The BLTS Archive - Reassigned
Second in the Night Moves series
by Sue Duenn (sduenn@optonline.net)

---

Comments: Thanks to the real Mike, Rick and Derek for allowing me to
fictionalize them! If people seem to like this, I'll be making these
guys come back regularly.

Beta reader(s): Snorkler318, Leah (Thank you for having me change the
tone of the story!)

Archived to EntSTSlash on 02/13/2003.  Archived at EntSTCommunity with
the author's express permission.  

---

"You know, that's the fourth extraction in as many months. We should
just be posted to Enterprise," Rick complained.

With a nod, Derek agreed. "Soon they'll be far enough away that even
we can t get there in time, nevermind what all the mind wipes must be
doing to their brains."

Mike finished cleaning his weapon and stood up. "I'll talk to
Forest."

Rick grinned, "Something tells me there won't be much talking. Mike
usually gets what he wants."

Derek locked the weapon's locker. "Including you," he said with a
smirk.

---

Captain Jonathan Archer frowned as Admiral Forest spoke via subspace
communications. "I'm sorry, Jon. This isn't a secure line. If you have
any more questions once they arrive, I'll do everything I can to
answer them For now, I'll let them explain what they have to do with
you. Just know that they've helped you in the past. Have I ever done
something like this to you before?"

Archer shook his head and sighed, "No, sir, you haven't. That makes
this even more odd to me. It's totally out of character for you."

Forest nodded, looking pained. "I know. Again, I'm sorry for that. As
you know, rank has its privileges--what you know many crewmen don't.
This is the same sort of situation. When you need to know more, you'll
be told."

A few days later, Archer stood in the shuttle bay as three men
disembarked from the alien looking shuttle pod. He pushed aside his
discomfort and extended his hand. "Gentlemen, it's nice to meet you.
I'm Captain Jonathan Archer of the star ship Enterprise. Admiral
Forest told me your mission would be on a need to know basis, so I'll
escort you to your quarters instead of demanding to know what you're
doing on my ship. I apologize, but we only have two rooms available.
Two of you will have to bunk together."

Mike nodded once, hauling his duffel bag onto his shoulder. "That
will be fine, Captain. We'll make due." He stood, immobile, waiting
for the Captain to lead the way.

Archer frowned again, feeling as if he knew these men, yet knowing
he'd never seen them before in his life. He shook his head, knowing
that eventually the knowledge would come to him, and led the way
through the halls to the men's quarters. Reaching the doors, he keyed
them open and gestured the men inside.

Mike and Rick went into the double room, Derek taking the room across
the hall. When Mike noticed Archer still standing around, he
questioned, "Will that be all, Captain?"

Archer frowned yet again then asked, "Are you sure I haven't met you
gentlemen before?"

Instead of answering, Mike requested, "May we have a meeting with
you, your first and second officers, and security officer later today,
sir? There are things we need to discuss."

Archer nodded, "Of course. Once you've settled in, give me a time to
call my crew together."

"Let me be blunt," Mike began. "I answer directly to Forest, not to
you. If I give you a direct order, I expect it to be followed." He put
up a hand to quell Archer's blustering. "I am not here to take your
command. My team and I are here to keep you and your senior staff
safe." He waited a moment for that to sink in. "What is said in this
room does not leave it. Before divulging even the slightest
information to anyone outside this room, you must come to me first for
approval."

Archer didn't know where to begin. He stole a glance to his other
officers. His first officer, Sub-Commander T'Pol was stoic as usual,
though he could feel her agitation. Armory and Security Chief
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed looked like a cobra coiled and ready to
strike. Second officer and Engineering Chief, Commander Charles "Trip"
Tucker was visibly fuming, but taking his cues from the rest of the
officers and doing his best to keep quiet. Archer stood up and paced
the small confines of his ready room. "OK let's start easy. Who are
you people and why have you been assigned to my ship?"

Mike settled into his chair, fingers templed before him. "You will
know us only as Mike, Rick and Derek. I am Mike, my brown haired
associate is Rick, my blond associate is Derek. We are the descendants
of the Naval group who called themselves SEALs, which stands for Sea,
Air and Land. We've now included space. Consider us a permanent
extraction team assigned to Enterprise. We have helped you in the
past, but had to take those memories away." Mike paused a moment to
let that sink in. "I worried about the long term effects of so many
memory wipes, and decided you should at least know we exist. Very
soon, your ship would be beyond even our capabilities to catch up to
you, so it only makes sense that we be aboard your ship from now on."

Archer sat back down at his desk across from Mike. "You mean to tell
me I do know you? You know us?"

Mike nodded once. "My team has done a total of four extractions for
the Enterprise crew. We have monitored your communications, and when
we felt it necessary, have come out to pull you from where you have
been held. The last time on Fedora Prime could have been a disaster.
It took the initial communication over a week to get to us, and it
took us two and a half to reach you. That's too much time."

T'Pol, the Vulcan science officer interjected. "We are a year away
from Earth at a normal cruising speed of warp two. We are six months
away if we were able to sustain warp five for the entire flight. It is
technologically impossible for you to have gotten here from Earth in
two and a half weeks."

"Let me just say we have access to technology you can't fathom yet.
One of our purposes is to test and tweak this technology. Once we deem
it safe, it is introduced into modern society." Mike mused a moment
then said, "We perfected the transporter ten years ago, and finally
decided this ship should make use of it. There is a lot more that we
are using and working the kinks out of than you can imagine."

Tucker sputtered, "But, what ... you must have gone at like warp 8 to
make it that fast. There's no way we've got that speed capabilities
yet--the fastest warp engine even in research stages is warp 7."

Mike just smirked. "You're right. You don't have access to all of the
research, so therefore don't know what is and is not possible at this
time. I do. My vessel's top speed--that we've tested so far--is warp
9.5."

Archer sat in awe. "Nine point five. Damn." He sat stewing over the
enormous fact that had just rolled off Mike's tongue. Shaking his
head, he went for another track. "Still," Archer complained, "memory
wipes? If such things had been possible, Dr. Phlox would have known
about them."

Mike nodded. "It's in your classified medical records. He even gave
us compliments on our work. Not that he knew it was us, of course."

Jon sat back heavily, air rushing from his lungs. "Phlox knew? Never
said anything?"

"Phlox knows enough to recognize a memory wipe, but not how to do
one." Mike leaned forward, brown eyes glinting with mischief. "Do you
really think a Chihuahua and a cat saved you from Fedora Prime?"

Archer and Tucker looked at each other, chagrined. They had never
truly questioned their memories before. If they remembered them, they
must have happened right? Though looking at it, the scenario was quite
far fetched. A tiny dog and cat indeed. "But, why leave us with those
memories?" Tucker asked. "Why not something more plausible like
Malcolm coming to the rescue?

Mike sat back again, chuckling. A moment later he went on. "He's too
overused. We used him for the first three extraction memory wipes. We
didn t have much time, so gave you the first memories we thought of.

Archer and the others looked perplexed. "Well, yeah. I remember him
..." Archer sighed. "OK, I have memories of him doing that. Of course
I think ... thought ... he did it." He stopped and rubbed his
forehead, on brain overload.

"Here, this might help," Mike said. He caught the eye of each person
in the room then said, "Sanctimonious Belgian snuffboxes expectorate
anonymously." The odd phrase he uttered unlocked the true memories of
the people in the room. The first to recover from the shock was the
Vulcan, who nodded to him He nodded back and waited for the others to
look up. When they did, he said. "I've unlocked the memories we
repressed. You now have an idea of what we can do, what we have done,
and why we are on this ship. Again, please do not speak of this
outside this room. If you so wish, I can unlock the memories of the
other crewmen we had to influence."

Archer groaned, his mind going a mile a minute sorting out the myriad
memories that had just begun to flood into his mind. Mike stood up.
"I'll leave you and your crew to think about this a bit, Captain. You
did allocate us the space we requested?"

Archer nodded, face tight with thought. "In Cargo Bay 2, we cleared
out a corner as you asked."

"Good. Then my men and I will go set up our stations. Have a good
day, Captain."

---

Derek wiped the sweat off his brow with his forearm and looked at his
comrades. They were working in Cargo Bay 2 setting up their equipment
and securing the area. All were stripped down to their pants and
boots, their shirts having been discarded long ago. Due to having
absolute cutting edge technology, they were able to set up one console
and their weapons and munitions locker in the small space given. They
still had to perform an EVA walk to set up their scanners, but all
that was left for this day's work was to finish the security system
into their room. "Hey Mike. When did the Captain say he'd drop out of
warp so we can finish this?"

Mike shrugged. "There's a planet three days away that they want to
look at. We'll probably do the outside work then. We don't have as
much need for it immediately since we're onboard. I've just about
tapped into their computer so we'll have access to all of their sensor
information."

Rick finished riveting the last hinge to the weapons locker and
closed the door. "You didn't forget to shield the tap did you?"

Mike shook his head. "No, I didn't forget it, but I left it off.
There is going to be enough that they can't know about us. They can
know we're using their sensors."

Rick nodded, putting away his equipment. "Just making sure. How are
they making out with the last relic back at headquarters?" Rick asked,
switching topics.

"They're doing well. In a few months, there will be no more project
Area 51 We'll have reverse-engineered everything that came down to
Earth so long ago." Mike stood up, replacing the cover on the wiring
of the console. Giving it a tap, the console lit up. "We've got
contact."

Derek and Rick stored their weapons and equipment in the locker while
Mike tweaked the interface with Enterprise's computer. Finishing their
work, they picked up their shirts and used them like towels, swiping
the sweat off their hard bodies as they sealed the area. Mike nodded
and said, "Showers, then we'll meet in the mess for dinner."

Walking out into the hallway, Derek turned back with a gleam in his
eye. Don't take too long, you know I hate to eat alone."

Rick laughed, "From the looks you've been given since we got here, I
have no doubt you'll have a dinner companion."

"Yeah, and what about you guys? There are plenty of women on this
ship that want you to jump their bones," Derek teased.

Mike put his hand on Rick's shoulder as they walked. "They can look
all they like, but this is my man. They have to get through me to get
to him.

"And vice versa. No one is touching my man without my permission."
Rick shuddered at the thought.

Derek keyed open his door. "Still, I'd like my first meal with you.
If that's not putting you out too far, that is."

Mike clapped him on the back before stepping through into his and
Rick's quarters. "Don't worry, we won't let you down."

---

Freshly scrubbed, Derek took a seat in the mess hall facing the
doorway. He ran the fingers of one hand through his dark blond hair,
blue eyes taking in all the details of his fellow diners. He
suppressed a chuckle as he watched the Armory officer strut in. Sure,
the man was a good shot and was an excellent tactician, but SEAL he
was not. He took a sip of his Coke and imagined the day in the not too
distant future when they would be upgrading some of the Armory
officer's knowledge.

Waving his friends over to him, Derek stood up, ready to go get food.
"Not as long as I thought you'd be. I'm impressed."

Choosing his food, Mike grinned at him. "When you're good, it doesn't
have to take long."

Derek rolled his eyes then looked at Rick. "And you voluntarily
choose to cohabitate with this man?"

Rick shrugged, his face pinking slightly. "He's right though. If he
didn't suck in bed, you think I'd keep him?" Hearing someone spit
their drink, he turned, brown eyes flashing. "It's true though, right?
Would you stay with someone who didn't suck?"

They all laughed as the male crewmember got up and ran from the room,
much more than slightly pink. "Guess we better tone it down,
especially when we re in public, boys," Mike said shaking his head.
"It always amazes me, the way people in this enlightened day and age
are still upset when they hear people talking about sexuality."

Taking his seat again at their table Derek said, "Yeah, well many
people still think it's a private subject. Not something for just
anyone to hear about."

Tucking into the Beef Wellington on his plate, Mike said, "I just
don't get it though. Why would I be with someone if I was embarrassed
to say so? Rick and I are together and we have phenomenal sex. What's
the problem with stating the truth?"

Derek shook his head. "Some things, even you are not meant to
understand.

Mike continued his meal and muttered, "Whatever."

The doors to the mess hall were constantly opening and closing with
the exchange of people coming to get their evening meal. Training
never really went away, and all three men kept track of the comings
and goings, rapidly putting actual people to the dossiers they had
memorized. A small group from Engineering walked in talking amiably.

One grin in particular caught Derek's eye, yet he didn't recognize
the person it belonged to. He turned to his companions and asked,
"Who's that guy that just came in with the crowd from Engineering?"

Mike took a quick look up then answered as he went back to his
dinner, David Jackson, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Engineering. Want
more?"

Derek looked at Mike. "David Jackson? I know the dossier, but that
doesn't look like him. The guy in the picture was a bean pole with
severe acne and a shaggy hair cut."

Mike shrugged. "Guess he's gotten into better shape since coming
aboard, and Phlox fixed his acne. A little change goes a long way to
transforming a person. Remember that--your adversaries can do much the
same with slight cosmetic enhancements and foil your attempts at
catching them."

Derek shook his head. "I know all that. Guess I need to brush up on
those skills."

"I suggest you use the crew roster to practice," Rick said. "If
someone needs extraction, they might be altered in some way. We need
to be able to recognize all of our crewmates."

Mike nodded. "Good suggestion. We'll work on that once we've got our
station completely set up and running. Tomorrow we need a good
workout. Hopefully by tomorrow night I'll know better when we can do
the walk to set up our sensors."

"I heard there's a movie being played tonight," Derek said. "I don't
understand their penchant for ancient movies, but they seem to show
ones from the 20th and 21st century a lot. It's the only entertainment
to be had on the whole ship. Sounds like they get a good crowd every
week."

"What's playing?" Rick asked as he pushed his tray away.

Derek drained his Coke and said, "I think I heard it was 'The
Godfather.'"

Mike stacked their dishes onto his tray. "It's a classic. I haven't
seen it in years--it'd be fun, I think."

Rick nodded. "It's a date then."

Mike and Rick took seats at the back of the impromptu theater,
sharing a large bowl of popcorn between them. Derek went closer to the
screen, eyes out for that guy from Engineering. Not finding him, Derek
sat beside the beta shift helmsman, Ensign Russell Smith, a 29 year
old red-head from Ireland. As the movie went on, Derek found himself
muttering when the thugs onscreen messed something up, "Messy, messy."

Russ couldn't help himself, so asked quietly, "Haven't you ever seen
this movie? It's a classic."

Derek tilted his head close to the other man's, "Years ago. It's just
amazing these guys got away with this kind of stuff for so long."

"Wait, here's a great part," Russell said in his brogue. Onscreen, a
car drove up to a deserted tollbooth. Within moments, the car, driver
and tollbooth were riddled with bullets, the mess left as a reminder
to the Family.

"See? Too messy," Derek whispered back. "Impressive, yes. But
ballistic weapons are just ... messy."

Russ' green eyes twinkled, "Just what would you propose be done
instead?"

"I prefer close up battles. A garrote or well-honed knife does the
job quickly, efficiently and quietly. Never mind that it leaves the
corpse in one piece so it's easier to dispose of." Even in the low
light, Derek could see the other man's eyes darken with the thought of
bloodlust. Perhaps Russell should have gone into the Armory instead of
helm, Derek mused.

They turned their attention back to the screen, shooting glances at
each other at each death and bullet shot. They stood as the lights
came up, and Russell turned to Derek with his hand outstretched, "I'm
Russell Smith. I don't recognize you from around the ship though."

Derek took the offered hand. "My name is Derek. My squad and I just
came aboard."

Russell smiled, "Derek, huh? No last name?"

Derek waggled his eyebrows and leaned into the man, "If I told you,
I'd have to kill you."

"Oh, a man of mystery, eh?" Russell said. He thought a moment then
said, "I ve got some ale in my quarters I'm willing to share if you're
interested."

Derek grinned and slid his hand onto the helmsman's knee, squeezing
gently. "Oh yes, I'm interested."

Mike and Rick saw Derek leave with the redhead at the end of the
movie and shook their heads. The horn dog was at it again. They
privately agreed that it was much better to be in a committed
relationship than having to go through all the dating rigmarole.

As the doors swished shut to Russell's quarters, he turned to Derek
and asked, "So, you're something of a master when it comes to
killing?"

Derek moved in close and said in a low voice, "I can hold my own. My
specialty is torture though."

Russell's breath caught in his throat. "Torture, huh?"

Derek grinned. "Yes. Sweet torture." He closed the scant space
between their lips, giving his new lover their first kiss. He caught
Russell as the man was about to drop to the floor, his knees having
gone out. Derek chuckled, "Wait until you see what my hands can do."

Russell shivered in delight. "I can't wait."

Derek efficiently divested Russell of his clothing and laid him back
on the bed, hands tied above his head. At Russell's slightly wide-eyed
look when he realized his situation, Derek said, "Shhh ... Sweet
torture, remember?" Derek took his time learning the body beneath him,
touching, tasting, nibbling. Of course, he ignored Russell's jutting
manhood, wanting the man to beg. When he stood up, Russell moaned,
almost in tears. "I think you'll want to watch this," Derek said to
the flushed man.

He hadn't removed a stitch of his own clothing yet, and proceeded in
a slow strip tease making sure the bound man saw the perfection of the
body beneath the clothing. Derek stood before Russell, the light sheen
of sweat on his skin making the planes of his figure come out in full
relief. As he spoke, Derek ran his fingers through the light mat of
hair on his chest teasingly. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do now.
First, I'll repeat what I did earlier--I want to taste every bit of
you again. This time though, I'm going to give you the best blow job
of your life." He leaned in closer, But I won't let you come in my
mouth. No. You're going to come in my ass after I impale myself on
you. I'm going to ride you like you've never been ridden before. What
do you think about that?"

Russell couldn't form coherent thoughts let alone words. He groaned,
thrusting his hips into the air, his eyes rolling into the back of his
head. Derek performed his sweet magic on the other man, bringing him
to the brink numerous times only to cut back the stimulation until the
red-head was absolutely begging for release. Wound up himself, Derek
decided it was time that this play date came to a close.

He straddled Russell's hips, positioning himself directly above the
rock hard dick pointing straight up at the ceiling. Ever so slowly, he
lowered himself down until it was buried deep within him. They both
groaned as Derek was filled, then he upped the ante and started to
move. Slowly at first, he'd raise himself up until only the head was
still inside, then impale himself again. Instincts took over quickly
though, and both men were thrusting for all they were worth, grunts,
groans and the slap of skin against skin were the only sounds in the
cabin.

Russell gave up the fight first, howling his release to the stars.
Derek saw the ecstasy on his face and felt powerful, knowing he was
the one that reduced this Starfleet officer to raw nerve endings. A
few quick thrusts later, he came, spurting at the helmsman's mouth
from his perch on the slowly softening cock. Spent, Derek leaned
forward and kissed the man beneath him as he untied the bound hands.
"See? Sweet torture."

---

A half an hour after finishing a good breakfast, the extraction team
hit the ship's gym, commandeering the three treadmills. They started
at a light jog for a mile then sped up to a fast lope. For ten miles
they ran, heart rates rising slowly yet never quite having problems
breathing. In fact, they spent the time joking and reminiscing. The
sweat dripped off their bodies made them glisten in the artificial
light. Another mile at a jog to cool down, and the treadmills sighed
in relief as they were shut down.

They had the gym to themselves for their run, but ended up with
spectators for their weight regimen. Derek couldn't help but wink when
he saw Russell walk in and stop dead, causing his friends to pile up
behind him. He wondered if the friends were privy to any of the
previous night's goings on. As usual, Mike and Rick knew most of what
had happened, so understood the comedy when the Irishman walked in.

Weights were attacked for two hours, concentrating on the larger
muscles. By the time they were done, their spectators had left. Many
glances of awe were caught, and Derek couldn't help but preen. Russell
hadn't understood just what he'd gotten the night before. After lunch
they worked the smaller muscles until every single muscle in their
bodies had been worked hard. They sparred after lunch as well,
identifying and tackling any weakness they found in each other until
finally, they sat on the mat exhausted.

"Shower then dinner," Mike said. "After that, I've got a meeting with
the Captain to find out about placing our equipment outside. What are
you two going to do this evening?"

Derek shrugged catching his breath. "I'd like to sit in the mess
hall--learn our new crew mates better. Who knows, maybe I'll get to
see that cutie from Engineering again."

Rick chuckled. "Sounds good. We'll sit in opposite corners, see which
of us can get more comm. frequencies." At Mike's look of warning, he
added, Not that I'm going to use them, but I want to know I've still
got what it takes to have people interested." He looked back to Derek.
"No discriminating between males and females--the number is what
counts."

"You're on," Derek said with a grin.

---

Captain Jonathan Archer bid Sub-commander T'Pol a good night then
turned to his other dining companion, Commander Trip Tucker, who not
only was his first officer and Chief Engineer, but also his partner of
five years. As soon as the door to the Captain's Mess closed behind
the Vulcan, the demeanor of the two remaining officers changed
dramatically, going from crewmates to partners. "I've got a meeting
with Mike in a few minutes, then I look forward to sitting back and
watching that game we got in the mail yesterday."

A cloud momentarily covered Trip's eyes at the mention of Mike. "Not
going to be long, are you? I was looking forward to the first night we
both had off in a week."

Jon sighed. "Trip, you know that technically I never go off duty.
They've got to finish setting up their equipment, then I promise--we
won't even know they're here. At least, that's what Mike tells me."

Trip let his breath out in a rush and hung his head for a moment.
Finally looking his lover in the eye he asked, "You just don't get it,
do you?"

Jon sat back, perplexed. "Obviously I don't. Why don't you explain it
to me?"

Trip got up and started to pace the small space. "You mean to tell me
you didn't once notice what those three look like?"

Jon shrugged. "They're big guys--but it's part of their job. I still
don t see why that's got your knickers in a twist."

Trip stopped his pacing at the viewport, and looked out at the stars
streaking past. Maybe he really didn't have anything to worry about.
As soon as Jon started spending so much time with the team leader,
Mike, Trip worried that their almost decade-long friendship as well as
their time as lovers was over. That Jon had found someone to replace
him.

Jon stood and put his hands on Trip's shoulders, pulling him close.
He wrapped his arms around the Engineer, placing his chin on one
shoulder. "OK I'm being dense. I'm old. Spell it out for the
old-timer, would you?"

Trip sighed and turned around in the embrace, resting his forehead on
Jon's shoulder. He waited a few beats then murmured, "I'm jealous."

Jon held Trip, stroking the Engineer's blond hair. "I didn't get
that--remember, we old people can be hard of hearing."

Trip stifled a giggle and looked at his lover. "Trust me, an old coot
couldn't have done what you did last night."

Jon pretended to think it over. "You're right. But I still didn't
hear what you said."

Trip sighed, "I said I was jealous. I've got a niggling feeling
you're going to leave me for one of them." Jon was thunderstruck, and
he held Trip tight, planting kisses on his face. "Leave you? Nothing
in this universe could make me do that. Nothing."

---

Archer sat at the desk in his ready room waiting for Mike's arrival.
His mind was less on the meeting to come than on his lover. He
obviously needed to do something to reassure the man that there was no
way he'd even look at someone else, let alone do anything. Did this
mean that maybe Trip was looking around too? Was Trip afraid Jon would
do to him what he was thinking? As this disturbing thought took shape
in his head, the door chimed. "Enter," he said.

The door opened to reveal Mike dressed in civilian clothes--tight
blue jeans and a form fitting T-shirt. He exuded a magnetism around
him that Jon hadn't noticed before. The man in his doorway literally
screamed sexuality and carnal desires. Damn Trip for planting this
seed in his head! Before Trip voiced his worries, Jon had only seen
the newcomers as coworkers, not as potential sexual partners. Now
everything was different, and Jon couldn t help but admire the man
before him.

Mike knew the look he was getting from the Captain, and returned it
in full. Just as he trusted Rick with his mess hall scheme, he knew
Rick trusted him There was nothing wrong with looking and flirting.
The line was drawn at touching, and before he ever came to that line,
there could be a lot of fun to be had with the handsome Captain. He
broke the tension by walking completely into the room and letting the
door shut behind him. "Mind if I have a seat while we talk, Captain?"

Archer shook himself out of his musings of the other man and said,
"Oh, no. Of course. Please, have a seat." He took a moment to collect
his thoughts then asked, "I believe you said you needed time on the
hull. You know I have to ask you just what you're going to be doing to
my ship."

Mike sprawled in the chair opposite the Captain. "And you know I
won't be able to tell you everything."

Archer sighed, "If you're hooking things up to the power on this
ship, Engineering will need to know, nevermind me."

Mike grinned. "We've hooked up one console so far. Our equipment is
very efficient. You won't notice a loss of power or integrity."

Archer frowned. "So you've already hooked up to the ship. What are
you setting up that we don't already have?"

"For one, we need communications with our home base. We might be
asked to leave Enterprise every now and again to mop up elsewhere. We
also have scanners that will be looking for things that yours are not
equipped to handle." Mike put up his hand to stop Archer's
interruption. "No, I can't tell you what we'll be looking for or why.
I will inform you though, if we detect something you need to know.
Just rest assured that I will not be bringing you or your crew to
harm. We are here to serve and protect you."

Archer studied the man before him. "You do understand my position
here, don t you? Like myself, you have the responsibility of leading
the others in your team. You wouldn't want someone else coming in and
only giving you partial information."

Mike nodded. "True. I want you to look at it from my point of view as
well Do you tell every crewman onboard why you make the choices you
do? Of course not. An Engineering crewman doesn't have to know why you
feel you should have 25 torpedoes in stock instead of 30. It might
actually harm things. Say you're in a firefight and that crewman
counts out that you've exhausted 24 torpedoes. He knows there is only
one left. He takes into his head you're going to die anyway, so sets
the core to breach. All this because one person knew something they
really didn't need to."

"This is different," Archer contested. "I didn't get here without
proving I m knowledgeable and trustworthy. I can understand your need
to not inform me of every breath you take, but obviously, I need to
know more."

"You wouldn't have had to have mind wipes if the information weren't
extremely sensitive." Mike leaned forward. "I know it kills you to
hear this, but my team and I are here for your own good. You have to
trust that we know what we're doing."

Archer stood and looked down at Mike. "I'm watching you. One step out
of line, and I'll be all over you like white on rice."

Mike was a few inches taller than Archer, so when he stood as well,
he looked down at the Captain. Standing close, he said, "Don't make
promises you won't keep, Captain." He let his gaze travel over
Archer's face, lingering on his lips before meeting the hazel gaze
straight on. "I'm more than you can handle."

---

Rick sat in a corner of the mess hall facing the room. He wore black
pants with a white button down shirt, the first few buttons undone.
He'd left his wavy brown hair untamed and it looked boyishly unkempt
in opposition to his well trimmed thick mustache. As he sat pulling
from his long necked bottle of beer he made eye contact with anyone
who looked his way, garnering numerous hellos and a few short
conversations.

He watched the doors to the mess hall open to admit the Chief
Engineer. Rick's knowing eyes could see a hint of melancholy beneath
the man's exuberant faade. His eyes followed as the man picked up a
glass of milk and a slice of "death by chocolate" cake. Gesturing with
his eyes when the Engineer caught them, Rick was pleasantly surprised
when the man joined him at the table.

Setting down his snack and taking a seat, Tucker extended his hand.
Commander Charles Tucker the third, First Officer and Chief Engineer.
My friends call me Trip."

Rick took the hand giving it a firm shake and said, "Nice to meet you
Mr. Tucker. You can call me Rick."

Taking a bite of the cake, Tucker chuckled and said, "Rick, huh? Nice
to meet you. Oh, and please--call me Trip. I guess I thought that
since we were all on the same ship I can consider you a friend."

Rick smiled, "I didn't want to make assumptions and call you by your
nickname, we're still the new guys on the block."

Trip shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Rumors are running wild
as to who you really are." He chuckled. "Some say you're catching a
ride to a planet made of steel where you're gonna dig a mine with your
bare hands."

Rick laughed, "Oh, that's a good one. We might be strong, but we've
still got human hands--no way we could dig through steel without
help." He purposefully failed to mention the different enhancements
under the skin in their hands of course. He had a very efficient
microwave pistol embedded into his right hand, his left held a radar
jamming device. The others in the team had other key instruments
placed within their bodies.

"Oh, I know," Trip said, taking a big swig from his milk. "I go more
along the lines of the rumor that says you're some sort of body
guard," he said with a wink.

Rick tipped the neck of his bottle towards him. "That one even I can
believe." He pulled another swig from the bottle, draining it.

Trip finished his snack and slid the plate and glass away. "So, where
are you guys from? Obviously Earth, and you sound like you're from
North America."

Rick nodded. "I'm surprised my native twang didn't give me away.
We're all from Texas."

Trip pounded the table with his hand and grinned. "That's it! I just
couldn't place it!"

Rick smiled back, "Good to see you in a better mood, Trip."

Trip shook his head and grinned. "Oh, ya mean when I first came in?
Yeah--needed to get my head outta my ass. Happens sometimes."

Rick chucked. "Sounds painful."

"Oh, it can be--that's why I try not to do it often." Trip sat back
in his chair, arms crossed as he chuckled. "So, what's got you sittin'
in the mess all by your lonesome?"

Rick pointed to Derek in the opposite corner of the mess hall with no
one currently at his table. "We've got a contest going on."

Trip perked up again, "Oh? What kind of contest?"

Rick grinned. "Who can get the most phone numbers, or in this case,
comm. frequencies."

"It's not like anyone on board could get away from you or anything.
But I understand the fun of it. I've been part of a committed
relationship so long I haven't even thought of doing something like
that in a long time." He looked over his shoulder at Derek then said,
"Seems like you're both havin' a good time though."

"Yeah, that we are. Even though I've got Mike, I think I'm ahead.
Derek's looking just a little too desperate, I think."

"Desperate? He's scrolling through at least five frequencies," Trip
said.

"Oh, he's not doing bad," Rick replied. "But I've got seven on my
list. He ll probably beat me by the end of the night though, cause I'm
out of here soon. Mike should be done talking to the Captain in a
minute." He looked at the man before him as a man for the first time,
and found that he liked what he saw. Granted, Trip was quite different
from Mike physically, but that didn't mean he didn't stir a flame
under him.

Trip took Rick's pad and inputted his comm. frequency. "If Derek over
there gets too cocky about numbers, go for ranks." He winked and stood
up. "I'm headed out. It's been great meeting you, Rick."

Rick stood as well, gesturing for the door. "I'll leave with
you--Mike should be done with the Captain, and I need to talk to him."

Derek watched openmouthed as the two left the mess hall. Rick just
hooked up--and with the hot Commander! Their contest totally forgotten
for the moment, Derek prayed that Mike never found out about this--the
commander was just too cute to be killed, even if the jealousy was
warranted. He prayed Mike didn't come near him until he'd schooled his
thoughts. He certainly didn't want to be the one to tell him. Derek
shuddered at the thought and took another pull from his beer, smiling
at his next conquest across the room.

---

Trip grinned as he saw Jon coming down the hallway towards him. They
reached the door to Jon's quarters at the same time and Trip took a
quick look to make sure the hallway was clear before he shoved the
Captain into the room unceremoniously. He followed quickly and before
Jon even figured out what had happened, was attached to the man at the
lips, devouring and molesting the Captain.

Trip had his man half stripped before Jon could even form a coherent
thought "What," he eked out before the Engineer attacked his mouth
again. Tripping and stumbling, Jon fell onto his bed naked, with the
blond atop him Trip's assault never lessened, and in moments Jon was
writhing, his whole body one highly attuned nerve ending. Faster than
he thought possible, Jon erupted into his lover's mouth, a strangled
cry escaping his lips.

Jon regained conscious thought a few minutes later as he watched the
Engineer slowly divesting himself of his uniform. Propping up on one
elbow, Jon ran his fingers through his hair and asked, "Not that I
didn't enjoy that thoroughly, but what brought that on?"

Trip stretched out beside Jon, his fingers idly combing through the
hair on the Captain's chest. He shrugged lightly and said, "I had a
talk with Rick. He and Mike have been together as more than crewmates
for six years now. So I guess my jealousies were totally misplaced. I
wanted to make that up to you."

Jon turned them over and gave Trip a lingering kiss. "We've been
together over eight years ourselves. I can't believe you'd think I
would even be looking elsewhere." He trailed a fingertip down the
blonde's chest, swirling in the belly button causing the Engineer to
moan. "You're the only man for me, Charles Tucker."

Trip twined his fingers through Jon's hair and pulled him down for
another kiss. "I love you, Jonathan Archer. Thanks for putting up with
me."

Jon wrapped his hand around Trip's hardness and grinned. "My
pleasure."

---

Mike swung by the mess hall after his meeting with the Captain,
figuring he d pick up a glass of water and his partner while he was at
it--Rick had had enough time playing for the evening. It was his turn
now. His eyes took in the room in one glance, and he immediately knew
Rick wasn't there. A small smile crossed his face knowing that the
other man was probably waiting in their quarters, hopefully with a
surprise. Mike grabbed a glass and requested water from the liquid
dispenser, then brought it over to Derek's table to drink. "So how'd
your little contest go tonight, Derek?"

Derek met Mike's eyes, but tried to hide the knowledge he had. "So
far so good. I've got six frequencies. I don't know how Rick did
though." He looked down at his padd and thought to himself, "Well,
until he left with the Chief Engineer."

Mike drained his glass and set it down to his right. He knew Derek
possibly better than Derek knew himself. "What's eating at you? You're
trying to hide something from me."

Derek closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying desperately to
calm his thoughts and not betray his feelings. He shrugged and put a
grin on his face before looking his team leader in the eyes.
"Nothing's up, I'm just a little tired. I've had my ass in this seat
just way too long tonight. Time to get moving." He stood and started
for the door.

Mike was beside him in a flash, Derek's wrist held tightly in his
fist. To the rest of the people in the mess hall, they looked like two
friends leaving the room together--no one could see that Mike
essentially held Derek hostage at this point. Mike led them into the
turbolift before letting the blond go. He hit the manual override to
stop the lift then turned to his friend, arms crossed before him.
"Spill it. Last time I saw you this flaky you were trying to hide the
fact that you were still seeing Eugene. Ewey is nowhere around here,
so that can't be it. What gives?"

"Fuck," Derek muttered. He knew he was trapped in here until Mike
decided to let him go. There were no easy escape hatches he could dart
into and hope to get away. He also knew that his life expectancy was
now close to nil. What he was being forced to tell Mike would make the
man more pissed off than a cornered badger--with nothing but Derek's
own hide to take out his anger on.

Surreptitiously, so even Mike couldn't tell, Derek activated his
built in counter measures against the sonic displacement wave and
polarizing thermoionic stunner which Mike had built into himself. They
each had the ability to counteract the enhancements that the others
possessed--it made it much easier in tight quarters. Even with the
enhancements deactivated, Mike was a force to be reckoned with, one
that Derek truly did not want to have to deal with.

Mike didn't like Derek's silence. It could only mean something
monumental had happened. He took a step closer, towering over the man.
"Don't make me force it out of you, Derek. Talk."

Derek looked up into Mike's stormy brown eyes then looked back down
at the floor of the lift. "Rick's cheating," he mumbled.

Mike refused to believe what he thought he heard the man say. He rose
up to his full height, yet somehow seemed to be twice as large as he
really was. He knew how to use his body as an intimidating weapon.
Slowly and succinctly he said, "I don't think I heard you correctly.
Repeat yourself, soldier."

Derek knew there was no getting out of it. He couldn't procrastinate
any longer. Though half a foot shorter than Mike, Derek knew he was no
slouch on the wrestling mat or the sparring range and he just might be
putting all of his training to use right here. He tensed, ready for
anything, before opening his mouth. "Rick and Commander Tucker were
quite buddy-buddy in the mess hall this evening. They left together,
arms around each other, laughing and with ... that ... twinkle in
their eyes."

Mike backed up as if Derek had suddenly turned into a furnace. He
studied the smaller man's face and body language, concluding he was
telling the truth. "Son of a bitch!" he erupted. He slammed one fist
into the turbolift controls which resumed the course of the lift, but
also rendered it non-functional until engineering could fix the
shorted out circuitry. He whirled back to Derek and noticed the
immediate defensive stance the man took. "You stay out of this from
here on out. Rick has some questions to answer."

The lift came to a jerking halt a few feet above the correct floor.
Mike had no trouble bounding out and making a beeline to the quarters
he shared with Rick. Derek got out a little slower, giving apologizing
looks to the people waiting for the lift. "Sorry folks, it's out of
order now." He dreaded going to his quarters only because they were
directly across the hall from the rest of his team. This was one fight
he did not want to hear.

Mike stormed into his quarters, his normally fair skin flushed with
anger, and stopped dead. The lights were off, the room illuminated
only by numerous candles spread throughout the room. Rick came out
from the shadows by the bunk clad in a dark blue short silk robe
loosely belted at his waist, a wicked smile on his face until he saw
the look on his partner's face. Belting his robe tighter and putting
off his original thoughts, he asked, Things go that bad with the
Captain?"

"What the fuck?" Mike exploded. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?
And look at you, not even hiding it, either!"

Rick had planned a wonderfully wicked evening, and apparently he
wasn't going to get a chance to act out any of his depraved thoughts.
Instead, it looked like they were in for a fight. Fine with him. He
liked a good fight as much as the next guy, and the fact that his
planned evening of loving wasn't going to happen, he was ready to
fight. "What are you talking about? I come home early and plan a
sensual evening for you, and you come home mad as a bear spouting
bullshit. By your actions in the last ten seconds, I'd say you were
jealous. Of what, I haven't a clue."

"You don't have a clue?" Mike roared. "Cut me some slack--I'm not
that stupid. Let me refresh your mind though," he yelled as he came
closer. You and Engineering boy. You explain the rest to me."

Rick frowned. "Trip? What does Trip have to do with anything? We
talked in the mess hall and happened to leave together. Don't tell me
you're going to start that shit that I can't have friends, cause I
won't stand for it!"

The men were yelling chest to chest now. "Friends don't leave a
public place with their arms around each other and lust in their
eyes," Mike countered.

"That's what this is about? I can't believe you don't trust me, you
asshole! We've been together six years and five months--you'd think
you would come talk to me before flying off the handle. Well you know
what, you insecure moron? You can go sleep in the cargo bay tonight.
I'll be damned if I'm sharing my bed with you!"

Mike stood staring at his partner, an indignant look on his face. In
all the years they had been together, the only reason they hadn't
shared a bed was if they were on differing assignments--and that had
only happened twice He knew he couldn't sleep without Rick's warm body
snuggled to his own. Lightning quick, he reviewed the facts as he knew
them and realized he'd been an ass. "Ah, shit, baby. You know I trust
you. I just get so worried that you're going to come to your senses
some day and leave me for someone else."

Rick rolled his eyes, his arms crossed over his chest. "If I haven't
left you yet, trust me, there is next to nothing that can make me
leave. You're just so ... infuriating at times! I refuse to change who
and what I am because you get insanely jealous when you have no reason
to."

Mike's eyes were trapped at the hem of Rick's silk robe which had
ridden up to barely cover his front, and showed the bottom curve of
his ass. Mike's eyes turned feral as he walked into his lover's space.
With a featherlight touch he stroked the bared skin, causing Rick to
shiver in delight. Mike leaned in, his breath tickling Rick's ear.
"Can I make it up to you? I can t imagine my life without you in it.
The thought makes me crazy. Please say you forgive me for
overreacting."

Rick ghosted his hands over the cotton covering Mike's chest,
reveling in the heat being radiated at him. He tilted his head up so
his lips were scant microns away from Mike's and said, "You can make
it up to me." An evil glint entered his eyes, "Strip. Make it good.
Remind me of why I should keep you in my bed." Rick stepped back then
propped himself up against the wall while sitting on the bed, the sash
of his robe falling open to show the rock hard proof of his love for
the man before him.

The always confident leader of the extraction team could feel the
heat rising causing him to blush. He knew he wasn't the best dancer in
the world that his movements tended more to the jerky side than the
sexily fluid. Therefore it always amazed him when Rick wanted to see
him like this; it made him feel like the sexiest man in the universe.

He pulled his shirt from where it was tucked into his jeans, giving
hints of the skin beneath before covering them up again. Once the
shirt was completely untucked, he turned his back to his lover and
bent at the hips to remove his boots, moving his hips as much as he
dared without falling over. Shoes and socks off, he dug his toes into
the utilitarian carpet, his nerves slowly relaxing with each parting
minute.

Taking the hem of his shirt in his hands, he pulled it up to his
shoulders, showing Rick his back, rippling with the movement of each
muscle beneath his skin. Slowly bringing the shirt up and down, he
turned around to face Rick. Looking into his eyes, Mike stripped the
shirt from his body, letting it drip from one arm onto his already
discarded boots and socks. His arousal was blatantly obvious as it
strained against the constricting denim covering his hips and legs.

He swiveled his hips and flexed the muscles of his upper body as he
slowly drew the belt from the loops at his waist. The belt fell atop
the growing pile of discarded clothing on the floor. Mike unbuttoned
the top button of his jeans, then drew his hands up to play in the
light covering of fur on his chest, to tweak his own nipples, then
slide back down to undo another button. After the third of five
buttons on his fly, his arousal forced itself free of its restraints,
trying desperately to point directly ahead at Rick.

With a bit more urgency, Mike finished opening his fly and shimmied
the tight material down his legs. Once again he turned his back to
Rick as he stepped out of the jeans, purposefully bending over farther
than absolutely necessary to entice his lover as much as possible. As
he tossed his jeans on the pile of clothing, he was rewarded with the
distinct sound of his lover stroking himself. With a feral grin, he
turned back toward the bed and sashayed over to the other man.

Mike began stroking himself in time to his partner's hand and said,
"Is this what you want, baby?"

Rick licked his lips and moved up onto his knees, letting the robe
puddle onto the bed. He stopped stroking himself and took Mike's head
in his hands drawing him down for a long deep kiss. Coming up for air,
he managed to say, "That was your answer, love."

A growl escaped Mike's lips as he pressed his lover down onto the
mattress. He nipped and sucked his way over Rick's neck and chest,
delighting in the gasps and moans his ministrations elicited. He
didn't know which of them was more excited and at this point didn't
really care--his only mission at that moment was to remind his lover
of one of the many reasons why they were perfect for each other.

Mike took Rick fully into his mouth, invoking a small cry. He knew
just how to play his lover, easily greasing up his fingers from the
tube on the nightstand and preparing the way to their ultimate
pleasure. He felt Rick tighten, ready to go over the edge. He sat back
and looked at the flush man in awe that he had the ability to put
those emotions on Rick's face. When he saw Rick calm down enough, he
carefully positioned himself at his opening and slowly pushed home.

They both needed time to adjust to their union, and Mike took that
time to bend forward and steal another kiss which ended on a groan as
Rick shifted his hips, indicating he was more than ready for more. A
curtain of lust dropped over Mike as he began moving within Rick. His
thrusts quickly became hard and demanding, especially with every groan
of ecstasy that escaped Rick's lips. He found himself grunting with
both exertion and lust, the moment taking over his continence.

His arms rippled as he moved, bracing himself on either side of
Rick's ribcage. He fell over the edge with a roar when Rick tilted his
hips up, wrapping his legs around his waist, hands pulling his ass
closer. He shuddered with his release, finally rolling onto his back
pulling Rick atop him. He smirked at the sated man in his arms, "So,
do you remember why I'm allowed in your bed?"

Rick smiled, running his fingers through the now damp hair on Mike's
chest. "Oh, I almost remember why." Giving his lover a wink, he added,
"I think I need another demonstration though."

---

In their secured section of the cargo bay, Mike, Rick and Derek went
over their plans for installing their equipment on the hull. "We'll be
in orbit approximately three days. I don't like what we've seen of the
inhabitants though, so I want our scanners up and running as soon as
we can," Mike said. "You two will go hull-side while I get the initial
hookups and calibrations done. That way by the time you get back in,
it should be up and running. Engineering knows we're putting stuff
up--Tucker knows to keep it fairly quiet, but there are bound to be
questions. Get it done ASAP so we don't have quite so many to answer."

"Sounds good," Derek said, motioning to Rick. "Let's go out there and
get back. You all know how much I love zero g."

"It's not so bad," Rick said, holding the door for his friend. "Once
you get used to the feeling of your stomach in your throat and your
sinuses at your feet, it's cool."

Derek shuddered, "Yeah, OK. If you say so."

They reached the anti-chamber to the airlock and stripped down to don
their EVA suits. Rick pondered a moment then shook his head. "Let's
leave the booster packs in here. We're in geo-synchronous orbit and
shouldn't be heading out of here any time soon."

Derek nodded. "Sounds good to me--even in zero g those things are
bulky."

In their ears, they heard Mike's voice. "Keep your local comm open so
I'll know when I can start each calibration."

Rick tapped his Adam's apple twice, turning on the microphone
embedded within. "Aye, sir. Comms are open and functioning," he said
seeing Derek activate his own microphone then hearing the other man's
breathing come into the background noise.

Sealing up their suits, they wrestled an oblong object into the
airlock, barely able to close the door properly for decompression.
When the outer door finally cycled open, Derek stepped out first,
magnetizing his boots with audible thunks as his feet adhered to the
hull. He walked forward far enough to take an end of the equipment
they would be installing while Rick came out the airlock and firmly
placed himself on the hull taking the other end.

They made their way slowly to the area of the hull they needed, then
bent down and began to unroll the sensors. Once they'd unrolled a
length of the machinery, they tacked the rest of the roll down with
magnetic constrictors and began the tedious process of attaching the
sensors to the hull

---

A few hours later, Mike's voice came across their comm, "First
two-thirds of the sensors are online and working within parameters.
Estimated time for completion of this mission?"

Silently, Rick gestured to Derek to answer as he worked on a
particularly pesky part of the sensors to attach. He heard Derek say,
"We've got about another 4 feet to go, so an hour tops. I hope Chef is
serving something good tonight. I'm hungry as a starved bear."

Rick chuckled, "I don't know which is worse, the hunger or the
pressure of having to pee."

Derek groaned. "You had to remind me, didn't you?"

"Misery loves company," Rick said before letting out a brief screech
of alarm.

"Report!" Mike boomed.

Heart racing, Rick smiled and tried to laugh. "Felt like the
magnetometers in my boots let go for a moment. Must be hallucinating
or something. Derek let's get this done--I want the feeling of safety
that an atmosphere gives "

"Hey, I'm all for that, but who was the one with all the bravado in
the anti-room?" Derek asked.

Rick shot him a glare then said, "Even I get antsy being in a vacuum
after five hours."

Derek shook his head and returned to his work. An hour later, he was
happy to inform Mike, "I put in the last connector on my side. Looks
like Rick only has a few more to go and we'll be inside."

Mike yawned audibly then acknowledged. "I hear that one. I've got the
calibration ready to run once the last connection is made. Engineering
has noticed the extra feeds. Over dinner we'll have to brief Tucker.
I'll meet you at the airlock in twenty minutes."

"Ten-four," Rick said, putting the last wire into place. Looking at
Derek he said, "Last one to the airlock's a rotten ... oh shit!" As he
pushed himself up from his crouch, his boots came loose from the hull
and the momentum from his push sent him tumbling backwards.

"What happened?" Mike called.

"Oh shit," Derek echoed. "He's come unattached."

"Use your thrusters to get back here, Rick," Mike ordered.

"We left them inside," Derek moaned. "Shit, didn't realize how fast
we were moving till he was floating. Mike--he's out of range of the
comm already!"

---

The End