Faith-Part 26

"FAITH OF THE HEART"
An "Enterprise" story

By Alison M. DOBELL

RATING: PG-13.

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.
FEEDBACK: Welcomed
EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com
SERIES/SEQUEL: Part 26
WEBSITE: http://www.carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY": "When members of the crew go suddenly missing, Captain Archer finds the only witness is unable to tell them anything. Lt Reed takes it upon himself to turn detective."
DISCLAIMER: The characters and 'Enterprise' belong to Paramount. No
infringement of copyright is intended.

Part 26

* * * * *

The pitch and yaw almost took her feet out from under her but Sub-Commander T'Pol was saved by her superior sense of balance. The salvo rocked the Vulcan vessel hard. Sub-Commander T'Pol could no longer hear Commander Tucker in her mind. Whatever fluke had intervened to allow them this connection it was gone now. Perhaps the shock of what was happening to her had woken him? She had never imagined that the connection between them might be able to span such distances. She had sensed and savoured his excitement. Been amused by his almost overwhelming feeling of awe. Lived vicariously through the intensity of his emotions. Felt closer to him for doing so. The human delighted her on so many levels it was almost obscene. In truth she could not love him more. Her eyes scanned the bridge, Captain Vornak snapping out orders in a calm but irritated manner, his eyes fixed to the viewscreen as the image of a Romulan vessel appeared.

They managed to get a few good shots off, one of which partly disabled the Romulan engines but not enough to stop it. T'Pol frowned. What was that? It was hard to be sure of anything in the smoky atmosphere of the bridge where fried relays and circuits added to the general deterioration of their position. Then she saw it again as another of their shots made contact with the now disengaging Romulan vessel. A ripple. She blinked and stared harder. There. Again. What was that?

"Captain?"

"Yes, Sub-Commander?"

"Did you see the ripple in space when we returned fire?"

He frowned, not turning his head to look at her. Eyes glued to the screen, trying to see what she saw. "Ripple?"

"Yes."

Both Vulcans were watching the screen intently. Lieutenant Rolrak was busy at the tactical station. Damage reports were coming in from all parts of the Vulcan vessel. Another contact shook them, the lights flickered but came back on. Neither Captain Vornak nor Sub-Commander T'Pol could believe what they saw as the ripple flattened out for one clear moment of crystal clarity revealing the true face of their enemy.

"In the name of Surak..." Breathed the Captain in shock.

Sub-Commander T'Pol just stared. Dozens of little pieces falling into place. Then the vessel was joined by others of its' kind and she knew the certainty of their doom was now complete.

* * * * *

Dr Phlox had called the Captain. Worried and more than a little baffled by the odd turn of events he tried again to wake the Commander. Disturbed by the tears running down his face, the obvious distress alarming him. Captain Archer gave the Denobulan a desperate look. "You have to wake him, doctor."

"I am trying, Captain, but he is resisting me."

That surprised him. "Resisting you? He's asleep, doctor, how can he
resist you?"

Lieutenant Hess listened to them both in silence, her eyes on the Commander's face. No one noticed her step up to the biobed. She put a hand on the Commander's shoulder and just stared at him. The heat from his body making her fingertips tingle. Far away she could hear the Captain and Physician discussing what they could and could not do to help the Chief Engineer. *This is my fault* She thought sadly. Something inside sought to reassure her but she was too distracted to pay it any heed. *I wish I could wake him* The thought touched her with an almost physical push. As if telling her to try. She had no idea how but she opened her mind to the possibility anyway. *Commander! Trip! You have to wake up, tell us what's wrong*

Nothing. But both the Captain and Doctor had stopped talking. They were staring at her, staring at the Commander. Aware of them on the periphery of her vision she did not look up but watched the Commander closely and tried again. Her thoughts gaining strength as she learnt to focus more fully on just one objective. Impossibly he seemed to grow calmer. The crying stopped. Captain Archer was about to ask her what she thought she was doing but Dr Phlox stopped him. Cautioned him with a look to remain silent. Whatever Lieutenant Hess was doing seemed to be calming the Commander and right now that was definitely an improvement.

As for Trip, he was in agony trying to re-establish a connection to T'Pol. Brief flashes only added to his misery. Weapons fire. Smoke. Crazy juddering and pitching that told him more accurately than words how serious the assault was on the Vulcan vessel. Oh God, he could not sense T'Pol. Could not tell if the ship was too badly damaged to endure the attack. He had to get to her. Reach her. Save her. Whatever it cost. Then a strange thought touched his panicky ones. No. Not strange. Not unknown. Just one never sensed in his mind before. Well wasn't that creepy? He tried to divert a little of his attention to the new voice. It sounded familiar. *Who are you?*

*Lieutenant Hess*

*Anna? How the hell did you get in ma mind?*

*I don't know, Commander*

*Don't ya think this is a little too intimate for formalities?*

*You have to wake up... Trip*

*I have to save T'Pol*

*How can you do that asleep?*

Good question. For a moment he vacillated but the lieutenant was right. He had lost his connection to T'Pol for some reason, probably the fighting. Staying unconscious in the hopes of re-establishing that link was an option that would waste whatever time he had left to get to her. *You're right, Anna. I owe ya one*

Then, to the relief of all concerned, Commander Tucker began to wake. His eyes opened then closed quickly to blink a few times as they adjusted to the bright lights of sickbay. Dr Phlox looked relieved and happy but Trip had eyes only for the Captain. He sat up and stared anxiously at his friend. "Cap'n we gotta go find the Vulcans!"

It was the last thing Captain Archer had expected his friend to say. He looked sad. Had hoped the Commander would have found a way to accept the inevitability of the Sub-Commander's recall to Vulcan. "Trip, that won't be possible. You know that. The Vulcan High Command..."

"Stuff the Vulcan High Command!"

They stared at him. Trip got to his feet, a look of grim determination on his face and fire in his eyes. The Captain doubted the warp core could burn hotter than Trip right at that moment.

"Cap'n, I connected with T'Pol. The Vulcan vessel is under fire."

The Captain looked shocked. "Who would fire on the Vulcans? Trip, this doesn't make sense."

The Commander's face was grim. "It's a Romulan vessel, Cap'n, and from what I could tell the Vulcans are gettin' the worst of it."

"Commander, you're upset. You had a bad dream. A nightmare. None of this is real."

The Commander nodded solemnly but it was not an indication that he would back down. Far from it. "Yeah, a nightmare is *exactly* what this is and it's all connected."

He saw the flicker in the Captain's eyes and realised something. His confrontational tone disappeared.

"You been havin' the nightmares too, haven't ya?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

The Chief Engineer flicked a glance towards Lt Hess. Things were beginning to form a pattern but what the hell did that tell them? That insanity was contagious? "I've been havin' them too, so's T'Pol an'..."

"Lieutenant Hess." Completed the Captain as his eyes met Trip's second. He looked at his friend. "I don't see how..."

Trip shook his head. "No time for explanations, Cap'n, just trust me. The longer we stay jawin' the less likely we are to find anythin' more than debris when we get there."

Captain Archer swore then raced out of sickbay. Commander Tucker, Lieutenant Hess and the doctor running after him.

* * * * *

Dr. Lerik was happy. He thought it the height of irony that he was now in charge of the programme. By taking always the more reasoned and cautious approach he had gained the reputation of being what the humans called 'a safe pair of hands'. Useful in a surgeon no doubt but he was no surgeon. At least not in that sense. He smiled to himself. The ship was very old but had capabilities the others knew nothing of. This was *his* ship. Pride of
his many years of research. Adding. Building. Adjusting. All to create something that could do what no other ship had been able to do before. Others would have called it a prototype. An impossible marriage of technologies. He simply called it a merged craft. Though that term he shared with no one. Like his thoughts it was locked behind closed doors. Doors that divided centuries.

* * * * *

Trip was running. Emerged on to the bridge just a half step behind Captain Archer. All heads turned and eyes widened on seeing their hurried entrance. Lieutenant Reed gave the Commander a quizzical look. Commander Tucker gave a slight shake of his head. Ensign Sato frowned slightly. What was that about? Travis looked at the Captain.

"Travis, set course for the Vulcan homeworld. Warp 5!"

Not questioning his Captain, Travis laid in the course. Commander Tucker did not go to his station, he stood just inside the doors and stared at the blank viewscreen. Lt Hess stood next to him, content to say or do nothing to distract him. Dr Phlox was frowning. He looked at Lt Hess and caught the tiny shake of her head. Her look clearly said 'leave him'.

It was a familiar flow of emotion. A caress of the mind that Trip had thought gone forever. He had to use mental effort to keep his emotions in check. *I thought ya'd gone*

*I had*

*Why'd'ya return?*

The slide of the Sanacrid's gentle thoughts calmed the Commander. He felt the love, the concern, the impossible humour now tempered with a serious intent. *I wanted to help*

*How ya gonna do that?*

But he knew. The Sanacrid would act 'through' him. He was about to ask him a question when the Sanacrid pre-empted him. *First we must stop them*

*Yeah, gotta get to T'Pol before it's too late*

*That is not what I meant, Trip*

*It's not?*

*You cannot help T'Pol*

Pain shot through him constricting the walls of his heart and radiating through his nervous system like a painful current, touching the heat that was crying out for her. A building passion suffused with grief. The threat of tears pricked his eyes. *I didn't come all this way to lose her now*

*You won't lose her*

*I don't understand*

*I came back, Trip. For you.*

*Me?*

*Yes. To repay a debt*

*Ya don't owe me anythin' but if ya wanna help me, save T'Pol*

*T'Pol does not need my help, you do*

*You're not makin' any sense*

The thoughts were much more gentle now. *Help is already on its' way to your mate but she cannot return to you in time*

*In time for what?*

*Do you not feel it?*

The Commander tried to follow the mental breadcrumbs but was having trouble. All he could think about was T'Pol. It was burning him up with irrational fears. Panic. Anger even. A liquid heat like the molten core of volcanoes bubbling up through his veins and scorching him. Burning. Burning. Burning. Beads of sweat had already begun to appear on his face, arms and neck. Now the sweat was pouring off him. He still had no idea what the Sanacrid was doing wasting his time on conversation when T'Pol could be dying. It made him so damn mad.

*She is not dyin'. We will not let her die."

The whispered thoughts made him feel weak with relief, love for the Sanacrid, gratitude sending a tremor through his soul. The tremor reverberating almost painfully through his physical body as if he was a bell that had just been struck. It blurred his ability for rational thought. He ached. Trembled with need and desire. He wanted T'Pol and he wanted her 'now'.

*You are the one I am worried about, Trip*

*Don't worry, I'm Superman. Didn't ya know?*

*Trip, I have to lower your temperature*

*What?*

*That heat you feel isn't anger*

Mentally he groaned, recognising the building fire that he had shoved to the background of his mind while he had wrestled with more urgent concerns. *Ma timin' really sucks*

*Concentrate on my thoughts, Trip*

He shuddered inwardly. *I should go to ma quarters*

*Too late. Your anxiety for T'Pol has pushed you further into the pon farr. That racing in your veins, the adrenal rush, has heightened everything Trip*

He knew it. Could feel his arousal, the burning pain, the hot sweats radiating throughout his body and raising his core temperature. *What do I do?*

*Endure, my friend, for this is going to hurt*

He almost smiled but not with humour. Just his luck. Then the Sanacrid hit him, dousing him with the equivalent of an ice cold bath. Washing him with a liquid frost that bathed him from head to toe. His eyes closed in agony, sharp bright splinters of ice that made him cry out. Dr. Phlox turned his head with alarm and took a step towards the Commander. Lieutenant Hess put a hand on his arm to stop him. Captain Archer turned to see what the commotion was about and felt his heart miss a beat. *Oh God no! Not Trip. Don't let anything happen to Trip. Not now. Not when we might lose T'Pol as well*

* * * * *

The last salvo plunged the ship into a listing darkness. Only odd console lights were illuminated and even then they flickered as if they were simply hanging on. The last threads of Vulcan technology. Sub-Commander T'Pol regained consciousness slowly. Could not seem to open her eyes. Something was crawling through her mind, reassuring and loving but she knew it was not Trip. For several minutes she did not recognise it and when she did the old familiarity was not there. Puzzled and mind befogged, she allowed herself to drift again. When waking was no more than sorrow sleep was the best road to oblivion. Yet whatever stirred in her would not let her take that route. Irritation burned. No. Not irritation. Her eyes flickered open with difficulty. She stared at her right hand. It was burnt almost through to the bone. Slowly memory returned. Her head ached, her whole body protesting as she forced herself to sit up. She was on the sloping deck. A foot hooked into a chair leg had prevented her sliding into a bulkhead but not before her head had collided with a workstation. Her hands had moved to protect her face at the last moment just as a feedback of energy fried the circuits and lit up the console not with lights but with fire as it caught light. Her right hand had taken the brunt of the explosion. Electrical discharge numbing the nerves endings only after delivering a massive jolt of pain.

Now that she was conscious, Sub-Commander T'Pol tried to assess their status. Do a mental inventory. Her eyes were glazed with pain, her left shoulder was fractured if not broken. Something was wrong with one of her legs but apart from the bumps and cuts that added to the pile of bruises she was in better shape than she would have expected. She would live. But for how long? Were the enemy even now boarding the ship? Where was Captain Vornak? She raised her head then closed her eyes quickly on a stifled groan. Dizzy and disorientated. She wanted to be sick. It seemed that several ribs had been broken as well. With a sigh she allowed the shifting darkness of oblivion to drag her down. A warm welcoming darkness that blotted out all conscious thought and gave her a welcome respite from whatever storm was to follow. Perhaps things would look better once she had rested?

* * * * *

Captain Archer was not happy to be standing once more in sickbay. Trying to prompt Dr. Phlox into telling him exactly what was going on with his Chief Engineer. And why, suddenly, Lieutenant Hess seemed to be hovering over him like some sort of dark angel. She should be in Engineering. Hell. *Someone* should be in Engineering. Was he the only one worried about the ship? Yes, he was worried about Sub-Commander T'Pol but they were addressing that. Warp 5 had been engaged for three hours now. They would have to drop back to 4.5 soon just to ease up enough to prevent over heating. A core breach now would put the cap on a perfect week. Dr Phlox finished his examination of the Commander. He had yet to regain consciousness.

"Doctor, I think you owe me a whole host of explanations."

The doctor did not appear in the slightest to be discomfited by the Captain's acerbic tone. He knew the Captain was not mad at him, just intensely frustrated. Humans. Such emotional beings. They fascinated him. "The Commander has suffered a sudden drop in his body temperature, Captain. I am seeking to stabilise his condition now."

Lt Hess looked at the doctor in concern. "You mustn't do that."

Surprised he looked at her. His expression one of curiosity. "And why is that, lieutenant?"

"He has to cool down not heat up."

Captain Archer frowned but the doctor looked intrigued. "Why?"

"Because of the pon farr."

Both the doctor and Captain exchanged shocked looks. Dr Phlox was even more curious now. "The Commander told you about that?"

She shook her head. "No, but he was burning up. Soon his condition would have entered a critical stage and without the safe and healthy return of the Sub-Commander he would have died."

"How the hell do you know all that?" Burst out the Captain, unable to keep silent a moment longer. Was he the only one who did not know what was going on?

Lt Hess became hesitant. She frowned slightly. "I don't know."

Dr Phlox was watching her closely but the Captain noted he had made no attempt to artificially raise the Commander's temperature. Not even to put a blanket over the quietly shivering man. "What are you doing here, Lieutenant?" He asked quietly.

Captain Archer held his breath. He wanted to know that as well.

"I had to come. Be with him. Make sure no one interfered."

Alarm rushed through the Captain's mind. "Interfered?"

He sounded angry. Annoyed that in some way she sought to manipulate his friend. Dr Phlox picked up the Captain's emotions perfectly. His mild voice induced a temporary calm to the Captain but no reassurance. "Captain, I do not think that is what the lieutenant meant. Is it, Lieutenant Hess? I think it's time you told the Captain everything."

Hesitant, she raised her eyes from the Commander's chill face and fastened them on the Captain. A trickle of resolve straightening her backbone. Her hands folded neatly in her lap. Eyes steady. "Captain, this is going to sound fantastic. I don't know if I believe it myself only that it happened. Or at least. I *think* it happened."

The Captain's voice had become an anxious hush. "Just tell me and let me be the judge of that. Okay?"

She nodded. Took a step closer to the Commander's biobed as if gaining strength and comfort from his proximity while also appearing protective of him. Dr. Phlox watched, noted her unconscious body language and stored it for further contemplation. Truly. Human interaction could be a complex thing. Almost as complex as their emotions. He watched as the one called loyalty slowly unraveled in the pale face of Lieutenant Anna Hess.

* * * * *

*******************

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Two folks have made comments

I KNEW IT!!! Hhhhheeeeee'sssss back!?!!!

Oh my. More agony for our duo!

And poor Anna... something more and bad going to happen to her??? No please.

And oh my when they all recall what happened...

Hurry please more posts!

God I love this. It's such a rollercoaster ride in this story with both ups and downs. I long for the addition of each chapter. Keep up the amazing work. I can't wait for where this goes next.