well to be.” The Andorian looked at his son, and then held him out to T'Pol, “Probably best if you take him tonight. Noises and all… Pink-skin, Lissiel will be expecting you. If you don’t show up that’s grounds for castration in her book so… I’d turn up. Not even light years will stand in my sister’s way.”
Shran grinned at Archer’s bug-eyed look and then sauntered out of the mess.
Trip’s grin widened, “Definitely doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Ugh… I hate those damn tests.” grumbled Shran as he drained a glass of ale.
Telev smiled with amusement, sipping at his own, his mind clearly not on drink. “Was it as bad as you remembered?”
“Worse, this time they actually had to test me.” Shran grimaced at Telev’s questioning look. That was a classified topic he’d just brought up. “Never mind. Doesn’t matter.”
“If you say so…” Telev was frowning in confusion. Shran decided a change in subject was required.
“You do realise that we’re of equal rank now, right?”
“Yes. I’m not an idiot.”
“So… that means that you can’t order me to do anything anymore.”
Telev put on a nonplussed look, “I could order you around? Why am I only learning of this now?”
Shran grinned and fiddled with the glass in his hands as he lay on his silk and fur covered bed. He’d miss his bed when he went back into space. Enterprise wasn’t exactly suited for Andorians.
“You should have realised, didn’t you just say you aren’t an idiot?”
“I doubt I could have ordered you to do anything you didn’t want, even if I was a General and you were a lieutenant.”
Shran chuckled and looked up at Telev, in whose lap his head was resting. “Ah... you’re probably right.”
“So... tomorrow you become a co-captain of Enterprise. I wish you luck and a tight control of your sanity.”
“I thank you, although, when have I ever had that tight a grip on my sanity?”
“Hm... true.” Telev began to stroke Shran’s antennas, a soothing gesture that the lithe menace could turn into a seductive weapon in a split second. Shran sighed in contentment.
“I suppose it won’t be too bad. I get along well enough with Humans, and T'Pol and I are... well we’re... hm, what are we? I don’t think there’s a definition in Andorian for what we are.”
“Friends who are trying to share a child?”
“Are we friends?”
“You tell me, I’m not Aenar that can read your mind.”
“If you were an Aenar you wouldn’t dare without my express permission.”
“Fair point. But my point still stands.”
“Well, I don’t know if we’re friends. I mean she’s... a Vulcan.”
“That is a negative fact.”
“Then again, Vulcans aren’t all bad.”
“You sure you passed that test?”
Shran gave Telev’s cheek a light slap, since it was the easiest part of him to reach at the moment. “They aren’t. Most are, but a few aren’t.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Telev shook his head and leaned back into the pillows. “I’m still not ready to accept them.”
“What about Soval?”
“That’s different. He’s your son. That renders everything else moot.”
“All right then.” Shran turned his head so he was looking up at Telev's face. He noticed the funny look in his lovers eyes and the way his antennas were drooping. “Is something wrong?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Right. Try that line with someone who hasn’t know you since you were fifteen.” Shran sat up so he was looking straight into Telev’s eyes. Telev tried to look away. Shran took hold of his chin and made Telev look him straight in the eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“You were made captain. You have to go away now. Just when...” Telev sighed.
“Just when what?”
“Just when you and I... things keep stopping us from being together.” The words tumbled out like an avalanche, powered by frustration. “Every time we try to be together... something stops us.”
Shran sighed and stroked Telev's cheek with one fingertip. Then he leaned forward and bit down on Telev’s lower lip, drawing blood. Telev growled and bit down on Shran's, harder. Shran pulled away after Telev had stopped sucking on his bleeding lower lip.
“I know. It’s frustrating. But this time it’s different.”
“How?”
“Because I’m not going to try and be noble or whatever else I was trying to be when we parted however many times before. Telev... I want to make this last this time around. Now that we’re not too young, or too insane and dangerous, or busy. Yes, I’m going to go away, but so are you.”
“I know. I just thought we’d have more time together before we had to part.” Telev looked sulky, a sweet look on his angelic features. Now Shran knew why Senkrad loved to get Telev to pose for him. Shran leaned forward again and brushed his antennas against Telev’s, sending electric sparks up and down their spines.
“We’ll get our time Telev. And if we don’t... we’ll make the time. Don’t worry. I’m not letting you go this time without a fight, not if you’re sure you want this, if you want me. Baby and all.”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Aside from the certainty that I’m in love with a complete maniac.” Telev grinned like an imp. Shran narrowed his eyes playfully at him.
“Maniac? Oh, I’ll give you maniac.”
Reaching out Shran grabbed Telev and pushed him under him, biting down hard on his lip. Telev grunted and his antennas wrapped around Shran’s, pulling at them. Shran chuckled to himself as he pulled away Telev’s shirt, running his fingertips over Telev’s chest, sending tingles through Telev’s body. Telev arched his back with a groan and then grabbed Shran’s head and kissed him hard. Shran doubted he’d be allowed any sleep tonight. Not that he’d planned to or anything.
Archer lay beside Lissiel, his fingers drawing random designs into the cerulean skin at her hip. Lissiel lay on her side, her long white blonde hair spread out around her. It was as if she’d stepped out of one of those Renaissance paintings of naked goddesses who only had their hair to cover them. At the moment her chocolate brown eyes were closed, her face relaxed in the aftermath of passion and her skin had a faint flush. Archer fancied he’d never seen such a beautiful creature in his life.
Lissiel opened her eyes and regarded Archer with such a serious look it surprised him.
“My brother will be joining your crew tomorrow.”
“Yeah, we got the message.”
“He shouldn’t be going off the planet yet. He needs more time.” said Lissiel, staring at the wall opposite her bed.
“He seems to be handling things ok, and he’s a tough guy. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“Thy’lek will be the most experienced person on your crew Arc… Jon. He’ll know the most people out there, he’ll be the one who will know what do in most situations. He’s been out there for thirty years.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“I’m not done.” Lissiel fixed Archer with a stern look. “My brother will be invaluable to you, to your mission. But… I want you to promise me you’ll look out for him.”
“Of course I-”
“No! You’re not listening to me.” Lissiel sat up, almost looming over Archer. “You must give me your word that you will make sure my brother will be safe, and not just physically. He’s got allies out there, but he has just as many enemies, some of which know things about him that I’ll never know. Things he wouldn’t want anyone to know. This mission will be one of the first he’ll be on without his three brothers in arms. Keval, Thon and Tholos. They’ve been together for most of the past thirty years. They depend on each other. Thy'lek will struggle to compensate for their absence. What I’m trying to say is… don’t fall for my brother’s mask of arrogance and confidence. I mean… my brother’s a brat, and he’s arrogant and sarcastic, he is all those things, but he’s also vulnerable if you know how to tackle him, just like with anyone. So… look after him like you would for any one of your friends.”
“Lissiel… your brother is a friend, one who, while he can drive me mad with his maddening arrogance and sarcasm, I would do whatever was necessary to defend, just as I know he’d do for me. We’ve got… an understanding of sorts.”
Lissiel stared at Archer for a few moments and then relaxed back into the pillows. “Good. I just wanted to make sure things were clear.”
“They are. I’ll make sure he stays safe.”
“He can be stupid sometimes. Try to keep him from doing anything stupid.”
For some reason Archer had a sudden image in his head that he was like Captain Jack Sparrow from those old earth movies Pirates of the Caribbean and Shran was Will Turner. Will was clever and skilled in battle, but could be remarkably stupid when he wanted to be. Something told Archer Shran was much the same.
“At least this way Shran won’t miss out on Soval’s life and neither will T'Pol.”
“Yes. That’s a good thing I guess. Now, enough of that! Come here.” Lissiel grabbed the back of Archer’s head and pulled him down to meet her lips. Her mouth was like fire and her teeth punctured his lip again, drawing blood. Archer would have to get used to that.
Lissiel forced Archer onto his back and held him down while she raked her nails over his chest. Archer moaned and gripped her arms in a bruising hold. Lissiel chuckled,
“You’re learning fast Jon, that’s good. I’ll look forward to the time we next see each other.”
Archer grinned up at her, “Me too.”
Trip and T'Pol lay in her bed, Trip’s arms tight around T'Pol. They were both still clothed, but the closeness of their bodies was enough for them for now. Neither wished to make a mistake like in the Expanse.
“Gonna be a hell of a change, callin’ you Cap’n.”
“I believe it will be difficult to adjust to having Shran around all the time.”
“Yeah, still, mightn’t be too bad. Shran’s always struck me as a good guy, when you're on the same side as him. When you're not, best to stay out of the way.”
“Agreed. And he does seem to be… less angry than when we first met him.”
“On P’Jem? Hell yeah! Compared to then he’s a declawed kitten.”
“I would not go that far.”
Trip chuckled and nuzzled into T'Pol’s hair a little. T'Pol closed her eyes, savouring the contact. The tranquil moment was broken by Soval starting awake in his crib and letting out a wail. T'Pol removed herself from Trip’s arms and walked over to the crib. Bending down she picked Soval up and settled him into her arms, bouncing the baby a little and rubbing his back. Soval whimpered a little and then fell quite, resting his head on T'Pol’s shoulder.
“You’ve really got the hang of that now.” said Trip.
“It would seem so. All one needs is practise.” T'Pol sat down on the bed, still rubbing Soval’s back. Trip grinned at the baby and waggled his fingers at him as Soval stared at him over T'Pol’s shoulder. Soval continued to stare at him. Perhaps he was wondering who Trip was and why wasn’t his father there.
“It’ll be good for him that he’ll have both you and Shran around. Kid deserves both his parents. And of course, since he’s here, the whole crew will fill the role of aunts and uncles.”
“That is a very large extended family.” T'Pol looked at Trip, her eyes twinkling at him. Trip grinned, propping himself up on one elbow.
“You can never have too big a family.”
“That is a very Andorian sentiment.” said T'Pol, as if she was scolding him. Trip grinned,
“Must have to limit my time around Shran if they’ve got such an influence on me.”
“Indeed, it would not do for you to get into the habit of indulging in Andorian Ale every meal.”
Trip chuckled then held out his hands, “Here, lemme hold him for a minute.”
T'Pol passed Soval to Trip and Trip grinned down at the baby. Soval stared up at him with wide eyes, his left hand clutching his right foot. T'Pol went to Soval’s crib and pulled out the stuffed Sehlat and pressed it into Soval’s right hand. Soval looked at the toy and let out a noise of delight, kicking his free foot out. He shook the sehlat around and then lost his grip on it. A pout came onto his lips at the sudden loss. T'Pol retrieved it and gave it back to him. Soval shook it again and again he lost his grip. Trip chuckled as T'Pol retrieved it again, “He’ll make a game of that now.”
“Of what?”
“Of makin’ you pick it up. Babies find it amusing for some reason to drop things again and again and force someone to keep picking it up.”
“Why?”
“No idea. They just do.”
Soval dropped the Sehlat again. T'Pol’s eyebrow poked up and then she picked it up again. Soval laughed and stuck his fist in his mouth, while his free hand awaited his toy to be returned to him. T'Pol met Trip’s eyes and knew she would not get away with not returning the toy. This could take some time. However, it was not unpleasant.
Archer had to fight a laugh as he observed T'Pol and Shran as they walked onto the bridge, both dressed in blue Starfleet jumpsuits. Shran was tugging on the sleeve of his and his nose was wrinkled in distaste, but he was keeping his opinion to himself. T'Pol seemed much more comfortable in hers. On the breast both of them were four pips, signifying their new status aboard the ship.
“Looking good you two.” said Archer with a grin at Trip who was seated at the engineering consol. Shran narrowed his eyes and then sighed,
“I suppose it could be worse. I’m not sure how, but it could be worse.”
Archer shook his head. “You got everything you need on board Shran? Are your quarters adequate?”
“Yes. My quarters will be fine, once I have a chance to organise them anyway and the engineering team has finished expanding it.”
“Good. So… we ready to get this mission underway.”
“No sense in putting it off.” Shran shrugged. Archer smiled at the Andorian, not missing nor surprised to see the way his eyes were excited and his antennas were squirming on top of his head. What he was surprised to see was Soval clinging to the back of his father’s new uniform when Shran turned away a little to look at T'Pol. The baby looked very content, snoozing there, his little antennas whirling around and his mouth puckered. He must have been dreaming of food.
“T'Pol?”
“I see no reason why we should not depart. We have received authorisation from Starfleet.”
“Agreed.” said Shran. The Andorian was already moving towards Malcolm and the tactical consol. T'Pol was standing by the science consol, where Lieutenant McCarthy was sitting in the Vulcan’s old seat. Archer moved around the captain’s chair and stood by Travis at the helm.
“Travis, take us out of orbit and set a course away from Andoria.”
“Aye sir. Heading?”
Archer glanced at T'Pol who quirked an eyebrow at him and then at Shran, who smirked. Archer smiled,
“Surprise us Travis.”
The young helmsman grinned and nodded, “Aye sir. Entering course. We’re ready to go.”
Archer glanced once more at his new co-captains. ‘God help us all.’ he thought wryly as he said,
“Engage.”
To be continued…