Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock
By Didi
Disclaimer: (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, does that cover it all?
Rating: PG 13 for now.
Story Summary: The crew goes hunting underground.
Chapter Summary: Hoshi makes a MACO friend. Away team meets the local and Hoshi gets some unusual help.
Timeline: Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.
Author's Note: Okay, it never fails to puzzle me that all of a sudden, the aliens can speak in perfect English! In Season one's first two episodes, Hoshi had to be along to translate Klingon… then later in the season and in season 2, the Klingons suddenly can speak English? Or that Archer can understand them? I didn't buy it, hated it in fact and thought that ought to be a reasonably logical explanation of this that I just didn't know about. So I'm interjecting a verbal translator here, like the ones they use during United Nation's Conferences. Where everyone wears an ear piece that is connected to someone on the other side translating at real time. Only here, we have the nice UT to do the translating. If it's not believable, I apologize now and you can save the skewing of my works in the review section okay? And if someone knows exactly who that works out, let me know so I can make the corrections in this story. Thanks.
Spoiler: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)
Key: "Spoken" "Thoughts"
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Chapter Four - Unexpected Help
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"Need some help, Ensign?"
Hoshi turned around and smiled at a female MACO that had entered the women's locker room. "Thanks I would appropriate it," turning around with a sigh of relief. She had about dislocated her arm trying to get her uniform on. "Sergeant Coates, right?"
"Katie," Coates corrected with a grin, putting down the survival pack Lt. Reed had asked her to bring to the ensign, who seemed to be taking her sweet time getting dressed. "If we're spending the next couple of days together as the only ladies on this mission, I would appreciate it if you call me Katie."
"Then Katie it is; call me Hoshi. Hey, is Katie short for Katherine? Kathleen? Kate?" Hoshi inquired mildly as she flipped her hair to the side.
"Kaitlyn with a K, if you can believe it? What were my parents thinking?" rolling her eyes. She reached over and zipped up the Star Fleet combat suit for the ensign. Unlike her own brown and charcoal gray uniform, colors she has now learned to despise, Star Fleet chose to go with the usual stellar blue.
"It's a pretty name," Hoshi smiled as she turned around to put on the rest of her uniform, which included shoes that doubled as gravity boots if necessary and several other 'necessities.' "Tell me something, why did they decide to put the zipper on the back for the women's uniforms?"
"You know what? I keep asking but so far no one's given me a straight answer," Coates replied handing Hoshi her phase pistol, which the ensign pulled open to check the energy cartridge. "Personally, I think whoever designed these damn things was a man that wanted to see these thing slick up our chests," her hand traveling up the length of her torso.
"Won't surprise me one bit," chuckled Hoshi as buckled extra energy cells for her UT to her leg and belted the holder for her UT. "Have you seen T'Pol's Vulcan uniform?"
"You mean that cat-suit isn't by choice?" mockingly shocked.
Shrugging as she put the armband on what would house her UT mouthpiece. "It may be since she's not with the Vulcan High Council now. But I've seen some of the other uniforms on Vulcan females, they're all similarly bad."
"I always thought Vulcans were kind of… you know, asexual."
"Emotionless," Hoshi corrected.
"Yeah, that too."
Grinning, "Oh, they are; most of the time. But they're not really. They're pretty scary when they lose that oh-so-perfect control. Just ask Dr. Phlox and Lt. Reed."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah," feeling calmer talking about nonsense as her hands went through the motions. "Think teenage boys on hormone injections."
"Ouch," she shuddered. "So you think Vulcan men design their uniform too?"
"How would you explain that one-piece she struts around in?"
"T'Pol exercising her womanly wiles?"
A burst of giggles erupted from Hoshi's lips. It lightened her face considerably, making her the young ensign once more.
Coates smiled, watching the ensign for a moment. "You okay?"
Looking over at the genuine concern in the MACO's eyes, Hoshi felt surprisingly calmer. "Well, I can't say that I'm too thrilled with this assignment but Donnie's right, it gives me a few days away from all that Xindi stuff." She ran a hand through her hair, picking it all up to tie into a ponytail. "I'm about ready to tear my hair out with all the Insectoid that I've been reading."
Katie felt sympathy for the obviously tired young woman. The last thing Ensign Sato needs now was a week's worth of crawling around in underground tunnels. "Claustrophobic, huh?"
Unable to help herself, Hoshi laughed. It was a pathetically sad laugh that left Katie feeling helpless and distressed. "Isn't it awful?"
"How did you manage to survive the last two and half years?"
"The captain made a lot of concessions for me," was the reply made with a grin that was associated with fond memories.
"I would say the captain was pretty desperate to keep you," Coates observed oh-so-casually.
"Lot of good it did him," Hoshi made a face leaned over to pull a storage container from under one of the units along the wall. Why they had to put all the materials in the women's locker room was beyond her. "Come on, we better get going before Mal… Lt. Reed sends people in here looking for us." She made a face. "And don't think he won't."
"He seems like the impatient type," Katie replied with a grin, helping Hoshi carry the box as the ensign grabbed her survival pack. She didn't add the Tucker and Reed had been pacing outside the locker room for the past fifteen minutes, looking like they were afraid Ensign Sato was in the locker room alone crying. It was Coates that had volunteered to come in and check on the ensign when usually patient Major Hayes finally asked the two CO's to stop pacing since it was agitating the rest of the away team.
Hoshi laughed as she struggled to hold the pack, the box and pick up another smaller unit at the same time. They had almost made it to where the rest of the away team was waiting when Hoshi finally dropped her box with a loud clatter. "Sorry," she muttered with a red face and slightly out of breath.
"What's all this, Hoshi-girl?" Trip asked as he reached over and took her survive pack for her. She was dwarfed by all the equipment.
"Robes and cloaks, we'll have to quick modifications to them to match the local styles but that shouldn't take too long," she answered honestly. When the two commanding officers merely stared at her, "Did you really think you were going to walk through a village armed to the teeth," pointing to the various weapons the MACOs, Lt. Reed and Ensign DeMarco were carrying, "And not attract any undue attention?"
Reed and Tucker exchange quick glances. "Well, we are going under the guise of night. We thought that…"
"With all due respect, sir," Hoshi smiled sweetly at them. "You obvious haven't read my report to the captain or you'd know that the entrance to the underground tunnels is situated in the middle of a village. Even if the three moons that circle the planet were all new moons, we'd still have to get pass the entrance lighting and quake watchers." She continued to smile innocently at them as she handed out robes and cloaks.
"Wow," Tucker said more amused than offended, "She certainly showed us."
-&-&-&-
The shuttle landed with a bone-shattering jolt. There was a long silence as the ground settled underneath them and everyone held their breaths.
"Nice landing, Commander," Malcolm groused as he picked himself off the ground, rubbing his abused posterior while he was at it. Not for the first time he wished the damn shuttles had seatbelts.
"Ah didn't see the damn tree," Trip grumbled as he massaged feeling back into his elbow where he had knocked it uncommonly hard against the control console.
"You could have just run it over instead of swerving and knocking all of us on our arses."
"Couldn't do that," Trip complained defensively, "Lord knows what sentient being were up in those trees."
Malcolm rolled his eyes. "Now you sound like T'Pol."
"She's got some good points sometimes," the commander muttered as he got up. "Everyone in one piece back there?"
"Just barely," Lt. Jamison replied. The second lieutenant was along as the secondary engineer. He had been chosen due to the six months training in the Marize colonies where the mining population had been quite large. He was also currently wearing a large red mark on his cheek where he had landed when the shuttle came to a laborious stop.
The rest of the away team moaned and groaned as they attempted to rise from where they had fallen when the shuttle finally landed awkwardly in a rocky clearing that hadn't been their original destination. They had been tossed to one side, crashing into each other, when their flight had taken an unexpected dive. The jolting landing only served to toss anyone that had actually kept their seat to the ground. Fortunately but for some bruises and aches, they were none the worse for ware. And as Cdr. Tucker often said, a good landing is one which you can walk away from.
Major Hayes was finding himself in a rather awkward position at the moment. He had been hurled across the shuttle cabin and having been sitting across from Ensign Sato at that moment barely had time to react when he had literally landed on top of the small delicate woman. He was almost certain his elbow had connected with something before they had both been flung to the ground, thankfully with the ensign on top. But then she hadn't moved yet.
"Ensign?" tilting his head in an effort to see her face.
Hoshi let out a pathetic moan before her head shifted slightly to look at him from much too close a view. When her eyes crossed trying to focus, she gave another moan and turned her head again, resting her cheek against the major's shoulder.
"Are you injured, Ensign Sato?" his tone was all correctness but he was feeling anything but with a soft pretty girl on him.
"Hoshi?" Trip ducked his head to look into the cabin. On any other day, the sight of Hoshi on top of Major Hayes would be amusing and wrought with plentiful teasing but not today. "You okay there, girl?"
Taking a deep breath, Hoshi braced herself against the major's shoulders and pushed herself into an upright position before finally sitting back on her haunches and regarding the MACO with a critical look. "Tell me something, Major: what percent of your body is actually fat?"
Getting to his feet slowly, Matt reached over warily and pulled Ensign Sato to her feet without being asked to, giving her a visual check for damages. "I beg your pardon?"
"What's your body fat percentage?" she asked again, dusting herself off with light touches, ignoring the stares from the rest of the team at the out-of-the-blue question.
Glancing questioningly at Cdr. Tucker and Lt. Reed, who had finally joined them in the back, he got no help in attempting to figure out as to where the ensign was going with the question. And since answering her would be the easiest course to take, "Normally, three to four percent, ma'am."
"Three or four percent?" Sanchez muttered in disbelief. Even at the top of his games, the private could never seem to get below ten percent.
"Oh," Hoshi nodded her head slowly, "Well that certainly explains it," and a great look of understanding overcame her. It was as if the mystery of the universe was suddenly unlocked.
"Explain what, Ensign?" Reed asked with a quick frown at Hayes, who was unnecessarily doing another visual check.
"Why it felt like a side of a cliff dropped off and landed on top of me." Hoshi made a disgruntled face and traded looks with Katie, who she decided was going to be a very good traveling companion. "Next girl's night, Kaitlyn Coates is definitely coming." She understood things that men will never get. Such as now, Katie was giving her a most sympathetic look. Turning back at the major, "Word of advice, Major: women don't like cuddling with pieces of granite. You're got no give," poking him experimentally in the middle with two fingers. As she suspected: rock hard abs. "None whatsoever."
Tucker stuck his tongue firmly in his cheek and decided not to comment as he was so tempted to do. "I'm sure that was a compliment, Major; even if it sounds otherwise."
-&-&-&-
Her voice was smooth, soothing and reassuring. It flowed easy as she chatted lightly with a local woman that Ensign Sato had obviously met before. The two talked as they were guided toward the center of the bustling village, no one paying much attention except for the first cursory glance to see them with their historian.
As it turns out, it was a good thing Hoshi had suggested the nice little disguise of locally styled cloaks over their combat gear for the whole village was out for an annual celebration; the harvest festival. Portable lights were set up in every dark corner, illuminating the village as bright as midday. Laughing people drank, danced, talked, ate and dressed in brilliant splashes of color. In their combat fatigues, the MACOs and Star Fleeters would have stood out against the vivid shades of the villagers; with their vibrant cloaks, they merely appeared to be a group of travelers passing through.
Hoshi jovially greeted and laughed with Miran, the local living library, the one person that knew all and everything there was to know about the Jukinarians. Oral storytelling was a tradition and a necessity when written records could easily be destroyed by great quakes, and the fires and the floods that sometimes accompany the quakes.
"Which one is your husband?" Miran asked in Jukinarian, glancing over her shoulder at the group following them. If she found it strange that not one had said a word so far, she didn't let on.
"What?" Hoshi laughed and glanced over her shoulder, catching a smiling Cdr. Tucker's gaze, he nodded encouragingly to her. "None; I'm not married," replied with perfect intonation.
"That's a shame," Miran replied with a glance over her shoulders again, her eyes soft with feminine appreciation. "The tall one has beautiful shoulders."
Hoshi laughed.
Malcolm leaned slightly to his left, "Major?"
"Yes, sir?" Hayes replied in a harsh low whisper even as his eyes continued to scan the crowd from within the shadows of his hood, hiding the fact that he didn't possess the three small horns that were characteristic of the male Jukinarians. The cloak also masked the fact that he had his pulse rifle at ready.
"Is your vocal translator working any better than mine?"
Without turning his head, he replied, "No, sir," a little of the irritation he felt making its way through his procedural reply. It was in fact more than a little irritating not understanding any of what was being said around him, making him nervous as hell though little of it showed on his unreadable face.
"Oh, ah don't need no translator to tell me what that look means," Tucker interjected, his chin jerking toward the tall thin woman walking with Hoshi who was continuously looking over her shoulder to gaze at the major.
"And what would that be, sir?" Ramero asked, making a quick turn to watch their six. He's been trained by the best, mainly Major Hayes, and kept his eyes out for possible threats.
"She wants the major," Coates informed him before the commander had a chance to answer. She was watching the woman a little more carefully, making sure they weren't being pulled into a trap. Women read other women better, or at least that's what they were taught. And while she trusted Ensign Sato's impeccable translations, Coates had a feeling that that younger woman was the trusting type; the ones that still believe there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. "If that woman doesn't have an itch for the major, I'll eat my rifle."
Kemper, Ramero and Sanchez snickered.
"Sergeant," Hayes said warningly.
"No joke, Major," Coates replied seriously, one hand tugging discreetly at her cloak's edge, better to cover the fact that she was wearing enough artillery to outgun the village militia. She now regretted turning down Hoshi's suggestion that she wear a robe under the cloak, pointing out that the women's cloak was thinner and designed to open in front so as to better reveal the clothes underneath. But the robe would have hindered her movements; between giving herself away and having access to her weapon, she'll take her chances with her weapon. "I know that look."
"Ah gotta agree with the serg. here," Trip said amiably, his grin growing obvious as the major's eyes began to reflect just a bit wary. "Better watch yourself, Major."
Hayes said nothing, his face completely devoid of any reaction to the teasing. It wasn't his job to worry about what locals; his job was the get the team in and out. But it was exasperating as hell to be goaded like this.
Coming to a stop at a fork, Hoshi and the woman turned to face each other. They chatted a moment longer, obvious fondness there before bowing to one another in a formal manner of farewell.
Miran turned to gaze at the major for a moment before turning to Hoshi, her smile just this side too sly. "Ga'o bui olo."
Hoshi chuckled lightly. "Ta'ti ga. R'hami cieu golie ma-kop."
Bowing once more, Miran left with a wistfully regretful smile.
"What was that, Hoshi?" Tucker asked, his eyes following the woman for a moment.
"Nothing sir," Hoshi shook her head with a smile and turned toward the cavern entrance. She was feeling slightly lightheaded now. The thought of going into hundreds and thousands of miles of underground caves that can run literally forever was making her stomach churn. "How are the vocal translators working?" she asked, wishing she could pull her UT out to check how much language process the computer had picked up. A little work always helped to calm her.
"You weren't kidding when you said these things were on a hit-and-miss," Jamison muttered as he fingered the small electronic piece on his collar. "I get one every forty or fifty words," he made a mental note to look into it once they were back on the ship. He's apparently been taking the translators for granted.
"That's it?" came the dismayed response. Now she really wanted to pull the UT out to look. "Damn!"
"We knew it was going to be bad, Hoshi," Tucker said a little surprised by her outburst. He quickened his pace to walk next to her. "We're handling it by playing mute."
"I suppose it'll have to do for now," she pouted with a mournful look. After a few minutes, "Sir?" Hoshi said catching the commander's attention even as she continued to walk at a fairly brisk pace, blinking slightly to keep her focus; the lightheadedness was intensifying. "Would you mind terribly if the major walked next to me?"
Surprised, Tucker tilted his head and regarded her then the major then back to her, his brows raised interest. "Why?"
"Precaution, sir," was her response.
That confused Tucker for a moment. "Yah don't think ah'dprotect you?" the commander asked a little offended by that. He may not be as good with weapons as Reed or Hayes, but was a fairly good bodyguard when he needed to be.
"It's not like that, commander," Hoshi giggled in obvious amusement; the light headedness was loosening her tongue. "It's not precaution for me, sir," she grinned mischievously as she peeked over her shoulder. "It's for the major."
Her sparkling grin was infectious even as the earlier conversation came back to mind; Trip glanced over his shoulders at the questioning look Major Hayes was frowning at Hoshi. "And how's that?"
Turning around so that she was now walking backwards, Hoshi regarded the rest of the away team with an impish smile. "Apparently, the women here find a nice set of wide shoulders to be the most attractive feature on a man; the wider the shoulders, the sexier the man." She gave Major Hayes's broad shoulders an unholy appreciative glance making him just a little hot under the collar. "Miran says that you've got, and I quote, 'beautiful shoulders.'" Her unabashed smile was making Matt just a little uncomfortable. "She likes your chin too," then had to reach out to grab Cdr. Tucker's arm as she stumbled on some pebbles on the road.
Reed, DeMarco and Jamison couldn't hide their amusement but felt it unnecessary to embarrass the major by laughing in his face; Tucker wasn't so nice. The poor MACOs look ready to burst as they turned their heads and suppressed their chuckles with great difficulties. It certainly won't be the first time civilians found their CO to be attractive; but it was the first time anyone's actually said it to his face. Hoshi Sato's status among the MACOs just went up another notch.
Tucker fell back and nudged the major with his elbow, "Told you." He chuckled as the major made a disgruntled noise.
They walked on in silence… well, the rest of the away team was in silence, Hoshi wasn't. She pointed out different things to the rest of the group, speaking lively on traditions, special garb, certain symbols and signs on doorways and between buildings that were good luck. She asked questions, laughed, chatted, danced a few steps with the villagers that found her open nature charming.
"To'dola biuenim," a man said as he took a hold of Hoshi's waist, completely ignore the contingent behind her.
Laughing, she shook her head and backed away from him, stumbling slightly as she lost her balance. Major Hayes caught her under the arm before she could hit the ground. He didn't utter a word, merely gave the man an expressionless look and shook his head firmly. The man nodded in perfect understanding and walked away.
"You chased him away," Hoshi complained in a whiny tone then laughed. "Good thing too; my hero," giving the major a caress along his arm then skipped along humming tunelessly to herself.
There was a long stunned moment as the rest of the away team looked at one another for explanation. This was not the same Hoshi Sato they had come to the planet with. Heck, this wasn't the same ensign they had entered the village with.
"Hoshi?" Trip asked quietly as she turned away from a tray to colorful food that reminded Trip of a platter of confetti.
"Yes, sir?" she answered with a slightly glassy smile. "Major," she called out the warning just in time to see the MACO commander avoid a seeking hand that wished to dance. "Better be careful," she in a sing-songy tone. "The Jukinarians women share their lovers with their sisters."
The rest of the team swallowed laughter as the major stared at Ensign Sato with grave concern. "Perhaps you shouldn't try any more the Jukinarians food, Ensign."
"Nonsense," she remarked, missing the startled look from the rest of the away team at her flippant response. "They're delicious. You really ought to try some."
"Hoshi," Tip said again, bringing her wondering gaze to him with a touch at her elbow even as he struggled not to laugh at Major Hayes. "Did Dr. Phlox by any chance give you anything? You know, to help you with your claustrophobia?"
"Why yes he did," she answered cheerfully, "A little green pill, Liz brought it to me when I was in the locker room. Said it would help me relax and get into the caves. A good doctor Phlox is," her smiles were becoming a little vague and reminded Trip of a playful child.
Tucker nodded his head slowly, looking at Reed who rolled his eyes. "And when did you take the little green pill?"
She had to concentrate to remember. "Just before we entered the village."
Hayes pulled his arm out, looking at his chronometer. "Thirty-five minutes."
"The pill's taken effect," Reed pronounced unnecessarily and suppressed a grin of ironic amusement. A nervous Hoshi was interesting to watch, a happy Hoshi was a delight… but a slightly drunk Hoshi?
Tucker gave a ruthful shake of his head. "She's as high as a kite."
"Am not," she countered, waving cheerfully at a group of laughing children that were singing a song about the ocean and boats and the high winds of Turlpin. "I feel just dandy."
"I'm sure you do," Reed said unable to hold back to chuckle. She was adorably disorientated and endearingly clumsy now as her equilibrium was shot.
"This is bad," Hayes muttered dryly, though he was somewhat relieved to know that drugs had induced the strange behavior in the normally reserved and even shy ensign. He caught the ensign again as she stumbled over nothing.
"Ya think this is bad?" Tucker gave him a look that bordered painful. "Wait 'til the happy juice wears off and she's a thousand feet underground. That is when it gets bad."
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Teaser line for next chapter: "Let's see," pretending to pull up his sleeves and grinned at her as he pulled out survival rations. "We have," squinting slightly in the dim light, "Roast beef and banana," he frowned. "Geeze, who comes up with these flavors?"