Out on the bridge it was panic attack. Crewmembers were rushing around trying to do anything they could to keep their captain safe and get the ship repaired and back to working condition.

"Bring auxiliary power online!"

"All the ships systems have been disabled."

"What was it that we were hit with?" Came a voice from somewhere in the darkness.

"I think that was a shot from the E.M pulse cannons Marlaya warned us about." Came the reply from a fairly calm British tactical officer.

"Do we have COMM online?"

"I'm afraid not sir." Hoshi replied shaking her head.

A few hours passed and over on the Tarnisian battle cruiser Trip and Marlaya were waking up. They were in a very dark room. Trip was the first to fully awaken and realise that he had been tied up, his hands behind his back, at least he though they were directly behind his back. He could feel heat behind him and decided that Marlaya was up against him. When he looked down he saw a pair of hands, and realised that Marlaya's hands and been tied around Trip's waist and knew the same had been done to him. As he looked around the cell he noticed that there was no one else there, and could sense that his friend was waking up.

"Marlaya?"

"Yes?" she said. Her voice was quaky and he knew that the next question he was going to ask was a silly one but he asked it anyway.

"You all right?"

"I don't know." There was a few minutes silence. Trip could tell that she had begun to cry. He felt a couple of tears fall onto his hands. "They're gonna kill me aren't they? Like they killed the rest of my family, friends, people. They're gonna kill me. I know they are."

"I'm gonna do my best to prevent that." At that moment the door opened and light fell on the two prisoners tied up back-to-back. Trip and Marlaya turned their heads away from the sudden brightness to let their eyes adjust. One of the men that had entered moved over to Marlaya. He grabbed her chin so that she was forced to look into his eyes.

"I've found you at last." He said." You will pay for your crimes." He tucked some of Marlaya's hair behind her ear giving him a better chance to look deeply into the eyes of his scared young prisoner.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I didn't kill them! The Tarnisians had forensic proof that I didn't do it."

"Of course they'd say that, you were one of them. They would do anything to protect you. I know that they fiddled with the evidence to get you off the hook."

"And put the blame on another Tarnisian? My people would never do that, Triaan, you know that! Forensic proof doesn't lie no matter how hard you try to twist it."

"Even so, I know you killed them." He stood up to begin to leave.

"Do you know where I have spent the last four years?" the man turned back round, when he did Trip could see the dark green line that ran down the middle of his face. "I've been in one of your prison camps on Hundaria IV."

"We shall just take you back there."

"Thought you said you would challenge her to Yarkindo!" another voice echoed round the room. The first man looked over at the other one.

"Maybe I will Jundar, maybe I will." And with that they left. They heard the door lock and footsteps moving away into the distance.

"Yarkindo?" Trip asked.

"It is a fight, to the finish. Yark means fight, indo means finish in their language." Trip thought for a second and very soon he had an idea.

"Marlaya, do you think if you used your teeth you could untie the ropes round my wrists."

"I'll give it a try." Trip wriggled his arms so that they were close enough for her to begin to undo them. It wasn't long before Trip's hands were free and he could untie Marlaya. They were then free to untie the bounds around their waist and feet.

"What exactly was all that about?"

"5 years ago a Tarnisian murdered Triaan's family. And because my family were the rulers of my world they immediately put the blame on me. For a year the Tarnisians worked on the evidence finally proving that it wasn't me. Of course the Gregtarnans didn't believe them and so destroyed Tarnisia, kidnapping me and making me watch the destruction on my home. No one had a warning before it happened. They're all dead."

"I take it that war has been going on between your people for centuries?"

"No. Only since the day I refused to marry a Gregtarnan because I was in love with a Tarnisian. So the Gregtarnans murdered him right before my eyes. And they gave me his bleeding heart as it beat a few more times, I never forgave them for that, but not enough to want to kill Triaan's own family. I wouldn't hurt a fly." Trip could see the tears flowing down her cheek, he moved over to her and hugged her.

"En'erprise will find us soon." He said as he stroked her hair. Her head resting against his chest.

"Not if the E.M. pulse has badly damaged the warp reactor and other major systems enough to put them on hold for a few days." She put her arms round Trip's waist to keep him close to her. Trip leant forward slightly and gave her a slight kiss on the forehead.

On Enterprise the engineering teams were frantically trying to get all systems back online, at least the major important ones like life support, weapons and the engines. The men and women on the bridge were waiting patiently, as they could do nothing. They were also completely oblivious to the fact that Marlaya and Trip were now missing and no longer onboard. Very soon the lights on the bridge came up and they knew they had power back.

"Which systems have we got back?" Archer asked as he got out of his chair and moved over to T'Pol.

"Life support and weapons are returning to normal, also internal sensors have returned." John nodded his head and began to move away. "Captain, I am not detecting anyone in your ready room." Hoshi and Travis looked at each other, worrying covering their faces.

"Where are Marlaya and Trip then?" He said as he moved back, leaning against the back of T'Pol's science desk.

"They are not aboard."

"It is possible that they were taken when all our systems went offline. As Marlaya said the Gregtarnans had destroyed her homeworld." Malcolm said now worried for his friend and their guest. They had beaten him and Marlaya up pretty badly when they were at the prison camp, who knows what they might try and do to Commander Tucker.

"Have we got long range sensors?"

"Not yet."

"Tell me as soon as we do." T'Pol nodded and John moved off into his ready room. Tension was high among the bridge crew as all were sharing the same though. What was going to happen to Commander Tucker and Marlaya?