Title: Discovery of the Spirit
Chapter: 1/? Author: Brutal Howell E-Mail: Brutal_howell@hotmail.com Rating: PG (Language).NC-17 stuff comes later Category: Romance/Angst/Drama/General Pairing: Archer/Original Character Summary: Archer reconnects with an angel from his past, And Trip knows her secrets. Archives: Anywhere, just ask first
Disclaimer: Archer and the crew of Enterprise belong to Paramount. Lt. Kathleen Kane is all mine (na-na). I make no profit from the borrowing of these fabulous characters. (Sadly, since my bank account could use more help than I can give it)
This is my first attempt at Fan-fic. I would appreciate any feedback you can give me. Good or bad.let me have it.
Discovery of the Spirit
By
Brutal Howell
Jonathan Archer was worried about his Chief Engineer. Enterprise still had needed repairs, and the list was no closer to completion than it was three days ago. He knew Trip restricted certain parts of the engine room to a select few.which probably meant he was doing most of the repairs himself. 'Enough of this,' Archer thought to himself. He went to the Comm panel. "Archer to Commander Tucker."
*Tucker Here*
"Trip, when's the last time you had any sleep?"
*Ummm.What day is this, Cap'n?*
That meant it had been days. As much as he wanted his ship in top condition, Captain Archer couldn't allow his Chief Engineer to keep killing himself like this.
"Call it a night, Trip. You need some rest."
*But.*
"That's an order, Commander," he smiled when he heard his friend's tired sigh.
*Yes, sir. Can I have 20 minutes to finish what I was workin' on?*
"Twenty minutes is all you have. I'll be in the Engine Room in 30. If you're still there when I arrive, I'll put you on Septic Duty for a month. Do I make myself clear, Commander?"
*Crystal, Cap'n. Tucker out.*
When Archer arrived in the Engine Room a half hour later, he was not prepared for what he found. The place was insane. He counted thirty-two engineers running from one part of Enterprise's warp engine to another. There was a woman standing in the center of the room barking orders.
"Damnit, Johnson! Get away from those Warp Coils! Ensign Marks, Find the Captain and let him know what happened to Commander Tucker!"
The woman's back was to the door, so she never saw Archer come in. Both the young ensigns snapped to attention when they saw him.
"What happened to Trip?!" he wanted answers, and he wanted them now. He felt guilty when he noticed that the woman flinched at his tone. When she turned, Archer felt like he had been punched in the gut. The Lieutenant before him was the most stunning woman he had ever seen. She had long, thick, flowing brown hair that had been carefully tied back. And he could feel himself drowning in her emerald-green eyes. He had to force himself back into the conversation.
"Captain Archer, sir. Trip was doing some work up on that walkway, there." She pointed up to one of the highest points in the room. "About ten minutes ago, he fell." She put her hand on his arm when she saw his eyes go wide. "He's fine, Captain. I just talked to Dr. Phlox. Trip has four broken bones in his right hand. Just bruises, other than that. Marks and I broke his fall." She explained. "Doctor cleared both of us." Archer felt the heat from under her hand. When he glanced at it, she pulled it away as if she'd been burned. "Sorry, sir."
"Not a problem. I'll be heading to sickbay. Walk with me Lieutenant.?" he trailed off, waiting for her name.
"Kane, sir. Lt. Kathleen Kane." She turned to the rest of the Engine Room. "We have a job to do people. I'll be back before long." She followed the Captain out. They didn't say a word until they got in the lift.
"Where are you from, Lieutenant?" Wherever it was, her accent was music to his ears.
"Ireland. I came over to San Francisco when I was fourteen. Probably the only reason you can understand me past the brogue." She gave him a self- deprecating smile and his heart damn near jumped out of his chest. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' Archer thought. 'I feel like I'm sixteen, and on my first date.' He counted his blessings when the lift stopped and they headed for sickbay. He felt like an idiot when he realized that he hadn't answered her.
"No, I like the brogue. I don't mean to sound cliché Lieutenant, but have we met before," he was shocked to see her blush. She was able to hide some of her nervousness when they entered sickbay and the Captain's attention was focused on Trip.
"We met once when I came on board, Captain." She mumbled before he walked to Trip's bedside. The injured man almost fell out of bed when he noticed Kathleen standing there. 'Don't say anything,' her eyes pleaded. Trip nodded his understanding.
"No More, Commander! No More pushing yourself to this point! I mean it. After that cast comes off, I'm restricting you to double shifts, 16 hours at the most!" Archer was pissed.
"Awww.Cap'n," It dawned on Trip that his whining sounded the same as his three-year-old nephew's. He had known Jonathan Archer long enough to realize that he had pushed it too far. He was genuinely mad. The Engineer knew that part of his friend's anger was coming from the fear of what COULD have happened. He nodded, conceding the argument. Dr. Phlox finally made his appearance.
"Ahh.Lt. Kane, back so soon?" the doctor really was too happy most of the time.
"I came with the Captain," she pointed in Archer's direction. 'Hang in there, kid,' Trip recognized that look in Kathleen. She was ready to bolt like a scared jackrabbit.
"Good, Captain. You're here. Well Commander, I regret to inform you that you are removed from active duty for at least four weeks," he just smiled.
"FOUR WEEKS?!" Trip, Kathleen and the Captain all asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid that those breaks are quite severe. Even with my treatments, it will still be four weeks before I would be comfortable clearing you for duty. Like it or not Commander, you have four weeks of rest and relaxation coming." Phlox and his damn smiling, Trip thought. He was gritting his teeth when he saw the Captain smiling too.
"That means you'll have to pick a temporary Chief Engineer. They'll do your job while you're laid up," he was enjoying this.
"Cap'n, do I hafta'?" Trip was whining again.
"You heard the doctor, four weeks. You have four broken bones in your right hand, you can't use it. And a one armed engineer is no good to Enterprise." Archer decided to try a different tactic. "Are you telling me that even though I let you hand-pick your entire engineering staff, you wouldn't trust one of them to look after Enterprise? Who keeps her going while you're asleep?" Trip sighed and pointed at Kathleen.
"She does," 'sorry, kid,' his eyes told her. She gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. He knew this would put her exactly in the position she didn't want to be. Jonathan Archer was not a stupid man. The more time he spent around her, the sooner he would figure it out - and he'd be furious at them both.
"Do you feel comfortable with Lieutenant Kane taking over for a few weeks?" Trip nodded. The shit had officially hit the fan.
"She's the only one I feel comfortable with," Archer turned to Kathleen.
"Well, how about it? Can you handle being Chief Engineer for a few weeks?" he was looking forward to working closer to the beautiful engineer. He made a mental note to go over her file later.
"Yes, sir. With your permission, I'd like to go break the news to the others. And get started on more of those repairs," she sounded different to Archer. But he couldn't place his finger on it. Trip, for his part, knew damned well that he had just started a head on collision. And no one knew what the outcome would be.
"Report to the Bridge at 0800. Dismissed," she left without another word. He had noticed the looks between Trip and Lt. Kane, now he wanted answers. "What aren't you telling me, Trip?"
"Just read her file, Jon. Then come see me," he headed for the door. "Am I good to go, Doc?"
"Yes, Commander. Captain Archer, is there a problem?" Once Trip disappeared into the hall, Archer focused his attention on the doctor.
"No. Keep me updated on the Commander's progress." And with that, he made a beeline to his quarters for a little reading.
Archer was shocked at the sheer size of the Lieutenant's file. It was all standard stuff until he got to page five. This was obviously what Trip wanted him to see.
Lt. Kathleen Kane, 31 years old. Born: Dublin, Ireland. PhD (2) from Trinity University, Ireland. Specialties in Engineering and Warp Theory. Moved to San Francisco at 14 to begin working on Starfleet Warp Engine - under the tutelage of Dr. Henry Archer. (See attached Commendations)
He slammed his fist into the tabletop. He did know her! He had to force his anger down before he continued.
After*Vulcan Attack, Lt. Kane entered Starfleet Academy. PhD (3) from Starfleet Academy, San Francisco. Specialties in Astrophysics, Warp Theory and Command. Assigned to Prometheus for one year.
He recognized the date she left The Prometheus.it was the day his father died.
Resumed work on Warp Engines at the request of Lieutenant Commander Charles Tucker III. Currently assigned to Enterprise NX-01 also at request of Commander Tucker.
Jonathan seethed. He was going to kill Trip. Or at least break his other arm. He called up her list of commendations. There were two from Admiral Forrest, and one from the Captain of the Prometheus.
Citation for Bravery, Citation for Actions Above & Beyond the Call of Duty: It was a dark day when forces, unbeknownst to us all, attempted to murder two of the very best Starfleet had to offer. These forces wanted to impede the progress of the human race. If it weren't for the heroics of this young girl, they would have succeeded. Kathleen Elizabeth Kane rushed to the aid of Dr. Henry Archer without a single thought to her own safety. Even though highly outnumbered, Kathleen stood her ground. Armed with nothing but a stick and a few rocks, she saved the life of Dr. Archer, and the future of our desires to explore the unchartered realm of space. (See attached Medical File) Kathleen Kane embodies what is best in our race, she has the heart of a lion and the soul of an explorer. Traits seen in one so young are rare. She is an example for all of us to live up to. I take great pride in welcoming Kathleen Kane - not only to Starfleet Academy, but also clearly to the ranks of the elite of the human race.
Archer recognized Forrest's letter for what it was: Political drudgery. Admiral Forrest was using the legitimate heroics of this woman to make himself - and Starfleet - look better. He was more interested in the next two letters.
From the Desk of Dr. Henry Archer: On October 9th, I treated my protégé to a dinner in honor of her birthday. As we were leaving the restaurant, we were attacked. I managed to push Kat down an alleyway and turned to confront our attackers. I was surprised to see three Vulcans wielding knives approximately 6 inches in length. I was hit from behind and knocked out. When I awoke, I found Kat bleeding profusely from knife wounds all over her body. along with the bodies of four dead Vulcans. I never received more than a bump on the head. Witnesses later told me that Kat had run back into the melee when I went down. She kept them from killing me with nothing but a stick and some rocks. Kathleen Kane has given me my life, and more time with my family. And I'll I can give her is a measly letter of commendation. I initially brought Kat to San Francisco to lend her expertise on our Warp Engine - and eventually, I was encouraging her to enter Starfleet. She is the most brilliant engineer I have ever seen. And the fact that she shows so much promise at such a young age only goes to show that my instincts were correct. And she will make a fantastic addition to any ship's engineering crew.
Archer couldn't help but smile over that. 'If you only knew, dad.'
In addition to her Engineering skills, this young girl is the truest person I have ever been blessed to meet. She cares deeply, but will not hesitate to stand her ground. She paid a heavy price through blood and pain to teach me that. And I will regret what she endured on my behalf, until the day that I die. To whichever of her Captain has the good fortune of this woman on your crew. You are blessed. I only hope you come to realize what a precious gem this woman is.
Sincerely, Henry Archer
"I don't, yet. But I intend to find out," Archer could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He remembered the summer his dad had told him he was hiring an engineering prodigy from Ireland. They had a pretty heated argument about it.
"Dad! Starfleet has plenty of good Engineers!"
"I know that! But not one of them is better than this kid," Henry archer had tried to hand his 25 year old son a few folders. "Here, have a look for yourself. I'd put Kat's work against any of your Starfleet engineers!"
He had stormed out without giving his dad the benefit of the doubt. He had stayed away as long as he knew his father's protégé was there. Until he received the call about the Vulcan assassination attempt on his father. Jon was stunned to learn that the young girl he hated so much was in a coma from fighting off the attackers. He was furious that Trip, of all people, would keep this woman's presence a secret from him. He pressed the Comm panel, "Archer to Commander Tucker,"
*Tucker Here*
He was a little pleased to hear the worry in Trip's voice.
"We have some things to talk about, Trip. You have two minutes to get to my quarters. Move it, Commander! Now!" at least Trip wouldn't wonder if he was angry or not. In less than a minute, Archer heard his door chime. He stomped over to it. "Get in here." He said through clenched teeth. Trip just stood as quiet as he could while Archer just paced in front of him. The Captain finally blew his top, and punched his Chief Engineer in the nose. Everything went white behind his eyes, and he felt his nose break. Archer grabbed a towel from his bathroom to staunch the flow of blood. "Why in the hell didn't you tell me who she was? Or that she was even on board?" Tucker just sat on the couch and held the towel to his nose.
"I didn't tell ya, cause Katie asked me not to," a broken nose. Damn, that was all he needed. 'Wait a minute' Trip thought. 'What's he getting so worked up for?' "You ever think she mighta' wanted to earn her spot here, on her own merits? And not have it given to her cause she saved your dad's life? I knew she was a damn good engineer!" He was starting to get defensive. "Hell, she knows just as much about these engines as I do." That caused Archer to get a hold of his temper.
"I'd like to think I would have been a little more professional than that," he'd like to.but he had to be honest with himself. "All right, Trip," he sighed, "You've gotten to know the Lieutenant pretty well. Do you think she'd talk to me?" he cleared his throat to try and cover some embarrassment. Trip couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's discomfort. If Jon was taking Enterprise away from him for a month, he might as well have some fun.
"If you're asking me if Lt. Kane would share her memories of your dad - I think she would. Only way to know for sure is to ask her yourself," he gave a wry smile. "Or I can go ask her," he headed for the door while silently counting in his mind: one. two. three.
"Ah, no. Actually, I think I should be the one to ask her. Trip stepped to the side to allow Archer to pass. A thought suddenly occurred to the Captain. "Uh, Trip?" Tucker had to laugh out loud.
"Why don't you wait until 1600? She does wind sprints on E Deck when she gets off duty. Just take a bit of advice, make sure to keep your head up once you get off the lift." Jon didn't understand the significance of the advice and just shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll be on the bridge until 1500," Trip saw Porthos come out from under the bed once Archer left.
"It's safe now, come on out," he looked down at the blood on the towel. "Chicken. Well, Porthos, Jon and Katie got some pretty big issues to settle between them." He patted the pup on the head, "You'll like Katie.and you know what? I gotta sneaky feelin' your daddy likes her already."
Chapter: 1/? Author: Brutal Howell E-Mail: Brutal_howell@hotmail.com Rating: PG (Language).NC-17 stuff comes later Category: Romance/Angst/Drama/General Pairing: Archer/Original Character Summary: Archer reconnects with an angel from his past, And Trip knows her secrets. Archives: Anywhere, just ask first
Disclaimer: Archer and the crew of Enterprise belong to Paramount. Lt. Kathleen Kane is all mine (na-na). I make no profit from the borrowing of these fabulous characters. (Sadly, since my bank account could use more help than I can give it)
This is my first attempt at Fan-fic. I would appreciate any feedback you can give me. Good or bad.let me have it.
Discovery of the Spirit
By
Brutal Howell
Jonathan Archer was worried about his Chief Engineer. Enterprise still had needed repairs, and the list was no closer to completion than it was three days ago. He knew Trip restricted certain parts of the engine room to a select few.which probably meant he was doing most of the repairs himself. 'Enough of this,' Archer thought to himself. He went to the Comm panel. "Archer to Commander Tucker."
*Tucker Here*
"Trip, when's the last time you had any sleep?"
*Ummm.What day is this, Cap'n?*
That meant it had been days. As much as he wanted his ship in top condition, Captain Archer couldn't allow his Chief Engineer to keep killing himself like this.
"Call it a night, Trip. You need some rest."
*But.*
"That's an order, Commander," he smiled when he heard his friend's tired sigh.
*Yes, sir. Can I have 20 minutes to finish what I was workin' on?*
"Twenty minutes is all you have. I'll be in the Engine Room in 30. If you're still there when I arrive, I'll put you on Septic Duty for a month. Do I make myself clear, Commander?"
*Crystal, Cap'n. Tucker out.*
When Archer arrived in the Engine Room a half hour later, he was not prepared for what he found. The place was insane. He counted thirty-two engineers running from one part of Enterprise's warp engine to another. There was a woman standing in the center of the room barking orders.
"Damnit, Johnson! Get away from those Warp Coils! Ensign Marks, Find the Captain and let him know what happened to Commander Tucker!"
The woman's back was to the door, so she never saw Archer come in. Both the young ensigns snapped to attention when they saw him.
"What happened to Trip?!" he wanted answers, and he wanted them now. He felt guilty when he noticed that the woman flinched at his tone. When she turned, Archer felt like he had been punched in the gut. The Lieutenant before him was the most stunning woman he had ever seen. She had long, thick, flowing brown hair that had been carefully tied back. And he could feel himself drowning in her emerald-green eyes. He had to force himself back into the conversation.
"Captain Archer, sir. Trip was doing some work up on that walkway, there." She pointed up to one of the highest points in the room. "About ten minutes ago, he fell." She put her hand on his arm when she saw his eyes go wide. "He's fine, Captain. I just talked to Dr. Phlox. Trip has four broken bones in his right hand. Just bruises, other than that. Marks and I broke his fall." She explained. "Doctor cleared both of us." Archer felt the heat from under her hand. When he glanced at it, she pulled it away as if she'd been burned. "Sorry, sir."
"Not a problem. I'll be heading to sickbay. Walk with me Lieutenant.?" he trailed off, waiting for her name.
"Kane, sir. Lt. Kathleen Kane." She turned to the rest of the Engine Room. "We have a job to do people. I'll be back before long." She followed the Captain out. They didn't say a word until they got in the lift.
"Where are you from, Lieutenant?" Wherever it was, her accent was music to his ears.
"Ireland. I came over to San Francisco when I was fourteen. Probably the only reason you can understand me past the brogue." She gave him a self- deprecating smile and his heart damn near jumped out of his chest. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' Archer thought. 'I feel like I'm sixteen, and on my first date.' He counted his blessings when the lift stopped and they headed for sickbay. He felt like an idiot when he realized that he hadn't answered her.
"No, I like the brogue. I don't mean to sound cliché Lieutenant, but have we met before," he was shocked to see her blush. She was able to hide some of her nervousness when they entered sickbay and the Captain's attention was focused on Trip.
"We met once when I came on board, Captain." She mumbled before he walked to Trip's bedside. The injured man almost fell out of bed when he noticed Kathleen standing there. 'Don't say anything,' her eyes pleaded. Trip nodded his understanding.
"No More, Commander! No More pushing yourself to this point! I mean it. After that cast comes off, I'm restricting you to double shifts, 16 hours at the most!" Archer was pissed.
"Awww.Cap'n," It dawned on Trip that his whining sounded the same as his three-year-old nephew's. He had known Jonathan Archer long enough to realize that he had pushed it too far. He was genuinely mad. The Engineer knew that part of his friend's anger was coming from the fear of what COULD have happened. He nodded, conceding the argument. Dr. Phlox finally made his appearance.
"Ahh.Lt. Kane, back so soon?" the doctor really was too happy most of the time.
"I came with the Captain," she pointed in Archer's direction. 'Hang in there, kid,' Trip recognized that look in Kathleen. She was ready to bolt like a scared jackrabbit.
"Good, Captain. You're here. Well Commander, I regret to inform you that you are removed from active duty for at least four weeks," he just smiled.
"FOUR WEEKS?!" Trip, Kathleen and the Captain all asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid that those breaks are quite severe. Even with my treatments, it will still be four weeks before I would be comfortable clearing you for duty. Like it or not Commander, you have four weeks of rest and relaxation coming." Phlox and his damn smiling, Trip thought. He was gritting his teeth when he saw the Captain smiling too.
"That means you'll have to pick a temporary Chief Engineer. They'll do your job while you're laid up," he was enjoying this.
"Cap'n, do I hafta'?" Trip was whining again.
"You heard the doctor, four weeks. You have four broken bones in your right hand, you can't use it. And a one armed engineer is no good to Enterprise." Archer decided to try a different tactic. "Are you telling me that even though I let you hand-pick your entire engineering staff, you wouldn't trust one of them to look after Enterprise? Who keeps her going while you're asleep?" Trip sighed and pointed at Kathleen.
"She does," 'sorry, kid,' his eyes told her. She gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. He knew this would put her exactly in the position she didn't want to be. Jonathan Archer was not a stupid man. The more time he spent around her, the sooner he would figure it out - and he'd be furious at them both.
"Do you feel comfortable with Lieutenant Kane taking over for a few weeks?" Trip nodded. The shit had officially hit the fan.
"She's the only one I feel comfortable with," Archer turned to Kathleen.
"Well, how about it? Can you handle being Chief Engineer for a few weeks?" he was looking forward to working closer to the beautiful engineer. He made a mental note to go over her file later.
"Yes, sir. With your permission, I'd like to go break the news to the others. And get started on more of those repairs," she sounded different to Archer. But he couldn't place his finger on it. Trip, for his part, knew damned well that he had just started a head on collision. And no one knew what the outcome would be.
"Report to the Bridge at 0800. Dismissed," she left without another word. He had noticed the looks between Trip and Lt. Kane, now he wanted answers. "What aren't you telling me, Trip?"
"Just read her file, Jon. Then come see me," he headed for the door. "Am I good to go, Doc?"
"Yes, Commander. Captain Archer, is there a problem?" Once Trip disappeared into the hall, Archer focused his attention on the doctor.
"No. Keep me updated on the Commander's progress." And with that, he made a beeline to his quarters for a little reading.
Archer was shocked at the sheer size of the Lieutenant's file. It was all standard stuff until he got to page five. This was obviously what Trip wanted him to see.
Lt. Kathleen Kane, 31 years old. Born: Dublin, Ireland. PhD (2) from Trinity University, Ireland. Specialties in Engineering and Warp Theory. Moved to San Francisco at 14 to begin working on Starfleet Warp Engine - under the tutelage of Dr. Henry Archer. (See attached Commendations)
He slammed his fist into the tabletop. He did know her! He had to force his anger down before he continued.
After*Vulcan Attack, Lt. Kane entered Starfleet Academy. PhD (3) from Starfleet Academy, San Francisco. Specialties in Astrophysics, Warp Theory and Command. Assigned to Prometheus for one year.
He recognized the date she left The Prometheus.it was the day his father died.
Resumed work on Warp Engines at the request of Lieutenant Commander Charles Tucker III. Currently assigned to Enterprise NX-01 also at request of Commander Tucker.
Jonathan seethed. He was going to kill Trip. Or at least break his other arm. He called up her list of commendations. There were two from Admiral Forrest, and one from the Captain of the Prometheus.
Citation for Bravery, Citation for Actions Above & Beyond the Call of Duty: It was a dark day when forces, unbeknownst to us all, attempted to murder two of the very best Starfleet had to offer. These forces wanted to impede the progress of the human race. If it weren't for the heroics of this young girl, they would have succeeded. Kathleen Elizabeth Kane rushed to the aid of Dr. Henry Archer without a single thought to her own safety. Even though highly outnumbered, Kathleen stood her ground. Armed with nothing but a stick and a few rocks, she saved the life of Dr. Archer, and the future of our desires to explore the unchartered realm of space. (See attached Medical File) Kathleen Kane embodies what is best in our race, she has the heart of a lion and the soul of an explorer. Traits seen in one so young are rare. She is an example for all of us to live up to. I take great pride in welcoming Kathleen Kane - not only to Starfleet Academy, but also clearly to the ranks of the elite of the human race.
Archer recognized Forrest's letter for what it was: Political drudgery. Admiral Forrest was using the legitimate heroics of this woman to make himself - and Starfleet - look better. He was more interested in the next two letters.
From the Desk of Dr. Henry Archer: On October 9th, I treated my protégé to a dinner in honor of her birthday. As we were leaving the restaurant, we were attacked. I managed to push Kat down an alleyway and turned to confront our attackers. I was surprised to see three Vulcans wielding knives approximately 6 inches in length. I was hit from behind and knocked out. When I awoke, I found Kat bleeding profusely from knife wounds all over her body. along with the bodies of four dead Vulcans. I never received more than a bump on the head. Witnesses later told me that Kat had run back into the melee when I went down. She kept them from killing me with nothing but a stick and some rocks. Kathleen Kane has given me my life, and more time with my family. And I'll I can give her is a measly letter of commendation. I initially brought Kat to San Francisco to lend her expertise on our Warp Engine - and eventually, I was encouraging her to enter Starfleet. She is the most brilliant engineer I have ever seen. And the fact that she shows so much promise at such a young age only goes to show that my instincts were correct. And she will make a fantastic addition to any ship's engineering crew.
Archer couldn't help but smile over that. 'If you only knew, dad.'
In addition to her Engineering skills, this young girl is the truest person I have ever been blessed to meet. She cares deeply, but will not hesitate to stand her ground. She paid a heavy price through blood and pain to teach me that. And I will regret what she endured on my behalf, until the day that I die. To whichever of her Captain has the good fortune of this woman on your crew. You are blessed. I only hope you come to realize what a precious gem this woman is.
Sincerely, Henry Archer
"I don't, yet. But I intend to find out," Archer could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He remembered the summer his dad had told him he was hiring an engineering prodigy from Ireland. They had a pretty heated argument about it.
"Dad! Starfleet has plenty of good Engineers!"
"I know that! But not one of them is better than this kid," Henry archer had tried to hand his 25 year old son a few folders. "Here, have a look for yourself. I'd put Kat's work against any of your Starfleet engineers!"
He had stormed out without giving his dad the benefit of the doubt. He had stayed away as long as he knew his father's protégé was there. Until he received the call about the Vulcan assassination attempt on his father. Jon was stunned to learn that the young girl he hated so much was in a coma from fighting off the attackers. He was furious that Trip, of all people, would keep this woman's presence a secret from him. He pressed the Comm panel, "Archer to Commander Tucker,"
*Tucker Here*
He was a little pleased to hear the worry in Trip's voice.
"We have some things to talk about, Trip. You have two minutes to get to my quarters. Move it, Commander! Now!" at least Trip wouldn't wonder if he was angry or not. In less than a minute, Archer heard his door chime. He stomped over to it. "Get in here." He said through clenched teeth. Trip just stood as quiet as he could while Archer just paced in front of him. The Captain finally blew his top, and punched his Chief Engineer in the nose. Everything went white behind his eyes, and he felt his nose break. Archer grabbed a towel from his bathroom to staunch the flow of blood. "Why in the hell didn't you tell me who she was? Or that she was even on board?" Tucker just sat on the couch and held the towel to his nose.
"I didn't tell ya, cause Katie asked me not to," a broken nose. Damn, that was all he needed. 'Wait a minute' Trip thought. 'What's he getting so worked up for?' "You ever think she mighta' wanted to earn her spot here, on her own merits? And not have it given to her cause she saved your dad's life? I knew she was a damn good engineer!" He was starting to get defensive. "Hell, she knows just as much about these engines as I do." That caused Archer to get a hold of his temper.
"I'd like to think I would have been a little more professional than that," he'd like to.but he had to be honest with himself. "All right, Trip," he sighed, "You've gotten to know the Lieutenant pretty well. Do you think she'd talk to me?" he cleared his throat to try and cover some embarrassment. Trip couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's discomfort. If Jon was taking Enterprise away from him for a month, he might as well have some fun.
"If you're asking me if Lt. Kane would share her memories of your dad - I think she would. Only way to know for sure is to ask her yourself," he gave a wry smile. "Or I can go ask her," he headed for the door while silently counting in his mind: one. two. three.
"Ah, no. Actually, I think I should be the one to ask her. Trip stepped to the side to allow Archer to pass. A thought suddenly occurred to the Captain. "Uh, Trip?" Tucker had to laugh out loud.
"Why don't you wait until 1600? She does wind sprints on E Deck when she gets off duty. Just take a bit of advice, make sure to keep your head up once you get off the lift." Jon didn't understand the significance of the advice and just shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll be on the bridge until 1500," Trip saw Porthos come out from under the bed once Archer left.
"It's safe now, come on out," he looked down at the blood on the towel. "Chicken. Well, Porthos, Jon and Katie got some pretty big issues to settle between them." He patted the pup on the head, "You'll like Katie.and you know what? I gotta sneaky feelin' your daddy likes her already."