To Boldly Go Once Again-Ch 13

To Boldly Go Once Again

By Eratta

Rating and disclaimers in Chapter 1

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

Chapter 13 Below:

Author's Note: Dear Readers,

Well, isn’t this a surprise? I owe you an explanation, so here it is. I’m really very sorry that I’ve left this story hanging for so long (nearly a year!), and I have greatly enjoyed your reviews. I left this story in the fall of 2005, mostly because I was writing a lot for school (as writing majors must), but mostly because of Enterprise's cancellation.

Like many of you, I was very disappointed in the ‘finale’, and the withdrawal effects of not having any new episodes took their toll, come September. I decided to distance myself from any and all things Enterprise, including this website, any and all fanfiction, syndicated episodes, etc. Even now, I only post in the Miscellaneous forum of the TrekBBS.

However, a few recent reviews and gentle proddings from Bucky have made me reconsider this particular story. While I did not have the time to work on it during the school semester, I now find myself with two and a half weeks of free time. Yesterday, I re-read everything so far written of "Too Boldly Go Once Again," and found my muse stirring and my fingers itching. I dug up my old notes, and have decided to finish this, once and for all.

To save you the hours of re-reading the previous 12 chapters, here’s a brief re-cap. I hope the final chapters of this story are satisfactory after so long and patient a wait.

Yours,
Eratta

Re-Cap

*It bears mentioning that this story is very solidly AU, having been begun before the end of Season 3 and ignoring all of Season 4.

Five years after the decommissioning of Enterprise following the success of the Xindi Mission, the NX-02 Columbia, captained by Carlos Ruiz launches into deep space, continuing the original mission started by Archer and his crew. Archer is now a commodore, who spends his days working in the less action-oriented division of Starfleet. He is still troubled by some of his actions during the Xindi Mission, but buries the memories in paperwork until the evening, two months following Columbia's launch, that an old friend looks him up.

Columbia is missing, and Daniels informs Archer that the factions of the Temporal Cold War are preparing for open war. Columbia has, unfortunately, somehow flown into the middle of things. Daniels gives Archer no choice but to retrieve Columbia, as there is no one else as familiar with the TCW and Ruiz’s future is essential—naturally—to the formation of the Federation.

Archer reluctantly sets about doing this, rounding up as many members of his old crew that he can find and digging Enterprise out of mothballs. Travis Mayweather and Dr. Phlox served on the Columbia and are among the missing; the mission is now personal. In addition, no one has heard from T’Pol in five years, not even Soval.

Enterprise sets out, only to stumble across T’Pol’s lunar colony just a few days out. Obligations notwithstanding, she decides to accompany Enterprise, though her reasons may not be entirely logical.

Relations between Trip and T’Pol are strained, both simultaneously reaching for and drawing back from the intimacy formed in the Expanse. The situation gets worse when Enterprise is attacked by Tholians, only to be rescued by none other than Silik and a band of his soldiers. Silik’s motives, however, are far from Samaritan: he demands Daniels’ temporal technology that he believes is still aboard Enterprise. He also reveals that he knows where Columbia is. Archer strikes a deal with Silik: the Suliban will lead them to the captive ship, and then he will hand over the technology. It’s a bluff, and Trip and T’Pol whip up a plan to con the Suliban.

By the time they reach their destination, several things have been revealed:

1) Columbia and her crew have been taken to a POW camp, of sorts. Previously held by Tholians, who are ever in need of ship parts, thus explaining their abduction of Columbia, the crew is now on a planet from which they have no means of escape. The Suliban now have control over the area, and plan to leave the prisoners to die as soon as they have gone through the scrap ships in orbit.
2) T’Pol’s control has never recovered from her experiences with Trellium-D, and she is unstable.

The plan is this: They make it appear that the Suliban has commandeered Enterprise and has brought her for scraping. Under the pretense of beaming her crew to the planet, they will actually beam up Columbia's crew. Finally, they will take advantage of the disorganization of the Suliban to fabricate orders to move Enterprise to another location.

Things go well when they reach their destination: Silik and four of his soldiers are captured and thrown into the brig. Archer and T’Pol go planet-side to locate the missing crew while Trip and the rest of Enterprise try to keep up the charade, making themselves up to look like Suliban. Meanwhile, the four Suliban have more than just the usual tricks up their sleeves, and it may not be very difficult to turn the tide…

Chapter 13

For a long moment, no one moved. Archer kept glancing at T’Pol, arms still locked tight around her ribs and eyes huge. She had moved back several steps until her back hit the sheer rock wall, though if it hadn’t been there Archer was sure she’d have walked backwards to the end of the world.

Mayweather coughed, drawing the Commodore’s attention back to the situation at hand. He extended a hand to him, past the other two men, and hauled him up. He was still wheezing, one large palm at the base of his throat.

“You all right?” He asked, grinning a little in spite of himself. It was good to know the boomer was alive.

Travis nodded, eyes still streaming, and slowly he recovered enough to speak.

“What’re you doing here?”

“Rescuing your sorry ass, what else?” he answered.

The other men had moved to either side of Mayweather, weapons still drawn as they resumed lookout positions. Once assured the area was secure, one of them, a tall blonde who couldn’t have been more than twenty-five, cautiously approached T’Pol.

“Commander T’Pol?” he asked, stopping a good two yards from her. One display of that brute strength was more than enough.

T’Pol’s mind was asserting control again, though her frame still was still heavily entrenched in fight-or-flight mode, adrenaline coursing through her green veins. That had been close; far too close. It’s getting worse. I’m getting…worse. Still, there was work to be done. She couldn’t collapse now. Willing her heart to slow, her stance to relax and her brain to form English words, she said,

“Yes, crewman. I’m all right now.”

He hesitated for only a moment, but either her appearance had improved more than she thought or her reputation preceded her, because he came within arm’s reach to give her the backpack that had been flung to the ground during the altercation. Shouldering it and taking a small measure of comfort from its solid weight on her back, T’Pol faced the brave young man.

“What is your name?” She asked, starting back over to the others.

“Phillips, ma’am. Ensign Greg Phillips.”

“Ensign Phillips,” she began, “Should I attack anyone else the way I just attacked Mr. Mayweather, you are to stun me.”

She didn’t need to see his face to feel his surprise. T’Pol whirled and stepped right into his path, forcing the man to come up short just in front of her. At this distance and with aid of the flashlight, she turned a cold gaze up at him, one that would brook no argument.

“You will stun me,” she repeated, eyes locked on his, “Is that clear?”

Phillips cleared his throat. “Er…yes ma’am. Crystal."

The deceptively diminutive Vulcan held his clearly uncomfortable gaze a moment longer before she was satisfied, then turned around and proceeded back to the rest of the group, who by this time had made introductions and we’re awaiting them.

It took willpower to make herself look up at Travis, plagued as she was by sudden waves of guilt. I nearly killed him, was a constant thought streaming through her mind.

“Lt. Mayweather,” she said, her voice dark with emotion, “I apologize for my behavior, it was…” T’Pol had to force her lips to form the word distasteful to any Vulcan, “instinct.”

Travis brushed off her apology and gave her a slight grin, and T’Pol found herself marveling at his ever kind and—rather innocent, she thought—demeanor. Than again, something about his carriage, and the strength of his jaw made her reconsider. Innocent, Lt. Mayweather was not.

“I’m fine, Commander, no worries. In fact, I’m so glad to see the two of you that I’d gladly let you beat me up again!”

T’Pol knew very well that he was far from fine, and that he wouldn’t breathe normally for another few hours at least, but she couldn’t deny the gratefulness she felt at his easy dismissal of her assault.

The last remnants of tension broken, Archer could see the rest of the apprehension drain out of his science officer as her spine straightened and her delicate features smoothed into their normal neutrality. Still, he was uneasy; T’Pol’s considerable skills at self-defense and unarmed combat had always been an asset; few would think such a small woman had so much strength and speed. But what she’s just done was not graceful, or calculated. It was a deeper, darker kind of violence. Almost animal, in fact.

He’d have to keep a closer watch on her, though how he’d manage that without her noticing was a problem he had no solution to.

“We should head back, sir.” Ensign Phillps said from behind T’Pol. He had holstered his phaser, but T’Pol knew he hadn’t forgotten. In fact, carefully not noticing the way they all looked at her, she realized her order to him was probably unnecessary; another display of the less savory side of her heritage would force them into instant offensive action, now that they knew what she was capable of.

Somehow, illogically, that made her feel better. At least they knew who—what, she brutally amended—they were dealing with.

Without another word, Mayweather turned and led his men, plus the Commodore and Vulcan, into the depths of the foliage.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lt. Sato sat at her consol, back aching and skin itching from the prosthetics that made her look Suliban, but she refrained from even a small sigh. It was simply not the time to betray any discomfort. Thus far, things were going well; only a few times had there been inquiries to the status of Enterprise's crew and ship components. She’s responded curtly that the transporter was damaged and would need to several hours until it was repaired, thus delaying the transport of the ‘captive’ crew, and that so far the ship didn’t seem to have anything worth salvaging.

“Keep us informed,” the man on the viewscreen had said. That had been three hours ago. Three hours of tense sitting, ready to lie through her teeth or send the word to Engineering that a quick getaway was needed. Though, hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. The last thing anyone wanted to do was leave the Columbia crew behind, along with two of their own.

“How’re you holding up?”

It was Malcolm’s voice that asked, though it came from a Suliban face. She smiled, feeling the cool, squishy plastic along her face shift and bunch around her eyes and cheeks.

“So far, so good.”

Malcolm nodded, craning his neck. It clicked and cracked audibly in the cold silence of the bridge. He was hunched over, muscles drawn up tight. Hoshi knew that set of his shoulders, and knew it well.

“Something bothering you?” she asked, though it wasn’t really a question. Malcolm Reed was almost as easy to read as Tucker, especially to someone of her particular skills.

“Our guests are being very quiet.” He murmured, as though they could be in the room at that very moment.

Sato’s eyebrows rose. “They’re under guard, aren’t they?”

“My best men.”

“So why are you worrying?”

“Because they’re crafty, and they’re sitting too silently for my liking.” He retorted irritably.

There was nothing she could say to that. Some called the man paranoid, but more often than not, his suspicions were somewhat warranted. Still, there was nothing else they could do. He’d said it himself: his best men were guarding them, and it wasn’t like they could communicate anyway. Suliban were not telepathic.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We should do it now. Silik hissed, wondering not for the first time if verbal intonations carried through the strange enhancements that allowed them to speak mind to mind. Certainly whenever his companions spoke it was always calm, perhaps mildly interested or scornful. With all this time on his hands to sit and think, the thought lazily presented itself that perhaps the other three weren’t as cool as they sounded, just that the devices lost the variances of voice in the translation from thought to words.

Not yet. Jenar said.

If we wait, we risk Archer and the Vulcan coming back.

Patience. Remember, the primary objective is to retrieve the technology, Maar said, her voice slightly fainter than Jenar’s because she was one cell further away.

If it’s still here. Tulan amended.

It must be. Archer knows it’s value and some of its uses, he wouldn’t travel out here without it. Silik insisted. These three were constantly doubting him. It was infuriating.

So you say. But your record speaks against you, Silik. Maar’s voice slithered against his skull, a whisper that sounded eerily close to personal doubt. Sometimes it was difficult to distinguish his thoughts from theirs. Of them all, he hated her the most.

Yes, you hate me.

Silik cursed himself. He’d never get the hang of revealing only certain, specific thoughts.

Remember why it is you’re not in command.

We wait, Jenar said, for the right moment. The moment when they think they’re safe is when they’ll be most vulnerable. It was said with finality, and Silik argued no more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Archer looked around the cave. It had been nearly impossible to get to, requiring a lot of bending and near crawling that a man of his size and age would have preferred to avoid. Now that they were finally here, all he wanted to do was find a seat. However, there wasn’t a square inch anywhere that wasn’t occupied by a Starfleet-blue-clad limb. Columbia's crew—there were so many, Archer noted with relief.

“Over here, sir.” Travis led his former commanding officers through the crowd, wading through the sleeping bodies. A few emergency lanterns, dimmed to conserve power, were placed along the shallow ledges that lined the enormous cavern. The crew slept, huddled in groups for warmth in the center of the space, while injured lined the lower shelves, thus decreasing their chances of being disturbed by passers-by. The shuffling sounds of their movement echoed slightly, indicating a high rock ceiling that was relatively smooth. All in all, an adequate shelter, Archer decided. He wondered how long it had taken them to find it and get everyone down here.

Travis stopped and crouched down by one form as the others behind him followed suite.

“Look who we found out by the generator.” He said, addressing someone in the shadows. A rustling came from the darkness as Archer squinted.

“Commodore Archer!”

There was no mistaking that voice. Archer smiled.

“It’s good to see you again, Doctor. How’s everyone holding up?”

Following a satisfactory answer that everyone was doing well, there had been no fatalities, Archer launched into an abbreviated version of the rescue mission as Mayweather produced a ration pack. He handed it to T’Pol, but she passed it on to the Commodore.

“I won’t need food for another two or three days.” She explained. She had settled again, but Archer knew she was less than comfortable in such close proximity with so many people. He was reminded of those several days in the first year when they’d had to take refuge in the catwalks of the nacelles during an ion storm.

He pushed the pack back into her hands, ordering, “Eat.” Her eyes flashed in the grey light, but she did not argue. Archer was rather glad of it.

“It’s good to see you two still work so well together.” Phlox remarked wryly, moving to his right to check on a patient with a bandaged arm.

“Where is Captain Ruiz?” T’Pol asked. She had pressed herself into a small hollow in the base of the wall, providing a little more distance from her companions.

Phlox’s face, startling when grim, was downright foreboding when the shadows emphasized the fact that he wasn’t smiling.

“We had a few serious injuries,” he began, in that grave-yet-oddly-soothing tone he used for bad news, “The captain suffered blunt trauma to the head, and without proper instruments to be completely certain of the extent of his injuries, I cannot be sure that his treatment is complete.”

The Vulcan was not put off. “What do you suspect?”
He sighed, and led them twenty feet around the back of the cave. He stopped before a small man, head heavily bandaged, breathing shallowly. A young woman was keeping watch over him.

“Definite concussion, though he is conscious for most of every day, but I believe he may be hemorrhaging.”

“Bleeding into his brain?” Archer clarified.

“Yes.”

“And it could be fatal.” It was not a question.

“If my guess is correct and it’s left untreated, yes.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know. He’s survived thus far, and it’s been almost two weeks. But he’s less and less lucid every day.”

Archer thought a moment. Clearly, Ruiz needed to get to real medical facilities as soon as possible. He turned to T’Pol and took her a few feet back where they could discuss.

“We need to get them out of here, and fast.” He said quietly.

“It might be difficult to transport through rock.” She murmured, aiming her tricorder at the walls and studying the results.

“Getting everyone up the way we came would take hours.” Archer fairly itched to pace. They were running out of time.

T’Pol was about to speak, but movement at the corner of her eye stopped her. It was Mayweather, come to join their counsel.

“There are some things you don’t know,” he said, “that might help.”

T’Pol and Archer shared a glance. It appeared the boomer was largely in charge here, and had come a long way from being an extra pair of hands on an away mission. They turned to him expectantly, waiting to see what new opportunities might present themselves.

Chapter 14

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Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS!

A whole mess of folks have made comments

thanx 4 starting again it was`great

It is delightful to see you working on a finish to this. Welcome back.

> I was very disappointed in the ‘finale’,
> and the withdrawal effects of not having
> any new episodes took their toll,
I can understand that. The good news is since TATV is a holodeck story it is not necessaryly correct.
Look at the voyager Holohistory in the episode "Living Witness" (Season 4).

Since the show is done and the next movie will be redoing Kirk & Spock and the whole TCWar and the destruction on earth has firmly moved Enterprise out of the canon for TOS everything and anything can be done.

I'm thrilled to see you continue this. Isn't it strange that the same events that caused you to back away from Enterprise and shut down your fanfic writing caused me to write obsessively for nearly a year? I suppose each of us deals with anger, frustration, and loss in our own way.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this story plays out. I'm hoping, since you're posting it here, that Trip will somehow play a role in helping T'Pol regain her emotional equilibrium before she kills someone. Excellent installment.

Nice to see you writing again Eratta! Look at some of the new submissions and you may get inspired for Enterprize all over again. I can wholeheartedly recommend Distracted's "Virtual Season 5" for starters.

Looking forward to reading more...good work.

HTH

Very, very glad to see you're back to writing, Errata, although I totally understand your reasons for leaving. I wouldn't classify myself as "disappointed" in the so-called finale, but rather disgusted and infuriated that some "writers" thought that it was a good idea, let alone a "valentine".

Excellent new chapter - I reread the series from the beginning and enjoyed it all over again. I'm eager to see the next chapter, particularly in wake of the various subplots that you've got running. I remain hopeful that T'Pol will find some balance and that she & Trip will reconnect as they deserve...

Oh, I´m glad you'll finish this fic. I´ve enjoyed all your fics very much and hoped for an end to this one!! Thank you!

I've always loved this fic, and i'm very glad that you're continuing. This was another great chapter - worth the wait. Update soon!

Yay! You're back to finish the story? Great news, I love your fics. You write the characters so well.Thank you!

Sounds good! (Haven't read 1-12)

So sorry you were so dis-heartened. Many of us joined you there. I have chosen to think of that crap that aired as a bootleg episode made up by people that hate Trek. It never happened.

I enjoyed this story long ago and am quite happy to see it back.

I would greatly apreciate a completion to the story. :)

You're not the only one who suffered from the infamous end of Enterprise. I don't even post over at TrekBBS anymore. ;)

Wow this is very good. I hope to read more soon. I agree the cancelation was depressing but I have to say the fan fiction writers are far better then the official ones ever were after season one.