Star Trek and Star Trek: Enterprise are the registered trademarks and copyright property of CBS Corporation and CBS Television Studios. This fiction item is intended for entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been received or will be accepted for this item, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended or should be implied.

Special thanks go to EntAllat for beta reading and to AquariusNX01 for a last-minute catch on the original. This version has been lightly rewritten.


Eye of the Beholder


Beauty had been sorely missing from her life lately, which meant that Hoshi was unusually appreciative of the vista in front of her. Inhaling deeply, she stepped out of the shuttlepod. The air was fresh and crisp, a welcome change after several continuous weeks aboard Enterprise as they had begun their mission in the Delphic Expanse.

There was a grunt behind her before another set of footsteps hit the ground. "It's cold out here."

"We brought our jackets," she reminded Travis. "Come on, we don't have much time."

Scans had suggested that the hundred-year-old ruins on this planet were likely based on Xindi technology, and they'd been sent down to look for anything useful. It was a long shot, Hoshi knew, but lately they'd been pursuing every line of inquiry they could find.

Besides, there were other reasons for this particular trip, although she hadn't been privy to all of the details. They made it an effort to keep from smiling too much. Shaking her head to bring herself back to the present, she noticed that Travis was already stalking toward the wooded area that separated them from the ruins.

Hoshi followed, but couldn't help but taking another deep breath at the sights in front of her. Emerald-colored grass gave way to trees with big, lush leaves and moss covering their trunks.

"Beautiful," she breathed softly as she caught up with her companion.

"It's all one color," he replied. "Green."

"One? Don't you see all the different shades?"

"Green is still just green."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, at least the air is fresh. That's something."

"If you say so." He had barely interrupted his stride, forcing her to trot to keep up with him. Given that and his obvious lack of interest, there was no point continuing the conversation.

Fifteen minutes later, they came out of the woods to discover a large lake. A perfect cerulean sky arched over them, its color turning almost sapphire when reflected in the water. Hoshi couldn't suppress another happy sigh.

"You'd think this place would be a little less monochromatic," said Travis.

"I wouldn't call it that. Not with both green and blue."

"Yeah, but the green is all in one place and the blue is in another rather than being mixed together. And the ruins are on the other side of that lake." He looked around and blew out his breath. "This is boring. And pointless."

She'd taken her scanner out, but dropped it into a pocket without turning it on. "You're determined to be in a bad mood today, aren't you?"

"Why not? The captain sends us down on a useless mission —"

"Those are probably Xindi ruins. That's not exactly useless."

"If they're so useful, why isn't he down here himself? Or T'Pol?"

"You know why." Irritation had crept into her voice, but a part of her was glad that Travis had finally started talking. Maybe it would help with whatever was bothering him. "She's still recovering from what happened when we found the Seleya. And maybe the captain just wanted to give us some time off the ship. I don't know about you, but I was on the verge of cabin fever."

"Cabin fever? You're one to talk. At least you don't have to share with a MACO."

"All the more reason to appreciate a chance to get away," she countered, but then she paused long enough to gentle her tone. "This isn't like you. Want to tell me what's wrong?"

His face hardened. "Nothing."

"Why don't I believe that?"

"Believe whatever you want." Turning away, he started to march around the edge of the lake. This time, she did have to run to keep up with him.


They didn't find much in the ruins and were back in the shuttlepod a few hours later. Hoshi dumped her scanner data into the console and re-ran the analyses, hoping she'd simply missed something, but the second, more comprehensive evaluation confirmed the first: other than a few traces of Xindi power signatures, there was little they hadn't already known.

Leaning back in the co-pilot's seat as they ascended, Hoshi sighed. It really had been a beautiful planet, but they had a mission.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Travis' bad mood seemed to have abated somewhat, but he still wasn't acting like his normal self.

She glanced sideways at him. "Will you tell me what's bothering you?"

His face closed again, the way it had on the planet. "I told you. I'm fine."

"You're not acting that way. You've been downright grumpy today."

He shrugged. "Them I'm being grumpy. So what?"

"It's…" she trailed off. "It's just not like you."

"So I'm having an off day," he snapped. "I'm entitled to one every now and then, aren't I? Not that it matters. I spend day after day trying to navigate Enterprise through a practical minefield of anomalies, chasing after people that might have caused the attack on Earth —"

"Captain Archer had evidence —"

"Captain Archer has the word of someone we already know is biased against humans! So we could be on the wrong track entirely, and I'm stuck sharing my quarters with a compulsive neat freak. Not to mention —" he cut himself off, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Hoshi. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

But she'd noticed what he hadn't said. "Not to mention what?"

"Nothing," he answered, looking miserable. "Really. It's just…me being stupid, I guess."

Ah hah. She knew what the cause was now, but it was important not to give that away. Not yet. Schooling her features, Hoshi answered, "I doubt that. You're pretty smart."

He gave her an exasperated look, but didn't answer. She pulled the scanner data back up again, concentrating on the readings for the rest of the trip, even though she knew it was little more than a distraction.


At least they didn't have to go through decon, which was a good thing given how much Travis had already complained about this mission. Hoshi missed his smile. It was a small bit of beauty she'd gotten to see nearly every day since they'd left the devastated Earth.

Malcolm met her at the top of the launch bay stairs. "Anything useful?"

"It's definitely Xindi," she reported, "but we didn't find much more. They abandoned this area a long time ago."

His lips quirked. "Wonderful."

Travis closed the shuttlepod hatch with more than the necessary force and clomped up the stairs. "Well, that was a few hours we won't get back. I'm going to go clean up. See you on the bridge."

"Actually," said Malcolm, his eyes meeting Hoshi's, "you're needed in the cargo bay."

He was already partway down the corridor, but turned to stare back at them. "What?"

Hoshi smothered a chuckle.

"Cargo bay, Ensign," said Malcolm crisply, his expression impassive. "Now."

"We take on something while we were gone?"

"Not exactly." He motioned toward the doors. "Shall we? You too, Hoshi."

Unlike the planet, this wasn't a long walk, and she was able to keep up this time. As a result, she got to see Travis' face when the bay doors opened. And there, at long last, was the beautiful smile she'd been missing today.

She returned it with one of her own. "Did you really think we'd forgotten?"

"No, I…" he laughed. "Actually, yes. Everyone's been so serious lately."

"Crew morale is serious a matter," she informed him.

The smile broadened. "You knew! That trip was just meant to get me off the ship!"

"Not entirely," said Malcolm, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he, too, began to smile. "But yes, that was part of it."

Hoshi went up on tiptoe to kiss Travis on the cheek. "Happy birthday."

His smile had reached his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you both." Then, offering her his arm, they walked together into the decorated cargo bay and the party inside.