TITLE: Worth a Meme if not a Thousand Words

AUTHOR: MikeJaffa

SYNOPSIS: Hoshi and T'Pol have a disagreement over a photograph

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I read jyorraku's one-shot, "Photo Op," and in my review, suggested a sequel. jyorraku PM'ed me and suggested I try it. So here it is.

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Captain Johnathan Archer sat in his command chair on the bridge of the *Enterprise* and held his tongue as the drama at the front of the bridge headed towards what he considered a ridiculous conclusion. Hoshi and T'Pol stood on opposite sides of the main screen and its image of the body of a woman in a blue dress.

Or was it gold?

For once since the *Enterprise* had left spacedock, contact with an alien species had gone smoothly, and Archer wondered if he hadn't jinxed it by remarking on that to Trip. After contacting a race who had reached the equivalent of Earth's 21st century, everything had gone smoothly. No crises, no combat, no moral dilemmas regarding the new race. Everything had gone smoothly…maybe too smoothly. Hoshi had linked the *Enterprise* to the planets' equivalent of the Internet and had discovered many memes, including a debate driving the planet's inhabitants to distraction: whether the dress in the photo on the main screen was of a blue dress or a poorly lit gold dress. And before long the debate had spread to the *Enterprise,* and Hoshi and T'Pol had come down on opposite sides of it.

Hoshi said, "Sub-Commander T'Pol, I have enhanced the image six ways to Sunday, and there is no doubt about it: the dress is blue."

"Ensign," T'Pol said, "I have great respects for your skills as translator, but with regard to sensor analysis, you are lacking. There is no doubt. The dress is gold."

"Blue."

"Gold."

"Blue."

"Gold."

"Blue!"

The tips of T'Po's ears turned ever so slightly green. "Gold!"

"Losing some emotional control, Sub-Commander?"

"Only in the face of irrational intransigence, Ensign."

"Then accept that it's blue."

"No, it's gold."

"Blue!"

"Go-"

CLICK!

Archer looked to his left. Trip was holding his camera and grinning.

Trips said, "There's a meme in there somewhere."

Trip was an excellent engineer, but Archer realized he had made a tactical mistake: He had given Hoshi and T'Pol a common foe.

"What?" Hoshi stammered. "You—what—Sub-Commander—did you see-"

T'Pol warned, "Commander-"

"OK!" Archer said. "Hoshi, I want that image off the screen NOW."

"Sir!" Hoshi raced to her console and tabbed a button. The dress was replaced by a starfield.

"This matter is closed," Archer said. "My official position is I Don't Give A Damn. I don't want to hear one more word about it. Am I clear? Trip, do not post any memes. I am not responsible for what happens to you if you do. Travis. Take us out of orbit. Resume original course. Ahead warp 3. And hurry."

THE END