Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters, only my OC - Kaitlyn Donovan.
This story is the sequel to All's Fair in Love and War.
Query: What sacrifices must be endured by those that secure our freedom?
Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, bina W, and IrishBug74, LoyaulteMeLie, and Lupinesence for the reviews, and to everyone that is following this story and adding it to their favorites.
The Price of Freedom
Chapter 3
0658 - Starfleet Weapons R&D facility
Captain Kaitlyn Donovan came into the secured lab and found Admiral Gardner and Commander Morrison already delving into the latest device recovered. "You're here early, Admiral." she gave him a small smile as she approached.
Admiral Sam Gardner stood up from his hunched over position, "Unlike you, I need a bit of a tutoring session before we just dive in to all of the details."
She nodded to Commander Morrison, "Good morning, Commander."
"Morning, Ma'am. Shall we begin?" Morrison suggested. He waited for her to move closer to the table the device was splayed open on. "This one was built the same as the other two. Obviously, you had a secondary trigger that's needed for these to go off. I'm not sure why they haven't figured that out yet."
Sam Gardner frowned, "Then, these devices would never work without the secondary trigger?" he questioned.
Kaitlyn nodded. "Theoretically, yes. But, they could be deactivated and then the element for the secondary trigger could be taken out, then it could be re-activated. The hardest part for them would be to deactivate it in the first place. It would be easier, and safer for them to just build another device."
"And what kind of destruction would one of these devices cause?" Gardner questioned.
"If it was placed at a structural support, it could definitely take down a few floors." Morrison pointed out.
Gardner frowned as he looked over Kaitlyn, "And you don't remember who you built these for, or how many?" he questioned her softly.
She shook her head. She wished she remembered, because then she'd know who to go after.
Morrison glanced between the two officers, "Well, at least we don't have to worry about these three devices anymore. We've deactivated them and will keep them in the secured storage. Since we know the design, and if another one shows up, we can deactivate it fairly quickly." he reassured the Admiral.
Admiral Sam Gardner sighed softly, "No latent prints, or any indications on where it's been, or who had it?"
Kaitlyn knew the answer before Morrison said anything. There would be no evidence on it, except that it was made by her. Was someone was trying to use her devices against her? She wasn't even sure if these people knew who really built the devices - she had been undercover at the time. She didn't think the Section would be behind this, because if they wanted her dead they would be a bit more direct. She could ask Harris about it, but then that would open a whole can of worms. She would be pulled back in, and she didn't want that. She was sure Harris knew about these three devices. He always knew. She sighed softly and turned her attention back to the two men in the room with her.
"Do you know where it was transported in from?" Gardner questioned.
Kaitlyn nodded, "We've already located the place and gone over it. I have a team investigating who rented the facilities now." she explained.
"I don't suppose there's too much more we can do right now. Thank you, Commander." Gardner shook the man's hand and indicated for Kaitlyn to go out the door first.
They stepped out of the building, "Care for some coffee, Captain?" he offered.
"Sounds good." Kaitlyn nodded as they headed for the Officer's Club.
They sat down at one of the tables near the glass windows and their coffees were quickly brought out to them.
"Do you want anything to eat?" he offered.
Kaitlyn shook her head, "I've already eaten, but thank you for the offer, Admiral."
He tilted his head slightly as he set his cup back down, "I thought we agreed to use first names with each other?"
She raised an eyebrow, "When we are alone, Admiral. This is hardly the place for casual conversation." she pointed out. When they had started this investigation, he'd suggested they call each other by their first name - it's not like they hadn't a few years ago, he'd been quick to point out to her. She'd agreed only because it was when they'd been working together in his office.
He shrugged, "Then how about we go to dinner tonight?"
Kaitlyn took a long sip of her coffee. "I already have dinner plans tonight, but I could do lunch tomorrow." she countered.
Sam Gardner watched her carefully, then smiled. "Lunch it is." He glanced around the room casually and took in all of the Starfleet Officers in the room, then put his focus back on her. He wondered if anyone else saw her the same way he did. She was far more intelligent than she presented herself. She was a masterful leader in the MACOs and able to oversee multiple operations at the same time. He didn't think anyone knew her like he did. He looked up as a shadow fell over their table.
She quickly stood up when Admiral Stevens stopped at their table. "Good morning, Admiral."
Stevens nodded to her, then Gardner. "Got a few minutes, Donovan? I need to go over a few things with you before the debriefings."
"Of course, Admiral." Donovan turned to Gardner, "Excuse me, Admiral."
Sam Gardner smiled tightly. He watched as they walked away and headed out.
Captain Donovan walked with Admiral Stevens along the path to Starfleet Headquarters. "Is there something else I need to be looking for during the debriefings?" she inquired. She'd thought they'd gone over everything.
Stevens glanced at her and shook his head, "No, not really. You looked very uncomfortable with Admiral Gardner."
Kaitlyn frowned, "I did not realize I was becoming that easy to read." She'd have to re-evaluate her expressions and the way she held herself.
"You're not. But, I've noticed that you take a long sip of a drink when you have to answer something you don't want to. What did he ask you?" Stevens questioned.
She cleared her throat, "He invited me to dinner." she kept her focus forward.
Admiral Stevens stopped.
She stopped and looked at him questionably.
"I thought you'd told him you weren't interested." Stevens knew she was uncomfortable working with Gardner, she'd told him a few months ago. If Sam Gardner wouldn't take no for an answer from her, he would take him off the investigation. He would not put up with any form of harassment.
"I did tell him and I will remind him again at lunch tomorrow." Kaitlyn stated.
Admiral Stevens frowned and shook his head, "You shouldn't have to keep reminding him. I know you want to handle the situation yourself - but if he doesn't stop tomorrow, I'm taking him off of the investigation." They started walking again and he noted that her shoulders relaxed a bit. "So, did your meeting with Ambassador Soval go well yesterday?"
"The Ambassador is very focused on the Enterprises' encounter with the Seleya. I do not think he will go easy on Captain Archer." she explained.
Stevens nodded slowly as he took in this information. "I may need you to make him see reason." He knew she had a way of getting through to the stubborn Vulcan Ambassador.
"If you need me to, I will." she glanced up and saw a few of her MACOs on look out on the roof of Starfleet Headquarters. "If you'll excuse me, Admiral - I need to give out a few more directions to my unit in light of what happened last night."
"Of course. I'll see you in the Conference Room, Captain." Admiral Stevens acknowledged as he looked over the crowd forming in front of the gates to Starfleet. He had no doubt that she and her unit had everyone's safety well at hand. He turned and headed inside.
XXXXX
Captain Donovan stood on the roof and looked through her binoculars at the crowd gathering outside the gates. "Tebbe, we need to keep an eye out for any problems. Have our people take pictures of everyone that comes and goes from the crowd and run them through facial recognition of known Terra Prime members. If we get a hit, have a team ready to follow them and see where they go." she directed as she lowered the binoculars.
The young Lieutenant nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."
She glanced at Robbins, "Have most of the Enterprise crew headed out?" she inquired.
"All of them except the Senior Officers. Our teams all check in a regular intervals, everyone is doing fine." Lieutenant Robbins confirmed as he glanced at his PADD with all of the updates.
Donovan glanced up and saw the two Enterprise shuttles coming in for their landings. "Notify me if anything comes up." she said as she started heading for the stairs.
"Aye, Ma'am." they both acknowledged, then turned their focus back on the crowds.
XXXXX
Admiral Stevens listened as Lieutenant Reed was questioned by Admiral Gardner. He glanced to the left. He had purposefully had Captain Donovan sitting where she could see both the person being debriefed and the Admirals. Captain Donovan was very adept at reading people. She could pick up on their slight nuisances, facial expressions, and they way they held themselves. It was growing late into the afternoon, and she'd only had to glance down at her PADD a few times throughout all of the debriefings. They'd already briefed Sato, Mayweather, Phlox, Tucker, and T'Pol. They had decided to debrief Reed last since they had a lot of security and tactical questions to ask him. They were almost finished for the day.
"Did you agree with Captain Archer's decision to deceive Degra into revealing where the weapon was being built?" Gardner questioned Reed.
"We were to the point that we knew the weapon was nearing completion and we had to locate it in order to stop its launch. There are times which subterfuge is necessary - this was one of those times." Lieutenant Malcolm Reed stated calmly.
"What about the Osaarian pirate named Orgoth, did you agree with Captain Archer throwing him into the airlock and the oxygen taken out?" Gardner asked.
Lieutenant Reed watched Admiral Gardner carefully, "Sir, with respect, you are asking me to question my Captain's actions. A man who led us into the Expanse with no knowledge of where we needed to go. We located the weapon and we stopped it from destroying Earth. Are you asking me if we shouldn't have done everything we could to save Earth?"
Kaitlyn Donovan smiled inwardly. Reed had done a very good job at realizing that if Gardner was allowed to keep questioning every move they made in the Expanse, they'd be here all night. He was effectively bringing it to the attention of the other Admirals to step in.
Admiral Stevens nodded, "You have made a valid point, Lieutenant Reed. Everything the crew on the Enterprise did was to that end - save Earth, and we thank you. I think that will be all, Lieutenant Reed." He stood up and the others followed suit.
Kaitlyn watched as Reed left and Gardner kept his gaze firmly fixed on the man until he was out of sight. Was he purposefully trying to goad Reed? She walked over to Admiral Stevens as he indicated for her to come speak to him.
"Anything?" Stevens questioned.
"Nothing from the crew - their accounts are in line with all of the logs. Some of the Admirals on the other hand. . ." she frowned.
Stevens raised an eyebrow and waited for her to explain.
"Black is very uncomfortable with Vulcans, and for some reason which I haven't figured out yet, Gardner is trying to get people to speak out against Archer." Kaitlyn stated.
Admiral Stevens waited until the room cleared out, then looked at her squarely, "You know that Gardner was in competition with Archer for the Enterprise." he pointed out.
"Yes, Sir. I also know that the Vulcans had wanted him to be the Captain of the Enterprise. Does he think by discrediting Archer now, that he can become Captain? That doesn't makes sense." she shook her head.
"Maybe it's just to discredit Archer. Well, we'll find out soon enough." Stevens sighed. "Ambassador Soval will be here tomorrow. He is being allowed to ask a few questions to Archer on behalf of Vulcan."
Kaitlyn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. If Captain Archer could keep his cool and not become emotional, everything should go fine. But, Archer wasn't known to be unemotional around Vulcans.
"Have a good evening, Captain. See you tomorrow." Stevens headed out.
She smiled softly, then headed off to pick up the dinner order she'd placed earlier today. She needed to cheer up a friend.
XXXXX
Kaitlyn smiled as she exited the shuttle and saw Doctor Phlox's huge grin as he approached the shuttle.
"I'm so glad you decided to come and visit." Phlox took the large sack from her. His grin got even wider, "You didn't tell me you were bringing dinner."
She shrugged, "I heard you missed out going to Madame Chang's for dinner."
Phlox's smile dimmed, "Yes, well . . . I thought it was best not to stir up any trouble." He'd been saddened when his presence last night had caused such a problem at the bar. "Why don't we go to the Mess Hall?" he suggested.
"Lead the way." Kaitlyn waved.
They had their pick of tables, the place was deserted. She began spreading out all of the containers over the table, as Phlox got them each a glass of water.
They sat down and started passing the various containers between each other.
"Where will you be going for your leave?" she asked him as he opened his container of egg drop soup.
"I will stay here. I have plenty of research to keep me busy." Phlox stated.
"You don't want to make a trip home?" she questioned him gently.
Phlox shrugged, "I would be spending most of my time on a transport back and forth. I'll wait. Besides, this will allow me time to catch up with all of my correspondence." he smiled wanly.
Kaitlyn nodded as she took a bite of her egg roll. She glanced at the door as Captain Archer entered the Mess Hall and ordered a drink. He noticed them and came over slowly.
Phlox was focused on his soup and did not notice the Captain's approach. "I was surprised that my quick debriefing this afternoon didn't even inquire about Sim."
"I'm sure it's because if they don't mention it on the debriefing, it can't be made public." Archer stated. He was glad to hear that they hadn't questioned the Doctor about Sim. It was still a topic that he hadn't even been able to talk to Trip about. He gave Kaitlyn a small smile, "How have you been, Captain?"
"Very well, Sir. Please, sit down and join us. There's plenty." she offered.
"I don't want to intrude." Jonathon Archer shook his head.
Phlox scoffed, "You're not intruding, Captain. Besides, I think you'd have to eat re-sequenced food if you don't take us up on our offer."
Jonathan Archer smiled again and sat down, "It does smell really good." he admitted. He nodded his thanks as they handed him a plate and various containers. "So, do you think the debriefings are going well?" he asked Donovan.
"I believe they are." she stated, then started to eat. She contemplated for a moment on whether she should tell him more. She gently dabbed her lips and looked at him squarely, "Ambassador Soval will be questioning you about the encounter with the Seleya."
Jonathon Archer put his fork down and took a sip of his tea. "There was nothing we could do for them." he finally said.
"I know that - and everyone debriefed over it has said the same thing. You must make the Vulcans understand the situation logically and not get emotional." she advised him.
Archer rolled his eyes, "I'll try to contain my emotions." He let out a slow breath and started eating again.
She knew how deeply upset he was over the situation. "Just stick with the facts." she suggested.
Archer nodded and looked up as Lieutenant Reed entered the Mess Hall.
Malcolm Reed got a cup of hot tea and came over to their table at Doctor Phlox's waving. "Can I help you, Doctor?" he asked.
"Please, come join us." Phlox invited him.
Malcolm didn't want to intrude, but he didn't want to be rude. Captain Donovan had been very accommodating with her debriefing of the MACOs and her help in last night's incident. "Thank you." he nodded and sat down.
Kaitlyn handed him a plate and a container that hadn't been opened yet.
He opened it cautiously. He was always careful about the food he ate. It was chicken in a light sauce with broccoli and pineapple. It was a dish he rarely got to enjoy. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, "How did you know I like this?" he questioned.
Kaitlyn shrugged as she tried to remember, but she couldn't. She started to get a headache and stopped trying to recall how she knew that he liked that dish. It had just come to her when she was ordering all of the food.
Malcolm watched her, then he looked around at all of the food. "How did you know the Captain and I would be here to eat this?"
"I am able to predict, with reasonable certainty, people's behaviors and reactions. I predicted that Captain Archer would come here around his usual time and then he would go back to immersing himself with all of the mission logs to prepare himself for tomorrow."
Jonathon Archer nodded, that was exactly what he was going to do as soon as he finished eating. "What about Malcolm - what did you deduce he would be doing?"
Kaitlyn gave him a small smile, "Actually, I know what Lieutenant Reed has been doing." She watched as Reed kept his expression even. "He's been pinging the communicators that were issued to all of the crew as they went on leave. You needn't worry about their safety - we already have it covered." she reassured him.
Malcolm couldn't hide his reaction, "Your unit is guarding them?"
She nodded, "Close enough to protect them, but not close enough to attract attention."
Malcolm nodded slowly as he took in this information, "I wish I'd been informed."
Jonathon Archer understood the man's need to protect the crew, even if they weren't aboard the ship. "The fewer people that know, the safer our people are." he pointed out. "How did your debriefing go?"
Malcolm Reed set his fork down, "Fine, Sir."
Archer raised an eyebrow. He knew the man well enough to know that was an automatic response.
Malcolm winced under his Captain's scrutiny, "Admiral Gardner just seemed a bit overzealous, Sir."
Archer looked to Donovan for an explanation - he knew she wouldn't mince words.
Kaitlyn frowned slightly, "Admiral Gardner questioned your actions and orders with every person debriefed today. I believe he will try to goad you tomorrow."
Jonathon Archer closed his eyes tiredly. That's all he needed! It was bad enough that the Vulcans scrutinized everything he did - now Gardner was jumping on the bandwagon. He was about ready to get up when Donovan touched his arm. His eyes snapped open and he looked at her questionably.
She removed her hand and focused on him, "I understand your need to take responsibility for everything that happened in the Expanse. I know there are things you regret and wish you could do over - but it's not going to happen. Questioning your actions in hindsight can be detrimental to your health. If you're going to take responsibility for everything, fine. But, you must also accept the fact that you lead the crew, you destroyed the sphere, and you saved Earth." she pointed out.
Jonathon took a deep breath and nodded slowly, "Speaking from experience?"
Kaitlyn nodded, but didn't give him any further information.
He smiled gratefully for the advice and went back to eating, though he was now a bit distracted.
Malcolm Reed had watched the interaction between the two Captains and realized there were some things only the two of them would understand. He had to give Donovan credit - she wasn't afraid to give her opinion. That was probably the reason she'd done so well in the MACOs.
Doctor Phlox smiled as the conversation turned to a lighter subject.
"I think I'll go climbing." the Captain explained what he'd do on some of his leave.
XXXXX
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed offered to walk Captain Donovan back to the shuttle after dinner. He glanced at her as they walked down the corridor. "Who's in charge of the Captain Archer's safety?" he inquired.
"That would be me, Lieutenant." she stated.
He nodded. She was very good at protecting her charges. "Very well. Thank you." He felt slightly better knowing that her unit was protecting the crew of the Enterprise.
"Where will you be going on leave, Lieutenant?" she asked as they stepped in the shuttle bay.
"I'll probably stay here." he admitted. Not like he had anywhere else to go, and he certainly wasn't going to go visit his parents.
"Well, don't miss out on the presentation that Commander Morrison is conducting on the latest weapons coming out of R&D - its next Tuesday. He has a few of us demonstrating their uses." she gave him a small shrug.
Malcolm nodded, "I'll make sure I attend. Thank you for informing me." They stopped as they reached her shuttle. He noticed she didn't have a pilot, "You fly, too? Is there anything you can't do, Captain?" he gave her a small smile.
Was he trying to flirt with her, or just trying to carry on a conversation? She decided to keep the conversation light hearted, "I try my best at whatever they have me do. Though, I must admit, I don't like scuba diving that much." she shrugged as she stepped in the shuttle. She turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "I assume I'll see you tomorrow at Starfleet Headquarters - you'll come with Captain Archer?"
He nodded, "I'll be there. Good night, Captain and thank you for dinner."
She smiled and got in the shuttle and started her flight check. She noted that Lieutenant Reed had exited the shuttle bay and she focused her attention on the shuttle's controls. She sighed softly, maybe it was a good thing she hadn't been assigned to the Enterprise, he would have been a distraction.
She had almost finished her preflight check when the comm in the shuttle beeped. "This is Captain Donovan." she acknowledged.
"It's Archer." He cleared his throat, "If you don't mind, I'd like to catch a ride with you down to San Francisco."
"Not a problem, Captain." she said and watched out the window as he came in from the door and headed to the shuttle. She had the shuttle door open and nodded as he climbed in. She noticed he'd changed into civilian attire.
He closed the door, then sat down and buckled into the co-pilot's seat. He was quiet as they dropped out of the Enterprise and she flew the shuttle. He'd decided as soon as he got back to his quarters that he didn't want to go over the mission logs anymore - they were already ingrained into his mind. He needed a stiff drink. He needed to go down and be reminded why they had saved this planet. He was worried about his crew, that something bad would happen like it did last night.
"Where are we going?" Kaitlyn asked and brought his attention back into focus.
Jonathon Archer shrugged, "You can just drop me off at Starfleet Headquarters, I'll take a taxi." he said distractedly.
She shook her head, "You misunderstood my question, Captain. Where are we going?" she asked again.
He frowned as he looked at her closely. She actually thought she was going to come with him? "I don't need a babysitter."
She gave him a nod, "I completely understand. But, I would be remise in my duty if I didn't come with you. You won't even know I'm there. I promise."
Jonathon Archer raised his eyebrow, "I think you're going to stick out like a sore thumb in that uniform." he indicated.
Kaitlyn smiled, "Luckily, I always have changes of clothes in my bag. I'll just need a minute to change." she explained as she landed in one of the spots at Starfleet Headquarters.
"Fine." he gave up protesting. He stood up, "I'll wait outside the shuttle."
She came out a few minutes later and he had to admit that she was a good quick change artist. She didn't resemble a typical MACO. She was wearing the same tight black dress she had at the banquet when she was guarding Admiral Forrest years ago. "That dress comes in handy?" he asked softly as he shut the shuttle door.
Kaitlyn shrugged, "It doesn't wrinkle, and I never know what I'm going to be doing from day to day." She indicated for him to head out.
They walked silently out the gates of Starfleet. He didn't feel like talking and she was respectful enough to not try and start up a conversation.
Good to her word, she got a table by the door as he headed up to the bar. A few moments later, Erika Hernandez came over and started talking to him. He smiled softly.
Kaitlyn kept her eye out on the surroundings as she sipped her ginger ale.
XXXXX
TBC.
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