DISCLAIMER: Thought I have tried, it's still not mine.
TRIP'S WAR - Chapter Two.
"How can you say that?" Archer exclaimed at his science officer. "You saw him, you saw it was Trip."
"It is highly unlikely," she replied. "This planet is several thousand light years away from Nostarcassa. How would he have gotten here?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I don't know that, T'Pol" Archer said, sitting. "But it was him. It had to be!"
After seeing Trip on the view screen, Archer had gone to his Ready Room to make preparations for the landing party. T'Pol had followed him. "Do human's not believe that everybody in the universe has a double?"
"Some, yes....."
"Then perhaps this was simply Commander Tucker's double?"
"No," Archer said, shaking his head. "That was no double." He looked at T'Pol. "Why are you finding it so hard to believe that it's Trip?"
"Because Commander Tucker is dead, Sir." She replied, bluntly.
"We don't know that." Archer said, standing and walking around to where T'Pol was standing. She was about to reply to his statement, but Archer cut her off. "There was no body. Why did we trust them?" He asked her.
"You allowed your emotions to cloud your judgement."
"I suppose had I been a Vulcan......."
"That was not what I was implying, Captain." She interrupted.
"I've decided on the away team." He said, walking around the desk to sit back down. "It'll be Lieutenant Reed, Ensign Sato and me."
"Captain, I advise against......."
"You'll remain here on Enterprise," he said, her protest silenced. "We'll contact you every couple of hours to let you know what's going on." He looked up at her. "Dismissed, T'Pol."
"Captain, I........"
"Dismissed, Sub-Commander." He repeated.
She nodded her head and returned to the Bridge.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"OK, everybody ready?" Archer asked walking into he shuttle pod.
Hoshi nodded and smiled. Malcolm turned from the pilot's chair to face his Captain. "Yes, Sir." He smiled and turned back to the controls. He couldn't believe it. After three years they were going to see Trip. Unless, of course, you listen to Sub-Commander T'Pol, he thought.
"Sir?" Hoshi piped up. "Can we be sure it is Commander Tucker? I mean, what if Sub-Commander T'Pol's right?"
"I don't think she is, Hoshi." Archer said, "But, if she is right, then we just have a look around and come home." He smiled reassuringly.
"Shuttle pod clear for launch." Came a voice over the comm.
"Acknowledged. Shuttle pod out." Malcolm replied. "Here we go."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The journey to the planet's surface had been an uneventful one. It had taken a little over thirty minutes. After studying the inhabitants, Archer and Phlox had decided that no prostheses would be needed. Instead they had simply visited the quartermaster and dressed themselves in similar attire. The clothing was nothing special. Archer and Malcolm wore simple trousers and shirts, while Hoshi wore a long cream dress with a brown cloak.
Malcolm landed the shuttle a few kilometres away from the shantytown in a nearby wood.
"What was that?" Archer asked. The three had begun walking in the direction of the shantytown, and were now walking through a clearing.
"What was what?" Malcolm asked, turning to face his Captain.
"That." Archer said as he heard the noise again.
"It sounded like rustling." Hoshi said, listening.
"It was rustling." Malcolm replied. "Somebody's over there." He said, nodding towards a gathering of shrubs and bushes.
"So what do we do?" Hoshi asked, trying not to panic.
"OK," Archer said after thinking for a minute. "We just keep going. If they jump us, Hoshi, you can explain what we're doing here."
"I can only understand one of the languages. What if it's not the same one?" She asked, frantically.
"It'll be fine." Archer said, beginning to walk. Malcolm and Hoshi followed him.
"Ikbado sientirian," Came a voice from within the wood.
"Hoshi?" Archer asked.
"I think," She sighed. "I'm not sure." She said frowning. "He wants to know who we are."
"Well try and answer the man," Archer said.
"Deneshu ki minsata." Hoshi paused for a minute and thought. "Deneshu ne ekarati."
"What did you say?" Malcolm asked.
"We were visitors, and we weren't here to hurt them."
"Essa towata." Said another, more familiar sounding voice. "Mi nego eraga hunsanti."
"Hoshi?" Archer asked.
"He said he knew us, Sir." Hoshi replied, equally as confused as Archer and Malcolm.
"You betcha ass I know ya." The voice, this time in English, said.
Archer, Malcolm and Hoshi were speechless as a familiar form stepped out of the greenery and walked toward them. "How ya doin', Cap'n?"
"Trip!" Archer exclaimed, embracing his friend. "We though you were dead!"
"Not quite." He said. He walked over to Malcolm and Hoshi. "Hey."
"It really is you," Malcolm said, dumbfounded. Hoshi said nothing. She simply hugged the man she had long thought dead.
"Easy there, Hosh." Trip said. After Hoshi had let him go, he turned face the woodland. "Isbado." He called.
Archer and Malcolm both looked at Hoshi, who shrugged.
Several more figures emerged from the woods. They looked remarkably similar to humans. Archer was hardly able to tell a difference.
"Kwant?" One of the new arrivals asked.
"Nedi," Trip said, shaking his head. He proceeded to speak to the 'man' while Hoshi tried to translate for Archer and Malcolm.
Trip finished talking, and returned his three friends. "Sorry 'bout that." He said smiling. "So, how are y'all?"
"It really is you." Malcolm repeated. "You're not dead." He smiled. "You're not dead!"
"I know that, Malcolm," Trip said. He turned his attention away from the still stunned Malcolm to Archer and Hoshi. "You really thought I was dead?" He asked sounding surprised.
Hoshi nodded, still not quite believing Trip was alive and standing in front of her.
"Yeah," Archer said. "The Cassian's told us you'd died after they'd.........." He finished his sentence there after he realised he didn't actually know what had happened to Trip on the planet. Trip nodded.
Archer studied his friend's face. He looked the exactly the same as Archer remembered him, except for a long scar running down the left side of his face from near his eyebrow down his cheek and finishing at his jaw line "How'd that happen?" He asked, pointing at the scar.
"It's a long story." Trip said. He turned to Hoshi and Malcolm. "C'mon," He said. "It'll be dark soon, we best be gettin' back to the town." He turned back to Archer and smiled. "It's real good to see ya, Jon." He said, patting his friend on the back.
He began walking and Archer and Hoshi followed him.
"He's not dead." Malcolm said, now standing alone in the middle of the clearing said.
"MALCOLM!" Trip shouted.
Malcolm caught a hold of his senses and ran to catch up.
A/N: OK, bit of a bad end to the chapter, but it's very late, and I'm very tired. The next chapter will explain how Trip escaped and so on, so, fear not, you will know how it all happened.
Also, has anyone else noticed that Trip/Connor Trinneer looks a bit like Jim Dale did when he was younger? No? Just me then. Oh well, LYL, Jen.
TRIP'S WAR - Chapter Two.
"How can you say that?" Archer exclaimed at his science officer. "You saw him, you saw it was Trip."
"It is highly unlikely," she replied. "This planet is several thousand light years away from Nostarcassa. How would he have gotten here?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I don't know that, T'Pol" Archer said, sitting. "But it was him. It had to be!"
After seeing Trip on the view screen, Archer had gone to his Ready Room to make preparations for the landing party. T'Pol had followed him. "Do human's not believe that everybody in the universe has a double?"
"Some, yes....."
"Then perhaps this was simply Commander Tucker's double?"
"No," Archer said, shaking his head. "That was no double." He looked at T'Pol. "Why are you finding it so hard to believe that it's Trip?"
"Because Commander Tucker is dead, Sir." She replied, bluntly.
"We don't know that." Archer said, standing and walking around to where T'Pol was standing. She was about to reply to his statement, but Archer cut her off. "There was no body. Why did we trust them?" He asked her.
"You allowed your emotions to cloud your judgement."
"I suppose had I been a Vulcan......."
"That was not what I was implying, Captain." She interrupted.
"I've decided on the away team." He said, walking around the desk to sit back down. "It'll be Lieutenant Reed, Ensign Sato and me."
"Captain, I advise against......."
"You'll remain here on Enterprise," he said, her protest silenced. "We'll contact you every couple of hours to let you know what's going on." He looked up at her. "Dismissed, T'Pol."
"Captain, I........"
"Dismissed, Sub-Commander." He repeated.
She nodded her head and returned to the Bridge.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"OK, everybody ready?" Archer asked walking into he shuttle pod.
Hoshi nodded and smiled. Malcolm turned from the pilot's chair to face his Captain. "Yes, Sir." He smiled and turned back to the controls. He couldn't believe it. After three years they were going to see Trip. Unless, of course, you listen to Sub-Commander T'Pol, he thought.
"Sir?" Hoshi piped up. "Can we be sure it is Commander Tucker? I mean, what if Sub-Commander T'Pol's right?"
"I don't think she is, Hoshi." Archer said, "But, if she is right, then we just have a look around and come home." He smiled reassuringly.
"Shuttle pod clear for launch." Came a voice over the comm.
"Acknowledged. Shuttle pod out." Malcolm replied. "Here we go."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The journey to the planet's surface had been an uneventful one. It had taken a little over thirty minutes. After studying the inhabitants, Archer and Phlox had decided that no prostheses would be needed. Instead they had simply visited the quartermaster and dressed themselves in similar attire. The clothing was nothing special. Archer and Malcolm wore simple trousers and shirts, while Hoshi wore a long cream dress with a brown cloak.
Malcolm landed the shuttle a few kilometres away from the shantytown in a nearby wood.
"What was that?" Archer asked. The three had begun walking in the direction of the shantytown, and were now walking through a clearing.
"What was what?" Malcolm asked, turning to face his Captain.
"That." Archer said as he heard the noise again.
"It sounded like rustling." Hoshi said, listening.
"It was rustling." Malcolm replied. "Somebody's over there." He said, nodding towards a gathering of shrubs and bushes.
"So what do we do?" Hoshi asked, trying not to panic.
"OK," Archer said after thinking for a minute. "We just keep going. If they jump us, Hoshi, you can explain what we're doing here."
"I can only understand one of the languages. What if it's not the same one?" She asked, frantically.
"It'll be fine." Archer said, beginning to walk. Malcolm and Hoshi followed him.
"Ikbado sientirian," Came a voice from within the wood.
"Hoshi?" Archer asked.
"I think," She sighed. "I'm not sure." She said frowning. "He wants to know who we are."
"Well try and answer the man," Archer said.
"Deneshu ki minsata." Hoshi paused for a minute and thought. "Deneshu ne ekarati."
"What did you say?" Malcolm asked.
"We were visitors, and we weren't here to hurt them."
"Essa towata." Said another, more familiar sounding voice. "Mi nego eraga hunsanti."
"Hoshi?" Archer asked.
"He said he knew us, Sir." Hoshi replied, equally as confused as Archer and Malcolm.
"You betcha ass I know ya." The voice, this time in English, said.
Archer, Malcolm and Hoshi were speechless as a familiar form stepped out of the greenery and walked toward them. "How ya doin', Cap'n?"
"Trip!" Archer exclaimed, embracing his friend. "We though you were dead!"
"Not quite." He said. He walked over to Malcolm and Hoshi. "Hey."
"It really is you," Malcolm said, dumbfounded. Hoshi said nothing. She simply hugged the man she had long thought dead.
"Easy there, Hosh." Trip said. After Hoshi had let him go, he turned face the woodland. "Isbado." He called.
Archer and Malcolm both looked at Hoshi, who shrugged.
Several more figures emerged from the woods. They looked remarkably similar to humans. Archer was hardly able to tell a difference.
"Kwant?" One of the new arrivals asked.
"Nedi," Trip said, shaking his head. He proceeded to speak to the 'man' while Hoshi tried to translate for Archer and Malcolm.
Trip finished talking, and returned his three friends. "Sorry 'bout that." He said smiling. "So, how are y'all?"
"It really is you." Malcolm repeated. "You're not dead." He smiled. "You're not dead!"
"I know that, Malcolm," Trip said. He turned his attention away from the still stunned Malcolm to Archer and Hoshi. "You really thought I was dead?" He asked sounding surprised.
Hoshi nodded, still not quite believing Trip was alive and standing in front of her.
"Yeah," Archer said. "The Cassian's told us you'd died after they'd.........." He finished his sentence there after he realised he didn't actually know what had happened to Trip on the planet. Trip nodded.
Archer studied his friend's face. He looked the exactly the same as Archer remembered him, except for a long scar running down the left side of his face from near his eyebrow down his cheek and finishing at his jaw line "How'd that happen?" He asked, pointing at the scar.
"It's a long story." Trip said. He turned to Hoshi and Malcolm. "C'mon," He said. "It'll be dark soon, we best be gettin' back to the town." He turned back to Archer and smiled. "It's real good to see ya, Jon." He said, patting his friend on the back.
He began walking and Archer and Hoshi followed him.
"He's not dead." Malcolm said, now standing alone in the middle of the clearing said.
"MALCOLM!" Trip shouted.
Malcolm caught a hold of his senses and ran to catch up.
A/N: OK, bit of a bad end to the chapter, but it's very late, and I'm very tired. The next chapter will explain how Trip escaped and so on, so, fear not, you will know how it all happened.
Also, has anyone else noticed that Trip/Connor Trinneer looks a bit like Jim Dale did when he was younger? No? Just me then. Oh well, LYL, Jen.