"Captain Sato’s Enterprise" by Lady Rainbow Rating: PG-13 Spoilers: None Pairings: R/S implied Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em, don’t make money off ‘em. Notes: This is in response to a “Switcheroo” challenge from a friend. Write a “Day in the Life” story on the ship, but switch the crew around so they’re doing another job. The challenge is to keep their personalities and/or relationships relatively intact during the Switcheroo. 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:) First Officer/Science Officer Travis Mayweather Commander Travis Mayweather’s second home was Science Lab One. If he wasn’t on the Bridge, in the gym or the Mess Hall, he was there. At the moment, he sat at one of the stations as he analyzed the scans of the Urathan Nebula. He stared at the screen with child-like wonder and joy. The bright reds and oranges danced on the screen and reflected off Travis’s dark eyes. Now this is why I joined Starfleet, to see the wonders of the Universe. “Beautiful, isn’t it, Travis?” asked a soft voice behind him. He grinned and glanced over his shoulder. Captain Hoshi Sato leaned casually in the doorway, her uniform neat as a pin, her long black hair up in a braided bun. At their first meeting, he’d thought she didn’t seem to be old enough to be a captain, despite the four pips on her collar. Then he noticed the confidence in her eyes, the steel under the soft voice. People tended to underestimate Captain Sato, until they found out otherwise. He chuckled and waved towards the screen. “That it is, Captain. Lemme show you something. See these variables? These are definitely not the norm for a Class Two nebula. I’m trying to compile all the scans and calculate the variances. There’s something about this one that’s got me curious.” Hoshi frowned. “That’s the Urathan Nebula, not too far from the Lurun homeworld, isn’t it?” “That’s right. Thought I’d run a couple of scans since we were going past it anyway, compare it to the baseline that was taken by the first survey team.” He tapped some keys on the computer; the screen split into two parts. “The baseline is on the left, with all the relevant information that was gathered on it. Our new scans are on the right.” At first glance, the visuals of the nebula looked the same. Then Hoshi compared the two lists of data. “The radiation levels are different. It’s gone up. You think that might be the source of the problem?” “I’m looking into the possibility. That’s close to a major trade route between Rymer’s World and Itharia, not to mention right in the middle of our course to Lurun. I’d suggest finding an alternate route around it, Hoshi. With these new radiation readings, I’m not inclined to get too close.” “Agreed.” She clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Good job, Travis.” “Just doing my job, ma’am.” He shrugged good-naturedly, then continued, “We should drop off some warning buoys before we leave that area.. I’d hate to see anyone get too close and get a hefty dose of baryon particles.” As a Boomer, he was well aware of the effects of radiation poisoning on ship crews. He’d seen plenty of anomalies and other space artifacts growing up on a cargo ship. “I’ll contact Engineering.” She smiled, then changed the subject. “Travis, how’s the crew doing? Everything all right?” He swiveled around in his chair to face her and stood at relaxed attention. He felt himself become more formal as he slipped into his “first officer” mode. “Ratings are at plus ones and plus one point fives across the board, ma’am. A few people have come in to talk, let off a little steam, but for the most part, morale’s pretty good right now.” “I’m glad the crew can come to you.” “Don’t sell yourself short, Hoshi. You know this crew will stand by you. You’re strong.” He gave her a broad grin and was relieved that she matched it. “They all respect you.” “Even Ensign T’Pol?” “Even T’Pol.” A sudden thought made him sober. “Not many people can converse in her native language and can talk about Vulcan customs in an intelligent manner like you can. I think that means a lot to her, more than she lets on.” Hoshi gave him a thoughtful look. “You’re right. I’m considering inviting her to dinner, have Chef do a vegetarian menu, talk about language and philosophy. Get to know how she thinks, and not just how the Vulcan High Command wants her to think.” “I think that’s a good idea. She’s an enigma to many people. Sometimes I think she’s more of one than Doctor Reed is, and that’s saying something.” “Malcolm’s just reserved, but he does show some emotion,” Hoshi objected without thinking. If she hadn’t been distracted by her thoughts about T’Pol, she would have seen a knowing look on her first officer’s face. “Well, I’m off to the bridge. Call me if anything else comes up.” “Will do, Captain.” Travis gave her a mock salute, then turned back to his scientific data as she left the room. He shook his head and thought, I wonder how long it’ll take her to figure it out. Hell, I wonder how long it’ll take the good doctor, ‘cause I think everyone else sees it, but they don’t. Back to Part 1 Continue to Part 3

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