Apologies for the late update, life's been busy lately.
Enjoy!
Chapter 10
(On Enterprise)
Archer was awoken that morning by Hoshi's urgent voice over the comm..
"It's Admiral Gardner sir, he's demanding to speak with you."
"Put him through."
Archer pulled a t-shirt over his head as he moved to his desk, rubbed his face a few times to wake up, and then switched on the consol. Admiral Gardner's face appeared, looking like thunder.
"Admiral-"
"Captain, the news has broken."
Now Archer was awake. "Sir?"
Admiral Gardner sighed, "Someone leaked the news about the Andreas girl to the press and now the whole world knows she's alive and that she's been on Andoria all along AND they know who's been raising her."
"Please tell me the family knew already?"
"We had informed her grandparents, but I don't think the rest of the family knew. Her grandparents wanted to see how things played out on your end before saying anything."
"Well… that's something I guess." Archer sighed, rubbing his face again. "What's the reaction been so far?"
"So far it seems people are just looking for more information about her. Is she healthy, has she been well treated, why didn't the Andorians say anything sooner? I think the fact that Shran is popular with the people has helped."
Popular was an understatement. Shran was the most popular alien on Earth –Archer had never actually told the Andorian out of fear of his ego –partly due to his aid in the Xindi crisis, partly due to his appearance. He was a hero on Earth, just as much as the crewmembers of Enterprise.
"Well at least everyone's concerned about her well being."
"For now. But you know as well as I do that since the Xindi attack there are plenty of xenophobes who will be furious that she was not returned to Earth at once. And I wouldn't be surprised if that question comes up among the more rational as the news sinks in. It's not invalid."
"They have laws-"
"I know that, you know that. But even if we explain that, it might not be enough."
Archer rubbed his face with one hand, then stared at the admiral. "What do you want me to do?"
"I think you need to really push for her to come to Earth."
"Sir, she really doesn't want to."
"I can understand that, but her family wants to meet her, and the world may need to see that she is healthy and well before it truly believes it. We can say it as much as we want and it won't be worth as much as seeing her for themselves."
"I can't force her to go. Quite honestly I won't force her to go."
"I don't want you to. But perhaps you could impress upon her how important this is. If we want this coalition to go forward we need Earth to not be arguing over whether the long lost Andreas child has been abused or not."
"I don't think that'll help."
"She needn't stay for long. At most a month. It can be less if she really doesn't wish to remain. Just make it sound like a holiday."
A holiday where she would be followed around by the press everywhere she went, thought Archer irritably. But he nodded.
"I will talk to her."
"Good. I trust you'll be able to sort this. Starfleet out."
The Starfleet insignia appeared in place of the Admiral and Archer slumped in his chair, groaned in frustration and looked at Porthos who seemed to give him a sympathetic look.
"Like we needed any more pressure in this thing."
(Andoria, Shaastheos Province, Zain City, Hvishrath Conglomerate)
Archer and Hoshi returned to the Hvishrath Conglomerate, mentally preparing themselves for the reactions of Shran, Raizel and the Clan. They were let in and found the right knoll without a guide, only to find Shran and Senkrad and several others all gathered together and having a hushed conversation. They looked around as Archer and Hoshi entered, falling quiet.
"You've heard." said Archer at once. Shran nodded,
"We understand that the general population is now aware of Raizel's location. Ambassador Thoris informed us a few hours ago."
"We're not sure yet how the news was leaked, but we will try to find out."
"What does that matter now?" asked one of the unfamiliar Andorians. He was tall and rather pale, projecting a strange intensity with his very presence. "What is of concern now is how the news is being taken. After all, if your people react with xenophobic aggression, we will not permit Raizel to leave the planet, no matter how vocal your people may be about it."
A zhen Andorian snorted, tossing her long hair over her shoulder, "Why Imos, I did not realise you concerned yourself with such base things anymore."
Imos did not look the slightest bit flustered, "There is nothing base about the Clan's safety."
Shran's antennae did a kind of circle, not unlike a human rolling their eyes. "Can we save the arguments about Imos' life-choice after we have decided if this situation is going to cause an inter-planetary incident?"
The zhen shrugged, "Don't we need the primary?"
"Raizel is getting changed."
"She's here?" asked Archer, feeling relieved.
"The primary emissary contacted the dominants of the Zain Collaboration and informed them of the situation. They felt it prudent for Raizel to return to the Conglomerate."
Archer decided not to ask. He was saved from needing to by Raizel's emergence from her room. She was pulling her hair out of her face, and seemed less moody than before.
"Ah, Raizel!" said the zhen.
"Lissiel!" Raizel went to the zhen and took her hands, "I thought you were in the Chotethaar Province, caring for one of your patients."
"I was, but he is recovering well, so I decided I had best return to the conglomerate and make sure no one was causing you problems."
Raizel lifted her chin, eyes soft in the light, "Gratitude Lissiel."
Lissiel smirked, "None required."
Raizel squeezed Lissiel's hands and then turned to Imos. She touched her shoulders, lifted her chin and then bent her knee in a kind of curtsey. "Whisperer to the Wanderers, I am grateful you have come to offer guidance."
Imos returned the gesture with fluid grace and said, "Of course."
"Yes, thank you for climbing out of your ice-coffin to offer light words." said Lissiel with a smirk. Imos ignored her in favour of resting his hand on Raizel's head for a moment before moving away and standing next to Senkrad.
Raizel inhaled deeply and turned to Archer and Hoshi, fixing them with a mature gaze, "So, I understand that my existence has been revealed to your world."
Archer did not miss her usage of 'your world'. "That's right. And I'm afraid it has caused a lot of waves."
"Why?"
"When you disappeared it affected the whole planet. You were the first child to be lost to space."
"And?"
"And that means that you're like… the figurehead for the dangers of space travel. Such feelings are only worse since the Xindi attack."
Raizel ran her teeth over her lips for a second, "I see. So no one is pleased by the news?"
"I wouldn't say that." said Hoshi quickly, "Many people are relieved that you are safe. But they would like proof."
"Proof? You mean you want me to go to Earth to prove I am unharmed."
"Well… if you were willing…?" said Archer carefully. Raizel tilted her head to the side, then stepped across the room to join Shran, slipping her hand around his arm.
"Willing?"
"We won't make you go. We don't want to make things difficult for you."
"Really? Hrm…" Raizel pursed her lips and looked at Shran, who met her gaze. The two seemed to have a silent conversation, antennae and faces twitching. Archer watched them, struck again by the similar bearing of the two. They looked nothing alike, and yet there was so much in Raizel that reminded him of Shran. She really was all Andorian. Archer wondered if her family would be able to accept that. He had heard a rumour that one of her uncles had been seen giving xenophobic speeches a few years ago.
"What does the Collaboration say?" asked Shran finally, shifting his arm so he could take her hand.
"They have ordered me to go. I will obey, even if I do not wish to go. Dominant Thaan Riril says that it would be worthwhile to experience my own culture, that it would be an extension of my liberation."
"Your Dominant Thaan is wise." said Imos, leaning on the counter behind him. "The whole point of the liberation is to explore yourself before your sublimation."
Archer wondered if the UT was damaged, the Andorians were making less sense.
"The law is clear though, Primaries are not to leave the planet –unless they are emissaries." said Senkrad.
"The Zain Collaboration has requested that I be named as such. With the Clan Leader's permission, I will be able to go to Earth."
"I will speak with them about going with you." said Shran.
"Do you think they will agree?" asked Lissiel, antennae arching back dubiously. For a moment Shran said nothing, in fact for a moment it was unclear if he had even heard the question. Then he looked at Lissiel and said in a cold voice,
"I do not care if they agree or not. I'll go either way. I am just giving them a way of saving their own pride."
As one it seemed all the older Andorians grimaced, like they were recalling bad memories. Shran rested his hand on the back of Raizel's neck and she stared up at him in awe.
"You'd disobey the Clan Leaders for me?" she asked, mouth hanging open. Shran looked at her with such a serious expression it gave Archer chills.
"Raizel, you are my sprog. Mine. I would give myself to the Orions to do what they do –even if I were bonded –if it would ensure your safety and joy. Never doubt that."
All the Andorians, and Raizel, shivered a little at the mention of the Orions, Raizel paling even more. In a jerk reaction she reached out and seized a hold of Shran's shirt, burying her face into his chest. Shran embraced her at once and buried his nose in her hair. Archer looked away, feeling as if he had intruded on something incredibly private. He glanced at Hoshi and saw she also looked embarrassed at her own presence. He could hear Raizel and Shran murmuring to each other, Raizel sounding choked and glanced at them. Raizel was staring up at her fa –corat with such awe and love that really struck home the fact that Raizel really loved Shran as her parent and any threat to this bond between them would be fought with everything they both had.
Archer tried to imagine if he had discovered his father had not been his biological father and someone had come to try to take him to meet his real father. The moment he imagined how he would have felt, he shook his head at how anyone could think tearing Raizel from Shran was a good idea.
Shran finally broke his gaze from Raizel's and looked at Archer with guarded eyes. "When do we leave?"
"When you're ready." said Archer at once, "I've made it clear to Starfleet I will not force you to go."
"How long will it take us to get to Earth?" asked Raizel, her fingers still buried in Shran's shirt.
"At warp 4 it'll take 68 days."
"Your ship can go at warp 5." said Shran carefully.
"Yes, but I see no reason to push the ship to its limits, besides which, I think taking some time to prepare Raizel for Earth would be beneficial. It'll give you time to ask any questions you might have, allow for any uneasy nerves to settle for everyone."
"I suppose I should make some sort of attempt to learn Human Standard." said Raizel carefully. "Corat has taught me some, but neither of us has had much time to apply ourselves."
Archer glanced at Shran in surprise, the Andorian shrugged, "I don't like Translators, I make a point of learning all alien languages I may need. After Weytahn, I realised you and I would probably meet again, so I ought to learn your language."
Senkrad and Lissiel both smirked, sharing looks with the two other Andorians who had remained silent and unnamed so far, who smirked back. Archer flushed as he realised they were clearly noting his decidedly lacking knowledge of Andorian… anything. He resolved to learn more as fast as he could, if nothing else, it would show respect.
"Where will they stay?" asked a chan who had so far been silent. He seemed to be the oldest in the room, and as he turned to look at Shran and Raizel, Archer noticed that there was something moving under his shirt on his back.
"On Enterprise?"
"No, on Earth?"
"I would imagine the Andorian Embassy will be fine."
"Who is the Ambassador to Earth? Or the Emissary?" asked the chan, his left antennae scooping the air as if to draw in questions.
Before anyone could answer, the door opened behind Archer and Hoshi. They looked around and moved aside as a shen walked in, looking grumpy.
"It's feeding time for the sprogs. You were to come back to me." she said to the chan who looked embarrassed.
"I am sorry rare-one." he said, then turned and put his back to her. The shen reached out and undid the back of his silk shirt, pulling it open and folding the material away. Archer was surprised to see the thick white-blonde fur on the chan's back. He was more surprised to see that there seemed to be six tiny Andorians clinging onto the fur. When they were exposed to the air they all began squeaking loudly.
"Come along sprogs. Your kika forgot all about your feeding." said the shen imperiously. She was pulling at her top, lifting it up and exposing her midriff, which was covered in the same blond fur. The chan shifted back so his back was pressed against the shen's front and he rubbed against her gently. After a moment the baby Andorians started clambering down the chan's back and grabbing at the shen's stomach fur. Once they had a grip, they pulled themselves to her, and clambered upwards, disappearing under the top. The squeaking stopped as the sixth one grabbed on and the shen pulled her top down, hiding the babies from view.
"There. Come and get them when they're done, Kelves." she said, frowning at the chan, Kelves.
"I will," sighed Kelves. The shen nodded and walked out without so much as glancing at Archer and Hoshi. All this had happened in just under a minute.
"I think it's Ambassador Thoris." said Shran as the door shut. Apparently what had just happened was commonplace.
"And the Emissary is from the Chotethaar Province." Raizel said.
"Close to the Danciad?"
"I don't know. All I was told was he would look out for me when I was on Earth." said Raizel.
Hoshi pulled out her translator and started fiddling with it. Archer figured it was because it had not translated the word 'Danciad'.
"Something wrong?" asked Shran, his voice accented as he switched from Andorian to English, catching Archer off guard.
"The translator doesn't recognise the word danciad." said Hoshi. Archer noted the blankness of the other Andorians who did not understand the language. But what was interesting was the faint look of recognition on Raizel's face. She was looking between Shran and Hoshi with narrowed eyes.
"The Danciad is the Imperial Clan." said Shran, his accent missing the emphasis on the middle of Imperial. Archer had noted that there was very little emphasis on Andorian words.
"Oh, right, of course. 'Rare family'." sighedHoshi, looking annoyedwith the device. "That shouldn't have been missed."
"And that is why I don't trust translators." said Shran, still in English. "I once got knifed by a Klingon because of it. Called him a coward by mistake."
Archer raised his eyebrows in alarm at the idea. Shran gave a half shrug of his antennae and turned to Raizel. "Come, we will speak with the Clan Leaders."
Raizel nodded, paling again as she grabbed for his shirt again. Shran covered her hand with his and stared into her green eyes carefully for a long moment. Raizel straightened up and nodded,
"Should I change?"
"Not a bad thought." said Senkrad.
"I suppose so." said Shran, sounding as if he could have cared less. "Captain, we will contact you when we have news. Thank you for coming."
Archer nodded, understanding they were being dismissed, "If we can do anything to make things easier…"
Shran nodded, still holding Raizel's hand to his chest. Archer gave the group a nod and turned, followed by Hoshi, and left the knoll.
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Night's Darkness
