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Chapter 8Trip was relieved when he felt the ship straighten from its spiraling motion, but he knew they weren't safe yet. "We're going to crash!" he shouted to Hoshi. "Hold on!" She nodded and removed her hands from her ears. They braced themselves as best they could, although there wasn't much to hold on to. Around them the ship screamed.
The impact was violent. Everything went dark, although he briefly saw Hoshi's face illuminated by the sparks and flames that were shooting around them. Her mouth was a round "O" of surprise. Then the bouncing threw him against the wall, stunning him. The noise and banging seemed far away; he could only hear the rushing in his own head, could only see the darkness behind his own eyelids. The hammering of the ship seemed endless—then stopped abruptly.
For a moment, Trip laid still, eyes closed, gasping for air. His concern for Hoshi hit him forcibly, and he struggled to sit up, shoving aside the small debris that lay on him. Hoshi was lying a few feet away, unmoving. He crawled to her side, avoiding the small fires burning around them.
"Hosh! Hoshi!!" Her eyes were open, jaw clenched in pain. He grabbed for her and she screamed.
"No!" The shout forced him back momentarily. She continued through gritted teeth, "I think my shoulder is dislocated." She hissed with pain.
"Ok. What about the rest of you, are you hurt anywhere else?" He looked her over, noting the blood in her hair.
"No. My head, but I don't think it's serious. Are you all right?" She focused pain-filled eyes on him, also searching for injuries.
"Yeah. I prob'ly look rough, but I'm ok." He glanced around at their predicament. "Listen, Hosh, we gotta get outta here. The ship's on fire, and there's no telling what else is wrong. We'll be safer as far from this bucket as possible."
"I can't move."
"I know, darlin'. I'm gonna have to put your shoulder back into place. Once it's done, you'll be fine. But it's gonna hurt like hell for a minute."
She nodded and closed her eyes.
Trip had done this once before, for a fellow crewmember who was injured during a training exercise on Earth. He knew how awful it would be. 'Damn.'
He carefully gripped her slim arm and braced his foot against her side. With a quick jerk, he pulled her arm out and popped it back into its socket. As he did so, Hoshi screamed out in a harsh, primal voice. The shriek promptly subsided to quiet sobs.
"Aw, baby." Trip pulled her to a sitting position and into his arms. For a moment, he rocked her, stroking her hair. "Listen sweetheart, we need to get out of here. Can you walk?"
She nodded against his shoulder, and then pulled back. "Yes. I can walk."
"Good." He smiled at her wryly. "Cuz I think you're gonna have to help me. My side is really stiffening up."
"You said you were fine." Hoshi pulled back his shirt and inspected his torso. His entire side was turning red around the wound. When she touched the inflamed skin, it all but scalded her hand.
"Well, compared to a dislocated shoulder, I am."
Ignoring him, she pressed her lips to his forehead. When she pulled back, he was smiling at her. His usually piercing blue gaze was bleary. "You have a fever. You're developing an infection."
"Hey, that's just how my momma used to take my temperature." He was delighted, but also trying to distract her.
Hoshi smiled at him. "Mine too." She stood gingerly, mindful of many bruises. Next, she bent down and helped him up. Trip leaned on her just a little as they approached the door. He peered into the opening left by the missing panel.
"Now we're in business. I think I can use these wires to open the door, assuming we still have power." He began to fiddle inside the wall.
Hoshi stood behind him, waiting. Glancing behind her, she gasped to see a ball of fire lick up the far wall and across the ceiling. "Trip, you might want to hurry up."
He didn't turn, just continued to work intently. "No problem. I'll have us outta here in…" he paused as the doors magically slid open, "a jiffy."
Beaming smugly, Trip slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go."
The rest of the ship was just as damaged. All around, lights flickered, sparks flew, and small fires gave the old ship a soft, smoky haze. Loose coils and wires hung from the ceiling and protruded from the walls.
Sidestepping with great care, Trip and Hoshi eased their way through. When they stumbled upon a dead crewmember, Hoshi sucked in air, but didn't cry out. Presumably, they weren't the only survivors of this crash. They hoped to escape the ship undetected by other Obeexan crewmembers. 'Maybe that fat Obeexan and his witch didn't make it.' The thought cheered Trip.
"Hosh," Trip said softly, "we need to reach Enterprise. If we leave the ship without communication equipment, we could be stuck here a very long time."
Hoshi bit her lip, considering. "The most likely place to find it would be the bridge." He nodded, and she continued, "It's too dangerous. What if the Obeexans are still on the ship?"
"We don't have much choice," Trip replied. She still looked doubtful. "To the bridge, Hoshi. Now, before this place gets any more dangerous."
Reluctantly, she turned them in the opposite direction, guessing about the bridge location. The pair moved quietly, without speaking. The only sound was Trip's harsh breathing, with the occasional grunt by Hoshi. She was taking more and more of his weight, and the exertion was taxing, particularly on her heavily bruised shoulder.
"Sorry, darlin'," Trip said through clenched teeth. "I know I'm heavy, but we're almost there, I think."
As he spoke, they reached the open doors of the bridge. A glance inside showed no crew. "Looks like they've abandoned ship," Hoshi whispered cautiously.
"Which we need to do, soon as we contact our crew." Trip leaned forward and grasped a railing that spanned the upper level of the deck. The com station was located on the lower deck, several steps down.
"Wait here," Hoshi instructed. "I'll do it."
Trip rubbed a hand over his ashen face and nodded. Hoshi moved down the steps towards the station. While he waited, Trip eased himself into a nearby seat. He laid his arms on the station in front of his seat and rested his head on them. 'God, my head is killing me', he thought tiredly.
"Trip, this thing doesn't have power," Hoshi's frustrated voice drifted to him, sounding dim in his own head. With a sigh, he grappled with his sluggish mind, forcing it to clear. He sat up and turned towards Hoshi.
"Here, lemme take…"
He didn't finish the sentence; he was shocked to meet a pair of enraged Obeexan eyes. 'The witch,' he thought, confused. Sh'ral was standing just meters from him—she seemed equally startled to see him. His fuzzy head gave her the advantage. Before he could react, she screamed in Obeexan and leaped at him. He was only halfway to his feet when she hit him. Her weight knocked him onto his back, and the two fell in a tangle. A familiar pain punched through his right shoulder. 'Damn, she stuck me again'. He had only just managed to twist his body to avoid a serious strike—the blade scraped over his collarbone but didn't go deep. He caught her knife hand, trying desperately to kick her off with his legs. Her weight and position were too much; he couldn't shake her off. He couldn't catch his breath. 'Shit, I can't…'
With a jar, a third body hit them both. The heavy weight on his chest shifted off. He kicked back, scooting out from under the writhing bodies. Someone was shouting—him. He dropped onto his side, still gulping air. Screams and a horrible smacking sound reverberated in the empty bridge. A body landed beside him, and he rolled away quickly when he saw it was Sh'ral. She was dead—her head covered in a yellow substance he assumed was blood. His eyes traveled down her form to the other person kneeling at her feet, panting. Hoshi, a heavy pipe in her hands. A thin line of red blood trickled down her neck from a shallow cut. More blood dripped from her fingers; Trip couldn't see the source. She was staring at Sh'ral; her eyes moved to his.
"She was going to kill you," she explained needlessly. Her eyes filled with tears and she tossed the pipe far from her.
"Damn. Remind me not to piss you off."
Wiping tears from her eyes, she made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob. She might have replied but she was interrupted when Viren rushed onto the bridge, followed by a number of his crew. He took in the scene, eyes darkening.
"You did this," he stated to Hoshi. She didn't reply, but her dress was streaked with yellow. "I did warn you."
He trained his weapon on Trip and fired.
