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"Whips, Chains, and Plomeek Soup"
Rating: PG-13 How are Hoshi and T’Pol going to deal with their strange situation? And how are they gonna get back?? Ten Hoshi managed five hours of sleep, but the squawk of Doctor Phlox’s menagerie kept intruding into her dreams. The Denobulan had more animals in Sickbay, more than just the one Pyrithian bat that his counterpart had in Engineering. Finally, she just sat up in bed and accessed the crew records. T’Pol had told her that each dimension held some common threads, but varied widely from one to the next. For example, the Enterprise bridge crew was intact here, but switched around. Some details didn’t surprise her, others simply made her jaw drop. Her own service record, in this universe, horrified her. Ensign Sato had been suspended from Starfleet for running a floating poker game at the Academy and had used her aikido to break an instructor’s arm. At the time of this Enterprise’s launch, she’d been on leave from Starfleet, teaching at a university in Brazil, until Captain Jon Archer had convinced her to join his crew. A parallel to her history with Lieutenant Archer. She tried to imagine herself as a university professor, sharing her linguistic knowledge with young students. That sounded like a life she would enjoy, if she didn’t have Starfleet. She sighed and shook her head. So many things were similar, yet different. The Vulcans here were not as...open-minded as they were in her universe. According to the Vulcans she knew, there was an infinite number of universes, branching out as its people made different decisions in their lifetimes, or as history unfolded differently. These Vulcans dismissed any theories on time or dimensional travel. “The Vulcan Science Directorate states that time travel is impossible,” Hoshi read the words aloud. They sound like they have a superiority complex. No wonder they don’t get along with Humans as well here. Her sharp ears detected Phlox moving around in his office, so she switched to the remote access of the communications console on the Bridge. She stared at the characters on her screen. Oh my God. The Luran speeches, all three of them, and the First Protocols. The exact same information...no, wait, there are some differences...she scanned the information, then flagged it to T’Pol’s attention on the her science console on the Bridge...now, that’s strange. T’Pol in sciences. I keep wanting to address it to Travis. “Ah, Ensign, I thought I told you to take it easy.” She smiled at Phlox. The Denobulan’s grin seemed a little too cheerful for her taste. “I slept a little, Doctor, but I got restless. I thought I’d look over the First Protocols for the Lurans.” “Ah, yes, the Lurans. The Denobulans have been their allies for about a hundred and fifty years. Quite the philosophers and logicians, their passionate love of debate belie their peaceful facade.” Phlox chuckled and shook his head. “I suppose the subcommander will enjoy conversing with them.” Hoshi laughed politely and kept the shock from her face. Philosophers? Logicians? Peaceful? “Have you met a Luran face-to-face?” “A few of their doctors were also in the Interspecies Medical Exchange; one of them was working in San Francisco at the same time I was there. In fact, if I hadn’t accepted the position on Enterprise, I would have recommended Va’Ruth to Captain Archer.” He chuckled at the memory. “A warrior for her patients...she tolerated very little interference by politics. Gentle, but if the ones under her care were threatened, she was as stubborn as a Klingon!” A Klingon? What’s that? Obviously a race that my Enterprise hasn’t encountered yet. She nodded as if she knew what Phlox was talking about. “I can imagine her and Captain Archer at loggerheads.” “Yes. And speaking of heads, how is yours feeling?” Phlox ran his scanner over Hoshi and looked at the results. “Ah, it looks like the imbalance seems to be evening out; it’s still there, but not enough to impair your normal routine.” Hoshi sighed at the news. “Can I go to the Bridge?” “I don’t see why not, as long as you’re up to it. I want you to come back here if you’re feeling faint or disoriented again. Lieutenant Reed was quite concerned about you last night.” She closed her eyes. He said he would come here in the morning, but she wasn’t sure if she was up to facing him. “Malcolm,”she whispered. “I could call him and ask him to escort you back to your quarters—“ “Doctor, I want to make sure I can get around by myself without falling on my face. Please.” He nodded at her entreaty and replied, “Very well, but call me the moment you need me.” “I will.” She scooted off the biobed as fast as she could and with a last smile at Phlox, left Sickbay. Hoshi hoped she wouldn’t meet anyone she knew on the way...especially Malcolm. When she reached her quarters—Malcolm’s, actually, since she couldn’t just duck into Archer’s cabin—she took a quick shower, then pulled on a fresh uniform. Hoshi noticed every little detail: real water showers instead of sonic showers, her uniforms hung neatly on one side of the closet (with Malcolm’s impeccable uniforms on the other side), her language PADDs stacked neatly on the corner of the desk, pictures on the walls (mostly of her and her family; the holophotos that Doctor Malcolm Reed had of his parents and sister were conspicuously missing...did Lieutenant Reed even have a family? She wondered.) She started to braid her hair and loop it into a bun, but then she stopped. The picture in her service record showed her hair in a simple ponytail...she glanced at a photo on her desk of her and Malcolm in uniform, and her hair in the same style. Hoshi sighed and undid her braid and swept it up in a ponytail. She checked her uniform: blue stripes, not gold; one pip and not four. Talk about a demotion. Ah, well. The computer said that T’Pol was currently on the Bridge. She hoped that the Vulcan had gotten her message and the information on this universe’s version of the Lurans. A complete opposite from the warrior-like race that she had encountered, but if history was going to repeat itself... Without warning, the door swooshed open behind her and before she could react, a pair of strong arms wrapped around waist and held her close. She fought against her natural reflexes--her Trip Tucker had put her entire command crew through enough defensive training sessions that her skills were almost automatic. The arms loosened slightly and his voice reflected his concern. “Are you all right, Hoshi?” She tried to keep her light tone as she replied, “Malcolm, I thought you were in the Armory.” “I was, and I was going to visit you, but Phlox told me you’d already left Sickbay. I thought I’d take you to breakfast.” His accented voice tickled her ear and she shivered despite herself. “I’m fine. Phlox said I can work, as long as I take it easy. Besides, I wanted to–talk with—the Captain and T’Pol—about the–the Luran First Contact Protocols.” Hoshi closed her eyes; it was getting harder to think with his lips teasing her ear. Okay, think, Hoshi! This is not the Malcolm Reed you know. How are you going to get out of this? “You’ve been working too hard. The captain ordered me to help you relax.” His words filled her with panic. “Uh, he did?” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “But—“ He turned her around so she faced him. She couldn’t tear her eyes from his gaze; this man had the same gentle, but intense emotion she knew. Instinctively, she knew he would never harm her, and never let any harm come to her. “Malcolm, I—“ Her words died in her throat as he covered her mouth with his. Oh my God...she felt her own resolve fall apart, her resistance fading. Her mind screamed in protest, but another part of her just told her brain to shut up. But I can’t do this, I can’t... And then her stomach rumbled. Loudly. So loud that she couldn’t help but start giggling. Then Malcolm’s stomach gurgled in response. Hoshi snorted in laughter, then burst out in loud guffaws. His nonplused expression became a smirk, and he laughed along with her. “Um...about breakfast? I haven’t eaten anything yet.” “Hungry?” he asked with a sly wink. She gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile. “It’s hard to be romantic when your stomach is wrapped around your backbone.” He nodded in understanding and released her. “Then let’s correct that problem, shall we?” The Mess Hall was half full, and they found a table near the doors. Hoshi concentrated on the food as Malcolm read something on his PADD. The silence was warm, comforting, as if they had done this every day. Perhaps they did, like how she and Doctor Reed shared breakfast in the Captain’s Mess. She glanced around the room, noting which crewmembers she recognized and those she didn’t. “Hey, good to see you up and about, Hoshi! You gave us all a scare. How’re you feelin’?” She closed her eyes. Trip Tucker. I’d know that drawl anywhere. When she opened them again, Trip had sat in the chair on her other side. Tucker’s plate was full of scrambled eggs, bacon, country ham and gravy and he didn’t waste any time digging into it. “Better, thanks, Trip.” She smiled at him; he was the mirror image of her Armory Officer and had the same charming air around him. “I tried stoppin’ by last night, but you were asleep, and Phlox said you needed your rest.” He looked up at her and added, “T’Pol seemed pretty concerned for you.” “I’m glad to hear that,” she said in a neutral tone. The two men chatted about engineering issues, while Hoshi finished her fruit and tea. She noticed that Malcolm hadn’t said a word about her choice of meal, and she missed it. He seemed to notice her mood and slid his hand atop hers. She managed a smile, but her heart was heavy. A whistle pierced her thoughts. “Ensign Sato, Lieutenant Reed, Doctor Phlox, please report to the Captain Ready Room,” came T’Pol’s voice. The Vulcan’s voice held an unmistakable note of tension; Trip frowned and seemed to lose his focus for a minute. T’Pol said he could read her thoughts. How much can he read? If Trip figured out that his wife was not the same woman he’d married...Hoshi held her breath as an unspoken conversation flashed between the two.She watched Trip as he nodded in agreement. “Commander?” Malcolm asked. “I’d better go too,” Trip said. He wiped his mouth with a napkin. Malcolm didn’t ask any more questions, but only offered his hand to help Hoshi up from her seat. She took it and the three headed out of the Mess Hall. What’s going on? Hoshi repressed a shiver of dread at the thought. |
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