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"I'd Rather Be..."
Rating: PG Carving In The Dunes (4) Archer stared at the main monitor of the situation console, waiting for T’Pol to give her report of the planet below. From space he could see very little vegetation, so he expected the report to be detailed and boring. “It is eighty-seven percent desert,” T’Pol began, “and thirteen percent water and marshland. It appears that the planet is dying and all plant life will be gone in less than a millennia.” T’Pol turned to Archer. “In another two millennia, it will have no atmosphere and will resemble its orbiting moon.” “Hm,” Archer said. ‘And if she keeps talking like that, I’m falling asleep where I’m standing.’ “It is still maintaining a Menshera atmosphere,” T’Pol continued. “Any humanoid life detected?” “The only life on this planet is plant and a few species of rodents. The rodents live where the sand dunes have not become too high.” Like a fright train, a sporadic, and probably childish, idea suddenly hit Archer. He stood up straight, his mind whirring as it began piecing together a plan. “How high are the sand dunes?” “The tallest sand dunes measure half a kilometer in height.” “Are there a lot of sand dunes over twelve meters?” “Most of them. Why do you ask?” “Any of them with at least a fifteen percent slope?” “Most of them.” “Any with a good place to land a shuttle nearby?” “Several, however, I do not see any reason for exploring this planet, Captain. There is nothing on the surface of interest.” Archer ignored her comment as he turned to Trip. His senior engineer was slightly swaying back and forth out of boredom. Archer was struck with the thought that this was a new habit of Trip’s. “Trip.” Trip looked at him, coming to a stand still. “Yeah?” “Didn’t you tell me you were working on programming the resequencer to make wax for T’Pol’s meditation candles?” “Yes.” “But there’s a problem. What is it again?” “The wax is too hard. Have to melt it with a plasma torch just to get it to liquefy.” “Really?” A grin began to slowly creep across Archer’s lips. “That hard, huh?” “Yes…sir,” Trip answered, staring at Archer. “Malcolm,” Archer said. “Sir?” Archer looked down the console at Malcolm. “Just a few days ago you were asking to get rid of some plastic panels that have been occupying one of the armory store rooms since we left port.” “Yes, sir.” “What’s the composition of those panels?” “Uhm…a high grade fiber steel mixed with fiber glass and poxy silicon. Why do you ask?” “How thick are they?” Malcolm looked away, thinking for a moment. “Probably six to six and a half centimeters, sir,” he answered. Archer lifted his hands, using them to help him aid in his thought as he tried to think of what he wanted to ask. “Don’t they have like…uhm…oh…uh…a honeycomb design under the outer panel sheets?” “Yes, sir. Frankly, I don’t know what they’re for. We can’t use them for anything on Enterprise. There’s short of five dozen and they’re just taking up space.” “Perfect!” Archer’s smile reflected his building childish giddiness. He looked back at Trip who looked even more worried now. “Whatever half-cocked idea is going through that head of your’s, Cap’n, if it involves going to that planet, no.” Trip said, “You know I hate desert planets and you know why and I am not going down to that planet except dead!” “Trip—” “NO! And you can order all you want. You aren’t getting me on that planet unless I’m dead!” “Trip, why would I even be asking about the wax being so hard. Come on! What do we use wax that hard for back home? I’ve drug you with me several times and you didn’t mind being in a desert then.” “What are you talking about?” “THINK!” “Sir, I have no id—” Trip stopped talking, his mouth still open on the syllable. He grinned just as large as Archer. “That wax is so hard that I have to use a plasma torch at it’s highest setting to melt it and them boards have a honeycomb bracing under the top panels. I bet with a torch and a form we could get those panels cut clean, melt the wax into that honeycomb and maybe get the quarter master to jerry rig us some bindings. I think I could rig something up for a hot iron even. I’ll break my desert planet rule for this.” Archer laughed, patting his hands on the console edge. “Travis!” From the helm Travis turned his chair. “Yes, sir?” “Have you picked up any ships on long range sensors since we’ve been here?” “No, sir.” “Take us into geosynchronous orbit, Travis.” Archer looked at T’Pol. “T’Pol, you have the bridge. Run a skeleton crew unless something shows up on long-range sensors and don’t call me unless you have to. Meeting adjourned.” Archer headed for the lift with Trip right behind. “Captain,” T’Pol said. Archer turned on the steps. “Yeah?” “What is it that you are planning on doing, Captain?” Archer only offered a Cheshire grin in response to her question. “Take care of my ship, T’Pol.” Archer patted her shoulder. “I’m going to take some shore leave.” Archer turned and trotted after Trip who was waiting for him on the lift. The door cut off the two men talking excitedly T’Pol turned to Hoshi and Malcolm, all three confused by what had just happened. “I guess…we don’t need to give our reports?” Malcolm asked T’Pol. “Apparently not.” T’Pol turned and walked to the captain’s chair. # Trip laughed, listening to the crew behind him chattering excitedly. The shuttle pod was packed with people and Archer stood at Trip’s elbow, watching the surface of the planet get closer. Trip glanced up at him. Archer was still wearing that excited childish grin he’d had when he first came up with the idea three days ago. “You’re insane, Cap’n,” Trip said quietly. “It suits me, doesn’t it?” Archer laughed. Trip nodded. “Aye, Cap’n.” Archer looked back at the crewmen behind him. Like himself, they were all dressed in shorts and tank tops or short sleeve shirts. Archer caught a glimpse of T’Pol. She had asked to go that morning as Trip and Archer were eating an early breakfast in the mess hall with everyone else that was on shore leave today. “Right there?” Trip asked. Archer looked back, seeing the spot he was pointing too. “Perfect.” Trip landed the shuttle and turned to the panel displaying external sensor readings. “Perfect desert, sir. Forty-three degrees Celsius and climbing. It is clear and quiet.” All but T’Pol cheered. Archer stood. “Let’s go boarding people!” “First to wipe out takes my shift tomorrow,” an ensign at the back called. “You’re on,” Trip and two other crewmen replied. Archer waited for the rest of the crew to exit so he could speak to T’Pol. She was sitting on a bench at the back, looking like she was in deep thought. “There’s a board left if you feel inclined to join us,” Archer told her. “I do not understand what the excitement is for, Captain,” T’Pol admitted. “Sand boarding.” “What is sand boarding?” “It’s… I bet you don’t know what surfing or snowboarding are either, do you?” “No.” “Well…look it up when we get back to Enterprise. It’s like both of those but on sand.” Archer got up and retrieved his sand board. “And this is an Earth recreation?” “For some,” Archer laughed. “See you at dusk, T’Pol.” Archer lifted the board under his arm and left T’Pol to her thoughts. # Archer felt himself falling. He could see the sand rushing toward him even as he felt himself tipping over. Then he hit the hot sand. His board rigging broke free and he was sent rolling to the bottom of the dune. He reached the bottom the same time Trip did and the two men lay laughing, joined by two more crewmen a minute later. “Incoming!” someone yelled. The four scattered as Malcolm came to a sliding stop on his stomach where Archer had been. “Trying to kill us, huh?” Trip teased as he got up. “I want to be captain, you see.” “Just for that, you get my shift tomorrow,” Archer joked. “Really?” Malcolm asked hopefully. “No.” The men laughed. Trip held his hand out to Malcolm, helping him to his feet. The men gathered their boards and started the trudge up the fifty-meter dune. Archer looked up, seeing someone sitting at the top of the dune. “Who’s that?” Archer asked. He pulled his sunglasses back on so he could see across the glare of the golden sand but was still too far away to identify the person. “T’Pol, sir,” Malcolm said. “She reached the summit as I was getting ready to start down.” “Not much into physical sports, is she?” one of the crewmen asked. “To each their own, Ensign,” Archer replied. “We should push her,” Trip said. “TRIP!” Archer said. “She wouldn’t like that very much, Trip,” Malcolm pointed out. Trip laughed. “But we would.” “Trip, don’t do it,” Archer ordered. “It was a thought.” “An evil one at that.” Malcolm smiled. “However the mental image is quite humorous.” The men laughed. “I am going to sleep hard tonight,” the ensign commented. “Maybe we should install a lift for the next time we’re in the neighborhood.” “Fabulous idea! We’ll put it right next to the cantina,” Malcolm joked. The five laughed again. “You know, Captain,” one of the crewmen said, “I’ve sand boarded in a lot of places but this place has the best dunes I’ve been on so far. This will be something to write home about.” The five laughed again and then fell silent for the remainder of the trudge up the dune. They reached the top winded and hot and sat down in a line across the summit to rest before heading down again. Archer looked down the line at T’Pol. A hot, gentle breeze was blowing across the tops of the dunes and she had her face turned into it with her eyes closed. Archer smiled. Maybe she didn’t enjoy the boarding, but at least she appeared to be enjoying the time off Enterprise. “Ready?” Trip asked. The five jumped up and set up to start down the hill. “Go!” one of the ensigns yelled. Archer didn’t push off. He smiled, watching the four fly down the hill. They laughed and taunted each other like a group of children on recess. One of the crewmen got close to Malcolm and the two tried pushing each other off their boards all the way down the hill. He laughed at his crewmen’s antics. “I have not seen this crew enjoy shore leave like this for quite some time,” T’Pol commented. Archer smiled down at her. “We don’t have many opportunities to just play out here, T’Pol.” T’Pol looked up at Archer. “I have done this activity before, but it was when I was much younger. We called it something else.” “You could try it again, you know? There is one more board on the shuttle. Unless you’re afraid of falling?” Archer taunted. T’Pol stood, looking at Archer. “I have no use of a board.” T’Pol turned and jumped off the edge, racing down the hill on her feet and expertly turning her body to keep from falling as she slid. Archer could hear the four below cheering and hooting at T’Pol. With a whoop, Archer leapt off the summit and followed her on his board. |
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