#S03E06 - Exile

[deadheaddaisy]

Day 30!

Prompt: Hours Feel Like Days

+ ENT Appreciation April: Missing Scene(s)

Done! Finally done! Published late, but that's okay, it still falls into US time.

AO3 link

“Hoshi? Are you alright?” No answer. Malcolm tried again. “Hoshi! Are you there?” His hand was already reaching for his phase pistol as he signalled for backup to meet him at the ensign’s quarters. His blood ran cold at the thought of what could be happening even as he pounded around corners in a frantic bid to get to her.

She was already opening the door as he got there, standing against the wall so he could dart inside, weapon at the ready.

“What happened?” His voice was sharper than he’d intended, and from the corner of his eye, he saw her flinch.

“There was a voice … and someone in the corner.” She pointed toward the right of her viewing port. Her voice was uncertain now, more so than when she had commed security.

Malcolm stood in front of her, shielding her just in case, his phase pistol pointed where she’d directed. His eyes swept the room; it was empty, and too small to be hiding anyone, but as Ensign Esk Parker and Crewman Fuller arrived, he directed Fuller to check the bathroom and Esk to stay on alert near Hoshi while he did a sweep of the room.

Nothing. There was nothing to be found. He’d known it from his first look as he’d barged into the room, but he was the Chief of Security; he couldn’t leave any corner unchecked, and he wouldn’t have, anyway. Not with Hoshi - Ensign Sato - looking so unnerved in her own quarters.

“Nothing?” The disbelief in her voice, in her eyes, made Malcolm uneasy. Not as uneasy as the fact that there had been absolutely nothing on the scans. Nothing in her room, no extra bio-sign at the time she’d called for help. No strange energy readings, no radio waves, no odd signals.

Whatever Hoshi had experienced, it was a phenomenon unique to her, and her alone. Still, he tried to be reassuring as he answered.

“I ran every scan in the book. There’s no sign of any intruder anywhere on the ship.”

“Maybe our sensors missed something.” She’d turned away from him, unwilling to meet his eyes as she made the claim. She’d know that it wasn’t something he’d take lightly; the safety of everyone on board was his paramount concern, and properly-functioning sensors played a major role in his efforts. She knew he’d have double-checked the sensors to be absolutely sure.

“I went through all the logs for the past 24 hours,” he said, keeping his voice low as he angled his body toward her, wanting to keep their conversation private to shield her from inquisitive eyes. “To say they were uneventful would be an understatement.”

She closed her eyes and groaned, frustration in every line of her body.

“This is good news.” He tried his hardest to be reassuring, but when she opened her eyes, he knew he’d failed.

“That I’m imagining things?”

“You're a little on edge. It's not uncommon to see the enemy out of the corner of your eye.”

She looked unconvinced, and by her body language he could tell that she was drawing herself into herself, leaning away from him as thought rejecting what he was saying. “I thought that was called paranoia.”

As he launched into the tale of having imagined a Xindi in his quarters, he saw her eyes and mouth pinch tighter. Now anger and despair were seeping into her voice and expression. She wouldn’t look at him directly any longer, only out of the side of her eye.

Malcolm was lost. He didn’t want to think that Hoshi was imagining things, but he had always placed his trust in things he could see. If he couldn’t see what was bothering her, putting that expression of fear and uncertainty on her face, how could he fight it? How could he protect her?

Not only that, but everything he said and did seemed to be making matters worse.

************************************************************************

“Ensign Sato to Lieutenant Reed. I need help in the Command Centre.”

He was on his feet and out the door almost before she’d finished speaking. Once again he ran; she hadn’t sounded panicked, but her voice had been odd, worried, unsure. He drew his phase pistol as he ran; nothing was going to stop him from protecting her as best he could.

As he rounded the corner, she was in the corridor in front of him, reaching out as though she was pushing something. She stepped forward, then froze, looking around. Her body was almost rigid, uncertainty in the set of her shoulders as they hunched up toward her ears.

Coming up behind her, he reached out carefully and put his hand on her shoulder, saying her name just before he touched her to try and avoid giving her a fright. “Hoshi?” She jumped anyway, turning to face him, startled. “Are you alright?”

Her eyes were unfocused, as though she’d been looking out over a great distance. As he spoke, they zeroed in on him, clearing, and her hand came up to clutch his. Even so, he could feel her trembling. Her hand squeezed his hard; then she let go and stepped into him, burying her face in his chest, seeking reassurance. He holstered his phase pistol and held her until her trembling stopped, saying nothing, just patting her back, grateful that at least she wasn’t withdrawing from him this time.

When she eventually drew back, they looked at each other, one of their silent conversations passing between them. Finally her shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes, nodding in defeat.

“Come on,” he said reassuringly. “I’ll go with you.”

************************************************************************

Malcolm watched Hoshi as she sat on the bio-bed. Even from the back, he could see the tension in her, her back rigid, her shoulders once again hunched.

“I'm not picking up anything out of the ordinary.” Her head dipped, then came up fiercely as the doctor spoke.

He knew he’d have to simply report as though she were any other crewman.

“We still haven't found any ships nearby or any uninvited guests on board.” If it were possible, she stiffened even more at his words. She was withdrawing into a shell again, and his adherence to duty and procedures wasn’t making things any easier.

Her voice was brittle as she ignored him and spoke directly to Archer.

“I am not imagining it, Captain!”

“You have to admit it's a possibility.” The captain’s voice was careful, as though he was handling a skittish horse. Did the man not realise that Hoshi could read every nuance in his voice, and realise that he was simply humouring her?

She made it clear with her next words. “With respect, sir, I know that my mind can be overactive sometimes, but that is not what's happening. This is real.”

Perhaps the determination in her voice made it through; if nothing else, she believed in herself. Her fears about hallucinations and an overactive imagination were concerns of the past. This was the Hoshi who was ready to search for answers. Despite his concern, he felt a thrill of pride at the way she was pushing back against the clear doubt she was facing from all three men.

Archer may have instructed a security detail, but Malcolm knew he’d be the one standing guard. He wouldn’t leave it to anyone else. His teams could handle the Armoury and Engineering; he would watch over Hoshi himself.

************************************************************************

On the bridge, he watched her go into the captain’s Ready Room. Her shoulders were back and she looked more confident. Had she had another experience?

Archer’s instruction to Mayweather came as no surprise; there must have been a reason Hoshi had gone in to speak to the captain. As she came out and her eyes met his, he knew he’d been right; she’d had another contact and this one had clearly given her more to go on than before. Her gaze was clearer, sharper, more direct than over the last day.

Hopefully they would find out what was happening and this would be over soon.

************************************************************************

Hoshi was apprehensive but hopeful on their way down to the planet. There was a glimmer of light for her world! She led the way into the alien’s room, pushing open the doors as in her vision. Looking for the short, dark-haired man with whom she’d been conversing.

Tarquin was nothing like she’d been expecting.

“I didn't want to frighten you, so I created a human image when I contacted you on Enterprise.”

And he hadn’t seen fit to tell her that she was only viewing an avatar, and the person she met would be very different?

She was not one to judge someone by their looks; but the sheer disparity between what she’d been led to believe was him, and the reality of his appearance, was so jarring as to render her speechless.

She saw the looks Malcolm and the captain exchanged - both at the sight of Tarquin, and the alien’s request that she stay with him while he worked. And all the while, the fact that he hadn’t told her he looked different, that he had kept her believing he looked like the security officer she trusted, preyed on her mind.

He asked you to come alone! And if you had, and you’d only found out then what he looked like, that he’d been lying to you? What then? What if you were struck speechless without Malcolm and the captain to back you up? Alone at his mercy? It was a deeply unsettling thought.

Which was why she was surprised to find herself telling the captain that she felt comfortable being alone with Tarquin. Still, they needed the information, and despite the fear for her she knew was driving Malcolm’s suggestion that Enterprise remain in orbit, time was a luxury they did not have.

“I can take care of myself, Captain.”

But she wished the real short, dark-haired man who made her feel safe was going to be with her on the planet.

************************************************************************

Malcolm didn’t know what he’d been expecting when the alien turned to them - but he knew with absolute certainty that Tarquin was not what Hoshi had been expecting. She had never mentioned the alien’s looks, which she certainly would have if she’d seen them before, since they’d never seen anyone who looked like him.

And her fear and discomfort were easy to read on her face and body language; he didn’t need to be a linguist to pick up her uncertainty.

“Thank you for coming to me.” Tarquin moved up close to her, ignoring the others as though they didn’t exist. She stepped back and looked away; the captain stepped in front of her, and the alien backed off.

But just for an instant, Malcolm saw a flash of anger in his eyes before he concealed it and played the role of a good Samaritan once again. His gaze never left Hoshi, though, and Malcolm saw how discomfited it made her feel. So he made it clear he was suspicious of Tarquin with a few well-placed questions.

“We didn't pick up any other biosigns. I take it you live here alone.”

The flash he saw in Tarquin’s eyes this time wasn’t anger, it was despair. And that made him even more concerned.

"It's an awfully big planet for one person.”

The captain had looked at him then, and he hoped that his meaning had made it through.

But he couldn’t stop Tarquin’s insistence that Hoshi stay with him while he assessed the artefact - or her insistence that she could cope.

The alien said he didn’t want to frighten her, but he’d let her think she was going mad, lied about what he looked like, and had wanted her to come to him on her own. And then he kept pushing his attention on her, making her uneasy. These were not the actions of someone who claimed he had good intentions.

************************************************************************

Malcolm went to Hoshi’s quarters before she left. She was packing, her movements rote, her body still tight with unease. But she was putting on a brave face, and he wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself.

To augment that bravery with practicality, he gave her a phase pistol to keep close at hand. She made no demur, but packed it for easy access.

He hesitated before leaving.

“Ensign … you’ve been an exemplary pupil. I’ve rarely enjoyed sparring with someone as much. Very few people could best me as often as you have become able to. Remember that.”

He hoped she picked up on the message he was trying to convey, in his awkward fashion. By the look in those large, dark eyes, and the smile that touched her lips, he thought she had.

************************************************************************

The sly stroke of Tarquin’s fingers on hers as he took her bag, made Hoshi feel ill-at-ease. She thought again of Malcolm, of how he had praised her hand-to-hand combat skills. He had given her a phase pistol, but he’d also been trying to give her a message. She didn’t want to dwell on it too long, lest her host pick up on it; but she hugged the thought to herself.

“Your parents learned you were gifted, so you spent your childhood with private tutors, studying languages. You thought it was normal to go through your days alone. I'm sorry, I forget you're unaware of how much I know about you.”

“Are you reading my mind continuously?

“Not since you arrived. Now that you're here with me I would rather get to know you the way other humans do.”

If he was reading her mind, the blaze of sheer anger that had swept through her at that moment should have given him pause.

Everything was off-kilter. Tarquin was in her mind, and could be there at any time, and she wouldn’t know. He could invade her mind, but she knew nothing of his.

Hoshi was not exactly a loner, but she valued her time alone. This alien didn’t seem to get that, or only looked at her memories and didn’t understand the emotions that accompanied them.

************************************************************************

When she opened her duffel and saw the clothing she had packed, she was taken aback. Why had she packed these? These were not her Starfleet-issue pyjamas or shoes; she barely wore these in her own quarters. She would never have chosen to wear these on an official mission, let alone in a place where she felt uncomfortable and where the male alien hosting her had already made it clear he was interested in her as more than a guest.

The phase pistol went under her pillow. But for some reason, she kept ending up in one or other slip dress instead of her uniform. When she realised, anger would sweep through her, clearing some of the fog; she was struggling to think as clearly as usual, and she knew exactly whom to blame.

The next few days were torture, as she found herself without her usual work with which to stay busy; all she had was the book Tarquin gave her, and fascinating as it was, it didn’t help settle her unease at not being with her crew.

And it didn’t stop her from wondering when, or if, he was in her mind.

So she fought back, running through combat training sessions in her mind, or changes to the UT, or reciting the alien languages she knew as she read.

Then she found the graves.

************************************************************************

“Do you really expect me to spend the rest of my life on a desolate world with someone I have known for less than two days?” The frustration at his sheer determination not to understand was grating at her.

“The others had similar doubts, but over time they came to appreciate what I had to offer them. No one will ever understand you the way I can.” How dared he! Rage funnelled through her. He had no idea who could and could not understand her, or how important her friends - her Enterprise family - were to her.

“I am grateful for your help and I'm happy to stay here while you work, but I have no intention of becoming your next companion!”

He dared - dared - appear to her in his human guise, and try to gaslight her? For all his rummaging around in her mind, he had no idea who she was, did he? And he refused to see that his every attempt at manipulation was only making her angrier, more determined to leave. He was fixated only on what he wanted, not her wishes.

Tarquin thought he was the only one who could understand her? Then he truly had no clue, had not looked deeply enough into her interactions with her colleagues and friends.

He had no idea that there was one person on board the ship with whom she’d developed a bond born of understanding each other, having grown up in different types of isolation, in ways the others didn’t or couldn’t. That the standoffish security chief could commiserate with her without saying a word, and that suited her just fine; he used his words with Trip, but she didn’t need them. That she and Malcolm understood each other so well that they could have silent conversations just with their eyebrows.

Malcolm was gentler than his occupation might suggest, committed to duty, carrying an incredible amount of baggage, but kind, encouraging, and totally committed to his job. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t see herself in him sometimes. And that was another thing Tarquin didn’t understand.

************************************************************************

Every hour since they had left Hoshi on that benighted planet had felt like a day; every day had felt like a week. Malcolm was struggling not to think about what might be happening, and focus on the mission instead. He knew it was what she’d have wanted.

But they were approaching the planet now, and soon she would be back with them. With her family.

Then the lights went out, and so did his console. Even the view-screen went dark.

Hoshi.

************************************************************************

Once again rage channelled through her, this time with fear - fear that he might hurt them, hurt her family. And she swore if he did, she would hurt him. No matter what she had to do, she would make him pay.

Tarquin wasn’t quite gloating, but he certainly seemed triumphant. She’d bet Malcolm would have had something to say about that.

Malcolm! What would Malcolm do?

She grabbed the egg, and watched Tarquin fall to pieces. Her determination and anger finally made it through.

Far above, unseen, Enterprise came back online.

************************************************************************

The shuttlepod made its way through the atmosphere and Malcolm set down at the same spot as before. Hoshi was outside, holding something white that sparkled. He walked up to her and said her name, and she spun around.

The smile that blossomed on her face when she saw him and the shuttlepod took his breath away. It had been too long since he’d seen that smile. He would do anything to keep that smile safe.

Anything.

************************************************************************

He sternly shut away the little ache in his chest when she told how mention of Travis had helped her realise that she was still being manipulated. All that mattered was that she was free, she was home, she was here.

Then she turned to him, and with a mischievous look, told him that when the chips were down, she’d asked herself one question: What would Malcolm do?

His heart seemed to grow three sizes. He tried to contain the sudden burst of joy he felt, tamp it down behind his shields, but she looked at him. She saw him. 

And that smile returned.

[electricopolis-net]

S03E06: Life in Exile

Pt. 1: The Town of Refuse

The day after their arrival in Junk Town, the old man known as the Cursebreaker led both Bob Sparker and Percy King to the shoreline. On a hill near the beach was a small, dusty house, though again, like the houses in town, it was made of a combination of wood planks, concrete, sheet metal, and other debris. "This house has been abandoned for quite some time," the Cursebreaker declared. "I'm sure nobody will kick up a fuss if you move in."

Then, he led them to the beach itself. "Junk Town subsists on the waste that floats up here," he explained, motioning with his staff to some of the flotsam washing up on the shore. "Take a look."

Bob crouched down and wedged a tin sign board out of the sand. "Hey, this looks familiar," he said, turning it back and forth. "The Pine Room--wasn't that a bar in Electricopolis? I used to go there before it shut down."

"That's right," said the Cursebreaker, nodding. "And that's not all. Old television tubes, monitors, magazines, plastic bags and old clothes, all kinds of stuff turn up here. And it's all from your fair city in the valley."

Percy stroked his chin, thinking. "Fascinating. I knew some of the companies in town used the underground sea as a dumping ground, but I never realized the currents bore the refuse all the way out here..."

"There's a lot of things you folks don't realize," said the Cursebreaker, turning away from the water. "But there's time for that."

There was a moment of silence. Bob stood up and looked out over the water, shielding his eyes from the sun. It was a cloudy day, but still bright enough to sting his eyes, unfamiliar with the sunlight as they were.

"So...what should we do?" Bob asked. "Just kill time until we go back to town?"

"Oh, you're not going back," said the Cursebreaker matter-of-factly. Bob and Percy turned to stare at him. "Not until the clouds clear."

Not until the clouds clear.

What did he mean by that? Bob tossed and turned, thinking about it. Thankfully, the abandoned house by the shore did have a couple of beds in it, lumpen and worn though they were. It was, as the Cursebreaker had said, better than nothing, but only just.

"I mean, the city's power is shot," Percy explained. "So it probably will be quite some time before that subway's running again. But I don't understand what he meant about the clouds."

"The clouds have always been there, right?" Bob asked.

"As far as I know."

"As far as you know." Bob shot him a pointed look. "You sure you're not hiding anything?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Come on now. We're stuck together, so we may as well trust each other, don't you think?"

"I have a better idea." Bob sat up, restless. "I'm going to get something to eat."

He walked into Junk Town along the road from the beach. Given his gawky, long-nosed appearance, and the fact that he was still wearing a dressy vest, pants, and shoes, the people of the town avoided him and whispered as he walked by. He tried his best to ignore it, and walked up to a food stall.

"Excuse me," he said politely. The smell of grilling fish and hot rice made his mouth water. "Um...do you take cash here?"

"Cash?" said the proprietor. "What do you mean by that?"

"Cash," repeated Bob. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and drew out a couple bills. "Or--I don't imagine you take cards."

The proprietor regarded him with a wary look. "That stuff's no good here," he said. "We don't take that kind of money."

"What do you take?"

"Junk Town tender. Coins, mostly. Barter sometimes, if you got something good to trade." He looked Bob Sparker up and down. "You got anything to trade?"

"Trade?" Bob blinked. He looked down at himself, patting himself down quizzically. "I don't think so."

The man shook his head. "Sorry. No can do. You come back with something good, I'll give you a bowl."

It was the same story everywhere he went--none of the businesses in town took any kind of tender aside from coins, medals, rings, mostly small metal objects that Bob had absolutely none of on hand. Occasionally he would see a customer trade for something larger, like canned food for fresh, or a parcel of cloth for a finished dress. Then he saw a familiar face with a large head of lettuce in his hands, haggling with a nearby shopkeep.

"Hey, it's you," said the farmer, turning away from the shopkeep. "Found yourself a place in town, did you?"

"For what that's worth," Bob complained. "I'm starving, I've got no money, and I can't get anyone to give me the time of day."

The farmer looked at him, then down at the lettuce. "Hmm. I wouldn't mind giving this to you, but I'd need something in return. You sure you don't have anything on you?"

Bob thought. He turned his pockets inside-out. "I've got...my house keys, my phone, my wallet..."

"Lemme see those." The farmer grabbed his house keys and turned them around, admiring them. "Yeah, these'll melt down okay."

Bob grimaced. Well, it's not like I was going home anytime soon, he thought.

The farmer handed him the lettuce. It was surprisingly heavy, and Bob struggled to hold it. "Well! Looks like you're getting the hang of things here in town," said the man, grinning. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Bob arrived back at the house with the lettuce. "Well, look at you," Percy chuckled. "Grew it yourself, did you?"

"I'll have you know I traded for it," said Bob proudly, setting it down on the table. "They don't take cash or cards here, so you gotta trade for everything. They do take coins, though...and keys."

"Interesting." Percy swung his legs off the bed. "We're not going to get much of a meal out of just a head of lettuce, though. You said they take coins?"

"Yeah. You have any?"

"I do." Percy took out a change purse from his pocket and upended it onto the table. A clattering of coins fell out--only about ten or twenty of them, but enough to make a nice little pile. "It's not much by Electricopolis standards, but it might get us a meal out here." He stroked his chin, thinking. "Maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"I have an idea." He scooped the coins back into the purse, set it on the table, and grabbed the lettuce in both hands. "I'll be back soon."

"Hey! That's my lettuce!" Bob yelped, blocking the door. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Are you really that territorial over a vegetable?"

"Mr. King--Percy," Bob replied, exasperated. "I can't believe I have to explain this. You turned everyone in town against me and exiled me just because I didn't want to be under your thumb anymore. If we're gonna stick together--and unfortunately, it sure looks like we are--then you gotta tell me what you're thinking. Preferably it won't involve stealing my stuff."

Percy sighed, maddeningly condescendingly. "It's simple. We keep the coins for a rainy day, and we trade the lettuce up for something more substantial. If we play our cards right, we can get a full meal without dipping into the money at all."

Bob blinked. He considered this. "That's...that makes sense, actually."

"I should hope it does. I am a businessman, after all," Percy said proudly. He paused, thought, then added: "And if it doesn't work out, you can spend the money however you like."

"All right," Bob capitulated, unblocking the door. "Good luck, I guess."

Percy walked back in about half an hour later with some heavy plastic bags in his arms. "Whoa," Bob marveled, watching as he began to empty them onto the table. "What's all that?"

"First, our dinner." Percy set some plastic takeout containers of fish and rice onto the table, followed by some canned vegetables and tinned fish. "Food for later, though it isn't very much, and some utensils. I also found our friend the woodsman, who offered us some wood for the stove. We'll need it."

"Man." Bob sighed heavily. "We're really roughing it, huh?"

Percy nodded. "It's not the accommodations we deserve, but it is what we have. We may as well get used to them."

The accommodations you deserve are behind bars, Bob thought snidely, but held his tongue.

"Also..."

Percy cracked open one of the takeout containers. "I had the cook at the food stall cut up part of that lettuce when I traded it. Since it's the first thing we owned out here, I thought it would be nice to try it after all."

Bob opened his container and looked at his meal. The rice was nestled up to one side of the container, with the fish on another and the cooked, sauced lettuce in the other third. "Huh. It looks good."

Percy handed him a plastic fork, then took the other for himself. They began to eat.

It was delicious. It was absolutely delicious. It was almost more delicious than anything Bob had had in the city, and he'd sampled quite a few dishes, usually on Percy's dime. The fish was tastier than anything you could find from the fisheries in town, and the lettuce was fresh and crispy, not like the sorry, soggy mess that usually came on a burger.

"This...this is exceptional," Percy muttered. "This is quite a meal."

"It's good," Bob choked with emotion. "It...it's really good."

To be continued...

[timelesstimesgoneby]

EPISODE SEASON 1 DISC 1 S01E01 PILOT S01E02 METAMORPHOSIS S01E03 HOTHEAD S01E04 X-RAY S01E05 COOL DISC 2 S01E06 HOURGLASS S01E07 CRAVING S01E08 JITTERS S01E09 ROGUE S01E10  Shimmer S01E11 HUG DISC 3 S01E12 LEECH S01E13 KINETIC S01E14 ZERO S01E15 NICODEMUS S01E16 STRAY DISC 4 S01E17 REAPER S01E18 DRONE S01E19 CRUSH S01E20 OBSCURA S01E21 TEMPEST Season 2 Disc 8 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume I: Intro The Chloe Chronicles: Volume I: Video 1 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume I: Video 2 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume I: Video 3 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume I: Video 4 SEASON 2 DISC 5 S02E01 VORTE S02E02 HEAT S02E03 DUPLICITY S02E04 RED 02E05 NOCTURNE S02E06 REDUX S02E07 Lineage S02E08 Ryan S02E09 Dichotic DISC 6 S02E10 SKINWLKER S02E11 VISAGE S02E12 INSURGENCE DISC 7 S02E13 SUSPECT S02E14 RUSH S02E15 PRODIGAL S02E16 FEVER S02E17 ROSETTA S02E18 VISITOR DISC 8 S02E19 PRECIPICE S02E20 WITNESS S02E20 ACCELERATE S02E21 CALLING S02E22 EODUS Season 3 Disc 12 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume II: Chronicle 1 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume II: Chronicle 2 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume II: Chronicle 3 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume II: Chronicle 4 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume II: Chronicle 5 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume II: Chronicle 6 The Chloe Chronicles: Volume II: Chronicle 7 DISC 9 S03E01 EXILE (1) S03E02 PHOENIX (2) S03E03 EXTINCTION S03E04 SLUMBER S03E05 PERRY S03E06 RELIC DISC 10 S03E07 MAGNETIC S03E08 SHATTERED S03E09 ASYLUM S03E10 WHISPER S03E11 DELETE S03E12 HEREAFTER DISC 11 S03E13 VELOCITY S03E14 OBSESSION S03E15 RESURRECTION S03E16 CRISIS S03E17 LEGACY S03E18 TRUTH DISC 12 S03E19 MEMORIA S03E20 TALISMAN S03E21 FORSAKEN S03E22 COVENANT SEASON 4 DISC 13

S04E01 CRUSADE S04E02 GONE S04E03 FAÇADE S04E04 DEVOTED S04E05 RUN S04E06 TRANSFERENCE DISC 14 S04E07 JINX S04E08  SPELL S04E09 BOUND S04E10 SCARE S04E11 UNSAFE S04E12 PARIAH DISC 15 S04E13 RECRUIT S04E14 KRYPTO S04E15 SACRED S04E16 LUCY S04E17 ONYX S04E18 SPIRIT DISC 16 S04E19 BLANK S04E20 AGELESS S04E21 FOREVER S04E22 COMMENCEMENT SEASON 5 DISC 17 S05E01 ARRIVAL S05E02 MORTAL S05E03 HIDDEN S05E04 AQUA S05E05 THIRST S05E06 EXPOSED DISC 18 S05E07 SPLINTER S05E08 SOLITUDE "S05E09 LEXMAS C" S05E10 FANATIC S05E11 LOCKDOWN S05E12 RECKONING DISC 19 S05E13 VENGEANCE S05E14 TOMB S05E15 CYBORG Season 5 dvd only Disc 4 Vengeance Chronicles 1 Vengeance Chronicles 2 Vengeance Chronicles 3 Vengeance Chronicles 4 Vengeance Chronicles 5 S05E16 HYPNOTIC S05E17 VOID S05E18 FRAGILE DISC 20 S05E19 MERCY S05E20 FADE S05E21 ORACLE S05E22 VESSEL Season 6 Disc 22 Smallville Legends: Justice and Doom: Part 1 Smallville Legends: Justice and Doom: Part 2 Smallville Legends: Justice and Doom: Part 3 Smallville Legends: Justice and Doom: Part 4 Smallville Legends: Justice and Doom: Part 5 SEASON 6 DISC 21 S06E01 ZOD S06E02 SNEEZE S06E03 WITHER S06E04 ARROW S06E05 REUNION S06E06 FALLOUT DISC 22 S06E07 RAGE S06E08 STATIC S06E09 SUBTERRANEAN S06E10 HYDRO S06E11 JUSTICE S06E12 LABYRINTH DISC 23 S06E13 CRIMSON S06E14 TRESPASS S06E15 FREAK S06E16 PROMISÉ S06E17 COMBAT S06E18 PROGENY DISC 24 S06E19 NEMESIS S06E20 NOIR S06E21 PROTOTYPE S06E22 PHANTOM SEASON 7 DISC 25 S07E01 BIZARRO S07E02 KARA S07E03 FIERCE S07E04 CURE S07E05 ACTION DISC 26 S07E06 LARA S07E07 WRATH S07E08 BLUE "S07E09 GEMINI C" S07E10 PERSONA DISC 27 S07E11 SIREN KNIGHT S07E12 FRACTURE S07E13 HERO S07E14 TRAVELER S07E15 VERITAS DISC 28 S07E16 DESCENT S07E17 SLEEPER S07E18 APOCALYPSE S07E19 QUEST S07E20 ARCTIC Season 7 Disc 28 Supergirl The Lost Daughter of Krypton Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton Episode 1 Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton Episode 2 Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton Episode 3 Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton Episode 4 Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton Episode 5 Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton Episode 6 SEASON 8 DISC 29 S08E01 ODYSSEY S08E02 PLASTIQUE S08E03 TOXIC S08E04 INSTINCT S08E05 COMMITTED S08E06 PREY DISC 30 S08E07 IDENTITY S08E08 BLOODLINE S08E09 ABYSS S08E10 BRIDE S08E11 LEGION S08E12 BULLETPROOF DISC 31 S08E13 POWER S08E14 REQUIEM S08E15 INFAMOUS S08E16 TURBULENCE S08E17 HEX S08E18 ETERNAL DISC 32 S08E19 STILETTO S08E20 BEAST S08E21 INJUSTICE S08E22 DOOMSDAY SEASON 9 DISC 33 S09E01 SAVIOR S09E02 METALLO S09E03 RABID S09E04 ECHO S09E05 ROULETTE S09E06 CROSSFIRE DISC 34 S09E07 KANDOR S09E08 IDOL S09E09 PANDORA S09E10 DISCIPLE S09E11 ABSOLITTE JUSTICE PART 1-2 DISC 35 S09E12 WARRIOR S09E13 PERSUASION S09E14 CONSPIRACY S09E15 ESCAPE S09E16 CHECKMATE S09E17 UPGRADE DISC 36 S09E18 CHARADE S09E19 SACRIFICE S09E20 HOSTAGE S09E21 SALVATION SEASON 10 DISC 37 S10E01 LAZARUS S10E02 SHIELD S10E03 SUPERGIRL S10E04 HOMECOMING S10E05 ISIS S10E06 HARVEST DISC 38 "S10E07 AMBUSH H" S10E08 ABANDONED S10E09 PATRIOT S10E10 LUTHOR S10E11  Icarus S10E12 COLLATERAL DISC 39 S10E13 BEACON S10E14 MASQUERADE S10E15 FORTUNE S10E16 SCION S10E17 KENT S10E18 BOOSTER DISC 40 S10E19 DOMINION S10E20 PROPHECY S10E21 FINALL Bonus 1 THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY -the Original 1961 Pilot AQUAMAN Pilot

[timelesstimesgoneby]

EPISODE Season 1 DISC 1 S01E01  "The Teeth of the Barracuda" 1960 S01E02 "Bad Man on Campus" 1960 S01E03 "My, What a Pretty Bus" 1960 S01E04 "When Smitty Comes Marching Home" 1960 S01E05 "You Can't Tell the Players Without a Programmer" 1960 S01E06 "A Time to Love, a Time to Cry" 1960 DISC 2 S01E07 "Find Tara Chapman!" 1960 S01E08 "The Price of Terror" 1960 S01E09 "A Quiet Weekend in the Country" 1960 S01E10 "Love" 1960 S01E11 "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Starlet" 1960 S01E12 "The Guru" 1960 DISC 3 S01E13 "The Sunday Drivers" 1960 S01E14 "Hello Mother, My Name Is Julie" 1960 S01E15 "Flight Five Doesn't Answer" 1960 S01E16 "Shell Game" 1960 S01E17 "Fear Is the Bucking Horse" 1960 S01E18 "A Hint of Darkness, a Hint of Light" 1960 S01E19 "The Uptight Town" 1960 DISC 4 S01E20 "A Reign of Guns" 1960 S01E21 "A Run for the Money" 1960 S01E22 "Child of Sorrow, Child of Light" 1960 S01E23 "Keep the Faith, Baby" 1960 S01E24 "Captain Greer, Call Surgery" 1960 S01E25 "Peace Now – Arly Blau" 1960 S01E26 "A Seat by the Window" 1960 Season 2 DISC 1 S02E01  "The Girl in Chair Nine" 1960 S02E02 "My Name Is Manolette" 1960 S02E03 "An Eye for an Eye" 1960 S02E04 "Ride the Man Down" 1960 S02E05 "To Linc – with Love" 1960 S02E06 "Lisa" 1960 S02E07 "Confrontation!" 1960 DISC 2 S02E08 "Willie Poor Boy" 1960 S02E09 "The Death of Wild Bill Hannachek" 1960 S02E10 "A Place to Run, a Heart to Hide In" 1960 S02E11 "The Healer" 1960 S02E12 "In This Corner – Sol Alpert" 1960 S02E13 "Never Give the Fuzz an Even Break" 1960 S02E14 "The Debt" 1960 DISC 3 S02E15 Sweet Child of Terror 1970 S02E16 "The King of Empty Cups" 1970 S02E17 "A Town Called Sincere" 1970 S02E18 "The Exile" 1970 S02E19 "Survival House" 1970 S02E20 "Mother of Sorrow" 1970 DISC 4 S02E21 "The Deadly Sin" 1970 S02E22 "A Time for Remembering" 1970 S02E23 "Return to Darkness, Return to Light" 1970 S02E24 "Call Back Yesterday" 1970 S02E25 "Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot!" 1970 S02E26 "The Loser" 1970 Season 3 DISC 1 S03E01  "The Long Road Home" 1970 S03E02 "See the Eagles Dying" 1970 S03E03 "Who Are the Keepers, Who Are the Inmates?" 1970 S03E04 "‘A’ Is for Annie" 1970 S03E05 "The Song of Willie" 1970 S03E06 "Search and Destroy" 1970 DISC 2 S03E07 "Just Ring the Bell Once" 1970 S03E08 "Welcome to the Human Race, Levi Frazee!" 1970 S03E09 "A Far Away Place So Near" 1970 S03E10 "A Time of Hyacinths" 1970 S03E11 "The Judas Trap" 1970 S03E12 "Fever" 1970 DISC 3 S03E13 "Is There Anyone Left in Santa Paula?" 1970 S03E14 "A Short Course in War" 1970 S03E15 "Kicks Incorporated" 1970 S03E16 "A Bummer for R.J." 1970 S03E17 "The Hot, Hot Car" 1970 S03E18 "Suffer, Little Children" 1970 DISC 4 S03E19 "Is That Justice? No, It's the Law" 1970 S03E20 "A Double for Danger" 1970 S03E21 "Welcome to Our City" 1970 S03E22 "The Comeback" 1970 S03E23 "We Spy" 1970 S03E24 "The Price of Love" 1970 Season 4 DISC 1 S04E01  "The Sentinels" 1970 S04E02 "Cricket" 1970 S04E03 "Home Is the Streets" 1970 S04E04 "Survival" 1970 S04E05 "Color of Laughter, Color of Tears" 1970 S04E06 "The Medicine Men" 1970 DISC 2 S04E07 "The Sands of Anger" 1970 S04E08 "The Poisoned Mind" 1970 S04E09 "Exit the Closer" 1970 S04E10 "Whatever Happened to Linc Hayes?" 1970 S04E11 "And a Little Child Shall Bleed Them" 1970 S04E12 "Real Loser" 1970 DISC 3 S04E13 "Death of a Nobody" 1970 S04E14 "Feet of Clay" 1970 S04E15 "I Am My Brother's Keeper" 1970 S04E16 "Deal with the Devil" 1970 S04E17 "Kill Gently, Sweet Jessie" 1970 S04E18 "Shockwave" 1970 DISC 4 S04E19 "No More Oak Leaves for Ernie Holland" 1970 S04E20 "The Cave" 1970 S04E21 "The Wild Weekend" 1970 S04E22 "The Tangled Web" 1970 S04E23 "Outside Position" 1970 S04E24 "Big George" 1970 Season 5 DISC 1 S05E01  "The Connection: Part 1" 1970 S05E02 "The Connection: Part 2" 1970 S05E03 "The Thunder Makers" 1970 S05E04 "Yesterday's Ashes" 1970 S05E05 "A Gift for Jenny" 1970 S05E06 "Taps, Play It Louder" 1970 DISC 2 S05E07 "Eyes of the Beholder" 1970 S05E08 "Good Times Are Just Memories" 1970 S05E09 "Corbey" 1970 S05E10 "Can You Hear Me Out There?" 1970 S05E11 "Another Final Game" 1970 S05E12 "Crime Club" 1970 DISC 3 S05E13 "The Twain" 1970 S05E14 "Belinda, End of Little Miss Bubble Gum" 1970 "S05E15 ""Kristie"" 1970 C" S05E16 "Sanctuary" 1970 S05E17 "Run, Lincoln, Run" 1970 S05E18 "Don't Kill My Child" 1970 DISC 4 S05E19 "Death in High Places" 1970 S05E20 "Put Out the Welcome Mat for Death" 1970 S05E21 "Scion of Death" 1970 S05E22 "The Night Holds Terror" 1970 S05E23 "Cry Uncle" 1970 S05E24 "And Once for My Baby" 1970

[deadheaddaisy]

Updated with a crapload more text and a third POV.

AO3 link

Tarquin hummed to himself as he made his way through the human woman’s mind. Exquisite. It had been almost a century since he had found someone with whom he could merge; and this possible companion, Hoshi Sato, was almost perfect.

Lonely, and longing for real connections; out in space, where she hadn’t wanted to be in the first place; isolated, even amongst her peers. She yearned for real understanding, but had only ever had it with her grandfather, Michio.

He sifted through her memories at his leisure, picking out moments he thought might serve his purpose.

She’d started this journey uneasily, unwilling to rely on this “giant tin can” called Enterprise to protect her and her crew from the cold vastness of space. Rushed through training so she could be brought on board earlier than scheduled, pulled out of a life in academia, essentially demoted from her autonomy and seniority as a professor to being a junior officer being told what to do.

He found her subconscious resentment in snappy little exchanges with the Vulcan, or being treated as being afraid of every noise when the truth was, she could quite simply hear things no one else could, because of what everyone called her ‘gift’. That was another isolating factor - when things went right it was “Hoshi’s gift”, when they didn’t it was “Hoshi”.

Oh, she could put on a face, a social mask, pretend to be outgoing and congenial; but it hid her wall of solitude and aloofness. Tarquin could work with that, could use it to make her more amenable to understanding, visiting, staying.

But there had been an interaction on her very first day on the ship that had set the tone for her relationship with one person. She’d asked the Tactical Officer a question about frostbite, and he took her seriously and answered her as such, without belittling her. Because of that, she’d felt she could trust Malcolm Reed. He didn’t lie to her to make her feel better, he was direct and sometimes too blunt, he treated her like the competent officer he expected her to be. She felt safe around him.

Having watched her in her bathroom mirror, Tarquin reached out to her. Upon her immediate suspicion and fear at the sound of his voice in her head, he decided to take on an appearance similar to that of the man she trusted to keep her safe. Barely two inches taller than she was; dark-haired, light-eyed, dressed in dark clothing.

“Ensign Sato to Security!”

Tarquin would have to find some other way.

************************************************************************

“Hoshi? Are you alright?” No answer. Malcolm tried again. “Hoshi! Are you there?” His hand was already reaching for his phase pistol as he signalled for backup to meet him at the ensign’s quarters. His blood ran cold at the thought of what could be happening even as he pounded around corners in a frantic bid to get to her.

She was already opening the door as he got there, standing against the wall so he could dart inside, weapon at the ready.

“What happened?” His voice was sharper than he’d intended, and from the corner of his eye, he saw her flinch.

“There was a voice … and someone in the corner.” She pointed toward the right of her viewing port. Her voice was uncertain now, more so than when she had commed security.

Malcolm stood in front of her, shielding her just in case, his phase pistol pointed where she’d directed. His eyes swept the room; it was empty, and too small to be hiding anyone, but as Ensign Esk Parker and Crewman Fuller arrived, he directed Fuller to check the bathroom and Esk to stay on alert near Hoshi while he did a sweep of the room.

Nothing. There was nothing to be found. He’d known it from his first look as he’d barged into the room, but he was the Chief of Security; he couldn’t leave any corner unchecked, and he wouldn’t have, anyway. Not with Hoshi - Ensign Sato - looking so unnerved in her own quarters.

************************************************************************

“Nothing?” The disbelief in her voice, in her eyes, made Malcolm uneasy. Not as uneasy as the fact that there had been absolutely nothing on the scans. Nothing in her room, no extra bio-sign at the time she’d called for help. No strange energy readings, no radio waves, no odd signals.

Whatever Hoshi had experienced, it was a phenomenon unique to her, and her alone. Still, he tried to be reassuring as he answered.

“I ran every scan in the book. There’s no sign of any intruder anywhere on the ship.”

“Maybe our sensors missed something.” She’d turned away from him, unwilling to meet his eyes as she made the claim. She’d know that it wasn’t something he’d take lightly; the safety of everyone on board was his paramount concern, and properly-functioning sensors played a major role in his efforts. She knew he’d have double-checked the sensors to be absolutely sure.

“I went through all the logs for the past 24 hours,” he said, keeping his voice low as he angled his body toward her, wanting to keep their conversation private to shield her from inquisitive eyes. “To say they were uneventful would be an understatement.”

She closed her eyes and groaned, frustration in every line of her body.

“This is good news.” He tried his hardest to be reassuring, but when she opened her eyes, he knew he’d failed.

“That I’m imagining things?”

“You're a little on edge. It's not uncommon to see the enemy out of the corner of your eye.”

She looked unconvinced, and by her body language he could tell that she was withdrawing into herself, leaning away from him as though rejecting what he was saying. “I thought that was called paranoia.”

As he launched into the tale of having imagined a Xindi in his quarters, he saw her eyes and mouth pinch tighter. Now anger and despair were seeping into her voice and expression. She struggled to look at him directly, and when she did, her stare was hard.

Malcolm was lost. He didn’t want to think that Hoshi was imagining things, but he had always placed his trust in things he could see. If he couldn’t see what was bothering her, putting that expression of fear and uncertainty on her face, how could he fight it? How could he protect her?

Not only that, but everything he said and did seemed to be making matters worse.

************************************************************************

Hoshi Sato was alone again. Tarquin knew that this was his chance. He’d spent a pleasant few hours skimming through her memories, finding ones that jibed with his assessment of her loneliness. Now was the time to entice her to visit.

“Hoshi.”

Her eyes went huge as all the computer screens changed to an image of his planet.

“That's where I'm waiting for you.”

He didn’t expect her to immediately press the comm.

“Ensign Sato to Lieutenant Reed. I need help in the Command Centre.”

Perhaps he could soothe her again.

“Don't be frightened.” He changed what she was seeing so that all the screens changed to a picture of her. A spike of panic went through her mind, and he repeated her name in a bid to build rapport.

“I'm nowhere near your ship.”

He sent her an image of his castle; a stone corridor with light fittings, rugs. But instead of calming, she ran, bursting through a pair of doors onto a balcony looking out over a cliff face.

And then that infernal Reed was there.

************************************************************************

“Ensign Sato to Lieutenant Reed. I need help in the Command Centre.”

He was on his feet and out the door almost before she’d finished speaking. Once again he ran; she hadn’t sounded panicked, but her voice had been odd, worried, unsure. He drew his phase pistol as he ran; nothing was going to stop him from protecting her as best he could.

As he rounded the corner, she was in the corridor in front of him, reaching out as though she was pushing something. She stepped forward, then froze, looking around. Her body was almost rigid, uncertainty in the set of her shoulders as they hunched up toward her ears.

Coming up behind her, he reached out carefully and put his hand on her shoulder, saying her name just before he touched her to try and avoid giving her a fright. “Hoshi?” She jumped anyway, turning to face him, startled. “Are you alright?”

Her eyes were unfocused, as though she’d been looking out over a great distance. As he spoke, they zeroed in on him, clearing, and her hand came up to clutch his. Even so, he could feel her trembling. Her hand squeezed his hard; then she let go and stepped into him, burying her face in his chest, seeking reassurance. He holstered his phase pistol and held her until her trembling stopped, saying nothing, just patting her back, grateful that at least she wasn’t withdrawing from him this time.

When she eventually drew back, they looked at each other, one of their silent conversations passing between them. Finally her shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes, nodding in defeat.

“Come on,” he said reassuringly. “I’ll go with you.”

************************************************************************

Malcolm watched Hoshi as she sat on the bio-bed. Even from the back, he could see the tension in her, her back rigid, her shoulders once again hunched.

“I'm not picking up anything out of the ordinary.” Her head dipped, then came up fiercely as the doctor spoke.

He knew he’d have to simply report his own findings - or lack thereof - as though she were any other crewman. “We still haven't found any ships nearby or any uninvited guests on board.” If it were possible, she stiffened even more at his words. She was withdrawing into a shell again, and his adherence to duty and procedures wasn’t making things any easier.

Her voice was brittle as she ignored him and spoke directly to Archer.

“I am not imagining it, Captain!”

“You have to admit it's a possibility.” The captain’s voice was careful, as though he was handling a skittish horse. Did the man not realise that Hoshi could read every nuance in his voice, and realise that he was simply humouring her?

She made it clear with her next words. “With respect, sir, I know that my mind can be overactive sometimes, but that is not what's happening. This is real.”

Perhaps the determination in her voice made it through; if nothing else, she believed in herself. Her fears about hallucinations and an overactive imagination were concerns of the past. This was the Hoshi who was ready to search for answers. Despite his concern, he felt a thrill of pride at the way she was pushing back against the clear doubt she was facing from all three men.

Archer may have instructed a security detail, but Malcolm knew he’d be the one standing guard. He wouldn’t leave it to anyone else. His teams could handle the Armoury and Engineering; he would watch over Hoshi himself.

************************************************************************

The other men had left; Hoshi was alone with the doctor. Perhaps the man could be put to good use; Hoshi seemed to trust him. As she fed the fish, Tarquin felt puzzlement in her mind.

“That's strange. It's—When the alien communicates with me, it's almost like he's inside my head, looking at things through my eyes, experiencing what I'm experiencing, and talking to him is like talking to myself. Does that make any sense?”

The Denobulan had moved away; this was his chance. Tarquin projected an image of the doctor to Hoshi.

“It makes perfect sense. Listening to your thoughts has been very pleasurable.” That was no lie. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, going through every one of her memories, nourishing himself on the thoughts of another.

“What?”

“I've been with you for several days. Studying your mind, your memories. Learning so many things about you.” How he had missed this! The opportunity to delve deep into the mind of another, away from his own thoughts; to grab hold of their experiences, live their memories as though they were his own!

"What do you want?” Her mind was troubled, but he sensed an opening.

“I'm only three light years away. My home is what you're seeing right now. All I want is to meet you.”

She objected, as he knew she would. And so he played his Xindi card.

At least this time Reed wasn’t around to bring an abrupt end to his pleasure.

************************************************************************

On the bridge, Malcolm watched her go into the captain’s Ready Room. Her shoulders were back and she looked more confident. Had she had another experience?

Archer’s instruction to Mayweather came as no surprise; there must have been a reason Hoshi had gone in to speak to the captain. As she came out and her eyes met his, he knew he’d been right; she’d had another contact and this one had clearly given her more to go on than before. Her gaze was clearer, sharper, more direct than over the last day.

Hopefully they would find out what was happening and this would be over soon.

************************************************************************

Hoshi was apprehensive but hopeful on their way down to the planet. There was a glimmer of light for Earth! She led the way into the alien’s room, pushing open the doors as in her vision. Looking for the short, dark-haired man with whom she’d been conversing.

Tarquin was nothing like she’d been expecting.

“I didn't want to frighten you, so I created a human image when I contacted you on Enterprise.”

And he hadn’t seen fit to tell her that she was only viewing an avatar, and the person she met would be very different?

She was not one to judge someone by their looks; but the sheer disparity between what she’d been led to believe was him, and the reality of his appearance, was so jarring as to render her speechless.

She saw the looks Malcolm and the captain exchanged - both at the sight of Tarquin, and the alien’s request that she stay with him while he worked. And all the while, the fact that he hadn’t told her he looked different, that he had kept her believing he looked like the security officer she trusted, preyed on her mind.

He asked you to come alone! And if you had, and you’d only found out then what he looked like, that he’d been lying to you? What then? What if you were struck speechless without Malcolm and the captain to back you up? Alone at his mercy? It was a deeply unsettling thought.

Which was why she was surprised to find herself telling the captain that she felt comfortable being alone with Tarquin. Still, they needed the information, and despite the fear for her she knew was driving Malcolm’s suggestion that Enterprise remain in orbit, time was a luxury they did not have.

“I can take care of myself, Captain.”

But she wished the real short, dark-haired man who made her feel safe was going to be with her on the planet.

************************************************************************

Malcolm didn’t know what he’d been expecting when the alien turned to them - but he knew with absolute certainty that Tarquin was not what Hoshi had been expecting. She had never mentioned the alien’s looks, which she certainly would have if she’d seen them before, since they’d never seen anyone who looked like him.

And her unease was easy to read on her face and body language; he didn’t need to be a linguist to pick up her uncertainty.

“Thank you for coming to me.” Tarquin moved up close to her, ignoring the others as though they didn’t exist. She stepped back and looked away; the captain stepped in front of her, and the alien backed off.

But just for an instant, Malcolm saw a flash of anger in his eyes before he concealed it and played the role of a good Samaritan once again. His gaze never left Hoshi, though, and Malcolm saw how discomfited it made her feel. So he made it clear he was suspicious of Tarquin with a few well-placed questions.

“We didn't pick up any other biosigns. I take it you live here alone.”

The flash he saw in Tarquin’s eyes this time wasn’t anger, it was despair. And that made him even more concerned.

"It's an awfully big planet for one person.”

The captain had looked at him then, and he hoped that his meaning had made it through.

Still, he couldn’t stop Tarquin’s insistence that Hoshi stay with him while he assessed the artefact - or her insistence that she could cope.

The alien said he didn’t want to frighten her, but he’d let her think she was going mad, lied about what he looked like, and had wanted her to come to him on her own. And then he kept pushing his attention on her, making her uneasy. These were not the actions of someone who claimed he had good intentions.

************************************************************************

She was finally here! Tarquin could scarcely contain his excitement at the prospect of a new companion.

But wait; she was not alone. She’d brought her captain and Reed with her. No matter; at this close proximity, he could assess the Human males, Reed in particular, and see what danger, if any, they posed to him and his new companion.

They both felt extremely protective toward her; Reed even more so than the captain. Probing a little deeper, Tarquin realised that there was a far more personal reason for Reed’s protectiveness. Well, the man would simply have to understand that a better life awaited Hoshi here with him, than on that ship, where danger lurked around every corner.

Hoshi would not look at him, and the captain got between them. A surge of anger raced through him - how dare they try to keep him from his companion? - but Tarquin quickly tamped it down. He had explained why he looked different from the avatar he had sent her; surely that should have been explanation enough? But clearly not, for now Reed was asking him impertinent questions, reminding him of his loneliness.

Tarquin felt Hoshi’s mind latching onto Reed’s sternness and protective behaviour. Clearly she needed to be removed from the man’s influence. If she spent enough time here with him, he could convince her that this was a better place for her - for them. So he sent a tendril of acquiescence into her mind, making it easier for her to assure the captain later that she was sure she would be fine.

He felt an inordinate amount of pleasure that Reed could not stop either Hoshi or the captain from allowing the plan to continue.

************************************************************************

Malcolm went to Hoshi’s quarters before she left. She was packing, her movements rote, her body still tight with unease. But she was putting on a brave face, and he wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself.

To augment that bravery with practicality, he gave her a phase pistol to keep close at hand. She made no demur, but packed it for easy access.

He hesitated before leaving.

“Ensign … you’ve been an exemplary pupil. I’ve rarely enjoyed sparring with someone as much. Very few people could best me as often as you have become able to. Remember that.”

He hoped she picked up on the message he was trying to convey, in his awkward fashion. By the look in those dark eyes, and the smile that touched her lips, he thought she had.

************************************************************************

The sly stroke of Tarquin’s fingers on hers as he took her bag, made Hoshi feel ill-at-ease. She thought again of Malcolm, of how he'd praised her hand-to-hand combat skills. He'd given her a phase pistol, but he’d also been trying to give her a message. She didn’t want to dwell on it too long, lest her host pick up on it; but she hugged the thought to herself.

“You thought it was normal to go through your days alone. I'm sorry, I forget you're unaware of how much I know about you.”

“Are you reading my mind continuously?

“Not since you arrived. Now that you're here with me I would rather get to know you the way other humans do.”

If he was reading her mind, the blaze of sheer anger that had swept through her at that moment should have given him pause.

Everything was off-kilter. Tarquin was in her mind, and could be there at any time, and she wouldn’t know. He could invade her mind, but she knew nothing of his.

Hoshi was not exactly a loner, but she valued her time alone. This alien didn’t seem to get that, or only looked at her memories and didn’t understand the emotions that accompanied them.

************************************************************************

Staying in Hoshi’s mind while she packed, Tarquin eased her thoughts into a more acquiescent frame of mind. She wouldn’t need half the things she thought she should pack, but he didn’t want to make too big a change and raise suspicion. Still, the pretty dresses and shoes would be far more pleasant for him to look at than her uniform and boots.

Of course, Reed had to try and throw a spanner in the works. Hoshi’s mind immediately became more settled when he appeared. This was going to be a problem. He was arming her, for one thing - as though Tarquin were a threat! On the contrary, he was going to keep Hoshi alive!

Miffed as he was at Reed, the excitement he felt when she arrived was unparalleled. He couldn’t resist stroking her hand when taking her bags from her. Of course, he was no longer reading her mind; but he hoped that the more overt expressions of his interest would show her why she should remain here with him.

He’d made sure the meals he’d offered her were ones she particularly enjoyed, from her memory banks, pleased that she commented on his efforts. When she tried to decline the Arakon dessert, he playfully pointed out that he knew what she was doing.

���You know, my stomach is a little unsettled.”

“You told your grandmother that every time she tried to serve you soba noodles. Now it's one of your favourite foods.”

Tarquin felt her empathy when he explained why he was alone on the planet, and revelled in it. Of course she could understand! He raised his glass to her in a toast.

“To solitude. I think you're familiar with it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your parents learned you were gifted, so you spent your childhood with private tutors, studying languages. You thought it was normal to go through your days alone. I'm sorry, I forget you're unaware of how much I know about you.”

She frowned. “Are you reading my mind continuously?”

“Not since you arrived. Now that you're here with me I would rather get to know you the way other humans do.” There, that should make it clear how interested he was.

In her room, later, Tarquin offered her the book, noting that she had already changed into one of the pretty slip dresses. The time was perfect to remind her that he could offer her so much more than any human could.

“You don't have to feel alone.”

She raised the book and shook her head, smiling slightly. “I won't, I'll be busy with this.”

“That's not what I meant. You often feel isolated, even around other people. You don't have to.” They would never be alone again, if he had anything to say about it.

************************************************************************

When Hoshi opened her duffel and saw the clothing she had packed, she was taken aback. Why had she packed these? These were not her Starfleet-issue pyjamas or shoes; she barely wore these in her own quarters. She would never have chosen to wear these on an official mission, let alone in a place where she felt uncomfortable and where the male alien hosting her had already made it clear he was interested in her as more than a guest.

The phase pistol went under her pillow. Then, with little other choice, she put on one of the negligees. Tarquin came to give her a book - now that was interesting. But once again he alluded to her loneliness and what he had seen in her mind.

A pity he hadn’t picked up on the very human desire for privacy! Did he not realise that people didn’t like having their minds picked through?

After he left, she reached into her bag, hoping to find more regular clothing. Her hand touched something soft, and she pulled out a familiar blue t-shirt. Thank goodness! She ran her fingers over the label, where REED was stencilled in fading ink. She hadn't returned the shirt to Malcolm after the Suliban incident, and now she was glad she'd hung onto it.

Quickly pulling it on over the negligee, she curled up under the covers, hugging herself. The shirt usually helped settle her mind; but not tonight. Enterprise - Malcolm - wasn’t in the vicinity; she only had herself to rely on. At least it gave her a more physical form of comfort. Eventually she dropped into an uneasy sleep, determined to dress in her uniform and boots the next day.

But for some reason, she kept ending up in one or other slip dress instead of her uniform. When she realised, anger would sweep through her, clearing some of the fog; she was struggling to think as clearly as usual, and she knew exactly whom to blame.

The next two days were torture, as she found herself without her usual work with which to stay busy; all she had was the book Tarquin gave her, and fascinating as it was, it didn’t help settle her unease at not being with her crew.

And it didn’t stop her from wondering when, or if, he was in her mind.

So she fought back, enacting combat training sessions in her thoughts, or changes to the UT, or reciting the alien languages she knew as she read.

Then she found the graves.

************************************************************************

Tarquin enjoyed having Hoshi in the house while he assessed the Xindi artefact. When he noticed her peering through the screen, he invited her into the room. Of course, she wanted to know more about the enhancer.

Allowing her to sit in his chair was a thrill; she was sharing a space he had been in only moments before! And the slip dress she wore bared most of her back to his gaze; he had made some excellent choices in steering Hoshi while she was packing.

Delighted at the way she’d managed to make the amplifier work on her first attempt, Tarquin closed his hands around hers; but she withdrew, saying she should let him get back to work. Never mind; the longer she stayed, the more chances there would be for physical contact.

And then she went outside, against his explicit request, and found the graves. And turned on him! As though he had killed them! Did she not understand that he had saved them, given them decades of safety and someone who could understand them, share their thoughts and hopes and fears and dreams?

************************************************************************

“Do you really expect me to spend the rest of my life on a desolate world with someone I have known for less than two days?” The frustration at his sheer determination not to understand was grating at her.

“The others had similar doubts, but over time they came to appreciate what I had to offer them. No one will ever understand you the way I can.” How dared he! Rage funnelled through her. He had no idea who could and could not understand her, or how important her friends - her Enterprise family - were to her.

“I am grateful for your help and I'm happy to stay here while you work, but I have no intention of becoming your next companion!”

Tarquin confronted her in the conservatory, in his human guise. But it simply seemed to make her angrier. She needed to listen to reason!

"I'm giving you the chance to experience something you've searched for your entire life. It's the reason you study languages, to make unique connections with people.”

Her voice was hard. “I don't need you to help me do that.” Why wouldn’t she see?

“Then why do you seem so isolated? You live on a ship filled with your own people and yet there are many times when you feel alone. Stay with me. I'll teach you ways of sharing thoughts and emotions no human can.”

“I already told you, I'm not interested.” Despite her words, he could hear her voice shake. And he had switched on his access to her mind again; he felt a spike of intrigue at the idea.

“You're lying, Hoshi. I can hear everything you're thinking.”

Her voice hardened again. “What I'm thinking is none of your business!” How could she not want this? She was thinking of Reed again; he needed to nip that in the bud. Perhaps she needed a more personal reminder.

“Michio. Your grandfather. He's the last person you were truly close to, but he died a long time ago.” For some reason, that seemed to make her even angrier. “You can have that kind of connection again.”

When he stepped in front of her this time, Tarquin got the impression that if she had had the phase pistol in her hand, she would have shot him. Too much time spent with Malcolm Reed. Perhaps he should back down, let her find her equilibrium again. Soon enough she would realise there was nowhere else to go.

“I'm sorry. I know this must seem overwhelming. Think about what I've said. You're going to have a great deal of time.”

************************************************************************

He dared - dared - appear to her in his human guise, and try to gaslight her? For all his rummaging around in her mind, he had no idea who she was, did he? And he refused to see that his every attempt at manipulation was only making her angrier, more determined to leave. He was fixated only on what he wanted, not her wishes.

Tarquin thought he was the only one who could understand her? Then he truly had no clue, had not looked deeply enough into her interactions with her colleagues and friends.

He had no idea, or refused to see, that there was one person on board the ship with whom she’d developed a bond born of understanding each other, having grown up in different types of isolation, in ways the others didn’t or couldn’t. The standoffish security chief could commiserate with her, and she with him, without saying a word, and that suited her just fine; he used his words with Trip, but she didn’t need them. She and Malcolm understood each other so well that they could have silent conversations just with their eyebrows. But clearly Tarquin was choosing to ignore this, or didn’t understand what he was seeing.

Malcolm was gentler than his occupation might suggest, carrying an incredible amount of baggage, but kind, encouraging, and totally committed to duty and his job. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t see herself in him sometimes. And that was another thing Tarquin didn’t understand.

************************************************************************

“Have you given any more thought to my offer?”

“I can't stay here, you know that.” She was merely being polite; but Tarquin could feel her trying to hide her thoughts from him. That was never going to be possible, but he would show her the error of her ways once they were properly together.

“I understand. I was foolish to think it was even a possibility.”

He regretted having to play this trick on her, but it was for her own good. Soon enough she would see that.

She had replaced the dresses with her uniform; a pity. But if she obeyed the orders of her captain, that would no longer be a problem. Morianna Taal and the other companions had left many beautiful dresses that would be suitable.

In his guise as Archer, Tarquin played into the role of avuncular leader, speaking to her sense of responsibility.

"I won't order you to do this, Hoshi, but it may be our best chance of finding the weapon before it's too late. With any luck, it'll only take a few weeks, maybe a month. We'd come back for you as soon as the mission's over. I don't need to tell you what's at stake, Ensign.”

He felt her unease, but she knew what was at stake. “I'll go back to my quarters and pick up a few things.”

“There's no reason for you to leave. Just give me a list of what you need and I'll have it sent down.”

She kept coming up with reasons why she needed to go back to the ship, but he was well able to counter all of those, despite the growing frustration in her mind. Then she thought of Travis - not Reed - and he was elated. It must have been this elation that made him slip up.

“Sir, I might not see my friends again.”

“I'm sure Travis will understand.”

Suspicion bloomed instantly in her mind. “Travis?”

Matters went from bad to worse in an instant. ‘Archer’ reached for her and she pushed past him, storming out of the room.

************************************************************************

Every hour since they had left Hoshi on that benighted planet had felt like a day; every day had felt like a week. Malcolm was struggling not to think about what might be happening, and focus on the mission instead. He knew it was what she’d have wanted.

But they were approaching the planet now, and soon she would be back with them. With her family.

Then the lights went out, and so did his console. Even the view-screen went dark.

Hoshi.

************************************************************************

She stormed into Tarquin's study, wrath crackling through her mind.

“Nice try. What were you planning to tell my Captain when he got back? Were you going to appear as me and beg him to let me stay? No, you can't do that, can you? I'm the only one on board that you can play your tricks with.” She was so angry!

He had no choice but to do it. She needed to understand how serious he was about having her stay.

“Enterprise has already returned. Their fate is in your hands.”

That gave her pause. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I can't let you leave, Hoshi. I've waited too long to find you.” Why couldn’t she understand that?

He felt anger spike through her. “What's happened to Enterprise?”

“If you agree to stay, they won't be harmed. They'll be free to leave orbit.” The anger became shot through with unease. "You'll be happy here, I promise you.”

But she wouldn’t listen. So he had to explain exactly what the consequences were. It was truly up to her; she needed to make the right choice, or their deaths would be on her head. “There's no power on your vessel, and there won't be until you agree to remain with me.”

This time, horror and disbelief raced through her mind. “You would kill over eighty people to keep me here?” He needed to make her understand!

“I don't want to kill anyone. That's why it's essential that you agree to stay.” He watched her look around the room in despair, felt a moment of resignation cross her mind, and rejoiced; then a flash of what would Malcolm do?, and she picked up the enhancer. Instantly his insides turned to ice. “You mustn't do that. It's very fragile.”

“I'm counting on that. Now, undo whatever you've done to my ship or you will never contact anyone again with this thing.” No. No, she wouldn’t. Would she? He called her bluff.

“An empty threat, Hoshi. As long as you're with me I won't need to contact anyone else.”

He felt her blast of rage. “As long as I'm with you. Another sixty, seventy years, and then what?” She held it out in one hand; he could feel that it was too heavy and too large for her hand; he could also feel her fierce conviction that she would do whatever it took to save her crew. “What'll you do when I'm grave number five out there? Without this you will never find another companion. You will be alone for the rest of your life.”

She wasn’t bluffing. Her thoughts had gone from chaotic to cold, clear, still. Images of Reed, Mayweather, Archer, Phlox, Kelly, other crew, circulated at the back of her mind. She was determined that they would live, and that she would be with them. Or … he couldn’t believe the threat she made clear. He tried one last time.

“Please, think of what I can offer you.”

Her mind hardened. “This is your last chance.”

************************************************************************

Once again rage channelled through her, this time with fear - fear that he might hurt them, hurt her family. And she swore if he did, she would hurt him. No matter what she had to do, she would make him pay.

Tarquin wasn’t quite gloating, but he certainly seemed triumphant. She’d bet Malcolm would have had something to say about that.

What would Malcolm do?

She grabbed the egg, and watched Tarquin fall to pieces. Cold, calm clarity settled across her mind. Whatever it took. If she broke this thing, and needed to stay here, and he let her people die; she would kill him. She let that thought circulate in her mind until her determination and anger finally made it through to Tarquin, and he caved.

Far above, unseen, Enterprise came back online.

************************************************************************

The shuttlepod made its way through the atmosphere and Malcolm set down at the same spot as before. Hoshi was outside, holding something white that sparkled. He walked up to her and said her name, and she spun around.

The smile that blossomed on her face when she saw him and the shuttlepod took his breath away. It had been too long since he’d seen that smile. He would do anything to keep that smile safe.

Anything.

Malcolm sternly pushed away the little ache in his chest when she told how Tarquin's mention of Travis had helped her realise that she was still being manipulated. All that mattered was that she was free, she was home, she was here.

Then she turned to him, and with a mischievous look, told him that when the chips were down, she’d asked herself one question: What would Malcolm do?

His heart seemed to grow three sizes. He tried to contain the sudden burst of joy he felt, tamp it down behind his shields, but she looked at him. She saw him. 

And that smile returned.

Day 30!

Prompt: Hours Feel Like Days

+ ENT Appreciation April: Missing Scene(s)

Done! Finally done! Published late, but that's okay, it still falls into US time.

AO3 link

“Hoshi? Are you alright?” No answer. Malcolm tried again. “Hoshi! Are you there?” His hand was already reaching for his phase pistol as he signalled for backup to meet him at the ensign’s quarters. His blood ran cold at the thought of what could be happening even as he pounded around corners in a frantic bid to get to her.

She was already opening the door as he got there, standing against the wall so he could dart inside, weapon at the ready.

“What happened?” His voice was sharper than he’d intended, and from the corner of his eye, he saw her flinch.

“There was a voice … and someone in the corner.” She pointed toward the right of her viewing port. Her voice was uncertain now, more so than when she had commed security.

Malcolm stood in front of her, shielding her just in case, his phase pistol pointed where she’d directed. His eyes swept the room; it was empty, and too small to be hiding anyone, but as Ensign Esk Parker and Crewman Fuller arrived, he directed Fuller to check the bathroom and Esk to stay on alert near Hoshi while he did a sweep of the room.

Nothing. There was nothing to be found. He’d known it from his first look as he’d barged into the room, but he was the Chief of Security; he couldn’t leave any corner unchecked, and he wouldn’t have, anyway. Not with Hoshi - Ensign Sato - looking so unnerved in her own quarters.

“Nothing?” The disbelief in her voice, in her eyes, made Malcolm uneasy. Not as uneasy as the fact that there had been absolutely nothing on the scans. Nothing in her room, no extra bio-sign at the time she’d called for help. No strange energy readings, no radio waves, no odd signals.

Whatever Hoshi had experienced, it was a phenomenon unique to her, and her alone. Still, he tried to be reassuring as he answered.

“I ran every scan in the book. There’s no sign of any intruder anywhere on the ship.”

“Maybe our sensors missed something.” She’d turned away from him, unwilling to meet his eyes as she made the claim. She’d know that it wasn’t something he’d take lightly; the safety of everyone on board was his paramount concern, and properly-functioning sensors played a major role in his efforts. She knew he’d have double-checked the sensors to be absolutely sure.

“I went through all the logs for the past 24 hours,” he said, keeping his voice low as he angled his body toward her, wanting to keep their conversation private to shield her from inquisitive eyes. “To say they were uneventful would be an understatement.”

She closed her eyes and groaned, frustration in every line of her body.

“This is good news.” He tried his hardest to be reassuring, but when she opened her eyes, he knew he’d failed.

“That I’m imagining things?”

“You're a little on edge. It's not uncommon to see the enemy out of the corner of your eye.”

She looked unconvinced, and by her body language he could tell that she was drawing herself into herself, leaning away from him as thought rejecting what he was saying. “I thought that was called paranoia.”

As he launched into the tale of having imagined a Xindi in his quarters, he saw her eyes and mouth pinch tighter. Now anger and despair were seeping into her voice and expression. She wouldn’t look at him directly any longer, only out of the side of her eye.

Malcolm was lost. He didn’t want to think that Hoshi was imagining things, but he had always placed his trust in things he could see. If he couldn’t see what was bothering her, putting that expression of fear and uncertainty on her face, how could he fight it? How could he protect her?

Not only that, but everything he said and did seemed to be making matters worse.

************************************************************************

“Ensign Sato to Lieutenant Reed. I need help in the Command Centre.”

He was on his feet and out the door almost before she’d finished speaking. Once again he ran; she hadn’t sounded panicked, but her voice had been odd, worried, unsure. He drew his phase pistol as he ran; nothing was going to stop him from protecting her as best he could.

As he rounded the corner, she was in the corridor in front of him, reaching out as though she was pushing something. She stepped forward, then froze, looking around. Her body was almost rigid, uncertainty in the set of her shoulders as they hunched up toward her ears.

Coming up behind her, he reached out carefully and put his hand on her shoulder, saying her name just before he touched her to try and avoid giving her a fright. “Hoshi?” She jumped anyway, turning to face him, startled. “Are you alright?”

Her eyes were unfocused, as though she’d been looking out over a great distance. As he spoke, they zeroed in on him, clearing, and her hand came up to clutch his. Even so, he could feel her trembling. Her hand squeezed his hard; then she let go and stepped into him, burying her face in his chest, seeking reassurance. He holstered his phase pistol and held her until her trembling stopped, saying nothing, just patting her back, grateful that at least she wasn’t withdrawing from him this time.

When she eventually drew back, they looked at each other, one of their silent conversations passing between them. Finally her shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes, nodding in defeat.

“Come on,” he said reassuringly. “I’ll go with you.”

************************************************************************

Malcolm watched Hoshi as she sat on the bio-bed. Even from the back, he could see the tension in her, her back rigid, her shoulders once again hunched.

“I'm not picking up anything out of the ordinary.” Her head dipped, then came up fiercely as the doctor spoke.

He knew he’d have to simply report as though she were any other crewman.

“We still haven't found any ships nearby or any uninvited guests on board.” If it were possible, she stiffened even more at his words. She was withdrawing into a shell again, and his adherence to duty and procedures wasn’t making things any easier.

Her voice was brittle as she ignored him and spoke directly to Archer.

“I am not imagining it, Captain!”

“You have to admit it's a possibility.” The captain’s voice was careful, as though he was handling a skittish horse. Did the man not realise that Hoshi could read every nuance in his voice, and realise that he was simply humouring her?

She made it clear with her next words. “With respect, sir, I know that my mind can be overactive sometimes, but that is not what's happening. This is real.”

Perhaps the determination in her voice made it through; if nothing else, she believed in herself. Her fears about hallucinations and an overactive imagination were concerns of the past. This was the Hoshi who was ready to search for answers. Despite his concern, he felt a thrill of pride at the way she was pushing back against the clear doubt she was facing from all three men.

Archer may have instructed a security detail, but Malcolm knew he’d be the one standing guard. He wouldn’t leave it to anyone else. His teams could handle the Armoury and Engineering; he would watch over Hoshi himself.

************************************************************************

On the bridge, he watched her go into the captain’s Ready Room. Her shoulders were back and she looked more confident. Had she had another experience?

Archer’s instruction to Mayweather came as no surprise; there must have been a reason Hoshi had gone in to speak to the captain. As she came out and her eyes met his, he knew he’d been right; she’d had another contact and this one had clearly given her more to go on than before. Her gaze was clearer, sharper, more direct than over the last day.

Hopefully they would find out what was happening and this would be over soon.

************************************************************************

Hoshi was apprehensive but hopeful on their way down to the planet. There was a glimmer of light for her world! She led the way into the alien’s room, pushing open the doors as in her vision. Looking for the short, dark-haired man with whom she’d been conversing.

Tarquin was nothing like she’d been expecting.

“I didn't want to frighten you, so I created a human image when I contacted you on Enterprise.”

And he hadn’t seen fit to tell her that she was only viewing an avatar, and the person she met would be very different?

She was not one to judge someone by their looks; but the sheer disparity between what she’d been led to believe was him, and the reality of his appearance, was so jarring as to render her speechless.

She saw the looks Malcolm and the captain exchanged - both at the sight of Tarquin, and the alien’s request that she stay with him while he worked. And all the while, the fact that he hadn’t told her he looked different, that he had kept her believing he looked like the security officer she trusted, preyed on her mind.

He asked you to come alone! And if you had, and you’d only found out then what he looked like, that he’d been lying to you? What then? What if you were struck speechless without Malcolm and the captain to back you up? Alone at his mercy? It was a deeply unsettling thought.

Which was why she was surprised to find herself telling the captain that she felt comfortable being alone with Tarquin. Still, they needed the information, and despite the fear for her she knew was driving Malcolm’s suggestion that Enterprise remain in orbit, time was a luxury they did not have.

“I can take care of myself, Captain.”

But she wished the real short, dark-haired man who made her feel safe was going to be with her on the planet.

************************************************************************

Malcolm didn’t know what he’d been expecting when the alien turned to them - but he knew with absolute certainty that Tarquin was not what Hoshi had been expecting. She had never mentioned the alien’s looks, which she certainly would have if she’d seen them before, since they’d never seen anyone who looked like him.

And her fear and discomfort were easy to read on her face and body language; he didn’t need to be a linguist to pick up her uncertainty.

“Thank you for coming to me.” Tarquin moved up close to her, ignoring the others as though they didn’t exist. She stepped back and looked away; the captain stepped in front of her, and the alien backed off.

But just for an instant, Malcolm saw a flash of anger in his eyes before he concealed it and played the role of a good Samaritan once again. His gaze never left Hoshi, though, and Malcolm saw how discomfited it made her feel. So he made it clear he was suspicious of Tarquin with a few well-placed questions.

“We didn't pick up any other biosigns. I take it you live here alone.”

The flash he saw in Tarquin’s eyes this time wasn’t anger, it was despair. And that made him even more concerned.

"It's an awfully big planet for one person.”

The captain had looked at him then, and he hoped that his meaning had made it through.

But he couldn’t stop Tarquin’s insistence that Hoshi stay with him while he assessed the artefact - or her insistence that she could cope.

The alien said he didn’t want to frighten her, but he’d let her think she was going mad, lied about what he looked like, and had wanted her to come to him on her own. And then he kept pushing his attention on her, making her uneasy. These were not the actions of someone who claimed he had good intentions.

************************************************************************

Malcolm went to Hoshi’s quarters before she left. She was packing, her movements rote, her body still tight with unease. But she was putting on a brave face, and he wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself.

To augment that bravery with practicality, he gave her a phase pistol to keep close at hand. She made no demur, but packed it for easy access.

He hesitated before leaving.

“Ensign … you’ve been an exemplary pupil. I’ve rarely enjoyed sparring with someone as much. Very few people could best me as often as you have become able to. Remember that.”

He hoped she picked up on the message he was trying to convey, in his awkward fashion. By the look in those large, dark eyes, and the smile that touched her lips, he thought she had.

************************************************************************

The sly stroke of Tarquin’s fingers on hers as he took her bag, made Hoshi feel ill-at-ease. She thought again of Malcolm, of how he had praised her hand-to-hand combat skills. He had given her a phase pistol, but he’d also been trying to give her a message. She didn’t want to dwell on it too long, lest her host pick up on it; but she hugged the thought to herself.

“Your parents learned you were gifted, so you spent your childhood with private tutors, studying languages. You thought it was normal to go through your days alone. I'm sorry, I forget you're unaware of how much I know about you.”

“Are you reading my mind continuously?

“Not since you arrived. Now that you're here with me I would rather get to know you the way other humans do.”

If he was reading her mind, the blaze of sheer anger that had swept through her at that moment should have given him pause.

Everything was off-kilter. Tarquin was in her mind, and could be there at any time, and she wouldn’t know. He could invade her mind, but she knew nothing of his.

Hoshi was not exactly a loner, but she valued her time alone. This alien didn’t seem to get that, or only looked at her memories and didn’t understand the emotions that accompanied them.

************************************************************************

When she opened her duffel and saw the clothing she had packed, she was taken aback. Why had she packed these? These were not her Starfleet-issue pyjamas or shoes; she barely wore these in her own quarters. She would never have chosen to wear these on an official mission, let alone in a place where she felt uncomfortable and where the male alien hosting her had already made it clear he was interested in her as more than a guest.

The phase pistol went under her pillow. But for some reason, she kept ending up in one or other slip dress instead of her uniform. When she realised, anger would sweep through her, clearing some of the fog; she was struggling to think as clearly as usual, and she knew exactly whom to blame.

The next few days were torture, as she found herself without her usual work with which to stay busy; all she had was the book Tarquin gave her, and fascinating as it was, it didn’t help settle her unease at not being with her crew.

And it didn’t stop her from wondering when, or if, he was in her mind.

So she fought back, running through combat training sessions in her mind, or changes to the UT, or reciting the alien languages she knew as she read.

Then she found the graves.

************************************************************************

“Do you really expect me to spend the rest of my life on a desolate world with someone I have known for less than two days?” The frustration at his sheer determination not to understand was grating at her.

“The others had similar doubts, but over time they came to appreciate what I had to offer them. No one will ever understand you the way I can.” How dared he! Rage funnelled through her. He had no idea who could and could not understand her, or how important her friends - her Enterprise family - were to her.

“I am grateful for your help and I'm happy to stay here while you work, but I have no intention of becoming your next companion!”

He dared - dared - appear to her in his human guise, and try to gaslight her? For all his rummaging around in her mind, he had no idea who she was, did he? And he refused to see that his every attempt at manipulation was only making her angrier, more determined to leave. He was fixated only on what he wanted, not her wishes.

Tarquin thought he was the only one who could understand her? Then he truly had no clue, had not looked deeply enough into her interactions with her colleagues and friends.

He had no idea that there was one person on board the ship with whom she’d developed a bond born of understanding each other, having grown up in different types of isolation, in ways the others didn’t or couldn’t. That the standoffish security chief could commiserate with her without saying a word, and that suited her just fine; he used his words with Trip, but she didn’t need them. That she and Malcolm understood each other so well that they could have silent conversations just with their eyebrows.

Malcolm was gentler than his occupation might suggest, committed to duty, carrying an incredible amount of baggage, but kind, encouraging, and totally committed to his job. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t see herself in him sometimes. And that was another thing Tarquin didn’t understand.

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Every hour since they had left Hoshi on that benighted planet had felt like a day; every day had felt like a week. Malcolm was struggling not to think about what might be happening, and focus on the mission instead. He knew it was what she’d have wanted.

But they were approaching the planet now, and soon she would be back with them. With her family.

Then the lights went out, and so did his console. Even the view-screen went dark.

Hoshi.

************************************************************************

Once again rage channelled through her, this time with fear - fear that he might hurt them, hurt her family. And she swore if he did, she would hurt him. No matter what she had to do, she would make him pay.

Tarquin wasn’t quite gloating, but he certainly seemed triumphant. She’d bet Malcolm would have had something to say about that.

Malcolm! What would Malcolm do?

She grabbed the egg, and watched Tarquin fall to pieces. Her determination and anger finally made it through.

Far above, unseen, Enterprise came back online.

************************************************************************

The shuttlepod made its way through the atmosphere and Malcolm set down at the same spot as before. Hoshi was outside, holding something white that sparkled. He walked up to her and said her name, and she spun around.

The smile that blossomed on her face when she saw him and the shuttlepod took his breath away. It had been too long since he’d seen that smile. He would do anything to keep that smile safe.

Anything.

************************************************************************

He sternly shut away the little ache in his chest when she told how mention of Travis had helped her realise that she was still being manipulated. All that mattered was that she was free, she was home, she was here.

Then she turned to him, and with a mischievous look, told him that when the chips were down, she’d asked herself one question: What would Malcolm do?

His heart seemed to grow three sizes. He tried to contain the sudden burst of joy he felt, tamp it down behind his shields, but she looked at him. She saw him. 

And that smile returned.