Title: Release
Author: Josephine
Email: Lovellama@aol.com
Code: A/S
Genre: Drama
Summary: Archer realizes a hard truth.
Notes: This is not exactly holding with the original timeline, I put 'Dear Doctor' before 'Breaking the Ice', which this happens right after.
Spoilers: For the above shows.
Beta: The lovely Chrysa
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"Jon?" Hoshi woke up slowly, somehow aware that she was alone in the large bed.
"I'm here, sweetheart."
Hoshi rolled over to see Jon's bare upper body silhouetted by the stars streaking by at warp. He had his arms braced against the frame of the window, shoulders tensed.
"Can't sleep?"
"I keep seeing Captain Vanik sitting across from me in the ward room. Sitting there with that smug, condescending expression all Vulcans have when they look at us. They think we have no right to be out here. We made it, though, no matter how hard they tried to hold us back."
"You know I love you Jon ."
". but?"
"How did they hold us back?"
"What?" Jon looked over his shoulder at Hoshi sitting in the middle of the bed, knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs.
"How did they hold us back? Did they sabotage the engines? Did they misdirect you, give you incorrect specifications?"
"No, of course not ." He turned back to the window.
"I don't understand how they held us back."
"They withheld technology from us. My father's dream would have been realized decades sooner if they shared what they knew."
"They way you wouldn't share with the Valakians?"
"That's entirely different! We had warp technology, they don't!"
"It's the same thing Jon. Cochrane barely had a warp one engine, and a revamped nuclear missile for a ship. The Vulcans had warp seven and an entire fleet."
Hoshi sighed to herself as Jon continued to silently stare out the port.
"What would have happened if the Vulcans weren't there when Cochrane made his first flight?"
"What do you mean?"
"If first contact hadn't been made in 2063, where would we be now?" Not waiting for an answer, Hoshi pressed on. "History says that the knowledge that we're not alone in the universe brought together Earth's warring factions like nothing else had before. How far do you think your warp engine would have gotten if the Vulcans weren't orbiting Jupiter at that exact time? I'll tell you where we'd be. We'd still be on Earth, living in some shack, scraping out an existence. We'd be fighting some other faction, living from day to day. This is considering we had been born at all, of course.
"We got this far because of the Vulcans, Jon, not despite them. They couldn't share their technology anymore than we could share ours with the Valakians. I know they can be insufferable and condescending, but we owe them a lot. One day soon we'll be out of their shadow. Until then they're . a necessary evil."
Hoshi watched Jon's back, his head bowed. With another sigh, she laid down, pulling the red sheets over her. She had almost fallen asleep when she felt Jon crawl into bed.
"I hate it when you're right."
Smiling, she pulled him close, arms and legs twining around each other. Jon rested his head between her breasts, kissing her warm skin. Hoshi could feel the tension ease out of his muscles. It would take awhile, but the resentment and bitterness would follow.
Author: Josephine
Email: Lovellama@aol.com
Code: A/S
Genre: Drama
Summary: Archer realizes a hard truth.
Notes: This is not exactly holding with the original timeline, I put 'Dear Doctor' before 'Breaking the Ice', which this happens right after.
Spoilers: For the above shows.
Beta: The lovely Chrysa
----------
"Jon?" Hoshi woke up slowly, somehow aware that she was alone in the large bed.
"I'm here, sweetheart."
Hoshi rolled over to see Jon's bare upper body silhouetted by the stars streaking by at warp. He had his arms braced against the frame of the window, shoulders tensed.
"Can't sleep?"
"I keep seeing Captain Vanik sitting across from me in the ward room. Sitting there with that smug, condescending expression all Vulcans have when they look at us. They think we have no right to be out here. We made it, though, no matter how hard they tried to hold us back."
"You know I love you Jon ."
". but?"
"How did they hold us back?"
"What?" Jon looked over his shoulder at Hoshi sitting in the middle of the bed, knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs.
"How did they hold us back? Did they sabotage the engines? Did they misdirect you, give you incorrect specifications?"
"No, of course not ." He turned back to the window.
"I don't understand how they held us back."
"They withheld technology from us. My father's dream would have been realized decades sooner if they shared what they knew."
"They way you wouldn't share with the Valakians?"
"That's entirely different! We had warp technology, they don't!"
"It's the same thing Jon. Cochrane barely had a warp one engine, and a revamped nuclear missile for a ship. The Vulcans had warp seven and an entire fleet."
Hoshi sighed to herself as Jon continued to silently stare out the port.
"What would have happened if the Vulcans weren't there when Cochrane made his first flight?"
"What do you mean?"
"If first contact hadn't been made in 2063, where would we be now?" Not waiting for an answer, Hoshi pressed on. "History says that the knowledge that we're not alone in the universe brought together Earth's warring factions like nothing else had before. How far do you think your warp engine would have gotten if the Vulcans weren't orbiting Jupiter at that exact time? I'll tell you where we'd be. We'd still be on Earth, living in some shack, scraping out an existence. We'd be fighting some other faction, living from day to day. This is considering we had been born at all, of course.
"We got this far because of the Vulcans, Jon, not despite them. They couldn't share their technology anymore than we could share ours with the Valakians. I know they can be insufferable and condescending, but we owe them a lot. One day soon we'll be out of their shadow. Until then they're . a necessary evil."
Hoshi watched Jon's back, his head bowed. With another sigh, she laid down, pulling the red sheets over her. She had almost fallen asleep when she felt Jon crawl into bed.
"I hate it when you're right."
Smiling, she pulled him close, arms and legs twining around each other. Jon rested his head between her breasts, kissing her warm skin. Hoshi could feel the tension ease out of his muscles. It would take awhile, but the resentment and bitterness would follow.