CHAPTER 35

Malcolm was in the captain's cabin when a medic from Enterprise arrived. He stayed out of the way as the woman fussed over Hoshi where she lay, divested of her armor, on the bunk. The medic sealed the wound and put a fresh bandage on Hoshi's shoulder. The last thing she did before leaving was give her an injection of painkiller, admonishing her to rest.

"What are you still doing here?" Hoshi asked him after the medic left to attend to the other wounded on board.

"Making sure you're going to be OK," he replied.

She looked away, afraid to meet his eyes. "You're going to have to go back to Enterprise," she said softly.

"I know."

When he made no move to leave, she looked back up at him. She could feel the tears threatening to spill over but she managed to hold them back.

He still made no move, either toward the door or toward her. He just stood there, looking down at her where she was propped up with pillows on the bed.

"Tucker seems to be having some trouble getting the transporter fixed," he finally said, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really. And the docking bay door also seems to have sustained some heavy damage. Can't get the thing open at all. It may be some time before we can get the scout ship out of there."

She couldn't suppress a tremulous smile. "I suppose Kleth has informed Enterprise that no 'fleeters, other than the medic, will be allowed on board?"

Malcolm nodded, a smile slowly appearing on his face. "That's right. You have your crew very well trained."

"My crew..." She closed her eyes. "Not for much longer. I have to turn the Falcon over to Kleth."

She felt the mattress give as he sat down on the bed next to her, but she couldn't open her eyes. The pain in her shoulder was going away, only to be replaced by a numbness which reached into her soul. It didn't matter how long it took to fix everything that supposedly needed fixed -- in the end, he was going to leave.

"Hoshi," he said, taking one of her hands in his and gently stroking it. "I don't want to leave, but I have to."

"I know. It's just..."

"I know."

She felt his weight shift on the bed as he moved closer to her. The warmth of his lips announced their presence just before they touched hers. As his mouth began to possess hers, a sob escaped from her, and her arms went up to encircle him, holding him tightly, despite the dull stab of pain in her shoulder.

Gently, being careful of her injury, he eased the soft blouse off her as he kissed her. When she reached up to undo the lacings on his breastplate, he caught her hand in his.

"None of that. You're supposed to rest," he said.

He stood up and quickly took off his armor, then the clothing underneath, and crawled onto the bed next to her. Gathering her in his arms, he brushed a lock of hair back from her face and gazed at her as if memorizing every detail.

"I don't want you to go," she whispered.

"Let's not think about that now," he said, and she could see the sorrow in his eyes as he leaned down to kiss her again.

Malcolm began the slowest love-making she had ever experienced. After undressing her, he lavished attention on every square centimeter of her skin, caressing it, touching it as if it were the very first -- or very last -- time.

He was totally in control, and for the first time, she let him be. The painkiller had induced a pleasant daze, and his ministrations were heightening the sensation of floating, underscored by an insistent rhythmic throbbing below her belly.

She moaned as he moved to cover her body with his. Every nerve was so sensitive that the moment he entered her, she felt as if a dam burst when her orgasm washed over her.

Malcolm stilled over her, holding his weight on his forearms as he nuzzled her neck on the side opposite of her injured shoulder. She was floating in another realm, her only contact with reality the brushing of his lips against her skin and the pulsing throb of him.

When her eyes could focus again, she saw his blue-grey eyes gazing tenderly into hers. Then his eyes closed and he began to move slowly. She watched as the intensity of what he was feeling was etched on his face, and felt her own desire begin to grow anew.

She wanted to move with him, but his hands on her hips held her firmly in place. She raised her hand to reach behind his neck and pulled him down on her. Even in his hyper-aroused state, he was considerate of her condition, and he rested on her uninjured side.

When he groaned aloud her name as he reached his completion, it was all it took to carry her along with him to oblivion.

Reed, dressed in dark-colored civilian clothing, was waiting next to the scout ship when Tucker entered the docking bay the next morning.

"Everything taken care of?" Reed asked.

"Yeah. Got engineerin' as ship-shape as I could," replied Tucker, who also had foregone his Klingon get-up and was wearing blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. He paused, a regretful look coming over his face. "Too bad Malin's not here. He woulda been real proud of how well his engineering crew is doin' to get everything workin' again."

Reed reached out and gave the engineer a squeeze on the shoulder. "He would have been proud of you, too, I think, ordering around a bunch of Klingons."

Tucker gave him a sad half smile. "Yeah. Probably."

The door to the docking bay slid open again. Hoshi, her arm in a sling, walked in. She was followed by Kleth, who was carrying a small rucksack. Both looked perplexed as they stopped a few feet away from the Starfleet officers.

"What?" Tucker asked.

"It's just..." Hoshi said, and looked at Kleth with her eyebrows raised.

"You don't look right," the Klingon finished for her, gesturing toward the civilian clothing Reed and Tucker were wearing. "You looked better in Klingon battle armor."

Reed smirked and Tucker rolled his eyes.

"We might have a different reception on board Enterprise if we showed up in full Klingon battle gear," Reed said. "You're going to be a big hit, though, Hoshi."

He mock-leered at her and she blushed, suddenly self-conscious of the way she was dressed. The form-fitting breastplate, cut low and open between her breasts and cinched at the waist, the leather-like skin-tight pants, the gauntlets, the high-heeled boots... Funny, she'd become used to it aboard the Falcon and hadn't given it a second thought in a long time -- until now.

Kleth growled, but it was tempered by a smile he gave Hoshi. "Q'apla, little one," he rumbled.

"Goodbye, Kleth," she said, grasping his forearm in a fierce grip, which he returned gently. "Take care of the Falcon."

Reed stepped back and allowed her to board the scout ship first. Tucker followed her in as Reed took the rucksack from Kleth. He nodded farewell to the big Klingon before turning to climb aboard.

"Ma'Com!" Kleth called after him.

Reed turned back, one hand on the edge of the hatch.

"Shidak's death has not ended your responsibility," Kleth said. "Remember your charge to guard her safety."

Blue-grey Human eyes locked with dark Klingon eyes as Reed replied, "I will honor my charge forever, Kleth."

"The captain wants to see you immediately," T'Pol said as Reed climbed out of the scout ship in Enterprise's launch bay.

He acknowledged her statement with a curt nod before turning to help Hoshi step out of the ship. T'Pol gazed curiously at the Human in Klingon battle gear.

Clambering out behind them, Tucker called out, "Hey, T'Pol!"

T'Pol raised an eyebrow. "There are a number of things which require your attention in engineering, Commander. I would suggest you assume uniform attire first."

"It's good to see ya, too," he said with a laugh.

"Ready?" Reed asked Hoshi.

Drawing a deep breath, she nodded. "Let's get it over with."

T'Pol turned on her heel and they followed her into the corridor, Tucker heading off in the opposite direction toward his quarters. Hoshi was groggy from another injection of painkiller, and Reed slowed his steps to match hers. Each step toward the captain's ready room was taking him farther away from Hoshi, in a manner of speaking, and the curious stares from the crew members served only to remind him of her situation.

On the Falcon, they had been blessed with their own little world, insulated from everything else. Now, back on the Enterprise, their individual circumstances were universes apart. He had his duty, while she had the consequences of the reckless course she had embarked upon half a year before.

He didn't expect there would be any charges brought against her in regard to Shidak and Vice Admiral Nolan. The pirate had been killed in a battle in which she had been allied with Starfleet. As far as Nolan, well, she had killed him in self-defense and the defense of two Starfleet officers. That's what his report would say, and he'd made it clear to Tucker that his report had better indicate the same thing. Reed had been mildly surprised when the engineer had agreed with no argument.

But there was the matter of the Estabi freighter. Even though Hoshi hadn't killed any of the Estabi crewherself, she could be held responsible as captain for the actions of her crew, despite her order that was disobeyed. He didn't know if Archer could be convinced that whatever acts of piracy committed by Hoshi, and by extension her crew, had been at Nolan's instigation.

The thought of Hoshi locked away in a penal institution was not something Reed wanted to contemplate.

T'Pol rang the chime outside the ready room and Reed heard Archer call out for them to enter. He followed the women into the room after the door slid open.

Archer rose from his seat behind the desk and greeted them, his face openly curious as he took in Hoshi's appearance.

"Captain Sato, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said graciously, taking her uninjured arm to lead her to the couch.

"Thank you," she said, carefully sitting down and perching on the edge of the seat as if ready to take flight at the first hint of danger.

Looking to T'Pol, Archer said, "You may go."

"Sir, as security officer, I should be here when you are in the presence of a potentially dangerous--"

"I don't think Captain Sato poses a threat to me," Archer cut her off. "Besides, Commander Reed will be here with us."

T'Pol shot Reed a glance which indicated she didn't entirely trust him either, but complied with Archer's order without further protest. After the door shut behind her, Archer looked at Reed.

"Glad to see you made it back in one piece," he said.

"Really, sir?" Reed couldn't help asking, but he tempered the sarcastic tone with a slight smile.

Archer rolled his eyes. "Reed, you are one lucky son of a... Ah, you're lucky Shidak didn't have you walk the plank or whatever it is modern-day pirates do."

"Excuse me," Hoshi interrupted. "I'd like to know what's going to happen to me now."

Archer regarded her thoughtfully before speaking. "Commander Reed has informed me about Vice Admiral Nolan's involvement in Shidak's piracy operation. Were you aware of that when Nolan contacted you?"

"No. He told me he was with Starfleet Intelligence and encouraged me to make contact with the pirates."

Archer seemed to mull that over as he went to sit behind his desk. Reed remained standing at parade rest next to the couch where Hoshi sat as Archer called up some information on the computer. Archer read for a few moments before turning to Hoshi.

"Nolan had a long career, mostly undistinguished," he said. "I have no idea why or how he became involved with Shidak." Leaning back, he continued, "An investigation is underway back on Earth. No doubt it will take some time to find out everything, but what's been uncovered so far seems to indicate Nolan was Shidak's inside contact in Starfleet."

"How will that affect Captain Sato, sir?" Reed asked, and earned a grateful smile from Hoshi for asking her own unvoiced question.

"At the very least, Starfleet will want her to come back to Earth so she can give a deposition on the pirate organization," Archer said.

Archer cleared his throat as if what he had to say next was distasteful. "There's also a possibility, despite all the help Captain Sato has given us in bringing down Shidak's operation, she will be held accountable for some of the incidents which occurred while the Falcon was under her command. The most serious, of course, is the attack on the Estabi freighter."

Reed glanced at Hoshi, who had closed her eyes tightly at Archer's words, and his heart went out to her. She wouldn't fight whatever punishment they proposed for her, he knew. Her remorse when she had told him about the incident had made it clear she believed she was responsible for those seventeen deaths, and she didn't run from her responsibilities.

"According to the preliminary report Commander Reed sent to me this morning, you ordered that no one was to be killed, but your crew willfully disobeyed," Archer said. "Those crew members, however, are Klingon, and Earth has no treaty or extradition agreements with the Klingon homeworld."

Archer leaned over to press some buttons on the comm panel on his desk. Reed heard the distinctive beeps of a ship-to-ship frequency being opened before Archer resumed speaking.

"We have no jurisdiction over your crew members, Captain Sato. We cannot hold them liable. However, since the Falcon was under your command and you still retain Earth residency, technically, you can be brought to trial if the Estabi wish to hold you accountable."

Reed didn't know what Archer was getting at. This wasn't what the captain had implied when he had talked to him last night, when he had left Hoshi sleeping in her cabin. Archer had said he would do all he could to help her.

And why was he opening inter-ship communications from his ready room?

"Sir, don't you think--" Reed began but was interrupted by the whine of a transporter. He turned toward the sound and saw Hoshi dematerializing, and her expression of shock was mirrored on his face.

Reed shot a look at Archer, who didn't seem the least bit surprised. "Sir?" he began, but was interrupted once more, this time by a hail from the bridge.

"Captain Archer?" came T'Pol's voice. "The Falcon has just left orbit. Shall we pursue?"

"Yes," the captain replied. "We'll be right out."

Archer got up from his chair and strode past Reed, who felt as if he had been stunned by a phase pistol. First Archer had privately told him he would try to help Hoshi. But when the time had come to reassure her, Archer had deliberately stressed the trouble she was in, but at the same time he had allowed a transmission of his remarks to be broadcast to the Falcon. Kleth had to have been listening, and had beamed Hoshi back aboard the Falcon, which had left orbit at once.

He could appreciate the cleverness of Archer's plan, but now he was ordering Enterprise to pursue the Falcon so he could...what? Add fleeing the authorities to the list of charges against Hoshi?

"Come on, Commander. Don't just stand there with your mouth open," Archer said as he passed Reed on the way to the bridge.

Reed quickly followed him onto the bridge, only to stop short at the picture on the viewscreen. They were still in orbit around Shidak's planet.

"What seems to be the problem?" Archer asked Mayweather at the helm.

"The warp engine is offline, sir," he said. "Commander Tucker took it down a few minutes ago for some repair work he said couldn't wait."

Archer glanced at Reed and raised one eyebrow as he stabbed the comm panel on the armrest on his bridge chair. "Archer to Engineering."

"Tucker here."

"How quick can you get the warp engine back on line?"

"Back on line?" Tucker's voice came back laced with confusion. "Sir, you ordered me to take it down as soon as I came on board. Now you want it back up again?"

"I know, Trip. How long?"

"Well, we've got a lot of the circuitry pulled out for diagnostics, and we're short-handed because of injuries from the fight."

"A rough estimate, then."

"Two hours. Maybe three."

"That's fine, Trip. Thank you."

Archer thumbed off the connection and turned to Reed where he was standing on the higher walkway which ran around the bridge.

"Thank you, sir," Reed said, and truly meant it, even though he now knew what a broken heart felt like. She was leaving him, and he probably would never see her again.