Let the Dead Bury the Living
By Thalia Drogna
AN: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed. It makes my day to know that people are reading this.
There was the sound of scuttling in the dark. Archer, Shran and Enam flattened themselves against the wall, their torches turned off.
"What now?" whispered Archer.
"We move very quietly and very slowly towards the exit," said Enam in a harsh whisper. She pointed in the direction that they needed to go. Archer moved forwards carefully, Shran following.
There was the sound of more eight-legged movement, shadows moved across the wall and Archer, Shran and Enam once more pressed themselves back against the wall.
"They're closing in," said Shran.
"The stairs to the next floor is just around the corner," said Enam.
They started to walk slowly towards the door, careful to make as little noise as possible so that the sensitive Creen ears wouldn't pick up their movement. There was a squeal from behind them and they looked back to see a Creen guard.
"Run!" said Enam and she set off towards the stairs at top speed.
"No!" shouted Archer, by his reckoning the spider could easily outrun them and it had an energy weapon cradled in its arms. Enam was gone though, already around the corner. Shran looked at Archer and then started running, with Archer close at his heels. Archer and Shran could do nothing but follow Enam with the spider bearing down towards them. They skidded around the corner together, Archer's longer legs making him slightly faster than Shran even though the Andorian had started running first, and were confronted by another Spider standing in front of them. They ground to a halt.
Enam stood frozen to the spot. She said one word and it made Archer's blood run cold. "Rorna." She looked at Archer. The spider in front of them was different from the others, it had only seven legs. "That's Rorna," said Enam.
Archer stared at the huge Creen spider in front of him, a small drop of poison dripped onto the floor from its stinger. It carried a rifle and it was aimed at Enam.
The spider chittered something and suddenly they were surrounded by more guards, several of them Creen spiders. Their weapons and backpacks were removed and they pushed the three intruders forward into a large hall, Rorna's equivalent of a throne room. It was decorated sparsely, the same cobwebs hanging on the walls that covered the rest of the corridor. The only unusual features were the large pictures of Creen spiders that hung on the walls.
"Leaders in the Creen terrorist movement that Rorna belonged to," said Enam quietly, noticing Archer's gaze.
Enam, Shran and Archer were bundled into a cage in the centre of the hall. The spiders poked them with their long legs as they walked past as if it was part of some game or ritual.
"What now?" asked Shran quietly.
"I don't know," said Archer. "I guess we look for our chance to escape."
Enam slumped in the corner. "There is no escape from Rorna."
"I don't have time for this," said Archer.
"Nevertheless we seem to be stuck here for the moment," said Shran.
Archer went to Enam. "What's going to happen to us?"
"Either he'll kill us as an example to others or hunt us through the labyrinth. Depends what he's feeling like. Either way, we're dead," said Enam.
T'Pol had called Trip to the bridge to fix the broken com system, using it as an excuse to talk to him alone. So far Reed and T'Pol had prevented Davis's men from going on to the bridge, but they were certain that this wouldn't last for long, especially once Davis had spoken to Admiral Forrest.
"So did you actually do something to the com system that I need to fix?" asked Trip as he came over to Hoshi's station with his tool kit. Only T'Pol, Reed, Hoshi, Ensign Raywood and Mayweather were on the bridge so he wasn't worried about revealing the deception they had orchestrated.
"We just disconnected a few wires," said Hoshi.
"Yeah, but which wires makes a lot of difference," said Trip.
"Lieutenant Hess helped so I don't think we broke anything important," said Hoshi.
"I'll believe that when I've given it the once over," said Trip as he crawled under the com station and detached the cover of the panel he needed to get to. The nanites assessed the damage, locating the broken connections in far less time than it would have taken Trip to scan for them. "Pass me the micro-laser," said Trip to Hoshi, "this doesn't look too bad, shouldn't be more than a couple of minutes work for the nanites."
"Commander, when you have completed your repairs I would like to speak with you," said T'Pol.
Trip poked his head up above the console. "Sure, T'Pol, just give me a couple of minutes," said Trip. He told the nanites to make the necessary repairs which they completed in a few minutes and then returned to his body. He shut the cover of the panel and used the edge of the console to help himself up. He felt slightly dizzy as he stood up, but hoped that no one noticed his moment of light-headedness. He'd been experiencing the dizzy spells ever since he'd left sick bay a couple of days ago but he had decided not to let anyone know, they'd only expect him to go back to sick bay and with all the repair work he didn't have time for that.
Until he'd been away he hadn't realised just how much the nanites did around the ship, especially the fine work that usually took ages to complete but the nanites could do in a few seconds. Then of course there were the regular updates on the ship's systems that the nanites gave him, which had stopped while they battled his immune system but had returned now that the nanites had spare processing power again. Trip had begun to wonder how he had ever managed to be Chief Engineer without the nanites, they'd picked up on so many problems before they became real problems.
"It sure is nice not to have those HQ security guys looking over my shoulder the whole time," he said.
"Unfortunately there's nothing we can do about that for the moment," said Reed.
"Yeah, I know," said Trip.
"I need to contact Admiral Forrest," said T'Pol, breaking into the conversation. "I believe you mentioned that you could create a message that would make it look as if Captain Archer is speaking with him."
"Yeah, I can," said Trip.
"What exactly did you have in mind," asked Reed.
"Well, you remember when we had to fool Degra we used a voice modulator to make Hoshi sound like a Xindi?" said Trip.
"Yeah, that was pretty good," said Travis. "If it hadn't been for those anomalies, we would have fooled him."
"You want to do something similar with the Captain's voice?" asked Hoshi.
"Yup, I'm pretty sure that we have enough recordings of his voice to work with and then we can add a visual as well. The computer should be able to cope with the calculations and we have enough video of the Captain that we should be able to string it all together fairly easily," said Trip.
"So Sub-Commander T'Pol will be on screen and speaking but the Admiral will see Captain Archer?" asked Ensign Raywood.
"Exactly, Ensign," replied Trip.
"I think you may have overlooked something," said Reed.
"And what would that be?" asked Trip.
"T'Pol doesn't speak in the same way that the Captain does. You can make her words sound like Captain Archer but the words will still be T'Pol's, and she speaks like a Vulcan, no disrespect Sub-commander," said Reed.
"None taken, Lieutenant, you are correct. I speak English in the manner of a non-native speaker, despite the long time that I have been among humans I have yet to acquire some of your idioms. Perhaps Commander Tucker should be the one to take the place of the Captain, his colloquialisms seem closer to those of the Captain," said T'Pol.
"Oh no, not again," said Trip. "I tried that once before, remember, and my days of impersonating the Captain are over. All for some damned water-polo scores as well."
Hoshi covered her mouth in an attempt not to laugh, and Reed grinned broadly at the memory of Trip pretending to be Archer only to discover that the important message was not exactly important. Trip had nearly given the game away when he heard the message but had quickly corrected himself so that the Vulcan Captain was none the wiser, although he probably thought that humans were very strange indeed. Trip had reasoned that he'd probably thought that to begin with anyway.
"Lieutenant Reed could attempt the impersonation," suggested T'Pol.
"Same problem, T'Pol, he speaks like a Brit," said Trip. "Anyway, there's a guy I know who does a damn fine impersonation of the Captain."
"Who is it, sir?" asked Mayweather.
"Ensign Raywood," said Trip and all eyes turned to the man who was sitting in the Captain's chair.
"Sir, I really don't think I'm qualified to talk to the Admiral," said Ensign Raywood.
"Ensign, you're the only guy who can," said Trip. "Me, I've got this bunch of southern vocabulary that I don't even notice that I'm using and T'Pol and Malcolm have got their own variations in the way they speak. None of us sound like the Captain in the way we talk. Now I know that you can pull it off, I've heard you do it."
"Sir, it's one thing to do a couple of lines in the Captain's voice just for a joke, but holding a whole conversation is a completely different matter," said Raywood.
"You won't have to do the voice, the computers will do all that for you, just think about the way the Captain talks," said Trip.
"Ensign, if you are able to do this then you will be performing a great service for the Captain," said T'Pol. "Your input in this endeavour is vital and greatly appreciated."
"I suppose I could give it a go," said Raywood after a long pause.
"Right, let's get to it then," said Trip. The nanites were already locating and assembling the files that Trip would need in order to construct the computer generated images and voice. All they had to do now was convince the Admiral that he really was talking to Captain Jonathan Archer, a man that he'd known for over ten years.
"Evening Admiral," said Raywood to the image on the screen in front of him. He couldn't believe that he was doing this. His list of crimes was growing longer by the minute, not only had he impersonated the Captain but now he was lying to an Admiral. T'Pol sat out of range of the screen ready to prompt him if he should need it. Commander Tucker had successfully rigged up his visual and audio mask to the computer in the Captain's ready room, but had decided to monitor the whole thing from another location as he didn't want to distract Raywood anymore than he already was.
"Hello Jon. I'm glad to see that you got the com system back online. How are the repairs coming?" asked the Admiral.
"Just fine, sir," said Raywood. "The guys from Jupiter station did a great job with the upgrades."
"I'm glad to hear it," said Forrest. "I notice that you're late getting your reports to me, is anything the matter? It's not like you to be late, Jon."
"Sorry about that Admiral, I guess you didn't hear about my accident. I went down to Engineering to inspect some of the upgrades and a faulty power relay blew up as I was walking past. I ended up in sickbay for a few days while Phlox sorted me out," said Raywood.
"I'm sorry to hear that, you look okay now though so it can't have been too serious," said Forrest.
"A few minor burns, nothing too bad but it has put me behind schedule on the reports. Would you be willing to give me a few more days to get those to you?" asked Raywood. Too formal, he thought, not quite the right tone, the Captain had known the Admiral for years.
"It shouldn't be a problem, Jon, but I need them by the end of next week or we'll miss the committee meeting," said the Admiral. He didn't seem to have noticed the slightly stilted nature of Raywood's language in the last sentence.
Raywood had no idea what the committee meeting was or even why the reports were needed for it, but decided to play it safe. "I'm sure I'll have them for you in time, sir."
"How's Commander Tucker?" asked Forrest.
"Much better, sir, back on full duty," replied Raywood.
"Is that a permanent thing or just temporary?" asked Forrest.
Raywood didn't know, he certainly hadn't been privy to Phlox's private medical conversations with the Commander. He looked at T'Pol who wrote something on a padd and handed it to him.
"Phlox thinks that he's stabilised him for the time being but we won't know for a while if it's a long term solution. It hasn't solved the underlying problem, the nanites are still there," said Raywood, reading off the padd as he spoke.
"I've been looking for a way that we can keep the Commander on board Enterprise," said Forrest, "but so far I've not had much luck. Every way I turn I seem to hit a brick wall, no one seems willing to believe that the nanites are harmless. Which I'm afraid brings me to some more bad news. The powers that be have decided to place Enterprise in quarantine until Commander Tucker has been removed. That means no shore leave for anyone and no more trips down to the surface even on official business."
"But, Admiral, that's not fair," blurted out Raywood and then realised that it didn't sound like a very Archer thing to say. "I mean, the crew have been in the Expanse for months and they deserve shore leave. Most of them have been waiting until the repairs are complete to go home and visit their families."
"I'm sorry, Jon, but there's nothing that I can do. The order came from the highest authority," said Forrest. "Which reminds me, how's T'Pol holding up?"
Raywood looked at T'Pol questioningly, he didn't know of any reason for the Admiral to be asking after her. Again T'Pol wrote rapidly on the padd and passed it to him.
"She's doing fine, I guess a bit worried but I'm sure she'll come through fine," said Raywood.
"That wasn't what you said to me last week. I've had the Judge Advocate General's office looking into this whole thing, it's pretty serious. The Dohn Zhu is the prelude to a criminal trial back on Vulcan. I'm still looking into options for you to keep your Science Officer but it isn't looking good at the moment," said Forrest.
"I think I need to talk to T'Pol again," said Raywood, stalling. He really didn't know what all this was about and the way T'Pol was looking at him, he didn't think she wanted him to know.
"Yes, it certainly sounds like she hasn't told you the whole story," said the Admiral. "I've had a couple of complaints from Headquarters Security about your treatment of Lieutenant Davis. I know you don't want him there, Jon, but you have to let him and his men have access to the whole ship."
"I know he has a job to do, but I can't have him or his men getting in the way of day to day operations of the ship," said Raywood.
"I'm sure he understands that Enterprise is a functioning starship. I don't want to get another call from Admiral Ferguson, Jon," said the Admiral.
"Okay, I'll give him access to the rest of the ship, but I can't do anything about sickbay, that's the Doctor's domain and he won't budge," said Raywood.
"I think I can live with explaining that to Ferguson," said Forrest. "Sickbay can remain off limits."
Raywood continued on with the few other points of ship's business that he had to discuss with the Admiral uneventfully, mostly handling the conversation fairly well. However, it was a blessed relief to him when he was finally able to cut the communication channel.
"Do you think we did it, Sub-commander?" asked Raywood, sitting back with a sigh.
"I believe that we performed adequately," replied T'Pol.
Just then there was a sharp knock on the door and then Trip barged into the room without waiting to be asked to enter.
"What the hell is a Done Shoe and why is the Admiral talking about Enterprise losing its Science Officer?" shouted Trip, striding over to T'Pol.
"Erm, I guess I'll be on the bridge," said Raywood, swiftly moving out of the way and through the door to the bridge before either Trip or T'Pol could stop him. Not that either of them wished to have witnesses to the fight that they knew was about to happen.
"A Dohn Zhu is a tribunal of my peers to decide whether certain of my actions in regard to resigning my commission and accompanying Enterprise into the Expanse merit further investigation," said T'Pol, calmly. "If they find my actions contravene Vulcan regulations governing our relations with other species then I will be returned to Vulcan for a criminal trial."
"T'Pol, you're telling me that you're going to be put on trial for resigning your commission and coming into the Expanse with us? Why the hell didn't you tell me this was going on?" asked Trip, his voice still raised.
"You were not in any state to be told bad news and I felt it best not to burden you further," said T'Pol.
"So you're saying that you didn't tell me because I was ill? T'Pol, I'm not a child. If something is going on I need to know. I'm the god damned Chief Engineer of this ship and if the Science Officer is about to be replaced then I think I'm entitled to know. Apart from the fact that I thought we were friends. Friends tell each other things," said Trip.
"There was no need for you to know," said T'Pol.
"But you told the Captain and Malcolm knows," said Trip. "It seems like I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on. I'm fighting to lead a normal life and you're treating me like I'm made of glass. You're the one who told me that having the nanites inhabit my body didn't make me a different person."
"It was the illness caused by the nanites rather than the nanites presence that made me hesitate to tell you. The Captain, Doctor Phlox and I all agreed that you did not require further stress given your current situation," said T'Pol.
"And I suppose you think finding out this way was better?" asked Trip, sarcastically.
"It was not my intention that you should find out this way," said T'Pol.
"Yeah, if you'd had your way I never would have known until you were on your way back to Vulcan," said Trip.
"The Dohn Zhu is a Vulcan matter and not your concern," said T'Pol.
"Of course it's my concern," said Trip. "In case you hadn't noticed, I care about what happens to you. There must be something that we can do."
T'Pol simply looked at Trip for a moment. "There is nothing that you can do. The Captain has already looked in to ways that the Earth government might be able to assist me."
"What about your defence, I mean you are allowed to defend what you did?" asked Trip.
"Yes, I will be defending myself," said T'Pol.
"What are you going to say?" asked Trip.
"That I broke a number of Vulcan statutes and that I have no explanation for my actions," said T'Pol.
"T'Pol, that's just rolling over and giving up, that's not a defence. You've got to defend yourself," said Trip.
"There is no defence for being in the wrong," said T'Pol.
"Damn it, T'Pol, you did the right thing, coming with us. We might never have got home if you hadn't been there," said Trip.
"The fact remains that I went against my superiors in order to go with Enterprise into the Expanse and even though I resigned my commission, I still ignored the advice of those in authority over me," said T'Pol. "I used my Vulcan scientific knowledge to help you and I could well have involved Vulcan in an intergalactic war."
"That is a load of garbage and you know it as well as I do," said Trip. "You've never betrayed Vulcan scientific secrets and the Xindi weren't going to attack Vulcan just because there was one Vulcan on board Enterprise."
"That is not how the Vulcan High Command have interpreted my actions," replied T'Pol. "It has been suggested in the past that I have been corrupted by serving for so long on a human ship and that for my own good I should be reassigned."
"And you can forget that load of bull too," said Trip. "There's nothing wrong with who you are."
"Perhaps not by human standards, but by Vulcan standards I am irresponsible and erratic. I cannot defend myself against charges that I consider to be valid," said T'Pol.
"You once explained to me that suicide wasn't logical," said Trip. "You told me that if you were alive then there was always the possibility that outcomes could be influenced and changed. Sounds to me like you need to listen to your own advice."
"I am not contemplating suicide," said T'Pol.
"You might as well be, you've obviously given up completely. What happened to influencing outcomes and fighting for life," said Trip.
T'Pol paused, she turned towards the widow of the ready room. Outside figures could be seen floating past carrying construction materials to repair Enterprise's damaged hull. The ship was slowly being returned to its pre-Expanse level of full repair. Although the task had been daunting, Trip had attacked the problem with as much vigour as he always did, setting in motion all the tasks that needed to be completed so that Enterprise could get underway once more. A typical human quality and one that she had believed to be worth saving. Not once in the Expanse had it ever been suggested that they should turn around and go home, the stakes had been too high for that. "It may be that I have overlooked something," she said. "I had forgotten why I went into the Expanse with Enterprise and you have just reminded me of my motivations."
"Then you'll defend yourself properly?" asked Trip.
"Yes, I believe I now have the reasons I need," said T'Pol.
"Okay, then I'd best get back to Engineering," said Trip.
"Commander, there is something else that the Admiral mentioned that concerns you," said T'Pol.
"What was that?" asked Trip, he'd been so worried about what he'd heard about T'Pol leaving Enterprise that he hadn't really thought about the rest of their conversation with the Admiral.
"All shore leave has been cancelled," said T'Pol. "The crew will no doubt be resentful of this and it is likely that they will speculate on why this has been done. It is also likely that they will deduce that this has something to do with the nanites."
"I hadn't thought of that," said Trip. "They're a good crew, I doubt we'll have any real trouble."
"I do not believe that there will be any serious discipline problems, I was more concerned about there being some personal resentment towards you as the cause of their cancelled shore leave. Given that many of the crew have not seen their family for over a year and the emotional nature of humans, I expect that there will be some discontent," said T'Pol.
"I'm pretty thick skinned, I can cope," said Trip.
"I had not thought otherwise," said T'Pol. "However, should you need someone to talk to..."
"Thanks, T'Pol, I'll bear that in mind," said Trip and he did wonder if he was going to need to take her up on her offer sooner rather than later. He made his way back down to Engineering in the hope that the repairs would take his mind off his problems.