J. B. Tilton/Page 5

THREE

"Fascinating ship, John," said Spencer in the captains' private dining room. "The things we could accomplish with a ship like this. Why, just getting from one place to another would allow us to do a great deal more than we could do now."

"We're very proud of her," said Archer. "She's surpassed all of our expectations."

"I believe it," said Amanda. "She's quite a ship."

"And you have a good crew, too," said Spencer.

"The best in Star Fleet," said Archer. "But then, I think every captain feels that way about his crew."

"No doubt," said Spencer.

Just then the chef brought in their salads. As usual, he had outdone himself. Amanda had already taken a bit of her as the chef turned to leave.

"Terry, don't," she cried, grabbing his hand just as he was about to take a bite. "Excuse me," she said to the chef, "but is that peanut oil I taste?"

"Yes, ma'am, it is," said the chef. "It's my secret ingredient."

"Whoa," said Spencer, dropping his fork into the bowl, "none for me thanks."

"Terry's allergic to peanuts," explained Amanda. "That first bite could have been his last."

"I'm very sorry," said the chef, picking up Spencer's bowl. "I wasn't aware of it."

"I'm sorry," said Archer. "You hadn't said anything or I would have informed the chef immediately."

"I'll get the captain something else," said the chef.

"Our fault, really," said Amanda. "We don't usually think about it. Our entire crew is aware of it and I guess we were just so excited about seeing the Enterprise we just weren't thinking."

"I'm glad you caught it," said Archer.

"Well, it was close," said Spencer, "but no harm done."

"So," said Archer, "I suppose you'll go back to your survey when we're finished here."

"Yes," said Amanda. "We should be done in a couple of days. Then there's a nebula about six days from here Terry wants to take a look at."

"Six days for us," said Spencer. "Only a few hours for you."

"Warp five does have its advantages," said Archer.

"John," said Spencer, "I was wondering if you might show me the cargo bays when we're finished here. I know it might not seem very glamorous to you, but I have an interest in them. I noticed you exempted them from our tour."

"Well, to be honest," said Archer, "not many people have an interest in cargo bays. I just figured if you've seen one, you've seen them all. But I'd be glad to. If there's anything else you'd like to see, just ask."

"Terry's always trying to find a better way to stack cargo," explained Amanda. "He thinks if we can stack it more efficiently we can carry more."

"That makes sense," said Archer. "I know how precious space is on a ship."

When their meal was finished, Archer and Spencer went to the cargo bays to look around. Amanda opted to go to the bridge and talk with T'Pol. She felt their roles as science officers would give them more to talk about than roaming the cargo bays.

Spencer was impressed with the size of the Enterprise cargo bays. The Enterprise was more than twice the size as the Stephen Hawking and afforded much more space for storage.

"We'd have to increase the size of our ship to get this much room," said Spencer.

"Well, the Enterprise was designed for long term explorations," said Archer. "Maybe some day science vessels will be designed for such long periods in space."

"That would surely be helpful," said Spencer.

"T'Pol to Archer."

Archer moved over to the intercom.

"Archer here," he said.

"Captain," said T'Pol, "long range sensors have detected a ship. No identification as yet."

"I'll be right there," said Archer. He turned to Spencer. "Feel free to look around all you like. I'll let you know anything as soon as I do."

"Thanks," said Spencer.

Archer headed for the turbo lift.