He Who Fights With Monsters
By Thalia Drogna
*********************************************
Lieutenant Reed had heard Trip's cry of pain and seen him fall to the floor, just as Shar Jen called out to him. He thought it was a panic attack and grabbed the hypospray that Phlox had given him when Reed had suggested Trip accompany them. As he neared and heard Trip say twice "shut up", he suspected that it might be related to the nanites rather than simply something setting off a fear response. He knew that the sedative in the hypospray could just as well be used to relieve Trip of pain as to calm him from a panic attack, so he made use of it.
"I don't understand," said Shar Jen, "is the Commander ill?"
"I'm afraid so," said Reed.
"We can take him to our sick bay," said Shar Jen.
"No," said Reed, "not sick bay. Commander Tucker has a phobia about medical facilities. Is there somewhere quiet we can take him? And if I have your permission, get our doctor over from Enterprise?"
"Of course. I sensed that he was in pain. I should have realised," said Shar Jen.
"You sensed...? Never mind. Let's just find somewhere for him to lie down," said Reed.
"My quarters," said Shar Jen, "they're close. We can take him there."
Reed flipped open his communicator and requested that Phlox come over on Shuttlepod Two to tend to Trip. He didn't go into details, he didn't want to worry anyone on Enterprise, hopefully they'd think that this was just another of Trip's "episodes". Not that that wasn't worrying enough but less worrying than it being a problem with the nanoprobes which were still an unknown. Shar Jen brought over a couple of the Tien engineers and they carried the unconscious human to Shar Jen's quarters, Reed following anxiously behind them, after taking a moment to tell Ensign Cook to carry on with the repair work.
Shar Jen's quarters were just along the corridor and apparently were always occupied by the Chief Engineer, or Artificer as the Tien called her. The quarters were much larger than even the Captain's quarters on Enterprise. They consisted of a bedroom, lounge, kitchen and bathroom, all at least as large as Reeds own quarters. The lounge was draped in velvet and other fabrics giving it a cosy feel, and it had a large couch.
"Put him on the couch. I'm sorry my rooms are not bigger," said Shar Jen, "the Artificer is expected to spend most of their time in the Engine room." The Tien engineers deposited Trip on the couch and left Shar Jen and Reed to look after him. Shar Jen went to the bedroom and returned with a blanket to put over Trip.
"They're larger than my own quarters on Enterprise," said Reed, looking around him. "And Commander Tucker would agree that the Chief Engineer should spend most of their time in the Engine room. Lately he's been spending too much time there."
"He is in pain, I sensed it," said Shar Jen. "Sit down, Lieutenant, while we wait for your doctor to arrive."
Reed sat down in an armchair and Shar Jen sat cross legged on the floor. "You said that you sensed he was in pain before. What did you mean?" asked Reed.
"The Tien are sensitive to others. We are all empathic to a certain degree, some more than others. Your Commander is...radiating darkness, pain. It's hard to explain to a non-empath, it's as if we see people coloured by their emotions. Something terrible happened to him. What was it?"
"He was captured and tortured for information by our enemies," said Reed quietly, looking at the sleeping Engineer. "They had him for two months before we were able to rescue him."
"This was recent?" asked Shar Jen.
"Yes, we rescued him just over three months ago," said Reed.
"That is what I felt then. There is something else that you haven't told me," said Shar Jen.
"There's quite a lot that I haven't told you," said Reed.
"But that is all you're going to say?" asked Shar Jen.
Reed nodded.
"I must introduce you to our Weapons Master, Nils Fen. The two of you would get on well," said Shar Jen.
"I look forward to you introducing us," said Reed. Trip stirred in his sleep and mumbled something.
"The Commander is still ill," said Shar Jen. "He is having difficulty putting his ordeal behind him."
"Yes, he is," said Reed.
"He has good friends," said Shar Jen. "I can feel your concern." Reed looked down at his hands, embarrassed at what Shar Jen was saying. "And your guilt." Reed's head snapped up and he looked into Shar Jen's turquoise eyes. He felt she was staring directly into his soul and he couldn't pull away from her gaze. He felt as if he was losing himself in Shar Jen's eyes.
He had thought that he had been hiding his guilt at allowing Trip to be captured by the Xindi, but obviously not well enough. He'd known it was still there but he'd been doing his best to push it down so deep inside him that it would never surface again. Trip hadn't ever suggested that it was Reed's fault that the Xindi had captured him but that didn't stop Reed thinking it.
A beep sounded, breaking the spell and Shar Jen stood. "Your doctor is here," she said. "I will go and meet him. Will you be able to look after the Commander while I am gone?"
"Yes, he should sleep for another couple of hours," said Reed, still wondering what had just happened.
"Please make use of my kitchen if you need anything. I should be no more than twenty time divisions," she said and left Reed with the unconscious engineer.
"Oh, Trip," said Reed, sighing as he settled back in the chair. "Why do I get the feeling that there is something going on with the Tien that we don't know about?"
****
Trip woke up slowly. His first thought was that his head hurt and the more aware he became the more he realised how much pain he was in. He opened his eyes and then quickly screwed them shut again, putting a hand to his head as if that would ease the pain he felt. He'd been dreaming, something he'd been dreaming on and off for the past few weeks, he'd dreamt that the nanites were controlling his body. This time there had been an extra dimension to the dream, this time it had been as if he were turning into a machine.
"Damn, not again," he said, surprising himself when he heard the words out loud.
"Trip?" said a familiar voice.
"Malcolm, what colour are my eyes?" asked Trip anxiously, looking up into the face of Malcolm Reed.
"Blue, Trip, they're blue," said Reed slightly puzzled.
"Thank god for that," said Trip, letting out a deep breath.
"You're okay," said Reed, squeezing his friend's shoulder. "Why did you ask about your eyes?"
"Last time I had a headache this bad it was because Ven Dath activated the nanoprobes' homing program. I woke up and..." he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
"And you weren't yourself anymore," finished Reed.
"Yeah, it was like I was trapped in a bad dream...and my eyes had turned silver," said Trip.
"Mr Reed, if you wouldn't mind moving so that I can perform my scans I would be very appreciative," said Phlox.
"Sorry, Doctor," said Reed and moved to the other end of the couch so that the doctor could have access to Trip.
"How do you feel, Commander?" asked Phlox.
"Like my head is about to fall off," said Trip, wincing at the pain in his skull.
"I'll give you an analgesic for the headache and then I'd better give you a full check-up," said Phlox.
"Okay Doc," said Trip and let the doctor give him a hypospray full of painkiller.
"Do you remember what happened?" asked Reed.
"Erm, I was trying to access the computer and suddenly I had this blinding headache and the nanites were all screaming at me at once," said Trip. "I think they were trying to warn me about something, but I never got to hear what the warning was for."
"You were trying to get the nanites to access the Tien computer? Sometimes I wonder if you even have the sense you were born with, Commander," said Reed, pacing around the room. "This is a completely alien technology. We have no idea how the nanites might react to it or what security precautions they have in their systems. You could have been killed instead of escaping with a headache!"
"Yeah, I know, I just didn't think about it that way. I guess I got burned when I put my fingers somewhere I shouldn't have," said Trip. He knew Malcolm was concerned about him but he didn't understand why the Lieutenant was so angry, apart from a sore head he was fine.
"The nanites aren't toys," said Reed, barely keeping his anger under control. "You have to be more careful. I'm not losing you again."
"Okay, Malcolm, no more messing about with strange systems. I'll be more careful," said Trip, finally working out why Malcolm was so upset. He really could have been killed. "Where am I?" he asked taking in his surroundings.
"Shar Jen's quarters," said Reed. "She offered to take you to their sick bay but I didn't think you'd be too happy about waking up there." Reed recognised the look of fear which had briefly passed across Trip's features at the mention on sick bay.
"Thanks, Malcolm, you're probably right about that," said Trip.
"Well apart from your overloaded neurons, I can't detect any problems," said Phlox. "You should feel fine in a few hours."
"So I can get back to work?" asked Trip, sitting up.
"I suppose so, but I don't want you using the nanites to interface with the Tien computers or overdoing it. Mr Reed has been briefed to make sure that you finish your shift on time and don't over-exert yourself." Reed gave a small nod at this comment to verify it. "Not only that, as you know, we have all been invited to attend dinner with the senior council and it would be rude to be late. I'm told that it will be followed by traditional Tien entertainment." Phlox smiled a big grin, obviously thoroughly excited by the prospect of witnessing the culture of their hosts. "Shuttlepod Two will be returning this evening with the Captain, T'Pol and Hoshi."
"Don't worry, Doc, we'll be there and I promise I'll try to take it easy for the rest of today," said Trip, feeling better now that his head had stopped throbbing. He remembered that he'd told the nanites to shut up earlier so they were quiet now. "How are you guys doing?" he asked the nanites.
"We are functioning within required parameters," replied the nanites. They fed him some statistics which he reckoned looked fine, although he noticed the nanite die off and replacement rates had increased when his headache had hit. They seemed to be back to normal now so probably nothing to worry about. The defunct nanites were absorbed by their brethren anyway and their material used to produce new functioning nanites. None of the nanites lived very long and there was a constant turnover and replacement cycle running.
"So what happened?" he asked.
"Unknown," replied the nanites. "We were attempting to interface when we detected another presence within the network. It produced a feedback loop and we were temporarily overloaded. We managed to obtain some information but the download was incomplete."
"Another presence?" Trip thought.
"Nature of presence unknown," replied the nanites.
"How did I know you were going to say that," replied Trip.
"Unknown," replied the nanites.
"That was a rhetorical question," thought Trip.
"Sorry, we're not good at understanding those yet," apologised the nanites, "more data is required."
"Somehow I doubt you'll ever get the hang of sarcasm or rhetorical questions," said Trip. "Thanks for making the attempt anyway."
"We are programmed to integrate as well as possible with our host," said the nanites.
"I'm sure you are. Is there any way we can stop you from frying my brain next time something like this happens?" he asked.
"More data required. We can run simulations on possible safety precautions if you would like?"
"Sounds good to me, would be nice not to be writhing on the floor in agony next time we accidentally trip a booby trap," said Trip.
"Commander?" said Reed.
"Sorry, just checking in with nanites," said Trip.
"Everything okay?" asked Reed.
"All functions within required parameters," replied Trip without thinking. "I mean yeah, they're fine. Where's Shar Jen?"
"She went back to the Engine room to supervise the repairs. She told me that she is responsible for hundreds of Tien who keep this ship running. Everything from making sure the ship doesn't fall apart to warp theory to plumbing," said Reed.
"I guess that's why her title is Artificer not just Chief Engineer," said Trip. "Makes sense she'd need a lot of people to keep all those systems in repair. Do you know the way back or do we need to call for an escort?"
"It's not far. Seems that the Artificer's quarters go with the job and they're purposely near the Engine room. Do you want to come with us Doctor?" asked Reed.
"Thank you Lieutenant but Shar Jen said she would send someone to take me for a tour of their medical facilities. They should be here in a few moments," said Phlox.
"Have fun, Doc," said Trip, rising from the couch and following Reed towards the door. He had no doubt that the Denobulan medic would be in seventh heaven exploring an alien sick bay.
It took most of the rest of the day to repair Lirat. Trip and Reed only briefly saw Shar Jen again as she was called away to report to the senior council on their progress. Trip started to work on the charging array for the warp reactor which seemed to be a major part of the problem, Ensign Hooper assisted him by passing him tools and checking readouts on the various diagnostic instruments the Tien used to keep track of the engine's performance.
Trip was finding that working without the background of engineering data being fed to him by the nanites was difficult to get used to. He'd never expected to actually miss anything about the nanites, he'd spent so long trying to get rid of them that he was surprised to find himself liking their constant chatter. He hadn't realised how having that much engineering data directly fed into his head coloured his every action, not to mention how he prioritised his work and managed his staff's workload. He felt as if he'd had a layer of understanding removed from him. At least they were still able to help him with calculations and the hundreds of other things that they now did which he didn't even think about anymore.
Suddenly it struck Trip just how much he had come to take the nanites for granted. He treated them as if they were part of his own natural body, instead of what they really were, machines which had originally been designed to disable Enterprise and eventually kill them. He'd resigned himself to the fact that they were part of him now but just what did that mean? He hadn't really thought about it. He wondered if he could really even call himself human anymore now that his blood teemed with machines. How much of him was Trip Tucker and how much of him was the nanites?
****
Shar Jen reported to the senior council chamber. The council chamber was as near to the centre of the ship as was possible since it was the heart of their ship and their society.
"Ah Shar Jen," said Ten En. "I gather we had an incident in the Engine room with one of our visitors."
"Yes, Commander Tucker, their Chief Engineer, collapsed. I could not obtain from them any answers as to why this happened. They did not wish me to take him to sick bay so I was unable to take the scans you asked for," said Shar Jen.
"It is of no consequence now. We know Commander Tucker is what we have been looking for. We also know why he collapsed, he interfaced with the computer," said Ten En.
"How?" asked Shar Jen.
"He appears to be carrying some type of nano-technology. It should make him perfect for our needs," said Ten En. "Not only that he seems to be highly intelligent with an advanced knowledge of science and engineering."
"I don't think he will want to stay with us," said Shar Jen. "He is valuable to their ship as well. We should choose someone else."
"I'm getting old, Shar Jen. There is no one else. He must be persuaded to stay or if he cannot be persuaded we will have to make him. We don't know when we will meet another race who are compatible," said Ten En.
"This goes against everything that we have been taught," said Shar Jen. "He is a good person. He truly wants to help us and he trusts me. I don't want to destroy that trust."
"Our survival is at stake," replied Ten En. "He likes you. Use that to our advantage, make him want to stay willingly. It will be easier for us all that way."
"They lack the empathic faculty," said Shar Jen.
"You know that is not a requirement," said Ten En. "I know how you feel about this, but it is for the good of the Tien. We must preserve the Rel Sevanne. Commander Tucker must stay with us. Remember the words of the Book "the goddess gave the sky to the Tien that they might take what they needed to survive the darkness," he was sent to us and therefore he is for us. The darkness is coming Shar Jen, we have no choices remaining to us."
"The words of the Book can be taken to mean many things," said Shar Jen.
"Perhaps I should arrange for someone else to speak with the Commander. Perhaps your duties are too taxing and you would prefer to stand down as Artificer," said Ten En.
"No, I will do what is required of me," said Shar Jen.
****
By Thalia Drogna
*********************************************
Lieutenant Reed had heard Trip's cry of pain and seen him fall to the floor, just as Shar Jen called out to him. He thought it was a panic attack and grabbed the hypospray that Phlox had given him when Reed had suggested Trip accompany them. As he neared and heard Trip say twice "shut up", he suspected that it might be related to the nanites rather than simply something setting off a fear response. He knew that the sedative in the hypospray could just as well be used to relieve Trip of pain as to calm him from a panic attack, so he made use of it.
"I don't understand," said Shar Jen, "is the Commander ill?"
"I'm afraid so," said Reed.
"We can take him to our sick bay," said Shar Jen.
"No," said Reed, "not sick bay. Commander Tucker has a phobia about medical facilities. Is there somewhere quiet we can take him? And if I have your permission, get our doctor over from Enterprise?"
"Of course. I sensed that he was in pain. I should have realised," said Shar Jen.
"You sensed...? Never mind. Let's just find somewhere for him to lie down," said Reed.
"My quarters," said Shar Jen, "they're close. We can take him there."
Reed flipped open his communicator and requested that Phlox come over on Shuttlepod Two to tend to Trip. He didn't go into details, he didn't want to worry anyone on Enterprise, hopefully they'd think that this was just another of Trip's "episodes". Not that that wasn't worrying enough but less worrying than it being a problem with the nanoprobes which were still an unknown. Shar Jen brought over a couple of the Tien engineers and they carried the unconscious human to Shar Jen's quarters, Reed following anxiously behind them, after taking a moment to tell Ensign Cook to carry on with the repair work.
Shar Jen's quarters were just along the corridor and apparently were always occupied by the Chief Engineer, or Artificer as the Tien called her. The quarters were much larger than even the Captain's quarters on Enterprise. They consisted of a bedroom, lounge, kitchen and bathroom, all at least as large as Reeds own quarters. The lounge was draped in velvet and other fabrics giving it a cosy feel, and it had a large couch.
"Put him on the couch. I'm sorry my rooms are not bigger," said Shar Jen, "the Artificer is expected to spend most of their time in the Engine room." The Tien engineers deposited Trip on the couch and left Shar Jen and Reed to look after him. Shar Jen went to the bedroom and returned with a blanket to put over Trip.
"They're larger than my own quarters on Enterprise," said Reed, looking around him. "And Commander Tucker would agree that the Chief Engineer should spend most of their time in the Engine room. Lately he's been spending too much time there."
"He is in pain, I sensed it," said Shar Jen. "Sit down, Lieutenant, while we wait for your doctor to arrive."
Reed sat down in an armchair and Shar Jen sat cross legged on the floor. "You said that you sensed he was in pain before. What did you mean?" asked Reed.
"The Tien are sensitive to others. We are all empathic to a certain degree, some more than others. Your Commander is...radiating darkness, pain. It's hard to explain to a non-empath, it's as if we see people coloured by their emotions. Something terrible happened to him. What was it?"
"He was captured and tortured for information by our enemies," said Reed quietly, looking at the sleeping Engineer. "They had him for two months before we were able to rescue him."
"This was recent?" asked Shar Jen.
"Yes, we rescued him just over three months ago," said Reed.
"That is what I felt then. There is something else that you haven't told me," said Shar Jen.
"There's quite a lot that I haven't told you," said Reed.
"But that is all you're going to say?" asked Shar Jen.
Reed nodded.
"I must introduce you to our Weapons Master, Nils Fen. The two of you would get on well," said Shar Jen.
"I look forward to you introducing us," said Reed. Trip stirred in his sleep and mumbled something.
"The Commander is still ill," said Shar Jen. "He is having difficulty putting his ordeal behind him."
"Yes, he is," said Reed.
"He has good friends," said Shar Jen. "I can feel your concern." Reed looked down at his hands, embarrassed at what Shar Jen was saying. "And your guilt." Reed's head snapped up and he looked into Shar Jen's turquoise eyes. He felt she was staring directly into his soul and he couldn't pull away from her gaze. He felt as if he was losing himself in Shar Jen's eyes.
He had thought that he had been hiding his guilt at allowing Trip to be captured by the Xindi, but obviously not well enough. He'd known it was still there but he'd been doing his best to push it down so deep inside him that it would never surface again. Trip hadn't ever suggested that it was Reed's fault that the Xindi had captured him but that didn't stop Reed thinking it.
A beep sounded, breaking the spell and Shar Jen stood. "Your doctor is here," she said. "I will go and meet him. Will you be able to look after the Commander while I am gone?"
"Yes, he should sleep for another couple of hours," said Reed, still wondering what had just happened.
"Please make use of my kitchen if you need anything. I should be no more than twenty time divisions," she said and left Reed with the unconscious engineer.
"Oh, Trip," said Reed, sighing as he settled back in the chair. "Why do I get the feeling that there is something going on with the Tien that we don't know about?"
****
Trip woke up slowly. His first thought was that his head hurt and the more aware he became the more he realised how much pain he was in. He opened his eyes and then quickly screwed them shut again, putting a hand to his head as if that would ease the pain he felt. He'd been dreaming, something he'd been dreaming on and off for the past few weeks, he'd dreamt that the nanites were controlling his body. This time there had been an extra dimension to the dream, this time it had been as if he were turning into a machine.
"Damn, not again," he said, surprising himself when he heard the words out loud.
"Trip?" said a familiar voice.
"Malcolm, what colour are my eyes?" asked Trip anxiously, looking up into the face of Malcolm Reed.
"Blue, Trip, they're blue," said Reed slightly puzzled.
"Thank god for that," said Trip, letting out a deep breath.
"You're okay," said Reed, squeezing his friend's shoulder. "Why did you ask about your eyes?"
"Last time I had a headache this bad it was because Ven Dath activated the nanoprobes' homing program. I woke up and..." he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
"And you weren't yourself anymore," finished Reed.
"Yeah, it was like I was trapped in a bad dream...and my eyes had turned silver," said Trip.
"Mr Reed, if you wouldn't mind moving so that I can perform my scans I would be very appreciative," said Phlox.
"Sorry, Doctor," said Reed and moved to the other end of the couch so that the doctor could have access to Trip.
"How do you feel, Commander?" asked Phlox.
"Like my head is about to fall off," said Trip, wincing at the pain in his skull.
"I'll give you an analgesic for the headache and then I'd better give you a full check-up," said Phlox.
"Okay Doc," said Trip and let the doctor give him a hypospray full of painkiller.
"Do you remember what happened?" asked Reed.
"Erm, I was trying to access the computer and suddenly I had this blinding headache and the nanites were all screaming at me at once," said Trip. "I think they were trying to warn me about something, but I never got to hear what the warning was for."
"You were trying to get the nanites to access the Tien computer? Sometimes I wonder if you even have the sense you were born with, Commander," said Reed, pacing around the room. "This is a completely alien technology. We have no idea how the nanites might react to it or what security precautions they have in their systems. You could have been killed instead of escaping with a headache!"
"Yeah, I know, I just didn't think about it that way. I guess I got burned when I put my fingers somewhere I shouldn't have," said Trip. He knew Malcolm was concerned about him but he didn't understand why the Lieutenant was so angry, apart from a sore head he was fine.
"The nanites aren't toys," said Reed, barely keeping his anger under control. "You have to be more careful. I'm not losing you again."
"Okay, Malcolm, no more messing about with strange systems. I'll be more careful," said Trip, finally working out why Malcolm was so upset. He really could have been killed. "Where am I?" he asked taking in his surroundings.
"Shar Jen's quarters," said Reed. "She offered to take you to their sick bay but I didn't think you'd be too happy about waking up there." Reed recognised the look of fear which had briefly passed across Trip's features at the mention on sick bay.
"Thanks, Malcolm, you're probably right about that," said Trip.
"Well apart from your overloaded neurons, I can't detect any problems," said Phlox. "You should feel fine in a few hours."
"So I can get back to work?" asked Trip, sitting up.
"I suppose so, but I don't want you using the nanites to interface with the Tien computers or overdoing it. Mr Reed has been briefed to make sure that you finish your shift on time and don't over-exert yourself." Reed gave a small nod at this comment to verify it. "Not only that, as you know, we have all been invited to attend dinner with the senior council and it would be rude to be late. I'm told that it will be followed by traditional Tien entertainment." Phlox smiled a big grin, obviously thoroughly excited by the prospect of witnessing the culture of their hosts. "Shuttlepod Two will be returning this evening with the Captain, T'Pol and Hoshi."
"Don't worry, Doc, we'll be there and I promise I'll try to take it easy for the rest of today," said Trip, feeling better now that his head had stopped throbbing. He remembered that he'd told the nanites to shut up earlier so they were quiet now. "How are you guys doing?" he asked the nanites.
"We are functioning within required parameters," replied the nanites. They fed him some statistics which he reckoned looked fine, although he noticed the nanite die off and replacement rates had increased when his headache had hit. They seemed to be back to normal now so probably nothing to worry about. The defunct nanites were absorbed by their brethren anyway and their material used to produce new functioning nanites. None of the nanites lived very long and there was a constant turnover and replacement cycle running.
"So what happened?" he asked.
"Unknown," replied the nanites. "We were attempting to interface when we detected another presence within the network. It produced a feedback loop and we were temporarily overloaded. We managed to obtain some information but the download was incomplete."
"Another presence?" Trip thought.
"Nature of presence unknown," replied the nanites.
"How did I know you were going to say that," replied Trip.
"Unknown," replied the nanites.
"That was a rhetorical question," thought Trip.
"Sorry, we're not good at understanding those yet," apologised the nanites, "more data is required."
"Somehow I doubt you'll ever get the hang of sarcasm or rhetorical questions," said Trip. "Thanks for making the attempt anyway."
"We are programmed to integrate as well as possible with our host," said the nanites.
"I'm sure you are. Is there any way we can stop you from frying my brain next time something like this happens?" he asked.
"More data required. We can run simulations on possible safety precautions if you would like?"
"Sounds good to me, would be nice not to be writhing on the floor in agony next time we accidentally trip a booby trap," said Trip.
"Commander?" said Reed.
"Sorry, just checking in with nanites," said Trip.
"Everything okay?" asked Reed.
"All functions within required parameters," replied Trip without thinking. "I mean yeah, they're fine. Where's Shar Jen?"
"She went back to the Engine room to supervise the repairs. She told me that she is responsible for hundreds of Tien who keep this ship running. Everything from making sure the ship doesn't fall apart to warp theory to plumbing," said Reed.
"I guess that's why her title is Artificer not just Chief Engineer," said Trip. "Makes sense she'd need a lot of people to keep all those systems in repair. Do you know the way back or do we need to call for an escort?"
"It's not far. Seems that the Artificer's quarters go with the job and they're purposely near the Engine room. Do you want to come with us Doctor?" asked Reed.
"Thank you Lieutenant but Shar Jen said she would send someone to take me for a tour of their medical facilities. They should be here in a few moments," said Phlox.
"Have fun, Doc," said Trip, rising from the couch and following Reed towards the door. He had no doubt that the Denobulan medic would be in seventh heaven exploring an alien sick bay.
It took most of the rest of the day to repair Lirat. Trip and Reed only briefly saw Shar Jen again as she was called away to report to the senior council on their progress. Trip started to work on the charging array for the warp reactor which seemed to be a major part of the problem, Ensign Hooper assisted him by passing him tools and checking readouts on the various diagnostic instruments the Tien used to keep track of the engine's performance.
Trip was finding that working without the background of engineering data being fed to him by the nanites was difficult to get used to. He'd never expected to actually miss anything about the nanites, he'd spent so long trying to get rid of them that he was surprised to find himself liking their constant chatter. He hadn't realised how having that much engineering data directly fed into his head coloured his every action, not to mention how he prioritised his work and managed his staff's workload. He felt as if he'd had a layer of understanding removed from him. At least they were still able to help him with calculations and the hundreds of other things that they now did which he didn't even think about anymore.
Suddenly it struck Trip just how much he had come to take the nanites for granted. He treated them as if they were part of his own natural body, instead of what they really were, machines which had originally been designed to disable Enterprise and eventually kill them. He'd resigned himself to the fact that they were part of him now but just what did that mean? He hadn't really thought about it. He wondered if he could really even call himself human anymore now that his blood teemed with machines. How much of him was Trip Tucker and how much of him was the nanites?
****
Shar Jen reported to the senior council chamber. The council chamber was as near to the centre of the ship as was possible since it was the heart of their ship and their society.
"Ah Shar Jen," said Ten En. "I gather we had an incident in the Engine room with one of our visitors."
"Yes, Commander Tucker, their Chief Engineer, collapsed. I could not obtain from them any answers as to why this happened. They did not wish me to take him to sick bay so I was unable to take the scans you asked for," said Shar Jen.
"It is of no consequence now. We know Commander Tucker is what we have been looking for. We also know why he collapsed, he interfaced with the computer," said Ten En.
"How?" asked Shar Jen.
"He appears to be carrying some type of nano-technology. It should make him perfect for our needs," said Ten En. "Not only that he seems to be highly intelligent with an advanced knowledge of science and engineering."
"I don't think he will want to stay with us," said Shar Jen. "He is valuable to their ship as well. We should choose someone else."
"I'm getting old, Shar Jen. There is no one else. He must be persuaded to stay or if he cannot be persuaded we will have to make him. We don't know when we will meet another race who are compatible," said Ten En.
"This goes against everything that we have been taught," said Shar Jen. "He is a good person. He truly wants to help us and he trusts me. I don't want to destroy that trust."
"Our survival is at stake," replied Ten En. "He likes you. Use that to our advantage, make him want to stay willingly. It will be easier for us all that way."
"They lack the empathic faculty," said Shar Jen.
"You know that is not a requirement," said Ten En. "I know how you feel about this, but it is for the good of the Tien. We must preserve the Rel Sevanne. Commander Tucker must stay with us. Remember the words of the Book "the goddess gave the sky to the Tien that they might take what they needed to survive the darkness," he was sent to us and therefore he is for us. The darkness is coming Shar Jen, we have no choices remaining to us."
"The words of the Book can be taken to mean many things," said Shar Jen.
"Perhaps I should arrange for someone else to speak with the Commander. Perhaps your duties are too taxing and you would prefer to stand down as Artificer," said Ten En.
"No, I will do what is required of me," said Shar Jen.
****