Disclaimer: I do not own Soval or Star Trek: Enterprise. This is my first Enterprise fanfic, so please be kind.

Twigs and stray branches scratched Soval's face as the Andorian guard forced him onward, offering occasional encouragement with the barrel of his phase pistol. The Vulcan stumbled over a hidden log or branch and tumbled forward to his knees. He was only allowed a second's respite before the Andorians hauled him to his feet and made him resume his march.

Another tree branch scraped over his ear, and he flinched his head to the left away from it. Questions reeled in his head: why were these Andorians violating their treaty? Why did they kill his aid yet let him live? And where were they taking him? As far as Vulcan Intelligence was concerned, this moon held no strategic value whatsoever. It was illogical for the Imperial Guard to station a garrison here, and yet he had counted at least thirteen Andorians when they captured him.

And why let him live? Did they intend to torture him to extract information? Perhaps they did not realize that torture was rarely effective against Vulcans. Did they intend to use him as a bargaining chip in a negotiation? That too sounded highly inefficient. But, he reminded himself, Andorians were driven by their emotions and often made illogical moves, even more so than humans.

He stumbled into a clearing and regained his balance before looking back up. He raised his eyebrows.

A towering stone gateway was nestled in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by Andorian scientists. It was comprised of two spiraling towers, approximately ten feet apart, topped with winged figures. Tiny lights blinked at its base, which several scientists were scanning. One of them turned to the newcomers and signaled to another Andorian in uniform on the other side of the gateway.

He strode through it toward them, smiling smugly at Soval.

"Where did you find him?" he asked one of the guards.

"In a shuttle half a light year from here," he responded.

The Andorian soldier nodded. "It seems luck has been my friend today. The gateway is almost operational, and it seems we have our first test subject."

"Sir!" He turned around and looked at the gateway. A holographic projection bridged the two towers, flashing image upon image of alien worlds. Soval frowned; it looked like a portal, and this type of technology in the wrong hands could have deadly results.

The Andorian soldier walked up to the projection and paused for a moment.

"Show me Earth!" he barked, and the projection seemed to surge for a moment before images of Earth and her wars flashed before their eyes. The guard nudged Soval forward.

"I think I recognize you. Ambassador Soval, if I'm not mistaken?" the soldier asked once they were closer.

"You are correct."

"Ambassador to Earth for nearly 30 years."

"Correct," he replied stiffly.

"Well, let's see how well you know the pink-skins. Put him through," he ordered, and the guard prodded Soval forward.

The gateway hummed with energy, and Soval took a deep breath.

"Move," the guard hissed.

He set his gaze straight ahead and walked through.

…

The first thing that hit him was the cold. It crept over his skin, icy in its grip, and within minutes he was shivering. He crossed his arms in a feeble attempt to keep out the chill as he examined his surroundings.

He recognized the trees that marched away in every direction as pine, and their needles crunched beneath his feet as he shifted his weight. The sky was a steely gray, and the wind whipped his precise bob into disarray.

His breath fogged in front of him as he breathed out, and when he inhaled, his lungs almost contracted in the frigid air. He reasoned that finding shelter or at least a path would be the most logical course of action, so he set off through the trees. He saw the sun hover above the horizon and quickened his pace; he was traveling north-west if the sun was any indication. The land was sloped, in some places it was steep. Outcroppings of rock seemed to grow out of the ground like the trees around them, and he came across one that ran for as far as he could see up and down the slope. When he came closer, he realized it was a ravine, with outcroppings on either side. It was about ten feet deep and at least six feet wide.

Soval sighed. He scanned his surroundings for something that could be used to bridge the ravine, and his eyes fell on a log. He hauled it over to the ravine, stood it on end and let it fall over the gap. Shaking his head, he climbed on top and carefully crawled over the ravine.

But halfway across, he heard a snapping sound, and his hand slipped on a patch of wet moss. The log cracked down the side and sagged, throwing him off. He managed to grab hold of the bark, but it was wet and old and it easily yielded to his grip. He fell ten feet, and he felt sharp pain on his ankle as he landed hard on the rocky, leaf-mold covered floor.

He breathed in and out, dispelling the pain and focusing on the task at hand. The bottom half of the log had snapped and was dangling down into the ravine, and it did not look sturdy enough for him to use it as a rope. Besides, if he fell again, he would make matters worse. He supported himself against the cold wall and put all his weight on his good ankle. The sides of the ravine were stone made smooth by years of erosion, so there was no way of climbing out.

He heard the leaves above him shuffle, and he strained his ears. He heard barking.

"Hey!" he called out. "Down here!"

The shuffling got louder, and soon two dogs poked their heads over the edge of the ravine. They were soon followed by a woman, who gasped when she saw him.

"You're really lucky I packed some rope!" she called down to him. "Hold on."

He heard her walk away, pulling a bright orange length of rope out of her backpack as she went. Two minutes later, that length of rope fell over the edge, and he tugged it to make sure it was secure. It held, and with its help, he climbed out of the ravine, ignoring the stab of pain that shot up his leg each time he pressed his right foot into the wall. He climbed over the edge and laid there for a moment, catching his breath.

"Thank you," he said, taking a deep breath and sitting up. She frowned at him and her eyes kept flicking over to his ears and over his now-dirty clothes.

"Are you ok?"

"I believe I have sprained my ankle," he replied, taking her hand when she offered it to him. He wobbled a little as he got to his feet, but she held up his arm.

"You're really lucky I came by. They're predicting snow tonight."

He nodded, glancing at the broken log.

"You lost?"

He nodded again. "I was...hiking. I lost the path."

She quirked an eyebrow. "In those clothes? In this weather?"

"I..."

She shook her head. "Let me guess: your friends made you come along?"

"Exactly," he said quickly.

"Uh-huh...find some better friends. I wouldn't let my stupid sister-in-law outside in what you're wearing, not on a day like this. Listen...it's getting dark. We need to get inside before it starts snowing. I have a cabin not too far from here, and once the storm passes, you can call your friends and let them know you're ok, all right?"

He nodded and limped beside her as she led him through the trees. The dogs followed them, their panting loud and clear in the thin, chill air. The trees cleared and a small path trailed uphill, which they followed until they came to a large stone cabin. Smoke trailed out of the chimney, and the dogs ran ahead as she opened the door.

"Hope you're not allergic to cats," she said as she herded the dogs into another room and closed the door. He turned and looked back out the door before closing it, and he glimpsed the first snowflakes falling from the snow-laden sky.