From the stars, knowledge.

Independent Multi-verse RP and Ask blog for Captain Jonathan Archer.

[reigningoverperfection]

Greetings, Captain.

[askcaptainarcher]

I don’t believe we’ve met. Miss…?

[askcommandertpol-deactivated201]

//Captain, no.

[askcaptainarcher]

//But—

[askcommandertpol-deactivated201]

//Slaps hand away!

[askcaptainarcher]

[reigningoverperfection]

Greetings, Captain.

[askcaptainarcher]

I don’t believe we’ve met. Miss…?

[askcommandertpol-deactivated201]

//Captain, no.

[askcaptainarcher]

//But--

[reigningoverperfection]

Greetings, Captain.

[askcaptainarcher]

I don't believe we've met. Miss...?

[betweenyourgodandmine]

/Borg Cube appears on sensors

The alarm shook Shran awake— at first, he thought it was just his normal alarm, but his mind cleared as proximity warnings blared, and the cabin was flooded with green light.

Full alert— unknown ship detected.

"… gak hab,” he muttered to himself as he reviewed the sensor data— what there was of it. Alone, in a ship hardly bigger than a shuttle, he did the only sensible thing.

He shut everything down to emergency power, except shields and his inadequate warp drive. And triggered a low frequency distress beacon. He happened to know that there was a ship nearby… not that he’d been following them or anything…

[reigningoverperfection]

A blaring threat.  A thousand voices.  One single sound. "We are the Borg.  Resistance is futile." A green wave of light swept through the Andorian’s ship.  Scanning. "You will be assimilated."

[askcaptainarcher]

"Sorry to wake you, sir." Archer threw off his blanket and swung his bare feet to the floor. Fumbled for the lights, and squinted into the glare. "It's all right. What's going on?" Informal, but he had been reclining on a pristine beach in dreamland Risa only seconds before Hoshi's relief communications officer had patched into his quarters. He was groggy.  "We're receiving a distress call. Approximately sixteen light years behind our current heading. There's some indication it's Andorian in origin. There is... considerable subspace interference." Archer wiped a hand over his face and pushed off of his bed with a groan, and a creak in his back. There wasn't time to comb his hair to Starfleet specs, and he didn't think he was awake enough to work that jumpsuit zipper. A t-shirt then. His voice was muffled as he pulled it over his head with minimal struggle.  "I'll be right there."

[spaceexp]

The Soviet Shuttle Buran on its rail car. Yes, those are train engines.

[betweenyourgodandmine]

Heat Sensitivity || askthesuperiorofficer + askcaptainarcher

The longer Archer spoke, the more visible the quiver of Shran’s antennae became. His lips thinned even more than usual— but he waited it out with a patience born of heat exhaustion, on a cellular level.

"Enlightened?" The pause between the end of Archer’s speech, and his own reply was quite nearly comical. "Because they’ve got warp engines and some fancy architecture and stupid rituals about flowers?" He huffed, but it lacked some of his usual fervor. "Enlightened."

He shook his head slowly, and almost instantly regretted the action; he was already dizzy from the heat. No need to make it worse.

"And if they do penalize you, there’s always a place for you in my ranks." It was a simple truth, nearly unimportant in it’s obviousness. To Shran, at least.

[askcaptainarcher]

Archer smiled wryly, quirked a bushy eyebrow. He knew Shran was largely serious, and couldn't find an appropriate reply. Too much sentiment, too little? "All the same. I'm gonna do my best to make sure it doesn't come to that."

He reached across the space between them, patted Shran's shoulder. He continued carefully: "I don't much care for these people either. They're arrogant, xenophobic. They fight dirty. But we're better off their friends than their enemies. I think you might agree." He didn't wait for a reply. "You could have called for your ship twenty kilometers ago." His eyes dropped to Shran's boot. "You've got a communicator hidden in your shoe. I saw you hide it when they were busy breaking mine. That tells me you think this is important, too."  Of course, the Varro had promised to call Enterprise just as soon as Archer completed the trial. On foot. In one day, or they'd call the whole damn thing off. He squinted as the thin cloud cover parted and the sun hit them dead on. It hadn't immediately occurred to him that a day on this planet would be shorter than a day on Earth. The sun was markedly lower in the sky, and they'd been walking only a few hours. 

[askcaptainarcher]

"Who did you get all these roses for?"

Archer could barely see his first officer over the enormous bouquet. He leaned into the arm of his chair, craning his neck."I didn’t! They were here on my desk when I came in this morning." The roses numbered three dozen at least. Bright red and garnished with baby’s breath. Archer shrugged, brows up. "They’re not necessarily for me, either. There’s no card! And no one seems to know where they came from, or who they’re for." He smiled ruefully. "Naturally, it’s the captain’s job to.. sort these kind of things out."

[askcommandertpol-deactivated201]

T’Pol’s eyes widened slightly.  That was the polar opposite of her intentions. "I could not accept them, Captain," she declined as politely as possible.  "Perhaps you could distribute them to Ensign Sato.  As gratitude for her assistance aboard Enterprise."   She might like roses.  Maybe even three dozen of them…

[askcaptainarcher]

"Hoshi? That would be even less appropriate than my giving them to you. Besides, I don’t think she would have a particularly easy time transporting them."

He flared a hand in T’Pol’s direction. “You’ve got that… superior Vulcan strength. It’s only fitting that you accept my—” he gripped the vase firmly with both hands, and made sure to lift with his legs, rather than his back. Grunt. “—generous gift. Here.” 

[askcommandertpol-deactivated201]

It was go time.  T’Pol sighed. ”Captain.  I also possess ‘that superior Vulcan sense of smell’…”  She can’t believe she just said it, but there was absolutely no way she was going to take that monstrosity of fragrant flowers to her quarters.  

[askcaptainarcher]

Defeated, Archer clunked the bouquet back down again, where it neatly obscured his computer and most of the surrounding wall space.  "Fine. I suppose I could.. distribute them in the mess-- Hold on." He bent at the knees and squinted into the mass of thorny stems. There was a small silver device fastened to a rose near the center. He reached in, knicking his knuckle on a thorn in the process, and pulled the instrument free. "Looks like there's a card of sorts after all..." He pressed the single raised button.  "My dearest Phlox~" A melodious female voice began. Archer glanced at T'Pol, and clicked the button again. The playback paused. "Of course."

[askcaptainarcher]

"Any secret admirers?"

He took a moment to sip his coffee, but his eyes smiled over the rim of the cup. "Oh, no. I don’t think anyone’s brave enough to slip a valentine under the Captain’s door." He paused to hand over the report he had been reviewing, and leaned back in his ready room chair. "It wouldn’t exactly be appropriate, Lieutenant." "I wouldn’t say no to chocolate, though."

[damngoodlookinman]

"They do seem to have horrible timing that way. It’s like they know when your mouth is full, or you’re trying to take a shower." She knew from how many times she’d been the one to funnel their messages to Archer when he wasn’t on the bridge. 

"But, yeah, he doesn’t like chocolate, and I think he’s the Grinch that hates Valentine’s Day." She let out a sigh. "Not that it’s a big deal, but I remember scoffing at Christmas too." 

[askcaptainarcher]

He chuckled, wiping a hand over his mouth to obscure the bulk of his amusement. "Malcolm... Well, he sure doesn't suffer impropriety. And impropriety for Mr. Reed covers all manner of sin. Maybe you can.. catch his ear during the next shore leave. Find out if there's a holiday he can tolerate."  "Oh, and-- any idea who this mystery date is?" A beat. "Whoever sent you the chocolates, I mean." He laced his fingers together and leaned forward a little. Good gossip so rarely reaches the captain's chair. 

[askcaptainarcher]

"Who did you get all these roses for?"

Archer could barely see his first officer over the enormous bouquet. He leaned into the arm of his chair, craning his neck."I didn’t! They were here on my desk when I came in this morning." The roses numbered three dozen at least. Bright red and garnished with baby’s breath. Archer shrugged, brows up. "They’re not necessarily for me, either. There’s no card! And no one seems to know where they came from, or who they’re for." He smiled ruefully. "Naturally, it’s the captain’s job to.. sort these kind of things out."

[askcommandertpol-deactivated201]

T’Pol’s eyes widened slightly.  That was the polar opposite of her intentions. "I could not accept them, Captain," she declined as politely as possible.  "Perhaps you could distribute them to Ensign Sato.  As gratitude for her assistance aboard Enterprise."   She might like roses.  Maybe even three dozen of them…

[askcaptainarcher]

"Hoshi? That would be even less appropriate than my giving them to you. Besides, I don't think she would have a particularly easy time transporting them."

He flared a hand in T'Pol's direction. "You've got that... superior Vulcan strength. It's only fitting that you accept my--" he gripped the vase firmly with both hands, and made sure to lift with his legs, rather than his back. Grunt. "--generous gift. Here." 

[askcaptainarcher]

"Who did you get all these roses for?"

Archer could barely see his first officer over the enormous bouquet. He leaned into the arm of his chair, craning his neck."I didn’t! They were here on my desk when I came in this morning." The roses numbered three dozen at least. Bright red and garnished with baby’s breath. Archer shrugged, brows up. "They’re not necessarily for me, either. There’s no card! And no one seems to know where they came from, or who they’re for." He smiled ruefully. "Naturally, it’s the captain’s job to.. sort these kind of things out."

[askcommandertpol-deactivated201]

An eyebrow raised, per usual. “Of course.” She couldn’t help but be curt, somewhere in the vicinity of 40 freshly cut roses seemed to be quite pungent. "Perhaps there’s someone you could relinquish them to, without requiring further investigation.  I have the analysis of yesterday’s anomaly to discuss…"

[askcaptainarcher]

"I tried to pawn them off on Chef, but I'm told there aren't many dishes that he can incorporate roses into..." He looked thoughtful. Very thoroughly thoughtful. He actually stroked his chin in visible contemplation before pushing the vase a few inches in T'Pol's direction. The water sloshed and the bouquet rustled ominously.  "Happy Valentine's Day, T'Pol. Er.. Early Valentine's, that is. Feel free to bring them to your quarters right away." 

[askcaptainarcher]

"Yeah, nothing says ‘I love you’ more than a bouquet that’ll die in two days…"

Archer stopped walking. He was hot, and tired, probably filthy and —boy!— was he sick of Shran’s complaining. He knew the Andorian came from a much colder climate, but they were in this together. It would be nice if Shran could try not to drive him insane. "It’s not a bouquet.” He gestured with the bundle of alien flowers, perhaps too forcefully. A few petals fluttered to the cracked, dusty ground and he exhaled through his nose. Cleared his throat and continued evenly: “It’s an offering of peace. The high priest won’t even open the door without this exact arrangement.”He trudged a few steps forward. The looming sandstone temple was wavy in the heat, and didn’t look any closer. “I wish you would take this more seriously- we wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t started that bar fight.”

[betweenyourgodandmine]

The heat made Shran sluggish— he could literally feel his blood moving more slowly through his body— but otherwise, he showed no ill effects. Not yet, anyway.

He narrowed his eyes at Archer.

"Maybe that monk shouldn’t have been in a bar in the first place. And racist." The man had just been asking for a good beating; he knew Archer agreed with him, even if his diplomacy had gotten in the way. "And I was RATHER more inebriated than you, Archer."

A side-effect of the blasted heat. The second he ate or drank anything, his body greedily metabolized it; the alcohol had gone directly to his head, in a way he wasn’t used to, and while the effect hadn’t lasted long— it had been explosive.

[askcaptainarcher]

"Well. Who knew you were such a lightweight?" He smiled wanly over a sweat-slick shoulder at the Andorian. Crinkling crow’s feet left clean lines in the dust accumulating around his eyes. He knew that in a more hospitable climate Shran could drink him under the table— hell! through the damn floorboards— but watching the volatile blue frenemy go from emotionally vulnerable to so angry he thought it necessary to suplex the barkeep… Well. Let’s just say Archer was feeling a little more equal in footing. All the foreign spirits had wrought on his human physiology was a slight headache. "And I think that monk had every right to be in a bar on his own planet. Don’t your people have any protocol for interacting with alien species? This is an enlightened warp capable species, Shran! Possible allies. When the Vulcans catch wind of how we fumbled first contact…” He sniffed, and tasted coppery dirt at the back of his throat. “Starfleet’ll probably demote me to ensign.”

[askcaptainarcher]

"Who did you get all these roses for?"

Archer could barely see his first officer over the enormous bouquet. He leaned into the arm of his chair, craning his neck."I didn't! They were here on my desk when I came in this morning." The roses numbered three dozen at least. Bright red and garnished with baby's breath. Archer shrugged, brows up. "They're not necessarily for me, either. There's no card! And no one seems to know where they came from, or who they're for." He smiled ruefully. "Naturally, it's the captain's job to.. sort these kind of things out."

[askcaptainarcher]

"Yeah, nothing says ‘I love you’ more than a bouquet that’ll die in two days…"

Archer stopped walking. He was hot, and tired, probably filthy and —boy!— was he sick of Shran’s complaining. He knew the Andorian came from a much colder climate, but they were in this together. It would be nice if Shran could try not to drive him insane. "It’s not a bouquet.” He gestured with the bundle of alien flowers, perhaps too forcefully. A few petals fluttered to the cracked, dusty ground and he exhaled through his nose. Cleared his throat and continued evenly: “It’s an offering of peace. The high priest won’t even open the door without this exact arrangement.”He trudged a few steps forward. The looming sandstone temple was wavy in the heat, and didn’t look any closer. “I wish you would take this more seriously- we wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t started that bar fight.”

[askcaptainarcher]

"Any secret admirers?"

He took a moment to sip his coffee, but his eyes smiled over the rim of the cup. "Oh, no. I don’t think anyone’s brave enough to slip a valentine under the Captain’s door." He paused to hand over the report he had been reviewing, and leaned back in his ready room chair. "It wouldn’t exactly be appropriate, Lieutenant." "I wouldn’t say no to chocolate, though."

[damngoodlookinman]

"I have one. Whoever it is left me one of those big red hearts full of chocolate. I offered Malcolm some, but he doesn’t like chocolate." She smiled mischievously at Archer. "Are we entirely sure that he’s not an alien? I’ll share it with you if you want? I’ll bring you a few pieces when I bring you the next stack of reports." 

[askcaptainarcher]

Archer showed the palms of his hands in surrender, shook his head. "All right. But not too many. I can't be in here gorging on candy the next time the Vulcan High Command hails." He chuckled.  A beat. "Really, he doesn't like chocolate?" 

[damngoodlookinman]

Headcanon - Lieutenant not Ensign

After the Xindi mission, Hoshi was promoted to lieutenant. There was a really fancy ceremony. 

[askcaptainarcher]

"Any secret admirers?"

He took a moment to sip his coffee, but his eyes smiled over the rim of the cup. "Oh, no. I don't think anyone's brave enough to slip a valentine under the Captain's door." He paused to hand over the report he had been reviewing, and leaned back in his ready room chair. "It wouldn't exactly be appropriate, Lieutenant." "I wouldn't say no to chocolate, though."

[askcaptainarcher]

"It’s just Valentine’s day… I don’t see the big deal."

His expression softened. He smiled genially and crossed to Malcolm’s station, shaking his head. “You’re right. It’s not a big deal. It’s just another day. Another day in the life of one of the first human beings to serve on a warp five capable vessel. I like to think…”He turned on heel, regarding the remaining bridge crew with sincere and wistful eyes. “I like to think every day, out here in space. Is worth a thousand Valentine’s days.”