TITLE: Dear Annie ("Fallen Hero" and "Desert Crossing")
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Yes, just let me know.
CATEGORY: Gen
RATINGS/WARNINGS: G
SUMMARY: Hoshi writes home after the events of "Fallen Hero" and "Desert Crossing."
DISCLAIMER: Enterprise and all its crew belong to Paramount and many other entities with expensive lawyers. I am making no profit from this story.
NOTES: Since these episodes are supposed to have occurred in close proximity, I'm assuming that Hoshi didn't have time to write home between them. The fairy tale idea is inspired by Paradox, and I hope she'll forgive me for borrowing it :) Thanks to Captain Average for the beta.
* * * * *
Dear Annie:
Once upon a time there was a young Vulcan...(I know, you weren't expecting fairy tales, but bear with me, someday you and Amanda can tell this one to your kids.) So, once upon a time there was a young Vulcan named T'Pol, who was much beloved by the men of the kingdom, although she favored none but Captain Archer of the good ship Enterprise. One day, T'Pol met a fairy godmother (I mean, a Vulcan diplomat) named V'Lar. T'Pol asked many impudent questions, and V'Lar was very impressed with her. She was so impressed, that when V'Lar visited T'Pol on the Enterprise many years later, she took the time to sit down with one of T'Pol's co-workers and ask how she was doing, as well as answer questions about T'Pol's behavior. And the co-worker was pleased, and it was good.
But T'Pol was--well, it's hard to tell what she was, but if I had to guess I'd say she was unhappy--because it seemed that V'Lar had committed a crime. And T'Pol did argue that Vulcans, especially those as eminent as V'Lar, did not commit crimes. But V'Lar would not say whether she had done anything wrong.
Then a ship arrived and tried to take V'Lar away, but T'Pol and the Captain refused to let her go, because they were stubborn and it was not in their nature to hand over their guests to just any old obnoxious ship that demanded they do so.
And the other ship tried to destroy the Enterprise, but the valiant Sir Malcolm and the Captain disabled them and Enterprise escaped. But because V'Lar did not trust Captain Archer (due to many years of enmity between their people), she would not tell him who was chasing her. So, the Captain determined to return to where V'Lar had come from, in hopes of an explanation.
By the time V'Lar explained that she was innocent of any crime and was in fact trying to expose a heinous band of evildoers, it was too late; the Enterprise was being chased by three of the villainous ships, too many for even the awesome power of the phase cannons. So, Enterprise ran toward the assistance of V'Lar and T'Pol's people, pursued by three determined ships who were able to block attempts to call for help. With the help of V'Lar, the comm officer was able to punch a message through (although the crew did not know for certain at the time that the message had been received).
In the end, the ship was boarded, and only through the trickery of the Captain and the Doctor were the villains confounded long enough for assistance to arrive. And there was much rejoicing, except in Engineering, where Sir Charles and his crew contemplated many long nights of repairing a Warp 5 engine that had been strained severely by actually trying to travel at Warp 5.
And so V'Lar and T'Pol met again, and learned many interesting things, and had many adventures, until V'Lar was returned to her people. And we hope that both T'Pol and V'Lar will live happily ever after.
There, wasn't that a nice story? Of course, the children's version leaves out some of the things I heard the Captain muttering under his breath. Oh, and it leaves out the things Trip said about what people were doing to his poor engines. He took it quite personally that he wasn't able to maintain the speed the Captain needed, not to mention the fact that someone was shooting at us. He reminded me of Mark when our boat broke down on that vacation down the Nile. (I didn't even know Mark *knew* how to curse in that many languages! I guess archaeologists pick up more than we think.)
Of course, I've been thinking about vacations because we were on our way to shore leave on the tropical planet of Risa when Starfleet ordered us to pick up V'Lar. And after we managed to drop V'Lar off with the Vulcans, we tried for shore leave *again*, and *again* we got delayed, this time by a distress call.
Problem is, our second delay was partly a problem of our own making, and it has to do with that species I was calling the X. There's still a lot I can't tell you, but the Captain's decision to help the X came back to bite us--or more accurately Trip and Jon--in the butt.
We answered the distress call of a little ship owned by a guy named Zobral, and once Trip fixed his ship, he invited the Captain and Trip to visit his home and enjoy his hospitality.
Just this once, it would have been nice if Jon had been able to resist making new friends, or listen to his tac officer's advice to take more security. Because, surprise, it turns out Zobral wanted Enterprise to help him win a war against his own government, and he wasn't terribly interested in taking no for an answer.
It's Zobral's fault I had fairy tales on the brain, because he was obviously told the tale of Jonathan Archer the Brave Little Tailor (oops, I mean Starship Captain). You know the story I mean, don't you? The tailor who kills seven flies with one stroke but he lets everyone believe it's seven giants. And then he's sent off by the King to kill giants. Well, the Captain's act of altruism, freeing 80-some of the X from a couple dozen prison guards, has become the act of a mighty warrior freeing thousands of the X from an entire army. "Seven at one stroke!"
In the story, the tailor defeats the giants through trickery and deceit and wins the hand of the princess. Our brave Captain won the heart (or at least the admiration) of T'Pol by choosing to walk away rather than aid the revolution.
Of course, if he'd just said no and walked away, it wouldn't have been so bad. But noooo, the planetary government had to decide that we had taken sides already. T'Pol tried to convince them we'd done nothing of the sort, but they launched an attack on Zobral's camp and threatened to blow up any shuttle we sent to pick up our crew. They even blocked Malcolm's scans of the planet, so we didn't know if they were still alive.
I seem to spend a lot of my time sitting on the bridge waiting to hear the fate of my fellow crewmembers (especially the Captain). I can't decide which is worse, waiting or going on the away missions.
But this incident really made me think about how difficult our task is. I mean, how many planets have a single government for us to contact and how many are a collection of warring nations? How do we decide who to contact, especially for first contact? Obviously, in this case we made the wrong choice and it nearly got Jon and Trip killed. How do we convince other planets of our peaceful intentions? It's going to be a lot harder with the legend of Jonathan Archer the Brave Little Starship Captain being spread by merchants in this sector. The Captain and I are going to have to talk to Starfleet about some of our first contact protocols, and how I go about finding someone in authority to speak to.
In the meantime, our Chief Engineer is in Sickbay recovering. Remember when you took me to visit your friends in Beersheva? I don't remember most of your lecture about dehydration, probably because of the heatstroke I suffered. However, I'm going to drag up whatever I can remember of that lecture and deliver it to Trip next time I can get him alone, because he managed to get himself a severe case of heatstroke and a darn good sunburn.
If it weren't for the Captain refusing to leave him behind...well, that doesn't bear thinking about, so I won't. But I know Trip is never going to set foot on a desert planet again, if he can possibly avoid it. Oh, I almost forgot, he's promised to tell you *all* about what he ate in Zobral's camp, because he says you'll love it. I shudder to think what that means, with his sense of humor, but you should get his note soon because he's stuck in Sickbay not allowed to do any work.
We've once again set a course for tropical Risa, for our well-deserved R&R. Boy, do I need a break; from the stress, from the bridge, from my crewmates. Thanks for getting me those materials from the AAA meetings, maybe once we reach Risa I'll have some time to look at them. I'm sorry to have missed both LSA and AAA, it's the first time in years I haven't been to either. (And sorrier to have missed Susi's annual belly-dancing party and the chance to see you and meet Amanda.)
I feel so isolated out here. All the new languages are wonderful, but it loses something when I can't share them professional colleagues, who can truly appreciate them, rather than simply wait for my translation. I've got wonderful friends, but it's not quite the same.
Good grief, I really *do* need a vacation. Just listen to me! I'll sign off now, Liz Cutler and I are going to ransack our wardrobes for something to wear on Risa.
And hell, how much trouble can the crew get into on a resort planet? Nobody chasing us, nobody shooting at us, it sounds like heaven to me.
Love,
Hoshi
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Yes, just let me know.
CATEGORY: Gen
RATINGS/WARNINGS: G
SUMMARY: Hoshi writes home after the events of "Fallen Hero" and "Desert Crossing."
DISCLAIMER: Enterprise and all its crew belong to Paramount and many other entities with expensive lawyers. I am making no profit from this story.
NOTES: Since these episodes are supposed to have occurred in close proximity, I'm assuming that Hoshi didn't have time to write home between them. The fairy tale idea is inspired by Paradox, and I hope she'll forgive me for borrowing it :) Thanks to Captain Average for the beta.
* * * * *
Dear Annie:
Once upon a time there was a young Vulcan...(I know, you weren't expecting fairy tales, but bear with me, someday you and Amanda can tell this one to your kids.) So, once upon a time there was a young Vulcan named T'Pol, who was much beloved by the men of the kingdom, although she favored none but Captain Archer of the good ship Enterprise. One day, T'Pol met a fairy godmother (I mean, a Vulcan diplomat) named V'Lar. T'Pol asked many impudent questions, and V'Lar was very impressed with her. She was so impressed, that when V'Lar visited T'Pol on the Enterprise many years later, she took the time to sit down with one of T'Pol's co-workers and ask how she was doing, as well as answer questions about T'Pol's behavior. And the co-worker was pleased, and it was good.
But T'Pol was--well, it's hard to tell what she was, but if I had to guess I'd say she was unhappy--because it seemed that V'Lar had committed a crime. And T'Pol did argue that Vulcans, especially those as eminent as V'Lar, did not commit crimes. But V'Lar would not say whether she had done anything wrong.
Then a ship arrived and tried to take V'Lar away, but T'Pol and the Captain refused to let her go, because they were stubborn and it was not in their nature to hand over their guests to just any old obnoxious ship that demanded they do so.
And the other ship tried to destroy the Enterprise, but the valiant Sir Malcolm and the Captain disabled them and Enterprise escaped. But because V'Lar did not trust Captain Archer (due to many years of enmity between their people), she would not tell him who was chasing her. So, the Captain determined to return to where V'Lar had come from, in hopes of an explanation.
By the time V'Lar explained that she was innocent of any crime and was in fact trying to expose a heinous band of evildoers, it was too late; the Enterprise was being chased by three of the villainous ships, too many for even the awesome power of the phase cannons. So, Enterprise ran toward the assistance of V'Lar and T'Pol's people, pursued by three determined ships who were able to block attempts to call for help. With the help of V'Lar, the comm officer was able to punch a message through (although the crew did not know for certain at the time that the message had been received).
In the end, the ship was boarded, and only through the trickery of the Captain and the Doctor were the villains confounded long enough for assistance to arrive. And there was much rejoicing, except in Engineering, where Sir Charles and his crew contemplated many long nights of repairing a Warp 5 engine that had been strained severely by actually trying to travel at Warp 5.
And so V'Lar and T'Pol met again, and learned many interesting things, and had many adventures, until V'Lar was returned to her people. And we hope that both T'Pol and V'Lar will live happily ever after.
There, wasn't that a nice story? Of course, the children's version leaves out some of the things I heard the Captain muttering under his breath. Oh, and it leaves out the things Trip said about what people were doing to his poor engines. He took it quite personally that he wasn't able to maintain the speed the Captain needed, not to mention the fact that someone was shooting at us. He reminded me of Mark when our boat broke down on that vacation down the Nile. (I didn't even know Mark *knew* how to curse in that many languages! I guess archaeologists pick up more than we think.)
Of course, I've been thinking about vacations because we were on our way to shore leave on the tropical planet of Risa when Starfleet ordered us to pick up V'Lar. And after we managed to drop V'Lar off with the Vulcans, we tried for shore leave *again*, and *again* we got delayed, this time by a distress call.
Problem is, our second delay was partly a problem of our own making, and it has to do with that species I was calling the X. There's still a lot I can't tell you, but the Captain's decision to help the X came back to bite us--or more accurately Trip and Jon--in the butt.
We answered the distress call of a little ship owned by a guy named Zobral, and once Trip fixed his ship, he invited the Captain and Trip to visit his home and enjoy his hospitality.
Just this once, it would have been nice if Jon had been able to resist making new friends, or listen to his tac officer's advice to take more security. Because, surprise, it turns out Zobral wanted Enterprise to help him win a war against his own government, and he wasn't terribly interested in taking no for an answer.
It's Zobral's fault I had fairy tales on the brain, because he was obviously told the tale of Jonathan Archer the Brave Little Tailor (oops, I mean Starship Captain). You know the story I mean, don't you? The tailor who kills seven flies with one stroke but he lets everyone believe it's seven giants. And then he's sent off by the King to kill giants. Well, the Captain's act of altruism, freeing 80-some of the X from a couple dozen prison guards, has become the act of a mighty warrior freeing thousands of the X from an entire army. "Seven at one stroke!"
In the story, the tailor defeats the giants through trickery and deceit and wins the hand of the princess. Our brave Captain won the heart (or at least the admiration) of T'Pol by choosing to walk away rather than aid the revolution.
Of course, if he'd just said no and walked away, it wouldn't have been so bad. But noooo, the planetary government had to decide that we had taken sides already. T'Pol tried to convince them we'd done nothing of the sort, but they launched an attack on Zobral's camp and threatened to blow up any shuttle we sent to pick up our crew. They even blocked Malcolm's scans of the planet, so we didn't know if they were still alive.
I seem to spend a lot of my time sitting on the bridge waiting to hear the fate of my fellow crewmembers (especially the Captain). I can't decide which is worse, waiting or going on the away missions.
But this incident really made me think about how difficult our task is. I mean, how many planets have a single government for us to contact and how many are a collection of warring nations? How do we decide who to contact, especially for first contact? Obviously, in this case we made the wrong choice and it nearly got Jon and Trip killed. How do we convince other planets of our peaceful intentions? It's going to be a lot harder with the legend of Jonathan Archer the Brave Little Starship Captain being spread by merchants in this sector. The Captain and I are going to have to talk to Starfleet about some of our first contact protocols, and how I go about finding someone in authority to speak to.
In the meantime, our Chief Engineer is in Sickbay recovering. Remember when you took me to visit your friends in Beersheva? I don't remember most of your lecture about dehydration, probably because of the heatstroke I suffered. However, I'm going to drag up whatever I can remember of that lecture and deliver it to Trip next time I can get him alone, because he managed to get himself a severe case of heatstroke and a darn good sunburn.
If it weren't for the Captain refusing to leave him behind...well, that doesn't bear thinking about, so I won't. But I know Trip is never going to set foot on a desert planet again, if he can possibly avoid it. Oh, I almost forgot, he's promised to tell you *all* about what he ate in Zobral's camp, because he says you'll love it. I shudder to think what that means, with his sense of humor, but you should get his note soon because he's stuck in Sickbay not allowed to do any work.
We've once again set a course for tropical Risa, for our well-deserved R&R. Boy, do I need a break; from the stress, from the bridge, from my crewmates. Thanks for getting me those materials from the AAA meetings, maybe once we reach Risa I'll have some time to look at them. I'm sorry to have missed both LSA and AAA, it's the first time in years I haven't been to either. (And sorrier to have missed Susi's annual belly-dancing party and the chance to see you and meet Amanda.)
I feel so isolated out here. All the new languages are wonderful, but it loses something when I can't share them professional colleagues, who can truly appreciate them, rather than simply wait for my translation. I've got wonderful friends, but it's not quite the same.
Good grief, I really *do* need a vacation. Just listen to me! I'll sign off now, Liz Cutler and I are going to ransack our wardrobes for something to wear on Risa.
And hell, how much trouble can the crew get into on a resort planet? Nobody chasing us, nobody shooting at us, it sounds like heaven to me.
Love,
Hoshi