Act Two: "Daring Rescue"
Taking command once again, Captain Archer did a brief look over of his bridge crew. They all seemed ready and anxious to get under way.
"Distance?" asked Archer.
"Within two light-years, Captain," T'Pol responded. "Captain, I do believe I have identified the vessel."
"Oh? What is it?"
"It's Gallamite, sir. The same one we made first contact with."
"Is it being attacked?"
"Unknown, though I am detecting a secondary vessel off its bow. It's much larger than the Gallamite vessel, but only half the size of Enterprise."
Archer nodded. "Mr. Reed, prepare to polarize the hull and have weapons on stand-by. Hoshi, have the universal translator on-line and working."
"Aye Captain."
"Yes sir."
"Mr. Mayweather, are we within visual range?"
"Aye sir."
"On screen. Bring us to ¼ Impulse."
"Aye-aye."
On the screen in front of the bridge crew, the Gallamite vessel appeared. It was a small, pod-like ship with no nacelles, instead with its Warp Two Engine at the end of its hull. Right next to it was a large ship that was like nothing any of them had seen before.
The center of it was small and cylinder-shaped, with two wings coming off the back with what could only be best described as nacelles at the end. Of course, there was even more to this ship. Beyond the cylinder – coming out from it – were long arms with strange attachments connected to them.
"What kind of ship is that?" asked Reed.
"Unknown," replied T'Pol, looking into her viewer. "There is no match of its type within the Vulcan or Starfleet databases. It seems to have the Gallamite vessel in some sort of tractor beam."
Archer nodded. "Tractor beam . . . I've heard of those," he said to no one in particular. He then stood up straight and tall. "Hoshi, open hailing frequencies."
"Universal translator is working and hailing frequencies are open."
Archer looked at the ship as he spoke. "Alien vessel. This is the USS Enterprise. We come from Earth. You are currently holding an ally's vessel in your tractor beam. What is your business with them?"
There was no answer. Hoshi looked over to Archer.
"I'm not getting any sort of an answer from the alien vessel, but the Gallamites are reporting that something is terribly wrong with their computers. It's almost as if . . . the alien ship is hacking into it."
Archer looked worried. T'Pol didn't help.
"Captain, I am reading some sort of energy flux in the engine core. We must remove the Gallamite vessel from the alien's grasp."
"Right. Mr. Reed, can you get a point of origin on that tractor beam?"
Reed looked at his station, checking it out, then looked back up. "Aye, sir."
"Lock on with a Photonic Torpedo and fire."
Reed locked on and fired a torpedo. It shot through empty space from its launcher on the Enterprise and smashed into the tractor beam emitter on the alien vessel.
"Direct hit," said T'Pol. "The tractor beam has been disabled. I am also noting that the 'arms' on the ship are retracting."
"And the Gallamites?"
"It seems they wish to flee the scene," said T'Pol. "They are currently at Warp One."
"Didn't even stop to thank us," Travis Mayweather said from his post.
Archer sat back down and looked long and hard at the ship. "T'Pol? Scan it."
"Yes captain."
Yet, before she could do anything, a wave of green light swept over the bridge and the rest of the ship.
"What – what was that?" asked Mayweather.
"Some sort of ionic scan. Captain, they are turning to us," T'Pol reported.
"I don't like the looks of that," commented Reed, his fingers at the firing commands.
"Captain, I am reading energy build-up in two secondary tractor beam emitters."
"T'Pol, give those coordinates to Reed. Mr. Reed, prepare to fire three Photonic Torpedoes. One at each emitter and the third across the hull."
"Aye-aye, sir. But I'm going to need coordinates."
T'Pol yanked out a cassette from her station. "Captain."
She threw it to Archer. Archer caught it and threw to Reed. Reed caught it and plugged it into computer. Within a few seconds, he had a firing solution.
"Locked."
"Fire."
Three torpedoes sped from the Enterprise and smashed against the alien ship. While two of them destroyed the tractor emitters, the third struck the hull, causing a large explosion. The alien ship completely powered down.
"Report," Archer said, standing up once again.
"It seems our hits destabilized their energy grid."
"Environment?"
"Unstable," said T'Pol. "Captain, I would not advise going aboard."
"Someone just tried to kill us, T'Pol, and I would like to meet them face-to-face. Hoshi, send a message informing them that we will be boarding their vessel on peaceful terms."
"Captain, you are doing this most illogically."
Archer nodded. "It's the only way to see this situation through, T'Pol."
"There are two Vulcan Science Vessels in the sector. I can ask them to come here and assist us."
Archer paused. He didn't like asked the Vulcans for help, but this situation was getting harder to deal with by the second. So, he sucked in his pride, bit his lip, and nodded.
"Tell them we may need assistance and to be on stand-by."
"Aye Captain."
Taking command once again, Captain Archer did a brief look over of his bridge crew. They all seemed ready and anxious to get under way.
"Distance?" asked Archer.
"Within two light-years, Captain," T'Pol responded. "Captain, I do believe I have identified the vessel."
"Oh? What is it?"
"It's Gallamite, sir. The same one we made first contact with."
"Is it being attacked?"
"Unknown, though I am detecting a secondary vessel off its bow. It's much larger than the Gallamite vessel, but only half the size of Enterprise."
Archer nodded. "Mr. Reed, prepare to polarize the hull and have weapons on stand-by. Hoshi, have the universal translator on-line and working."
"Aye Captain."
"Yes sir."
"Mr. Mayweather, are we within visual range?"
"Aye sir."
"On screen. Bring us to ¼ Impulse."
"Aye-aye."
On the screen in front of the bridge crew, the Gallamite vessel appeared. It was a small, pod-like ship with no nacelles, instead with its Warp Two Engine at the end of its hull. Right next to it was a large ship that was like nothing any of them had seen before.
The center of it was small and cylinder-shaped, with two wings coming off the back with what could only be best described as nacelles at the end. Of course, there was even more to this ship. Beyond the cylinder – coming out from it – were long arms with strange attachments connected to them.
"What kind of ship is that?" asked Reed.
"Unknown," replied T'Pol, looking into her viewer. "There is no match of its type within the Vulcan or Starfleet databases. It seems to have the Gallamite vessel in some sort of tractor beam."
Archer nodded. "Tractor beam . . . I've heard of those," he said to no one in particular. He then stood up straight and tall. "Hoshi, open hailing frequencies."
"Universal translator is working and hailing frequencies are open."
Archer looked at the ship as he spoke. "Alien vessel. This is the USS Enterprise. We come from Earth. You are currently holding an ally's vessel in your tractor beam. What is your business with them?"
There was no answer. Hoshi looked over to Archer.
"I'm not getting any sort of an answer from the alien vessel, but the Gallamites are reporting that something is terribly wrong with their computers. It's almost as if . . . the alien ship is hacking into it."
Archer looked worried. T'Pol didn't help.
"Captain, I am reading some sort of energy flux in the engine core. We must remove the Gallamite vessel from the alien's grasp."
"Right. Mr. Reed, can you get a point of origin on that tractor beam?"
Reed looked at his station, checking it out, then looked back up. "Aye, sir."
"Lock on with a Photonic Torpedo and fire."
Reed locked on and fired a torpedo. It shot through empty space from its launcher on the Enterprise and smashed into the tractor beam emitter on the alien vessel.
"Direct hit," said T'Pol. "The tractor beam has been disabled. I am also noting that the 'arms' on the ship are retracting."
"And the Gallamites?"
"It seems they wish to flee the scene," said T'Pol. "They are currently at Warp One."
"Didn't even stop to thank us," Travis Mayweather said from his post.
Archer sat back down and looked long and hard at the ship. "T'Pol? Scan it."
"Yes captain."
Yet, before she could do anything, a wave of green light swept over the bridge and the rest of the ship.
"What – what was that?" asked Mayweather.
"Some sort of ionic scan. Captain, they are turning to us," T'Pol reported.
"I don't like the looks of that," commented Reed, his fingers at the firing commands.
"Captain, I am reading energy build-up in two secondary tractor beam emitters."
"T'Pol, give those coordinates to Reed. Mr. Reed, prepare to fire three Photonic Torpedoes. One at each emitter and the third across the hull."
"Aye-aye, sir. But I'm going to need coordinates."
T'Pol yanked out a cassette from her station. "Captain."
She threw it to Archer. Archer caught it and threw to Reed. Reed caught it and plugged it into computer. Within a few seconds, he had a firing solution.
"Locked."
"Fire."
Three torpedoes sped from the Enterprise and smashed against the alien ship. While two of them destroyed the tractor emitters, the third struck the hull, causing a large explosion. The alien ship completely powered down.
"Report," Archer said, standing up once again.
"It seems our hits destabilized their energy grid."
"Environment?"
"Unstable," said T'Pol. "Captain, I would not advise going aboard."
"Someone just tried to kill us, T'Pol, and I would like to meet them face-to-face. Hoshi, send a message informing them that we will be boarding their vessel on peaceful terms."
"Captain, you are doing this most illogically."
Archer nodded. "It's the only way to see this situation through, T'Pol."
"There are two Vulcan Science Vessels in the sector. I can ask them to come here and assist us."
Archer paused. He didn't like asked the Vulcans for help, but this situation was getting harder to deal with by the second. So, he sucked in his pride, bit his lip, and nodded.
"Tell them we may need assistance and to be on stand-by."
"Aye Captain."