Wanderers (Pt. IV)

by Darrin A. Colbourne



Mayweather slewed Enterprise left and right, trying frantically to throw off their attacker's aim. The alien ship stayed right with them, pummeling the polarized hull with energy blasts.

"Reed!" Captain Archer said. "Scrape this guy off our backs! Aft Pulse Cannons! Fire at will!"

"Locking weapons!" Lt. Reed said. "Firing!"

A dozen plasma pulse blasts flashed from emitters in Enterprise's stern. Several of the blasts found their mark, but simply deflected off the attacker's hull.

"No effect!" Reed called out. "No energy shields! Their hull polarization must be more effective than ours!"

"Y'know, T'Pol," Archer said, "I've been wondering! If we're such a bad influence on the rest of the universe, why does everybody else have better weapons than us?!"

The Vulcan chose to ignore the comment, taking it for Human sarcasm. "Adjusting cannons to compensate!" She called out as another impact rocked the ship. Reed fired another barrage. This time four of the blasts impacted before the attacker could maneuver for safety. It didn't stay on the defensive for long. It came charging back in from starboard, energy beam blazing. Mayweather veered to port then rolled left, throwing the attack off balance. The attacker compensated by firing a spread of projectiles, two of which impacted on the port nacelle.

"Moderate damage to the nacelle!" T'Pol called out. "The warheads created some sort of baryon discharge!"

"Tucker to Bridge!" "Trip" radioed in. "There's nothing damaged on the warp nacelle that we can't fix but only if it doesn't get hit again!"

"We'll try our best!" Archer said. "Bridge out. Mayweather, I'm tired of seeing this guy on my ass! Do whatever you need to get us into a decent attack position! Reed, lock torpedoes on that thing and get ready to fire on my mark!"

Mayweather "gunned" the impulse engines seconds after Archer finished speaking. Enterprise leaped forward, streaking away from the enemy. He wasn't surprised to see it pick up speed to compensate, but he wasn't finished yet. Like all good "Boomers", Mayweather was an avid student of Earth's spacefaring history. He was now flying Enterprise the way Gus Grissom flew the Gemini capsule, maneuvering through all three axes as swiftly as the thrusters would allow. After a bevy of such maneuvers and three gut-wrenching moves to throw off the alien's target lock, the Ensign had the NX-01 pointed right at him.

"Forward tubes!" Archer yelled. "Fire!"

Reed fired the torpedoes in the tubes, but instead flying out at their normal speed when their engines ignited, the two torpedoes flashed to the target, traveling so fast that they left a blur of afterimages in their wake. The momentum slammed them through the attacker, shattering its hull, and the warheads detonated 5000 meters behind the target. Enterprise flew through the burning debris as it slowed down to thruster speeds.

"Apparently the nature of this zone improves the performance of our torpedoes' engines as well." T'Pol noted when the bridge had settled down.

Archer stood when he caught his breath and glared at the viewscreen. "Take us back to that construct," he ordered Mayweather.





"Put him over there." Dr. Phlox said, directing a crewman carrying a wounded comrade to a spare cot in a corner of the Sick Bay. The alien doctor and his small staff of medical corpsmen were doing a good job keeping up with the casualties, but Phlox would have preferred not to be practicing under such circumstances. He enjoyed his profession, certainly, but the scene reminded him too much of the horrors he'd seen on life-saving missions on a dozen war-torn alien worlds, and he'd been hoping he wouldn't have to worry about the same thing on Enterprise.

Still, it was apparent they had won the battle. The ship had settled down to a steady course and the crewman being helped onto the cot was the last casualty to come in. While several of the injuries were serious none were immediately fatal, so they would lose no crewmen on this part of their voyage. It wasn't much, but it was a fact that brightened the situation nonetheless.

Phlox was about to head over to the new patient when T'Pol came in. He went over to greet the First Officer. "Is there something I can do for you, Subcommander?" He asked graciously. He was impatient to get on with his work, but nothing could ever make the good doctor brusque with his fellow explorers.

"The Captain would like a casualty report." She said.

"Well, the most serious injury was to Crewman Epson. His right leg was broken in three places when a piece of loose equipment fell on him as he staggered on his way to Engineering." Phlox said. "There were three other broken legs, several other broken and sprained limbs, some very deep cuts and bruises. None of the injuries is life threatening, but many of the crew will be out of action for some time. I will have a full report written out and ready to deliver to the Captain as soon as I am finished here."

"Very well." T'Pol said, nodding. She was about to leave, but Dr. Phlox was suddenly curious.

"Are we heading back to our original course?" He asked.

"No. Captain Archer is heading us back to the space construct we located just before we were attacked."

Phlox managed a small smile. "Humans never cease to amaze. After all this, they still want to know the secret of this place. Do you think your people or mine would exhibit such determination after a such a battle?"

"I cannot speak for your people," T'Pol said, "but mine would not have gotten us into the battle in the first place. There is no logical reason for us to know what is in this zone, and as such it is illogical for us to persist in trying to uncover its 'secret'."

"Tell me, T'Pol," Phlox said, "how would you know there is no logical reason to unlock this zone's secret if you didn't know how that secret might effect you?"

It had been a day for rarities. Once again, T'Pol didn't know what to say.





"Watcher Cho-Lok was completely destroyed." A controller in the Emergency Action Center in the home base told Seebok Choi. "The Armory is preparing to launch a full scale assault on the Earth vessel."

"When the ship is destroyed or pushed back into normal space," the viiratu'chann said, "initiate repositioning. We must consider that area of space compromised."

Perhaps more than compromised. The Armory was the lynchpin of operations in any forward sector. Moving it would mean an area of space their people had had influence in for centuries would be left uncovered, and events would be able to unfold unchecked. The Humans had dealt a heavy blow to the N'homahd'jhipzhi, whether they lived to tell about it or not.





Archer's eyes were glued to the viewer as Enterprise approached the construct once again. This time he had no intention of waiting for an exchange of greetings or an invitation. He meant to board the station. He had already decided that he would take Reed and Sato, leaving the most important senior officers aboard the ship in case of another attack. All T'Pol had to do was find a way in. Archer was so incensed at this point that he was almost willing to use the transporter.

"Within scanning range," T'Pol said as she looked through her 'scope. "Searching for external docking ports...Captain! Several ports along the outer edge of the station are opening!"

Archer could see it. The outside of the ring-shaped station lit up as several bays opened, each releasing three spacecraft. Soon ninety ships had emerged and were all on course to intercept Enterprise.

"Same configuration as the ship we first encountered." Reed said. "All of them."

Archer grimaced as he forced himself to relax in the chair. He had just come to a moment of truth. The choice was simple: Stay or Go?

"Best speed to the center of the ring, Mr. Mayweather." He said, quiet determination in his voice.





TBC...