Star Trek Enterprise – Fight or Flight: Between the Scenes
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Paramount Studios. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.
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Even after her successful and very pleasurable first contact with the Klingons, Hoshi still had trouble adjusting to space travel. She recalled the fear she felt on her first away mission. They had come across an alien vessel adrift in space. There were weak bio-signs but they couldn't get in touch with the crew. Archer decided to take the shuttle to see what was wrong with the alien ship. He told Hoshi and Lt. Reed to get ready.
Hoshi tried to talk Captain Archer out of taking her. She admitted that the environmental suit made her claustrophobic. And going on an alien ship dead in space wasn't her idea of fun. But Archer was adamant that he wanted her on the away team. Making her carry a phase pistol did little to allay her fears. Wearing an environmental suit she had boarded the alien vessel with Captain Archer and Lt. Reed. The ship was dark, cold and appeared deserted. Until Hoshi found alien bodies (later found to be called the Axanar) hanging upside down from the ceiling. She screamed at the gruesome sight. The bodies were hooked up to a machine draining their fluids.
Dr. Phlox figured out that the Axanar were being drained for triglobulin, a valuable fluid that could be used to create medicines, vaccines, and aphrodisiacs. Hoshi went to Dr. Phlox to talk about her reaction on the alien ship.
"I screamed like a twelve year old," she told him.
He tried to reassure her that she had nothing to be ashamed of, that everyone is frightened by unfamiliar things.
"Nobody else screamed," she countered. "I'm a translator. I didn't come out here to see corpses on hooks."
"Have you ever considered that you might be happier back at the university?" Phlox asked.
"I'm an exo-linguist. I graduated second in my class. I spent three years in Starfleet training. I was Jonathon Archer's first choice for this mission. Every inhabited world we come to is going to be filled with language." Not to mention men she thought to herself. "Some will have hundreds of them. He needs me here."
But when Hoshi had to return to the corpse filled alien ship to try to translate the language to send a message, she realized as tempting as meeting new alien men were to her, this was way too stressful.
"I'm going to ask the Captain to take me home," she told Trip as they worked on the com system. "I should have never the university. I'm not suited for this.
"Give it a try. You'll be fine," he reassured her.
"The Captain needs someone he can count on. Someone who shows a little grace under pressure. That isn't me."
"You can't be sure of that."
"Oh yes I can."
After returning to the Enterprise, they were attacked by the enemy vessel that had attacked the Axanar ship. The enemy had superior weapons and the Enterprise was helpless against them. Another Axanar ship appeared and Hoshi tried to communicate with the Axanar captain through the computer translator, but its inaccuracy caused him to think the humans were responsible for the murders. Hoshi became flustered by the immense pressure on her. Their lives depended on her ability to communicate. The enemy ship lowered two metal arms which attached to their hull.
Captain Archer told her to translate directly with the Axanar without using the translator which was only causing confusion. Hoshi was too frightened, scared that she would mess up, that she would make things worse. As the enemy ship began to drill through their hull, Archer convinced her that this was the only way, that things couldn't get much worse.
Hoshi reluctantly abandoned the translator and began to talk directly to the Axanar captain as best she could in his language. Hoshi managed to convince the Axanar of their friendly intentions, but he still seemed hesitant to help. Feeling the vibrations of the enemy ship drilling through the Enterprise's hull, Hoshi, in desperation, told him that she would do anything for his help. The Axanar captain looked her over, then agreed, promptly attacking the enemy vessel.
Hoshi was nervous as she accompanied Captain Archer and Commander T'Pol onto the Axanar ship. The atmosphere was chilly as they stepped through the airlock into the alien ship. The captain and several crewmen stood in the entryway, waiting for them. They were all dressed in identical green and gray uniforms. Hoshi couldn't tell which one was the captain until he stepped forward.
"I am Captain Meenok. Welcome aboard our ship," he said as he bowed, his hand on his chest.
Hoshi stepped forward, mimicking his gestures.
"I am Sato and behind me are Captain Archer and First Officer T'Pol," she replied. "We thank you for coming to our assistance."
"It is our pleasure to know you," the captain answered.
Hoshi wasn't sure about the syntax but as the Captain's eyes wandered up and down her body, she realized he could have meant "It will be a pleasure to explore you."
They were led to a conference room where Hoshi translated for the captains and they came to quickly understand and respect each other. They set up teams from each ship to remove the dead crewmen so they could have their last rites done according to Axanar custom. Hoshi fretted during the entire meeting. When Captain Meenok agreed to help after she had promised him anything, she wasn't sure what he would ask for. She couldn't bring herself to tell Captain Archer what she had done after he had kept praising her. And during the meeting, she nervously kept waiting for him to ask for something outrageous or very valuable from the ship. She wasn't sure what she would do if that happened.
Then the meeting ended. Captain Archer, T'Pol, and Hoshi stood and turned to leave. Hoshi breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he didn't understand what she had said in her moment of desperation. Then Captain Meenok said something and Hoshi paused.