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RagnarokAuthor - ginamr | Genre - Action/Adventure | Genre - Angst | Genre - Series | Main Story | R | Rating - R | S | Virtual Season 5
Fan Fiction Main Page | Stories sorted by title, author, genre, and rating Star Trek—The Continuing Voyages of the Enterprise Ragnarok
Episode Number in Series: 101
Scans of the area have revealed several interesting phenomena worth taking a closer look at. It appears as though we may have discovered a new class of nebula with some very intriguing properties not known to coexist peacefully anywhere near Earth. I've had Ensign Mayweather set a course for the nebula. Scans have also detected and m-class planet in a nearby system that appears to warrant further investigation. ****** “We are within range of the nebula, sir.” Archer nodded and turned to T’Pol. “T’Pol, why don’t you prep a Shuttlepod for a closer look?” With a simple inclination of her head in response, she made her way toward the lift. “And why don’t you take Trip with you?” T’Pol turned, her expression one of slight puzzlement; however, she inclined her head once again and entered the lift. ******** Several minutes later in Engineering… T’Pol entered engineering to a flurry of activity and as she moved toward where she was hearing commander Tucker shouting orders, she had to move carefully in order to avoid bumping into the various crewmen that were rushing by her. At last, she reached him and could see him in the far corner of engineering directing repairs. “Rostov, check the coil assembly for damage. Mitchell, fix those fried relays in Junction 6-B. Hess…” “ Yeah, boss?” Hess called out from behind a panel. “Never mind! You just stay where you are!” Hess grinned. “Yes, sir!” Hess turned and saw T’Pol standing behind Trip. “And boss, I think you have a visitor!” Trip turned, seeing T’Pol standing patiently waiting for him. “Now’s not a good time, T’Pol…” “The Captain has asked that I take closer scans of the nebula with the Shuttlepod, and he suggested that I bring you with me.” Trip’s eyebrows shot up. “Now what would ya need me along for?” “Perhaps the Captain feels that you should have a break from the repairs. I am sure Lieutenant Hess is exceedingly capable of carrying on in your place until you return.” Trip sighed and nodded. “Hess!” he shouted. Hess poked her head out and he saw her roll her eyes. “Yeah, boss?” “You’re in charge until I get back! Make sure those injector manifolds get purged, or I’ll have your hide!” “Got it, boss!” With this, Hess returned to the repairs she was making. Trip turned to find that T’Pol had a questioning look on her face, one that suggested that she knew the meaning behind his statement. Trip chuckled and extended a hand. “Lead on to the Launch Bay,” he said teasingly. T’Pol quirked an eyebrow slightly and exited ahead of him. He followed her out, chuckling. ******** Several minutes later in the Launch Bay… =/\=Tucker to Bridge.=/\= =/\=Go ahead, Commander.=/\= =/\=Ready for launch.=/\= =/\=Acknowledged. Opening Bay doors.=/\= The Shuttlepod then dropped out of the belly of Enterprise and Trip took the controls, guiding the shuttle smoothly away toward the nebula. =/\=We’ll rendezvous here in a couple of hours.=/\= =/\=Got it. Tucker out.=/\= Trip closed the com line and leaned back, letting out a deep sigh. “The shuttle’s set on autopilot.” T’Pol nodded and a silence fell between the two. “Have you heard from your parents recently?” T’Pol asked, attempting to make conversation. Trip smiled. “Yep. According to my mom, my youngest niece starts kindergarten soon. And dad was talkin’ about the new bloodhound my brother got. Oh, and it looks like my sister-in-law just had another girl. They named her Tina.” T’Pol nodded and paused. “I received a transmission from Koss. He sent his grievances in regards to Elizabeth.” Trip opened his eyes and turned toward her. “He must have been a bit surprised.” “If he was, he didn’t show it.” He nodded and fell silent. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw T’Pol’s left hand gripping the arm of the chair tightly. He reached out a hand and laid it on top of hers. She looked over at him, causing him to smile weakly. She held his gaze until the panel in front of her beeped, shattering the moment. “We are approaching the edge of the nebula.” Suddenly, the Shuttlepod shook viciously. “What in the hell was that?” “There are several unidentified vessels approaching.” Another hit caused the Shuttlepod to lurch violently to the left, sending T’Pol out of her chair and into Trip’s waiting hands. “You all right?” he asked. She nodded. “I’m fine.” Trip helped her up and she sat down again. “I’m setting a course for the rendezvous coordinates. See if you can’t get an SOS out to Enterprise.” T’Pol nodded and got to work. Trip put his hands out to keep from getting thrown into the panel face-first. “They’re closin’ in! If we take cover in the nebula, will they be able to find us?” “No. But the nebula will also interfere with communications.” “Damn! Transferring all available power to the engines! Let’s see if we can’t outrun them.” The Shuttlepod jolted as Trip maneuvered to avoid the fast-gaining fighters. “There’s another ship approaching. It’s Enterprise.” Trip’s head snapped up. “Those ships are practically defenseless against Enterprise. One hit from our weakest weapons would disintegrate them.” =/\= Enterprise to Shuttlepod One. We’re opening the Launch Bay doors.=/\= =/\=Acknowledged, Enterprise. We’re comin’ home.=/\= Again, the Shuttlepod rocked and then dipped sharply forward. “That last one took out the impulse drive! All we have left is maneuvering thrusters!” “Switching to manual pilot.” =/\=Reed to Shuttlepod One. I’ve brought the grappler online. Get as close as you can to the Launch Bay doors.=/\= =/\=All we have left are the maneuvering thrusters, Lieutenant! That last hit took out the impulse drive! It’s goin’ ta be a close shave as it is.=/\= =/\=Get as close as you can. When you have, I’ll use the grappler to bring you the rest of the way in.=/\= A few moments later, Trip pressed his thumb to the com panel. =/\=Tucker to Enterprise. This is a close as we’re goin’ ta get.=/\= =/\=Acknowledged. Deploying the grappler.=/\= A clunk on the hull alerted its occupants to the grappler making contact. Trip’s hands flew out in front of him as the Shuttlepod lurched suddenly forward. Within moments, the Shuttlepod was inside the Launch Bay and the doors closed. The moment the Launch Bay doors had sealed themselves closed, both leapt from the Pod and exited the Launch Bay, Trip heading for Engineering, and T’Pol heading for the Armory. With only a nod, they parted ways. Once she had arrived in the Armory, she pressed her thumb to the comm. panel on the wall. =/\=T’Pol to Bridge. If you would please report to the Armory, Mr. Reed, I believe that we can modify a photon torpedo to emit an energy blast that will disarm their weapons and engines without destroying them.=/\= There was a pause on the other end before she heard Archer say, =/\=Do it.=/\= =/\=Aye, sir. I’ll be there momentarily, Commander.=/\= T’Pol cut the comm. and waited for Reed to arrive. ********** Meanwhile on the Bridge… “They’re veering off, sir.” “Keep with them, Travis.” “Aye, sir. Adjusting course and speed.” ******** Several minutes later in the Armory… T’Pol flipped open the communicator she’d been carrying. =/\=T’Pol to Tucker.=/\= Just then, Trip entered the Armory with a box clinking with tools. “This should have everything we need.” T’Pol nodded and Trip set the tool box down to the side. “Help me get this cover off, Lieutenant.” Reed nodded and moved to one side while Trip went to the other. Both carefully removed the outer cover and set it aside. T’Pol grabbed the hyperspanner first, moving it over the blue wire. Trip strode toward the tool box once he and Malcolm had set the cover down, reached in, pulling out a flashlight and a pair of wire cutters. Trip nodded and T’Pol backed away, setting the hyperspanner back in the toolbox and held out her hand. Trip handed her the flashlight and she held it so he could see inside. Without a word, they worked quickly, modifying the output of the torpedo’s energy source. “Got it,” Trip said at last. T’Pol took the tools and put them away while Trip and Reed replaced the cover. They then moved the torpedo to one of the tubes, lifting it up in. T’Pol closed the hatch and rushed toward the comm panel, pressing her thumb to the button. =/\=The torpedo is ready, Captain.=/\= =/\=Acknowledged.=/\= Reed rushed forward. =/\=I can fire it from here, sir.=/\= =/\=Do it, Lieutenant.=/\= Reed nodded and did as he was told. There was a long moment of silence before Archer’s voice came through the comm. =/\=We’ve disabled two of the vessels. The other two escaped.=/\= =/\=Sir! The vessels have been rigged to self-destruct!=/\= =/\=There’s nothing we can do, sir. A hit to their hull would destroy them.=/\= The three in the Armory listened over the comm, waiting for the inevitable. =/\=Both ships have been destroyed.=/\= The three of them stood in silence for a moment, Trip and T’Pol sharing a moment of quiet contemplation, while Reed looked on, unaware of their thoughts. =/\=Archer to Armory. I need you three in the command centre.=/\= =/\=We’re on our way, Captain,=/\= T’Pol replied. T’Pol turned to Trip, her eyes meeting his. He nodded, exiting the Armory with T’Pol and a confused Lieutenant Reed behind them. ******** Command Centre, several minutes later… “We did everything we could, sir,” Malcolm repeated. “Damn it, that’s not good enough!” Archer bit out. Everyone in the room was silent for a moment. “We could trace their engine trail, Captain,” Trip suggested. Archer looked up at him. “T’Pol and I managed to get some scans of their ships before Enterprise came to the rescue. We could set the sensors up to detect the particles their engines generate.” Archer nodded. “Get to work, Commander.” Archer then turned to Reed. “See if you can’t modulate the weapons so that we can knock out their systems without destroying them.” Reed nodded and left for the Armory. Archer turned to the rest of the group. “Dismissed.” The senior staff then exited the Command Centre, leaving Archer there on his own. He sighed and paused for a moment before exiting the Command Centre as well, headed to his ready room. ******** Two hours later… Archer was reading through the latest mission reports for the Columbia when the door chime sounded. “Enter,” he called, not looking up from the reports. T’Pol entered followed closely by Trip and Reed. “Sir, I’ve managed to adjust the weapons to a lower yield. We’re ready for them, sir.” Archer looked up and set the mission report aside, nodding. “Well done, Lieutenant.” T’Pol spoke next. “Commander Tucker and I have adjusted the sensors to pick up the ion trail of the ships, Captain. We’ve traced the trail to a nearby system.” “Is the system charted in the Vulcan database?” T’Pol shook her head. “There is no record in the Vulcan database of a system at those coordinates.” Archer grinned. “Maybe you missed one. Tell Travis to set a course for the coordinates. How close are we?” “Less than 6 hours at Warp 4, Captain,” Trip replied. Archer nodded. “Warp 3 then. But let’s take extra precautions. They attacked us unprovoked. We could be dealing with a potentially volatile situation here.” The other three nodded. “Inform me when we’ve reached the system. Dismissed.” T’Pol and Reed left. Trip, however, stayed behind. “Was there something else, Commander?” Trip nodded. “T’Pol’s noticed…hell, the whole crew’s noticed…that you’re a bit wound up lately. Is everythin’ all right, Jon?” Archer nodded. “Never better. Why?” “Like I said, you seem kind of tense is all. What’s got you so damned uptight?” Archer sighed. “It’s personal.” Trip looked at him quizzically for a moment before understanding suddenly dawned in his features. “This is about Erika, isn’t it? The injuries she got from Archer nodded and sighed. “Starfleet says that she sustained a pretty bad blow to the head and some severe nerve damage.” Archer grimaced. “They’re still waiting to see just how bad it is. According to a couple of the doctors, she might not be able to walk again.” Trip frowned. “Jesus, Jon. No wonder…I’d be tense, too, if I was in your position.” “She means a lot to me. I don’t know what I’d do if something like that or worse happened to her.” Trip nodded. “I know how you feel. If anything like that happened to T’Pol…” With this, Archer looked up. “Speaking of T’Pol…” Trip sighed. “I care for her, Jon; a helluva lot more than circumstances permit. But ever since Elizabeth…” He trailed off, a sour look coming to his face. “You want a friend’s opinion?” Archer asked. “It’s been hard for her, Trip. She lost her mother not too long ago and then to lose a daughter she didn’t even know she had…? The best thing that you can do is to be there for her. The two of you need each other and the best way to heal this is time, patience, and just letting her know you care.” Trip looked up at him and smiled weakly. “You’re right. I know you are. But time and patience are two things I haven’t got a lot of.” Archer nodded. “I know, Trip. But she can’t push you away forever, though she can sure as hell try. Eventually, she’ll have to face it…to face you.” “Thanks.” Archer grinned, standing and clapping the young engineer on the shoulder. “It’s what friends do.” With this, Trip exited the ready room, leaving Archer alone. ********** Six hours later… =/\=Bridge to Captain Archer.=/\= =/\=Archer.=/\= =/\=We’re entering the system, sir.=/\= Archer nodded. =/\=On my way.=/\= ******** As Captain Archer stepped onto the bridge, he saw Hoshi concentrating hard at her station, presumably trying to decode some of the inhabitants’s transmissions. “Ensign?” “Almost got it, sir.” “T’Pol?” “The civilization appears to be advanced…even by Starfleet’s standards.” Archer looked at her, confused. “But those ships didn’t have any type of shielding and their weapons barely scratched the hull.” “I did not say that the vessels we encountered are able to withstand firepower from a ship such as Enterprise. However, their engines appear to be similar in design to an ion drive.” “An ion drive? Not even Starfleet has figured out how to build a dependable ion drive.” “As I have said, they are advanced even by Starfleet’s standards.” Archer nodded. “Hoshi, have you found anything in their communications indicating who they are?” “I think so, sir. They call themselves…the Briliarins. Their home planet is called…Briliarus IV.” “Anything else, Ensign?” Hoshi shook her head. “That’s all so far, sir.” “Do they seem to be a peaceful race?” “Yes…it seems that they welcome visitors.” Archer grinned. “Well…I hope everyone is up for a first contact. Travis, set a course for the planet, maximum impulse.” “Aye, sir,” the helmsman replied.
Return to the Virtual Season 5: Star Trek--The Continuing Voyages of the Enterprise MENU page. Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS! Seven people have made commentsNot bad, I liked the TnT interactions. Only thing is, Archer seemed a little too gung-ho about hunting down these harmless ships once they retreated. I wouldn't think he'd pursue, or spend time/resources on modifying their weapons to disable them AND pursue. and one slight quibble just about scifi/Tech - i mean this is open to interpretation b/c "ion drive" could mean something else, but "ion drive" is used today, it's not special and it wouldn't hold a candle to even the impulse drives on Enterprise... but i suppose something else could be referred to as "ion drive" in the trekiverse ;D overall, well done! In response to JohnO/LSR, keep in mind that Archer's aggitated...if you read it all the way through, you saw how concerned Archer was about Captain Hernandez. Observing people, especially the character of Archer, aggitation leads to rash actions. Besides that, Archer wants to know why those ships attacked Enterprise. Killing the people in those ships wouldn't get him the answers he wanted. as far as the ion drive...i apologize if that is inaccurate. i got this information from the books "Star Trek: Enterprise Daedalus" and "Star Trek: Enterprise Daedalus's Children". These books talked about Trip's involvement with a program that was researching a cascading ion drive they affectionately called El Cid. Hope you'll still continue reading. I'm almost finished with part two...I won't give too many details, but it gets good. Also, I have the next storyline started. I think it's another one you all might find of interest. Hang on!! Good stuff! I can't wait to see where you take this! :) Intriguing story line. One tiny quibble, though. The action would flow more smoothly if there was less unnecessary dialogue... like this, for example: Several minutes later in the Launch Bay… =/\=Tucker to Bridge.=/\= or this:
=/\=Bridge to Captain Archer.=/\= Those passages, IMO, just took up space without really telling us anything that just starting the next scene with Trip piloting the shuttle toward the nebula or Archer walking onto the bridge wouldn't have told us. I think they bog the story down... but like I said... it's a minor thing. I'm looking forward to the next installment. Good job. : ) Wow!! I'm glad everyone is enjoying this so much. Anyway, I should have the next one up soon!!! Another quibble - I suspect Koss sent his condolences about Elizabeth, not his grievances! although he'd probably be pretty irritated, under the circumstances ... :-) Damn! Thanks for pointing that out Evalyn. I really need to check these things more closely before I send them in!! Anyway, I've hit a tad bit of a roadblock with the next story so it might take a bit longer than I thought. Have fun reading! And please...tell your friends :D |