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"No Borders" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG CHAPTER 1 Malcolm followed Ensign Travis Mayweather through the crowded deck of the space station. A variety of alien species surrounded them, some humanoid in appearance, and most not. Malcolm glanced at a storefront they were passing and stopped short. “Lieutenant Reed,” Travis called. Malcolm turned his head, looking at Travis. The young man was several feet ahead of him, almost lost in the crowd that was passing between them. “I’ll meet you back on board. I want to take a look at something,” Malcolm hollered back. “Okay,” Travis said and disappeared into the crowd. Malcolm walked into the store, glancing at the alien standing outside with a phaser rifle. He walked through the aliens inside to the counter at the back and struck up a conversation with the alien behind it, pointing to an item in the display counter to his right. # Malcolm glanced at Archer when he entered the armory, dropping his right hand under the console as if he were hiding something. “Good morning, sir,” Malcolm said without so much as a smile. “Is there something wrong, Lieutenant?” “I’m just tired, sir.” Malcolm answered. “I’ve been all night trying to get the guidance re-aligned.” He sat his right hand on the panel in front of him, returning back to work. Archer nodded, stepping up to the monitor. He looked over the information on it. “This has been acting up for a week now,” Archer commented. “Yes, sir, and frankly it’s starting to wear on my patience as well.” “If it’s not online when it’s time to leave this afternoon, I’m going to have to ask you to stay, Malcolm.” Archer looked down at Malcolm. “Shore leave or not, I need this working before you can go.” “It will be functional before I leave, sir,” Malcolm answered. “Have you seen Trip?” “He’s on the Diedra. It appears the Enterprise’s ghost in the machinery has found the Diedra as well, sir.” “That can’t be a good thing. Will you give him a message? I doubt I’ll see him before you leave if he’s down there.” Malcolm smiled, looking at Archer. “Commander Tucker and the Diedra are comparable to a child and his favorite toy, sir.” Archer laughed. “Yes he is.” “And the message, sir?” “Chocolate,” Archer smiled. Malcolm grinned. “I’ll assuming he’ll know what that means and give it to him, sir.” “Thanks you. Get this working and then have a good trip, Lieutenant.” “Yes, sir.” Archer turned and left Malcolm to his work. # Malcolm stepped out of his quarters, shouldering his duffel bag. He let out a soft sigh, glad to be rid of his Starfleet uniform for however long it was going to take them on their supply run. He turned and started walking toward the lift. Malcolm looked down when a hand slid into his and returned Sista’s smile. Malcolm slid his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Can I tell you a secret?” Malcolm asked. “Yes,” Sista answered. “I’m in love with the most beautiful woman.” Sista raised an eyebrow. “Yes?” Malcolm wagged his head from side to side a little. “Yeah.” “She nishta love you back! You love vainly.” Malcolm laughed, sliding his hand down to tickle Sista’s ribs. Sista laughed, moving closer to him. The two stepped onto a lift. Malcolm said. “So I love her in vain, do I?” “Yes. She love tall, dark hair man. Not you.” “You’re in love with Captain Archer?” “Malcolm!” “Ensign Thomas?” “MALCOLM!” Sista smacked his chest with the back of her hand. Malcolm laughed, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together. Sista smiled, pretending to be angry when she pulled her hand away from him. The lift stopped and they got off, walking down the hall to the bay door. “For that I make you sleep in escape pod all journey,” Sista scolded, shaking her finger at him. Malcolm grabbed her hand, caressing her fingers with light kisses. “I could share a bed with the cargo, couldn’t I?” “No. Cold, dark, escape pod. Payback for meanness.” Malcolm laughed. He kissed her temple, asking, “Can I sleep with the cargo now?” Sista smiled at him. “Another kiss I change mind.” Malcolm pulled her to a stop and slid his arm around her neck and kissed her with a passionate kiss. When he pulled back Sista was smiling at him. “Forgiven,” Sista said. Malcolm slid his hand down her arm into her hand. The two continued on to the cargo bay. Sista led the way onto the Diedra and to a door. The door slid open and the two stepped into the room. The room was larger than the other rooms with a double bed and table and chairs. “Won’t this cause a little... contempt?” Malcolm looked at Sista. Sista grabbed his bag out of his hand. “No,” Sista replied. Sista walked over to a chair, dropping his bag in it. She picked up a combadge lying on the table and pushed it onto her shirt. “These are my quarters. You will sleep on the right, I will sleep on the left.” Malcolm smiled, walking up behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders, kissing her neck. “I don’t think this is such a good idea, Vardee.” “We won’t have enough beds after we load supplies,” Sista explained. “Better to sleep with you than Trip,” Sista turned, a sly smile coming to her lips. “Or would you rather share with Trip?” Sista slapped a combadge on Malcolm’s shirt, raising her eyebrow slightly. “And we’d have to explain ourselves to T’Pol. That might be unpleasant.” Malcolm laughed, kissing her neck again. “I don’t share.” “I imagine Trip would be happy to hear that in this instance,” Sista joked. She slid her arms around his neck. Malcolm kissed her lips. “I love you, Vardee.” Sista smiled at him, “Yes?” “Yes.” “Well, then we have a problem,” Sista said seriously. “What’s that?” “I love you to.” “That is a problem,” Malcolm smiled. “I guess I’ll have to solve that.” Sista smiled when he kissed her again. # Brila shook the dice in her hand and tossed them on the floor. Between her and Sisyl was a board game they had been playing for the last hour. From what Trip could tell, the game was similar to many of the board games he’d played. Trip sat back in his chair, closing his eyes and listening to the Jit purring. Trip’s mind traveled back to a memory of a friend he had in grade school that had lived on a farm. He remembered the two of them going out to an old red barn behind the house and playing with the cats that lived in it. He and his friend would get pieces of string or hay and tease the kittens into chasing it in circles around them. The mother cats would lie in the sun nearby, purring in chorus like Sista and the children were doing. However, there was something slightly unnerving when he remembered it was humanoid aliens crossed with animal DNA that were doing the purring. Trip frowned, opening his eyes. He had decided long ago that he hated the Varlikon for what they’d done to the Jit. Trip looked at Sista sitting in the captain’s chair beside him. She appeared to be unconcerned that her helmsman and navigation officer were playing the game. Her attention was on the fistful of papers in her hand. “What are you reading?” Trip asked. “Purchase validation...no. You would call them...” Sista looked up. “Proof of purchase.” “Proof of purchase for what?” “Jit.” “Did you say...say Jit?” Sista nodded, explaining, “They were sold to Cardassians in exchange for pieces of land.” “Why do you have them?” “A man gave them to me.” “Why’d he do that?” “I may be able to help them.” “This man a spy?” “Yes. He was my brother. He was under my command during the war and piloted another ship when the planet blew up.” Trip leaned close to Sista. “Yes?” Sista asked, looking at him with a smile. She sat the papers in her lap. “You have a brother?” “Not a real brother. We survived the first year and a half in military school and went through training together. We would have earned admiral at the same time. When he found out I was Jit, he went underground to fight with me.” “How’d he think you could help these other Jit?” “That I cannot tell you, Trip,” Sista replied quietly. Trip sat back. “I understand.” Sista laid a hand on his arm. Trip smiled, immediately noticing how light her touch was and thinking how it reminded him of her commanding style. The few times he’d been under her command she was usually soft spoken and gentle. It took a dire situation to make her start barking orders. The difference between her command style and Archer’s was the difference between night and day. Yet in the last six months Trip had seen she and Archer become good friends and even start addressing each other on a first name basis as he’d heard other captains of the same rank do. “No, you do not understand.” Trip looked at her. “Your right. I don’t.” Sista patted his arm before returning her hand to her lap. “I’m sorry I cannot tell you, Trip.” Trip thought back to a day a couple weeks before when Archer had confided to Trip that part of the reason he believed he and Sista got along so well was he felt comfortable telling her things he usually could only tell Porthos. Trip had joked that it was because she was part cat and that anyone can confide in a cat. They got a good laugh out of it, but Trip knew what Archer was talking about. He found the same thing was true for himself and knew it to be true for many other crewmembers. Sista had inadvertently become something of Enterprise’s ship counselor. Trip wondered how many secrets the woman was going to take to her grave about the Enterprise crew. Sista suddenly cocked her head to the side and smiled. “Did you remember to get Captain Archer’s chocolate?” “Yes.” “What is chocolate?” “It’s a candy.” “I have never had chocolate.” “He really likes chocolate and raspberries. I don’t have a taste for it personally.” “You like celery and vanilla pudding,” Brila stated, looking up at Trip. Trip smiled at Brila. “Not together.” “But I saw you eating the two once.” “I had celery with my meal. Then I had the vanilla pudding. They weren’t together.” “They go to the same place when you eat them together,” Brila argued. “That may be, but they don’t go together in your mouth. Or at least not mine.” Sista chuckled. “Brila, you should try the two together.” “There’s an idea. Let me know what it tastes like, okay?” Trip winked at Brila. Brila grinned at Trip. Something beeped on the navigation console and Brila jumped up to check it out. “Sensors have detected a plasma storm, Captain,” Brila said. “It’s spanning across our route back to Enterprise. It spans port an estimated seventy kilometers and starboard ten kilometers. Signals from markers for Cardassian space are giving an estimated distance of fifty-two kilometers starboard.” “Change course to starboard and skirt the plasma storm. Mind the markers, Sisyl. I don’t want a fight with part of our shielding down,” Sista said. “Aye, Captain,” Sisyl got up and entered new coordinates. Once the Diedra had changed course the two sat back down and returned to playing their game. “Archer would never allow crew to play games on the bridge,” Trip commented. “Are you telling me how to captain my own ship, Commander?” Sista said in a stern voice. Trip looked at her, finding she was wearing a mischievous grin. Trip smiled back. “No, sir.” “Good. I’d hate to eject you out of a torpedo tube,” Sista turned back to her papers. “I’m sure Captain Archer wouldn’t disapprove of such an action, but he would have to find another chief engineer.” Trip laughed. “He’d have something to say I imagine. I mean...he’d have to replace me and that would take time and then there’d be all that paperwork...” “Commander, you amuse me,” Sista laughed. “I won’t eject you from a torpedo tube just yet.” Trip sat back in his chair, looking at the view screen. Only the brightest stars could be seen as the Diedra cruised at warp five. The sight had the same calming effect on Trip as sitting in a boat over his favorite fishing spot on a lazy summer afternoon. “So...I noticed you had Malcolm bunk with you this trip. Are you and he, you know...” “No, I don’t know. And no, we are none of your business. And yes, I mind you asking.” Trip’s smile became devious. “Give me a minute to find a loop hole so I can ask again.” Sista looked at him. “Commander Tucker, go fix something before I find myself inclined to seriously consider expelling you from an airlock.” “The torpedo tube sounded funner. Can we go with that instead?” “If it sounds fun, no. Airlock.” “Okay. I’ll go find something to break that needs fixing,” Trip said as he stood up. He looked back at Sista, waiting for a response. Sista smiled up at him. “Do you annoy Captain Archer this much when you two are stuck together for a length?” “Only when he needs it.” “I see. In that case, just make sure what you break gets fixed. Meanwhile, I’m going to send Xerrix to engrave your name on airlock 5B for future reference.” “I’ll go engrave it myself. Save him the trouble,” Trip teased, walking off the bridge. “Make sure it’s 5B, Commander,” Sista called after him. “Aye, aye, Cap’n,” Trip called from down the hall. # Malcolm heard the companel beep and responded by pulling Sista closer to him before she could reach up to answer it. “Ignore it,” Malcolm whispered, pressing his lips against hers. Sista pulled back, whispering, “Okay.” The companel beeped again and Sista sighed. Malcolm felt her reach over him to the comlink console above the bed. “Go ahead,” Sista said in a half-awake voice. “Captain, we need you on the bridge right away,” Zintar came back. “I’m on my way,” Sista replied. Malcolm pulled Sista back to him; muttering into her hair, “Hurry back.” Sista laid her hand on his cheek. She kissed his forehead and then his nose. “I’ll be right back. Go back to sleep.” Malcolm nodded his head slightly, already on his way back to sleep. # Malcolm rolled over, reaching out for Sista, but his hand found an empty space beside him. Malcolm opened his eyes, looking around the empty captain’s quarters. Malcolm got up, dressed and walked to the bridge. Sista was sitting in her chair looking unusually tense. “What’s wrong?” Malcolm asked, leaning on the back of the captain’s chair. “The plasma storm forced us close to Cardassian space,” Sista said. Malcolm looked at the view screen. The Diedra was still traveling at warp eight. “What’s wrong with that?” Malcolm asked. “Cardassians are not known for recognizing borders.” “Have we had any problems yet?” “We detected one warship an hour ago. Nothing since.” Malcolm looked at the bridge of tense faces around him. He had never seen the children so nervous or anxious before. Even Navta looked unusually stern. Malcolm looked down when Sista touched his hand. “I want you to go back to the armory and relieve Trip and Ryce. The shielding is still down on aft port. Tell the two to get some rest. Something could happen at any minute and I want them rested if it does.” Malcolm gave Sista’s hand a squeeze. She looked up at him and offered a fragile smile. Malcolm left her side to do as she ordered. |
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