DISCLAIMER: It's Paramount's galaxy.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A/TP. What Keyla was thinking during her first interaction with Archer in the episode "Two Days and Two Nights"
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PREMONITION
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Over a year of planning and now the time had finally arrived. The correct villa on Risa was rented and the canine was acquired, domesticated and trained. Getting the dog up onto the balcony without him noticing went smoothly enough. According to her source, she had two days and two nights to gain Captain Jonathan Archer's confidence and then obtain the desired information. If he wasn't alone, which was highly possible, that might be more difficult. It was one reason why the inclusion of the canine pet was considered essential to the mission's success.
All of this planning, however, was contingent on the veracity of the information garnered from the Suliban data disk. Could it be trusted? Information supposedly communicated from someone five hundred years in the future describing events that have not yet happened. The whole notion didn't sit well with Keyla. Prior knowledge of these events would undoubtedly change the outcome. How could those in the future possibly control it? This Temporal Cold War was difficult to wrap your head around without encountering contradictions and causal paradoxes. And to think, Captain Archer had been recently detained in one of their facilities. Why hadn't that been on the disk? If Intelligence had alerted the detention center, they could have acted then before he escaped. What must he think of Tendarans now? Keyla closed her eyes. She had to remind herself these were not her problems. One step at a time. Fortunately, the cosmetic surgery required for an unrelated project effectively concealed her identity. As for tonight, she just needed to verify that Captain Archer was indeed staying at the villa above her own, and ascertain who else was staying with him. She would then contact her Tendaran chain of command and receive further instructions. After that, she needed to clear out quickly and return to Tendara Prime for her follow-on mission. The Suliban Cabal was planning something, and she had to be in place.
Keyla took a slow breath to calm her nerves and pushed the door chime. Someone from inside called out, perhaps an invitation to come in, but the door was locked and could only be opened from the inside. After a moment, the door slid to the side and Archer was standing there. She recognized him immediately from the dossier. She had just looked through it in her villa before heading over and had been studying it for the past few months. A little younger, perhaps, than the image on file. He was holding his own dog, who seemed a bit agitated. Porthos, apparently named after a fictional character in the literature of Archer's home world.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but I think my dog is on your deck," Keyla said. She quickly scanned the inside for evidence that someone else might be staying there as well. There was no indication of such she could see.
Archer gestured to come inside. "Please."
Keyla entered the villa and moved over to the other dog. She had been training with this particular creature for months and was looking forward to finally being rid of it. "There you are," she said and picked up the dog. Keyla then turned to Archer. "I hope she didn't hurt…"
"Porthos," Archer replied. At least the dossier got that right.
"Hello, Porthos," Keyla directed the greeting at the other canine. And then referring to her own dog, "She's been cooped up for weeks. I should have known she'd run off the first chance she got."
"No harm done. She probably just came over to make a friend. I'm Jonathan."
"Keyla." That was easy enough. The inhabitants of Earth had a custom upon meeting. She reached out and the two of them shook hands. Now that his presence was verified, and by all appearance he was here alone, it was time to report back.
"So, is this your first time to Risa?" Archer asked.
"Yes. You?"
"First time. My science officer felt I needed to relax so I decided to do some reading, let Porthos run on the beach."
Ah, his science officer. Keyla knew all about her as well, and mention of her made Keyla reconsider her conclusion that Archer was here alone. She looked about discreetly again to ascertain if the science officer was also staying in the villa. From the dossier, Archer's science officer, T'Pol, was of a different species. A Vulcan, known for their logic and disciplined lifestyle. It's possible her presence wouldn't be immediately noticeable. Keyla's eyes spotted a closed bedroom door. T'Pol might be resting inside. She'd have to probe deeper. "You should always listen to your science officer."
"She'd be the first to agree with you. I was about to go out for dinner. Can you recommend a restaurant?"
"There's this little boat that sails into the bay every evening just after sunset. You wade out, and they serve seafood right off the deck."
"Sounds great."
It was time she was going. She needed to report to her superiors. When he left for dinner, she could observe the bay from her balcony to determine if T'Pol went with him or not. Better yet, she'd check again at the main office to see if T'Pol had checked in later. "Well, I'm sorry to disturb you. Thanks again."
"If you don't have other plans, maybe we could wade out to that little boat together."
This was a surprise. Did he sound eager to spend more time with her? That might change everything. "You're not here with your science officer?"
"No."
Even more surprising. According to the dossier, Archer and T'Pol would eventually marry. The details of the timing, however, were not entirely clear. And by the tone of his response, it was possible the two had not yet entered into a serious relationship. If Archer was attracted to her instead, as indeed appeared to be the case, this offered the perfect opportunity to gain his trust and gather the desired information. That damned dog might not have been necessary after all. "In that case," she began, but then quickly changed her mind. The last time she missed checking in with her superiors as required had been disastrous. There was still one more day and night, but she'd have to figure out a way to postpone their meeting until the following day. "Oh, no, I'm sorry. I can't tonight."
"Just a thought."
"Tomorrow?" Keyla asked innocently.
Archer seemed pleased. "I look forward to it."
"So do I." That wasn't too difficult. He was kind and approachable, and Keyla noted she felt an attraction as well. Without the science officer in the way, she could get close to Archer and get the information about the Temporal Cold War her superiors desired. Why were the Suliban interested in him anyway? More importantly were the questions about the Suliban themselves. Where did they come from and where do they live? Did he know where they hid their Helixes? What were they planning to do next? "Goodbye, Porthos," Keyla said. She decided to come back the next morning and suggest a walk with the dogs along the beach. The dog would be useful after all. She would get the answers to her questions when the time was right…
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THE END
Author's Note: So I rewatched the first season of Star Trek Enterprise and into the second season. This interchange between Archer and Keyla got me thinking about her offhand comment asking if Archer was there on Risa with his science officer. I wonder if they planned to bring Keyla back at some point in relation to the Temporal Cold War but never got around to it. Her final words to Archer, just after she drugs him by scratching him with her nail, was "I can't have you interfering." Hmmm. I always thought the Temporal Cold War was a bit muddled. Tried to fill in some details as well as add the A/TP angle…