Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, don't make money off 'em.
Notes: Hoshi's life takes an unexpected turn and she must make a decision.
Yeah, it does seem like almost all of Hoshi's friends are twice her age. She grew up mostly around adults and not around kids/teenagers her own age, so she acts a lot more mature than her physical age. Unfortunately, there are consequences to being so sheltered, as we (and Hoshi) will see later.
And we only caught a glimpse of Hoshi's dad in "Vanishing Point". Granted, it was a delusion in her mind, but I didn't get the impression that he was a very demonstrative person. I assumed part of it was because of the Japanese culture, but also of his own personality. For some reason, "business mogul" came to mind. Since Hoshi mentioned private tutors, it fit with what I imagined of her family.
Rating: T
Please R&R. I really do appreciate knowing what my readers think. Thanks!
Four
November 25, 2143
"Try it again in German. This time, we'll try a different verb: sehen. Conjugate it, present tense."
Reiko sighed and rattled off the information. "Ich sehe, du siehst, er/sie/es sieht, wir sehen, ihr sieht, Sie sehen."
"English?"
"I see, you see, he/she/it sees, we see, you all see, the formal You see."
Hoshi nodded in approval. "What's the infinitive in Spanish?"
"Mirar."
"And in Japanese?"
"Mimasu."
"How about Vulcan?"
"Gla-tor." Reiko wore a slightly annoyed expression at the rapid-fire questioning, for it wasn't part of the agreement she had with her language tutor. Hoshi gave her a thin smile of approval.
"Good." She closed the book of German grammar. "Being a translator isn't just interpreting word-for-word in one language, Reiko-san. Sometimes it involves multiple languages at once, and you must be prepared to adapt for any eventuality."
A spasm of anger passed across her face, then she lowered her eyes at the truth of it. "Forgive me,Sato-sensei. I will try harder."
"We all learn at a different pace, Reiko-san. Your reports have been stellar, and Hatayama-sama wouldn't have accepted you into this program if she thought you couldn't handle it." Hoshi nodded as her student gathered the materials and stuffed them into her backpack. "Thursday, same time?"
"Of course." Reiko replied. She stood stiffly, pushed her chair under the table, and bowed. "I will be here. Thank you, Sato-sensei." Then she turned and disappeared among the tall library shelves. Hoshi watched her go with a shake of her head. Reiko was indeed an excellent student, as far as tests went.
But she needed...what was the English expression? An attitude adjustment.
You were once like that, Hoshi. It had taken her a long time to understand that others didn't learn or memorize as quickly as she did. Isolated as she was, her social skills were severely lacking. After a disastrous encounter with a new Vulcan tutor, Hoshi determined it was a lack that needed correction, and the sooner, the better. Of course, both Hiroshi and Kitsune were reluctant for their protected daughter to venture out into the world. After all, there were so many bad influences out there, and they couldn't afford for Hoshi to stray from her appointed path. Yet Hoshi pointed out the obvious.
"If I'm to deal with other people, I must learn the niceties of doing so. What better way than to share my knowledge with those who need it? I can tutor students in language and grammar and contribute something to our society."
Hiroshi eventually gave his permission, but with one stipulation: the tutoring sessions could only happen at the library on Tokyo University's campus or at the Sato family compound, under strict watch. Hoshi agreed to the terms, and she'd been tutoring for the past seven months. It was a learning experience for both tutor and students, but Hoshi discovered an unexpected pleasure.
She enjoyed teaching. Once she'd settled into a routine, she found herself liking the interaction, the sense of satisfaction when a student finally understood a concept. Hoshi mentioned it to Cousin Yuika and Hatayama-sensei. Hatayama had looked at her and nodded in understanding.
"Sato-san, may I speak with you for a moment?"
Hoshi jumped out of her seat at Hatayama-sensei's approach. As the older woman came closer, she greeted her mentor with a deep bow. "Of course, Sensei."
"Walk with me, Sato-san. I have a proposal for you."
Hoshi immediately gathered up her things and walked alongside the aged professor. Hatayama's steps were slower now and less sure, but she still held herself straight and tall. Students bowed to her as they passed. They reached her office, located in the same hall it had always been, and she moved the now-familiar shoji screen aside to reveal the usual tea set.
They seated themselves and Hatayama insisted on serving the tea. After the initial cup, Hatayama got to the point. "Sato-san, I believe you were born to be a teacher. Your father's rampant ambition does you a disservice. I shall correct that."
The unexpected statement made Hoshi gape in shock. "Hatayama-sensei?"
"I am scheduled to visit Stanford University at Berkley in the New Year. I have an exchange program with their department, but the logistics and details of it are rapidly outstripping my endurance. Kato-sensei is in charge of that now, but I would like you to be his assistant."
Hoshi blinked at the unspoken expectation: And, eventually, you will take over the program. This was quite an honor and an opportunity, but she hesitated. Wasn't anyone going to ask her if this was what she wanted to do? Hatayama-sensei assumed that was what she wanted, just as her father assumed his plans were what she wanted.
Hatayama misinterpreted her reticence. "Have no worries; I will talk with your father. He will see reason, once I explain it all to him." She gave her another thin smile. "Stanford has an impressive list of alumni, Sato-san, including your friend, Commander Archer. He contacted me with an intriguing proposition of his own."
"He did?"
"Now that his father's engine is being approved for a ship of the stars, and your father has agreed to be one of Starfleet's primary civilian backers, Earth is determined to make its mark in the heavens. But think...how many of Starfleet's precious officers speak Vulcan? Or Andorian? Suppose that Archer's engine takes a Human crew to the stars. Will they assume that every new species will speak English and think the same way they do? I believe that to be the height of arrogance, and Commander Archer agrees with me."
Again, Hoshi was reduced to speechlessness. From a linguistic standpoint, that was a legitimate concern. With all the excitement about finally reaching beyond known borders, the minor details obviously didn't matter. Perhaps they assume that all of their problems will be taken care of...by others.
"Starfleet doesn't have anything resembling a cultural department," Hoshi remarked slowly, "and despite the fact Earth has made First Contact with the Vulcans and the Andorians, we don't really know each other. The Vulcans don't trust the Humans and vice versa; the Andorians distrust everybody..."
Hatayama sat back in her seat. "Exactly. It is not a good atmosphere for interstellar harmony, isn't it? And how does your father expect to do business with non-Humans who may not care what he thinks? That is the height of arrogance and they all have it, even the Vulcans." Her black eyes flashed in anger and annoyance. "That is why we who deal with international affairs are so important. Now it becomes interstellar."
Hoshi nodded. "I completely agree, Hatayama-sensei."
Again, her eyes flashed and she snapped, "Do you, or are you only agreeing with me because you feel like you must?"
The hostile question stunned Hoshi to another bout of speechlessness. Hatayama-sensei, the most traditional, respectful, and culturally precise person she knew had touched a feeling that had grown within her for the past seven months. The more she discovered what lay beyond the walls of the Sato family compound, the more she questioned her priorities.
"Answer my question, Sato-san."
Somehow, she found her voice and replied honestly, "Yes, I do agree. You've addressed some concerns that will become problems, if they aren't taken into consideration."
"In that case, will you agree to come with me to Stanford and talk to Chancellor Bethany, then to San Francisco to talk to Commodore Forrest and Commander Archer?"
Hoshi nodded, although she dreaded her father's reaction. "Yes, I will."
Hiroshi's face was impassive as he listened to Hatayama-sama's proposal. Hoshi knelt at the end of the long table, her legs tucked under her and going numb, but she hardly dared to breathe. She kept her eyes lowered as was proper, but her heart hammered in her chest. She was still recovering from Hatayama-sensei's sudden revelation of her true intentions. There was one other aspect she had trouble accepting.
"I am old, and my days are numbered. At this point of my life, there is no reason to placate those who stubbornly cling to their own selfish ways." She had further explained that the doctors wanted her to conserve her energy, but what use would it be, if it wasn't spent in a worthwhile cause?
A worthwhile cause. Her. Hoshi Sato. If not for her talents, Hatayama-sensei would not be alive now. Hoshi felt the guilt bubble up in her throat, but the professor refused to let her wallow in it. It was the time to act, not become paralyzed.
"Such an intriguing proposal," Hiroshi finally said, "and you bring up very real problems that I had never considered. I am grateful for your superb insight."
Hatayama snorted and made a gesture. "You agree with me, then, that this should be remedied before it becomes a problem for your interstellar trading. Sato-san, you can count the number of times you've been off-world on two hands. Do you honestly believe that your experience outweighs the Boomers, who spend their entire lives in space and travel from world to world? Hah! Tell me!"
Hiroshi flinched at the whipcrack of her voice, and Kitsune Sato bowed low until her head touched the tatami mats. Such rudeness was almost unheard of in Japanese society; even Hoshi feared that Hatayama-sensei had lost her wits.
The older woman softened her tone. "I have great expectations for your daughter, like you do, Sato-san. But you must broaden your horizons, if you expect to survive in your chosen profession. Archer-sama's new engine will bring so many changes to our world, and we must all be ready for them."
"I wholly agree, Hatayama-sama," Hiroshi said quietly, but that tone heralded his angriest mood. Hoshi swallowed hard and kept her gaze riveted to the low table ahead of her. Not only had Hatayama pointed out his weaknesses in front of his wife and daughter, she had also forced him to acknowledge his own prejudices and arrogance.
Hiroshi Sato did not forget such insults very easily, and Hoshi feared his retribution.
"Consider this a boon for you as a whole, not as an insult to your pride, Sato-san, and if you plan to take your wrath on your family in lieu of me---" Hatayama's smile was cold, as Hiroshi's impassive mask slipped for a brief moment, "---I will hear of it and take action. Make no mistake."
He glared at her and the rules of hospitality were the only thing that kept his rage in check. "Very well, Hatayama-sama, I will refrain from any...impulsive actions, which I might regret later. So, Daughter, what do you say about this?"
This was the moment that could decide the course of her life. Hoshi raised her eyes from the tabletop and quietly replied, "My family and my clan is my first priority, Father. I must do all I can to protect it, and I feel that Hatayama-sensei's proposal is the best of many options."
"You do feel that to save the family, you must leave it?"
Hoshi took a deep breath at the implication of desertion. "I will return to the clan, Father. You know my heart; I will never abandon my blood."
Her father's face was still, but the pain filled the air between them. "You are only fourteen."
"Fourteen, but much older, Father," she reminded him gently, though the issue of her age had never been a stumbling block for his plans. She controlled her tone as she added, "I do not make this decision lightly, but it is of my own free will."
A deep silence fell over the room. Hoshi fought to keep her gaze firmly fixed on her father, even as the conflicting emotions turned her stomach. Sadness, that it had come to this. Elation, that she would be able to do some good, in a profession she enjoyed.
Hatayama glanced over at Kitsune, who was still bent over double in her bow. "Sato-san, please get up and let me see your face."
Kitsune slowly and painfully assumed her sitting position. Tears streaked her face, but her countenance was strangely serene. She glanced at Hoshi, her mouth quirked upward once before she sternly controlled it. It was a tiny gesture, but it spoke volumes. "Forgive me, Hatayama-sama. All these...changes will be difficult to accept, but we will endure."
"Gambatte ne," Hatayama said, with a sideways look at Hiroshi. "Persevere."
He nodded abruptly. "Hai."
After Hatayama left the family compound, Hoshi spent the next few hours in her room. There were so many arrangements to be made, substitutions to be found for her students, make-up work for her own classes. She was going to be part of something much bigger than herself. In the end, this would be all worth it.
That was what she told herself. Now that the cage's door had been unlocked, it was up to her to open it all the way and fly. The open air was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. There was no turning back. If Hiroshi Sato followed his traditional ways, he would never mention this pivotal conversation as long as he lived.
He never did.