9
USS Enterprise
Trip walked into engineering and headed straight for his workstation. It was located in the back corner of the room, under the catwalk of the upper deck. He silently hoped that no one would notice him. All he wanted to do was to bury himself in his work. No such luck. Lieutenant Burch noticed Trip the second he came through the door.
Burch, with a smile on his face, walked over to the workstation and reported, "Sir, if you don't mind me saying so, you look like hell." Burch had no idea that Trip was still recovering from a hangover. Half jokingly he added, "You said that you were sick but you must not have gotten enough beauty sleep either."
"Burch, don't you have work to do?" Trip said with a look of total seriousness. Trip liked Lieutenant Burch but he was not in the mood to deal with his crap today.
Burch's smile disappeared. With a look of disappointment, he lowered his eyes, "Yes, sir. Sorry, we are about to run a system wide diagnostic."
"Then you better get back to it," Trip replied in a cool tone and turned his attention to his console. The young engineer turned on his heels and quickly walked off. Suddenly, the usually standard diagnostics run became very important not just to Burch but also to the rest of the engineers in the room. Everyone became very engaged in whatever task they were doing. A few inquisitive eyes glanced in Trip's direction but no one approached him.
Damn it! Trip put his elbows on his desk and rested his head in his hands. His head felt like it was about to explode. He let out an exasperated sigh. Trip was keenly aware that the room suddenly became quiet and full of nervous tension. I can't even get peace here! What the hell am I doing!
Trip stood and walked over to the door. "Burch, you have Engineering!" yelled Trip over his shoulder has he walked out into the corridor.
"Yes, Sir!" Burch yelled in reply but Commander Tucker was already gone. Burch looked around the room and noticed that all the engineers had stopped what they were doing. Each had a look of astonishment on their faces. "Everyone, get back to work! We don't need to drop out of warp because the Commander isn't feeling good today. It's no big deal!" With that everyone returned to their duties. Burch silently became very concerned for his superior officer. Although he tried to down play the situation, Burch knew that Commander Tucker was not acting like himself. It wasn't like him to show up late for his shift and Burch couldn't think of a time when Commander Tucker just walked out like he had. Burch was at a loss but quickly gathered himself and went back to the diagnostics.
Trip found himself walking into sick bay. He hadn't even realized this was where he was going until the doors slid open before him.
Phlox, turned and noticed Commander Tucker standing in the doorway, "Ah, Commander, come in. What can I do for your?" Trip took a few steps forward into the center of the room but didn't answer.
Phlox looked at Trip then realized that the Commander wasn't going to answer. The Doctor walked over to his storage cabinet and began to re-supply some of the med kits that he had been neglecting for a few months. He knew that Commander Tucker was deeply troubled but also knew that he was not the type to open up easily. It was best to approach the matter slowly and only when the Commander was ready. The fact that the Commander was in sick bay at all was a good sign at least Phlox hoped it was.
"Commander, how can I help you?" asked Phlox.
Trip stood in the middle room, he barely heard Phlox. He stood staring at nothing, his shoulders bent and his head dropped forward. "What?...Oh, a headache. Sorry, Doc. My head is killing me." Trip rubbed the bridge of his nose then walked over to the bio bed and sat down.
"No problem, Commander. Let's take a look," said Phlox with a soft smile on his face. He took out his medical scanner.
"It looks as though your headache is caused by dehydration. Have you been getting enough fluids?" asked Phlox.
"Maybe too much," Trip replied as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. He felt like he was about to get a lecture for the school principle.
Phlox said with a sound of confusion, "I am afraid I don't understand, Commander."
Trip couldn't help but smile slightly. The look on the Commander's face reminded the doctor of his own boys when they were young and had just been caught doing something they shouldn't have. "The Captain and I…we…had a few drinks last night." Trip rolled his eyes slightly and looked away, his face flush with embarrassment.
"I see, well that explains the dehydration." Phlox moved his scanner over the Commander's upper torso.
"I was fine until he…the Captain…brought out the Andorian ale. I tell you, that stuff really knocked me on my …" Trip realized that he was providing more information than what was needed.
"Well, I suggest that you go to the mess hall for some dry toast, and drink plenty of water. Afterwards you might want to try and get some sleep. Here is a hypospray for the headache," Phlox said as he injected Trip.
"Thanks, Doc," said Trip.
Phlox took a step back and noticed something unsettling about the way the Commander appeared. "Is there something else, Commander?"
Trip took a deep breath and released it before speaking, "I haven't been able to sleep very much lately." Trip always had trouble sleeping. It had gotten worse when his sister was killed but he had managed to overcome his insomnia in the past. Now though, it was back ad in full force.
"How long has this been going on?" asked Phlox.
"Not long after I got back," admitted Trip.
"Commander, that was months ago. Why didn't you come to me sooner," Phlox was astonished.
"I don't know. I guess I thought I would just deal with it," replied Trip.
"Have you been able to deal with it?" asked Phlox in a tone, which made Trip feel as though he was being reprimanded.
Trip lowered his eyes to the floor and spoke quietly, "Not exactly. I close my eyes and I begin to see people's faces that I knew or …certain… past events."
"I assume these memories are rather traumatic," Phlox added.
Trip nodded in agreement. "I also haven't been the easiest person to be around lately. I've been distracted. Hell, I don't even want to be down in engineering these days."
Phlox tilted his head up slightly and looked down at someone who was in a great deal of pain. At that moment, Phlox realized how deeply Trip's losses had affected him and how his experiences with the Section had scared him. Phlox then did something that he rarely did. He placed his hand on Trip Tucker's shoulder. It was a gesture of pure kindness and empathy.
"Commander, I know that your time away from here was not easy for you. When someone goes through a very traumatic experience it is normal to feel overwhelmed, exhausted and disconnected from others. I wish I could give you an injection or develop some cure but this is something that you will have to come to terms with. Humans are very resilient. I have faith that you will get through this but it will time. As for you being able to sleep, I would suggest that you try Vulcan neuropressure again." Phlox gave Trip a coy smile.
"Ooooh, no, you can forget that Doc." Trip stood and began to walk towards the door.
Phlox tilted his head, "It seemed to work quite well for you before."
Trip stopped and faced the Doctor, "Well, forget it. That is no longer an option."
"I see, in that case come by this evening and I will give you a mild sedative but only short term. You might also avoid making any rash decisions at least for a while. In your state of mind, you might find yourself regretting certain choices," Phlox suggested.
"You're too late on that one, Doc. See ya later and thanks." Trip crossed the room and was just about to press the door control when the ship suddenly lurched. Trip braced himself against the door, "What the hell!" Just then the ship's tactical alert sounded. Trip glanced back at Phlox to see that the doctor had fallen to the floor. Phlox was getting up slowly but raised his hand to show that he was fine and to signal to Trip to go ahead and leave him. Trip opened the doors to sick bay and ran down the corridor towards engineering.
As he ran, the ship lurched again. It was obvious that the ship had just come to a dead stop. Trip burst into Engineering and found himself in the middle of chaos. Thick smoke was beginning to engulf the room, sparks shot from several relay panels and small fires had broken out. The distinct smell of burning electrical components filled his nostrils. He counted at least three crewmembers on the floor. Others were already rendering aid.
"Shut down the reactor! Concentrate on the fires!" Trip began shouting orders as he ran over to the com panel. "Engineering to Bridge, what the hell is going on?"
"Trip, we are under attack by a small vessel off the port side! What is your status?" Captain Archer yelled into the com panel located on the arm rest of his chair.
"Sir, we have fires throughout and I had to shut down the reactor. I can't give you a complete status right now!" yelled Trip over the sounds of destruction.
"Let me know engine status as soon as you can," ordered Archer.
"Aye, Sir." Trip replied then turned to check the status display. Damn it! I should have been here. Trip couldn't help but chide himself for not being at his station when the ship was attacked.
"Mr. Reed, what's weapon status?" Archer asked.
"Sir, we have weapons but the vessel has moved within just a few meters of our port side. I can't get a clear shot," answered Malcolm.
"Travis, do we still have impulse?" Archer asked as he ran possible defensive actions through his head.
"No, Sir. The helm is no longer responding," replied Travis.
"Sir, the vessel is preparing to dock," T'Pol reported from her station.
"Can you stop them?" asked Archer in a quick and breathless voice.
T'Pol replied, "No, they disabled the controls and are using a manual clamping devise."
Archer turned to face Lieutenant Reed, "Malcolm, send a team of MACOs down there, evacuate the section and be prepared to seal it off if needed."
"T'Pol, try to find a way to get that ship off of us," ordered Archer.
Hoshi had been monitoring the com frequencies and suddenly reported, "Sir, there is an incoming transmission. It's from the vessel, audio only. "
"Open the channel," Archer ordered. Hoshi immediately routed the transmission through the ship's translation matrix and transferred it to the bridge's audio magnification unit.
"You are being boarded. Jettison your cargo now. You will also surrender all valuables to include weapons and precious metals. If you comply with our demands your ship and crew will be released, unharmed. If you resist, you will be eliminated and your ship destroyed." The voice was flat with little inflection. Archer wondered if it was a recording.
"This is Captain Archer of the USS Enterprise we are not …" The com line went dead. Captain Archer looked at Hoshi, "What the hell happened?"
"Sir, I don't think they liked your response," answered Hoshi.
Trip scrambled to prioritize repairs. The alien vessel had somehow managed to knock out most of the electrical components in engineering. His teams had to rely on handheld scanners to troubleshoot damaged systems. This meant that getting a status update to the Captain was taking longer than he liked. Worse yet, without computer access the teams were forced to initiate repairs manually. It was an excruciatingly slow process and would require hundreds of manhours.
Trip was utterly frustrated. He stood in the middle of engineering totally perplexed on how this could happen. He knew that the ship's other main systems like weapons, life support and sensors were virtually unaffected. Even the engine's warp core, conduits, injectors, nacelles and subcomponents seemed fine. It looked as though the alien vessel only disabled the ship's engine control systems. Most of the power relays and control panels on D Deck were knocked out. It would take days to repair everything. The worst part for Trip was that he was flying blind. While the engine's systems in general appeared fine, he had no way of knowing for sure. If he fired the warp reactor back up, for all he knew the thing could have a breach. He wouldn't be able to detect it until it was too late.
Trip moved over to the com panel. He wasn't looking forward to this. "Engineering to Bridge."
"Go ahead, Trip. I hope you have some good news for me," Captain Archer answered.
Trip couldn't help but notice the slight sound of desperation in the Captain's voice. "I'm sorry, Sir. I wish I did have good news. Truth is, I'm still not sure what I have down here. It seems that most of the ship's main systems are on-line. The engine appears to be operational but I have no way of knowing. The aliens somehow knocked out our entire engine control system. I can give you impulse back in a few minutes but I wouldn't recommend warp drive until I can come up with a way to monitor the reactor."
"How long will that take?" asked the Captain.
"I would guess about twenty minutes if I focus all our efforts. You have to understand Captain that I'm still not recommending anything above warp 2, 2.5 tops. Anything more and we won't be able to shut it down fast enough if something goes wrong."
"Understood. Put your team on it. I need you up here helping T'Pol. I want you both to determine the capabilities of that ship. Bridge, out!" The com line closed.
Trip stood for a few seconds and quickly put a plan together. He then yelled, "Lieutenant Burch!"
The engineer instantly turned and ran over to Trip. His eyes were wide and Trip could see that Burch's arm was badly injured. Trip looked closer at the wound and saw that Burch had at least a third degree burn extending from the man's elbow to his shoulder.
"Are you alright? You need to get that looked at," Trip said. The sickening smell of burnt flesh hit Trip like a title wave. The chaos that surrounded him began to go silent; his mind drifted back to another place. He found himself aboard a small Romulan ship with the burnt corpse of his colleague Phuong just a few meters away. The shock of seeing Phuong's lifeless body caused Trip to stumble backwards in horror.
"Sir?" Burch reached out to Trip as he began tumble back. Trip caught himself by grabbing onto the support frame of the ship's reactor housing. He managed to regain his balance and looked around the room. He realized quickly that he was aboard Enterprise and not a Romulan ship.
"Sorry, I'm fine. I just…Anyway, I need you to pull everyone back. We need to fire up the reactor. The Captain wants to be able to go to warp," Trip said as he tried to compose himself.
Burch gave Trip a look of confusion, "Sir, we can't go to warp. So far, every junction box I've opened is fried mess."
"I know that," replied Trip. He couldn't blame the engineer for thinking he was out of his mind. He had to admit that he'd been acting like a crazy man for the last few weeks. "I need you to change out the reactor's main monitor. Replace any relays that you can access quickly. Route what you can to the main counsel. Initiate start-up and have the crew monitor the rest of the engine's system. At the first sign of trouble shut it down. I have to get to the bridge. I won't be able to monitor the reactor's condition from there so you'll have to do it. Make the call. If you think the risk is too high, shut it down. Do you understand? Let me know as soon as you're ready. If you want, I can have someone else take this. You need to get to sick bay."
"No Sir, I can handle it. My arm is fine. I'll see the Doc when we're done. I'll contact you when we're ready to start the engine." With that, Burch was off gathering his team and his tools.
Trip watched his crew work for just a second. He was very proud of them. He turned, left engineering and headed towards the bridge. As he made his way, he suddenly felt invigorated, a feeling that he hadn't had in a long time. It feels good to be back.
