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"Captain Sato’s Enterprise"
by Lady Rainbow
Rating: PG-13 This fic will sound strange because of those changes, but please bear with me. Each chapter is told from the POV of a member of the “changed” crew. Reviews/comments are welcome, please:) Captain Hoshi Sato Hoshi Sato, captain of the Enterprise, loved the early mornings. Tai-chi and meditation in Hydroponics, then a quick shower and a light breakfast in the Mess before her shift on the Bridge. On her way to the Mess Hall, she heard a tiny yipping sound down the hallway. A beagle raced down the corridor, heading straight towards her. Before she could react, he flopped down across her boots on his back, his tongue lolling out, eyes bright. She cautiously looked around, then reached into her pocket. “Here, boy. Don’t tell anyone, okay?” Then she popped a cheese cube into his mouth and patted Porthos on the head. “Good boy. Got away from your master again, hmmm?” There was the sound of running feet, then Porthos’s master appeared at the end of the corridor. “Sorry, Captain. He slipped his leash and decided to make a run for it.” “That’s all right, Lieutenant Archer.” She smiled at Porthos and gave the dog a final pat. He gazed at her with pleading eyes, but she shook her head. Defeated, Porthos twisted back onto his feet and trotted to Archer’s feet. “S’shlik torun, Lieutenant.” Archer smiled. “S’shlik torun, Captain. Hwas’su reun da?” “My morning is well, thank you.” She allowed herself a maternal smile. Although Archer was older than she was, his cheerful enthusiasm made him seem ten years younger. He was always eager to meet new people, study new cultures, sometimes to the point of recklessness. Luckily, the other Bridge officers tempered his eagerness without stifling it. “I understand that we’re due to meet with the Luruns in three days?” “Yes. I’ve already uplinked their cultural and language database to your station on the bridge, Jonathan. It appears we’ve got some amazing similarities, but I want to make sure we don’t have any problems during our meeting.” “I’ll go over it and get back to you with my recommendations as soon as possible, Captain.” “Thanks, Jonathan.” He whistled for Porthos, then the two of them strode down the corridor towards the turbolift. Hoshi laughed and shook her head; Jonathan Archer had become an important member of her crew, and she was glad he was aboard. She considered herself his mentor as well as a friend. The Mess Hall was still relatively empty, but Hoshi spotted two people at a nearby table huddled over a PADD. Trip and T’Pol. Hmmm...now there’s a contradiction of personalities if I’ve seen one. The fiery Trip and coolly logical T’Pol, complete opposites, but somehow managing to forge a friendship as well as a working relationship. Hoshi’s sharp hearing picked up the words “upgrade”, “phase cannon”, “navigation”, “engineering” and “stubborn”. Obviously, Trip was blowing off some steam, while the Vulcan sat with her plomeek soup and listened patiently. She entered the Captain’s Mess to see her breakfast partner already waiting for her. “Malcolm.” He smiled at her and inclined his head. “Captain.” “No ranks in here, remember?” She nodded at Crewman Cunningham and the steward went to fill her usual order. “You look tired.” “A few minor crises in the middle of the night, nothing to worry about,” he reassured her. “Commander Mayweather injured his ankle climbing the rock wall in the gym. Luckily, it was only a sprain. Then Crewman Taliferro from Hydroponics ended up with a few rose thorns in his hand while he was pruning the bushes. Crewman Wyles from the Armory came in with a slight plasma burn on his—ahem. Apparently, he’d had an accident while training with the phase pistol—“ “Again? That’s the second time this month.” “This time it wasn’t his fault. One of his fellows dropped hisphase pistol and it went off—“ “Oh, good Lord. The man attracts more trouble than Trip does.” Hoshi smiled at Cunningham as he put a plate of fruit and a mug of green tea in front of her. She saw Malcolm give her breakfast a dubious look. “What?” “Your meal looks rather sparse. Will that be enough to tide you over until lunch?” She sighed, but then she saw the twinkle in his eye. “I could always add a slice of chocolate cheesecake, I suppose, if you’re that concerned.” “And then I’d get a call from the Bridge when the sugar rush died down.” “So there.” Hoshi shrugged and began to eat her breakfast. The two settled into easy conversation, chatting about all sorts of subjects. She listened as he talked about a new medical procedure; he commented on her first impressions of the Luruns. She enjoyed making new contacts as much as Jonathan Archer did and it was nice to find others who shared that interest. The intercom whistled during a lull in the conversation. Hoshi shot an apologetic look at Malcolm as he rolled his eyes. She tabbed the button. “Sato here.” “Commander Mayweather here. I’m in Science Lab One. Can you come down here for a moment?” A smile quirked on her lips. “On my way, Travis. Sato out.” She wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Sorry, Malcolm, duty calls.” “That’s quite all right; I should be getting back to work anyway. Lunch as usual?” “Lunch as usual.” There was a genuine warmth in his gray-blue eyes that wasn’t there very often. Hoshi promised herself that she would do what she could to melt that ice. “I’ll see you later.” She smiled at him and headed out of the captain’s mess. |
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