Smothering a yawn, Hoshi walked into the Captain's ready room. "Here are the translations for the conference, sir."
Jon smiled. "Good. Were there any problems?"
"No, sir. There were just some misplaced pronouns, but I took care of them. The UT shouldn't miss them again. If you experience any problems, I'll be a com signal away." Hoshi shifted uneasily.
Her relationship with the Captain had been strained ever since she had been reprimanded. She had no body to blame but herself. They had been friends before he had recruited her, and broken trust was always difficult to reclaim. Other than asking her opinion regarding Malcolm's assignment to Enterprise, Jon had barely spoken to her outside regular duties.
She was still embarrassed about the hacking incident, and she had jeopardized her career and her friendship with Jon.
He stood, stretching. "Actually I'm assigning you to the mission. We can't have any delays if the UT goes on the blink again. You know how the Orions are."
"Really?" She asked excitedly. She hadn't been on a mission since her security access had been revoked.
Jon grinned. Hoshi had been sulking around him like a scolded child ever since Malcolm had left. "Yes."
"Does this mean I'm restored with all privileges?" she questioned cautiously, her hopes rising.
He had never felt as old as he did at that moment. Hoshi's smile had brightened the room and softened her features. She looked so young, yet worn.
"Malcolm didn't give you the codes yet?" Jon asked, perplexed. "He was supposed to do that yesterday."
Just the mention of the armory officer's name was like snuffing out a candle as he watched Hoshi's smile fall.
He was no fool. He relied on Trip to keep him informed on all the ship's gossip. Whereas Malcolm's expression was always schooled, Hoshi's was completely open. She obviously still had feelings for him. Had Jon let his ambition get the better of him?
Malcolm's credentials were impressive, but Hoshi's innate linguistic ability was a greater asset to Enterprise. "How are you feeling?"
She sighed, putting a brave smile on her face. "Embarrassed. I should have never hacked into the database. It was irresponsible and...Mukai never would have found Lieutenant Commander Reed, if it hadn't been for my unauthorized searches."
"That's not what I'm asking, Hoshi," Jon stated firmly.
Hoshi tensed, yet remained silent.
"Is having Malcolm on board a problem for you?" Jon watched as Hoshi's shoulders began to shake. Damn it to hell! She's crying. He was never going to take fraternization rules for granted again.
Hoshi made a strangled noise and looked up, a wide smile on her face.
What the hell? Jon thought to himself.
"I have...have no problem, s-sir," laughed Hoshi. The look on her captain's face was priceless and a sense of relief washed over her. What would he do if she said yes? Jettison Malcolm out the nearest airlock?
Hoshi sobered. "I have no problems with Lieutenant Commander Reed."
Jon watched his com officer skeptically. Whereas he had told Malcolm he didn't want to hear about any problems, Hoshi was different. "Just let me know if there are any," he said quietly.
"Is that all, sir?" Hoshi stood.
"Yes. Dismissed." Jon nodded.
--
"Try it now," Trip called out from underneath the targeting panel.
Malcolm's fingers danced over the panel, trying to align the targeting scanners. "It's at point oh nine mark one," he said irritably. "It's not good enough."
"Well," Trip huffed as he stood up. "I'm a Starvin' Marvin and I have to break for some sustenance. Besides, we've been at this for five and a half hours."
"Starvin' Marvin?" Malcolm asked, walking over to a storage locker.
"It means I'm hungry," Trip laughed and rolled his eyes. The Brit had a really dry sense of humor, but Trip had yet to actually make him laugh.
Shutting the storage door, Malcolm turned around with another tool in his hand, his intentions to keep working obvious. Would he ever understand the engineer's colloquialisms?
"Come on, Malcolm. It's time for lunch." Trip walked toward the door, expecting the other man to follow.
"Uh...no thanks. I would rather work through," Malcolm stated quietly, even though his stomach growled in protest. He didn't want to run into Hoshi. It would spare her and, in the long run, him any awkwardness.
"Suit yourself. I'm gonna go get some lunch before Hoshi steals my pecan pie." Trip smirked, knowing full well how to rankle his newfound friend.
Malcolm grimaced and walked back to the panel, tossing a glance over his shoulder. He had to give the engineer credit for he had actually gone fifteen minutes with not mentioning Hoshi by name. He was downright incorrigible and Malcolm had learned not to wince as much whenever Trip mentioned her. Hopefully, the engineer would learn the meaning of tact and stop it.
Crawling into the targeting matrix, Malcolm heard the hatch to the armory open. "Did you give up on lunch already?"
Hoshi approached him warily, her eyes transfixed on his ass as the rest of his body was submerged in the tube. Her meeting with Captain Archer had hardened her resolve, and she would never look at Malcolm the same way again. Malcolm Reed was nothing more than a hard-nosed superior officer, with whom with any luck, she could minimize contact.
After all, he did his part by staying in the armory.
"I've come for my security codes, sir," Hoshi announced with an air of annoyance in her voice.
Malcolm hastily retreated from the machine, banging his head on the way and stifling a curse.
Hoshi smirked. "Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to startle you, sir."
He stood straighter and grabbed a rag, wiping his hands. "That's...that's quite all right, Lieutenant," he stuttered.
She looked over her shoulder, then back at him, perplexed. "I'm sorry. Is there something wrong, sir?" she asked quietly, keeping from smiling as he rubbed his head. Serves him right.
"No, nothing," he replied softly, taking in her appearance and cursing his libido. Just looking at her turned him on.
"The codes, sir," she said with purpose, ignoring the familiar tingle in the pit of her stomach.
"Oh, yes...certainly," he stuttered.
He heard the indifference in her voice. Her eyes held a different depth to them now, something he didn't quite like. Handing her a PADD, he stared into the darkness of her eyes. He had no claim on her now. Why should this bother him?
Remaining impassive, she took the codes. "Thank you, sir." She turned to walk away.
There it was again. Her referral to him as "sir" is what rankled him. It was cold and uncaring. Since he had been on board, her eyes reflected the warmth he had fallen in love with and now they were cold...like his. "Wait," he whispered pleadingly.
"Yes, sir," replied Hoshi coldly as she turned around to look past him.
Noticing her stance and her glance over his shoulder, Malcolm shuddered inwardly. He had succeeded. She was a stranger to him now. Why did he feel the need to correct that?
She saw the briefest flicker of uncertainty cross his face and her determination wavered. It was as though the man she had fallen in love with was standing before her now. "Sir, I'm needed on the bridge," she informed him icily.
"Very well, then," he stated and motioned at the door, watching her leave. "Don't forget weapons' training, 1900 sharp. Don't be late."
He didn't see her wince as she sauntered out of the armory, her cool veneer quickly dissipating.