Where Have All the Soldiers Gone?
"And you have no idea where the rest of the
crew is?" questioned Phlox after Tucker and T'Pol had told him what had
happened, that they were alone aboard the Enterprise.
"None." said the Vulcan sub-commander impassively.
"Are we in orbit around a planet? Perhaps
they beamed down or something." suggested Phlox, shuffling his feet as
he spoke.
"Impossible. We are traveling at warp speed."
said T'Pol.
"Speaking of that. Do you think we might ought
to stop until we find out what's going on?" asked Trip.
"Yes, that would be for the best. Where ever
the crew has gone, it is very likely that it is somewhere behind us, therefore
we are traveling away from them." agreed T'Pol.
"I'll go up to the bridge and put the brakes
on then. The two of you should probably check the shuttle bay and take
a count."
"A logical suggestion." said T'Pol approvingly.
"All shuttlepods are accounted for." said T'Pol
as the trio seated themselves in the situation room. That had been Commander
Tucker's idea. They certainly had a situation.
"So what we have on our hands is a mystery."
said Phlox.
"Eighty missing crew members." sighed Tucker,
who still desperately wanted to believe that it was a nightmare.
"Indeed." said T'Pol.
"And we haven't found any sign that the ship
was boarded." stated Trip.
"That is correct." verified Sub-commander
T'Pol.
"And the transporter has not been activated."
"It was last used two weeks ago to beam up
a mineralogy sample."
Commander Tucker ran his hands through his
hair and asked, "Do you suppose it's time to contact Star Fleet?"
"Why not the High Council?" questioned T'Pol,
raising an eyebrow.
"Because this is a Star Fleet vessel."
"Under the command of a Vulcan officer."
"Now, now," interrupted Phlox before the conflict
could escalate, "I don't think it matters who we call as long as someone
is notified. It was Commander Tucker's suggestion, so why not let him contact
his people and then you can contact yours, sub-commander."
T'Pol considered this for a moment before,
saying, "That seems equitable enough, for now."
"Fine." agreed Trip.
"What do you mean you can't raise them?" asked
Trip, almost thinking that she was going back on the agreement.
"I mean, commander, that I cannot reach anyone
using the frequencies you provided. It is highly irregular." answered T'Pol.
"Could there be something wrong with our equipment?"
questioned Phlox.
"No." answered T'Pol, concentrating on the
communications station. "I cannot raise Vulcan either. It seems that all
communications have been cut off. It is almost as though we are alone in
the universe."
"Have you tried the long range scanners? Are
there any other ships out there?" asked Tucker.
"There are no ships within scanning range,
commander."
Tucker leaned against a nearby console and
closed his eyes, asking no in particular, "Now what?"
"I see no clear alternative. We must retrace
our steps. If the answer to this mystery is to be found, then it is behind
us."
"So we double back?"
"Yes, commander."
T'Pol left the communications station and
took a seat at the helm. She frowned as she began to set the course.
"Is something wrong, sub-commander?" asked
Phlox as he watched her.
"Perhaps." she answered. "When I last reviewed
the ship's course twenty-four hours ago, we were in an area of space with
which I had some familiarity. We are still in that same sector, but the
star Delta-649 has changed. It became a red giant approximately seventy
million years ago. According to these readings, it is a much younger star
than it should be."
"What are you saying?" asked Commander Tucker.
T'Pol looked away from the helm and said,
"It is possible that we have gone back in time seventy million years or
more."
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