Chapter Five

It was the early hours of the morning when T'Pol put in the call for all senior officers to report to the bridge. Enterprise had been following the two warp trails for ten hours. After the first few hours with nothing of note happening, the Captain had decided that the crew should stick to their normal shifts until new information came up. The only exception to this being that one of the senior officers should remain on the bridge to oversee 'the chase', as he called it. T'Pol had volunteered for the first watch since her Vulcan physiology allowed her to go several days without sleep with no decrease in efficiency. The Captain had reluctantly agreed, although T'Pol noted that he stayed on the bridge a few hours after his own shift ended anyway.

Bearing this in mind, she wasn't surprised that the Captain was the first of the senior bridge crew to arrive. From his appearance she guessed he hadn't been sleeping when she called, despite the early hour. Lieutenant Reed followed right on his heels, looking as alert and ready as if he was expected on duty at this time. A few moments later Ensigns Sato and Mayweather exited the turbolift together. Judging from the Ensign's slow movements and bleary eyes they had both been woken by her call. After a few more minutes however, Commander Tucker had still not arrived. Captain Archer started drumming his fingers on the table and the other officers began sharing concerned glances. When it became clear that the Commander wasn't coming, the Captain stalked over to the comm. panel.

"Archer to Commander Tucker."

T'Pol decided to listen closely to the conversation. For the past few days, she had noted the Commander had been acting strangely, as if something were troubling him. He had been easily distracted and did not appear to be sleeping. Knowing of his close friendship with Captain Archer she had reported her concerns on the matter to him. She had assumed the matter had been dealt with, but perhaps she was wrong.

A few seconds went by with no reply, and the Captain was just about to repeat his call when the comm. line crackled to life.

"Tucker here. Go ahead." To T'Pol's ears the Commander's voice sounded from a distance, as if he was a few meters away from the comm. panel. The Captain didn't seem to pick up on this oddity, or if he did, he showed no sign. Annoyance tinged his words.

"In case you hadn't heard, you were supposed to have reported to the bridge. We're waiting."

"Sorry Cap'n. I would've been there by now, it's just that-" A sudden cry of pain cut off the Commander's words. "OUCH!! What the hell did you do that for?"

"I thought it might help." Doctor Phlox's voice sounded cheerfully over the intercom. "Did it?"

Commander Tucker is in Sickbay. T'Pol blinked. It was the only outward sign that she had been surprised by this new revelation.

"No, it didn't!"

"Trip?" Captain Archer's voice changed at once from harsh to deeply concerned. He glanced back from the comm. panel and his eyes locked momentarily with her own. T'Pol tried to convey a sense of calmness through her own gaze but she was unsure how successful she was. Her own concern may have gotten in the way.

"Everything's all right Captain," Doctor Phlox assured.

"Easy for you to say," the commander's voice mumbled in the background. He didn't sound like he was in pain anymore though.

"What's going on, Doctor?" Captain Archer's question was one that T'Pol very much wanted an answer to as well.

"Commander Tucker's just a little indisposed at the moment." The doctor's voice sounded cheerfully optimistic. T'Pol chose to take this as a sign that the Commander was not seriously injured. She found it surprisingly easy to ignore the fact the doctor generally sounded optimistic no matter what was happening.

"How is he indisposed, exactly?" the captain asked in a tone suggesting a mixture of confusion and frustration.

"Ahh!! Now that's an interesting story...."

"Which can be told later," Trip interrupted the doctor angrily. "I'll be up as soon as I can, Cap'n. Tucker out."

As the comm. closed, Archer turned back towards the table. "Well, I guess that answers that then." T'Pol had gotten quite used to picking up sarcasm in her Captain's tone and on this occasion, his voice just dripped with it. "You may as well start your report T'Pol. Trip can catch up when he gets here."

"Of course. We followed the two warp trails to this small planetary system." T'Pol punched some buttons on the console to bring up a diagram of the system. "The T'Roth is currently orbiting the fourth planet. I took the liberty of hiding Enterprise behind the seventh planet. It's a class eight gas giant and should obscure us from being detected."

"If I'm reading this right, it looks like more than the T'Roth is orbiting that planet," Lieutenant Reed stated. He was staring intently at the screen.

"You're correct. There are approximately a dozen ships in orbit."

"A dozen!" Captain Archer exclaimed in surprise.

"Perhaps more," T'Pol answered. "There are several factors making it hard to provide a more accurate reading."

"Can we tell whether any of these ships is the one that brought the T'Roth here?"

"No. They all appear to be powered down."

"What about the planet?"

T'Pol tapped some more buttons and a schematic of the planet came into view.

"The planet is Menshara class-" Before T'Pol could finish her report, the schematics were all replaced by giant bursts of static.

"What happened?" Surprise was evident in everyone's face but it was Lieutenant Reed that was first to ask the question.

"I was about to explain," T'Pol stated. Archer gestured for her to continue. "The largest continent on the planet appears to have a area of land containing an energy barrier."

"A base?" Archer posited.

T'Pol inclined her head to show her agreement with that assessment.

"Most likely. However, at regular intervals it emits a high burst of radiant energy which obscures our sensors."

"How regular?" Archer asked.

"Every twenty one point three minutes."

"How long does this burst last?"

"Six minutes."

Captain Archer appeared to be considering this new information, but his attention was diverted when the turbolift doors opened and Commander Tucker rushed onto the bridge. He stopped short when he noticed five pairs of eyes all trained on him. After a few seconds his fair skin coloured in embarrassment under the intense gazes of his fellow crewmen and he gave a sheepish grin as he moved into the situation room and took a spot next to Lieutenant Reed.

"Sorry I'm late. What'd I miss?" He avoided looking at anyone and began studying the readouts intently. His attempts to pretend everything was normal was hindered by the fact the screens still showed only static.

T'Pol surreptitiously gave the Commander the once over. He appeared uninjured at first glance, although his left uniform sleeve was missing; torn at the shoulder. Captain Archer, who had been giving Trip the once over much more blatantly than herself, cleared his throat and began speaking.

"So, to recap, we have the T'Roth and numerous other ships orbiting a planet. We have no idea who the other ships belong to or which one was responsible for the disappearance of the T'Roth. The planet itself has some sort of alien base surrounded by an energy shield. The shield emits a six minute energy burst every 20 minutes. Correct?"

"Correct," T'Pol confirmed, though the summary was no doubt more for Commander Tucker's benefit than to really refresh anyone's memory. The information she had been able to gather had been most lacking in substantive detail.

"Anything else to add?"

"No."

"So the question becomes - what do we do now?" Archer glanced at everyone at the table, waiting to hear their opinions.

"Will these energy bursts cover our movements against..." Lieutenant Reed paused as if lost for words. He finally gestured at the view screen and finished lamely, "...whoever it is that's responsible?"

"I believe so. When I gave the order for Enterprise to enter the system I did so under the cover of one of these bursts. There have been no indications that our presence has been detected."

"You knew about these energy bursts before we entered the system?" the captain interrupted.

"Yes. They were detectable from a sizeable distance away."

"May I ask why you didn't inform me of this when you first noticed it? After all, it might have been important." There was the sarcasm again, T'Pol noted.

"When I first detected it, I wasn't sure if it was a natural phenomenon or if it was being created artificially. There was the possibility that the warp trails would have veered off from the system. I thought it best to gather more information before alerting you."

Archer nodded, "I understand. But next time, let me know even if you're unsure."

T'Pol inclined her head in acknowledgment. The Captain's rebuke had been mild but well deserved, in her opinion. Her explanation had been truthful but there was another reason as to why she had not contacted the Captain earlier. A more troubling reason. She had been... appreciating the quietness of the night shift. Ever since the T'Roth had been reported missing, the crew of the Enterprise had been growing increasingly agitated with each passing day. Combined with the fact that she had had to cut her meditation sessions down to accommodate the crisis, the heightened emotions of the crew had begun to wear on her. She frowned slightly in annoyance. It was a poor excuse for delaying a report. Then it hit her that frowning and annoyance were both forms of emotion. She quickly wiped the frown from her face and replaced it with her usual expression, however she was less successful at suppressing the annoyance. A small knot remained no matter how she tried to dislodge it. She glanced up to see if anyone had noticed her lapse, but it appeared no one had.

"These energy readings are off the scale. I'd be surprised if they could see any more than us during one of these things," Commander Tucker stated, bringing everyone's attention back to the problem at hand. The Commander looked up briefly from the readouts meeting her gaze, and a small corner of his mouth upturned into a slight grin. Perhaps someone had noticed her lapse after all. She watched the Commander for any more signs that would indicate exactly how much he'd seen, but he had returned his full attention back to the readouts.

"But how do we know these aliens sensors aren't a hundred times more advanced than ours?" Ensign Sato asked.

"We don't," T'Pol acknowledged, "but from the information we do have it's a reasonable hypothesis."

"Unless they're biding their time to see what we do next." Ensign Sato's statement seemed to unnerve the other officers. Standing beside her, Ensign Mayweather started shifting about uncomfortably and Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed both lifted their heads to stare out of the front view screen. T'Pol wasn't sure what they were expecting to see; the view screen was filled with the image of the gas giant they were currently in stationary orbit around.

Captain Archer cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention,

"All right. For now we'll work on the assumption that they can't see us during those surges." He turned his attention to Lieutenant Reed, "I assume since you asked the question, you have an idea?"

The Lieutenant, his full attention now back on the Captain, nodded. "I thought we could take a shuttlepod to the surface of the planet. Check this base out. There must be a way in from the ground."

"The shuttlepod would never make it to planet in six minutes. Not from here," Ensign Mayweather put in.

"Enterprise could though." Reed continued on undaunted, "We could warp over there, drop a shuttlepod and warp back to our present location, before they even knew we'd been there."

"The timing would be pretty tight." Mayweather sounded uncertain.

"Is it possible or not?" Captain Archer cut to the chase.

"I suppose but..."

"No." T'Pol cut off Ensign Mayweather's answer. The three men's heads snapped around to stare at her in shock. It was as if they'd forgotten she was there. Annoyance once again flared up inside her.

"Why not?" Lieutenant Reed sounded almost affronted by her interruption, but T'Pol saw no point in them making any further plans down this route.

"The base is located in the middle of a desert. The nearest cover is a set of mountain ranges, many kilometres away. The away team would likely be spotted before it was even halfway across."

"Oh." The defeated sigh of Lieutenant Reed coincided with the return of the sensors. The static gave way to show readings of the planet that T'Pol had called up before they went off-line. The pictures clearly showed T'Pol's words to be true. Archer punched the buttons and the picture returned to the ships orbiting the small world.

"Since we can't get to the base without being detected, let's focus on the T'Roth. There might be some clues as to what's going on onboard. Besides, being a Vulcan science vessel, it's sensors are likely to be better than ours. We may be able to get better readings from them if nothing else."

"This looks like a docking port on the far side, facing away from the planet. They probably won't notice a few extra metres of metal if it showed up there." Travis enthused, quickly jumping on the new plan. To T'Pol, this plan seemed just as risky as the previous one but her objections in this were less concrete. Still, she had to try.

"While I believe that the energy surges most likely block the sensors of these aliens as well, it is by no means a certainty. Ensign Sato's proposition could very well be the correct one. I recommend we do not put Enterprise in any more danger than is necessary. The more chances we give them to detect us, the greater the risk of detection."

"Well what do you suggest T'Pol?" Captain Archer asked, frustration at her attempts to block their plans evident in his voice.

T'Pol was about to put forth her recommendation that they contact the Vulcan High Command and send for some more ships to come and investigate the matter, when Commander Tucker put in.

"We may not need to use Enterprise to get to the T'Roth. All we need is the shuttlepod." The knot of annoyance in T'Pol's mind grew slightly at the Commander's words, but before she could respond, Lieutenant Reed saved her the trouble.

"We've been through this. A shuttlepod won't make it to the T'Roth in six minutes."

"I know that," the Commander stated, rolling his eyes, "but what if we moon-hopped?"

"Trip?" Archer questioned. Commander Tucker brought up a schematic of the system, showing all the planets and moons and their orbiting paths.

"Look at the way these moons and planets are arranged. If we plotted a course for the shuttlepod over stages, hiding behind each of these moons," his fingers traced a path along several of the moons, "until the next surge comes along. We could make it all the way to T'Roth. It won't be a fast trip, but we'll get there and we won't be risking Enterprise."

T'Pol had to admit his plan was feasible. The Captain seemed to come to the same conclusion because he pinned the Commander with a level gaze.

"I assume you're fit for an away mission?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Malcolm, T'Pol, you'll be joining us."

"Aye, Sir." Lieutenant Reed answered and T'Pol echoed him.

"There's a few more preparations I need to make before we get started so we'll set off the surge after the next. Make sure the shuttlepod's ready to go by then."

"Aye sir." Trip responded.

"If that's everything. Dismissed." The other officers began filing out of the situation room. Commander Tucker headed for the turbolift and Lieutenant Reed appeared to do same but at the last minute stopped short. He stared at the Commanders back for a few seconds then turned and headed towards his own station. T'Pol was unsure why, when he reached his station, he glanced her way and then back to the turbolift where the Commander had just been whisked away. Most strange. Still, she had a more important task at hand than worrying about the relations between the Commander and Lieutenant.

"Captain, may I speak with you?" T'Pol called out to Archer's retreating form.

"My ready room," Archer stated, not stopping on his path but slowing down enough to let her catch up.

"Let me guess," he said as the doors to the ready room closed behind them, "you don't approve." His words were tinged with humour as if he found her opinions amusing. The knot of annoyance once again grew in size.

"It's a foolish risk."

"What would you have us do?"

"Contact the High Command. They can send vessels better equipped at handling these situations."

"The nearest Vulcan ship would be, what? Four weeks away. At least. What are we supposed to do until then? Sit on our hands?"

"Of course not." The Captain perked up at T'Pol's reassurance that Enterprise wouldn't be left standing still, but his face returned to it's expression as she continued on. "Enterprise will return to it's original course."

"C'mon T'Pol. You've been with us long enough by now to know that's not going to sit well with anybody. Especially me." T'Pol had to admit that the answer from the Captain was pretty much what she had expected. Still, it was her duty to report all options to the Captain and hers was the most logical choice. Not surprisingly, it was an option that the more emotional humans didn't favour.

"Aren't you the slightest bit curious about what's going on over there?" Archer asked.

"It is intriguing," T'Pol admitted, "but I don't believe it's wise to risk 83 lives to satisfy my curiosity."

"And that's what you think I'm doing? Risking 83 lives to satisfy a curiosity."

"Aren't you?"

"No. I'm risking four." Archer gave a brief snort of amusement but it turned into a deep sigh. "Look, the Vulcan High Command asked us to find out what's going on, and that's what I plan to do. I'm not going to quit because things get a little risky. It's not in my nature. It's not in human nature. Understand?"

"Perfectly. However it is my duty to inform you of all the options."

"I can accept that. You're right in one respect, though. Starfleet and the High Command do need to be informed. In fact, I plan to do just that. While we're exploring the T'Roth, I thought I'd send Enterprise out of the system to send a message." He hit the intercom button, "Travis, report to my ready room."

"Aye, sir," the young ensign's voice answered. A few moments later the door chime sounded.

"Come in," Archer called. The door slid open and Ensign Mayweather entered.

"You asked to see me sir?"

"I did."

"If you'll excuse me Captain. Ensign. I need to prepare for the away mission." T'Pol excused herself from the room.

"Of course," Archer allowed, then turned his attention on the young ensign, "Travis, I know you were probably expecting to fly the shuttlepod but there's something else I'm going to need you do..."

When the door sealed shut behind her, blocking off the Captain's words, she quickly dismissed them from her head. By her calculations she had just under 40 minutes remaining until the away mission. Enough time to squeeze in a small meditation session. It wouldn't be enough time to completely banish all her emotions but it may be enough to calm them into a more manageable state. Her lapses earlier weighed on her mind especially, but most disconcerting of all was the stab of fear she'd felt upon finding out that Commander Tucker was in Sickbay. No! her mind corrected sharply, it wasn't fear. Vulcan's don't feel fear. It was merely worry. Concern for a fellow crewman. That's all. T'Pol quickened her steps. Meditation was definitely in order.