Communication

Chapter Three

There was no peace to be found, not in a fractured primeval darkness into which she had been plunged. Ripped apart, broken and bleeding she felt a real and intense physical pain although she knew that she had suffered no injury. Her skin burned where it was in contact with the dry earth making her yearn to cry out in anguish while at her centre there was nothing left but a dull empty numbness.

Unable to fight against the unbearable intensity of her grief T'Pol gave in and allowed the raging conflict to consume her. She had travelled with him in what had to have been his last vivid moments of life and it seemed as though she had been left with an indelible imprint of his suffering. Then T'Pol was gifted with a moment of clarity when she recalled that before the time of Surak the death of a mate could also claim the life of the one left behind. Her agony had driven her to such despair she took incredible comfort from this idea; holding it to her as if she was drowning and had been thrown a rope to cling to…

Archer had retreated to a respectful distance although he was unable to stop himself from staring at T'Pol in disbelief and dread as she still lay where she had fallen. The uncontrollable trembling that had racked her body had ceased. Instead she was so still that she seemed to be paralyzed or worse, to be dying.

He was completely lost; not knowing what he could offer in the way of comfort. Archer knew that as a Vulcan she would not appreciate any attempt to hold her regardless of the obvious distress she felt. However he also considered that T'Pol's behaviour was so completely out of character, physical contact might be exactly what she desperately needed. The terrible words T'Pol had spoken before she had collapsed kept running through his mind. He wondered how she could have sensed that Reed had died; was Vulcan telepathy so sensitive that she had been forced to experience his final moments.

After watching her for a few moments longer in the vain hope that she would come round on her own Archer decided to seek help. He turned away from T'Pol and the rest of the group and activated his communicator. He kept his voice low as he asked for Doctor Phlox. The doctor acknowledged the transmission immediately in his usual clear and singsong voice.

"Phlox, we need medical assistance, Commander T'Pol has collapsed. She spoke about someone having died and…"

An emergency signal cut across their conversation, "Ensign Sato to Captain Archer…"

"Captain Archer here Hoshi…"

"Sir, we've lost sensor contact with Shuttlepod One. They were returning to Enterprise with a full load of Trellium D ore. We were tracking their progress when an anomaly appeared in the area of their projected flight path…the Shuttlepod is no longer registering on any of our sensors."

"When were you last in contact with them?"

"Travis reported in fifteen minutes ago to let us know they had safely taken off from the asteroid. The anomaly field increased in dimension so quickly we did not have time to warn them."

"Understood, it's okay Hoshi, it's possible they saw it coming and where able to take evasive action. I need you to collect as much data on the anomaly as you can; we're on our way back to the ship. Tell Lieutenant Hess to start preparing Enterprise to leave the space dock, Archer out."

The words seemed to come from so very far away but strangely she had been able to hear every single syllable of every word in the exchange with painful clarity. T'Pol considered the information contained in those words and realized that at last she had solid facts to work with to explain the torturous sensations she was enduring. Her practical scientific nature thrived on such data and systematically she began to search for an answer. Then she found that the only conclusion that could be made was that the slender thread of hope Archer had offered Hoshi was false. She had felt their link splinter apart leaving her bereft and alone. There was no escaping the fact that she could only hear one voice in her injured mind and it was hers. It screamed at her that there was no other possibility but that he was gone.

She stiffened as she sensed that another being was approaching her circle of pain. There were no shields left in her mind to protect her from the distress he was projecting onto the web of powerful emotions that were already threatening to submerge her…

Archer returned to crouch by T'Pol's side. His voice was gentle as he tried to reach out to her, "T'Pol, I'm going to take you back to Enterprise, could you get to your feet if I help you?"

Again the words had to travel a great distance but this time T'Pol found it very difficult at first to make sense of the jumble of sounds she had heard. Then she had to concentrate hard to gain sufficient control of her motor responses to turn the Captain's request into commands her body recognized. At last T'Pol was able to slowly relax and straighten out her body so that she was lying flat on her back on the ground. Her sight was clouded by a shifting mist that made it difficult to see more then muted light and the dark humanoid form hovering above her. Then the humanoid reached out to her offering an arm to cling to. After mustering what strength she had T'Pol reached out to grab hold of the limb, wrapping her fingers tightly around it so that she could be pulled from the ground to stand upright…

When she had turned her ashen face towards him Archer got the impression that T'Pol could not see him, her eyes remaining unfocused and blank under his gaze. T'Pol's hand rested lightly in the crook of his arm but Archer could still feel the violent shivers that were coursing through her, the result of the physical exertion she had expended just to get to her feet. He also noted that T'Pol was leaning into him slightly and appeared to be favouring her left side. Wondering if she had injured herself when she had fallen he enquired anxiously, "If I stay close to you, do you think you can make it to the shuttlepod."

T'Pol only managed to give him a brief nod in response which left Archer convinced that he would probably end up having to carry her.

While Archer knew he was facing the terrible possibility that he had lost at least one and maybe even three members of his crew he decided not to accept that scenario until there was no hope. He was certainly not going to abandon Reed if there was a chance he was alive. So before setting off Archer issued the Major and his men with their orders.

"You and your men are to remain here to provide backup for Lieutenant Reed. Supplies will be beamed down to you before Enterprise leaves orbit. Inform me as soon as Lieutenant Reed makes contact."

Hayes acknowledged his orders and then Archer turned on his heel and started to walk in step with the silent T'Pol who inexplicably was limping badly on her right leg. He stayed close enough to be there if she needed assistance while maintaining enough of a physical distance not to offend her Vulcan sensibilities. A sickening feeling of dread ate at him as he kept a close watch on her dogged progress. As well as worrying about Malcolm his thoughts also turned to Trip and Travis. He decided not to give up on them either. He chose to believe that it was the anomaly field that was stopping Enterprise from tracking and communicating with them. He imagined that Trip and Travis had found refuge in a cavern deep within a large asteroid where they could safely wait out the storm.

T'Pol used her last reserves of energy to stumble up to the pod and exhausted she turned and let herself slump against its outer skin and then slide down to come to rest seated on the ground. Once he had checked that T'Pol was safe, Archer opened the hatch and climbed inside, leaving her to rest while he made flight checks and powered up the pod. He also took the opportunity to contact Phlox and gave the order for a medical team to be waiting for them.

While the hard shell of the pod supported her it also served as a reminder of its sister vessel which it appeared had been too fragile to survive the anomaly. Her right leg was aching terribly so she reached down to rub where she had the worst discomfort only to find there was no pain there. She had examined her entire limb checking for evidence of broken bone or torn muscle but found nothing abnormal. This only served to confirm what she had already surmised; he had left her a blueprint of his death and it pained her to know how deeply he had suffered.

Then it occurred to T'Pol that she would be more comfortable if she got inside the pod. She started to experience a growing need to get to Doctor Phlox even though she considered that only a Vulcan priest would be able to heal her broken mind and save her life. As T'Pol dragged herself to her feet she suddenly realized that it felt as if she was being guided by another, and that being could only be Trip. However this could not be the case as their bond had been severed. There was another explanation although the fact he was Human made it extremely difficult to believe it was possible. In extremes he could have transmitted his Human Katra to her, which would mean his soul would live on within her as long she breathed. Even though his pain stripped her of all control sending the deepest of emotions spiraling crazily through her mind, T'Pol preferred this solution to the idea that his death was killing her. She decided not to look too closely at her logic as she had found a reason to go on, even as her mind threatened to descend into total chaos…

Archer was surprised to see that T'Pol had found the strength to stand up on her own but without waiting to question how she had managed it he reached out to offer her an arm to help her climb inside. He could read the profound sorrow written in her openly emotional and desolate features and in response his chest contracted until he could hardly breathe because of his own physical pain.

In bleak silence Archer helped T'Pol to her seat and then returned to the pilot's seat. He engaged the impulse engines and they lifted off Little Earth to return to Enterprise.

As the cylinder vibrated around him while plummeting into the ground at high speed Reed gave silent thanks that it was a fear of water he suffered from rather than of confined spaces. The constant movement bounced his body against the walls of the metallic can and the dazzling reflections from his helmet danced on the shiny surface blinding him. Then abruptly the cylinder gave a final violent shudder and came to a dead stop.

For a few moments Reed leant against the wall directly in front of him, catching his breath to recover from the bruising journey.

The build up of heat in the narrow container was becoming stifling even with the protection offered by his EV suit. As Reed's hope faded that the cylinder would release him from its confines automatically, he decided to try and find his own way out. He managed with some difficulty to place his gloved hands onto the curved surface. Reed could feel the sweat trickling down his back as he started to shuffle around in search of a release mechanism while his backpack scraped against the wall of the cylinder. His relief was palpable when at the back of the unit he finally located a small indentation into which a single button had been set.

Although Reed then hesitated as he considered that there was every chance he was walking straight into a trap. The container could have come to a stop in mid air and he would be sent hurdling down to certain death or his welcoming party could be a group of well armed hostile aliens. Reed contemplated his possible fate as the proverbial fish in a barrel and wondered how on earth he had managed to get himself into this mess. After taking time to compose himself as well as indulge in some final thoughts of family and friends, Reed took a deep breath and pressed the button. Nothing happened for a heartbeat, and then suddenly the wall of the unit peeled swiftly open. It happened so quickly Reed stumbled and almost fell flat on his back. He managed to steady himself by grabbing hold of the static back panel.

As fast as he could Reed turned to face the unknown only to find the light from his helmet barely pierced the inky darkness. Gingerly he stepped off the disk shaped floor of the cylinder onto solid ground. He felt the air swishing behind him as the cylinder reformed, snapping shut with a cruel inevitability the second he was clear of it. He just managed to catch a fleeting impression of the gleaming cylinder as it disappeared up into a narrow shaft in the stone roof.

Reed tried to use his helmet comm but static was the only response he got and he guessed that the signal was being blocked. Looking around and getting more accustomed to the gloom he realized he was in a narrow tunnel with roughly hewn rock walls. As his light shone onto the rock the minerals trapped within it glistened. However the floor he stood on was a smooth grey concrete like walkway. Reed activated his scanner and the readings confirmed the presence of breathable air. Gratefully he lifted his visor and was surprised at how pleasant the atmosphere was given how far he thought he had descended beneath the planet's surface.

He had no other choice but to go straight ahead so with his scanner in one hand and his phase pistol in the other he carefully edged his way along the tunnel. After a long and tiring walk the walls started to widen until they disappeared from his sight. From the trapped weight of air pressing down on him Reed sensed that he had walked into a cavernous space. His scans confirmed his gut instinct of the sheer enormity of the place. He then located another tunnel in the far distance which was in aliment with the one he had just travelled through. Reed set out towards the opening with only the scanner to guide him and the noise of his footsteps reverberating through the vast darkness to break the silence. He found that this achingly empty space scared him a hundred times more then the narrow cylinder that had transported him there.

The scanner started to bleep a warning at him as he approached the entrance to the other tunnel. Reed checked the readout and his heart skipped a beat. There was another being down there with him situated roughly twenty metres dead ahead of his current position. He immediately started to run a diagnostic which when complete surprised him by identifying the being as a Skagaran male. Enterprise had only encountered this species on one other planet in the Expanse which although it was a great distance from Little Earth made Reed ponder if there was a connection.

Reed knew that the Skagaran must be aware of his presence too and was probably waiting for him to make the first move. He had no choice but to continue on but as he entered the tunnel Reed took even more care and was alert to the slightest movement.

Ten metres into the tunnel Reed found his way barred by a large metallic hatch. He searched the area around it as best he could in near total darkness but was unable to locate an opening mechanism. He put away the scanner having something he felt much more familiar and comfortable with holding under the circumstances - his phase pistol. After several tense minutes when he had nothing to do but to wait, the hatch began to move slowly upwards into a slot in the roof of the tunnel. Reed reacted to the movement by pressing his body as close to the tunnel's rough wall as he could manage.

However instead of the hostile fire Reed had expected once the hatch started to rise up; natural light began to flood into his side of the tunnel. When it was fully open and he peered around the hatch's metallic framework he saw that it was actually a lighting array inset on the both sides and on the ceiling of the arched walkway that was cruelly mimicking sunlight. His heart thudding against his ribs Reed stepped over the hatch framework and started to walk up the gently sloping floor of the tunnel towards a second hatch which started to rise as he approached.

Reed stood beside the entrance with his back against the wall. The first thing that hit him square on the nose was a truly terrible stale odour which was wafting out from the room beyond the opening. The smell was so vile that it made him want to gag and he had to shield his nose and mouth with his gloved hand. Reed hardly dared think about what had died in there to leave behind such an overpoweringly sickly sweet scent. However with one hand protecting him from the smell and his phase pistol in his other hand he turned towards the open hatchway and looked in.

He had to blink hard against the harsh light that greeted him making his eyes sting and water. Then he got his first glimpse of a shadowy figure; a very small being with bird like stick legs and a slightly stooped frame. Reed stepped over the rim of the hatchway and took a few steps into the room towards what he had already identified as a Skagaran. The being was standing in front of the bank of intensely bright white spotlights that felt like they were burning holes in Reed's retinas. As he moved closer and his eyes adjusted to the visual noise Reed was able to make out the wizened and pale features of an aged male. The being was wearing a simple and very loose faded tunic with three narrow white bands decorating the right sleeve. He also had on a pair of very baggy leggings which had suffered extensive wear and tear around the knee area. To finish off his outfit the Skagaran sported a pair of shiny black boots which were obviously several sizes too big for him.

Suddenly the little male lifted one spindly arm and started to make bizarre movements up and down through the air; the loose cloth from his sleeve flapping against his arm. The spotlights were immediately deactivated making Reed wondered if they were controlled by certain movements. It took several minutes for Reed's eyesight to recover so that he could get a proper look at the being.

He was facing an elderly male with red protrusions above his eyebrows and in front of his ears which marked him as a Skagaran. Reed realized that the male was wearing an old badly fitting uniform which he could tell from the cloth that had not faded was once a rich purple colour.

He could not envisage any real threat from this creature that looked as if he would topple over if Reed were to nudge him slightly with his little finger. So he let his weapon drop to his side. The Skagaran lifted his hollowed and dark rimmed eyes to meet Reed's and they stared at each other with neither one apparently eager to make the next move. Then as he started to feel distinctly uncomfortable Reed broke eye contact and shifted his gaze to take in the large square room. There was a rumpled half made bed to one side that looked like it had been hurriedly vacated. While in the centre of the room there was a horseshoe console and a bank of monitors. The impressive array of lights that had temporarily blinded Reed had been set up in front of the console and was presumably a final defensive measure should an attacker reach this room.

A sudden movement from the Skagaran brought Reed's attention straight back to his host. The being had stepped closer to Reed and once he had realized that he had his attention the little Skagaran male started to grin hopefully up at him, showing off a set of chipped yellow teeth. Reed caught a strong whiff of body odour from the Skagaran which indicated a serious lack of personal hygiene. He had to work hard to try and maintain a neutral expression as the male started to speak a hesitant broken version of the standard language of Earth.

"I hap-py you come. Wel-come Reed. I not have a pro-per name but if like call me Lead-er's son. You like my sec-ur-i-ty, yes?"

Startled by the fact the Skagaran knew his name Reed felt immediately at a disadvantage. The being seemed to have noticed his reaction and to be enjoying his discomfort based on the delighted grin he was displaying.

The Skagarans Enterprise had previously encountered in the Expense had taken many human prisoners from nineteenth century Earth to work as slave labour. So Reed presumed there must indeed be a connection between this male and the others they had encountered as this would explain the male's all be it limited knowledge of an Earth language.

The Skagaran continued, "I watch you-r vess-el, the En-ter-prise, since it ar-riv-ed."

And I bet you've been listening to us too, Reed thought, wondering if that was how he had actually got his knowledge of their language while he hurriedly rewound through their time on the planet. He worried about just how much information the scrawny being with the weird moniker; The Leader's son, had been able to discover. Reed's internal alarm system was jangling as he considered how compromised Enterprise could be.

"Are there others like you on the planet?" Reed asked carefully insuring that his question was as neutral as possible as he determined not to give any indication of his knowledge of Skagarans and their worrying tendency to obtain and enslave others.

"What you th-ink?" The being replied as he shot a quick glance at the open hatchway behind Reed.

Reed's automatic reaction was to speedily turn around and aim his phase pistol at the potential hostiles lurking at the entrance. After finding that there was no-one there he turned back to face the Leader's Son and clocked with annoyance that the Skagaran had an impish grin on his face. Reed groaned inwardly wondering how he was supposed to deal with a little old man who took such pleasure from a childish game. Then the next sentences from the child changed Reed's perception once more to one of total disgust.

"Not all be-ings on En-ter-prise… the same. A fe-male here who is diff-er-ent. She here be-fore with male like you. They touch in strange way, may be mat-ing? You like see?" He walked away surprisingly quickly, given his apparent frailty, to go and stand in front of the monitors and then he hurriedly beckoned to Reed to join him.

Reed was horrified as he realized that this strange creature could only be referring to Trip and T'Pol. He decided to stay where he was and made plain his displeasure by glaring at the Skagaran for inviting him to spy on his friends.

"No? I like you ex-plain what they do?"

When the Skagaran realized Reed was not going to move he shrugged his shoulders and came back to stand in front of him, "I have food, I find some-thing you like eat?"

Reed didn't even want to think about that offer; he had just noticed the source of what was the vilest smell of rotting vegetation he had ever had the misfortune to endure. A table at the right side of the entrance was cluttered with plates of partly eaten food in various stages of putrefaction.

Hastily and none to politely he declined the Skagaran's offer of sustenance, "No, not hungry at all!"

"Just be-ing friend-ly," The Skagaran said slowly sounding a little hurt as he ran his tongue along his bottom lip and scrutinized Reed as he rather obviously considered his next move.

"I show you some-thing, great help En-ter-prise… you speak to Cap-n Arch-er. I need help and we can do trade yes!" He pleaded reaching out to tug at the sleeve of Reed's EV suit.

The Skagaran then about turned and started to walk purposely towards a closed hatch at the far end of the room.

Reed was taken aback by this appeal for help. The Skagaran had dropped all pretence and sounded really desperate. Although Reed would have preferred to have got as far away from this strange creature as possible, he tightened his grip on the phase pistol and followed after the Leader's Son.