Children of Enterprise
Estellio
Rating: Pg-13 (T)
Summary: When Archer is kidnapped by unknown aliens and the Enterprise is dead in the water, it seems like there is no hope for rescue but there's more to this than meets the eye and it could have something to do with the child in T'pol's arms.
A/N: Ah, my favourite part, the authors note.
Angelus-2003: What can I say but...doh! Thanks for the heads up, I've changed it now. I watch way too much TOS anyway.
gammara: Pon Farr nookie! I love it! Seriously, your reviews make me laugh harder than any others I've ever gotten before. Pon farr smackdown instantly jumps to mind when I think of Vulcans which always puts a smile on my face. lol.
Tata: Ah! Stay away from me you crazy broom weilding lady! lol. I didn't have time to beta this one like I usually do so I aologise in advance for the spelling errors, now if you'll excuse me I'm off to my broom proof bunker.
Firebirdgirl: I'm so glad she hasn't spawned into a MarySue or something horrific like that. I'm always careful about Oc's and it's nice to know people like them...But don't get too attached...you'll see what I mean.
IOIOIO
Scaron arrived on the bridge early, like he had the last five days. The space before him lay empty and still with no trace of the ship that occupied it almost a week ago. With the way the temporal null went they could have been out in seconds or days…maybe not at all. The real danger of the null was time dissipation. The time that engulfed the ship would drain away, as if one were approaching the event horizon of a black hole, slowing and slowing till it stopped. He really hoped they didn't die in the null. He had waited to long, made too many calculations for it to end this way. The only way to effect his timeline and not an alternate one was to slip into the timeline, cut the future loose and forge a new one. The dynamics were complicated and as foreign to him as Klingon culinary skills but he did know one thing. Archer had to die and he had to die now. The space in front of him rippled and went still. The temporal bubble had to have collapsed, if Enterprise hadn't remerged then that's all it could be.
"Report." He said, leaping to his feet and snapping his fingers.
"Sir, a rift opened and collapsed instantaneously. It doesn't make sense, it was like they tried to get out and failed." Scaron sat back down and opened his mouth to speak.
"SIR! I'm picking up two ships! One's Enterprise, one's Rialta's ship."
"Dammit! Archer?"
"I'm not picking up his life sign on Enterprise, I can't get a lock on Rialta's ship." Scaron paused a moment as both ships streaked away. Rialta's ship was off the sensors in seconds, it being capable of much higher warp, Enterprise crawled away at its high warp.
"Send a warbird and the six scouts after Enterprise, the other two warships and four attack cruisers come with us after Rialta's ship."
"It's only a scout, surely Enterprise is the bigger target." The Klingon said from his console.
"I am after Archer not his ship. He's on Rialta's ship. It's better armed and shielded. We go after that. I'm sure our scouts can take care of that feeble 23rd Century toy. NOW! EXECUTE!" The stars streaked away and they followed Rialta's last known trail.
"Fan out, I want to cover as much space as possible. Rialta's clever but I wont let her get away, not this time." Scaron tried to relax back into his chair but with the end of the hunt this close he found it hard. It wouldn't be long now.
"Sir, Enterprise, Sir…"
"What is it?" He snapped at the Comm. officer. The Vulcan stiffened indignantly.
"I just got a report it pulled a Paris, Sir." Scaron raised one elegantly slanted brow in confusion.
"A Paris…" he said uncomprehendingly, then he remember the tales of an Admiral who took the reigns of his ship during a gun fight at the 'turbulent' times of the peace talks between what was known as the Federation and the Romulan Empire and lost an entire Romulan squadron by flying through the corona of a star, masking his signature and destroying the two ships that tried to follow them. "They flew through the corona of a star!" Scaron shouted! "Their ship can't do that!"
"Sir, we've lost them."
"Fan out! I want the whole area searched. They're only a warp five ship! Find them! FIND THEM!" With victory so close he would not lose, he could not lose.
IOIOIO
Malcolm breathed a sigh of relief as Travis informed him the danger was past, judging by the easing of the young pilots shoulders and the wipe of his sleeve across his brow he was just as worried as the Brit.
"Malcolm! Never, ever, do that again." Hoshi said, dislodging her fingers from where they had dug into the console, the colour slowly returning now she had released her vice like grip. "I'm getting damaged reports from all over the ship, blown conduits, failing systems….hull integrity is at twenty percent. This ship can't take temperatures like that, what were you thinking!"
"Fortune favours the bold, Ensign." Malcolm said, offering a brave smile but judging by his pale complexion he had been just as worried.
"Bold! That was just plain naughty, Malcolm." Hoshi scolded, a smile taking the edge off her words.
"But it worked, I'm not picking up any pursuit." The secondary tactical officer said, her face just as blanched as the rest.
"This wont shake them for long. I want the damage control crews working around the clock to get this ship back to shape and tactical teams in all strategic locations in case we're boarded. They might come looking for Archer if they find us." He paused a moment, biting his lip. "Fortune's favoured us so far, lets see just how far we can push the bar. Take us into the heart of the Traduit, Travis." Travis swung around in his chair.
"Sir! We'll be flying blind! None of our sensors will work and there's no telling if their advanced technology can break through the interference! Plus, the plasma currents that deep in are unpredictable, we could be torn apart."
"I trust you Travis and it's our only hope. We're facing a foe better than us in every way, all we've got going for us is good old human ingenuity, something the enemy doesn't have. Take us in Ensign." Reed sat back in the chair in an attempt to ground himself. It didn't work and he could feel himself tensing up even more. He chanced a look over to Hoshi who was watching him with keen dark eyes almost as if weighing him up. That did nothing to relieve his tension knowing she was watching him. She seemed to come to some conclusion and looked down at her console, blushing at being caught. Although Malcolm had no idea what she was thinking about he was glad she was finished scrutinising him. He had to concentrate on what was going on now, even though he was helpless to do anything as Enterprise was caught in the eddies and currents of the nebula. Archer was counting on him and he didn't want to let him down, or the ever watchful Hoshi.
IOIOIO
Archer and Trip clung to the bulkheads for support as the ship was rocked horribly exiting the rift. Enterprise was left behind in a psychedelic stream of light and the ride became a little smoother.
"S'all right. You can let go of my arm." Trip said, looking down at the white knuckled grip T'pol had on his arm. She straightened up now the inertial dampeners had taken hold again and cave a look at the finger marks rumpled into his sleeve, she must have been holding on hard.
"I apologise." She said, feeling embarrassed at her emotional display.
"Don't worry 'bout it." Trip smiled then turned to Rialta. "Where to now little lady."
"I'm the same height as you." She said, her hands dancing over the controls. "Give or take an inch but now we are flying into that sun." She indicated the yellow dot up on a holographic screen in front of them that had lines and symbols that were unintelligible to everyone but her in the ship.
"That doesn't sound to safe." Archer said, putting a hand on the back of Lorian's chair and leaning forward, peering sagely at the screen. "What's all this?" He indicated to all the green lines crisscrossing over the screen.
"Unless you want that headache to get any worse then don't ask." She said, staring at the tiny purple glyphs that were now flashing in the bottom, left hand sign of the screen. "That's odd." Rialta muttered to herself as she worked, the rest of them remained silent, watching the screen and hoping to make some sense, any sense of what was going on around them. T'pol looked over at Trip to find him already look at her, smiling.
"What?" She asked, conscious of the close proximity of everyone else. She was half pressed up against the back of the ship with Archer's leg pressing into one of hers uncomfortably and Trip's elbow against her side.
"You're looking a lot better, that's all. You've been looking kinda poorly lately." T'pol had to admit, she was feeling a lot better apart from a gnawing pain in the back of her mind. She didn't say anything but turned away to watch the screen. The yellow dot was coming closer to the blue glyph she realised was the ship. A visual image came up on the screen of a turbulent young star that sent out flares every few seconds.
"Oh go away." Rialta snapped and the image disappeared.
"Now that didn't look safe." Trip said, looking to Rialta.
"Don't worry." She said waving a dismissive hand. "Ten seconds." Lizzie's hand shot up and caught her father's pinky and ring finger in her own small hand. Archer looked down, strangely touched by a gesture common between any father and daughter. But he wasn't her father and she wasn't his daughter, at least not yet. "Five." Rialta said, her hands on two large, T shaped keys on the board with her eyes were closed, mouth set in a grim line and brows furrowed accentuating the three small horns down her forehead. Archer noticed a strange yellow webbing at her temples he hadn't seen before and she seemed to be sweating a light blue liquid. What a strange species she was. The pressure increased on his fingers and he saw Lorian wrap a comforting arm around the young girl's waist as she clung onto Lorian's arm with her other hand. "Past it." Rialta said, relaxing back into the chair, breathing deeply. "We passed through the corona of a new born star, ladies and gentleman, thank you for flying Rialta Airways. You have just made history as there wont be a passing like this for another five hundred years because your ship would melt at those temperatures." There was a round of nervous chuckles as the yellow dot was left behind them and a red x appeared on the far side of the screen. "We're nearly at the planet."
"What do we do once we get there?" Archer asked, noticing the yellow webbing spreading down the side of her face.
"There's a deck of cards in the glove box if you want to play a round of whist or poker, otherwise it's up to you." She said sourly, her concentration solely on the displays in front of her which flashed in a rainbow of colours.
"So we're just supposed to…loiter?"
"That's the idea." She said, closing her eyes a moment as if in pain. Archer was about to ask if she was alright when an alarm went off. "You gotta be kidding me! His ship can't move that fast!"
"What is it?" Trip asked, craning to see over Archer's shoulder.
"A scout…it's not following us. It seems to be…Enterprise!"
"What?" Archer tried to figure out what was going on, on the display screen but they made no more sense than before.
"Enterprise shook them. They did the corona trick we did but with a far more stable star at much more acceptable levels. Well I'll be damned, you must have one hell of a pilot." Archer grinned, realising that Rialta's news was good news.
"Travis is the best. What's going on?"
"Enterprise managed to shake whatever Scaron sent after them. I'm picking up ships on long range sensors in the area of space my computer predicts Enterprise will be in. The Traduit nebula is a very active nebula, it's got a lot of interference going for it. As long as they hang there, they'll be fine. I'll drop ye off then catch the attention of that scout. Get them to follow me then duck into the star nursery a few lightyears off."
"INTO!" Trip and Archer said at the same time, equally shocked and horrified. "You'll be destroyed." Trip said, casting a glance at Lorian who was looking curiously detached from the entire conversation.
"No, I wont. I'll be careful not to fly into any stars, just scoot around the gases, try not to get into anything I can't handle. Trust me, I'm an experienced pilot. Wouldn't be the first time I did something insane like this."
"Now that I can believe." Trip said, rolling his eyes. What had his son gotten himself into? Rialta gasped, one hand going to her temple, the yellow webbing was far more prominent now underneath her skin and it stretched to her jaw. This was definitely a new occurrence. "What's wrong? Rialta, your face!" Lorian shifted Elizabeth out of his way to see Rialta. Before he could say anything Rialta swore loudly and the ship rocked with a blast.
"Dammit! He followed us through, I didn't see him!" Rialta growled, her hands sliding across the control panel and the display turning grey and red. The battle played out before them on the unintelligible screen of Rialta's and it wasn't until she relaxed that they did. The only change on the display was the disappearance of a red dot but they presumed the other ship had been destroyed or lost. "Gottim, not before he did damage though. Manage to punch a hole through my shields. Transporters are fried, I'll have to drop you down on the planet Flash Gordon style."
"Flash Gordon?" T'pol asked, now hanging onto both Archer and Trip for support as the ship shuddered, entering the upper atmosphere.
"Means I gotta land." Rialta's breathing was beginning to become laboured and her voice was husky. The ship landed smoothly on a large grassy prairie with all they could see from horizon to horizon was knee high turquoise grass, dotted with indigo flowers, apart from, of course, the ugly scar of a canyon across the otherwise featureless landscape. The small door opened sending in a whoosh of deliciously cool, fresh air that smelt faintly of cloves. Lizzie unbuckled herself and was off like a flash, running through the grass that almost covered her. T'pol was the next out, scanning the area for any threats to her daughter before following her at a far more leisurely pace. Archer looked to Rialta.
"Are you alright? You look unwell."
"Get out." Was the gruff reply.
"What about Enterprise."
"We've been over this, get out. The sooner you leave the sooner I can go after them." Archer straightened, looking to Trip and Lorian. Both father and son looked uncharacteristically blank as they stared straight ahead of them. Archer couldn't remember anything about Rialta but Trip seemed to have a good grasp of the situation so he left him to it, ducking out of the ship and following T'pol.
"Please leave us." Lorian said quietly to Trip, the first thing he had said since this misadventure had began.
"You're leaving as well." Rialta snarled, her head swinging around to face him. Trip looked between the two, not sure if he wanted to leave it to his, ever so slightly, obtuse son. Deciding he was old enough to stand on his own two feet Trip ducked out and jogged up to where T'pol was standing, watching as Lizzie ran around seemingly aimlessly in front of them.
"Get out Lorian." Rialta snarled, her eyes, bright with fever, turned angrily on him.
"Look at yourself Rialta, we must have been in that rift for days and the disease is catching up with you. You're too far gone."
"All the more reason why I must go. This is a suicide mission and you know it."
"I'm coming with you, I can help. I am, at least, lucid." Rialta hung her head, shaking it slightly, her aqua tears splashing on the console.
"No Lorian, I'm not going to let you do this to yourself. I don't want to kill you too."
"And I don't want to lose you." Lorian lent across to Rialta, raising her chin with one finger to look into his chocolate brown eyes. "We've been through a lot together and yet here we are. I'm not going to let you go now."
"You don't understand." She said softly. "I can't survive. I have no one."
"You have me." Lorian said, taking her face in his hands, a surprisingly intimate gesture for a Vulcan.
"I don't want your pity." She cried, pulling out of his grip, tears flowing freely now. "I don't want this to be about logic, Lorian. Can't you see that?"
"It's not, Rialta. I don't know how to make my intentions more obvious!" He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, because she still had the harness on it he couldn't pull her to him but it helped to angle her for the kiss that took her by surprise. She wasn't prepared and he was, to his own embarrassment, far out of practice making it probably one of the most inelegant and awkward kisses in history but it was enough. Rialta began to cry, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close.
"I don't want to lose you." Lorian said softly, burying his head in her hair. "Let me come with you."
"This is a suicide mission, Techie." She sobbed. "I'm not going to come back from this. I don't know if I can even save Enterprise. This has all gone so horribly wrong! It was never meant to be like this." He stroked her neck soothingly, hoping to calm her down. He could feel her emotions humming so close to the surface, all he'd have to do was reach out but doing so would pull her into the madness she must be suffering and one of them had to stay lucid.
"We can still get through this. Let's go get Enterprise then…" He wiped away one of her tears with his thumb, his palm caressing her cheek. Her hand moved up to lay over his, eyes closed and tears still falling. "Then we'll see how this goes."
"It was never meant to be like this." She said softly. "It was supposed to be so much more simple. I've messed it all up." Lorian kissed the bumps on her forehead and sat back into his chair, not bothering to buckle himself in. There was no need anyway, they weren't time travelling.
"Archer's safe, Enterprise is safe, Lizzie is safe. I'd say so far so good."
"But Scaron is so close and Enterprise isn't safe. I was supposed to grab Archer and get out of there. I thought he'd leave Enterprise alone if Archer wasn't there and I'd hide Archer until Scaron was forced to return to his timeline. It's too hard to come back to these periods, what with the temporal cold war so active in this timeline and that technology banned in theirs. There's only so long they can sustain themselves before they start to become of this timeline, making it impossible for them to return. You shed cells and eat food making yourself more and more of this timeline. That's why we were forced into this, we're so close to this timeline we can survive longer but they can't. It was supposed to just be a waiting game but now…" She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "It's all your fault. You called me back to Enterprise, I was going to hang with Archer here, making him think we crash landed or something." She began to work at the console, closing the door behind her. Lorian couldn't help but smile as she started off on a rant about how all this was his fault. For a while at least she was back to herself but he could tell she didn't have long before the illness progressed too far. She could be dead in hours and judging by the fact she didn't pull away or smack him when they kissed, there was the potential for a future a hell of a lot longer than a few hours.
Archer watched the ship take off, it looked even smaller on the outside than it did inside. Lizzie crashed into his legs, gibbering in Vulcan and trying to pull him along. It was his guess she was glad to be outdoors again and wanted him to play with her. It was still hard for him to accept this was his daughter but the resemblance was uncanny. At least his brain pain had dulled to something barely more than a humming in the back of his mind, to soft to be called a headache but still annoying. He rubbed the back of his head and looked over to see T'pol doing the same. Odd. Trip came up behind her and said something that caused her to turn. The two began to walk away together and Archer let himself be pulled away by Lizzie. For all the tension and panic before playing in a field with his daughter seemed a little…anti climatic but this couldn't last…of that much he was sure.