A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. The next one is much longer, I
promise!
**
Chapter 2: Shelter
T'Pol woke up alone, with the blanket tucked in around her. She sat up and looked around for Lieutenant Reed, but didn't find him. He had apparently been busy already this morning, because the fire had been built up, and the collapsible pot had been filled with water and placed outside a neat circle of rocks which now surrounded the blaze. Although the sun was just rising over the eastern horizon, it was already considerably warmer than the previous night.
T'Pol stood and gathered up the blankets. When they were safely stowed away, she set the pot of water onto the fire to boil. There was a supply of teabags in the emergency kit, which she intended to put to good use.
A rustling noise from the direction of the lake captured her attention. A moment later Lieutenant Reed appeared, looking considerably cleaner than he had the previous night, and carrying an armload of branches.
"Good morning," he said briskly as he set down his load and brushed bark and splinters off the front of his uniform.
"Good morning. I am boiling water for tea. Would you like some?"
"Sounds lovely. I saw some fruit on one of the trees by the river. The rodents around here certainly find it edible."
"We have no way of knowing how it will affect our systems."
Reed knelt on the ground and began to sort the branches, small in one pile, medium in another, and large in a third. "Without trying one," he said.
"Pardon?"
"We have no way of knowing without trying one."
"I would consider that a last resort, Lieutenant," T'Pol responded while zipping open the emergency kit and extracting two teabags and two collapsible cups.
"We are likely to be trapped here for some time, Sub-Commander. We are going to need something to eat." Reed had finished sorting and was now on his feet, removing the branches T'Pol had placed over their heads the previous night.
"That is true."
"I saw a number of fish in the lake. I think I could probably catch one, if I made a spear." Reed began to arrange the branches on the ground, deftly weaving them together into a closeknit covering which he dropped into place between the two trees. It fit perfectly, with no gaps. T'Pol found herself impressed.
Reed continued talking, as if what he was doing was no difficult feat. "I know you don't eat meat. Maybe we can find a way to test that fruit for you." He set another woven section in place to form a back wall of the shelter and neatly attached it to the roof by some trick which T'Pol was unable to ascertain.
"Perhaps," T'Pol said, distracted by filling the cups with the now boiling water. She added the teabags and carefully stood. Reed took one cup from her and held it with both hands, blowing on it to cool it enough to drink. When he stepped back, T'Pol moved in to admire his handiwork.
"Do they teach this type of shelter construction at StarFleet Academy?" she asked as she ran her hand along the back wall of the enclosure.
"No," he answered shortly. She turned her head to look at him, but he just took a sip of his tea and changed the subject. "Do you think anyone will pick up your distress call?"
"It is possible," she conceded doubtfully. "It is also possible that the shuttle's automatic emergency beacon deployed as it was designed to do, and that signal will be detected by a passing ship."
"But you don't think it's likely," he said with an air of finality.
"No, I don't," she admitted. "As you said, it is likely that we will be forced to survive here for an extended period of time."
Reed crouched by the fire, poking at the flames with a stick. "Well, then, we'd better get started. I saw some smaller trees down by the lake that might be suitable for making a spear."
"Very well," T'Pol said with a slight sigh. She too had seen those fish, while she was dragging Reed from the water the previous day, and she believed that attempting to catch one would be a waste of time. They moved lightning fast, and disappeared under the rocks at the slightest sound. However, if he wished to spend his time in that fruitless endeavor, she was willing to let him try. She would keep herself busy attempting to fix the broken communicator.
**
Archer drummed his fingers on the armrest of the captain's chair in a staccato beat. It would have driven T'Pol crazy, had she been there. But she wasn't there. At the moment, Archer had no idea where she was, and that was driving him crazy.
"Are we at the right coordinates?" he asked Travis, unnecessarily, because he knew as well as Mayweather did that Enterprise was exactly where she was supposed to be, but for some reason the shuttle wasn't there.
"Yes, Captain. They should be here."
"Hoshi, how late are they?" He turned his head to look at his communications officer, who was seated at her station.
"Almost six hours, sir."
"Hail them again."
There was momentary silence while Hoshi complied. "Still nothing, Captain. I'm not reading any signs that the shuttle was ever here, and there are no recent warp trails in the vicinity."
"Then where the hell are they?"
"I don't know, sir."
Archer slumped back down in his chair and resumed drumming the staccato beat. When T'Pol had suggested this mission, she had intended to go alone, but Archer had insisted she take Malcolm along with her for safety's sake. That ought to be enough, right? Two people in a tiny shuttlepod with no weapons to speak of, and engines that couldn't outrun a gnat, hurtling through space to attend a science symposium on some backwater planet that Archer knew almost nothing about. Anything could have happened to them, anything.
Not anything, a rational voice that sounded suspiciously like T'Pol spoke in his mind. They could not have been eaten by bears. It was highly unlikely that they ran off and joined the circus. Archer sighed.
"Travis, set a course for Corilius Prime. Let's find out if they even arrived at the conference."
"Aye, sir."
**
Chapter 2: Shelter
T'Pol woke up alone, with the blanket tucked in around her. She sat up and looked around for Lieutenant Reed, but didn't find him. He had apparently been busy already this morning, because the fire had been built up, and the collapsible pot had been filled with water and placed outside a neat circle of rocks which now surrounded the blaze. Although the sun was just rising over the eastern horizon, it was already considerably warmer than the previous night.
T'Pol stood and gathered up the blankets. When they were safely stowed away, she set the pot of water onto the fire to boil. There was a supply of teabags in the emergency kit, which she intended to put to good use.
A rustling noise from the direction of the lake captured her attention. A moment later Lieutenant Reed appeared, looking considerably cleaner than he had the previous night, and carrying an armload of branches.
"Good morning," he said briskly as he set down his load and brushed bark and splinters off the front of his uniform.
"Good morning. I am boiling water for tea. Would you like some?"
"Sounds lovely. I saw some fruit on one of the trees by the river. The rodents around here certainly find it edible."
"We have no way of knowing how it will affect our systems."
Reed knelt on the ground and began to sort the branches, small in one pile, medium in another, and large in a third. "Without trying one," he said.
"Pardon?"
"We have no way of knowing without trying one."
"I would consider that a last resort, Lieutenant," T'Pol responded while zipping open the emergency kit and extracting two teabags and two collapsible cups.
"We are likely to be trapped here for some time, Sub-Commander. We are going to need something to eat." Reed had finished sorting and was now on his feet, removing the branches T'Pol had placed over their heads the previous night.
"That is true."
"I saw a number of fish in the lake. I think I could probably catch one, if I made a spear." Reed began to arrange the branches on the ground, deftly weaving them together into a closeknit covering which he dropped into place between the two trees. It fit perfectly, with no gaps. T'Pol found herself impressed.
Reed continued talking, as if what he was doing was no difficult feat. "I know you don't eat meat. Maybe we can find a way to test that fruit for you." He set another woven section in place to form a back wall of the shelter and neatly attached it to the roof by some trick which T'Pol was unable to ascertain.
"Perhaps," T'Pol said, distracted by filling the cups with the now boiling water. She added the teabags and carefully stood. Reed took one cup from her and held it with both hands, blowing on it to cool it enough to drink. When he stepped back, T'Pol moved in to admire his handiwork.
"Do they teach this type of shelter construction at StarFleet Academy?" she asked as she ran her hand along the back wall of the enclosure.
"No," he answered shortly. She turned her head to look at him, but he just took a sip of his tea and changed the subject. "Do you think anyone will pick up your distress call?"
"It is possible," she conceded doubtfully. "It is also possible that the shuttle's automatic emergency beacon deployed as it was designed to do, and that signal will be detected by a passing ship."
"But you don't think it's likely," he said with an air of finality.
"No, I don't," she admitted. "As you said, it is likely that we will be forced to survive here for an extended period of time."
Reed crouched by the fire, poking at the flames with a stick. "Well, then, we'd better get started. I saw some smaller trees down by the lake that might be suitable for making a spear."
"Very well," T'Pol said with a slight sigh. She too had seen those fish, while she was dragging Reed from the water the previous day, and she believed that attempting to catch one would be a waste of time. They moved lightning fast, and disappeared under the rocks at the slightest sound. However, if he wished to spend his time in that fruitless endeavor, she was willing to let him try. She would keep herself busy attempting to fix the broken communicator.
**
Archer drummed his fingers on the armrest of the captain's chair in a staccato beat. It would have driven T'Pol crazy, had she been there. But she wasn't there. At the moment, Archer had no idea where she was, and that was driving him crazy.
"Are we at the right coordinates?" he asked Travis, unnecessarily, because he knew as well as Mayweather did that Enterprise was exactly where she was supposed to be, but for some reason the shuttle wasn't there.
"Yes, Captain. They should be here."
"Hoshi, how late are they?" He turned his head to look at his communications officer, who was seated at her station.
"Almost six hours, sir."
"Hail them again."
There was momentary silence while Hoshi complied. "Still nothing, Captain. I'm not reading any signs that the shuttle was ever here, and there are no recent warp trails in the vicinity."
"Then where the hell are they?"
"I don't know, sir."
Archer slumped back down in his chair and resumed drumming the staccato beat. When T'Pol had suggested this mission, she had intended to go alone, but Archer had insisted she take Malcolm along with her for safety's sake. That ought to be enough, right? Two people in a tiny shuttlepod with no weapons to speak of, and engines that couldn't outrun a gnat, hurtling through space to attend a science symposium on some backwater planet that Archer knew almost nothing about. Anything could have happened to them, anything.
Not anything, a rational voice that sounded suspiciously like T'Pol spoke in his mind. They could not have been eaten by bears. It was highly unlikely that they ran off and joined the circus. Archer sighed.
"Travis, set a course for Corilius Prime. Let's find out if they even arrived at the conference."
"Aye, sir."