TITLE: Dear Annie ("Horizon" and "The Breach")
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 "Horizon" and "The Breach."
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: I'm sorry you don't get two separate letters, but RL kinda sucks. Thanks for the beta to Captain Average, the superhero with dental issues even worse than mine.
DEDICATION: Once again, to Jessica. Long distance hugs and get better soon.
* * * * *
Dear Annie,
Can you imagine two groups of people who hate each other so much that they have a series of wars, then literally have no contact for 300 years? Apparently, that's been the case between the Denobulans and this other race called the Antarans.
We only found this out because an Antaran ended up in sickbay and refused to let Phlox treat him. Why he was there at all has to do with a message from the Denobulan Science Academy that arrived for Phlox. It seemed pretty urgent, and I needed an excuse to get off the bridge for a few minutes, so I ran the card down to him personally.
He was feeding his menagerie and introduced me to the cutest little furry thing you've ever seen, called a tribble. Unfortunately, this tribble wasn't one of his medical creatures--it was lunch for something else. I gave him his message and left rather abruptly for the bridge. Call me crazy, but I find it unsettling when things in cages eat moderately large furry animals.
The Denobulans asked Enterprise to divert to a nearby planet that--due to a recent revolution--had taken a turn for the xenophobic, and wanted all the aliens to disappear. Apparently the Xantorians were perfectly willing to shoot anyone who wasn't gone by their deadline. Unfortunately, a group of Denobulan geologists were deep inside a series of caverns and couldn't be reached via comm.
So, our experienced climber, Travis, took Trip and Malcolm on a rescue mission while Captain Archer negotiated a three-day hold on shooting aliens on sight. In theory, Enterprise planned to spend those three days waiting, but I was listening to the evacuation and the tumult on the planet, and I heard one of the refugee ships in deep trouble.
They had a warp core breach and needed to land and get immediate medical attention for their crew, but the Xantorian government wouldn't let them. Naturally, we couldn't just let them get blown up or die of their injuries! So, we grappled the ship, took the wounded to sickbay, and sent our engineers to help repair the ship. I'm sure Hess was missing Trip, but she did a great job. I think I heard the captain say something about a commendation for her, which I know will thrill her!
And Phlox did his usual amazing job healing the wounded and juggling an overloaded sickbay, until this Antaran arrived. While the guy was unconscious, it was okay, but once he was stabilized and Phlox needed to do some sort of cellular repair, he awoke and refused to be treated by a Denobulan.
Meanwhile, Travis, Malcolm, and Trip trekked through these caverns and managed to slip and slide their way into an injury for Travis--a broken ankle and some torn ligaments. Why does he like climbing so much if he always hurts himself? Although this time it was apparently Malcolm's fault.
Poor Travis. He's really been having a tough time recently. We doubled back toward Earth a few weeks ago, and happened to pass right near his parents' cargo ship, the Horizon, so he thought he'd drop in for a few days of leave. Then just before the rendezvous, he got a message that his father had died, before Travis got to talk to him. God, he was devastated, our usually cheerful boomer, he wouldn't talk to anyone.
Well, he did end up taking his leave on the Horizon, and he's been happier since--now that he got to work some unresolved things out with his family. Still, he didn't need to come back and immediately hurt himself.
Unfortunately, he did, and Trip and Malcolm had to leave him behind to keep looking for the scientists. When I went to visit Travis in sickbay, he said he wasn't that concerned about being stuck and injured, but he was absolutely *terrified* that they'd hurt themselves or get lost without him.
Meanwhile, our Antaran patient still refused to be treated, and I have a suspicion the captain tried to order Phlox to conduct the procedure anyway. (It's kind of a catchphrase around here: "That's an order, Ensign.") I remember the uproar when Alison (that's Crewman Rhodes) refused to let Phlox use one of his particularly creepy crawlies, saying she'd rather let her wound heal more slowly. Liz was in the corner laughing hysterically and she said Phlox tried to convince her, but since Alison was adamant, Phlox backed off. Mind you, Alison was back a week later, in serious pain, but Phlox refused to treat her against her wishes, so I doubt he'd have treated this Antaran, no matter what the captain said.
I'm basing all this speculation purely on my knowledge of Phlox and the captain, mind you, and the frustration on both their faces throughout this entire experience. I really wish there was more cultural information available on the Denobulans, so I could help the captain understand the doctor. Those insular Denobulans don't exactly welcome cultural anthros with open arms.
I wish I could have been there to see how Phlox convinced the obstinate Antaran--I'll bet it was an interesting cultural clash. But I suppose the important thing is that he succeeded, the surgery was done, and the Antaran survived. It gives you a little bit of hope about the fate of the universe, doesn't it?
Trip and Malcolm used this time to find our lost sheep, er, Denobulans, only the obstinate idiots didn't want to leave. They said they weren't in any danger from the Xantorians where they were, proving they hadn't listened to a thing they'd been told. Trip says he was standing there, filthy, tired, frantic about the situation on the surface, and these smug Denobulans dismissed him--that was it, he lost his temper. By the time he was telling me about it, he couldn't remember exactly what he said in his fury, except that it involved the threat to tie them up and drag them out personally.
Whatever he said, it worked and they were on their way back. Mind you, *we* didn't know that, and as the deadline for the Xantorians to start shooting approached, we got antsy. I was scanning every comm signal on the planet, desperate to hear their voices, and the captain divided his time between hovering over my shoulder and checking on the repairs to the evacuation ship.
But I heard nothing. Well, that's not precisely true--I heard dozens of escaping refugee ships, terrified families uprooted from their homes, visiting scientists and exchange students thrown out on their ears. No sign of our crew or the missing Denobulans as the deadline rapidly approached, and Captain Archer was nearly apoplectic.
But that apoplexy was dwarfed by his fury when a Xantorian patrol started shooting at the area above the caverns. The captain had me get the governor on the line and the sanctimonious bastard had the nerve to say the patrol was shooting at soldiers from the previous regime, and it had nothing to do with us.
That was truly the final straw for the captain, who had T'Pol arm our weapons systems, and threatened to destroy the patrol if they didn't stop shooting. He essentially told the governor that if he didn't let our people get out unmolested, he'd be starting a war with Earth before the weapons were even cold on their little revolution.
It was a bluff, pure bluff. Okay, sure, we might have been able to destroy their patrol ships, but there's no way we have the authority to declare war...but the governor was apparently worried enough that he stopped the patrol. And then we waited. And waited.
Two long and painful hours after the deadline, we finally got word from the shuttlepod that everyone (even the scientists) were safely aboard. They took off and were making their way out of the atmosphere, when a patrol ship started shooting at them. That patrol was moments away from being blown out of the sky, when Trip and Malcolm told us not to shoot, it was warning shots instead of killing shots.
The shuttlepod made it safely back, thank goodness, and we transferred the Denobulan scientists as well as the Antaran onto a transport ship heading in the direction of their homeworlds. That was a little adventure in and of itself, involving a long conversation between Phlox and the scientists, before they agreed to ride on the same transport--as long as the Antaran agreed.
We'll never know how that goes, unfortunately. Will the Denobulans and the Antarans spend the entire trip avoiding each other? Maybe they'll have a frank conversation, leading to further rapprochement. A girl can dream, right?
I hope all is well at home by the time you get this message. I'm terribly sorry to hear about your knee, but I'm sure that the doctors will figure out what's wrong and make it better. Long distance hugs and get well soon, okay? Tell Amanda I said to pamper you, because you deserve it.
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 "Horizon" and "The Breach."
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: I'm sorry you don't get two separate letters, but RL kinda sucks. Thanks for the beta to Captain Average, the superhero with dental issues even worse than mine.
DEDICATION: Once again, to Jessica. Long distance hugs and get better soon.
* * * * *
Dear Annie,
Can you imagine two groups of people who hate each other so much that they have a series of wars, then literally have no contact for 300 years? Apparently, that's been the case between the Denobulans and this other race called the Antarans.
We only found this out because an Antaran ended up in sickbay and refused to let Phlox treat him. Why he was there at all has to do with a message from the Denobulan Science Academy that arrived for Phlox. It seemed pretty urgent, and I needed an excuse to get off the bridge for a few minutes, so I ran the card down to him personally.
He was feeding his menagerie and introduced me to the cutest little furry thing you've ever seen, called a tribble. Unfortunately, this tribble wasn't one of his medical creatures--it was lunch for something else. I gave him his message and left rather abruptly for the bridge. Call me crazy, but I find it unsettling when things in cages eat moderately large furry animals.
The Denobulans asked Enterprise to divert to a nearby planet that--due to a recent revolution--had taken a turn for the xenophobic, and wanted all the aliens to disappear. Apparently the Xantorians were perfectly willing to shoot anyone who wasn't gone by their deadline. Unfortunately, a group of Denobulan geologists were deep inside a series of caverns and couldn't be reached via comm.
So, our experienced climber, Travis, took Trip and Malcolm on a rescue mission while Captain Archer negotiated a three-day hold on shooting aliens on sight. In theory, Enterprise planned to spend those three days waiting, but I was listening to the evacuation and the tumult on the planet, and I heard one of the refugee ships in deep trouble.
They had a warp core breach and needed to land and get immediate medical attention for their crew, but the Xantorian government wouldn't let them. Naturally, we couldn't just let them get blown up or die of their injuries! So, we grappled the ship, took the wounded to sickbay, and sent our engineers to help repair the ship. I'm sure Hess was missing Trip, but she did a great job. I think I heard the captain say something about a commendation for her, which I know will thrill her!
And Phlox did his usual amazing job healing the wounded and juggling an overloaded sickbay, until this Antaran arrived. While the guy was unconscious, it was okay, but once he was stabilized and Phlox needed to do some sort of cellular repair, he awoke and refused to be treated by a Denobulan.
Meanwhile, Travis, Malcolm, and Trip trekked through these caverns and managed to slip and slide their way into an injury for Travis--a broken ankle and some torn ligaments. Why does he like climbing so much if he always hurts himself? Although this time it was apparently Malcolm's fault.
Poor Travis. He's really been having a tough time recently. We doubled back toward Earth a few weeks ago, and happened to pass right near his parents' cargo ship, the Horizon, so he thought he'd drop in for a few days of leave. Then just before the rendezvous, he got a message that his father had died, before Travis got to talk to him. God, he was devastated, our usually cheerful boomer, he wouldn't talk to anyone.
Well, he did end up taking his leave on the Horizon, and he's been happier since--now that he got to work some unresolved things out with his family. Still, he didn't need to come back and immediately hurt himself.
Unfortunately, he did, and Trip and Malcolm had to leave him behind to keep looking for the scientists. When I went to visit Travis in sickbay, he said he wasn't that concerned about being stuck and injured, but he was absolutely *terrified* that they'd hurt themselves or get lost without him.
Meanwhile, our Antaran patient still refused to be treated, and I have a suspicion the captain tried to order Phlox to conduct the procedure anyway. (It's kind of a catchphrase around here: "That's an order, Ensign.") I remember the uproar when Alison (that's Crewman Rhodes) refused to let Phlox use one of his particularly creepy crawlies, saying she'd rather let her wound heal more slowly. Liz was in the corner laughing hysterically and she said Phlox tried to convince her, but since Alison was adamant, Phlox backed off. Mind you, Alison was back a week later, in serious pain, but Phlox refused to treat her against her wishes, so I doubt he'd have treated this Antaran, no matter what the captain said.
I'm basing all this speculation purely on my knowledge of Phlox and the captain, mind you, and the frustration on both their faces throughout this entire experience. I really wish there was more cultural information available on the Denobulans, so I could help the captain understand the doctor. Those insular Denobulans don't exactly welcome cultural anthros with open arms.
I wish I could have been there to see how Phlox convinced the obstinate Antaran--I'll bet it was an interesting cultural clash. But I suppose the important thing is that he succeeded, the surgery was done, and the Antaran survived. It gives you a little bit of hope about the fate of the universe, doesn't it?
Trip and Malcolm used this time to find our lost sheep, er, Denobulans, only the obstinate idiots didn't want to leave. They said they weren't in any danger from the Xantorians where they were, proving they hadn't listened to a thing they'd been told. Trip says he was standing there, filthy, tired, frantic about the situation on the surface, and these smug Denobulans dismissed him--that was it, he lost his temper. By the time he was telling me about it, he couldn't remember exactly what he said in his fury, except that it involved the threat to tie them up and drag them out personally.
Whatever he said, it worked and they were on their way back. Mind you, *we* didn't know that, and as the deadline for the Xantorians to start shooting approached, we got antsy. I was scanning every comm signal on the planet, desperate to hear their voices, and the captain divided his time between hovering over my shoulder and checking on the repairs to the evacuation ship.
But I heard nothing. Well, that's not precisely true--I heard dozens of escaping refugee ships, terrified families uprooted from their homes, visiting scientists and exchange students thrown out on their ears. No sign of our crew or the missing Denobulans as the deadline rapidly approached, and Captain Archer was nearly apoplectic.
But that apoplexy was dwarfed by his fury when a Xantorian patrol started shooting at the area above the caverns. The captain had me get the governor on the line and the sanctimonious bastard had the nerve to say the patrol was shooting at soldiers from the previous regime, and it had nothing to do with us.
That was truly the final straw for the captain, who had T'Pol arm our weapons systems, and threatened to destroy the patrol if they didn't stop shooting. He essentially told the governor that if he didn't let our people get out unmolested, he'd be starting a war with Earth before the weapons were even cold on their little revolution.
It was a bluff, pure bluff. Okay, sure, we might have been able to destroy their patrol ships, but there's no way we have the authority to declare war...but the governor was apparently worried enough that he stopped the patrol. And then we waited. And waited.
Two long and painful hours after the deadline, we finally got word from the shuttlepod that everyone (even the scientists) were safely aboard. They took off and were making their way out of the atmosphere, when a patrol ship started shooting at them. That patrol was moments away from being blown out of the sky, when Trip and Malcolm told us not to shoot, it was warning shots instead of killing shots.
The shuttlepod made it safely back, thank goodness, and we transferred the Denobulan scientists as well as the Antaran onto a transport ship heading in the direction of their homeworlds. That was a little adventure in and of itself, involving a long conversation between Phlox and the scientists, before they agreed to ride on the same transport--as long as the Antaran agreed.
We'll never know how that goes, unfortunately. Will the Denobulans and the Antarans spend the entire trip avoiding each other? Maybe they'll have a frank conversation, leading to further rapprochement. A girl can dream, right?
I hope all is well at home by the time you get this message. I'm terribly sorry to hear about your knee, but I'm sure that the doctors will figure out what's wrong and make it better. Long distance hugs and get well soon, okay? Tell Amanda I said to pamper you, because you deserve it.
Love,
Hoshi