It was slightly cramped in the cabin, granted. It wasn't like any of them had more space than they absolutely needed. But the mess hall was out of the question at this hour, so that's why they were holding their poker game, quickly becoming a weekly ritual, in Trip's own small cabin. Trip, of course was there, as well as Archer, T'Pol, Malcolm, Hoshi, and the doctor. Travis was on the bridge, on duty as usual. Malcolm was dealing out each hand, barking out the short, sweet syllables that characterized the game like a long ago pit boss. Phlox, an old hand at the game from his years on Earth, still hadn't quite gotten the hang of bluffing, while T'Pol had grasped that concept before getting most of the intricacies of the game.
They chatted idly while they played, Malcolm and T'Pol characteristically taciturn. Their talk ranged from their old missions to their future missions to cracks about bridging the gap between the humans and the Klingons.
It was close to that time of night when they typically began to pack it up. They still all had shifts the next day and even Starfleet's finest need their sleep. This was the time when they were the loosest. Suddenly, Trip looked up at Hoshi and narrowed his eyes.
"If you could be one person in history, who would you be?" he asked.
She blinked at him, somewhat taken aback. "What? Me?"
He nodded. "Yeah, you. Would you be Elvis? Rocking out in Memphis?"
She cocked her head. "Well, kinda. I would be John Lennon. Can you imagine, bringing hope to hundreds with just a song?" She folded her hands. "What about you, Trip? Would you be a cowboy, someone like John Wayne?"
"Nah," he replied, scratching at his chin. "I'd be someone like Martin Luther King, changing the world with one speech. What about you, Cap'n?"
"I'd be Zefram Cochrane," he replied, without much hesitation. "No question. T'Pol?"
"I do not see the purpose of the question," she replied gravely. "I am myself. I cannot be someone else."
"I think it's a fascinating psychological exercise," Phlox said, smiling his odd little grin. "Hmm . . . if I were to choose someone, it would have to be Shakespeare."
Trip's eyebrows shot upwards and he leaned back in his chair. "Whoa. Didn't see that one coming. Any reason why?"
Phlox shrugged, pursing his lips. "His poetry has always been inspiring . . . I hear several plays have already been translated into Klingon and are quite popular."
"T'Pol, you ain't getting out of the question," Trip said, scooping up his cards and beginning to rearrange them.
She sighed, taking her own cards. "Very well. I have always respected the words of T'Vel, a noted follower of Surak. She was . . . a very influential scholar. Her works are well-known. Three cards, please, Lieutenant."
"Yeah, hey, Malcolm," Hoshi said as she traded in her own cards. "Who would you be?"
Malcolm was silent for a long moment as he dealt out the next round, and Hoshi thought he wasn't going to answer.
"I would be a father," he finally said. "The kind who has all the answers for his son. The kind who earns that 'World's Best Dad' mug."
Who would you be?
