Unbound-Part 23

Unbound
An "Enterprise" story

By Alison M. DOBELL

RATING: PG-13.
STATUS: New. SEQUEL to "KINGDOM OF THE BLIND"
ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.
FEEDBACK: Welcomed.
EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com
WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "The Xindi prepare for an assault on Enterprise. Hoshi wants to play a hunch discovering only too late the consequences of her actions."
DISCLAIMER: The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Enterprise' are the property of Paramount. No infringement of copyright is intended.

Part 23

"SURVIVAL INSTINCT"

* * * * *

Lt Malcolm Reed felt a surge of pure adrenaline. He spoke urgently, not taking his eyes off his console. "Sub-Commander! The Xindi ship is turning around."

Sub-Commander T'Pol tensed. The gamble had back fired. "Polarise the hull plating and..."

Before she could finish the command the ship lurched beneath their feet. Sparks flew from several consoles and the bridge lights flickered. The Enterprise shuddered hard as it took several more hits. T'Pol looked furious.

"Return fire, Lieutenant!"

The Armoury Officer nodded and fired the phototonic torpedoes watching with satisfaction as the Xindi ship slowed under the barrage and began to show damage of its' own. He stopped short of actually annihilating the enemy. Even the slightest hope that the Captain was still alive was one he wanted to hang on to for as long as possible. He hoped the Sub-Commander would not give him the order to finish the other ship off. But any idea that the Xindi ship was easy prey vanished with the next broadside. Smoke was now beginning to fill the bridge. Sub-Commander T'Pol called for damage reports as Lt Reed shut off the alarms. He did not need to be told they were in trouble but he did need to be able to hear himself think.

Commander Tucker's voice crackled through the com from Engineering. "We're taking heavy damage in Engineering..." They could hear several people cursing and coughing in the background. Something hissed through the com then the Chief Engineer was speaking again, his voice halting every now and then as if trying to clear his lungs of smoke. "We lost Reigert and Higgs, Billy Cox is just a bit stunned so that's an improvement but the engines are off-line and we're losing power."

"Understood Commander. We are under attack from the Xindi ship. Do whatever you can to repair the most critical systems and re-establish warp capability."

"Aye-aye Sub-Commander."

*Are you injured, Ashayam?*

*Be sure ya stay that way, T'Pol.*

Then the link between them was cut, their duties taking precedence. Another heavy hit brought Enterprise to a listing halt in forward momentum. No one needed the Chief Engineer's input to tell them that all power to the engines had now been nullified. They were on emergency lighting and the air was getting pretty thin. It was not so bad for T'Pol, being a Vulcan, but the humans were finding breathing painful. A labour that was undermining their efficiency. She was more than worried. The Sub-Commander actually contemplated the unthinkable. Contacting the enemy ship to obtain a cease fire. She would *not* call it a surrender.

* * * * *

It was unthinkable. How could they ask him that?

"Your people are on the brink of extinction."

His mind was sluggish and this was reflected in his disjointed and slurred attempts at dialogue. "Why should I believe you?"

"I do not lie."

He thought about that. Remembered as if it was a hundred years ago that the Xindi Captain had been the only dissenting voice when his own death had been mooted. In a very real sense he had saved his life. Why was not clear to him even now. It had been a shock to realise there were several forms of Xindi. It was like looking at all of God's evolutionary mistakes gathered together. All those Darwinian dead ends that should have remained no more than a footnote in some alien culture's database. To see them up close and personal was a vision of hell he would rather have avoided. But they were real. Alive. And disturbingly intelligent. Not the Neanderthal mutterings of his own people's ancestors.

"What do you want with me?"

The lighting had been dimmed almost to black. The reptilian Xindi had no trouble seeing in the dimness, the light level dropped to accommodate the traumatised Human. Deprived of light and all sensation Captain Archer was feeling a little overwhelmed but as the conversation progressed he was adapting and becoming more coherent and confident. His survival though baffled him. They were enemies. He was literally at their mercy. A race that had openly vowed to destroy his people, his world. So why the largesse? What could they possibly want that he could give them? And if it was this important should he even entertain the thought of giving it to them?

* * * * *

Main Engineering was like a vision from Dante's Inferno. Sweat poured down Commander Tucker's face. Many of his crew had burns on their hands and faces, uniforms torn and blackened. Faces blistered, voices choking on acrid fumes. The Chief Engineer managed to get Toby Weiss out from under a piece of fallen ductwork with only a few scratches to show for it. The young engineer grinned through a face blackened with grime, one side of his face shinier than the other where a large blister was forming where he had been burnt.

"Ya need to see the doc, Toby."

He shook his hair. "No can do, Chief, you need me here."

"Toby, that was an order not a request."

"Sir..."

"Jump to it or those injuries'll be the least of your problems."

"Sorry Chief, I can't."

Trip spun round to glare at him then stopped in his tracks, suddenly seeing what his subordinate meant. The door to main Engineering was sealed shut. Not by the heat which was running rampant fueled by numerous fires which his valiant crew were slaving away to put out, but by the warped wall and ceiling around the doorframe. How in hell had that happened? He shook his head then forced himself back into action. No sense wasting time on things he couldn't change where there were a hundred and one things he could. "Okay Toby, I see your point. Go help Askey with fire detail. I don't wanna see your face again until they're all out."

"Sure Chief!"

For a moment he stared after the young man, openly marveling at his ability to stay cheerful under the most horrendous conditions. Only someone who knew Toby's background would understand why. Trip knew and the boy still impressed the hell out of him. One day Toby Weiss would make a damn fine Engineer. Maybe even Chief some day. He was determined to do all he could to see he had his chance. A voice at his shoulder ended his reverie and quickly he snapped back into the present, Lt Hess looking harassed but determined. He flashed her a quick smile and got her to help him with the warp engine. The hive of activity around him made him so damn proud. No one was complaining, no one shirking their duty. Every one of these people were worth their weight in gold. He hoped they would all survive so he could tell them so to their faces.

* * * * *

Sub-Commander T'Pol stared at the Ensign. Even Lt Reed could not hide his surprise. Only Travis Mayweather seemed to take her comment in his stride. But then he was a boomer and by all accounts nothing surprised those spare faring fanatics. Whole colonies living aboard transport ships. It was said that if you stuck a boomer on solid land for any length of time he would grow sick and loose the will to live. Only a blanket of stars would revive them. Only the vast maw of space could ever be home.

"Ensign Sato, I hardly think attempts at telepathic contact are called for. If the Xindi wished to contact us they would have done so in the traditional manner."

The communications officer shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sub-Commander, but I don't agree. The Xindi use verbal contact protocols and procedures because other species do."

"Explain."

"After the Commander suggested the possibility I got to thinking and that was when I realised that all the information we have on them, and all we could glean while we've been in the Expanse, has been written by others. Not one jot of information has come from the Xindi themselves."

"I fail to see what bearing that has on your theory, Ensign."

"Dialogue, Sub-Commander, is a two-way street. This information is one-way. What if the reason for that is that the verbal form of communication is an accommodation? What if they sub-vocalise when they are speaking to each other?"

"Ensign, while your theory holds novelty value this is hardly the occasion to test it in practice. They are trying to annihilate us not educate us."

"It may be the same thing to them."

Sub-Commander T'Pol began to turn away in a plain dismissal of the subject. Hoshi quickly pressed on, not wanting to lose this chance however unlikely and far fetched it might seem.

"Please, Sub-Commander. At least let me try?"

The Vulcan stared at the Ensign. Why not? Nothing they were trying was having any effect and although the torpedoes were doing damage to the Xindi vessel they themselves were quickly being rendered defenseless. Soon it would not matter what type of communication they tried. "Very well but do not be disappointed if you obtain no response."

Hoshi nodded her thanks and opened a channel to the Xindi ship. Instead of talking into the com she schooled her thoughts and began to project not only the message she wished to pass but images of peace and a willingness to communicate. At first nothing happened. T'Pol resisted the temptation to say *I told you so.* Then the barrage stopped. The sudden silence hurt their ears. Lt Reed stared at Hoshi. "What did you say?"

The Ensign ignored him, a look of such concentration on her face that no one else spoke. All eyes glued to hers while waiting for some kind of explanation. A slow smile washed over Hoshi's face then she opened her eyes and beamed at them. "They have agreed to stop firing."

Sub-Commander T'Pol was amazed. "What did they say?"

"They want to speak to you."

She blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, Sub-Commander."

T'Pol was about to walk over to Hoshi's station when there was a soft thrumming in the air, the vibration stirring the smoky atmosphere so that it took a moment to realise that something else was appearing on the bridge. Not a figment of their imagination but a figure solidifying right before their very eyes. Hoshi's mouth dropped open. It was a Xindi male. It looked like a big insect, the mandibles flexing and opening and closing but no sound coming from it. Large compound eyes stared at them one at a time then rested on Hoshi's face. Hoshi inclined her head to let the Xindi know it was her that had sent the communication. *You opened your mind to us?*

She nodded. *Yes. We do not want to fight you.*

*And if he is dead?*

Hoshi almost cried out, horror showing on her face. The Sub-Commander was about to interrupt but Hoshi shook her head at her and forced herself to become composed again. *We would ask for his body to be returned to us.*

A slight pause followed. The Xindi appeared to be digesting that information. *You care for your dead?*

Another nod. *Yes.*

*Sub-Commander T'Pol.* Hoshi indicated the Vulcan.

The insectoid Xindi turned and fixed its' large compound eyes on T'Pol. *You are T'Pol of Vulcan?*

Sub-Commander T'Pol felt surprise as the alien thought interjected itself in her conscious mind. It felt somewhat oily and made her want to shudder with revulsion but she suppressed the emotion. *Yes.*

The Xindi took a step towards her then stopped. *Good.*

Before anyone could do or say anything the smoky atmosphere thickened. There was a lot of choking and Lt Reed was cursing aloud when suddenly the smoke cleared and everyone gasped. The Xindi was nowhere in sight and to Hoshi's consternation the Sub-Commander was gone as well.

* * * * *

The Captain blinked. Slowly and painfully adjusting to the light though the Xindi Captain had been careful to raise the light level slowly. Captain Archer appreciated his thoughtfulness almost as much as he was baffled by it. Why all the courtesy? Why the concern for his welfare and the survival of his species when they were enemies? The Xindi Captain interrupted his chaotic train of thoughts.

"Not all of us are your enemy."

That made him pause. "They aren't?"

The Xindi did not respond, the answer being so obvious even a sensation deprived Captain should be able to tell. But he was polite enough not to point it out. Captain Archer sat up, somewhat surprised to find that he was still wearing his Starfleet uniform. This had to be one up to being coating in that awful white semi translucent gel from that alien organism that had tried to bond with him and some of his crew almost killing them in the process. That wasn't his enemy either. Could there be an odd recurring pattern here?

"Forgive me if I sound skeptical but why aren't you my enemy? The other Xindi seem quite happy to destroy my people and my planet."

For a moment the reptilian Xindi just looked at him. Captain Archer had no idea what was running through the alien's mind. Perhaps he was better off not knowing. "Not all Xindi want war."

"No, I can concede that..."

"And not all want peace."

Captain Archer stared at him. Needing to know exactly what this alien was saying.

"The Makers have been good to us. Patient. Endlessly patient."

Something in the reptilian’s face changed but Captain Archer was not quick enough to detect what it was. His curiosity increased but he kept silent. Not wanting to stop the Xindi Captain now that he was talking so freely.

"My people believe they created us, long long ago."

"But you don't?"

"I am cautious. Long minded."

"Long minded? What's that?"

"It means I do nothing in haste." Captain Archer nodded and waited for him to continue. "I watched the others giving deference to the Makers, no longer thinking for themselves but waiting to be told what to do. Where to go. What to create." He paused. "What to *think.*"

He thought he understood now. "You were being manipulated."

The Xindi Captain inclined his head. "Yes. And I did not like it. Did not like how weak it made us. Dependent. Before we had been free."

"Before?"

"The others either don't remember or choose to forget."

"You mean before the Makers came?"

"Yes."

"These Makers, do you mean the Zenari?"

The Xindi Captain jerked back as if he had been shot. For long moments neither spoke, just staring at each other. There was a harsh rasping sound before the Xindi spoke again. "You have met the Makers?"

"We have met the Zenari." Corrected Captain Archer carefully. "They manipulated us. Invited us down to their planet - Zeon - and then began to play mind games with us. They frighten us. They are very powerful, technologically advanced. Not carbon based lifeforms like us. I'm not even sure if they are corporeal."

The Xindi Captain nodded. Some of the vibrancy seemed to have gone out of him. If he did not know better Captain Archer would have said he was depressed. "Would you not be depressed also, Captain, if your peoples had been enslaved by a myth?"

"You can read my mind?"

"Thoughts are things as much as words and deeds are. Are you not telepathic?"

Captain Archer shook his head. "No. I take it you are?"

"Yes. All Xindi have telepathic abilities. For some they are limited only to use among our own kind but sometimes we meet species with more open minds. Their thoughts leak out and we cannot help but know what they are thinking."

"I wanted to destroy you."

"I know."

"After your attack on Earth, my homeworld, and the threat to kill Humanity..." He broke off feeling the pain all over again. Remembering his friend Trip's face, the agony of loss. So many wiped out in an unfeeling heartbeat.

"We were told Humans would be our future doom."

"But how could you believe..."

"The Makers are master manipulators. They have been manipulating us for centuries, Captain. The others do not see it. They revere them, call them Makers, treat them as Gods."

Captain Archer tilted his head, genuinely curious. "What makes you different?"

"I refuse to give up my independence of thought. I watch, listen, obey, but always I think about what we are doing and why we are doing it. It has made me suspicious as more events fit the emerging pattern."

"What emerging pattern?"

He surprised the Captain by not answering his question. "You are no threat to us."

"You spoke of an emerging pattern?"

For a moment Captain Archer thought the Xindi was not going to reply. "I will not be part of another annihilation." He said with quiet intense passion.

Captain Archer was shocked, the import sinking in to devastating effect. "Oh my God, this has happened before!"

"Yes. Another explorer race. They tried to pass through the sacred space of the Expanse. Once they entered they could not leave."

"Why do you call this 'sacred space'?"

The Xindi's double eyelids blinked one after the other, washing moisture over the eyes before he spoke. "The Expanse is not like normal space, Captain. It has properties - unusual properties - that change the nature of the area you pass through. Journeys can take fractions of a second or last several lifetimes yet the same distance is passed."

"I don't understand."

"The Zenari - our 'Makers' - have manipulated that too."

"Then..."

"We are trapped." Said the reptilian Xindi Captain in a soft almost sibilant whisper. "Just like you."

* * * * *

Continue to Part 24

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Four of you have made comments

Oh the layers just keep unfolding in this story. I like! Oh I like so much.

Wonderful that Hoshi is the one to make the break through!

UH OH!!! Trip ain't gonna be happy with T'Pol gone!

Hurry with more and soon please the only thing I hate about this story is the wait between posts.

Last night was horrible ... to be told the post is there but unable to reach it!

This just get's more awesome by the chapter. I'm loving it. Trip is gonna kill those Xindi when he learns that T'Pol's gone. Not good. But this story is excellent.

Must you make me curse in frustration at the end of every chapter? :-) Another excellent addition to your enthralling story. Now the interminable wait for your next post.

Wonderful chapter, but: No, no, no! Not T´Pol! Please bring her back!