CHAPTER 4 - DEPARTURE
Malcolm sat in his office reviewing the maintenance schedule he had set out for the armory, for the next 2 weeks. Glancing at the chronometer, he jumped up out of his seat. "Bloody hell!" With only 10 minutes to the planned departure, he had yet to pack. He bolted out of his office and ran to his quarters.
With now only 5 minutes to spare, he jammed a few uniforms and some casual clothes into a dufflebag. As he jogged towards the lauchbay, he came to an abrupt stop. "Bugger!" He had forgotten to pack his toiletries. 'That would be all that I need. . . a fortnight without a toothbrush, or worse to have to ask Hoshi to borrow hers.' Resolving himself to being late, he ran back to his quarters.
*****************
Hoshi waited patiently for his arrival in the launchbay. She kept herself occupied by drumming her fingers on the railing.
A swoosh of the doors signaled his arrival. He was disheveled and out of breath. His dufflebag was half open, and some of his clothes looked like they were trying to escape. "Sorry, Ensign. I lost track of the time."
She acknowledged his apology with a nod. "Shall we go?"
Slipping past her, Malcolm descended the stairs first and opened the hatch. He threw his bag inside and then turned to grab hers.
"Thank you, but I have it, Lieutenant." She followed him into the craft and took her place at the console in the back.
Malcolm sat at the helm. After entering the coordinates, he contacted the bridge for permission to depart.
"Malcolm, Hoshi, I wish you luck." Archer's voice echoed in the small space. "Remember, you are the first humans to visit Bathos. I know you will make us all proud."
With this encouragement, they started out on what was going to become a greater adventure than was anticipated.
******************
They sat in silence for the first leg of the journey. Hoshi worked on a glitch in the UT program. Malcolm continued his attempts to understand the information that he had on the Bathosan weapons.
After 3 hours, his frustration was unbearable. "Ensign, could I ask you to review this for me?"
"Malcolm, you should really call me Hoshi when we are alone. This could be a long 2 weeks." Crossing the short distance that separated them, she came to stand behind him. She leaned over his shoulder to read the data on his monitor. She failed to notice that her loose hair had fallen forward, and was now resting on his shoulder.
Malcolm was startled by the tickle on his neck. When he twisted his head to investigate, he saw that her hair on his shoulder. It smelled so nice - like lavender. Its silkiness begged him to touch it. His eyes teared from not blinking.
"Malcolm, this is full of glaring mistakes in the translation. You must have noticed this earlier." Hoshi was starting to feel slightly insulted, as she realized that he had not come to her sooner. She was about the broach this subject when she felt a slight pull of her hair. Looking down, her eyes widened with shock and she promptly stood straight -had he been stroking her hair?!
Malcolm's eyes expressed a similar shock. He opened and closed his mouth several times, failing to make a sound, let alone an apology. Crimson mounted in his cheeks.
She recognized his embarrassment while, in the meantime, was flattered by his attentions. Hoshi decided that it was best to pretend that nothing had happened. She took a seat next to him. "Well, Malcolm. There are many mistakes in these translations. Why don't we work on this, together."
Seeing that she was not going to dwell on his actions, regardless of how inappropriate they were, his shoulders relaxed and he let out a quiet sigh. Eventually, his shyness dissipated as he was again in his element - weapons and tactics.
******************
TBC. . .
A/N: Here's my attempt at bringing in a tiny shippage moment. I may change this later, when I can think of a better way to do this. I am posting this before I really feel I should, but I need some input as to where this should be going. I know how I want it to end, and I already know who she married and why. It's the in-between part that I am having difficulty with.
Thanks to Lady Conqueror and Pookha for their comments. Pookha - your suggestions have been quite helpful.
Also, I have decided to write a fanfic for the Trip/T'polers contest, so my muse has been occupied with that story. I will post it here after the contest is over.
Constructive Feedback is greatly appreciated
Malcolm sat in his office reviewing the maintenance schedule he had set out for the armory, for the next 2 weeks. Glancing at the chronometer, he jumped up out of his seat. "Bloody hell!" With only 10 minutes to the planned departure, he had yet to pack. He bolted out of his office and ran to his quarters.
With now only 5 minutes to spare, he jammed a few uniforms and some casual clothes into a dufflebag. As he jogged towards the lauchbay, he came to an abrupt stop. "Bugger!" He had forgotten to pack his toiletries. 'That would be all that I need. . . a fortnight without a toothbrush, or worse to have to ask Hoshi to borrow hers.' Resolving himself to being late, he ran back to his quarters.
*****************
Hoshi waited patiently for his arrival in the launchbay. She kept herself occupied by drumming her fingers on the railing.
A swoosh of the doors signaled his arrival. He was disheveled and out of breath. His dufflebag was half open, and some of his clothes looked like they were trying to escape. "Sorry, Ensign. I lost track of the time."
She acknowledged his apology with a nod. "Shall we go?"
Slipping past her, Malcolm descended the stairs first and opened the hatch. He threw his bag inside and then turned to grab hers.
"Thank you, but I have it, Lieutenant." She followed him into the craft and took her place at the console in the back.
Malcolm sat at the helm. After entering the coordinates, he contacted the bridge for permission to depart.
"Malcolm, Hoshi, I wish you luck." Archer's voice echoed in the small space. "Remember, you are the first humans to visit Bathos. I know you will make us all proud."
With this encouragement, they started out on what was going to become a greater adventure than was anticipated.
******************
They sat in silence for the first leg of the journey. Hoshi worked on a glitch in the UT program. Malcolm continued his attempts to understand the information that he had on the Bathosan weapons.
After 3 hours, his frustration was unbearable. "Ensign, could I ask you to review this for me?"
"Malcolm, you should really call me Hoshi when we are alone. This could be a long 2 weeks." Crossing the short distance that separated them, she came to stand behind him. She leaned over his shoulder to read the data on his monitor. She failed to notice that her loose hair had fallen forward, and was now resting on his shoulder.
Malcolm was startled by the tickle on his neck. When he twisted his head to investigate, he saw that her hair on his shoulder. It smelled so nice - like lavender. Its silkiness begged him to touch it. His eyes teared from not blinking.
"Malcolm, this is full of glaring mistakes in the translation. You must have noticed this earlier." Hoshi was starting to feel slightly insulted, as she realized that he had not come to her sooner. She was about the broach this subject when she felt a slight pull of her hair. Looking down, her eyes widened with shock and she promptly stood straight -had he been stroking her hair?!
Malcolm's eyes expressed a similar shock. He opened and closed his mouth several times, failing to make a sound, let alone an apology. Crimson mounted in his cheeks.
She recognized his embarrassment while, in the meantime, was flattered by his attentions. Hoshi decided that it was best to pretend that nothing had happened. She took a seat next to him. "Well, Malcolm. There are many mistakes in these translations. Why don't we work on this, together."
Seeing that she was not going to dwell on his actions, regardless of how inappropriate they were, his shoulders relaxed and he let out a quiet sigh. Eventually, his shyness dissipated as he was again in his element - weapons and tactics.
******************
TBC. . .
A/N: Here's my attempt at bringing in a tiny shippage moment. I may change this later, when I can think of a better way to do this. I am posting this before I really feel I should, but I need some input as to where this should be going. I know how I want it to end, and I already know who she married and why. It's the in-between part that I am having difficulty with.
Thanks to Lady Conqueror and Pookha for their comments. Pookha - your suggestions have been quite helpful.
Also, I have decided to write a fanfic for the Trip/T'polers contest, so my muse has been occupied with that story. I will post it here after the contest is over.
Constructive Feedback is greatly appreciated