"All Things Considered" by A. Rhea King Rating: PG Disclaimer: Don't own them, CBS/Paramount does. Genre: Humor/Romance Description: There are some things that are the same across the universe, even for captains learning never stops, everyone can appreciate a skinny dip, and sometimes just hearing your love's voice is enough. Will You be My Friend? (5) This story was moved to “Nuggets” so that you may enjoy the full Nuggets experience. Not Another One! (6) Trip trailed behind T’Pol, Archer and their alien host. Trip had to trot to keep up each time something in the market place they were walking through caught his attention. “We will depart to the city now,” the man said, motioning the three into a building. The three stepped in and found the building had a transporter PADD in the center of it larger than any they had ever seen. Two aliens stood at controls on opposite sides of the room. “What are we doing here?” Archer asked, watching the man step onto the transporter PADD. “Going to the capital.” “Using a transporter?” Archer asked. Trip smiled, looking up at the ceiling. This was going to be a good conversation. “Yes,” the alien replied. “You don’t use flyers or hover craft or—” “Captain Archer, we use transporters to get everywhere. Every home has one. You said you have one on your ship. Do you not use it?” “We use our transporter mainly for cargo,” T’Pol stated. Archer glanced at her but said nothing. “Oh,” the man stepped down. “You have religions against using transporters. You are not the first to visit with such beliefs.” “No! I mean…” Archer smiled, barely masking his nervousness. “Not at all. We just…don’t use our transporter for transporting people…except in emergencies.” “Why not?” Archer attempted to construct an answer, his mouth working soundlessly while he did. “We can only transporter one being at a time with our transporter,” T’Pol stated. While the answer was truthful, Trip knew she was saying it simply to cover Archer’s lack of one. “We can transport all four of us at once with this transporter.” The man stepped back onto the transporter pad and turned, waiting for them to get on. “With these transporter pads we can transport up to twenty!” Archer looked to T’Pol and Trip for some sort of help out of this situation. Trip smiled and stepped onto the PADD, knowing full well he was going to hear about it that night but finding it humorous to watch Archer squirm right now. “We can all go together. That’s somethin’,” Trip quipped, “Ain’t it, Cap’n?” Following a long sigh Archer hesitantly stepped onto the PADD beside Trip. T’Pol stepped onto it on Archer’s other side. The alien nodded to the two at the controls. As they were transported away Trip heard Archer say in a low voice to him, “Consider yourself no longer my friend, Charles.” Trip smiled and laughed. Back to Chapter 4 Continue to Chapter 6

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