Never and Always...

Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise is the property of CBS/Paramount. All original material herein is the property of its author.

Chapter 5: Mr. Destiny vs. the Dinosaurs

The first thing Admiral Gardner said when he appeared on Archer's viewscreen was, "What is it with you and making history, Jon?"

Archer smiled cheerily. "Hello to you, too, Paul. I gather you've read my report."

Gardner held up a padd. "I have. As I recall, I sent you to catch a terrorist bomber. I see you also managed to find the Vulcan Holy Grail and preserve the spirit of some two-thousand-year-old demi-god."

"Surak wasn't a god," Archer explained patiently. "Think of him as Siddhartha before he started being worshipped as Buddha, and logic as his path to enlightenment." He frowned. "No, actually, that's a really lame comparison..."

"I just marvel at your tendency to be smack in the middle of seminal events," Gardner commented. "The NX program, Enterprise, the Vulcan Reformation. I should start calling you Mr. Destiny."

"You do, and I will come after you," Archer threatened good-naturedly. "That Surak thing was dumb luck."

Even as he said it, he suddenly pictured Temporal Agent Daniels standing behind him, that ageless face filled with sincerity. He could even imagine hearing Daniels' earnestly insistent voice... Not at all, Jonathan! You were meant to be in that cave during that one-of-a-kind sandfire storm, with T'Pol knocked senseless and Syrran mortally wounded at that very moment! You were always supposed to trigger the Vulcan Reformation, just as you will be integral to the founding of the Federation!...

Archer glanced behind him. No enigmatic time traveler lurking, waiting to spout messages about the future. And stay away, Daniels. He couldn't imagine any reason he'd be happy to see that guy again.

"I see V'Las convinced this Stel character to take the fall for the bombing," Gardner was saying. "Don't tell me V'Las wormed his way out of responsibility for destroying the Syrrannite camp, too."

"Not quite," Archer replied. "V'Las didn't count on having an emotional meltdown in front of the rest of the Council after Kuvak halted his attack on the Andorian fleet. And after Soval revealed V'Las's plot to attack Andoria itself, he was permanently banned from holding any position in the government. It may not sound like much, but to a man who doesn't know how to live without power, it's the worst possible punishment."

Gardner sighed. "I still think he should be shipped off to one of those Klingon penal colonies. He probably wouldn't last a week, but the idea sounds more satisfying."

Archer saw for the first time how tired his old friend looked. "So how have you been adjusting to the new job, Paul? You look a little beat."

Gardner shook his head. "You wouldn't believe how busy Forrest kept himself. I think we need three people to replace him as Admiral." He paused, an all-too familiar sadness crossing his features. "And the man himself...irreplaceable."

"Yeah," Archer agreed quietly. He gave his new boss an encouraging smile. "You'll do fine. Karyn speaks quite highly of you."

That got a smile out of Gardner. "Ah. My adopted pet project...E²."

"E...what?"

"Everything about Lorian's ship is classified because of the time travel, as you know," Gardner explained. "Including the personnel. But now I've got sixty-three of them working among regular, non-classified Starfleet folks. We needed code words. It's all very silly, and very necessary, according to HQ. It doesn't make blending in any easier for them, though."

"At least you didn't banish them to a desert island, or some isolated moon." Archer cleared his throat. "Uh, Paul...on a related matter, sort of...what's current policy regarding two officers serving aboard the same ship who want to get married?"

"All power to 'em," Gardner replied. "We don't regulate who marries whom."

"Good. Then let's say, hypothetically, that these newlyweds want to continue serving on the same vessel?"

Gardner frowned. "The brass's position has been the same for the last few centuries on that subject. 'If we'd wanted you to have a spouse aboard ship, we would have issued you one.' It's generally assumed that spouses are too sweet a distraction. Work efficiency suffers, PDA's get inappropriate. It's simply too difficult for most couples to handle. HQ prefers to transfer one of them to a different post. That being said, each matter is taken on a case-by-case basis." He arched an eyebrow curiously. "Who are we talking about?"

Archer hesitated. "Hypothetically?"

"Sure."

"An engineer and a bridge officer."

Gardner smiled knowingly. "Would this bridge officer be Helm or Science?"

"Someone's done his homework," Archer observed. "Okay, for purposes of discussion...let's talk both."

Gardner laughed. "Are you running a matchmaking service?"

"I had nothing to do with it," Archer protested. "Well, maybe I encouraged Karyn a little, right at the beginning. But I was the last one to know about the engagements."

"These Tucker men are quite the romantics, aren't they?"

"Hypothetical Tucker men," Archer corrected.

"Right. That just slipped out."

"So?"

Gardner sat back and pondered for a moment. "Regarding your hypothetical engineer and helm officer...I've read the logs for E². Since it was a generational ship, and relationships were encouraged, the art of separating personal and professional lives was a necessary part of basic training. As I recall from the records, Lorian and Karyn were as proficient as anyone—paragons of objectivity, in fact. And they work in different departments on Columbia..." He shrugged. "Hell, even if Hernandez puts Lorian in her chain of command, he has over fifty years' experience putting his ship and crew above his own personal wishes."

This was a lot easier than Archer had expected. "So you're telling me..."

"Have them talk to Hernandez. If she has no objection, set the date. Just tell them to keep things low-key. We wouldn't want to tick off the couples who do get transferred apart. And I fully expect to be invited, by the way."

Archer nodded happily. "I'll pass that along."

Gardner stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Now, about your hypothetical engineer and science officer...it gets stickier. They don't have the benefit of being raised on E², with records attesting to their objectivity training. Plus, they're second and third in your chain of command. The brass will likely make the typical knee-jerk assumptions that your commanders will have the attention span problem, the propriety problem, the objectivity problem—"

"They're not greenhorn ensigns!" Archer said in exasperation. "They're seasoned senior officers. One of them's Vulcan. What happened to evaluating on a case-by-case basis?"

"Married officers—command officers—on the same vessel? The brass hates this, Jon."

"You're in charge of Fleet Ops now, not the brass."

Gardner bristled. "You think they appointed me to run roughshod over long-standing policy?"

"I don't know, Paul," Archer shot back. "Did they appoint you to toe the party line? Maintain the stodgy status quo? With monumental changes on the horizon?"

They glared at each other for a long moment. Carefully, Gardner said, "I am not a puppet. Or a yes-man."

"I know," Archer said, more quietly. "I knew it when we were in the NX program together, and you got in almost as much trouble as I did."

The two men shared a brief smile, easing the tension between them. Archer went on, "You're a forward thinker. Now you have the power to make policy, not just maintain it. The face of the galaxy is changing. The Vulcans aren't our wet-nurses anymore—they're going to be our allies. It's time for new ideas."

Gardner ran his hand tiredly through his close-cropped silver hair. "The drawback to being a forward thinker is that you deal with a lot of dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are quite comfortable with their obsolete, walnut-brained viewpoints."

"I have every confidence in your ability to bring them into the modern age," Archer replied.

Gardner regarded him through narrowed eyes. "Have you already forgotten which one of us is the history-maker, 'Mr. Destiny'?"

"Cute."

"You're right about big changes taking place," Gardner acknowledged. "The problem is, Earth may not be ready for some of them. There are still a few very stubborn xenophobic factions stirring up trouble here. Apparently a lot of folks don't want a formal alliance with Vulcan, or any other aliens—much less interspecies marriage or half-breed children. Not my term, by the way. I just mainstreamed nineteen hybrids into Starfleet, including your great-granddaughter and her intended. I'm on your side."

"I know," Archer said sincerely. "All Trip and T'Pol want is to do their jobs, just as they always have. And be married, too."

Gardner nodded. "I hear you. I'll take it to HQ and see what I can hammer out. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough. Thanks, Paul."

Gardner smiled. "Give my best to the hypothetical Happy Couples."

-tbc-