A/N: mea po'ino -- danger
lohe, 'olu'olu -- "listen, please"


Chapter Three: Human Encyclopedia

Phlox shook his head ruefully as he examined the scans he'd taken of Kamea. He turned angrily to face the nearest person, who happened to be Commander Tucker. "She should have been brought here immediately," he said furiously. "Why wasn't I informed that the meditation sessions have been unproductive?"

Commander Tucker drew his head back in surprise. "Hey, I just found out this morning. Don't blame me." He jerked his head in T'Pol's direction. "Blame her."

T'Pol defiantly folded her arms across her chest. "This could hardly be considered my fault," she said. "I am not a 'miracle worker'. It was Kamea who ended the sessions."

Phlox sighed and returned to his patient, who was still unconscious and had been so ever since fainting on the bridge. Lieutenant Reed had scooped the girl up in his arms and carried her down to sickbay, and the rest of the bridge crew had followed. They remained there, hovering just out of the way, waiting for the doctor's diagnosis. Truth be told, Phlox was surprised that Kamea had not passed out sooner. Her near-decade-long battle with insomnia should have incapacitated her ages ago; how she managed to keep functioning was a mystery.

He bent over her to check her vitals and her eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Kamea!" Phlox said, pleased that she had woken so quickly. The longer she remained unconscious, the less chance that she would wake. "How are you?"

She shook her head. "Mea po'ino."

"Danger?" Hoshi asked. Kamea nodded. "What danger?"

Kamea shook her head again and braced her hands on either side of the bio bed, attempting to sit up. Phlox pushed her back down as firmly as possible, and she started to thrash against his hands. "Mea po'ino! Lohe, 'olu'olu. Mea po'ino."

Phlox had no choice but to sedate her. "Lieutenant Reed! Hold her down!"

Lieutenant Reed raced over to follow the doctor's order, gripping Kamea by the shoulders and forcing her to remain on her back, despite her obvious disinclination to do so. Phlox ran to his hyposprays and filled one with the most powerful sedative that he had in his stores. Then he hurried back to Kamea and injected the sedative into her neck. She stopped thrashing instantly, her eyes rolled back to the whites, and she was unconscious again.

"What's wrong with her?" Travis asked, his voice filled with some sort of awe at what he had just witnessed.

"This can't just be because she isn't sleeping," Trip said.

Phlox had absolutely no idea. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was delirious again – although that was not an impossibility. He had never witnessed anyone who had managed to go without sleep for as long as Kamea had; perhaps this was merely a side effect of her insomnia.

"I'll have to run some tests to be sure," said Phlox, "but at this stage, we can't rule anything out." He turned to Hoshi. "Do you know what she was saying?"

Hoshi sighed. "She kept saying 'danger'. Other than that, I don't know."

"Well," said Phlox, grabbing Lieutenant Reed by the elbow and gently steering him away from the bio bed, "I have to tend to my patient, so if you would all kindly give me some space…"

Captain Archer nodded solemnly. "Of course, Doctor." He glanced at T'Pol. "Perhaps we should take a few more scans from orbit before venturing down to the surface."

The senior staff left sickbay, though some of them took more time than the others. Travis and Hoshi exited fairly quickly, while Commander Tucker and T'Pol lingered. Lieutenant Reed was the last to leave.

"She'll be all right, won't she, Doctor?" he asked, the concern evident in his voice.

Again, Phlox had no idea. But he had been a physician long enough to know when people needed reassurance. He smiled and nodded. "Oh, yes. She'll be fine."

When everyone had left, Phlox set about his work. He repeated all of the tests he had performed on Kamea when she first arrived, unconscious in sickbay. He took a sample of her blood to analyze for any possible infections she may have contracted while on board Enterprise. Viral outbreaks were not uncommon; Enterprise was a closed environment, but alien viruses had been known to creep aboard, and in such an enclosed area, they spread quickly. But no one else had presented any symptoms of illness, so Phlox ruled that out almost immediately. The test results confirmed it. She wasn't ill.

So what was it? Was it merely a result of her insomnia? She had come to him little more than a week ago and explained the situation. He was furious that she had not seen him earlier, but she claimed that she had been attempting a new treatment and only wanted to inform him so that he would know in case something happened. It astounded him that she had so little regard for her health, in that she refused all of his offers for treatment.

Kamea would be livid when she woke, because she was adamant against using sedatives. She wouldn't say why, but Phlox assumed that it had something to do with how she had ended up on Enterprise in the first place. He had found traces of a sedative in her system during his first examination of her, but she had never explained the reasoning behind that.

She began to thrash violently again, murmuring in what he presumed to be Hawaiian, though she was still asleep. Phlox was forced to find some restraints and physically restrain her, lest she hurt herself or him.

Brain scans confirmed what he had suspected – that her delirium was a result of her insomnia. Her mental activity was off the charts, even more so than it had been when she was in her dehydration-induced coma, particularly in her right temporal lobe and cerebral cortex. She was obviously remembering something unpleasant, because her heart rate was increasing, the way it normally did when a person was experiencing a nightmare.

He wondered why, when she was delirious, she spoke in Hawaiian. From what he understood, Hawaiian was not a language that was often spoken on Earth, which may have explained why Hoshi did not immediately recognize it. Phlox knew that a lot of patients who were delirious often reverted back to their native language, because delirium caused a disorientation of time and place; they often forgot that they knew how to speak a certain language. But that Hawaiian and not Vulcan – or indeed even English – was Kamea's first language was simply fascinating. If this were going to become a common event, he would have to learn how to speak Hawaiian.

After finishing the necessary tests, he called Captain Archer to sickbay to report his findings.

"So this is just because she can't sleep," Captain Archer said after Phlox had summarized the results of his examination.

Phlox raised his eyebrows at the oversimplification, but that was common among humans. He nodded. "It would appear so. I know that she has nightmares, much the same as Commander Tucker's, and it would appear that her fainting spell triggered another one. When she came to, it was as if she were trapped in the nightmare. She didn't seem to realize where she was."

Captain Archer looked sharply at him. "Will she experience that when she wakes up this time?"

Phlox nodded, pointing to the display of Kamea's brain activity. "She appears to be in the throes of a very bad nightmare. I had to strap her to the bio bed."

The captain shook his head and scrubbed his hands across his face. "What's causing it?"

"I have no idea," Phlox said. "She won't talk about her nightmares, but I do believe that they are the reason behind her insomnia. Her condition is comparable to Commander Tucker's while we were in the expanse, only much more severe."

Captain Archer's face remained hidden behind his hands. His next words were muffled. "So why can't she just do neuro-pressure like Trip did?"

Phlox sighed heavily. "She refuses."

The captain looked at him in mild shock. "But if it will help her sleep – "

"She won't say why," said Phlox. "I have tried to convince her of the many benefits of neuro-pressure. Commander Tucker has also attempted to do so. Even T'Pol has expressed a willingness to help, but Kamea refuses every time."

Before Captain Archer could respond, another voice interrupted. "Why the hell am I strapped to the bed?"

Phlox and Captain Archer both turned to see that Kamea had regained consciousness. She appeared extremely angry at her current predicament. "I like you, Doctor," she said, "but not this much."

"It was necessary," said Phlox, as he approached the bio bed. "You were delirious."

She looked at him, her eyes narrowed, and she seemed to be perfectly lucid. "And now I'm not."

Phlox nodded and undid the restraints, then helped Kamea into a seated position and stepped back in order to allow her the room for her to slide off the bed. She glanced at the captain. "And I believe you asked me to come to the bridge," she said.

Captain Archer nodded. "I did."

She raised an eyebrow. "Still need me?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," said the captain. He used his head to gesture toward the door and turned on his heel.

Kamea moved to follow but Phlox stopped her before she got very far. "Kamea," he said, "when you get the chance, I'd like for you to stop and see me."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I thought you were done with your tests."

"Yes," Phlox said, nodding, "but your insomnia is a fascinating – "

Kamea cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Fine. I'll stop by later tonight." She left without saying goodbye.


Archer and Kamea made their way to the bridge side by side, and Archer marveled at the turn of events since their encounter with the Ferengi. Over the past couple of weeks, Kamea had basically become part of the crew. Most of the crew had adopted her as some sort of mascot, and she was referred to as "the little hula girl" by many of the male crewmembers. She was treated with an enormous amount of respect by the engineering staff in particular, and everyone seemed to realize just how much she was capable of.

He knew that some of the crew still resented Kamea's presence. Kamea, of course, said nothing, but several members of engineering – Rostov and Kelby, in particular – had informed him that there were some unkind comments being flung about their newest engineer. According to them, Kamea seemed to take it all in stride, but the captain didn't like the hostility that was beginning to fester. He thought they were past this. Of course, much of the crew was new, and xenophobia on Earth had reached an all-time high.

Neither Archer nor Kamea said a word until they reached the bridge, where the secondary bridge crew had taken their places at the controls. His senior staff had gathered in his ready room to discuss the current situation.

She wandered across the room to stand by Trip, which hardly surprised Archer.

"T'Pol," Archer said, figuring that his best bet was to just get the meeting underway and let Kamea catch up, "have you had any luck determining the source of the interference?"

His science officer shook her head, her arms folded across her chest. "No, captain. I can only assume that there is something in the atmosphere. If I may, sir, it would seem as though Ensign Mayweather's suggestion may be our most viable option."

Travis, who so rarely got complimented at all, let alone by T'Pol, suddenly stood up straighter, smiling broadly.

"I agree, sir," said Malcolm. "If we take a shuttle pod down just inside the atmosphere, we can take scans of the planet without interference and hopefully without being noticed."

"You won't be noticed," Kamea said, practically hidden behind the much taller Trip. She peered around him and met the captain's gaze. "Altarans are extremely primitive. They're amphibious. They look like komodo dragons with four arms. They believe in mysticism, magic, the black arts. They think that everything has a soul – not just animate objects, but rocks, dirt, water. They believe that if you can gain access to something's soul, you can control it. They don't even have weapons."

T'Pol cleared her throat. "We detected a significant level of technology."

Kamea furrowed her brow in confusion. "Are you certain?"

T'Pol looked slightly irritated – about as irritated as the Vulcan could look. She turned to look at Kamea with an icy glare of which Archer was glad he was not on the receiving end. "I know how to read the scanners."

Kamea didn't even flinch. "I was not questioning your ability to do your job. I was merely suggesting that perhaps the equipment is malfunctioning."

"The scanners are fine," said Trip. "I double-checked them myself."

"If you're detecting technology down there, it isn't coming from the Altarans. They don't have the ability to construct anything more technologically advanced than a thatch hut." She and Malcolm exchanged a look, eyebrows raised. "Could be something else."

Malcolm nodded absently. "The interference could be someone jamming our signals. Someone should go check it out." Archer could detect a hint of anticipation in his voice and could only tell from his suggestion that he believed he should be the one to do so. "I can get a team together in five minutes, Captain. Just say the word."

Archer wandered over to the monitors and examined what little information they had. It wouldn't be wise to send an entire team down to the planet without first knowing what they were up against. If T'Pol was unable to get a reading, it was logical to assume that whoever was down there didn't want to be found. It would probably be better to send down a few people – a small away team – to take stock of the situation. If the Altarans needed their help, Enterprise would be better equipped to deal with the threat if Archer only knew what was going on. He agreed with Malcolm that he should send someone, but who to send?

"Sir?" Malcolm asked.

Archer whirled abruptly to look at his tactical officer. "We should send someone, Malcolm, but not an entire team. Not until we know what we're facing." He looked around the ready room, trying to determine whom to send. "I think it's best if we only send down a few people at the moment." He looked at Trip. "Trip, prep Shuttle Pod Two."

Trip coughed uncertainly. "Um, Captain? I don't have the greatest luck when it comes to away missions."

Archer suppressed a smile, remembering the particularly nasty mission on which Trip became the first male to ever become pregnant. Trip had never been able to live it down. Then, of course, there was their ordeal in the desert and the debacle at the trellium mining complex while in the expanse. No, Trip really did have abysmal luck. "I know, Trip. Just ready the shuttle pod."

Trip nodded briefly and left the ready room. Archer turned to T'Pol. "You should probably go down. You're the logical choice to interpret whatever data you may obtain."

T'Pol nodded. "Agreed, Captain."

"Hoshi," Archer said, turning to face his communications officer, "you'll go with T'Pol. We may run into the Altarans, and I'll need you to translate."

Hoshi could barely hide her grin. She loved the opportunity to learn a new language, and she was already jabbering excitedly as she and T'Pol exited the ready room.

Archer turned to Malcolm. "Malcolm, feel up for a challenge?"

Malcolm's eyes gleamed. "Always, sir."

Archer glanced back and forth between Travis and Kamea. One more in the landing party would make it an even four, so the group could split in half to cover more ground. He turned back to Malcolm and jerked his head at Kamea. "And take the human encyclopedia with you."

Kamea and Malcolm both looked at Archer in shock, then at each other, then back at Archer. "Captain," Kamea said, "I don't – "

"Captain," said Malcolm, scrambling towards him, "it's not in my nature to question your judgment, but I don't think it's wise to send a civilian on a mission like this."

"Are you implying that I am incapable of performing this mission?" Kamea asked as she appeared at Archer's other elbow, her eyes narrowed at Malcolm.

Malcolm shook his head. "Not at all. I just don't think it's wise to send a civilian on a military mission. I may not be able to protect you if we run into trouble."

Kamea's nostrils flared. "I don't need your protection."

Malcolm leaned forward and lowered his voice, though only Travis and Archer remained in the ready room. "And what about your insomnia? What if you faint while down on the surface of the planet? We aren't able to get accurate readings. Phlox might not be able to get to you."

"I am fine," Kamea said through clenched teeth. "The captain obviously believes I'm capable, or he wouldn't have asked me to go."

Tired of their bickering, which reminded him strongly of Trip and T'Pol, Archer loudly cleared his throat, and Malcolm and Kamea both glanced at him. He gestured to Kamea. "Kamea is the only person on this ship who has ever been on that planet. She knows the natives, which could work to our advantage." He gestured to Malcolm. "Malcolm is the head of security. If we need to organize an attack or a rescue, it would be best if he were the one to do so." He put his hands on both of their shoulders, which made Kamea flinch, if only slightly. "All four of you have a purpose down there, and I will not tolerate such juvenile behavior."

Some of the fire faded from Kamea's eyes as she looked at Archer. "To be fair, I'm only a teenager by Vulcan standards."

Archer tried not to smile. Malcolm did not look amused. Archer cleared his throat again. "I want you two to go get ready. The shuttle pod leaves in two hours."