The season was cooling and she would need to hunt for skins soon. For now, she would collect whatever she could scavenge from the lake in front of her. Luckily, her father had taught her how to move through the water and collect the food. She shielded her eyes, looking up at the streaks of pink dotting the horizon. She didn�t have much light left.
She jumped into the cold lake, reaching down to the knife at her ankle. Soon she was at the bottom of the lake, trimming away at the long strings of kelp and scraping away the few mollusks on the bottom. She would eat tonight. Her lungs screamed for air, overriding the grumble of her stomach and she kicked at the bare bottom of the lake and ascended for air, one of the other necessities of existing.
She broke the surface of the placid water and gulped for air, easing the ache in her lungs. Climbing onto shore, the cool air hit her cold skin and she shivered. She had no reserves. During the warmer months, she became ill and was unable to protect her reserve food stocks. She rushed to the fireside to warm herself, her teeth chattering, she rubbed her arms.
She dumped the bag of weeds and mollusks onto a stone close to the fire. She wrapped some of the protein in the weed and impaled them on a long stick for the fire. Other mollusks she ate raw because her stomach was cramping with the hunger she had been unable to satisfy for three days.
After she gorged herself on her meal, she lay on the pile of leaves and let sleep claim her. She was alone, which was a good thing, because nobody heard her scream as the nightmares claimed her soul.
***
The monsters came in the middle of the night, quickly silencing her father as the blood poured from his neck. They ripped her from her mother�s arms and tore at her mother, laughing maliciously as she cried.
The little girl whimpered in the corner, unnoticed, silently pleading with her father to do something. His dark eyes were fixed on her as a single tear escaped from the corner of his eye.
Her mother struggled as her torturers inflicted more pain on her. �Mercy. Please have mercy and leave her alone. She�s only a little girl. She doesn�t understand. She isn�t manifesting. They don�t need her.�
�We�re here for her, witch! Fucking you up is just an added bonus,� the monster sneered.
Hoshi could see fear seize her mother. She heard the familiar voice in her head, �Run! Don�t look back. Your father is dead and I am too. Run and hide. Always hide whenever they come!�
The little girl with pigtails cried, no wanting to leave her mother.
�Now!� screamed inside her head as she felt herself flung out of the hut.
Frightened, she ran, only looking back as the hut was engulfed in a fireball.
The heat from the fireball warmed her as she watched everything she held dear burn before her eyes.
She shivered in the cool night air. She stood there with her nite-nite, a pink and white-checkered blanket, clutched to her small chest. No more tears trailed down her pudgy cheeks, as she stood still, unwilling to move. The monsters were dead. So were her parents. The sound of her mother in her head, repeating every lesson they had ever taught their six-year-old daughter ran through her head the girl as she set out to secure a new shelter and a new food source.
Her first season alone she procured a rotted out trunk as shelter and dove into the nearby lake for sustenance. Unable to start a fire, she consumed the morsels raw, listening to her mother in the back of her head about eating things she did not like the taste of.
She would look at her reflection in the lake and ponder it, the shape of her eyes, nose and mouth. The face that looked back at her throughout the years was a solemn face, always surviving, rarely thriving.
She looked at the face in the lake that resembled her mother so much and felt the breeze of the coming season pass through her. Her teeth chattered as she grasped the large rubber-like leaf around her shoulders.
***
Hoshi shivered and turned over in her sleep, mumbling her distress to the night air. She opened her eyes and saw the fire was out. Heat. There would be no more heat, unless she stoked the embers. The thought repeated over and over in her head, but she couldn�t move. She shivered, closed her eyes and let another nightmare overtake her.
***
�Hoshi-chan, it�s time for dinner,� her mother shouted at her across the courtyard.
Hoshi waved in frustrated acknowledgement and threw the pebble onto the eighth square, giggling. �I�ll be right there, Momma,� sounded the child�s voice over the other children in the courtyard.
�Now,� the stern yet soft voice of her mother projected into her head.
Hoshi knew better than to argue when she talked without moving her lips. Some people called it her mother�s gift or talent. Her mother called it her curse.
Hoshi and her parents lived in a guarded camp with others like them. The houses were identical and varied in size according to family size. There were streets, schools, which Hoshi just started and loved, and lots of trouble to get into.
Hoshi�s father had been gone for three days and she could tell that her mother was growing more frustrated as the clock over their mantle reminded her of the time as it ticked by. For the past two nights, Hoshi had crawled into bed with her mother to wipe away her tears as she wept.
�Why are you crying, Mama?� the inquisitive five-year-old asked, as she stroked her mother�s raven hair.
Hugging her daughter tight, her mother whispered, �I miss daddy. I love him, lots.�
Hearing the word �love,� Hoshi started whispering a poem of love in French, knowing her mother knew the intonations of the language but not the meaning of the words. She was a prodigy, knowing all of the earthen languages. She still didn�t understand why her mother discouraged her display of this knowledge.
Smoke swirled around the scene in her mind, switching scenes as though she were watching a vid-screen.
Her mother screamed as the overseers tossed her unconscious father onto their front stoop. He was covered in blood and mumbling.
That night Hoshi lay in bed as her parents whispered back and forth hoping she wouldn�t hear.
�It was a blood bath, Mina. I don�t know if I can go through another one,� a disembodied male voice sounded. "They provide us with no justifications for the attacks. We have to do as they say; otherwise�� he choked on the thought that harm would come to his wife or daughter.
�I�ve had it, Matthew. Once you are recovered, we are leaving. I don�t care who or what I have to destroy for us to get out of here. We deserve better and so does our daughter.� Her mother�s voice carried a menace to it that Hoshi had never head before. �She�s manifesting an ability, one I�ve never seen before. We�ve got to get her out of here before they try to harvest her.�
***
Hoshi woke as the sunlight settled over her shivering form. She was still tired, having spent the night between dream and wakefulness, shivering from the cold. Her stomach growled as it tried to clench on to food where there was none. Slowly, she got up and grabbed her bow and arrow. She had wasted the majority of the daylight sleeping. She would hunt now � for pelts for warmth and for protein for food. Hopefully she would be able to track and kill several �rodents.� Her pelts from last season were worn and ineffective against the freezing weather when it comes.
Her hunting ground was depleted, and she needed to branch out into the direction she hadn�t been to ever since her parents left her. Certainly, it was safe for her to go back there now. Nobody came from the fireball and she had assumed long ago that everyone was dead. It was time to go and figure out if they were. She could feel death nipping at her, the cold, and the hunger. It was time to realize what happened. It was time for her to answer the questions she had no one to ask.
***
�Sir, I�m receiving a distress call from the fifth planet in the system,� Ensign Collins stated, pressing the earpiece into her ear firmly as she concentrated on the signal. �I think it�s automated because so far it�s repeated two times.� She paused. �It�s Denobulan, sir.�
Captain Archer didn�t need to confer with his bridge officers for a decision. �Travis, set a course.�
�Aye, Sir,� Ensign Travis Mayweather stated as he entered in course corrections.
�Malcolm, assemble a team. Take Phlox with you in case there are injuries,� Captain Archer commanded as he headed for his ready room.
Lt. Malcolm Reed nodded his acknowledgement, giving instruction to the ensign that took over the tactical station. �Sub-Commander, what is the tactical situation on the planet?� Malcolm asked as he approached the Vulcan who was just now scanning the planet.
�Currently nineteen degrees Celsius. Vegetation. Small carnivores. Baring any unforeseen problem, the tactical situation is low,� stated Sub-Commander T�Pol in her usual dry way.
Malcolm nodded his acknowledgement of the information and walked to the lift. Surely, this will be a cake walk, he thought to himself then stopped.
�Ensign Mayweather, would you like to join us?� Just the other day, Travis said he was itching for an away mission.
�Yes sir!� Travis agreed readily.
***
Travis piloted Shuttlepod One over the canopy with ease while Malcolm scanned for a landing site and determined coordinates a few yards away from the distress signal. Meanwhile, Phlox and Ensign Cutler monitored for Denobulan life signs.
The slight jolt from the landing brought Phlox out of his reverie. �I�ve detected no Denobulan life signs,� he held his scanner in front of him as he climbed through the hatch. Ensign Cutler followed behind him with the medical supplies.
Being the first one out of the shuttle, Malcolm gave the all clear to proceed to the source of the distress signal. He nodded to Travis as he secured the shuttle.
The team walked the short way to the Denobulan racer, clearing the limited foliage that had encroached over the intact racer. Ensign Cutler startled as some rodents scattered from the disturbed ruins.
Malcolm and Phlox entered the racer easily, as the hatch was still open. �Apparently, they were planning on returning fairly soon,� Malcolm surmised and sat at the controls. �I wonder what triggered the distress signal.�
�Most Denobulan vehicles are programmed to emit a distress signal after being dormant for fifteen years, provided the crew met with an unfortunate end,� Phlox explained as he activated the ship�s logs.
The hair on the back of Malcolm�s neck stood up at the mention of �unfortunate end.�
�Why fifteen years? Isn�t that kind of long?� asked Travis.
�Some Denobulan scientist get so wound up in their experiments, they are often gone from their ships for that long, but this racer only supports a crew of three and I doubt they were on a scientific mission,� declared Phlox as he punched in some clearance codes to access the logs.
�We�re day three in pursuit of the witch-ling. Our employer is frustrated with our delay retrieving their property. We never should have taken this contract,� the disembodied voice of the bounty hunter filled the cockpit.
�Day four. We are descending into the atmosphere of the planet we have detected our prey on. Previn is frustrated it has taken this long and is talking of murdering and torturing the witch-ling�s protectors. We will put down 1.6 kilometers from their site, so they have no warning. He�s even talking about torturing the witch-ling before we deliver her for the harvest.�
�That�s the last log, dated approximately fifteen years ago,� Phlox looked around and took notice of a cage in the corner of the small craft.
�I wonder what happened to the bounty hunters,� chimed Liz Cutler.
Phlox pulled up a picture of a human family, a little girl with raven pigtails smiled at the camera while the parents imitated smiles.
All three were so engrossed with the photo they startled when Malcolm banged on the open hatch. �I noticed something approximately one kilometer to the south, possibly ruins,� he said.
�Perhaps our answer lies in those ruins, shall we?� Phlox motioned toward Elizabeth and Travis and the hatch.
***
The hike was made in companionable silence with the exception of Phlox bringing Malcolm up to speed.
Malcolm was the first to approach the derelict ruins, phase pistol and scanner poised. Lowering his phase pistol, he motioned to the others that the area was free from any immediate dangers.
Phlox adjusted his scanner to search for Denobulan and Human remains and received immediate results. �I am detecting two Denobulans and two Humans, the third Denobulan is about a meter to the west. Judging by my readings, all of them died from smoke inhalation, while the human male died from blood loss. I�m afraid that�s as detailed as the scanners are going to get. I will be able to tell more if we collect the remains, or what is left of them and take them back up to sickbay and��
Phlox fell to the ground with a yelp as the arrow pierced his leg.
�Everybody, get behind the trunk and stay low!� Malcolm shouted as he pulled Phlox under cover. Another arrow whizzed past his head and missed its intended target. Flipping his communicator open, he yelled, �Enterprise, we are under attack by an unknown assailant, can you lock on to his coordinates?�
�Your assailant is approximately one meter north of your position and closing in,� T�Pol informed the Lieutenant as he took to ground, determined to meet his attacker head on instead of waiting for him to find them.
The sounds of movement in the bushes caught his attention and he crouched in ambush, the sound and scent of their clumsy attacker assailing his senses moments before he had a visual on the�woman? Malcolm was thrown for a sliver of second by the sight, as he noticed the curves that one could mistake as hips and breasts. His hesitation didn�t last long, as she sighted Phlox and raised her bow and arrow for the kill.
***
She was going to kill the monster first, but didn�t quite know what to do with the other�s that accompanied it. �Run away Hoshi-chan!� The warning her parents drilled into her their first year on the planet played in her head like a recording, but she stood firm and resolute that she would kill the monster and the others for her survival. Their meat and skin alone would keep her alive through the cold months.
She raised her bow and arrow, targeting the monster first. Then everything went black.
***
Malcolm approached the prone from of their attacker with his phase pistol drawn. The stench that radiated off of her body assailed his olfactory nerves and he winced as he rolled her prone form over. Her long hair was matted and dirt covered her naked body. The urge to feel sorry for her was squashed as he remembered why he stunned her, her attack on his team.
With a minimal grunt he slung her lithe form over his body and called out the all clear and made his way back to the others.
As he approached he could hear Phlox fussing over Ensign Cutler�s treatment of him.
She replied by pushing him down and saying, �My mom was right. Doctor�s do make the worst patients.�
�There is no rule that states I have to be lying down for you to treat me, Ensign.� Seeing Malcolm approach the clearing with the unconscious form slung over his shoulder, Phlox reached for his scanner. �Ah, this must be the witch-ling the bounty hunters referred to in their logs. She is just the right age; approximately twenty-one years old�� he flinched as Ensign Cutler made the preparations to remove the arrow from his leg.
�Well, what are we supposed to do with her? I assume we aren�t just going to leave her,� questioned Travis, as he pointed to the wild girl.
�We�ll take her back to Enterprise with us. She obviously won�t survive the coming winter,� Phlox acknowledged.
�Excuse me Doctor, but what do you suppose we do with her once we get her on board? Deworm her? Dip her in a flea bath?� Malcolm could barely keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
�Surely you�re not suggesting we leave her here, Lieutenant? She has obviously suffered grievously due to circumstances beyond her control. Are we going to condemn her further?� Phlox pleaded.
�Am I supposed to overlook the arrow sticking out of your leg, Doctor? She would be better off here, then confined in the brig. She became a hostile once she fired on our party and would be incarcerated in the brig for the duration of ��Malcolm resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the doctor, not quite knowing if he should bother going in to Starfleet regulations.
�I appreciate you position, Lieutenant, but she won�t survive the winter. I hold no ill will against the � witch-ling. In her eyes, she was defending herself. Fifteen years ago, Denobulan bounty hunters hunted her. For all she knew I was another hunter and�� Phlox winced at Ensign Cutler as she put an analgesic cream around the protruding wound.
�I understand your position, Doctor, but I can not simply ignore the security risk she would pose on board. I�m not suggesting we abandon her as we would send down provisions and�� Malcolm grasped at a plan to leave the �threat� behind knowing supplies would do no good if she didn�t know how to use them.
Phlox remained silent waiting for the armory officer to see his failed logic.
Malcolm threw his hands up in surrender. �Very well, Doctor, but she will remain in the brig at all times until we can get her transported back to Earth for�rehabilitation,� agreed Malcolm in an exasperated tone.
Phlox almost clapped with delight, but winced when he jolted his leg.
�Are you sure I can�t give you anything for the pain, Doctor Phlox?� Ensign Cutler asked with concern.
Phlox nodded, �No, no. Please prepare the witch-ling for the shuttle ride back to Enterprise. A mild sedative should do the trick.�
***
Hoshi woke slowly, drifting in and out of consciousness as warmth surrounded her. Clasping the wool blanket to her chin, she woke with a jolt, bolting off of the bunk and falling to the floor clumsily. She scurried away from the blanket as though it would come after her. She turned around in circles, clawing at the garment that covered her body.
Panic seized her as her worst nightmare was realized. She had been captured. Emotions swirled in front of her tightly closed eyes in a canopy of colors all blending into mud. The low hum of the walls surrounding her became deafening as she realized her time was close at hand. She had been captured by the monsters, which would eat her soon. Pacing back and forth like a caged animal, she covered her ears and shut her eyes. Just this once, she wished for her mother�s curse. With it, she would be able to burn the walls around her and die by her own hand, not boiled alive and eaten.
***
�Hoshi-chan, I�m sorry we had to leave all of your friends behind, but when you are older, you will know why we left,� her mother stated wistfully as she braided her daughter�s hair.
Hoshi sniffed in response, unable to comprehend their new life.
�Now, do you remember the tree stump we showed you yesterday?� her father asked anxiously as he sat nearby listening to the consoling conversation between mother and daughter.
�Yes, sir,� replied the sullen child.
�Why do you go there?� drilled her father.
�To hide,� countered the child as her mother tightened her braid.
�That�s right! You hide from the monsters if they come, otherwise they will boil you alive and eat you. And when they are finished they will pick their teeth with your bones and�� The tirade was cut short as his wife smacked him in the back of his head.
�That�s enough, Matthew! You�re going to give her nightmares!� chastised her mother.
�She has to know it�s not a game, Mina. If she has nightmares, then she has nightmares. What if she doesn�t run, if they find us? They�ll harvest her! That�s the same as being eaten,� Matthew sighed, not in the least angry at Mina�s reaction. Perhaps he had gone a bit too far.
***
Hoshi rubbed her side where the skin was irritated. She didn�t remember how she had injured herself. Maybe the monster had branded her like she had seen the farmer brand the cow. Hopelessness seeped into her shoulders and she clasped her knees and laid her hard upon them.
The noise from the door opening startled her as she crawled away from it.
�She�s awake, Doctor. Make it quick, and you might want to note that it doesn�t look like she is in the mood for visitors,� mused Malcolm as he stepped into the cell with his phase pistol drawn. �Just behave, luv, so I won�t have to stun you again.�
Hoshi looked at the weapon in his hand and touched her side, understanding every word he said.
Malcolm smiled, �Good, you remember.�
He sounded like her father, the accent only slightly different. She relaxed visibly.
�There, now.� Malcolm lowered the weapon. �If you behave, maybe we can let you out.�
�It really would be easier for me to treat her in sick bay, Lieutenant. You have disarmed her, why is she still considered a risk?� prattled Phlox as he limped into the cell.
�Monster!� Hoshi shrieked as she jumped off the bed and hid behind Malcolm, clasping his thighs and hiding her face into his buttocks. �Please, don�t let it eat me!�
Malcolm tried prying her hands off his thighs, as they were a little too high for comfort. �He�s not going to eat you. He�s a doctor! Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?� He twisted and turned and only succeeded in turning himself around in her arms and having her hide her face in his crotch. He cleared his throat and doubled his efforts to pry her off of him.
�Papa told me the monster would boil me alive and eat me.� Hoshi sobbed and did her best to climb Malcolm as though Phlox was a snake trying to nip at her feet.
�Dr. Phlox is not a monster, nor is he going to boil and eat you. Stop this foolishness at once!� admonished Malcolm in a voice that sounded uncannily like his father�s.
Phlox set his med kit onto the bunk and backed out of the cell, �Obviously, the young lady is distressed by my presence. I will have Ensign Cutler administer her ongoing medical care, but for now, Mr. Reed, would you be so kind as to administer the two hypo sprays I have prepared. One is a vitamin supplement and the other is a booster vaccination. Perhaps you could find out more about her like her name and what happened to her.�
�But, but�� stammered Malcolm as he continued to pry the surprisingly strong fingers from his shoulders, trying to maintain his balance.
�While you�re at it, she if she would like something to eat,� Phlox�s disembodied voice recommended as he walked away from the cell.
Malcolm stared at the open door with his mouth hanging open, not really paying any attention to the slight weight that had climbed his back and wrapped its legs around his waist in piggy back fashion. How in the hell did he get roped into babysitting this�child? This was annoying as hell. He had things to do.
A sniff in his ear finally brought him back to reality. As gently as he could he grabbed hold of her forearm and flipped her over onto the bunk. He didn�t need Phlox or Captain Archer upset with him over hurting Jane Doe.
Hoshi landed with an �umpf� onto the bedding and turned around quickly, her attention focused on the door and the possibility that the monster might come back. She wiped at her eyes furiously as the tears streamed down her cheeks and she trembled with fear.
�The monster will harvest me and pick his teeth with my bones,� she whispered.
�He will not!� raged Malcolm, barely keeping his temper in check. �He�s a competent doctor who was trying to treat you for malnourishment and parasites. He isn�t a monster! He isn�t going to eat you! And he �� Malcolm ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
Hoshi sniffed in response, not quite believing what she was hearing, but visibly relaxing now that the threat was eliminated.
Taking a deep breath he asked, �What�s your name?�
She looked at him and hesitated. Looking down she divulged the information he requested. �Hoshi.�
Malcolm smiled. So her name wasn�t witch-ling. �Would you like something to eat, Hoshi?�
�Yes, please,� she agreed still looking down, unsure how she should answer, but the hunger pangs were sharp and he was offering food.
Malcolm reached into his pocket and took out a communicator. �Brig to Galley,� he waited to acknowledgement.
�Yes, Lieutenant Reed?� a voice with a heavy French accent answered.
�Could you please send two trays to the brig cell three, our guest is awake and hungry.� Malcolm actually felt himself smiling.
�Is there anything in particular you feel like, Lieutenant?�
Malcolm thought for a moment and ordered a tuna melt for lunch. �What would you like?� He turned to Hoshi.
�Je voudrais de la cr�me glac�e, svp,� Hoshi asked, licking her lips in anticipation.
Malcolm startled at the flawless French and held the communicator away as Chef answered her request excitedly.
�What did she order,� asked Malcolm inquisitively, cutting chef off.
Chef answered immediately irritated by the interruption. �Ice cream. Quelle saveur aimez-vous?� (What flavor would you like?)
Hoshi thought for a moment, but was cut short in her reply by Malcolm. �Chef, could you just send a steward with something on the bland side? If I remember correctly, Phlox said something about lactose intolerance.�
Sitting on the bed and crossing her arms over her chest, she pouted and heard a grunt through the radio in �Lt. Reed�s� hand. �Ne vous inqui�tez pas, je vous partira furtivement de la cr�me glac�e. Very well, Lieutenant.�
Closing his communicator with a snap, he turned to Hoshi. �Where did you learn French? I was informed that you lost your parents when you were six. Did you learn it from your parents?�
Saddened by the mention of her parents, she sat back down on the bunk, tucking her feet underneath her. �No.�
�Did you learn French in school?� asked Malcolm, his curiosity piqued further by the mystery that sat in front of them. Searches that had been done at this point had yielded no results in the Denobulan, Vulcan or Human databases. The name of her parents and the bounty hunters still eluded them. The Denobulan ship wasn�t even registered. Other than Hoshi and the fact that she spoke French and English, they had no clue as to her identity.
He picked up the hypo sprays Phlox had left and moved to administer them before the food arrived, but she jumped back from his advance.
She knew medicine when she saw it. Those are what the overseers would press into their necks, making them fall asleep. When they would wake, one or both of her parents would be gone. If he gave her the shot, he would be gone when she woke.
Malcolm had very little patience for her reticence regarding the hypo sprays. When he went one way, she went the other. �Look, this isn�t going to hurt. It will help you.�
�If you put me to sleep, you�ll leave,� Hoshi stated shakily, pacing back and forth and dodging his efforts to administer the medicine.
Malcolm could see that he would have to restrain her to administer the hypo sprays, so he put them down on the bunk. Her body language relaxed but still remained guarded. It was as though he was dealing with a mistreated animal or somebody who had been deprived of human contact for the majority of their life. �So, do you have a last name, Hoshi?�
Hoshi backed into wall and sank down to the floor. �Sato,� she replied and grimaced as her stomach growled.
�When did your parents die?�
Hoshi stared at him blankly, not really understanding the concept of how much time had passed.
Malcolm continued the direct approach and asked another question. �Where are you from?�
She stared at Malcolm again, not answering. Her mother told her she was gifted with the gift of gab, in any language. The other subjects were pretty much ignored as soon as her instructors found her hidden talent.
Malcolm stared at her, expecting an answer from her, but got none.
Just then the food arrived and they hoped it would entice her into talking because obviously she could.
Hoshi stayed against the wall and watched the steward deliver the cart and trays. The aroma of the food assailed her senses and she literally crawled to the tray, her eyes never leaving it. She licked her lips in anticipation.
Malcolm watched her reaction intently paying particular attention to her lips. He lifted the lid and took inventory of her meal, a hamburger with chips and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A generous serving of ketchup accompanied the meal.
Malcolm rolled his eyes at Chef�s idea of bland. He didn�t really know what he had been thinking of when he asked for bland food from Chef. It was like asking for a beer during a wine tasting contest. He set the plate before Hoshi, taken by surprise as she grabbed the generous portion of ketchup and started eating it without a chip, or putting it on her burger.
She tilted the small dish forward effectively drinking the ketchup, and then cleaning it off with her fingers.
Malcolm cleared his throat as she continued licking the small dish until it looked clean. �Shall I send for more ketchup?�
�Yes, please,� nodded Hoshi as she picked a chip up and popped it into her mouth. She continued to do this, one right after another until there was none left. She dissected the hamburger next, effectively removing any and all vegetables and inhaling the bun.
Malcolm had yet to touch his lunch, in awe that her meal was almost gone. There was a smear of ketchup along her cheek and crumbs at the corner of her mouth. Without thinking, Malcolm reached forward with a napkin to wipe her face.
She dodged his efforts, taking a large bite from the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Malcolm smiled to himself. �If she could stuff anymore in her mouth she would look like a pet hamster he once had.�
Hoshi smiled back.
Malcolm took his communicator out and summoned the galley again.
�Yes, Lieutenant?� Chef answered gruffly as though he were in the middle of something.
�Uh, could we get some more ketchup please?� Malcolm paused then realized how he was going to get her how to take her medicine. �And some ice cream.�
Hoshi perked up at the mention of ice cream. �Je voudrais la cr�me glac�e de fraise, svp.� Hoshi asked excitedly, grabbing on to Malcolm�s arm so she could talk into the communicator.
Chef laughed, �Strawberry ice cream coming up.�
Finished with most everything on her tray, she started eyeing Malcolm�s.
Malcolm pushed the try toward her laughing. �If you have any more room, bon appetit.�
Hoshi rummaged through his tray with gusto, scraping the middle of his tuna melt off of the bread and shoving the bread into her mouth.
He reached for a chip on the plate and Hoshi glared at him, shoving several in her mouth. She took the tray and turned her back to him, turning back to him for a split second, to put a handful of chips on the bed for him.
�Thanks,� mused Malcolm. �You might want to slow down and chew.�
She scoffed. No matter how hard she thought or tried, she could never make bread like her mother taught her.
Malcolm startled when the request to enter the cell sounded on the comm panel. He stood and pressed the enter button, thanked Crewman Kelly and brandished one strawberry ice cream like a weapon.
Hoshi moved to take the ice cream from him, but he held it above her head. �You can have your ice cream on one condition.�
She glared at him, pressing against him and reaching for the ice cream.
�You have to take your medi�vitamins before you can have your ice cream,� he instructed firmly and continued to hold the ice cream out of her reach.
He was unguarded as she rammed her elbow into his midriff, causing him to bend over and lower the ice cream to her grasp.
She didn�t like bullies.
She grabbed hold of the dish like it was a long lost treasure and ran to the other side of the cell to consume it.
Malcolm slumped to the floor, still nursing his abdomen.
When he finally looked up she smirked, licking the top of the ice cream.
�That�s it!� Malcolm stated in a menacing tone and got up and grabbed the hypo sprays.
Hoshi licked her ice cream in defiance, unable to see what he had just grabbed and was now holding behind his back.
Malcolm approached her as though approaching a wild animal. Somehow, he managed to kneel down in front of her while keeping his secret hidden behind his back. He smiled, �Do you like the ice cream?�
Hoshi raised her chin threateningly. �Yes�thank you.�
�Good. I�m glad.� Malcolm grabbed hold of her bare arm and pulled her off balance, the ice cream falling to the floor. He injected one hypo spray into her arm and winced as she screamed. He dropped the dispensed tool and flipped the other one in his hand, pressing it to her skin.
She sobbed and clutched at him, begging him not to leave her.
Irritated that he had to stoop to such measures, he peeled her off of him. He needed to get back to the armory. He didn�t have time to baby sit this delinquent.
She continued hugging him, crying.
He tried pulling back and away from her, but she was strong.
She coughed and gagged.
Malcolm doubled his efforts to get away from her as he felt warm vomit penetrate his uniform. �Bloody fecking hell!�
He dragged her into the bathroom and into the shower, turning it on full blast. She gasped at the cold water hitting her back and pulled away from Malcolm long enough to start undressing her.
She kept sputtering but stopped when the water turned warm. She watched with curiosity as the man in front of her, peeled his uniform off his body, cursing as he did so.
He continued cursing as he realized he couldn�t get his soaked uniform past his �damn� boots. Rolling the uniform up slightly, he kicked his boots off then discarded his uniform onto the shower stall floor with a loud, wet thump.
He glared at her and she glared back. Both of them huffed, angry at one another, the adult angry with the child for her stubbornness and the child resentful of the adult for leaving her.
The not so full stomach, coupled with the warm water cascading down her body caused her to yawn and sway on her feet. Her fear of being alone again clamped itself around her heart.
The tears mixed with the water and fell freely down her cheeks. �Please, don�t leave me,� she whispered, wrapping her arms around his torso and hugging him.
She trembled.
Malcolm could sense her desperation and shushed her, shutting off the water behind her back. �I won�t leave. I promise.�
Malcolm maneuvered them out of the shower, grabbing a towel and drying her off. He set her on the counter and pulled away from her slightly, but she wouldn�t let him go.
�Hoshi, I have to take my shirt off,� he stated blandly and managed to pull away.
Just as he pulled his tank off, Hoshi moved to pull hers off. �No, no, no!� Malcolm clamped down on her wrist. �What are you doing?�
�It�s wet! I don�t want to fall asleep in it. If the season cools, I will get a chill.� She replied still thinking she was on the planet and that winter was coming.
�Here,� Malcolm said gruffly, pushing a change of clothes into her hand and trying to exit carefully.
She followed him out, holding the clothes on her chest, panicking that he was leaving her.
Malcolm rolled his eyes in exasperation. �Look, I�ll turn my back, and you change your clothes, ok? I�m not going anywhere.� He flipped his communicator over trying to keep the irritation out of the act.
�Lieutenant Reed to Lieutenant Gomez.�
�Go ahead,� Em Gomez answered with a slight Spanish accent.
�Em, could you bring me a change of uniform?� asked Malcolm as he blotted at a spot of vomit on the floor.
�Suuureee thing, Lieutenant. Is everything all right?�
�ASAP!� barked Malcolm, not in the mood to answer questions.
You could hear Em jump. �I�m on it.�
~~~
Malcolm turned to Hoshi and saw her watchful question eyes. She stifled a yawn and shivered. He flipped his communicator open then snapped it shut. He was going to contact a custodial crew, but with his luck, thought better of it. They would probably get here before Em did with his uniform and didn�t feel like explaining to anyone why he was standing around in his wet skivvies.
Hoshi sobbed, �It�s happening. I�m going to sleep. You won�t be here when I wake up and the monster will eat me.�
She sat there, dejected and shivering, fighting off sleep. Malcolm sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder, laying her down on the bunk. He comforted her as she fell into a fitful sleep. His bare chest pressed against her back, and his waist against her backside.
He shifted uncomfortably as blood rushed to places he would rather ignore right now. �Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Malcolm, she�s basically a child and you have a raging hard-on for her. That�s just bloody terrific. The next time we are offered furlough, I am going to be the first one knocking on Captain Archer�s door.�
She wiggled back, clutching his arm under hers, causing his erection to grow.
�God dammit! Why is this happening to me?� he murmured out loud to no one in particular, feeling as though the universe was laughing its ass off at his expense.
The door to the cell opened, making Malcolm jump away from the warmth in his arms, thankfully not disturbing her.
Em smirked, �Am I interrupting something?�
Malcolm put his finger over his lips and glared at his second in command. He managed to get off the bed without disturbing Hoshi, thankful that Em�s presence had thrown ice water on his problem.
He snatched the uniform out of her hands, and walked into the bathroom, taking his wet skivvies off and putting his uniform on. He threw the skivvies into the bathroom, buttoned the Henley and zipped the uniform with a vicious tug.
Em stood there, still smirking.
Ok smartass! �Call custodial.� He padded past her, barefooted. �There�s quite a mess in there. Under no circumstances are you to leave her alone.�
Malcolm left, leaving a gaping Em behind.
��Cu�l el infierno es yo supuso para hacer, hace punto?� (What the hell am I supposed to do, knit?) Em asked out loud, but received no answer.
***
The next day, Malcolm stood before Captain Archer and a disheveled Dr. Phlox.
�Dr. Phlox tells me you�ve formed a�bond�with our guest,� Jonathan Archer laughed, not really able to fathom the strange connection between the �wild� woman and Malcolm.
�I wouldn�t go that far sir,� Malcolm stated as a really bad feeling settled over him.
�Well, she won�t let Phlox near her and swears at Lieutenant Gomez in Spanish. She keeps screaming for �Lieutenant Reed,� yelling that you said you wouldn�t leave her. I think that qualifies as a bond.� Archer stated pointedly.
Malcolm remained silent.
�So, I am appointing you her�keeper, for lack of a better word. You will be responsible for domesticating her and socializing her around the rest of the crew. Stop, right there�� Archer held his hands up as Malcolm opened his mouth to protest.
�Dr. Phlox assures me that the young lady does not present a security risk in the least, and really shouldn�t be held in the brig any longer. Therefore, I am assigning you a temporary bunkmate until further notice.� Archer stated, and sat down.
�But, sir I�� Malcolm stammered, not believing his ears.
Archer leaned forward, putting his hands on his desk. �The sooner you get started domesticating your ward, Malcolm, the sooner you can have your quarters back to yourself.�
*****
TBC
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