Just some authors notes that I forgot to mention in the first chapter before I get started.

Authors Note 1: First of all a big thankyou to my beta reader stub.

Authors Note 2: Parts of this story may become a little 'shippy in spots. It shouldn't be too big a deal or distract from the main plot too much, just thought I should warn you in case your really against reading that sort of thing.

Chapter 2

Trip was bent over, staring at the control panel for the port fusion injector. The injector had been the first one to blow while travelling at Warp Five. If he could figure out a way to keep the injectors cool at the higher speeds then they should be able to sustain top speed for longer. He was so caught up in what he was doing that when he heard footsteps approach him from behind his right shoulder, he automatically assumed that it was T'Pol, coming about the sensors. Without even looking up he said,

"I've already got Rostov started on some preliminary work. He's over by the sensor controls. I'll join you there in about five minutes."

"Well, I don't think the sensors will really help with my problem, but if you're sure."

Trip was so surprised at hearing Malcolm's clipped British tones instead of T'Pol's cool and clear voice that he straightened up and promptly banged his head on an overhead steel girder.

"Sonuva..." Trip rubbed his now aching head and turning to face the tactical officer. "Malcolm. What are you doing here?"

"Sorry." Malcolm was obviously trying to suppress a laugh. "I just wanted to ask you a question."

"Well you startled the hell outta me. I thought you were T'Pol." Trip looked around the room. Where was T'Pol? She should have been here by now; it had been at least a couple of hours since he'd left her on the bridge. How long does it take to run a couple of simulations anyway? he wondered.

"Not the last time I checked. Sorry to disappoint you." Malcolm glanced down as if checking himself out to see if he had turned into T'Pol.

Ignoring Malcolm's joke Trip inquired, "What did you want to ask me?"

"I wanted to know if you'd look over these weapons specs for me. I was thinking about how we overloaded the phase cannons that time." Malcolm's voice switched immediately to a more professional tone and he handed Trip a data pad. Trip remembered back to the event Malcolm was talking about. They had been attacked by a mysterious alien vessel and the only way to get enough power into the newly installed cannons that would do some damage was to overload them. Trip had repolarised the gravity plating to absorb the recoil and then shunted the excess energy to the ship's structural integrity field. "I was wondering if there was some way we could do that again, without blowing out any power relays this time? Or if there was a way we could run even more power through the system?" Malcolm finished.

Trip bit his lip as he considered the question carefully. The gravity plating hadn't really been rated to handle the amount of energy it had absorbed last time. More would be out of the question. Unless we could siphon it off to other systems, the engineering part of his brain added. "That'd be tricky though," he mused out loud.

"What would be tricky?" Malcolm asked bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking out loud. Leave it with me. I'll look over it and get back to you."

"All right then. Try not to injure yourself figuring it out," Malcolm added wryly.

"You're having an awful lot of fun at my expense today," Trip grouched good-naturedly.

"I take my fun where I can get it," Malcolm replied breezily. "You seem to be having a particularly clumsy day though."

"Just unlucky I guess." With his thoughts going back to the letter he'd read this morning, his mind added silently, in a lot of ways. Something of his thoughts must have shown up on his face because Malcolm's expression suddenly changed to one of concern.

"Everything all right?" he asked.

"Yeah." Trip tried to sound reassuring so Malcolm would buy it.

"Good," Malcolm seemed relieved. "Well then I'll let you get back to waiting for T'Pol."

"If she ever decides to turn up. At this rate she'll still be running simulations when we reach the Vulcan ship," Trip grumbled.

"Your assessment is incorrect." T'Pol's clear and precise voice came from behind him. Trip took a deep breath and resisted the urge to scream his frustration. Was everything going to go against him all day? Malcolm was barely containing his laughter now. Trip narrowed his eyes. Malcolm was standing directly in front of him. He must have seen T'Pol come up from behind. Trip took a step forward so he was just centimeters from Malcolm.

"You set me up with that remark," Trip muttered. He gave an evil grin. "Your gonna pay for that Lieutenant." With that last remark he turned back to T'Pol and ushered her towards the sensor controls, leaving Malcolm standing in the middle of the room.

**********************************

After visiting Engineering, Malcolm Reed decided that he could spare some time for lunch. Trip's last promise of revenge wasn't exactly going to come quickly, what with all the work needed to prepare Enterprise before they reached the Vulcan ship's co-ordinates. It would probably come after and would no doubt be a doozy. Still, it had been worth whatever was coming to see the look on Trip's face when T'Pol had startled him. Entering the Mess hall, he grabbed some sandwiches off the platter Chef had laid out and surveyed the room for somewhere to sit. The room was mostly empty so he picked out a table near the right wall, where he could go over some technical journals while he ate. It wasn't too long however before he was joined by Travis Mayweather.

"Mind if I join you?" the young space boomer asked.

"Please. Go ahead." Malcolm gestured to the seat opposite.

"How's upgrading the weapons going? Any luck?"

"So-so. I'm waiting on Commander Tucker to have a flash of engineering brilliance at the moment."

"Shouldn't be too long then," Travis said with full confidence. Then his face became clouded with worry.

"Something wrong Ensign?"

"It's this whole missing Vulcan ship. It's weird," Travis explained.

"Well, we'll know soon enough what happened."

"I wouldn't bet on it sir." Travis sounded doubtful.

"Why not? Do you know something I don't?" Malcolm had been in the armoury for most of the morning. Perhaps Starfleet had sent another message.

"No, it's just that I don't think we'll find anything. Sounds too much like what happened with the Legacy."

"The what?"

"The Legacy. It was a cargo ship that used to travel between the colonies. Until it disappeared. Nobody heard any distress signals from them either." Travis's eyes opened wide and he bobbed his head to emphasise his last sentence.

"Maybe it was attacked by those...what'd you call them? Norse something or other."

"Nausicaans?" At Malcolm's nod, Travis shook his own head, "Uh-uh. Another ship passing through the same route later didn't spot any debris. If it had been the Nausicaans you'd have been able to tell. They're not exactly the clean up after themselves type."

"So what are you suggesting Travis. That something, or someone is running around the galaxy making spaceships disappear?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say something," Travis asserted.

"I've got it." Malcolm snapped his fingers. "Perhaps it's some sort of giant space monster that can swallow whole ship's at a time." He laughed at his own joke, but Travis didn't seem amused.

"You can laugh all you want Lieutenant, I'm just telling you what I know."

"Well, whatever we find, enhanced weapons can only be an advantage."

"That we can agree on."

Malcolm spotted Hoshi enter the mess hall. Soon after she came over to join them, plunking her food down on the table.

"Hoshi," both men greeted her.

"Hey," Hoshi sighed back.

"No luck with the comm?" Malcolm guessed.

"None. There's nothing out there answering hails at all. Certainly, not any Vulcan ships." Frustration tinged her voice.

"Well, Travis here can cheer you up with his space monster theory." Malcolm attempted to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, he seemed to be the only one with a sense of humor today. Hoshi's eyes went wide and her fork stopped halfway to her mouth.

"No. Don't tell me. As far as I'm concerned their comm system is broken and that's all. Anything else is too creepy." She shuddered slightly at the thought. "Now can we change the conversation please. I'd like to be able to keep my lunch down."

Malcolm and Travis shared a quick grin. Hoshi didn't really seem to take well to the more unpleasant side of space travel. Still she was improving, in Malcolm's estimation.

"The movie actually wasn't too bad the other night. For a change." Travis was quickest off the mark with a conversation changer.

"Yeah, it was pretty good," Hoshi agreed. "What did you think Malcolm?"

"Didn't see it. It would work out that the one time I'm actually busy was the one time they showed something decent."

Hoshi giggled and leaned into the table conspiratorially. "I saw T'Pol there."

"Really?" Malcolm leaned forward as well. "She doesn't seem the movie going type."

"She was with Trip. Maybe it was a date."

"Oh." Malcolm wasn't sure what to think about that. Before he could contemplate it further, however, he was distracted by Hoshi waving her hand up and down in front of Travis's face.

"Hello. Anybody in there?"

Travis looked up

"Sorry Hoshi. Just not in the mood to hear about the Sub-commander right now."

"You still upset about what happened on the bridge."

Something happened on the bridge. This was news to Malcolm. "What happened?"

"Oh nothing, just that the Sub-commander thinks I can't do my job."

"It wasn't that bad," Hoshi put in.

"Your just happy because she's not on your case anymore," Travis pointed out.

"What did she do?" Malcolm still had no idea what the problem was.

"Picked on his driving." Hoshi added helpfully.

"Enterprise had drifted a little off course, but I would have caught it myself if she'd given me a chance. I run a course check every hour; the next one was almost due."

"I don't see your problem, sounds like she was being helpful. If Enterprise was off course then whoever spotted it first should say something."

"It was only 0.04 degrees. Besides, what if the Captain had been on the bridge? He might have thought I was incompetent."

"I doubt he would have thought that. The Captain's hardly a hard taskmaster." He wasn't much of a taskmaster at all in Malcolm's opinion, but that was a different topic.

"Still, I'm good at what I do. If the Captain has any doubts about my abilities then he could start leaving me off away missions or not letting me man the helm in dangerous situations."

"I think your making a mountain out of a molehill. You said it yourself; it was only 0.04 degrees. Still if your that concerned about it, perhaps you should bring it up with the Sub-commander."

"Maybe I will."

"Good. That's settled then." Malcolm looked down at his empty plate, "I suppose I should be getting back to the armoury. Enjoy the rest of your lunch."

"Bye," Travis and Hoshi both replied as he got up from the table and walked out of the Mess hall.