Author's note: This is a sequel to Lions and Tigers, which I wrote several years ago. I've always meant to bring back the protagonists of that story -- not our regular heroes, but those four-footed felines who helped save Enterprise. It's not necessary to read the first story to follow what happens in this one.
CHAPTER 1
The Boomer freighter Southern Cross was unable to outrun the ion storm. The crew and their family members hunkered down, battening down everything they could, and took refuge in the innermost recesses of the ship, hoping the extra bulkheads between them and the fierce storm outside would provide enough protection to survive.
They did survive, but the same could not be said of their ship. Once the storm had passed and they began assessing the ship's condition, they found they were in trouble. All major systems were down, with the engine so severely damaged that it wouldn't run again without a major overhaul. They operated life support and communications from battery reserves until another Boomer ship arrived and took them on board. That ship, its own systems stressed by doubling the number of people it normally carried, hastily set course for Earth.
Enterprise arrived at the scene soon after. Tasked with making the damaged Boomer ship space worthy enough to be returned to Earth, Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew wereto make sure the structural integrity of the Southern Cross was sound enough for towing. Then they would use the grapplers to take the freighter in tow and begin the slow trip to Earth. In a few days, if all went according to plan, Enterprise would turn the ship over to a space tug that had been dispatched to meet it halfway.
Although Jon didn't like using Enterprise as a glorified cart horse, he understood the need to do so. With no crew on board the Southern Cross, anyone coming across the abandoned ship could claim it as salvage. The ship's owner and crew could lose their livelihood if that happened. And if it was an alien species that found the ship, there was next to no chance the Southern Cross's rightful owner would receive compensation.
Jon frowned as he gazed at the bridge viewscreen showing the image of the abandoned Boomer ship. The ship's name could be seen on its bow. "The Southern Cross," he said thoughtfully. He looked over at the communications console. "Isn't that...?"
Ensign Hoshi Sato nodded. "Yes, sir. It's Torpedo and Warp Core's home."
Hoshi still missed the two cats that had temporarily made Enterprise their home, even though it had been more than a year since she'd seen them. She had originally stumbled across them in a butcher's stall in alien marketplace where they were being sold with other animals whose ultimate destination would have been a dinner plate. Hoshi had bought them and sneaked them on board, but she almost immediately had been found out by the captain. Well, by the captain's dog, who'd sniffed them out, to be exact. Of everyone on board Enterprise, it had taken the most work for Porthos to be won over by the cats. But as soon as he had been, Jon had become much more agreeable to the idea of two more pets in residence, especially when they'd begun eradicating an alien rodent infestation on board.
All along, Hoshi had realized that the cats had been someone's pets before she'd found them, but she never thought she'd find out who. A series of coincidences had led her to their owner, Hannah, the young daughter of the captain of the Southern Cross. The cats apparently had been stolen from the family's cargo ship during a trading mission. Hoshi had realized that Hannah was much more attached to the cats than she was, and she couldn't in good conscience keep them, no matter how much she wanted to.
"Initial scans show the main docking port of the Southern Cross was damaged by the storm," Subcommander T'Pol reported from her station. "Enterprise cannot dock with the ship. However, it appears a smaller auxiliary docking port, suitable for a shuttlepod, is functional."
"We'll have to take a shuttlepod over, then," Jon said.
As Jon began issuing orders to ready a shuttlepod and begin repair work, Hoshi ran through the communications spectrum. The Southern Cross's automated distress call was still broadcasting. Then she picked up another call, buried in the same frequency. Oftentimes personal messages were piggybacked in such a manner. As she listened, she almost dropped her earpiece in surprise. The private message was for her.
"Captain!" she called out as Jon rose from his chair, heading for the turbolift to lead the first repair group onto the Southern Cross.
He turned to look at her. "What is it, Hoshi?"
"Not everyone got off the Southern Cross."
Jon frowned at her before casting a questioning glance at T'Pol at the science station, who said, "There are no human biosigns on the ship."
"You'll have to adjust your scanner for other life forms," Hoshi said.
As T'Pol did as she requested, the puzzled look on Jon's face cleared, only to be replaced by one of amused comprehension. "You mean to tell me that those two cats are over there?"
"There was a message embedded in the distress call," Hoshi explained. "They didn't have time to take Warp Core and Torpedo and another pet with them. Hannah, the captain's daughter, asked me to take care of them."
Jon lifted his eyes heavenward. Hoshi could practically read his thoughts. He hadn't been terribly happy with the cats being on board before, although he had come to accept them after they'd begun proving their worth by catching those nasty rat-like things that were damaging some of the ship's internal relays. And they had helped repel alien intruders when Enterprise had gone to assist a ship under attack. Warp Core had leaped onto one of the intruders and Torpedo had tripped another. In both instances, the cats' actions had provided an opening for the Enterprise crew to subdue the aliens. As a result, the captain had arranged a farewell ceremony naming Warp Core and Torpedo honorary crew members of Enterprise before they'd been returned to Hannah. Hoshi had always wondered if Jon had gone along with the hokey ceremony because he'd been glad to see the cats leave, or because he knew how much she hated to give them up.
But after serving with Jon for a couple of years, Hoshi knew exactly which of his buttons to push in certain situations. When he was faced with a decision between practicality and compassion, most often compassion won out. "Sir, life support on the Southern Cross isn't going to last all the way to Earth," she said. "Unless we bring the cats over here, they probably won't survive."
Jon let out a long breath as he considered the situation. Hoshi caught T'Pol's eye, who had argued on behalf of the cats the first time they'd been on board.
"Our repair teams will need to take along portable generators to maintain life support while they are there, as well as to provide power to make the repairs," the Vulcan first officer said. "Ensign Sato is correct. It is highly unlikely the cats will survive the trip to Earth, even if life support is sustained. For one thing, there is the matter of feeding them. In addition--"
Jon held up his hands in surrender. "What exactly is this other pet?" he asked.
Hoshi shrugged apologetically. "I don't know, sir. The message only said their names: Pumpkin and Smokey -- we know them as Warp Core and Torpedo -- and Batty."
"Batty?" he asked.
Hoshi nodded.
"No indication of what it might be?"
She shook her head. "No, sir. Just 'Batty'."
Jon exhaled heavily and made his decision. "All right. But you're going with us. While the rest of us prepare the Southern Cross for towing, you find the cats and whatever that other animal is."
As Hoshi got to her feet to follow Jon into the turbolift, she could have sworn she heard him mutter, "It better not be another bat."
Hoshi could tell the air was a little thin when she followed Jon onto the Southern Cross. She felt like she couldn't take a deep enough breath to fill her lungs. And it was cold. She shivered as she stepped out of the way so that a repair team loaded down with equipment could exit the shuttlepod.
Jon heard her strained breathing. "It should only be a few minutes before Trip gets the power generators hooked up. We'll be able to breathe easier then."
Jon turned in the direction of the bridge. He was going to prepare the helm for the ship's towing. Normally that would be a job for someone like Ensign Travis Mayweather, but for some reason, Enterprise's helmsman hadn't piloted the shuttlepod.
Before Jon had gone more than a few steps, however, she called out to him. "Sir? It might be a good idea to turn off the distress call when you get to the bridge."
He turned back to her. "Good thinking, Hoshi. We don't want any uninvited visitors showing up and complicating our job." He resumed walking, but not before he gave her an approving nod.
Hoshi took a few steps down the corridor in the opposite direction and activated her flashlight so that she could see better than the emergency lighting would allow. The message hadn't said anything about where the pets might be. She pulled a scanner from a loop on her uniform. She'd already set it to scan for small life forms on the short ride over in the shuttlepod.
Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker, who had been out in the corridor directing the team unloading the equipment, called to her. "Hey, Hoshi! Hold up a minute." He disappeared back into the shuttlepod, only to return with the improvised cat carrier he'd made after she'd snuck Warp Core and Torpedo on board Enterprise all those months ago. After the cats had been returned the first time, she'd given it back to him, assuming that he'd recycle the metal. Luckily for her, he hadn't.
She'd been too worried about the pets, and too busy keeping up with Jon after he'd told her to come along, to think about what she'd do when she found them. It was a good thing Trip had remembered the carrier and had gotten it from wherever he'd stored it. There was no way she could round up two cats and whatever the other animal might be by herself and get them all on the shuttlepod. She could put Torpedo and Warp Core in the metal carrier, although it would be a tight fit, as both cats were large. She'd just have to deal with Batty, whatever it might be, when she found him...her...it? The name certainly wasn't any help in determining gender, much less species, she thought.
"Thanks," she said, taking the carrier from him.
"No problem," he responded with a smile. "I've kind of missed Warp Core. Engineering hasn't been the same since he left."
Hoshi chuckled. Warp Core had taken a shine to the engineer. The long-haired orange cat had liked to sit on the warp control platform railing to watch the engineering crew work.
As Trip walked away, Hoshi focused on the scanner. Sure enough, three life forms were registering. They appeared to be in close proximity to each other in the crew quarters, if she was reading the data correctly. Hopefully, they'd all be in the same compartment or cabin. As she started off down the corridor, she was halted by another shout.
"Hoshi!" Lt. Malcolm Reed called out.
She turned to see the tactical officer striding purposefully toward her. He was another Enterprise crew member who had become fond of the cats, although he'd never admit it. Torpedo had appeared to like Malcolm, too. Although the short-haired, gray-and-black striped cat would roam the ship, he always wound up in Malcolm's office in the armory for his afternoon snooze.
"Aren't you supposed to be helping get this ship ready for towing?" Hoshi asked.
"No, Trip and his staff have that covered. I thought you could use some help so I...uh...told Travis that I'd pilot the shuttlepod." He turned his head, but not before Hoshi saw a sheepish look on his face. When he looked back at her, however, there was a sardonic gleam in his eyes. "Besides, I am in charge of the armory, and I've brought along a secret weapon to help us persuade the cats to come with us."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a can of tuna.
Yet another thing she should have thought of! When she'd brought the cats on board the first time, they'd hidden under her bunk and had refused to budge. Malcolm had coaxed them out with a can of tuna.
"Come on, then," she said, gesturing down the corridor. "I think I've got a fix on them."
A/N: There's more to come, and soon. Reviews would be greatly appreciated.