Intolerance {Star Trek Enterprise Fan Fiction}

The Queen's Downfall

Chip sat in front of the Communications console on the Bridge. Transferring to this department had been good for him – he was a natural-born gabber and liked the challenge of translations. Working with Hoshi was good, too, even though he mainly just worked overnight and didn't interact with her as much as he'd like. Overnight was usually quiet, but for some reason his tonsils were a little swollen. Nothing much, nothing to get worked up about, just a little sore. A little less conversation, a little more action, he thought to himself, and dismissed his concerns as nothing.

=/\=

For her part, Hoshi was getting ready for shift. Her PADD chimed.

It was another note from An. Hmm. It said, "I know we didn't spend a lot of time together before, but I hope we can now. I've gotten ahead in the class so I'll have the time, if you're still willing. See you at breakfast."

=/\=

Phlox was fit to be tied. The Nereid Medical Academy students filed in after breakfast, all but Pamela. She finally ran in, a little late.

He cleared his throat, “I am, I am disappointed,” he began.

"I'm sorry I'm late,” she said.

"It's not because of that,” he stated, “Ladies and gentlemen, the entire Immunology text has been erased. It's a clean erasure, with no traces."

Everyone looked around at each other, but said nothing.

Phlox continued, "I am forced to conclude that one or more of you may be cheating. It is, this is not a pleasant conclusion for me to draw. I don't like this. But I cannot see anyone else with a motive to do such a thing,” he paused for a breath, “Since this can be done from outside of Sick Bay, you do not have an alibi if you were not in Sick Bay. And I dislike talk of alibis and motives. I am in Sick Bay by myself a lot. Come to me privately and I will, I will see about having the, the perpetrator fail the class but not lose his or her place at the school. This is my only offer in this matter. If the rotation finishes and the perpetrator has not been found out, your regular instructor will be informed. And I suspect that you will all be suspended. So it would behoove the innocent to implicate the wrongdoer, and for the wrongdoer – if he or she has any sense of justice or fair play – to own up to what they have done. We will only have lab today. I will not be lecturing. This is tiresome and I don't have the time or the taste for such antics. That is all."

The students just looked around at each other.

"Doctor, I'm, I'm sorry that this is happening,” Mark said.

Phlox just glared at him and went to tend to his animals, leaving the five of them alone.

"Whoever did this, you are really screwing it up for the rest of us,” said An.

"Maybe someone isn't doing so well,” Blair said, “You could have come to any of us. C'mon, we're all friends here. It didn't have to come to this."

"This is gonna be harsh, no matter what,” Pamela pointed out, “Whoever you are, you can either take less harsh or really harsh, and drag everybody down with you. I know not everyone likes me, but I bet you all like Blair. That's all I'm gonna say about it,” She went over to tend to her dish of West Nile virus.

"You think you can trust people,” Will said, shaking his head.

"You are not gonna screw up my career,” Mark said, opening up his PADD and busying himself with checking notes.

The discussion was, effectively, closed.

=/\=