*****
Feeling the sting of tears threaten, Hoshi whispered the woman's name again. "Mukai."
The other woman's pallor quickly turned ashen as she braced herself. "Is my husband okay? May I see him?"
"Captain, how—" Archer's voice held as much amazement as disbelief.
"It's a long story, Captain Archer," Mukai replied. "May I dock?"
Jon nodded. "Travis, extend the port docking clamps."
--
Blood pounded in Hoshi's ears as her thoughts ran rampant through her mind. "Mukai's husband...Malcolm...the danger...the irony." She wanted to laugh. She wanted to scream. She wanted to...
Captain Archer put a hand on her shoulder, startling her. "Hoshi?" The concern in his voice mirrored his suspicions. Ever since Malcolm had come aboard, he knew Hoshi was attracted to the man. "It seems you know Captain Mukai."
Looking down at her console, Hoshi started to speak. "It was a medical log. That's what I found first, when I...was searching for information on the Lieutenant Commander. It mentioned Mukai. The log was a dead end until I...hacked into the database again. I found her obituary."
Jon puzzled, "I don't understand. How..."
"Sir, I'm not sure of anything myself," Hoshi answered. She clearly looked puzzled. "I request permission to inform Lieutenant Commander Reed that his wife will be joining us soon."
The Captain nodded his approval and frowned. This was turning out to be quite a mystery. Forrest had asked him to trust him, but now he was starting to doubt the Admiral's reasoning behind keeping Reed's record sealed.
--
Standing outside his quarters, Hoshi's heart was pounding in her chest. She had checked her quarters first, but he wasn't there. She wiped the tears from her cheeks as they flowed freely and pressed the buzzer.
He opened the door with a smile, which quickly turned to a frown. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Steeling her nerves, Hoshi's voice barely whispered, "She's alive." She couldn't meet his gaze.
Malcolm remained silent, concerned with Hoshi's pallor and completely unaware his future hung in the balance.
"You've got to come with me," she muttered, barely able to meet his eyes.
"Hoshi, what is it? What's wrong?" he questioned and pulled her against him.
For the barest of moments, Hoshi returned his embrace, silently saying her own goodbye to the man she had come to...love. She pulled away with a sad smile on her face. "Mukai is alive. She's docking alongside now and wants to talk with you." She could feel him tense immediately, and couldn't bring herself to tell him that Mukai was his wife.
She pulled on his arm in motion to follow her, but Malcolm didn't move and didn't say anything. A dark urgency passed over him and he shook his head unable to grasp the memory that threatened to surface.
"Please, Malcolm. You've got to follow me. She says you're in danger. Captain Archer is speaking with her now," Hoshi pleaded.
Seeing her desperation, Malcolm started to follow her, but stopped suddenly. "Do you love me?"
Dropping Malcolm's hand, Hoshi bowed her head and lied, "I...I don't...know."
--
"This way, Captain," Jon nodded to the woman who stepped through the airlock. He could tell she had been crying, but Jon was still a little confused as to how Captain 'Mako' knew Malcolm Reed was on board.
They walked in silence to the Captain's mess.
"Please, have a seat," Archer stated simply, quickly taking the seat across from her. "Would you care to explain to me, how you knew, Lieutenant Commander Reed was on board. It isn't really public knowledge."
Bowing her head, Lita wiped the single tear that slid down her cheek. "As you probably already know, my name is not Lina Mako. It's Lita Mukai. I faked my death several years ago to avoid...the death threats. I was senior field medic for an elite offshoot of Starfleet Intelligence. The political, socio-economic messes that the politicians wanted to keep off the books...they sent us in to deal with those. The matters which decent people never speak of in polite conversation – our division was sent to deal with those matters."
Archer nodded his encouragement for her to continue.
"I won't give mission specifics, but on our last mission, everything went wrong. A third of our unit was killed. Some were captured, and tortured for information. Those of us, who got away, were systematically hunted down and killed. My husband...Malcolm...I thought he's been dead all this time."
"That still doesn't explain how you knew he was here," Jon surmised shrewdly.
Mukai sniffled into her handkerchief and looked up. "About a week ago, somebody tripped a computer failsafe I had installed. It isn't everyday, somebody pulls up an old obituary. I tracked down the origin of the search back to Enterprise. I intercepted some of your transmissions and learned Malcolm had been recovered."
Admission that she had tapped into the communications of Enterprise didn't sit well with him, but her explanation was plausible. Besides, it wasn't as if any of the messages were encoded.
"I can't believe," Mukai sniffed, "that after all these years, he's still alive."
"Um," Jon paused, "There's something you should know about Malcolm."
--
With each step they took toward the mess hall in silence, something twisted deep inside Hoshi's chest. She paused outside the door, feeling as though she were delivering a prisoner to an executioner. Motioning to the door, she managed to keep her voice even and cool. "The captain's mess is on the other side of the room. She's waiting for you there."
He looked at the door sadly.
Hoshi turned to walk away, but Malcolm grabbed her. "Wait, please."
"Please," whispered Hoshi, shaking her head sadly. She was unable to look at him, yet unable to pull away from him.
Malcolm pulled her into his arms, embracing her softly, almost afraid that she would break. Feeling as though he was being split in two, Malcolm continued to hold her. His past was through that door, but he was holding his future. "I love you." His eyes held hers, and though no other words were exchanged between the pair, his gaze spoke of promise and trust. Finally he released his hold on her, nodded, and turned away from her and faced the captain's mess.
She watched him walked through the door, the tears that had been threatening to spill finally letting loose.
*****
Feeling the sting of tears threaten, Hoshi whispered the woman's name again. "Mukai."
The other woman's pallor quickly turned ashen as she braced herself. "Is my husband okay? May I see him?"
"Captain, how—" Archer's voice held as much amazement as disbelief.
"It's a long story, Captain Archer," Mukai replied. "May I dock?"
Jon nodded. "Travis, extend the port docking clamps."
--
Blood pounded in Hoshi's ears as her thoughts ran rampant through her mind. "Mukai's husband...Malcolm...the danger...the irony." She wanted to laugh. She wanted to scream. She wanted to...
Captain Archer put a hand on her shoulder, startling her. "Hoshi?" The concern in his voice mirrored his suspicions. Ever since Malcolm had come aboard, he knew Hoshi was attracted to the man. "It seems you know Captain Mukai."
Looking down at her console, Hoshi started to speak. "It was a medical log. That's what I found first, when I...was searching for information on the Lieutenant Commander. It mentioned Mukai. The log was a dead end until I...hacked into the database again. I found her obituary."
Jon puzzled, "I don't understand. How..."
"Sir, I'm not sure of anything myself," Hoshi answered. She clearly looked puzzled. "I request permission to inform Lieutenant Commander Reed that his wife will be joining us soon."
The Captain nodded his approval and frowned. This was turning out to be quite a mystery. Forrest had asked him to trust him, but now he was starting to doubt the Admiral's reasoning behind keeping Reed's record sealed.
--
Standing outside his quarters, Hoshi's heart was pounding in her chest. She had checked her quarters first, but he wasn't there. She wiped the tears from her cheeks as they flowed freely and pressed the buzzer.
He opened the door with a smile, which quickly turned to a frown. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Steeling her nerves, Hoshi's voice barely whispered, "She's alive." She couldn't meet his gaze.
Malcolm remained silent, concerned with Hoshi's pallor and completely unaware his future hung in the balance.
"You've got to come with me," she muttered, barely able to meet his eyes.
"Hoshi, what is it? What's wrong?" he questioned and pulled her against him.
For the barest of moments, Hoshi returned his embrace, silently saying her own goodbye to the man she had come to...love. She pulled away with a sad smile on her face. "Mukai is alive. She's docking alongside now and wants to talk with you." She could feel him tense immediately, and couldn't bring herself to tell him that Mukai was his wife.
She pulled on his arm in motion to follow her, but Malcolm didn't move and didn't say anything. A dark urgency passed over him and he shook his head unable to grasp the memory that threatened to surface.
"Please, Malcolm. You've got to follow me. She says you're in danger. Captain Archer is speaking with her now," Hoshi pleaded.
Seeing her desperation, Malcolm started to follow her, but stopped suddenly. "Do you love me?"
Dropping Malcolm's hand, Hoshi bowed her head and lied, "I...I don't...know."
--
"This way, Captain," Jon nodded to the woman who stepped through the airlock. He could tell she had been crying, but Jon was still a little confused as to how Captain 'Mako' knew Malcolm Reed was on board.
They walked in silence to the Captain's mess.
"Please, have a seat," Archer stated simply, quickly taking the seat across from her. "Would you care to explain to me, how you knew, Lieutenant Commander Reed was on board. It isn't really public knowledge."
Bowing her head, Lita wiped the single tear that slid down her cheek. "As you probably already know, my name is not Lina Mako. It's Lita Mukai. I faked my death several years ago to avoid...the death threats. I was senior field medic for an elite offshoot of Starfleet Intelligence. The political, socio-economic messes that the politicians wanted to keep off the books...they sent us in to deal with those. The matters which decent people never speak of in polite conversation – our division was sent to deal with those matters."
Archer nodded his encouragement for her to continue.
"I won't give mission specifics, but on our last mission, everything went wrong. A third of our unit was killed. Some were captured, and tortured for information. Those of us, who got away, were systematically hunted down and killed. My husband...Malcolm...I thought he's been dead all this time."
"That still doesn't explain how you knew he was here," Jon surmised shrewdly.
Mukai sniffled into her handkerchief and looked up. "About a week ago, somebody tripped a computer failsafe I had installed. It isn't everyday, somebody pulls up an old obituary. I tracked down the origin of the search back to Enterprise. I intercepted some of your transmissions and learned Malcolm had been recovered."
Admission that she had tapped into the communications of Enterprise didn't sit well with him, but her explanation was plausible. Besides, it wasn't as if any of the messages were encoded.
"I can't believe," Mukai sniffed, "that after all these years, he's still alive."
"Um," Jon paused, "There's something you should know about Malcolm."
--
With each step they took toward the mess hall in silence, something twisted deep inside Hoshi's chest. She paused outside the door, feeling as though she were delivering a prisoner to an executioner. Motioning to the door, she managed to keep her voice even and cool. "The captain's mess is on the other side of the room. She's waiting for you there."
He looked at the door sadly.
Hoshi turned to walk away, but Malcolm grabbed her. "Wait, please."
"Please," whispered Hoshi, shaking her head sadly. She was unable to look at him, yet unable to pull away from him.
Malcolm pulled her into his arms, embracing her softly, almost afraid that she would break. Feeling as though he was being split in two, Malcolm continued to hold her. His past was through that door, but he was holding his future. "I love you." His eyes held hers, and though no other words were exchanged between the pair, his gaze spoke of promise and trust. Finally he released his hold on her, nodded, and turned away from her and faced the captain's mess.
She watched him walked through the door, the tears that had been threatening to spill finally letting loose.
*****