The Three of Us

Part 24 - The Sting

Phlox sat in Sick Bay, looking over notes and frowning. Since Ethan was better, he had decided to concentrate on Tripp and T'Pol again, but the chromosomes were still not lining up and conception seemed an impossible dream.

The Sick Bay doors swished open. It was Ethan. "Doc, I do want to thank you," he said, "I mean, I want you to know, just because Jobiram more or less finished things up with me, it doesn't mean I'm not grateful for everything you've done for me. And I made things so hard for you! I never should've tried to off myself."

"Well," the Denobulan explained, "you were rather depressed, and that is sometimes a byproduct of that. In any event, you have observed – we all have – that depression has been running through the NX-01's human population like a wildfire. That is, it's moved quickly, and it's been nearly everywhere."

"Plus it's been unpredictable."

=/\=

Jonathan sat in the Captain's Mess with the Ikaarans as Lili and Craig served breakfast. "I want to tell you again how much we appreciate what you've done for Crewman Shapiro."

"It was not difficult," Jobiram helped himself to some of the contents of a pot of blackberry jam that Lili had set in front of him. "This is rather good. A little tart; it tastes just a tiny bit like immature olowa fruit."

"What's olowa?" Lili asked.

"It's a most curious fruit," Jeris explained. "It's a dark purple to start, and tastes rather sweet. Then it begins to lighten, and the taste changes, and is more like some of those hot spices you put into last night's main dish. What was that called again?"

"Chicken curry," Craig clarified.

"Ah, it was quite tasty," Jobiram confirmed. "And then the last edible stage of olowa is when it's a light lavender in color. Then it tastes somewhat fatty and nutty. The children on board seem to love that flavor."

"Peanut butter?" asked the captain.

"Yes, like that," Jeris said, "but you can't eat it after that; it turns to an ashy grey color and it petrifies. It hardens so much, you'd break a tooth."

"Is it native to Ikaaria?" asked the captain.

"No. And I've forgotten where it really does grow," said Jobiram.

"Well, I suppose that's why we have databases," said the captain. "Actually, I wanted to ask you about that. We pulled your database from the wreckage of your mining operations. We used it to find Jay and Lili. I imagine you'd like it back."

"Oh, we should share it," offered Jeris. "If there is any information that we have which could assist you in any way, we are most willing to provide it."

Jonathan looked at him. "I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but ..."

"What does that expression mean?" asked Jeris.

"It means that the captain doesn't want to seem ungrateful for your present by inspecting it too closely." Craig took away a dirty dish.

"Ah. We are not offended," said Jobiram.

"As I was saying," said Jonathan, tight smile once again on his lips, "you are just, well, you are very forthcoming. I guess I just don't understand it."

"Captain Archer," said Jobiram, "allow me to put it all into perspective, if I may. We were captured by the Imvari. We were very close to being sold into Orion slavery. We never would have seen a friendly face again. Like most slave cultures, our lives would have been defined by thankless and often mindless work. Since our women have also been captured, I imagine at some point Jeris and I would have been bred to someone or other, much like your dog is the product of selective breeding, yes? And these pairings, they would be for the purposes of perfecting the genome – at least, the genome according to the Orions. They most assuredly would not have been based upon congeniality, attraction or even the barest notion of familiarity. We would never see our offspring, either."