Unbound-Part 25

Unbound
An "Enterprise" story

By Alison M. DOBELL

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

SUMMARY: "Commander Tucker faces a nightmare but the truth is more bizarre than anything he could possibly imagine. Captain Archer is given the chance to escape with his ship and crew. Dr Phlox implores him to take it. For *all* their sakes."
DISCLAIMER: The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Enterprise' are the property of Paramount. No infringement of copyright is intended.

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Part 25

"THE MOTHER OF INVENTION"

* * * * *

He could not believe this was happening to him. Commander Tucker stared at the ring of Xindi in shock then horror. No two faces were the same. They had worked out that there were at least five different species of Xindi. What he saw now blew that notion clean out of the water and no mistake. He swallowed slowly, his throat so dry it was like sandpaper. "Where the hell am I?"

* * * * *

Lt. Reed was anxious and using every atom of control to remain as calm as possible. They were in the situation room discussing what to do to rescue the Commander and Sub-Commander. Captain Archer seemed distant, distracted, and the Armoury Officer could not put into words how much that unsettled him. As well as Ensigns Hoshi Sato and Travis Mayweather they were joined by Lt. Hess and Dr. Phlox. The Captain turned and paused then looked directly at Lt. Reed. His expression as grim as he had ever seen it. "Their trail Lieutenant, can we follow it?"

Malcolm wanted to kick himself three times around Alpha Centauri but he would do his Captain no great service by lying to him. Only the truth would suffice. He shook his head ruefully. "No, sir. Shortly after they went to warp whatever trail there was vanished."

"What about their trajectory?"

"I've plotted a number of possibilities, sir, but that's always supposing they travel only in a straight line. We don't know how far they will go at warp or where they are heading for."

The Captain noticed that the doctor looked uncomfortable. "Doctor, do you have something to say?"

"Yes, Captain, I do though I wish it were good news."

Captain Archer frowned. "Go on."

"The Zenari have offered to let Enterprise and her crew go. I suggest we do just that and as quickly as possible."

The Captain's eyes grew stormy, anger about to erupt but the doctor held up a staying hand.

"I do not make this suggestion lightly, Captain, but there is more at stake than this ship and her crew."

"Yes, there are the lives of my Chief Engineer and Science Officer."

"Captain, we still have a mission to perform."

"I'm well aware of that!" Snapped the Captain.

"And," Continued Dr. Phlox carefully. "We can do them no good by looking for them in the conventional way."

"What does that mean? Do you have an alternative in mind?"

"No Captain, I do not but the Xindi are unlikely to follow a trajectory that mirrors their point of exit."

Everyone was frowning now. Travis spoke up. "You've lost me, doctor."

"Exactly." Said the Denobulan. He straightened as if stretching his back then explained. "If we try to follow them we will *be* lost."

"Doctor, while I was aboard their ship the Xindi Captain said we were trapped in the Expanse *just like them*. If that's the case how can we get lost?"

"The Delphic Expanse has unusual properties." He paused as if weighing his next words carefully. "Have you ever played three dimensional chess?"

The Captain blinked, stared hard at the doctor. This was getting less and less amusing by the minute.

"Please Captain, there is an important point I wish to make."

"Very well, yes I have. Why?"

"To simplify the analogy, consider the Expanse like a three dimensional board game only now expand that to infinity. Imagine levels upon levels upon levels. Remember the fabric of time here can be stretched and folded. It can also be compressed and rolled so that events can be caught in their own circumpolar orbit but instead of a stellar equation the gravimetric constant keeps changing. In short Captain, they cannot be predicted. We are at the mercy of forces that defy not only logic but every law of physics you can imagine."

The Captain looked numb. "Are you saying there's no way out?"

"On the contrary Captain, there are infinite numbers of exits but we have no way of telling how many actually go anywhere."

"Then how can they be exits?" Queried Lt. Reed.

Impossibly the Denobulan gave a slight smile. "Ah, the horns of the dilemma, Lieutenant."

"Right now I'd settle for some plain speaking doctor." Said the Captain evenly.

"Yes, quite." Dr. Phlox paused. "I apologise but my first pronouncement is - I believe - the correct one. We should leave while we still can Captain."

"I am *not* going anywhere without Commander Tucker and Sub-Commander T'Pol!"

"Yes, I realise that..."

Captain Archer took an angry step towards the good doctor who paused mid-sentence. "No, I don't think you do. We are not, I repeat NOT, leaving any of our crew behind. Do I make myself clear?"

"Captain..."

"Do I make myself CLEAR?" Said the Captain firmly, each word all but underlined in emphasis to make his point. The Denobulan nodded, he looked sad and a little upset.

"Quite clear."

The Captain glanced around at what was now his command staff. "Any other suggestions?" When no one said anything he turned to Hoshi. "Ensign Sato."

"Yes, sir?"

"I want you send a request out, on all hailing frequencies, requesting the Xindi return our missing crew members. I want you to broadcast that message in every variation of their language you can decipher."

Ensign Sato frowned but nodded. "Yes, sir." It would take her hours to set it up, but if it would help bring Trip and T'Pol back she would do it.

"And Ensign?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Enlist as many crew members as you need to assist with the task."

She nodded. The Captain dismissed everyone and waited until only the doctor and Lt. Reed remained. He raised an eyebrow at the doctor who gave a half smile and a slow nod to indicate he had done just fine. "I think a little time in meditation would do us all good, Captain."

The Captain allowed his voice to fill with irritation. "I don't see what good that will do."

"I believe we all need to calm down so that we can think clearly."

A brief nod was the only response then all three of them left the situation room and went not to sickbay but to the doctor's private quarters. As the door shut behind him the doctor smiled at his two confederates. "I believe gentlemen that we will be more comfortable here."

* * * * *

She recognised her surroundings immediately but was baffled. What did they hope to gain by seizing her? If they thought Captain Archer would give up just because they had taken her hostage they were very much mistaken. Ambassador Chot all but glided across the crystal floor towards her. She stood straight, her hands clasped behind her back, and raised an imperious brow. "What is the meaning of this, Ambassador?"

"Your Captain would not listen to us."

"The Captain?" She arched her neck and looked around. "He is here?"

"No, Sub-Commander. We have returned him to his ship."

She frowned. "Then why am I here?"

"Do not the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?"

T'Pol angled her head slightly and looked coldly at the Zenari Ambassador. "You are playing games."

She thought she saw his cloak sparkle as he moved slightly, the heavy dark fabric almost seeming to set off sparks at the motion. Curious. "This is no game, Vulcan."

"What do you want?"

"Why would you imagine we want anything?"

"Logically I would not be here otherwise."

"You misunderstand. In your pursuit of logic you overlook motivation."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Enlighten me."

"Ah," His head lifted slightly. "You begin to comprehend."

Confused she stared blankly at him.

"Already you seek to determine answers by reasoning. They will not answer this equation."

"Then do me the courtesy of explaining."

There was a long silence. At last the Ambassador inclined his head but the Sub-Commander had the definite feeling it was not done as a matter of respect. "You will follow me."

Before she could ask why the Ambassador had turned round and was gliding towards the dais at the far end of the room. She had little option but to follow. It would have been illogical not to do so and she needed to glean more information if she was to solve this puzzle. When Ambassador Chot reached the dais he turned to face her once again and this time he actually bowed to her. "Please. Stand upon the dais."

"For what purpose?"

"You are Vulcan."

"This I already know."

"Yet you travel among Humans."

She was not going to answer but when the Ambassador simply waited patiently for a reply she inclined her head. "Yes."

"Why?"

"You know why. The Humans are new to space travel. They are a young race, naive and inclined to haste."

"You shepherd them?"

"We are attempting to acclimatise them to new frontiers in a way which is safe and will not expose them to unnecessary harm."

"The dais, Sub-Commander."

With some reluctance T'Pol stepped up onto the dais and was immediately bathed in a misty light. Alarmed, she went to step down again but found she could not move. The light seemed to hold her immobile. A great lethargy stole through her body and despite her efforts to stay alert her eyes closed. Within seconds she was in a state of deep hibernation.

The knowledge thus gleaned had sharpened the Ambassador's senses. Opening his mind he called on his Master to appear then bowed low to await his presence. A tremor in his energy field the only sign that he was discomfited by what he had discovered. Ambassador Chot waited. Minutes passed into hours. He knew it not. Time was a sequence of events that did not touch him or his kind. Eternity spun in the blink of an eye, the flutter of a wing, the sighing breath of lovers at the point of coitus, the centre of a burning sun and the corona of a comet.

* * * * *

When no one spoke Trip got tired of the charade. Patience was never his strong suit anyway. "Just tell me what ya want an' get me back to Enterprise."

None of them responded. He was about to start yelling when a diaphanous mist formed a column not three feet in front of him. Alarmed, he took a hasty step back. "Woah!"

The form looked like a Xindi male. He was reptilian and had a dark glitter of intelligence in his eyes. No sooner had he appeared than a mammalian Xindi then an insectoid Xindi appeared. His heart was doing handstands by now, his eyes flicking from side to side but there was no way out. The only good thing was that the crowd of assorted species' variants had made no overt move towards him. He frowned. Something was wrong with this picture. Narrowing his eyes he looked more intently around him.

"What's up with your buddies? If I didn't know better I'd suspect they were shop store dummies. Who are you and where in the hell am I?"

The reptilian Xindi hissed then took a step towards him. "I am the Xindi Captain. You are in the hold of our ship."

Trip nodded to the immobile Xindi. "An' just who're they?"

"Constructs."

He blinked. "Constructs?"

"Your people destroyed our world."

"Now just hold on a second..."

The Chancellor appeared in another column of mist. "We could kill you."

He was really feeling way out of his depth now. Trip swallowed slowly not wanting to give these guys any reason to rip him to pieces before he figured it out. "Where's the Cap'n?"

"Your Captain Archer is back on his ship. We made a trade."

He blinked. "A trade?"

The Xindi Captain inclined his head, watching the Chief Engineer closely. "Yes."

"Why?"

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

That was about the creepiest thing he had heard so far. What in hell were the Xindi doing quoting Surak? Didn't they hate the damn Vulcans? What was going on? "How do I know you let the Cap'n go?"

"You are here."

Trip ignored his spurious logic. He could not help staring around him at the immobile shapes and forms of other more exotic Xindi. It was almost as if he was in someone's workshop and that someone was trying to make a quintessential life form but had lost the plans so was making every variation he could think of until he hit on the right one. His heart almost stopped. That was it! "Oh my God, what in the hell are ya?"

"What do you think we are?"

"Those copies, body doubles ya made of us. It's how you survived isn't it?"

No one answered but he had the feeling they were hanging on his every word. "Please tell me this is just a nightmare an' I'm gonna wake up an' you'll all be one bad dream."

"You are not dreaming, Trip." Said the Xindi Captain.

"It's Commander Tucker to you!" He paused, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Ya didn't answer my question. These other Xindi are body doubles aren't they?"

"No, Commander. They are early attempts. You are looking at their successors."

He took another step back. "What do ya want me for?"

The Xindi Captain matched him step for step, the Chancellor just behind him. The mammalian and insectoid Xindi remained where they were but followed the interaction with their eyes. Content to let their Captain speak for them. "You are flesh and blood. An organic lifeform."

He could not articulate how much these guys were freaking him out. "So are ya."

"We were."

Trip swallowed but seemed to have no moisture left in his mouth or throat. "Were?"

Even to his own ears his voice sounded high pitched. "You destroyed our home world."

"According to you that was 400 years in the future."

"This is the Delphic Expanse, Trip."

"Tell me something I don't know like how to get the hell outta here."

"Time is not a factor here. Past, Future and Present occupy the same singularity. Countless permuations determine time and place."

"Then perhaps I should have asked, *when* am I?"

"Your people destroyed our world. Those that escaped the devastation could not repopulate our world. It was gone and we had insufficient numbers to start again."

"So what're ya sayin'? Ya did a Steve Austin? Ya know, *we can rebuild ya, make ya better than ya were*. Faster, stronger an' so on."

"The Masters helped us. Showed us how to manipulate matter into corporeal constructs but we needed to practice. We ran out of raw materials."

Dimes started to drop into place with a loud echoing clang in his mind. "Is that why ya built the automated repair stations? To lure other species into your net so ya could practice on them?"

"We needed their DNA but many were not suitable so we linked them into the station and used their knowledge to upgrade our facility. Only the most promising we brought here. We paid for everything we took, Trip. They came needing repairs for their ships. Fuel. Food. We gave them what they wanted and we took what we needed. Trade. The needs of the many, Trip."

"Oh my God. I think I feel sick..."

"You can help us, Commander."

Trip shook his head. All the colour had drained from his face. *An' I thought Frankenstein was just a story to scare the kids*. "Uh huh, just send me back to my ship and I'll be outta your hair."

"You cannot go back."

"Ya said time didn't mean anything here, the time an' place could be anywhen, anywhere. So why can't I go back?"

"Your mate will join you if you stay."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"The Vulcan will stay too."

"You leave T'Pol outta this."

"It is too late."

Trip felt his heart miss a beat. "Too late? Why?"

The Xindi Captain paused and tilted his head. In the next moment Trip felt himself engulfed in a white diaphanous mist. He tried to move but couldn't. Alarmed he wanted to cry out, struggle but his energy was failing him. As if it was being bled away and he was powerless to do anything. His eyes grew heavy and before he realised what was happening he slipped into a deep induced hibernation. On Zeon the Master appeared. His dark column of smoky shadow almost solidifying beside the Vulcan on the dais. As the Ambassador watched the Commander then appeared beside T'Pol. Ambassador Chot risked a question. "You will kill them now?"

The reply surprised him. "No."

"Is not this the pair foretold in prophecy, Master?"

"Yes."

"They will destroy us."

"We found them too late for that."

"But we can manipulate time."

"Yes."

"I do not understand."

"The seed is already sewn."

"Then let us destroy it."

"No."

"Why?"

"We need their DNA."

"Master, this is risky. They are carbon based lifeforms."

"The Xindi are dying out. Each successive array of constructs has a shorter span than the last. They grow fragile and they cannot reproduce."

"We let the Humans go, why keep this one?"

"For the Vulcan."

"What if the child dies?"

"We will reuse the foetal tissue. Waste nothing. It is an immutable law. Alone the Human is useless for our purpose. The Vulcan too obstructive. Together they will create a new species, one we can manipulate to the exercise of our will. They will supercede all that have gone before them."

"Yes, Master."

A long, long silence followed. At last the Master spoke, his voice more conciliatory and tinged with a vague curiosity. "You are upset?"

"They are no threat to us are they Master?" He asked quietly as realisation dawned.

"No, but their offspring will be."

"Then why permit them to survive? To flourish in the void?"

"Because if we are there at their inception we can manipulate their genes. Though it take a million years we will populate the void and remake them in our image."

The Ambassador almost choked at the blasphemy. "Master, we cannot... The prophecy..."

"We created the prophecy, Ambassador. Do you not yet understand? We can rewrite it, fashion it to our purpose. The seed from the Vulcan needs the Human spore. We will once again create life."

Choking off any further words the Ambassador fell silent. Shock seared through him as he understood fully the fashion of the Makers. He was incapable of tears. Unable to feel regret. Yet some organic remnant lingered on. Just enough to leave him with something akin to sorrow.

* * * * *

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Two folks have made comments

Awesome as usual, Ali! Your imagination never ceases to amaze me! Keep those chapters coming! :-)

Me too, Ali. After reading this chapter I was struck again by just how good your stories are beyond the Trip/T'Pol stuff. There's action, suspense and wonderful development for even the original minor characters.

I'm looking forward to more chapters.