Day Two
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"Good morning, Lieutenant," T'Pol greeted Malcolm, as she entered the armoury.
"Ah, Sub-Commander!" Malcolm nodded. "I see the captain hasn't decided to scrap the 'technical exchange' program overnight."
"Unfortunately not," T'Pol replied.
Malcolm shook his head and laughed. "I suppose we have to assume he knows what he is doing."
T'Pol didn't answer.
"Anyway, we should probably get on with it. To be honest Sub-commander, I don't see the logic in teaching you the ins and outs of the phaser canons. Or how to adjust a torpedo. It couldn't be done in five days anyway."
"I believe your logic is correct, Lieutenant. However, what do you suppose we do?" T'Pol asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I thought we might start with the scanners," Malcolm said, handing her a data padd. "Information retrieval is vital from a security point of view – especially during first contact. I thought they'd be something we'd both be familiar with, and they need improving. Maybe we can get something useful out of this idea of the captain's."
"I believe that was Captain Archer's intent all along, Lieutenant," T'Pol answered slowly.
"Yes of course," Malcolm said hurriedly. "So – to the bridge then?"
T'Pol nodded.
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"Well, this is quite impressive," Phlox smiled, running his hands over the shuttle pod controls. Travis eyed him nervously.
"Um, you said you didn't have any experience?" he asked.
"None whatsoever, Ensign!" the doctor said cheerfully. "I'm glad the Captain's allowing me to work in a completely new field during this little experiment of his."
"Yeah, it's great," Travis replied, less enthusiastically. "Now, we're a bit limited here. There's no flight simulator on Enterprise and the shuttle pods we have are a little more complicated than ordinary training shuttles, so we'll have to improvise a bit."
"Excellent!"
"Now, I suggest that today we just run through the basic controls, here in the shuttle bay. Then later, maybe we can take a pod out for a short run."
"I certainly hope I will be up to your doubtlessly high standards, Ensign."
"So do I, Doctor," Travis smiled at Phlox's obvious enthusiasm. "But let's start at the beginning. Now – do you know how to turn on main power?" he asked.
The doctor paused, looking carefully at the control panel.
"Hmm… the power button…"
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"How are you, Hoshi?" Trip asked, walking over to her on the bridge from the turbo lift.
"Fine thank you, Commander, better than yesterday," Hoshi smiled. "I'm sorry about the fire in the shuttle bay."
"No harm done, Hoshi, don't worry about it. From what I hear you weren't the only one to make a mistake yesterday. It'll be a miracle if this ship's still in one piece in five days. But anyway, you get to play teacher today."
"Yes," Hoshi nodded, her eyes widening. "There is that."
"So," Trip sat himself down next to Hoshi at the communications station. "Where do I start?"
"It's good to see you getting into the spirit of things, Trip!"
The captain's voice came out clearly across the bridge. Trip and Hoshi turned towards him.
"You know me, Cap'n – I always do what ah'm told."
Archer's eyes twinkled as he turned from Trip to Malcolm and T'Pol.
"How are things going here?" he asked pleasantly.
"Ah, slowly, Captain," Malcolm admitted rubbing his temple.
T'Pol turned around from the panel she had been working on.
"I believe that Lieutenant Reed has made several errors in his recent adaptations to the ships scanners. I am assisting him to repair them," she told the captain.
Archer looked a little surprised. "Oh well, okay. Keep at it, Malcolm."
"Yes, sir,"
As he spoke, some loud alien language started blasting out across the bridge from Hoshi's station.
Archer, Malcolm and T'Pol turned to look.
"Sorry," Trip said, switching the noise off. Hoshi hid a smile.
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"Oh dear, now what's that?"
The third alarm started bleeping in the shuttle pod Travis and Phlox were working in.
Travis ran between the consoles turning each warning off. When all was quiet, Phlox smiled again and Travis put his head in his hands.
"Doctor Phlox, that's the third safety alarm you've set off in ten minutes and we haven't even left the shuttle bay."
"This pre-flight checking does seem somewhat more complicated than I anticipated."
"Doc," Travis said, raising his head, "we ran through everything this morning – you had it. What's happened?"
Phlox shrugged and looked down.
"I am still a beginner, Ensign," he said. "And one without the benefit of a Star Fleet training."
Travis nodded, feeling a little guilty.
"You're right, and I'm sorry. How about I finish this for you and take us out. Then you can have a go at real flying – slowly though!"
Phlox appeared instantly more cheerful, and the worry pain in Travis' stomach came back.
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"Malcolm!" Archer greeted the lieutenant as he entered his cabin. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm here to make a complaint, Captain," Malcolm said stiffly.
"Oh?"
"Sir, I'd appreciate it if I could exchange assignments with another of the senior staff this week."
Archer ran a hand over his mouth. "You're not happy, working with Sub-commander T'Pol?"
"With all due respect, Captain," Malcolm said awkwardly, "no."
Archer tried not to smile.
"What seems to be the problem?" he asked.
"She just… she seems to be finding a great deal of fault with nearly every aspect of ship security. In fact, I don't think there's one area we've covered today that she's been happy with. I'm aware of her experience and abilities, but the fact still remains that she is merely the scientific officer and I am this ship's tactical expert."
Archer sighed.
"Malcolm, I understand what you're telling me, but the answer's no. I'm not going to change your assignment – I think you and T'Pol are an appropriate pairing. If nothing else, you were both the most reluctant to take part in this exercise, and I'd like to see you try a bit harder. In other words – tell her, Malcolm, not me."
Malcolm said nothing.
"Understood?"
"Yes, Sir," he said at last.
"Good. I want you to show her why you're the armoury officer on Enterprise."
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"Ah! I don't think I'm ever goin' ta get the hang' a this," Trip clicked in exasperation as the computer failed to recognise his message for the umpteenth time. "Can't I just let the UT do it?"
"What do you think?" Hoshi asked.
"I think you're a hard task-master Ensign Sato," Trip answered with a grin. "Are you always this tough on your students?"
"Yes," Hoshi grinned back. "And don't change the subject. You've got ten more minutes."
"The UT could do it in five."
"Well if the UT was so great the captain wouldn't need me on board, would he? And it is my job you're supposed to be learning about. Back to work, Commander."
"Yes, Ma'am," Trip nodded.
He worked until Hoshi's timer went off. Sighing he handed her the padd for her to check.
"No good?" he asked.
"Actually it's not bad," Hoshi said encouragingly. "You've got about fifty percent right."
"That's not enough to make any sense, is it?"
"It's a beginning," Hoshi smiled. "Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm impressed."
"Thanks, but I have to ask – why the time limit?"
"It's to create pressure – the one thing to remember in this job is that you're always under pressure."
"Want me to tell the captain to go a little easier on you in future?" Trip teased.
"I think I can handle it," Hoshi said. "But I could always do with a few more free shifts, if you're asking."
Trip laughed. "Wouldn't we all! But seriously, why do you do it? You didn't have to join Starfleet and go into space. You could've stayed on Earth to teach. Why didn't you?"
Hoshi shrugged, fingering the padd in her hands.
"I know it doesn't seem like the obvious decision for me, but I really wanted to do it. Out here is the only place to be to do what I love. To be a linguist."
"Well I'm sure glad you came. Hell knows what would've happened if they made communications the job of the chief engineer!"
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"Aaaghh! Doc, slow down!"
"Oh! I'm sorry, Ensign Mayweather, I don't seem to…"
The shuttle pod lurched suddenly, then spluttered. Then stopped altogether.
"We appear to have stopped, Ensign."
Travis detached his head from the bulkhead he had slid against.
"Yeah, it looks that way."
"I'm not too sure what happened, maybe if I – "
"No!" Travis put a hand out. "Woah, there, okay? I think we've done enough for one day. You've done really well, Doctor Phlox, but I think maybe I should take us back to Enterprise now… and we can do a damage assessment," he added under his breath.
"I'm sorry?"
"Nothing, Doc, nothing. Now, just watch me as I run through these controls again."
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"I swear, the doctor couldn't fly a glider, let alone an interstellar shuttle pod," Travis moaned, shaking his head. "This is going to be a lo-ong couple of days."
Liz Cutler laughed at him.
"Sounds like you pulled the short straw, Travis. I've been quite enjoying myself this week."
"Are you serious?" Travis asked, putting his fork down to stare at Liz. "You're liking this?"
"Sure! Lieutenant Hess may be a great engineer, but she doesn't know anything about biology. I'm quite enjoying the chance to give a few orders – even pretend ones. It beats being the overworked ensign, getting stuck with all the awful jobs."
"I know what you mean, Liz," Hoshi smiled, swallowing a mouthful. "Commander Tucker's terrible at languages – he seems to think if he just says it louder it'll be understood. I've had to dump the exolinguistics and start with French. It has been fun though," she added, grinning. "Especially after yesterday."
"Well, I don't know, I think I prefer the doctor treating my headache than giving me one, but I guess there's three more days of it, so I'd better make the most of it."
"That's the spirit, Travis," Cutler said, doing an uncanny impression of Captain Archer, making the other ensigns laugh.
End of part two!! Please read & review!!