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"All Things Aside"
Rating: PG Spoils (2) Archer stormed into the tavern and plopped into a chair. Trip, Malcolm, Sista and T’Pol watched him without a word for several long minutes. “We didn’t get the conductors…did we?” Trip asked. “They weren’t lying. Artik Raes is unreasonable. Refuses to negotiate on anything!” Trip turned when he felt a hand on his hip and let Eartik squeeze between his and T’Pol’s chair and climb into his lap. Amy followed him, worming her way onto T’Pol’s lap. “K’PAN!” Navta cried. She raced across the tavern despite Hoshi calling her back and threw herself onto Archer’s lap. “K’PAN! K’PAN! K’PAN! K’PAN!” Navta climbed into his lap, holding up a rock. “Look what Hoshi found for me! A pet rock!” Archer looked up at Hoshi. She was pushing a stroller up to the table, handing off Kasbra who was asleep in her arms to Sista. Jon Nathan was asleep in the stroller, oblivious to the tavern noise. “A pet rock?” Archer asked Hoshi. Hoshi gave him a look that told him she was tired, at the end of her patience and anything he said further would probably start her into one of her rare but acidic-tongued tirades. Archer looked down. “I’m going back to the hotel.” Hoshi said and walked away without waiting for Archer’s approval. “She’s been with the kids all day.” Trip explained before Archer spoke up. Archer sighed. “Navta, sit in a chair. Please.” Navta obeyed. She quietly played with her pet rock on the table, whispering to it. “That is a fine pet rock you have there, Navta.” Trip said, smiling when she looked up at him. “Do you know how to take care of a pet rock?” “Uh-uh.” “Well, first it has to go everywhere you do. And make sure you water it every day when you take a shower. It likes water. But don’t throw it in deep water ‘cause it won’t ever come back. It’ll just swim away.” “Really?” Navta looked down at her pet rock. “They like to stay warm too,” Archer told her, laying his arm on the back of her chair. “They do?” Archer nodded. “What should I put it in to keep it warm? “Do you know what a handkerchief is?” Archer asked quietly. Navta looked at him, shaking her head. “It’s a piece of cloth people used to carry around in their pocket to wipe their face and noses, sometimes for decoration. I have a couple. You can pick one when we get back to Enterprise.” “I want a pet rock.” Amy said, looking back at T’Pol. Trip leaned over, tapping her nose and smiling. “Then we’d better go get one. We gotta get back to Enterprise. How about you Eartik?” “Yes!” “I’ll take ‘em.” Archer said, getting up. Everyone looked at him. He was looking at the slips of latinum in his hand, counting out four slips. He tossed them on the table and held his hand out to Navta. She slid her hand in his, getting out of her chair. “Come on you two.” Archer said, holding his hand out to Amy. Amy jumped off T’Pol’s lap and ran over, grabbing his hand. Eartik wormed his way off and ran after them, catching Amy’s hand. “You should take all of them,” Sista joked, smiling when Archer looked down at her. “Put your pet rock in your pocket Navta,” Archer ordered, “You need to push the stroller, honey.” The children obeyed and Archer took Kasbra from Sista. The four adults stared at Archer, watching him leave with the children in tow. “Did… Am I… Did our Captain really just take all of the children with him?” Malcolm looked at his wife. “Willingly?” Sista smiled, patting his arm. “Breathe. He gone. Breathe.” Malcolm looked at Trip. Trip shrugged, putting his arm around T’Pol’s shoulders. # “I like this one,” Eartik said, picking up a white colored rock from the ground. “And the other four?” Archer said, smiling at him. “Can you only have one pet rock, K’pan?” Amy asked, looking up at him. “No. You can have more, but your pants will start falling down around your ankles if you get too many in your pockets.” The children laughed, making the two now awake toddlers giggle too. “I didn’t know you had children,” someone said behind them. The group turned. Artik Raes was standing behind them. A girl about Eartik’s age was holding his hand and an older boy in his teens was holding her other hand. “Navta’s mine.” Archer patted Navta’s shoulder. “The others are children of some of my crew.” Artik walked up, holding his hand out to Eartik for his rock. Eartik looked at his hand and then Archer. Archer motioned to Artik with his head. Eartik dropped his rock in Artik’s hand. Artik crouched down, looking at it. “This is loofag. They grind it down and make soap products with it. Feel how it’s lighter than the others?” Artik dropped it in Eartik’s hand. Eartik nodded, stepping close to Archer. Artik smiled, standing. He looked up at Archer. “Breti is always shy when we first meet people too.” Artik put his arm around the girl’s shoulder. “Yeah, but once she knows you she doesn’t shut up,” the teen laughed. “I DO TOO!” Breti argued. “This is my son Arown.” The boy held his hand out to Archer. Archer freed his hand from Amy and shook the teen’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, sir,” Arown said. “We were heading home to supper so if you’ll excuse us,” Artik said. “Certainly,” Archer replied. Artik and his family walked around them. Archer looked at Kasbra when she cooed, watching her watch the three walk away. “Wait!” Navta cried. The three turned. Navta ran up to Artik, reaching into her pants pocket. She held her hand up to him, her fingers blossoming open to reveal her pet rock. “I have a pet rock.” Artik took it from her, looking it over. “And it’s a pretty pet rock.” “If I give it to you, will it help pay for the conductors and plasma injectors?” Navta asked. Eartik and Amy suddenly dug their pet rocks out and handed them to Artik, asking the same question. Before Archer’s eyes Artik’s hard personality melted and he smiled. He leaned down, looking at the three. “You three are willing to give up your pet rocks in order to help your parents fix their ship?” The three nodded. “We can’t go fast without the plasma injectors and I can only count stars so many times before I get bored,” Navta told him. Archer, Artik, and Arown laughed. Artik held his hand out to them. “How about you three hold onto your pets and if we need them I’ll let you know? Okay?” The three nodded and took their pet rocks back. Artik looked at Archer. “Would you like to join us for dinner? Perhaps we can negotiate something after all.” Archer looked at all five children, feeling slightly helpless. “Just a moment. Navta, come here honey. Navta ran back to him. He crouched down, turning his torso slightly. “Reach in my arm pocket and get the communicator. Open it up and hold it up for me.” Navta dug the communicator out of his pocket and flipped it open and held it in front of Archer’s mouth. Archer winked at her before he started speaking. “Archer to T’Pol.” There was a brief silence. “T’Pol.” “I’m going to be back at the hotel later. I’m joining Artik for supper and maybe let these kids run off some energy. Tell Malcolm and Vardee for me.” There was a long pause. “T’Pol?” “I’ll…I’ll relay the message, sir. Is Amy okay?” “Yeah. Why wouldn’t she be?” “I was just checking. See you later.” “Archer out. Close it, Navta.” Navta snapped it closed, put it in Archer’s sleeve pocket and zipped it up. She grabbed the stroller handles again and turned it around. “This way,” Artik said, leading the way through streets to a house near the center. |
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