Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

Part 4 - Arranging and Rearranging

In the gym, Jay commanded the MACOs. "We're going to work on wind sprints. I want everyone going around the perimeter but then after a minute you're to give it all you've got and really run, flat out. Just go for it. But only do that for a minute, and then go back to regular running." He had a whistle around his neck. "It'll be on the sound of the whistle, all right? Now get ready; we'll do a little walking warm up first."

Chang made a face as he walked. "The Xindi aren't coming after us."

"Don't be so sure there aren't others out there," Hayes said, "There are all sorts of hostiles. We're still going through that database but I can assure you that the Delphic Expanse isn't exactly a safe neighborhood. Now let's get ready!"

=/\=

In Sick Bay, Phlox talked to Andrew Miller and Diana Jones. "It is going to become obvious that I will be needing some help," he said, "There are going to be children born on board."

"I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies," Diana said, and then she giggled nervously. "That's a line from Gone With the Wind. I actually know the basics. But unless there's more than one being born in one day, well, what would you need us for?"

Phlox sighed. "It's partly for that, but also for research. I don't know much yet, but there is going to be a great deal of needed research."

"It's those Ikaarans," Andy concluded, "I didn't marry one, apparently, so I don't have the facts on that."

"Well I do," Diana said, "I had a girlfriend, it turns out. And she didn't even make it to forty-three."

"Precisely," Phlox said, "they suffer from something that, in the records, is simply referred to as the decline. I do not have much more information on it."

"But if we cure it, won't we be messing with the timeline too much?" Andy asked. "Uh, sorry, Diana, but if a billion Ikaarans suddenly live twenty more years, won't that overwhelm their economy, or something?"

"Evidently, I agreed to work on it at all because of limitations," Phlox said, "and I will only work on this disease under the same circumstances. For example, if the ship meets a group of Ikaaran women, the captain believes that having a treatment for the decline might convince them to join us. I am not so certain I wish to use it as a bargaining chip. However, I can understand the captain's motivation in that area. After all, he is one of the men who took up with an Ikaaran. Since we cannot meet the same people, he will need to hope that lightning strikes twice – and so will a good twenty of the men."

"I have to have that hope, too," she said, resignedly, "c'mon, lightning."

=/\=

At the Tactical station, Malcolm conferred with Aidan and Karin. "Now, we'll need to go through the database and begin to piece together the strengths and weaknesses of all of the other species in the area. That's these Imvari, who we've already dealt with, Ikaarans, who are reportedly friendly, plus the Xindi, of course. I imagine we could run into them."

"Right," Aidan agreed, "plus who knows who else is out here. There's gotta be others. Maybe those Kovaalans are around here now."

"Or maybe even some of the other species we've been in contact with, like Klingons," Karin offered.

"Precisely," Malcolm agreed, "therefore we will need to be as well-informed as possible. We'll go over the database in shifts. Each of us will run one of the shifts, all right?"

"Me, sir?" she asked.

"Yes," he smiled a little, "I have confidence in you, Crewman Bernstein."