Day Four
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"Hold on a minute, this doesn't make sense," Hoshi stared at the computer.
"Well that's nothin' new," Trip grunted. "Here, let me try it again."
"No," Hoshi put a hand up to stop him. "It's not your translation. From what I can see it's pretty good, but the translator's not making any sense."
Trip gave her a puzzled look.
"Have you run a diagnostic?"
"I'm just doing it now," Hoshi said, pushing buttons on the console, but as she did so the entire panel went down. "What the-?"
Trip took her position and tried to get a response from the console.
"It's dead," he said to Hoshi. Walking to the next nearest intercom, he contacted engineering. "What's goin' on, Lieutenant? We've just lost communications on the bridge."
"I'm sorry, Commander," Lieutenant Hess's voice came back to the bridge crew. "We've been doing power relay maintenance with the exchange crew. We've had some mishaps."
"When is it goin' to be fixed?" Trip asked, trying to keep a sigh out of his voice.
"Not for several hours – I'm sorry, Commander," she cut off his protests, "there's no other way unless you'd rather we leave the warp relays to sort themselves out."
Trip paused a moment, briefly closing his eyes. "Alrigh', Lieutenant, get it sorted."
"Yes, sir."
Trip turned to Hoshi.
"Looks like we're goin' to have to fix this one ourselves."
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They were in the section of the ship that housed the power relays for the communications computers on the bridge.
"Ya know, I'm not sure if Engineerin' is goin' to make it through this little experiment of the Cap'n's," Trip said, shaking his head. "Everyday this week somethin's gone wrong."
"Don't – I feel guilty enough already," Hoshi protested.
"Ah, Hosh, it's not your fault. Or Liz Cutler's, or anyone else stuck in engineerin' this week. Nah, the blame is entirely on the Cap'n," Trip said with a wink. Hoshi smiled.
"Still, if you'd got T'Pol instead of me this week I doubt you'd have been putting out fires in the shuttle bay, or had your hypo spanner broken," Hoshi mused.
"Well, I still wouldn't swap yer. I needed a new spanner anyway," Trip grinned. "Now, you're goin' to have to carry on with this, while I go in there. We need to disconnect the power grid."
Trip was pointing to a small hatchway above them. "I can access it from the hatch. All you have to do it press that button when I say."
Trip climbed up and after a minute shouted down to Hoshi.
"Okay, now!"
Hoshi pressed the button and at the same time the entrance hatch to the power relays swished tightly shut above her.
"Damn it!" She heard from overhead.
"Trip?" Hoshi called up. "Trip, are you okay?"
"Fine, Hosh," Trip's voice came through the hatch muffled. "But there's not a lot of room up here."
"How do I open the hatch?"
"Ah – you can't. That is, the power grid I disconnected works the hatchway, so it's pretty much dead."
"What are we going to do?"
There was a pause.
"We'll have to get one of my boys up from engineerin' to jimmy it open. If we try to reconnect the power now, I'll get fried."
"Can't I do it?"
"If you don't know what you're doing you might damage the main circuitry," Trip's voice explained. "Jus' get on to Engineerin' and get them to send someone up ASAP."
"You know this is quite funny really," Hoshi spoke loudly, as she searched for her communicator.
"How?" Trip asked.
"Well, if we'd had to guess which one of us would get stuck in a hatch it would've been me, wouldn't it? But there you are."
"And so how is this funny?" Trip asked.
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"Hey, Doc, are you ready?"
Travis stuck his head round the door of sickbay.
Phlox looked up from his bat, whom he was feeding, to smile at the young ensign.
"Good morning! I must say I wasn't expecting you to come and fetch me, Ensign. I'm not late am I?"
"No, no, I was coming this way anyway," Travis smiled. "I'm looking forward to today's lesson."
Phlox looked up again.
"You are?"
"Yeah," Travis chuckled, shaking his head. "I really think you're going to get it today. One grade A shuttle pilot coming right up."
Phlox positively beamed at Travis' optimism.
"Well with such confidence how could I fail to go wrong?" he smiled, then he wailed in pain suddenly as the hungry bat took a bite of his finger.
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"The repair crew will be here within the hour, Commander," Hoshi called up to Trip. "They're having some problems in engineering and can't here right away." Getting no reply immediately, she called up; "Are you alright up there, sir?"
"Yee-ah, Hoshi, I'm okay," Trip called back. "Not sure I can hack an hour 'a this though. I'm getting' real bad cramp in my legs."
"Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" Hoshi asked.
"Jus' keep me company, will ya? Know any good stories?"
"I'll try and think of some, sir," Hoshi said cheerfully.
"Thanks," Trip grunted in reply. After a pause, he called down to Hoshi again. "You know, I'm beginning to understand why you get claustrophobia, Hosh, it's really unsettling being stuck in such a confined space."
Hoshi could hear Trip trying to move about in the hatch above her, then she heard a loud clunk and a cry of rage.
"Are you okay, Commander?" she asked again.
"Just whacked my hand on bulkhead," Trip called out, his breath a little laboured. "Man… it feels like there's no air in here."
Hoshi stared up the hatch anxiously now.
"Well, sir, I can't think of any stories right now, but I could tell you what I do, when I…. you know, get claustrophobic." She waited for Trip to reply.
"I'm listenin'" Trip answered eventually.
"I've got a fool-proof method," Hoshi started, pacing the deck a little.
"Should suit me then," Trip said.
"Every time I start to feel that sweat on the back of my neck, I start to conjugate verbs," she said, smiling to herself."
"You what?"
"I conjugate verbs," Hoshi repeated. "You know – I am, you are, she is, and so on. Earth languages, alien languages – it doesn't matter. It really helps calm me down. Do you… do you want to try it?"
"How long til' mountain rescue arrive?" Trip asked doubtfully.
"Fifty minutes," Hoshi told him.
"I guess I'll try anythin' once," Trip called back doubtfully. "What do you wanna start with?"
"Let's try some Klingon," Hoshi suggested. Funny, she almost thought she heard Trip sigh through the hatchway.
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"Lieutenant, may I join you?"
Malcolm looked up from his food to see T'Pol looming over him.
"Sub-Commander," he nodded. "Of course you may, please sit down."
"The captain must be dining alone a lot this week," Malcolm smiled pleasantly. "I keep seeing you and Trip here in the Mess."
"Everyone's workload has increased this week," was all T'Pol offered by way of explanation. Malcolm nodded politely. "I have been anticipating your assistance on the bridge today, Lieutenant," she started abruptly.
"Oh?" Malcolm raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, after viewing your modifications to the targeting scanners yesterday I… I believe it may be beneficial to take another look at the efficiency of the scientific scanners."
"You're asking for my help?" Malcolm asked, trying to hide his surprise.
"Yes - I am," T'Pol stated.
"It would be a pleasure to assist you," Malcolm smiled.
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"Excuse us, Ensign, is the commander up there?" Two of Trip's engineering crew had found Hoshi near the Com power relays.
"Yes, the hatchway shut when we disconnected the power," Hoshi informed them. "Can you open it again?"
"I should think so," the second crewman answered. He looked up at the hatchway. "How do you want us to go about this, Commander?" he called up.
"Crowbar'd be my preferred method, Billy," Trip shouted down. "But I guess for the Captain's sake you should just try and take the panel off in one piece. You got a wrench with you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then start usin' it," Trip instructed.
Finally, the two crewmen detached the hatch opening and Trip climbed back down to Hoshi. He stretched slowly.
"Ah, that feels good."
"How long were you up there for, sir?" the first crewman asked, a smile threatening to play on his face.
"A while," Trip answered. Seeing the two glancing at each other he glared at them. "Alrigh', back to work, nothin' to see." As they left Trip turned to Hoshi.
"I guess I owe you one. You really helped me keep my head up there."
"Well, you may not have though much of the method but…" Hoshi smiled at him, "I have to say Commander, you're Klingon is the better for it!"
Trip laughed and stretched again.
"So it is, Ensign. And I'm better for knowin' you're the right person to be stuck in a whole with. Who'd a thought claustrophobia's the secret to learning a language?"
"Don't spread about," Hoshi whispered with a grin.
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"Hey man – you got it!" Travis said excitedly. "That was perfect – you didn't make one mistake!" Travis laughed and shook his head. "I never thought you'd be able to pick it up so fast."
Phlox looked, and indeed felt, quietly pleased with himself.
"Well, it certainly means a lot to have your praise, Ensign. I was beginning to think that was something I would never win."
Travis swallowed. "Doc, I'm sorry I've been down on you this week. I've been pretty impatient, haven't I?"
"Well, I wouldn't like to criticise…"
"No," Travis held a hand up. "I have, I know I have. So maybe I'm not a born teacher, but I'm very pleased to say you proved me wrong. Who knows? Maybe you can combine sickbay with a career as a pilot?"
"The flying doctor?" Phlox chuckled. "Just what Enterprise needs."
Travis laughed too. Phlox fingered the now dormant controls gingerly.
"You know, Ensign, we have one more day of the exchange, and I know you'd rather not spend it in sickbay…" he started.
"Go on," Travis said turning to the doctor.
"How about letting me try something bigger than a shuttle pod?" Phlox asked keenly.
Travis looked blank, not understanding.
"Something bigger? But we don't have… oh no…"
"Enterprise," Phlox said. "I want to fly Enterprise."
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Dun Dun Da!!! To be continued… please read/review