A/N     Many thanks to all who have taken the time to post a review. They are REALLY appreciated, even those with helpful critiques. I took advice a little while ago to flesh out my stories, and perhaps I'm guilty of having gone the other way now. As my school reports undoubtedly must have said "must try harder."

But keep those reviews coming, please and thank you. Now, where were we….?

CHAPTER FOUR

Hoshi's sharp hearing was the first to detect the approaching footsteps beyond the door.

"Someone's coming!"

They scrambled back into their defensive positions, phasers trained on the door. It opened a mere four inches, just enough to allow a hand to toss an object into the centre of the room. Malcolm fired at the closing door, and thought he'd heard a muffled cry, but couldn't be sure. His attention was fixed, like the others, on the small cylindrical object lying innocuously on the floor. Hoshi screamed and clasped her hands to her sensitive ears several seconds before the others copied her actions.

"Grenade!" Malcolm yelled, as their faces contorted in agony, their senses bombarded. One by one, they fell to their knees, keening in pain, until, mercifully, unconsciousness came to claim them and they collapsed.

The grenade sputtered to silence as the door opened fully. Ardl and Gil stepped into the room, viewing the scene with obvious satisfaction.

Ardl spoke. "When she arrives, I'll continue to play the genial host. If I can get her into the building without suspicion, it'll make it easier to take her. I'd rather she was unharmed; it'll make her a much better test subject. I've waited a long time to get a Vulcan to experiment on. Have these four taken to the Communications room; I want her to see them before she leaves, it will help speed up her arrival."

Several attendants entered the room and dragged out the unconscious officers.

"Such a waste of perfectly good food. And I'd had it specially prepared for them," Ardl tutted.

Gil regarded him with impatience. "It won't go to waste. Give it to tomorrow's combatants, it will add to their performance. And remember, in order for the additives to work on the Vulcan, she mustn't know it's in the nourishment. You have remembered that I told you they are vegetarian?"

"Yes, yes, I don't need to be told everything twice. She's vegetarian, is very likely to be suspicious of everything, and will demand to see the prisoners; that's where you come in. Once I've got her inside the house, it's over to you. She'll be like putty in our hands."

Gil snorted derisively. "You know precious little of Vulcans. They're a haughty bunch; think themselves superior to everyone else. That's why breaking her will be all the more enjoyable."

"Whatever; we'll have our sport anyway, with these humans. I've arranged for the men to receive a little 'softening up'. The woman, I'm going to keep for myself. She's a skilled linguist, and a pretty little thing. Quite an interesting combination, don't you think?"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Shuttlepod two settled gently onto the turf beside its twin, and T'Pol alighted cautiously into the setting sun. She held a phase pistol steady in her hand as Ardl approached.

"Sub-Commander, thank you for making good time. I can't tell you how sorry I am that this has happened to your landing party. The Brochanee insisted on dealing only with you."

"Where are Captain Archer and the others?"

"I don't know. Gil attacked them and took them away. Please come into my home. He'll make contact with you, there."

Ardl didn't wait to give her a chance to refuse, but turned and led the way. T'Pol looked around at the deserted area in front of the chancellor's home, and resigned herself to following him. She felt certain that it was a trap, but had to follow it through, for now. Every sense was screaming at her to be on her guard, and the phase pistol in her hand was rock-steady. Ardl ushered her into the same room the others had used, and invited her to sit.

"Thank you, but I prefer to stand. When do you expect this man to make contact?"

"Right now, my proud Vulcan." The voice came from behind her, and she made to spin round and confront the speaker, but a strong arm pinned hers to her side, a hand clamping firmly around her own, crushing it painfully. She gasped as she was forced to drop the pistol. Gil stepped round in front of her, staying well away from her pinching fingers.

T'Pol rubbed tenderly at her wrist. "Where are my crewmembers? What have you done with them?"

"Ah, T'Pol of Vulcan, so typical of your race: straight to the point, no thought for your own predicament. I'll answer your questions in good time. But you make us poor hosts; won't you join us in some refreshment?" Ardl tried to defuse the situation.

T'Pol's eyebrow rose and her eyes were filled with scorn at the thought that these men would assume she could sit and make small talk under the present circumstances.

"I hardly think that's appropriate, do you? Allow me to see the others, and perhaps then we can have our discussion."

Ardl's veneer of civility snapped in the face of such cold control. He stepped forward and ran his index finger down her smooth cheek. She resisted the urge to snap his finger off and hand it back to him.

"You won't remain so aloof, Vulcan. We'll take great pleasure in re-programming you, and it will be your ship's misfortune that you stopped off at Solan. Take her to see the others."

The two men who had been standing behind T'Pol grabbed her arms and marched her out of the room. After a few twists and turns in the journey, she stood before a locked door, and when it was opened, she was encouraged to enter. The room resembled a prison cell with only one heavily barred window. Fastened into the walls were crudely effective restraints in the form of chains. Attached to several sets of those chains were the three male members of the away team. All were heavily bruised, and unconscious.

"Where is Ensign Sato?" T'Pol kept her face and voice carefully void of any anger, but inwardly she was appalled at the conditions the men were in.

"The young woman is unharmed; I'm not a barbarian." Ardl had followed them into the cell. "She will provide a…diversion for me during the early rounds of the games. I'll take you to her, now."

*~*~*~*~*~*

T'Pol had been relieved of her communicator and phase pistol before being locked into another cell, but she was unfettered. The light was non-existent, relying on moonlight coming through the window. After a while her sight acclimatised, and she noticed the huddled form in the corner. Crossing to examine it, she discovered it was Ensign Sato. She was breathing steadily, but T'Pol couldn't determine if the young human had any injuries.

"Ensign, waken up."

Hoshi heard the familiar voice from a long way off. It persisted in getting closer and closer until she decided that the only way to make it stop was to reply.

"Ok, ok, I'm awake. Oh, my head hurts."

She clutched her throbbing temples and screwed her eyes shut, attempting to relieve the worst headache she'd ever experienced. Gradually, she struggled to a sitting position and squinted open one eye. By the pale moonlight she recognised the shapely form of T'Pol, bending over her. Both of her eyes flew open in surprise.

"Sub-Commander, when did you get here?" She winced at her pounding skull, but managed to remain focussed on her senior officer.

"I was summoned here a short time ago. Naturally, it was a trap that I had little choice but to step into. You and the others had been imprisoned. Can you tell me what happened?"

Hoshi looked around at her surroundings and shivered.

"These people aren't as civilised as reports would have us believe. It seems they hold blood sports to release their violent tendencies, and when we tried to return to the shuttle, they threw some sort of stun grenade at us. Where's everyone else?"

"They are in the room next to ours, but as we are unable to assist them at present, we should conserve our energy until such time as we can."