Title: Secrets
Author: soultoast
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: Takes place after "The Expanse." This is a work of my fantasy, crossover with some of my personal characters.
Pairings: No.
Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Star Trek. If I did, it would be a hell of a lot weirder.
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Admiral Forrest frowned. "What do you mean 'they disappeared?!'"
Major Hayes shifted in his seat and tugged at his collar. He suddenly felt inadequate and unprepared. He cleared his throat.
"Well, Sir, we were placed on leave for a month two weeks before the Xindi attack. They just took off like they always do. They always make it back on time," he explained.
"And they disappeared?" Captain Archer asked, his eyes narrow. He understood the need of have MACOs onboard for the Expanse mission, but this seemed like incompetence. He looked over at his security chief; Reed was having difficulty keeping his mouth shut.
"We didn't know at the time we would be assigned again after only a week and a half. With all due respect, we work very hard. My team needed shore leave. Especially those six, they are some of the best fighters I have seen. If they say they will meet us before we hit the Expanse, then they'll be there."
Archer opened his mouth to argue, but Forrest held up his hand to silence him.
"Major Hayes."
"Yes Admiral?"
"Make sure that your team has all the supplies they'll need, including the missing ones. And make sure they'll be at the rendezvous point on time. It won't do to have a team missing six of its twenty members. Dismissed."
"Yes Sir," Hayes nodded, leaving the Admiral's office.
"Why do we need his help, Sir? He can't even keep track of his own men!" The Captain and Admiral turned towards the angry Brit.
"Because we'll probably need their muscle power out there," Archer admitted sadly.
"As much as this development bothers me Jon, I have seen this team practice, and they are the best team to take, especially the six that are missing."
"Alright Sir. If you say so," Archer allowed. Reed shook his head: this was going to be trouble.
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One Week Later…
The crew was tense: in a while, they would be in the Expanse on a mission to save Earth. They were all aware of the depth and importance of this mission. If they failed, all they knew and loved would be destroyed. Jon sat in the Captain's dining room with T'Pol, Trip, and Hayes. Trip looked hollow and empty; Lizzy's death had hit him really hard. There were times when Jon wasn't sure if his best friend would make it.
"So, Trip, how are the upgrades working?" Trip raised his eyes; they were glassy from sleep deprivation and pain.
"They're working," he muttered. Jon shut his eyes, seeing Trip like this was wrong. He was about to speak again when the com system chirped.
"Bridge to Captain Archer." Archer grabbed his communicator.
"Archer here."
"Sir, we're being hailed by a Nausicaan freighter. They said they have 'our warriors.'" Archer turned towards Hayes.
"Would that be other members of you team, Major?" Hayes sighed in response.
"I wouldn't be surprised, Captain."
"We'll be up there in a minute. Archer out." He turned towards his senior staff.
"Shall we?" They stood and followed Archer out, as did Hoshi and Malcolm, who had also been contacted by the bridge. As soon as they reached the bridge, T'Pol went to her science station and began observing the ship while Hoshi and Malcolm went to their respective stations.
"Sir," started Hoshi. "We're being hailed again."
"Onscreen." Immediately, the face of a Nausicaan appeared.
"I'm Captain Archer of the Starship Enterprise. What can I do for you?"
"I am Dutarak. I have your warriors. Send a shuttle to retrieve them," he commanded gruffly.
"May we speak with them first?" Archer asked. He wanted to make sure they were on board before he sent someone over; he'd learned that Nausicaans weren't always the most trustworthy group.
"Very well. You!" Durtarak barked at a person off screen. Archer raised his eyebrow as a man with red hair stumbled into view.
"Who are you?" he asked, his eyelids nearly closed. His words were slurred, and his hair was mussed. Before Archer could answer, Hayes stepped forward.
"Where are the others at, Corporal?" The MACO frowned.
"What are you doing on a Nausicaan ship, Major?" he asked, weaving about on his feet. Hayes shut his eyes and slowly counted in his mind.
"I could ask the same of you, Roberts."
"Oh, we, I mean, Asha, won the ship in a -"
SMACK! A hand came down, striking the Corporal's head. The Nausicaans behind him roared with laughter.
"Shut up Eli. The Major has told us before he doesn't wish to know of our- private- activities," a Russian voice from off screen admonished. Eli was then pushed away by a tall blonde man. He turned and faced the view screen, smiling broadly.
"Major," he acknowledged, nodding his head. His accented voice gave him away as the speaker who had interrupted Eli.
"Corporal Vissarovich, I'm glad you made it," Hayes said. Archer stepped forward.
"What are you doing on a Nausicaan freighter, Corporal?"
"Getting a ride, Captain."
"A ride?" Archer countered. Hayes turned to him.
"Captain, I have known them long enough to know that you don't want to know what they do on their time off," Hayes supplied. "Can we send a shuttlepod and pick them up, Sir?"
Hayes starred at the Captain. He wasn't sure if the Captain would agree or not.
"We'll have a shuttlepod there as soon as we can, Corporal," Archer allowed, shaking his head. "Enterprise out."
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Travis had agreed to pilot shuttlepod one over. He'd dealt with Nausicaans before so he was at least used to them, but he was still nervous. Picking up six people meant that there wasn't room for a full security team, but Malcolm had accompanied him. As the shuttlepod docked with the freighter, the two Starfleet officers looked at each other.
"If they start shooting, don't wait for me Ensign, just take cover."
"Alright, Lieutenant."
"Do you have your phaser?"
"Yes."
"Good. Let's go." They walked over to the hatch and pressed the access code. Slowly, the door ground open, revealing two Nausicaans who were both nearly seven feet tall.
"I am Captain Dutarak. Come with me," he snarled. Travis and Malcolm looked at each other and nodded. They were ready.
The Captain led them down a stark hallway to a large metal door. Dutarak punched the door pad, revealing a large dining room. Sitting at a large table, surrounded by Nausicaans and empty bottles, sat six humans: five males and one female. The atmosphere was relaxed as the group laughed, slamming their fists and tankards on the table. The loud, raucous group slowly became aware of the new arrivals in the room and quieted. A tall human in the middle of the group stood. He had short, black, and curly hair and a wide smile on his face.
"Hey, you must be the taxi service. I'm Jarod Reilly. Sit down, have some ale!" he offered. Malcolm and Travis were about to refuse when two Nausicaans stood and shoved them into some empty seats. Before they could speak, tankards brimming with the dark red ale were pushed into their hands.
"Hey Levi, how about a toast?" Jarod yelled. A black haired human male to Jarod's right stood.
"To the future of Earth and a successful mission!" Levi drawled with a thick Southern accent. The humans clanked their tankards together, as did the Nausicaans. Malcolm and Travis looked at each other, unsure.
"We probably shouldn't offend our hosts," Travis justified. Malcolm nodded and raised his tankard.
"To Earth!" he called, knocking his tankard against Travis' and taking a big drink.
Bloody hell, this is some strong ale! It took all of Malcolm's composure to not grimace at the strength of the ale. Jarod laughed.
"This is some good shit, isn't it?"
"I wouldn't quite use those words, Corporal," Malcolm replied. Jarod laughed again.
"Damn guys, we got another Brit! What's you name, man?"
"I'm Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, and this is Ensign Travis Mayweather."
"Nice to meet you. This is Daniel Easton, our resident Englishmen and group Romeo." The brunette man immediately to Jarod's right stood.
"How's it goin' mate?" He said, clasping Malcolm's hand and pumping it quickly. Jarod then pointed to the blonde man next to Daniel.
"This is Alexei Vissarovich, our Russian bouncer." Alexei didn't stand, only nodded in acknowledgement. Jarod then continued on to Levi.
"This is Levi, one of the best guys I have ever met." Levi smiled as he reached over to shake Malcolm and Travis' hands.
"Nice to meet ya," he drawled.
"You sound like our chief engineer," Travis laughed.
"He from Mississippi?"
"No, Florida, I think."
"Well then he doesn't sound like me. Our accents are different." Before Travis could apologize for his dialect faux pas, Jarod moved on in the introductions.
"This sleeping lump on the end is Eli Roberts." The sleeping, red haired figure on the end mumbled as the Nausicaan he was leaning on shoved him. Jarod laughed.
"There's only one thing that'll wake him up now," Jarod said, smiling mischievously. He leaned across his friends and placed his face inches from Eli's head.
"Naked Women!" he screamed, "Naked Women!!!"
Eli sprang from his seat, his eyes wildly searching the room. "Angelina Jolie?"
Eli's eyes slowed as he took in his surroundings. "Hey, that's not cool. I see no naked womens! Don't do that!"
Jarod roared with laughter. He shook his head as he turned towards the woman on his left.
"And this is Asha Miller, the scariest bitch you'll ever meet, and the prettiest." Malcolm immediately noticed a degree of tenderness in Jarod's voice.
Asha merely shook her head as the other MACOs let out a collective "Awwww…."
"Thanks for the kind introduction, Jarod. Look, I hate to break up the party, but we need to get going boys." Her voice was cool and detached, her eyes amused.
"Ah, Asha, we're having fun!" Alexei protested.
"I know, but did you forget why we've been called back early?" She let the question hang in the air as the weight of reality hit them all.
"We'll see you guys later. We have a job to do," Eli said, suddenly serious despite his intoxication. The MACOs left the table and headed out of the room. Malcolm and Travis jumped up and followed, surprised by the sudden exit. As they neared the docking hatch, the six humans collected various bags and crates from the floor. Dutarak stood near the hatch and watched as Travis entered the unlock code. Travis, Eli, Daniel, Robert, Alexei, and Jarod entered the shuttlepod and began unloading their belongings. Malcolm followed the woman, Asha, towards the hatch. Before she entered, she turned and faced the Nausicaan. Dutarak extended his hand and Asha accepted, clasping his wrist in the Nausicaan tradition.
"Take good care of my ship, Captain," she said, a sardonic smile on her lips. Dutarak threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"Enjoy your ale, warrior," he growled as she entered the ship. Malcolm nodded before entering the shuttlepod. Within a few moments, shuttlepod one was released and heading back towards the Enterprise.
"Did you tell that Nausicaan to take care of your ship, Miller?" Travis asked, looking over his shoulder at her.
"Yeah, I did." The five men in the back of the shuttlepod laughed.
"The last time I ran into Nausicaans, they didn't like being teased like that." Travis said thoughtfully.
"I found out that they were heading in this direction, and so I approached Dutarak's first mate about getting a ride. He said we could get a ride if I did the dirty deed with him." Malcolm looked back; they were all smiling, except for Jarod, who looked rather offended by Nausicaan's offer. She continued her story with a laugh.
"So I told him I'd make a deal: if he could beat me in a fight, I'd be his, but if I won, the ship was mine."
"So what happened?" Travis' eyes were wide with amaze.
"I won," she replied coolly. "When Dutarak found out what had happened and what the stakes were, he fired his first officer."
"Fired? The Nausicaans I know don't fire people, they kill them!" Travis shook his head, this couldn't be true.
"Hey, I just took Dutarak's explanation for his first officer's disappearance; I didn't want anymore information. But the Nausicaans do have their honor: I won the ship in a fair wager, it was mine."
"So what happened?" Malcolm asked, suddenly very interested.
"I gave Dutarak his ship back in exchange for a ride and a crate of Nausicaan ale," she said, nodding her head towards the metal container in the back. Travis shook his head, laughing.
"That can't be true."
"It's true!" Eli interjected, sliding off his seat. Malcolm laughed as he pressed the com command.
"Reed to Enterprise."
"Enterprise here, are you ready to come home Lieutenant?"
"You have no idea Ensign."
On the bridge, Hoshi shook her head as the sound of laughter erupted from the com. "Okay, Commander Tucker will see you down in the shuttle bay."
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Commander Tucker stood at the controls, carefully pulling the shuttlepod in with the grappling arm. As the bay pressurized, Captain Archer, Major Hayes, and he stood by the door. As soon as the bay finished pressurizing, the door opened and the three men went to greet the new arrivals. The pod hatch opened and Malcolm and Travis stepped out, shaking their head.
"Well gentlemen, I take it they told you more than you wanted to know," Hayes observed.
"And then some," Travis said.
"Come on Ensign, let's go finish eating."
"Good idea, Lieutenant." As the two officers headed out, the six MACOs filed out of the shuttlepod. They stood facing Hayes, waiting.
"So, you guys have fun?" Hayes asked, an edge to his voice.
"Hell yeah, I met this girl on Risa and she had three-"
SMACK! Once again, a hand silenced the idiot, only this time it was Asha's.
"Risa?! How in the hell did you get to Risa in under two weeks?" Trip asked, shocked. It was a month long journey at warp three, how the hell did they do it?
"That's a secret, handsome," Alexei replied with a wink. Trip's jaw dropped; he'd never been openly hit on by a man before.
"I-," Trip started, before closing his mouth. He didn't really want to know, he just wanted to get out of there before the Russian said anything else.
"I gotta go check on the plasma relays, Cap'n," he lied as he turned and walked quickly to the door. These new arrivals were weird, really, really, weird.