Star Trek Enterprise – Civilization: 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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Enterprise discovered a Minshara-class planet with a pre-industrial society called the Akaali. The crew of the Enterprise was excited about getting a chance to study a new world first hand. As they made preparations to go down to the planet surface, they picked up neutrino emissions which indicated the presence of an antimatter reactor on a planet without indoor plumbing. Hoshi was part of the away team to not only study this new race of people, but to discover why an antimatter reactor was on this primitive planet.
Doctor Phlox added ridges to Hoshi's forehead to make her look like the Akaali and her hair was curled and loosely braided down the back. She wore a simple long burgundy dress with a gray apron and a loose light blue collar. Disguised as Akaali, the away team landed their shuttle outside of a town after dark. They split into two groups, Captain Archer and Commander Tucker in one and T'Pol and Hoshi in the other. Hoshi pulled the hood of her coarse woven purple cloak over her head as they entered town. They noted that many of the people on the streets had lesions on their skin. They paused near a busy street where several men were standing outside a shop, in an animated discussion.
"I tell you, witches have done this to us," stated a skinny man with his face covered with sores. "A year and a half ago, none of us were like this."
"The apothecary seems to think it is related to the new curio shop," another man added.
"No, I think it's witches. The problem is how can you tell who's a witch?" asked another.
"Well I know for a fact that a witch cannot stand the touch of our manhood," a large burly man stated as he grabbed his crotch. "Their magic is meant to keep us from functioning, to keep us from our women. But that is also our weapon against these witches."
"Well if we find one, we should torture her so we can find them all and be rid of them once and for all," the skinny man stated.
"Keep your eyes open for anyone acting suspiciously," the burly man warned.
Hoshi and T'Pol made their way through the town. They stepped around a corner of a building so that T'Pol could use her tricorder. Hoshi peaked back around the corner and came face to face with a local, who quickly made his way to another villager and whispered something to her. They looked fearfully back toward Hoshi and T'Pol who decided to leave for a more secluded location. As they left, one of the villagers went to the burly man and pointed them out. He motioned to the skinny man and they stealthily followed the women.
T'Pol stopped at a deserted street corner.
"I cannot get an accurate reading here," noted T'Pol as she looked up from her tricorder. "It will be more efficient if we separated. Meet me here in one hour."
"Are you sure it's safe for us to split up?"
"It's for only one hour," T'Pol answered brusquely. "What can happen in that time?"
T'Pol went down the darker street. Hoshi put her trepidations to the side and forced herself down the other street. It was late at night and most people were now inside. There was no one out as Hoshi's steps echoed off the stone walls. She looked behind and thought she saw a shadow move. She quickened her pace thinking that there was someone behind her. She turned a corner and almost ran into the burly man. Hoshi was startled by his sudden appearance and jumped back.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" the burly man asked.
Hoshi quickly pulled her wits about herself as the skinny man caught up to them. They were alone in a darkened, deserted alley, with high stone walls on both sides.
