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"Strike Three"
Rating: PG Pen Pal (8) Archer laughed at Trip’s story. “I thought I was going to get smacked again, but she didn’t,” Trip finished. “Teach you to let a woman hammer a nail when you’ve just made her mad, won’t it?” “Yeah. But it was inevitable!” “Shipper to Archer,” Ensign Shipper said on the companel. Archer sat his fork down and stood, pressing to the companel. “Archer here.” “Sir…the kid’s back.” Archer’s humor faded with his sigh. “He wants to talk to Hoshi?” “Yeah. Except this time he found the frequency I was on and broke a communication to Starfleet. I told him he’d have to wait on a sub channel for Hoshi and he left, but Lieutenant Hamilton at Command was pretty mad about the whole thing.” “This kid is starting to be a problem,” Trip commented. Archer couldn’t agree more. He was interrupting at all hours of the day and refused to talk to anyone but Hoshi. Shipper and O’Malley, his night crew, had both told him she had come up after her shift to talk to him nearly every night for the last month. “Okay,” Archer sighed, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms across his chest, “I want you to connect the channel in to this companel, set it to monitor only, and then call Hoshi and have her talk to the kid.” “Do you want me to tell her it’s being monitored?” “Not this time, Joe.” “Yes, sir.” Archer walked over to his chair and sat down to continue eating while he waited. Trip resumed eating too, but kept quiet. He had listened to Archer rant enough times about this alien child that he knew Archer was coming to his wits end with the whole situation. # Ensign Shipper turned when he heard the lift open. He smiled, watching Hoshi walk up. “What’s the problem?” Hoshi asked. “Guess,” Shipper said. “Oodahau?” “Yep.” Hoshi laughed. “He had a test today and he promised he’d tell me how it went.” “Well, he’s on hold here.” Shipper stood up. “Can you talk to him about breaking into transmissions Hoshi? He interrupted a transmission I was making to Starfleet command and the Lieutenant taking it was less than humored.” Hoshi closed her eyes. “Yeah. I’ll talk to him. Sorry, Joe.” “That kid’s going to you and me fired, you know that? Good thing Carter and I are the only ones on tonight or you’d be having to apologize to O’Malley.” “I know.” Ensign Shipper got up and walked past her. “I’m going on a break. Be back in fifteen.” “Thanks, Joe,” Hoshi called after him. She walked around to the chair and sat down, putting the earpiece on her ear. Hoshi opened the channel. “Hey Ooha,” Hoshi said. She slouched down low in the chair, putting her feet up on the bottom rail around the station. Hoshi folded her hands together, laying them on her stomach and laid her head back against the chair. “HOSHI!” Oodahau cried. “How are you?” Hoshi asked. “I passed my test, Hoshi! Only three more and then I can get into the academy.” “Congratulations! Was your dad proud?” Oodahau didn’t answer. “Ooha?” “My dad was busy. He didn’t say much.” “Oh, Ooha, I’m sorry.” “That’s okay. You’re proud of me. That makes up for it.” Hoshi smiled, wishing she could believe that. She had lost count of the number of times Oodahau had said that his father didn’t notice things he did. “Did you draw today, Hoshi?” “I was drawing when you called.” “What were you drawing?” “A house I saw on a planet.” “Was it pretty?” “I thought it was.” “I drew a Liphtaph. That’s a really big bird on our planet. They have these multiple colored wings that are shiny and really pretty.” “They sound pretty.” “I could send you the picture.” “Yeah? How’s that?” “Oh. I have my ways.” Hoshi laughed. “Well, you just go right ahead and send it to me, Ooha. I’d love the picture.” “I wish you could send me some of your drawings.” “You and me both, Ooha.” “If you were drawing, were you working?” “No.” “You weren’t?” “No.” “Why not?” “I don’t work all the time, Ooha. I was drawing and eating my dinner.” “Oh. I bothered you. I’m sorry.” “That’s okay. I won’t hold it against you.” “What does that mean?” “Means I’m not mad at you.” “Oh. Good. Well, I had to tell you that. I’ll let you go back to drawing and eating.” “Okay. Hey, Ooha. “Yeah?” “Joe, the guy that was here before, said you interrupted a transmission trying to find me.” “I wanted to tell you about the test.” “I know you did, but you can’t do that Ooha. We have work to do on Enterprise and the people we talk to don’t much appreciate someone cutting them off for things like this. I think they’re important, but my captain and others don’t. It’s going to get me and Joe in trouble if you keep doing it, Ooha.” “Oh. I’m sorry.” “That’s okay. Just don’t do it again. You stay on the other frequency and the computer will tell us when you’re on, okay? But no more interrupting transmissions, okay?” “Promise, Hoshi. I don’t want to get you in trouble.” “Okay.” Hoshi looked up, smiling at Joe when he walked up. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” “You bet! Bye Hoshi.” “Good-bye Oodahau.” The channel went silent. Hoshi got up, setting the earpiece on the console. She walked to the lift and pressed the button to call it. Hoshi leaned against the wall, thinking about the conversation. The lift door opened and she looked up to find Archer standing in the door. “We have to talk,” Archer said. “Sir, I told him not to interrupt any more.” “It’s more than that, Hoshi.” Hoshi looked down. “He’s becoming a problem, sir, I know. I’m trying to think of a way to tell him I can’t talk to him anymore, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings, sir. I don’t know what to tell him.” “How about he’s getting you in trouble, lots of it, and if this continues, you won’t be talking to him because you’ll be confined to your quarters for two weeks. And if it happens again, the brig for a month.” Hoshi looked up at Archer. “He apparently knows how to get a hold of us. He can send letters from now on if he wants to tell you something.” “But I can’t send any back to him. I don’t know how to get a hold of him.” “Then maybe he needs to tell you. I would feel a whole lot more comfortable, and not so upset, if we could contact him when you wanted to and not when he wants to. I agreed to let you handle this on your own and so far, you haven’t done a very good job, Hoshi. Now we’re handling this my way.” “Yes, sir.” “Tomorrow, you’ll talk to him and tell him. If he doesn’t provide you with a means of sending him letters, then you won’t talk to him anymore. Understand?” “Yes, sir.” Archer stepped of the lift, allowing Hoshi to step on. “Good night, Hoshi.” “Good night, sir.” Hoshi pressed the bottom for deck F. She needed time to sort through this and the observation room was usually empty at night. Hoshi looked up when the closing lift door stopped and opened. Archer stepped into the door, looking her in the eyes. “Hoshi, I know you like this child, but as a captain, I have to wonder why he’s been talking to you without any adult supervision for over a month. I know he’s a child, and he himself is no threat, but without knowing what race he is and why he’s alone all the time, I have to put my foot down. You could be waking a hornet’s nest without knowing it, Hoshi.” “I understand, sir.” “Do you? This isn’t going to be like last time, is it?” “No, sir. A month is too long. Pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?” Archer nodded. Hoshi offered him a weak smile. “I’m not mad at you, sir. I get frustrated when I get in a rock and hard place.” Archer smiled. “That does pretty much some this up, Hoshi.” “Yes, sir.” “Good night, Hoshi.” Archer stepped back, letting the door close. Hoshi looked down at the floor. The next short story is Vivarium The next Tweens story is Nullification |
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