J. B. Tilton/Page 4
ELEVEN
"I'm glad I was able to rule the way I did, Lieutenant," said De Haan as he prepared to depart the Enterprise. "You're a good officer."
"Thank you, sir," said Malcolm. "I'm rather pleased with the decision myself."
"No doubt," said De Haan. "There's something I don't understand, though. Why didn't you just tell us what happened at the beginning?"
"It's difficult to explain, sir," said Malcolm.
"I think I understand," said Archer. "Malcolm said it himself. He owed Captain Humphreys everything. He knew the decision to send the transmission could be controversial. Even a lot of experienced officers might not understand it."
"Loyalty to your captain?" questioned De Haan. "An admirable trait, Lieutenant. That's something I can understand. But to risk your career, even your life, over something that happened so long ago. That's an unusual level of loyalty even in Star Fleet officers."
"That's our Malcolm," said Archer. "We wouldn't have him any other way."
"I just couldn't let Captain Humphreys be remembered that way, sir," said Malcolm. "He was a good captain and a good friend. I couldn't let that one mistake ruin his reputation. It was the last thing he ever did. I was afraid people would remember only that one incident and forget all the good he did. I was the only one who could prevent that."
"He made a tactical error," said De Haan. "I wouldn't have done something like that. But as I said, it's easy for us to sit here years later and second-guess things. I won't fault Captain Humphreys for using all of his ingenuity to protect his crew."
"I don't think that one incident is likely to tarnish his reputation," said Archer. "He has an impressive record. And everyone makes mistakes."
"That they do, Captain," said De Haan. "Captain Humphreys was a good officer and a good captain. But he wasn't perfect. None of us are. Keep that in mind the next time you decide to risk everything for someone, Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir," said Malcolm. "I'll try to remember that in the future."
"Captain," said De Haan, "it was a pleasure to be aboard the Enterprise, even considering the circumstances. Perhaps next time there would be time for a tour."
"Any time, Admiral," said Archer. "It will be my pleasure."
Archer and Malcolm watched as Admiral De Haan boarded his shuttle and left for his ship to return to Earth.
"Captain," said Malcolm, "I hope you understand, sir. What I did is not a reflection on you. It was never a question of my loyalty to you."
"You're wrong, Malcolm," said Archer. "As your commanding officer, everything you do is a reflection on me. But you have nothing to apologize for. You stuck by your convictions even when it looked like you might spend the rest of your life in prison. I consider it a privilege to have you on my crew. I just hope that, one day, I might inspire that kind of loyalty."
"You already do, sir," said Malcolm.
"Yeah, well," said Archer, smiling, "I think you have some work to do. You've been slacking off for the past couple of days. Don't you think it's time you actually did some work instead of lounging around your quarters goofing off?"
"Yes, sir," said Malcolm, smiling. "I suppose I have been a bit negligent of late."
Archer just smiled as Malcolm headed to check on HIS weapons bays. Everyone could use improvement in some areas. It was just the nature of being human. But when it came to loyalty, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed definitely needed no improvement.
Heading for the bridge, Archer wondered what he would have done if he'd been in that situation.
The End