Enemy of the State-Ch 21

Enemy of the State

By Quills

Contact: quills@thequillpen.net
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story.
Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure
Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Earth from the mysterious Xindi. While searching for the weapon the Xindi intend to use against Earth, Captain Archer and his crew are reunited with their friend from the future, Captain Soma, who brings news of an even more sinister plot by a Xindi faction involving the Vulcans, which threatens not only Earth, but the entire galaxy. Now it is up to Archer and his crew, with the help of Soma, to unravel the Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat…Vulcan.
***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, “Carpenter Street”, but before the episode “Harbinger”.

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Chapter 21

Trip Tucker walked down the steep inclined passageway. He had to be careful and watch his footing or he would end up tumbling headlong down to the floor below. There had already been one injury to his engineering team because of it, Ensign Rostov, and it wouldn’t do to have the acting captain follow suit. Extending his arm, he braced himself against the wall as he continued down the passage. When he had reached the bottom, he looked out across the open cavern. The ceiling had an immediate rise to some fifteen meters and extended back to the length of the cavern, sixty meters out. Half way across and to his right, he could see Beta team along the southern wall. He had split his engineering crews into Alpha and Beta teams for the mission. Alpha team was in charge of the Preserver transporter and portal, while Beta team was left to handle the energy source. In truth, the energy source was the most critical, and the area that had proven the most difficult. Without the energy cube to power it, the Preserver transporter was little more than an alien artifact. To add to the problem, they only had one cube operational out of the four they had found. If that cube went, so did the away teams chance of returning home.

Tucker made his way to the makeshift housing Beta team had set up for the energy cube. The chasm was originally one structure, but had been separated at some point in the planet’s geologic past. The Preserver transporter itself was on the other side of ten meters of solid rock. The only access between the transporter and its energy source was the passage Tucker had just come through. Looking past the stacks of Starfleet storage containers, he focused his attention on the lone energy cube and the woman standing over it with a look that did not fill Tucker with confidence.

“Hess, how’s that power cell holdin up?” he called out to his senior engineering assistant.

Hess looked up from the cube. “Not good sir,” she said shaking her head “The cell is only forty nine percent recharged.”

“What?” said Tucker in surprise, “but it should be at least seventy by now.”

Tucker walked up to the glowing white cube; crouching down he looked up at Hess.
“Let me see your scanner,” he said. The lieutenant handed him her scanner and he jabbed several keys, passing the device over the cube. Adjusting the scan to the settings T’Pol had used on the other cubes, he ran the device over the cube again. “Dammit, there’s a micro-fracture, just like the others.”

Hess gave him a start. “But how? We ran detailed scans on it.”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Tucker, shaking his head. “We can’t fix it. So this means our window numbers are reduced. If the power charge keeps decreasing exponentially, then that’s going to leave us with only two cycles, instead of three.”

“Including the one coming up,” added Hess.

“Including the one coming up,” nodded Tucker. “That means the Cap’n and the others only have another fourteen hours to complete their mission, and we have no way of tellin’ them.”

“What do we do, sir?”

“Nothin’ we can do,” shrugged Tucker. He hated to admit defeat, but there wasn’t anything he had to repair the cube, and no substitute power that was compatible. “In exactly three hours the cube cycles and we open the corridor, as scheduled. If they’re not there, then we wait another eleven hours, and hope they can get back by then.”

Tucker’s communicator chirped. Reaching into his sleeve pocket, he pulled it out, flipping the antennae grip open.

“Tucker here.”

“Commander, it’s Lieutenant Reed,” replied the familiar voice. Reed was currently at the ship’s con while Tucker supervised on the planet.

“Malcolm, please tell me yer callin’ with good news,” said Tucker, a hint of desperation in his voice.

“Afraid not, Trip,” replied Reed. “Long range sensors have picked up an object approaching the system.”

Tucker shook his head. It was never simple. Something always managed to complicate matters even when they had already been complicated enough.

“What is it?” asked Tucker, dreading the answer.

“We’re not sure,” answered Reed. “But whatever it is, it’s big.”

“A ship?” asked Tucker. A ship was last thing they needed.

“Too far away to tell, but at it’s present speed it will be here in just over twelve hours.” Reed let the silence hang for a moment as he waited for Tucker’s response. When he didn’t get it, he pressed the matter. “Commander, I think we can be fairly certain that it’s the Vulcans. When the away team left, the Vulcan shuttle was five hours overdue for a check-in.”

“Thank you Malcolm,” said Tucker with a twinge of sarcasm, “that hadn’t occurred to me.”

“Well what do you propose we do?” asked Reed, not bothering to restrain his annoyance with his friend.

Trip sighed, “We’ve got a problem of our own. The energy cube has a fracture, just like the other ones. The power levels are droppin’ with each cycle. I figure we got two cycles, includin’ the one comin’ up.”

“But that only gives the captain and his team…” Malcolm paused as he rechecked the figure he came up with, “fourteen hours.”

“Sounds about right,” said Tucker, in agreement.

“But they think they have another twenty-five.”

“I know,” said Tucker.

“So what do we do,” asked Reed.

“Well for one thing, your gettin’ Enterprise the hell out of here,” said Trip. “A small team can stay down here with me to make sure the corridor opens for the away team.”

“Trip, you can’t be serious,” said Reed, not bothering to hide his disagreement. “You’ll be cut off.”

“No choice, Malcolm. If that object turns out to be a Vulcan ship, then you need to be long gone.”

“And what happens when it shows up?” asked Reed. “You’ll still have to wait nearly two hours before the last window opens. If the Vulcan’s arrive, they’re bound to scan the planet and they’ll detect the energy signature.”

“We’ll shut everything down until the last minute,” replied Tucker, “hopefully they won’t detect us.”

“Trip, it’s suicide.”

“Lieutenant,” said Tucker, stressing Reed’s rank, “you have yer orders.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Malcolm…I know it’s hard, but we have ta think of the mission,” said Tucker. He was sympathetic to his friend’s position. “It’s what the captain would want.”

Reed sighed. Tucker was right and he knew it, but it didn’t make it any easier. “All right, how long will you need to evacuate anyone who isn’t staying?”

“We have less than three hours before the first window. We’ll wait till then. If the cap’n and the others aren’t back, you’ll beam up anyone not stayin’ and get the hell out outta here. If the Vulcan’s don’t hang around, then maybe you can come back.”

“And what if they decide to stay?” asked Reed.

“You find another way to save the time-line,” he answered. “Tucker out.”

Chapter 22

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

A brilliant pair of chapters. I like that the tension is still running high on Vulcan and the Preserver planet.

Hmm, so Prefect Soval is keeping an eye on our T'Pol. I guess he suspects that this isn't his daughter, bwahahahahaha!

Soma really should accept that his mother is Maxim cover-girl and that its asking too much for the entire male population to see her the way he does, either that or he needs to start flinging his fists about :-)

Worth the wait. Thank you, Quills!

Oh God, I hope Soma beats the crap out of Archer! You're getting my hopes up. That rat bastard. I'm off to find the anti-Archer couch.

Good chapters. I hope T'Pol uses her new-found status, and that we find out what's up with Soval.

Wow, absolutely wonderful! Loved the tense feeling throughout the story. Great pacing as always.

Hmmm... let me see... are you going to resolve the Archer/Soma dilemma peacefully, or are they going to breakout into an old fashion donnybrook? I wouldn't mind seeing a little dust up.

Well worth the wait! Thanks!

Okay Quills these chapters were great... so when does Soma kick Archer's ass? Is it in the next chapter perhaps? The chapter after that? I need to know!!!!!

Can't wait for Soma to really put Archer in his place but it would be light years cooler if T'Pol did it! And good old Trip sticking steadfastly to the plan even though it looks like a one way ticket to hell. Gulp! Ali D :~)

between bakula's recent cold comments on the trip/archer lack of friendship and how archer comes across in this chapter i feel myself tempted by the anti archer couch.

he thinks about the mission and that is a good thing but he is really risking it with that arrogant attitude.

and he has time to think about his lust for tpol, feelings of guilt,what does soma think.. is this why soma is angry, what about tpol, does tpol want him..

BUT NOT ONE THOUGHT NADA NONE ABOOUT HIS SHIP AND THE DANGER SHE WILL BE FACING SOON,,

argh..and archer knows the vulcans and others will come a looking since he was the one that told trip about the shuttle was reporting in on a regular basis and they were five hours late in reporting.

but you cant tell that from this chapter.. he is far more concerned with his personal issues with tpol and soma then to think about his ship and his friend who is willing to risk his life to try and protect their passage back home.

i think it is especially interesting how archer and tpol have totally forgotten trip..
and it is especially bad on archer's point in that we see in this scene not only is he aware that trip and tpol will eventually get together but he knows that trip is already in love with her..

Archer and Soma walked down the short incline as they approached Tucker. They both noticed his attention was focused directly behind them. Neither of the men had any difficulty figuring out what or rather who had the engineer’s rapt attention.

Soma was the first to reach Tucker and he gave him smile. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not polite to stare?”

Tucker’s head snapped towards Soma and Archer. His cheeks turned a bright crimson color as Archer and Soma looked at each other and laughed.

i do wonder what is motivating jon's guilt.
that he lusting after a woman that not only will marry who was his best friend but also his friend is in love with her already.
the friend that has saved him several times, the one that archer gave a small piece of his soul to save in similitude.
or is just that soma is there giving him those looks.

==========

but you know i am also not so thrilled with soma being caught up into this little soap opera either.
the mission should come first and not his reaction to his momma kissin the captain.

the way the two of them (at least tpol's seems to be a little more focused) are fixated on the kiss they are going to screw the mission.

i do like the overall story... as usual it flows really well and is full of suspense.

interesting twist with soval keeping an eye on his possible dead daughter come mysteriously back to live.

good story i just wish archer would remember he has a ship facing her own danger because i think the archer in the series would.

Wow Pooka, tell us how you really feel about Archer! :-) LOL! Add me to the list of people who'd like to see Soma deck Archer a good one. It's the least you can do for us Quills, seeing as you put the image of Archer kissing T'Pol in our heads. Look how traumatized poor Pooka is!

GREAT! I have been waiting for an update on this story. I really want a nice Soma kicks Archers ARSE scene and also perhaps Soma just bitchin' his mama T'Pol out too.
AWESOME STORY
Update again real soon.

"the way the two of them (at least tpol's seems to be a little more focused) are fixated on the kiss they are going to screw the mission." - pookha

Yes...they are a bit childish...I wonder if they'll realize it before something drastic happens.
Q

am mol and dak.. i am upset both with archer and soma for their little testosterone pissing contest in the middle of this mission.

jeeze it is like ok .. the kiss bothers me and i feel ect ect.. and will do ect ect but no it has to wait for the mission but then two minutes later they are back at it.

well at least i know quills sees them as being childish and that comment sounds forboding.

in some ways i am more upset with soma because he is older and more experienced..
but then i am upset with jon for the bad timing for an alpha male act when he is the less experienced one plus a fish out of water.

like i said it is odd the most focused one is tpol.. so much for adverse trell affects.

so it is a bunny kick in the hiney for soma for not being more focused and two for jon one for the same thing and another for forgetting about his crew and friend.

That's what made me mad more than anything, that Archer was so completely out of his element, and still acted like an ass. *sighs* I think I feel a little super-Archer coming on. Who needs Soma? Super-Archer can wing it in Vulcan if he pisses off his BEST FRIENDS' SON.

I think Soma was right when he wanted to nerve pinch Archer and go on the mission without him (one of the earlier chapters) -- right now Archer seems to be more trouble than he's worth. Good chapter though!

nah not super archer..
super archer would have learned the language by osmsis.. and not needed the tri ox compound ..
lol..

jon might be acting a little like an arrogant not nice word here but he isnt super archer.

i do like it that tpol is the most steadfast of the three.

maybe she needs to tell them both off,.

;a)

So, whens this story gonna be finished or at least updated I am really looking forward to reading whats going to happen.

ooooh please finish this story