Disclaimer: Enterprise, Star Trek and all related characters are the property of Paramount Pictures, Inc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. The original characters and events are the sole property of the author and may not be used without permission.
"Wanderers" (Pt. VII)
by Darrin Colbourne
The alien was strapped onto a biobed in Sickbay so that Dr. Phlox could do a detailed bioscan on it. Captain Archer, T'Pol and Sato were standing by, the Communications Officer with a portable Universal Translator ready. Archer wanted to be able to question the attacker as soon as he came around.
The Doctor let himself get lost in his work, taking no time to talk to the other Enterprise crew members, uttering only an "Interesting" or "Fascinating" every now and again. Archer forced himself to be patient as the minutes wore on.
Finally Phlox turned his attention away from the alien and to the Captain. "A remarkable creature, Captain. Highly developed organs and musculature, very hearty and survivable. Probably evolved on a desert planet or some other harsh environment. I'd expect it to be very strong and highly adaptable."
"Meaning what, exactly?" Archer said.
"Meaning you were very fortunate that your phase pistols' stun settings worked on these beings. We may not be so lucky another time. This one here has an evolving cellular structure. The molecules of his body adapted to the energy from my scanner as I proceeded with my examination. The resulting molecular motions created something of a...bio-energy damping field, almost as if his tissue were trying to interfere with my scans." There was a slight smile on Phlox's face. He couldn't resist anything new and different as far as exobiology was concerned.
"Secretive to the last." Sato said.
"Do you have any idea where it might be from, Doctor?" T'Pol said.
"Unfortunately not," Phlox said, "and ultimately that might not matter. Given his physical nature he might be very different from his ancestors. Given enough time he could adapt himself naturally to any environment. For all we know he might not have a homeworld. It might have suffered some great cataclysm or been invaded centuries ago."
Archer regarded the alien for a moment. "Can you wake him?" He said.
"I don't see why not." Phlox said. "I detect no permanent damage from the stun blast. He would be reviving on his own soon anyway." With that the Doctor prepared a hypospray and injected the alien with the contents.
The Commander regained consciousness with a jerk and a growl of pain. He grit his teeth and tried to shake off the effects of the weapon that had stunned him and the strange chemicals that had awakened him. He took in several breaths to adapt his lungs to the strange-smelling air until he could breathe normally. Finally he dared to open his eyes, and squinted as they were assaulted with inordinately bright light. He blinked several times as they adjusted, and was finally able to take in his surroundings.
He didn't recognize the design of the space he was in, but could tell he was in a reclined position. Several aliens looked down at him. He recognized the Vulcan and the Denobulan, but the other two smooth-skinned creatures were new to him.
Then he remembered everything. These were the humans that had followed him to that other world. He had to be aboard their ship. It was the only theory that fit.
His fears were confirmed when he tried to move.
"Arryuthan'sha tharush!" The alien yelled at Archer when he realized he was strapped to the bed. He worked his muscles hard to try to break the bonds, but the adaptive bands held tight.
"Hoshi!" Archer said.
"Working on it, Sir," Sato said, "but I'm betting that means 'Let me go'." After working with the UT for a moment, she said, "Okay...it's 'Let me go, you...vulgar expletive'."
Archer chuckled without humor and shook his head. "All I want to do out here is make friends. All they told me to do was go out and meet new peoples, and what do I get? Shot at, looked down on and insulted. Tell him we'll let him go after he answers some questions."
Hoshi consulted the UT, then cleared her throat and tried the new language. "Syuthan'sha pashkhusan tho!" She said, with just the right amount of emphasis.
"Niiakhusan!" The alien shouted back. "Arryuthan'sha Katashyu'konsh tha!"
"He's not talking," Hoshi said, "and if we don't let him go he claims he'll destroy the ship."
"Then remind him that would be a little difficult to do chained to a bed in Sickbay." Archer said.
"Niiakatash Enshkonyu'sha molkonsh tho!" Sato said.
The alien half-sneered as he delivered his response in a menacing tone. "Minh'shya."
Hoshi consulted the UT again. "There was actually a lot in that statement, but it all boils down to 'Details, details'."
Archer threw up his arms in disgust and began to pace Sickbay. The alien watched him with every step, trying to read in his body language what the Human would try to do next. After a minute of this Archer stopped in his tracks, his attention locked on his Science Officer.
"T'Pol," He said and waved her over to a far corner of the space. He spoke to her in whispers. "What's that...mind-reading thing your people can do?"
"You are referring to the Mind-Meld." T'Pol whispered back.
"That's it. Can you do it on him?"
"I have never attempted it with another species before. It could prove dangerous for both of us."
"If it's too risky, I'll understand if you don't want to do it, but we don't know if any of his friends are gonna come looking for him, and Enterprise isn't really up for another fight right now. We need some kind of idea what we're up against."
T'Pol considered the situation for a moment, then said, "I'll need some time to prepare."
Archer nodded and went back over to the biobed while T'Pol remained in the corner, preparing herself mentally for the task. "Hoshi, let's try a different tack." He said.
"If you say to us why you attacked us, maybe we can come to an understanding." The Human female said, her accent slight but noticeable.
"There can be no understanding between our peoples!" The Commander spat back. "Letting me go is the only way you'll save yourselves! My people are on their way now!" He was only partially lying. His people were definitely coming, but this ship, Enterprise, could not be allowed to continue on after what its crew had seen.
The female reported what he'd said to the male in her own language. The male scowled at him, then glanced back at the Vulcan, who was standing in a corner by herself. The Commander couldn't tell why, but he had a sudden feeling that his need to escape was more urgent than ever. He worked harder to worm out of his restraints.
The Vulcan said something in the Humans' language, then came over to where he lay. The others stepped aside and made room for her. Her eyes were focused on his, and he was overcome with a sense of dread when she bent over him and reached her fingertips to his face.
The alien shook his head and squirmed, trying to keep away from her, but though her grip seemed tenuous T'Pol's fingers were steady on his face. Her gaze locked on his eyes, fixing them there until he stopped struggling.
"Your mind to My mind..." she said softly, "...your thoughts to My thoughts." She said it twice more, softer each time, until the alien was completely still and his eyes never moved from hers. Archer watched in fascination as she went into a sort of trance. Her eyes closed and the muscles in her face worked, alternately flexing and relaxing, trying to show the strain she was under through her Vulcan training. After a minute or two the muscles started to win the struggle. She frowned first, then grimaced, and with each expression the alien became more restive. When she bared her gritting teeth they both growled in unison, then howled with fury as the alien finally shook her grip.
T'Pol withdrew, body hunched over and fingers clenched in mid-air, and she had a wild look in her eyes when she opened them. "Arrthan'sha..." she rasped, then looked at Archer with a mask of rage on her face. "Katashyu!!!" She screamed.
Archer never had a chance to dodge T'Pol when she leaped at him. In a second was down, with her straddling his stomach. She used one hand to hold him down by the neck, strangling him in the process, while she had her other hand poised to pound his face in."
"T'Pol! Niiakatash!" Sato yelled. The Vulcan froze, blinked a few times, then looked around. Slowly she loosened her grip and lowered her hand as she came to her senses. The oddity of Sato pleading with her in the alien language brought her out of the trance.
"Forgive me, Captain." T'Pol said, still clenching her teeth. "I'll be all right in a moment."
"That's...okay, T'Pol." Archer said. "You weren't yourself."
"Still, I should not have let his thoughts overwhelm me." She said, the tiniest hint of regret in her voice. "On Vulcan, such loss of control is...inexcusable."
"Well, we're not on Vulcan," Archer said, "and I'd be more than happy to forgive you if you'll let me up."
T'Pol gave him a confused look, then shook her head and stood up, then helped Archer to his feet. When he was standing Archer looked over at the alien. His face showed the same rage he'd seen in T'Pol a moment ago. "Did you learn anything?" He asked.
"I learned a great deal." T'Pol said, looking at the alien as well.
"Should we keep him or let him go?"
"It does not matter. His people will..."
She was interrupted by the intercom. "Bridge to Captain Archer!" Reed's voice said.
Archer went over to the comm panel in Sickbay. "Archer here." He said after pressing a contact.
"You'd better get up here, Captain!" Reed said. "Something big is coming our way!"
"On my way." Archer said. "Hoshi, stay here and wait to see if he feels talkative. T'Pol, come on." With that, he and the Science Officer left Sickbay.
"It de-cloaked at the edge of the system." Reed said as they entered the Bridge. "I moved the ship so that we could keep the bulk of the gas giant between us, but it will only be a matter of minutes before they find us with long-range scans."
Archer and T'Pol took their places. "On screen." Archer said.
Mayweather put the image they recorded on the forward viewscreen. The vessel looked like one of the attackers they'd encountered in the Null Zone, only much bigger.
"It's four hundred meters in length," Reed said, "with high-warp capability and dozens of weapons ports. It began searching for us as soon as it de-cloaked."
Archer settled in his chair. "Your call, Malcolm...do we run or fight?"
"I'm not usually one to run from a fight, Sir," Reed said, "but I'm particularly fond of ones I can win. I don't know that we can at this time."
Archer considered that, then called Engineering. "Trip, how fast can we go right now?"
"Best guess is Warp 3.5, Cap'n!" Tucker said. "This fix is turning out to be tougher than I thought."
"Can we outrun them at that speed, Malcolm?"
The Weapons Officer just shook his head.
"Any ideas, T'Pol?" Archer said. The Vulcan's gaze was fixed on the viewscreen.
"Yes, Captain: Make your choice quickly."
TBC...
