And Baby-Ch. 10

And Baby Makes Four

By Samantha Quinn

All disclaimers in part I
Part 10
Interlude

****

THE ENTERPRISE

As Captain Archer walked into the mess hall, he was surprised and slightly irritated to see another form sitting at one of the tables. He had not expected someone else to be there, so late. He had deliberately chosen this late hour to avoid having to see anyone else's face while he ate. Being surrounded by people while he ate only reminded him of his error in judgment. It reminded him that he hadn't seen T'Pol or Trip, his normal meal companions, in two days.

Seeing the crewman to be Ensign Sato, he decided to walk over to the Ensign and join her.

"Hello, Hoshi," greeted the Captain as he sat down. Hoshi looked up in surprise. The Captain noted the puffiness and redness which surrounded her eyes. **She's been crying,**he deduced.

"Good evening, Captain," she replied as he sat down.

"Hoshi, we'll get them back," the Captain promised. **That sounded hollow even to me,.** he noted.

Hoshi laughed bitterly. "That isn't likely, Captain," she informed him. "They have a warp 10 capability. We can barely make warp 5. Hess tells us if we continue to pressure the ship to go this speed, it's going to fall apart."

The Captain nodded. "I know that, Hoshi. But you have to have faith-we'll see them again. I'm certain of it."

"How can you be?" Hoshi asked incredulously. "The odds are stacked pretty much against us, Captain."

There was a pause, and the Ensign continued. "You know, Malcolm and I have been having a scheduled target practice every Thursday night," she mused.

"Tonight's the first time he's missed it."

Archer hadn't known that. "Really? I had no idea you were so close to Malcolm," he said in surprise. "You-you must really miss him."

"Yes, I do," Hoshi murmured.

"I'm sorry, Hoshi," the Captain grieved.

"It's not your fault, Captain," Hoshi assured him. But Archer shook his head.

"Isn't it?" he asked. "You know that both T'Pol and Malcolm protested sending over three of the four highest ranking officers. And did I listen? No. I was too busy playing Captain to realize that their concerns might be valid. What good did it accomplish? It got all three of them kidnapped on board an alien ship traveling at warp 10." Archer shook his head again, ruefully. "I'd say that pretty much makes it my fault."

There was another pause before Hoshi whispered softly, "It means Lethal."

"What?"

"The ship name, The Letal? In Spanish, it means The Lethal."

"Hoshi--"

"I'm the ship's linguist, right? If anyone should know that, shouldn't it be me?"

"There was no reason for you to suspect--"

"I can speak Klingon, Vulcan, Andorian, and nearly any alien language you give me, but when an alien has a Spanish name for their ship, I can't pick it up?" Hoshi berated herself.

"Hoshi, they claimed to be benevolent. All of us fell for it, myself included. You can't blame yourself," the Captain said softly. Mentally, he said to himself, **But I can and do blame myself.**

***************

THE COCHRANE:

"Direct hit, Captain," Lt. Stoffer reported.

From his post at the science station, Leland confirmed Stoffer's report. "We have damaged their warp drive. They have impulse power only."

Captain Tucker nodded. "Can we transport over there yet?" she inquired.

Leland shook his head. "Negative, Captain. While we have inflicted enough damage to their warp drive, their shields remain in effect at twenty-five percent. That's enough to prevent us from beaming aboard the Letal."

As Leland finished his sentence, the ship rocked as another burst of Gabbaccian phasers hit the Cochrane. "Evasive maneuvers, Ensign Sisko," the Captain ordered.

"Aye, Captain," replied the helmsman as he worked to get them out of harm's way.

"Lieutenant, fire photon torpedoes when ready," the Captain instructed.

"Aye, Captain," came the reply.

"Captain, we're being hailed by the Gabbaccian ship," remarked the Ensign at the Communications station.

"Ignore it," replied the Captain. **I cannot allow them to know who the Captain of this ship is**Alanna reflected. **They'll know what I'm trying to do.**

"Enemies shields are down, Captain," Leland informed her. "I suggest we beam over there immediately."

"Thank you Malcolm for inventing Starfleet photon torpedoes," the Captain exclaimed excitedly to her long deceased friend and the man she had considered an uncle. "Lieutenant Leland, come with me to the transporter room. Commander Brandeis, you have the bridge."

Both Brandeis and Stoffer were on their feet to protest immediately. "Captain! With all due respect, I am the ship's security chief. If anyone should be going on the away mission to the enemy's ship, it should be me," Stoffer argued.

"And I am the ship's first officer," Brandeis added. "Which means I should go in your place, Captain."

Captain Tucker shook her head. "I don't have time to argue with either one of you. I've given my orders. I expect them to be followed. Commander, as soon as the transporter room lets you know we have left the ship, engage cloaking technology. Lt. Leland will let you know when we are ready to beam aboard. As soon as the landing party arrives, destroy the Gabbaccian ship. By any means necessary."

"Captain?" inquired Sisko. "You-you won't be returning with them, will you?"

"No, Ensign, I will not. Are my orders clear, Commander?" Alanna demanded of her first officer.

"Aye, Captain," Brandeis said softly.

*****

Contine to Chapter 11

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