CHAPTER 10

"There hasn't been any interference for fifteen minutes," Hoshi said. "In fact, I've finished the entire set of hails, so I'm sending them again."

T'Pol, Trip, Malcolm, and Travis were gathered around Hoshi at the communications console on the bridge. Crewman Foster, lowest in rank among those present, had been relegated to the ready room to keep watch on the light.

"Very good, Ensign," T'Pol said. "Have you picked up any transmissions in return?"

"No," she said.

T'Pol paced away a few steps, thinking. "Is there any way to tell if the object approaching us has received our hails?"

"No."

T'Pol was turning back to the group just as Hoshi's console emitted a beep. The eyes of everyone on the bridge were drawn to the console, except Hoshi's. She looked at T'Pol, waiting permission to answer the incoming call.

"Go ahead, Ensign," T'Pol instructed her. "Open the channel."

Hoshi gulped, suddenly nervous as to what they might hear. She depressed the button to open the channel and put the transmission on the bridge speakers.

"...to Enterprise. This is the Blaniat cruiser Rendarat. We will assist you. Enterprise, respond."

The message was in English. Hoshi traded an astounded smile with Travis and Malcolm, and even bestowed one upon Trip. This was too good to be true.

"This is Enterprise," T'Pol said calmly. "Any assistance you can provide would be appreciated. Our engines are unable to function in--"

"We are familiar with this area of space, Enterprise," interrupted the voice on the other end of the transmission. "Prepare to receive information relevant to your situation."

Malcolm and Trip both looked at T'Pol to see her reaction. She merely raised an eyebrow, and Trip remarked, "Get right to the point, don't they?"

Another button on Hoshi's console lit up, and she pressed a few keys. "Incoming compressed data burst, Sub-commander," Hoshi reported. "It's quite large from the looks of it."

T'Pol lifted her chin and spoke again. "Rendarat, are you the vessel we have been monitoring visually?"

"Highly likely," came the response. "Our pulsating beacon reflects off your hull, guiding us to your location."

"Can you give us an estimate of the time of your arrival?" she asked.

There was a pause as if the speaker was checking something, then the voice came back. "Approximately three days, seventeen hours, your time."

Hoshi caught T'Pol's eye. "Data burst transmission is complete."

"Study the information we have transmitted," the voice said. "It will answer your questions. We will contact you again in twelve of your hours."

The transmission was cut and, without warning, a horrendous screeching filled the bridge. Hoshi winced and ripped the earpiece out of her ear with one hand as she flipped the switch to shut off the external speakers with the other.

Through the ringing in her ears, she heard Malcolm say, "They must have been doing something to allow us to send and receive communication signals. It's too much of a coincidence that it cleared up just long enough to talk to them."

"Agreed," T'Pol said.

"But, that doesn't mean they have some ulterior motive," Trip said. "Maybe they've developed some technology that allows them to work around the problem, but it could eat up a lot of power real quick."

"That would explain the...abruptness...of their communication," T'Pol said. Focusing on Hoshi, she said, "Will you need to do anything to the data burst to allow it to be processed by our system?"

Hoshi, who had been working at the console during the other officers' conversation, shook her head in disbelief. "You can access it now, Sub-commander." She looked up at T'Pol with something close to wonder in her eyes. "Not only is it in English, it's formatted for our system's requirements. How did they know that?"

"It is useless to speculate until we have viewed the information," T'Pol said. "Send the information to the computer in my cabin. I will review it there and then make it available to the rest of the senior staff."

Hoshi could tell Malcolm, who was frowning, was impatient to find out what the information was about. He had to be worried about any threats the Blaniats might pose.

Trip, on the other hand, was practically dancing with excitement. A boyish grin lit his face as, talking a mile a minute, he followed T'Pol off the bridge. She heard him say something about propulsion systems. He'd be most interested in how the Blaniats managed to move around in this area of space.

At the moment, it was hard to believe Trip wasn't totally sane. He seemed so much like his former self right now that Hoshi could almost believe the attempts -- well, one attempt and a possible attempt, because she wasn't sure about the coffee -- on Malcolm's life were figments of her imagination.

Maybe the Blaniats' arrival would give everyone a reason to hang on and, in Trip's case, behave.

As T'Pol and Trip left the bridge, Travis walked over to the helm and sat down in his old seat. He caressed the controls almost reverently.

Malcolm and Hoshi traded an indulgent smile. "Been a long time, hasn't it, Travis?" Malcolm said.

"Yes, sir," he replied. "It sure has. I'm getting a little tired of assisting Chef since there's no piloting. I hope I remember how to do this."

Hoshi laughed out loud. The possibility of being rescued had lifted her spirits considerably. "Isn't piloting a starship like riding a bicycle?" she teased. "You never forget how to do it?"

"I certainly hope so," Travis said with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, Travis," Malcolm put in dryly. "I'm sure you'll remember all the important things -- up, down, left, right."

"That's port and starboard, sir," Travis said, the upturned corners of his mouth belying his serious tone.

As Travis reacquainted himself with the helm controls, Malcolm turned to Hoshi.

"I have to check on my staff," he told her. "We're still trying to figure out a way to make the power cells hold a charge longer."

"I thought Trip was working on that," she said.

His expression told her more eloquently than words what he thought of Trip doing any work on the phase pistols.

"I see your point," she said softly, then raised her voice, aware that Travis could be overhearing what they were talking about. "I'm going to stay up here for a while. It's been a long time since I've done any maintenance on the communications system, and we'll need it working well for when the Blaniats get here."

Malcolm threw a glance over his shoulder to see Travis absorbed in whatever it was he was doing at the helm. Looking back to Hoshi, he leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I'll see you later," he said.

"You better," she said with a smile.

He laughed and gave her another quick kiss.

As Malcolm left the bridge, Hoshi began running diagnostics on her console, more excited about her work than she had been in a long time.