Miscommunication - Part 3

Miscommunication

by Ragua

Disclaimer: Paramount owns all. I’m just borrowing.

A/N: All Vulcan terminology courtesy of the Vulcan Language Institute
http://home.teleport.com/~vli/vlif.htm

****

Chapter 5

Once upon a time, thought Jonathan Archer, I would have had some idea what was going on aboard my own ship. Since the Xindi mission, however, an invisible barrier had developed between captain and crew—even his senior officers. Up ‘til now, this had not been much of a problem. His bridge crew kept track of the moods and morale on Enterprise, and they updated the captain as needed. Recently, however, the bridge crew had become the problem.

Archer knew he sometimes had the sensitivity of a brick in his dealings with others, but he would have to be completely clueless not to notice that there was something going on with his senior officers. Tension on the bridge and at staffings was so thick that you could cut it with the proverbial knife.

Trip was most definitely involved in whatever was going on. Archer had known the man long enough to recognize that his friend’s behavior lately was uncharacteristic. The normally chatty Chief Engineer had become a virtual hermit, speaking only when spoken to and then in monosyllables. He had also been making excuses to avoid dining in the Captain’s Mess and had sequestered himself in Engineering for nearly a week.

Archer had seen the engineer pout before, but never to this extent. His friend must be seriously hurt or angry about something, but the captain had been unable to find out the reason why. Any time Archer tried to get information from him, Trip either deflected his questions or clammed up.

Most likely T’Pol was involved somehow. The captain had been dwelling on the interaction between his two most senior officers for some time. Trip was obviously smitten, but T’Pol was harder to read. Archer suspected some partiality on the Vulcan’s part, though, because she did not seem averse to spending time with the engineer. Or at least, she had been willing to spend time with Trip up until a week ago. Now, they did not interact at all unless absolutely necessary.

They must have had a fight of some sort, Archer decided. Maybe it was for the best. The captain had been wondering what to do about the possible relationship between his First Officer and his Chief Engineer. Now, he might not have to deal with all the complications brought about by that damned non-fraternization rule. Still, he felt sorry for his friends. Heartbreak was never easy, particularly when you were essentially trapped in a metal box hurtling through space with the object of your affection.

Archer frowned. A lovers’ spat between Trip and T’Pol didn’t explain the very strange behavior of Malcolm and Hoshi, though.

Well, Archer thought, Malcolm’s always been strange. The captain wondered, as he often did, whether that was because Malcolm was British, a Security Officer, or just quirky by nature. Maybe it was a combination of the three.

This morning, for example, the Armory Officer had showed up for duty with a vicious welt on his left cheek. When Archer suggested that Malcolm have Phlox look at it, the Armory Officer begged off. Better to keep the bruise, Malcolm had responded. It would serve as a reminder that he needed to be better prepared for an unexpected attack in the future.

Archer shook his head now, as he had shaken his head that morning. How the hell did you prepare for the unexpected? You had to expect something in order to prepare for it!! He would never understand Malcolm.

Hoshi, however, he had thought he understood, but now he wondered. She had been surprisingly snarky lately. The sweet little Hoshi he knew seemed to have disappeared. And this morning, if the captain hadn’t known her better, he would have said that she was hung over. But Hoshi didn’t drink.

Did she?

The door COMM distracted the captain from pondering the vagaries of his senior staff. “Come!” he called. To his relief, it was the person he had sent for.

“Travis, come on in,” Archer encouraged his helmsman.

Maybe now he would get some answers.

* * *

Hoshi Sato lay face down on her bunk. How she had managed to make it through the day without killing herself or someone else she would never know. Even when she realized, as the day progressed, that Lieutenant Reed had decided not to make an issue of their altercation, she had not relaxed. If anything, the thought that she might owe the Armory Officer a favor for letting her off the hook made her even crankier.

When she had snapped at the captain, she thought she had had it. Not only had Jonathan Archer been surprised, but Reed—and even T’Pol—had seemed shocked as well. After that, she had periodically caught Reed eyeballing her in trepidation for the remainder of their shift.

That’s right, she thought vindictively, no more mild-mannered Hoshi, you bastards. I’m a woman on the edge. Fear me!

Luckily for her, the captain had brushed off her unprofessional behavior. Hoshi decided she’d better get a decent night’s sleep before she started organizing a full-fledged mutiny against all the superior officers who seemed determined to make her life a living hell.

* * *

Trip sat at his desk wondering what to do about the situation of his erstwhile language tutor. He had ignored her message this morning, thinking that it would only be more nagging for him to come clean. Reading it now, however, he felt nothing but guilt.

“I assaulted Malcolm and now I’m going to be kicked out of Starfleet and thrown in jail and it’s all your fault!” the message wailed. Or at least, that’s what he thought it said. The text was pretty incoherent, particularly for the usually articulate linguist.

Geez, what had happened? He checked the log. The message had been sent sometime after midnight, but his conversation with the Communications Officer had ended around 9:30. Obviously Hoshi had sat up for quite a while worrying. Still, no one in Engineering had said anything today about the Communications Officer kicking the Armory Officer’s ass—despite his concern, Trip grinned evilly at the mental image—nor had anyone mentioned an arrest or anything of the kind. It had been a fairly normal boring day.

Trip checked the rest of his messages. There was another more recent missive from Hoshi. He opened it. Unlike her first message, this one was very clear.

“No arrest. No court martial. No charges. No mention, even. But if you don’t straighten this situation out, I’m going to do the same to you regardless of the consequences!”

The engineer sighed and shook his head. Hoshi sure was pissed off. But then, she had every right to be. She didn’t deserve all this. He’d better set the record straight. A scowl creased his features. He’d talk to T’Pol tomorrow.

In Vulcan.

* * *

Jonathan Archer gazed at his helmsman, appalled, but doing his best to hide it.

“Let me get this straight, Travis. The fact of the matter is—”

“Oooh, sir!” Mayweather interrupted, holding up his hands as if to stop his runaway captain. “I never said anything about facts! You asked what I knew, and I said I could only tell you what I heard through the ship’s grapevine!”

He’s like a lawyer issuing an official disclaimer, Archer thought wearily.

“Okay, then, according to sources,” the captain restated melodramatically, making air quotations with his fingers, “there is or was some sort of relationship between the First Officer and the Chief Engineer.”

“Yessir,” Travis confirmed. “It’s pretty obvious. I figured even you noticed that, Captain.”

“I did,” Archer concurred, hiding a smile at the unintentional insult. “These same sources,” he went on, “noticed that suddenly said Chief Engineer began spending a great deal of time with the Communications Officer. A...relationship was assumed to be taking place there as well?”

“Yes, sir,” Travis confirmed. “Although I don’t see it myself,” the ensign frowned. “It seems out of character. For both of them.” Then he shrugged. “But stranger things have happened.”

“Agreed. Now, the sources assume that a confrontation of some sort took place between two or three of those involved in this...situation,” Archer continued, “leading to the current state of...unrest present among the senior officers.”

Travis nodded agreement with his captain’s conclusion.

“So where and how does Lieutenant Reed figure into all of this?” Archer asked. “Because unless my scanners are completely out of whack, he’s involved somehow, as well.”

Travis agreed with this assessment. “Don’t know, Captain. But he is pretty good friends with Hoshi, and he’s Commander Tucker’s best friend, too.” Travis frowned. “Or, at least, he was.”

Kinda like me, Jonathan Archer thought sadly.

“Maybe they had words about the...situation as well?” Travis presented his theory, unaware of the inner turmoil his innocent comment had caused his commanding officer.

“Maybe,” Archer agreed.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, Archer pensive, Mayweather nervous. “Um, sir,” Travis ventured finally. When his captain looked up from his thoughts, the helmsman continued. “You aren’t going to tell anyone where you got this information, are you? I feel kinda like a paid snitch.” He grinned uneasily, hoping his captain would not take offense.

Archer smiled. “Don’t worry, Travis. I protect my sources.”

The statement didn’t comfort Travis. It sounded like this might be an ongoing assignment! “Sir? Will we be doing this,” he gestured back and forth between them, “again? ‘Cause it’s kinda...wrong.”

The captain sighed. “I agree, Ensign. But how else am I supposed to keep up with what’s going on between people on my ship? As captain, I’m not exactly in the gossip loop!” Travis had no answer to that, so Archer continued. “My only alternative is lurking around, hiding in corners, and eavesdropping.” Archer paused, enjoying the shocked look on the helmsman’s face. “That’s not just wrong, it’s undignified,” Archer stated sanctimoniously. Then he grinned. “And kinda pathetic, too.”

Travis returned the grin.

“If it makes you feel any better, Travis,” Archer went on, “consider it intelligence work.” Travis looked thoughtful for a moment. “That kind of thing looks great on your record!”

At this, a look of horror crossed Mayweather’s face. “Uh, sir, with all due respect, I think this...assignment isn’t something I’d want on my record!”

Archer sighed. Either he was terrible at making jokes, or the kid had no sense of humor whatsoever. “Understood, Ensign.”

* * *

Malcolm Reed sat alone in his darkened quarters, sipping his whiskey morosely. He pressed the glass to his sore cheek Hoshi packed a lot of power in that tiny frame. In spite of being on the receiving end of her fist, he was impressed. And more than a little turned on. What other martial talents could she be hiding?

But of course, she wanted Trip. So did T’Pol. They all wanted Trip. What was it about that bloody bastard? And why couldn’t he be satisfied with one woman? The Xyrillian engineer, that Kriosian princess, Corporal Cole, even T’Pol of the beautiful bum, for God’s sake! And now Hoshi. Why did he have to have them all? Why couldn’t he just choose one and stay with her?

No wonder his future self had died a bitter old bachelor on that other Enterprise in the Expanse. All the women were pining for the ruddy Chief Engineer.

His best friend.

Well, Malcolm thought despondently. Not so much any more.

He downed his glass and sighed.

* * *

T’Pol sat staring at the candle, once again unsuccessful in her attempts at meditation. She simply could not center herself. The doubt that crept up on her in the last few days would not allow it.

She gave up attempting to focus on the candle flame and gazed about her quarters. They seemed so empty without his presence. It had been comforting to have him there. Her mind went back to the first time she had ever invited him into her living area.

She had needed advice, and he was the only one aware of the details of her situation, and therefore the logical choice. T’Pol frowned, remembering her irritation upon learning that the human had read one of her private messages. Her frown deepened, recalling exactly how she had learned of the transgression.

He had come to her and admitted it.

T’Pol remembered how—despite her anger at the invasion of her privacy—she had been impressed with his integrity and the straightforward manner in which he accepted responsibility for his actions. He was not a man who engaged in dishonesty or subterfuge.

Had she been unjust in her treatment of Commander Tucker?

Regardless of their differences, she finally admitted to herself, they must discuss their situation. It was beginning to affect the crew. Lieutenant Reed was behaving more oddly than was usual, and if her emotional outbursts on the bridge today were any indication, Lieutenant Sato was obviously under some kind of stress as well.

Yes, thought T’Pol. Tomorrow I will approach Mr. Tucker so that we may resolve our differences.

* * *

As soon as his young helmsman left, the captain abandoned any and all semblance of professionalism. He dropped his head in his hands and groaned. This was why Starfleet had a non-fraternization rule!

Not that it made a bit of difference. This entire fiasco had taken place in spite of the rule. A lot of good the damned thing did!

There was no doubt in Archer’s mind that the rumors of an affair between Hoshi and Trip were false. Trip had always been annoyingly innocent in his relationships. He certainly conducted himself with some very old-fashioned notions with respect to male-female interaction. It never would have crossed the engineer’s mind to cheat on a woman or play one side against another. Nor, in his naiveté, would it occur to Trip that certain actions could be construed as such.

Trip just did not get seriously involved with a woman unless he was in love. His friend didn’t have it in him to be...seeing...two women at once. And he was in love with T’Pol. Of that Archer had no doubt. Did T’Pol love Trip? Maybe.

The captain sighed. Not surprisingly, Trip had screwed it up somehow, and poor Hoshi had gotten stuck in the middle. Archer felt like he had time-traveled back to adolescence.

Maybe I should just slip T’Pol a PADD with a note on it, like we used to do in Study Hall, he thought. “Trip likes you. Do you like him? Check one—‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

And how the hell had Malcolm got thrown into the mix? He had to be involved. That bruise on his face had definitely come from someone’s hand. Archer suspected Trip, but he knew Malcolm would feel honorbound to keep the details to himself. But just what were the details? Was Malcolm jealous? And if so, over whom?

T’Pol? Hoshi? Trip?!?!

“I’m not the captain of a Starship,” Archer groaned out loud. “I’m the principal of a middle school!”

Then the COMM beeped, summoning the captain to the bridge. Archer never thought he would be so happy to face an interstellar emergency.

Chapter 6

“Lieutenant Sato is correct, Captain,” his first officer stated. “The distress signal is Vulcan.” She hesitated. “And yet, it is a frequency consistent with that of a handheld or portable beacon—one used by landing parties, not space-going vessels.”

Archer frowned. “Any other ships nearby?” he asked.

“Negative,” T’Pol replied, after taking a moment to scan.

“Mr. Reed, your assessment?”

The Armory Officer was caught off guard. Normally, the captain just plunged headlong into situations like this, completely ignoring any and all security risks. Perhaps the Xindi crisis had taught him the value of caution!

“The discrepancy of the distress frequency suggests the possibility that it is a trap of some sort, Captain,” Reed replied, hoping he sounded rational instead of paranoid.

The captain nodded. “Agreed. But we can’t very well ignore a distress signal from an ally.”

“Then I would advise running continuous scans as we move to intercept,” Reed stated. “And, of course, we should go to tactical alert,” he couldn’t help add.

Archer took only a moment to decide. “Do it.”

* * *

The continuous scans advocated by Lieutenant Reed paid off, but not in a way expected by any of the officers on the bridge.

“Captain!” Hoshi was the first to call Archer’s attention to the odd situation. “I’ve finally managed to pinpoint the distress signal. But it’s not coming from a ship!” The Communications Officer stared at her monitor as if she could not believe what it was telling her.

T’Pol busily tinkered with her own monitors at the Science Officer’s station and then looked up at Archer, appearing as disconcerted as a Vulcan could. “It would appear, Captain, that the distress signal is emanating from a photon torpedo casing.”

Archer, dumbfounded, turned to Reed for a third opinion. The Armory Officer checked his own readings and then turned back to his captain, nodding, a shocked look on his face.

“Captain,” T’Pol went on. “Scans of the torpedo casing indicate a biosign present.”

“Alive?”

There was a pause as T’Pol rechecked her data. “Uncertain,” she responded.

Archer felt all their eyes on him as he returned to his seat. “Archer to Engineering,” he COMMed.

“Tucker here,” the response was immediate.

“We need to pick up the pace, Commander. Is Warp 5 an option right now?”

“Sure, Captain, but I wouldn’t advise keeping the hammer down for too long.”

“Understood,” Archer replied, signing off. Then he looked at his helmsman.

“Let’s get going, Travis.”

* * *

Archer moved briskly through the ship, followed by his Science, Armory, and Communications Officers. Phlox and Trip stood waiting for them outside the docking bay, where Malcolm had used the grappler to secure the photon torpedo tube with its mystery occupant.

The engineer knelt by the tube, deftly working to open it. A click and a hiss announced his success. Archer moved forward to assist in the removal of the lid, while Reed positioned himself at the ready with his phaser. T’Pol, Hoshi, and Phlox shared a look at the Armory Officer’s behavior, then stepped back in unison.

The removal of the torpedo casing lid revealed a gray-haired male Vulcan laying as if in a casket, hands folded on his chest. Without any prompting, Phlox stepped forward and scanned the body with his tricorder. Almost immediately, he began to make little noises that most of the crew associated with his quirky Denobulan curiosity.

“Well, well, well,” he muttered to himself, completely oblivious to the five pairs of eyes watching him expectantly.

Finally, the captain lost his patience. “Doctor?”

Archer’s voice brought the Denobulan out of his reverie. “Our mystery guest is alive, Captain,” Phlox cheerily announced. “However, he seems to be in some sort of self-induced coma or trance. All his bodily functions have slowed down to a fraction of their norm!” The doctor was most impressed.

Archer glanced at T’Pol for more details. She nodded with Phlox’s assessment. “There is a very complex mental discipline—the Kan-sorn—that would explain such readings. It takes many years to master.” T’Pol paused. “Vulcans who travel in space are encouraged to learn the discipline, as it can be an asset in situations where life support is compromised.”

“So he could have been in this torpedo casing for a damned long time!” Archer exclaimed. “What should we do for him? Can we wake him up? Should we?”

T’Pol considered. “I believe that the practitioner has the ability to bring himself out of the trance, once his subconscious senses that conditions have improved.”

“Then I had better get this man to sickbay as quickly as possibly,” Phlox concluded.

While the doctor supervised transferring the unconscious Vulcan to a stretcher for the journey to sickbay, Trip scanned the torpedo tube with his tricorder. The instant two crewman had lifted Phlox’s patient out of his makeshift transport, the engineer placed his hands on Hoshi’s shoulders, gently moving her aside, and then knelt to examine the tube more closely.

For Trip, intrigued as he was by whatever technology lay hidden in the Vulcan torpedo tube, the action was completely unconscious. Archer, however, felt Malcolm stiffen beside him and saw T’Pol narrow her eyes slightly at the physical contact.

Shit! the captain hissed internally. Couldn’t they get beyond this? For God’s sake, they had just pulled an elderly Vulcan out of what was essentially a flying coffin!

He attempted to get his officers’ focus back on the task at hand. “What have you got, Trip?”

The engineer’s attention had never wavered from the torpedo tube. “Several PADDs, probably with information about the situation that caused our friend to end up in here,” Trip nodded at the torpedo tube. He immediately began to peruse the information on the PADDs. “This one’s mainly text. Maybe a log or narrative account. It’s in Vulcan, so you’ll need to translate it.”

Archer watched, stupefied, as the oblivious engineer handed the PADD not to Enterprise’s Vulcan First Officer, but to its human Communications Officer.

Oh, God, the captain groaned to himself. Why don’t we just set the ship to self-destruct now and get it over with?

Hoshi took the PADD automatically, then, aghast, she cast a horrified look at T’Pol. The Vulcan dropped her eyes to the engineer crouched on the floor, her face frighteningly blank.

How the hell am I going to keep her from killing him? Archer wondered silently. He certainly wasn’t going to get any help from Malcolm, who had drawn in a swift, shocked breath at Trip’s action and then proceeded to become even more stiff, if that were possible. Archer suspected the Armory Officer was channeling one of those stone monoliths on Easter Island.

Sublimely unaware of the faux pas he had committed, the engineer continued sifting through his finds. “This one looks like scientific data. Maybe readings from the sector where the guy’s ship got into trouble...” Archer watched Hoshi pick up one of her feet slowly, as if she were contemplating planting it in the engineer’s backside.

Should I even try to stop her? the captain wondered. Trip’s cluelessness, while not at all malicious, surely merited a good swift kick in the ass. Luckily, Hoshi curbed her temper. Trip, however, rambled blindly on.

“...And this one is definitely some kind of engineering schematic. I should be able to figure that out. Oh, and here’s another one with lots of text. And another!”

The engineer rose to his feet cradling the PADDs to his chest. He had started to hand another PADD containing text to Hoshi when he realized that all his fellow officers were staring at him. Trip blinked, suddenly unsure and ill at ease.

T’Pol removed the PADD from the engineer’s hands. “Perhaps I should take that, Commander. It is true that I have been serving with humans for more than three years, but I suspect that I can still successfully read documents in my native language.”

“Oh,” Trip responded lamely, finally realizing that he had screwed up.

Badly.

“Um...I...sure, Sub-Commander, that goes without saying. I...uh...” Trip turned his eyes to the captain, silently pleading for a rescue.

Archer was tempted to slap his palm to his forehead. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and chanted to himself, I am the captain, I am the captain, I am the captain.

Then he was ready.

“Good thinking, Commander,” he barked. “T’Pol, you and Trip get these PADDs to the Command Center and start analyzing the information. Hoshi, I want you to help with the translations.” The three mentioned looked at him with varying expressions of disgust, unease, and outright panic.

Archer ignored them all and turned to Reed. “Lieutenant, I want you to make a thorough analysis of the torpedo tube. There isn’t likely to be much learned from it, but any little bit with help us. Once you’ve done that consult with Travis. Get the ship headed in the direction that torpedo came from, but only at impulse. We don’t want to rush headlong into whatever caused this. We need more information, and quickly.”

Now they were all staring at their captain. Archer glared back, daring them to comment. “In the meantime, I’ll be in sickbay with Phlox. I’ll expect a preliminary report within an hour.” He stepped back so that his glare could encompass all four of them. “Get moving.”

As they scurried away to perform their assorted tasks, the captain smiled grimly. Sometimes it’s good to be the captain.

* * *

Three hours later, the senior staff gathered in the Command Center. Working toward a common goal seemed to have diffused some of the tension, the captain noticed. T’Pol’s presentation of the information gathered was a model of professionalism.

“Our guest’s name is Kras. He is the Science Officer of the Vulcan research vessel Karil,” T’Pol began the debriefing. “The Karil’s mission is to make surveys of pre-warp societies in several sectors, discreetly observing them every few years to monitor their progress.”

“On their most recent visit to a planet known as Modinok, initial scans showed signs of technology far more complex than the indigenous culture had previously displayed.” T’Pol paused and checked her notes. “I believe the prior level of technology on Modinok was analogous to that of Earth in the early 20th century.”

“So these people shouldn’t have had even the most rudimentary capacity for space travel,” Archer sought confirmation.

T’Pol nodded. “When the Karil moved into orbit, it was discovered that the inhabitants—the Mahdini—had come to possess extremely advanced technology in the three years since the previous visit, most likely of alien origin.” T’Pol paused to survey her audience. “As the captain and senior officers were meeting to decide what course of action to take, their ship was struck by an energy pulse which disabled all systems but basic life support. The crew worked to get the other systems back online, but each time they came within striking distance of the goal, another energy pulse from the planet would bring down their systems again. The logical conclusion was that the Mahdini wished to capture or destroy their vessel.”

“Upon coming to this conclusion, the crew created a plan to reroute enough energy from all systems to fire a single photon torpedo.”

“And that is the torpedo that is currently sitting in Docking Bay 2,” Archer supplied.

“Yes, Captain.”

“What do we know about this energy pulse? Or the alien technology?” T’Pol nodded at Trip, indicating that the engineer would field this question.

“Only what the Karil was able to scan before its systems were disabled,” Tucker picked up the narrative. “It appears that the pulse emanates from a central weapons complex. This primary matrix is linked to a series of power relays. From what I can see, the relays may be supplying the power for the pulse weapon, but I can’t be absolutely sure,” Trip admitted. “I’d like to talk to the Vulcan, if that’s possible.”

Archer shook his head. “Phlox says not yet. Anything else?”

Hoshi cleared her throat, glancing briefly at T’Pol for permission. “The captain of the Karil was covering all his bases. The other PADDs with text were messages from the crew to friends and family members. I read the beginning of each message to make sure, but once I verified that each file contained personal messages, I didn’t read further. But I can continue if you want.”

Archer shook his head again, unwilling to acknowledge that possibility. “No, Lieutenant. Hopefully that won’t be necessary.”

The silence that had greeted Hoshi’s contribution to the meeting continued after the captain’s response, the seriousness of the situation driven home most acutely.

Suddenly, the COMM beeped, filling the silence. Phlox was calling with an update on his Vulcan patient. “Captain, our guest is awake,” the doctor chirped. There was a brief pause, and then the Denobulan went on. “You may want to bring a communicator with you, however.”

“Understood,” Archer responded automatically. He looked around at the expectant faces of his officers. “Sub-Commander, you and Commander Tucker are with me. Malcolm, go over the information on that weapon with a fine-tooth comb. The rest of you, dismissed.”

* * *

The need for a communicator became evident almost as soon as the small party reached sickbay. The Vulcan spoke no Standard and apparently had no functioning universal translator. T’Pol spoke to Kras soothingly and made introductions in Vulcan, while Trip set up a communicator to translate the conversation.

It didn’t take long. As if by magic, Kras’ words leaped from Vulcan to Standard. “In our quest to power my journey, communicators and translators were not deemed a priority,” the translator caught the Vulcan mid-apology.

Archer waved the apology off. “Luckily, we still have that technology.” The captain paused for only a heartbeat, then got straight to the matter at hand. “We’ve been through all the data PADDs you brought with you, but anything else you can tell us about the situation would help.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot add much to the data you have already accessed,” the Vulcan spoke with regret. “You already have all the information we were able to gather before our systems were disabled.”

“If we attempt a rescue of your crew, would Enterprise be in jeopardy from this energy pulse weapon?” T’Pol queried.

“It is likely,” Kras responded. “The readings we took indicated a matrix capable of generating enough energy to disable multiple starships.”

“Multiple unsuspecting starships,” Trip corrected. When the two Vulcans turned on him, frowning, he qualified his statement. “The Karil was caught unaware. We’d be going in on full alert, knowing we’d have to evade this pulse. They’d probably have a harder time hitting Enterprise if we stayed out of orbit and kept moving.”

Kras considered the human’s words. “That is a logical assumption. But the necessity to stay in constant motion would make a rescue attempt nearly impossible.”

“Would Enterprise’s phasers or photon torpedos have any affect on the Mahdini weapons complex?” Archer asked.

“It is unlikely that our weapons would have much effect, if we are unable to move within orbiting range,” T’Pol replied.

“And however dire the situation,” Kras added, “we would like to avoid violence.” When Captain Archer gave the Vulcan a startled look, Kras explained his position further. “The Mahdini have obviously been co-opted by a more advanced race. They are most likely innocent pawns of a species that has played upon their xenophobia. A resolution that does not involve harming them is to be preferred.”

Archer sighed, looking at the floor. There were time when he cursed the Vulcans for their pacifistic tendencies, but this time he had to admit that Kras was right.

“We could disable their weapon,” Trip suggested, startling his companions. His statement brought disbelieving stares from the captain as well as both Vulcans. Trip flourished a PADD, refusing to be cowed by their doubt.

“Look,” he directed his comments at Kras. “From what I can tell from the scans you took, this energy weapon is powered by a series of relays that connect to the primary firing matrix here,” Trip pointed the details out on the PADD as he explained them. “If we can sabotage the power relays, we can bring their weapon down long enough for Enterprise to pull the Karil out of range!”

Dealing with T’Pol had enabled Trip to become quite adept at reading invisible Vulcan expressions. The one that came over Kras’ seemingly blank face now was definitely disapprobation, with a hint of distaste thrown in. “Even had we more available intelligence, Commander, your plan would be extremely risky.”

The engineer looked at the ground, wrestling with his anger at such a defeatist attitude. “If you have a better plan to save the 102 people still on the Karil, sir, I’ll do whatever’s necessary to implement it.”

Trip’s ire was evident, but his demeanor towards the older man indicated nothing but dignity and respect. The controlled emotion definitely made an impression on Kras. The elderly Vulcan locked eyes with the human engineer for several moments before responding.

“It is true that our options are limited. Perhaps we can work together to implement your plan and increase its chances of success,” Kras finally acquiesced.

Now Trip raised his eyes to Archer’s. The captain gave his Chief Engineer a firm nod.

“We’ll be in the Modinok system in four hours. Let’s get a plan ironed out well before that time.”

Part 4 (Chapter 7)

Return to Part 2

Back to Fan Fiction Main Menu

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

Loved it!!

Archer pov regarding Trip and the situation with Tpol, Hoshi and Malcolm was just priceless. And yeah finally someone who knew that Trip was not the type to play one woman against another. Archer maybe is the one to straighten the whole mess out. Just loved this chapter.

Finally, a grownup . . . and it turns out to be Archer! Although, to be fair, both Trip and T'Pol planned to talk to each other. Absolutely fabulous story and the characters are bang on! I loved Archer's internal dialogues (monologues?). Can't wait for the next chapter.

YAY! I wonder how much of Kras's speech Trip could understand! I think it would have been funny if the communicator was off by a few words and Trip caught it, much to the surprise of Archer and T'Pol. But oh well. That was great!

I can't wait til you update again!

Some of my favorite lines:
"That’s right, she thought vindictively, no more mild-mannered Hoshi, you bastards. I’m a woman on the edge. Fear me!"-Great! LOL!
"As soon as his young helmsman left, the captain abandoned any and all semblance of professionalism. He dropped his head in his hands and groaned. This was why Starfleet had a non-fraternization rule!" -Great image, and excellent job with the scene with Archer and Travis. Poor Travis. Well, not really.
"Archer was tempted to slap his palm to his forehead. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and chanted to himself, I am the captain, I am the captain, I am the captain."- This scene was fantastically!-LMAO!

I'm dying over here. Wonderful job! The humor was great! Though the situation isn't exactly funny, Archer's outside POV demonstrates just how ridiculous it is.
Excellent work, more soon, please!

Love it! Great additon, and the voice of reason goes to... Archer! Go figure. Enjoyed Archer (much to my surprise)in this story, and his interaction with Travis was very funny. I was thinking along the same lines as Jenna-- that the UT was offline somehow, and that Trip was able to understand what was beening said. However, I'm sure that we'll see that somewhere down the line :) Looking forward to your next update!

I've been checking the site regularly for an update. I have laughed myself silly with Archer's POV.

Poor Trip. He's really clueless at times for his own good. Loved how T'Pol went back to the beginning to realize Trip wasn't the type to be dishonest, and Archer knew it, as well. Finally, someone's remembering what an honorable man Trip is.

Maybe Malcolm should extract the rod up his bum. Being so rigid will keep him single.

Hoshi is terrific. Loved her righteous anger and take no crap attitude.

Great stuff.

What a fantastic chapter. I loved Archers POV and laughed out loud at some of his comments. Its nice to see Archer actually caring about the welfare of his crew and showing a sensitive side to his character. I hope we get to see this side of him again in the series. Look forward to your next update.

Great Chapter!

"As they scurried away to perform their assorted tasks, the captain smiled grimly. Sometimes it’s good to be the captain."

I loved that line, and suprisingly I liked your Archer! Not trying to be superman, just being a man...with a ship full of children!

I liked that its the person whose known Trip the longest that acknowledges how honourable Trip is. Go Archer Go! (Gawd, did I actually type that!)

My absolute favourite line, though, is:

"Archer suspected the Armory Officer was channeling one of those stone monoliths on Easter Island."

Next chapter please!

Brilliant, I love how you have written this and actually shown a side to Archer we only really saw in Season 1. From then on his character just went downhill. Loved how both Trip and T'Pol decide they have a need to talk, can't wait for Trip to do it in VULCAN! And I loved how he projected just the right attitude to Kras to convince the Vulcan that they could work together. Keep going but quickly, I am loving this. Thanks, Ali D :~)

That was soooo funny! The only "normal" one is obviously Archer. I so laughed at:

"Archer was tempted to slap his palm to his forehead. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and chanted to himself, I am the captain, I am the captain, I am the captain."

Please continue soon! This story is marvellous!

YAY an update! thanks for listening to us and continuing soon! I loved this part! ;) keep it up!

Trip's response to Kras' disdain for his plan was perfect.

This is exactly the kind of story I needed right now. Love the inner dialogue and humor. Can't wait for more.

What a fantastic story. Love the humour.
Please!!Please!!!! Please write more!!! I am so anxious for the next instalment.

I must echo everyone else's sentiments and say that this is an utterly delightful story. Please continue!

I agree with everything the others have said, this story is spectacular! It is great how you orchestrate everything towards the big confrontation, I really can't wait to learn how it goes on! Please hurry with the next part.