Author's Note: Hey look, it's actually Wednesday! Finally, I was able to keep my semi-promise.

OK, I don't really have much to say- nothing really- so I'll just let you move on and read. Just enjoy and please R/R.

Summary: The Enterprise encounters a ship filled with aliens all dying. But why doesn't Selak want to help them?

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Through Fire: For Reasons and Cures

The boy starred up at him, fear etched in his eyes, as the crowd yelled and screamed and pounded their chests with their fists.

The alien grabbed a hold of his chain, digging the collar into the back of his neck, pulling his face to his.

He was pushed out the gate, the knife still firmly in his hand. Looking up around him, the crowd yelled and jeered. The hot sand burned the soles of his bare feet.

He dropped his knife, the metal making no sound as it hit the sand floor. He turned away, walking away from the crowd and the boy.

His back hit hard against the metal structure, the air knocked from his chest.

The alien released him, throwing him into the sand. A small moan escaped him; the sand finding its way into the cut on his thigh.

The alien slowly pulled out the knife, a sucking sound all that he could hear- even over the crowd.

He ran, his breathing nothing but quick pants. He could feel the sand spray up behind him, hear the crowd shout and yell in protest of his movements.

The blow struck across his face, knocking him to the ground- the soft sand lessening the impact but burning his skin from the heat it held.

Selak's eyes opened with a jolt. With a deep breath, he blinked away the sweat that threatened to fall into his eyes. His breathing slowed, calming his raging heart, the sound echoing in his ears.

With a sigh, Selak turned onto his side, pulling his blanket up closer to his chin as if it could protect him from his dreams. Folding his body up into a ball, his body abandoned its mind, allowing a tear to slide down his cheek, a soft sob to be released from his lips.

He had wept for the memories before; cried over the futility of forgetting them and the pure thought that he had lived through them. He took a few calming breaths, trying to rid his mind of the memories, the thoughts he had desperately sought to forget.

But the thoughts would never go away. He knew they wouldn't. They were things that had haunted his dreams for years; things that would continue to haunt him for the rest of his damned existence.

Enterprise, Engineering

"So, how are things going?" Selak asked, looking down at the monitor Trip was working on. They had been working for two days trying to find a way to integrate the weapon he had "borrowed" from the Amocku into the Enterprise's systems.

"What things?"

"You know, you and T'Pol? You never mentioned how dinner was," he teased, knowing that Trip was glaring at him, even without looking.

"Oh, um… things are goin' well. Dinner was… nice and… oh, hell, will you stop smirking?" The southerner said, becoming flustered.

"Sorry," Selak laughed, punching in a few last sequences.

"Why's it so important fer… why did you bother t' tell me?" Trip looked away from his work, focusing instead on the Vulcan.

"Because it's very important that you have this child."

"Why?"

Selak looked over at him. He sighed; would it really hurt to tell him? "Because… well… your son-"

"I'm gonna have a son?"

"A son and a daughter," the Vulcan nodded with a soft smile. "The son first, though. And he will go on to get married, and so on and so forth until your great, great, great-"

"Great, great, thousand greats- I get the picture," Trip interrupted, using his hand to demonstrate.

"Right, your great, great, great, grandson will be one of the most important, extremely pivotal diplomats involved with a cease-fire and an end to the war. And… his younger brother is… a very good friend of mine. He… helped with some stuff," Selak admitted, turning back to his work.

Trip nodded, a smile creeping over his face. "I'm gonna have two kids?"

"You're going to have a good life; you really are," the Vulcan whispered. Clearing his throat, "We should get back to work. I think we're close to having this compatible to the ship."

"Right. Yeah, T'Pol and Malcolm'll want t' take a look, I'd imagine," he muttered, going back to reading the data on the screen.

"Yeah, we can take it to them once we're finished here."

Enterprise, Bridge

"Captain, the sensors are picking up a ship of unknown configuration approaching our position," Malcolm reported, looking up at his Captain as he spoke.

"How far away?"

Glancing down quickly, "14,000 kilometers."

"Captain, they're hailing us," Hoshi stated. "Should I reply?"

Archer sighed, rising from his chair. "Might as well find out what they want and who they are. On screen."

Almost immediately, Archer was starring at a man on the view screen. Looking him over quickly, Archer found that he couldn't quite place the familiar looking alien- his blue scales coating over his neck and jaw line as well as his hands. The man ran a hand through his thick blonde hair, his movements tired and sluggish- it was obvious that the man hadn't slept in days.

"Hello, my name is Captain Jonathan Archer of the starship Enterprise. And you are?"

The man tilted his head, mostly likely confused by his language. Archer looked to Hoshi, but she shrugged, she would need him to speak before she could try to figure out his language. "Uh, can you understand me?" Archer asked. "You'll need to talk a little bit."

The alien looked down at his console, pressing a few buttons before replying, "Now I understand. It takes time to translate. I am So'Fic, leader of this ship."

Archer nodded, a small smile on his lips. "How can we help you?"

"We are very sick- my people have an illness. We… cannot treat it; do have a doctor? Can you help us?" The man asked, his voice pleading and desperate.

Archer looked in desperation towards his science officer, she was the best thing at the moment to a doctor. She merely arched an eyebrow, indicating that she hadn't a clue what was wrong with them or if they could help.

"Well, we could try to help, but I can't promise you anything. We're not native to this region of space, we're not familiar with any of the illnesses."

"We… appreciate any assistance you can give," So'Fic told them, bowing his head in a manner of thanking them.

"I will have to talk to my doctor, find out what he might be able to do. I'll contact you soon," Archer told him, a smile and nod the last thing he did before the view screen went blank. "Contact Phlox, tell him to meet me in my ready room."

But, before Hoshi could respond, Selak announce, "That was a Gwri," starring dumbfounded at the view screen, barely having walked out of the turbolift doors, Trip nearly walking right into him.

"I don't know, he never said what his species was."

"No, that was a Gwri," Selak confirmed, turning to Archer. "We should leave now, before they have the chance to infect the crew," Selak stated, gaining the attention of almost the entire bridge.

"We can't just leave them to die," Travis complained, looking back and forth between the Captain and Selak, not sure who he needed to convince.

"Well, it would sure make my job easier," the Vulcan muttered, looking away from the group with indifference.

"Is that all you think about?" Trip spat at him, obviously disgusted with the young man. "Your mission and how to complete it?" Selak just glared at him, having nothing to say about it.

Well, if he were honest with himself, he had plenty to say. To retort hotly with how he had risked everything to return, how he was trying to make a better future for them and himself, how the first time through he had just screwed everything up.

But he said nothing, allowing instead for Trip to continue on with, "I thought I knew you, but the Selak I got to know would never want to leave them to die."

Selak was barely able to hide his scowl. "In case you haven't noticed, the Selak you befriended never existed." With a sigh, he turned away. This wasn't the time or place to explain temporal mechanics to the lost looking officers.

At that moment, Phlox made his entrance, looking around to find himself in the middle of a heated debate. "Um, Captain? You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, in my ready room. Trip, T'Pol, Selak, you too."

The four followed Archer into the ready room, leaving Hoshi, Malcolm, and Travis to speculate on the outcome. With a quick explanation to Phlox about what happened, the doctor turned to Selak, asking, "You can't honestly not want us to help them?"

"You can't help them. This disease they have, that's the second part of the weapon," he complained, thankful in that moment that Captain Archer had taken the time nearly a week ago to brief the senior staff on him and his mission.

"Just because-"

"I'm saying THEY CAN'T BE HELPED!" Selak shouted, startling everyone in the room. "There is no cure for what they have."

"Surely you must have come up with something if you used it," Phlox commented, hoping that he wasn't just saying it to force them to leave.

"No. There isn't one. They tried, you tried, we tried. Hell, even our enemies tried. No one made one. There just… there isn't a cure, there's no way to help them. And no way to help yourselves if-"

Selak stopped abruptly, suddenly recalling what he had read about this virus. If they didn't at least try to help, he would alter more than he'd like to admit. Whether or not he wanted to do extra work didn't seem to really matter.

He took a deep breath, finishing. "Their entire race will be whipped out in a few months. That or enslaved. It's pointless to try, but… guilty consciences are worse than a waste of time."

Archer nodded, knowing immediately that he wasn't telling them something. His cut off sentence excluded, his slumped shoulders and bowed head were proof of such.

"Very well. Doctor, I suggest you prepare Sickbay for their arrival."

Phlox nodded, looking back at Selak before walking away. "Doctor. It's spread through touch; it's not airborne." With only mute acknowledgment of his advice, Phlox left.

Archer caught Selak's eye; his ethical side hadn't fully collapsed after whatever had happened when he returned to the future, there was still something of him left in there, hopefully it would remain long enough to get through this.

Enterprise, Docking Port

Waiting outside the airlock, Archer looked over at Phlox. While the Captain may have been more than just simply nervous about the possibility of exposing his crew- as So'Fic assured him would not happen- Phlox seemed to be intrigued by this encounter. Almost as if invigorated by the chance to met a colleague and defeat a challenge.

The green light on the door release blinked on, alerting Archer that his guests were ready to enter. Taking a deep breath, he hit a red button, allowing the door to slide opened, revealing three Gwri. Looking them over, he could see that each of them was wearing the same tight, white uniforms, the sleeves stretching over their hands in a form of protective gloves, and masks placed firmly over their mouths.

The first male stepped forward, Archer needing a moment to identify him as So'Fic. "Captain Archer, I am glad to see you well."

The Captain mimicked So'Fic's slight bow, clearly a gesture of greeting. "So'Fic. This is my Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Phlox." All three bowed to Phlox, showing their respect and greeting.

"My- what you would call- First Officer, Dan'At, and our ship's doctor, Ken'Ara."

The Denoblian smiled and nodded at her. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Since you won't need these two in Sickbay immediately, Doctor, I thought they might enjoy a tour of the ship. If that's of course alright with you two?"

"Of course. I would be most interested in seeing your ship; it seems… quite fascinating," So'Fic responded, nodding his head vigorously at the idea.

"Very well then. Shall we start with the bridge?"

"I hope you do not mind missing the tour?" Phlox said once they were out of hearing range and the two were walking towards Sickbay.

"No. Engines and consoles and endless talk about weaponry hardly interests me. Oh no, the only part of this ship I want to see, is your Sickbay."

"Well, I think I can manage that," the doctor joked, just as he led her onto the turbolift.

Enterprise, Command Center

Trip glanced over at T'Pol, a soft smile playing on his lips as he saw her look at him. He was enjoying working side-by-side with her without interruptions, even if it had been tedious work until all the details had been smoothed over.

With a sigh, he finished the last of his calculations, letting his mind going back over them almost mechanically as he thought about everything going on in his life. 'The Xindi, the weapon, trying to save Earth, and, oh yeah… I have to have a kid by the time I leave here. Not exactly the way I would have went for the family thing,' he thought. But, he had to admit, it was intriguing to think about it. And who best to have a child with than T'Pol?

Trip cringed, trying hard not to laugh at the mental comment he had just made. Oh, if it had only been a year ago, maybe two, he would have laughed so hard at the thought. But, now standing there with her, he wasn't so sure he wouldn't enjoy it. He would at least give it a shot.

"Commander?"

"Yeah?" He looked over at her; she was standing with her body facing the many screens, but looking straight at him.

"I was wondering… if you still intended on coming every night for neuropressure, considering your increased in ability to sleep on your own."

Trip smiled. Always the Vulcan. But, he had to admit, his sleeping was better and he really hadn't needed so much neuropressure half the time any more. It was just, well he liked being in her company… and there was still that little matter of, well…

Putting on a sly smile, he prayed that no one would feel the urge to walk in the room at that moment. "Well, it's not like we have to do neuropressure," he drawled, seeing the corners of her lips twitch with amusement.

Moving a little closer, though not enough to be touching her, he half-whispered, "There are many other interesting things we can do-"

"So, Tr-" Selak began, interrupting Trip before he could finish. "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?" Selak smirked, stepping inside the command center only to see Trip quickly moving away from T'Pol.

"Hardly."

The younger Vulcan shrugged off the coldness in her voice, hoping that it was merely her being Vulcan- or just annoyed at being seen. "How are you coming along?"

"Not bad, but we keep running into a small problem with power fluctuations in the manifolds," Trip explained, Selak not missing the small blush that was slowly receding from his face.

"Archer to T'Pol," suddenly boomed over the comm.; T'Pol moving to activate the link.

"T'Pol here."

"T'Pol, could you come up to the Bridge? The Gwri have some technical questions, I think they'd sound better coming from you."

"On my way, captain." With a last, quick glance at the two engineers- who were watching her with mild interest- she deactivated the comm. link and walked out.

"The manifolds, huh?" Selak asked as if nothing had happened, suddenly looking up at the screens.

"Yeah," the engineer nodded absent-mindedly.

"It's a simple matter of re-routing the EPS conduits here into the deflector to keep it from overloading. Then you reduce the power to the impulse engines and take the warp engines off-line. Engineering 101."

Trip starred blankly at the Vulcan, shaking his head at the manner-o-factly tone he spoke in. "Yeah, in a couple hundred years from now, sure."

"What are you talking about? The procedure was invented… it's invented this year," he said ruefully, looking as if he was going to slam his head on the console.

"So, I'll learn it when I get back," he teased, not noticing the frustrated look on Selak's face.

"No, you don't get it… it was in one of your reports."

"Okay, so I would have thought it up in a couple of days. Big deal, you'll just give me a jumpstart."

"No, I doubt it. Oh! I can't believe this!" He muttered to himself.

"What?"

"I'm teaching myself how to do this!" He moaned. Then, taking a deep breath, he turned to see Trip in utter confusion.

"Sorry? You've lost me."

"Ever heard of a predestination paradox?"

"A what?"

"You do know what a paradox is, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's when… well, a, um… a cycle or something?" Trip tried to pull out the right words to explain what he meant, all the while trying to drag his mind are the possibility that the theories were real.

"It's when the effect causes the cause," the Vulcan stated easily; Trip just gave him a blank look. "Ok, it's when event A happens, which causes effect B, which in turn causes event A. And so on. It never ends until an outside force makes it."

"Right. So what's a predist-"

"Predestination paradox. That's a paradox when… a person, say 28 year years old, is in Time A and causes events that will eventually lead up to Time B, when he's born. Then, Time C is when this person is 28 and goes back in time."

"So, you being here is causing… what?"

"Who know? Issues?" Selak shrugged, turning back to the console with a sigh.

But Trip was still wrapped up in the paradox his friend was supposedly in. "So, what happens after Time C?"

"What do you mean?"

"You go back in time to A. But what happens after C? Or is it A?"

"Well," Selak said with a sigh, looking periodically up at the screen as he typed. "Assuming that the time-traveler doesn't die in the past, he or she will be brought back to the future minutes or days after Time C, which, for me, will technically be an alternate dimension because of the changes I caused. So, it's really perspective that decides which 'Time' period it falls under. The time-traveler will see it as Time A, because that's where they just were. The others that bring him back, will see it as Time C, because that's the time that just passed for them."

"Ah, I think I get it."

"Good, then let's get to work. See if you get this."

Enterprise, Sickbay

"May I ask you something?" Phlox asked Ken'Ara as they walked through the corridor to Sickbay, having paused a moment to introduce the Gwri doctor to a few of the Humans.

"If you like."

Both doctors looked at each other, Phlox intrigued by the mask she wore- one that was simply placed on her face with no sign of straps or attachments. "I have been told that this… disease is transmitted through tactical contact, not-"

"You wish to know why we wear the masks?" she interrupted, a soft smile playing on her hidden lips. She sighed, shrugging. "We know that they only way to spread it is to touch people, that is why we wear these suits. But the masks make others feel better- safer."

Phlox nodded in understand, walking on in silence. "But, if you know of these precautions, then how did it spread so much?"

"We did not always know of it. Before, it spread like wildfire. It took us doctors years to find merely what caused it to spread- not what started it or how to stop it. I do hope you can help."

Phlox nodded, only able to think of Selak's warning. "I do as well. Well, here we are," he announced, stopping to allow Ken'Ara inside.

She walked in, halting in awe of the Infirmary. "Wow, it's… bigger than I thought!"

"Yes, it is a larger Sickbay than most ships have," Phlox agreed, letting her move around in awe, taking in all the monitors and so forth.

With a sigh, she pulled herself out of her stupor, taking out what appeared to be a PADD from her pocket. "Well, we should get down to work, I guess."

Phlox nodded. "First, could I ask exactly how this disease works? I mean, you have it correct? But you have no symptoms."

"Yes, mostly all the Gwri carry it. It has spread completely through our solar system. But it doesn't immediately kill you. It will lie dormant in your system for sometime. But it varies from person to person; some take years before symptoms appear and they die, others it is simply a matter of days."

"And, because so few knew they had it at first, it was easily able to spread without anyone knowing it," the doctor deduced.

"Exactly."

"And the symptoms. What are they exactly?"

Ken'Ara turned slowly, looking him directly in the eye as she spoke. "The disease is constantly wearing away the lining in the lungs- whether slowly or quickly, it depends on the person. But, eventually, the blood will start to fill the lungs in, causing the person to have shortness of breath and blood loss do to internal bleeding. Then, ultimately, they will choke on their our blood. It's a horrible way to die; I've already seen my fair share of it. The children are the worst."

Phlox nodded, choking back tears. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to know that that was how you were going to die. Especially for a child to know, and understand, such a thing. "Then, um… we should get working."

Enterprise, Captain's Ready Room

Archer smiled lightly at So'Fic, finding that he truly did enjoy the man's company. It with his First Officer that he found hard to deal with. The younger man was quiet and suspicious, not all together bad but he was also curt, arrogant, and narcissistic.

Walking into his Ready Room, Dan'At followed as the two Captains talked, not at all impressed by anything they said, did, or that he was shown.

"Then our missions are not far from each other. You are trying to save your world and people from annihilation from another force, whereas we are trying to save our people and culture from a disease. We have more in common than I at first thought."

Archer nodded. "Yes, but it has not been an easy mission. Already we've lost many of our crew; and our ship has been damaged quiet severely."

"Yes, we noticed when we first encountered your ship. But you seem to be holding well together," So'Fic observed, the other Gwri all but forgotten.

"There are a few things we could use, but we get what we can and work with it."

"In exchange for all the help you've given us, it would only be fair of us to give whatever we can spare to help your ship." Archer looked up sharply at So'Fic's generous offer. Then he smiled and nodded.

"Please, see to what they need, Dan'At." The young Gwri, trying hard not to huff at So'Fic's order, turned quickly and marched off.

"No offense, but Dan'At seems a little, um… insolent."

"He is young and eager, and too much like my brother: headstrong and stubborn," So'Fic replied, watching the door the young man just exited with a sigh.

"I take it he's your nephew?" The Gwri looked at Archer, his face rattled with confusion. "Oh, uh… your brother's son?"

"Yes. I have looked after him the past few cycles… after both his parents died." Archer just nodded, assuming that he was speaking of their disease. "Sometimes I think he forces his grief into anger, aiming it at whomever crosses his path."

"It's a hard thing to live with. You can't really blame him."

"No… I just wish he'd learn to express it differently."

Archer nodded mutely, looking away from So'Fic. "Perhaps we should check on the doctors' progress."

Enterprise, T'Pol's Quarters

Trip worked the neuronods on T'Pol's neck, enjoying the relief and pleasure he knew she derived from it. She sat with her back to his, speaking softly to him as he worked. Some was instructions, most was merely light conversation between the two.

Trip leaned closer, pressing his lips to her skin, his thumbs still applying gentle pressure to the areas she instructed him on. He knew that she would protest to his contact, probably shoo him away as they worked, but he enjoyed doing it anyway. Call it simple Human pleasure.

That or he just liked to have her scold him.

"Commander."

"Trip," he insisted, lightly placing kisses along her neck.

"Trip," the word came out of her mouth without thought as she moaned softly in pleasure. "We should be… concentrating." He had to smile at her attempt to make him stop but she was enjoying the contact too much to truly do anything about it.

"All we do is work all day," Trip complained, his hands moving down her bare back, his lips absorbing her sweet taste. "Can't we just… play once in a while?"

T'Pol's head lolled back, resting on his shoulder. Her eyes closed, letting him indulge. Perhaps now and then, she could agree to the indulgence. It may not have been a very Vulcan perspective but she was finding herself- whether to her dismay or delight, she did not know- more and more Human every day.

Enterprise, Captain's Ready Room

"Captain's Log, January 14, 2154.

"Even with the combined efforts of Dr. Ken'Ara and Dr. Phlox, I'm afraid we have come no closer to solving the puzzle than Selak said we would. Ah well, it's only been four days- I have plenty of faith in our doctor to help. I'm only afraid of what this pause will do to our mission.

"I guess that's what Selak's weapon is for- I just hope he's right and we can get the Xindi to believe us. Well, that is if we can get the device to work. So far the three of them have been at a dead end. Though they assure me the theory works, it's instituting it and making absolute sure that it doesn't destroy the ship that is the problem.

"Let's just hope they get it to work. Otherwise, who knows what might happen?

"Computer, pause log." Archer sighed, looking back down at his dog. "What do you think, Porthos?" The small dog barked, remaining on his padded bed. "That's what I thought. We'll get through this, we always seem to manage, don't we?"

Enterprise, Sickbay

"Ah, Lieutenant Selak. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Phlox inquired as Selak walked in.

The Vulcan looked over at the physician; he was still sitting at his console presumably working on the Gwri's disease. Apparently Ken'Ara already returned to her ship. All the better. "Well, I have a favor to ask."

Phlox smile diminished slightly, but not significantly enough to notice. Standing, he walked closer to the young man, Selak obviously nervous or embarrassed about asking it. "What is it that you need?"

"Well, um, you see… this is kind of hard to explain. If you were to scan me, I have, um… a small device implanted just under my right ear," he informed the doctor, showing him the small, three centimeter scar he bore from it.

"May I assume that you want it removed?" The Denoblian asked, already intrigued at its function and why, if it was there, the Vulcan would want it removed.

"Yes."

"Can I ask why?"

"It, um… it's hard to explain. I just need it removed."

"Can't the doctor's in your time do that once you get back?" Phlox inquired, leading him over to one of the biobeds.

"Well, they can, but they won't. Starfleet, in my time, thinks it's safer to leave it in."

"Then should I be taking it out?" He paused, halting his movements before he was even able to take a scan of Selak.

"Yes, it's safe for me to have it removed. At least it should be. As long as you have the ability to safely remove it. They're worried about themselves. War makes people paranoid. That or insane and many angry. But they're mostly paranoid though."

"And you?" Phlox asked as he scanned the area Selak had mentioned, curiously enough finding the object he had been told about. The device had been implanted into the nervous system; it would be tricky but not impossible to do it. Selak would be in Sickbay recovering for a while, though.

"Paranoid? Damn straight. Angry, not any more. Not really… actually, I probably am more than I'll admit. But insane…" he laughed, Phlox not knowing why that would be funny. "Depends on who you talk to. Actually, my medical files say I am, but 'mentally fit enough to operate under the stressful conditions of war'. Load of bullshit is what it all is."

Phlox nodded. He had seen the effects of war; they weren't pretty. "Well, I think I can remove it, but it's embedded in your nervous system, it might take a while for you to recover."

"That's what I thought," he said, pulling something from his pant pocket. "This is a dermal regenerator, it heals the skin completely. And this will allow you to repair any damaged or severed nerves. They're very easy to operate."

Phlox looked down in awe at the devices, taking them from the Vulcan with curiosity. "Just remember I'll be erasing their existence from your memory in a little while."

"Of course. Should we start now?"

Selak nodded. "Yeah, let's get this over with."

Gwri Ship

"This ship is perfect. It's large and fast and has adequate weapons. Fic, this is what we've been looking for," Dan'At urged his uncle, practically begging the man as So'Fic put away the dishes they had used to eat.

"You are willing to attack the only ship that will give us aid, At?" So'Fic inquired, his voice cold, hard.

"They give us aid out of pity. With their ship, we can aid our own. Fic, do you think they would not do the same in our position?"

So'Fic regarded Dan'At closely, trying to decide what his true motives might be. He was a loyal officer, and his nephew, but he was a fool- he was young and inexperienced. Slowly, he made up his mind- his head deliberately shaking.

"No, At, it is not worth it. If they help us, it will be greater than any retribution you can imagine. We cannot be rash."

"And what if they cannot help. Our people have been trying to work on it for years. Decades. They have come up with nothing," the young man spat, fuming at his uncle's reluctance to do anything. He was an old man, he could not understand what Dan'At knew was right.

So'Fic sighed. What if they couldn't help? They were dying, that wouldn't change without help. But, resolved in his answer, he shook his head firmly. "No. You will do nothing to provoke them, At, do you understand?"

With a curt nod, Dan'At left, clearly fuming. So'Fic just sighed and shock his head. Dan'At may be a good officer but he was sometimes too eager to fight, even those who do not threaten him.

Enterprise, Sickbay

"How's it coming?" Archer asked as he escorted So'Fic into the Sickbay.

So'Fic, who had never entered the facility before, looked around in amazement at such a place on a starship before even noticing the doctors. He walked up to Ken'Ara, knowing full well what the half-frown on her face meant.

"I'm afraid we are getting nowhere. Dr. Phlox has added some interesting insights, but nothing more than that unfortunately," the Gwri announced sadly, looking to both ships' commanders as she spoke.

"Captain, this would take my entire life of complete attention to even start to find a cure. There simply is not enough time or the resources to do much anything else," Phlox admitted, his tone unusually defeated.

Archer sighed, he had truly hoped that Selak was wrong, that they would manage someway to change just that much of the timeline. But, perhaps, it just wasn't meant for these people to live.

But why? Why such a waste of talent and life? Why kill so many of these innocent people?

He looked hopelessly from Phlox, to Ken'Ara, then to So'Fic- somehow thinking it might suddenly inspire them to create the cure. But he had no such luck.

"Very well, Doctor, we tried. Trip and T'Pol won't have completed their installation of the weapon just yet, we might not have to leave for another day or two. It might possibly be worth while to continue your research, if of course the two of you are up to it."

Phlox just nodded obediently at his Captain, his eyes saddened with the grief of his defeat as he turned back to the console he had tirelessly worked at for the past few days.

"Fic… I'll stay here for a little while longer, then return to the ship," Ken'Ara told her Captain, the weight of her defeat showing.

Archer watched the sad exchanged, realizing that they spoke with more intimacy than he had noticed before; they sounded more like he and Trip then a Captain and his subordinate. Perhaps that was because they weren't a military ship, run with rules and regulations but, instead, refugees searching hopelessly for a cure to their certain death.

"Well, I should return to the ship. Thank-you, Dr. Phlox, for your effort," So'Fic said with a slight bow. Phlox just gave a small smile, matching the bow- he hadn't a clue what to say to a man who had just lost his last hope of life. Of survival…

Enterprise, T'Pol's Quarters

Trip let out a low moan, turning onto his side as he tried to get comfortable. Cracking his eyes opened, he was surprised to see… what? Something was definably wrong with the picture he was seeing. First off being that he wasn't in his room… definably not his room.

Suddenly, the events of the past few hours came rushing back to him. With a soft chuckle, he recalled why he felt so sore that morning. Collapsing back onto the bed, he sighed, closing his eyes again.

But a quiet noise kept managing to annoy him just enough to keep him away. With a groan, he turned back onto his side, reaching out to find… nothing. His eyes opened once again, Trip finally taking the time to look around himself. She was nowhere to be found.

Listening harder, the engineer finally realized what the noise was: the water to the shower was running. Pushing himself up, he hung his legs over the bed, allowing the pads of his feet to touch the floor. Standing, Trip draped the bed sheet around his waist, not entirely sure why he was covering himself.

Padding across the floor, he was surprised to find the door to her bathroom opened, the shower running, steam filling the room in a heavy fog. A smile settled on his lips as he leaned against the doorway.

Even inside the blurred, semi-translucent walls, Trip was still able to make out her body easily. To see the delicate curves of her well-toned body. Suddenly, the water stopped, T'Pol stepping out, Trip now able to see her more clearly.

Meeting her eye, he noticed that she looked shocked, but only for a moment. She wasn't angry with him, far from it. Trip looked away, knowing that the towels- or at least his- were right near the wall he was standing next to. But he never got the chance to even hand her one.

Her wet hand settled on his check, his neck turning so that he could look at her. Trip's hand halted immediately once he felt her lips against his. She seemed to melt against him, the warm water still glistening on her skin, getting Trip's own chest wet.

Her hand snaked around him, pulling off the sheet, simply allowing it to fall to the ground as she pulled Trip away from the door.

Gwri Ship

"How are Ken'Ara and the Enterprise's doctor doing? Have they found a cure?"

So'Fic looked to his young nephew with a sad smile. "No further progress. I'm starting to loose hope that they can help us at all. Perhaps we have wasted enough of their time; we should move on somewhere else, leave these people to go on with their journey."

Dan'At scowled at his uncle when the man had turned his back to him. He couldn't believe that he would so easily disregard an opportunity to save them all. But then, he had already shot down his last plan. Not that that would stop him from bringing it up again.

"Fic, I have discussed the matter with the rest of the crew. Most believe that I am right; that my course of action is the best and only way," Dan'At informed his uncle.

So'Fic turned to regard his nephew, the younger Gwri standing with more arrogance than he had ever thought to associate with Dan'At. "What matter do you speak of?"

"The Enterprise."

"Not that foolish nonsense again. I have already told you it is not an option." With that, he turned away- no desirer to discuss is farther.

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

Before the older Gwri could turn to question the man's wording, he found himself dropping to the ground. His lungs burned and his trachea felt as if it had closed itself. Choking in air, he fought to breath, trying to get Dan'At to help him.

But his nephew just stood above him, watching with indifference as his uncle died. "I'm in charge now," he whispered, smiling as if insane. "Good-bye, Fic."

So'Fic tried to reach out to him, to grab him and stop him. To, in some insane way, help himself. But he only succeeded in falling onto his stomach, his eyes glazing over as unconsciousness took him.

Enterprise, Bridge

"Dan'At!" Archer greeted, a sad smile on his face.

"Our doctor has just returned, she reports that you are unable to create a cure for us."

"We're sorry, Dan'At, but it's not something that our doctor can help you with. At least not here with our limited resources. When we return home, there might be a way to help but-"

"By then we may all be dead," Dan'At complained. "Are you sure you cannot help us?"

"Not now."

"Then we have no more use for you," he said, turning away.

"What are you talking-"

"So'Fic is dead," he hissed, spinning around to see the Human Captain. "He was killed by my hand. The crew is loyal to me. I am Captain now. You're crew is no longer necessary to me and my people. You will stand down and allow us to board your ship, and we will spare your lives."

"We can't do that, Dan'At, and you know it," Archer retorted, now standing in front of the screen.

"Then I can't be held responsible for those who die." The screen went blank, switching to a view of space and the Gwri ship.

"Sir, weapons fire detected in Engineering and related decks!" Malcolm warned.

Archer ordered, sitting back down in his chair. If they wanted his ship, they weren't getting it easily. "Tactical Alert. Malcolm, get your teams and the MACOs down there."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you, Captain."

Archer nearly jumped at the voice, looking behind him, he found Malcolm pausing at the turbolift, looking around to make sure Dan'At wasn't on the Bridge.

"My men and I have taken over Engineering and the surrounding area. We have some of your men prisoner. If you try to send security down here, we will kill them. All of them."

"What do you want, Dan'At? Why are you doing this?" Archer hissed, looking at the Gwri on the large view screen.

Laughter ran out through the Bridge. Archer didn't find anything about Dan'At's situation amusing. "I thought that would be obvious. I want this ship. It's as simple as that. We'll let your crew have ours; or we can resettle you somewhere. I don't really care."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm quite serious, Captain," Dan'At retorted, a sick smile plastered over his features as he paced through Engineering. "You will give me control of your ship, or I will kill off your crew one by one…"

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Um, again, not much to say. Just here to remind you to review (you know, that little button right there. Purple, kind of obvious. Oh that button! Yeah, now you know what it does). Don't for get that, other authors will be asking similar things of you.