DISCLAIMER: Yeah, I own it all! It's all mine! I wish!!!
NOTE: Thanks every one for the Beta Reader offers, I'll keep you all in mind......now, the tale..........
NOSTARCASSA - Chapter Six
"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Malcolm asked, standing before Captain Archer. He had been working in the Armoury when Archer had called him up to see him in his Ready Room.
It had been a further two weeks since they had left Nostarcassa.
"Yeah," Archer replied. "Sit down, Malcolm."
Malcolm did so in the chair opposite the Captain's desk. "Sir, with all due respect, I have a lot of work I should be doing."
"I know you busy," Archer said, "This won't take long." He wasn't quite sure how to proceed, so decided it would be best to simply say what he had to say. "Look, Malcolm, I'll keep it brief," Malcolm nodded. "Commander Tucker's informed me that you've been," He paused, trying to think of the right word to use, "hassling him."
"Sir?" Malcolm asked, not entirely sure what his Captain meant by 'hassling'.
"Following him to his quarters, asking various questions. Not leaving him alone." Archer said, waving his hand as if to further his explanation.
"Sir?" Malcolm asked, again. This time out of shock, not confusion.
"You know what I mean, Malcolm."
"Sir, Tri......Commander Tucker, has, you have to admit, been behaving strangely since we got back from that....." He stopped, fighting the urge to curse the planet to hell. "...Place."
"I know that," Archer said, "but I'm not surprised." And he wasn't. Trip had been acting a little odd for the first few days back, but after that he'd seemed to settle straight back in. "Anyway," he continued, "he seems better now, so you can stop stalking him, OK?" He smiled at the younger man.
"Yes, Sir," Malcolm replied. "Sorry." He added. Maybe he had taken it too far. Maybe everyone was right. Trip had seemed more like Trip recently. He had probably just been upset by the accident, and Malcolm had simply let his imagination run away with him.
"It's alright," Archer said, smiling at his Armoury Officer, "I'm glad I've got a crew that care for each other's well being." He said standing.
Malcolm also stood. On doing so he noticed a photo on Archer's desk. It was of the Captain, The Chief Engineer and the same woman Malcolm had seen the picture of in Trip's quarters. "Sir?" He looked at his captain, who nodded. "May I ask a more personal question about Commander Tucker?" Archer nodded again. "His wife, Sarah. How long ago did she die?"
Archer was slight taken back by the question. He had known that Malcolm and Hoshi knew about Sarah, but he hadn't expected to be asked questions about her. "Trip was twenty-one so," He stopped to work it out, "about eleven, twelve years ago."
Malcolm nodded. "Sir, in that photo," he pointed at the photo on Archer desk "How old is Commander Tucker?"
Archer looked at the photo, then at Malcolm, "Malcolm, what the......."
"How old is he, Sir?" Malcolm interrupted.
Archer looked at the photo again. "I don't know, I guess," He thought, "Twenty-eight, twenty nine. Why?" He asked, looking at Malcolm.
"Because," Malcolm replied, looking from the photo to Archer, "When I was in Commander Tucker's quarters the other week, he told me that woman was Sarah."
"What?" Archer asked. "Sarah?" He looked at the photo. "Are you sure?" Malcolm nodded. "Maybe it was a mistake." Archer continued. "He probably didn't see the photo right."
"No, he did, Sir." Malcolm said, looking again at the photo. "He saw the photo quite clearly."
Archer sighed and sat back down. "Are you sure he said Sarah? He didn't say Natasha?"
Malcolm shook his head. "I'm sure, Sir. And as far as I know, Commander Tucker isn't the sort of person that would get his wife and ex-girlfriend mixed up."
"No," Archer said, sighing again, "No his not." He looked at Malcolm, who was still standing. "It seems, Lieutenant Reed, that maybe your concern for Commander Tucker was justified."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Archer, still sat in his Ready Room, wondered what he should do next. He had all but convinced Malcolm to drop his paranoid attitude towards Trip, and was about to get on with running the ship. That was until the Malcolm had informed him about the photo. Now, he had no idea what to do. It could have simply been an honest mistake. Trip could have seen the photo at an awkward angle. Archer would have preferred to believe this theory, although there was no way he could.
For starters, the two women looked completely different. Natasha had an oval face and dark hair, whereas Sarah had been blonde with a heart shaped face.
But Archer knew, even had the two looked similar, Trip would have never mistaken one for the other. While he had loved Natasha, Archer knew he would never love anyone in the way he had, and probably still did, love Sarah. Archer had known his friend a long time. Although he didn't know him when he got married, he knew him before he was widowed. He remembered when Trip had heard about the accident......no, Trip would never confuse the two, Archer was certain of that.
So now all he had to do was find out what was wrong with his friend, and how, if he could, to fix it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
One month. One whole month. It had taken them that long to get to where they were now.
Archer, Malcolm, T'Pol and Trip were all in the Captain's Ready Room. It had taken three weeks for Archer to pluck up the courage to confront Trip, and another week for him to gain the opportunity. However, he hadn't expected Trip to be so co-operative.
"You're right." Trip said, "I was wrong." He thought for a moment about what to do next. It wasn't part of the 'plan' to get caught out, but he had. Why not go the whole hog? He thought, "I honestly have no idea who she is."
Neither Archer, Malcolm, or even T'Pol hadn't expected that answer. They remained silent for several minutes.
"If you cannot recognise a person of significance in your own past," T'Pol said, breaking the silence, "Then one can only assume you are not Commander Tucker."
Silence.
"No," Trip said, "I'm not Commander Tucker."
Silence.
"What?" Archer and Malcolm asked in unison.
"If you're not Trip, who the hell are you, and where is Trip?" Archer asked. The tone of his voice rose considerably throughout the sentence.
"I am Feignez." He replied, Trip's southern drawl gone. "I am from Nostarcassa."
"And where's Trip?" Malcolm asked.
"Please," Feignez said, looking at Malcolm, "Let me start at the beginning."
"OK," Archer said, "Go ahead."
Feignez nodded. "Many years ago my people were visited by the Eshanti. They gave my people gifts."
"Gifts?" T'Pol asked, tilting her head to one side.
"Yes," Feignez nodded. "Special abilities. My people relished in their newfound abilities. Until, about ten of your Earth cycles ago, a terrible illness struck."
"What kind of illness?" Malcolm asked.
"It is a defect in the life coil. It is incurable. People who are born with the defect live half lives." He looked down at his feet, then back up at Archer. "They die by the time they reach adulthood."
"How olds that?" Archer asked.
"Twenty-five of your cycles." He looked at Malcolm, then T'Pol, before turning back to Archer. "My people meant no harm to your friend. We were simply trying to help our sick. Few were infected at first, but now," he shook his head, "Now over ninety percent of our new born carry the disease. My people are dying."
Archer nodded. "You still haven't told us where he is."
Feignez shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said, looking again from Archer to Malcolm and T'Pol, then back to Archer. "Your friend is dead."
A/N: Nooooooo! Trip? Dead? Surely not!!??!!
Sorry for any grammar/continuity mistakes. Oh well. Next Chapter might be the last one. Can you guess how it ends yet? HAHA! I KNOW!!!! (sorry). LYL, Jen ;)
NOTE: Thanks every one for the Beta Reader offers, I'll keep you all in mind......now, the tale..........
NOSTARCASSA - Chapter Six
"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Malcolm asked, standing before Captain Archer. He had been working in the Armoury when Archer had called him up to see him in his Ready Room.
It had been a further two weeks since they had left Nostarcassa.
"Yeah," Archer replied. "Sit down, Malcolm."
Malcolm did so in the chair opposite the Captain's desk. "Sir, with all due respect, I have a lot of work I should be doing."
"I know you busy," Archer said, "This won't take long." He wasn't quite sure how to proceed, so decided it would be best to simply say what he had to say. "Look, Malcolm, I'll keep it brief," Malcolm nodded. "Commander Tucker's informed me that you've been," He paused, trying to think of the right word to use, "hassling him."
"Sir?" Malcolm asked, not entirely sure what his Captain meant by 'hassling'.
"Following him to his quarters, asking various questions. Not leaving him alone." Archer said, waving his hand as if to further his explanation.
"Sir?" Malcolm asked, again. This time out of shock, not confusion.
"You know what I mean, Malcolm."
"Sir, Tri......Commander Tucker, has, you have to admit, been behaving strangely since we got back from that....." He stopped, fighting the urge to curse the planet to hell. "...Place."
"I know that," Archer said, "but I'm not surprised." And he wasn't. Trip had been acting a little odd for the first few days back, but after that he'd seemed to settle straight back in. "Anyway," he continued, "he seems better now, so you can stop stalking him, OK?" He smiled at the younger man.
"Yes, Sir," Malcolm replied. "Sorry." He added. Maybe he had taken it too far. Maybe everyone was right. Trip had seemed more like Trip recently. He had probably just been upset by the accident, and Malcolm had simply let his imagination run away with him.
"It's alright," Archer said, smiling at his Armoury Officer, "I'm glad I've got a crew that care for each other's well being." He said standing.
Malcolm also stood. On doing so he noticed a photo on Archer's desk. It was of the Captain, The Chief Engineer and the same woman Malcolm had seen the picture of in Trip's quarters. "Sir?" He looked at his captain, who nodded. "May I ask a more personal question about Commander Tucker?" Archer nodded again. "His wife, Sarah. How long ago did she die?"
Archer was slight taken back by the question. He had known that Malcolm and Hoshi knew about Sarah, but he hadn't expected to be asked questions about her. "Trip was twenty-one so," He stopped to work it out, "about eleven, twelve years ago."
Malcolm nodded. "Sir, in that photo," he pointed at the photo on Archer desk "How old is Commander Tucker?"
Archer looked at the photo, then at Malcolm, "Malcolm, what the......."
"How old is he, Sir?" Malcolm interrupted.
Archer looked at the photo again. "I don't know, I guess," He thought, "Twenty-eight, twenty nine. Why?" He asked, looking at Malcolm.
"Because," Malcolm replied, looking from the photo to Archer, "When I was in Commander Tucker's quarters the other week, he told me that woman was Sarah."
"What?" Archer asked. "Sarah?" He looked at the photo. "Are you sure?" Malcolm nodded. "Maybe it was a mistake." Archer continued. "He probably didn't see the photo right."
"No, he did, Sir." Malcolm said, looking again at the photo. "He saw the photo quite clearly."
Archer sighed and sat back down. "Are you sure he said Sarah? He didn't say Natasha?"
Malcolm shook his head. "I'm sure, Sir. And as far as I know, Commander Tucker isn't the sort of person that would get his wife and ex-girlfriend mixed up."
"No," Archer said, sighing again, "No his not." He looked at Malcolm, who was still standing. "It seems, Lieutenant Reed, that maybe your concern for Commander Tucker was justified."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Archer, still sat in his Ready Room, wondered what he should do next. He had all but convinced Malcolm to drop his paranoid attitude towards Trip, and was about to get on with running the ship. That was until the Malcolm had informed him about the photo. Now, he had no idea what to do. It could have simply been an honest mistake. Trip could have seen the photo at an awkward angle. Archer would have preferred to believe this theory, although there was no way he could.
For starters, the two women looked completely different. Natasha had an oval face and dark hair, whereas Sarah had been blonde with a heart shaped face.
But Archer knew, even had the two looked similar, Trip would have never mistaken one for the other. While he had loved Natasha, Archer knew he would never love anyone in the way he had, and probably still did, love Sarah. Archer had known his friend a long time. Although he didn't know him when he got married, he knew him before he was widowed. He remembered when Trip had heard about the accident......no, Trip would never confuse the two, Archer was certain of that.
So now all he had to do was find out what was wrong with his friend, and how, if he could, to fix it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
One month. One whole month. It had taken them that long to get to where they were now.
Archer, Malcolm, T'Pol and Trip were all in the Captain's Ready Room. It had taken three weeks for Archer to pluck up the courage to confront Trip, and another week for him to gain the opportunity. However, he hadn't expected Trip to be so co-operative.
"You're right." Trip said, "I was wrong." He thought for a moment about what to do next. It wasn't part of the 'plan' to get caught out, but he had. Why not go the whole hog? He thought, "I honestly have no idea who she is."
Neither Archer, Malcolm, or even T'Pol hadn't expected that answer. They remained silent for several minutes.
"If you cannot recognise a person of significance in your own past," T'Pol said, breaking the silence, "Then one can only assume you are not Commander Tucker."
Silence.
"No," Trip said, "I'm not Commander Tucker."
Silence.
"What?" Archer and Malcolm asked in unison.
"If you're not Trip, who the hell are you, and where is Trip?" Archer asked. The tone of his voice rose considerably throughout the sentence.
"I am Feignez." He replied, Trip's southern drawl gone. "I am from Nostarcassa."
"And where's Trip?" Malcolm asked.
"Please," Feignez said, looking at Malcolm, "Let me start at the beginning."
"OK," Archer said, "Go ahead."
Feignez nodded. "Many years ago my people were visited by the Eshanti. They gave my people gifts."
"Gifts?" T'Pol asked, tilting her head to one side.
"Yes," Feignez nodded. "Special abilities. My people relished in their newfound abilities. Until, about ten of your Earth cycles ago, a terrible illness struck."
"What kind of illness?" Malcolm asked.
"It is a defect in the life coil. It is incurable. People who are born with the defect live half lives." He looked down at his feet, then back up at Archer. "They die by the time they reach adulthood."
"How olds that?" Archer asked.
"Twenty-five of your cycles." He looked at Malcolm, then T'Pol, before turning back to Archer. "My people meant no harm to your friend. We were simply trying to help our sick. Few were infected at first, but now," he shook his head, "Now over ninety percent of our new born carry the disease. My people are dying."
Archer nodded. "You still haven't told us where he is."
Feignez shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said, looking again from Archer to Malcolm and T'Pol, then back to Archer. "Your friend is dead."
A/N: Nooooooo! Trip? Dead? Surely not!!??!!
Sorry for any grammar/continuity mistakes. Oh well. Next Chapter might be the last one. Can you guess how it ends yet? HAHA! I KNOW!!!! (sorry). LYL, Jen ;)
