Title: Thursdays's Child

Author: Sita Z

Rating: T

AN: Thank you for reviewing Chapter 4!

Parisfan (thank you! I'm glad you like the interaction between Malcolm, Sev and the kids), Rinne (thanks!), JadziaKathryn (you're right, it's time they get off that planet), firebirdgirl (not exactly MACOs, but that's a good guess... some things will be explained in this chapter), JennMel (wouldn't want to keep you in suspense... ;-) ), The Libran Iniquity (Oh, right, there was that ;-)... hier kommt die Aktualisierung!), bluedana (thanks! Yes, Commander Archer... sounds strange, doesn't it? Almost as strange as "Captain ---"... well, I'm not telling ;-) ), Luna (no cliffies in this chapter, I promise :-) ), Virgo (thank you :-)!), Gabi (dankeschön! Welche Klammern ;-)?), Emiliana Keladry (thank you! please keep reviewing!)

Please keep the feedback coming, I love to hear what you think!

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Chapter 5

"It's good to see you, sir."

Archer grinned, tucking away his own weapon which he had been holding loosely in his hand. "Same here. We've been worried about you."

Malcolm smiled, then threw a brief look over his shoulder at the bushes that hid Sev and the children from sight.

Time to make some introductions, I guess.

"Everything alright, Malcolm?"

Malcolm turned back and saw that the Commander's hand had returned to his weapon holster. "You're not... being followed or something?"

He fought the irrational urge to burst out laughing. "Not exactly, sir."

"Good." Archer relaxed again. "I thought I'd heard something, so I went to check... what the hell?"

Malcolm turned around to see Sammy running towards them, his father and Sara in hot pursuit.

"Sammy, get back here right now or-"

Sev stopped short when he saw Archer, forgetting all about his wayward son who giggled and hid behind Malcolm's legs.

"Catch me, Daddy!"

"Do you...do you know these people, Lieutenant?"

Malcolm was secretly amused by the stunned look on Archer's face. "As a matter of fact, I do. Commander, this is Sev, his daughter Sara and his son Sammy. Sev, this is Commander Jonathan Archer."

Archer and Sev stared at each other for a moment, then the Commander, still visibly struggling to hide his surprise, stepped forward and extended a hand.

"Pleased to meet you."

Sev looked down at the extended hand, as if he wasn't sure what to make of it. Then he took a reverent step backward and bowed his head. "I'm honored, sir."

Archer, nonplussed, held his hand out for another second, then pulled it back and raised his eyebrows at his subordinate. Malcolm could almost hear the silent message: I think you've got some explaining to do, Lieutenant.

"It's a long story, sir," he said quietly, with a side-glance at Sev who was watching him, apparently wondering if he had done something wrong. Archer was right, he had some explaining to do, and not only to his superiors.

"I bet it is," Archer said, and smiled when he noticed Sammy gaping at him with his mouth hanging open. "Hi there."

Shyly, Sammy smiled back and reached up to take his father's hand. Seeing that both children were rather intimidated by the tall stranger in the blue uniform, Malcolm decided to extend his introductions.

"Sara, Sammy, this is Jonathan Archer, my superior officer." At the look of incomprehension on the children's faces, he elaborated, "My boss. He's Chief Engineer on the starship we're serving on, the Enterprise."

Sara's eyes widened. "A starship?" she asked, and Malcolm noticed Sev watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, that's right. That's where we're going."

Archer took him by the arm. "Malcolm, could I have a word with you?"

Malcolm glanced at Sev and his children who stood closely huddled together, reminding him a little too much of the unpleasant scene at the Senator's palace when Sev had been "given" to him. He could read the fear in the man's eyes; fear that they were going to be left behind, or, even worse, that Malcolm's "boss" didn't like the idea of children running around on his starship. In fact, the look on Archer's face wasn't very happy.

"Of course, sir," Malcolm said and smiled at Sev to let him know everything was going to be alright. The man seemed unconvinced and pulled his children closer, as if to demonstrate that he wasn't leaving without them. Sighing, Malcolm followed Archer to the edge of the small clearing.

"Sir..."

"Malcolm, what the hell is going on here? Who are these people?"

"They're slaves, sir," Malcolm said bluntly. The Commander's eyes widened.

"Slaves! Are you out of your mind, Lieutenant? How-"

"I can explain," Malcolm said, a little more testily than he had intended. "But right now, it's imperative that we leave here, and soon. We've already had trouble with the police, and I'd prefer not to run into anyone else."

"The police?" Archer glanced at Sev, and Malcolm saw a look of compassion cross his face. "Is that how he ended up all black and blue?"

"Yes." Malcolm stopped short. "You didn't think I-"

"Of course not." Archer sighed. "The Captain's going to have your head. You'd better have a really good explanation for all of this."

"I do," Malcolm said, although inwardly he wasn't so sure if the Captain was going to agree with his idea of a "good explanation". He could count on one hand the times when the Captain had disagreed with him, and it wasn't an experience Malcolm wanted to repeat. "I'm sure she'll understand."

"Well, we'd better get going," Archer said, wisely not commenting on Malcolm's optimism. "The shuttle's only a few dozen meters from here."

They returned to the clearing where Sev and the children were waiting.

Archer smiled at the three of them.

"I just wanted to make sure that everything's alright," he told Sev. "Nothing personal."

Sev didn't seem sure what to make of the last part of Archer's statement, but the Commander's friendly tone seemed to put him at ease. "Yes, sir," he said quietly, and again Malcolm admired Archer's ability to win people's trust. It was something he himself lacked, and sometimes he envied the Commander his way of finding the right words at the right time.

It didn't take them long to reach the shuttlepod, Malcolm carrying his bag while Sara and Sammy held on to their father's hands, from time to time throwing shy glances at Archer's back. Even Sammy was unusually quiet, and Malcolm saw the boy's eyes widen when he spotted the huge, metallic craft that was carefully hidden between two clumps of bushes.

"Is that a flitter?" he whispered to Sev, but before his father could answer, Archer turned around and grinned at the boy.

"It's a shuttlepod, and it can go a lot faster than a flitter," he said. "Want to take a look?"

Sammy hesitated at first, then his curiosity won over and he nodded. Archer looked at Sara.

"You too?"

Sara seemed uncertain, but Sammy's enthusiastic comments as he climbed through the hatch ("Look, Sara, there're beds in here!") decided her. "Yes, sir."

"That's two great kids you've got there," Archer said to Sev as he watched Sara follow her brother into the shuttle. Malcolm knew he was thinking of Mike, his own son who had been killed in an accident only four years ago.

A look of pride crossed Sev's face, and instead of lowering his eyes he smiled openly at the Commander. "I like to think so, sir."

Again, Malcolm was surprised what a difference the smile made; it was almost like looking at another man, like a crack in Sev's armor that showed a glimpse of the cheerful, good-natured person hiding behind the distrustful façade. As he climbed into the shuttle after Sev, Malcolm decided that he was going to find out more about that person, draw him out of his shell even if it was going to take a long time. And he was going to start by finally telling him the truth.

In the meantime, Archer had taken a seat in the pilot chair, and Sara, greatly daring but too fascinated to resist, had agreed to sit in the chair behind Archer and watch the "environmental controls" (a flashing blue display that showed the never-changing inside temperature of 23 degrees). On seeing Sammy's jealous expression, Archer asked the boy if he would like to "help him navigate", and soon enough Sammy was sitting on his lap, staring in awe at the flashing helm console in front of him.

Sev followed Malcolm's example and sat down on one of the rear benches. Malcolm saw him look around the shuttle, taking in every detail, and from the expression on his face could tell that the man was impressed. He would have been glad to give Sev a detailed description of the shuttle's interior workings, but he knew at the same time that they had more pressing matters to discuss.

"Sev...," he began, and immediately, the man returned his attention to Malcolm with an almost guilty start. Malcolm sighed inwardly.

"Look," he began, "there's-"

"Engaging thrusters," Archer's voice came from the front, and a moment later the shuttle rose gently into the air. Sammy whooped, then clapped his hands over his mouth and peeked shyly at the big man with the deep voice on whose lap he was sitting. Jonathan grinned.

"Sir, do you think he minds?" Sev asked with a worried look at Archer and the children. Malcolm shook his head. "That's alright, don't worry."

He remembered the one occasion when he had seen Archer with his wife and son, back on Earth. Mike had been only three at the time, and his father had held him on his lap like he was holding Sammy now, bouncing the boy on his knees until he squealed with delight. That had been three years before the Commander was summoned to the Captain's ready room to receive a "personal message" from home. Archer had never been the same ever since.

Malcolm returned his mind to the present.

"As I was saying... there are some things we need to talk about. It's nothing to worry about," he added quickly at the look on the other man's face. "You remember what I said about the secret organization I work for?"

Sev nodded. "Yes, sir."

"There's actually a bit more to it. Have you ever heard of Starfleet?" Malcolm asked, not surprised when Sev shook his head. "It's part of a military organization called the Joint Forces of Earth and Vulcan, but we're not exactly soldiers. We represent the scientific department of the Joint Forces and our primary mission is to explore, although we do have to participate in military operations as well. My mission on Kareedia was to find out more about their government's dealings with the Orions, and I played the part of the Senator's bodyguard in order to get information about his involvement in the negotiations. My real name is Malcolm Reed."

Sev digested this information. "But you didn't tell us in case we got caught," he said then.

"That's right," Malcolm said, relieved that Sev didn't seem angry at the deception. But then again, Sev would never let him know even if he was furious. "I hated to do this, keep up this masquerade, but it was necessary. I couldn't endanger my mission."

Sev nodded. "I guessed that K'tar Sarn'ee wasn't your real rank and name, sir."

"I don't mean just the name, but..." Malcolm shrugged helplessly. "All of this. You know."

Obviously, Sev did not. "Sir?"

"Playing master to you and the children, I mean."

Sev shook his head. "I don't understand, sir."

Looking at his face, Malcolm could see that the man was honestly confused. He frowned. He hadn't exactly expected tears of joy, but that Sev wouldn't even understand when he told him that he was free... And then he realized that Sev really had no way of understanding what Malcolm was saying. "Starfleet" and "Joint Forces" were words he had never heard before, and the things Malcolm associated with these terms - redeemed civilization, safety, progress - were completely alien to the world Sev had grown up in. He had probably been taken away from Earth as a very small child, shortly before the Raids came to an end, and had no idea that slavery was something humanity had abolished hundreds of years ago.

"Look," Malcolm said, "humans don't believe that one person can own another. Our laws do not allow slavery. We believe that all sentient beings are equal and have the right to decide for themselves. That's what I meant when I said I was only pretending to be your master. You and the children are free."

At these words, the color leached from Sev's face. "You're... you're casting us out?" he whispered, and the prospect seemed to fill him with pure terror. "Please, sir, please don't!"

He made as if to drop to his knees again, but Malcolm caught his arm before he could do so, cringing at the idea of Sev humiliating himself in such a way.

"Wait! Please, you don't have to do this. Sit down again. Please."

Sev obeyed, and Malcolm saw that the shock on his face had given way to a desperate, helpless anger.

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

"What?" Malcolm asked, now completely confused himself. "What do you mean, I'm casting you out?"

Sev stared at him with a wild expression of hope. "You're not?"

"No! I mean, I don't even know what you're talking about!"

Sev's eyes narrowed to slits, as if trying to assess whether Malcolm was making fun of him. Then, very slowly, his face relaxed a little.

"Casting out means that a master sends his slave away and forbids him ever to come back. It's... it's worse than killing. Nobody is allowed to give food to an outcast, or help them in any way. They can't go near any place where people live, and most of them starve to death or get killed after no more than a few months. But until then everybody can do whatever they want to them, according to the law. And..."

He didn't finish, but Malcolm could well imagine how in a dog-eat-dog society like the Kareedian people would vent their anger on a helpless, half-starved person whom the law had declared fair game. He pressed his lips together; one more addition to the long list of reasons why he was glad to get away from this wretched planet.

"Sir?"

Sev's voice broke through his thoughts, and Malcolm became aware of the man watching him anxiously. He took a deep breath.

"Sev, please listen. When I said that you are free, I never meant to imply that I was casting you out. Humans don't have this... custom, and I didn't even know what you were talking about. I meant that you don't have to consider yourselves slaves anymore."

"But..." Sev lowered his eyes. "We have nowhere to go, sir."

"Hey." Malcolm waited for Sev to look up again, and smiled. "The name's Malcolm. And no one's sending you away; you can stay on Enterprise for the time being, and I'm sure that together with the Captain we can work out a satisfactory solution for everybody. Maybe..." Malcolm hesitated, then continued, "Maybe we can try and find out more about you. You said you were born on Earth..."

"I don't remember anything about Earth," Sev said - a little too quickly. "I was too young."

Malcolm watched his face, and saw something in Sev's eyes that hadn't been there before - sadness, as if some past memory had touched his mind before he had quickly closed the door on whatever it had been.

I think that you remember more than you let on, my friend.

"Sir?"

"Please, call me Malcolm. What is it?"

"Does this mean you're going to let us stay with you?"

Malcolm sighed. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Relieved, Sev leaned back, and Malcolm resigned to the fact that, despite the lecture on freedom and equality, this man still regarded him as his "master".

But that's going to change, Malcolm silently promised the man sitting across from him. You'll find out soon enough that I can be just as stubborn as you are, mister.

TBC...

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