A/N Special thanks to EroSlackerMicha for the review and Alastairnyght for a PM. I can't say enough how much I appreciate and look forward to input, but I also greatly appreciate and still marvel that people find enjoyment in my writing. Thanks to all of you.
After the emotional strain of the first battle, the death of Mercy and the arrival of the new ships, things, at least on the surface, returned to normal for the Fleet. That is, returned to waiting. Archer and T'Pol had visited the new ships, perhaps understandably spending a little more time on the Mercy McBride, talking with Captain Stewart.
Trip and Kathy also spent time on the new ships, having discussions with their Engineering departments, while Malcom did the same with the Armories. Archer and T'Pol also took a tour with the other members of the War Council. Everyone was in agreement, Earth was producing more and more powerful ships. Although still not quite equal to the Vulcans, there were no doubts they were equal to the Andorians and a definite step above the Tellarite Fleet. The new ships spent long hours with Captain Hernandez to become a vital cog in the Alliance War Machine.
Within a couple weeks after the ships arrived, several events took place. First, Charlie was one year old. Then came the end of the Fleet's first year in deployment. These were followed by Christmas Day. Trip, who had already felt low when he missed Charlie's first words and starting to walk, was even more bummed by missing his son's first birthday, but made the best of it by having a small party with the Bridge crew, Kathy, and Phlox. He had just received some new pictures of Charlie walking from Natalie and cheered himself up by sharing them with the others. He was surprised when Shran heard about it and came over to join the party. They of course, had to drink a toast of Andorian Ale to the baby, T'Pol even taking part.
Christmas was a low-key event, consisting mostly of a party in the mess hall. Everyone was thinking of how they had already been away from home for a year and had no idea when they would return. In contrast, everyone went a little overboard for New Years, taking the opportunity to let off a little steam. Even the Andorians and Tellarites celebrated with them, with the proviso the humans would reciprocate on the Andorian and Tellarite New Years. The Vulcans looked at all this with a rather jaundiced eye, accepting it as a necessary evil, part of their association with such emotional beings. A couple of weeks after New Year's; after Trip had spent a lot of time meeting with the engineers of the other ships, he contacted Archer and asked if he could meet with him.
After getting permission, Archer wondering why he thought he needed to ask, Trip found himself outside the Admiral's Ready Room. He was surprised and amazed that he was actually a little nervous about the meeting. After all, this was Jonathan Archer, a man that had been his friend for a long time. But he was also Admiral Jonathan Archer, Supreme Commander of the Alliance Fleet. And today, it was that man he needed to persuade to agree to the idea the Engineers and others on Earth ships wanted to propose.
Then, noticing that T'Pol and the others on the Bridge were looking at him, wondering why he was standing there, he quickly knocked and was asked to enter.
Since Trip requested a formal meeting, Archer greeted him with "Have a seat, Commander."
After Trip was seated, he continued, "So, what's this all about?"
Trip hesitated then started, "As you know, I have been meeting with the Chief Engineers from the other ships. The other day, after we were done discussing business, we commented how great it was to having the new ships here. Then, one of the guys said jokingly, 'Sixteen ships, perfect number to have some kind of tournament. You know, like the Sweet Sixteen in basketball.' Suddenly we found ourselves actually considering how it would be good for morale to have some kind of competition. Then somebody said, 'How about basketball?' Well it just took off from there. We held more meetings and came up with a plan for a tournament between the ships. We checked it out and found there was interest and apparently enough players on each ship to make up eight-man squads."
Archer was surprised, he would not have ever guessed this is what Trip was going to discuss. "Basketball?"
Trip hurried on, "We were thinking of a complete round robin, everyone playing everyone else and then the top two teams playing for the Championship. Might have to have some playoff games if we have equal records."
"Sounds like will take a lot of time. We don't want to interfere with our duties."
"We thought we could do it after normal shift. I'm sure we can cover for anyone that would normally be on duty." Pushing on, "It will not be only good for the players, but will give the rest something to watch and cheer for."
"Where did you plan to play these games?"
"Several of the new ships have large cargo bays that are empty. They also have a lot of sports equipment and other stuff. Could set up baskets in those."
"Well, I guess it might be worth a try. Who's going to select the players?"
"Actually, we have already done that. Everyone has agreed except one person we haven't told yet."
"I am not saying yes yet, but just for interest, who is on our team?"
"Well, first is Travis, you know he is about the best natural shooter I have seen. Comes from all those years practicing on the freighter. Then there's James Howard, he played first string in college. Deb Taft played for her high school team. Ted Baker played a lot of Y ball and Sid Watson also played in college. Then there's me. I also thought it would be fun to have Phlox on the team. Could probably not play regularly but maybe we could create some plays for him."
When he stopped, Archer said, "That's only seven, who's the eighth?"
Trip looked a little nonplussed, "He's the one we haven't told yet. But he's the one that everyone agreed needed to play. That would do the most for morale."
Archer started to get suspicious, "Wait a minute…."
Trip interrupted, "Everyone wants you to play, Admiral. They all agreed it would really top the whole thing."
"I don't know, Trip. I'd love to play, but not sure I should, being their commander." Then he smirked, "Or is it so they can all push me around with no repercussions?"
Trip grew serious, "Jon, they really want you to play. I think it would be good for them to interact with you on a different level."
Archer still wasn't sure it was a good idea, but he did want to play and it would give him a chance to get to know more of his crews.
"All right, Trip, I have a feeling I might regret it but I'll give it a try."
Trip gave a broad smile, "Thanks Jon. Well, we will get everything going."
"Now that I am in, how does our team look compared to the others."
"For the most part, we seemed to have lucked out, the teams look pretty equal." Then, after a moment, "Except for the California."
Seeing Archer looking at him, he continued, "They do have a guy named Barry Stevens, who did play a few years in the WBL."
Archer stared, "He was a professional basketball player?"
Trip quickly said, "Yes, but he is only one man and as it turns out, there wasn't much other talent on the ship."
Then with a sly grin, Trip said, "We also thought we should maybe have cheerleaders."
Seeing the look on Archer's face, he quickly added, "Just kidding." But then he smirked and said, "But I was kind of thinking of how T'Pol would look in a cheerleading outfit."
Archer was about to talk to him about respecting your commanding officers when he saw the smirk. Besides, he couldn't stop the image of T'Pol in a short cheerleading skirt, jumping up and down.
He then seriously said, "I assume we are done here. I give you my permission with the proviso that you see to it that our routines are not affected. I am holding you responsible for that. Understood, Commander?"
Trip straightened up, "I understand, Sir."
"All right, dismissed."
Things actually proceeded smoothly and everything was soon set up. There was a difficult moment when Archer informed T'Pol. He had never seen her eyebrows go so high. Giving him her most condescending look she said, "Basketball. Don't you think you are all a little old to be taking part in games? I would think you especially…."
Archer, getting a little angry, "What about me?"
Smiling inwardly, T'Pol answered, "At your age…"
"My age!"
Then he saw her showing what amounted to her smile and cooled down. Then he smirked and lowered his voice, "Someday, T'Pol, I will show you how much energy I do have when we indulge in our own games."
Rewarded by seeing her slightly blush, he continued, "I know it may appear as a waste of time to you, but I do believe it will be good for morale."
It became apparent Trip and the others had done their work and the games started without a hitch. They drew good crowds and for the most part were competitive games. Barry Stevens was of course the dominant player and it was widely expected California would be one of the final teams.
There was an unforeseen complication that was brought to Archer's attention by Malcom Reed after several games had been played.
After inviting him to his Ready Room, Archer had him sit, and then asked, "What was it you need to discuss with me, Commander?"
"Have you noticed that quite a few Andorians and Tellarites have been attending the games?"
"I noticed there were some, I just assumed they were curious."
"That's what I thought but then I overheard some of them talking. Sir, they are betting on the games."
Archer was stunned, He managed to get out. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Sir. Apparently, Shran heard about what we were doing and got curious. He accessed the data base and read all he could about basketball. Apparently, there was a reference to betting and he researched that fully. I never knew this, but Andorians and Tellarites are really involved in gambling. It is a big deal on both planets. They like to bet on almost anything. Well, he got together with Gral and they set up a pretty sophisticated system. Evidently, they understand spreads, over and under, etc.
Archer sighed, "Okay, Malcolm, I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I guess I better talk to Shran and Gral. We can't have Andorians and Tellarites arguing about money and gambling. It could get bad enough to affect the Alliance."
After meeting with Shran and Gral, Archer reluctantly decided he could not stop the betting except by making it a direct order which would be deeply resented and maybe even ignored. Both Shran and Gral were deeply indignant that anyone would think that gambling would cause problems between them. They assured him that no inhabitant of either planet would ever raise a ruckus or not pay their debts. They also assured him that no one but the winners were profiting from the betting. They also said that it was not Tellarites betting against Andorians but everyone individually betting their own choices. They also informed him that just as the tournament was for the morale of the Earthlings, betting was good morale for them. And with the remark by Archer that Starfleet frowned on betting, they coldly reminded him that they were not subject to any Starfleet rules.
At the completion of the Round Robin, Enterprise surprisingly found itself playing California for the Championship. Archer also decided he was glad he played. Everyone treated him as just another player and he felt he had got to know many of his crewman and officers better. It was particularly helpful interacting with those from the new ships.
As Archer was sitting on a bench lacing up his shoes while Trip and the other players were also getting ready. Malcolm entered the room and walked over to where they were.
"Have you seen the crowd out there? Think practically everybody from both ships are here along with a bunch of Andorians and Tellarites. Even Soval and couple of Vulcans are here."
Archer, smiling ruefully, "Am sure the Andorians and Tellarites are here to protect their bets. Wonder though what made Soval decide to come. Maybe he felt he should support us for the sake of morale. Amazed he could get anyone to come with him. Oh well, if we are going to embarrass ourselves, we might as well do it up right."
Then Malcom smirked, "Oh, you wouldn't believe who else is out there. Saw T'Pol sitting with Hoshi."
Archer showed surprise and excitement before trying to cover it up, "T'Pol?"
Malcolm smiled broadly, "Yeah, I knew Hoshi has been after her for some time saying as Captain she should attend for the sake of the morale of the crew. Guess she finally wore her down."
Tucker moved by them, "She and the rest of the Vulcans will probably spend their time meditating, or looking on with disapproval at the waste of time and energy."
Malcolm, sarcastically, "You don't think she will join in the cheering?"
Trip smirked, saying, "I think there is as much chance of that as Jon holding Barry to less than twenty points."
Archer, who pretended to be offended, "Aren't you supposed to try to build me up?"
Tucker laughed and said, "I was, I could've said forty."
They moved out into the bay. The room was full of spectators, some sitting on chairs close to the court, most of them standing in the area around the court. In the back some were sitting on storage boxes. Hoshi and T'Pol were sitting near one basket.
After having to endure watching Barry warm up by showing off various dunks, the game began.
Barry was almost unstoppable, twice dunking over Archer, but luckily James and Travis were hot, especially on three pointers. With Archer contributing with rebounds and Trip making some crucial shots, the score remained close. With six minutes left in the game, the score was California 63, Enterprise 61. California called a time out and everyone went to their benches.
Archer gestured to Deb, "Deb, you go in for me. I'm pooped and tired of watching Barry jump over me. You're a better shot than I am and maybe you can help on offense. Everyone will have to help on rebounding. As for defense, just collapse on Barry, you can't do any worse than I've been doing."
Deb answered, "Okay, Admiral." On a look from Archer, "I mean Jon."
Then Trip spoke up, "How about using our secret weapon?"
Archer nodded, "Good idea. Phlox, go in for James. Use the double screen play. Don't forget to call time out after he makes it so we can get him out of there. If you can't get it to him, just call time out."
When play resumed, they were able to set up a double screen and Phlox sank it.
While Hoshi cheered, T'Pol sat stoically beside her, but watched the game intently. Time out was called and Phlox left the floor. As play resumed, Barry was still scoring heavily, but they managed to stay in the game, with Deb making a crucial three-pointer. With just two minutes to go, California led 75-71. Archer called time out.
As they returned to the bench, Archer congratulated Deb and said he was ready to return. He added, "I think it is time for Phlox again. This time we'll just use him as a decoy. Set up the screen for Travis. When he makes the shot call time out and James get back in the game. Then we'll put on a full court press. Okay, let's go."
The players returned to the court. When the other team saw Phlox back in the game, they double teamed him. Trip faked a toss to him and they set a series of screens which Travis drove around and made the shot. 75-73.
After they got Phlox out of the game, California beat the press and Barry dunked it over Archer again. 77-73.
With less than a minute, Travis drew three men to him. He managed to get it to Trip, who made a difficult lay-up. 77-75.
This time the press bothered the California players and with the shot clock running down, Barry missed a tough shot and Jon grabbed the rebound. He brought it to midcourt and called timeout. The clock showed 12 seconds as the players went to the bench.
Archer looked at the others, "Well, here we are. Anybody got a suggestion?"
Travis answered, "Think we should put Phlox in."
Archer turned to Phlox, "How about it? Are you up to the play we have been working on? I admit it didn't always work when we practiced it, but I think it's our best chance."
Phlox answered, "I believe I can execute it."
Deb spoke up, "I say we go for it!"
Archer looked around at the others who all show their agreement. "All right. Trip, you inbound it."
When everyone had returned to the court, Barry came up to guard Phlox alone while the others guarded against any decoy play. Trip got it to Travis, who moved toward the hoop, drawing two players with him. Suddenly Phlox moved! He shuffled to his right, moving away from the basket. As Barry went after him, he was stopped by Jon, who had come back to set a screen. Travis flipped it to Phlox who naturally made a three-pointer from way downtown as the game ended. Final score 78-77.
Barry was stunned as he stared at Phlox. Then he smiled and shook his head. Phlox was mobbed by his teammates, while Archer shook Barry's hand. Phlox, who was grinning from ear to ear, broke free and tried to give Archer an awkward high five. Just then Hoshi who was very excited, and T'Pol, stoic as usual, came up to them.
Hoshi hugged Phlox, "Great job Phlox, you were fantastic!" She turned to Archer, "Er…you were good too, Sir."
Archer ruefully answers, "Thanks, Hoshi."
Hoshi then embraced Travis and they and Phlox joined the other players.
Archer then addressed T'Pol, "Well, T'Pol, what did you think?"
"It was quite interesting. Although I still wonder at the amount of time and energy exerted for sports, I do believe it was good for morale." Then, with a glint in her eye, she continued, "I am curious though, Admiral. According to what Hoshi explained to me, were you not supposed to prevent Crewman Stevens from scoring?"
Archer looked suspiciously at her, but her face reflected nothing but innocent interest. "Yeah, that's what I was TRYING to do."
Shran and Gral walked up to them and Shran slapped Archer on the back, "Well, Pinkskin, I should know better than to bet against you. You owe me one."
"Don't look at me, I did very little, blame Phlox and the rest."
Gral then spoke up, "That was certainly true. Luckily for me they won in spite of you."
Archer glared at him, "Hey, I did have 14 rebounds. Of course you wouldn't know anything about that; you probably missed most of the game because you couldn't see over whoever was in front of you."
Gral glared back and was about to speak when Shran interrupted, "I did recover some of my money by betting Stevens would not score fifty…"
Archer, incredulously, "The line was fifty?"
Ignoring the interruption, Shran went on, "…points, but you didn't do it by much. I got a little nervous when he got 47."
T'Pol spoke up, "48."
Shran answered back, "What?"
"Crewman Stevens scored 48 points."
Archer now glared at her, "You kept track of what he scored against me?"
T'Pol looked surprised, "I know what everyone scored. You for example scored 8 while Commander Tucker…"
Archer, interrupting, "Never mind, that's enough, I believe you."
Trip now came up to join them with a broad smile on his face, "Well, what did you guys think? Pretty impressive, huh."
T'Pol answered, "You do seem to be quite proficient at the game."
Archer, smarting a little, "At least one of us is." Then he smiled, "I suppose we should hit the showers, I'm sure we are pretty offensive right now."
T'Pol, diplomatically, "You are both quite aromatic."
Shran, not so diplomatically, "Aromatic? They stink."
Archer feigned hurt, "I think we have just been insulted."
Tucker, acting serious, "I don't think so. I know so." Holding out his elbow, "Admiral."
Archer interlocking his elbow, "Commander." They walk off.
Shran shook his head, "Humans! How did we ever get involved with them? Sometimes, I swear they seem like children."
T'Pol, watching them leave, turned back to Shran, "I believe their good qualities far outweigh their shortcomings. I am quite fascinated with them."
Shran smirked, "Especially one of them."
T'Pol met his eyes, "If you will excuse me, I need to return to the Bridge. Live long and prosper, General Shran and Viscount Gral." She then left them.
Shran watched her leave, looked at Gral, smiled and shook his head. They both then turned and left, arguing about their bets.
When Jhamel returned to the city, she carried through with her plan to contact General Thrang. At first, he was resistant, afraid for her safety. But with pushing from the Queen and an okay from Shran, he agreed to have her accompany him. He explained he was visiting Earth to take a tour of their Spaceship building facilities. When the Humans had outlined their plan to build twelve new Spaceships every six months, he felt they were widely overestimating their capabilities. But now learning that the plants were ready to go, he decided he wanted to explore the possibility of doing something similar, on a smaller scale, perhaps with the Tellarites. He told Jhamel he would probably be on Earth about a week. She would have liked to stay longer but knew this would probably be her only chance to go at all.
The plan was for the Earth ship Intrepid to meet their ship halfway. Both ships were equipped with detection devices.
The trip to Earth proved to be uneventful with Jhamel now being a seasoned traveler. She had sent a message ahead and Natalie and Charlie were there to greet her when she arrived at Starfleet. She happily held Charlie who spent his time smiling and touching her antennae. They all joined Thrang when he went to meet with President Samuels and Admiral Gardner. They had a quick meeting and lunch with them. But then, when Thrang headed out for the nearest plant, Natalie took Jhamel to her home where she would be staying.
After getting Jhamel settled in, they talked for a while about the war. After preparing and eating supper, they played with Charlie, Jhamel happily watching him walk and say a few words.
Later, they both engaged in some girl talk about their husbands, both discovering that whatever their species, men were still men.
When Charlie had been put to bed, they sat in the living room with a glass of wine. Natalie had been trying to get up the courage to ask Jhamel a question for quite a while, she had wanted to ask her since the first time she met her. She finally decided 'What the Hell,' and hoping Jhamel wouldn't be offended, she asked, "Jhamel, this is really none of my business and you don't have to answer, but how do you function so normally when you are blind?"
Jhamel smiled and said, "I don't mind at all your asking. Actually there are parts of it I really don't completely understand myself, but I can tell you how the world appears to me. As I believe is true of even blind humans, I have highly developed other senses, such as smell and hearing. But mine are much more advanced. Then of course there is also my telepathic ability. Every object that exists whether living or not gives off something I can detect such as a smell. With living beings, there are a wide array of such inflections. Smell, hearing, and even though I do not read someone's mind without permission, I still can sense emotions, even from non-sentient species such as dogs."
"Now, here is the part I really can't explain fully. From all this input, I actually 'see' something. It is difficult to explain but I just know it is there." She smiled, "The first time I met Shran, I told him I had never met a blue skinned person before. He asked me how I knew he was blue if I couldn't see. I told him I didn't understand the science of it, but just knew. Actually, somehow, I could tell he was Andorian, so that's how I knew he was blue."
"I hope that helps a little. Also, since of course these indications are unique to an individual, once I meet someone, I can recognize them the next time I meet them."
Natalie was stunned. She couldn't imagine what it would be like, being bombarded by all the things Jhamel sensed. And having the ability to sort it all out…
Jhamel continued, "Now, there is something I would like to ask you. It is a big favor and I will completely understand if you don't feel comfortable doing it."
Natalie answered, "I will help if I can."
"Since I have been with Shran, he has been willing to let me use his eyes. That is, I look into his mind and see what he sees. Therefore, I know what you all really look like. It was strange at first and I had to train my mind to correctly interpret what I was seeing. It was like being exposed to a whole new world. I also realized I couldn't use his eyes when I moved, since he was not going exactly where I was. It was a long struggle to make it work, but in the end it was well worth it. I was wondering if you would let me do that with you. I assure you I will not intrude on your thoughts. I am able to limit my reading to just what you see. Also, I will only do it when you are with me and seeing what I would normally see. I will not use it to see what you do away from me."
Natalie wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to help but the idea of someone entering her mind bothered her. After thinking it over, she decided she could trust Jhamel. "I admit it bothers me a little, but I trust you and am willing to try."
Jhamel, who had waited patiently while she saw Natalie ponder her decision, smiled and said, "Thank you. I assure you it will be as I said." Then she smiled and said, "Why didn't you tell me my hair was such a mess?"
Natalie was surprised, she had felt nothing. "Are you doing it now?" Then realized what a stupid question that was. She continued "I can't tell anything. Besides, your hair looks fine to me."
Jhamel laughed and then said, "Can we go upstairs and look in on Charlie. I can't wait to see him."
Natalie smiled, "Of course."
For the next few days, Natalie and Jhamel spent time in San Francisco and the surrounding areas, Jhamel happily taking everything in. They went to movies, the opera, and ballet. They visited the SF Museum of Modern Art. Jhamel was enthralled and excited as she took it all in. Watching her, Natalie was just as thrilled, she knew she was introducing her to a new world of experiences. The only thing that bugged her was that Admiral Gardner had insisted they be accompanied by a member of Starfleet Security. But it turned out that he was for the most part unobtrusive and she had to admit she was glad he was there when people wanted to get too close.
But then General Thrang informed them that he had finished his tour and was ready to return to Andoria. Neither Natalie or Jhamel were ready to have her leave.
Natalie asked Admiral Gardner if there was anything that could be done to have Jhamel stay longer.
It was actually Admiral Duvall that provided a solution. He pointed out to Gardner that a new set of starships would be leaving in five months to join the fleet. He wondered if Jhamel could stay until then and hitch a ride on one of the ships. They could drop her off on Andoria on their way.
Everyone quickly agreed that was a great idea and General Thrang returned home without Jhamel.
For the next five months, Natalie, Charlie and Jhamel traveled the world, taking in all the sights. Much of it was also new to Natalie. They also were able to meet with leaders and prominent people from many nations. Natalie was almost driven to tears of joy as she watched the excitement and happiness Jhamel was feeling. It also turned out to be a tremendous help in promoting the Alliance.
Five months after she arrived, Jhamel reluctantly said goodbye to Natalie and Charlie. They all had a final hug and the women agreed they and their husbands would all get back together after the war.
Jhamel boarded La Marseilles and returned safely to Andoria.
