"Epizootic" by A. Rhea King Rating: PG Disclaimer: Don't own the, CBS/Paramount does. Summary: The Jit and animals of Enterprise come down with a virus. The crew know the race that exposed them to it, but have been ordered to stay away from them. But when Malcolm learns his Jit wife is pregnant with twins, he risks everything to save them. CHAPTER 1 “The land is blue,” Malcolm stated, staring at the information on the monitor in the center of the situation room. “Not all planets have the same geological compositions as Earth,” T’Pol pointed out. “But...it’s blue.” “And the ocean is red,” Trip said. “And the Bastions have granted our request to visit them,” Archer said, walking around to the front of the room. Trip and Malcolm looked up at their, Captain. “They did?” the two men asked together. Trip asked, “After a week of deliberation on that council of theirs? “Yes.” Trip smiled, “I could use some shore leave, Captain.” “I’m taking Sista and T’Pol,” Archer said. Malcolm looked at Archer. “You’re taking Vardee?” “Yes.” Archer looked up at Malcolm. “Is that a problem, Lieutenant?” Malcolm wanted to reply, but instead he shook his head. “No, sir.” “Good. We leave in two hours. Trip, you’ll have command of the bridge.” “Yes, sir,” Trip said, not hiding his disappointment well. Archer looked at Trip. “There will be other planets, Trip.” “But this one has a red ocean, green sky and blue land!” Trip said. “And the atmosphere of Earth.” “Next time,” Archer said. “I need you up here.” “Yes, sir,” Trip said. Archer walked out of the room with T’Pol following him. Trip looked at Malcolm who was staring at the screen with a dark look. “You wanted to go too, didn’t you?” Trip asked. “No, sir,” Malcolm snapped back. “You got crankier since you been married, Lieutenant,” Trip commented as he left the room. Malcolm didn’t attempt to comment. # Sista exchanged smiles with the two crewmen as she passed them. She rounded the corner and stopped at her door entering the key code. The door opened and she stepped in, stopping as soon as she saw Malcolm sitting in a chair. “Why you home?” Sista asked. She walked into the bedroom to change. “Why did you agree to go to the surface?” Malcolm asked. “K’pan Archer order me go with them,” Sista answered Malcolm nodded a little. “Why hasn’t Hoshi gone to the surface in the last four months?” “Hoshi get space sick. Not much of explorer. She and I talk about it, then we talk to K’pan about it, and he say as long as he don’t need Hoshi, then arrangement good.” “Why didn’t you tell me about this arrangement?” “Never thought about it.” “I would have liked to have known.” “You mad at me, Malcolm?” “Yes.” “Yes?” “I said yes, didn’t I?” Malcolm snapped. “Yes. Why mad?” “Because you agreed to go today. Of all days, you agreed today. Hoshi could have gone today.” Sista walked over to a chair across from Malcolm to put on her shoes. “If you mad and think I forget anniversary, I not.” Sista looked at him. “I remember. But K’pan order I go.” Malcolm looked at her. “Why are you wearing that?” Malcolm asked. Sista looked down at the Starfleet uniform she was wearing, and then back up at Malcolm. “Wear what?” “You’re not Starfleet. Why are you wearing that uniform?” The doorbell beeped “K’pan think it be better.” “You’re not Starfleet!” Sista pressed her lips together. “I not have time to fight. Fight when I get back.” Sista stood and turned to go. Malcolm jumped to his feet and stepped in front of her. “Sista, I made plans for tonight. I...” “They be remade, Malcolm. Just tell ‘em that K’pan order I go way. I sure that whoever you arrange with will understand. They take order from him too.” “That isn’t the point,” Malcolm growled through his teeth. Sista put her hands on her hips. “Fine. What point?” “You’re not Starfleet. You don’t need to take orders from him.” Sista was taken back by her husband’s comment. “You say I should tell K’pan Archer no next time he order me do something on his ship?” The doorbell beeped again. “We had arrangements tonight.” “Oh!” Sista leaned close to Malcolm. “I should say no to him when interfere with plan only? Is that what you say?” “No. That’s not what I’m saying.” Sista crossed her arms across her chest. “Then what you say?” “You knew we had plans tonight. Why didn’t you say anything to him? Why didn’t you ask Hoshi to go?” The doorbell beeped again. “Malcolm, it six month anniversary. It not as important as if year!” “It’s important to me!” Malcolm snapped. The doorbell beeped again. “COME IN!” Malcolm and Sista yelled at the same time. The door opened and Archer stepped in. He started to speak, but stopped when Sista snapped, “I go. We fight later.” Sista stepped around Malcolm. Malcolm grabbed her arm, “I did not mean you should disobey orders.” Sista turned, “Eh? So what you mean?” “You knew I’d made plans! You could have asked Hoshi to go.” “Malcolm, I can’t change it!” “Uhm...” Archer started. The doorbell beeped again. “Come in,” Archer said. T’Pol walked in, stopping beside Archer. She looked at the two and then Archer. “We must depart. We are already later than expected.” “Tell them that.” Archer motioned to the two. “THE HELL YOU CAN’T!” Malcolm yelled at Sista. “WHY YOU SO ANGRY?” Sista yelled back. “I DON’T WANT YOU GOING DOWN THERE!” “WHY?” “BECAUSE THE LAST TIME CAPTAIN TALKED TO THEM THEY ASKED HIM TO STAY FOR A LONGER PERIOD FOR THE FOURTH TIME SINCE HE CONTACTED THEM! I DON’T TRUST THEM! AND I TOOK TIME OFF SO WE COULD TAKE THE DIEDRA AND GO TO THE NEBULA YOU’VE BEEN TELLING ME ABOUT FOR THE LAST MONTH!” Sista was taken back. Malcolm turned and walked to the window of their room. Sista looked down, silent for a few minutes. Sista sighed. She walked to Malcolm and laid her hands on his arms. “I not know about trip,” Sista said quietly. “It is quite difficult to surprise your wife if she knows about the surprise, now isn’t it?” Malcolm snapped. Sista looked down. “I have to go, Malcolm. You know this.” Malcolm didn’t reply. “Malcolm, I have to go. K’pan tell me to go. He need me.” Malcolm turned his head. “Malcolm.” Sista reached up, laying her fingers on his cheek. Malcolm didn’t acknowledge her. “I’m sorry, Malcolm.” Malcolm looked in her eyes. “We will go when I get back, yes?” Malcolm didn’t answer her. “K’pan right there. You ask him. Ask him if we can go when we get back. We can gang up on him if he say no, ta?” Malcolm smiled a little. Sista stepped close to him and lowered her voice to a whisper only Malcolm could hear, “Are you mad at K’pan too?” Malcolm nodded. Sista laid her hands on his chest, patting his chest twice. “I sorry. I go, come back, we leave for anniversary. Yes?” “We’ll have to postpone it for a month. I already agreed to take someone’s shift when I found out you were going to the surface,” Malcolm told her. Sista smiled, hugging him. “And you get all upset and you not tell me this?” Malcolm shrugged. “Be careful,” Malcolm said. “Yes,” Sista said. The two kissed and Sista walked toward Archer and T’Pol. “We go?” Sista asked. Archer stepped aside, letting her pass. T’Pol followed Sista out. Archer hung back, looking at Malcolm. He was still staring out the window. “See you in a few days, Lieutenant,” Archer said. “We will see you in a few days, sir,” Malcolm said. Archer turned and left the room. # Archer peered at the creatures in the tank of water with acute interest. He stood up straight. “They’re...fascinating,” Archer said. The Bastion smiled, although with the exoskeleton that covered his face and entire body, it was hard to make out. “This museum holds some of our rarest and near extinct creatures,” the Bastion told Archer. Archer looked around. The councilor had brought Archer and the two women to this museum as part of their tour. Archer hadn’t wanted to come, but now he was glad he had. The museum was built under the ocean in shallow water with clear walls surrounding it so that the red waters filtered the sunlight to cast a rusty hue throughout the museum. Several other Bastions mingled with them, most of them accompanied by children. Archer smiled, thinking how Navta and Eartik would have loved to see this place. “This way, Captain Archer,” the Bastion said. Archer turned; following the man through the halls and listening to him explain the various creatures in the tanks as they passed. Some were far beyond anything Archer could have imagined existed in the galaxy. The tour concluded and they returned to the hovercraft to return to the city. “We have children on board our ship. If it would be possible, I would like to allow them to come down on a field trip,” Archer said. T’Pol and Sista looked up at Archer, both surprised by his request. “I don’t see why that would be a problem, Captain. We have some of the finest zoos and museums in this sector. We would be glad to share them with your children. I’m surprised you didn’t mention it earlier.” “I wasn’t aware you had museums like that.” Archer smiled. “Otherwise I might have.” “We can send a transporter up to your ship if you prefer. That craft of yours can’t hold very many I suspect.” Archer glanced at the women. He hadn’t mentioned how many children were on board the Enterprise. How would this man know that one shuttle couldn’t bring all of them down? “We’ll make arrangements later,” Archer said. “I look forward to meeting your council.” “They feel the same,” the man replied, and then changed the subject. # Sista and T’Pol sat on a bench outside the council hall, watching the Bastions in the park across from the council hall. The temperate climate was as enjoyable with the cooling breeze blowing inland off the ocean. “This meeting sure is taking longer than the others did,” Sista said. She was wearing her combadge so her words were translated to English. “They wanted to talk about trading technologies today. Captain Archer did tell us this might take some time.” “Yes. He did.” The two watched a female Bastion pass with a dog on a leash. The dog coughed a couple times as it passed. “Hm,” Sista said. “What?” T’Pol asked. “Oh nothing. Just thinking about something,” Sista said, looking across the street to the park. Several Bastions were enjoying the day and a couple had dogs with them. “I do not understand human’s, or Bastion’s, desire to keep animals as pets. “Companionship,” Sista replied. “Sometimes for work.” “I do understand the working arrangement between humans and animals. But I do not understand the companionship. They have other humans for that.” “It’s different,” Sista answered. “How is it different?” “Animals listen unlike humans do. They don’t judge you. And they are happy to see you no matter what.” “How do animals listen different than humans? And how do you know they are not judging you?” Sista laughed. “I cannot explain it well, I guess.” “Excuse me.” The two looked up. A Bastion stood in front of them. He was dressed in a uniform much like the rest of the government officials were, except this one had a chain sash from left shoulder to hip with a star holding the sash on at his hip. He had a tricorder pointed at the two of them. “Yes?” the women asked at the same time. “Names?” he asked. “Vardee and T’Pol,” T’Pol replied. “Where are you from?” “Enterprise.” “Oh. You’re the ones visiting.” “Yes.” The man looked at something on the tricorder and nodded once. He walked to a hovercraft near the park and got in. For a few minutes the Bastion sat in the hovercraft. In the park the lights suddenly turned on and alternated blue and white. Everyone in the park stopped, looking at them. As if on a queue, Bastions began leaving the park, mostly ones with dogs but some without as well. “That was strange,” Sista commented. “It was curious,” T’Pol replied. “We’re going home now,” Archer said as he stormed out of council hall past the two women. Sista and T’Pol leapt to their feet, following him to the hovercraft that had brought them to the council hall. Sista got in the back with T’Pol, glancing at the council hall. The Bastion from yesterday and two more Bastions were watching them from the stairs of the council hall. “Take us to our shuttle pod,” Archer ordered the driver. Sista looked at T’Pol. The Vulcan very slightly shrugged her shoulders, indicating she wasn’t sure what was happening herself. The hovercraft stopped at the launch pad their shuttle pod was on and Archer got out. The women followed him. Archer began the launch sequence. “They scanned our ship last night...” Archer started explaining. “They didn’t even tell me they were going to do it. Malcolm told me this morning when I reported in. They found the Diedra.” Archer launched the shuttlecraft. “They want weapons technology off of her. Starfleet made it clear we are not to trade any weapons technology off Enterprise or the Diedra, and I told them this. We argued about it for ten minutes and then they ordered us to leave their space immediately or they were going to open fire on Enterprise.” Archer pressed his lips into a tight line. “So we’re leaving.” “Perhaps after a length of time you can contact them again and reopen negotiations,” T’Pol suggested. “I don’t think being told to leave their space or we would be fired upon leaves much room for negotiations, T’Pol,” Archer said. T’Pol didn’t reply. # Archer stretched as he stood up from his chair. “Computer, time,” Archer said. “The time is twenty-two hundred hours and thirty-seven minutes,” the computer reported. Archer left his ready room and strolled to his quarters. Archer opened the door and Porthos began yipping and barking and dancing excitedly around Archer’s feet. Occasionally he stopped to cough a couple of times but that didn’t stop him for very long. “You’re not getting any cheese,” Archer told the dog with a smile. “Navta already fed you.” Porthos sat down and whined pathetically. Archer walked over to his computer and sat down, starting through his messages. Porthos walked up to Archer and stood up on his hind feet to beg. Archer smiled. He leaned over on his legs, watching Porthos sit in front of him and dust the floor with his tail. “You are terrible, Port.” Archer leaned over and scratched his dog’s ear. “Okay. A little bit.” Archer got up and walked over to the counter to get a couple pieces of cheese. He noticed Porthos’ bowl was still sitting on the counter with food in it. Archer looked down at his dog. Porthos was sitting behind him, waiting expectantly. He lifted a paw, pawing the air and whining. “Navta wasn’t here today, huh?” Porthos leapt to his feet and barked. Archer picked up the bowl and sat it down. Porthos dug into his food with eagerness, inhaling the dry kibble. Archer walked to the communication console and pushed a button. “Archer to Navta,” Archer said. He waited. “Ensign Paris here, Captain,” a voice came back that was not Navta’s. “Where’s Navta, Ensign?” “Navta’s with Eartik, sir. He’s been very sick all day. Can I help you with something?” “Tell her to let me know if she doesn’t get here to feed Porthos tomorrow.” “I will tell her, sir.” “Archer out.” Archer looked down at Porthos, who was licking his empty bowl. Porthos stopped for a few seconds to cough before resuming cleaning his bowl. “Why don’t you eat the bowl too, Porthos?” Porthos looked back at him and licked his chops before resuming licking his bowl. Archer smiled, returning to his computer. # Sista wiped her sweaty brow, closing her eyes for a minute against her headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to relieve the pain behind her eyes. T’Pol turned from her work to speak to Sista and stopped. “Is there something wrong?” T’Pol asked. “Head hurt.” “Perhaps you should see Doctor Phlox.” Sista nodded. “Yes. Perhaps.” “I can finish this if you would like to go now.” Sista smiled, looking at T’Pol. “Another hour of shift. I finish.” T’Pol nodded once. “Have you run the projections Captain Archer asked for?” “I’ll get,” Sista said, standing. T’Pol grabbed Sista’s arm when she swayed and helped her sit back on her chair. Sista closed her eyes against the dizziness that swept over her. “You should report to Sickbay, Vardee.” “I only need rest.” T’Pol considered arguing with her friend. Sista stood again and turned. T’Pol’s quick reflexes were the only thing that saved Sista from falling when she fainted. T’Pol lowered her to the floor, hearing a crewman running up behind her. T’Pol’s hand brushed Sista’s cheek when she pulled it out from underneath her. She reached out and laid her hand on Sista’s forehead. “She needs to get to Sickbay,” T’Pol told the man behind her “I’ll carry her,” the man said, stepping around T’Pol. T’Pol stood, letting him pick Sista up. She watched him leave with Sista, masking her concern for her friend. Continue to Chapter 2

Like it? Hate it? Just want to point out a typo? Join the discussion now.

Disclaimer: Star Trek in all its various forms and its characters are the property of CBS/Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended by the authors of this site, which is solely for the purpose of entertainment and is not for profit. This site is owned by CX and was opened to the public in February 2008.