Read Online By the Book by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, adventure, Media Tie-In, Space Opera, Science fiction; American, Star Trek Fiction, Archer; Jonathan (Fictitious character)
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shallow breath, gathered himself and broke the silence. "Councilman Draa, High Council of the Fazi people, the people of Earth have-"
Wrong choice.
As if pulled by the same string, all the councilmen rose, turned their backs on Archer, and disappeared into doors behind their chairs before the last word he had spoken died into the high ceiling.
"Nice meeting you," Archer said as the doors behind every chair clicked shut.
He turned around. Hoshi's face was as white as a sheet and Trip was doing everything in his power to hold back a grin. Reed and Mayweather both looked stunned.
"I think that went well," Archer said, heading between them and toward the big door leading back to the shuttlepod.
Trip snorted.
Reed made a choking sound.
Archer doubted Hoshi was breathing.
Outside he headed across the open and very empty plaza, his people in the same formation behind him. The sun was warm on his face, the breeze light and gentle, and the air felt wonderful.
"Nice day for a walk," he said, just loud enough for Trip to hear beside him.
"I wonder what they'd do," Trip said, his voice just loud enough for Archer to understand, "if we went for a stroll around the plaza, looking at the architecture."
"I think I've already done enough damage," Archer said.
"Yeah," Trip said, clearly barely containing his laughter. "But it was a great speech."
TEN
Except for a few low-key jokes, no one said much as they came back through the decontamination process and headed for the bridge. There, T'Pol looked up from the navigation table when they entered. She had an expression of disapproval on her face. Archer had expected it. He just hadn't expected to agree with her.
He had purposely not brought her to the meeting with the Fazi. He had wanted this to be an Earth-based first contact, not a Vulcan one. But she had watched everything through the vid-cam recordings of the proceedings, just like they had agreed.
Apparently she now thought even less of him than she had before.
He squared his shoulders and passed between the railings, down the single step to his captain's chair. He didn't sit, however. The restlessness he had felt on the planet had grown.
Meeting another species should have been easy. After a few nods to cultural differences, the goals should have been the same. Hello. How are you. I'll tell you about my culture if you tell me about yours. Simple as that. A few questions, a few answers, and then the discussion would be under way.
Or not.
He'd read about the first contact between the Vulcans and the humans. Even factoring in the Vulcans' native reserve, the first contact had gone like that. Some superficial discussion, a mild disagreement about music and food, and then some give-and-take. The give-and-take ended pretty early in the proceedings, of course, since the Vulcans believed that an inferior race shouldn't share their knowledge, but in the beginning it must have been glorious.
Inferior race. Well, he'd helped with that stereo-type again, hadn't he?
Archer put a hand on the cool leather back of his chair and watched the rest of his team rejoin the bridge. Everyone seemed subdued and no one met T'Pol's cool gaze. They all felt the mission had failed, just as he did. So, he supposed, it was time to get those feelings into the open.
"Someone want to explain to me what happened down there?" Archer asked.
"You insulted the Fazi High Council," T'Pol said. Of course she spoke first. She hadn't even been down there and she was offering her opinion. She hadn't heard that awful silence or smelled that strange jasmine. Even though the air on Enterprise was bottled, Archer was happy to breathe it again. In some ways, it felt like home, a concept he doubted T'Pol understood.
"Yeah," Archer said. "I got that much. Kinda hard to miss when a group of aliens turns their backs to you."
He hadn't meant the sarcasm to be so pronounced, but he had to keep control of this discussion. These were his people. He could communicate with
Wrong choice.
As if pulled by the same string, all the councilmen rose, turned their backs on Archer, and disappeared into doors behind their chairs before the last word he had spoken died into the high ceiling.
"Nice meeting you," Archer said as the doors behind every chair clicked shut.
He turned around. Hoshi's face was as white as a sheet and Trip was doing everything in his power to hold back a grin. Reed and Mayweather both looked stunned.
"I think that went well," Archer said, heading between them and toward the big door leading back to the shuttlepod.
Trip snorted.
Reed made a choking sound.
Archer doubted Hoshi was breathing.
Outside he headed across the open and very empty plaza, his people in the same formation behind him. The sun was warm on his face, the breeze light and gentle, and the air felt wonderful.
"Nice day for a walk," he said, just loud enough for Trip to hear beside him.
"I wonder what they'd do," Trip said, his voice just loud enough for Archer to understand, "if we went for a stroll around the plaza, looking at the architecture."
"I think I've already done enough damage," Archer said.
"Yeah," Trip said, clearly barely containing his laughter. "But it was a great speech."
TEN
Except for a few low-key jokes, no one said much as they came back through the decontamination process and headed for the bridge. There, T'Pol looked up from the navigation table when they entered. She had an expression of disapproval on her face. Archer had expected it. He just hadn't expected to agree with her.
He had purposely not brought her to the meeting with the Fazi. He had wanted this to be an Earth-based first contact, not a Vulcan one. But she had watched everything through the vid-cam recordings of the proceedings, just like they had agreed.
Apparently she now thought even less of him than she had before.
He squared his shoulders and passed between the railings, down the single step to his captain's chair. He didn't sit, however. The restlessness he had felt on the planet had grown.
Meeting another species should have been easy. After a few nods to cultural differences, the goals should have been the same. Hello. How are you. I'll tell you about my culture if you tell me about yours. Simple as that. A few questions, a few answers, and then the discussion would be under way.
Or not.
He'd read about the first contact between the Vulcans and the humans. Even factoring in the Vulcans' native reserve, the first contact had gone like that. Some superficial discussion, a mild disagreement about music and food, and then some give-and-take. The give-and-take ended pretty early in the proceedings, of course, since the Vulcans believed that an inferior race shouldn't share their knowledge, but in the beginning it must have been glorious.
Inferior race. Well, he'd helped with that stereo-type again, hadn't he?
Archer put a hand on the cool leather back of his chair and watched the rest of his team rejoin the bridge. Everyone seemed subdued and no one met T'Pol's cool gaze. They all felt the mission had failed, just as he did. So, he supposed, it was time to get those feelings into the open.
"Someone want to explain to me what happened down there?" Archer asked.
"You insulted the Fazi High Council," T'Pol said. Of course she spoke first. She hadn't even been down there and she was offering her opinion. She hadn't heard that awful silence or smelled that strange jasmine. Even though the air on Enterprise was bottled, Archer was happy to breathe it again. In some ways, it felt like home, a concept he doubted T'Pol understood.
"Yeah," Archer said. "I got that much. Kinda hard to miss when a group of aliens turns their backs to you."
He hadn't meant the sarcasm to be so pronounced, but he had to keep control of this discussion. These were his people. He could communicate with
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