Chapter Two:
Ensign Sato turned the page of the old novel and read on. She was completely engrossed in how Maria used the curtains to create outfits for the Van Trapp children. She almost laughed at how angry the father was about it.
Sato drank her iced tea and lay back on her bunk bed. She set the book down and closed her eyes. The day had gone by so slowly and so excruciating at first. But now, she was at ease without a care in the world.
Except how the words on the PADD disappeared so quickly.
She didn't understand it. It seemed so bizarreā¦
Oh well, Hoshi thought. And her mind did not dwell on that again.
***
"They just cloaked an' there was a flash 'o light?" Trip asked amazed, while making the necessary repairs on the warp core.
"Yes, that's what I keep telling you, Trip," Archer replied.
Trip looked at the warp core, "Hell, this thing looks like it's fixed. I just started to mess with it, too."
"Strange?"
"Yea, hey, Johnson, how's the rest of the ship doin'?" Trip drawled out.
Johnson came running up to his chief. "The strangest thing happened, sir, I was running a diagnostic and every system is in the shape it was before we were attacked seven hours ago."
Trip stared at him like he was lying.
"I'm not lying, sir. Everything is back to how it was. Granted, it's not in the best of shape, but it's like we were never attacked by these aliens."
Trip stared at the Captain. "Wha'd'ya say this alien called herself?"
Archer returned the stare, confused. "I never said their name. I don't even remember if it was a she or a he."
"But you just told me it was a she," Trip said.
"I did?" Archer was dumbfounded.
"What'd they look like?" Trip asked.
Captain Archer looked at the floor. "I honestly don't know."
"You forgot?"
"No, it's like it never happened," Archer replied.
"Sounds like ya need to see the doc, Cap'n," Trip replied and looked at the warp core, daring it to be broken.
The captain shook his head and thought about it for a moment. There was no way they could just all of a sudden forget who these people were unless it had all been dream, which was definitely not the case. He thought he might see Hoshi and ask her if she remembered who they were.
"I'll see you later, Trip!" Archer yelled as he left.
Trip looked at Ensign Johnson, who was standing there, almost lifeless.
"Didn't he just get here? I don't even recall talking to him," Trip sighed.
"Sir, what was I supposed to do?" Johnson asked.
Trip looked at him and could not remember. "Uh, make sure the ship is fine."
And then Trip looked back at his warp core, not remembering the last seven hours.
***
Captain Archer whistled while walking to Ensign Sato's quarters. Just as he got there, he could not remember why he had walked there.
Instead of heading back to the bridge, he rang for the ensign to see if Hoshi had contacted him.
Hoshi welcomed him into her quarters and walked over to the small couch. She sat down and smiled at the captain.
"Yes, Captain?" Hoshi asked.
Archer stood there like a moron. "Did I call you or did you call me?"
Hoshi shrugged.
"I was going to talk to you about something, but I can't think what it was."
"I have no idea, sir," Hoshi replied.
Archer turned around and walked out as quickly as possible. Hoshi furrowed her brows, rolled her eyes and shrugged. Some people were definitely weird.
***
Dinner that night for the captain was with his two top officers in his personal dinning room. They discussed yesterday's mission, which was exploring a harmless nebula. Trip thought it was beautiful, with the purple and orange swirls highlighting the tons of stars Sub-commander T'Pol told them it wasn't anything special, since the Vulcans had found it some thirty odd years ago.
No one spoke about earlier, for they had no recollection of part of the day.
Archer started to say something else to T'Pol and Tucker but stopped short.
"I can't remember part of the day," Archer chuckled.
T'Pol raised an eyebrow and ignored the attempt of starting a new conversation.
"Neither can I," Trip said between bites of food.
The sub-commander pretended to go along with what was being said. She remembered what had happened earlier but knew the humans were not ready to know about the aliens they had encountered because their memories had been wiped. She patted her lips clean and placed the napkin back on to her lap.
"Do you remember what happened earlier?" the captain asked his first officer.
"If something extraordinary would have happened why would only I remember it?"
She finished her plomek soup and dabbed her mouth once more.
"It's strange, ya know, I dun remember a thing earlier. Nothing funny about the day comes to mind."
"I suppose the day was so boring to you because your minds are not logical," T'Pol replied, as she stood to leave the table.
Archer and Trip stood as they wiped their mouths with their napkins. They said their goodbyes and headed off.
T'Pol walked to her quarters and entered them. She opened a dresser drawer and took out a box. She opened it and pulled out a PADD.
Carefully scrutinizing the PADD, she made sure all the information was still there. She ran her fingers around the metal just as she heard a sound behind her. The Vulcan turned around and noticed a cloaked person standing there.
The cloak was poor quality and brown. The figure's face could not be seen.
"Who are you?" T'Pol asked the figure.
"You do not recognize the cloak?" the figure asked.
Memories washed over T'Pol as she remembered the Vulcans first found these aliens cloaked like this figure before her.
"I do remember your species."
"You must not let the humans inquiry about us. They are too young to understand."
T'Pol nodded.
"The Vulcans are too young to understand as well, but we needed your help many years ago. Your people are flawed with logic but that is what we required from you so the other races would believe we do not exist," the figure replied.
T'Pol nodded and then asked, "We are still young to you?"
"Yes, your logic makes you much younger than the humans. If it was my choice, your people would not have remembered us."
T'Pol's eyebrow arched.
"The ship that attacked-" T'Pol began.
"-Was confused. They did not recognize your ship and they fired upon your ship because they believed they were in league with the enemy. We have been attacked by another species and we are just now being able to identify their vessels."
T'Pol nodded again and understood.
The figure disappeared.
T'Pol turned her attention back to the PADD in her hands and replaced it in the box. She then put the box back into the drawer and shut it. The Vulcan climbed into the bunk and thought of it no longer.
Ensign Sato turned the page of the old novel and read on. She was completely engrossed in how Maria used the curtains to create outfits for the Van Trapp children. She almost laughed at how angry the father was about it.
Sato drank her iced tea and lay back on her bunk bed. She set the book down and closed her eyes. The day had gone by so slowly and so excruciating at first. But now, she was at ease without a care in the world.
Except how the words on the PADD disappeared so quickly.
She didn't understand it. It seemed so bizarreā¦
Oh well, Hoshi thought. And her mind did not dwell on that again.
***
"They just cloaked an' there was a flash 'o light?" Trip asked amazed, while making the necessary repairs on the warp core.
"Yes, that's what I keep telling you, Trip," Archer replied.
Trip looked at the warp core, "Hell, this thing looks like it's fixed. I just started to mess with it, too."
"Strange?"
"Yea, hey, Johnson, how's the rest of the ship doin'?" Trip drawled out.
Johnson came running up to his chief. "The strangest thing happened, sir, I was running a diagnostic and every system is in the shape it was before we were attacked seven hours ago."
Trip stared at him like he was lying.
"I'm not lying, sir. Everything is back to how it was. Granted, it's not in the best of shape, but it's like we were never attacked by these aliens."
Trip stared at the Captain. "Wha'd'ya say this alien called herself?"
Archer returned the stare, confused. "I never said their name. I don't even remember if it was a she or a he."
"But you just told me it was a she," Trip said.
"I did?" Archer was dumbfounded.
"What'd they look like?" Trip asked.
Captain Archer looked at the floor. "I honestly don't know."
"You forgot?"
"No, it's like it never happened," Archer replied.
"Sounds like ya need to see the doc, Cap'n," Trip replied and looked at the warp core, daring it to be broken.
The captain shook his head and thought about it for a moment. There was no way they could just all of a sudden forget who these people were unless it had all been dream, which was definitely not the case. He thought he might see Hoshi and ask her if she remembered who they were.
"I'll see you later, Trip!" Archer yelled as he left.
Trip looked at Ensign Johnson, who was standing there, almost lifeless.
"Didn't he just get here? I don't even recall talking to him," Trip sighed.
"Sir, what was I supposed to do?" Johnson asked.
Trip looked at him and could not remember. "Uh, make sure the ship is fine."
And then Trip looked back at his warp core, not remembering the last seven hours.
***
Captain Archer whistled while walking to Ensign Sato's quarters. Just as he got there, he could not remember why he had walked there.
Instead of heading back to the bridge, he rang for the ensign to see if Hoshi had contacted him.
Hoshi welcomed him into her quarters and walked over to the small couch. She sat down and smiled at the captain.
"Yes, Captain?" Hoshi asked.
Archer stood there like a moron. "Did I call you or did you call me?"
Hoshi shrugged.
"I was going to talk to you about something, but I can't think what it was."
"I have no idea, sir," Hoshi replied.
Archer turned around and walked out as quickly as possible. Hoshi furrowed her brows, rolled her eyes and shrugged. Some people were definitely weird.
***
Dinner that night for the captain was with his two top officers in his personal dinning room. They discussed yesterday's mission, which was exploring a harmless nebula. Trip thought it was beautiful, with the purple and orange swirls highlighting the tons of stars Sub-commander T'Pol told them it wasn't anything special, since the Vulcans had found it some thirty odd years ago.
No one spoke about earlier, for they had no recollection of part of the day.
Archer started to say something else to T'Pol and Tucker but stopped short.
"I can't remember part of the day," Archer chuckled.
T'Pol raised an eyebrow and ignored the attempt of starting a new conversation.
"Neither can I," Trip said between bites of food.
The sub-commander pretended to go along with what was being said. She remembered what had happened earlier but knew the humans were not ready to know about the aliens they had encountered because their memories had been wiped. She patted her lips clean and placed the napkin back on to her lap.
"Do you remember what happened earlier?" the captain asked his first officer.
"If something extraordinary would have happened why would only I remember it?"
She finished her plomek soup and dabbed her mouth once more.
"It's strange, ya know, I dun remember a thing earlier. Nothing funny about the day comes to mind."
"I suppose the day was so boring to you because your minds are not logical," T'Pol replied, as she stood to leave the table.
Archer and Trip stood as they wiped their mouths with their napkins. They said their goodbyes and headed off.
T'Pol walked to her quarters and entered them. She opened a dresser drawer and took out a box. She opened it and pulled out a PADD.
Carefully scrutinizing the PADD, she made sure all the information was still there. She ran her fingers around the metal just as she heard a sound behind her. The Vulcan turned around and noticed a cloaked person standing there.
The cloak was poor quality and brown. The figure's face could not be seen.
"Who are you?" T'Pol asked the figure.
"You do not recognize the cloak?" the figure asked.
Memories washed over T'Pol as she remembered the Vulcans first found these aliens cloaked like this figure before her.
"I do remember your species."
"You must not let the humans inquiry about us. They are too young to understand."
T'Pol nodded.
"The Vulcans are too young to understand as well, but we needed your help many years ago. Your people are flawed with logic but that is what we required from you so the other races would believe we do not exist," the figure replied.
T'Pol nodded and then asked, "We are still young to you?"
"Yes, your logic makes you much younger than the humans. If it was my choice, your people would not have remembered us."
T'Pol's eyebrow arched.
"The ship that attacked-" T'Pol began.
"-Was confused. They did not recognize your ship and they fired upon your ship because they believed they were in league with the enemy. We have been attacked by another species and we are just now being able to identify their vessels."
T'Pol nodded again and understood.
The figure disappeared.
T'Pol turned her attention back to the PADD in her hands and replaced it in the box. She then put the box back into the drawer and shut it. The Vulcan climbed into the bunk and thought of it no longer.
