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Unexpected Redux-Chapters 14 & 15Unexpected Redux By Hoshi’s Sis Rating: PG-13 A/N: Thanks for all your comments on my story. Thanks to Peter Simon and Boushh for all their help. ******************************************************************************** Chapter Fourteen About a week later, just when Captain Archer was finishing off his shift, Lieutenant Parsons looked up from the science station. "Sir, I'm picking up an alien ship on the outer limits of our scanners." "Are they just sharing the same region of space?" "They appeared about ten minutes ago." "Have they noticed us?" asked Captain Archer walking towards him. He had an uneasy feeling about this. "Possibly," replied Lieutenant Parsons. "Although the ship does seem to be on an intercept course." "Are they within visual range?" "Not yet, Sir." "Can we hail them?" "No sir, they are out of communication range at the moment." "How long before they catch up to us?" "A few days at least; it could be sooner as initial scans seem to indicate that they are capable of higher warp speed than us, but I can't be certain ‘till they get closer." "Keep monitoring their approach and try hailing them once they are in range," said Archer, making his way off the Bridge. "Keep me informed of any changes. I'll be in my quarters." "Aye, Sir." -------------------------------------------------- Early the next morning as Trip entered the Bridge, the tension was so thick that you could slice through the atmosphere with a knife. Trip looked at Hoshi and Travis as he took some readings from the engineering console, but they were intent on diverting their eyes to look anywhere but at him. Malcolm fidgeted in his chair while glaring at Captain Archer, as if he was telepathically trying to urge him to say something. Apparently quite uneasy, Captain Archer stood up and looked over at Trip. "Commander, can I see you for a minute?" he asked, while indicating to his quarters. "Gimma a sec, will ya. I just wanna--" Trip began, before pausing as he realized their hull plating was raised. "Something I should know?" asked Trip when they arrived inside Archer's quarters. "I'm just being cautious after everything that's happened, Trip. There's nothing to worry about." Trip watched him encouragingly, so Archer carried on with his explanation. "We picked up the trail of an alien ship late last night, and then another one about two hours behind them. Both ships seem to be on an intercept course." "Oh!" replied Trip, sitting down as the color drained completely out of him. "Is it ... could one of them be the same--" "T'Pol has gone through the Daladians database, and both ships match the specs for the Doradians and the Duordean's." Archer grasped his friend's shoulder in sympathy, before he went on. "We don't know whether they are the ones who attacked them." "What are ya gonna do?" "We're going to carry on our stated heading. I don't think there's anything to worry about at the moment since they don't appear hostile, but--" said Archer quickly when Trip tried to interrupt, "I'm not taking any chances; Malcolm's prepped and ready to take direct action against them if it looks like their intentions are going to change." Trip tried to put across an encouraging face to show that he wasn't too concerned, but Archer looked unconvinced. "Well I'd better be off then. I haven't seen Phlox for ma daily check-up yet. Thanks for keeping me in the loop ..." Archer nodded, and patted him on the back as Trip turned to go out of the door. "I've had guards posted in Engineering, Trip. If we run into any trouble, I want to make sure you've got protection to back you up." Trip nodded his thanks, and turned to leave. Just before he left, Archer spoke up again. "My quarters, eight o'clock tonight," he ordered. "I've already got Chef whipping up a fresh batch of banana and pickle ice cream, so don't be late. You know I can't stand the smell of that stuff for more than five minutes." "Is that a hint to say you're still not gonna try some?" chuckled Trip. "Most definitely not." Archer replied with a smile. "You don't know what you're missin', Capt'n. It's got a hell of a kick, and the taste is out of this world." "I'll take your word on that, Trip," he laughed as the door closed. "Banana and pickle ice cream ...." he muttered before pulling a 'yuck' face. ---------------------------------------------------- Later that night "I've a good mind to sit you on the other side of the room," "What do ya mean?" replied Trip, pretending to be disgusted. Archer rolled his eyes, "I don't know how T'Pol lets you near here after eating that concoction." "Being in love allows you to make sacrifices," replied Trip in a dry tone of voice. Archer raised his eyebrows to indicate that he didn't believe a word of it. "Ya got me," Trip smirked. "She orders me to clean my teeth before bed and I spied a tube she'd hidden of that old nasal inhibitor she used to take." "That makes more sense," laughed Archer, just as the comm. unit started beeping. Reaching over to answer, "Archer." "Captain, the Doradian ship has just come within weapons range, and they have their shields raised," stated Malcolm. "Have you tried to hail them?" "Numerous times, but they won't answer," replied Malcolm. "They're either ignoring our hails, or they can't understand us. "I'm on my way," said Archer. He jumped to his feet the same time Trip did, and then headed for the bridge together. ---------------------------------------------------- "Report!" Archer shouted once he and Trip had arrived on the Bridge. His tension eased a little, though, when he saw T'Pol crinkle her nose up in disgust at the smell from Trip. "They are scanning us," replied T'Pol, as she looked through her viewer. "Captain, do you want us to respond?" asked Malcolm. "No, let's see what their intentions are first," said Archer. "They're hailing us," said Hoshi. "Put them on the view screen, Ensign," replied Archer, sitting down in his chair, while Trip stood behind him and gripped the back edge. On the screen, the face of an alien came into focus. No word was spoken while he focused on the bridge crew intently, as if he was eyeing up an opponent. Trip gasped as he recognized the face as one of the two heads of the beast in his dream. Captain Archer noticed this but didn’t do or say anything. Instead he sat down and waited for his opponent to speak. "I am Commander Sonar of the Doradian hierarchy. You are holding the sole heir of one of the ruling families of Doradia. You will return this anarchist and dissident to us immediately." "You're talking about the unborn child my officer is carrying?" replied Archer, a little confused. "How in any way is an innocent little "She represents disruption, encourages dissent and chaos, and disturbs the natural order of our society. She is a threat to our whole way of life." "In what way?" asked Archer. "That is none of your concern," Commander Sonar shouted back. "You will hand your officer over to us so that we can remove her and judge her for her crimes. Your crewmen won't be harmed." "You'll be condemning her to death," interrupted Phlox quite fiercely. "At her current stage of development, she's not capable of surviving outside the womb." Commander Sonar just threw him a smug look. "You have one hour to comply," he stated before the screen went blank.
Chapter Fifteen Jonathon Archer furrowed his brow. For a moment, he seemed to be deep in thought, but it didn’t take him long to make up his mind. “The hell I’ll comply,” he muttered and motioned to Trip, T’Pol, and Phlox, to follow him to the situation room. Once there the Captain looked at Trip. “Is there something you should be telling me?” “What do ya mean, Sir?” “You seemed shocked when you saw him on the view screen.” “Let’s just say I’ve been on the receiving end of his ‘judgment’ for the last few weeks.” Trip’s mind drifted involuntarily back to his dream. He saw that T’Pol and Archer were still confused, so Trip explained further. “Remember the nightmare that’s been plaguing me the last few weeks?” “As I explained,” Phlox fell in, “your ‘nightmare’ is just a representation of your subconscious fears, Commander.” “So how come the monster that’s tormenting me in my dream has his face on one of its heads?” Trip shot back and pointed at the view screen where the image of Commander Sonar had been. T’Pol remained skeptical. “I find it highly doubtful that it was Commander Sonar.” “Not him exactly, it was more like the image of what his species looked like.” “What does that still help us?” asked Captain Archer. “Well,” Trip began, “Allion did give us the coordinates of the Guardians. What if my dream is just a continuation of that message? Maybe it’s showing us who to look out for? How much do ya wanna bet that the people on the other ship behind them are represented by the other head of my dream monster.” “Usually, I would be skeptical too, but all I can say our recent exchange with Commander Sonar … is that he means business,” said Archer looking at Trip’s bump, “and not in a friendly way, when it comes to her” “We also know that Commander Sonar didn’t subject us to the same treatment he applied to the Daladian ship,” T’Pol remarked. “Yet!” Trip shot back. “What I mean, Commander, is that it is doubtful they gave the Daladians 1 hour to comply with their demands.” She raised he right eyebrow suggestively. “We could use this to our advantage.” Jonathon Archer began to grin. “I like your style of thinking, Commander.” Trip studied them cautiously for a moment. “Maybe this pregnancy has muddled ma brain cells, but I’m not sure where you’re going with this …” Before T’Pol could come back with a teasing retort, Archer quickly interrupted her. “Let’s just say we’re going to play along. We’ll stroke his ego for a bit, before blindsiding him out of action.” “Mr. Reed’s scan shows that their ship is shielded extensively,” T’Pol stated calmly. “We don’t have the capacity to put them out of action, Captain.” “Just disabling them temporarily would suffice,” Archer replied “We’ll have a good chance of getting the hell out of here and closer to reaching the Guardians.” “Sounds good enough to me,” said Trip. “I reckon I better get to Engineering and see to it that we’ll have as much speed as possible.” “Now you’re catching on, Trip.” Archer patted his friend on the back, before he turned and walked back to the bridge. “Malcolm, lock our weapons on the other ship’s critical systems, and have them standing by. Travis, you may want to get ready for some very fast flying out of here. Hoshi … please get our friend back on line.” “Commander Sonar onscreen, Sir.” “Commander Sonar,” Archer said while standing up, “I don’t need one hour to make a decision. I have decided to comply with your request … although it goes somewhat against our moral principles.” “I must admit, Captain Archer, I’m surprised by your decision,” replied Sonar with a smug look. “I didn’t expect a ship of your capabilities to give in so easily.” “When faced with difficult situations like this, our culture lives by the guidelines of sacrificing the one for the good of the many, Commander. Our technology is purely for defensive purposes.” T’Pol raised her eyebrows. “An interesting motto,” mused Sonar. “We seek only peaceful exploration. Normally we don’t interfere with other species, but the Daladians requested our help, unfortunately, and while we were assisting, they violated my officer against his will--” “That doesn’t surprise me, Captain,” Sonar interrupted him in a bitter voice. “The Daladians have made a habit of interfering.” “We were searching for them, actually. Have you come across them recently, by any chance?” “Sonar answered with an evil smirk. “I’m sure I’d remember such an encounter if we had.” “I bet you would, you smug bastard,” murmured Archer to himself as he walked up to Travis. He didn’t like this guy at all; his demeanor exuded that Sonar was dangerous and not to be trusted. Archer smiled at the alien. “We’re dropping to impulse. Why don’t you move your ship alongside us and prepare to dock at the aft hatch? I’ll have my Engineer and Doctor standing by for boarding.” “We don’t need your doctor for the procedure.” “Just a precaution,” Archer smiled. “You probably aren’t familiar with our species. Our doctor can help should any difficulties concerning my officer’s health arise.” Commander Sonar nodded to indicate that he understood. “Would you like to come over for a tour and some dinner?” Archer went on. “I’m sorry, but we’re anxious to depart and to get on with our journey,” replied Sonar, and simply cut off the transmission. “I wonder why?” muttered Archer with a hint of sarcasm, after the view screen had gone blank. “Malcolm, when we’re within 100 meters of their ship, hit them with everything we’ve got. Travis as soon as torpedoes have been fired, hit the gas and get us out of here fast.” Lieutenant Reed grinned. “You aren’t quite playing by the rules, Sir, but I like your style.” “I have the impression Sonar won’t play by the rule book either,” replied Archer, “and I not prepared to let him get the upper hand when Trip’s life is at stake.” “Coming up to 100 meters, Sir,” stated Travis, staring intently at his console. “Malcolm?” “Phasers locked and torpedoes standing by, Sir,” replied Malcolm, his finger hovering over the firing lock. Archer hit the button on his chair that would activate the comm. “Trip, stand by to give us maximum speed.” “I can give ya Warp 3.5, but we won’t be able to hold that for long if we come near any of those anomalies.” “We’ll try to make it quick,” Archer smirked before signing off. Next he turned to Hoshi. “Have you and Trip finished the upgrades to the Comm. System?” “Yes, Sir.” “Then start hailing the Guardians on the frequency T’Pol gave you as soon as we’re on our way.” “But we’re not at the given coordinates yet, Sir?” “It can’t be helped Ensign. Let’s hope they’ve received Trellian and Allion’s message, then they might be searching for us already.” “100 meters, Sir,” shouted Travis through the tense atmosphere on the Bridge. “The Doradian ship is firing its thrusters in order to maneuver over to our docking hatch. “Now, Malcolm,” shouted Archer, and Reed let loose with the phasers and torpedoes instantaneously. It was only a moment before the Lieutenant braced himself and gave Travis the signal to ignite the engines. The Enterprise jerked slightly, and jumped to Warp speed. “All hits were on target,” Reed smirked, rather pleased with himself as they sped away. “They won’t be troubling us for a while. I bet this wiped the smile off that smug bastard’s face.” Archer grinned, relieved that they had gotten out of what could have been a dangerous situation. “I’d love to see that, but I don’t think it’s worth risking another encounter. We probably not his favorite people right now and.” ----------------------------------------------------- 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 commentsBanana and pickle ice cream? Uggh....poor Tpol and Archer. I wonder if the other ship will help Enterprise or attack them also? Good chapter. Looking good. I mean, aside from the whole male pregnancy thing. What orifice is the baby going to be born through? Ick... Keep up the great work! Bananas and pickles?! Thank God when I was pregnant I only craved barbeque ribs and strawberries. A better combination! pickles and ice cream, eeeeewwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!! Man am I glad I've never been pregnant. great chap cant wait for more. pickles and ice cream, eeeeewwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!! Man am I glad I've never been pregnant. great chap cant wait for more. pickles and ice cream, eeeeewwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!! Man am I glad I've never been pregnant. great chap cant wait for more. Great chapters! Can't wait for more! More! More! More!! :-) Hee hee hee! Banana and pickle? Priceless. More, please! :) Hoshi's sis, Chiming in to say LOL for the Bannanas and Pickles. Poor T'Pol. LOL. :) I'd also like to say, "more". ;) As a mother myself who never experienced cravings I was quite surprised when my sister told me that her's were banana's and pickles, because she hated the stuff when she wasn't pregnant. So I thought it would be a laugh to combine them both into a yummy icecream for Trip. Finally had time to catch up on your story, Hoshi's sis. I love it!! And there could be worse things than pickle ice-cream. I mean, c'mon. Ice-cream and french fries are awesome! It's all about the salt and the sweet. Looking forward to more! I am impressed with this story. It is not ordinary. What can I say, I have become your latest fan. Continue with writing. |