Chapter Eight
Archer sighed, looking at the viewscreen, wondering when the away team would make contact. They still had a few minutes before they were to call back, Malcolm said he would call back early if they had not run into trouble. Archer thumbed his chin; this was not good. Had they run into problems? Did the Tralki imprison them? Where was his team?
The captain shifted his body to ask Crewman Marlon about the away team.
Marlon knew he was going to be asked that question. "They are still at the same coordinates. There are six Tralki in front of them, sir."
"Thank you, crewman," Archer answered.
Marlon nodded and returned to his work. The captain made him nervous.
"Sub-commander, what do you suggest?"
T'Pol raised her eyebrow as she looked up from her post. "I suggest we wait until they contact us."
Archer sighed. He hated waiting.
***
The Tralki didn't know what hit them.
Hoshi was the first to draw her phase pistol, since she already had it halfway out. She pointed and shot the king before he had the chance to follow through with his threat. The Tralki leader stumbled backward and fell over. The other Tralki looked on in shock.
Malcolm and Travis followed suit and fired upon the others as they broke out of their trances and moved to attack. Malcolm hailed Enterprise as they made their escape.
***
"Sir, I'm getting a call from the away team," Crewman Marlon replied and then opened the channel.
"Captain, we are under attack. Get us the hell out of here," Malcolm barked into the comm unit.
Archer stood and looked over at T'Pol, "Beam them up!"
"They are in decon now," T'Pol replied a few minutes later. "Dr. Phlox reports no outward signs of injury."
Archer felt like slipping to his knees. The away team was back safe on board and no one had been left behind this time.
***
Hoshi had slipped to her knees in the decon chamber as she applied the sticky gel to her sweaty skin. Travis rubbed some of the gel onto her back and made sure she had it all over. Malcolm and Travis finished before Hoshi because she had been applying the gel to her skin much slower.
Memories of her torture bombarded her mind. She shut her eyes and glimpses of the Tralki shock rods jolted her. Then she remembered the intoxicants they injected her with. The needles had been so long and they punctured her flesh harshly. The poisons swam through her blood stream, and her eyes had drooped. She felt sleepy, delusional, and finally anger that she could not defend herself.
Being able to shoot the Tralki king gave her so much pleasure that it almost hurt.
"You're free to go. I did not detect any organisms plaguing any of you," Dr. Phlox's singsong voice brought Hoshi back to the present.
Hoshi looked up to see Commander Tucker and Captain Archer looking in on the away team with Phlox. They both looked concerned.
The group left the decon chamber and entered the main area of sickbay. Phlox handed all three of them their uniforms and they put them on. The men discussed the mission they just returned from as Hoshi rubbed her eyes and listened.
"You shot them?" Archer practically yelled.
"There was no other choice, sir," Malcolm calmly replied.
He had told the captain he had been the first to fire and Travis went along with it. Then he said Hoshi fired as Travis did. The captain bought it. Hoshi was amazed, she had not expected for the lieutenant to cover for her. Archer would not have been happy to know she had fired without being ordered to first.
Archer decided it was time to contact the Andorians about their findings. They were still unclear as to what they would do. Archer did not think Enterprise had a place in the argument and it may be best to let them fend for themselves
***
Hoshi stopped Malcolm outside of the sickbay doors and pulled him away from the retreating group.
"Why didn't you tell Captain Archer… " Hoshi's voice trailed off as Malcolm held up his hand.
"There were three reasons why I didn't report you," he said sternly. "First, you waited until we were threatened before using your weapon. Second, I checked and the setting on your phase pistol was on stun."
Hoshi gave Malcolm a grateful look
"And the third?" she asked,
Malcolm smiled.
"That was damn good shooting, Ensign," he said as he turned and walked in the direction Tucker and Archer had gone.
Archer sighed, looking at the viewscreen, wondering when the away team would make contact. They still had a few minutes before they were to call back, Malcolm said he would call back early if they had not run into trouble. Archer thumbed his chin; this was not good. Had they run into problems? Did the Tralki imprison them? Where was his team?
The captain shifted his body to ask Crewman Marlon about the away team.
Marlon knew he was going to be asked that question. "They are still at the same coordinates. There are six Tralki in front of them, sir."
"Thank you, crewman," Archer answered.
Marlon nodded and returned to his work. The captain made him nervous.
"Sub-commander, what do you suggest?"
T'Pol raised her eyebrow as she looked up from her post. "I suggest we wait until they contact us."
Archer sighed. He hated waiting.
***
The Tralki didn't know what hit them.
Hoshi was the first to draw her phase pistol, since she already had it halfway out. She pointed and shot the king before he had the chance to follow through with his threat. The Tralki leader stumbled backward and fell over. The other Tralki looked on in shock.
Malcolm and Travis followed suit and fired upon the others as they broke out of their trances and moved to attack. Malcolm hailed Enterprise as they made their escape.
***
"Sir, I'm getting a call from the away team," Crewman Marlon replied and then opened the channel.
"Captain, we are under attack. Get us the hell out of here," Malcolm barked into the comm unit.
Archer stood and looked over at T'Pol, "Beam them up!"
"They are in decon now," T'Pol replied a few minutes later. "Dr. Phlox reports no outward signs of injury."
Archer felt like slipping to his knees. The away team was back safe on board and no one had been left behind this time.
***
Hoshi had slipped to her knees in the decon chamber as she applied the sticky gel to her sweaty skin. Travis rubbed some of the gel onto her back and made sure she had it all over. Malcolm and Travis finished before Hoshi because she had been applying the gel to her skin much slower.
Memories of her torture bombarded her mind. She shut her eyes and glimpses of the Tralki shock rods jolted her. Then she remembered the intoxicants they injected her with. The needles had been so long and they punctured her flesh harshly. The poisons swam through her blood stream, and her eyes had drooped. She felt sleepy, delusional, and finally anger that she could not defend herself.
Being able to shoot the Tralki king gave her so much pleasure that it almost hurt.
"You're free to go. I did not detect any organisms plaguing any of you," Dr. Phlox's singsong voice brought Hoshi back to the present.
Hoshi looked up to see Commander Tucker and Captain Archer looking in on the away team with Phlox. They both looked concerned.
The group left the decon chamber and entered the main area of sickbay. Phlox handed all three of them their uniforms and they put them on. The men discussed the mission they just returned from as Hoshi rubbed her eyes and listened.
"You shot them?" Archer practically yelled.
"There was no other choice, sir," Malcolm calmly replied.
He had told the captain he had been the first to fire and Travis went along with it. Then he said Hoshi fired as Travis did. The captain bought it. Hoshi was amazed, she had not expected for the lieutenant to cover for her. Archer would not have been happy to know she had fired without being ordered to first.
Archer decided it was time to contact the Andorians about their findings. They were still unclear as to what they would do. Archer did not think Enterprise had a place in the argument and it may be best to let them fend for themselves
***
Hoshi stopped Malcolm outside of the sickbay doors and pulled him away from the retreating group.
"Why didn't you tell Captain Archer… " Hoshi's voice trailed off as Malcolm held up his hand.
"There were three reasons why I didn't report you," he said sternly. "First, you waited until we were threatened before using your weapon. Second, I checked and the setting on your phase pistol was on stun."
Hoshi gave Malcolm a grateful look
"And the third?" she asked,
Malcolm smiled.
"That was damn good shooting, Ensign," he said as he turned and walked in the direction Tucker and Archer had gone.
