Enterprise The New Officer, Part II

The first few weeks aboard Enterprise were uncomfortable for Danae, but she grew confidence whenever Trip was around. Together they worked on several projects in engineering, navigation, and extracurricular activities. He was the first one who seemed fascinated by her psychic ability and not frightened by it.

They were enjoying cold drinks in the mess hall discussing Danae's origins, and testing her psychic ability with the aid of playing cards.

Holding a seven of clubs securely in his hand so she could not see through the back, Trip held the card up for his eyes only.

"Seven of clubs." Danae replied.

Trip smiled and reached for another card.

"So, if you don't know what planet you're from, or what your people call themselves, then why do you think you're a Portassian?" Trip asked holding up a fresh card.

"King of diamonds." Danae said and then answered his question. "I looked up Starfleet records of all first contacts with intelligent life forms. Portassians are the only ones I found that had minimal encounters with humans and fit my physical description."

"I see." Trip said as he shuffled the deck before holding up another card. "So where do we find the Portassians?"

"We don't." Danae replied bluntly, "Three of spades."

Trip put the card face up on the table showing it was a three of spades.

"All the report said was that the Portassian technology was far more advanced and they had no way of tracking their vessel." Danae explained.

"So the encounters all happened in space?" Trip asked.

Danae nodded and explained, "Apparently they're a very private species who do not wish to share their technology. It's theorized that they can cloak their home world so that no one may ever steal their knowledge."

"So the only way to find them is if they make contact with us?" Trip asked.

"Yep."

"Bummer."

"Yep." Danae replied.

Suddenly remembering an appointment, Danae looked down at her watch. She did not have a very good sense of time, but hid the clock inside her silver ring on her right thumb to help keep a schedule.

"I forgot I was supposed to meet Dr. Phlox in the infirmary." Danae said.

"Is anything wrong?" Trip asked concerned.

"No." Danae replied, "The good doctor comes up with at least ten questions a day, and then he insists on running tests to discover more about my physiology."

"You know, you don't have to go." Trip said in hopes of keeping her as company.

"Dr. Phlox isn't the only one who wants to know answers." Danae smiled. "And the more he discovers about me, the more I discover about my kind."

Trip grabbed the card deck from the table and stood up as she was leaving, "Okay, but we still have to reconfigure the manifold on the starboard array."

"Don't worry, I'll be there."
Two hours later, Danae finally met up with Trip near the starboard array. Noticing her distraught expression, Trip immediately got concerned.

"What's wrong?" When he got no answer, he got closer and asked, "Was it something the doctor said?"

Danae just nodded her head. It wasn't about her health, but Trip knew something was wrong and he wasn't going to leave her alone until he found out what it was.

"Something bad is going to happen. Someone's gonna die. And he's going to die saving your life."

"What are you talking about?" Trip said confused.

"I'm sorry." Danae said weakly and then made a hasty exit.

"Danae!" Trip called after her, but she had already disappeared through the corridor. He stood there a few moments in confusion and debated following her. He has only known Danae for a few weeks, but he had never before seen her cry. Then he went over the conversation again in his mind. Someone was going to die saving his life.

Before he could come up with a theory, the Enterprise was jolted as if hit by enemy fire. He made a dash to the engine room. Just as he arrived in engineering, Captain Archer hailed him.

"Archer to Commander Tucker, I need all the power you've got to the shields."

"What's happening?" Trip asked.

"Looks like we may have walked in to a mine field. Getting out is going to get bumpy."

"How bumpy?" He asked unsure he really wanted to know the answer.

"Considering the mines are cloaked, very." Archer replied.

After taking a few more jolts, Trip went straight to work strengthening the shields and yelling out orders.

"Commander!" Ensign Jacobs hollered. "The ships taking a bad beating."

"Tell me something I don't know." Trip replied in a loud voice and the ship tumbled.

"The fusion reactors are overheating. If we can't find a way to cool it down we'll lose impulse power.not to mention that there'll be a great explosion." Jacobs explained.

Trip didn't have time to lecture Jacobs on priority factors, so he ordered everyone out of engineering.

"That means you too, Jacobs!" Trip hollered.

"You can't do this alone, commander." Jacobs wasn't taking 'get out' for an order.

Trip didn't have time to argue, so he and Jacobs worked together on releasing some steam from the reactors. Soon they realized that they could never cool it down fast enough, and before Trip could react, Jacobs pushed him out of the way.
The explosion in Engineering was enough to shake the ship harder than any of the mines outside. The lights went out and the emergency system kicked on. As the ship slowly came to a halt Archer asked Malcolm to do a ship- wide diagnostics and get a count of injuries. When he hailed engineering and got no response he turned to Hoshi and ordered her to get a distress signal out.

Just as Hoshi opened a channel, the console in front of her exploded. Archer quickly came to her side as she lay unconscious on the floor. Checking her pulse to make sure she was still alive, Archer worried that he wouldn't be able to get his crew out of this mess.

Malcolm and another officer came over to assist Hoshi to the infirmary, while Archer turned to T'Pol for advice.

"Where's the secondary communication panel?" Archer asked her.

"I believe it is on deck 12, inside the maintenance shafts." T'Pol answered.

"Right," he thought for a moment, "Go and try to get a distress signal out before we lose power all together." Archer ordered.
While T'Pol made her way through the catwalks, Archer helped other injuries to the infirmary. Along the way he found Malcolm trying to put out a small fire.

The flames died quickly, but Archer noticed Malcolm was burned on his right hand and wrist.

"Come on, let's get you to the infirmary." Archer said calmly. He couldn't help but wonder how the entire crew was going to fit in to the small infirmary quarters.

Dr. Phlox was starting to feel overwhelmed, as yet another injury walked in the door.

Archer and Reed looked around noticing a lot of familiar faces, including Trip, who looked near death.

Malcolm followed Archer to Trip's side. "Is he.?" Malcolm couldn't even say the word.

"Ah, no, he's still alive." Phlox heard moans near the door. "As soon as I work on the more severe cases, I'll treat those burns, Lieutenant. But in the mean time, perhaps you can keep an eye on the commander. Anything out of the ordinary, just call me."

"Sure thing, doc." Malcolm said as he took a sit next to his unconscious friend.

Archer followed Phlox to his next patient. "I'm afraid I barely passed human physiology at the academy, but if there's anything I can do to help."

Phlox didn't even give the captain a pep talk, "Can you set a sling for a broken arm on Ensign Klorel?"

"Yeah, I think so." Archer replied.

Just before he went to Ensign Klorel's aide, T'Pol walked in with Danae under her arm for support.

"What happened?" Archer asked demandingly.

"I found her in the maintenance shafts. The communication panel was destroyed, but she claims to have sent a distress signal before the explosion."

"Is this true? Were you able to get out a distress signal?" Archer asked of Danae.

"I think so." Danae replied.

"You think so?" Archer was irritated and confused, "You mean you don't know?"

Danae looked at the captain as if being accused of a crime and then defended herself, "No, I don't know. I may have gotten the signal out in time, but I'm not sure." Danae released herself from T'Pol's supporting grip and took a step closer to him. "I'm clairvoyant, Captain, not omnipotent." She said softly, but strongly.

As Danae walked away, Archer reconsidered his anger. He felt helpless and now he felt guilty at directing all his helpless anger at Danae.

"Perhaps I should return to the bridge and help with the repairs." T'Pol said.

"Good idea." Archer replied, "I'm going to give Phlox a hand in here if you need me."

While Archer turned his attention at Ensign Klorel's broken arm, Danae joined Malcolm at Trip's side.

"How is he?" She asked softly.

Malcolm looked up to see Danae's gentle face now soaked in tears. "He's in bad shape, but he'll live. What about you?"

"Ask me tomorrow, you'll like the answer better." She left Malcolm alone with the commander and walked over to a nearby bed with an officer covered in a white sheet. She pulled the white sheet back to reveal the face of Ensign Jacobs. Instantly she knew that this was the one who gave his life to protect Commander Tucker. She had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from crying out loud. When she got enough control, she whispered to the Jacobs, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Replacing the sheet over the body, Danae went to find solace.

Malcolm didn't know what to make of the scene he just witnessed, but then he remembered what she told the captain only moments ago. She was clairvoyant, not omnipotent. She probably saw this coming. He wondered what it must be like to know something terrible was going to happen and there was nothing you could do to stop it. His thoughts were soon interrupted when the commander came to.

"Doctor." Malcolm stood up and waited for Phlox.

Dr. Phlox ran the medical tricorders over Trip and then reported. "I must say, you had me concerned commander." He said smiling.

Trip barely got the word out, but he said, "Jacobs?"

Malcolm looked up at Phlox with unease, but Phlox replied simply and almost unemotionally, "I'm afraid he didn't make it. I'm sorry." Phlox left Malcolm to comfort Trip while he attended more wounded.

After a few hours had passed, the infirmary got less crowded. Ensign Klorel and others were patched up just enough to get out the door. They'd have to return later, when Phlox had finished helping the more serious injuries.

As he wrapped Danae's hands with gauze, Phlox had a few more questions. "Pretty rough day. You think you'll be alright?"

Danae didn't answer.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to tell me what kind of symptoms I can expect when you experience great pain or loss." Phlox asked.

"What?" Danae replied.

"I noticed your eyes have changed three different shades since you walked in." Phlox stated. "Scans show you didn't suffer a head injury, so I suspect the change may be emotional."

Danae felt ashamed that her emotions had affected her physical appearance, but she did not have an answer for the doctor. She had never before grieved or felt this depressed in her entire life.

Phlox understood her silence as her answer and decided to drop the interrogation. With both hands wrapped he said, "The aloe I put on should help minimize the burning sensation on your nerves, but you should return in a few hours for new bandages."

"Thank you." Danae said and left the infirmary.

Archer was wiping his sweating hands off on a towel when he approached the doctor.

"Thank you for all your assistance, Captain. I think I can take over from here." Phlox said.

Archer left the infirmary and saw Danae hiding amongst the debris in the hallway. Her bandaged hand was shaking as she tried to hide her tearful eyes. She didn't even notice Archer had knelt beside her until he grabbed her shaking hand and held it tight in his.

After a moment of unsettling silence, Archer finally apologized. "What I said earlier.I'm sorry. I never meant to take everything out on you."

Danae wiped the tears from her cheek and sniffled. "What happens now?"

"We wait to be rescued." Archer replied.

"And then?"

Archer was confused by the question, but then he remembered what the General had said about her many transfers. Only one transfer was on her request. The others asked that she be reassigned due to her clairvoyancy.

"And then, who knows." Archer replied.

From the expression on her face, he knew his answer did not bring any comfort.

"You know, I never thanked you." Archer continued.

Danae looked up in confusion.

"For getting to the communications panel." He said, "When we get rescued I plan to tell Starfleet how you saved us."

"Don't you mean IF we get rescued?" Danae said.

"No, I don't." Archer smiled and helped Danae get on her feet.

"Captain, please report to the bridge." T'Pol said on the COM system.

As he left to the bridge, the captain wondered if he really should have left her alone right now. His place was on the bridge, getting the crew to safety. He would have to talk to Danae another time.
A Vulcan scout ship had come to their rescue. With the help of their scanners, they escorted the Enterprise safely out of the minefield. The Vulcans also assisted in minor repairs of the impulse drive. A few hours later they pulled in to a space station to get the damaged ship repaired. Archer thanked the Vulcans for all their help and watched them depart.

The next day Phlox told Commander Tucker that he was finally free to leave the infirmary.

"I told the captain you will not be returning to duty for at least a week, so I advise you to relax for a few days." Phlox continued, "You feel light headed, overly tired or nauseous I want you to come see me."

As Trip was heading out the door, he overheard the doctor trying to reach Danae on the COM link.

"Phlox to Lieutenant Taylor, please respond." After many efforts of trying reaching her, he decided to check her quarters. As he stood up to leave, he noticed the commander had been listening in. Without saying a word they joined forces and headed down the corridor.

When they got no response at the door, the commander took initiative and opened the hatch. Once inside, they went different ways in search of Danae. Trip found her lying in a fetal position on her bed. She seemed unaware of their presence. Instead of the mesmerizing silver blue eyes, the iris had changed to a deep maroon.

Trip called for Phlox and together they tried to get her to snap out of it. "I did not expect this severe of a reaction."

Phlox took Danae's hand and noticed her markings had changed. What he and the crew mistook for tattoos was in fact embedded in her skin like a permanent birthmark. It had spread down to her hand and marked part of her palm.

"What's wrong with her?" Trip asked, his voice filled with concern and guilt. All the time in sickbay he blamed her for Ensign Jacob's death, but now Trip was feeling like the one truly responsible.

"I believe it is a reaction of emotion stress. At first I thought it was seeing Ensign Jacobs in the infirmary, but she did not know him well. Perhaps something has happened that we are unaware." Phlox pondered aloud.

Trip knew what it was. When she came to him to repair the starboard array, she knew that he would see her like the others have. Like an outcast, someone who does not belong. Lying on the infirmary bed, he had relived the explosion over and over until he regretted even meeting Danae.

"Could you give us a moment, doctor?" Commander asked.

Phlox, not wanting to question the commander's need for a private moment, made a quiet exit. In case something went wrong, he didn't go far. He stood waiting for the commander outside Danae's quarters.

Trip swept some of Danae's hair out of her face with his fingers and smiled when she looked his way. He wished that there were a way to see her thoughts, to understand what she was thinking or even feeling.

Suddenly Danae sat up and scooted herself away from Trip. When she looked his way, Commander Tucker noticed the markings had not only spread on her hands, but they had also extended up her neck and behind and over her ears touching the ends of her cheeks. He wondered if it would go away when she felt better, or if this look was with her forever. Deep down he saw the markings as beautiful sketches that outlined the best parts of her. He wouldn't care if the markings stayed or vanished. He loved everything about her.

He couldn't believe that his thoughts of her involved the word love. He was in love with this woman. He didn't know much about her, but his feelings of her grew with every passing second. Unsure if he should tell her so soon, he decided to get through the day first.

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to apologize or not." Trip said honestly. "You warned me that Jacobs was going to die, but I did nothing to stop it."

Danae wouldn't let him finish. She quickly got on her hands and knees and stretched out her hand, covering his mouth before he could blame himself.

"You couldn't stop it." She replied softly and then removed her hand, "Not even I could stop it."

After a moment of silence, Danae sat back down on the mattress. Trip sat next to her and finally asked, "Do you ever wonder why you were meant to see things before they happen?"

"Every day." Danae replied. "It can be a real curse sometimes."

"Are you seeing anything now?" Trip asked.

"No." Danae replied. "But there's always tomorrow."

Trip thought about that for a moment before replying, "We'll deal with tomorrow when it gets here. I'm more interested in right now." He said and leaned in. He kissed her softly at first and then more passionately.

"Oh," Phlox said, "I didn't mean to interrupt." Phlox turned to the side. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Lieutenant. When you get a moment, however, I want you to stop by the infirmary for a reexamination." Without waiting for a response, the doctor excused himself.

Danae smiled. Trip saw her smile and it filled him with delight. She was going to be just fine, and now he wanted to make her more than fine. He wanted to see her happy. Today was the first time he had ever seen her cry. Now he wanted to hear her laugh for the first time. Knowing it may not be today, Trip thought about tomorrow and the day after with anticipation and excitement. He wondered if she would see a marriage proposal before he could get on one knee. He couldn't wait to find out.