Trip had been following Jon around for 2 hours now, he'd never realised just how proud this captain was of Enterprise. Ambassador Orbis and his deputy had followed Archer around as well, they however seemed to find what he was them thoroughly riveting. Trip of course already knew everything there was to know about the ship, and was therefore thoroughly bored. He followed them around another corner and they stopped outside a door. Trip stood waiting for another of Archer's speeches, without looking up, until he realised they were all staring at him. They were standing outside engineering. With a slightly embarrased smile, he edged towards the door and held it open.
"After you"
The Serenans entered engineering, with Archer following closely behind, Trip followed them a closed the door behind them. When he turned round he saw the two Serenans staring at the engine in awe. The female Serenan turned to face him.
"Its amazing. How fast can it go?"
"Well we can get her safely" (he stressed that word) "to 4.5, without the hull starting to fall apart that is"
"We've pushed her to 5 once or twice though." Archer said.
"Against my recommendations though, sir" Trip replied, smiling slightly. Trip took them round engineering, explaining some of the systems on their way. After about half an hour, he was interrupted by one of the engineers. He turned round, and found himself facing one of his better engineers, and friends, Ensign Jennifer James.
"Commander, we could do with a hand re-aligning the internal sensors, something knocked them slightly off balance, and we can't seem to find the cause so its proving difficult to fix."
"All right Jen, I'll be right there," turning back to face Archer and the Serenans "sir?"
"We're pretty much done here anyway, go ahead Trip." Trip gave him a nod of thanks.
"Thank you Commander, it was most enlightening." The Ambassador said to him.
"My pleasure" he responded and turned round and headed towards his station where Jennifer was waiting.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Archer lead the Serenans to the exit, and ask them "Would you like to see the armoury?" They seemed eager, and followed him out. Malcolm'll love that he thought. He turned his attention to Jennifer when they'd left.
"So lets see these scans then?"
"What scans?"
"Of the internal sens-"
"There's nothing wrong with the sensors," she said dropping her voice to a whisper "I just received an encrypted transmission from the Endeavour." He stared at her for a few seconds, what she had just said taking a while to sink in, they'd never contacted either of them on Enterprise before, it must be serious.
"What did it say?"
Archer was sitting in his ready room, contemplating their recent first contact. It went quite well really.
"What do you think?" he asked his beagle, who looked up at him with curious looking eyes "They were friendly enough, especially Ambassador Orbis. I think this'll go down as one of our more successful first encounters." Pothos barks in response, making Archer smile. The comm starts to beep, he leans over to answer it.
"Archer."
Hoshi's voice filled the room "Sir, I've picked up a glitch in the comm system"
"What kind of glitch?"
"I'm not quite sure yet sir."
"Get back to me when you are."
An hour or so later and Archer emerged from his ready room onto the bridge. T'Pol is standing at Hoshi's station, leaning over it. When she sees him she straightens up and looks at him, with her usual neutral expression.
"What've you got?" he asked them.
"It was a transmission" T'Pol responded.
"And?" he said a little exasperatedly, turning to Hoshi this time.
"An encrypted message sir, sent around the time you were giving the Serenans the guided tour."
"From the surface?" he asked, and span round when Malcolm answered.
"No sir, it appears to have come from an empty part of space." Archer looks at him, eyebrows raised.
"We can't locate a ship" Hoshi supplied.
"Who was it sent to?" T'Pol and Hoshi looked at each other.
Trips quarters are empty, there is no sign of him. The comm is beeping, waiting for a response.
The bridge crew are all looking slightly on edge. Hoshi turned from her station to Archer.
"No response." Archer turns to face Malcolm.
"We've searched the entire ship, he's not here, and neither is Ensign James."
T'Pol spoke "They are not aboard, I've scanned for thei bio-signs repeatedly, and have had no success." At a slight loss, Archer shoots confused and questioning glances at his bridge crew. What the hell was going on?
"And all the shuttpods are still aboard, and no-one's used the transporter?" he asked.
"Yes," Malcolm paused, and looked intently at his station "sir."
"Malcolm?"
"I'm detecting a residual energy signature in Jennifer's quarters." He was already suspicious, he knew it couldn't be a coincidence that they'd both disappeared, but this confirmed his fears.
"Transporter?" The captain asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"Yes, yes sir, but not ours."
"I think it would be wise to contact the Serenans, sir" T'Pol said.
"Why?"
"If they are on the surface, then the Serenans could keep on lookout for them."
"Hoshi."
"Right away sir"
"And Hoshi,"
"Sir?"
"Get to work decrypting that message."
"Yes sir"
"T'Pol start running detailed scans of this energy signature in Ensign James's quarters" she nods "Malcolm, scan for any sign of a ship, even something small, anything that could tell us if there is a ship out there."
"Yes sir" he holds his gaze at the captain for a moment, pondering whether or not to voice his concerns. No, it would take to much explaining, and with that he got to work.
"After you"
The Serenans entered engineering, with Archer following closely behind, Trip followed them a closed the door behind them. When he turned round he saw the two Serenans staring at the engine in awe. The female Serenan turned to face him.
"Its amazing. How fast can it go?"
"Well we can get her safely" (he stressed that word) "to 4.5, without the hull starting to fall apart that is"
"We've pushed her to 5 once or twice though." Archer said.
"Against my recommendations though, sir" Trip replied, smiling slightly. Trip took them round engineering, explaining some of the systems on their way. After about half an hour, he was interrupted by one of the engineers. He turned round, and found himself facing one of his better engineers, and friends, Ensign Jennifer James.
"Commander, we could do with a hand re-aligning the internal sensors, something knocked them slightly off balance, and we can't seem to find the cause so its proving difficult to fix."
"All right Jen, I'll be right there," turning back to face Archer and the Serenans "sir?"
"We're pretty much done here anyway, go ahead Trip." Trip gave him a nod of thanks.
"Thank you Commander, it was most enlightening." The Ambassador said to him.
"My pleasure" he responded and turned round and headed towards his station where Jennifer was waiting.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Archer lead the Serenans to the exit, and ask them "Would you like to see the armoury?" They seemed eager, and followed him out. Malcolm'll love that he thought. He turned his attention to Jennifer when they'd left.
"So lets see these scans then?"
"What scans?"
"Of the internal sens-"
"There's nothing wrong with the sensors," she said dropping her voice to a whisper "I just received an encrypted transmission from the Endeavour." He stared at her for a few seconds, what she had just said taking a while to sink in, they'd never contacted either of them on Enterprise before, it must be serious.
"What did it say?"
Archer was sitting in his ready room, contemplating their recent first contact. It went quite well really.
"What do you think?" he asked his beagle, who looked up at him with curious looking eyes "They were friendly enough, especially Ambassador Orbis. I think this'll go down as one of our more successful first encounters." Pothos barks in response, making Archer smile. The comm starts to beep, he leans over to answer it.
"Archer."
Hoshi's voice filled the room "Sir, I've picked up a glitch in the comm system"
"What kind of glitch?"
"I'm not quite sure yet sir."
"Get back to me when you are."
An hour or so later and Archer emerged from his ready room onto the bridge. T'Pol is standing at Hoshi's station, leaning over it. When she sees him she straightens up and looks at him, with her usual neutral expression.
"What've you got?" he asked them.
"It was a transmission" T'Pol responded.
"And?" he said a little exasperatedly, turning to Hoshi this time.
"An encrypted message sir, sent around the time you were giving the Serenans the guided tour."
"From the surface?" he asked, and span round when Malcolm answered.
"No sir, it appears to have come from an empty part of space." Archer looks at him, eyebrows raised.
"We can't locate a ship" Hoshi supplied.
"Who was it sent to?" T'Pol and Hoshi looked at each other.
Trips quarters are empty, there is no sign of him. The comm is beeping, waiting for a response.
The bridge crew are all looking slightly on edge. Hoshi turned from her station to Archer.
"No response." Archer turns to face Malcolm.
"We've searched the entire ship, he's not here, and neither is Ensign James."
T'Pol spoke "They are not aboard, I've scanned for thei bio-signs repeatedly, and have had no success." At a slight loss, Archer shoots confused and questioning glances at his bridge crew. What the hell was going on?
"And all the shuttpods are still aboard, and no-one's used the transporter?" he asked.
"Yes," Malcolm paused, and looked intently at his station "sir."
"Malcolm?"
"I'm detecting a residual energy signature in Jennifer's quarters." He was already suspicious, he knew it couldn't be a coincidence that they'd both disappeared, but this confirmed his fears.
"Transporter?" The captain asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"Yes, yes sir, but not ours."
"I think it would be wise to contact the Serenans, sir" T'Pol said.
"Why?"
"If they are on the surface, then the Serenans could keep on lookout for them."
"Hoshi."
"Right away sir"
"And Hoshi,"
"Sir?"
"Get to work decrypting that message."
"Yes sir"
"T'Pol start running detailed scans of this energy signature in Ensign James's quarters" she nods "Malcolm, scan for any sign of a ship, even something small, anything that could tell us if there is a ship out there."
"Yes sir" he holds his gaze at the captain for a moment, pondering whether or not to voice his concerns. No, it would take to much explaining, and with that he got to work.