CHAPTER 3

Malcolm went with Hoshi to the public transporter pad and saw her off before beaming up to the ship. As he materialized on board the Morning Star, he was glad he had insisted upon Klingon-style transporter technology being installed. It was so much easier and convenient than taking a shuttle.

Not that the Morning Star didn't have a shuttle, too. He had tried to restrain himself with Hoshi's money, but she had given him carte blanche, and he'd wanted the best ship he could have for cargo hauling. A shuttle had been on the list of extras to which he had treated the Morning Star.

In addition to the Klingon-style transporter and a shuttlepod, Trip was working on upgrades which would bring engine efficiency up and allow the Morning Star to reach warp 4.2. That was more than respectable for a freighter, the majority of which couldn't go faster than warp 3.

He hadn't told Hoshi yet about the other project on which he and Trip were working. He figured it would be best if they got the phase cannons installed, one on the port side and the other on the starboard, before breaking the news to her that the Morning Star would be armed.

Not that he thought she'd object. To the contrary, he expected her to approve, given their first-hand experience with the dangers inherent in shipping. Her husband had been killed by pirates who had boarded one of his ships. He wasn't about to allow Hoshi to be a widow again.

Leaving the transporter pad, he walked out into the corridor and headed to engineering, nodding in greeting to several crewmembers. The composition of the crew was another thing Hoshi didn't know about yet, he thought to himself with a smile.

Most were former Starfleet officers or crewmen. Some had reached their duty limit and hadn't re-upped; others had taken early retirement but couldn't keep away from space. Two had been booted out of Starfleet because they couldn't conform to regulations.

The real surprise, though, was that he'd hired a Klingon with an engineering background. He couldn't wait to see both Hoshi's and Kleth's faces when they were presented with Slanea.

As he neared engineering, he could hear an argument in progress, Trip's voice raised in Southern indignation as he verbally battled with a softer but no less fierce feminine tone.

Not again, Malcolm thought, ducking to pass through the hatch to engineering. Those two had been going at it ever since Trip had come on board.

"Malcolm!" Trip called out. "I'm glad you're here. She wants to take out all the couplings we installed yesterday. Can ya believe it?"

Slanea, a Klingon female of average height but impressive proportions where it counted, hissed at Trip before turning to face Malcolm. "The material used to make the couplings is of inferior quality, Captain," she said, her brow ridges furrowing as she spoke. "They will not last even ten light years."

"I helped install those couplings myself, Slanea," Malcolm responded mildly, noting that the nondescript jumpsuit she wore only served to emphasize her femininity. In Klingon fashion, she had it cinched tight at the waist, showing off her formidable curves. It also wasn't zipped up all the way, revealing her considerable cleavage.

"I will show you, Captain," she said, throwing a glare at Trip before stalking to one side of engineering and picking up a coupling from a repair table.

"She's going to be my chief engineer, Trip," Malcolm said out of the side of his mouth. "Could you try not to upset her so much?"

"She's a Klingon! They're always like this," Trip retorted as if that explained everything. "And there's nothin' wrong with those couplings."

Slanea came striding back toward them, the power coupling in one hand and a probe in the other. Stopping before the two men, she ignored Trip and focused on Malcolm.

"Yes, it does look like nothing is wrong," she said, "but watch when a charge is run through it."

She touched the probe to the coupling and depressed a button. A blue flare shot along the coupling, followed by a spark and a puff of smoke.

"That's not supposed to happen," Trip said. "How much power did you run through there?"

"Does it matter?" she replied. "It shouldn not have happened at all. The probe cannot produce more power than what would normally run through the coupling."

Malcolm looked from the now-fried power coupling to Trip. "Pull them all," he ordered.

Trip started to protest. "But--"

"Pull them all," Malcolm repeated. "This isn't Starfleet. Since we have to get our supplies on the open market, there are bound to be times when the quality of some of them doesn't match Starfleet standards. We'll just have to test everything from now on before we install anything."

Trip sighed. "You're right, of course. What was I thinkin'?"

"I know what you were thinking," Slanea said as she turned and walked away.

Trip glared after the departing figure. "We gonna wind up killin' each other in this engine room, I just know it."

Malcolm grinned. "Yes, but does she know her stuff?"

"Engineering? Seems to," Trip said. "Guess I've been in Starfleet too long to think about checkin' parts before they're installed. Good thing she did, or we'd be driftin' somewhere the first cargo run we went on."

"Maybe you can learn some things from her," Malcolm suggested slyly.

Trip just snorted.

Hoshi's mind wasn't on the tour of the new wing at the clinic in the Estabi province of Rawala, but she managed to keep a smile on her face and nod at the appropriate times as the director showed her around.

While each of the twelve clinics she had set up handled basic medical care, each also had a specialty. At Rawala, it was orthopedic surgery for children. The new wing under construction was to be dedicated to rehabilitation and therapy services that went along with pediatric orthopedics.

As the Estabi director, Petrania, droned on, Hoshi's thoughts meandered elsewhere. Lately she'd become obsessed with baby names. There were a number of names that appealed to her, but Malcolm should have some say. She wondered if he'd agree to give the baby an English name if it was a boy, and a Japanese name if it was a girl.

Bringing herself back to the present, she heard Petrania say, "And over here is where the staff will have their offices."

As the lean female Estabi pointed to a framed-off area that hadn't been completed, Hoshi asked, "Have we hired any rehab people?"

"Personnel reports there have been quite a few applicants, although no one has been hired yet," Petrania said with a smile. "The reputation of your clinics among the medical community has made them desirable places to work."

Hoshi smiled at the compliment. Medicine was only as good as its practitioners, and she was gratified that her clinics had been able to attract the best.

Eventually, she hoped to establish a facility which dealt solely with research. It was one thing to treat people, but there were still a number of diseases and ailments on Estab for which there were no cures. She knew setting up such a facility didn't guarantee any break-throughs, but at least it wouldn't be for lack of trying.

Hoshi turned her gaze away from the construction to find the director peering owlishly at her.

"Something on your mind, Petrania?" she asked.

"I am curious, as are other Estabi, why you are doing this?"

"Well, I don't know much about medicine but I do know that some surgery doesn't do any good unless there is physical therapy afterward."

"No, that is not what I meant," Petrania said with a slight wave of her hand. "I mean, why are you, an off-worlder, helping us?"

Hoshi had long ago prepared an answer for this question, which was rarely asked. The Estabi had great respect for privacy, and so far had respected hers, although if she were in their place, she would have been consumed by curiosity.

"I have a debt to repay," Hoshi answered simply. "I decided to repay it in a way that will benefit the most people."

Petrania hesitated for a few moments, then said, "I am wondering how long your interest in us will last. You have shown great munificence to us, yet you could take it away at any moment."

Hoshi didn't miss the apprehension in the director's soft voice. Picking her words carefully, she sought to ease the other woman's concern. "Don't worry, Petrania. My debt is such that it can never be repaid. I won't abandon these clinics or the people of Estab."

Petrania harrumped, and Hoshi could tell she still hadn't totally reassured her, especially when the woman said, "Perhaps, but you are leaving for Lanari tomorrow."

Hoshi fought down a smile, but she couldn't refuse the urge to tease the director. "Why, Petrania! I do believe you're jealous."

"No," she said. "Well, maybe a little. Lanari is taking you away from us."

"But only for a little while. I'll be back on Estab in four days."

Petrania harrumped again.

"Oh, stop it!" Hoshi said with a laugh as they began heading back to Petrania's office for their customary after-tour cup of tea. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily. ... So tell me about some of these applicants."

Malcolm was tired but happy as he walked to their cottage that evening. Trip and Slanea had pulled all the power couplings and checked them. Another four had been found to be defective. They had made sure the replacements would work before installing them.

He was beginning to realize that he was fortunate to have found Slanea. Most of the crew, having been in Starfleet, had a certain perspective, and that perspective didn't always jive with the way things were outside the service. The Klingon's insight had saved the Morning Star from a potentially disastrous accident.

Maybe she would rub off on some of the crew and make them more open to looking at things from a different angle. Remembering her altercation with Trip that morning, however, he knew it could be a long, difficult process.

He climbed the steps to the porch of the cottage and stopped to admire the setting. The Estabi sun was beginning to set, and a golden glow suffused the landscape. The fragrance of flowers came to him, but it was light and delicate, not overpowering. Hoshi had picked a wonderful place to make a home for them.

When he opened the door, his nose was greeted by a different smell. Hoshi had been cooking, he deduced as he inhaled appreciately. Something with meat, something he hadn't had for a long time, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

He glanced at the dining table and saw it was set for two. There was a linen tablecloth, a bud vase with a single flower in it, and two candles, the flames of which were glowing softly.

There also was a bottle in the ice bucket. Walking over, he pulled the bottle out to read the label. Non-alcoholic champagne?

Hoshi stuck her head out of the kitchen. "I thought I heard you come in," she said with a smile, wiping her hands on her apron.

"What are you fixing?" he asked. "It smells divine."

"Shepherd's pie," she replied. "I hope it turns out all right. It's the first time I've fixed it."

"My mother used to fix shepherd's pie," Malcolm said, finally placing the aroma.

Hoshi gave him another smile. "I thought you might like some traditional British food."

"I'd eat anything you fixed," he said, going over and grasping her shoulders so he could place a kiss on her forehead. Releasing her and taking a step back, he added, "At least, I'd try."

She playfully swung a pot-holder at him. "I've got to get it out of the oven. Go sit down."

Malcolm seated himself and uncorked the bottle as she carried the casserole into the dining area and placed it on the table. She went back to the kitchen and returned with another serving dish.

"Baby peas," she said, placing the dish on the table. Seeing that he had opened the bottle, she added, "Why don't you go ahead and pour some of that."

She sat down as he filled their glasses. Setting the bottle back in the ice bucket, he handed her one glass and took up the other, holding it out in front of him. "Here's to us," he said, gazing into her eyes.

"To us," she echoed. "And...new beginnings."

"New beginnings," he murmured before taking a sip of the drink.

She allowed him to serve himself before she put any food on her plate, Malcolm noticed. He took a hearty portion, but he also noted that she took only a tiny bit, along with a helping of peas.

She asked after his day, and he told her about the power couplings, although he was still keeping the fact that Slanea was Klingon a secret. She in turn told him about touring the Rawala clinic.

"The therapy and rehabilitation service area is still in the...infant...stage," she remarked casually. "There's quite a bit of work to do yet, as it's still actually a newborn, so to speak. Petrania was practically crying like a baby about about my trip tomorrow, too."

Malcolm, meanwhile, had plowed through his first helping of shepherd's pie and was working on seconds. "This really is quite good," he said. "You've never fixed this before?"

"Never," she said, and he could hear the amusement in her voice. "Did you skip lunch today?"

He stopped eating long enough to look up from his plate. Swallowing, he dabbed at his mouth with his napkin before answering. "The galley isn't fully stocked yet, and leaving the ship to get something to eat would have taken too much time. I wanted to get home at a decent hour tonight."

"I hope food wasn't your only consideration in coming home early," she said with a gleam in her eye before taking a sip of her drink.

"I'm sure that after all the sleep you got last night you should be well rested," he said, an answering gleam in his own eyes.

"Slept like a baby," she concurred, stressing the last word.

A slight frown crossed his features. He could tell she was up to something, but he hadn't figured out exactly what yet. As she took another sip from her glass, he pointed to the bottle in the ice bucket.

"I noticed there's no alcohol in this champagne," he said.

"That's right," Hoshi answered.

"Any particular reason we're having it tonight? Other than you might be worried that I'll get you drunk and take advantage of you?" he asked with a suggestive leer.

A coy look crossed her face and she answered, "I hadn't thought of that. But then, I didn't really want you to have to baby me tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Malcolm Reed, you really can be dense sometimes!"

Malcolm braced himself, sure that he had done something wrong but having no idea what it was. He was certain Hoshi would let him know, however.

She leaned toward him, but he saw no anger in her eyes. Instead, there was a slight grin on her face as she said in a low voice, "The doctor told me it would be best not to drink alcohol in my condition."

He looked at her blankly. "Your condition?" he repeated, a series of alarming possibilities running through his head. A doctor had told her not to drink alcohol. Was she ill?

"Malcolm," she said, sighing as he still didn't get it. "I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father."

Malcolm went stock still, staring into her eyes across the dinner table.

Finally, after a lifetime, he cleared his throat. "I could have sworn you said you were pregnant," he said slowly. "And I'm going to be a father."

Her grin became bigger. "There's nothing wrong with your hearing, dear," she said.

"How...?" he started, but stopped, continuing to gaze at her in puzzlement.

"Surely you know about the birds and the bees," she teased.

He uttered a low growl and tried again. "What I mean is -- weren't you on birth control?"

"It lapsed," she replied simply. "What with captaining a pirate crew, getting rid of a pirate leader, trying to keep from being killed, setting up the clinics, it just...slipped my mind."

"Slipped your mind!"

Hoshi's face fell. Her earlier playfulness had vanished, to be replaced by something else.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," she said, tears starting to well up as her bottom lip quivered. She dashed a hand across her eyes and sniffed.

"Hoshi!" Malcolm said, getting up from his chair and rushing to her side where he knelt and took one of her hands in his. "I'm not upset, just a little...surprised. I mean, I had no warning, and all of a sudden you tell me..."

She gave him a watery smile. "I didn't find out until last week, while you were on the way back from Earth," she said, sniffling. "I didn't want to tell you over a transmission. I wanted to wait until you got home. And then yesterday when you did get home, you were so wrapped up in the ship..."

"Oh, Hoshi!" he said, drawing her into his embrace and kissing her forehead. "That must have been terribly hard, talking with me and Trip about the wedding and knowing..." His voice trailed off.

He leaned back away from her but took hold of her shoulders. Looking her in the eye, he said seriously, "We've got to get married. Now."

She laughed. "It's going to have to wait a few more days, at least until I get back from Lanari."

"Cancel your trip!"

"Now, Malcolm. You know I can't do that."

He sighed and gave her shoulders a squeeze before releasing her and sitting back on his heels. "It's only -- what? -- four days?" At her nod, he continued, "As soon as you're back, we're heading for the local equivalent of a priest or minister or a justice of the peace or whomever it is on this planet who marries people."

"You know," she said rather slyly, he thought, "ship captains are empowered to peform marriage ceremonies."

"That would be rather awkward, wouldn't it?" he asked. "I can't very well perform the ceremony and marry you at the same time."

"I had someone else in mind," she said with a slight grin.

He stared at her until the realization hit him. "No wonder you didn't want him to be the best man!" he said. "You want Kleth to marry us?"

She nodded, not saying anything until he got used to the idea.

"A Klingon marrying us?" Malcolm said in astonishment. "I'm not sure about this. Although a Klingon ceremony is probably shorter than a human one, which is all for the best, I suppose. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if there is pain involved."

"We could be married aboard the Falcon or the Morning Star, whichever you prefer," she offered.

Malcolm laughed. "At least you're letting me have some say in this," he said. "And you've distracted me from the bigger shock here, you know."

He hugged her again and whispered in awe, "I'm going to be a father."