Captain Jonathan Archer walked briskly into the situation room. Waiting for him were his bridge crew. They looked excited. He noticed a significant absence.

"Where's Dr. Mallory?" he asked.

"On her way," Trip replied dryly. "She wanted to take one last look at her new warp equations before joining us."

"Ah." Actually, her absence wasn't truly regretted. Ever since Captain Jordan Mallory, Ph.D. had joined the crew as a mission specialist, the delicate balance of camaraderie amongst the bridge officers had been disrupted. She was smart, Archer reflected. Anyone with four Ph.D.s would be. It just that she was so obnoxiously right all the time…

"Well, what have you got?" Archer said.

Before the meeting could continue, the door opened to admit a short, slight, dark-haired woman. Her rapid, graceful gait brought her quickly to the others.

"Sorry I'm late, Captain," she said brightly. "I was just finishing my notes for this meeting."

"That's quite alright," Archer replied stiffly. "Shall we continue?"

"We have discovered a new Menshara class planet orbiting the star designated Beta Epsilon," T'Pol broke in. She activated a display screen. "It appears to be uninhabited by sentient beings, yet supports an extremely diverse animal population."

"Really?" Archer intently gazed at the display. "What else do we know?"

"Not much until we explore the surface," Mallory broke in. "However, the planet appears to be able to support human life. Of course, we've only made the most preliminary readings, so there may be some dangerous life forms down there. But I think it's definitely worth a look."

Archer looked at the others. T'Pol's face was, as usual, a mask. Trip, Reed, and Mayweather looked eager for the adventure. Hoshi, cautiously optimistic. Mallory, of course, was raring to go. A chance to practice her xenobiology, no doubt, Archer wryly thought.

"Well I suppose we could take a little time out for exploration. T'Pol, Reed, and Mallory, join me at the shuttle bay. Trip, you're in command while I'm gone."

"Ah, why do I always get stuck mindin' the store?"

"Be patient, Trip. If this turns out the way we hope, I'll need you down there later to make the engineering assessment."

"Look at it as a chance to go over those warp field equations I left you," Mallory said with a smile.

"It'll be the highlight of my day," Trip replied drily.

"Don't worry, I'll gather tons of data for you."

"Gee thanks." Trip's voice dripped sarcasm. You're all heart."

"Okay, that's enough of that," Archer broke in. "Let's go."

A few minutes later the shore party was in the shuttle pod descending to the planet below.

"When we get to the planet's surface, let's split into two teams," Archer said. "Reed, you and T'Pol will team up and head north of the landing site. Dr. Mallory and I will head south. We'll check in on the half hour, unless you come across something significant before that. We'll plan to rendezvous back at the landing site in five hours. Any questions?"

"Might I suggest issuing phase pistols, sir?" Reed asked.

"I'm surprised at you Mr. Reed. I would have thought you'd be suggesting rifles and a MACO team."

"I would have, sir. However, I felt that you would consider them unnecessary."

"Phase pistols are a good idea, Malcolm. Break 'em out after we land."

"Aye, aye, sir."

Silence descended on the shuttle pod. The two scientists made last minute checks on their equipment as Reed completed the landing protocol. The pod landed with a gentle bump.

"Excellent landing, Reed, my compliments."

"Thank you, sir."

Archer rose out of his seat and opened the pod door. Fresh, sweet smelling air flooded the cabin.

"Mmm, it's been awhile since I've smelled that," Mallory said.

They stepped out of the shuttle pod and stopped in surprise.

"It's the most beautiful view I've ever seen!" Mallory exclaimed. She consulted her scanner. "And no Xindi lurking in the shrubbery."

Lush green plant life, grass-like, flowed from the landing site. Small white flowers dotted the field. Ahead about thirty meters deep green bushes grew in profusion. These in turn gave way to tall, slender trees, but trees as are never seen on earth. The fronds of the trees were a delicate yellow, almost feathery, while the bark was bright, iridescent silver. In the distance, the sound of flowing water could be heard.

"The sun will be setting on this site in six hours, Captain," T'Pol said. "I recommend that we begin our survey."

"Of course," Archer replied. "Dr. Mallory, shall we go?"

"After you," Mallory replied.

The group broke off into pairs and headed in opposite directions. Mallory and Archer activated their scanners and began taking readings as they hiked south. Soon, they discovered the source of the running water sound as they came to the bank of a creek. Mallory laughed as they leaped stones to cross it.

"What's so funny?" Archer asked.

"Reminds me of when I was a kid," she replied. "My brother and I used to go hiking in the woods near our home. There was a small creek we had to jump, and even though I was too short, I'd always try to leap across. Of course I'd fall in. He used to think that was pretty funny." She stopped for a moment to read her scanner. "Eventually, I grew tall enough to jump the creek without getting wet. But somehow, it wasn't quite as much fun that way."

Archer grunted in surprise.

"What?"

"Well, somehow I always figured you for the type that never gave up until you succeeded. I guess I never thought you'd see the fun in getting your feet wet."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," she replied. "You just haven't asked."

"So what else should I know about you?"

"Play your cards right and you just might find out. Meanwhile, I'm getting some interesting readings about ten meters ahead. Looks like some kind of animal."

"Let's go take a look."

Hunching down, they crept slowly up the slight embankment that rose from the creek bottom. Cautiously they looked over the edge.

"Hmm. Looks like our first game animal," Archer said.

The creature in question was short, perhaps about one meter in height. In comparison to its body, the legs were very long, accounting for about two-thirds of the creature's height. A small, triangular head flowed into a graceful neck, which in turn led to a sleek body. The entire creature was covered with bright blue, iridescent fur, which seemed to ripple as the creature moved.

"I wonder why everything is so brightly colored," Archer said.

"Good question. Doesn't seem to make for a very good disguise," Mallory replied.

Just then the creature started. It listened intently for a moment, then bounded away swiftly. Within seconds it was out of sight.

"Now that's fast!" Mallory exclaimed. "It must be going about 150 kph."

"Amazing. I bet that thing could outrun a cheetah."

"Yep, that'd just about ruin a cheetah's day, alright."

They slid back down the embankment. Suddenly, Archer gave a startled yelp.

"What is it?" Mallory asked, concerned.

"I don't know," he replied, examining the back of his right hand. "Something scratched me."

Mallory looked around. She noticed a short, dark red plant near where Archer had slid down the embankment. Closer examination disclosed small, needle sharp spines. Mallory took a scan of it.

"It doesn't appear to contain any toxins. Still, let me see your hand."

Archer gave her his hand and submitted to her scan. She then took a small tube of ointment from her first aid kit. She squeezed a small amount of cream onto the scratch and rubbed it in.

"I don't think it's too serious. However, a little antibiotic cream never hurt anybody." She smiled at him. "All better?" she asked?

He smiled down at her. "Doesn't even hurt. Thanks."

"Don't mention it. All part of the friendly service. Shall we head back?"

"It's probably time we did," he agreed.

They took a different route back to the shuttle pod, reaching it without further incident. T'Pol and Reed were waiting for them when they arrived.

"Report," Archer said as he and Mallory joined them.

"Brief exploration supports the conclusions of the preliminary scans, Captain," T'Pol said. "The planet seems to support a great diversity of flora and fauna. However, large mammals are not in evidence."

"Dr. Mallory and I saw an amazing deer-like creature. Only about a meter tall, but fast."

"Did you notice more unusual coloring, Sub-commander?" Mallory asked.

"Yes, that seems to be a common trait amongst the life on this world. Further studies might reveal the evolutionary advantage of such a color scheme."

"The sun will be setting soon, Captain," Reed said. "Perhaps we should be heading back to the ship."

"Let's go."