It's a Bug Eat Bug World

Author: Hoshissis

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: Paramount owns Enterprise

Summary: The crew discover their first Minshara-Class planet, but life isn't as tranquil on the surface as appearances would first apear.

A/N Thanks to my beta Pennyforum

A/N This is a take on the forth episode in Season One, Strange New World. It corporates some of the dialogue from the episode in the first few chapters, but the storyline is entirely different from what aired. I've based it around another favourite episode of mine from the X-Files, "Darkness Falls". I thought the relationship between Trip and T'Pol was very like Mulder and Scully, which is why I thought that episode would tie in perfectly.

A/N It isn't a romance. It is set around Season One when they were first building up a friendship, so I didn't think a romance was appropriate. It is based around the two of them stranded on a planet "Strange New World" overnight where the insect life isn't quite what it seems. The story incorporates their first steps between building a close friendship and trust between them.

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Ethan looked up from tucking into his morning breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. "Jeez, Cutler, how can you eat that crap?"

"It's healthier than that," Liz replied, pulling a face at his, and the majority of the crew's preferred choice of morning meal.

"At least this tastes like something," answered Ethan, as he watched her place another spoonful of bland looking broth into her mouth.

"I guess it takes a more discriminating palate to appreciate Vulcan cuisine."

Before Ethan could come back with another retort, a soft yellow glow began to pan in through the windows of the mess hall. Enterprise had just pulled into the orbit of a lush, new, blue-green planet. Heads popped up from the crew as they turned to view this beautiful new vision and a sense of excitement began to fill the air.

"I thought we were heading for that nebula…" puzzled Ethan, as he stood up and walked over to the window.

"Looked like something more interesting piqued his interest" smiled Liz Cutler, as she joined him to study the new world below. "I wonder if someone lives down there… It doesn't look like there are any cities, industries, satellites …"

"There's a lot of plant life … might be an oxygen atmosphere … looks like you might soon get a chance of some shore leave. I mean bugs are your speciality aren't they?"

"Entomology," corrected Liz, too interested in the planet below to react to Ethan's teasing remark.

"Well, where there's plant life, there's bound to be bugs," he smiled, all-be-it a slightly envious smile. Whilst he also served within the scientific division of Enterprise, he didn't have the technical expertise that Liz had in a specialised subject, so his presence on any future away missions wouldn't be as secure or guaranteed as Liz's would.

"Behave yourself, and I'll throw in a good word for you," she replied playfully. Ethan threw her a look and rolled his eyes, before they both turned back once more to the beautiful spectacle orbiting below. The mess hall suddenly grew quiet as the minds of crewmembers pondered the possibilities of what new discoveries were waiting to be unearthed.

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