Chapter 4.

The first round of voting takes place. So how exactly did Porthos make his choice?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A week later personnel entering the mess hall were greeted by a wall of pictures. Kelly and Cutler had done a great job of photographing the crew, enlarging and printing the results and arranging them on the wall. Nobody was left out. Even Porthos had his spot! All the pictures were numbered, no names, and voters simply had to write the number of their choice on their voting slip and post it in a special box.

Comments were heard that as Porthos had been included he would also be allowed a vote. Who, then, would decide Porthos' choice? Captain Archer? It would stand to reason that the Captain would have Porthos vote for his master, wouldn't it? Would that be fair? One vote either way would not make much difference, would it? The discussion went on throughout the next couple of days.

Eventually, the Captain got to hear about it and sent out a shipwide announcement.

"This is Captain Archer speaking. I would like it to be known that Porthos is as much a member of this crew as anyone and as such is entitled to have his say in this competition. However, I want to make it clear to all of you that he will not, I repeat not, be voting for me. Archer out."

Over the next few days people were to be seen studying the pictures, marking their slips and posting them in the box.

Trip and Malcolm stood side by side looking at the wall of photos.

"Who're you voting for, Mal?" Trip asked. "Williams still looks good, but then so does Travis. Look at those biceps."

"He's OK if you like that sort of thing. Personally I think I'll vote for Porthos. What's his number?" Malcolm neatly wrote a number on his slip, folded it and posted it in the box.

"You're not serious, are you?" Trip asked. "I've voted for...ah, no perhaps I shouldn't say."

Malcolm grinned at Trip. The number he had written down was Trip's not Porthos'.

Trip was breakfasting with the Captain and T'Pol the next morning and conversation had turned to the competition. Something was worrying Trip.

"Y'know, Cap'n, a lot of people are wondering just how Porthos made his choice. I think you're going to have to admit that, in fact, you got two votes."

"No I didn't. Porthos made his own choice."

"And just exactly how did he do that? Did he actually say the name of his preference? Or maybe he wrote the number on his voting slip?"

"Neither." Archer had to laugh at the thought of Porthos filling in his slip. "I'll tell you how he let me know his decision. First I explained to him what I was going to do. Then I called up the full crew complement on my computer, and I read out the names in alphabetical order. He listened carefully to each name. He did show some interest when I read out my own name, but that is only to be expected. Most of the time he just sat there with his head on his paws, occasionally becoming a little excited at the sound of someone he knows. But I knew he had made his choice when one particular name had him jump up wagging his tail and yapping happily. I asked him if he was quite sure, and he jumped on my lap and licked my face. I wrote that person's number on Porthos' voting slip."

"Don't s'pose you want to tell us who he voted for?" Trip asked.

"Ask me after the competition. All I can say is, I think he has very good taste."

The closing date for the first round arrived and the box of voting slips was taken away to be counted by Kelly and Cutler.

The mess hall was closed while the photos of the unlucky crewmembers were removed from the wall and the thirty lucky ones were rearranged. People waited outside the doors with bated breath.

Finally, the doors were opened and everyone crowded in.

Squeals of delight from some lucky contestants were heard, and moans and groans from unlucky ones.

"Would you believe Porthos has got through," someone at the front called out.

"It's a fix," was heard from several voices but there was laughter in them.

From the senior staff, the Captain, Travis, Trip and Malcolm were all there. It was understandable that Phlox didn't get through but did nobody find Hoshi or T'Pol sexy?

When Malcolm saw his picture up on the wall he was not happy. but he brightened up when he saw Trip's picture still there. Crewman Williams (showing off her very obvious assets)from hydroponics was there as well as Ensign Cook from engineering, Ensign Tanner from armoury, Crewman Namon recently assigned to astrometrics (she was very petite and pretty with it) and Crewman Baird from communications, which meant there was a reasonable cross section from all departments. There would be another week for everyone to make their selection for the second round. The tension was building!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please let me know whether or not you like this. I really need your reviews.