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"Lost in Universal Translation" Rating: PG-13 Author's Notes: Sorry for the slight delay in updating this. Dealing with sick kids and a case of bronchitis this week. :( BTW, “The Inner Light” is one of my favorite TNG eps, though I didn't see the similarities between it and this story before Alelou and Begoogled pointed it out. Yeah, I guess you can consider it Hoshi's “Inner Light”. Please leave a review! Thanks! Six A week later... Hoshi bent over the screen that was embedded in the hardwood table. The unfamiliar characters flashed once, then dissolved into English. A mug of tea appeared at her right elbow, startling her enough to lose her train of thought. She looked up with an expression of annoyance, right into a pair of cool appraising eyes. “Do not be angry at me, young one,” said Theros. The Esaarian rolled his shoulders in the equivalent of a Human shrug. “The Guardian of your vessel ordered me to bring you refreshment. He would do it himself, if he was not required elsewhere.” Malcolm. Hoshi's irritation faded and she smiled instead. “Thank you, Theros. I'm sorry...it's been a long day. I do appreciate your allowing me to use your archives.” Theros bobbed his head, making the tips of his long blue-black mustache quiver at the ends. “Knowledge is best shared instead of hoarded. We are honored to meet one who treasures it as much as we do.” “Your High Chieftain told us that your archive covers the history of every planet and every race in this sector.” Of course, that was an understatement of sorts. The Esaarians' archive rivaled the one that had been in Old Alexandria on Earth. Hoshi knew that if Na'lai's people had existed, there would be some record of them here. She knew they had existed. What she had experienced was too real, too detailed to be just a hallucination. The details of Na'lai's brief life were burned into her mind as if she had actually seen the field and taken part of the training exercise. She'd regained her language skills and her memory, but she'd also remembered Na'lai's as well. She even found herself thinking---and dreaming---in Nah'lai's language. The occasional odd word crept back into her speech, much to her crewmates' confusion. Why didn't it fade away like she'd expected? There had to be another piece to the puzzle. “Your science officer told us that you were searching for a race that became extinct long ago,” Theros said, with some sympathy. “The Vulcans are not unknown to us; their curiosity is sometimes stronger than their rigid adherence to logic. What is the saying...'curiosity murdered the feline'?” Hoshi chuckled as she imagined T'Pol saying the quote. While it was technically correct, it still sounded hilarious in “Vulcan-speak”, as Trip dubbed it. T'Pol was as curious about Na'lai's people as Hoshi, although T'Pol was more reluctant to admit it. Sometimes actions do speak louder than words. After all, she was the one who suggested going to Esaaria, and she's the one looking through their astronomical star charts to locate where Na'lai's planet would have been, if it had really existed. “Yes, that's right. T'Pol's more curious than most, I think. It's in her nature.” Theros nodded at this new piece of information. “I believe it is in yours as well. Your captain seems to be quite proud to lead you in this quest for new experiences and new knowledge. Even your Guardian, although he is somewhat less...ahem, ebullient about it.” She laughed outright at his remarkable accuracy in analyzing both Jon's and Malcolm's personalities. Jon was like Porthos, happy and eager to meet the unknown, while Malcolm preferred a more controlled descent. “Lieutenant Reed and Captain Archer seem polar opposites in that way, but you'd be surprised how well they work together.” “In actual fact, I am not surprised.” Theros smiled again at her and pressed his palms together in a gesture of leave-taking. “I will be on the second level, helping other patrons. Please call me if you need anything else. And...” “Yes?” “Your Guardian implored me to ask you to 'take a break', I believe was how he termed it.” Two weeks ago, Hoshi might have rolled her eyes in exasperation. Now she only grinned and replied, “I will, as soon as I finish this chapter. Your records include such fascinating details.” “History usually does. I am glad to find another one who appreciates the fact.” Theros inclined his head and went on his way. Hoshi turned back to the screen and paged forward to see how much farther she had to go before the end of the chapter. Eleven pages. She sighed. Although this was the first time she'd encountered the Esaarian's language, it was similar to the ancient one of Na'lai's people. It was like comparing Old Vulcan to Modern Standard Vulcan, or Old English to twenty-second century Earth Standard. Both Theros and T'Pol were surprised at her relative ease in picking up Esaarian; it made it easy to conduct her research. Reminds me of when I was working for my Ph.D in linguistics, she thought wryly, as she surveyed the two screens within the table and the seven or eight open scrolls and folios that surrounded her. She was slowly assembling the clues to find the location of where Na'lai's world was...or would have been. “ Je'nai sre thiui re,” she muttered under her breath as she compiled the information she had gathered. She'd narrowed her options to four different locations, all within a two-day reach from Esaaria at warp three. She hoped T'Pol's astrometric charts could narrow the field down even further. In the meantime, she still had so much to read and catalog for Enterprise's database, and transcribe the Esaarian language to the universal translator's matrix. Her communicator chirped and she flipped it open. “Sato.” “Ensign, I believe I have new information for you to examine,” replied T'Pol. The Vulcan's tone was quiet, but Hoshi heard a thread of excitement within it. “Are you in the vicinity of a terminal?” She tapped the table screen in front of her. “Go ahead, Sub-commander. I'm ready to receive.” “Transmitting.” The view switched from a grammatical comparison between Esaarian and Andorian to a star map of the sector. Hoshi's knowledge of gravitational forces and planetary motion could fit in a breadbox with room to spare, but even she saw the most obvious anomaly on the map. She touched the region of space with her finger. “Right here. It seems that physics are being a bit...screwy over here.” “Indeed,” T'Pol agreed. The area flashed yellow as the Vulcan highlighted it from her console in the astronomy department, located five floors above Hoshi's head. “There is a debris field about a light-year wide, just like the adjoining sectors, but the size and the trajectories of the remnants indicate that they may have originally been part of a greater planetary body.” “Some kind of major catastrophe? Like a sun gone supernova?” “Perhaps, although in the latter case, there would be few traces of physical evidence of the planet. It could have been a collision with an asteroid, or a number of possible causes.” “Maybe it was the Death Star,” she muttered under her breath. Trip's latest pick for Movie Night had included the planet-busting space station. Although Hoshi couldn't see T'Pol, she could feel the Vulcan's raised eyebrow over the comm channel. “Highly unlikely,” T'Pol said stiffly. “The massive amount of resources alone, not to mention the length of time to construct such a technological feat is an illogical use of---” Hoshi chuckled. “I was only kidding, Sub-commander. Do you think it's the location of our mystery planet?” “Possibly, but I want to check the other alternative sites before settling on a final decision.” :”That's logical. Let me know when you do, Sub-commander. And T'Pol---” “Yes, Ensign?” “Thank you, for believing that I'm not crazy.” There was a pause, then T'Pol said, “Your sanity was never in question, Ensign. I will keep you appraised of my progress. T'Pol, out.” “Sato, out.” Hoshi out away her communicator, turned back to her screen, and continued her search. Esaarian customs were complicated; one involved a coming-of-age challenge similar to the Vulcan kahs-wan, except this was held in a maze of underwater caves, as opposed to Vulcan's Forge. Another one was the Ritual of Confirmation, a week-long period of fasting and meditation before assuming a position of high office. And still another combined what seemed like a bonding ceremony with a full-out rugby match, where the bride's attendants fought against the groom's. I can imagine that would be a sight to see. Then another stray thought passed through her brain: Malcolm's English; I wonder if he's ever played rugby. Probably. The soft moan of a foghorn caught her attention. She got up from her chair and went to the open window. Like Old Alexandria in Egypt, this city of Yuenjal sat on the shores of the planet's major ocean. As Hoshi watched, boats entered and left the harbor, and the deep voices of the sailors floated up from the docks. Fog began to roll from the sea and already blanketed the horizon. It reminded her of a combination of San Francisco Bay and the port in Athens. She felt a slight tremble through the floor. Hoshi frowned and looked around, but there seemed to be nothing amiss. It must have been the vibrations of the loading cranes on the dock. We're seven stories up. I shouldn't be feeling them. It came again, a subtle shift under her feet. The next thought popped into her head: Someone's trying to move quietly through the archives. There...in the next aisle... Hoshi turned expectantly to see Malcolm standing behind her. He seemed surprised that she knew he was there, but the startled look softened as he saw the view out the window. She blushed and stammered. “Sorry, Malcolm. I ---” His gray-blue eyes sparkled in the bright lights of the library. “That's quite all right. The Esaarians have a whole section devoted to their naval history. I got lost in it and just found my way out.” He laughed and added, “It's rather addictive.” “Yes, it is,” she agreed with a nervous laugh. She glanced back out to the ocean as Malcolm moved next to her. After several beats of silence, she asked, “Malcolm---?” “Yes, Hoshi?” “How did you know I wasn't completely gone? In Sickbay, I mean? I heard your voice and it brought me back.” He hesitated, then gave her a sideways gaze. His expression was shadowed with something Hoshi couldn't identify. “I just knew it. If I could explain it better, I would. I told you how I blacked out in the Cargo Bay when you flatlined the third time---” She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He'd come back to his senses just as Jon and Trip had dragged him to Sickbay, and pleaded with Phlox to try once more to bring her back. She had a fuzzy memory of of seeing his panicked expression, but that was all. “I'm glad you came back.” The simple statement stirred dormant feelings within her heart. Hoshi managed a smile to match the upturned corners of his lips. Suddenly, she had the urge to put her hand on his arm to comfort him. The whole incident bothered him more than he was willing to admit. She had a brief vision of a lava field, cooled by wind, but just barely restrained from exploding. The comparison suited him, Hoshi thought. Malcolm didn't flinch at her gentle touch. Instead, he turned, wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. Together, they gazed at the sea port far below them and the nightlife within it. Hoshi was very aware of the warmth of his skin through the sleeve of his uniform. It was as if she could hear his heartbeat, a steady rhythm that calmed her fears. Strange, how every little detail jumped out at her... Then Na'lai's teasing voice spoke to her. “Jai'ihim re, Saalina.” Kiss him, Stupid. Hoshi felt the blood rush to her cheeks. “Belanui tr'huparu de,” she thought back. Oh, hush, you. The banter felt so natural that she paused for a second. Wait a minute...what are you still doing in my head? I thought...There was no answer, so she thought she must have imagined it. It had been a whole week, and she was just getting used to being herself, Hoshi Sato. There was no way... Another tremor shook the walls and she tensed as she tried to find the source. She couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary, but her other senses were hypersensitive to her environment. The words formed within her brain. Sh'ruin je, va. Warn them. Warn them of what? “What?” she asked aloud. Her eyes snapped open to see Malcolm staring at her with curiosity and concern. “What is it?” “You said, 'Warn them'. What are you talking about?” “I did?” She was totally confused. “I said that out loud?” Malcolm frowned and gently took her by the shoulders. “Are you all right, Hoshi?” “I...don't know.” She tore her gaze away from him and stared out into the night sky. “I keep hearing her---” Malcolm's brow furrowed as he asked, “Her? You mean the alien girl you saw in your mind? Na'lai?” Hoshi nodded; she'd told him everything about her experience in Na'lai's body and the fate of Na'lai's world. “I thought she was gone...but I still feel her presence. I've been trying to find any trace of her people in the Esaarian archives and T'Pol's using the local star maps to locate where her planet might have been.” “You still think Na'lai's still communicating with you?” She was about to answer, but hen shrugged. “If she is, I don't know what she's trying to tell me. I get the feeling something's about to happen---” The shrill chirp interrupted her. Malcolm glanced at Hoshi in apology and answered the call. “Reed.” “Lieutenant, is Ensign Sato with you?” Phlox's voice sounded unwontedly urgent. “I”m here, Doctor,” Hoshi replied. “Is something wrong?” “I need to see you right away, Hoshi. It concerns the brain wave scans I took of you last week during your...experience. I may be able to shed some light on why you were affected the way you were.” Hoshi's throat suddenly tightened in---panic? Fear? Worry? Nevertheless, she kept her voice steady as she said, “I'm on my way, Phlox.” “Lieutenant Reed, I think it would be helpful if you accompanied her.” Malcolm nodded in agreement. “We're coming, Doctor. Reed, out.” The corners of his mouth turned up into a grim smile as she tried to hide her unease. “It seems that the doctor may finally have some answers for us.” |
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