Author's Note: Sorry, for the delayed post. I'll hopefully get another chapter out before the end of the week.

Chapter 5

"I'm Joan Riley, and this is my husband Thomas." She introduced them both before pulling him inside. Thomas took his bags. He shuffled in behind them. He found their home… charming and lived in unlike his own. He knew they hadn't lived here for long. Tarsus IV was a new settlement. They couldn't have arrived more than a week or two before him. However there home more lived in, more loved than his mother or Frank had ever made the Kirk farm in Riverside.

It became obvious fairly soon why Thomas had been decried his stated gender. Joan, not Mrs. Riley, she didn't want to be called Mrs. Riley, she laughed and said it made her old, lead him into the kitchen. She poured him a tall glass of home squeezed lemonade. "It's not really lemonade like on Earth. It's actually genetically different. It's closer to an orange than a lemon," she said as she handed him the glass.

Jim took it willingly. He hadn't realized just how thirsty he was until that moment. It was sweeter and tangier than the lemonade he was used to.

She sat down across from him. She smiled warmly at him while resting a hand under her chin. "Tom, didn't mean it." Like Joan, Tom didn't want to be called Mr. Riley or Thomas. Jim guessed it was so everything would be less formal. They were… fuck… they were his care takers now. His mother had literally given him up besides whatever the fuck Frank had told her to convince her to send him here. It probably didn't take much convincing anyways. She never did raise him. She also never told him how long he supposed to stay on Tarsus. Was he supposed to stay until he was eighteen and was legally an adult and could make his own choices? Was she going to come get him someday? Fuck was she even going to come see him during her next shore leave? "It's just…"

There was a squawk behind him. Jim turned around. Tom was leading a little boy towards them. He saw Joan smile and hold her arms out. It was something he had seen parents at the park in Riverside do. His mother had never done that before. She never gave hugs willing. The little boy ran over to her. She smiled and pulled him into her lap. She placed her chin into his lush, brown hair.

The little boy turned towards him. He had the deepest shade of chocolate brown eyes that Jim had ever seen. "Hi," the boy said shyly. He pushed himself closer into his mother's blossom. "I'm Kevin."

"Hi," Jim flashed Kevin one of brighter, more genuine smiles. I'm Ji…Jane," he said. He mentally cursed himself for almost giving away fake identity. He suddenly wondered if he should have lied about his name or why he didn't correct Frank's horrible 'joke'. It seemed none of the Riley's noticed.

"I'm six-years-old," Kevin parroted out.

Jim smiled. He remembered being six. Life was much simpler back then. Before Frank, before everything else which made him jaded and realize the harsh realities of life.

"Do you want to play a game?"

"Kevin," Joan smoothed out his hair. "It's bed time."

"Aww," Kevin whined.

"Kevin," she said again.

"Alright," Kevin sighed before slipping off of Joan's lap. Joan smiled and gently kissed his cheek. Tom ruffled his hair before he scampered off. Just before he left the room, he turned around and waved to Jim. "We play tomorrow?"

Jim smiled and nodded.

"Yay! 'Night." He disappeared around the corner after that.

Tom had poured his own glass of lemonade by then and taken a seat next to Joan. "You were supposed to share a room with Kevin."

Jim blinked. In that moment he realized. His 'gender' had inconvenienced them. They had been planning on him and Kevin sharing a room. It made sense. As he looked around the tiny eating area, Jim realized just how small the adobe house really was. It was probably just a two bedroom hut. He wondered why they had agreed to take him in to begin with. "It's okay. We can still share."

"That…" Joan started.

Jim waved his hand. "It's okay. Really," Jim smiled and as he rolled his fingers over the glass. Tiny beads of liquid had begun to form over the glass. It was 'sweating' as Sam used to say.

"We did bring that partition from Earth." Tom started.

"My Vulcan painting?" Joan asked. Her eyes widened.

"Is that what it is?" Tom teased.

Joking… they were joking. Jim had never heard grownups jest before. His mother was never happy or around enough. Frank was well… Frank. Joan pushed Tom away as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. Jim looked down. He rolled the glass between his palms. It was awkward. It was strange. Was this what a family was supposed to be like? Tom patted his hand at that moment. Jim looked up.

"Come on. I put your things in the study for now. We can set up the partition tomorrow." Tom stated. Jim nodded. He set the glass down and nodded at Joan.

She smiled and waved at him.

It was a small room. There was a small console in the corner of the room. It was sitting on a rickety wooden table. There was a stack of PADDs next to it. In the opposite corner, there was a small pull out couch that doubled currently as a cot. Tom had already placed his possessions next to it. The cot was covered with a floral bed sheet. There was single pillow that looked hard and a thin blanket.

"There's only one bathroom. We eat breakfast at 0600." Tom stated. He seemed uneasy. Jim wondered if he was used to females beside his wife. Fuck. He wasn't even a girl.

Jim nodded. Tom soon disappeared. He waited a while before reaching for his duffle bags. He drew out his PADD. He always read before bed. He felt that if he filled his brain with stories about faraway places and other people's lives, his dreams would be happy. It was a way to trick his brain from giving him nightmares. He had been using the trick for years since he read about how dreams and the brain worked. He wondered if that was why parents read to their children before bed time.

He was so deeply engrossed in his PADD that he didn't hear the door open. He looked up startled when he felt a hand on his arm. He found Kevin's chocolate brown eyes staring up at him. "Mommy, told me to tell you the bathroom is free now," Kevin stated. Jim detected a slight lisp in the boy's words. Kevin would probably grow out of it.

"Thanks." He said nervously. He wasn't used to talking to other boys who didn't want to either beat him up or use him in some way. Sam and Big Joe had been the exceptions. He still didn't understand Big Joe while Sam was his brother.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Treasure Planet." Jim stated.

"Is it for school?"

Jim laughed. "No, it's for fun."

"Fun? Reading isn't fun." Kevin stuck out his tongue.

"'Course it is."

Kevin crossed his arms. "Prove it."

Jim laughed. That wouldn't be difficult. He could already come up with a long list of stories that could easily prove his point. However before he could answer, Joan walked in. She seemed displeased.

"Kevin, it's bed time," she stated. Her voice was firm but lacked the menace that was always in Frank's voice or the lethargic tone of voice from his mother.

Kevin looked up at her. "Aww, Ma, but Jane was going was going to tell me a story."

"Tomorrow Kevin," she drew him close to her blossom.

Kevin pouted but agreed. Joan lightly squeezed his shoulder and whispered a 'good night' to him. He nodded. It was confusing how many times the Riley's said good night to him. The most he got growing up was from Sam who used to punch him in the arm and sarcastically telling him 'good night dummy'.

Breakfast the next morning was simple. It consisted of eggs from the communal chickens, milk from the communal cows and toast from the communal bakery. Jim could the pattern. Everything on Tarsus was communal.

"It's a new colonization. Tarsus could become the framework for the future of the Federation. Every family is assigned a certain task, and all the goods are stored in a common location," Joan explained to him at breakfast. Kevin just nodded along as if he knew what his mother was talking about.

"Joan's a biologist, so we're part of the farming group," Tom added.

"I'm going to grow the biggest pumpkin," Kevin added. Joan smiled and gently ruffled Kevin's brown bangs. "I'm going to win the pumpkin contest at the fall fair."

Tom laughed.

"I'm going to be a biologist when I grow up like Mama."

"Okay Kevin, it's time for school."

"Aww," Kevin whined. He slipped from his chair. He picked up his empty plate and placed it into the kitchen sink.

"Take Jane with you." Tom called. Jim looked up. He hadn't been in school for so long. Not since before Sam ran away, and he crashed his dad's car. He almost opened his mouth to protest. However when Joan smiled at him, he nodded. After he placed his own plate in the sink, he found Kevin at the door lacing up his shoelaces. When he saw Jim, he smiled. He stuck out his hand. Jim guessed Kevin wanted him to take it. Jim toed on his own shoes before taking it. Kevin shouted a 'good-bye' before pulling open the door. They were both greeted with a blast of warm air. It wasn't even summer yet, and it was already hot. Jim wondered just how unbearably hot the summer would be. The Tarsus sun was a great ball of fire in the sky.

"School's on the other side of the settlement," Kevin explained. He skipped along beside Jim. However since Jim didn't know where he was going, he was forced to slow down to let Kevin catch up. Now that it was brighter, he noticed that he had been wrong the night before. All of the adobe houses were identical. There were subtle differences to all the houses. Simple things like window placement and extra rooms.

The school house turned out to be a small one story building next to what he guessed was the government building. He only knew since the building was reminiscent of the old Roman buildings. It was a common theme on Earth. There was large school bell at top. He wondered if it really rang or if it simply for aesthetics. He guessed there weren't many children on Tarsus. It made sense. He couldn't guess how many parents could possibly agree to up root their family for a place like Tarsus.

Kevin tugged on his arm. "Come on, I'll introduce to our teacher. She's really nice."

The teacher ended up being up an old greying woman. She was of Asian descent. Even at the distance, Jim could tell she was once a woman of great importance. She seemed like she had lived a life of excitement and had finally settled down to a quiet life. Jim wondered why she had agreed to teach children.

"Mrs. Kimura," Kevin bolted forward.

"Hello, Kevin," she smiled. Jim recognized the smile immediately. Teachers always smiled to their students like that.

"This is Jane," Kevin quipped. He seemed proud of himself.

Mrs. Kimura looked at him. She bit her lip as if confused before extending her hand.

"Hello, Jane."

Jim took her hand. He was surprised how strong her grip was.

It turned out Mrs. Kimura taught all the students on Tarsus. The inside of the school was just as archaic as the outside. It seemed like it was replicated out from a 19th century history book depiction of a school house. The only difference was that instead of a blackboard in the center of the room there was large outdated holo-screen.

The students were all seated by age groups. The youngest children sat in the front while the older children sat in the back. Kevin sat almost in the front row. He was one of the youngest. There were only a handful of students younger than or just as old as he was. Jim sat closer to the back. It seemed like he was one of the oldest. He sat next to a boy who introduced himself as Thomas Leighton. He seemed nervous. Jim watched how he would worry his lip as he took notes in his PADD and would constantly tap his right foot. Jim was tempted to reach over and make him stop. However, he didn't only because he kept him awake. The lectures were long and boring. He forgot how much school had bored him. By the second hour, he had opened up a book on his PADD. He wasn't paying attention when his name was called. He only knew because Thomas had kicked his chair.

"Jane," he hissed.

Jim bolted upwards. Maybe Thomas wasn't that bad.

He wasn't used to the name Jane, or he would have realized he had been called. He heard a soft chuckle transcend the room. "Please answer the question Jane," Mrs. Kimura sighed. It seemed like she had been trying to get his attention for a while.

Jim looked at the holo-screen. It was an easy math question. He had always been good at math. He answered quickly. She smiled and nodded. He wondered if she thought he actually was paying attention.

However there was one lecture that did catch his attention… xenolinguistics. Riverside education was never strong in xenolinguistics. The most he had learned was rudimentary Vulcan. After ten minutes, Jim could tell just how much Mrs. Kimura loved xenolinguistics. Unlike when she was lecturing on math or physics where she talked in a dull, luring monotone voice, there was inflection and excitement as she explained just how important xenolinguistics was. It became fairly obvious that most of the students in the room also had very little exposure to xenolinguistics. By the end of the lecture, he knew more Vulcan than he had in all preceding years of his education.

Lunch was eaten outside in the sand. They were all issued brown biodegradable lunch bags with near identical portions of food. Jim guessed this was part of the communal lifestyle. Thomas invited him to eat lunch with him. He wondered if he should be eating with Kevin, but it seemed Kevin had his own friends. He agreed. They sat with two other boys and two girls of similar age. "We older kids should stick together," Thomas explained.

Jim nodded. The others smiled at him. The girls seemed happy. "It's good to have another girl in our group." She introduced herself as Jennifer Tompkins. She was a pretty black girl with long tresses that cascaded down the side of her face. She nudged the girl next to her. She was an Asian girl with large brown eyes.

"Aiko Kimura," she said. Jim blinked. She laughed. "Yeah, Mrs. Kimura is my great grandmother."

The two boys gave their names next: Eli Molson and Jack… Just Jack. Jennifer and Aiko both groaned. "What, it's not short for Jackson." Jack grumbled.

And that was that. Somehow this became Jim's life. Every day he went to school with Kevin. Every day he ate lunch with Thomas, Jennifer, Aiko, Eli and Jack, and every day after school he worked in the fields with the Riley's. Kevin eventually showed him his prized pumpkin. Jim wondered how Kevin wouldn't win the pumpkin contest. He had never seen a pumpkin that large before.

He had been on Tarsus for nearly a month with Mrs. Kimura asked him to stay after school. Kevin waved at him from the door way before scampering off. They always walked to the fields together. Jim wondered if she was going to reprimand him for his lack of attention during all of his classes minus xenolinguistics. He wondered why it had taken her that long.

She led him to the back room. He wondered how he hadn't noticed it before. He had always assumed it was a broom closet. It turned out to be an ordinary office. He noticed there was a PADD on her desk with pictures that changed.

She told him to take a seat across from the desk. She sat on the other side. He wondered if this is what a teacher/student conference from the past felt like. "I know my classes aren't the most interesting," she started.

Jim grimaced.

"You're obviously very bright," she continued. "One of the brightest students I have ever had."

Jim blinked. He hadn't expected such high praise from anymore. His past teachers had just let him be. He had always scored well on all his tests. Most of the time, he scored the highest in his class. It wasn't difficult. It kept them content. They never wanted to make trouble, not for the dead hero of the Federation. Here on Tarsus, finally he wasn't the son of a dead hero who he had never met.

"You're so much like some of the people I served with in my youth." Mrs. Kimura continued.

Jim blinked. She picked up her PADD. When she turned the PADD around, Jim's eyes widened. Everyone knew about Jonathan Archer's legendary mission aboard the NX-01 Enterprise. In the picture was a picture of the Archer's ship. It seemed to be a publicity picture probably before their maiden voyage. The bridge crew looked stiff unlike in later pictures when they became more at ease with one another. He recognized the Vulcan first officer, T'Pol.

"You're Hoshi Sato. You helped invent the modern universal translator."

She smiled. "Ah yes, the glory days of my youth, yes I am… I was. Now I'm just a lowly school teacher on Tarsus IV with a student who is clearly bored of my teachings."

Well fuck.

She laughed. It was startling to watch her laugh now. Jim wasn't sure how he hadn't recognized her. The more he looked at the picture of young Hoshi Sato and the woman she had become; he could clearly see that feisty woman from her youth. She really was the woman who had helped Jonathan Archer during his legendary mission.

"I can see greatness in you, Jane. I've worked with some of the brightest in the galaxy. My little school house just isn't enough for you. You need challenge. Our governor… Kodos… he's a generous man. He's all for helping children grow. He came to me asking for an aide. He wants to groom a child to take over running our colony someday."

Jim blinked.

"I see greatness in you. More greatness than Archer… and well… his history speaks for itself." She laughed. "I want to recommend you for this post."

"I…"

"There is very little I can teach you besides xenolinguistics. It's my only lecture you pay attention too." She tapped her bony fingers on her desk. "What do you say? Governor Kodos could teach you many things. You obviously know your math, science, literature and history."

Jim rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. It did sound more interesting than sitting in class. However… there were his … fuck… his friends. If he agreed, would he see than again? She seemed to notice his hesitation.

"It will initially only be for a few hours every week until you are older and if you really want to pursue this path."

"Okay." Jim nodded. Why not? It wasn't like he was signing his life away.

Only as he leaving the school house, did he stop and wonder. When did he stop wanting to leave Tarsus? When did Tarsus start feeling like… home?

Author's Note: I guess this is the calm before the storm chapter. I really do feel bad for what happens to most of these characters...

I'm also not sure if Kevin Riley's parents were part of Starfleet, or what they did. Canon seemed to imply Jim and Kevin knew each other on Tarsus.

Various Star Trek Encyclopedia sites claimed that Hoshi Sato was on Tarsus IV with her family, so I decided why not let her and Jim meet. Jim clearly knows something about xenolinguistics when he first meets Uhura in the bar. Who could be a better teacher right? It also claims that Sato married later in life.

However since I haven't watched very much of Enterprise, and by not much I mean 2 normal episodes and the mirror universe episodes, I don't know much about Hoshi Sato's characterization. I plan on watching more Enterprise before Archer shows up though.

As for Jim's apprenticeship with Kodos... well... we'll see where that goes.