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"Borderline"
Rating: PG Playtime (2) Archer let out a long bored sigh. He looked around the cargo hold filled with junk; lots and lots and lots of junk. Travis had made a very valid point a while back that Archer kept finding himself holding to every time they came across one of these space merchants. ‘Some of these space merchants actually have useful items, sir.’ Travis had said. ‘We should check it out.’ And he was right. They had come across some interesting and sometimes valuable things. Things they had traded for or bought cheap that later turned a good profit or trade themselves. It had been worth it so far. Archer looked to his right. Sista was at one end of the hold talking with one of the alien merchants. Trip and Travis were at the other end haggling over the price of something Trip had decided they just had to have. Archer let out a longer sigh. He looked up at the ceiling, wondering where all the pipes along the ceiling went. Archer looked back down at the piles of junk surrounding him. He started a slow stroll between the piles, his mind meandering through a forest of thoughts as he walked. Archer passed a pile and stopped short. He looked back and down. Archer turned, tilting his head to the side. He reached down and tried to pull back a piece of metal. “Assistance?” a voice asked. Archer turned, finding an alien behind him. “Yeah.” Archer motioned to the metal. “Can you move that?” “You wish to buy?” “No. I want to look at something under it.” “Just a moment.” The alien turned and called for assistance. Two more aliens ran over and the three moved the piece of metal. As Archer reached for the doll he had spotted, something else further back in the pile caught his eye. Archer moved closer to the pile, reaching between a bar and piece of metal to touch a bicycle wheel. He pulled on it and saw it was attached to at least half of a frame. Archer moved back when the aliens appeared and began moving junk to recover the bicycle buried underneath. Archer picked up the doll he’d first spotted as he stepped out of their way. An alien lifted the bicycle out of the pile and sat it down in front of Archer. Archer crouched down, laying the doll over his leg. He propped the bicycle up, examining the chain and brakes first. Then his hands went to the wheels. The front one was bent and two spokes had broken away, but he suspected Trip or one of his crew could easily fix it. “Spoiling the kid again, huh?” Archer looked past the aliens at Trip with a grin. Trip laughed, walking over to the bike. He knelt down and examined the front wheel. “I can fix that easy. If nothing else, I think I can dig something up to make a new rim. The tire doesn’t appear to be damaged.” “How much for these?” Archer looked up at an alien. “Ten slips.” Archer and Trip exchanged surprised looks. “Sold.” Archer looked back at the bike. “Taking up doll collecting?” Trip asked, glancing at the doll resting on Archer’s leg. Archer laughed. “I thought Navta would enjoy her.” “Got it,” Travis said, walking up. Archer leaned to the side, staring at the crate Travis held. It was full of toys. “Spoiling Eartik?” Archer asked Trip. Trip shrugged, grinning. “He wants to be an engineer. Has to have something to break and fix, right?” Archer laughed. “Right.” “Okay. That’s ev…er…y…thing…” Sista stopped when she saw the box of toys, the bike and the doll Archer was holding. “You three no go shopping with me no more! You spoil children too much,” Sista scolded. Archer smiled at Sista. “And you never spoil them.” Sista smiled, replying sarcastically, “I no spoil them every time I go trading. My husband not even this bad!” Sista batted a toy in the box Travis was holding. Archer stood, tucking the doll under his arm. He sidled up to Sista, sliding his arm around her shoulders. “Can we keep the toys, mom?” Sista rolled her eyes, looking up at him, “Yes, child. We keep toys. We go now before you three buy more useless junk!” Archer, Travis and Trip said at the same time, “Thanks mom!” “Aye!” Sista threw up her hands, walking away and complaining about the three in Varlikon. # Archer watched Navta running after the fireflies that had come out as dusk began to fall. He looked back at the fire. “Now?” Hoshi asked. Archer looked back at Navta. “Come on. Give it to her, sir,” Travis urged. T’Pol looked at them. “What are you referring to?” she asked Travis. “The Captain has a present for Navta on the shuttle,” Travis explained. “And he’s being mean by making us wait,” Trip added. “How is that unkind to make you wait if the present is for Navta?” T’Pol asked. “We want to see her expression.” “I doubt she even knows what a bike is,” Archer told them. “Yeah, but she’ll be ecstatic simply because you gave it to her, sir,” Hoshi pointed out. “And then she’ll ask what it is and you’ll tell her and you two will be out there in the meadow with that bike until it’s so dark you can’t see your own feet,” Trip said. Archer smiled. “Navta,” Archer called. Navta stopped running and turned to him. “What, K’pan?” “I left something on the Grasp. It’s sitting against the back. Can you get it and bring it here?” “Okay, K’pan.” Navta turned and ran to the shuttle pod. Archer looked back at the fire to wait. He grinned when he heard an excited squeal. Travis, Hoshi and Trip laughed. “Oh!” Hoshi cried, standing up and catching Navta and the runaway bike she was trying to hold on to as she ran. Navta threw her arms around Archer, hugging him viciously. “THANK YOU!” Archer smiled. “You’re welcome. But you can only ride it when I tell you. And not on Enterprise.” “Okay. I won’t. What is it?” Trip laughed at his correct prediction. “It’s called a bicycle.” Archer took the bike from Hoshi. “Come on.” Navta hopped up and trotted beside Archer as he led her out into the meadow. Archer held the bike up straight. “Okay, straddle the bike,” Archer told her. Navta obeyed. “Sit your bottom here.” Archer patted the seat. Navta did. “Hold onto the bars.” Archer waited for Navta to do that. “Now, these here are the brakes.” Archer pointed to the brakes on the handlebars. “Put your feet on the pedals here.” Archer pointed to the pedal on his side. Navta looked down, putting her feet on the pedals. “Now, start pushing slowly pushing the pedals with your feet.” Navta did and the bike began moving. Archer jogged along with her, holding the bike up. “Good! Now pull on the brakes.” She obeyed and the bike stopped. Archer took a hold of the back of the seat. “Now, I’m going to hold onto the back here. When you feel like you’re balanced, tell me to let go.” “Okay.” “Ready when you are.” Navta started pedaling with Archer jogging behind her. “Okay, K’pan,” Navta said. Archer let go and Navta rolled less than a meter before falling into a pile. From behind them Travis, Trip and Hoshi clapped and whistled. Navta sat up, smiling up at Archer. “Did you see that K’pan? I made it a little.” “Yeah you did. Ready for another try?” “Yes.” Navta got up and put the bike back on its wheels. “Here we go,” Archer said. Navta tried again and fell again. Five attempts later, she was pedaling in a slow circle around Archer. “WOOHOO!” Trip yelled, clapping for her. Navta smiled at Archer. “I got it! I got it!” Archer laughed, turning so he could watch her ride around him. “I learned to ride a bicycle!” Navta laughed. Archer grinned. “Why don’t you go across the meadow and back?” “Okay.” Navta turned the bike and peddled away. Archer walked back to the camp, sitting down in his chair and watching Navta. “Someday, when I have a child, I’ll know who to look up to teach them to ride a bike, sir,” Hoshi teased Archer. Archer smiled at her. “And I will be happy to do it. Travis.” “Yeah?” “Any good ghost stories tonight?” “Ever hear of the,” Travis made an dramatic pause and then asked in a mock ‘ghostly’ voice, “The Golden Arm?” “Huh-uh,” Archer answered. “Any of you heard it?” “Nope. Let’s have it,” Trip answered. Archer listened to Travis tell the story as he watched Navta ride back and forth across the meadow. |
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