The following is a non-profit, fan work based off the respective works Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Brannon Braga
All rights belong to the original creators, CBS, and Paramount
The Bluefire Phoenix presents...
Enterprise Prime
Episode 1: First Star on the Right… Part 1
Act II
Jonathan Archer's Personal Log, 14 March 2151: The stress is piling on now. The admiralty is only a day away from announcing their plans. I've picked out most of the enlisted crew, but haven't picked out a few key officers, namely a communications officer and a science officer.
Despite their claim of allowing me free reign over picking my crew, they have outright rejected my choices for science officer. Even Trip has expressed his concern about the matter.
The only ray of sunshine lately has been the finding of the one person qualified to be the communications officer on this monumental mission. It's taken Trip and I up until now to track her down. I have my doubts but hopefully she'll be up for it.
The sun pleasantly shone on a small village in Brazil. It was situated near the edge of a vast stretch of rainforest. The only notable industry was a boat rental station, a few bait shops, and souvenir kiosks. Some children were playing football in the street. Their mothers were watching from a nearby café.
A foreign woman in a light spring dress stepped out of a hut and walked down the street. Her long dark hair was tied in high bun. She avoided the children's game as best she could.
The children stopped their game after she past and started to follow her to a make shift school. The woman began a lesson on English. A loud rumble echoed in the distance.
A Starfleet shuttle descended from the clouds. It landed outside the village. All the residents gathered around the craft. A man in a Starfleet uniform stepped out. He was a captain. His eyes locked onto the foreign woman. "Hoshi!" he shouted. He walked up to the woman.
"Captain Archer," Hoshi greeted. She seemed baffled by the captain's presence. They shook hands. "Um, what are you doing here?"
Archer looked around. "Do you have a private place we can speak?" he asked. Hoshi nodded and led him back to her hut. It was a sparsely decorated with a few trinkets from Japan. Archer sat on one of the pair of chairs in the room. He curled up a bit, his index finger and thumb nervously rubbing together.
Hoshi went to her fridge and dug through it. "Sorry, I don't have anything to offer you. I would have gotten something had I known you were coming," she said. Archer waved his hands in dismissal.
"Don't worry about it," he said. Hoshi took the other seat.
"So why are you here?" Hoshi asked. Archer was silent for a moment.
"I want you to think about reactivating your commission and returning to Starfleet," Archer requested.
Hoshi snorted down laugh before locking eyes with the captain. "I finished my terms of service. I'm done with Starfleet," she snapped. Archer looked away in dismay. Hoshi cleared her throat. "Sorry, sir." Archer bobbed his head.
"What happened to you was a travesty and we all know it now. But—"
Hoshi's forced a raised finger to Archer's face, cutting him off. "Yes, it was. Now I'm out here by myself and doing plenty more good than Starfleet has ever done," she bitterly muttered.
Archer placed a hand on her knee. "Come on, Hoshi, anyone can teach a class."
"Are you say it is below me to be giving those kids an education?"
"Not at all. There is no one more qualified than you, I'd bet. What I am saying is that very, very few people can do what you are capable of. If you want to make a difference, a real difference, for humanity you'd return to Starfleet," he pleaded. Hoshi looked away, staring at a heavy trunk in the corner of the room. She returned her attention back to Archer, quickly standing up. Her small frame tried to appear intimidating before the far larger man.
"We both know Starfleet doesn't make a difference. They muddle around here on Earth and spout pretty rhetoric about the virtues of humanity all while spending every other day placating the damn Vulcans. Screw that. I'd rather be out here working under my own terms than go back there," she spat.
"I understand that Starfleet is a little…disillusioning at the moment, especially after what happened to you. I need—I mean it needs officers like you to make a difference," Archer continued. He defensively raised his hands.
The woman looked deep into Archer's eyes. "Why are you really here, captain?" she asked. She curiously placed her barely clenched fist into her other hand.
Archer shifted a bit in his chair. "It's just…I can't say anything else right now other than you should keep your eyes on the news tomorrow at about eleven," he said. A silence fell over them. The captain took a few nervous glances around. Hoshi sighed.
"Fine, I'll think about it," she finally said.
The captain smiled and stood up. "Thank you, Hoshi. My office number is still the same…and if anyone asks, I was only catching up with a friend. Understand?" he quietly added before walking out the door.
That comment caused Hoshi's brow to rise in curiosity. "Yes sir," she said. Archer left Hoshi alone. She went back to her teaching a few minutes after the shuttle left.
Her heart wasn't in it. No matter how enthusiastically she tried to teach, the lesson felt hollow. After class she went to the local bar. The bartender waved as she entered. He passed her a short, amber colored beer. Hoshi gave a small toast to the bartender, downing it in a second.
The bartender drew up another beer and sent it down to Hoshi. Pretty soon a crowd had gathered in the bar. Singing, gaming, and general merry making filled the dive as the sun set. All the while Hoshi sat alone at the bar, her glasses slowly getting shorter and piling higher. She casually brushed off the various drunks that made a pass at her.
The young woman was still standing by last call. She walked with only the slightest gait out to the street. Her eyes looked up in awe at the stars. It took her a minute to lightly stumble home.
Dawns early morning tickled her awake. Her eyes creaked open, breaking a thick seal of crust. She eventually got up a glass of water and drank it.
She went to her shower unit, stripped, and took a long, cold shower. After she was done in the shower, she turned on her small television and went to the news before gathering what she planned on wearing for the day. The station was focused on a press conference about to be held in San Francisco. Admiral Forrest was standing at a podium adorned with the sigil of Starfleet. Behind him were Captain Archer and a couple of other officers. They were all in full dress uniform, looking rather striking against the line of flags.
Hoshi cocked her head to the side for a moment. She started to get dressed. "Today, I have the pleasure of announcing Starfleet's plan to launch NX-01 Spacecraft, Enterprise, in one month's time. I know it's earlier than we planned, but we feel that we are ready," the admiral announced. "Now I turn over to the leader of this historic mission, Captain Johnathan Archer."
The woman raced to put on her underwear. She sat on the edge of her bed as Archer stepped up. "Thank you, admiral," he said. His eyes scanned the crowd before him.
"Humanity has come a long way over the past one hundred years. We've stumbled. We've crawled. Even within the past decade we've had our struggles, especially with ourselves. But today marks a new beginning for Starfleet and humanity as a whole. Enterprise's mission will take us farther than ever before. We will encounter things that no other being has ever witnessed, we will undoubtedly come face to face with many dangerous situations, and we will do our best to serve the people here on Earth and in the Colonies. Therefor her crew must consist of the best Starfleet has to offer. We will be the face of humanity for the galaxy to see, to know that we have risen to the occasion. I am humbled by the opportunity to command this crew and Enterprise's mission: to boldly go where no one has gone before," Archer declared to a thunderous applause. Hoshi straightened up. Her heart pounded for a moment. Forrest took the podium back.
"Training operations will begin tomorrow. Anyone—"
Hoshi turned off the television and finished getting dressed. Her thoughts went back to Archer's conversation the previous day. She sat down at her desk. Her fingers rhythmically tapped together for a few moments. She stood up and left her hut and took a walk around the village.
Most everyone smiled as she passed by. She visited the small market. Fresh fruits and vegetables were joined by a variety of meat, from beef to capybara. Hoshi looked over the produce with faint interest. Her eyes slipped up to the sky at every opportunity.
She stopped at the edge of the rainforest. The sounds of the wild filtered through the trees. It called to the woman for a long time. She finally snapped out of it and went home. She sat at her desk, with her head in her hands. "Damn it, Archer," she mumbled. She pulled out her communicator. It took her a moment to select a number. She hit the button. The call went out. Her gaze went over to the trunk in the corner.
"Hello sweetie," her father greeted.
"Hey dad, is it too early?" Hoshi asked.
"It's never too early to get a call from your favorite daughter," her father said in a bout of confusion. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothings wrong. I wanted to know how you're holding up," Hoshi said. She stood up and walked over to the trunk.
"I'm good, but I have the feeling that this conversation should be going the other way around," Mr. Sato countered.
Hoshi paused, holding the communicator to the side. She opened the trunk with her free hand. "I know," she said. She pulled out a picture off of a pair of drum sticks. It was a photo of a slightly younger Hoshi in a cadet uniform with her right arm draped around another young woman. Hoshi's companion had deep crimson hair and soft green eyes. The two were giving the most carefree smile. Another picture rested on the drum sticks, one of Hoshi in her proper Starfleet uniform shaking hands with Captain Archer.
"Hoshi be honest with me for once, what's wrong?"
"Really, it's nothing. I just wanted to say I love you."
"I love you too."
"I know dad. I'll send flowers for mom. See you...later," she said. She hung up the communicator. She set the picture on her bed and returned to the trunk. She pulled out a Starfleet uniform.
"Damn it, Archer."
The next morning, a shuttle landed outside a recently built camp not far from the city of Los Angeles. Hoshi disembarked, dressed in her freshly pressed blue striped uniform. The single pip on her chest sparkled a bit in the morning light. A large duffle bag was slung on her back and her trunk in hand.
The departing shuttle sent her ponytail into a fluttered. The encampment was pretty small, only big enough to house around one hundred people.
There was a group of Starfleet personnel running laps around the perimeter. Hoshi walked up to the front gate. A pair of security officers approached her. "What are you doing here?" one of the guards asked.
Hoshi noticed someone else approaching from behind. She went to attention and saluted. "Sir, Ensign Hoshi Sato reporting for duty, sir," she declared. A guard checked a tablet clipped to their belt.
"You aren't on the list, ensign. I'm—"
"It's all right, lieutenant. I'll handle this," Captain Archer said as he walked up to them.
"Sir," the lieutenant said. Archer returned Hoshi salute. The two passed the gates.
"I'm glad you came back," he said. "Starfleet will no doubt benefit from your skill and expertise."
Hoshi stopped. Archer quickly turned around to face. "This isn't about Starfleet. I'm doing this because you asked and I owe you one," Hoshi coldly stated. She forcefully poked the captain's chest with every other syllable. Archer only looked confused.
"I never asked you to do anything," Archer innocently said. He returned to walking down the path.
They entered the captain's office near the center of camp after a silent minute. The captain sat down and booted up his computer. "Alright Ensign Sato," Archer said as he brought up a personnel file. He breezily typed on his keyboard. "Welcome back to Starfleet."
Hoshi frowned a bit. Archer rolled his eyes. "Alright, you are now officially the first communications officer of the NX-01. Congratulations," he said. He printed out a sheet of paper and handed it to her. "Your orders and schedule, ensign."
The woman took the paper, stood up, and saluted. "Dismissed, ensign," Archer said. Hoshi left the office. She glanced at her orders and went to the small structure that was assigned to her. Her neighbor exited just as she made it to her front door.
He was a man of average height, his dark curly hair cut short. His uniform had a yellow stripe and a single pip, meaning he too was an ensign. The new officer quickly attempted to help Hoshi with her bags. He grabbed hold of her trunk.
"Thank you," Hoshi said. She opened the door. They entered the small apartment space. The other ensign set the trunk on the bed.
"You're welcome, I'm Travis Mayweather, helmsman," he introduced himself after a deep breath. He offered his hand to Hoshi. The woman scrutinized Mayweather for a moment.
"You're a spacer," Hoshi stated as she took his hand.
Mayweather did a double take. "How did you know?" he asked.
"It's the way you carrier yourself like you are ten pounds heavier than you really are," Hoshi answered. "So you are either a spacer whose not used to living in regular planetary gravity, or you are an Earther with serious self esteem issues. I'm going the optimistic route and say the former rather than the later."
Mayweather blinked a couple of times. "You got that with just one quick examination?" he asked. "Miss..."
Hoshi crossed her arms and gave her fellow ensign a faux serious smirk of smugness "Sato; and it's what I do."
"Well then, Ms. Sato, what's your station," he asked. Hoshi kept her pose.
"Communications."
Mayweather smiled a warm smile that made Hoshi loosen her stance and take a slight step back. "It will be a pleasure to serve with you," Mayweather said.
Around noon that day the crew was gathered at the mess hall. Hoshi and Travis were sitting together. Their meal consisted of an unidentifiable slab meat, boxed potatoes, and mush steamed vegetables. The ensigns picked at the food. An almost tangible wave of dread filled the space between the two. There eyes spoke of the grim culinary dread they were in for.
Commander Tucker sat down with the officers. He clasped his hands together, pointing them at Hoshi. A smirk had crawled onto his face.
"Hello Trip," Hoshi dryly greeted. Mayweather turned to Hoshi with a look of disbelief on his face.
"You're back with Starfleet, Sato. It's Commander Tucker again," the superior officer pointed out.
"Please don't remind me," she mumbled.
"Don't remind me?" Tucker lightly mocked.
"Don't remind me, sir," Hoshi growled. Tucker nodded in approval.
"All things aside, it's good to see you back in the uniform," he said. He stood back up, shot the pair a mock two finger salute and then went over to where Captain Archer was eating with a male Denobulan.
Travis remained gobsmacked. Hoshi merely started eating. She mumbled something about a lack of booze between bites.
A lieutenant was passing by, looking at a sheet of paper. He glanced at the two then back to his paper. His brow rose a moment but settled down. The lieutenant slid the paper into his pocket then sat down.
"Ensign Sato, Mayweather he said. He had a noticeable English accent. "I'm Lieutenant Reed, Tactical Officer. Given your positions, I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
Reed had a prim hair cut. Not a strand out of place. His smile was extremely professional.
"Good to meet you Lieutenant," Mayweather greeted. "And if I may say sir, I hope you have a boring time on this adventure...no offence, sir."
Reed laughed. "No, no. I understand the sentiment Mr. Mayweather. Hopefully it will be Hoshi that has the most work among the three of us."
Hoshi politely smiled. "Don't worry about me, I'm the best damn linguist on Starfleet's rolodex."
"Those are big words for such a young officer," Reed teased.
Mayweather cleared his throat. "So when do we start loading the ship?" he asked. His eyes nervously shifted between the two.
Reed shrugged. "Most of the bigger stuffs been brought up already. All that's left is the smaller stuff, and the science guys want to use the teleporter we installed for that," he said. Hoshi examined a bite of food she had collected on her fork.
"Oh goody," she mutter. "Nothing like questionable alien atomizer technology built right in the middle of humanity's most advanced ship to make you feel just peachy about how this mission is gonna go."
Captain Archer was trying his best to enjoy the food provided. Tucker had just joined him after a brief talk with Hoshi. The engineer looked at his captain. "I have to say, boss-man, I'm impressed you were able to get Sato to come back," he said.
Archer shook his head. "Trust me Trip, I had my doubts. But she pulled through. I think this will be good for her, get her doing what she loves again," he said.
"I still advise against taking Ensign Sato with us, Captain. I lack the necessary human psychiatric training to handle things if something triggers her," the Denobulan noted as he finished his meal.
"Your advise has been noted, doctor. That's why we're bringing along a qualified nurse," Archer said.
"Still captain, don't go about dying out there. I reckon at that point Sato would take a shot at the Warp Core just to end it all," Tucker quipped. He took a bite of his meal.
"That's out of line, Commander," Archer scolded his friend.
"Sorry sir," Tucker apologized. "I just meant that you're very important to Sato and..."
"I know Trip. But you need to think before you speak now."
To Be Continued...
A/N: One of the biggest problems with Enterprise is the fact that the secondary characters Hoshi Sato and Travis Mayweather were basically screwed over. Hoshi couldn't catch a break and Travis was lucky to get a line in. Which is a shame because Trek is usually very good with making secondary characters interesting or at the very least memorable in someway.
My plan for them is to add another axis of mortality to the series. If you are at all familiar with Trek, you are probably aware that morality is handled in terms of logic and emotion. It is usually up to the captain to reach a balance. I will be using this method of course. What Sato and Mayweather will do is discuss the nature of Starfleet and its actions. The show proper would have benefited greatly from a deeper discussion of Starfleet's role in the galaxy. Think of them as something along the lines of the Renegade vs Paragon dynamic a la Mass Effect.
I'm not sure how the general audience reacted to the transporter-phobia of the show, but I actually agree with being scared of using it. Though my fear is more existential. I plan to use this a bit more than in the show.
