Answers - Chapter 6 Answers

Chapter Six

NC-17


The Paradoxans existed outside of known time. There were few of them left. Once they numbered in the trillions. Now they were less than ten thousand. The epidemic had spread overnight, killing families, communities, and whole continents. Few of their brightest scholars remained to seek a solution of their impending extinction. Something was wrong with the great machine. What was wrong was not known. Mercifully, what had happened that night had stopped. For now, the Paradoxans were granted a reprieve. A scout ship had been sent out to find help. That scout ship found Enterprise. In scanning Enterprise, they found one who was gifted regarding machines � the ship�s engineer. They also discovered an added bonus � the gifted linguist. She would be instrumental in communicating with the engineer. They would only borrow the humans for a short time.


Trip groaned. He felt weak and confused as he opened his eyes. The sight that greeted him reminded him of a science fiction movie he had seen as a kid. The billowy creatures floated around him. They were different colors, ranging from transparent to midnight black. To him they looked like a cross between ants and butterflies. The sounds they made wafted over him. It sounded as though he was in church and the organist was trying to clean the organ.

Trip looked at the prone figure on the table next to him. A very pregnant Hoshi Sato lay there. He looked down at his stomach; fearful the aliens may have impregnated him as well. He was relieved to see no evidence of impending parenthood. He thought of the old earth stories of abductions by aliens and impregnations and shuddered. Trip sat up quickly and almost passed out from dizziness. One of the creatures clicked at him and administered medication to him. At least he thought it was medication. He didn�t understand anything that was going on.

The next time Trip woke, Hoshi was awake. She was crying, holding her stomach. �Lieutenant?� Trip managed to croak.

Hoshi wiped at the tears frantically as though they embarrassed her.

�Do you know what is going on?� Trip propped himself up on his elbow feeling sorry about the violation she must have suffered. �Have you been able to establish communication with them?�

�Yes.�

�And?� Trip asked softly.

�They are the Paradoxans. They exist outside of time, as we know it. They have experienced some catastrophic failure in a machine that controls their planet. They need you to fix it and me to translate between you. They implanted me with a translator. It�s hardwired into my brain. We�ve been here for eight months. I�� Hoshi sobbed and clutched her knees burying her face in them.

Somehow Trip got off of his bed and walked over to hers to offer her solace. �Hush darlin�. It must be rough waking up to find you had been violated and impregnated by aliens. Any idea why they did that?�

Hoshi started shaking uncontrollably and Trip held on to her tighter. He was surprised when he heard her snort with laughter. He pulled away confused. �Uh, Hoshi, what�s goin� on?�

�They didn�t impregnate me you idiot� Sir.� Hoshi wiped at the tears streaming down her face. �This is Jon�s baby.�

�Well, I�ll be damned! When did you two get back together?�

�We didn�t! Well, technically we did, but that is beside the point.� Hoshi started to cry again, sobbing between words. �I can�t � have�this baby.�

�Ya look pretty healthy to me. Is something wrong with the baby?� Trip rubbed her back. Jon will be over the moon when he finds out about the baby � if we ever get back to Enterprise.

�I� can�t� don�t want to� have � children,� she wailed, starting to rock back and forth.

Trip saw red. �Well it�s a lil� late to get an abortion now!� That would kill Jon. Trip hated her more now than ever. �What is it with you? Do you get your goddamn jollies off of hurtin� Jon? If yer worried �bout his reaction to the baby, don�t be. He will take care of it. He�s a man of honor. He�ll love it and raise it. He doesn�t need you in his life tormentin� him any longer. After you have it, I�ll take Jon�s place until we can get back to Enterprise. The only thing you have to do is give birth!� Trip yelled, barely able to keep from hitting her.

Hoshi felt like she had been thrown into a cold shower, all of her heartbreak forgotten. �You fucking bastard!� Hoshi punched him to the floor and straddled him continuing to punch him. �You don�t know a goddamn thing about me. I could kill you! I�m good at it. I�ve killed my father, numerous others. I�ve even killed an entire planet! This baby is going to have a cold-hearted killer for a mother! And if you think you are going to take this baby away from me, I will kill you too!� Hoshi raged, using Trip�s face as a punching bag.

Trip couldn�t believe what he had just heard. He was so stunned at her admission that he barely felt her fists connecting with his face again and again. He caught her wrists and pushed her off of him. �Now that it�s established that WE are keeping the baby, then I don�t see that WE have a goddamn problem, right, Lieutenant?�

Hoshi stared at him in disbelief as he got up and offered her his hand. She motioned for his other hand too. She was eight months along and huge. He would have a hard time helping her up. �So, I take it you aren�t going to cut me any slack then?�

�Not an inch, Lieutenant.� Trip confirmed.


Trip and Hoshi settled into an easy truce. After all they were the only two humans in a world fill with the brightest and darkest of lights. Hoshi explained to Trip that the Paradoxans had not known she was pregnant. They never would have taken her if they had known. Hoshi and Trip would normally had been in stasis for one week, but Hoshi�s condition had complicated things. They could not phase Hoshi�s baby into their plane until the gestational period was almost over. Trip was kept in stasis too, feeling it would be easier on him because they would be unable to communicate with him.

The machine was polluted. It was responsible for determining weather patterns over the entire planet. The toxins had built up and needed to be purged. It seems that the Paradoxans had lived so long that they had forgotten about the machine. Purging and fixing the great machine would take some time and Trip got to work with the help of Hoshi who was always by his side translating written and spoken words to him.

One day they were working on the western panel when Hoshi gasped and clutched her stomach. Trip immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed over to her. �Is everything ok? You�re not in labor are you?�

�No, no.� She shook her head. �He kicked me, hard. Oh there he is again!� Hoshi grabbed Trip�s hand and held it to the bulge of her stomach. Trip�s expression softened at the touch.

�Ya know, when we get back, you should give Jon the benefit of the doubt. He will be over the moon about this baby and I know he hasn�t ever stopped lovin� ya.� Trip pushed.

Hoshi pulled away. �I�ll only hurt him. He will be better off without me.�

�That�s bullshit and ya know it!� Trip egged her on. �So ya killed your father. I�m assumin� it was an accident or somethin�. And regarding the �others� ya killed� it was your job. War, for lack of a better word, justifies killing. You did what you had to do to stay alive.�

Hoshi�s eyes turned black. �My father abused my mother and me. That doesn�t justify me twisting the knife into his gut. The others�I didn�t know they were touch telepaths. We were told not to touch any of the Sarans no matter what. We were walking up a rocky path when one of them, a girl, slipped and started to fall. I grabbed hold of her, trying to help her get her footing. It was so natural, trying to help her straighten. I didn�t think. Her party broke all contact with us then. Before we could hail them to find out what went wrong, everybody was dead � every man, woman and child.�

Realization dawned on Trip. �None of that was your fault. You�re going to have to stop beatin� yourself up over it sooner or later. It�s �bout time you accept Jon and the love he has for ya�. Jon loves deep and long. I�ve never seen him like this over any other woman.�

Instead of answering, Hoshi stood up and walked to the door. �You hurt the ones you love the most.� She walked out.


Trip and Hoshi were in the rafters high above the water-collecting dish when Hoshi gasped in pain. The pallor left her face and she cried out. Her water had broken and her labor began. Two Paradoxans lifted Hoshi and Trip to their quarters, Hoshi trying to breathe through the contractions. Trip held her hand throughout the night, coaching her and soothing her. The Paradoxans did what they could to ease her discomfort but they did not know much about human kind. By morning�s light, Hoshi and Trip held Jonathan Henry Archer in their arms, cooing over him. He had a full head of hair and light-colored eyes.

�Jon�s going to be so proud when he finds out he�s a papa,� Trip gushed as Henry�s hand clasped his finger. The Paradoxans were gracious hosts always apologizing for the trauma they had caused by abducting Trip and Hoshi. They were intent on returning them once their way of life was complete, letting Trip and Hoshi know that their time had stood still while Paradoxan time had move forward. They would be sent back to the time they had been taken, or at least as close as they could maneuver to that time.

Hoshi looked exhausted yet content for the first time in her life. She knew serenity as in the Vulcan prayer she recited as a child. She and Trip had been busy this last month and a half, repairing the machine that nurtured this species. For once in her life she was part of life, not death. She felt as though � well� she felt like she could forgive herself for the first time since the death of her father.


Trip and Hoshi�s work was complete three months after the birth of Henry. They were anxious to return home and ready to pick up with their lives. There was just one problem.

Henry could not go with them. He would not survive the trip through the vortex. Hoshi and Trip resigned themselves to staying with him the rest of their days, both secretly crushed that their old lives would never be seen again. But the Paradoxans would not let them stay. They couldn�t let them stay. Their aging process would soon accelerate and they would die within another year in their time structure.

After Trip realized this he dragged Hoshi through the vortex kicking and screaming, her wails over leaving her child that of highest pitch.


Sickbay

It was a week before Trip and Hoshi woke from stasis. Dr. Phlox was at a loss to explain what they were going through, stating they seemed to be phasing in and out.

Trip was the first to be able to form any coherent thoughts. �Henry,� he kept muttering over and over again.

Jon held his friend�s hand assuring him, wondering what his father had to do with anything that happened to him and Hoshi.

�Your son. Henry. Your son. I am so sorry we had to leave him.� Trip tried to focus.

Hoshi woke and cried out for Henry. She was hysterical, cursing Trip for dragging her through the vortex.

�Trip what are you talking about? I don�t have any children.� Jon tried to soothe his friend.

Phlox was busy taking scans of Hoshi and ended up sedating her.

�She gave you a son, Jon. Henry. He wouldn�t have survived the trip through the vortex. We had to leave him with the Paradoxans.�

Phlox ran more scans over Hoshi. �He�s right Captain. Lt. Sato has bore a child within the last three months. I don�t know how that is possible, but it is.�

TBC

Back to Chapter 5 Answers chapter listing On to Chapter 7
To Cindy's page To Main MEG Archive page

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1