The Three of Us

Part 25 - Almost a Second Harbinger

Jay was about falling asleep on his feet when Brad Moreno came to relieve him. "Sir? Sir!" Brad called.

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

They looked in on the prisoners, who were more or less quiet. Tristan Curtis was sitting down, leaning against the Brig wall and sleeping. Victor Brown was tapping out a note on his PADD. Dan Chang was pacing, still riled up. He might not have slept at all. Neil Kemper was looking contrite but staying quiet.

"I'll swing by the galley," Jay offered, "see if I can get them some grub."

"I know why, sir," Brad said, "And I don't just mean the obvious reason about the prisoners."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, everyone's heard by now. I just want to tell you, the MACOs are – well, maybe not Neil and Vic and Dan – but the rest of us – we're on Team Jay."

"Team Jay?"

"You know, between you and Commander Reed going after the sous-chef. We're, uh, we're pulling for you, sir."

"Really?" Jay was a tad peeved. "Are there bets being laid about this, Private?"

"N-no, sir."

"Huh, well, anyway, I'd better go there," he said.

=/\=

Lili served Captain Archer and Doctor Phlox as Amanda Cole Phlox nursed her son. "More milk?" she asked Amanda.

"Sure. Actually, Johnny's gonna need it more than me for a half year."

"Longer, my beloved," Phlox explained, "For he is only four months old. We should wait until closer to his first birthday to begin to attempt weaning."

"I guess I'll be seeing a lot more of this for a while," Jonathan said, tightly smiling and clearly uncomfortable.

Amanda turned so as to face away a bit.

"Captain," Phlox said, "I have been looking over the Ikaaran database. And I believe there may be a solution in there which could help me to successfully create a human-Vulcan embryo."

"That's wonderful," Jonathan said, "Have you told Tripp and T'Pol yet?"

"I have. They will come to Sick Bay today," Phlox said, "I also believe that the same technique could be used to create a human-Ikaaran embryo."

"Oh," the captain let that one sink in. "Have they expressed an interest in that?"

"Not as of yet," Phlox said, "but it's a possibility, seeing as Crewman Emily Andreiou Kemper and Crewman Cassandra Brown may be seeking divorces."

"Plus," Amanda said, "Maybe we'll run into some Ikaaran women."

"Maybe," Jonathan mentally rolled around the idea of Emily or Cassandra as potential mates.

"More coffee, sir?" asked Lili.

"Uh, sure, thanks."

"Captain," Phlox ventured, "the Ikaaran database also provides coordinates for all of their mining and agricultural operations in the Delphic Expanse. Visiting any of those coordinates might bring us face to face with another of their single gender ships. And there is a fifty-fifty chance that it would be an all-female vessel."

"I'll take a look at it," the captain said, smile just a tiny bit broader. He'd been disappointed before. Maybe this time, things would be different.

=/\=

Once she'd finished serving the captain and his guests, Lili tucked the dirty dishes into her cart and made her way to the galley. She was surprised to see Jay there. He didn't greet her; he just kissed her.