Mother Mother Ocean
I
have to have something to do on this ship,
Commander.
The plaintive note in Malcolm's voice had
reminded me that his position on board Enterprise was uncertain at
best. He was the man of the hour when we encountered hostiles, but
other than that, he was, as my granddaddy would say, the redheaded step
child of the crew. An' while I don't wanna see Malcolm overworked,
'cause that means aliens are tryin' ta kick our asses from here to
breakfast, I hate seein' him bored. Nothin' worse than a bored
armory officer. 'Course, when he's bored he tends ta improve our
weapons beyond what my fellow engineers dreamed of. But he also gets
antsy, snapping at his people, an' mine, come ta think of it. Since
weapons and engines are tied together along the power lines, our people
gotta work closely. Wouldn't do to replace a damaged power coupling
with one that'll keep the impulse drive hummin' but'll blow out the
torpedo launchers in a firefight. An' maybe take us with
it.
It's been a quiet three weeks now. No hostiles, nobody
takin' the Cap'n or me or T'Pol hostage, heck, even Dr. Phlox's bat has
been quiet. An' every day that goes by, Malcolm looks a little more
in the dumps. Or as much in the dumps as his reserved British
upbringin' will allow him ta show. Maybe I've just been watchin' him
too much these past weeks, so I kin see it where others might miss
it.
Funny, looking at Malcolm I'm reminded of a singer that
my sister used ta listen to. He'd lived around where we grew up, the
Florida Keys, but back before the war and the Vulcans an'
everything. He sang a lot about sailin' and good times and
fun. Things me an' my sister both enjoyed.
But there
was one song a' his that I've started ta put with Malcolm - or at least
some of it matches Malcolm. In fact, I'd found the song last night
while I was cleanin' up my quarters, and played it again, just ta make
sure. I was right - change the words around a bit an' ya got
Malcolm. A man who was probably born too many years too late for the
occupation he has.
I kin see why Malcolm didn't join the
Royal Navy - too tame. But Starfleet ain't exactly challenging him
the way he'd hoped, I bet. Yeah, he gets ta see new aliens an' new
weapons, but if the ship ain't in danger, he ain't doin' his job.
I
wonder if Malcolm's ever considered resignin' his commission and taking up
on a boomer ship or somethin' where being quick on the trigger is an
asset. Someplace where his love of tactics and weapons wouldn't be
all that wasted.
Don't get me wrong, I know the Cap'n
appreciates all that Malcolm's done to keep this ship and her crew
alive. Hell, I appreciate all he's done to keep my ass alive more
than once - includin' not lettin' me kill myself in that damned
shuttlepod. I don't think Malcolm realizes that the whole deal with
his birthday was more than the Cap'n's usual friendly manner with his
crew. An' it wasn't about trying to crack some of Malcolm's
shell.
I want to do something for Malcolm to show that he
really is part of the team, Trip. I mean, everyone else on the
senior staff gets to use their expertise on a daily basis it seems, except
Malcolm. I sometimes can't help but wonder if Malcolm wonders why
he's even here.
So Jon wanted to show Malcolm in some way
that his expertise is appreciated, even if the Cap'n thinks he's bein'
paranoid. Making sure Malcolm had his fav'rite food for his birthday
was the best way he could think of, since we both knew Malcolm wouldn't
appreciate a full-blown party.
I'm sittin' here now, listenin' to
this song again. Wonder if Malcolm'd appreciate me copyin' it to a
data solid for him. Then again, he may not want to be reminded of
the fact that, as the singer put it, his occupational hazard is that his
occupation's just not around.
An' it isn't. Starfleet
will always need captain's an' engineers an' science officers an'
whatnot. But the whole point behind peaceful exploration an' makin'
friends is to not need people holdin' Malcolm's position. He's out
here helpin' to end his own career.
Turning up the music, I listen
again to the last lines of the song.
Mother, Mother Ocean
After
all the years I've found
My occupational hazard is
My occupation's
just not around
Feel like I've drowned.
Wonder if Malcolm
feels the same.