Disclaimer: Star Trek and all the assoicated the characters are the property of someone important but not me.
Author's Note: One thing that has disappointed me so far with the show is that whenever someone on the crew must get surprised or overpowered by an alien or an intruder, invariably it's Malcolm. Female Klingons, Hi-Tech Hunters, Prison Wardens, even Mole People, they all got the drop on poor Mr. Reed. He's like a recurring redshirt and he's supposed to be the weapons expert. Well not in this story. He's going to kick ass and not bother wasting time taking names. I know it doesn't look like that right now but trust me 'cause eventually the boy is going to cut loose.
* * * * *
The side of his face felt numb. Numb and cold. What the hell had he gotten himself into now? He had no doubt there was a long and complicated answer to that particular question.
He resisted opening his eyes in order to take in as much information as he could with his other senses first. He was still outdoors, that much was clear. He could feel the gentle lapping of water against his knees and the he could smell something that seemed awfully like pine cones all around him. He tentatively pushed a finger into the ground beneath his hand and it gave way readily with a slight sucking sound. Given all these factors he figured he was on some kind of mud embankment by whatever body of water he had recently been in.
With a grunt he rolled on to his back and struggled for a moment to get his eyes open and focused. Though he couldn't see it, whatever sun this planet had was disappearing rapidly as it appeared that night was falling with a vengeance. Though he couldn't quite remember how, he knew that it had been the early evening when he had first hit the water.
Idly rubbing the back of his head he looked around him. Up and behind him he could see the tops of a number of trees swaying lazily from the slight wind that blew in from the body of water. The embankment he was on was quite steep and seemed to be the only place for a distance in either direction that offered easy or indeed any access to the water. However he had ended up here, Malcolm considered, it hadn't been luck.
* * * * *
"Are you sure there isn't another way?" a rather nervous and pale Hoshi asked from her seat. Malcolm looked over at her and found himself wondering how she could even breath given how tightly she had strapped herself in.
"Probably but I thought this route would be the most fun," a very calm Travis replied from the pilot's seat where he corrected the shuttle's path as it leaped through the asteroid belt. "If this is your idea of fun..." Hoshi began before stopping abruptly as the shuttle executed a sharp turn to avoid an incoming rock that was easily twice the size of the shuttle. Not having heard her, Travis continued his explanation. "To be honest, this is the first time I've actually flown to the place. I was about three the first time I came here and fifteen the second time, so I don't really remember what way we did fly in the first time."
Seeing that Hoshi was anything but happy about this, Malcolm leaned across towards her. "If anyone can get us there safely and quickly Ensign, it's Mr Mayweather." Malcolm said with as much assurance as he could muster before he turned his attention back to a PADD with Lamout's biography on it. He had already read it a number of times but as he didn't enjoy being idle, he had decided to look over it again. After all you could never be too well prepared.
"You hear that Travis, my life is in your hands." Hoshi half joked as she absently grabbed the straps around her shoulders again, her knuckles quickly going white from the pressure she was applying on them.
"Well then you'll be delighted to hear that we're through the field and entering the upper atmosphere." Travis commented as he checked a console to his right.
"Right then," Malcolm proclaimed as he rose from his seat, grabbing a console to steady himself as he did so. "I know it would be lovely to take in the sights and enjoy what hospitality this place has to offer but time is critical on this one. We have to get to this Lamout character as quickly as possible and relieve him of whatever information it is that he has. Travis, once we're on the ground you'll take the point."
The young Ensign turned from his console and tried to hide his smile at Malcolm's pep talk.
"Lieutenant, this isn't a war zone we're going into, it's a commercial station. They don't welcome trouble any more then we do."
For a brief moment Malcolm thought that Travis was channeling Archer. It was that debonair attitude that had gotten them in over their heads more then once already on this, their maiden voyage. Well it wasn't going to happen while he was calling the shots. He reached down under the console and retrieved an all purpose case. He opened it and started to examine the contents.
"None the less Ensign, I'd rather be safe then sorry. Here," he handed Hoshi a Phase Pistol from the case, "it's set to stun. Travis, here's yours."
Despite his misgivings at Reed's over-cautious attitude, Travis took the weapon without a word.
"There it is," he stated as they finally burst through the cloud cover.
Situated in a natural basin in a large mountain range, Duakba had begun life as a mining colony. The structures that were visible above ground were chiefly concerned with the handling of interstellar traffic and had remained pretty much the same as they always had but beneath the surface, little evidence of the colony's former life was evident as it had been totally overhauled by the various races that had taken up residence there since all the minerals had dried up.
"The landing platforms are over there," Travis indicated to a point on the opposite side of the station to the one they were approaching. A beeping on a console caught Travis's attention and he immediately pressed a button.
"Incoming vessel, this is Duakba Control Station, please adjust your course by point 3 degrees and await further instructions."
"Understood Duakba Station, adjusting by point 3 degrees," Travis replied as he laid in the course correction. He turned to his companions with a broad smile and with a sweeping arm welcomed them to Duakba Station.
* * * * *
Well the fact remained that he couldn't wallow in the mud all night. He slowly got to his feet and had to use his hands to steady himself as he clambered up the slippery embankment. He reached the top and found himself in a small clearing covered in a short grass that appeared brown in the dwindling light. The clearing was about about ten meters in diameter and edged with brush and trees.
He wiped his hands off the front of his uniform and stood for a moment considering his next move carefully.
"So Malcolm, you either stay here and hope that someone finds you or you try and find your own way out of this mess," he told himself. "It's the old die slow or die fast conundrum."
With a deep sigh he headed towards the lining of the trees.
* * * * *
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Hoshi couldn't help but asking again. She knew that Travis must be getting at least slightly irritated at her incessant questioning. She realized early on that fun and games with Malcolm were out of the question because he was in full on man-on-a-mission mode so she settled for annoying Travis. It was the least she could do to repay him for that trip through the asteroid belt.
"Yes," Travis patiently replied, not letting Hoshi get the better of him. "According to the readout we got from control, Lamout's quarters should be down two more levels."
"Okay," Hoshi said simply, turning away from Travis to look out through the cage of the elevator.
Malcolm stood in silence next to Travis. So far everything had been going smoothly. They had asked for directions from a technician in the hangar where the shuttle was situated and he had simply downloaded a map onto a PADD. Malcolm had insisted that they proceed directly there despite a request from Hoshi to at least take the scenic route.
The elevator hissed as it came to a halt and the trio spilled out, Travis taking a moment to orientate himself before setting off down a passage way.
"It's this way, about two hundred meters," he informed the others as he began walking.
The three walked in single file all the way there, doing their best, at Malcolm's prompting, to ignore all the unusual sights and sounds that they encountered. He had, in the short time since landing, already seen a number of species that he had never heard of before let alone seen. He knew that if he was having difficulty following his own instructions then Hoshi must be going crazy while Travis was probably just taking it all in his stride.
"This is us," Travis announced as he came to a halt.
The small brown single-story building was pretty identical to all the others they had passed on this level. Obviously all the living quarters in this area were standard. There were no windows and only a small door with a single console next to it.
"Right," Malcolm stated as he went to access the console to announce their arrival. He stopped suddenly as he noticed that the whole thing seemed loose. Carefully he grasped the whole thing in his hand and pulled it out. Travis leaned forward to examine it with him.
"Looks like it's been fused," he said as he gently tapped two burnt wires.
"Guys," Hoshi called their attention away from the console to the door which had moved slightly when Travis prodded the wires, "looks like someone got here before us."
She began to move forward until Malcolm placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. "I better go first, Hoshi" he advised as he withdrew his pistol from its holster on his waist. Travis grabbed the edge of the door and on a nod from Malcolm pulled it wide enough for him to dart in, pistol leading the way.
The place was a wreck. Everything was overturned or broken. Malcolm knew what this meant; if there had been anyone here, they were long gone now. Malcolm replaced his pistol and bent down to pick up a broken PADD from the floor as Hoshi and Travis came in.
"Wow, this place looks just like my quarters," Hoshi said.
Malcolm shook his head. So much for a simple retrieval operation.
"So what do we do now?" Travis asked.
Malcolm stood up, tossing the useless PADD back on the floor. "We contact Enterprise and see what the Captain has to say."
Hoshi immediately took out her communicator. "I can link to the shuttle from here to boost the signal."
Malcolm nodded and she continued.
* * * * *
"Have you tried contacting the local authorities?" Archer asked after Malcolm had given him his report.
"No Captain. I thought it best to talk to you first," Malcolm answered.
"Okay Malcolm...do some digging around and see if you can come up with anything. I get the impression that the Admiral thinks this information is pretty valuable."
"Understood sir."
There was a crackle of static for a moment as Archer considered what to say next.
"If all you're getting is dead-ends then come back home."
"Very good sir."
"Good luck Malcolm, Archer out."
Malcolm sighed as he gave Hoshi her communicator back. Sharing a sly smile with Travis she glanced at Malcolm. "So I guess we'll be spending some time here after all."
Malcolm could only shake his head.
"Wonderful," he said to no one in particular.
* * * * *
After thirty minutes of wondering through the trees Malcolm came to the conclusion that there was a very real possibility he was going around in circles. It had gotten so dark now that he could hardly see more then a few feet in front of him and he realized that to continue to move was pointless. He'd just wait until the sun came up so he'd have something to navigate by.
Knowing that one place was pretty much as good as another he slumped to the ground, leaning his back against the trunk of a tree, he let his tired body rest.
He sat like that for a while, his head hanging from fatigue. He was in trouble, no doubt about it. No way to communicate with Enterprise or the shuttle, no supplies and worst of all no-
Hearing something on the wind, his hand shot to the empty holster by his side as he practically jumped to his feet.
He swiveled his head slowly, trying to catch that faint noise again. It had been barely more then a whisper but audible enough to be jarring and out of place amongst the usual chatter that occurred at night outdoors.
Whatever it was, was silent now but Malcolm couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that something was watching him.
To be continued...
Author's Note: One thing that has disappointed me so far with the show is that whenever someone on the crew must get surprised or overpowered by an alien or an intruder, invariably it's Malcolm. Female Klingons, Hi-Tech Hunters, Prison Wardens, even Mole People, they all got the drop on poor Mr. Reed. He's like a recurring redshirt and he's supposed to be the weapons expert. Well not in this story. He's going to kick ass and not bother wasting time taking names. I know it doesn't look like that right now but trust me 'cause eventually the boy is going to cut loose.
The side of his face felt numb. Numb and cold. What the hell had he gotten himself into now? He had no doubt there was a long and complicated answer to that particular question.
He resisted opening his eyes in order to take in as much information as he could with his other senses first. He was still outdoors, that much was clear. He could feel the gentle lapping of water against his knees and the he could smell something that seemed awfully like pine cones all around him. He tentatively pushed a finger into the ground beneath his hand and it gave way readily with a slight sucking sound. Given all these factors he figured he was on some kind of mud embankment by whatever body of water he had recently been in.
With a grunt he rolled on to his back and struggled for a moment to get his eyes open and focused. Though he couldn't see it, whatever sun this planet had was disappearing rapidly as it appeared that night was falling with a vengeance. Though he couldn't quite remember how, he knew that it had been the early evening when he had first hit the water.
Idly rubbing the back of his head he looked around him. Up and behind him he could see the tops of a number of trees swaying lazily from the slight wind that blew in from the body of water. The embankment he was on was quite steep and seemed to be the only place for a distance in either direction that offered easy or indeed any access to the water. However he had ended up here, Malcolm considered, it hadn't been luck.
"Are you sure there isn't another way?" a rather nervous and pale Hoshi asked from her seat. Malcolm looked over at her and found himself wondering how she could even breath given how tightly she had strapped herself in.
"Probably but I thought this route would be the most fun," a very calm Travis replied from the pilot's seat where he corrected the shuttle's path as it leaped through the asteroid belt. "If this is your idea of fun..." Hoshi began before stopping abruptly as the shuttle executed a sharp turn to avoid an incoming rock that was easily twice the size of the shuttle. Not having heard her, Travis continued his explanation. "To be honest, this is the first time I've actually flown to the place. I was about three the first time I came here and fifteen the second time, so I don't really remember what way we did fly in the first time."
Seeing that Hoshi was anything but happy about this, Malcolm leaned across towards her. "If anyone can get us there safely and quickly Ensign, it's Mr Mayweather." Malcolm said with as much assurance as he could muster before he turned his attention back to a PADD with Lamout's biography on it. He had already read it a number of times but as he didn't enjoy being idle, he had decided to look over it again. After all you could never be too well prepared.
"You hear that Travis, my life is in your hands." Hoshi half joked as she absently grabbed the straps around her shoulders again, her knuckles quickly going white from the pressure she was applying on them.
"Well then you'll be delighted to hear that we're through the field and entering the upper atmosphere." Travis commented as he checked a console to his right.
"Right then," Malcolm proclaimed as he rose from his seat, grabbing a console to steady himself as he did so. "I know it would be lovely to take in the sights and enjoy what hospitality this place has to offer but time is critical on this one. We have to get to this Lamout character as quickly as possible and relieve him of whatever information it is that he has. Travis, once we're on the ground you'll take the point."
The young Ensign turned from his console and tried to hide his smile at Malcolm's pep talk.
"Lieutenant, this isn't a war zone we're going into, it's a commercial station. They don't welcome trouble any more then we do."
For a brief moment Malcolm thought that Travis was channeling Archer. It was that debonair attitude that had gotten them in over their heads more then once already on this, their maiden voyage. Well it wasn't going to happen while he was calling the shots. He reached down under the console and retrieved an all purpose case. He opened it and started to examine the contents.
"None the less Ensign, I'd rather be safe then sorry. Here," he handed Hoshi a Phase Pistol from the case, "it's set to stun. Travis, here's yours."
Despite his misgivings at Reed's over-cautious attitude, Travis took the weapon without a word.
"There it is," he stated as they finally burst through the cloud cover.
Situated in a natural basin in a large mountain range, Duakba had begun life as a mining colony. The structures that were visible above ground were chiefly concerned with the handling of interstellar traffic and had remained pretty much the same as they always had but beneath the surface, little evidence of the colony's former life was evident as it had been totally overhauled by the various races that had taken up residence there since all the minerals had dried up.
"The landing platforms are over there," Travis indicated to a point on the opposite side of the station to the one they were approaching. A beeping on a console caught Travis's attention and he immediately pressed a button.
"Incoming vessel, this is Duakba Control Station, please adjust your course by point 3 degrees and await further instructions."
"Understood Duakba Station, adjusting by point 3 degrees," Travis replied as he laid in the course correction. He turned to his companions with a broad smile and with a sweeping arm welcomed them to Duakba Station.
Well the fact remained that he couldn't wallow in the mud all night. He slowly got to his feet and had to use his hands to steady himself as he clambered up the slippery embankment. He reached the top and found himself in a small clearing covered in a short grass that appeared brown in the dwindling light. The clearing was about about ten meters in diameter and edged with brush and trees.
He wiped his hands off the front of his uniform and stood for a moment considering his next move carefully.
"So Malcolm, you either stay here and hope that someone finds you or you try and find your own way out of this mess," he told himself. "It's the old die slow or die fast conundrum."
With a deep sigh he headed towards the lining of the trees.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Hoshi couldn't help but asking again. She knew that Travis must be getting at least slightly irritated at her incessant questioning. She realized early on that fun and games with Malcolm were out of the question because he was in full on man-on-a-mission mode so she settled for annoying Travis. It was the least she could do to repay him for that trip through the asteroid belt.
"Yes," Travis patiently replied, not letting Hoshi get the better of him. "According to the readout we got from control, Lamout's quarters should be down two more levels."
"Okay," Hoshi said simply, turning away from Travis to look out through the cage of the elevator.
Malcolm stood in silence next to Travis. So far everything had been going smoothly. They had asked for directions from a technician in the hangar where the shuttle was situated and he had simply downloaded a map onto a PADD. Malcolm had insisted that they proceed directly there despite a request from Hoshi to at least take the scenic route.
The elevator hissed as it came to a halt and the trio spilled out, Travis taking a moment to orientate himself before setting off down a passage way.
"It's this way, about two hundred meters," he informed the others as he began walking.
The three walked in single file all the way there, doing their best, at Malcolm's prompting, to ignore all the unusual sights and sounds that they encountered. He had, in the short time since landing, already seen a number of species that he had never heard of before let alone seen. He knew that if he was having difficulty following his own instructions then Hoshi must be going crazy while Travis was probably just taking it all in his stride.
"This is us," Travis announced as he came to a halt.
The small brown single-story building was pretty identical to all the others they had passed on this level. Obviously all the living quarters in this area were standard. There were no windows and only a small door with a single console next to it.
"Right," Malcolm stated as he went to access the console to announce their arrival. He stopped suddenly as he noticed that the whole thing seemed loose. Carefully he grasped the whole thing in his hand and pulled it out. Travis leaned forward to examine it with him.
"Looks like it's been fused," he said as he gently tapped two burnt wires.
"Guys," Hoshi called their attention away from the console to the door which had moved slightly when Travis prodded the wires, "looks like someone got here before us."
She began to move forward until Malcolm placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. "I better go first, Hoshi" he advised as he withdrew his pistol from its holster on his waist. Travis grabbed the edge of the door and on a nod from Malcolm pulled it wide enough for him to dart in, pistol leading the way.
The place was a wreck. Everything was overturned or broken. Malcolm knew what this meant; if there had been anyone here, they were long gone now. Malcolm replaced his pistol and bent down to pick up a broken PADD from the floor as Hoshi and Travis came in.
"Wow, this place looks just like my quarters," Hoshi said.
Malcolm shook his head. So much for a simple retrieval operation.
"So what do we do now?" Travis asked.
Malcolm stood up, tossing the useless PADD back on the floor. "We contact Enterprise and see what the Captain has to say."
Hoshi immediately took out her communicator. "I can link to the shuttle from here to boost the signal."
Malcolm nodded and she continued.
"Have you tried contacting the local authorities?" Archer asked after Malcolm had given him his report.
"No Captain. I thought it best to talk to you first," Malcolm answered.
"Okay Malcolm...do some digging around and see if you can come up with anything. I get the impression that the Admiral thinks this information is pretty valuable."
"Understood sir."
There was a crackle of static for a moment as Archer considered what to say next.
"If all you're getting is dead-ends then come back home."
"Very good sir."
"Good luck Malcolm, Archer out."
Malcolm sighed as he gave Hoshi her communicator back. Sharing a sly smile with Travis she glanced at Malcolm. "So I guess we'll be spending some time here after all."
Malcolm could only shake his head.
"Wonderful," he said to no one in particular.
After thirty minutes of wondering through the trees Malcolm came to the conclusion that there was a very real possibility he was going around in circles. It had gotten so dark now that he could hardly see more then a few feet in front of him and he realized that to continue to move was pointless. He'd just wait until the sun came up so he'd have something to navigate by.
Knowing that one place was pretty much as good as another he slumped to the ground, leaning his back against the trunk of a tree, he let his tired body rest.
He sat like that for a while, his head hanging from fatigue. He was in trouble, no doubt about it. No way to communicate with Enterprise or the shuttle, no supplies and worst of all no-
Hearing something on the wind, his hand shot to the empty holster by his side as he practically jumped to his feet.
He swiveled his head slowly, trying to catch that faint noise again. It had been barely more then a whisper but audible enough to be jarring and out of place amongst the usual chatter that occurred at night outdoors.
Whatever it was, was silent now but Malcolm couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that something was watching him.
To be continued...