A.N.: Sorry for the delay, but I have had a rather busy weekend and didn't get the time to post

any sooner. Anyways – on with the story. Please R+R.

Chapter 5:

2 years later

Life had somehow gone on – of course it had, it always did. It had taken a lot of time and as the saying went, time was healing all wounds. Well it wasn't actually true, time just allowed a human being to grieve properly, adjust to the new situation and find a way to go on.

In their case it had meant to find a way to not constantly think of who was missing aboard Enterprise. It had been hard to accept and it probably had been even harder for the person replacing Trip.

It had been a rough time for the entire crew and Jonathan knew it had been unfair giving the new chief engineer such a hard time, but it had been a natural process. Jonathan still found himself thinking about his friend – constantly for he first few month, only a few times a week later one and less and even more less as time proceeded. It had actually gotten quiet sporadic by now and as he had felt guilty for it at first even this had stopped by now.

He was pretty sure the rest of the crew had gone through the same adjustment period and had felt the same kind of feelings. They had established a new routine and a certain regularity once again and it was working. It actually was working pretty well as Jonathan had to admit...

"So what do the scans say, what can you tell us about the planet's surface?"

"The planet is inhabited, Captain, but it looks like there is no native species. There are several types of different inhabitants and all of them are definitely foreign. We alreaedy have been having contact with several of them – these are species that were living on planets close to the anomaly we encountered two years ago..."

Silence fell upon the bridge as T'Pol mentioned the incident . Everybody immediately remembered and knew what she was referring to and it caused a lot of bad memories. They had lost an important crewmember that day and above all a very good friend.

T'Pol finally broke the silence and her words caused the whole crew aboard the bridge to look at her in disbelief. It needed to be a mistake, some kind of mix up with the scanners or simply a matter of desperate wishing, but it didn't change what she was announcing.

"Captain – there's a human biosign down there on the surface... and it's fading."

"A... human biosign? How? That's not possible."

"I know it's highly unlikely, Sir, but the scanners clearly detect it. It is definitely there."

"Is there anything else you can tell me about this signal, any more detailed information?"

"No Sir, not from up here. The planet's atmosphere is interferring with the sensor devices. We would have to send down an away team for further information."

"Alright then... Archer to Dr. Phlox."

"Phlox here."

"Doctor, I want you to meet me and Lieutenant Reed in the shuttlebay in about 15 minutes."

"Sure, Captain – I will be there."

The doctor ended the connection and Jon turned to Malcom to order him to prepair the start of Shuttlepod One and inform him as soon as they were ready to start. He wished to have some moments of privacy before they went down to the surface. He needed some time to think about the information T'Pol had just given to them and the consequences and possible chances that were occuring from it.

"I will be in my ready room. Keep me updated."

"Yes, Sir."

He left the bridge and entered the small, empty and calm room. He felt a certain relief as he was engulfed by the silence of the room – it was one moment he had for himself, one moment he hadn't had to think of all the responsibility that was weighing upon his shoulders. From the window of his ready room he was able to have a full look at the planet. He had no idea what was expecting him down there and he had to admit he was afraid of it...

The soft humming of the door's alarm ripped him out of his thoughts and made him come back to the reality around him. He really didn't wish for anyone to interrupt him right now, but he had expected it. He knew who was standing besides that door.

"Come in."

As he had predicted it, his vulcan science officer was stepping through the doorway, hands clasped behind her back and closely looking at him. He ignored her looking at him and stared back down on the planet below. Uncomfortable silence lay between them, but he wasn't willing to talk about this. He needed to make up his own mind first.

"Captain, may I advice you to think about your decision once again? It is highly unwise to interfer with the people on this planet. As far as I was able to identify the different species, most of them are pre-warp. Going down there with a shuttlepod, aiming at them with phaser pistols and scanning them with tricorders is not an option."

"Look, T'Pol, I know you're not in favor with my decision and I note that you protested against it ,but there's no way you will keep me from going down there!"

"By all due respects, Sir, but what are you hoping to find?"

"You know what I am hoping to find...who actually..."

"I do have a certain suspicion, Sir – but I don't agree with your... hopes. The Commander was anounced dead two years ago, you yourself made the decision to stop searching for him, because you believed there was no more chance to find him."

"But what if we had been wrong, what if we haven't searched hard enough?"

"Captain, this just isn't possible – the chances are unsayibly low."

"But how would you explain this, T'Pol – the biosign, the coincidence with the species from the solar system the Talian federation is set in... How do you explain it?"

"I have not enough information to give any suggestion about this coinsidences."

"Why shouldn't we try to find the information then?"

"As I already told you – we shouldn't interfer with these people down on the planet."

"Your protest is aknowledged, but I won't let this chance go by. I'm not willing to – not for anything in the world!"

T'Pol looked at him, her face expressionless – but her whole Körperhaltung embodied her disagreement and concern about his decision. She knew he was acting by emotions and she knew it wasn't right. They needed to make a logical decision and the Captain wasn't capable of doing this right now. But against better knowledge she didn't insist against him. She didn't know why, but she couldn't do it.

"As you wish, Sir. It is your decision, your responsibility..."