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Right, what happened next?---------------------------
Enterprise
Jon paced his ready room floor. Hundreds of questions flooded his head
Why did they crash?
Are they alright or even alive?
Are the Tosscaj telling the truth?
The door chimed and T'Pol walked in. Even she looked a little flustered at the recent turn of events.
"T'Pol, any news? Could you hail the shuttle?"
"No sir. I received a communication for the Tosscaj pilot Jolan who is being sent to meet us. We will rendezvous with him in approximately seventy- three minutes at these co-ordinates." She handed him a PADD, which Jon scanned.
"Have you ever heard of these Tosscaj?"
"Vulcans have had brief encounters with them. They are a very cautious race. They have wide-ranging territories but stay close to home as much as possible."
"T'Pol, in all your experience, is something like this possible?" T'Pol could detect the undercurrent of worry in her Captain's voice. He always felt responsible for Ensign Sato's safety as he had pressured her into accompanying him on this journey in the first place. He had developed a friendship with Lieutenant Reed based on respect, and he admired Ensign Martins' piloting abilities. The situation obviously worried him.
"Sir, I have not experienced such a phenomenon myself, but in this universe, any thing is possible."
"It's my fault. If I had sent them a different route..."
"Captain, do not blame yourself. You could not foresee this occurrence."
Jon turned away and looked out the window.
"I should have. They are my crew. My responsibility"
T'Pol saw the troubled look in his eyes, and walked towards him. Laying her hand on his tense arm, she said
"Jon, you could not have prevented this. You are not to blame."
Jon sighed. "You're right, as always" and he kissed her hand. Pulling her into an embrace, he kissed the top of her head. "This does not look good for the next fifty years if you are always right."
T'Pol settled into the hug, and returned it. His touch always comforted her, and in truth, she was experiencing worry also. She had developed relationships with the away team individually, but she knew blaming themselves would not help them.
"Jon, we should be out on the bridge. The crew needs the reassurance of our presence."
"Alright T'Pol" Jon answered before kissing her briefly on the lips. "Lead on Mac Duff"
T'Pol merely raised an inquiring eyebrow. Jon chuckled.
"I'll explain later, honey" he said before heading out onto the bridge.--------------------------------------
The Fourth Planet in the Nistel System
Day One
Malcolm slowly opened his eyes. The light streaming in from the rather large hull breach above him sent a flash of blinding pain driving through his skull. He quickly closed them, and groaned. His body felt bruised all over, and it hurt to breathe. 'Probably a few bruised or broken ribs' he thought. He could feel blood trickling down his thigh from a gash in his leg. He the realized that he was upside down.
Malcolm opened his eyes, more cautiously this time, and surveyed the scene around him. Hoshi lay beside him. She wasn't breathing! He slowly crawled towards her, inch by painful inch, until he was by her side. He sighed in relief. She was breathing. Her pulse was strong and steady, and her airway sounded clear, though she was still unconscious.
He looked around for Ensign Martins, and could not prevent the gasp of horror that escaped his lips. The helm had obviously taken the brunt of the impact. It was now a heap of twisted metal. And, worse of all, Ensign Jack Martins was crushed amidst the remnants of the helm.
He was still alive, and conscious.
Malcolm crawled to his side, and reached for his hand. Martins' eyes focused on the face above him.
"Sir, I'm sorry..." As he spoke, blood burbled up from his mouth. His lungs were punctured.
"Hey now, we'll have none of that. You need to conserve your strength"
Jack grimaced in pain, but made no comment.
"How's Hoshi?" he croaked out at last, his voice getting weaker.
"She's unconscious at the moment, but I don't think she's too badly hurt."
"That's good. I always had a thing for her, you know? Always meant to ask her out."
"Really?" Both Malcolm and Martin's knew that the young Ensign was dying, and Malcolm was prepared to listen to the young man, and try to comfort him before he died.
"Yeah. She's so smart, and pretty, you know?"
"I do indeed. How come you never asked her out?"
"There'd be no point. She fancies someone else, only he's too blind to see it."
Malcolm felt his heart contract painfully. Hoshi was in love? Through the lump rapidly forming in his throat, he managed to ask "Who?" Not Trip, he prayed silently. Anyone but Trip. He knew his friend was looking out for someone now he and T'Pol were over, but Malcolm didn't think he could bear it if his best friend was the one to secure Hoshi's affections.
"You, sir."
"What!!"
"Hoshi really likes you, sir. Every one else would be second to you. That's why I never asked her out. I won't be second."
Malcolm didn't have time to process this information, because the young Ensign gasped in pain, and tightened his grip on Malcolm's hand.
"Sir, tell my family I thought of them. Tell them..." he broke off, his face contorting in pain.
"I'll tell them" Malcolm assured him. "I'll tell them how you saved our lives by ordering us to the back of the shuttle, even though I outrank you" Martin's chuckled at that, and grimaced in pain. "I'll tell them how you get the shuttle down in one piece... mostly. I'll tell them..."
Malcolm trailed off. Ensign Martins was dead. Malcolm solemnly closed the younger man's eyes and spoke a brief prayer.
"God speed Ensign."
A groan from the back of the shuttle told Malcolm that Hoshi was regaining consciousness. The first word from her lips was "Malcolm." Malcolm's heart thumped. Maybe there was something to what Martin's had said. He moved towards her.
"I'm here." he assured her as he helped her sit up.
"What happened?" she asked, gingerly poking a tender spot on her head, and taking in their surroundings.
"We crashed onto the planet. You hit your head. Ensign Martins is dead. I'm sorry. I know you two were friends."
Tears formed in Hoshi's eyes as she looked at the body of her friend.
"Did he suffer?" she whispered. Malcolm's heart twisted and he knew what he had to do.
"No." he lied. "He died instantly in the crash."
Tears spilled down Hoshi's cheeks.
"I'm glad it was quick. He once told me that he didn't fear death, just pain." She looked up at Malcolm. "How are you?"
"I'm fine."
"That bad, huh?" Despite their situation, Malcolm smiled at her accurate view. Together, they stood up, slowly. Malcolm fumbled for the release for the door, and they both half fell, half stumbled out of the wreck. They found themselves in a green field, surrounded by trees. The sun warmed them and they sat down on the grass, and lay back.
"At least we crashed on a pretty world." Hoshi commented.
"Yes" Malcolm agreed. "It looks to be an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere, so we should be ok."
"It's very quiet. No sound of cities or traffic."
"No sound of technology of any kind. It's uninhabited."
"Damn. There goes one hope of rescue."
Malcolm was quick to assure her. "Enterprise will be looking for us. They will find us soon."
"I sure hope so."
"We'll be fine. We'll be here a week at the most."------------------------------------
Day Two
Hoshi sat on the grass sorting through the supplies that had survived impact. After a rest yesterday, they had pulled out the storage boxes that had not been crushed in the crash, and Hoshi said she'd sort them. Malcolm had removed Jack's body from the wreck. He now lay next to the shuttle, covered in a blanket. Malcolm was testing systems on the shuttle seeing what was working.
Hoshi marked their supplies on a PADD. They had two scanners, some plasma rifles that were standard issue on shuttles, a phase pistol, some power packs, a first aid kit complete with medical scanner, some food that they had bought on the trade planet (most of the food supplies had been destroyed), and limited medical supplies. It should sort them for a while. If needs be, they could forage for food in the forest.
A burst of curses coming from the shuttle told Hoshi that Malcolm was finished with the systems check. Laying aside her inventory, she went to the shuttle.
"Any luck?"
"No! Stupid feckin' piece of machinery. We have no power at all. Nothing. Nada. Zip. We don't even have communicators! Shit!!!"
"Sir, you said it yourself. Enterprise will find us. They will scan the planet and find us."
"I know. I just hope they'll get here soon."
"Me too, sir."
"It looks like we are going to be here for a few days. Call me Malcolm. This 'sir' business will get tiring with just the two of us."
"All right... Malcolm. And I'm Hoshi."
"Alright... Hoshi."----------------------------
Day Eighteen
The fire crackled between them, keeping the night chill away. Hoshi lay curled up under her blanket, staring into the flames, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.
Eighteen days. They had been there eighteen days and there was still no sign of Enterprise. Something must have happened to the ship. Even at impulse, scanning as they went, the ship should have been here a long time ago. They were never getting off the planet.
Malcolm's thoughts echoed Hoshi as he lay parallel to her. The tactical officer ran through scenarios to explain the delay, but all ended in the destruction of their ship. They were alone. Their meager food supplies were dwindling, and they could no longer sleep out under the stars. Besides being too vulnerable and exposed, they never knew when the weather would change. So far, the sun had shone, but it had to rain sometime. He took a deep breath.
"Hosh?"
"Hmm?"
"I've been thinking."
"A dangerous activity."
"Very funny. Seriously though, we can't stay here forever."
"I know. Enterprise isn't coming, are they Malcolm?" Hoshi's voice broke.
"I don't think so. The only reason I can think of is..."
"Enterprise is destroyed"
"I think so. They would have been here by now. I think we should walk out of the area. See what the terrain is like."
"Sound's like a plan."
"Ok, tomorrow, at daybreak, we get ready and go. Deal?"
"Deal."--------------------------------
Day Nineteen
The sun broke over the horizon, waking Malcolm from a light sleep. He stretched and stood, and woke up Hoshi. They jury-rigged backpacks, and packing them with everything they could, they prepared to leave.
"What about Jack?" Hoshi asked.
"We'll have to bury him." Hoshi nodded mutely.
They buried Jack Martins at the edge of the forest. It was a pretty spot. A nice place to spend eternity, Malcolm thought. Hoshi cried, and Malcolm said a brief farewell. Hoshi spoke some prayers, and they left the spot.
"What if someone comes looking for us?" Hoshi asked. "They won't know where to find us."
Malcolm thought for a minute. "Alright." He said finally. "Stand back"
He took out his phase pistol, set the beam onto the thinnest setting and fired at the hull. By the time he was finished, a shaky "Gone East" was inscribed onto the hull. Satisfied, Hoshi and Malcolm turned, and walked towards the tree line.-------------------------------
Day Thirty-Two
They had been walking for two weeks now, and were a long way from the shuttle. So far, the only signs of life they had discovered were birds and animals on their scanners. They had yet to meet anything. It seemed the animals were afraid of them. They scanned as they went, and took detours if something showed up on the scanners. There were no signs of life; no buildings, no roads, nothing.
Malcolm was in the lead, a plasma rifle slung over his shoulder and the phase pistol on his hip. Hoshi smiled. You can take the man out of the Armoury... Malcolm had been so wonderful over the past few weeks. He had been so thoughtful, and listened to all her worries, tried to soothe her fears, kept her spirits up. The feelings she had felt for him before the crash had intensified. She knew she loved him.
Malcolm walked ahead of Hoshi, acutely aware of her gaze boring into his back. He smiled as he did every time he thought of her. She was so scared at the start of all this, though she had done her best not to show it. He laughed at the jokes she had told to try to keep the mood light, and he marveled at her ability to adapt from the confines of the ship to the outdoor life.
Every night, he slept opposite to her over the campfire, and every night he thought of telling her just how much he loved her. He had known by the heart-stopping fear he'd experienced when she was unconscious after the crash that it wasn't just a crush. He was deeply, completely in love with her.
"Malcolm. I think it's time for a break. This pack is getting heavy" Hoshi interrupted his thoughts, and set her cases down.
"Alright, we'll set up camp here for tonight"
"I think we should think about setting up camp for good. We can't walk for the rest of our lives."
Malcolm sighed. "I know. I just keep hoping that we'll come across some sign of civilization."
"Me too. But, we can't keep going like this."
"Ok, make you a deal. Three more days. If we don't find anything then, we'll find a place to set up a permanent base."
"Deal"
They shook on it, both of them trying to ignore the flash of fire that flashed when they touched.------------------------------------
Day Thirty Two
The next day, they found it.
'It' was situated on the top of a small, rocky hill, and was surrounded by trees. The building was made out of brick, hardy and strong and built to last. Hoshi gave a small cry when she saw it, and dropped her pack. Malcolm, following her gaze, also dropped his and together, they ran up the steep slope towards their salvation.
They were both out of breath when they reached it, and stopped in front of it. The door was made out of wood, and looked old. Hesitantly, Malcolm opened the door and stepped inside, his rifle at the ready. The room was dark and musty. There were shutters on the windows that blocked out all sunlight. A layer of dust covered everything. Malcolm motioned for Hoshi to stay outside, but she followed him anyway. 'Typical stubborn woman' Malcolm thought fondly.
There were a few chairs in the room, also old but in good condition. There was a table there also, and an old fashioned cooking range along with some cupboards. There were several rooms branching off from the kitchen/living room; three rooms containing beds, and a set of steps leading down to a cellar.
Malcolm and Hoshi cautiously descended the steps. There were several chests against the walls of the large cold room. Above the chests, there was a large plaque made from wood. Words were inscribed on it in several languages. Hoshi didn't recognize most of them. The last one was, thankfully, Vulcan. That she could read.
"It translates 'Weary Travelers, these are for your use. Use them well. They will help you survive'"
"It's almost as if they expect people to be stuck here" Malcolm commented.
Hoshi cautiously opened the first chest. There were bolts and bolts of different coloured cloth. The next two chests contained the same. The fourth and fifth contained a range of farming equipment such as axes, shovels, hoes saws and picks. The sixth and final chest contained assorted cooking implements and essentials suck as knives and saucepans.
They stood back after taking their inventory, both a little confused. They had everything they needed to survive here for a long time. All the items in the chests were in excellent condition, and ready for use.
Hoshi turned to Malcolm.
"I guess we're home" she said.-----------------------------
Day Ninety Seven
Malcolm stood up slowly, and stretched the aching muscles in his back. He dropped the shovel in his hands with relief and smiled his thanks to Hoshi who handed him a glass of cool water. He had been under the hot sun for three hours working with Hoshi to weed their garden. It had taken them a long time to get it in order, planting some of what they had left from the supplies and scanning local plants to see if they were compatible with human stomachs.
He looked up at the skyline in the horizon, and noticed clouds forming.
"We'd better finish quickly" he said to Hoshi, gesturing to the impending storm. She quickly agreed, they had been caught outside in a storm before, and had regretted it very quickly. The storms on this planet were very intense, the rain falling so hard it hurt. Lightning filled the sky and thunder boomed loud enough to deafen.
Once safely ensconced inside their house, Malcolm boiled some water for a hot drink. Hoshi took it gratefully, and they settled down for a chat, as they always did.
Three months. They had been there three months since they had been stranded here. They had settled down into a routine since they had found the house. 'Almost like an old married couple' Malcolm thought, but then swiftly squelched the thought. There was nothing old about what he felt when he looked at Hoshi; the rush of feelings that swamped his heart, the way his breathing quickened when she made a stupid joke or gave out to him for being an idiot. Or smiled. He really, really loved her smile.
She was smiling now, and he realized that he was staring.
"Sorry" he muttered.
"I was thinking, we can't just keep calling this place 'The Planet'. We gave to give it a name."
"As long as it isn't something idiotic like 'New Earth"
Hoshi's blush told him that 'New Earth' was what she had in mind.
"Hoshi! Come on. I know you can be more creative that that!" Malcolm admonished. She grinned.
"Alright smart guy. You come up with a name."
Malcolm thought for a few minutes.
"How about Terra Firma?"
"Terra Firma?"
"Yeah. You know, Terra Firma. Home."
"That's good. But, a bit long winded. How about Terra?"
"Terra. I like it."
"Knew you would. Ok. A toast" Hoshi held up her cup."
"To our new home. Welcome to Terra Mr. Reed." she grinned.
"Thank you Ms. Sato" he grinned back.
Hoshi's breath caught at his grin. He had changed so much since the crash. He was more relaxed. He was happier. He had a nice smile.
She really, really loved his smile.------------------------------
I know this is a bit long winded, but I had to establish some background. I for one find it annoying when people suddenly have all the stuff for a house as if by magic. The next chapter will explain it better, and will be getter in general.
Look out for scenes of peril!!!!
Please review.
LieutenantsLady
