Disclaimer: I own only the original character of Madison James and other James'. The rest belongs to someone else! Judge kindly!
Chapter Two
"T'Pol?" The Captain questioned his science officer in the situations room hours later. He was keen to get going as soon as possible.
"I've picked up the trace. Madison James on the Sark home world, 45 light years away in the centre of the next solar system." T'Pol mono-toned bringing up the statistics up on the screen. She zoomed in to the exact location on the planet.
"And what of these allies, why haven't the Vulcan's gone and got her? I know she's human, but they are your allies!" Trip asked his arms crossed over his chest, he was extremely edgy.
"Miss James wasn't kidnapped commander." Malcolm explained thoughtfully. "She is seeking asylum with them. It's the Sarks. Earth has had many dealings with them, we have many living and holidaying in Barbados."
"Karl did say she ran away Trip! How long until we reach the Sarks' home world?" Archer asked Travis Mayweather who stood rigidly between Reed and Trip.
"12 hours!" Mayweather answered looking at a forlorn Trip.
"Ok. Dismissed." Jonathan made his way to the turbo lift. He intended to record an entry in his star log before they arrived.
*************************************************************
Six months ago, Trip programmed Malcolm Reed's door to let him in. Unfortunately Malcolm hadn't gotten round to fixing it and was getting changed when Trip barged in.
"Trip!" Malcolm shouted pulling his vest over his head. He'd just been informed that he was going to the planet and decided to take a shower.
"Are you sure they didn't kidnap her?" Trip sat down on Malcolm's bed. "Why is Archer making you go if they're not dangerous?"
"Because they might not be; but she might. I've been informed that Before she left she stole one of the new phase pistols. Besides, it's a desert planet, you said you'd never go anywhere near a desert again."
"I know… But I'll be able to talk to her. Get her to come back!" Trip flopped backwards on Malcolm's bed. He sighed putting his open hands behind his head. "Will you do me a favour? If she won't come back, get a photo?" He handed Malcolm a small camera.
"Sure thing!" Malcolm zipped up his jumpsuit and placed the camera in one of his pockets. "If you do me one?" He picked up his communicator from the table.
"Anything?" Trip asked.
"Stop barging in here… I'll see you in the morning." He walked out of his room leaving Trip sitting alone on the bed.
************************************************************
"We are looking for a human girl… Madison James?" Hoshi asked the first person she saw in their tongue once they arrived on the planet, they had a slightly different syntax to the Sarks' who frequently visit Earth. Malcolm was cursing himself for not wearing his desert uniform. The sun was beating down and suffocating him. The material of the jumpsuit was think and totally inappropriate, if only Trip hadn't have sidetracked him he wouldn't have been late and the Captain would have let him go back and change. Malcolm was just praying that she co-operated and they could get back into the air conditioned shuttle.
"She's in the quarry!" The copper coloured man answered in English, returning to his business.
"A slave, captain?" Malcolm asked just as an explosion was heard just outside the settlement. Malcolm and Jonathan ran in the direction of the explosion. After about five minutes they found Madison at the lip of the quarry looking down into the pit of subduing smoke and rubble.
"Give it 20 minutes and begin Heash!" She said with a perfect tongue. She noticed the strangers and ran to greet her old friend. "John!" She awkwardly went to hug him; he embraced her like a daughter. "Putting my engineering skills to use, what are you doing here? How did you find me? I'm so glad to see you. This a planet on your list?" She asked excitedly leading Reed and Archer back to the settlement; just as Hoshi caught up.
"Oh, sorry Madison... This is lieutenant Malcolm Reed and I believe you know-" Jonathan ignored her questions.
"Hoshi, Hi! John?" Jonathan just nodded in agreement to her question, it was best not to mention her father too soon. She led them into the first hut. A big window lightened the room. She set out 4 clay mugs on the table and filled them with a blue liquid. "Well, these are the primitive people of this planet… Don't worry it's just water." She handed one to Malcolm, her hands where surprisingly soft for an engineer. It was the first chance Malcolm got to look at her, beside being covered in dust the woman was beautiful. Her Pale green eyes met his, but she instantly terminated eye contact and returned to the Captain. "They need someone like me to help them. Just to learn the basics! And technically I don't think I'm breaking any rules. I know the Vulcan's believe we shouldn't help, but it's not my fault I'm here... And the rest of the planet isn't primitive-" Madison had no intention on stopping and give Jonathan a chance to give her his news.
"-Your fathers dieing Madison!" John told her straight, putting down his mug.
"Really?" She said as if he had told her he'd caught the flu. "What a shame. Give him my condolences!" she wiped her hands over her cream trousers and grabbed what looked like an apple out of a bowl on the table.
"He wants you home!"
"Damn it John. Don't get involved!" She put her mug and piece of fruit on the table. "I haven't set foot in that house in 7 years and I don't intend to."
"Forrest says you can serve aboard Enterprise if you come home!" Archer explained.
"Ah, bribery! The position I deserve?" She asked curiously sitting down.
"You know I can't do that… Trip's a fine engineer!" Malcolm watched Madison flush with anger, Hoshi even with her immense hearing abilities, pretended she had gone deaf.
"I'm better." She spat. "He doesn't deserve to be there!"
"He's there none the less Madison! You can serve directly under him." He stood over her.
"Captain. I'm not serving with that Judas!" She stood up defensively. Malcolm's immediate thought was to where the phase pistol was hidden,
"Hang on a minute-" He grabbed her arms.
"He stabbed me in the back quicker than he can eat meatloaf, and Forrest's word means nothing to me." She took a breath.
"I'm not here to argue… 48 hours we're leaving for Earth… With you! Say you goodbyes. Reed, guard Miss James. Hoshi… carry on!" John stormed out of the hut, he had forgotten how stubborn she was.
*************************************************************
Malcolm was being to dislike the woman, he was sweaty and exhausted and she seemed perfectly adapted to the environment which angered him more. Even the shade of the house provided no comfort. Malcolm couldn't take it any longer and unzipped his jumpsuit, removed his arms and tied it round his waist. It didn't improve his mood one bit, and what made it worse was that she was staring.
"Yes?" He snapped, wondering if the Captain would mind if he set his phaser to stun and fired.
"I was just going to ask if you'd like a change of clothes. I live here with a Sark. I'm sure his clothes will fit." Madison blushed at his hatred of her staring. She hadn't realised she was doing it, she was just thinking how unbearable the heat must be for him when he snapped her back to reality. She didn't want him there as much as he wanted to be there. She had work to do, one of the rigs that moved the stones was broken and had to be fix by the end of the day.
"I'm sorry, yes. That would be great." Malcolm winced in embarrassment. She left for the other room and returned with clothes made of the same material she was wearing. He placed the shirt over his head. He went to remove his jumpsuit completely when he remembered Trip ex-girlfriend was still in the room. "Sorry." He said straightening.
"I'll leave. I'll be next door." Madison felt herself burn up. She'd forgotten how to walk, and after a moment of staring at each other she blushed again. "I'll be in there." She walked out of the room.
**
"I'm decent." Malcolm shouted through telling himself never to tell Trip that he almost undressed in front of her. Not that there's anything to worry about Malcolm told himself. She must just be that, an ex.
"You're the armoury officer?" Madison questioned returning, with no intention to stay in the hut until Jonathan got back. "Interesting." She smiled. "Would you like to help me?" She hadn't intended it to come out as politely as it did.
"If I can be of help." Malcolm folded his jumpsuit up on the chair and following her out of the hut.
*************************************************************
"I'm no engineer." Malcolm sighed once they reached the rig.
"It's not the mechanism that's broken. It's the laser that fragments the rock. It's being extremely unpredictable. Firing wide bursts instead of precise ones." Madison explained reaching over the detach the laser. Malcolm had a quick look at it.
"It's simple enough. I can tell you what to do." Malcolm explained, his hands tracing the barrel. Madison had been distracted by his hands, they were smooth and pale. Typical for a man who'd spent two years on a space ship. But there still remained that roughness of battle, a small cut were he's gotten his hand caught while adjusting a torpedo.
"If it's simple enough, you can fix it." Madison answered. There hadn't been a rule stating that Enterprise officers couldn't help. Not unless Jonathan had experienced something during the two years in space. Madison thought. How high and mighty this man was being, surly he couldn't b a friend of Trip's. Trip would have killed him on the first day in space.
"I can't. I can't help these people." Malcolm explained. The First Contact rule had not been put in place yet, and it would be a number of years before it would be, but there was no harm in him putting it into practice.
"Your not helping them. Your helping me!" Madison smiled. "You make me look good, I get a hut of my own." She smiled at her victory as Malcolm gave in, sat down and began working on the laser.
"Trip said hello." Malcolm said out the blue. "He's never spoke about you before but he seemed on edge. He was worried about you." Malcolm looked up.
"Did he really?" He could have sworn she sounded like a Vulcan. "Be sure to say hello back for me."
"He said that if you weren't to come back, to get a photo." Malcolm went to hand the laser back, but she had gone.
*************************************************************
"Why did you run away?" Malcolm shouted, furious. No wonder she was Trip's Ex.
"Will you go away? She shouted back at Malcolm ten minutes later, once he had returned to the hut. "I'm not going! So you might as well go back to your ship." She was washing clothing by hand in the blue liquid.
"Sorry… Can't the Captain's taken the shuttle pod back, and I don't fancy using the transporter-"
"They got it working?" She asked, a smile creeping onto her face. It suddenly faded. "Damn it!" She threw a top into a basket.
"What?" Malcolm asked; concerned standing by the open door.
"A happy memory provokes a sad memory."
"Trip?" He asked, she screamed. "He doesn't normally get that kind of response!"
"Oh yes. The shy ladies man!" She punched the wall in frustration. "No sir, that's not him. Gentleman my ass!" She slumped to the floor.
"What did he do?" Malcolm sat down opposite her. "I've known him for two years now! This doesn't sound like him!"
"We were to be married!" Madison wept quietly wondering why she was pouring her heart out, knowing that now she had started she wouldn't stop. "I was to be chief engineer on board Enterprise... My husband at my side, he said he didn't have a problem with me being superior! I believed him, and I was a fool! My mother died, I got sent to London to grieve, my father was so busy with the Enterprise project to come and see me. When I went back for my final weeks training, he told me Trip had left on Enterprise and that Trip told him I had resigned, and that was why he hadn't been to see him."
Malcolm looked down at her hand in which she had punched the wall. "You're bleeding."
"Damn it!" She eased herself up growing pale.
"Something wrong?"
"No!" She reached for a rag and wrapped it over her knuckles, her breathing growing horse. "Archer doesn't know does he?" She asked mid splutter.
"Know what Madison?!" Malcolm stood, worrying over her weakening state.
"Nothing, everything, the whole story! I thought you'd found me, I'd hoped you'd found me. I didn't want him to have sent you... Have you got doctor on board?"
"Of course! What's wrong?" Malcolm steadied her down upon a chair.
"I don't know! I keep having these dizzy spells!" Malcolm brushed her hair out of her eyes as she began burning up.
"Since when?"
"A couple of days ago. I've only been here two weeks!" Her head drooped on his shoulder. "I'll be alright in a bit!" Just as she began coughing violently.
"I'm taking you to Enterprise now!" Malcolm eased her up. She punched him weakly.
"No! I'm not going aboard!"
"You are in no state to argue!" Malcolm picked her up.
"Trip must not Know!"
"I promise I won't tell him," Malcolm reached inside his jumpsuit for his communicator. "Reed to Archer! I'm taking the shuttle pod to Enterprise!"
"You lied." Madison smiled weakly at him.
Chapter Two
"T'Pol?" The Captain questioned his science officer in the situations room hours later. He was keen to get going as soon as possible.
"I've picked up the trace. Madison James on the Sark home world, 45 light years away in the centre of the next solar system." T'Pol mono-toned bringing up the statistics up on the screen. She zoomed in to the exact location on the planet.
"And what of these allies, why haven't the Vulcan's gone and got her? I know she's human, but they are your allies!" Trip asked his arms crossed over his chest, he was extremely edgy.
"Miss James wasn't kidnapped commander." Malcolm explained thoughtfully. "She is seeking asylum with them. It's the Sarks. Earth has had many dealings with them, we have many living and holidaying in Barbados."
"Karl did say she ran away Trip! How long until we reach the Sarks' home world?" Archer asked Travis Mayweather who stood rigidly between Reed and Trip.
"12 hours!" Mayweather answered looking at a forlorn Trip.
"Ok. Dismissed." Jonathan made his way to the turbo lift. He intended to record an entry in his star log before they arrived.
*************************************************************
Six months ago, Trip programmed Malcolm Reed's door to let him in. Unfortunately Malcolm hadn't gotten round to fixing it and was getting changed when Trip barged in.
"Trip!" Malcolm shouted pulling his vest over his head. He'd just been informed that he was going to the planet and decided to take a shower.
"Are you sure they didn't kidnap her?" Trip sat down on Malcolm's bed. "Why is Archer making you go if they're not dangerous?"
"Because they might not be; but she might. I've been informed that Before she left she stole one of the new phase pistols. Besides, it's a desert planet, you said you'd never go anywhere near a desert again."
"I know… But I'll be able to talk to her. Get her to come back!" Trip flopped backwards on Malcolm's bed. He sighed putting his open hands behind his head. "Will you do me a favour? If she won't come back, get a photo?" He handed Malcolm a small camera.
"Sure thing!" Malcolm zipped up his jumpsuit and placed the camera in one of his pockets. "If you do me one?" He picked up his communicator from the table.
"Anything?" Trip asked.
"Stop barging in here… I'll see you in the morning." He walked out of his room leaving Trip sitting alone on the bed.
************************************************************
"We are looking for a human girl… Madison James?" Hoshi asked the first person she saw in their tongue once they arrived on the planet, they had a slightly different syntax to the Sarks' who frequently visit Earth. Malcolm was cursing himself for not wearing his desert uniform. The sun was beating down and suffocating him. The material of the jumpsuit was think and totally inappropriate, if only Trip hadn't have sidetracked him he wouldn't have been late and the Captain would have let him go back and change. Malcolm was just praying that she co-operated and they could get back into the air conditioned shuttle.
"She's in the quarry!" The copper coloured man answered in English, returning to his business.
"A slave, captain?" Malcolm asked just as an explosion was heard just outside the settlement. Malcolm and Jonathan ran in the direction of the explosion. After about five minutes they found Madison at the lip of the quarry looking down into the pit of subduing smoke and rubble.
"Give it 20 minutes and begin Heash!" She said with a perfect tongue. She noticed the strangers and ran to greet her old friend. "John!" She awkwardly went to hug him; he embraced her like a daughter. "Putting my engineering skills to use, what are you doing here? How did you find me? I'm so glad to see you. This a planet on your list?" She asked excitedly leading Reed and Archer back to the settlement; just as Hoshi caught up.
"Oh, sorry Madison... This is lieutenant Malcolm Reed and I believe you know-" Jonathan ignored her questions.
"Hoshi, Hi! John?" Jonathan just nodded in agreement to her question, it was best not to mention her father too soon. She led them into the first hut. A big window lightened the room. She set out 4 clay mugs on the table and filled them with a blue liquid. "Well, these are the primitive people of this planet… Don't worry it's just water." She handed one to Malcolm, her hands where surprisingly soft for an engineer. It was the first chance Malcolm got to look at her, beside being covered in dust the woman was beautiful. Her Pale green eyes met his, but she instantly terminated eye contact and returned to the Captain. "They need someone like me to help them. Just to learn the basics! And technically I don't think I'm breaking any rules. I know the Vulcan's believe we shouldn't help, but it's not my fault I'm here... And the rest of the planet isn't primitive-" Madison had no intention on stopping and give Jonathan a chance to give her his news.
"-Your fathers dieing Madison!" John told her straight, putting down his mug.
"Really?" She said as if he had told her he'd caught the flu. "What a shame. Give him my condolences!" she wiped her hands over her cream trousers and grabbed what looked like an apple out of a bowl on the table.
"He wants you home!"
"Damn it John. Don't get involved!" She put her mug and piece of fruit on the table. "I haven't set foot in that house in 7 years and I don't intend to."
"Forrest says you can serve aboard Enterprise if you come home!" Archer explained.
"Ah, bribery! The position I deserve?" She asked curiously sitting down.
"You know I can't do that… Trip's a fine engineer!" Malcolm watched Madison flush with anger, Hoshi even with her immense hearing abilities, pretended she had gone deaf.
"I'm better." She spat. "He doesn't deserve to be there!"
"He's there none the less Madison! You can serve directly under him." He stood over her.
"Captain. I'm not serving with that Judas!" She stood up defensively. Malcolm's immediate thought was to where the phase pistol was hidden,
"Hang on a minute-" He grabbed her arms.
"He stabbed me in the back quicker than he can eat meatloaf, and Forrest's word means nothing to me." She took a breath.
"I'm not here to argue… 48 hours we're leaving for Earth… With you! Say you goodbyes. Reed, guard Miss James. Hoshi… carry on!" John stormed out of the hut, he had forgotten how stubborn she was.
*************************************************************
Malcolm was being to dislike the woman, he was sweaty and exhausted and she seemed perfectly adapted to the environment which angered him more. Even the shade of the house provided no comfort. Malcolm couldn't take it any longer and unzipped his jumpsuit, removed his arms and tied it round his waist. It didn't improve his mood one bit, and what made it worse was that she was staring.
"Yes?" He snapped, wondering if the Captain would mind if he set his phaser to stun and fired.
"I was just going to ask if you'd like a change of clothes. I live here with a Sark. I'm sure his clothes will fit." Madison blushed at his hatred of her staring. She hadn't realised she was doing it, she was just thinking how unbearable the heat must be for him when he snapped her back to reality. She didn't want him there as much as he wanted to be there. She had work to do, one of the rigs that moved the stones was broken and had to be fix by the end of the day.
"I'm sorry, yes. That would be great." Malcolm winced in embarrassment. She left for the other room and returned with clothes made of the same material she was wearing. He placed the shirt over his head. He went to remove his jumpsuit completely when he remembered Trip ex-girlfriend was still in the room. "Sorry." He said straightening.
"I'll leave. I'll be next door." Madison felt herself burn up. She'd forgotten how to walk, and after a moment of staring at each other she blushed again. "I'll be in there." She walked out of the room.
**
"I'm decent." Malcolm shouted through telling himself never to tell Trip that he almost undressed in front of her. Not that there's anything to worry about Malcolm told himself. She must just be that, an ex.
"You're the armoury officer?" Madison questioned returning, with no intention to stay in the hut until Jonathan got back. "Interesting." She smiled. "Would you like to help me?" She hadn't intended it to come out as politely as it did.
"If I can be of help." Malcolm folded his jumpsuit up on the chair and following her out of the hut.
*************************************************************
"I'm no engineer." Malcolm sighed once they reached the rig.
"It's not the mechanism that's broken. It's the laser that fragments the rock. It's being extremely unpredictable. Firing wide bursts instead of precise ones." Madison explained reaching over the detach the laser. Malcolm had a quick look at it.
"It's simple enough. I can tell you what to do." Malcolm explained, his hands tracing the barrel. Madison had been distracted by his hands, they were smooth and pale. Typical for a man who'd spent two years on a space ship. But there still remained that roughness of battle, a small cut were he's gotten his hand caught while adjusting a torpedo.
"If it's simple enough, you can fix it." Madison answered. There hadn't been a rule stating that Enterprise officers couldn't help. Not unless Jonathan had experienced something during the two years in space. Madison thought. How high and mighty this man was being, surly he couldn't b a friend of Trip's. Trip would have killed him on the first day in space.
"I can't. I can't help these people." Malcolm explained. The First Contact rule had not been put in place yet, and it would be a number of years before it would be, but there was no harm in him putting it into practice.
"Your not helping them. Your helping me!" Madison smiled. "You make me look good, I get a hut of my own." She smiled at her victory as Malcolm gave in, sat down and began working on the laser.
"Trip said hello." Malcolm said out the blue. "He's never spoke about you before but he seemed on edge. He was worried about you." Malcolm looked up.
"Did he really?" He could have sworn she sounded like a Vulcan. "Be sure to say hello back for me."
"He said that if you weren't to come back, to get a photo." Malcolm went to hand the laser back, but she had gone.
*************************************************************
"Why did you run away?" Malcolm shouted, furious. No wonder she was Trip's Ex.
"Will you go away? She shouted back at Malcolm ten minutes later, once he had returned to the hut. "I'm not going! So you might as well go back to your ship." She was washing clothing by hand in the blue liquid.
"Sorry… Can't the Captain's taken the shuttle pod back, and I don't fancy using the transporter-"
"They got it working?" She asked, a smile creeping onto her face. It suddenly faded. "Damn it!" She threw a top into a basket.
"What?" Malcolm asked; concerned standing by the open door.
"A happy memory provokes a sad memory."
"Trip?" He asked, she screamed. "He doesn't normally get that kind of response!"
"Oh yes. The shy ladies man!" She punched the wall in frustration. "No sir, that's not him. Gentleman my ass!" She slumped to the floor.
"What did he do?" Malcolm sat down opposite her. "I've known him for two years now! This doesn't sound like him!"
"We were to be married!" Madison wept quietly wondering why she was pouring her heart out, knowing that now she had started she wouldn't stop. "I was to be chief engineer on board Enterprise... My husband at my side, he said he didn't have a problem with me being superior! I believed him, and I was a fool! My mother died, I got sent to London to grieve, my father was so busy with the Enterprise project to come and see me. When I went back for my final weeks training, he told me Trip had left on Enterprise and that Trip told him I had resigned, and that was why he hadn't been to see him."
Malcolm looked down at her hand in which she had punched the wall. "You're bleeding."
"Damn it!" She eased herself up growing pale.
"Something wrong?"
"No!" She reached for a rag and wrapped it over her knuckles, her breathing growing horse. "Archer doesn't know does he?" She asked mid splutter.
"Know what Madison?!" Malcolm stood, worrying over her weakening state.
"Nothing, everything, the whole story! I thought you'd found me, I'd hoped you'd found me. I didn't want him to have sent you... Have you got doctor on board?"
"Of course! What's wrong?" Malcolm steadied her down upon a chair.
"I don't know! I keep having these dizzy spells!" Malcolm brushed her hair out of her eyes as she began burning up.
"Since when?"
"A couple of days ago. I've only been here two weeks!" Her head drooped on his shoulder. "I'll be alright in a bit!" Just as she began coughing violently.
"I'm taking you to Enterprise now!" Malcolm eased her up. She punched him weakly.
"No! I'm not going aboard!"
"You are in no state to argue!" Malcolm picked her up.
"Trip must not Know!"
"I promise I won't tell him," Malcolm reached inside his jumpsuit for his communicator. "Reed to Archer! I'm taking the shuttle pod to Enterprise!"
"You lied." Madison smiled weakly at him.