Unexpected Redux-Chapters 20 & 21

Unexpected Redux

By Hoshi’s Sis

Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Paramount invented the characters and the original storyline; I just went and played with it a bit.
Genre: Friendship/Angst
Date: 05/31/05
Ok to archive
Thank you to Peter Simon for being my beta and Boushh for her helpful suggestions. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I’m glad you’ve stuck with me and that you’re enjoying this. One more chapter to go folks.

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Chapter Twenty

Trip was brought suddenly out of his mediation by a beeping noise coming from the navigation panel. A ship was closing on his position.

“Please let this be the Enterprise,” he prayed. The shuttle only had the basic instruments to navigate with, so he had no way of finding out who it was.

“Damn!” he muttered, when a phaser blast fired just wide of the craft, causing the pod to shake and him to lose his balance, hitting his arm on the side of the console. “Tucker’s luck strikes out again. Just for once, can’t things go my way for a change?” he muttered as another shot was fired a lot closer this time.

Afraid for his life and the life of his child, and knowing that it didn’t matter one way or the other now, he hit the comm channel to see if he could get a distress message to Enterprise.

“Enterprise! Enterprise, this is Commander Tucker. If you can hear me, please get to these coordinates as fast as ya can, because I don’t think this pod can hold out for long in this onslaught.” He pressed a button on the panel to repeat the message, then clung on to the console for his dear life. “Where’s Malcolm when ya need him?” he mumbled, as another shot found its target, throwing him hard against the side of the shuttle.

With his heart racing, he picked himself up and wiped his hand across his brow. After pulling it back, his fingers were covered in a deep crimson stain. Trip closed his eyes, while pressing his hand against his bump. “Sorry,” he thought, and tears leaked out of the corner of his eyes. “Looks like this is it, kiddo. They’re taking no chances this time, they’re doing it the quick, easy, and messy way. I wish I could have met ya. I bet you, me, and T’Pol would’ve made one hell of a team.”

Again, just like the time when Bree had tried to kill the child back on the ship, it felt like all of his intense emotions of fear, anger, and sadness were building up inside. Fueled, it seemed, by every ounce of strength and energy left in his body, they converged into one huge eruption of light, which surged outward from his body and surrounded the craft like a protective cocoon. “Damn!” he gasped as his body rocked with convulsions. “I wish ya’d give me some warning before ya do that trick,” he thought, before giving way to the all encompassing darkness.

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Back on Enterprise

“How much longer?” shouted Archer, clinging to his chair with his eyes fixed on the view screen, watching the image of a small pod that was being pounded by phaser blasts slowly grow bigger and bigger.

“A few more minutes before we’re in weapons range, Sir,” shouted back Reed as his fingers hovered tensely over the triggers.

“Hold on, Trip,” muttered Archer, feeling frustrated and helpless at seeing his friend in what looked like such a hopeless situation.

“By all rights, he shouldn’t have lasted this bloody long,” said Reed, wondering just what the hell was protecting the pod from those blasts.

“Let’s not tempt fate, Malcolm,” replied Archer, unwilling to admit that the same thoughts were crossing his mind as well.

“Weapons are locked on their shields and engines; we are coming into range now, Sir,” shouted look, with an eager look in his eyes.

“Fire at will, Lieutenant,” ordered Archer, as Malcolm let loose a volley of torpedoes. “Hoshi, use the grappler to get that pod into our shuttle bay, and get Phlox down there in case Trip needs help,” he said, looking at T’Pol for some sort of clue as to Trip’s condition. Their anxiety increased as she looked back at him, shaking her head to indicate that she couldn’t sense Trip no more.

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The sound of the clamps hitting their target told Hoshi that her aim had been good. Then she could see the pod being reeled in on screen. “Target locked and being brought home,” she shouted. They had barely pulled the pod in, when Travis broke away from the incoming fire in a wild maneuver, but still one torpedo hit their starboard nacelle and put a sudden stop to their escape.

“Malcolm!” shouted Archer, as the ship rocked with explosions which, caused ruptures in three junctions on the bridge.

“Goddamn it, I want bloody shields like they have,” screamed Malcolm in frustration, and sent forth another volley that didn’t seem to dent their shields in any way. “It’s like shooting rubber bullets at a brick wall!” he shouted, slamming his fist into his console.

Just as Captain Archer was about to reply, a huge anomaly ruptured in front of them, and threw both ships backwards.

“Hang on!” screamed Captain Archer as the ship veered on the port side, which caused each of them to be thrown from their seats. Just when it seemed that the Enterprise was going to spin out of control, everything stopped. The ship somehow righted itself, and hung limply in space as if it had been caught in a huge, powerful tractor beam. The crew picked themselves up off the floor, and watched the Duordean ship on the view screen spin violently off into a distance before a huge explosion tore it apart. With shocked expressions on their faces, they realized that the Enterprise was riding upwards into the belly of a starship about ten times their size.

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Chapter Twenty One

Archer looked up and broke the quiet, eerie atmosphere on the Bridge. “I think we’ve found the one’s we’re looking for.”

“Let’s hope these are finally the good guys,” cautioned Malcolm.

“They did save us from the anomaly, Lieutenant,” said Hoshi, a little wary after everything that had just happened.

“Considering how they caused the damn thing in the first place, Ensign, I’d be careful to be too optimistic,” Malcolm answered back, a little more roughly than he had intended. He was frustrated at continually getting their asses served to them on a platter.

“Have they contacted us? Or answered our hails?” asked Captain Archer, interrupting the banter between his two officers with a stern look.

Hoshi shook her head, indicating that no contact had been established.

“Captain,” said T’Pol, diverting Archer’s attention back, “while Ensign Sato is monitoring communications, maybe we should go down to Sickbay and check Commander Tucker’s condition?

Captain Archer nodded. Normally, he wouldn’t leave the Bridge under these circumstances, but the look in T’Pol’s eyes and a slight hint of anxiety in her vocal afflictions had told him that she had a reason to be concerned. He indicated for Lieutenant Reed to take over the Bridge.

Archer and T’Pol were on their way to the Turbo lift when Reed suddenly jumped up from behind his console. “There is an unknown energy source showing in Sickbay,” he said as he reached for his phase pistol and raced towards the Turbo lift. “I believe my position as Security Officer warrants that I join you.”

“Travis!” Archer said just for a minute before the Turbo lift door closed, “you have the Bridge.”

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Archer, T’Pol, and Reed raced into Sickbay, but were brought to a sudden halt by the sight of a small woman examining Trip on the central bio bed with Phlox standing calmly besides her, watching her every move.

“Report!” Archer shouted with anxiety in his voice.

“Are you are the Captain of this vessel?” asked the woman.

“Yes, and you are?”

“I am a Guardian, and my name is Malandria. I’m the protector of this child.”

“I’m glad to be making your acquaintance, at last. Thanks for saving our lives back there.”

“Oh, there is no need to thank me. It was unfortunate, but necessary. Her life was in danger, and my duty is to protect her at all costs.”

Malcolm threw Captain Archer a sideways glance, before mumbling in a quiet voice: “Why do I get the impression that we would have been part of that pyrotechnic display if we hadn’t reeled the pod in first?”

“You are correct,” Malandria answered, in a matter of fact voice, “I make no allowances or concessions for anyone in the protection of her life. Wouldn’t you say that is what our duty entails?” she said, looking him straight in the eye as if she was staring right into his heart, mind and soul.

“Touché,” replied Malcolm, staring right back.

“Your ship seemed immune to the danger from the anomalies?” said T’Pol, trying to diffuse the tense situation building up between Lieutenant Reed and the Guardian.

“Yes,” answered Malandria, before returning to her task of assessing Trip’s and the child’s condition. “We use them for navigation.”

“Interesting,” T’Pol said, absently minded while wondering for moment over the technicalities such a feat would involve.

“I wish we’d known,” said Captain Archer, “our journey might have been shortened considerably and Trip’s life might not have been in danger.”

“Unfortunatley, Trevella and Allian were prevented from passing on the full message,” she said, “had circumstances been different, you would have been found known you only had to proceed to an area of space near an anomaly and direct a signal into it. We would have been able to trace the message and find you a lot quicker.” Turning to Phlox she carried on, “I’m afraid his condition forces us to remove the child immediately. We have to transfer him immediately to our medical facilities; there we can sustain without any danger--”

The alien woman smiled an odd smile, before she explained. “The child is using your crewman’s life force to sustain herself. At the moment, she is stable but his body grows weaker continuously, and soon her life will be in jeopardy. We must remove her to prevent that from happening. We will transfer him to our medical facilities so we can perform the procedure. He won’t be in danger, I assure you,” she said, looking at Captain Archer who didn’t appear to be happy at all. “After the procedure, he’ll be returned to your facilities where he can recover, so we can commence on our journey--”

“You are just going to take her and leave? Just like that? Without even letting Trip see her or hold her?”

“My duty is to protect this child, nothing else. Do you expect me to take unnecessary risks to satisfy sentimentality?”

“I would expect a little compassion towards someone who has basically put his life on hold so she can have a chance to live!” argued back Archer. He didn’t want to anger these powerful beings, but neither was he prepared to let them rip out his best friend’s heart out by turning around leaving without allowing him to see her first.

“We are grateful for your help, but … do not try to prevent me from fulfilling my duty,” replied Malandria, standing in front of Captain Archer and staring back at him in an apparent battle of wills.

“We mean no harm towards you or the child,” said T’Pol, trying to diffuse the tense situation. “Humans, as part of their nature, are a very emotional species. They easily form emotional attachments to other beings. What Captain Archer is trying to explain is that even though Commander Tucker didn’t enter this pregnancy voluntarily, he has grown an attachment to this child as if she were his own. Like you would, Commander Tucker protected the child with his life throughout the pregnancy. He knows that you would be taking over this role once we found you, but breaking his attachment to the child abruptly would cause him serious emotional distress. We have no wish to prevent you from accomplishing your mission, we just want some time for him to say goodbye to someone he has come to care for.”

Malandria considered her words for a few tense minutes. “I offer no promises,” she said at last, pressed a button on a pad on her sleeve, and spoke a few unintelligible words before turning to T’Pol. “You should accompany us?”

T’Pol was visible confused by the request.

“You are his mate, are you not?” asked Malandria.

“Yes--”

“Then it is your duty to be at his side.” Before Captain Archer and Malcolm could interrupt, T’Pol, Malandria and Trip were transported away.

Phlox, Archer and Reed just stood there, and looked annoyed. They weren’t used to being treated like an unwanted piece of furniture that had no worth, or value.

“I don’t like this or trust her one bit,” said Malcolm, “and I’m not happy that she’s able to transport away with two Senior Officers just like that. Once she has the child … who knows what she’s going to do to them!”

“It seems like trust is called for, Lieutenant,” Phlox offered, “because there is nothing else we can do.”

“Exactly,” stated Archer, “and that’s precisely what I don’t like about it.”

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Chapters 22 & 23 (Conclusion)

Return to Chapters 18 & 19

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Eight hardy souls have made comments

Good one, keep'em coming.

Nice. I'd like to see both Archer & Reed's reaction to T'Pol's response to the "you are his mate" question once Trip gets back.

Looking forward to the next one...

I'm with Rigil. Is the fact that Trip and T'Pol are bonded that well known? Does everyone in the room know about it, or will there be some fall out from the revelation?

I'm with them!

The way I kind of see it, Phlox is probably aware of it (at least peripherally due to the changes in Trip's brainwaves due to the bond). The other two "might" be aware of it, seeing as to both can lay claim to the 'best friend' status with Trip. What's the word, Hoshi's Sis?

Well obviously both Phlox and Archer know about it so it won't come to any surprise for them. Reed is a bit surprised, as I think he only suspected that it had progressed that far, but he hadn't confronted Trip about it yet. There may be some teasing to Trip once he's back on his feet, but it'll be only best mate teasing between the both of them, as Malcolm knows Trip will want to protect T'Pol's privacy.

Gah! I hate these cliffhangers! This story is a particularly fun one. I can't wait for the next installment.

Thanks for clearing that up, Hoshi's Sis...