Chapter Three
Archer stood in the briefing room along with what senior staff he had left. This included T'Pol, Mayweather, Hoshi, and Phlox. Everyone had lost a lot of sleep over the last thirty-six hours, and their faces showed it, with the obvious exception of T'Pol. The senior staff knew that Vulcans could function for prolonged periods of several days without sleep, under the right circumstances.
"T'Pol," Archer began. "I take it you've finished scanning the planet."
"That's correct," T'Pol said as she moved towards the tactical display on the side of the room. "I have scanned the entire planet, divided into hemispheres for more detailed readings. I have also used every scanning technique that I am aware of. Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed are not on the planet."
"What about on the other ships? Could the hunters have them?" Mayweather chimed in.
"I thought the same thing," Archer replied. "T'Pol, I understand you're having difficulty penetrating their hull with sensors."
"Yes. Their hull is made of a composite alloy that I have never seen before. I can obtain detailed scans of the exteriors of their vessels, but I cannot penetrate through to the inside."
"Can't we ask them?" Phlox added.
"Unlikely," T'Pol murmured.
"She's right," Archer finished. "If they don't have our officers, they'll say no. If they do have our officers, what's keeping them from still saying no?"
"We could try anyway," Mayweather concluded.
"I agree, Captain," Hoshi said. "We're at an impasse here. It might be the only thing we can do, for now at least."
"Until any further developments, I agree," the captain said thoughtfully. "Dismissed."
* * * * *
"Hoshi, hail the lead ship out there," Archer said.
"Aye, sir," Hoshi responded, pressing various controls. "You're on."
"My name is Captain Jonathan Archer of the Earth ship Enterprise. We were down on the planet when two of our officers seemed to have disappeared. Do you know anything about where these two men could be?"
There was a pause. "What were you doing on the planet?"
Archer hesitated. "We were looking for an alien being known to us as Tosk. We thought he might be in danger, so we decided to help him."
Another brief silence. "Tosk did not ask for your assistance."
Archer decided to move on. "Can you help us locate our officers?"
"Your officers are in our custody. They were found interfering with the Hunt. This cannot be allowed to happen. Your men have been transferred to our third vessel. It is waiting at the edge of this system, near the Elarian Nebula. You are ordered to proceed there, collect your officers, and exit this system."
Archer looked at Hoshi, signaling for her to place the transmission on hold. She did so. Archer then looked at T'Pol.
"Confirmed," T'Pol said. "The third vessel is waiting at the nebula."
"What do you think, T'Pol? Is his offer genuine?"
"This species is difficult to read. He definitely wants us to leave the system, so I would assume that he would be ready to return our officers to us if it means we will leave them to their business with Tosk."
"I don't like leaving this Tosk in their hands. Hoshi."
On his cue, Hoshi reopened the channel.
"We have decided to accept your offer. Can we have your word that Tosk will not be harmed?"
"Do not interfere," the alien said, suddenly forceful. Then calmly again, "you do not understand our customs. You are forgiven this time, but if you interfere again, we will be forced to take action. Claim your officers and be gone from this system, and do not return."
Hoshi examined her panel. "He's closed the channel, sir."
"I guess that means we're not welcome," Archer said. "Travis, plot a course to the third alien vessel at the nebula. Engage at full impulse."
"Aye, sir," Mayweather replied. "Full impulse."
"Captain," T'Pol said. "I'm reading a power surge in the transporter system. Something's beaming aboard."
"Shut down the system," Archer replied.
"I can't, it's too late."
Archer touched a panel on his chair. "Archer to security, meet me at the transporter immediately. Travis, come with me."
Archer walked to the hatch at the back of the bridge and opened it. He pulled out two phase pistols, tossing one to Mayweather. The two entered the turbolift and rode down to the transporter.
* * * * *
Security had already arrived by the time Archer and Mayweather had gotten there. "Status," Archer said.
"Nothing, sir," a junior security officer said. "We arrived about a minute ago, and we haven't seen anything. I checked the transport logs and all I found was a power surge. No evidence that anything actually beamed aboard."
Archer remembered what Phlox had theorized about Tosk being able to camouflage himself. He touched a communications panel on the wall.
"Archer to Phlox."
"Phlox here, Captain."
"Doctor, we may have an intruder on board, and it looks to be Tosk. That is, if he can camouflage like you think he can. Have T'Pol meet me in sickbay."
"Understood, Captain. Phlox out."
Archer told Travis to head back to the bridge, and told the security officer where he was going, then began to head for sickbay.
* * * * *
"Ah, Captain," Phlox smiled. "Come in."
T'Pol was waiting for Archer to arrive, standing next to Doctor Phlox with her hands behind her back. She walked towards Captain Archer.
"I've given Doctor Phlox all the information I have on Tosk," she said. "He believes he's come up with a solution."
"Actually, Captain, the solution is quite simple, yet it should work very effectively," Phlox added. "Infrared light."
"What do you mean?" Archer asked, slightly puzzled.
"I believe that while the creature is exposed to infrared light, he will be visible to the naked eye."
"Well, that makes things substantially easier. How do you recommend that we expose Tosk to infrared light?"
"The way I see it, you have a few options. You could modify some flashlights, or, if you have time on your hands, you could modify all the lights in the corridors and in every room on the ship to emit infrared light rather than that boring old white light."
"I think I'll go with the first option, unless we find an easy way to change all the lights on the ship to emit infrared light and then be able to change them back again once we were done."
"Actually, Captain," Phlox chuckled. "I wouldn't mind working in infrared light. I find the red quite soothing."
Archer hesitated. He never did quite understand Phlox's Denobulan sense of humor. "Thank you, Doctor. Is that all?"
"I believe so, Captain. I'll keep you informed."
"Very well. T'Pol, come with me."
The two left sickbay and began to walk to engineering to start modifying flashlights. Suddenly, the ship shook violently, as lights in the corridors began to dim or turn off. Archer ran towards the panel nearest him, and pressed the communications button. "Archer to bridge!"
"Mayweather here, sir. It's the aliens. I think they've detected Tosk on board. They've started to open fire, and they're targeting all critical systems. Warp drive, impulse engines, phase cannons, torpedo launchers-they're all going down, sir."
"Issue a Tactical Alert. All crew to battlestations."
Archer stood in the briefing room along with what senior staff he had left. This included T'Pol, Mayweather, Hoshi, and Phlox. Everyone had lost a lot of sleep over the last thirty-six hours, and their faces showed it, with the obvious exception of T'Pol. The senior staff knew that Vulcans could function for prolonged periods of several days without sleep, under the right circumstances.
"T'Pol," Archer began. "I take it you've finished scanning the planet."
"That's correct," T'Pol said as she moved towards the tactical display on the side of the room. "I have scanned the entire planet, divided into hemispheres for more detailed readings. I have also used every scanning technique that I am aware of. Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed are not on the planet."
"What about on the other ships? Could the hunters have them?" Mayweather chimed in.
"I thought the same thing," Archer replied. "T'Pol, I understand you're having difficulty penetrating their hull with sensors."
"Yes. Their hull is made of a composite alloy that I have never seen before. I can obtain detailed scans of the exteriors of their vessels, but I cannot penetrate through to the inside."
"Can't we ask them?" Phlox added.
"Unlikely," T'Pol murmured.
"She's right," Archer finished. "If they don't have our officers, they'll say no. If they do have our officers, what's keeping them from still saying no?"
"We could try anyway," Mayweather concluded.
"I agree, Captain," Hoshi said. "We're at an impasse here. It might be the only thing we can do, for now at least."
"Until any further developments, I agree," the captain said thoughtfully. "Dismissed."
* * * * *
"Hoshi, hail the lead ship out there," Archer said.
"Aye, sir," Hoshi responded, pressing various controls. "You're on."
"My name is Captain Jonathan Archer of the Earth ship Enterprise. We were down on the planet when two of our officers seemed to have disappeared. Do you know anything about where these two men could be?"
There was a pause. "What were you doing on the planet?"
Archer hesitated. "We were looking for an alien being known to us as Tosk. We thought he might be in danger, so we decided to help him."
Another brief silence. "Tosk did not ask for your assistance."
Archer decided to move on. "Can you help us locate our officers?"
"Your officers are in our custody. They were found interfering with the Hunt. This cannot be allowed to happen. Your men have been transferred to our third vessel. It is waiting at the edge of this system, near the Elarian Nebula. You are ordered to proceed there, collect your officers, and exit this system."
Archer looked at Hoshi, signaling for her to place the transmission on hold. She did so. Archer then looked at T'Pol.
"Confirmed," T'Pol said. "The third vessel is waiting at the nebula."
"What do you think, T'Pol? Is his offer genuine?"
"This species is difficult to read. He definitely wants us to leave the system, so I would assume that he would be ready to return our officers to us if it means we will leave them to their business with Tosk."
"I don't like leaving this Tosk in their hands. Hoshi."
On his cue, Hoshi reopened the channel.
"We have decided to accept your offer. Can we have your word that Tosk will not be harmed?"
"Do not interfere," the alien said, suddenly forceful. Then calmly again, "you do not understand our customs. You are forgiven this time, but if you interfere again, we will be forced to take action. Claim your officers and be gone from this system, and do not return."
Hoshi examined her panel. "He's closed the channel, sir."
"I guess that means we're not welcome," Archer said. "Travis, plot a course to the third alien vessel at the nebula. Engage at full impulse."
"Aye, sir," Mayweather replied. "Full impulse."
"Captain," T'Pol said. "I'm reading a power surge in the transporter system. Something's beaming aboard."
"Shut down the system," Archer replied.
"I can't, it's too late."
Archer touched a panel on his chair. "Archer to security, meet me at the transporter immediately. Travis, come with me."
Archer walked to the hatch at the back of the bridge and opened it. He pulled out two phase pistols, tossing one to Mayweather. The two entered the turbolift and rode down to the transporter.
* * * * *
Security had already arrived by the time Archer and Mayweather had gotten there. "Status," Archer said.
"Nothing, sir," a junior security officer said. "We arrived about a minute ago, and we haven't seen anything. I checked the transport logs and all I found was a power surge. No evidence that anything actually beamed aboard."
Archer remembered what Phlox had theorized about Tosk being able to camouflage himself. He touched a communications panel on the wall.
"Archer to Phlox."
"Phlox here, Captain."
"Doctor, we may have an intruder on board, and it looks to be Tosk. That is, if he can camouflage like you think he can. Have T'Pol meet me in sickbay."
"Understood, Captain. Phlox out."
Archer told Travis to head back to the bridge, and told the security officer where he was going, then began to head for sickbay.
* * * * *
"Ah, Captain," Phlox smiled. "Come in."
T'Pol was waiting for Archer to arrive, standing next to Doctor Phlox with her hands behind her back. She walked towards Captain Archer.
"I've given Doctor Phlox all the information I have on Tosk," she said. "He believes he's come up with a solution."
"Actually, Captain, the solution is quite simple, yet it should work very effectively," Phlox added. "Infrared light."
"What do you mean?" Archer asked, slightly puzzled.
"I believe that while the creature is exposed to infrared light, he will be visible to the naked eye."
"Well, that makes things substantially easier. How do you recommend that we expose Tosk to infrared light?"
"The way I see it, you have a few options. You could modify some flashlights, or, if you have time on your hands, you could modify all the lights in the corridors and in every room on the ship to emit infrared light rather than that boring old white light."
"I think I'll go with the first option, unless we find an easy way to change all the lights on the ship to emit infrared light and then be able to change them back again once we were done."
"Actually, Captain," Phlox chuckled. "I wouldn't mind working in infrared light. I find the red quite soothing."
Archer hesitated. He never did quite understand Phlox's Denobulan sense of humor. "Thank you, Doctor. Is that all?"
"I believe so, Captain. I'll keep you informed."
"Very well. T'Pol, come with me."
The two left sickbay and began to walk to engineering to start modifying flashlights. Suddenly, the ship shook violently, as lights in the corridors began to dim or turn off. Archer ran towards the panel nearest him, and pressed the communications button. "Archer to bridge!"
"Mayweather here, sir. It's the aliens. I think they've detected Tosk on board. They've started to open fire, and they're targeting all critical systems. Warp drive, impulse engines, phase cannons, torpedo launchers-they're all going down, sir."
"Issue a Tactical Alert. All crew to battlestations."
