Fragile-Part 14

Fragile Universe
An "Enterprise" story
By Alison M. DOBELL

RATING: PG-13
ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.
FEEDBACK: Welcomed
EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com
WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "Commander Tucker is determined to find T'Pol. As he begins to piece things together with Lt. Reed another mystery begins to unravel."
DISCLAIMER: The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Enterprise' are the property of Paramount. No infringement of copyright is intended.

Part Fourteen

"TWO FOR JOY"

* * * * *

Captain Jonathan Archer was not sure what was worse. To find a body or to still be looking. He was shattered but sleep was not an option. Every face was committed to memory. The full horror of what had happened saddening and angering him in equal measure. He rubbed his face, ignoring the bristle forming where he had not shaved. He stared bleakly at the makeshift mortuary. Dr Phlox creating an ocean of calm in his sorrowful wake. He really was a most accomplished physician and had a natural feel for the emotional trauma of others. He had seen glimpses of it before but never in such stark and drear relief as now. He sighed and comm'ed the bridge. Lt Reed answered immediately.

"Lieutenant, have you managed to find any more bodies?"

The answer came back crisp and clear. "No, Captain."

"Follow the last known trajectory of the pirate vessel and see what you can find. Archer out."

He closed his eyes a moment then heard a commotion at the far side of the storage bay. Opening his eyes he groaned inwardly, his heart contracting as he watched the familiar figure of Commander Tucker pushing through the well meaning hands trying to hold him at bay. Behind the Commander stood the stoic form of Sar. A brief anger flashed in the Captain. Annoyed that Sar had allowed Trip to come down here. That his Chief Engineer and friend could not even recover from his operation before being plunged into this new nightmare. He hurried across the crowded bay to reach his friend. Trip's face was awash with tears, his look distraught and agonised. His eyes lighted on the Captain with relief.

"Cap'n, ya gotta tell 'em to let me through!"

"Trip, you should be in Sickbay..."

The Captain glared behind his friend at the Volaran. Trip caught the look and shook his head. "I have to know, to see for myself Cap'n. Where is she?"

He sucked in a breath to steady himself. "We haven't recovered her body yet, Trip."

Trip's eyes flashed. "Why not? Ya have to bring her aboard Cap'n." His voice broke. Tears brimming in his eyes as a lost look seemed to momentarily disorientate him. "Ya can't leave her in the cold vacuum of space. She deserves better than that."

The Captain put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We aren't going to leave her, Trip. I promise you that. It just takes a little time to recover everyone that's all." He paused and patted Trip's shoulder awkwardly. "Now you need to get back to Sickbay and that's an order. I'll notify you the moment we find her."

"Not gonna happen, Cap'n."

"Commander..."

The switch to the use of his rank had no effect. Commander Tucker could be the most obstinate son of a bitch when he set his mind to it. He gave his best friend an even look. "I'm okay, Jon. Just upset. Ya have to let me be part of this 'cause I won't believe T'Pol is dead until I see her body."

"Trip, I don't know how..."

"It's all right. I'm not blamin' anyone unless it's that yellow-livered sow-bellied piece of crap she was supposed to marry. When I get my hands on him..."

"Trip!" The Captain's firm tone penetrated enough to silence the Chief Engineer for a moment. Their eyes met and held. "Trip," Repeated the Captain more softly. "We've had a transmission from T'Pol's parents."

He felt his legs start to buckle, his face ashen, eyes wide. Sar steadied the Commander and Dr Phlox turned from his austere duty and quickly brought a chair over for him to sit on. Three pairs of hands made sure he used it. "I see you did not stay in Sickbay, Commander."

He gave the doctor a short nod then looked up at the Captain. "What did they say, Cap'n?"

"They told me that when they found out that Koss had lied to their daughter they notified the authorities. Koss was arrested."

"About time too! Why they oughta take that..."

The Captain cut him off quickly. "Koss was executed at 3 a.m. this morning, Trip."

Commander Tucker's mouth flapped uselessly for a moment. His brain not sufficiently in gear yet to take in what he was hearing. It took laborious seconds for the import to filter through his sluggish senses. "Ya mean he's dead?"

His friend nodded. "Koss was cremated immediately afterwards. Because of what he had done he was not accorded an honourable death nor a traditional service."

"What's a traditional service for a liar an' a rapist?"

The Captain took a slow breath. Deciding to let that little comment pass. "Normally there would be a funeral pyre. A Vulcan high mass. The works."

Trip blinked to clear the moisture from his eyes. Sar had both hands resting lightly on his shoulders. Enough to let him know not only that he was there but that he was at his service. Silent comfort in a mad world. "I'd say cremation was too good for him."

No one spoke. When Trip looked up his eyes were clear, his expression hard and implacable. It vaguely discomfited the Captain to see the change in him but then this day had marked them all. And not for the better. "Where's Malcolm?"

"On the bridge."

The Commander allowed his eyes to take in all the body bags, his heart so full of sorrow that he was numb. He looked at Sar. "Come with me, Sar?"

The big man nodded. "Yes, Senisa."

Sar removed his hands and waited. Trip looked at the Captain. "That all right with you, Cap'n?"

"Would it do any good to advise you to return to Sickbay and rest?"

Trip shook his head.

"I thought not." He sighed. So weary.

Trip looked at him critically for a moment. "Ya look like ya should change places with me, Cap'n."

"What, go to the bridge?"

A small smile broke through the grief. A brief flash of sun in an overcast and gloomy sky. "Nah, Sickbay."

The Captain pretended to be affronted. "I'll have you know that that's close to insubordination, Commander Tucker!"

"Ya comin'?"

He shook his head ruefully and looked around him. "No. I have to finish up here first. The doctor's been compiling a detailed list of the dead."

"I'll catch ya later then."

The Captain nodded. Trip left with Sar. Never had his heart felt heavier. As he exited the makeshift mortuary his step became firmer, brisk even. Sar watched the shift of the burden from sorrow to firm intent. Knew his Senisa was thinking hard. He asked no questions but walked with him in silence. When they entered the bridge the first thing Sar noticed was the way the bridge crew's faces lit up. Ensign Hoshi Sato jumped to her feet and would have hugged the Commander but something in Trip's demeanour told her now was not the time. Travis wondered how Trip had known. That look on the Commander's face telling him he had heard about the passengers and of their search for the body of the Sub-Commander. Trip nodded to them then walked briskly over to Lt. Reed, Sar a pace behind him.

"Malcolm, what's the current situation? Before ya wonder, I've already been to the mortuary. I know T'Pol isn't there."

Lt. Reed looked at Trip for a long moment, his eyes gazing deep into the Commander's soul. Extracting information that would tell him how best to proceed. "You are quite correct, Commander."

"So what are we doin' about it?"

"We've extended our search pattern."

Trip walked round the console and watched as the Lieutenant showed him. "This is the warp signature of the pirate vessel, Commander." He tapped part of the trajectory with his index finger. "This is where we found the Argon drifting and the majority of the bodies."

"How many're missin' besides the Sub-Commander?"

There was a slow painful silence. Lt. Reed met the Commander's eyes and something passed between them. "That's just it, Commander. The only missing body is that of the Sub-Commander."

Something clicked inside Trip. He tried to keep the flare of hope from showing on his face. He would not believe she was dead unless he saw the body. It was what he had told the Captain. It was what he now told his heart. The increased beat set a tide of adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Where was the ship headin'?"

Malcolm showed him. Trip nodded and ordered Travis to follow the route of the pirate vessel. "Just don't go to warp just yet Travis." He did not need to explain why. They all knew that they must not risk the chance of missing the tiny drifting body of their Vulcan First Officer. Though Trip fervently hoped they would never find it.

* * * * *

She hated the dank darkness. The filth. The smell. Her throat gagged on it but she could not evacuate her stomach any further without removing the lining. Her bile now mixed with the other noxious smells. Her feet submerged in the evil smelling water. Where was she? What was this awful place? Her head hurt. Even in the darkness bright flashes of light erupted behind her eyes. She raised a shaking hand and touched her forehead. It came away with oily slickness. Green with blood. Not a deep wound but a gash wide enough to have blood coursing freely down the side of her face. Idly she knew she should find some way to staunch the wound. To keep it bound and clean so that it would not become infected. Yet she could not force herself to care. Her mind still reeling from the horror she had witnessed.

Why had the Naausicans spaced those people? Why had she been spared? The word caught in her mind like a fishbone in the throat. It pained her almost as vividly. T'Pol sucked in a reluctant breath, unable to block the taste and smell of the place from lungs, nostrils and tongue. All her senses rebelled. She tried to calm herself. Think clearly. Surely her parents would become suspicious when they had no contact from her? Her father had arranged this transport. He would surely check the safe rendezvous of the Argon and Enterprise. Or would they consider their commitment fulfilled? She closed her eyes against the dull ache and tried to think of something else. Something to put her current incarceration in perspective. Incarceration. Her eyes flicked open again. Widened in solemn circles as she thought of another. Commander Tucker was still imprisoned on Volara. Serving his Captain's sentence that his friend might live. She managed to swallow awkwardly. Odd. When she thought about the Commander her own situation paled into insignificance. She wondered if she would ever see him again. To her consternation she found the possibility that she might not pained her more than her own situation.

* * * * *

"What the hell...?"

Lt. Reed increased the magnification. Commander Tucker swore heavily.

"Commander!" Cautioned the Lieutenant, mindful of the fact that his friend was swearing like a sailor within earshot of Hoshi. He seemed not to notice.

"Look at that, Malcolm!"

The Armoury Officer decided to ignore any unintended offence on the Commander's behalf and rotated the angle of the observed article. "It looks like metal sheeting."

Trip was excited. "Yeah, *not* hull plating."

For a moment Lt Reed stared at him. "Your point, Commander?"

He grinned. A brief flash of white teeth then the Commander's look was sober again. All business. "We gotta bring it aboard, Malcolm."

"Why? This isn't a junk yard."

"No, it isn't and neither is out there." Trip paused and leaned in closer to his friend, his bright blue eyes fixed on his with a fevered intensity. "That piece of metal was *put* there. Aren't ya curious why?"

"You think it came from the pirate vessel?"

"Nobody else out here that I can think of."

"Trip, it could have been there for days, weeks, months. Years even."

Just then Travis interrupted them. "Sirs? I've been scanning ahead and it appears there are more sections of metal."

"See?" Said Lt. Reed. "A junkyard."

The Commander shook his head. Eyes steady, voice firm. "I want that piece on board, Lieutenant."

Lt. Reed nodded. "Yes, Commander."

"Ya can use the grappler." He turned to Travis. "Travis can ya bring us in real close to the nearest section?"

"Yes, sir."

"Nice n' easy. Don't want Malcolm to miss grabbing his prize."

Lt. Reed gave him a dirty look. Thirty minutes later Commander Tucker and Lt Reed were staring at the result of their efforts. The section of metal plating was huge. Twenty yards by fifty if it was a foot. Lt Reed summed it up with a whistle. Commander Tucker walked slowly round the huge thing. Sar watched his face then reached out a hand to trail curious fingers over the uneven surface. Trip caught the expression on his face. Remembering that besides being a former Siminarial Guard, Sar was also a metallurgist. "What d'ya think, Sar?"

"It is an alloy, Senisa. But it is full of impurities."

Trip nodded having noticed the same thing. "A hurried construction?"

"Yes, Senisa. Already you can see the stress in the alloy."

Lt. Reed flicked a curious glance from one face to the other. "Meaning what exactly?"

"It means, Malcolm, that someone went to an awful lot of trouble to make these metal sections. An' look here at this."

"What am I looking at?"

"Bolts sheared off."

"Perhaps they were in battle?"

Trip snorted. "There's not a mark on 'em. No carbon scoring. No impact fractures. An' just who were they fightin', Lieutenant? Themselves? I'm tellin' ya these plates are not what we think they are."

"And what do we think they are?" As Trip began to roll his eyes the Lieutenant persisted. "Humour me."

"O-kay. I can't be a hundred percent certain until we retrieve all the pieces of course..."

"You want to *what*? Are you mad Commander? In case you haven't noticed, space is at a bit of a premium on this ship at the moment and these pieces are not exactly pocket sized."

"I know that Lieutenant, hold your horses and let me finish. I think we'll find our answers once we put this puzzle back together again."

Lt. Reed sighed with mild exasperation. "Did I tell you that I think you're quite mad?"

"Yeah, Malcolm. Several times in fact." The Chief Engineer responded affectionately.

"Stark raving stone bonkers?" Elaborated his friend.

"That too."

Another sigh. "Then why in heaven do I put up with you?" He mumbled sourly.

Commander Tucker smiled. "'Cause I'm also a gifted and brilliant Engineer."

This time it was Lt. Reed's turn to snort. "Dream on, Commander. I tolerate you because I feel sorry for you."

The Commander gave him an injured look that made Lt. Reed laugh. "All right, and maybe - just maybe - you are a pretty passable engineer too."

"Passable?" Cried his friend in his most offended tone.

Just then they were interrupted by a metallic shudder. The loud clang echoing in their ears. "What the bloody hell was that?"

"That," Said Sar mildly. "Was another of those pocket-sized pieces this time impacting with the ship."

* * * * *

Captain Archer was definitely not having a good day. He stared at Commander Tucker and Lt. Reed. At a complete loss for words. He felt like hell. Knew he looked like it. And now two of his most respected and senior crew members were telling him the kind of tale that would not go amiss in a Boy's Own Adventure comic.

"You think *what*?"

Lt. Reed shut his mouth and waited for Commander Tucker to explain. After all. It was his insane idea. The trouble was the more Trip expounded on his theory the more Malcolm felt himself drawn into his line of reasoning. Quite unsettling really. The southerner was obviously rubbing off on him. Perhaps the doctor could give him shots? Half a dozen ought to do it.

"It's not as crazy as it sounds, Cap'n."

"Let me be the judge of that, Commander."

Trip took a breath. "We began to follow the warp trail of the pirate vessel, Cap'n. That's when we came across sections of sheet metal spinning in space. I was suspicious. I had Malcolm bring one aboard and we examined it. From a distance it looked like a piece of hull plating but when you look up close its' far too inferior for that."

"Inferior?" Said the Captain in a disbelieving voice. What the hell did he mean by that? How could a piece of metal be inferior?

"Hull plating is pretty specialised, Cap'n. You can't just throw up any old junk and expect it to stop phase canon fire or withstand heavy impact. It's very carefully crafted. The metal refined of all impurities. Ya get impurities in metal and ya get all kinds of microfractures built into it. Stress points that radiate like a spider's web but are unseen to the naked eye. That kinda shoddy workmanship can make for the shortest maiden voyage in history."

The Captain was frowning now. He could feel a headache coming on. Oh God, he just had to get some sleep. Right after this story was put to bed. "Okay, just supposing you're right, if it's not hull plating what is it? And what are sections of it doing out here just floating in space?"

"I don't think it's here by accident, Cap'n."

The seriousness of his friend's voice sharpened the Captain's interest. "Oh?"

"I've been thinkin' about a lot of things." He said slowly. "After the shock of hearin' about T'Pol I started thinkin' about what we were seeing. Or rather. Supposed to be seeing." He paused to wet his lips. "I decided to have a good long talk with that Captain."

"Captain Benmar?"

"Yeah, that's him. He was pretty shaken but there was one thing that struck me about his story. After the pirate ship took all the hostages, they didn't just go to warp Cap'n. They pulled away from the Argon, stopped, then deliberately spaced the passengers. Why d'ya think they did that?"

The Captain was frowning. His look pained. "Because they're sick bastards Trip, that's why."

The Commander shook his head. "No, Cap'n. They wanted a witness."

"A witness?"

"Yeah. To make us think Sub-Commander T'Pol is dead."

For a minute the Captain just stared at him. He was insane. It was the only explanation. Tired as he was he could hardly believe this cock and bull story. Trip had really lost it this time. Now he was grasping at straws. Or should that be metal plating? Grief could do strange things to a man. "Commander," He said quietly. Trying to keep the strain out of his voice. "I think you need to return to Sickbay."

Trip shook his head. "No, Cap'n. I need to ask you a favour."

Surprised, the Captain raised his eyebrows. "What kind of favour?"

The Commander's lips set in a firm unforgiving line. "I want ya to put in a call to the Vulcan home world. It's time I had a talk with T'Pol's parents..."

* * * * *

Continue to Part 15

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Half a dozen of you have made comments

Ooohhh! This baby is really heating up now! Loving this... please get 15 up soon! ;-)

I am foregoing vital GCSE revision in order to read this - it's that good! Can't wait for the next bit.

WOOOHOO!!! YES!!! Trip's on the trail with Sar to help!

I'm happy that Trip is finally doing some postive thinking. I'm expecting chapter 15 by no later than 2am eastern time.

two chapters in the same day? Wow!

This is shaping up very nicely, but is Koss REALLY dead? Is it just my suspicious mind that his death has been faked?

I loved the bit about Trip rubbing off on Malcolm and him wondering if shots from the doctor might cure him. Ha-ha.

Salivating for chapter 15...

Oh, I was really trying to wait until this one was finished and then read it all at once. But I lost control, started reading and now I'm hooked (as usual when one of your stories are involved). Archer was really a jerk in the beginning and maybe Trip's a little too wise, but I think the story's great so far. Trip's various relationships, with Malcolm, Sar, Kai (that part's great although why wasn't he mentioned in this last chapter?) and T'pol of course have all been developed nicely and now I look forward to, no wait, anxiously anticipate, the next chapter. Bring it on!