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Chapter 3

Hoshi was amazed by the grandeur of the hotel they had checked into. Upon arrival at the hotel, the owners had greeted them personally, congratulating her and Malcolm on their nuptials. They were immediately taken to their suite. Their room had the equivalent of an Earth rock garden in the living area. The elaborately decorated bedroom was just off to the left from the door.  There were glass doors that opened onto a small balcony outside of the bedroom.  The floor was soft, like carpet made out of silk.  The difference was it had lost its slippery feeling, and was tough like carpet.

Hoshi couldn't help but grin to herself.  'Maybe this mission won't be as bad as I thought.'

While Malcolm looked around, Hoshi spoke to the Obeexan bellboy, asking him about the celebration. The boy seemed very enthusiastic in his explanation and excited about the parade just outside.

When the bellboy left the room Malcolm went straight to business, scanning the area for anything that could be a listening device. 

Hoshi watched him, not speaking until he gave her the all clear.

"Sir, we need to get settled in if we are to meet our contact on time."  

Malcolm glanced up from his console and nodded.  "We will make it on time Ensign, just relax."  He smiled at her nervousness.

"Um, sir, should we, ummm, do we need to act like a married couple?" Hoshi asked him nervously. She fiddled with her skirt. They had all dressed in street clothes for the mission. Hoshi was wearing an Obeexan dress that T'Pol had provided. Its wide sash reminded her of the traditional kimonos from her own home. She wore her hair down, as was common among women on Obeexus.

"Don't worry Hoshi, you need not be nervous of anything we do.  It is all in the course of our mission and I shall try to contain myself."

Hoshi coughed and said, "No sir, I did not mean it that way, it's just that…" She stopped, fidgeting nervously.

Malcolm grinned and reached out to pat her shoulder.  "Hoshi, you will not be betraying Commander Tucker in any way.  He may act like an idiot at times but he knows this is only a job."

At Hoshi's surprised expression he said, "Ensign, I am the head of security.  I do notice things.  And you have to admit, Trip does not exactly hide his feelings on many things.  On anything, for that matter."

*******

A half-hour later Hoshi and Malcolm made their way downstairs to the bar.  The bar was well lit with brightly colored lamps at each table.  It reminded Hoshi of American Christmas lights in tropical colors.  Upon entrance they were showered with confetti, and handed a blue fuzzy drink.  They looked at each other warily, and made their way to a nearby booth. Luckily the building seemed to have some sort of cooling system, which was a relief from the heat outside.

"Do we have any idea who we are looking for?"  Hoshi said this while taking a sip of her fuzzy drink. 

Malcolm watched her drink first, and then took a sip of his own.  "Our contact should recognize us.  He has been briefed on who we are."

He set his drink down and said, "This drink is so strange."

"I know but it is good.  I can honestly say I have never had a fuzzy drink.  I wonder what flavor this is?"

At that moment a rather obese Obeexan approached them. "Greetings my friends, I would like to buy the newly bonded couple a celebratory drink."  He smiled showing off his rather sharp teeth.  His green skin strongly reminded Malcolm of a reptile he had once studied in an elementary science course. 

"We would be grateful."  Malcolm answered grabbing Hoshi by the hand and squeezing it. 

"Yes, very."  Hoshi nodded along with Malcolm.

"Wonderful!"  The alien smiled and uttered "Perhaps in a quieter, less intrusive establishment?"  He gestured toward the door. Hoshi and Malcolm nodded and stood to follow him out of the bar.

As they stepped into the street they were greeted again by the sounds of the parade.  The heat of the Obeexan planet made sweat stand out on Hoshi's forehead.  'God please let this go OK.'

The Obeexan turned as they were walking and said, "My name is Viren.  I know a place where we will not be bothered."  He continued down the street with Malcolm and Hoshi tagging along behind.  Malcolm glanced back to make sure Hoshi had not gotten lost in the crowd. For the sake of appearance, and to help calm her nerves, he took her hand. A few city blocks later they came to a dilapidated building, with a door proclaiming it a bar.

The air in the building was not a relief from the heat.  It was stifling.  Viren led them toward a table near a window and sat down.  The opened window seemed to just let in more heat.

Hoshi looked over at Malcolm, noticing that he had grown remarkably paler.  He tried to smile reassuringly at her but only managed a grimace. 

Viren said, "I trust you had no trouble upon check in?"  Hoshi, seeing Malcolm look weaker, answered, "No, we had no problems.  Should we have expected some?"

Viren said, "No! Of course not—we have nothing but the highest regard for your race."  Viren signaled to the waiter for three drinks. 

The waiter immediately brought them the same fuzzy drinks to the table.  Hoshi reached for hers but was stopped by Malcolm's hand. 

"Hoshi, I just realized we forgot our payment for this man back at the hotel.  Perhaps we should go and retrieve it for his trouble?"

At this statement, Viren rose from the table.  "I, of course, would do this for nothing, but since I feel it would trouble you, perhaps you should go."

Malcolm nodded and reached for Hoshi's arm, wrapping it around his waist.  "I think perhaps it would be best."

Viren nodded and they walked out the door.  As soon as they stepped outside, Malcolm put almost all his weight on Hoshi.

"Sir, are you alright?" 

Malcolm shook his head.  "I do believe that something was put into my drink."

He stopped and leaned up against a wall. "Hoshi, we are not alone.  We are being followed."

Hoshi swallowed and tried to look brave.

"I am going to head down this alley. You need to get back to the hotel and get in contact with the captain."

"What about you?  Malcolm, I am not leaving you here."

Malcolm said, "You have your orders, Ensign."

Hoshi stood up straighter and looked in the direction of the hotel.

"Dammit Hoshi, go now."

Malcolm turned to go down the alley, and passed out.

Hoshi yelled and grabbed Malcolm as Viren stepped around the corner with a phaser.  "We really do have a lovely holiday, I hope this doesn't ruin it for you."  He then brought the gun down on Hoshi's head, knocking her unconscious.

*******

"Hoshi. Hoshi, wake up." Hoshi woke slowly, groggily aware of warm hands on her shoulders and a familiar voice. She opened her eyes to the sight of Travis' relieved face. Looking past him, she could see that they were in a kind of carved out room, filled with equipment and boxes. The air in the room felt damp and cool. She was lying on the floor at one end of the large room, or more accurately, a cavern, she realized. Lights along the walls lit the cavern brightly.

"Travis!" Hoshi sat up quickly, and then ducked from the pain in her head. She touched the top of her head gingerly and focused on Travis.

"What happened to you?" she asked, reaching out towards his face. He turned his head slightly, embarrassed a little by the bruises and cuts.

"It doesn't matter. But I'm glad you're awake. Malcolm and Trip aren't doing so well—they need a doctor."

"A doctor? What's wrong?" Hoshi now saw Trip and Malcolm lying on the floor nearby. Trip was half-lying, half-sitting against the wall. Nearby, Malcolm was completely prone. They both appeared to be unconscious.

"Trip!" she pushed past Travis, and scurried the few feet to him on her hands and knees. "What's the matter with them?" Once she reached Trip, she didn't really need an answer. His shirt was soaked with blood, despite someone's attempt to bandage him. Glancing at Travis, she realized that he had used his shirt to try and slow the bleeding. She was almost afraid to touch Trip; it was hard to see where his wounds began and ended. "What happened?" she demanded frantically.

"Hoshi?" Trip opened his eyes, startling her.

Relieved, she moved in closer to him and kissed his face, gently. He grasped one of her hands and held it to his chest. The weakness of his grip frightened her more than the blood.

"We went to meet our contact," Travis explained grimly. "We met an Obeexan woman—as soon as we were alone, she stabbed the Commander. I wasn't close enough to stop it…" He stopped talking, frustration and a trace of fear in his voice.

"Hey," Trip whispered. "I'd be dead if it wadn't for you. Crazy woman…" he paused, grimacing, "…pulled out the knife and tried to finish the job, but Travis was on her by then. Coupla big guys jumped him…" He stopped, clearly tired.

"All the racket made them nervous. They had to get us out of the store before anyone became suspicious. They dumped us here," Travis gestured to the room. "Some kind of cavern carved out under the city, I think. That was about an hour ago, and no one has come in or out except to drop you two."

"Oh, Malcolm!" She turned towards Malcolm, but Travis' voice stopped her. "He's unconscious, but he's breathing. I can't find any wound on him…"

"He was drugged," Hoshi said shortly. She was still holding tightly to Trip's hand. Turning back to him, tears welled in her eyes.

"Hey, sweetheart, none' a that. I'm fine. Travis fixed me up, see?" Trip reached for her face, to wipe back the tear that spilled over, but even that gesture exhausted him and he closed his eyes.

"Hoshi," Travis lowered his voice. "I stopped the bleeding temporarily, but he's already lost so much blood…I don't think she hit any major organs but I can't be sure. We need to get him to a doctor, now. And Malcolm…there's nothing we can even do for him. We need to get out of here."

Wiping her face with her other hand, Hoshi nodded. She took a deep, somewhat shaky breath. 'I can do this,' she thought. 'I have to.'

Travis continued. "I'm guessing we still have an hour before we're due to contact Enterprise. After that, they'll begin searching for us."

"But we can't wait for that." Hoshi finished his thought, and he nodded, throwing a concerned look at their comrades.

"In the meantime," she quickly unwound the sash from her waist, "this should make a better bandage." With Travis' help, she reinforced the soaked shirt with a wad of sash, and then used the additional material to secure it around Trip's midsection. Trip smiled faintly. "Thanks." Hoshi returned his smile and kissed him softly. "Rest," she ordered. "We're going to need you on your feet when we get out of here."

"Aye, aye, ma'am." Trip saluted weakly. "I'll be ready."

Once they were finished, she and Travis turned their attention to their escape.

"The entrance to the cavern is sealed with an energy shield. And there's no way to know how far down we are—I was only half-conscious when they brought us down," Travis stated. His tone of voice made it clear that he was annoyed with himself.

"Maybe there's some kind of back entrance. If we had a tricorder…" Hoshi's voice trailed off as she gazed around the room. "Travis, help me search through this equipment. Maybe there's something we can use."

They had just started to cross the room when the energy shield in the cave entrance blinked out. A motley group of Obeexans and several other species stepped into the room. Leading them was Viren, and at his side, Travis recognized the Obeexan woman from the store.

"Excellent. You are awake," Viren said, training his gaze on Hoshi, who was standing closest to him.

"Why are you holding us?" Hoshi demanded, disguising her fear. "We are members of Starfleet. Our people will not take your actions lightly."

"Starfleet?" Viren and his comrades were amused. "We have no fear of the Vulcans; why would we fear your small planet?"

Travis interjected, "These men need medical attention."

At a nod from Viren, the Obeexan woman walked to Malcolm and Trip. She glanced at Trip, who glared up at her, then nudged Malcolm with her foot. Travis moved to stop her, but was immediately restrained by the others.

After she had flipped Malcolm over, she looked at Viren and shrugged. He addressed Hoshi, stepping closer to her.

"Your mate is reacting strongly to the Cobalt drug. Most species would have recovered consciousness by now. Of course, there was no way to know its affect on humans." Obviously, Viren was not concerned with the outcome.

"They both need a doctor," Travis said angrily. "Help them."

Viren appeared to be confused by the request. "I have no need for them. I suppose I can sell the ones that survive their wounds. They won't bring much, but they must have some useful skills to serve as selling points. After all, the Vulcans trusted them enough to send them here. A human female, though…a pretty human female is worth very much on the market. Or," he inspected Hoshi closely, "perhaps you would rather remain with us. I have never seen the appeal of human females before, but…"

"No." Hoshi was horrified and angry.

Viren calmly slapped her. When he struck her, Travis stiffened, and Trip, although too weak to stand, growled. "You should be grateful, girl—your value is the reason that you have been treated so well." He indicated Travis, Trip, and Malcolm, as if to demonstrate what she could have suffered.

"Viren." The Obeexan woman drew his attention. "This one," she indicated Trip, "is weak. Perhaps I should finish him? We can wait and see with the other." She waved at Malcolm, who still had not moved.

"Agreed," Viren answered.

Smiling slightly, the woman drew her blade. Trip grasped her arm, but his lack of strength made it a losing battle.

"No!" Hoshi screamed. At the same time, Travis knocked aside his captors, leaping towards the woman. An ugly male, covered in rough gray hair, tackled him at the knees, bringing him crashing to the floor of the cavern.

"Wait." Viren stopped the woman's action. He caught Hoshi as she rushed towards the woman, and easily held her pinned to his side. "This one", he used Hoshi's hair to force her to look at him, "this one is important to you. Is the other one not your mate?"

Hoshi remained silent, refusing to meet his eyes. She twisted her head, attempting to assure herself that Trip was all right.

"Ah." Viren's said contemplatively. "Sh'ral," he addressed the Obeexan woman, "that one could still have uses." He addressed Hoshi again. "You mastered the Obeexan language quickly, something that proves difficult for most off-worlders. Do you speak any other languages?" He appeared to take her silence as a confirmation, and laughed. "You might be even more useful than I thought. Come, and bring that one," he said, referring to Trip. Two of his people stepped forward to grasp Trip under the arms. "She doesn't know anythin'. I'm nuthin' to her. Might as well kill me now," Trip argued, struggling ineffectually against the men. He was determined that the faction would not use him to hurt Hoshi. They ignored him and pulled him forward, his feet dragging behind.

"Let him go," Hoshi insisted. She struggled against Viren, but he easily pulled her from the cavern. Behind them, Trip was drug along, still protesting. The shield blinked back into place behind them.

And Travis was left alone, save the unconscious Malcolm.

*******