***********
Exile: The True Story
Part 3
Author: Mac
Disclaimers in Part 1
***********
Trip sat alone in his quarters. Phlox released him on the promise that if had anymore more spells, he'd go to Sickbay immediately.
He sighed. At first when Phlox told him that he had to tell the Captain about them, he wanted to punch the Denobulan. Now he knew that his friend had a right to know... in more ways than one.
However, they also had to let T'Pol in on the secret. She gave him an earful, so to speak. Now Trip was waiting for Archer to join him. Just thinking about it made him sweat.
"Just calm down," he said to himself. "Jonathan Archer has been your friend for years, he's not going to be angry with you."
The door chimed and the person of thought entered. "Hey, Trip."
"Hey."
"How are you feeling?" he asked, taking a seat across from the engineer.
"Much better than a few hours ago," he replied.
Archer cleared his throat. "Trip..."
"I know what you're going to say. You're pissed because I didn't tellyou about me and Hoshi. You're pissed that you had to find out the way you did."
"I'm not pissed, Trip. I am a little hurt that you failed to mention this to me, though. However, I understand why you didn't. This is a sensitive topic for everyone involved."
Trip nodded. "Especially with Starfleet regulations."
"Yeah," Archer said with a small smile. "That too."
"Jonathan, you have to help me get her back."
"You know I will, Trip. Besides, I readily agreed to this thinking that it would get more information out of Tarquin. Maybe you could describe what happened to you one more time?"
Trip wasn't so sure he wanted to. Whenever he thought back to that experience, he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Almost like he had already lost Hoshi.
"Trip?"
"Sorry. I could hear Hoshi calling my name. Tarquin said he would kill me if she didn't stay with him. As I said earlier, I don't know if this is true, but I heard her scream like she was in pain. I had a feeling Tarquin is going to hurt her whether she stays with him or not."
Archer stood up. "I'm going to have Malcolm assemble two teams and then we're going down there. Losing you and Hoshi are not options I'm willing to choose."
"Good idea, but I'm going too!"
"I wouldn't even try to convince you otherwise."
*************
"Hoshi, dear, you must eat something."
She pushed her plate aside, trying her best to keep him away from her thoughts. "I'm not very hungry at the moment, thank you."
Tarquin glared at her. He was getting tired of her refusal to do anything with him. He stood up and walked over to her, grabbing her arm. "You will do as I ask or Commander Tucker will die!"
"Let me go!" she cried. "You're hurting me!"
He immediately did so. "I'm-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean-"
Hoshi turned and ran to her room, locking him out. She leaned against the door, sliding to the floor. "Charlie... help me," she whispered.
Tarquin hadn't been around people in a long time, but he knew when he was being rejected and for some reason, it didn't hurt him, it angered him.
He searched for Trip's mind on the ship in orbit, but he couldn't locate him. Tarquin found the lieutenant in charge on the bridge. Apparently a team of officers were coming to rescue Hoshi.
He grinned. He now had the element of surprise.
Exile: The True Story
Part 3
Author: Mac
Disclaimers in Part 1
***********
Trip sat alone in his quarters. Phlox released him on the promise that if had anymore more spells, he'd go to Sickbay immediately.
He sighed. At first when Phlox told him that he had to tell the Captain about them, he wanted to punch the Denobulan. Now he knew that his friend had a right to know... in more ways than one.
However, they also had to let T'Pol in on the secret. She gave him an earful, so to speak. Now Trip was waiting for Archer to join him. Just thinking about it made him sweat.
"Just calm down," he said to himself. "Jonathan Archer has been your friend for years, he's not going to be angry with you."
The door chimed and the person of thought entered. "Hey, Trip."
"Hey."
"How are you feeling?" he asked, taking a seat across from the engineer.
"Much better than a few hours ago," he replied.
Archer cleared his throat. "Trip..."
"I know what you're going to say. You're pissed because I didn't tellyou about me and Hoshi. You're pissed that you had to find out the way you did."
"I'm not pissed, Trip. I am a little hurt that you failed to mention this to me, though. However, I understand why you didn't. This is a sensitive topic for everyone involved."
Trip nodded. "Especially with Starfleet regulations."
"Yeah," Archer said with a small smile. "That too."
"Jonathan, you have to help me get her back."
"You know I will, Trip. Besides, I readily agreed to this thinking that it would get more information out of Tarquin. Maybe you could describe what happened to you one more time?"
Trip wasn't so sure he wanted to. Whenever he thought back to that experience, he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Almost like he had already lost Hoshi.
"Trip?"
"Sorry. I could hear Hoshi calling my name. Tarquin said he would kill me if she didn't stay with him. As I said earlier, I don't know if this is true, but I heard her scream like she was in pain. I had a feeling Tarquin is going to hurt her whether she stays with him or not."
Archer stood up. "I'm going to have Malcolm assemble two teams and then we're going down there. Losing you and Hoshi are not options I'm willing to choose."
"Good idea, but I'm going too!"
"I wouldn't even try to convince you otherwise."
*************
"Hoshi, dear, you must eat something."
She pushed her plate aside, trying her best to keep him away from her thoughts. "I'm not very hungry at the moment, thank you."
Tarquin glared at her. He was getting tired of her refusal to do anything with him. He stood up and walked over to her, grabbing her arm. "You will do as I ask or Commander Tucker will die!"
"Let me go!" she cried. "You're hurting me!"
He immediately did so. "I'm-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean-"
Hoshi turned and ran to her room, locking him out. She leaned against the door, sliding to the floor. "Charlie... help me," she whispered.
Tarquin hadn't been around people in a long time, but he knew when he was being rejected and for some reason, it didn't hurt him, it angered him.
He searched for Trip's mind on the ship in orbit, but he couldn't locate him. Tarquin found the lieutenant in charge on the bridge. Apparently a team of officers were coming to rescue Hoshi.
He grinned. He now had the element of surprise.