Started: 5-9-02
Finished:
Age: 14
Enterprise
The Fourth Reich
Based on the hit television series, "Enterprise." Also Based on, Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry
For Grandma, though I never was able to meet you in time, I still received your gift of writing. Also for the countless lives lost not only in the concentration camps, but also to all the troops who died then, and now, for the freedom of all mankind.
This is kinda my first Enterprise story, so forgive me if anything's messed up or something. I changed the spacing so it's very easy to read for anyone who quickly dismissed it for that reason..ummm..enjoy!!!
By the way, from my research of the real Holocaust concentration camps, it was easy to see that it really was a hell on earth. So I'm going to try to treat this delicately, and have chosen not to use everything that I've learned. Many of the things the Nazis did is simply too atrocious to duplicate. Though to make it seem realistic, there are still some intense scenes. I apologize if anyone finds this offensive. A lot of it is a reminder of what the human being is capable of, and how people did get through it. And by the conclusion of my story, it will show only bravery and justice. I promise it will be a happy ending.
God bless us all during this time of war and fury.
Chapter 1
Exploring the unknown can go two different ways. It can be very enjoyable and exciting.or very nerve ending and terrifying. It all depends on the person who doing the exploring. In this case, the Enterprise crew has gone up against many interesting and, many dangerous, life forms. From the vicious Andorians to the kind and solemn Xyrillians, the adventures could never end with the crew of the starship Enterprise.
That's what Captain Jonathan Archer was thinking about in his ready room that morning. The universe goes on forever. Thousands of species, thousands of adventures, and a thousand times Archer would ask himself how he was lucky enough to be involved so deeply with the greatest mystery presented to man. Unfortunately, the last little exploration Enterprise had nearly took out both nacelles, but, luckily, only one was damaged. It was caused by an unpleasant encounter with a Klingon Bird of Prey. Though, every encounter that Enterprise has had with Klingons has never been particularly "pleasant." The Klingons had accused Archer of entering their space without authorization. Archer had barely enough time to open his mouth to protest before the Klingons charged their weapons. Anyway, the Enterprise wasn't in exactly pristine condition; repairs were going slowly and they needed more engineers than they had.
A comm signal interrupted Archer's thoughts. Then again, he might not have noticed it if he was thinking any more deeply.
"T'Pol to Archer."
Archer lifted his head that was leaning against the window and walked to the intercom on the wall. "Go ahead, Sub-Commander."
"We're nearing the planet, Captain."
"Acknowledged."
Before Archer left his ready room, he stole one more glance out the window. The small planet that sat there was strikingly similar to Earth. It's grounds were a heavy green and obviously lush with vegetation. It would certainly be a nice place to visit. The Captain walked out of his ready-room and entered the bridge. It wasn't a large bridge, but it was efficient and Archer enjoyed pacing the floor rather than sitting in his command chair. T'Pol glanced up from her console.
"Any life signs, Sub-Commander?"
"The planet is inhabited," The Vulcan said without expression, "but we are unable to contact the surface."
Pre-warp. Or worse...pre-industrial. Archer thought glumly. The last time Enterprise came upon a pre-warp planet, he nearly got killed. But the curiosity of this new planet enthralled the Captain, and his own inquisitiveness pushed him to want to know more about this new discovery that was only one of the millions in the dark blanket of space.
"I'm also detecting at least several different species on the planet."
"So a visit from us might not be that shocking," Archer said more to himself than to anyone else, "Can we get any pictures?"
"Negative, Captain, it is also off-line. And if you are thinking of going down to the surface, I strongly suggest against it. Seeing what happened the last time." T'Pol said.
Archer already knew the Vulcan's thoughts of going down to the surface, but Commander Tucker had made a valid point during their last conversation (or quarrel) about this. Only the Vulcan protocols said that it wasn't wise to visit a pre-industrial species. This didn't apply to Star Fleet. Still, Archer's conscious reminded him of the Akaali and what had happened.
"Captain?" Ensign Hoshi Sato swiveled around in her chair to face Archer.
"Yes, Hoshi?"
"I don't think this planet is completely uncivilized. I'm detecting several communications on the surface," Hoshi paused, "The communication is mostly static but," Hoshi concentrated hard, her earpiece pressed hard to her ear and her eyes widened. "I think I'm actually picking up a radio station." Archer cocked an eyebrow and gave a half smile. Hoshi shook her head. "I lost it," she was, evidently, disappointed, "it was strange though, from what I could get, it didn't sound so alien. The melody was," she searched for the right word, "normal."
They were silent for a moment. "Keep listening, Hoshi." Archer said. This was just the beginning.
***
Ensign Sato sat hunched over in her chair, listening to the strange sounds from her earpiece and trying to comprehend what they meant. But she was lucky if she could make out a few words from the static interference. It was frustrating, not being able to get through. Hoshi was eager to try her hand at a new language. What excited her the most about their mission was this rare opportunity to study strange new languages and attempt to interpret them. It had taken a while for her to find her "space legs," but Hoshi felt she was really becoming accustomed to space and all its secrets. It wasn't as overwhelming as it used to be.
Suddenly, Hoshi caught a few words from the annoying static. It wasn't exactly clear, but it sounded like, "Dear letze zoog."
"No, that can't be right." Hoshi said out loud, but to herself.
"What's that, Hoshi?" Hoshi jumped in her seat and realized that she'd spoken louder than she thought. Captain Archer glanced over quizzically at the Ensign.
"It's this communication I picked up, Sir. It sounds like.like German." Hoshi tapped a few buttons and put it on the speaker.
A gruff voice filled the bridge. "Der letze Zug. Zuallerletze. Der letze Zug." Hoshi shook her head as she listened. "German wasn't my best language, but I'm pretty sure he's saying something like, 'the last train.' "
Archer listened, intrigued. Lieutenant Reed, T'Pol and just about everyone else on the bridge were also very interested.
"I don't understand it," Ensign Mayweather said as he gazed at the planet on the view screen, "how is that even possible?"
Archer stood from his chair; brow furrowed, and listened to the words.
"That settles it," Archer said calmly, "we have to go down there."
T'Pol was there to disagree, as always. "Captain, I-"
"I know, Sub-Commander. But we can't let one incident ruin this kind of opportunity."
Hoshi stifled a smile. It was probably immature, but Hoshi couldn't help but find a small twinge of satisfaction when T'Pol didn't get her way.
***
"So, Trip, what do you say." Archer looked up, arms crossed against his chest. Commander Tucker walked down the narrow steps tapping something into a padd he held firmly in his hand.
Tucker sighed. "The ship isn't in great condition, Captain. As much as I want to go down there, I'm not sure this ship can spare another engineer," Tucker said glumly, "I've already got two engineers out in sickbay from the battle. Doctor Phlox says they won't be up and working for another day." Commander Tucker seemed especially annoyed with this problem.
Archer searched for a way around this. Enterprise wasn't in immediate danger. There wasn't some alien ship following them or a certain mission that needed instantaneous completion. But if trouble did arise while on this new planet, the ship was required to be in flawless condition.or at least nearly flawless. Archer then realized how selfish he was being. The ship was always the first priority. No, the crew was. And Commander Tucker hadn't had a decent break in weeks.
Tucker sighed again seeing his captain's dissatisfied gaze. "Alright Captain, maybe I can get away from engineering for a couple of hours, but I don't think I can be away any longer than that-"
"Great, Trip. I'll meet you in the docking bay in an hour." Pleased, Archer left engineering ***
Colonel Schneider leaned back in his office chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. The two prisoners before him were less than presentable. They were both young men, maybe in their early twenties. They were very similar in appearance, obviously brothers. But only Schneider would be able to determine this. Any other inexperienced officer would have trouble seeing the prisoners' true exterior.
One of the men had a large, deep gash above his right eyebrow. The eye below that was swollen shut. Several bruises from multiple beatings were visible on his cheeks and forehead. He was hunched over and had some trouble standing. The man held his right hand close to his chest. It was wrapped in filthy scraps of clothing and bleeding terribly. Schneider asked the man's name. He didn't reply, at first, until a persuading punch from a guard caused him to speak, after he recovered from the pain that is. He revealed that his name was Kion. Satisfied, Schneider turned his attention to the brother. He wasn't as badly mauled as Kion, but that would change, in time. The most serious damage he seemed to have taken was a rather critical infection that surrounded the bottom of his neck where something has eaten away at the flesh. Schneider asked the young man the same question he asked Kion. The brother stared, puzzled. Kion quickly came to the rescue before his brother would be beaten.
"He doesn't know how to speak your language, Sir," Kion said in German, "He knows only Karthan and English." Schneider narrowed his eyes and tilted his chin up. He gave a frustrated sigh. Then the Colonel spoke, in English.
"You, boy, what is your name?" Schneider only knew English because it was required. It was more of an irritation than anything.
The brother swallowed hard and wouldn't make eye contact with the Colonel. He spoke in barely a whisper, "Nigath."
Schneider saw immediately that this boy was sensitive and would be easy to interrogate. He would also be a joy for the soldiers to terminate.
"How did you and your brother escape, Nigath?" Schneider glowered at the boy to make him even more frightened. Nigath's hands began to shake a little. He's scared out of mind! Schneider thought gleefully.
"You'll have to excuse my brother, Sir," Kion said shamefully, "He's very insecure. I'll tell you what happened." This was going great. Nigath was too afraid to even look at the
Colonel, and Kion would do and say anything to protect his obviously little brother. It was most likely the reason why Kion was so much more battered, probably protecting baby brother all the time. How noble. Schneider thought smugly.
Kion continued with his confession. He explained how he was able to get past the guards and how he worked on a hole in a part of the wire fence. Schneider saw that none of what the boys did was all that brilliant. They should have realized that beyond the camp was a massive, dense jungle. This jungle was home to creatures that half dead prisoners were no match for. It was just as life threatening as being in the camp, it was a naïve plan. And.it was just plain stupid. After the confession, Colonel Schneider ordered the men to be executed. Schneider saw the expressions on their faces and thought that they were priceless.
Chapter 2
Sub-Commander T'Pol walked briskly into the docking bay. Captain Archer and Commander Tucker were already there, waiting patiently. T'Pol crossed her hands behind her back and stood straight.
"Well, Sub-Commander, I think that's the first time you've ever been late." Tucker said. T'Pol ignored the human emotion of "mockery."
"I had important work to be completed first. I do apologize if I kept you waiting for too long."
"No, Sub-Commander, not long at all." Archer said. Ensign Sato suddenly entered the docking bay. She stood next to T'Pol.
"Ensign, I don't remember assigning you to this mission." Archer said.
"I know Sir, but," She paused for a moment, "I also know that German is in the UT, but we're not sure how many other languages people may speak down there. Would you be interested in having a translator come along?"
T'Pol expected this from the Ensign. The girl was eager and inexperienced. If T'Pol had any say of whom the crew consisted of, she would have chosen better and more knowledgeable officers. No doubt, the language skills Ms. Sato had were unmatched, but her experience dealing with alien cultures and space traveling was not very extensive. Even so, she'd proven herself to be capable.
"Well, Hoshi, I'd already thought about that, and considered it," Archer said, "But, as you know, the ship isn't in great condition," T'Pol could almost sense the disappointment emitting from the ensign, "And I'm sure that there's something you can do to help out."
"Yeah, and besides," Tucker jumped in, "I'm only gonna be down there for a little bit. When I come back up, you can take my place down there." Sato seemed to accept this and nodded her head. Then she exited the docking bay. T'Pol was also satisfied with the Captain's decision. It was logically and smoothly planned.
A few minutes later, they were in the shuttle and making their way to the Earth-like planet below.
***
Colonel Schneider had been satisfied with the execution. The prisoners begged. Kion was whispering prayers and Nigath had cried. It was quite a spectacle. Schneider now sat in his office, feet resting on the desk and hands crossed under his head. It was a good day. Schneider had his favorite breakfast, his soldiers had come back from winning yet another battle, and two pathetic prisoners were prosecuted and eliminated. It was a good day. He thought again. A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in." He said in his native tongue.
The door opened to reveal a young, slender, oriental woman. Her long, straight black hair was tied in a tress behind her back. She was dressed in black Japanese styling. Her eyes were dark and intimidating. As she closed the door, the air seemed to become colder and the Colonel took his feet off the desk.
Schneider stood. "Commander Lee, what a pleasant surprise."
The woman was expressionless and her jaw was set tight. She walked a little closer to the desk, and then stood perfectly still.
"And what can I do for you this fine day?" Schneider asked happily.
When Lee spoke, her tone was unnerving, cold, and angry. "Those prisoners you executed today," Her lips tightened, "They were mine."
Schneider couldn't help but chuckle. The woman has spirit, but no respect. Every prisoner in this camp belonged to the Colonel. Some were distributed into different colonies commanded by officers like Cmdr. Lee. But all in all, they were the Colonel's. Schneider walked around the desk and stood face to face with Lee. The Commander remained standing straight and was unruffled. The Colonel found this intriguing.
"Commander, you do know the consequences for insubordination?" The expression Lee gave might have been a smirk, but Schneider wasn't sure.
"Unlike everyone else in this camp, Colonel," Lee said bravely, "I am not afraid of you."
Schneider could understand this. Commander Lee had happened to be the daughter of an infamous man, General Chong Lee. The officer was untouchable and feared by many-including the Colonel. And when the General had been discovered mysteriously dead in his bedroom, the Colonel was made to be in control. The death was called mysterious because there was no sign of struggle, no weapons used. A complete autopsy was ordered on the General and they'd discovered that he was in perfect condition before he died. But there were no injuries; his heart just.stopped. The death was then found inconclusive. This had happened about ten years ago, when Cmdr. Lee was only a teenager. But she'd shown her abilities of combat and leadership to be unsurpassed even at such a young age. Though the Colonel obviously outranked her, Schneider wouldn't give a second thought to double-crossing Lee.for his own safety.
"Commander, I understand your reason for being angry. But what you must understand is that all of the prisoners here belong to me and I can do away with them however I wish-"
"By consulting me first, Colonel."
"You will keep in order-" Before Schneider could finish his protest Lee grabbed his arm with lightning fast speed and twisted it around his back. Schneider didn't even have time to react to the situation. Lee now stood behind the Colonel, his arm still tightly twisted. Schneider clenched his teeth and hissed in pain.
Lee released an icy grin. "The next time you pull that kind of stunt, I'll cut your tongue out and throw you into a Catalian pit. Remember what I am capable of, Colonel," She turned the arm tighter and Schneider uncontrollably shook with pain, "And choose your words wisely next time." With that, Lee practically threw the Colonel in his chair and walked briskly out the door, slamming it behind her. The guards stared at Lee tentatively as the Commander made her way down the massive hall lit by torches and covered with tapestries displaying the renowned swastika.
***
"What's the air like down there?" Archer asked as he made some adjustments at the helm.
"It appears breathable, Captain," T'Pol said, "but I'd like to test it again once we get to the surface."
"Hey, Trip. Are you picking up any communications?" Commander Tucker nodded.
"Lots of them. Mostly all in German."
"Mostly?"
"I'm pickin' up something else. It doesn't sound like anything related to a Human language though."
Archer sighed and watched the planet as it drew nearer with every passing second. It was so much like Earth, too much like Earth; it was daunting.
For a moment, Archer could recall a memory from his childhood. San Francisco Middle School. History class. Miss Schumann's history class. Archer smirked. He remembered having a crush on her. She was tall, slim, beautiful, and very young. She'd just graduated from college and starting teaching that year. She had long, red curls that fell just below her shoulders. She had bright, intelligent green eyes, and a smile that could melt any twelve-year-old boy's heart. Everyone liked her, the boys mostly. Putting aside his feelings of the teacher, Archer tried to remember the couple of classes they had about the Holocaust during World War Two. Archer could recall the photographs; the terrible photographs of the Jews in the concentration and "extermination" camps. The worst seemed to be in a camp called Auschwitz, in Poland, that had been taken over by the Nazis. Archer remembered things about gas chambers, Zahlappell (whatever that meant), the SS, and the infamous, Adolf Hitler. It was definitely not one of the peaks of mankind.
Archer wasn't sure why he was thinking about this. Maybe because whenever he thought about Germany or anything German, those thoughts of what they did so many years ago stuck with him. It was somewhat immature. Germany was just like any other country now. The Holocaust has been over for more than two hundred years. Most never even thought about it anymore. Which made Archer even more curious as to why German was being spoken on a planet so many light-years away from Earth.
"Something wrong, Captain?" T'Pol appeared to had noticed that Archer was in deep thought. Archer wasn't sure if T'Pol's tone of voice was of concern or his lack of attention to the helm. He didn't really want to know.
Archer straightened in his seat. "Nothing's wrong." Archer made more adjustments at the helm as the planet neared.
"We're entering the planet's atmosphere. Get ready for a little turbulence." Trip said. Barely a few seconds after Trip made his report, the shuttle began to rock. The three officers were unflustered by the sometimes-violent shakes. The shuttle shook some more, then somewhat steadied.
The shuttle flew through white cottony clouds that left a soft mist of water on the windows. The sky was a deep blue, a color that the Captain hadn't seen since being in San Francisco. Archer led himself away from the enticing beauty of the sky. Once the shuttle passed through the clouds, a thick jungle that spread for miles came into view. From where Archer could see, no life forms or any form of civilization was in sight.
"T'Pol,"
"Yes, Captain?"
"Are you detecting any life forms?" The Vulcan tapped a few buttons. Her eyes moved as fast as her fingers on the console.
"There are many life forms. Most of them are about twelve and a half kilometers away."
"And the others?"
"I'm also detecting several life signs within a one kilometer radius of our landing site."
"How many?"
"Seventeen."
"I guess we'll get an early greeting." Tucker said.
The Captain started to descend the shuttle to the landing site. It was more of a very small field with tall grass instead of the large trees, which would have made it impossible to land here. Archer glanced around the jungle floor as the shuttle finished it's landing, but no one was in sight.
"Set your weapons to stun and keep them close." Archer said. As much as he didn't want to start a war, Archer wasn't sure how these people would react to the away team's visit. He was hoping it would be peaceful.
***
Commander Tucker took the Captain's advice and double-checked his weapon. The last thing he wanted was to be surrounded by angry natives without the proper controls set on his phaser. Tucker glimpsed up at the Captain and found him surveying the area. Tucker sighed. Captain Archer seemed a bit troubled ever since they left Enterprise. Strange though, when Archer had insisted that he come with them on the away mission, he was excited and ready to go down there. But now, Tucker was almost positive that the Captain wouldn't mind going back up. Another thing that nagged at the Chief Engineer was the fact that he really didn't need to be down here. He would have been a lot more helpful back on Enterprise. If anything, Lieutenant Reed would've been a proper choice for this mission. Or even Hoshi.
After what felt like minuets, though probably only a few seconds, there was a small yet satisfying jolt of the shuttle finally touching the surface.
"The air is breathable, Captain." T'Pol said reading from her console. The Captain nodded in acknowledgment.
Tucker glanced over and caught a sight of T'Pol also checking her phaser. Tucker held back a smile. To think that a Vulcan might mess up was somewhat humorous. After a little comical relief for himself, Tucker unlatched the door of the shuttle and, with T'Pol and the Captain behind him, climbed out into the hot, humid, and vast jungle.
Chapter 3
The humanoids clambered out of their strange plane and looked to be blinded by the sun, at first. Cmdr. Lee knew all her officers, waiting for her signal, were watching her. She adjusted the shoulder strap of her automatic rifle and then put her hand out flat to tell her officers to sit tight. Lee wanted to see what these people would do.
There looked to be two males and a female. Lee wondered for only a second if the female was a prisoner, but then realized she wasn't since she had a weapon; an odd weapon at that. It looked like a child's toy. But Lee wasn't about to underestimate it. The most harmless appearing things had too many times turned out to be lethal.
The strangers were not her species. They didn't have the small patch of dark red mottled skin on either side of the neck or, from where Lee could see, their exotic bright yellow or orange eyes. The two males appeared to be of the same species, and so did the female, except for a few subtle differences that were an indication that she was not of the same. Her ears came to a sharp point (Lee would call her Pointy) and her eyebrows were also shaped more evenly than the others. Her face held no expression or feeling. Sad. Lee thought, that means she probably wouldn't scream when she dies. The males talked to each other in a language that was all too familiar to Lee. Along with mastering German, Lee had also learned the complexities of English and spoke and understood it well. At the moment, the males made remarks about the weather. Pointy held some sort of gadget in her hands and was moving it back forth, occasionally stopping at a certain point. Pointy suddenly stopped and was facing in the direction that Lee was hiding.
Could that gadget possibly detect my position? Lee thought grimly. Pointy looked up and was practically staring at Lee. But it would be impossible for this stranger to see her. Lee was perfectly hidden in the shrubs where the tree line started. Lee was not going to underestimate Pointy either. This woman obviously had great abilities and could detect even the best-hidden people. Lee trembled and could almost feel the anxiousness of her officers. Okay, let's get 'em.
***
Archer put a shielding hand above his eyes. The sun was very hot and bright. Endless sounds of insects and animals became increasingly annoying. Within seconds, Archer could feel sweat on his brow, and he hadn't even done anything. Archer believed that this was what it was like to be in the Amazon. Archer made a mental note to himself to never visit it.
"It's sure a hot climate." Trip said without enthusiasm.
"Yeah. You could probably fry an egg on the ground." Archer said it to lighten the mood. It seemed to work since Trip smirked.
T'Pol took out her scanner to search for the nearest life signs. T'Pol stopped at one point and took her eyes away from the scanner. She didn't move. Only her eyes shifted slightly to look at another area. "I believe we have company, Captain." Before she could finish her statement, a barricade of humanoids came from nowhere and surrounded them, weapons pointed. Archer put his hands up. Trip did as well. T'Pol still held her scanner and didn't move. The soldiers were gruff and their eyes gleamed. A couple of them came up and hastily took Archer's, Trip's and T'Pol's weapons away.
One of the men who wore a different uniform, a darker one, stepped up to T'Pol and glowered down at her. He grabbed the scanner from T'Pol's hands and turned it around poked at it and was down right flabbergasted by it.
"Was fur eine Maschine ist das?" T'Pol cocked an eyebrow.
"He wants to know what kind of machine it is." Tucker said his hands still raised above his head.
Archer glanced over at his chief engineer. "You understand German?"
"My father made me take it in high school."
"Ruhe!" One of the soldiers growled. Trip clapped his mouth shut. The guard that held the scanner asked T'Pol the question again.
T'Pol thought for only a moment. "It gives me the ability to see where life forms and various other substances are."
The guard apparently didn't understand and he took out his pistol and pointed it at T'Pol's head. T'Pol didn't react; she only stood staring up at the officer. Archer, however, on impulse, stepped forward. Immediately, the officer threw the scanner behind his back and took T'Pol by her arm and swung her around facing Archer, with the barrel of the gun resting above her ear.
"Take another step and die Fraulein dies!"
Calmly, T'Pol said, "I suggest you step back, Captain." Archer did, but not before seeing the officer curl his finger around the trigger.
"Stop!"
All the soldiers suddenly straightened. The voice belonged to a woman who emerged from the jungle. She had an automatic rifle that dangled loosely from the shoulder strap. She was dressed all in black with her long black hair that was allowed to flow to her waist. She appeared to be the same species, as the soldiers, except she was oriental, and she had no mercy in her eyes. The officer holding T'Pol hostage grit his teeth and rolled his eyes, but didn't turn around to face the woman. Even though the woman was behind the officer, she seemed to have sensed his immature behavior and round-housed him in the neck. The officer's eyes rolled back into his head and the gun fell from his hands as he tumbled to the jungle floor. Archer felt his eyebrows go up and now knew why this woman was given so much respect from the other soldiers. T'Pol turned around cautiously and knelt down to feel for the man's pulse. Standing back up and shaking her head lightly was the indication that this man was dead. Archer heard Trip make a low whistle. It was probably best not to irritate this woman.
"What are your names?" The woman had a Japanese accent and she sounded like she ordered the answer instead of asking for it.
Archer moved forward only a small step, but even that made the soldiers turn their heads quickly and ready their weapons. Archer moved back to where he was.
"My name is Captain Jonathon Archer. This is my Chief Engineer, Commander Charles Tucker, and my Science Officer, Sub-Commander T'Pol."
The woman started to pace. "Do you have any idea where you've landed your plane, Captain?"
"Actually," Trip said, "it's a shuttle pod." The look the woman gave Tucker could have hardened a melting micro ligature. Archer gave Tucker a warning glance.
"Well, Miss."
"Lee. Commander Lee."
"Well, Commander, we," Archer tried to find a way around the question, he had to remember that this was a pre-warp capable species, "we got lost." It was lame, but it was the only thing Archer could think of. Commander Lee stopped pacing and stood next to the fallen officer, hands behind her back.
"So," Archer said, "could you tell us where we are exactly?" Lee sighed and clenched her teeth. "I am not at liberty to give that information. But I will tell you that you are now the property of Colonel Schneider and his concentration camp."
"Now, wait a minute-" Trip started to say.
She raised her voice. "You will spend the rest of your lives here and if you dare to escape, you will be at the mercy of the jungle which I will remind you now, is a very dangerous place. And if we catch you trying to escape, you will most likely be sentenced to a slow and painful death. Thank you very much for your cooperation, and remain silent for the journey back to the encampment." Archer had to shake his head to believe what he was hearing. Concentration camp? Property? Death? Archer felt his arm being pulled harshly.
"Search them for any more weapons or equipment then load them in the truck with the others! A few of you stay behind and search the plane," Lee was about to leave when she turned to Trip, "Or, 'shuttle pod.' " With that Lee disappeared into the jungle. The soldier took Archer's communicator and threw it in the bushes behind him. Then he put the automatic rifle to his back, and nudged him harshly with it.
"Los! Jetzt!" The soldier growled.
"He wants you to get going, Captain." Trip said as his communicator was pulled from him and smashed under the guard's foot. T'Pol's communicator suffered the same fate. Archer walked reluctantly towards the trees; gun still pointed at his back, where many of the other officers followed Lee. Archer turned his head quick enough to see some of the officers climbing through the hatch to the shuttle and moseying around. The Captain could hear Tucker yelling at the officers what not to touch. Archer doubted that the officers cared. They walked for about ten minutes until they came to a road. The Captain didn't remember seeing it when they were landing the shuttle.
An army truck with a large canvas used as the roof and three armed officers were there waiting for them. But what Archer saw next he couldn't believe. Standing next to the truck were two, fully-grown, ferocious German Shepherds that, as soon as they caught sight of Archer and others, barked vigorously, tugging hard at their leashes.
"Captain?"
"Yeah, Trip?"
".Are those what I think they are?"
"Afraid so."
T'Pol stood unflustered. "Enlighten me, Commander."
Trip glanced over at T'Pol. "You never saw those on Earth?"
"I rarely left the compound."
Trip chuckled, "Let me guess, the smell?"
"Among other things, Commander," Trip rolled his eyes, "But I must say some of the animal's traits look to be related to your canine, Captain."
"They're called German Shepherds. I wouldn't get too close to them."
"Animals do not frighten me, Captain."
"It's not you being scared of them that worries me." The dogs barred their teeth and released a deep growl from its throat.
The officers "escorting" Archer and the others pushed them towards the army truck. One of the officers untied the rope that was holding the two flaps of the canvas on the back of the truck. Archer walked around the dogs tentatively. Archer looked up into the truck. There were at least twenty other prisoners there. All wide-eyed, and huddled in corners. Some shielded the sun with a hand while others tolerated it and stared at the floor. Only half of them have the curiosity to glance up and see who had joined them.
"Los! In der Lastauto! Los!"
Archer hesitates for only a moment, and then climbed into the truck. The floor was old and cracked and probably wouldn't be able to support too many more people. T'Pol was pushed hard into the truck and almost knocked Archer and Trip down. T'Pol steadied herself immediately and sat down. Two officers accompanied the prisoners with the rifles by their sides. They gave notice to every movement, and every sound made. Archer sighed. How had they gotten so mixed up in this?
Chapter 4
Commander Tucker twiddled with a small fragment of wood. He was anxious and had to do something with his hands. He glimpsed over to his right and saw the Captain rubbing his temple with his hand and staring at the floor. He was obviously thinking hard and probably shouldn't be disturbed. Trip looked over to his left to see what T'Pol was doing, and it wasn't much. She sat there with her knees drawn to her chest, like a child. She also stared at the floor, no doubt thinking up some kind of escape plan. And they were going to get out of here. They'd simply have a little chat with whoever that Colonel Schneider was and get this whole thing settled before anyone got hurt. But, somehow, it didn't feel like that was bound to happen.
Instead of sulking about what the future might hold, Trip glanced around the small room studying the other prisoners. All of them looked to not have had a decent meal in days and were emaciated. Most of them didn't have expression and didn't seem alive. Their eyes held no feeling whatsoever, like empty sockets that never attained the vibrancy of "puppy eyes" or baby blues. A woman, maybe in her late twenties picked up her head and gawked at the Chief Engineer. Trip realized what he must look like; still clean-shaven, clothing unsoiled, and most of his dignity still intact, while this woman had her long, brown hair in tangles, several holes in her clothing, mud crusted on her face, and red bloodshot eyes from crying. Trip had to look away. After a few moments, Trip heard a soft sobbing and half expected it to be coming from the woman, but it was instead from a girl, sitting directly across from Trip, next to her father, his arm around her. She looked to be around fifteen or so. She had a large, fresh whiplash streaked across her cheek. Small tears ran past the wound; the girl grimaced at the discomfort of the tears in the abrasion.
"It's going to be alright, mein Liebling." The father said tenderly.
Even though the words were meant for comfort, the girl didn't believe them and cried on. The father's face saddened and he caught Trip's gaze.
"You new?" He asked.
Trip nodded. "Yeah."
"I don't recognize your species. What part of the planet are you from?"
Trip thought quickly. "Uh, well, we're not from anywhere near here. We, um, do a lot of exploring. There isn't really a place we call home."
The man nodded, not exactly believing him, but accepted it anyway.
"My name is Barik. This is my daughter, Vian." Vian looked up but didn't say anything.
"I'm Commander Char-uh, Trip."
By this time, Captain Archer and T'Pol had come out of their thinking shells and took an interest in the conversation.
"I'm Jon and this is T'Pol."
The Captain extended his hand to be shaken. Barik stared at the hand for only a second then put out his own. There, the handshake was introduced. Barik then put out his hand for T'Pol to shake. T'Pol stayed motionless.
"Uh, you'll have to excuse T'Pol," Archer said, "Her species isn't fond of.contact."
Barik's brow furrowed. "I've always wondered how many different species live on this planet."
"Barik, we're strangers here, could you tell us what this is all about?"
"You weren't aware of the war?"
".No."
"Strange," Barik murmured, "it's been going on for over two hundred years."
"What's being fought over?"
Barik grunted. "More like being fought for. Power, dignity, this whole damn planet. You name it, they want it."
"They?"
Barik lowered his voice and nodded his head towards the guards. "The Powers That Be." For the first time, Trip noticed the small, red patches on the left arm of both guards with an all-too-familiar symbol on it. "You see that, Captain?" Archer followed the engineer's gaze and narrowed his eyes, then swallowed hard. "The swastika." Trip's blood turned cold and an icy streak ran down his spine.
***
"Are they still not responding?"
Ensign Sato pushed a few buttons on her console. She paused, waited for a response, and then shook her head.
"Commander Tucker's and T'Pol's communicators are completely inactive, Lieutenant."
"And the Captain's?" The British man asked impatiently.
Hoshi shook her head. "He's just not responding."
Lt. Reed ran a hand through his brown hair and then rested his hands on his hips. After standing there for about five seconds, Reed turned to where T'Pol's station was. Now there was an itchy, nervous crewman, by the name of Rayburn, sitting there tapping his fingers.
"Can you get any readings on their life-signs?"
Rayburn jumped and then swiveled around looking for the answers the Lieutenant needed. Finally, he found them.
"Well, Sir, there are lots of.um.different life forms down there, and it'd be real hard to, well, um.what's the word.pinpoint, there we go, their exact, um, po-position." You'd of thought the man had been asked the meaning of life. Reed shook his head slightly and closed his eyes. Crewman Rayburn was a steward. But as nervous, fidgety, and downright annoying Rayburn was, he was the only other person on board, who wasn't busy fixing Enterprise up, who had some training as a science officer to fill in for T'Pol. "Hoshi, are you sure you can't contact the surface?" "There are communications down there, but all are too primitive to put it through with ours." Lieutenant Reed sighed. Nothing was going right. The ship was in poor shape, the Captain, Science Officer and Chief Engineer was missing, and Reed had a stuttering misfit as his science officer.
***
The truck bounced furiously along the dirt road. Archer suspected there were many potholes considering all the dips the truck made.
Archer stole a glance at the guards. They held their weapons close and peered at everyone in the truck. Archer shook his head. It was too completely impossible that these officers were Nazis. Completely impossible.
"It's not entirely impossible." T'Pol said, as if reading Archer's thoughts.
"How is that?"
"During the time of your Second World War, any vessel could've have entered Earth's atmosphere and saw what was happening. Seeing how these people's emotions obtain the best of them, perhaps they adopted the 'Nazi' customs."
"This planet is pre-warp, Sub-Commander."
"Or perhaps it isn't."
Archer glanced over at the Vulcan.
"What are you getting at?"
"This species is obviously volatile and illogical. When they saw our shuttle pod, you'd have thought they'd taken us as aliens and seeing how recklessly emotional they are, they should have killed us. But they didn't. Instead they take us with them and make us prisoners like the others."
Tucker rested his chin on fist. "So all that explains this.Fourth Reich."
"You should know, Captain," T'Pol continued, "that bigotry comes in many forms. Here, they clearly believe that they are superior to everyone and everything else. Unlike the Nazis who only believed that the Jewish people were inferior to them and that they were controlling the economy, which was, of course, incorrect."
Archer crossed his arms. "How come you know so much about the Nazis? From what I've observed, you've never taken much of an interest in Earth history."
"I don't have any interest in it, I've only heard stories from Crewman Rayburn of some of his ancestors who were Holocaust survivors."
Archer thought about the prospect of what T'Pol said. Her theory may well be true. And if these people really did adopt the Nazi "customs," Archer and his officers had a lot to worry about. Including the fact that there was no way to contact Enterprise.
They'd all been riding for about fifteen minutes when Archer heard shouting outside the truck. The guards were instantly alert, their weapons drawn. The truck suddenly came to a halt.
"Ein Hinterhalt! Hinterhalt!"
Archer turned to Tucker. "What are they saying?"
"An ambush." Tucker said, hardly paying attention to the Captain.
The guards untied the rope of the back and pulled away the two flaps. From where Archer could see, it was chaos. There were men dressed in pedestrian clothing, but with rifles and automatic weaponry. One of the guards in the truck got behind his comrade and retrieved a sniper gun from his sack. He then got low on his stomach and took aim at some of the strange warriors in the brush, picking them off one by one. It was quite a spectacle. The Nazi officers were going nuts. They were all completely taken by surprise. The echo of automatic gunfire rang out in the jungle.
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
Barik immediately took Vian to a far corner of the truck to avoid any of the gunfire. Archer and the others did the same. Archer could smell the gunpowder and it stung his eyes. He could hear several prisoners coughing and choking. The officers outside the truck were screaming orders out to their comrades. The nightmare seemed to last forever. Bullets. Screams. Death. Archer closed his eyes, as though if he did this, the whole world would quiet and be still. But the skirmish did not yield its destructive fury and the endless screams continued. Continued forever.
***
T'Pol had a sense that something of this nature would happen. Where there are enemies, there is always an ally. And these primitives were obviously the allies. Though they did not have as much firepower, or manpower, as they needed to defeat the soldiers. The sniper in the truck was eventually shot down, along with his comrade. T'Pol did not look to see where they were shot or if they were still alive. At the moment, T'Pol and her fellow officer's lives were the priority.
Suddenly, three of the primitives jumped into the back of the truck. One stood guard by the exit. There was one ally with his shoulder-length hair tied in a loose ponytail. He crouched down and wiped sweat from his brow.
"My people listen to me. We're going to get you all out of here and into our camp where there is food, shelter, and medical supplies for anyone who needs it." A blast from outside shook the ground. The man lowered his head for only a second then continued.
"As you probably realize, the battle is still raging. We're trying to get someone to the wheel of this truck and get us to a safe place where we can travel by foot to my camp." The man finally noticed the T'Pol, Archer and Tucker.
His forehead furrowed. "Who are you?"
Archer replied. "I'm Captain Archer, this is Sub-Commander T'Pol and Commander Tucker. I'm afraid we kind of fell right into this."
"My name is Tobis. What is your species," He lowered his voice so only the Starfleet officers and T'Pol could hear, "What planet are you from?"
Archer was immediately taken aback with surprise. T'Pol looked over to her Captain with a face that said, "My suspicions were correct."
Archer also lowered his voice. "T'Pol here is from a planet called Vulcan," Archer pointed to himself then Tucker, "We're from a planet called Earth."
Tobis's eyes widened and he gasped. "Earth?"
"Yes."
"Truly?"
"Yes."
Tobis all of a sudden became angry. "You people are what started this," Tobis had no intention of lowering his voice anymore, "All we've had to fight for, trying to keep these people alive," Tobis pointed angrily at Archer, "all because of you!" The Captain put his hands up in defense.
"What happened two hundred years ago was a mistake, a mistake that was caused by an independent clan. But they were fought against and were taken down. Nothing of that sort has or ever will happen again, I assure you!"
"I don't care about what happens on your planet! It's the people here that concern me."
"Perhaps," T'Pol said, "we could help you. If the Humans were able to defeat the Nazis once, don't you believe that it can be done again?"
"T'Pol?" Archer said.
"I know what I'm doing, Captain," T'Pol turned to Tobis, "We could give you the strategies to help defeat them. All we would need to do is contact our ship and download the information."
Tobis was obviously still angry, but he was warming up to the idea. But before Tobis could agree to the plan, bullets streamed in the truck hitting Tobis point-blank in the head. T'Pol felt herself being pushed down flat to the floor. At first, T'Pol though it was the Captain pushing her down. But the pressure stayed on her back and T'Pol turned her head to get a glimpse at what was holding her down. Tobis stared blankly into her eyes, blood trickling down his face. His mouth open, frozen in a scream he was never able to release. T'Pol gasped and tried to push him off before another wave of bullets entered the truck. T'Pol heard screams from inside and saw from the corner of her eye, another body fall to the floor. After several minutes, the gunfire ceased.
The noise from outside also quieted, which arose one question.who had won?
Chapter 5
Archer wasn't sure if the silence was real. It was dark.Maybe he was dead. Archer tested this theory by trying to move his foot. It functioned with ease. So did the rest of his limbs. Archer opened his eyes and surveyed the room. Many people were lying on the floor in awkward positions. Archer quickly made sure neither of them were his officers. They weren't. Archer took a deep breath. There was movement in the far corner.
"Uhhhh." Tucker groaned and pushed himself off the floor, rubbing his head.
"Trip?" Archer half crawled, half stumbled over to his friend. Tucker waved a hand at him.
"Just," he coughed, "just let me sleep a few more minutes. "
"Trip, snap out of it."
Tucker looked up at his Captain with dazed eyes. He seemed puzzled to see Archer.
"Cap'n, what happened?"
"I think your head was knocked into the wall." Archer said as he helped Tucker into a sitting position.
Tucker leaned his back against the wall. "Well, that's not good."
"You'll be fine."
"Captain?" A voice from the other side, a small stern voice. Archer turned and saw T'Pol on the floor. Archer crawled over to his Science Officer. There was a figure that was laid limp on her back. Archer recognized it to be Tobis. The Captain gingerly took the body off of T'Pol.
"He fell onto me." The Vulcan said as she got to her knees immediately. Eventually, some other prisoners came to, including Barik and his daughter. They had sought shelter from the steady flow of gunfire by covering themselves with the more unfortunate prisoners.
"Do you know who won?" Tucker said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Before Archer could answer, the flaps of the exit were pulled aside from the outside. Three Nazi soldiers had their weapons trained on the prisoners.
"I guess that answers my question." Tucker said, and he put his hands up.
"Ruhe! Sich setzen! Sit down!"
Two of the soldiers clambered into the truck. One was bleeding heavily from his shoulder. Within minutes, the truck was moving again, bumping along the dirt road to their dreaded destination.
***
Another fifteen minutes went by before the truck stopped. It was late afternoon and the weather was hotter than ever. Commander Tucker slapped at his neck where a mosquito, or some kind of related bug, tried to take a bite out of him. The Chief Engineer sighed miserably and scratched at a fresh bite on his hand.
"It will only become worse the more you scratch it, Commander." T'Pol remarked.
Tucker glanced over at her and narrowed his eyes. "Thanks.mom."
T'Pol ignored the comment. The officer with the bleeding shoulder exchanged a few quick words with his comrade then jumped out the back. And they all sat there. Tucker didn't know for how long. Five minutes, ten minutes, maybe a half hour? Then after what felt like hours, the tarp from the back was pulled aside.
"Raus! Get out! Los!" Like cockroaches scattering from the light, the prisoners quickly exited the truck. They were all emptied into a clearing. A fence with razor wires surrounded them all. Beyond the fence were barracks that stretched for acres. Tucker tried to ignore the sounds emitting from them. Tucker looked up and saw a sign that said,
"KonzentrationLoger."
Concentration Camp. Tucker thought.
Tucker heard a shout from behind him, "Los! Raus!"
Tucker turned around to see T'Pol being practically thrown out of the truck by the bleeding officer. The Vulcan landed hard on her stomach.in front of one of the growling German Shepherds. Many of the other prisoners stopped to watch this spectacle. T'Pol didn't move. Tucker wasn't sure if it was because she broke her spine or she was smart enough not to make any sudden movements being this close to the vicious creature.
The officer holding the dog's leash made no attempt to pull the dog away. Instead, he grinned stupidly. Tucker glanced over at Archer. He was watching the dog very closely. The dog growled and exposed his teeth. Its eyes were fiery with anger and excitement. It was ready for any action. T'Pol, ever so slightly, lifted her head, just enough to see exactly how close the animal was. Then, one small step at a time, she crawled backwards on her stomach until she was far enough away. T'Pol then got up off the ground. Tucker sighed with relief. The Vulcan was lucky.
"Men over there," The officers yelled, "women and children there!"
"Wait a minute," Tucker thought, "They're separating us?"
"They're separating us." Archer said from behind him.
"What about T'Pol?" Tucker caught a glimpse of the Vulcan amongst the small, huddled crowd of women and children.
Archer swallowed hard and choked out his answer. "She'll be fine." Archer's answer was nowhere nears convincing. Tucker suddenly heard a shriek ring out among the prisoners.
"Let go of me! Let me go!" The horrible screams came from Vian. "Daddyyyy!!! No! I won't go! Daddy!!!"
The husky officers were dragging Barik and Vian away from each other and to opposite sides of the clearing.
"Vian! Don't worry! It'll only be for a little while!"
Barik had no choice but to be taken, but Vian had three officers trying to haul her away. The girl had tears bursting from her eyes, and she wasn't about to be separated from her father. Just when Tucker thought that the officers might shoot Vian, T'Pol came out from the crowd and forced her way into the brawl. One of the officers put his rifle to her head and threatened her using blasphemy.
T'Pol straightened her shoulders. "I will take the girl. Let her go."
The officer hesitated, then grunted and Vian was thrown into T'Pol's arms. With little effort, T'Pol pulled her away to the women's crowd. Once there, Vian fell to her knees and sobbed. She no longer screamed, but murmured indistinctly as she choked on her tears.
The entire scene made Tucker sick and all he could do to rid his mind of the horror was to just look away, or at least Tucker and Archer did. The rest of the prisoners paid no attention to the brutality that had just recently occurred.
"All of you get in a line! Los! In a line!" The prisoners were clearly not quick enough and whips were lashed until everyone was in a straight line, men on one side, women and children on the other. An older man, maybe in his middle forties, in a clean, black uniform stepped out from a watchtower off to the side. He had many stars on his shoulder, suggesting that he was of high rank. His eyes were a piercing.yellow. Tucker raised an eyebrow. Yellow eyes...definitely unique.
The man surveyed the small bunch with disgust. He started at the end of the women's row, looking upon every person. He stopped a moment when he came to T'Pol, peered at her ears quizzically, and then moved on. Eventually, he came to Tucker and Archer. There, he stopped completely.
"Wie heissen Sie?" The officer asked.
Tucker took over and introduced them. "Herr Offizier, Ich heisser Kommanduer Tucker, und dieser ist mein Kapitan, Jonathon Archer." Tucker then explained that T'Pol was also with them.
"What planet are you from?" The man said in English.
Tucker hesitated and looked over at Archer. Tucker wasn't so sure if this man's reaction would be the same as Tobis's. Suddenly, the officer slapped Tucker. The strike was painful, but it angered the chief engineer more than anything and he had to hold himself back from returning the gesture.
Archer hurriedly said, "We're from Earth."
The officer raised an eyebrow and grit his teeth. "And the female?"
"She's from a planet called Vulcan."
"You have two different species working together on one ship?"
"Well, no, not exactly. She's the only one of her kind on my ship."
"Is she a slave?"
Archer shook his head. "No. She's my Science Officer."
The officer paused. "What are you doing here," he raised his voice, "come to try and claim the planet?"
"We didn't come to claim anything. We're explorers. We detected an M Class planet and we came to explore it. That's all."
The officer chuckled. "I doubt that," He then took out a large cigar and lit it with a primitive match, "You're probably refugees running away from Earth, from the war. Tell me, Captain, how long now have the Earth Nazis been in control?"
Now it was Tucker's turn to give a slap in the face, in a manner of speaking. "Actually, the Nazis were defeated over two hundred years ago." The officer took the cigar quickly from his mouth.
"Liar." The officer snarled.
"Nope, Hitler couldn't take the pressure and killed himself. The Nazi Army fell right along with him."
The officer twisted his face into a sneer and he stepped up to Tucker. "I will personally make sure that your imprisonment here will be so horrible and painful that you'll be begging us to kill you." The officer then turned on his heel and walked back to the watchtower.
Tucker could feel Archer's eyes boring into his head. Tucker realized that he hadn't exactly done much to improve their chances of being released.
"I guess that was Colonel Schneider." Tucker said. Archer bit his lip and sighed heavily.
After Schneider left, the other officers stood in front of the prisoners.
"March! Marchieren! Los! Los!" The prisoners followed the officers with a fast pace.
Tucker got one last glace at T'Pol, marching in the opposite direction, who was guiding Vian. The girl was shaking as she walked unsteadily towards the barracks.
Enterprise
The Fourth Reich
Based on the hit television series, "Enterprise." Also Based on, Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry
For Grandma, though I never was able to meet you in time, I still received your gift of writing. Also for the countless lives lost not only in the concentration camps, but also to all the troops who died then, and now, for the freedom of all mankind.
This is kinda my first Enterprise story, so forgive me if anything's messed up or something. I changed the spacing so it's very easy to read for anyone who quickly dismissed it for that reason..ummm..enjoy!!!
By the way, from my research of the real Holocaust concentration camps, it was easy to see that it really was a hell on earth. So I'm going to try to treat this delicately, and have chosen not to use everything that I've learned. Many of the things the Nazis did is simply too atrocious to duplicate. Though to make it seem realistic, there are still some intense scenes. I apologize if anyone finds this offensive. A lot of it is a reminder of what the human being is capable of, and how people did get through it. And by the conclusion of my story, it will show only bravery and justice. I promise it will be a happy ending.
God bless us all during this time of war and fury.
Chapter 1
Exploring the unknown can go two different ways. It can be very enjoyable and exciting.or very nerve ending and terrifying. It all depends on the person who doing the exploring. In this case, the Enterprise crew has gone up against many interesting and, many dangerous, life forms. From the vicious Andorians to the kind and solemn Xyrillians, the adventures could never end with the crew of the starship Enterprise.
That's what Captain Jonathan Archer was thinking about in his ready room that morning. The universe goes on forever. Thousands of species, thousands of adventures, and a thousand times Archer would ask himself how he was lucky enough to be involved so deeply with the greatest mystery presented to man. Unfortunately, the last little exploration Enterprise had nearly took out both nacelles, but, luckily, only one was damaged. It was caused by an unpleasant encounter with a Klingon Bird of Prey. Though, every encounter that Enterprise has had with Klingons has never been particularly "pleasant." The Klingons had accused Archer of entering their space without authorization. Archer had barely enough time to open his mouth to protest before the Klingons charged their weapons. Anyway, the Enterprise wasn't in exactly pristine condition; repairs were going slowly and they needed more engineers than they had.
A comm signal interrupted Archer's thoughts. Then again, he might not have noticed it if he was thinking any more deeply.
"T'Pol to Archer."
Archer lifted his head that was leaning against the window and walked to the intercom on the wall. "Go ahead, Sub-Commander."
"We're nearing the planet, Captain."
"Acknowledged."
Before Archer left his ready room, he stole one more glance out the window. The small planet that sat there was strikingly similar to Earth. It's grounds were a heavy green and obviously lush with vegetation. It would certainly be a nice place to visit. The Captain walked out of his ready-room and entered the bridge. It wasn't a large bridge, but it was efficient and Archer enjoyed pacing the floor rather than sitting in his command chair. T'Pol glanced up from her console.
"Any life signs, Sub-Commander?"
"The planet is inhabited," The Vulcan said without expression, "but we are unable to contact the surface."
Pre-warp. Or worse...pre-industrial. Archer thought glumly. The last time Enterprise came upon a pre-warp planet, he nearly got killed. But the curiosity of this new planet enthralled the Captain, and his own inquisitiveness pushed him to want to know more about this new discovery that was only one of the millions in the dark blanket of space.
"I'm also detecting at least several different species on the planet."
"So a visit from us might not be that shocking," Archer said more to himself than to anyone else, "Can we get any pictures?"
"Negative, Captain, it is also off-line. And if you are thinking of going down to the surface, I strongly suggest against it. Seeing what happened the last time." T'Pol said.
Archer already knew the Vulcan's thoughts of going down to the surface, but Commander Tucker had made a valid point during their last conversation (or quarrel) about this. Only the Vulcan protocols said that it wasn't wise to visit a pre-industrial species. This didn't apply to Star Fleet. Still, Archer's conscious reminded him of the Akaali and what had happened.
"Captain?" Ensign Hoshi Sato swiveled around in her chair to face Archer.
"Yes, Hoshi?"
"I don't think this planet is completely uncivilized. I'm detecting several communications on the surface," Hoshi paused, "The communication is mostly static but," Hoshi concentrated hard, her earpiece pressed hard to her ear and her eyes widened. "I think I'm actually picking up a radio station." Archer cocked an eyebrow and gave a half smile. Hoshi shook her head. "I lost it," she was, evidently, disappointed, "it was strange though, from what I could get, it didn't sound so alien. The melody was," she searched for the right word, "normal."
They were silent for a moment. "Keep listening, Hoshi." Archer said. This was just the beginning.
***
Ensign Sato sat hunched over in her chair, listening to the strange sounds from her earpiece and trying to comprehend what they meant. But she was lucky if she could make out a few words from the static interference. It was frustrating, not being able to get through. Hoshi was eager to try her hand at a new language. What excited her the most about their mission was this rare opportunity to study strange new languages and attempt to interpret them. It had taken a while for her to find her "space legs," but Hoshi felt she was really becoming accustomed to space and all its secrets. It wasn't as overwhelming as it used to be.
Suddenly, Hoshi caught a few words from the annoying static. It wasn't exactly clear, but it sounded like, "Dear letze zoog."
"No, that can't be right." Hoshi said out loud, but to herself.
"What's that, Hoshi?" Hoshi jumped in her seat and realized that she'd spoken louder than she thought. Captain Archer glanced over quizzically at the Ensign.
"It's this communication I picked up, Sir. It sounds like.like German." Hoshi tapped a few buttons and put it on the speaker.
A gruff voice filled the bridge. "Der letze Zug. Zuallerletze. Der letze Zug." Hoshi shook her head as she listened. "German wasn't my best language, but I'm pretty sure he's saying something like, 'the last train.' "
Archer listened, intrigued. Lieutenant Reed, T'Pol and just about everyone else on the bridge were also very interested.
"I don't understand it," Ensign Mayweather said as he gazed at the planet on the view screen, "how is that even possible?"
Archer stood from his chair; brow furrowed, and listened to the words.
"That settles it," Archer said calmly, "we have to go down there."
T'Pol was there to disagree, as always. "Captain, I-"
"I know, Sub-Commander. But we can't let one incident ruin this kind of opportunity."
Hoshi stifled a smile. It was probably immature, but Hoshi couldn't help but find a small twinge of satisfaction when T'Pol didn't get her way.
***
"So, Trip, what do you say." Archer looked up, arms crossed against his chest. Commander Tucker walked down the narrow steps tapping something into a padd he held firmly in his hand.
Tucker sighed. "The ship isn't in great condition, Captain. As much as I want to go down there, I'm not sure this ship can spare another engineer," Tucker said glumly, "I've already got two engineers out in sickbay from the battle. Doctor Phlox says they won't be up and working for another day." Commander Tucker seemed especially annoyed with this problem.
Archer searched for a way around this. Enterprise wasn't in immediate danger. There wasn't some alien ship following them or a certain mission that needed instantaneous completion. But if trouble did arise while on this new planet, the ship was required to be in flawless condition.or at least nearly flawless. Archer then realized how selfish he was being. The ship was always the first priority. No, the crew was. And Commander Tucker hadn't had a decent break in weeks.
Tucker sighed again seeing his captain's dissatisfied gaze. "Alright Captain, maybe I can get away from engineering for a couple of hours, but I don't think I can be away any longer than that-"
"Great, Trip. I'll meet you in the docking bay in an hour." Pleased, Archer left engineering ***
Colonel Schneider leaned back in his office chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. The two prisoners before him were less than presentable. They were both young men, maybe in their early twenties. They were very similar in appearance, obviously brothers. But only Schneider would be able to determine this. Any other inexperienced officer would have trouble seeing the prisoners' true exterior.
One of the men had a large, deep gash above his right eyebrow. The eye below that was swollen shut. Several bruises from multiple beatings were visible on his cheeks and forehead. He was hunched over and had some trouble standing. The man held his right hand close to his chest. It was wrapped in filthy scraps of clothing and bleeding terribly. Schneider asked the man's name. He didn't reply, at first, until a persuading punch from a guard caused him to speak, after he recovered from the pain that is. He revealed that his name was Kion. Satisfied, Schneider turned his attention to the brother. He wasn't as badly mauled as Kion, but that would change, in time. The most serious damage he seemed to have taken was a rather critical infection that surrounded the bottom of his neck where something has eaten away at the flesh. Schneider asked the young man the same question he asked Kion. The brother stared, puzzled. Kion quickly came to the rescue before his brother would be beaten.
"He doesn't know how to speak your language, Sir," Kion said in German, "He knows only Karthan and English." Schneider narrowed his eyes and tilted his chin up. He gave a frustrated sigh. Then the Colonel spoke, in English.
"You, boy, what is your name?" Schneider only knew English because it was required. It was more of an irritation than anything.
The brother swallowed hard and wouldn't make eye contact with the Colonel. He spoke in barely a whisper, "Nigath."
Schneider saw immediately that this boy was sensitive and would be easy to interrogate. He would also be a joy for the soldiers to terminate.
"How did you and your brother escape, Nigath?" Schneider glowered at the boy to make him even more frightened. Nigath's hands began to shake a little. He's scared out of mind! Schneider thought gleefully.
"You'll have to excuse my brother, Sir," Kion said shamefully, "He's very insecure. I'll tell you what happened." This was going great. Nigath was too afraid to even look at the
Colonel, and Kion would do and say anything to protect his obviously little brother. It was most likely the reason why Kion was so much more battered, probably protecting baby brother all the time. How noble. Schneider thought smugly.
Kion continued with his confession. He explained how he was able to get past the guards and how he worked on a hole in a part of the wire fence. Schneider saw that none of what the boys did was all that brilliant. They should have realized that beyond the camp was a massive, dense jungle. This jungle was home to creatures that half dead prisoners were no match for. It was just as life threatening as being in the camp, it was a naïve plan. And.it was just plain stupid. After the confession, Colonel Schneider ordered the men to be executed. Schneider saw the expressions on their faces and thought that they were priceless.
Chapter 2
Sub-Commander T'Pol walked briskly into the docking bay. Captain Archer and Commander Tucker were already there, waiting patiently. T'Pol crossed her hands behind her back and stood straight.
"Well, Sub-Commander, I think that's the first time you've ever been late." Tucker said. T'Pol ignored the human emotion of "mockery."
"I had important work to be completed first. I do apologize if I kept you waiting for too long."
"No, Sub-Commander, not long at all." Archer said. Ensign Sato suddenly entered the docking bay. She stood next to T'Pol.
"Ensign, I don't remember assigning you to this mission." Archer said.
"I know Sir, but," She paused for a moment, "I also know that German is in the UT, but we're not sure how many other languages people may speak down there. Would you be interested in having a translator come along?"
T'Pol expected this from the Ensign. The girl was eager and inexperienced. If T'Pol had any say of whom the crew consisted of, she would have chosen better and more knowledgeable officers. No doubt, the language skills Ms. Sato had were unmatched, but her experience dealing with alien cultures and space traveling was not very extensive. Even so, she'd proven herself to be capable.
"Well, Hoshi, I'd already thought about that, and considered it," Archer said, "But, as you know, the ship isn't in great condition," T'Pol could almost sense the disappointment emitting from the ensign, "And I'm sure that there's something you can do to help out."
"Yeah, and besides," Tucker jumped in, "I'm only gonna be down there for a little bit. When I come back up, you can take my place down there." Sato seemed to accept this and nodded her head. Then she exited the docking bay. T'Pol was also satisfied with the Captain's decision. It was logically and smoothly planned.
A few minutes later, they were in the shuttle and making their way to the Earth-like planet below.
***
Colonel Schneider had been satisfied with the execution. The prisoners begged. Kion was whispering prayers and Nigath had cried. It was quite a spectacle. Schneider now sat in his office, feet resting on the desk and hands crossed under his head. It was a good day. Schneider had his favorite breakfast, his soldiers had come back from winning yet another battle, and two pathetic prisoners were prosecuted and eliminated. It was a good day. He thought again. A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in." He said in his native tongue.
The door opened to reveal a young, slender, oriental woman. Her long, straight black hair was tied in a tress behind her back. She was dressed in black Japanese styling. Her eyes were dark and intimidating. As she closed the door, the air seemed to become colder and the Colonel took his feet off the desk.
Schneider stood. "Commander Lee, what a pleasant surprise."
The woman was expressionless and her jaw was set tight. She walked a little closer to the desk, and then stood perfectly still.
"And what can I do for you this fine day?" Schneider asked happily.
When Lee spoke, her tone was unnerving, cold, and angry. "Those prisoners you executed today," Her lips tightened, "They were mine."
Schneider couldn't help but chuckle. The woman has spirit, but no respect. Every prisoner in this camp belonged to the Colonel. Some were distributed into different colonies commanded by officers like Cmdr. Lee. But all in all, they were the Colonel's. Schneider walked around the desk and stood face to face with Lee. The Commander remained standing straight and was unruffled. The Colonel found this intriguing.
"Commander, you do know the consequences for insubordination?" The expression Lee gave might have been a smirk, but Schneider wasn't sure.
"Unlike everyone else in this camp, Colonel," Lee said bravely, "I am not afraid of you."
Schneider could understand this. Commander Lee had happened to be the daughter of an infamous man, General Chong Lee. The officer was untouchable and feared by many-including the Colonel. And when the General had been discovered mysteriously dead in his bedroom, the Colonel was made to be in control. The death was called mysterious because there was no sign of struggle, no weapons used. A complete autopsy was ordered on the General and they'd discovered that he was in perfect condition before he died. But there were no injuries; his heart just.stopped. The death was then found inconclusive. This had happened about ten years ago, when Cmdr. Lee was only a teenager. But she'd shown her abilities of combat and leadership to be unsurpassed even at such a young age. Though the Colonel obviously outranked her, Schneider wouldn't give a second thought to double-crossing Lee.for his own safety.
"Commander, I understand your reason for being angry. But what you must understand is that all of the prisoners here belong to me and I can do away with them however I wish-"
"By consulting me first, Colonel."
"You will keep in order-" Before Schneider could finish his protest Lee grabbed his arm with lightning fast speed and twisted it around his back. Schneider didn't even have time to react to the situation. Lee now stood behind the Colonel, his arm still tightly twisted. Schneider clenched his teeth and hissed in pain.
Lee released an icy grin. "The next time you pull that kind of stunt, I'll cut your tongue out and throw you into a Catalian pit. Remember what I am capable of, Colonel," She turned the arm tighter and Schneider uncontrollably shook with pain, "And choose your words wisely next time." With that, Lee practically threw the Colonel in his chair and walked briskly out the door, slamming it behind her. The guards stared at Lee tentatively as the Commander made her way down the massive hall lit by torches and covered with tapestries displaying the renowned swastika.
***
"What's the air like down there?" Archer asked as he made some adjustments at the helm.
"It appears breathable, Captain," T'Pol said, "but I'd like to test it again once we get to the surface."
"Hey, Trip. Are you picking up any communications?" Commander Tucker nodded.
"Lots of them. Mostly all in German."
"Mostly?"
"I'm pickin' up something else. It doesn't sound like anything related to a Human language though."
Archer sighed and watched the planet as it drew nearer with every passing second. It was so much like Earth, too much like Earth; it was daunting.
For a moment, Archer could recall a memory from his childhood. San Francisco Middle School. History class. Miss Schumann's history class. Archer smirked. He remembered having a crush on her. She was tall, slim, beautiful, and very young. She'd just graduated from college and starting teaching that year. She had long, red curls that fell just below her shoulders. She had bright, intelligent green eyes, and a smile that could melt any twelve-year-old boy's heart. Everyone liked her, the boys mostly. Putting aside his feelings of the teacher, Archer tried to remember the couple of classes they had about the Holocaust during World War Two. Archer could recall the photographs; the terrible photographs of the Jews in the concentration and "extermination" camps. The worst seemed to be in a camp called Auschwitz, in Poland, that had been taken over by the Nazis. Archer remembered things about gas chambers, Zahlappell (whatever that meant), the SS, and the infamous, Adolf Hitler. It was definitely not one of the peaks of mankind.
Archer wasn't sure why he was thinking about this. Maybe because whenever he thought about Germany or anything German, those thoughts of what they did so many years ago stuck with him. It was somewhat immature. Germany was just like any other country now. The Holocaust has been over for more than two hundred years. Most never even thought about it anymore. Which made Archer even more curious as to why German was being spoken on a planet so many light-years away from Earth.
"Something wrong, Captain?" T'Pol appeared to had noticed that Archer was in deep thought. Archer wasn't sure if T'Pol's tone of voice was of concern or his lack of attention to the helm. He didn't really want to know.
Archer straightened in his seat. "Nothing's wrong." Archer made more adjustments at the helm as the planet neared.
"We're entering the planet's atmosphere. Get ready for a little turbulence." Trip said. Barely a few seconds after Trip made his report, the shuttle began to rock. The three officers were unflustered by the sometimes-violent shakes. The shuttle shook some more, then somewhat steadied.
The shuttle flew through white cottony clouds that left a soft mist of water on the windows. The sky was a deep blue, a color that the Captain hadn't seen since being in San Francisco. Archer led himself away from the enticing beauty of the sky. Once the shuttle passed through the clouds, a thick jungle that spread for miles came into view. From where Archer could see, no life forms or any form of civilization was in sight.
"T'Pol,"
"Yes, Captain?"
"Are you detecting any life forms?" The Vulcan tapped a few buttons. Her eyes moved as fast as her fingers on the console.
"There are many life forms. Most of them are about twelve and a half kilometers away."
"And the others?"
"I'm also detecting several life signs within a one kilometer radius of our landing site."
"How many?"
"Seventeen."
"I guess we'll get an early greeting." Tucker said.
The Captain started to descend the shuttle to the landing site. It was more of a very small field with tall grass instead of the large trees, which would have made it impossible to land here. Archer glanced around the jungle floor as the shuttle finished it's landing, but no one was in sight.
"Set your weapons to stun and keep them close." Archer said. As much as he didn't want to start a war, Archer wasn't sure how these people would react to the away team's visit. He was hoping it would be peaceful.
***
Commander Tucker took the Captain's advice and double-checked his weapon. The last thing he wanted was to be surrounded by angry natives without the proper controls set on his phaser. Tucker glimpsed up at the Captain and found him surveying the area. Tucker sighed. Captain Archer seemed a bit troubled ever since they left Enterprise. Strange though, when Archer had insisted that he come with them on the away mission, he was excited and ready to go down there. But now, Tucker was almost positive that the Captain wouldn't mind going back up. Another thing that nagged at the Chief Engineer was the fact that he really didn't need to be down here. He would have been a lot more helpful back on Enterprise. If anything, Lieutenant Reed would've been a proper choice for this mission. Or even Hoshi.
After what felt like minuets, though probably only a few seconds, there was a small yet satisfying jolt of the shuttle finally touching the surface.
"The air is breathable, Captain." T'Pol said reading from her console. The Captain nodded in acknowledgment.
Tucker glanced over and caught a sight of T'Pol also checking her phaser. Tucker held back a smile. To think that a Vulcan might mess up was somewhat humorous. After a little comical relief for himself, Tucker unlatched the door of the shuttle and, with T'Pol and the Captain behind him, climbed out into the hot, humid, and vast jungle.
Chapter 3
The humanoids clambered out of their strange plane and looked to be blinded by the sun, at first. Cmdr. Lee knew all her officers, waiting for her signal, were watching her. She adjusted the shoulder strap of her automatic rifle and then put her hand out flat to tell her officers to sit tight. Lee wanted to see what these people would do.
There looked to be two males and a female. Lee wondered for only a second if the female was a prisoner, but then realized she wasn't since she had a weapon; an odd weapon at that. It looked like a child's toy. But Lee wasn't about to underestimate it. The most harmless appearing things had too many times turned out to be lethal.
The strangers were not her species. They didn't have the small patch of dark red mottled skin on either side of the neck or, from where Lee could see, their exotic bright yellow or orange eyes. The two males appeared to be of the same species, and so did the female, except for a few subtle differences that were an indication that she was not of the same. Her ears came to a sharp point (Lee would call her Pointy) and her eyebrows were also shaped more evenly than the others. Her face held no expression or feeling. Sad. Lee thought, that means she probably wouldn't scream when she dies. The males talked to each other in a language that was all too familiar to Lee. Along with mastering German, Lee had also learned the complexities of English and spoke and understood it well. At the moment, the males made remarks about the weather. Pointy held some sort of gadget in her hands and was moving it back forth, occasionally stopping at a certain point. Pointy suddenly stopped and was facing in the direction that Lee was hiding.
Could that gadget possibly detect my position? Lee thought grimly. Pointy looked up and was practically staring at Lee. But it would be impossible for this stranger to see her. Lee was perfectly hidden in the shrubs where the tree line started. Lee was not going to underestimate Pointy either. This woman obviously had great abilities and could detect even the best-hidden people. Lee trembled and could almost feel the anxiousness of her officers. Okay, let's get 'em.
***
Archer put a shielding hand above his eyes. The sun was very hot and bright. Endless sounds of insects and animals became increasingly annoying. Within seconds, Archer could feel sweat on his brow, and he hadn't even done anything. Archer believed that this was what it was like to be in the Amazon. Archer made a mental note to himself to never visit it.
"It's sure a hot climate." Trip said without enthusiasm.
"Yeah. You could probably fry an egg on the ground." Archer said it to lighten the mood. It seemed to work since Trip smirked.
T'Pol took out her scanner to search for the nearest life signs. T'Pol stopped at one point and took her eyes away from the scanner. She didn't move. Only her eyes shifted slightly to look at another area. "I believe we have company, Captain." Before she could finish her statement, a barricade of humanoids came from nowhere and surrounded them, weapons pointed. Archer put his hands up. Trip did as well. T'Pol still held her scanner and didn't move. The soldiers were gruff and their eyes gleamed. A couple of them came up and hastily took Archer's, Trip's and T'Pol's weapons away.
One of the men who wore a different uniform, a darker one, stepped up to T'Pol and glowered down at her. He grabbed the scanner from T'Pol's hands and turned it around poked at it and was down right flabbergasted by it.
"Was fur eine Maschine ist das?" T'Pol cocked an eyebrow.
"He wants to know what kind of machine it is." Tucker said his hands still raised above his head.
Archer glanced over at his chief engineer. "You understand German?"
"My father made me take it in high school."
"Ruhe!" One of the soldiers growled. Trip clapped his mouth shut. The guard that held the scanner asked T'Pol the question again.
T'Pol thought for only a moment. "It gives me the ability to see where life forms and various other substances are."
The guard apparently didn't understand and he took out his pistol and pointed it at T'Pol's head. T'Pol didn't react; she only stood staring up at the officer. Archer, however, on impulse, stepped forward. Immediately, the officer threw the scanner behind his back and took T'Pol by her arm and swung her around facing Archer, with the barrel of the gun resting above her ear.
"Take another step and die Fraulein dies!"
Calmly, T'Pol said, "I suggest you step back, Captain." Archer did, but not before seeing the officer curl his finger around the trigger.
"Stop!"
All the soldiers suddenly straightened. The voice belonged to a woman who emerged from the jungle. She had an automatic rifle that dangled loosely from the shoulder strap. She was dressed all in black with her long black hair that was allowed to flow to her waist. She appeared to be the same species, as the soldiers, except she was oriental, and she had no mercy in her eyes. The officer holding T'Pol hostage grit his teeth and rolled his eyes, but didn't turn around to face the woman. Even though the woman was behind the officer, she seemed to have sensed his immature behavior and round-housed him in the neck. The officer's eyes rolled back into his head and the gun fell from his hands as he tumbled to the jungle floor. Archer felt his eyebrows go up and now knew why this woman was given so much respect from the other soldiers. T'Pol turned around cautiously and knelt down to feel for the man's pulse. Standing back up and shaking her head lightly was the indication that this man was dead. Archer heard Trip make a low whistle. It was probably best not to irritate this woman.
"What are your names?" The woman had a Japanese accent and she sounded like she ordered the answer instead of asking for it.
Archer moved forward only a small step, but even that made the soldiers turn their heads quickly and ready their weapons. Archer moved back to where he was.
"My name is Captain Jonathon Archer. This is my Chief Engineer, Commander Charles Tucker, and my Science Officer, Sub-Commander T'Pol."
The woman started to pace. "Do you have any idea where you've landed your plane, Captain?"
"Actually," Trip said, "it's a shuttle pod." The look the woman gave Tucker could have hardened a melting micro ligature. Archer gave Tucker a warning glance.
"Well, Miss."
"Lee. Commander Lee."
"Well, Commander, we," Archer tried to find a way around the question, he had to remember that this was a pre-warp capable species, "we got lost." It was lame, but it was the only thing Archer could think of. Commander Lee stopped pacing and stood next to the fallen officer, hands behind her back.
"So," Archer said, "could you tell us where we are exactly?" Lee sighed and clenched her teeth. "I am not at liberty to give that information. But I will tell you that you are now the property of Colonel Schneider and his concentration camp."
"Now, wait a minute-" Trip started to say.
She raised her voice. "You will spend the rest of your lives here and if you dare to escape, you will be at the mercy of the jungle which I will remind you now, is a very dangerous place. And if we catch you trying to escape, you will most likely be sentenced to a slow and painful death. Thank you very much for your cooperation, and remain silent for the journey back to the encampment." Archer had to shake his head to believe what he was hearing. Concentration camp? Property? Death? Archer felt his arm being pulled harshly.
"Search them for any more weapons or equipment then load them in the truck with the others! A few of you stay behind and search the plane," Lee was about to leave when she turned to Trip, "Or, 'shuttle pod.' " With that Lee disappeared into the jungle. The soldier took Archer's communicator and threw it in the bushes behind him. Then he put the automatic rifle to his back, and nudged him harshly with it.
"Los! Jetzt!" The soldier growled.
"He wants you to get going, Captain." Trip said as his communicator was pulled from him and smashed under the guard's foot. T'Pol's communicator suffered the same fate. Archer walked reluctantly towards the trees; gun still pointed at his back, where many of the other officers followed Lee. Archer turned his head quick enough to see some of the officers climbing through the hatch to the shuttle and moseying around. The Captain could hear Tucker yelling at the officers what not to touch. Archer doubted that the officers cared. They walked for about ten minutes until they came to a road. The Captain didn't remember seeing it when they were landing the shuttle.
An army truck with a large canvas used as the roof and three armed officers were there waiting for them. But what Archer saw next he couldn't believe. Standing next to the truck were two, fully-grown, ferocious German Shepherds that, as soon as they caught sight of Archer and others, barked vigorously, tugging hard at their leashes.
"Captain?"
"Yeah, Trip?"
".Are those what I think they are?"
"Afraid so."
T'Pol stood unflustered. "Enlighten me, Commander."
Trip glanced over at T'Pol. "You never saw those on Earth?"
"I rarely left the compound."
Trip chuckled, "Let me guess, the smell?"
"Among other things, Commander," Trip rolled his eyes, "But I must say some of the animal's traits look to be related to your canine, Captain."
"They're called German Shepherds. I wouldn't get too close to them."
"Animals do not frighten me, Captain."
"It's not you being scared of them that worries me." The dogs barred their teeth and released a deep growl from its throat.
The officers "escorting" Archer and the others pushed them towards the army truck. One of the officers untied the rope that was holding the two flaps of the canvas on the back of the truck. Archer walked around the dogs tentatively. Archer looked up into the truck. There were at least twenty other prisoners there. All wide-eyed, and huddled in corners. Some shielded the sun with a hand while others tolerated it and stared at the floor. Only half of them have the curiosity to glance up and see who had joined them.
"Los! In der Lastauto! Los!"
Archer hesitates for only a moment, and then climbed into the truck. The floor was old and cracked and probably wouldn't be able to support too many more people. T'Pol was pushed hard into the truck and almost knocked Archer and Trip down. T'Pol steadied herself immediately and sat down. Two officers accompanied the prisoners with the rifles by their sides. They gave notice to every movement, and every sound made. Archer sighed. How had they gotten so mixed up in this?
Chapter 4
Commander Tucker twiddled with a small fragment of wood. He was anxious and had to do something with his hands. He glimpsed over to his right and saw the Captain rubbing his temple with his hand and staring at the floor. He was obviously thinking hard and probably shouldn't be disturbed. Trip looked over to his left to see what T'Pol was doing, and it wasn't much. She sat there with her knees drawn to her chest, like a child. She also stared at the floor, no doubt thinking up some kind of escape plan. And they were going to get out of here. They'd simply have a little chat with whoever that Colonel Schneider was and get this whole thing settled before anyone got hurt. But, somehow, it didn't feel like that was bound to happen.
Instead of sulking about what the future might hold, Trip glanced around the small room studying the other prisoners. All of them looked to not have had a decent meal in days and were emaciated. Most of them didn't have expression and didn't seem alive. Their eyes held no feeling whatsoever, like empty sockets that never attained the vibrancy of "puppy eyes" or baby blues. A woman, maybe in her late twenties picked up her head and gawked at the Chief Engineer. Trip realized what he must look like; still clean-shaven, clothing unsoiled, and most of his dignity still intact, while this woman had her long, brown hair in tangles, several holes in her clothing, mud crusted on her face, and red bloodshot eyes from crying. Trip had to look away. After a few moments, Trip heard a soft sobbing and half expected it to be coming from the woman, but it was instead from a girl, sitting directly across from Trip, next to her father, his arm around her. She looked to be around fifteen or so. She had a large, fresh whiplash streaked across her cheek. Small tears ran past the wound; the girl grimaced at the discomfort of the tears in the abrasion.
"It's going to be alright, mein Liebling." The father said tenderly.
Even though the words were meant for comfort, the girl didn't believe them and cried on. The father's face saddened and he caught Trip's gaze.
"You new?" He asked.
Trip nodded. "Yeah."
"I don't recognize your species. What part of the planet are you from?"
Trip thought quickly. "Uh, well, we're not from anywhere near here. We, um, do a lot of exploring. There isn't really a place we call home."
The man nodded, not exactly believing him, but accepted it anyway.
"My name is Barik. This is my daughter, Vian." Vian looked up but didn't say anything.
"I'm Commander Char-uh, Trip."
By this time, Captain Archer and T'Pol had come out of their thinking shells and took an interest in the conversation.
"I'm Jon and this is T'Pol."
The Captain extended his hand to be shaken. Barik stared at the hand for only a second then put out his own. There, the handshake was introduced. Barik then put out his hand for T'Pol to shake. T'Pol stayed motionless.
"Uh, you'll have to excuse T'Pol," Archer said, "Her species isn't fond of.contact."
Barik's brow furrowed. "I've always wondered how many different species live on this planet."
"Barik, we're strangers here, could you tell us what this is all about?"
"You weren't aware of the war?"
".No."
"Strange," Barik murmured, "it's been going on for over two hundred years."
"What's being fought over?"
Barik grunted. "More like being fought for. Power, dignity, this whole damn planet. You name it, they want it."
"They?"
Barik lowered his voice and nodded his head towards the guards. "The Powers That Be." For the first time, Trip noticed the small, red patches on the left arm of both guards with an all-too-familiar symbol on it. "You see that, Captain?" Archer followed the engineer's gaze and narrowed his eyes, then swallowed hard. "The swastika." Trip's blood turned cold and an icy streak ran down his spine.
***
"Are they still not responding?"
Ensign Sato pushed a few buttons on her console. She paused, waited for a response, and then shook her head.
"Commander Tucker's and T'Pol's communicators are completely inactive, Lieutenant."
"And the Captain's?" The British man asked impatiently.
Hoshi shook her head. "He's just not responding."
Lt. Reed ran a hand through his brown hair and then rested his hands on his hips. After standing there for about five seconds, Reed turned to where T'Pol's station was. Now there was an itchy, nervous crewman, by the name of Rayburn, sitting there tapping his fingers.
"Can you get any readings on their life-signs?"
Rayburn jumped and then swiveled around looking for the answers the Lieutenant needed. Finally, he found them.
"Well, Sir, there are lots of.um.different life forms down there, and it'd be real hard to, well, um.what's the word.pinpoint, there we go, their exact, um, po-position." You'd of thought the man had been asked the meaning of life. Reed shook his head slightly and closed his eyes. Crewman Rayburn was a steward. But as nervous, fidgety, and downright annoying Rayburn was, he was the only other person on board, who wasn't busy fixing Enterprise up, who had some training as a science officer to fill in for T'Pol. "Hoshi, are you sure you can't contact the surface?" "There are communications down there, but all are too primitive to put it through with ours." Lieutenant Reed sighed. Nothing was going right. The ship was in poor shape, the Captain, Science Officer and Chief Engineer was missing, and Reed had a stuttering misfit as his science officer.
***
The truck bounced furiously along the dirt road. Archer suspected there were many potholes considering all the dips the truck made.
Archer stole a glance at the guards. They held their weapons close and peered at everyone in the truck. Archer shook his head. It was too completely impossible that these officers were Nazis. Completely impossible.
"It's not entirely impossible." T'Pol said, as if reading Archer's thoughts.
"How is that?"
"During the time of your Second World War, any vessel could've have entered Earth's atmosphere and saw what was happening. Seeing how these people's emotions obtain the best of them, perhaps they adopted the 'Nazi' customs."
"This planet is pre-warp, Sub-Commander."
"Or perhaps it isn't."
Archer glanced over at the Vulcan.
"What are you getting at?"
"This species is obviously volatile and illogical. When they saw our shuttle pod, you'd have thought they'd taken us as aliens and seeing how recklessly emotional they are, they should have killed us. But they didn't. Instead they take us with them and make us prisoners like the others."
Tucker rested his chin on fist. "So all that explains this.Fourth Reich."
"You should know, Captain," T'Pol continued, "that bigotry comes in many forms. Here, they clearly believe that they are superior to everyone and everything else. Unlike the Nazis who only believed that the Jewish people were inferior to them and that they were controlling the economy, which was, of course, incorrect."
Archer crossed his arms. "How come you know so much about the Nazis? From what I've observed, you've never taken much of an interest in Earth history."
"I don't have any interest in it, I've only heard stories from Crewman Rayburn of some of his ancestors who were Holocaust survivors."
Archer thought about the prospect of what T'Pol said. Her theory may well be true. And if these people really did adopt the Nazi "customs," Archer and his officers had a lot to worry about. Including the fact that there was no way to contact Enterprise.
They'd all been riding for about fifteen minutes when Archer heard shouting outside the truck. The guards were instantly alert, their weapons drawn. The truck suddenly came to a halt.
"Ein Hinterhalt! Hinterhalt!"
Archer turned to Tucker. "What are they saying?"
"An ambush." Tucker said, hardly paying attention to the Captain.
The guards untied the rope of the back and pulled away the two flaps. From where Archer could see, it was chaos. There were men dressed in pedestrian clothing, but with rifles and automatic weaponry. One of the guards in the truck got behind his comrade and retrieved a sniper gun from his sack. He then got low on his stomach and took aim at some of the strange warriors in the brush, picking them off one by one. It was quite a spectacle. The Nazi officers were going nuts. They were all completely taken by surprise. The echo of automatic gunfire rang out in the jungle.
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
Barik immediately took Vian to a far corner of the truck to avoid any of the gunfire. Archer and the others did the same. Archer could smell the gunpowder and it stung his eyes. He could hear several prisoners coughing and choking. The officers outside the truck were screaming orders out to their comrades. The nightmare seemed to last forever. Bullets. Screams. Death. Archer closed his eyes, as though if he did this, the whole world would quiet and be still. But the skirmish did not yield its destructive fury and the endless screams continued. Continued forever.
***
T'Pol had a sense that something of this nature would happen. Where there are enemies, there is always an ally. And these primitives were obviously the allies. Though they did not have as much firepower, or manpower, as they needed to defeat the soldiers. The sniper in the truck was eventually shot down, along with his comrade. T'Pol did not look to see where they were shot or if they were still alive. At the moment, T'Pol and her fellow officer's lives were the priority.
Suddenly, three of the primitives jumped into the back of the truck. One stood guard by the exit. There was one ally with his shoulder-length hair tied in a loose ponytail. He crouched down and wiped sweat from his brow.
"My people listen to me. We're going to get you all out of here and into our camp where there is food, shelter, and medical supplies for anyone who needs it." A blast from outside shook the ground. The man lowered his head for only a second then continued.
"As you probably realize, the battle is still raging. We're trying to get someone to the wheel of this truck and get us to a safe place where we can travel by foot to my camp." The man finally noticed the T'Pol, Archer and Tucker.
His forehead furrowed. "Who are you?"
Archer replied. "I'm Captain Archer, this is Sub-Commander T'Pol and Commander Tucker. I'm afraid we kind of fell right into this."
"My name is Tobis. What is your species," He lowered his voice so only the Starfleet officers and T'Pol could hear, "What planet are you from?"
Archer was immediately taken aback with surprise. T'Pol looked over to her Captain with a face that said, "My suspicions were correct."
Archer also lowered his voice. "T'Pol here is from a planet called Vulcan," Archer pointed to himself then Tucker, "We're from a planet called Earth."
Tobis's eyes widened and he gasped. "Earth?"
"Yes."
"Truly?"
"Yes."
Tobis all of a sudden became angry. "You people are what started this," Tobis had no intention of lowering his voice anymore, "All we've had to fight for, trying to keep these people alive," Tobis pointed angrily at Archer, "all because of you!" The Captain put his hands up in defense.
"What happened two hundred years ago was a mistake, a mistake that was caused by an independent clan. But they were fought against and were taken down. Nothing of that sort has or ever will happen again, I assure you!"
"I don't care about what happens on your planet! It's the people here that concern me."
"Perhaps," T'Pol said, "we could help you. If the Humans were able to defeat the Nazis once, don't you believe that it can be done again?"
"T'Pol?" Archer said.
"I know what I'm doing, Captain," T'Pol turned to Tobis, "We could give you the strategies to help defeat them. All we would need to do is contact our ship and download the information."
Tobis was obviously still angry, but he was warming up to the idea. But before Tobis could agree to the plan, bullets streamed in the truck hitting Tobis point-blank in the head. T'Pol felt herself being pushed down flat to the floor. At first, T'Pol though it was the Captain pushing her down. But the pressure stayed on her back and T'Pol turned her head to get a glimpse at what was holding her down. Tobis stared blankly into her eyes, blood trickling down his face. His mouth open, frozen in a scream he was never able to release. T'Pol gasped and tried to push him off before another wave of bullets entered the truck. T'Pol heard screams from inside and saw from the corner of her eye, another body fall to the floor. After several minutes, the gunfire ceased.
The noise from outside also quieted, which arose one question.who had won?
Chapter 5
Archer wasn't sure if the silence was real. It was dark.Maybe he was dead. Archer tested this theory by trying to move his foot. It functioned with ease. So did the rest of his limbs. Archer opened his eyes and surveyed the room. Many people were lying on the floor in awkward positions. Archer quickly made sure neither of them were his officers. They weren't. Archer took a deep breath. There was movement in the far corner.
"Uhhhh." Tucker groaned and pushed himself off the floor, rubbing his head.
"Trip?" Archer half crawled, half stumbled over to his friend. Tucker waved a hand at him.
"Just," he coughed, "just let me sleep a few more minutes. "
"Trip, snap out of it."
Tucker looked up at his Captain with dazed eyes. He seemed puzzled to see Archer.
"Cap'n, what happened?"
"I think your head was knocked into the wall." Archer said as he helped Tucker into a sitting position.
Tucker leaned his back against the wall. "Well, that's not good."
"You'll be fine."
"Captain?" A voice from the other side, a small stern voice. Archer turned and saw T'Pol on the floor. Archer crawled over to his Science Officer. There was a figure that was laid limp on her back. Archer recognized it to be Tobis. The Captain gingerly took the body off of T'Pol.
"He fell onto me." The Vulcan said as she got to her knees immediately. Eventually, some other prisoners came to, including Barik and his daughter. They had sought shelter from the steady flow of gunfire by covering themselves with the more unfortunate prisoners.
"Do you know who won?" Tucker said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Before Archer could answer, the flaps of the exit were pulled aside from the outside. Three Nazi soldiers had their weapons trained on the prisoners.
"I guess that answers my question." Tucker said, and he put his hands up.
"Ruhe! Sich setzen! Sit down!"
Two of the soldiers clambered into the truck. One was bleeding heavily from his shoulder. Within minutes, the truck was moving again, bumping along the dirt road to their dreaded destination.
***
Another fifteen minutes went by before the truck stopped. It was late afternoon and the weather was hotter than ever. Commander Tucker slapped at his neck where a mosquito, or some kind of related bug, tried to take a bite out of him. The Chief Engineer sighed miserably and scratched at a fresh bite on his hand.
"It will only become worse the more you scratch it, Commander." T'Pol remarked.
Tucker glanced over at her and narrowed his eyes. "Thanks.mom."
T'Pol ignored the comment. The officer with the bleeding shoulder exchanged a few quick words with his comrade then jumped out the back. And they all sat there. Tucker didn't know for how long. Five minutes, ten minutes, maybe a half hour? Then after what felt like hours, the tarp from the back was pulled aside.
"Raus! Get out! Los!" Like cockroaches scattering from the light, the prisoners quickly exited the truck. They were all emptied into a clearing. A fence with razor wires surrounded them all. Beyond the fence were barracks that stretched for acres. Tucker tried to ignore the sounds emitting from them. Tucker looked up and saw a sign that said,
"KonzentrationLoger."
Concentration Camp. Tucker thought.
Tucker heard a shout from behind him, "Los! Raus!"
Tucker turned around to see T'Pol being practically thrown out of the truck by the bleeding officer. The Vulcan landed hard on her stomach.in front of one of the growling German Shepherds. Many of the other prisoners stopped to watch this spectacle. T'Pol didn't move. Tucker wasn't sure if it was because she broke her spine or she was smart enough not to make any sudden movements being this close to the vicious creature.
The officer holding the dog's leash made no attempt to pull the dog away. Instead, he grinned stupidly. Tucker glanced over at Archer. He was watching the dog very closely. The dog growled and exposed his teeth. Its eyes were fiery with anger and excitement. It was ready for any action. T'Pol, ever so slightly, lifted her head, just enough to see exactly how close the animal was. Then, one small step at a time, she crawled backwards on her stomach until she was far enough away. T'Pol then got up off the ground. Tucker sighed with relief. The Vulcan was lucky.
"Men over there," The officers yelled, "women and children there!"
"Wait a minute," Tucker thought, "They're separating us?"
"They're separating us." Archer said from behind him.
"What about T'Pol?" Tucker caught a glimpse of the Vulcan amongst the small, huddled crowd of women and children.
Archer swallowed hard and choked out his answer. "She'll be fine." Archer's answer was nowhere nears convincing. Tucker suddenly heard a shriek ring out among the prisoners.
"Let go of me! Let me go!" The horrible screams came from Vian. "Daddyyyy!!! No! I won't go! Daddy!!!"
The husky officers were dragging Barik and Vian away from each other and to opposite sides of the clearing.
"Vian! Don't worry! It'll only be for a little while!"
Barik had no choice but to be taken, but Vian had three officers trying to haul her away. The girl had tears bursting from her eyes, and she wasn't about to be separated from her father. Just when Tucker thought that the officers might shoot Vian, T'Pol came out from the crowd and forced her way into the brawl. One of the officers put his rifle to her head and threatened her using blasphemy.
T'Pol straightened her shoulders. "I will take the girl. Let her go."
The officer hesitated, then grunted and Vian was thrown into T'Pol's arms. With little effort, T'Pol pulled her away to the women's crowd. Once there, Vian fell to her knees and sobbed. She no longer screamed, but murmured indistinctly as she choked on her tears.
The entire scene made Tucker sick and all he could do to rid his mind of the horror was to just look away, or at least Tucker and Archer did. The rest of the prisoners paid no attention to the brutality that had just recently occurred.
"All of you get in a line! Los! In a line!" The prisoners were clearly not quick enough and whips were lashed until everyone was in a straight line, men on one side, women and children on the other. An older man, maybe in his middle forties, in a clean, black uniform stepped out from a watchtower off to the side. He had many stars on his shoulder, suggesting that he was of high rank. His eyes were a piercing.yellow. Tucker raised an eyebrow. Yellow eyes...definitely unique.
The man surveyed the small bunch with disgust. He started at the end of the women's row, looking upon every person. He stopped a moment when he came to T'Pol, peered at her ears quizzically, and then moved on. Eventually, he came to Tucker and Archer. There, he stopped completely.
"Wie heissen Sie?" The officer asked.
Tucker took over and introduced them. "Herr Offizier, Ich heisser Kommanduer Tucker, und dieser ist mein Kapitan, Jonathon Archer." Tucker then explained that T'Pol was also with them.
"What planet are you from?" The man said in English.
Tucker hesitated and looked over at Archer. Tucker wasn't so sure if this man's reaction would be the same as Tobis's. Suddenly, the officer slapped Tucker. The strike was painful, but it angered the chief engineer more than anything and he had to hold himself back from returning the gesture.
Archer hurriedly said, "We're from Earth."
The officer raised an eyebrow and grit his teeth. "And the female?"
"She's from a planet called Vulcan."
"You have two different species working together on one ship?"
"Well, no, not exactly. She's the only one of her kind on my ship."
"Is she a slave?"
Archer shook his head. "No. She's my Science Officer."
The officer paused. "What are you doing here," he raised his voice, "come to try and claim the planet?"
"We didn't come to claim anything. We're explorers. We detected an M Class planet and we came to explore it. That's all."
The officer chuckled. "I doubt that," He then took out a large cigar and lit it with a primitive match, "You're probably refugees running away from Earth, from the war. Tell me, Captain, how long now have the Earth Nazis been in control?"
Now it was Tucker's turn to give a slap in the face, in a manner of speaking. "Actually, the Nazis were defeated over two hundred years ago." The officer took the cigar quickly from his mouth.
"Liar." The officer snarled.
"Nope, Hitler couldn't take the pressure and killed himself. The Nazi Army fell right along with him."
The officer twisted his face into a sneer and he stepped up to Tucker. "I will personally make sure that your imprisonment here will be so horrible and painful that you'll be begging us to kill you." The officer then turned on his heel and walked back to the watchtower.
Tucker could feel Archer's eyes boring into his head. Tucker realized that he hadn't exactly done much to improve their chances of being released.
"I guess that was Colonel Schneider." Tucker said. Archer bit his lip and sighed heavily.
After Schneider left, the other officers stood in front of the prisoners.
"March! Marchieren! Los! Los!" The prisoners followed the officers with a fast pace.
Tucker got one last glace at T'Pol, marching in the opposite direction, who was guiding Vian. The girl was shaking as she walked unsteadily towards the barracks.