CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTION
Day 3
My job is to see to the welfare of my crew, my job is to see to the welfare of my... Lieutenant Malcolm Reed contained a sigh. He stood by Sub-commander T'Pol holding a pole that supported a large umbrella over himself and his companions. The Vulcan sat in a chair by his side. In front of them at the delegates' table sat Ensign Hoshi Sato.
Reed changed hands in holding the pole, trying to contain his impatience. Ensign Sato had been trying to find ways to engage the Evanais in negotiations. Reed now contemplated whether he would have to offer himself as a live target for shooting practice in order to get their linguist to unwind this evening.
"Lieutenant, I do not believe Ensign Sato is making progress," said T'Pol quietly with her usual detachment. She looked as uncomfortable as Reed had ever seen her. The islands of the water planet were all near the equator, some with lush vegetation, others were desert islands. All were hot, but this tropical paradise was also rather humid.
"At least they've quit shuttling us between islands, Sub-commander. Although I've been enjoying the sea air, it grew old after the first 6 hours of being ferried about. You must be very uncomfortable."
"I am not accustomed to the humidity of this planet," confirmed T'Pol. She had not expected Reed to notice her discomfort. She obviously needed to work on maintaining her professional demeanor.
Reed nodded and turned his attention again to Ensign Sato. He could see her shoulders tense in the sleeveless sheath that she wore even as she kept her voice calm and friendly. Sato had not been allowed to use the UT at the delegates' table, making her even more valuable to the mission. Luckily the language was very similar to Hawaiian, but that only eased her frustrations a little.
Suddenly Ensign Sato raised her voice and both officers moved to flank her. Reed saw that the Evanais delegates were all grinning broadly and nodding their heads, so he relaxed his stance.
Sato stood up with a genuine smile, holding up three fingers and pointing to Reed and T'Pol as she made further comments. She then gave a slight incline of her head. The gesture was returned by the delegates. This session was over, but the linguist was apparently very pleased with the outcome
Reed and T'Pol exchanged a look over Ensign Sato's head, but knew they would be informed of what had transpired once they were back at their temporary quarters.
-----
"Ensign, report." said T'Pol once they had entered their cabana. Reed immediately moved to get each one a glass of water, smiling slightly at the thought of his position being relegated to cabana boy. The women were clearly in charge of this mission.
Sato took the glass of water from Reed and smiled gratefully. She drank half of it before she began to explain what had transpired.
"Well, Sub-commander, we have an advantage over other species that have visited the islands with the same idea. We impressed the delegates because we were so patient with the slow approach to opening negotiations. Others have left in frustration once they got on the third ferry that shuttled them from island to island."
"I'm glad that worked to our advantage, but what happened at the end of the meeting? I noticed you held up three fingers. Are there three conditions we have to meet?" Reed asked.
"You could say that. The Evanais are very family oriented; family ties are important here. The word they use has a much deeper connotation than just a clan or family, though. Negotiations are not a matter of what can be gained, but whether one can enhance family ties or form alliances with new families. Negotiations can't proceed until we've established a family bond."
"Familial bonds imply marriage or adoption, Ensign." T'Pol hoped the Ensign had not somehow agreed to marry one of the delegates. That certainly was not within the goals of their mission. Reed also got a concerned look on his face.
"This is more like creating our own family," said Sato, smiling as she heard a sigh of relief escape from their Armory Officer.
She continued. "Sometimes whole families are lost due to storms or volcanoes and individuals become orphaned. The Evanais have a formal ritual for adopting those left without families regardless of their age. A group of individuals who are orphaned can also form a family unit together, an Orphan Family, if you will, if they compete as a team in the events that are a prelude to the Solstice celebrations."
"It appears that our arrival is timely then," remarked T'Pol. "How does one achieve family status?"
"The delegates judge the teams to determine whether formal recognition of familial bonds has been earned. They call it being born as a family. The minimum size for an orphan team is three, so we have that. There is no stipulation on gender ratios; the teams can be same sex or include opposite sex. The events start in two days and precede the real contests for Solstice celebrations."
T'Pol summarized. "By gaining recognition as an Orphan Family, we can then proceed with negotiations for the mining rights and actually complete the mission by the time Enterprise returns for us at the end of the week."
"Exactly."
"And what precisely are these events, Ensign?" asked Reed.
Sato walked to the computer terminal in the cabana to access the information that provided details of the events for her colleagues. She had been informed about the general characteristics of the events by the delegates.
"What happens if we fail to meet the criteria for an Orphan Family?" asked T'Pol while the computer worked.
"In that case, one of us would have to marry or be adopted into one of the existing families to be able to negotiate. Actually, Lieutenant, there was quite a bit of interest in your marital status," said Sato with her eyes sparkling in mischief. At his look of shock she relented and added, "Don't worry. I told them you were spoken for."
"Can we achieve our ends through an adoption?" asked T'Pol, trying to ignore the looks that Reed and Sato were giving each other over their last interaction.
Sato turned to T'Pol and replied calmly. "Being adopted means that the person has to live with the family for one year before the issue is considered settled."
"Marriage is out of the question. Adoption would not be considered a good alternative given the residency requirement. The Orphan Family does appear to be our best option. If we fail in that, then we would have to send a mission in another year that would be prepared to achieve family status." T'Pol ended with a nod of her head.
"Here's the description of the events," said Sato as the two moved behind her to read the screen.
T'Pol nodded her head slightly, then one of her eyebrows raised. "What events were you considering?"
"There are a number, but we just need to select three that we think we can do well." Hoshi now had a broad grin on her face. "We don't have the minimum of six to compete in any of the boating events. Of course there's always cliff diving, but I think dancing would be safer for our first event. The Evanais have developed a way of communicating through body movements in a dance. That would make it similar to Hawaiian dance."
'NO."
Lieutenant Reed stood there with his arms across his chest emanating as much stubbornness as he could muster.
"I may have to play cabana boy for the two of you on this mission, but I draw the line at grass skirts and waving my arms about like some--some hula dancer!"
"Come on, Lieutenant. I studied hula when I was a teenager. I'll have to see if I still have the moves," ended Sato said with a graceful wave of her arms. Reed had no doubt that she still had the moves and then some, but he kept those thoughts to himself.
"No, I simply will not do it. Why don't we dive off the high cliffs instead? I'd rather risk my bloody neck in the fall than--" Reed was quickly interrupted by Sato's own tirade.
"Oh, you are SO on a macho kick sometimes! I swear I don't know how you can create coherent thoughts with all the testosterone you've subjected your brain to," Sato began as she raised the subject that had sent both humans into the water the evening before.
"My brain is quite clear in its cognitive processes, thank you. And one thing I am definitely clear on is not doing some hula dance for the sake of any mission. Can you imagine Trip ever letting me live that down?" countered Reed.
Sato stopped her response abruptly, realizing that their Armory Officer had made a good point with regard to Trip. Before she could continue, she heard T'Pol quietly say, "Tai Chi."
"What?" The question came from both humans simultaneously as they turned their heads to their Science Officer.
"The dancing described here does not have to resemble the Hawaiian hula dance of your Earth. It appears that the movements of your Tai Chi routines would work." T'Pol pointed to the viewscreen.
Reed and Sato saw for themselves the different styles that were presented in the different quadrants of the screen. While one style did resemble hula, there was one that had the slow, graceful movements of Tai Chi.
"That should be no problem. We could stick to the hand forms," conceded Reed with a look to Sato. They often did their routines together as warm-ups to self-defense sessions. They had even goaded T'Pol into trying it a few times.
Sato nodded as she studied the screen. "But I'm still in charge of choreography. We want to make sure that the message we send with our movements is one that will help with negotiations later."
"Very well. Dance is one event. What else were you considering?" asked T'Pol.
"There's a game that is very much like our volleyball on Earth. It requires three players and, barring a jammed finger or knocking into each other by accident, should be relatively safe for us." Sato selected the appropriate icon that presented the basics on the screen.
"I am not familiar with volleyball, Ensign," said T'Pol.
"I'm afraid I'm more familiar with football, soccer, than volleyball," added Reed with a quick shake of his head.
"Don't worry. I happen to have a secret life as an intramural volleyball player. I've tried to get some games going on Enterprise, but the Captain won't listen to anything that's not waterpolo, as if we could ever do that on board," said Sato with wink.
"That's one blessing for being on a starship," said Reed with a quick smile.
Sato explained to T'Pol. "Volleyball is where you have two teams who hit the ball with their hands over a net that is strung across a court or in this case, sand. The objective is to have the ball hit the floor within bounds of the opposing team's half-court rather than have the opposing team's players hit it back over the net to you. Catching the ball is not allowed. I think we have the talent to pull off at least one win."
Sato saw the skepticism on the faces of her fellow officers. "Alright, maybe we'll also need a lot of luck. The main thing is to let me set up the plays. I'm good at digging the ball. That's where you, uh, never mind, I'll just show you when we practice. Lieutenant, I think your strong point will be serving. You seem to be able to direct any projectile where you want it to go, but that position has to rotate."
"Can't use our feet, I suppose?" asked Reed.
"Kicking won't do, but head, knee would be acceptable," assured Sato. "Sub-commander, you should make a good spiker."
"I do not use weapons with pointed edges, Ensign."
"No, it means being able to slam the ball back at the opposing team. Your Vulcan strength should work in our favor." Sato nodded her head in reassurance.
"But would that not be an unfair advantage?" asked T'Pol.
"That's the whole point, Sub-commander. As long as you don't knock them dead with the ball, using power to gain your points is just fine. I'll set up the plays, you just hit the ball over the net once I set it up into an area where the other players won't be able to volley it back. Lieutenant, you need to watch our backcourt and send the ball my way for the setup. We only get three hits on the ball."
Sato absorbed the less than confident looks she was receiving from both of the officers. "Now, the last event I'm considering is not particularly hazardous."
"What do you mean by not particularly hazardous?" asked Reed, his suspicious nature getting the better of him, only to have his arm patted reassuringly.
"How would you like to go surfing?" asked Sato with a gleam in her eye. She knew well that the Lieutenant had a passion for surfing from her previous discussions with him. "The waves here rival the biggest ones we see in Hawaii. I'm sure you can judge the danger adequately. I don't have your experience, but I have spent enough time on a surfboard to keep myself from wiping out constantly."
Reed nodded in affirmative, his expression revealing enthusiasm for catching the waves on this planet. He had been tempted to try them already, but had felt it would be too much of an indulgence. "Well, I'd certainly enjoy giving the waves a try."
"Vulcans do not surf." T'Pol said this very firmly, but without looking at either human.
"Can you swim, Sub-commander?" Reed immediately asked.
T'Pol nodded her head once. This response did not fill her human counterparts with confidence.
"Sub-commander, we don't all have to take the biggest waves. We can teach you how to ride the smaller ones and let the Lieutenant tackle the bigger ones. The surfing really is one of the better options for us." Sato tried to be reassuring, but saw the question in the Vulcan's eyes.
"Well, it beats firewalking in a volcano, diving off the high cliffs, or walking in a snake pit. I guess there's always the eating contest."
"What would we be required to ingest?" asked T'Pol as she noted the way Ensign Sato had wrinkled her nose at the thought.
"Well, here, take a look."
The two officers turned their attention to the screen. Their interested expressions soon gave way to a wide-eyed stare that was accompanied by mouths opened in disbelief, followed by a clear grimace from Reed and a cross-eyed gaze from the Vulcan.
"I refuse to eat meat," T'Pol stated emphatically.
"I refuse to eat meat that's still squirming," added Reed. While he had a reputation for eating anything that was set in front of him, in reality he was quite picky about his food. He never cared to experience digger meat again, for instance.
"I'm glad that you agree. Now, we've got two days to get ready. Lieutenant, you need to see about surfboards for us. I'll start on choreographing the movements from Tai Chi. Sub-commander, I think you, well, you could...Maybe the best thing would be to review the rules and video for the volleyball."
T'Pol nodded again. She was not accustomed to thinking that she, a Vulcan, may have become the weakest member of the away team.
*****
No reviews are necessary. Thanks for reading.
Day 3
My job is to see to the welfare of my crew, my job is to see to the welfare of my... Lieutenant Malcolm Reed contained a sigh. He stood by Sub-commander T'Pol holding a pole that supported a large umbrella over himself and his companions. The Vulcan sat in a chair by his side. In front of them at the delegates' table sat Ensign Hoshi Sato.
Reed changed hands in holding the pole, trying to contain his impatience. Ensign Sato had been trying to find ways to engage the Evanais in negotiations. Reed now contemplated whether he would have to offer himself as a live target for shooting practice in order to get their linguist to unwind this evening.
"Lieutenant, I do not believe Ensign Sato is making progress," said T'Pol quietly with her usual detachment. She looked as uncomfortable as Reed had ever seen her. The islands of the water planet were all near the equator, some with lush vegetation, others were desert islands. All were hot, but this tropical paradise was also rather humid.
"At least they've quit shuttling us between islands, Sub-commander. Although I've been enjoying the sea air, it grew old after the first 6 hours of being ferried about. You must be very uncomfortable."
"I am not accustomed to the humidity of this planet," confirmed T'Pol. She had not expected Reed to notice her discomfort. She obviously needed to work on maintaining her professional demeanor.
Reed nodded and turned his attention again to Ensign Sato. He could see her shoulders tense in the sleeveless sheath that she wore even as she kept her voice calm and friendly. Sato had not been allowed to use the UT at the delegates' table, making her even more valuable to the mission. Luckily the language was very similar to Hawaiian, but that only eased her frustrations a little.
Suddenly Ensign Sato raised her voice and both officers moved to flank her. Reed saw that the Evanais delegates were all grinning broadly and nodding their heads, so he relaxed his stance.
Sato stood up with a genuine smile, holding up three fingers and pointing to Reed and T'Pol as she made further comments. She then gave a slight incline of her head. The gesture was returned by the delegates. This session was over, but the linguist was apparently very pleased with the outcome
Reed and T'Pol exchanged a look over Ensign Sato's head, but knew they would be informed of what had transpired once they were back at their temporary quarters.
-----
"Ensign, report." said T'Pol once they had entered their cabana. Reed immediately moved to get each one a glass of water, smiling slightly at the thought of his position being relegated to cabana boy. The women were clearly in charge of this mission.
Sato took the glass of water from Reed and smiled gratefully. She drank half of it before she began to explain what had transpired.
"Well, Sub-commander, we have an advantage over other species that have visited the islands with the same idea. We impressed the delegates because we were so patient with the slow approach to opening negotiations. Others have left in frustration once they got on the third ferry that shuttled them from island to island."
"I'm glad that worked to our advantage, but what happened at the end of the meeting? I noticed you held up three fingers. Are there three conditions we have to meet?" Reed asked.
"You could say that. The Evanais are very family oriented; family ties are important here. The word they use has a much deeper connotation than just a clan or family, though. Negotiations are not a matter of what can be gained, but whether one can enhance family ties or form alliances with new families. Negotiations can't proceed until we've established a family bond."
"Familial bonds imply marriage or adoption, Ensign." T'Pol hoped the Ensign had not somehow agreed to marry one of the delegates. That certainly was not within the goals of their mission. Reed also got a concerned look on his face.
"This is more like creating our own family," said Sato, smiling as she heard a sigh of relief escape from their Armory Officer.
She continued. "Sometimes whole families are lost due to storms or volcanoes and individuals become orphaned. The Evanais have a formal ritual for adopting those left without families regardless of their age. A group of individuals who are orphaned can also form a family unit together, an Orphan Family, if you will, if they compete as a team in the events that are a prelude to the Solstice celebrations."
"It appears that our arrival is timely then," remarked T'Pol. "How does one achieve family status?"
"The delegates judge the teams to determine whether formal recognition of familial bonds has been earned. They call it being born as a family. The minimum size for an orphan team is three, so we have that. There is no stipulation on gender ratios; the teams can be same sex or include opposite sex. The events start in two days and precede the real contests for Solstice celebrations."
T'Pol summarized. "By gaining recognition as an Orphan Family, we can then proceed with negotiations for the mining rights and actually complete the mission by the time Enterprise returns for us at the end of the week."
"Exactly."
"And what precisely are these events, Ensign?" asked Reed.
Sato walked to the computer terminal in the cabana to access the information that provided details of the events for her colleagues. She had been informed about the general characteristics of the events by the delegates.
"What happens if we fail to meet the criteria for an Orphan Family?" asked T'Pol while the computer worked.
"In that case, one of us would have to marry or be adopted into one of the existing families to be able to negotiate. Actually, Lieutenant, there was quite a bit of interest in your marital status," said Sato with her eyes sparkling in mischief. At his look of shock she relented and added, "Don't worry. I told them you were spoken for."
"Can we achieve our ends through an adoption?" asked T'Pol, trying to ignore the looks that Reed and Sato were giving each other over their last interaction.
Sato turned to T'Pol and replied calmly. "Being adopted means that the person has to live with the family for one year before the issue is considered settled."
"Marriage is out of the question. Adoption would not be considered a good alternative given the residency requirement. The Orphan Family does appear to be our best option. If we fail in that, then we would have to send a mission in another year that would be prepared to achieve family status." T'Pol ended with a nod of her head.
"Here's the description of the events," said Sato as the two moved behind her to read the screen.
T'Pol nodded her head slightly, then one of her eyebrows raised. "What events were you considering?"
"There are a number, but we just need to select three that we think we can do well." Hoshi now had a broad grin on her face. "We don't have the minimum of six to compete in any of the boating events. Of course there's always cliff diving, but I think dancing would be safer for our first event. The Evanais have developed a way of communicating through body movements in a dance. That would make it similar to Hawaiian dance."
'NO."
Lieutenant Reed stood there with his arms across his chest emanating as much stubbornness as he could muster.
"I may have to play cabana boy for the two of you on this mission, but I draw the line at grass skirts and waving my arms about like some--some hula dancer!"
"Come on, Lieutenant. I studied hula when I was a teenager. I'll have to see if I still have the moves," ended Sato said with a graceful wave of her arms. Reed had no doubt that she still had the moves and then some, but he kept those thoughts to himself.
"No, I simply will not do it. Why don't we dive off the high cliffs instead? I'd rather risk my bloody neck in the fall than--" Reed was quickly interrupted by Sato's own tirade.
"Oh, you are SO on a macho kick sometimes! I swear I don't know how you can create coherent thoughts with all the testosterone you've subjected your brain to," Sato began as she raised the subject that had sent both humans into the water the evening before.
"My brain is quite clear in its cognitive processes, thank you. And one thing I am definitely clear on is not doing some hula dance for the sake of any mission. Can you imagine Trip ever letting me live that down?" countered Reed.
Sato stopped her response abruptly, realizing that their Armory Officer had made a good point with regard to Trip. Before she could continue, she heard T'Pol quietly say, "Tai Chi."
"What?" The question came from both humans simultaneously as they turned their heads to their Science Officer.
"The dancing described here does not have to resemble the Hawaiian hula dance of your Earth. It appears that the movements of your Tai Chi routines would work." T'Pol pointed to the viewscreen.
Reed and Sato saw for themselves the different styles that were presented in the different quadrants of the screen. While one style did resemble hula, there was one that had the slow, graceful movements of Tai Chi.
"That should be no problem. We could stick to the hand forms," conceded Reed with a look to Sato. They often did their routines together as warm-ups to self-defense sessions. They had even goaded T'Pol into trying it a few times.
Sato nodded as she studied the screen. "But I'm still in charge of choreography. We want to make sure that the message we send with our movements is one that will help with negotiations later."
"Very well. Dance is one event. What else were you considering?" asked T'Pol.
"There's a game that is very much like our volleyball on Earth. It requires three players and, barring a jammed finger or knocking into each other by accident, should be relatively safe for us." Sato selected the appropriate icon that presented the basics on the screen.
"I am not familiar with volleyball, Ensign," said T'Pol.
"I'm afraid I'm more familiar with football, soccer, than volleyball," added Reed with a quick shake of his head.
"Don't worry. I happen to have a secret life as an intramural volleyball player. I've tried to get some games going on Enterprise, but the Captain won't listen to anything that's not waterpolo, as if we could ever do that on board," said Sato with wink.
"That's one blessing for being on a starship," said Reed with a quick smile.
Sato explained to T'Pol. "Volleyball is where you have two teams who hit the ball with their hands over a net that is strung across a court or in this case, sand. The objective is to have the ball hit the floor within bounds of the opposing team's half-court rather than have the opposing team's players hit it back over the net to you. Catching the ball is not allowed. I think we have the talent to pull off at least one win."
Sato saw the skepticism on the faces of her fellow officers. "Alright, maybe we'll also need a lot of luck. The main thing is to let me set up the plays. I'm good at digging the ball. That's where you, uh, never mind, I'll just show you when we practice. Lieutenant, I think your strong point will be serving. You seem to be able to direct any projectile where you want it to go, but that position has to rotate."
"Can't use our feet, I suppose?" asked Reed.
"Kicking won't do, but head, knee would be acceptable," assured Sato. "Sub-commander, you should make a good spiker."
"I do not use weapons with pointed edges, Ensign."
"No, it means being able to slam the ball back at the opposing team. Your Vulcan strength should work in our favor." Sato nodded her head in reassurance.
"But would that not be an unfair advantage?" asked T'Pol.
"That's the whole point, Sub-commander. As long as you don't knock them dead with the ball, using power to gain your points is just fine. I'll set up the plays, you just hit the ball over the net once I set it up into an area where the other players won't be able to volley it back. Lieutenant, you need to watch our backcourt and send the ball my way for the setup. We only get three hits on the ball."
Sato absorbed the less than confident looks she was receiving from both of the officers. "Now, the last event I'm considering is not particularly hazardous."
"What do you mean by not particularly hazardous?" asked Reed, his suspicious nature getting the better of him, only to have his arm patted reassuringly.
"How would you like to go surfing?" asked Sato with a gleam in her eye. She knew well that the Lieutenant had a passion for surfing from her previous discussions with him. "The waves here rival the biggest ones we see in Hawaii. I'm sure you can judge the danger adequately. I don't have your experience, but I have spent enough time on a surfboard to keep myself from wiping out constantly."
Reed nodded in affirmative, his expression revealing enthusiasm for catching the waves on this planet. He had been tempted to try them already, but had felt it would be too much of an indulgence. "Well, I'd certainly enjoy giving the waves a try."
"Vulcans do not surf." T'Pol said this very firmly, but without looking at either human.
"Can you swim, Sub-commander?" Reed immediately asked.
T'Pol nodded her head once. This response did not fill her human counterparts with confidence.
"Sub-commander, we don't all have to take the biggest waves. We can teach you how to ride the smaller ones and let the Lieutenant tackle the bigger ones. The surfing really is one of the better options for us." Sato tried to be reassuring, but saw the question in the Vulcan's eyes.
"Well, it beats firewalking in a volcano, diving off the high cliffs, or walking in a snake pit. I guess there's always the eating contest."
"What would we be required to ingest?" asked T'Pol as she noted the way Ensign Sato had wrinkled her nose at the thought.
"Well, here, take a look."
The two officers turned their attention to the screen. Their interested expressions soon gave way to a wide-eyed stare that was accompanied by mouths opened in disbelief, followed by a clear grimace from Reed and a cross-eyed gaze from the Vulcan.
"I refuse to eat meat," T'Pol stated emphatically.
"I refuse to eat meat that's still squirming," added Reed. While he had a reputation for eating anything that was set in front of him, in reality he was quite picky about his food. He never cared to experience digger meat again, for instance.
"I'm glad that you agree. Now, we've got two days to get ready. Lieutenant, you need to see about surfboards for us. I'll start on choreographing the movements from Tai Chi. Sub-commander, I think you, well, you could...Maybe the best thing would be to review the rules and video for the volleyball."
T'Pol nodded again. She was not accustomed to thinking that she, a Vulcan, may have become the weakest member of the away team.
*****
No reviews are necessary. Thanks for reading.