Threats
"Are we in range for communication yet, Travis?" The Captain asked as he was sitting in his chair on the bridge.
"Yes sir." Travis replied. When they had managed to catch up to the Suliban ship, they were quite surprised to detect that they weren't moving, just floating there. Almost as if they were making it too easy for Enterprise to find them.
"Hoshi?" The Captain implied.
"Already there sir." Hoshi smiled. Ever since their encounter in the Captain's Ready Room, they'd been smiling and blushing a lot more than usual. Hoshi signalled for when he should speak and Captain Archer nodded.
"This is Captain Archer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, please respond." The Captain waited a few seconds before Hoshi said that they'd gotten a response.
"On screen." The Captain commanded. A Suliban was on the front screen dressed in an ugly swamp brown and looking at the Captain smugly.
"What can I do for you Captain?" The Suliban asked. Just then Trip entered the bridge, inhaling the scene.
"I demand that you release my Sub-Commander or I'll be forced to open fire." The Captain threatened.
"I'm very sorry Captain, but that's not possible." The Suliban replied, clearly not sorry at all.
"And why's that?" Captain Archer pried.
"She's just been sold." He smiled.
"Sold?" Trip shouted, and the Captain shot him a look as if to say 'Control your anger'.
"You had no right to do that and as soon as we've retrieved our Sub-Commander, we are taking you and your ship to a Starfleet court order." The Captain replied evenly.
"If you find her." The Suliban sneered.
"Where was she taken and by whom?" Captain Archer asked forcefully.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly tell you that. Customer confidentiality, I'm afraid." The Suliban said.
"Listen you conniving little rodent, you tell us where she's gone or you'll have me showing up in all the wrong places for the rest of your life." Trip threatened angrily.
"I'm sorry, but I really can't help." The Suliban terminated contact. The Captain understood now that the Suliban were here to slow them down, hold them off for as long as possible.
"Capt'n, we can't just let them get away." Trip said.
"I know." The Captain said, frustrated. "We need to scare them. Malcolm, open fire."
"Aye sir." Malcolm smiled. Firing weapons was like opening his presents at Christmas for Malcolm.
"Phase Cannons." The Captain commanded. "Fire!"
Everyone on the bridge saw the Enterprise's cannons lock and load on the smaller Suliban ship. They shook the ship up a bit and the Suliban returned fire. Minimum turbulence disturbed the ship.
"Shields are holding." Travis shouted.
"Fire!" The Captain ordered. The phaser was aimed at the Suliban's shield core and destroyed it.
"Hoshi, call the Suliban back on screen." The captain ordered. Within a moment, a very pissed off Suliban filled the screen.
"Now, you have two choices. Either you tell us what we want to know or we'll blow your ship into millions of tiny pieces." The Captain smiled.
