The New Doctor
By Lieuten Keen
Chapter 37
Author's Note: Occasionally I've made up some alien words. If they bear any resemblance to any human languages, that's just a coincidence. To the surprise of nobody who knows me, they're usually all curses! ;)
Three full days had passed since the mysterious ship had first appeared on their scanners. It had hovered on the outskirts of the sensors that first day, popping up and then moving away. After two days of empty sensor readings, the crew thought the ship might have disappeared entirely.
Those hopes were dashed on the morning of the fourth day. The small ship darted into full view on an intercept course with Enterprise, followed closely by a larger vessel armed with cannons and firing at the severely overwhelmed little vessel.
All members of the bridge crew remained tense as Archer studied the incoming data as it appeared on the main view screen.
"The vessel won't be able to withstand the attack much longer," Malcolm prompted the captain.
Archer didn't like puzzles. Puzzles usually got him in trouble and put his ship in danger. This small ship was a puzzle. But there was no way he was going to allow one ship to be destroyed by a larger, more heavily armed vessel. He disliked bullies even more than he disliked puzzles.
"Hail the attacker, Hoshi," he commanded, pacing back and forth in front of the captain's chair.
"They're not responding, Captain," she reported in a moment. "I believe they are receiving; they just aren't answering." She exchanged looks with Mayweather while waiting for the final decision.
Jon sighed. "Lock phase cannons on the aggressor, Malcolm." He turned a stern eye on the armory officer. "Disable their weapons."
"Aye, aye, sir," Reed responded, flicking a few buttons on his console.
Phlox stood rubbing the potting soil from his hands in the greenhouse. Glancing furtively over one shoulder to make sure nobody was watching he licked the dirt from one palm. Eyes closed to fully experience the tangy woodsy flavor rendered him unaware of his colleague standing behind him until she spoke.
"They're looking good, Phlox." She meant the Denobulan orchids that he'd just potted. He had also added some of his native lilies and they nestled in a flatbed just next to the other. Tucked into a dim corner, they would not receive the full impact of the light, but would flourish here in damp earth and warm temperatures. Phlox smiled, not one of his extended smiles, but one of pleasure nonetheless.
"It will be nice to have a spot of earth to call home again," he commented, rocking back and forth on his heels as he often did. "I grew them to maturity in an isolated chamber, and they should be blooming shortly. Denobulan orchids only blossom once a year and it will be a shame if you missed it."
Andie beamed at the doctor. She was happy that he was so pleased. She was touched at his enthusiasm to share his culture with her. Despite his warm demeanor and his fondness for company, she believed many of the crew still kept their distance from the alien doctor.
Jojo made a rare appearance outside of her quarters by hopping up on the table and rubbing her gray face against a green stem. Phlox made sure to pat her on the head carefully. She suffered through his ministrations by squeezing her golden eyes closed and purring contentedly. Chewing idly on the short mint grasses that Andie grew specifically for the cats to munch, she noticed the new items on the workbench and unobtrusively wandered over to have a look at the white orchid blossoms. Tiny sharp teeth prepared to bite into this new delicacy when the Denobulan's blue eyes noticed. Hands swept down out of nowhere, startling the gray cat who jumped awkwardly to one side, knocking a small pot to the floor as she fled back to the safety of her cabin.
"I'm so sorry, Phlox," Andie stopped chasing the cat and knelt down to right the container that had turned over. Gentle hands patted the dirt back into place and lightly brushed over the leaves to ensure that damage was minimal. Phlox waved away her protests and checked and rechecked the new plants.
"I was once an award-winning botanist on my planet. I took home the top prize for my orchids," Phlox boasted quietly. "I'm sure I'll manage a little spilled dirt."
Andie smiled. "We are privileged to have such fine specimens...aboard...this...ACHOO!" The sneeze came out of nowhere, and it was a humdinger. Absently she rubbed her nose on the shoulder of her scrubs. Phlox looked concerned.
"I'm fine," she headed off his worries. "It's just a little...du-CHOO!" The second sneeze was larger than the first, if that was possible. "Crap!" she muttered.
The older doctor wasted no time in whipping out a medical scanner and performing a preliminary test. He frowned at the readings, and dragged her back to Sickbay for a more comprehensive reading. He had the diagnosis momentarily.
"Allergic?" Andie's heart sank. "To your orchids? That sucks." She pouted briefly a moment. "Isn't there something you can give me...?" she hinted.
Phlox smiled stiffly. "It is no trouble to unearth the plants. You'll want to spend a lot of time in the greenhouse, and I wouldn't want you to..."
"Nonsense," she waved away his suggestion. "We can have award-winning orchids, and I can get a hypo-spray of some kind."
Phlox set to work, relieved. "Never fear. We'll find something." He bustled about with tubes and chemicals, and nearly took a tumble when the ship shook rather violently.
"All hands brace for impact!" The call sounded over all the intercom panels on board just a second too late.
"Thanks for the timely message!" Andie shouted futilely at the speaker across the room, knowing that nobody would hear her unless she pressed the button. She rubbed the hip that had broken her fall by landing against a nearby bio-bed.
"We'd better prepare for casualties," she advised Phlox, who continued to putter with his chemicals while she pulled first aid kits out of a drawer.
"Fire!" Captain Archer barked.
Lieutenant Reed complied, firing forward phase cannons at the larger craft. He scored a direct hit against their hull, where he believed he'd find their main power source. Sure enough, plasma vented into the atmosphere and one of their engines appeared to burn out.
The larger ship took to warp and sped away. Not, Malcolm noted with satisfaction, nearly as fast as they'd arrived however.
Mayweather glanced back at the captain, who shook his head. There was no need to follow them, especially since the smaller ship needed repairs from the attack they'd just sustained. Vents of smoke spewed from the dual turbo engines that propelled them.
Hoshi piped up. "Receiving a hail, Captain," she told him.
"On screen," he grunted, thinking the courtesy was overdue. He straightened his uniform and offered the customary introductions, pacing anxiously as he waited for the forthcoming explanation.
The face of a battle-hardened man appeared on the large view screen. "Thanks a lot!" he effused. "That was a close call!" Muscles rippled under a black vest, covered but not hidden by the short sleeves of his undershirt.
"Do you know why they were attacking you?" Archer asked. He was surprised that the captain spoke English, and appeared to be human, although the bright blue hair and azure tint to the edges of his skin told a different tale.
"I don't know. We're running medical supplies to a mining colony nearby. Maybe they don't want the miner's getting healthy." The man's blue eyes darkened and his freckled face was deadly serious. "We have some medical problems over here. You wouldn't happen to have a doctor on board, now, would you?"
Archer thought a moment. "We can offer you medical treatment. How's your ship after the attack?"
"Could use a fine-tuning, I bet," the man chuckled. Behind him a vent of steam shot through the air on the murky bridge of the transport vessel. Mayweather raised an eyebrow. It seemed to be in need of more than a 'fine-tuning.'
"We're glad to help," Archer assured him, and directed him to the starboard docking port. "It's nearest our Sickbay."
He frowned long after the image was deleted from his screen. Why would such a personable alien hide his presence from Archer for several days? Grudgingly he granted to himself that they must be under a deadline to meet with the mining colony.
Nodding at Reed, and giving command to T'Pol, the two men wandered down to the airlock to meet their newest guests, calling for a doctor and a security team as they went.
Doctor Andie joined the congregation in the corridor, including Mayweather and Tucker, both holding repair kits. The familiar clangs and bangs of a ship attaching itself to the outside of the hull were heard, and the hiss of the pressure seal was loud in the quiet hall.
"What kind of pirates are we picking up today?" Andie grinned, smiling at Archer as she dropped her own kit on the ground at her feet.
"No pirates," Jon corrected her, "Just a freighter called the Jaynie Blue."
Malcolm caught her reaction out of the corner of his eyes. Andie paled and froze. He had never realized how much she fidgeted all day until she was completely devoid of movement.
The door lock was released with a grinding creak, and several men from the other ship stepped through a thin gray smoke into the clean air of the Enterprise. The blue-haired captain stepped through first, followed by an even larger alien, who looked as though he shared some DNA with lizards.
Andie gasped. "Great Bird in the Sky!" she breathed.
"Son of a bitch!" yelped the man who'd appeared on the view screen earlier.
"Holy crap!" Andie murmured again, still stunned.
"I think they know the same language," Travis whispered to Trip with a grin.
The man stepped forward suddenly, causing Malcolm to reach for his phase pistol. The ragged man tangled one hand in the hair at Andie's neck, the other hand fastened on her backside and he pulled her close, kissing her deeply and provocatively, heedless of the audience.
"I think they know more than each other's language," Trip announced, still shocked and amused.
The kissing went on. Andie pushed a hand against his shoulder and squeaked.
Archer cleared his throat pointedly. There was still more kissing. She struggled a little harder.
Just inside the airlock, a couple of rough looking men snickered indelicately at the scene before them. "You might want to let her breathe, Jase," the burly bald lizard-like creature mentioned mildly, as though he's seen this before. The greasy creature next to him leered.
The man in the black vest grunted somewhat painfully as Andie's knee connected with his groin. He released her and she stepped back, her eyes blazing in her suddenly pale face. Without warning her fist connected solidly with his face and drove his head back to clang noisily against the bulkhead.
"Naneckto ghandti, pormagt!" she hissed furiously in a language that wasn't English.
Jase pulled his hand from his bloody nose. "Damnit, Dräe!" he cursed, reaching a hand out for her, unsteady on his feet from the knee she'd sent his direction.
Scooting back fearfully, she instinctively stepped closer to Malcolm who had pulled his phase pistol and was aiming at the blue man. Her face had regained some of its color as two bright spots of color bloomed on her cheeks. It wasn't embarrassment that fueled them though; it was definitely anger. "Get away from me you bastard!"
"Heh! Heh!" The lizard-like humanoid behind him laughed with rusty uncertainty, as though he didn't laugh often. "I think she remembers you better'n you remember her! She don't like to be touched!"
"Not without permission," she growled, spitting on the ground as though to remove the taste.
"You've met?" Archer asked, stepping closer. The puzzle got bigger, he thought.
"We're old...friends," the freighter captain smirked, making them sound like more than friends.
"We used to date," Andie offered reluctantly when Archer continued to glare at her. "It didn't end well." She glared at the second man. "I thought you woulda dumped this tralc and taken command of your own vessel by now, Duomo."
Duomo, the lizard-like creature, shrugged. "You know I don't like to be the boss. Too much attention." He studied her as though she smelled bad. "You're wearing a uniform?" he asked incredulously, staring at the Starfleet patch on her shoulder.
"Barely," Malcolm muttered through gritted teeth. His eyes glinted at the disruption the newcomers had caused. Trip and Mayweather stood quietly off to one side, watching the proceedings. Archer indicated with one hand that Malcolm should put his gun away, which the sharp-eyed man did reluctantly.
Andie straightened her light blue scrubs and wiped her bruised lips. "What are you doing here, Jase?" she scowled. She drew a deep breath and noticed the others watching her. Her face flushed when she noticed Malcolm still fingering his weapon. "I see you've met the captain?" she inquired to the room in general.
Names were exchanged when Archer stepped forward and offered a handshake, still puzzling over the behavior of the two strangers. Captain Jason Blau introduced his first officer, Duomo, the big bald creature with leathery features who'd cautioned his friend to stop kissing the girl. Duomo actually had scales running down the back of his neck. Boner was dark haired and surly, which might be due to the bloody wound on his shoulder, or might just be the impression from the horns that grew out of his forehead, and Toady, a lanky frog-like man who sleazed into the room smelling of grease and smoke, limping due to a gaping wound on his thigh.
"I've offered medical attention and repairs for their ship," Archer told the doctor. "This won't be a problem, will it?" He studied the problematic physician carefully.
"I don't know," she counted, fixing Jase with a fierce look. "Will it be a problem?"
"No worries, Dräe," he grinned easily, ignoring the less than hospitable way he was greeted by his old flame.
Archer was still watching her. "Sickbay's that way," she nodded with her head. She waited until Boner and Toady helped each other hobble around the corner, Jase and Duomo following at a more leisurely pace, escorted by Crewmen Moreno and Martin from security.
"Andie?" Archer questioned.
They all seemed to be looking at her. With good reason, she thought. Her past just stepped up to give them all a boot in the ass. This was not going to end well, she reflected.
"We don't get along," she told him carefully, mindful of her promise not to lie to him. "If you could get them moving quickly, that would be helpful."
"Is this a problem?" Malcolm eyed her. He could see she was still shaking, and Malcolm didn't trust a man who would take advantage of a woman, even if he didn't care for the woman himself.
Ignoring him instead of answering, she turned to Archer. "What did they say they were transporting?" The creases at the edge of her mouth deepened with concern.
"Medical supplies to a mining colony," he answered.
"You should probably let the colony know they'll be a little late," she answered distantly. Forcing her feet to move, she took steps to lead her back to her workspace.
"You okay?" Trip stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and a worried look as she passed.
"Yeah," she answered, not at all convincingly. "They probably just need to flush the plasma conduits. They never remember to do that." She pulled away from his touch and wandered through the corridor and around a corner.
The four men looked at each other with expressions of shock on their faces.
"Let's get them out of here quickly, Trip," Archer suggested pointedly.
"Right, Cap'n," the engineer agreed. He picked up his tool kit and dragged Travis into the smoky interior behind him.
"Permission to post..."
"Granted," Archer agreed, not waiting for Reed to finish requesting extra security. He looked at Reed. "That was odd, right? I haven't always had a good relationship with my ex-es when we broke up, but that was odd, right?"
"That was very odd," Malcolm agreed. He followed the former parties around the corner to Sickbay, pausing only to call more security personnel.
"So you used to shag the captain?" Boner asked with a leer as she entered the room at a brisk pace.
Andie smiled coolly. "It was a long time ago," she explained shortly. "I was young. Jase wasn't old then," she added with glare at the blue haired man.
Jase wrinkled his nose and smirked. "Speak for yourself, Uni," he retorted, still disturbed by the Starfleet patch on her arm. "I'll never get older!" he vowed. Blue eyes watched intently as the woman directed the newcomers into the medical lab and gave orders to the med-techs in the treatment of the wounds. If he was bothered that she didn't ask him what he'd been up to, he didn't show it.
Phlox hurried through the double doors. "I heard we had visitors. I hope it isn't too serious?" he inquired politely as he moved to take a look at the patients, pausing to administer a hypo to Andie's neck. She nodded her thanks absentmindedly, and he chose his first patient.
Toady recoiled at the Denobulan doctor. "What the hell is that thing?" he squeaked, backing up and causing undue stress on the newly opened gash in his leg.
"That 'thing' is the most competent doctor you'll ever get near. Show him some respect, Jackass!" The anger was evident in Andie's voice. Her temper was running rather hot due to the unexpected surprise of old acquaintances and she jumped from neutral to irate in seconds.
"He ain't treating me!" Toad spouted. He wriggled away from Andie's touch, and Phlox had to restrain her from moving in on the alien.
"It's all right," Phlox soothed. His voice was neutral, but his eyes were overbright. "He may feel more comfortable with another doctor." He scratched absently at his forearm.
"It's not all right," Andie gritted. Recognizing Phlox's need to soothe the situation, she said no more but moved over the greasy man, and picked up a small jar of salve and applied it determinedly to the wound. Toady hissed.
"That hurts!" he wailed.
Andie smiled coldly but replied in a falsely sweet tone. "I'm sorry. Phlox is the one with the tender touch. You'd probably have been happier with his treatment than mine. Ah, well! Lost opportunities!" she smirked and considered adding an extra saline ingredient before administering the hypo-spray. She may have chosen the high road, but Toad complained that it burned. Andie told him it probably wouldn't kill him while her eyes glittered with wrath.
The corner of the blue-haired man's mouth curled up at her spunk. "Still haven't changed, have you? Defending the weak at all costs?" he mused. "Jaynie would've been proud." He grunted as an ice pack was slapped into his hand to be applied to his nether regions, still smarting from a solid knee.
"Jaynie would've kicked your butt for hooking up with a creep like that!" Andie was still miffed as she moved to tend to his wounds, but the mention of the dearly departed sobered her. "How long has it been?"
Mentally adding up the time he'd lived without his cherished little sister brought out grim lines on his hardened face. "Twelve years," Jase answered. Feeling the familiar closing of his throat as he remembered the life cut short far too soon, he cleared his throat and covered his pain with calloused precision. "She was a sucker for the bleeding heart."
"You must have inherited some of that if you're transporting medical supplies to a mining colony," Andie mentioned quietly. She fastened a bandage to the cut above his eye and stepped back. Her dark eyes watched him carefully.
Jase shrugged, refusing to squirm under her glare. "I miss her sometimes, that's all. At least I've got Hell to keep me company."
Andie froze. "You've still got Hell on your side?" she asked.
Jase grinned wickedly. "Yeah," he agreed. Suddenly the smile wiped off his face. He remembered the men who'd offered to give his ship the once over. "Crap!"
"Damn it, Jase!" she cursed, turning and running for the door. She didn't wait to see if he was following.
Mayweather and Trip made their way inside the smaller vessel and began running scans on the internal workings. A thin gray haze hovered stubbornly in the air, making Travis's eyes water and Trip's lung to try and forcefully evacuate the foreign substance.
The small vessel had only two decks. They stood in the open cargo hold, and small rooms on either side housed the Sickbay and the galley. The bridge was located on the second level, directly ahead of them, and doors along the catwalk indicated living quarters were housed up there as well. Each turbo engine was powered from its own small room at the rear of the ship, close to where they stood.
Surrounded by crates that had been secured to the floor, Trip winced at the stale air as he tried to take a deep breath. "I can't believe they cart medical supplies in this smog," he muttered to Travis. "Phlox and Andie get plenty ticked off when their scanners get the slightest bit filthy. They say it knocks them offline. Did you hear how she badgered Rostov about the imaging chamber?"
Travis agreed with wide eyes. "Growing up on a freighter, we carried some stinky cargo, but the smell never felt...tangible," he added, wrinkling his nose.
Trip stepped over inspect a control panel. One of the buttons was permanently pressed down, surrounded by so much gunk it would never rise again. "This whole ship, engines and all, could almost fit inside one of the cargo bays. This shouldn't take too long." He sighed. "I'll take the engine on the right; you take the one on the left."
"I'll try and find a diagnostic program," Travis told him. The young man wandered into the narrow room, trying not to touch anything.
Both men were revolted at the appearance of the ship. Everything was dirty and in disarray. Despite the fact that four grown men lived on this ship, it was cluttered and unkempt. Even the main power consoles were grimy. Both men knew that ignoring the maintenance on a ship could mean the end of its usefulness, and were appalled at the state of the ship. Both hurried through their work, hoping to race back to the cleanliness of Enterprise.
On the starboard side, Trip lay on his back, adjusting a power coupler under the main engine core. He heard a distant clacking and wondered what else was broken. He was disgusted by this vessel and couldn't wait to return home. The warp core rumbled.
It was a funny sound. Yet somehow it was strangely familiar.
Trip pulled his head out from under the engine. He found his wide eyes looking into the gaping maw of Hell.
Andie's black booted feet raced through the corridor. She slipped through the airlock docking portal, and followed the noise to the engine room with certain feet. She saw Trip on the far side of the room, cut off by the cylinder of the machine and scrambled up the side of its curved surface nearest her, using levers and bolts as a ladder. Sliding across the engine on her hip, she eased her body down on the other side and landed in a crouch right in front of Trip who was knocked over on his backside.
Holding out a hand she spoke in a foreign tongue. "Danketh, illspawn. Ponvez en ick."
Hell stopped moving. Yellow fangs so large he couldn't even close his mouth glistened with saliva. Stubs of cartilage rose out of his back in an unevenridge. His stiff backside shook where a tail had once grown, yet still he glowered out of his one good eye. Scars from a multitude of battles disfigured his black coat. Half of his head was covered in a silver metal plate that extended over one eye and an ear and a rich noxious smell exuded from it. He looked every inch the bloodthirsty pirate defending his lair.
"Sit down, Hellspawn," Andie coaxed in that soothing voice. Without looking behind her, she sensed Trip's movement. "If you so much as touch that tool, we're both dead," she mentioned in the same soothing tone she was using to speak to the dog. In fact, she never took her eyes off the canine. Hell growled in acknowledgment.
Trip's hand moved slowly away from the large wrench at his fingertips.
Jase finally wandered into the room. "Get down, boy," he told his guard off-handedly. Obediently Hellspawn sat back on his haunches, drooling malevolently and panting.
"You took your time!" Andie scowled at her old friend.
"I'm injured," he grinned and pointed at the scratch on his forehead. Andie rolled her eyes.
"Lock Hell up if you want any more help," she snapped. Finally she looked over her shoulder at the engineer. "You okay?" she asked.
"Sure," he panted, eyeing the creature distrustfully. "What the hell is that?"
"My first patient," Andie told him curtly. Finally the gruesome creature leaned toward her so she could scratch at the mangy fur next to his silver cap.
"You always had a way with wild things, Dräe," Jase snorted and tapped his thigh. The dog followed reluctantly after him.
"I stitched him up after he lost a battle with a landmine and gave him the tin hat." Andie told Trip as she leaned against the engine core and brushed a shaky hand over her face.
"I don't think he remembers you," Trip tried to joke, despite his pounding heart.
"I think he does," Andie answered soberly. "We're still breathing." She sighed. "You should be okay now." She turned to go.
Trip called her name and she stopped. "Is this guy really a friend of yours?" he asked, a line of concern creasing his forehead.
For a long moment she looked not at Trip, but through him, as though she was reliving every single moment in her head. "It was a long time ago." Her mouth tightened. "I'm...I'm not really sure why he's here." Her eyes clouded.
"He doesn't really seem like your type." Trip wondered if that was true. He wasn't sure he knew what her type was, but surely she couldn't be so clean in her own Sickbay and attracted to a man who lived like...this. He glared at a gob of grease that had landed on his pants.
A cynical glint hardened her features. She sneered lightly. "He seems like the kind of guy who'd add adhesive to your plasma regulators without telling you, so that when you start up your engine, the plasma would superheat and blow out your conduits, doesn't he?" she mused acerbically.
Trip blanched. "You'd be cleaning up the mess for weeks, if it didn't destroy the whole ship!" Now he eyed the machine in front of him nervously, wondering if he should check the intake valves before running tests.
Glancing at the engine before them, Andie sniffed. "Good luck with that!" she offered perkily. He tossed her a dirty look and she smiled. "Don't worry too much about this ship," she told him. "Just get them running and get them on their way, okay?"
"Sure," he agreed carefully.
Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, she smiled a shaky smile. "I have to get back to work," she told him and slipped out the door.
Boner glanced up at Ensign Cutler, who was restocking the medical supplies that had been used this afternoon. She cut a nice figure for a guy who'd been out in space for a while. He scooted off the bio-bed and shrugged at Toady. Toady leered a greasy grin and stood uncertainly on his injured leg, leaving the room to his pal and the unsuspecting girl. His leave was particularly easy since security had followed the running doctor and her blue companion as they left in a hurry.
Boner, who'd received his nickname from a succession of broken bones in his childhood, had spent most of his life living up to the misnomer. His dark hair and eyes, coupled with an easy grin had won the hearts of his share of the ladies, but their acceptance of his charms was not always a prerequisite.
Moving quietly, Liz didn't even hear him until he was right behind her. "Hey," he smarmed, grinning at her gasp. "My shoulder is killing me. Do you think you could get me some more meds?" he wheedled, opening his eyes wide to appear helpless.
"I think you've had plenty of meds for the time being," Liz replied dryly.
"I sure hurt somethin' awful," he crooned. One dirty finger reached out to touch Liz lightly on the arm. She resisted the urge to shudder. The horns kind of freaked her out.
"I'm sure you'll be fine," she told him and stepped around his body to walk to the other side of the room, thankful to have breathing room that didn't smell like his wretched odor.
Boner's grin slipped. He turned slowly and cut the distance between him and his prey. "You're fine enough for both of us," he tried again, showing several yellowed teeth in an effort to win her over.
Liz looked him up and down. "You're not my type," she assured him and made to move around him again.
He caught her arm in his hard grip. "You'll be my type now!" he growled. Shoving her backward, he pressed against her, driving her hips against the table and giving her a bruise that would show up darkly later. He bent to kiss her lips, but she turned her head. He caught her neck in his tight grip and prepared to force her mouth to kiss him.
"Get your hands off of her and step away with your hands in the air!" The command was spoken in crisp British tones and Boner turned to find the wiry dark-haired man from the airlock holding a phase pistol at his chest.
"You think you're gonna make me, mate?" Boner challenged, stepping forward slightly, eager for the altercation. The only thing he liked better than women was fighting.
"I think somebody might make you," added another voice. "Although it might be me." Andie stepped into Sickbay, her fists planted on her hips and her generous mouth a thin line. Things were happening too quickly today.
"I ain't afraid of you, Red," Boner growled. "Jase may still have a hard-on for you, but you ain't got nothin' I want!"
"Oh, I have something you want all right," Andie promised. She idly waved a hypo spray around. "Let her go," she commanded sternly.
"Do it!" Jase appeared in the doorway looking thunderously mad, and he barked an order at his crewman. Reluctantly, Boner let go of Crewman Cutler's arm.
"I'll have you thrown in the brig!" Malcolm promised, never taking his eyes from the sour faced man.
Andie spoke quietly to Malcolm. "I'll take care of this, Lieutenant. Why don't you escort Cutler to the Mess Hall for a cup of tea?"
Reed would have denied the request and remained, hoping he might still shoot Andie's friends, but Liz nearly jumped across the circle at him. "Yes, thank you, Lieutenant!" Her relief at leaving Enterprise's guests was palpable.
Straightening his shoulders, Malcolm led the woman out the double doors, giving Andie a dour look as he went. That left the three of them alone.
Jase stood with his mouth agape. The girl he remembered wasn't calm. She never asked anyone else to take care of her problems and she never backed down. He wondered if he had been wrong about her all this time. Maybe she had changed.
Andie picked up a medical scanner and took a reading of Boner's shoulder. "Your nerves aren't registering extreme pain," she noted. "I'm not sure you need extra meds at this time."
Boner opened his mouth to object and whine about how his arm hurt, and he wasn't paying attention. He never saw the quick turn or the flying fist until the raw wound in his shoulder exploded in a blinding eruption of pain. He screamed and grabbed at his arm as he fell to his knees. Andie spun on one heel and her booted foot crushed both the fingers and the injury when she kicked him. Boner screamed again.
Andie waved a medical scanner over the shoulder. "Now it's registering sufficient nerve excitation." She filled a hypo and stood over the moaning man. "There're only two people on board this vessel who can prescribe medications," Andie spoke quietly. "Phlox and myself. And if you ever lay a hand on Phlox, you'll spend the rest of your life without it." Her eyes were so dark with rage it was like looking into outer space. She leaned closer. "If you lay anything else on any crewmember, you'll be missing that too." That last threat sounded cheery, as though nothing else would give her as much pleasure as taking him apart piece by piece. Finally she pressed the button to relieve his misery even as he shrank away from her.
When she turned to leave she found her old friend grinning. This was the girl he remembered, he thought. "I'll keep him in line," Jase promised, eyeing her approvingly. "I know you like Denobulans. Still think they're some sort of good luck charm?"
Andie looked hard at the man she used to know. "Did you know Hell was loose when you sent my crewmen to look at your ship?" she asked quietly.
"Dräe," Jase's patronizing tone grated on her nerves. "I just wanted to get my guys to Sickbay."
"Did you know?" she insisted on an answer, advancing on him unmindful of the greasy little man who scurried out the door.
"Listen to your self," his voice expressed his disgust. "You're talking about crew and safety protocols. That's not the way I remember you."
"Maybe you're remembering wrong!" Her lower lip jutted out stubbornly.
"Maybe I remember you better than you do," he offered as a counter.
"I doubt that's possible." Andie shot him a dirty look before sweeping out of Sickbay.