The next day both Archer and Danaë felt more like their old selves and spent the day swimming and indulging in Risa's famous spas and deep tissue massages. Nothing too risque as they preferred to keep the intimacy between themselves. The massage was so amazing that the lieutenant asked if she could take the masseuse back as a souvenir. Every crewmember could use a touch of such expertise. The captain was quick to tell her no. Not only did he not need to explain to his superiors why the crew needed a masseuse, but he also didn't need anyone else vying for the lieutenant's attention, life already did that enough.
The day's adventures were not as grand as the day before, but still equally as enjoyable. They tried a variety of fine cuisine and walked through the shopping district holding hands and not hesitating to be seen together. At one kiosk an old man sat with thick glasses carefully bending silver and gold wire into fine jewelry. A particular pendant caught Archer's eye that was in the shape of a star with small sparking stones set into it and a large stone in the middle that was a mix of gold and a rainbow of iridescent colors. It reminded him of the mineral Bismuth from Earth. Seeing she was preoccupied with Porthos he took the opportunity and got it for her, slipping the box into his pocket before she noticed.
That night they decided to make another attempt at going to the theater and just to make sure there were no interruptions, Archer not only shut off his communicator, but tossed it into a drawer. Danaë looked as beautiful as ever in that long form-fitting gray and black striped dress. As they were about to leave he took the box from his pocket and held it out to her, opening the lid. Seeing it she couldn't speak, overwhelmed by the gift. After all these years they had never given each other anything before, mostly out of fear of someone noticing and figuring out their secret. It was not something they had ever discussed, but a silent understanding between them. She wanted to accept it, but there was that uncertainty as to whether she should. Archer saw her hesitation and took the bauble from its box then went over and slipped it around her slender neck.
"I remember you telling me once that your dad said that you had his vision. You always looked at the stars and saw what could be. Dani, you keep me reminded that there are still possibilities out there and to keep looking for them. Everytime I think I've lost my way, you help me find it again." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you too," she whispered back.
She wore the necklace while they were at the theater. She wore it while they slowly danced to soft jazz played on Archers PADD in the hotel room. It was around her neck when they made love and it was there when the morning sun peered through the window and stirred the captain from his sleep. Rolling over he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She looked beautiful wrapped in their rumpled bedding with messy hair, and a hint of stale sex in the air. If he had the power to stop time then he would have frozen it right here. This of course was an impossibility even for a man who had been allowed to glimpse eras beyond his own lifetime.
He looked at his watch and sighed. In less than two hours they would have to meet at the rendezvous point and beam back up to the ship. Reluctantly he got up and went into the bathroom. When he came out, Danaë was sitting up in bed smiling at him, the star pendent still there dangling just above her pretty breasts. Wanting to make the most of what little time they had he went over and sitting down next to her, took her hands in his and softly brought their foreheads together.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking over these two days and I've decided that when this war is over, regardless of starfleet policy, we're not hiding this anymore." He had expected to see a look of pure delight, and there was a little mingling with a splash of hope edged in hesitation and doubt. "I mean that." he assured her, hoping to assuage any doubts she had. She smiled sweetly at him then kissed his lips.
"Leave the future to the future and let's just enjoy what little time we have left." she told him. The promise was a wonderful one, but with war nothing could be certain and while she knew he would certainly survive, she did not have the same certainty for herself.
Nothing more was said on the subject and the two decided their remaining time would be better spent enjoying breakfast and each other's company. When it was time to return to the ship, they went separately then waited with the others for their turn to beam up. Once or twice they glanced through the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of the other, but never did.
Once on board the Enterprise, life went back to normal. A number of repairs had already been made but there always seemed to be more. This was naturally compounded when half the ship was on shore leave for two days. When it was over the ship left orbit and many hands made light work. For a few weeks everyone was feeling a renewed energy. At least they were until food poisoning swept through the ship. A shipment of meat given to the Enterprise by the Tellerites wasn't cooked properly due to the chef's lack of familiarity, leading to rampant nausea, vomiting and diarrhea among the crew. Some experienced all of the symptoms while others only experienced one or two. Even Archer failed to escape it, although thankfully his symptoms were only mild and he was only down for about a day or so.
Despite the sluggish crew reeling from stomach issues, all the top officers were ordered to report to the command center for a conference with Admiral Gardner and Prime Minister Samuels. Due to the impending meeting of three of the coalition delegates there was a great need to discuss United Earth's place in the alliance and the future of the war. Although they were still not one-hundred percent, Archer and Trip had mostly recovered from the food poisoning. Hoshi was still green around the gills and quickly grabbed a chair (she did not feel up to standing for long) as did Malcolm. Even Lt. D'Arcy's stomach was rolling and she hadn't even touched that meat. Strangely she had been fine in the corridor, but coming into the room and catching the faint smell of hand sanitizer suddenly made her queasy. The only one who was not feeling ill was T'Pol who graciously gave up her seat to Travis Mayweather since he too was still feeling quite poorly. Before long every chair in the command center was taken and a few crew members, who were able, were standing or at least leaning against the walls.
Despite the crowd, the room was dead silent as each of them listened to what Prime Minister Samuels had to say about the war's progress, the status of the Coalition as well as how things were looking on all fronts. To say that the news was bleak was an understatement, but certainly no surprise. Yes they had had some victories, but it was hardly enough. The closest thing to any hope that he could offer was that they had located the Romulan drone ship's control center. As far as he could see the information was useless as it was on the Planet Cheron and heavily guarded. Even if they could send a team in, at best they would only manage to take control of one drone and they wouldn't be able to hold it for long.
The images of the control center showed that it was well hidden within the cave system of Cheron. A map of the underground network of caverns provided by the Vulcans showed just how extensive the system really was. Someone could easily get lost, if they were lucky enough to get past the sentries guarding each entrance. A murmur of frustration filled the room as everyone looked at the information. There were suggestions made on how they could destroy it, but nothing that was viable. One possibility was using the ships phase cannons or torpedoes to hit the control center, but it was buried far too deep to get any penetration and do any damage.
The only one not grumbling was Lt. D'Arcy. Her hazel eyes looked over the map intently. She had been to these caves before, first as a child and then as an adult. The first time had been on the holodeck alongside her father. Part history lesson, part adventure, he had shown her the rusted out remains of the control center, not that she had given it much thought at the time. She couldn't even recall exactly what he had said about it because she was far more interested in the tunnels themselves. Her last visit had happened after joining a small group of spelunkers looking to visit a piece of history. It was after she had left the academy and had been more about exploring the cave system then any historic value it had. In fact, she was the only one in the group who knew it had anything to do with the Earth-Romulan War even if she didn't know exactly how.
Prime Minister Samuel's final piece of intelligence was that currently stationed at the control center was Cethin, the second only to the Praetor that ruled over the Romulan Star Empire. At the mention of his name a dossier came up on each individual's tablet giving every known detail regarding this individual. The only thing missing was the image of the man himself. His capture would be a plum bargaining chip, his death a major blow to their enemy. If there were a way to take the station as well Cethin this entire war could be turned around. Captain Archer, Admiral Gardner and Prime Minister Samuels spoke at length about logistics of sending ground troops and what the estimated losses would be. The numbers were not good and the three men argued at length over the necessity of the attack versus what constituted acceptable losses. The men's voices were becoming louder and the tension in the room more heated as they passionately debated each of their sides.
"I have a better way!" Danaë interrupted suddenly with a raised hand. Archer turned and looked at the lieutenant in surprise, as did the other two peering through their monitor.
"You have something to add, lieutenant?" Admiral Gardner asked, all eyes now on Lt. D'Arcy.
