MEETINGS AND GREETINGS

Earth, Star date 2157, July 7th

"Trip could you come to my ready room, please?"

"Sure Captain, I'll be right there."

Jon turned away from the comm. and sighed, he went to his window; they were in the space dock orbiting over earth, it was good to be home again. The doorbell beeped and he called out for Trip to come in,

"What's up captain?" Trip asked as he stepped through the threshold.

"Starfleet has accepted your request to transfer to the Columbia." He said as he handed him the PADD, Trip took it and studied it quietly

"Has there been any word about my replacement yet, 'cos I was about to recommend-

"Admiral Gardner seems to have found someone who he thinks maybe almost as good as you, I'm meeting them this afternoon," he looked at his watch, "in an hour. Damn, I'd better get down there." He said as he grabbed his jacket. He headed for the door and turned to Trip, "You are not leaving for about a week, so we'll have a party. I'll get Hoshi to plan it, probably on the night before we get off this hunk of metal." He waved and went out the door.

Rhiannon was late, her bike thundered through the streets, all anyone saw pass by was a blue steak, she was pushing her bike to the limit. Starfleet loomed in front of her, she had to slow down now; she parked her bike and raced to the ladies' room, threw off her riding clothes and put on her Starfleet duds, put her very long white hair in an elaborate knot, slapped on some ice pink gloss, dusted her self down and stepped out headed for Admiral Gardener's office. She sat in a chair in the outside office and waited; soon after she was called in.

She came out feeling exhausted, she did not understand why she was interviewed anyway and it was obvious the captain was not keen on it. She headed for the garden and sat at the fountain, she looked up, held her hand up to shield her eyes form the sun, a habit she'd gotten into trying to blend in; out there in the deep black were home and Lillith. To Rhiannon, this interview had been like a prayer answered, yes she had passed the tests but to be picked…she could build and fix anything from wooden sailing ship to star ships, planes, trains and automobiles but she had held back so she would not be noticed seen as different only as that girl with white hair. She sighed and picked up her bag, it was time to go home and rest. She returned to her apartment and packed some of her things and took a shuttle pod to London, then drove from her London apartment to her house in the country, it was nightfall the next day when she reached her house, she'd only bought the house a few years ago it was a five bedroom cottage, she did not need that much space but she liked big houses, and this one had a pool and a garden.

Jon had returned to the ship hours before, was in his room thumbing through a book when the door bell rang

"Come,"

The door slid open and T'Pol entered

"Good evening Captain,"

"'Evening T'Pol, is something wrong?"

"No, I only came to ask how your meeting with Admiral Gardener went."

"Great actually, she was very good."

"She…?"

"Yes, she. The Admiral's candidate was a she, is there a problem?"

"No, I just never thought, it would be a woman."

"Yeah, me either. Lieutenant Commander Rhiannon Worth, she graduated two years after Trip"

"So, are you going to take her?"

"I don't know but I was thinking it was time for a new face or faces depending on who's leaving."

"The Commander leaving has saddened you, unfortunately it's my fault."

"I don't want to talk about whose fault it is. If Trip could not handle his emotions that is his..." After a moment's pause, "Maybe we should take Worth; they did say she was good."

Back flip, back flip, in air round house kick, perfect on toes landing, return to defensive stance. She had been at this all day. Her neighbour and very good friend Elena Wainright watched from the safety of a lounger on the patio outside the converted dining room,

"You know, I think you are going to tear a muscle or pull a ligament if you keep doing move like that. You should come out here and it's a sunny day thank goodness"

Rhiannon stopped to look at her friend, the sun did look inviting as it streamed through the glass roof of the over the pool, maybe she should take a swim instead

"I've been doing this all my life and that's about," over a thousand years, "twenty one years and-

"Yada, yada, yada…heard it all before."

She stepped unto the patio, "You should wear this out sometime." Rhiannon looked down at her white body suit

"No thanks, I'd look like some alien just off the mother ship."

"Is that a bad thing. Besides you don't need any help with that, with that white hair of yours. Have you ever thought of dyeing it?"

"I dyed it black once, it looked grey; I had to shave my head after that and the other colours did not stay in."

Elena laughed, Rhiannon picked up a remote control and pressed a button and rock music came blaring out,

"I don't know how you stand this ruckus, I don't understand how anybody could stand it, they must have been deaf in the twenty-first century."

"I like twenty first century music, so much angst, comedy, love, sadness joy and most of all angst."

"Angst, violence what's the difference. All that 'angst' was what caused that war."

"Elena, it was bound to happen, without that war we wouldn't have this, destruction breeds creation and evolution, one of the laws of nature. Just like humans will eventually be destroyed to make way for something else."

"Yeah, whatever."

Rhiannon only ignored her "Now most people listen to jazz and classical, just history repeating if you ask me."

"What do you mean?"

"Fashion, music, way of life. Just repeats it self in cycles, which can be very long or short, it matters not."

"When did you become the great philosopher."

"What?!"

"Oh Great Confucius Rhiannon."

"What?! What in the galaxy's name are you talking about?"

"Speaking of the galaxy, you've not told me how your interview went?

"Good I suppose, though Captain Archer did not seem as enthused about my applying for the post as Admiral Gardener."

"Captain Archer?! Is he as handsome as he looks on TV?"

"Definitely."

"I don't think you should be worried, you get the post."

"I hope so." She said as she took a dive in to the pool.

A few houses down the road, Raexs stood at the balcony of his house looking at the stars, there was a stir in the air around him and a presence filled the room. Lillith of Parvessee, the last of her kind. She was tall, her green hair pale with age trailed in a braid down her back to the floor, she wore baggy dark brown trousers and matching jacket under which she wore a white body suit, on her waist hung a sword in its gold and lapis lazuli braid scabbard and on the other side a particle gun. She had pale green eyes and a purple jewel was embedded in her forehead. Lines of worry marred her face as she asked

"How is she, Raexs?"

"She's fine. Don't worry Lillith, I would not let any harm come to her that's what you pay me for."

"What's happening with her now?"

"She applied for a job on Enterprise as chief engineer,"

"She wants to return to space."

"Should I stop it?"

"No. maybe this is good, whoever is commandeering this incidents will not expect it."

"Will you be telling the council she is returning to space?"

"No, and I advise you not too, agents of the Dalaedyth with want to stop her. I must be off now good business waits for no one." Lillith said as she stood upright and she kissed Raexs on the head and gave him a black card,

"All yours. That should keep you for a while."

"I don't need it; the last one you gave me has not been used up." She shook her head and tucked the card in his pocket, and patted him,

"You are guarding the most precious thing in my life, believe me it's worth it."

A bright light came from within her and engulfed her and in a blink she was gone.

Rhiannon was dozing she was lying in a lounger on her balcony looking out to the city, air traffic was increasing with the increasing popularity of shuttle pods, making it hard to sunbathe in peace. Her phone rang; she got off her chair and sauntered to the phone,

"Hello,"

"Lieutenant Commander Worth, this is Captain Archer."

"Good evening, Captain."

"I've decided to accept you for the post of chief engineer."

Rhiannon was stunned; she had totally given up on being accepted.

"Lieutenant, are you okay?"

"Yes…no, I'm just so surprised."

"You didn't think you'd get the post?"

"With all due respect Captain, you did not seem interested during my interview."

That was odd and he'd thought he was putting on an interested face, he supposed his worry about Trip was seeping through, Admiral Gardener sure did not notice.

"I apologise, my first officer and I reviewed the candidates that were on my mind from the engineering crew on board and we decided to take you. Given that fact you've not been in space, you have a good working record."

"Thank you, when do you need me to start?"

"I'd like you to over see the ship's refit, you'll be joining the skeleton crew in three days. I want updates as soon as possible

Three months later,

October 12, 2157

Jon got out of the shuttle-pod in bay 1, Rhiannon was waiting for him, she stood on the ramp 'till he reached her and she followed him out of the shuttle bay,

"Good afternoon Captain, I trust your holiday was good." She greeted as she handed him a PADD.

He watched her through the corner of his eyes as he read the contents of the PADD; she was formal and terse much worse than Malcolm in the first year,

She reeled off on the things that had been taken care, without looking at him, he thought in dismay that he had to break open another person from a shell, he hoped that she'd relax sometime soon.

After he looked around the ship. He went back to his room, and spent the rest of the day there looking at through the reports. Doctor Phlox came on board and he went to say hello, they talked for a while and he went back to his ready room, he liked being on board earlier than the rest of the crew, because he could dress casually and walk around his ship bare foot.

That night he took his bottle of whiskey with him to the observation lounge, and began the process of drinking on his own, he only intended to have a glass or two and watch the Earth rotate but two glasses became four and on and on, 'till he was drunk

"Captain…? Captain Archer...?" The voice was soft and quiet he turned towards the voice and all he saw was a blurred form in white. It was late and Rhiannon had come to the observation deck to read like she had gotten used to doing in the few months when she found the captain in a stupor. She looked at him and decided to drag him to his room, he was tall not overly large she'd make it without falling over herself,

"Alright," she said as she put his arm around her shoulders and pulled him up.

"Are you an angel?"

"An angel…?" Rhiannon smiled to herself, he was deliriously drunk, "Nope I'm not an angel."

"Who are you, then? I think you are 'cos you are all dressed in white."

"My hair gives that illusion to many a drunken sailor. Besides angels don't have white hair, they are like humans but with wings"

"How do you know that?

"I don't know... it's just a thought I suppose."

"If not and angel then a siren, maybe? A space siren: here to lead me and my ship to our doom in a cluster of black holes."

"If you put it that way, I think I like being an angel more than a siren."

Jon tried to search his foggy mind but he couldn't come up with anyone he knew with white hair, so he figured it was a dream. They reached his room and he gave her his key code, the door opened and she dragged him to his bed but he pulled her down with him,

"Stay," he said softly

"I would but you wouldn't like me tomorrow."

"Who cares about tomorrow?"

"You more than anybody I know." She said as she began to pull away, she didn't need her telepathy to know what he wanted but he pulled her back as she tried to get away and turned so he was on top of her,

"Please stay," he said before he kissed her

"But Captain I don't think this is wise." She said breathlessly, his need was overwhelming her but he thought she was a dream, but did she really want to fight him or did she want to stay?

"I'm not feeling the need to be wise right now" he replied as he trailed kisses down her neck, all he was thinking about was how great she smelled so different from T'Pol, for a dream she felt so real.

She decided this really did not need to get any worse, she psychokinetically lifted him off her and she touched his temple lightly and he fell asleep. Then she plunged into his mind. His was not the first mind she had entered; she noticed that minds had similar themes, earth, fire, wind, water. His was water; she saw a lighthouse in the distance, she skimmed the water wanting to savour the coolness. When she reached the light house, she propelled herself to the top. She looked out in the distance, she saw cliffs tall ones, she smiled to herself, a non telepath still protecting his heart from the outside world with towering cliffs and dark trenches. She turned to the task at hand; she did not want to stay long. She found what she was looking for, a box materialised in her hands and she locked it in, with three runic dials, and then flung it out into the ocean. She watched it sink; when she was satisfied she left. She tucked him in and went to get his bottle and put it back in its place.

Jon woke up, his head groggy from last night's drinking, he frowned the last thing he remembered was moping in the D-deck observation lounge, he tried hard to remember how he got to his room but there was nothing. Hopefully he made it to his room without embarrassing himself, especially with the new engineer; he really did not want her to think he was an alcoholic.