Disclaimer : I own only the Larneian race, nothing else.
A/N : Thanks you so much for the reviews (one would have done Lamby!! though I appreciate the gesture!)
Chapter Four
Mistaken Identity
"Explain T'Pol." Archer snapped.
"The sensors can no longer detect Shuttlepod One, nor the Away Team." T'Pol answered, looking as ruffled as a Vulcan could by Archer's tone. "They disappeared approximately fifty eight seconds ago."
"Disappeared? They just… vanished?"
"Affirmative. The Shuttlepod paused in its descent, continued and then… vanished."
"Why?"
"I am uncertain."
"Can you raise them?" Archer asked the crewman at the communications station.
"No sir." Was the answer. "Something… I can't tell what… is blocking transmissions."
"T'Pol?"
"I detect nothing of that nature Captain." T'Pol answered. Archer asked if she could detect any debris. Had the Shuttlepod crashed? "Negative. No debris, but nor are there any life signs. I would suggest that the Shuttlepod burnt up upon entry into the atmosphere."
Archer winced at that, but couldn't believe it. Trip was too good a pilot for that… Wasn't he? He ordered a Probe to be sent down, wanting to know why the Shuttlepod had disappeared, but unwilling to risk another crew. Something had happened to his team, and Archer wanted to know what.
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Wrists bound, Trip and Hoshi were forced to walk with the patrol. Somewhere behind them, two patrol members were carrying Leighton's body, which Hoshi thought was strange. Trip didn't care to think too much about that, or anything else for that matter, at the moment. He was walking with head bowed, ignoring the branches that whipped against him as they walked. Hoshi tried to take a little more care, but it was difficult with her hands tied behind her back. She wished that she could be closer to her comrade, but the patrol were keeping them well apart. After walking for what seemed like hours, Hoshi began to hear voices shouting and singing. She looked ahead to see if Trip had heard them too, but he didn't seem to be hearing much at all.
"They're singing of our victories." The leader of a second patrol alerted by the Shuttlepod's crash, told Hoshi proudly. Hoshi just shrugged. Well, she had warned Captain Archer they were entering a Battle Zone……….
"Who goes there!?!" A call made even Trip jump.
"It's us." Brone called from the rear of the group. "We bring prisoners for the Colonel!"
"Colonel's by the fire." The lookout answered gruffly. "In a shocking bad temper too."
Hoshi and Trip remained silent. The easiest way to explain their situation was directly to the leader of this group of soldiers, or what ever they wanted to call themselves. They were led to a fire in the centre of the camp, which consisted of little more than sleeping bags, laid out around the fire. One member of the group stood stock still, staring into the fire, a sword gripped in the right hand. Hoshi wrinkled her nose in disgust at the black blood that crusted its blade. The patrol hung back, it was clear they were reluctant to disturb this person. This gave Hoshi a chance to take in these aliens.
They wore black. Black boots, armoured trousers, chain mail shirts, bracers, gauntlets, helmets. Their weapons ranged from swords to rifles, their shields were the only things which held any colour - pictures seemed to denote to which company a soldier belonged - fire, lightning and predatory animals were the main themes. There seemed to be no evidence of rank, although there must have been some hierarchical system for the Army to function.
Hoshi glanced round. The aliens carrying Leighton's body had vanished, as had the body. Hoshi didn't dare ask where it had gone, wasn't sure she could. She could find out later. Trip was staring at the figure by the fire. Hoshi wondered how he was feeling. The walk seemed to have done him good, he seemed more alert now. Hoshi probed her own emotions. She knew she was feeling remorse at Leighton's death, but obviously nothing compared to what Trip was feeling… She felt bruised and sore from the crash but there appeared to be no serious injury. Her main concern was for Trip, and how they were going to get out of this mess. For these reasons alone, she was forcing herself to stay calm and collected.
"You bring guests, Brone?" The figure by the fire asked almost absently, without turning round.
"Prisoners, sir. Prisoners found near Falcon lines in the forest." Brone answered.
"On whose allegiance?" She asked.
"No one's." Hoshi replied quickly. "We crashed here by accident…" She was silenced by a sharp cuff round the head, which made her reel with dizziness. Trip scowled at the one holding Hoshi.
"We suspect Falcon allegiance, Colonel." Brone answered.
Finally, the figure turned. Brone cuffed Hoshi again for effect, causing Trip to start suddenly and struggle against the one holding him. "Enough." The Colonel barked. Brone cowered, Trip stopped struggling. "Report, Corporal."
"Saw their craft crashing… hiding in the caves beneath Falcon lines… captured them… female dead, other female injured…"
Hoshi had only been able to catch snippets of the report, her head swimming from the blows it had received. She was tired and hungry, and Brone's reference to her as 'the other female' made her blood boil. "My name is Hoshi, Hoshi Sato, and I don't even…"
"Peace!" The Colonel thundered. "You are prisoners of war and will act with that accord, speaking only when spoken to!" Hoshi tried to shrink back, but was held firmly by one of the patrol. She looked over at Trip, who glanced at her, concerned. Trip was amazed that someone like this Colonel could have so much anger boiling inside, could shout at someone with such intensity, and yet her eyes remained cold, empty. Nothing could be read from them - no anger, no fear, no emotion at all. It made Trip shiver.
The Colonel turned back to Brone. "Who are they?"
"We didn't ask. All we fathomed from their colours is that they are not FireWolf." Brone sounded nervous now, knowing that the colonel was so angry.
"Do they bear Falcon colours?"
"No sir."
"Then, why are they bound?" The Colonel noted that at this point Hoshi and even her male companion, who seemed so very sad, both pricked up their ears.
"We couldn't trust them sir." Brone replied carefully.
"Set them loose." The Colonel ordered softly.
"But sir, they…………"
"SET THEM LOOSE!" The Colonel roared. Hoshi smiled to see the taller Corporal cower. There was no disobeying a voice like that. They quickly cut the bonds binding her wrists, and Trip's, and she allowed herself the liberty of massaging them briefly. The colonel glowered at her troops. "Dismissed."
"I am Colonel Tharn, leader of the Eight Contingents of the FireWolf clan, heir to the throne of Larnei." Tharn announced proudly. "State your names, rank and clan."
Hoshi glanced at Trip, to see if he wanted to field the question. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out and he looked helplessly towards Hoshi. She sighed. "I am Hoshi Sato, Ensign aboard the Starship Enterprise. This is Commander Charles Tucker III of the same." Hoshi answered for him. She hesitated a moment, then offered a hand.
"Impressive titles." Tharn snapped sarcastically, ignoring Hoshi's offer of friendship. "You may come and go within the camp as you please. You will be provided with food and bedding. Leave the camp and you leave our protection." She beckoned to a private soldier, told her to fetch food, water and bed rolls for their guests. After she had gone, Tharn turned back to the two Starfleet officers. "I warn you again, leave the boundaries of the camp and you will be hunted down and treated as Falcon prisoners."
"Then we'll stay, but…" Hoshi stammered.
"My secrets guard themselves, Ensign. Will yours do the same?" Tharn asked dismissively, turning away.
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"Come." Archer had been sat impatiently in his ready room, reading the report from the last inspection of Shuttlepod One. There had been nothing wrong with the vessel when it had last been checked, three weeks ago. He looked up as Lieutenant Reed entered, PADD in hand. "What have you got?"
"We think there's some form of energy shield around the planet, Captain." Reed handed over the PADD, but Archer seemed more interested in a verbal report than a written one. "Looks like it masks bio-signs and technology, weapons, debris. Nothing would show up."
"So our people may still be alive……….. they just sank through this energy field?"
"I doubt they merely sank through it, Captain." Reed answered, carefully. Archer's stare seemed to penetrate his façade, demanding further explanation. "Sir, it got the Probe."
"What do you mean it 'got' the Probe?"
"It was, to use a crude analogy sir, like a viper. Bites out at things like probes and torpedoes. Small things. Our probe shattered upon impact."
"And the Shuttlepod?" Archer scowled at the prospect of the Shuttlepod shattering upon impact.
"I rather think it made it through, sir." Reed answered. "The Shield isn't designed to deal with large objects like the Shuttlepod. Only small ones. It probably tried to take a bite out of the Shuttlepod and ended up dragging it through."
"So our people may still be alive?" Archer asked hopefully.
"Depends on what shape the Shuttlepod was in after it had been dragged through the Field, but I'd say the chances were fifty-fifty." Reed shrugged awkwardly. "Subcommander T'Pol thinks differently. She thinks the Shuttlepod probably shattered on impact with the Shield, like the Probe did, but when the Probe exploded it sent thousands of debris fragments into Space. With the Shuttlepod, there was nothing."
Archer allowed Reed time to pause for breath, as he contemplated what his Armoury Officer was telling him. So the chances were up to fifty-fifty, because he had to be the optimist and agree with Malcolm over the issue of whether or not the Shuttlepod made it through the Shield. He looked up at Reed. "Can we find a way to scan through the Shield?"
"T'Pol has a team working, with her, on it. I have a team working on transfiguring the hull plating on a Shuttlepod to withstand the stresses it would take to get through. I believe Ensign Mayweather is working with a few of the engineers to see if we can get the Transporter to work through the Shield as a last resort."
If they carry on like this, they won't need a Captain much longer. Archer thought to himself, but said nothing except to dismiss the Lieutenant. He picked up the PADD that Reed had given him and frowned. Come on Trip, he thought, we've been through so much together. And Hoshi, he'd brought her on this mission himself. And Leighton too. They just had to be okay.