TITLE: Addiction
AUTHOR: plumtuckered
E-MAIL: plumtuckered@earthlink.net
CATEGORY: Drama
RATING: R
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Enterprise do not belong to me but to Paramount.
A/N: This was gathering dust for quite a while but I finally finished it! Be warned, there are minor spoilers for the episode "Cogenitor".
ADDICTION
Chapter One
"Where are you, Trip?" asked Lieutenant Malcolm Reed quietly. He squeezed his eyes shut then opened them again, and re-focused on his monitor. He had been assigned to scan the northeast quadrant of the sprawling city of Silota while both Sub-commander T'Pol and Ensign Hoshi Sato scanned the other quadrants. No one it seemed was having any luck locating the bio- signs of their missing chief engineer, Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III.
As Malcolm watched his screen, his mind wandered back twelve hours when the captain and crew had received word from T'Pol that the commander had been arrested for assault. The two had been sent down to the planet's surface to make first contact with a contingent of scientists on Silotan Major. According to T'Pol, everything had been progressing remarkably well. The Silotans had been quite kind and generous. Commander Tucker had been happy to help them repair one of their ships while the sub-commander had gathered data on some of the unusual mineral deposits surrounding the city. Then all hell broke lose and T'Pol was transported by the Silotans back to Enterprise immediately without the chief engineer.
The turbo-lift door slid open and Captain Jonathan Archer stepped onto the bridge. Malcolm looked up and caught his eyes briefly before returning to his scans.
"Anything?" asked Archer.
"No, sir," replied the sub-commander.
"Captain," Hoshi said suddenly. "We're being hailed, sir. It's Commander- in-chief Omara."
Archer straightened his posture then stood directly in front of his chair. He nodded to Hoshi.
"Commander? Where is my officer?" Archer demanded as soon as the serene face of the Silotan head of security appeared on the view screen. The alien male reminded Malcolm of the Vulcan ambassador, Soval. Omara had the same white hair but his skin had a gold hue instead of a slightly green one. His ears were pointed like Soval's, but were much longer, the lobes rounder.
"Captain Archer. We are bringing your shuttlecraft into orbit. As soon as you retrieve it, we will transport our pilot back," said Omara. His face had no expression, again reminding Malcolm of Soval.
"My officer, Commander?" asked Archer again with more force.
Omara simply nodded his head then his face disappeared from the view screen. A second later Trip appeared.
"I'm sorry, Cap'n," began the engineer.
"Trip! Are you okay?" asked Archer anxiously. The captain stepped down in front of Ensign Travis Mayweather who was seated at the helm.
"As you probably know by now, I've been arrested, charged, and convicted of assaulting a Silotan citizen," continued Trip.
"It's a recording, sir," said Malcolm. Trip's face was horribly bruised and swollen and Malcolm could see blood splattered across the front of his dirty uniform.
"I've been sentenced to fifty years imprisonment so I won't be seeing you again for a while," Trip paused, his voice breaking slightly. The commander cleared his throat, took in a breath and continued. "Please tell everyone what's happened and how much I've enjoyed working with them all. Commander Omara has allowed me to record a separate message to my family so hopefully Hoshi can get it to my folks."
Trip paused again and looked down. When he looked back up, he had a slight, side-ways smile on his face. "You'd think I would have learned from Charles, huh?" he said softly as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir. I just couldn't stand by and let that man hit his wife like that. He was really hurting her. I did what I thought was right without thinking it through again. I guess I haven't really learned anything at all." Trip looked off to his right then turned quickly back. "Goodbye, Cap'n," he said quietly, his voice breaking again. "It's been an honor serving with you, sir. And an honor being your friend."
The engineer's image suddenly disappeared only to be replaced once again by Commander Omara.
"As I've stated before, you've wrongfully imprisoned our chief engineer, Commander," said T'Pol as she stood up from her station. "Mr. Tucker did not assault your citizen. I am witness to his actions. He merely grabbed the man's arm so he could no longer strike the woman. Fifty years imprisonment is a very severe penalty when no harm was done."
"Your officer broke our law, Sub-commander, when he used force on one of our own."
"But your citizen was using force on his wife! What is his punishment?" asked Malcolm angrily. He rose to his feet as well, barely keeping himself from stepping down beside the captain.
"A husband has every right to discipline his wife. Your commander overstepped his bounds. It is a clear violation of our law."
"Trip didn't know your laws, Commander!" spat Archer.
"Then perhaps the failure is yours, Captain, for not adequately researching our ways before you sent your officers to our world," responded Omara calmly.
"I want my officer returned, Commander!" ordered the captain. "Or I will be forced to take drastic measures!"
"Don't threaten me, Captain Archer," said Omara evenly. "Besides, it is out of my hands now."
"What the hell does that mean!?"
"Your commander was removed from Silotan Major just over ten hours ago."
Malcolm sat down in shock. His friend was gone.
Jon was stunned, numbed by Commander Omara's words.
"Commander Tucker is no longer in Silota?" asked T'Pol, her voice tight.
"That is correct. We found him guilty and his sentence began immediately after he recorded his final messages. We have found that swift justice is the best kind."
"Where did you take him?" Jon asked after finding his voice again.
"That is confidential information, Captain, as I'm sure you can understand."
"Where did you take him!?" Jon demanded again. He could feel himself trembling with anger.
Omara paused as if listening to someone. He nodded his head then focused on the captain again. "You should be able to detect your shuttle with your sensors now, Captain. We have transported our pilot so you had better retrieve your craft before it burns up in our atmosphere."
With that, the commander's image faded and the image of the brown and blue world of Silotan Major appeared in his place.
"I have the shuttle pod on sensors, sir," said Reed. "We've lost all contact with the surface. They've put up some sort of disruptive energy field."
Jon rubbed his face in frustration. "Bring the grappler on line, Travis. We need to get the pod back."
"Aye, sir," replied the helmsman quietly.
"Captain?" asked Hoshi. "How are we going to find the commander?"
Jon looked at his communications officer, seeing the worry in her wide eyes. "I honestly don't know, Hoshi. But we will find him. I promise you that," he replied gently but firmly. "Now keep trying to find a way to break through that energy field. I want to talk to Commander Omara again."
"Yes, sir."
The captain stepped back up to his chair but didn't sit down. He stared blankly at it, Trip's message replaying through his mind. Jon knew his young friend was still trying to deal with the suicide of Charles, the Vissian co-genitor he'd befriended only a few weeks ago. Trip's interference in the Vissian culture had lead to horrific results. And even though Jon had initially placed full blame on the engineer's shoulders, he later apologized, admitting that he, too, had interfered in other lives. He had tried to convince Trip that the suicide was not his fault but he knew his friend still held a world of guilt inside. The two friends had shared tears over the sad incident and their friendship had become stronger for it. Now Trip was being punished for interfering again and this time Jon knew for certain he would have done the same thing in Trip's place.
Jon sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He cherished his friendship with Trip and the fact that he might never see the irrepressible engineer again scared him to death.
"I've got the pod, sir," said the helmsman. "I'm bringing it into the launch bay now."
"Good work, Travis," Jon replied. He turned to T'Pol. "Any ideas, Sub- commander?"
The Vulcan looked up at him from her screen. "Ensign Sato, Lieutenant Reed, and I were all running scans during the time Commander Tucker was allegedly removed from Silota. I am reviewing our scans for any transports that may have left during that time or for any energy signatures that match a transporter beam. As the commander would say, it's worth a shot."
Jon nodded. "Good."
"Captain, there are three vessels approaching from the other side of the planet," said Reed.
"We're being hailed, sir," said Hoshi, her hand pressing against her earpiece.
"Polarize the hull plating, Malcolm," Jon directed as he turned back to the view screen. He then nodded at Hoshi. "Put them through, Ensign."
"Captain Archer, you are no longer welcome in Silotan space. We are asking that you leave peacefully. If you do not comply immediately, we will have no choice but to open fire on your ship," said the Silotan woman who appeared on-screen.
"Tell Commander-in-chief Omara I demand to speak to him again," said Jon.
"I am under orders from Commander Omara, Captain. Your officer has been treated justly and according to Silotan law. His sentence will not be rescinded. You must leave our space."
"They're charging weapons!" said Reed.
Jon stood his ground. "I just need to know where Commander Tucker was taken! Please ask Omara to speak to me!"
Enterprise quaked suddenly and Jon grabbed the arm of his chair to steady himself. He turned to his armory officer.
"Warning shot, Captain. I've scanned their arsenal, sir. We're out- gunned," Reed reported quietly.
"I will not warn you again, Captain," stated the alien woman on the screen.
"Captain," interjected T'Pol. "There are three Silotan vessels." She paused a moment. "We can not help Commander Tucker if we allow ourselves to be destroyed."
"Travis, take us out of orbit," Jon hissed.
Trip shifted his weight on the narrow bench and watched the little Silotan girl as she shoved a bowl under the bars of his cell.
"Father says you should eat this. You won't be getting much food when we arrive at Tria Colony."
"You're kinda young for a prison guard," Trip observed. The little girl glanced up at him through the bars and he grinned at her.
She smiled back timidly then turned to leave.
"Wait!" said Trip. He leaned forward and grabbed the bowl. "Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome," replied the girl. She stepped up to the bars again and peered at him. "What is that on your sleeve?"
"This?" Trip asked as he angled his head to see the Starfleet patch on his shoulder. "That's my ship."
"It's funny looking."
Trip chuckled. "You think so? I think she's a beauty and well, she's where I hang my hat."
"You don't have a hat."
"It's just a saying. It's my home, where I live."
"Oh," replied the girl with a nod. "Does your face hurt?"
"A little," replied Trip. He touched his bruised cheek and grimaced. "And they said I used force," he muttered.
"What did you do?"
Trip sighed. "I grabbed a man who was hitting his wife."
"Oh. Assault."
"That's what they called it," Trip replied bitterly. He tilted his head and looked at her. "What's your name?"
"Kamella."
"That's a beautiful name," he said with a smile.
Kamella blushed and looked away. She brought a small hand up to self- consciously brush at her short-cropped white hair.
Trip grinned at her. "So tell me, Kamella, why are you and your father transporting prisoners to this, this Tria Colony? Seems like an odd job for a little girl."
"I'm almost twelve!" said Kamella indignantly.
"Sorry," Trip apologized kindly.
"My mother is serving time at Tria. My father offered our services in return for a reduced sentence for her."
"What did your mama do?" Trip asked. He dipped a finger into the bowl and dabbed at the lump of cold mush. He couldn't bring himself to eat it.
"She said some things about the government she shouldn't have," Kamella replied softly. She leaned against the bars and ran one hand up and down the cold metal. "I'll be eighteen when I see her again."
Trip shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kamella."
The little girl looked at him for a long moment. "You're nice," she said. "Everyone else we transport is mean and ugly. You're not."
"Thanks."
"What is your name?"
"Charles Tucker but you can call me Trip."
"Trip?" Kamella giggled. "That's a funny name."
"Hey! First you call my ship funny looking then you make fun of my name?" cried the engineer in mock disgust.
"I'm sorry, Trip! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" replied the girl. Her brown eyes were wide with concern.
"I'm just teasing you, Kamella. Trip is a pretty funny name. If you'd like, you can call me Charles." The engineer swallowed hard, the memory of another Charles still too fresh in his mind. He forced the unhappy memory away and focused on the little girl before him.
Kamella shook her head as she visibly relaxed again. "I like Trip," she said shyly.
Trip suppressed a chuckle. "You're going to break some hearts when you get older."
The girl blushed furiously and her hand went back up to brush at her hair. Trip watched her in quiet amusement. Then her young face turned serious and she looked at him squarely.
"Be careful on Tria, Trip. Commander-in-chief Omara makes his own rules but the Silotans who run Tria don't even have rules," the girl said. "Father calls it "hell". He worries for Mother constantly."
"How do you know, um, well," Trip started.
"If Mother is still alive?"
Trip nodded uncomfortably. "Yeah."
"Father is allowed to see her briefly each time we deliver a prisoner," replied Kamella. She looked down. "He always cries when he returns. He tries to hide from me, but I always know."
The two remained silent for several long minutes.
Finally Kamella looked back up at Trip and smiled weakly. "You should try to eat some of that," she said motioning at the bowl Trip held.
To Be Continued
AUTHOR: plumtuckered
E-MAIL: plumtuckered@earthlink.net
CATEGORY: Drama
RATING: R
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Enterprise do not belong to me but to Paramount.
A/N: This was gathering dust for quite a while but I finally finished it! Be warned, there are minor spoilers for the episode "Cogenitor".
ADDICTION
Chapter One
"Where are you, Trip?" asked Lieutenant Malcolm Reed quietly. He squeezed his eyes shut then opened them again, and re-focused on his monitor. He had been assigned to scan the northeast quadrant of the sprawling city of Silota while both Sub-commander T'Pol and Ensign Hoshi Sato scanned the other quadrants. No one it seemed was having any luck locating the bio- signs of their missing chief engineer, Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III.
As Malcolm watched his screen, his mind wandered back twelve hours when the captain and crew had received word from T'Pol that the commander had been arrested for assault. The two had been sent down to the planet's surface to make first contact with a contingent of scientists on Silotan Major. According to T'Pol, everything had been progressing remarkably well. The Silotans had been quite kind and generous. Commander Tucker had been happy to help them repair one of their ships while the sub-commander had gathered data on some of the unusual mineral deposits surrounding the city. Then all hell broke lose and T'Pol was transported by the Silotans back to Enterprise immediately without the chief engineer.
The turbo-lift door slid open and Captain Jonathan Archer stepped onto the bridge. Malcolm looked up and caught his eyes briefly before returning to his scans.
"Anything?" asked Archer.
"No, sir," replied the sub-commander.
"Captain," Hoshi said suddenly. "We're being hailed, sir. It's Commander- in-chief Omara."
Archer straightened his posture then stood directly in front of his chair. He nodded to Hoshi.
"Commander? Where is my officer?" Archer demanded as soon as the serene face of the Silotan head of security appeared on the view screen. The alien male reminded Malcolm of the Vulcan ambassador, Soval. Omara had the same white hair but his skin had a gold hue instead of a slightly green one. His ears were pointed like Soval's, but were much longer, the lobes rounder.
"Captain Archer. We are bringing your shuttlecraft into orbit. As soon as you retrieve it, we will transport our pilot back," said Omara. His face had no expression, again reminding Malcolm of Soval.
"My officer, Commander?" asked Archer again with more force.
Omara simply nodded his head then his face disappeared from the view screen. A second later Trip appeared.
"I'm sorry, Cap'n," began the engineer.
"Trip! Are you okay?" asked Archer anxiously. The captain stepped down in front of Ensign Travis Mayweather who was seated at the helm.
"As you probably know by now, I've been arrested, charged, and convicted of assaulting a Silotan citizen," continued Trip.
"It's a recording, sir," said Malcolm. Trip's face was horribly bruised and swollen and Malcolm could see blood splattered across the front of his dirty uniform.
"I've been sentenced to fifty years imprisonment so I won't be seeing you again for a while," Trip paused, his voice breaking slightly. The commander cleared his throat, took in a breath and continued. "Please tell everyone what's happened and how much I've enjoyed working with them all. Commander Omara has allowed me to record a separate message to my family so hopefully Hoshi can get it to my folks."
Trip paused again and looked down. When he looked back up, he had a slight, side-ways smile on his face. "You'd think I would have learned from Charles, huh?" he said softly as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir. I just couldn't stand by and let that man hit his wife like that. He was really hurting her. I did what I thought was right without thinking it through again. I guess I haven't really learned anything at all." Trip looked off to his right then turned quickly back. "Goodbye, Cap'n," he said quietly, his voice breaking again. "It's been an honor serving with you, sir. And an honor being your friend."
The engineer's image suddenly disappeared only to be replaced once again by Commander Omara.
"As I've stated before, you've wrongfully imprisoned our chief engineer, Commander," said T'Pol as she stood up from her station. "Mr. Tucker did not assault your citizen. I am witness to his actions. He merely grabbed the man's arm so he could no longer strike the woman. Fifty years imprisonment is a very severe penalty when no harm was done."
"Your officer broke our law, Sub-commander, when he used force on one of our own."
"But your citizen was using force on his wife! What is his punishment?" asked Malcolm angrily. He rose to his feet as well, barely keeping himself from stepping down beside the captain.
"A husband has every right to discipline his wife. Your commander overstepped his bounds. It is a clear violation of our law."
"Trip didn't know your laws, Commander!" spat Archer.
"Then perhaps the failure is yours, Captain, for not adequately researching our ways before you sent your officers to our world," responded Omara calmly.
"I want my officer returned, Commander!" ordered the captain. "Or I will be forced to take drastic measures!"
"Don't threaten me, Captain Archer," said Omara evenly. "Besides, it is out of my hands now."
"What the hell does that mean!?"
"Your commander was removed from Silotan Major just over ten hours ago."
Malcolm sat down in shock. His friend was gone.
Jon was stunned, numbed by Commander Omara's words.
"Commander Tucker is no longer in Silota?" asked T'Pol, her voice tight.
"That is correct. We found him guilty and his sentence began immediately after he recorded his final messages. We have found that swift justice is the best kind."
"Where did you take him?" Jon asked after finding his voice again.
"That is confidential information, Captain, as I'm sure you can understand."
"Where did you take him!?" Jon demanded again. He could feel himself trembling with anger.
Omara paused as if listening to someone. He nodded his head then focused on the captain again. "You should be able to detect your shuttle with your sensors now, Captain. We have transported our pilot so you had better retrieve your craft before it burns up in our atmosphere."
With that, the commander's image faded and the image of the brown and blue world of Silotan Major appeared in his place.
"I have the shuttle pod on sensors, sir," said Reed. "We've lost all contact with the surface. They've put up some sort of disruptive energy field."
Jon rubbed his face in frustration. "Bring the grappler on line, Travis. We need to get the pod back."
"Aye, sir," replied the helmsman quietly.
"Captain?" asked Hoshi. "How are we going to find the commander?"
Jon looked at his communications officer, seeing the worry in her wide eyes. "I honestly don't know, Hoshi. But we will find him. I promise you that," he replied gently but firmly. "Now keep trying to find a way to break through that energy field. I want to talk to Commander Omara again."
"Yes, sir."
The captain stepped back up to his chair but didn't sit down. He stared blankly at it, Trip's message replaying through his mind. Jon knew his young friend was still trying to deal with the suicide of Charles, the Vissian co-genitor he'd befriended only a few weeks ago. Trip's interference in the Vissian culture had lead to horrific results. And even though Jon had initially placed full blame on the engineer's shoulders, he later apologized, admitting that he, too, had interfered in other lives. He had tried to convince Trip that the suicide was not his fault but he knew his friend still held a world of guilt inside. The two friends had shared tears over the sad incident and their friendship had become stronger for it. Now Trip was being punished for interfering again and this time Jon knew for certain he would have done the same thing in Trip's place.
Jon sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He cherished his friendship with Trip and the fact that he might never see the irrepressible engineer again scared him to death.
"I've got the pod, sir," said the helmsman. "I'm bringing it into the launch bay now."
"Good work, Travis," Jon replied. He turned to T'Pol. "Any ideas, Sub- commander?"
The Vulcan looked up at him from her screen. "Ensign Sato, Lieutenant Reed, and I were all running scans during the time Commander Tucker was allegedly removed from Silota. I am reviewing our scans for any transports that may have left during that time or for any energy signatures that match a transporter beam. As the commander would say, it's worth a shot."
Jon nodded. "Good."
"Captain, there are three vessels approaching from the other side of the planet," said Reed.
"We're being hailed, sir," said Hoshi, her hand pressing against her earpiece.
"Polarize the hull plating, Malcolm," Jon directed as he turned back to the view screen. He then nodded at Hoshi. "Put them through, Ensign."
"Captain Archer, you are no longer welcome in Silotan space. We are asking that you leave peacefully. If you do not comply immediately, we will have no choice but to open fire on your ship," said the Silotan woman who appeared on-screen.
"Tell Commander-in-chief Omara I demand to speak to him again," said Jon.
"I am under orders from Commander Omara, Captain. Your officer has been treated justly and according to Silotan law. His sentence will not be rescinded. You must leave our space."
"They're charging weapons!" said Reed.
Jon stood his ground. "I just need to know where Commander Tucker was taken! Please ask Omara to speak to me!"
Enterprise quaked suddenly and Jon grabbed the arm of his chair to steady himself. He turned to his armory officer.
"Warning shot, Captain. I've scanned their arsenal, sir. We're out- gunned," Reed reported quietly.
"I will not warn you again, Captain," stated the alien woman on the screen.
"Captain," interjected T'Pol. "There are three Silotan vessels." She paused a moment. "We can not help Commander Tucker if we allow ourselves to be destroyed."
"Travis, take us out of orbit," Jon hissed.
Trip shifted his weight on the narrow bench and watched the little Silotan girl as she shoved a bowl under the bars of his cell.
"Father says you should eat this. You won't be getting much food when we arrive at Tria Colony."
"You're kinda young for a prison guard," Trip observed. The little girl glanced up at him through the bars and he grinned at her.
She smiled back timidly then turned to leave.
"Wait!" said Trip. He leaned forward and grabbed the bowl. "Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome," replied the girl. She stepped up to the bars again and peered at him. "What is that on your sleeve?"
"This?" Trip asked as he angled his head to see the Starfleet patch on his shoulder. "That's my ship."
"It's funny looking."
Trip chuckled. "You think so? I think she's a beauty and well, she's where I hang my hat."
"You don't have a hat."
"It's just a saying. It's my home, where I live."
"Oh," replied the girl with a nod. "Does your face hurt?"
"A little," replied Trip. He touched his bruised cheek and grimaced. "And they said I used force," he muttered.
"What did you do?"
Trip sighed. "I grabbed a man who was hitting his wife."
"Oh. Assault."
"That's what they called it," Trip replied bitterly. He tilted his head and looked at her. "What's your name?"
"Kamella."
"That's a beautiful name," he said with a smile.
Kamella blushed and looked away. She brought a small hand up to self- consciously brush at her short-cropped white hair.
Trip grinned at her. "So tell me, Kamella, why are you and your father transporting prisoners to this, this Tria Colony? Seems like an odd job for a little girl."
"I'm almost twelve!" said Kamella indignantly.
"Sorry," Trip apologized kindly.
"My mother is serving time at Tria. My father offered our services in return for a reduced sentence for her."
"What did your mama do?" Trip asked. He dipped a finger into the bowl and dabbed at the lump of cold mush. He couldn't bring himself to eat it.
"She said some things about the government she shouldn't have," Kamella replied softly. She leaned against the bars and ran one hand up and down the cold metal. "I'll be eighteen when I see her again."
Trip shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kamella."
The little girl looked at him for a long moment. "You're nice," she said. "Everyone else we transport is mean and ugly. You're not."
"Thanks."
"What is your name?"
"Charles Tucker but you can call me Trip."
"Trip?" Kamella giggled. "That's a funny name."
"Hey! First you call my ship funny looking then you make fun of my name?" cried the engineer in mock disgust.
"I'm sorry, Trip! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" replied the girl. Her brown eyes were wide with concern.
"I'm just teasing you, Kamella. Trip is a pretty funny name. If you'd like, you can call me Charles." The engineer swallowed hard, the memory of another Charles still too fresh in his mind. He forced the unhappy memory away and focused on the little girl before him.
Kamella shook her head as she visibly relaxed again. "I like Trip," she said shyly.
Trip suppressed a chuckle. "You're going to break some hearts when you get older."
The girl blushed furiously and her hand went back up to brush at her hair. Trip watched her in quiet amusement. Then her young face turned serious and she looked at him squarely.
"Be careful on Tria, Trip. Commander-in-chief Omara makes his own rules but the Silotans who run Tria don't even have rules," the girl said. "Father calls it "hell". He worries for Mother constantly."
"How do you know, um, well," Trip started.
"If Mother is still alive?"
Trip nodded uncomfortably. "Yeah."
"Father is allowed to see her briefly each time we deliver a prisoner," replied Kamella. She looked down. "He always cries when he returns. He tries to hide from me, but I always know."
The two remained silent for several long minutes.
Finally Kamella looked back up at Trip and smiled weakly. "You should try to eat some of that," she said motioning at the bowl Trip held.
To Be Continued
