Disclaimer: Paramount owns these characters I still have no rights, by the
way I'm not making any money
Archer hesitated he was beginning to hate that room it seemed to hail nothing but bad news and arguments. He sat down hoping he didn't look as he felt. "I felt it best we should speak in private. Commander Tucker and the team were attacked whilst preparing to leave the planet, it seems another group that were after the charts did not take to kindly to loosing them."
Archer felt his heart jump, his whole body tensed and he knew T'pol had noticed. "How are they?" His voice was surpassingly calm and even. He didn't know if he could handle this kind of pressure right now, attacks, loosing the charts Starfleet would be asking questions, it never rains but it pours.
"Lieutenant Reed has been seriously wounded."
Archer stayed frozen nothing gave away what he was thinking. Until that moment he'd considered it a gift, when he was under the most pressure at his limits his mind did the opposite of others it went into efficiency overdrive and forgot about feelings. This time it was different he wanted to show his feelings to shout to scream to do anything except what he knew he was about to do. "Has sickbay being briefed for the emergency?" Take control of the situation.
"Doctor Phlox is preparing now." She was slightly taken aback by his reaction, she had expected some sort of emotional outburst a barrage of questions, that when answered did nothing to solve the problem.
"Good, and the other's how are they?" A part of him tried for the first time to fight the efficiency. He'd always welcomed it waiting for the time when he was under the most pressure knowing he could handle the situation, now he didn't want to handle anything just disappear but he couldn't he wouldn't let himself.
"Minor injuries, Mr Tucker has a cut to his head and ensign Mayweather a sprained wrist."
"Hmm we can't spare the medical team, dig up someone from the crew with enough medical experience to deal with them." His mind was screaming at him to stop to feel something, it was his fault that Reed was down there fighting for his life he'd pushed him away. But what he wanted to do and what he did were two different things.
A member of another Crew he was commanding had told him once. 'Sir I was so angry I knew I shouldn't have done it as I was doing it I was telling myself to stop. It got the better of me you can be so angry you ignore yourself and all that's in you is the Anger.' It felt like that now he felt guilty instead of punching his superior he was going to be rational when this called for irrationality.
"I'll see to it." He walked to the door T'pol following behind him. He stood in front of his chair and cleared his throat. He had the attention of the crew, he noticed T'pol leaving. "Sub-commander wait I have something else to discuss with you after this."
She paused, watching surprised at the efficiency he had. 'Starfleet chose their captain well.' She knew he had problems but they were cast aside now and she admired him for that.
"Listen guys. I want this kept under wraps for now, till we know for certain how things are gonna go. We don't want to spread panic around the ship. What we all need to do now is concentrate on getting our team back and patching them up. Understood." Everyone nodded and there were slight murmurs. He joined T'pol at the door. "How long till they arrive?"
"Twenty three minutes."
"That doesn't give us much time, we need to keep this quiet I know people."
"I'm sure the crew will obey your orders captain."
"I know those ones in there they will, but what happens when the shuttle lands? People are going to see it's gonna spread like wild fire."
She nodded understanding his concern, the crew could be most illogical in their reaction. It was best to wait till there were some facts and a fairly certain prognosis before letting the crew know.
"Perhaps we should clear the docking bay of all personnel?"
"No, it'd be too suspicious. What we need to do is something that would seem normal even if slightly unexpected."
The first cracks were begging to show his mind wandered back to the first time he knew how Malcolm had felt to the words 'what for the feeling's mutual. It echoed about him ringing in his ears the lift was stuck no one could repair it for a few hours the first time they'd made love right there.
The part of his mind still bent on making this through by doing everything it should be doing pulled him back to the present, he realised he'd stopped walking and T'pol was standing besides him looking at him. "Captain?"
"Sorry I was just thinking." She would be curious what he was thinking about, he couldn't crack not now not here then it occurred to him. "I may have solved our problem. We make a shipwide announcement that there seems to be a problem in the docking bay we'll be running a full diagnostic program which means that the lifts from docking bay three to deck six are off limits to all but authorised personnel."
"I'll see that a few engineering officers are stationed around the area working." She paused "Captain what happens when the officers find that there is no problem?"
"Er" He stopped again trying to hold back the thoughts about Malcolm he was cracking and he knew it. "Mistake on our part terribly sorry to have dragged you away from your posts."
She nodded and they parted company, each setting out to manage their side of the plan. Archer shook his head and remembered Malcolm was hurt this was the best way to help him, he'd get better but the sooner he got the help he needed the better for him.
The shuttle pod docked earlier than expected Mayweather had pushed it to its limits. Archer didn't get to see Reed, he'd thought better of it. Seeing his love in any state that was injured was more than he could bear he knew he'd throw himself at Malcolm the consequences be damned. He told T'pol that it was best the captain behaved normally. The ensign who'd being at the helm in place of Mayweather was sent to pilot the shuttle a safe distance from the ship so when the staff were let back into the docking bay no one noticed the sudden appearance of a shuttle.
Archer hesitated he was beginning to hate that room it seemed to hail nothing but bad news and arguments. He sat down hoping he didn't look as he felt. "I felt it best we should speak in private. Commander Tucker and the team were attacked whilst preparing to leave the planet, it seems another group that were after the charts did not take to kindly to loosing them."
Archer felt his heart jump, his whole body tensed and he knew T'pol had noticed. "How are they?" His voice was surpassingly calm and even. He didn't know if he could handle this kind of pressure right now, attacks, loosing the charts Starfleet would be asking questions, it never rains but it pours.
"Lieutenant Reed has been seriously wounded."
Archer stayed frozen nothing gave away what he was thinking. Until that moment he'd considered it a gift, when he was under the most pressure at his limits his mind did the opposite of others it went into efficiency overdrive and forgot about feelings. This time it was different he wanted to show his feelings to shout to scream to do anything except what he knew he was about to do. "Has sickbay being briefed for the emergency?" Take control of the situation.
"Doctor Phlox is preparing now." She was slightly taken aback by his reaction, she had expected some sort of emotional outburst a barrage of questions, that when answered did nothing to solve the problem.
"Good, and the other's how are they?" A part of him tried for the first time to fight the efficiency. He'd always welcomed it waiting for the time when he was under the most pressure knowing he could handle the situation, now he didn't want to handle anything just disappear but he couldn't he wouldn't let himself.
"Minor injuries, Mr Tucker has a cut to his head and ensign Mayweather a sprained wrist."
"Hmm we can't spare the medical team, dig up someone from the crew with enough medical experience to deal with them." His mind was screaming at him to stop to feel something, it was his fault that Reed was down there fighting for his life he'd pushed him away. But what he wanted to do and what he did were two different things.
A member of another Crew he was commanding had told him once. 'Sir I was so angry I knew I shouldn't have done it as I was doing it I was telling myself to stop. It got the better of me you can be so angry you ignore yourself and all that's in you is the Anger.' It felt like that now he felt guilty instead of punching his superior he was going to be rational when this called for irrationality.
"I'll see to it." He walked to the door T'pol following behind him. He stood in front of his chair and cleared his throat. He had the attention of the crew, he noticed T'pol leaving. "Sub-commander wait I have something else to discuss with you after this."
She paused, watching surprised at the efficiency he had. 'Starfleet chose their captain well.' She knew he had problems but they were cast aside now and she admired him for that.
"Listen guys. I want this kept under wraps for now, till we know for certain how things are gonna go. We don't want to spread panic around the ship. What we all need to do now is concentrate on getting our team back and patching them up. Understood." Everyone nodded and there were slight murmurs. He joined T'pol at the door. "How long till they arrive?"
"Twenty three minutes."
"That doesn't give us much time, we need to keep this quiet I know people."
"I'm sure the crew will obey your orders captain."
"I know those ones in there they will, but what happens when the shuttle lands? People are going to see it's gonna spread like wild fire."
She nodded understanding his concern, the crew could be most illogical in their reaction. It was best to wait till there were some facts and a fairly certain prognosis before letting the crew know.
"Perhaps we should clear the docking bay of all personnel?"
"No, it'd be too suspicious. What we need to do is something that would seem normal even if slightly unexpected."
The first cracks were begging to show his mind wandered back to the first time he knew how Malcolm had felt to the words 'what for the feeling's mutual. It echoed about him ringing in his ears the lift was stuck no one could repair it for a few hours the first time they'd made love right there.
The part of his mind still bent on making this through by doing everything it should be doing pulled him back to the present, he realised he'd stopped walking and T'pol was standing besides him looking at him. "Captain?"
"Sorry I was just thinking." She would be curious what he was thinking about, he couldn't crack not now not here then it occurred to him. "I may have solved our problem. We make a shipwide announcement that there seems to be a problem in the docking bay we'll be running a full diagnostic program which means that the lifts from docking bay three to deck six are off limits to all but authorised personnel."
"I'll see that a few engineering officers are stationed around the area working." She paused "Captain what happens when the officers find that there is no problem?"
"Er" He stopped again trying to hold back the thoughts about Malcolm he was cracking and he knew it. "Mistake on our part terribly sorry to have dragged you away from your posts."
She nodded and they parted company, each setting out to manage their side of the plan. Archer shook his head and remembered Malcolm was hurt this was the best way to help him, he'd get better but the sooner he got the help he needed the better for him.
The shuttle pod docked earlier than expected Mayweather had pushed it to its limits. Archer didn't get to see Reed, he'd thought better of it. Seeing his love in any state that was injured was more than he could bear he knew he'd throw himself at Malcolm the consequences be damned. He told T'pol that it was best the captain behaved normally. The ensign who'd being at the helm in place of Mayweather was sent to pilot the shuttle a safe distance from the ship so when the staff were let back into the docking bay no one noticed the sudden appearance of a shuttle.