Author's Note: Almost finished. The epilogue will be up either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!

Chapter 10 Confrontations

Captain Cran sat in a smooth gray chair, in the forward console. His ship, the Venture, was half the size of Enterprise and carried only a third of the crew. This didn't allow the Captain the luxury of presiding over the command center. Every able-bodied member of the crew had a duty to perform.

A sallow Taltaxin to his left raised his head in alarm, "Captain, the ministry's ship, its changing speeds!"

"What is its course Daly?" Cran asked.

"They're coming...straight at us." Daly announced, shaken.

Cran leaned forward, "What about Enterprise?"

"She's moving into intercept position." Relief flooded Cran. Sub- Commander T'Pol was following through. She had little choice but one never knew for certain the actions another would take, despite what circumstances dictated.

"Captain!" Daly said, his voice rising. "It's not slowing!"

Cran jumped out of his chair, striding over to Daly and reaching the display for himself. "Screen on." He ordered.

The viewer opened in time to reveal the Enterprise slewing to port, injured from impact with the ministry ship. Cran's mouth went dry.

"How close?" He asked.

"They'll be in docking range in...five minutes." Daly replied, eyes wide. "Bring weapons online." He ordered, still staring with fascination at the burning silver ship on the screen.

Daly hit the buttons. Nothing. He tried the sequence a second time. Again nothing. "Captain, our weapons, they aren't responding!"

Cran drew his gaze off the injured ship, looking at Daly with new worry, "What do you mean they aren't responding?"

Daly gestured the display, "See for yourself."

Cran punched the sequence, nothing. He tried again, nothing.

"Engineering, why are our weapons offline?" He thundered.

A tinny voice answered through the comm., "Captain, someone has short- circuited the weapons relays."

Cran felt his self-control dissolving around him, "Fix it!"

"Working on it Captain, but it'll be at least twenty minutes." The voice replied.

"We don't have twenty minutes!" He shouted.

Cran couldn't believe the events unfolding. The fear they had all lived with on a daily basis, the meticulous planning. They had almost lost everything, but then the Earth ship had arrived, and offered them another way. And now it was falling apart again, and he could do nothing, impotent against certain failure.

"We're being hailed." Daly spoke up, "It's Enterprise!"

Cran lifted his gaze once again to the viewer, "Put it through."

Sub-Commander T'Pol spoke four simple words, four words that offered yet another chance at survival, "I have a plan."

Trip felt his bed shaking. An earthquake? San Francisco was a prime area for quakes, but it had been a while since he had last woken to his bed sliding in the midst of one. He heard voices murmuring above. Voices? He lived alone. Alarmed, his eyes popped open.

Doctor Phlox and some woman...wait...he knew that face. Future? His mind cycled through recent events. He wasn't on Earth. He wasn't even on Enterprise. They were hostages aboard the Taltaxin ship. He struggled to remember. How had he come to be in a bed? They had gotten sick. Captain...hot, Reed in pain and he...he couldn't remember. The last thing he was aware of, he had been leaning next to Archer, watching over his friend as he succumbed to the high fever burning within. Trip had been alarmed at how hot he felt. He had no memory of how he gone from that to here.

"Doc?" He croaked. The ship rocked violently again.

Phlox turned towards Trip, aborting his conversation. He smiled kindly, "You're awake."

"What's happening?" He asked.

Phlox leaned over him, running a scan surreptitiously behind his palm, "Nothing you need worry about Commander."

The ship lurched again, Phlox staggered to maintain his position.

"That didn't feel like nothing." Trip asserted.

Future stepped forward, "We are under attack." She faced Phlox, "They must be on their feet Doctor. We are being boarded."

Phlox looked on the verge of arguing, thought better of it, and went to retrieve his medical bag. He quickly administered stimulants.

Within a minute, the men were sitting, albeit with some difficulty. Archer viewed the room through bleary vision. "Phlox?"

"I'm sorry Captain, it would seem we are about to have company. She thought it wise you be functioning, and I would have to agree." He pointed towards Future, standing warily by the door, now open.

Reed fought to maintain coherent thought through the pounding of his head. He felt the blood vessels constrict in tune with the beating of his heart. It hurt.

"Who is attacking us?" He managed to ask.

"My people." Future replied, bitterly. "I told you, they will stop at nothing to kill me, and any who aid me."

Reed knew he wasn't quite up to speed yet, but still, "What about that device you used on our ship? Can't you use it to hide?"

Future shook her head, "We have devices on board that can reveal anyone using that technology. All the ministry needs to do is acquire one from someone on board. They'd find me eventually."

They heard shouts and phaser fire echoing through the corridor. Future gestured for them to gather in the rear of the room, such as it was.

Phlox eased a helping hand under Archer's armpit, "Easy Captain." Archer felt as if his body was full of steel, his limbs fought to move. Trip and Reed helped each other towards Phlox and Archer.

"It would help if we could defend ourselves." Archer pointed out.

"Captain, you couldn't hit a Janx in your condition." Future snapped, tensed in front of the men.

Trip looked at Archer, bemused, "Janx?"

"A rather large animal on my planet. It's known for being easy prey. They are slow and stupid." She informed them, staring at the door as the noises grew.

"At least she didn't call you a Janx." Reed said wryly.

"Future, activate that stealth device... it'll buy time for Enterprise." Archer cautioned unaware of earlier events.

Future knew Enterprise had been badly damaged. She chose to keep that information private. She also knew that these men, who had thought of protecting her rather than themselves, when faced with the approaching enemy, didn't deserve to die.

Archer read the resolve in her stance, "You're going to turn yourself over." He said softly.

"I'm going to try and save you." She cried, "You shouldn't die. It's my fault you are here."

Reed moved forward, Tucker restrained him, frustrated, "They'll only kill us next. Don't do this. Together we may stand a chance."

"What would you have me do? Watch as they kill you?" Future turned again towards the door. They were close.

"Listen..." Reed outlined a plan.

Moments later, members of the Taltaxin ministry burst in the room, phasers rapidly aimed at the men.

"Secured!" One of the front aliens shouted. A figure emerged from the back.

"You let your men do the dirty work Prime Minister? Waiting until it's safe to claim the prize?" Archer snarled. Phlox steadied the Captain as his muscles fought for control.

"A wise ruler knows he must not place himself at risk." Veen replied condescending. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Tucker asked, feigning ignorance.

A front guard thrust his rifle into his abdomen for his trouble. Tucker went down like a sack of potatoes.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size." Archer said, unrestrained fury evident.


Veen nodded towards the guard nearest Archer. He slammed the butt of his rifle against Archer's temple. The Captain fell back against the bulkhead.

"You bastard." Reed spat.

"I've been called worse Lieutenant. Now where is she?" He asked, impatience creeping into his tone.

"Right here, Prime Minister." A sweet voice replied, a shot appearing out of nothingness, striking the minister dead center of his back, his mouth open in surprise, his eyes revealing his shock. He toppled forward, dead before he hit the ground.

Chaos erupted. Guards turned shooting at air. Phlox covered the Captain with his body, gesturing at Reed and Trip to stay down. This is it, he thought, he doubted they'd be left alive, a thin sliver of satisfaction at the thought that the Prime Minister wouldn't either.

"Captain, are you all right?" A familiar feminine voice spoke above him.

"T'Pol?"

"Yes Captain. I thought you might need a hand." She offered a partial smile, kneeling down to face level.

"Don't know why you would've thought that." He said, grinning through the pain wracking his head.

"Where is she?" Captain Cran stood in the doorway, looking around the room, searching for the cause of all this mess.

All eyes glanced around the room.

"She was using the stealth device." Trip remembered.

Cran pulled a device off his utility belt, thumbing it on. He walked towards Reed, and knelt down. He reached into the air, and tapped something. Future's body appeared.

"Is she alive?" Reed asked, looking at her still form.

Cran nodded. "She needs medical attention."

T'Pol stood, "As do our people. I suggest we reconvene on Enterprise."

Cran viewed the devastation around him. "Yes. There's no point in keeping your people any longer." He looked at Archer for the first time, "For what it's worth Captain, I'm sorry."

Archer debated his reaction. This alien had drugged him and his friends, kidnapped them, kept them locked up, leaving them ill for some time without the benefit of medical attention. He was the instrument of this entire debacle, yet could Archer begrudge him the events that had taken place? Desperation often gave birth to monsters, normal men who had never thought themselves capable of the actions they later commit. Archer realized that while Cran was apologetic, he was also resolute, if necessary; he would do it all over again.

"Get us out of here." He ordered. He wanted to go home.