"Broken Promises"
Chapter 5-
Captain Jonathan Archer sat at his desk in his ready room, an elbow leaning on the desktop. He ran his forefinger across his closed lips, thinking intently.
It had been more than two hours since they had returned to Enterprise. Phlox had discovered that both of Trip's kidneys had suffered some damage from the blunt force trauma when he was struck. The end of the heavy chain had wrapped around his sides, slamming to a sudden stop with all of Cly's might. Phlox was doing a complete examination and told Archer he would notify him of his findings immediately.
Jon wanted to stay in sickbay, but knew that was not wise. He would be better off out of the doctor's way and in solitude. He shook his head in disbelief that any of this happened. Trip only had to deny the accusations of Nes and quell the tension and anger in the Srolls, especially Cly. It would have at least bought them time. But his friend and chief engineer just stood there and refused to speak that morning. Archer had to handle the matter carefully.
"In the name of diplomacy." Archer muttered out loud.
He had allowed the Srolls to keep Trip in custody, once Rul had insured no retaliation would occur, until they could investigate the incident further. He had gotten no where talking to Nes. The girl was too upset and fearful to answer in any way other than minimal worded sentences. So he, T'Pol and Malcolm had gone to the site of the attack and combed the area for any evidence. All they had found were several tracks in the dirt. But that was the commonly used path to the clearing they had their cookout with the Srolls in. Too many footprints to analyze and information for the scanners to take in. They went back to the shuttlepod to download the information to Enterprise. When they had returned to the Srolls', Cly was about to go at Trip.
"Sickbay to Captain Archer." Phlox's voice over the comm jostled Jon.
"Archer here."
"Sir," Phlox sighed. "I request your presence in sickbay to discuss Commander Tucker's condition."
"On my way." Archer quickly rose and headed out of the room.
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Pros sat in the woods waiting nervously. The storm had passed, but it was damp and cold in the clearing night sky. He needed to see Nes and make sure she was all right. The rustling in the brush caused him to jump to his feet from the stump he had been sitting on. He was not going to risk Kel and his group catching him off his feet.
"Pros." Nes' meek voice called. She pushed back the plants and emerged slowly into view.
"Nes!" Pros ran to her, enveloping the small girl in his arms. "I was worried about you walking here alone."
"I was not." Nes replied. "There is nothing Kel can take from me now that matters."
"Do not speak in that way." Pros admonished. "Your life matters. We do not know how far Kel will go with his rage against the northerners."
"Oh, Pros," Nes buried her head in his chest. "Cly hurt him!"
Nes began to cry loudly and clung to Pros tightly. Pros was confused for a moment, thinking she meant Cly had hurt Kel. Then he remembered how they had decided before she left him the previous night to use the human as their alibi.
"The human?" Pros asked her.
"Trip," Nes choked back the sobs. "Cly beat him. They all went back to their starship."
"Then they are gone." Pros deduced. "Everything will be all right now."
"No!" Nes shook her head, pulling out of Pros' embrace. "Nothing is right, Pros! He was a good person! He did not deserve this! And I am not right! I am different! Kel saw to that!"
She turned and ran off back toward the north side. Pros stared after her, hating Kel for changing everything. Hating his parents and Nes' parents for perpetuating this hate between the northern and southern sides. And, yes, he hated the human for the place in Nes' heart that Pros knew this Trip occupied.
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Archer gazed down upon the sedated Trip. The monitors beeped softly as Phlox checked them one more time and then turned back to the captain.
"I am sorry for the delayed response," Phlox told him. "I did not anticipate the emergency surgery."
"Is he going to be all right?" Archer asked, not taking his eyes off of his friend.
"I believe so." Phlox told him. "His right kidney was bleeding, therefore I needed to control that right away. If we had not come upon them when we did, he may have lost that organ. His left kidney is bruised as well, but only mildy so. He will need to stay here for quite some time to recover."
"T'Pol tells me the storm has passed." Archer informed Phlox. "I don't know what to do."
Phlox regarded Archer curiously. The captain had never come out and said he was at a loss on what course of action to take in a situation.
"Captain," Phlox finally said. "You were going to return to the surface and have me perform tests on the girl."
"I know what I said, doctor." Archer answered. "I just meant, I know what I want to do. I just don't know if I should."
"Having the Alijorians believe that Commander Tucker assaulted one of their own," Phlox said. "I hardly see how that is an option."
"Trip doesn't want to be cleared." Archer looked up at the doctor now. "For whatever reason, I wonder if just leaving would be best. For them."
"The girl was assaulted, correct?" Phlox asked.
"Yes," The captain affirmed. "That much we all are sure of."
"Then leaving those people in harm's way of some unknown criminal," Phlox shook his head. "Captain, even you know the only answer to that."
Archer silently cursed himself for allowing his personal and protective feelings of Trip to cloud his judgement. But, he relaxed some when he reminded himself that he did seek out another to put him on the right track again.
"Let me know when he wakes up, doc." Archer said, turning to pull back the white drape. He stopped and turned back around. "And thanks."
Phlox nodded in response and watched the captain leave. He heard the sickbay doors open and close and turned back to watch the sleeping Tucker. There was much he knew about humans and these two in particular. But it was at times like these that he realized, also, just how much he didn't know at all.
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"The sod that was mixed in with the dirt is not indicative of that location." T'Pol was explaining to Archer.
Lieutenant Reed, Ensigns Hoshi Sato and Travis Mayweather were also present around the central display in the situation room.
"Do we know what area it is from?" Archer asked.
"The northern side is primarily dirt with little grass growing there." Reed offered. "However, the southern side has quite a lot of grassy areas."
"So, you're saying there were southerners that far into the northern territory?" Archer asked.
"It would appear so." T'Pol answered.
"Then a southerner could have attacked the girl." Hoshi now caught on.
"But why would Commander Tucker want to protect a southerner?" Travis asked in confusion.
"A very good question, ensign." T'Pol praised with her expressionless face.
"I can't see the commander protecting any guilty party." Reed shook his head.
"That's a given." The captain agreed.
"So he's protecting the innocent?" Travis asked, looking more confused and not ashamed of it.
"Am I the only one lost here?"
"Not at all, Travis." Archer smiled at him. "I know we all would like to get on our way and put all of this behind us. But I think we owe it Trip and those people down there to solve this. And if Nes won't help us, then we have to do it ourselves."
"Sickbay to Captain Archer." Phlox's comm voice interrupted.
"Archer here."
"He's waking, Captain." Phlox informed him.
"Thank you, doctor." Archer turned to the others. "Maybe I can talk it out of him."
"Under sedation, sir?" Reed smiled sheepishly. "Is that fair?"
"Fair play went out the window when we almost lost him today." Archer defended. "You have the bridge, sub-commander."
TO BE CONTINUED
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Chapter 5-
Captain Jonathan Archer sat at his desk in his ready room, an elbow leaning on the desktop. He ran his forefinger across his closed lips, thinking intently.
It had been more than two hours since they had returned to Enterprise. Phlox had discovered that both of Trip's kidneys had suffered some damage from the blunt force trauma when he was struck. The end of the heavy chain had wrapped around his sides, slamming to a sudden stop with all of Cly's might. Phlox was doing a complete examination and told Archer he would notify him of his findings immediately.
Jon wanted to stay in sickbay, but knew that was not wise. He would be better off out of the doctor's way and in solitude. He shook his head in disbelief that any of this happened. Trip only had to deny the accusations of Nes and quell the tension and anger in the Srolls, especially Cly. It would have at least bought them time. But his friend and chief engineer just stood there and refused to speak that morning. Archer had to handle the matter carefully.
"In the name of diplomacy." Archer muttered out loud.
He had allowed the Srolls to keep Trip in custody, once Rul had insured no retaliation would occur, until they could investigate the incident further. He had gotten no where talking to Nes. The girl was too upset and fearful to answer in any way other than minimal worded sentences. So he, T'Pol and Malcolm had gone to the site of the attack and combed the area for any evidence. All they had found were several tracks in the dirt. But that was the commonly used path to the clearing they had their cookout with the Srolls in. Too many footprints to analyze and information for the scanners to take in. They went back to the shuttlepod to download the information to Enterprise. When they had returned to the Srolls', Cly was about to go at Trip.
"Sickbay to Captain Archer." Phlox's voice over the comm jostled Jon.
"Archer here."
"Sir," Phlox sighed. "I request your presence in sickbay to discuss Commander Tucker's condition."
"On my way." Archer quickly rose and headed out of the room.
----------
Pros sat in the woods waiting nervously. The storm had passed, but it was damp and cold in the clearing night sky. He needed to see Nes and make sure she was all right. The rustling in the brush caused him to jump to his feet from the stump he had been sitting on. He was not going to risk Kel and his group catching him off his feet.
"Pros." Nes' meek voice called. She pushed back the plants and emerged slowly into view.
"Nes!" Pros ran to her, enveloping the small girl in his arms. "I was worried about you walking here alone."
"I was not." Nes replied. "There is nothing Kel can take from me now that matters."
"Do not speak in that way." Pros admonished. "Your life matters. We do not know how far Kel will go with his rage against the northerners."
"Oh, Pros," Nes buried her head in his chest. "Cly hurt him!"
Nes began to cry loudly and clung to Pros tightly. Pros was confused for a moment, thinking she meant Cly had hurt Kel. Then he remembered how they had decided before she left him the previous night to use the human as their alibi.
"The human?" Pros asked her.
"Trip," Nes choked back the sobs. "Cly beat him. They all went back to their starship."
"Then they are gone." Pros deduced. "Everything will be all right now."
"No!" Nes shook her head, pulling out of Pros' embrace. "Nothing is right, Pros! He was a good person! He did not deserve this! And I am not right! I am different! Kel saw to that!"
She turned and ran off back toward the north side. Pros stared after her, hating Kel for changing everything. Hating his parents and Nes' parents for perpetuating this hate between the northern and southern sides. And, yes, he hated the human for the place in Nes' heart that Pros knew this Trip occupied.
----------
Archer gazed down upon the sedated Trip. The monitors beeped softly as Phlox checked them one more time and then turned back to the captain.
"I am sorry for the delayed response," Phlox told him. "I did not anticipate the emergency surgery."
"Is he going to be all right?" Archer asked, not taking his eyes off of his friend.
"I believe so." Phlox told him. "His right kidney was bleeding, therefore I needed to control that right away. If we had not come upon them when we did, he may have lost that organ. His left kidney is bruised as well, but only mildy so. He will need to stay here for quite some time to recover."
"T'Pol tells me the storm has passed." Archer informed Phlox. "I don't know what to do."
Phlox regarded Archer curiously. The captain had never come out and said he was at a loss on what course of action to take in a situation.
"Captain," Phlox finally said. "You were going to return to the surface and have me perform tests on the girl."
"I know what I said, doctor." Archer answered. "I just meant, I know what I want to do. I just don't know if I should."
"Having the Alijorians believe that Commander Tucker assaulted one of their own," Phlox said. "I hardly see how that is an option."
"Trip doesn't want to be cleared." Archer looked up at the doctor now. "For whatever reason, I wonder if just leaving would be best. For them."
"The girl was assaulted, correct?" Phlox asked.
"Yes," The captain affirmed. "That much we all are sure of."
"Then leaving those people in harm's way of some unknown criminal," Phlox shook his head. "Captain, even you know the only answer to that."
Archer silently cursed himself for allowing his personal and protective feelings of Trip to cloud his judgement. But, he relaxed some when he reminded himself that he did seek out another to put him on the right track again.
"Let me know when he wakes up, doc." Archer said, turning to pull back the white drape. He stopped and turned back around. "And thanks."
Phlox nodded in response and watched the captain leave. He heard the sickbay doors open and close and turned back to watch the sleeping Tucker. There was much he knew about humans and these two in particular. But it was at times like these that he realized, also, just how much he didn't know at all.
----------
"The sod that was mixed in with the dirt is not indicative of that location." T'Pol was explaining to Archer.
Lieutenant Reed, Ensigns Hoshi Sato and Travis Mayweather were also present around the central display in the situation room.
"Do we know what area it is from?" Archer asked.
"The northern side is primarily dirt with little grass growing there." Reed offered. "However, the southern side has quite a lot of grassy areas."
"So, you're saying there were southerners that far into the northern territory?" Archer asked.
"It would appear so." T'Pol answered.
"Then a southerner could have attacked the girl." Hoshi now caught on.
"But why would Commander Tucker want to protect a southerner?" Travis asked in confusion.
"A very good question, ensign." T'Pol praised with her expressionless face.
"I can't see the commander protecting any guilty party." Reed shook his head.
"That's a given." The captain agreed.
"So he's protecting the innocent?" Travis asked, looking more confused and not ashamed of it.
"Am I the only one lost here?"
"Not at all, Travis." Archer smiled at him. "I know we all would like to get on our way and put all of this behind us. But I think we owe it Trip and those people down there to solve this. And if Nes won't help us, then we have to do it ourselves."
"Sickbay to Captain Archer." Phlox's comm voice interrupted.
"Archer here."
"He's waking, Captain." Phlox informed him.
"Thank you, doctor." Archer turned to the others. "Maybe I can talk it out of him."
"Under sedation, sir?" Reed smiled sheepishly. "Is that fair?"
"Fair play went out the window when we almost lost him today." Archer defended. "You have the bridge, sub-commander."
TO BE CONTINUED
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