Okay, the next installment. Despite doubts, they face the Romulans, not for the last time, either. It may be a while between the next episodes, school has restarted and my schedule is just killing my free time.
Enjoy. Don't forget the review button !!
Captain's Personal Log:
We're currently underway to the Romulan system. He sighed audibly. I don't particularly like what we're about to do; it goes against everything Starfleet's been working towards. The only thing that keeps me on this absurd path is that frightening little Vulcan.
She seems to have swayed most of the senior officers. Malcolm at least still gives credit to my suspicions, but he and the girl have been working closely, making modifications and upgrades to weapons systems, and it seems that he's just suffering me.
I haven't heard any complaints from Travis, and Hoshi went so far as to say she liked her, informally, of course. Then there's Trip and T'Pol – I'm glad that she's here for them, but, it just feels too strange. T'Pol hasn't been too bothered by her presence, to my knowledge at least.
Trip, however, seems to be bordering on downright worship. That has to be a good thing. He's not moping around anymore, like he did after – he paused, and raised his eyebrows – the baby's death. He's gotten over his anger and suspiscions, surprisngly quickly, which is fortunate. He's even taken to mentoring her in Engineering, I hear.
I suppose I trust her as well, I have to after our unexpected run-in with the Ferengi. She did save my life, after all. Even if her methods were rather unorthodox – letting me hang there, while she risked life and limb against six angry Klingons – they were effective. Sure, I was in no shape to help her out – my leg's still killing me, despite what Phlox says – but did she really have to set off that Hydrogen explosion?
I guess, with her ties to this crew, I really don't know how I can say that her heart's not in the right place, if not in need of a little discipline. And we have decided that she is tied to the crew – at least that debate is over, but is that swaying my decision?
I don't really know if –.
The door bell chimed. "Computer, pause recording."
Captain Archer took a minute to compose himself and sat at the desk in his cramped office. "Come in." he beckoned at last.
T'Mir appeared crisply behind the doors as they opened. She nodded slightly in way of greeting, "Captain."
"Have a seat." He made no attempt at familiarity with her, but brusquely entered into business. "What we're about to do, T"Mir, it doesn't sit well with me."
She seemed to stare blankly at him for a moment, as though she hadn't bothered to register what he'd said. Finally, she sighed, "I had expected you to have such concerns, Captain. It wouldn't 'sit well' with me if you did not."
He waited for her to continue, but she did not. He snapped his head back suddenly with the realization. "That's it?" he shouted, rising to his feet.
"Captain, sit down."
He did so with obvious reluctance, but the fact that he did it spoke volumes.
She sighed again, collecting her thoughts. "I can tell you that if we ignore this, the results will be much worse than a simple court martial."
"What, T'Mir?" he shouted again, not entirely rising to his feet, "You keep alluding to some horrible fate, but you can't tell us what it is."
For the first time, he saw her shoulders droop and she looked tired, very tired. "I don't know, Captain, but I lived through it, and it was not pleasant."
He relaxed, slightly, back into his chair.
"I believe that several years ago, Enterprise attempted to intercept a ship that had been commandeered by aliens found frozen into Earth's northern pole. The ship was destroyed, but had time to send a subspace message to the delta quadrant."
"Yes." the Captain lurched forward in his chair again.
"I'm told the Romulans caused an accident, tearing the space-time continuum irreparably. The rift opened to the delta quadrant." She paused for effect, "The Romulan's explored the rift and its far side. They were the first species to be 'assimilated', as the term is. The Borg – for that is the species' name – moved through the alpha and beta quadrants at ease.
"One good thing came of the invasion: it brought all the quadrant's inhabitants together for a common goal. But, the Alliance was short lived – many of our best warriors and officers were taken in the first engagement. The Borg were on Vulcan, I know, but they did not infiltrate the sparsely populated deserts, not at first.
"When I first heard of the threat, I aided a group of refugees who had struck into the desert to escape the invasion. It was very alarming, Captain, I can assure you."
He nodded, rapt in attention.
"I had been gone for a day, tracking a sehlat. I returned in the middle of the attack. The Borg had found the settlement." She tried to take a stilling breath, but it only wracked her more, "They were machines, Captain, and not, at the same time. I can't explain it. They destroyed the settlement as though it were nothing. The Vulcans fought back, but it like ... they were ragdolls.
"The Borg, they had a port coming from their wrists. They injected them, and the prisoners went still, then they were carried away. I knew better than to attempt a rescue, already they would have been too far gone. I sat and waited, Captain.
"Night came, a lematya helped himself to the spoils. I travelled very far, Captain, farther into the heated wasteland, taking great care to cover my tracks. I came to a cave one evening, hoping to make camp, it was there that I met the Q. The rest, I hope you know."
"Did they take everyone?" the Captain asked unbelievably.
"Of the settlers, yes. But many of the cities remained in tact, or mostly. I was lucky that I was able to find Kov. Earth had been untouched, in greater part."
"I see."
"I escaped, Captain, but I expect the massacre continued. That is what I've come to prevent."
"Why here? Why now? When did the rift open?"
"It's true that the rift will open some time later if the timeline follows as it did. But, this is as I was told to proceed."
"And this Q?" he said grumpily.
"A – benefactor, I believe, Captain. I can't tell you more."
He nodded once, slowly. "Alright."
x Opening Theme x
"Take Down"
"Infiltrating the Romulan compound will be tricky." Malcolm began with an understatement, "Using these schematics T'Mir provided us, we will dock the shuttle here."
Everyone peered into the tiny viewscreen while Malcolm paused.
"My Security team will secure the docking site. Commander Tucker and T'Mir will make their way here," he pointed again, "To the shield generator, to disable it."
"Myself and Lieutenant Grace will activate the download link and take what we need from their computer database."
"I want to go on that mission." the Captain said defiantly, "If it's my ass on the line when Starfleet finds out, I want to be the one who collects the data I'm going to need to justify myself."
"Very well, sir." T'Mir agreed.
Malcolm looked quite unnerved. "Sir, the mission could be very dangerous." he warned.
"Then that's why you'll be there. Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir."
T'Mir continued unabated. "Firstly, we must pass through the Romulan detection grid. They are quite paranoid about invasion, and have an armada of warbirds on patrol at any given time. We will get as close to the shipyard as possible before attempting to penetrate their perimeter."
She pulled a PADD off the top of a stack in arms and handed it to T'Pol. "This is the information I have, along with pertinent sensor information from Enterprise's brief encounters with the Romulans. I would like you to work on disguising the ship to buy us more time."
T'Pol nodded, and began scanning the data without a word.
Another PADD was handed to Trip. "This is the information I have on the generator. It doesn't make much sense to me, but I thought it would help if you familiarized yourself with it."
"Thanks." he nodded.
"Lieutenant Reed, we will need a device capable of destroying the entire ship yard. Would it be possible to reconfigure a plasma torpedo."
He nodded thoughtfully, and his lips quirked slightly upwards. "Shouldn't be a problem."
She said no more, only left a cold, dark stare lingering on Malcolm.
Trip joked, hitting Malcolm on the arm, "Famous last words."
"Dismissed." Captain Archer nodded to all of them. The crew was in surprisingly good spirits as they set to their tasks.