Miscommunication

by Ragua

Disclaimer: Paramount owns all. I'm just borrowing.

A/N: All Vulcan terminology courtesy of the Vulcan Language Institute



Chapter 6

Lieutenant Sato is correct, Captain, his first officer stated. The distress signal is Vulcan. She hesitated. And yet, it is a frequency consistent with that of a handheld or portable beacon—one used by landing parties, not space-going vessels.

Archer frowned. Any other ships nearby? he asked.

T'Pol replied, after taking a moment to scan.

Mr. Reed, your assessment?

The Armory Officer was caught off guard. Normally, the captain just plunged headlong into situations like this, completely ignoring any and all security risks. Perhaps the Xindi crisis had taught him the value of caution!

The discrepancy of the distress frequency suggests the possibility that it is a trap of some sort, Captain, Reed replied, hoping he sounded rational instead of paranoid.

The captain nodded. Agreed. But we can't very well ignore a distress signal from an ally.

Then I would advise running continuous scans as we move to intercept, Reed stated. And, of course, we should go to tactical alert, he couldn't help add.

Archer took only a moment to decide. Do it.

##########

The continuous scans advocated by Lieutenant Reed paid off, but not in a way expected by any of the officers on the bridge.

Hoshi was the first to call Archer's attention to the odd situation. I've finally managed to pinpoint the distress signal. But it's not coming from a ship! The Communications Officer stared at her monitor as if she could not believe what it was telling her.

T'Pol busily tinkered with her own monitors at the Science Officer's station and then looked up at Archer, appearing as disconcerted as a Vulcan could. It would appear, Captain, that the distress signal is emanating from a photon torpedo casing.

Archer, dumbfounded, turned to Reed for a third opinion. The Armory Officer checked his own readings and then turned back to his captain, nodding, a shocked look on his face.

T'Pol went on. Scans of the torpedo casing indicate a biosign present.



There was a pause as T'Pol rechecked her data. she responded.

Archer felt all their eyes on him as he returned to his seat. Archer to Engineering, he COMMed.

Tucker here, the response was immediate.

We need to pick up the pace, Commander. Is Warp 5 an option right now?

Sure, Captain, but I wouldn't advise keeping the hammer down for too long.

Archer replied, signing off. Then he looked at his helmsman.

Let's get going, Travis.

##########

Archer moved briskly through the ship, followed by his Science, Armory, and Communications Officers. Phlox and Trip stood waiting for them outside the docking bay, where Malcolm had used the grappler to secure the photon torpedo tube with its mystery occupant.

The engineer knelt by the tube, deftly working to open it. A click and a hiss announced his success. Archer moved forward to assist in the removal of the lid, while Reed positioned himself at the ready with his phaser. T'Pol, Hoshi, and Phlox shared a look at the Armory Officer's behavior, then stepped back in unison.

The removal of the torpedo casing lid revealed a gray-haired male Vulcan laying as if in a casket, hands folded on his chest. Without any prompting, Phlox stepped forward and scanned the body with his tricorder. Almost immediately, he began to make little noises that most of the crew associated with his quirky Denobulan curiosity.

Well, well, well, he muttered to himself, completely oblivious to the five pairs of eyes watching him expectantly.

Finally, the captain lost his patience.

Archer's voice brought the Denobulan out of his reverie. Our mystery guest is alive, Captain, Phlox cheerily announced. However, he seems to be in some sort of self-induced coma or trance. All his bodily functions have slowed down to a fraction of their norm! The doctor was most impressed.

Archer glanced at T'Pol for more details. She nodded with Phlox's assessment. There is a very complex mental discipline—the Kan-sorn—that would explain such readings. It takes many years to master. T'Pol paused. Vulcans who travel in space are encouraged to learn the discipline, as it can be an asset in situations where life support is compromised.

So he could have been in this torpedo casing for a damned long time! Archer exclaimed. What should we do for him? Can we wake him up? Should we?

T'Pol considered. I believe that the practitioner has the ability to bring himself out of the trance, once his subconscious senses that conditions have improved.

Then I had better get this man to sickbay as quickly as possibly, Phlox concluded.

While the doctor supervised transferring the unconscious Vulcan to a stretcher for the journey to sickbay, Trip scanned the torpedo tube with his tricorder. The instant two crewman had lifted Phlox's patient out of his makeshift transport, the engineer placed his hands on Hoshi's shoulders, gently moving her aside, and then knelt to examine the tube more closely.

For Trip, intrigued as he was by whatever technology lay hidden in the Vulcan torpedo tube, the action was completely unconscious. Archer, however, felt Malcolm stiffen beside him and saw T'Pol narrow her eyes slightly at the physical contact.

Shit! the captain hissed internally. Couldn't they get beyond this? For God's sake, they had just pulled an elderly Vulcan out of what was essentially a flying coffin!

He attempted to get his officers' focus back on the task at hand. What have you got, Trip?

The engineer's attention had never wavered from the torpedo tube. Several PADDs, probably with information about the situation that caused our friend to end up in here, Trip nodded at the torpedo tube. He immediately began to peruse the information on the PADDs. This one's mainly text. Maybe a log or narrative account. It's in Vulcan, so you'll need to translate it.

Archer watched, stupefied, as the oblivious engineer handed the PADD not to Enterprise's Vulcan First Officer, but to its human Communications Officer.

Oh, God, the captain groaned to himself. Why don't we just set the ship to self-destruct now and get it over with?

Hoshi took the PADD automatically, then, aghast, she cast a horrified look at T'Pol. The Vulcan dropped her eyes to the engineer crouched on the floor, her face frighteningly blank.

How the hell am I going to keep her from killing him? Archer wondered silently. He certainly wasn't going to get any help from Malcolm, who had drawn in a swift, shocked breath at Trip's action and then proceeded to become even more stiff, if that were possible. Archer suspected the Armory Officer was channeling one of those stone monoliths on Easter Island.

Sublimely unaware of the faux pas he had committed, the engineer continued sifting through his finds. This one looks like scientific data. Maybe readings from the sector where the guy's ship got into trouble... Archer watched Hoshi pick up one of her feet slowly, as if she were contemplating planting it in the engineer's backside.

Should I even try to stop her? the captain wondered. Trip's cluelessness, while not at all malicious, surely merited a good swift kick in the ass. Luckily, Hoshi curbed her temper. Trip, however, rambled blindly on.

...And this one is definitely some kind of engineering schematic. I should be able to figure that out. Oh, and here's another one with lots of text. And another!

The engineer rose to his feet cradling the PADDs to his chest. He had started to hand another PADD containing text to Hoshi when he realized that all his fellow officers were staring at him. Trip blinked, suddenly unsure and ill at ease.

T'Pol removed the PADD from the engineer's hands. Perhaps I should take that, Commander. It is true that I have been serving with humans for more than three years, but I suspect that I can still successfully read documents in my native language.

Trip responded lamely, finally realizing that he had screwed up.

Badly.

Um...I...sure, Sub-Commander, that goes without saying. I...uh... Trip turned his eyes to the captain, silently pleading for a rescue.

Archer was tempted to slap his palm to his forehead. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and chanted to himself, I am the captain, I am the captain, I am the captain.

Then he was ready.

Good thinking, Commander, he barked. T'Pol, you and Trip get these PADDs to the Command Center and start analyzing the information. Hoshi, I want you to help with the translations. The three mentioned looked at him with varying expressions of disgust, unease, and outright panic.

Archer ignored them all and turned to Reed. Lieutenant, I want you to make a thorough analysis of the torpedo tube. There isn't likely to be much learned from it, but any little bit with help us. Once you've done that consult with Travis. Get the ship headed in the direction that torpedo came from, but only at impulse. We don't want to rush headlong into whatever caused this. We need more information, and quickly.

Now they were all staring at their captain. Archer glared back, daring them to comment. In the meantime, I'll be in sickbay with Phlox. I'll expect a preliminary report within an hour. He stepped back so that his glare could encompass all four of them. Get moving.

As they scurried away to perform their assorted tasks, the captain smiled grimly. Sometimes it's good to be the captain.

##########

Three hours later, the senior staff gathered in the Command Center. Working toward a common goal seemed to have diffused some of the tension, the captain noticed. T'Pol's presentation of the information gathered was a model of professionalism.

Our guest's name is Kras. He is the Science Officer of the Vulcan research vessel Karil, T'Pol began the debriefing. The Karil's mission is to make surveys of pre-warp societies in several sectors, discreetly observing them every few years to monitor their progress.

On their most recent visit to a planet known as Modinok, initial scans showed signs of technology far more complex than the indigenous culture had previously displayed. T'Pol paused and checked her notes. I believe the prior level of technology on Modinok was analogous to that of Earth in the early 20th century.

So these people shouldn't have had even the most rudimentary capacity for space travel, Archer sought confirmation.

T'Pol nodded. When the Karil moved into orbit, it was discovered that the inhabitants—the Mahdini—had come to possess extremely advanced technology in the three years since the previous visit, most likely of alien origin. T'Pol paused to survey her audience. As the captain and senior officers were meeting to decide what course of action to take, their ship was struck by an energy pulse which disabled all systems but basic life support. The crew worked to get the other systems back online, but each time they came within striking distance of the goal, another energy pulse from the planet would bring down their systems again. The logical conclusion was that the Mahdini wished to capture or destroy their vessel.

Upon coming to this conclusion, the crew created a plan to reroute enough energy from all systems to fire a single photon torpedo.

And that is the torpedo that is currently sitting in Docking Bay 2, Archer supplied.

Yes, Captain.

What do we know about this energy pulse? Or the alien technology? T'Pol nodded at Trip, indicating that the engineer would field this question.

Only what the Karil was able to scan before its systems were disabled, Tucker picked up the narrative. It appears that the pulse emanates from a central weapons complex. This primary matrix is linked to a series of power relays. From what I can see, the relays may be supplying the power for the pulse weapon, but I can't be absolutely sure, Trip admitted. I'd like to talk to the Vulcan, if that's possible.

Archer shook his head. Phlox says not yet. Anything else?

Hoshi cleared her throat, glancing briefly at T'Pol for permission. The captain of the Karil was covering all his bases. The other PADDs with text were messages from the crew to friends and family members. I read the beginning of each message to make sure, but once I verified that each file contained personal messages, I didn't read further. But I can continue if you want.

Archer shook his head again, unwilling to acknowledge that possibility. No, Lieutenant. Hopefully that won't be necessary.

The silence that had greeted Hoshi's contribution to the meeting continued after the captain's response, the seriousness of the situation driven home most acutely.

Suddenly, the COMM beeped, filling the silence. Phlox was calling with an update on his Vulcan patient. Captain, our guest is awake, the doctor chirped. There was a brief pause, and then the Denobulan went on. You may want to bring a communicator with you, however.

Archer responded automatically. He looked around at the expectant faces of his officers. Sub-Commander, you and Commander Tucker are with me. Malcolm, go over the information on that weapon with a fine-tooth comb. The rest of you, dismissed.

##########

The need for a communicator became evident almost as soon as the small party reached sickbay. The Vulcan spoke no Standard and apparently had no functioning universal translator. T'Pol spoke to Kras soothingly and made introductions in Vulcan, while Trip set up a communicator to translate the conversation.

It didn't take long. As if by magic, Kras' words leaped from Vulcan to Standard. In our quest to power my journey, communicators and translators were not deemed a priority, the translator caught the Vulcan mid-apology.

Archer waved the apology off. Luckily, we still have that technology. The captain paused for only a heartbeat, then got straight to the matter at hand. We've been through all the data PADDs you brought with you, but anything else you can tell us about the situation would help.

Unfortunately, I cannot add much to the data you have already accessed, the Vulcan spoke with regret. You already have all the information we were able to gather before our systems were disabled.

If we attempt a rescue of your crew, would Enterprise be in jeopardy from this energy pulse weapon? T'Pol queried.

It is likely, Kras responded. The readings we took indicated a matrix capable of generating enough energy to disable multiple starships.

Multiple unsuspecting starships, Trip corrected. When the two Vulcans turned on him, frowning, he qualified his statement. The Karil was caught unaware. We'd be going in on full alert, knowing we'd have to evade this pulse. They'd probably have a harder time hitting Enterprise if we stayed out of orbit and kept moving.

Kras considered the human's words. That is a logical assumption. But the necessity to stay in constant motion would make a rescue attempt nearly impossible.

Would Enterprise's phasers or photon torpedos have any affect on the Mahdini weapons complex? Archer asked.

It is unlikely that our weapons would have much effect, if we are unable to move within orbiting range, T'Pol replied.

And however dire the situation, Kras added, we would like to avoid violence. When Captain Archer gave the Vulcan a startled look, Kras explained his position further. The Mahdini have obviously been co-opted by a more advanced race. They are most likely innocent pawns of a species that has played upon their xenophobia. A resolution that does not involve harming them is to be preferred.

Archer sighed, looking at the floor. There were time when he cursed the Vulcans for their pacifistic tendencies, but this time he had to admit that Kras was right.

We could disable their weapon, Trip suggested, startling his companions. His statement brought disbelieving stares from the captain as well as both Vulcans. Trip flourished a PADD, refusing to be cowed by their doubt.

he directed his comments at Kras. From what I can tell from the scans you took, this energy weapon is powered by a series of relays that connect to the primary firing matrix here, Trip pointed the details out on the PADD as he explained them. If we can sabotage the power relays, we can bring their weapon down long enough for Enterprise to pull the Karil out of range!

Dealing with T'Pol had enabled Trip to become quite adept at reading invisible Vulcan expressions. The one that came over Kras' seemingly blank face now was definitely disapprobation, with a hint of distaste thrown in. Even had we more available intelligence, Commander, your plan would be extremely risky.

The engineer looked at the ground, wrestling with his anger at such a defeatist attitude. If you have a better plan to save the 102 people still on the Karil, sir, I'll do whatever's necessary to implement it.

Trip's ire was evident, but his demeanor towards the older man indicated nothing but dignity and respect. The controlled emotion definitely made an impression on Kras. The elderly Vulcan locked eyes with the human engineer for several moments before responding.

It is true that our options are limited. Perhaps we can work together to implement your plan and increase its chances of success, Kras finally acquiesced.

Now Trip raised his eyes to Archer's. The captain gave his Chief Engineer a firm nod.

We'll be in the Modinok system in four hours. Let's get a plan ironed out well before that time.