Authors Note and Apology: Okay, if there is anybody still reading this I must give my most wholehearted apology. It has been TWO YEARS since I updated this. It has bugged me immensely that I had an unfinished story here, since unfinished stories by other authors have always bothered me. So I have been humbled. I have had a nasty (and obviously long lasting) case of writer's block, exaggerated by real life getting in the way of attempting to write, and the cancellation of the show. I just lost the ability to write the characters. However, I have missed writing dreadfully, and have decided to simply bull my way through this. I always did have an idea of how the story was to go, and that hasn't changed, but I couldn't find the words to tell the story. I am afraid if I spend much time editing it, or getting it beta'ed it will NEVER get posted, so here it is in raw form. Later I may refine it and replace the chapter, but for now I felt it was more important to get it posted. There should be two or three more chapters. I WILL get them posted by the end of July (hopefully sooner), since I know how the story is to go. I just hope that the writer's block will lift enough that I can write it the way I want. Anyway, to anyone who reads this, THANK YOU for your patience and thank you for reading.

AN2: This is set prior to entering the expanse and all that followed.

Archer watched as his officers and crew scrambled to their positions. Although they moved quicky , he could sense their tension. 'Not good' he thought. Tentative officers were not effective, and even a second delay in carrying out any order could be catastrophic. He needed to come up with a plan, and he needed to do it quickly. At the conn, Travis gripped the edge of his console with knuckles that were gray with the tightness of his grip and he could hear Malcolm shifting restlessly behind him. Hoshi appeared surprisingly calm, and Archer could see that while her fingers were working the console a little more slowly than usual, she still appeared to be effective. At Hoshi's side, T'Pol was her usual inscrutable self. Trip had gone to engineering, but it didn't take much effort to imagine the tension that must be present there as well.

"All right," Archer spoke low, in what he hoped was a calm tone. "Travis, are they on an intercept course?"

"I… Yes, sir. I think so."

"Okay, then. Malcolm? What is their status? Weapons? Shields?" Archer turned to look at the tactical officer. Malcolm was frowning at his console, as though by intensity alone he could make it do as he wished. Archer hated to think how the rest of the crew was holding up if his senior staff was this rattled. Malcolm hesitated for several seconds.

"Sir, they don't appear to have any shields, and I can't detect any signs of weapons—but I CAN tell they're on an intercept course."

"Travis, go ahead and move us out of their path. Basic evasive maneuvers, lets just see how they respond."

"Yes, sir," Travis replied, but he sounded hesitant. Slowly the pilot guided the ship onto a new heading.

"Ensign, you haven't changed our course enough to avoid interception," Malcolm called from his station, and then glanced at Archer. "Sorry, sir, that wasn't my place."

"It's okay, Malcolm. Any more information on that ship?"

"No, sir…. It looks like their status is unchanged."

"Lieutenant, what scans have you run?" T'Pol had left her seat to join Malcolm at his station. "It doesn't look like you've done an infrared or magnetic scan."

Malcolm turned red. "I haven't. I was doing some of the others first…" he didn't finish, but bent intently over his panel. "The infrared is negative-"

"What is that pattern?" T'Pol interrupted him. "It looks like something is being masked by their engine. I believe that ship is carrying more individuals than would be indicated by the biosigns alone. It appears to be a fairly transparent attempt to conceal the number of people on board."

Malcolm looked at T'Pol with wide eyes, and his face turned bright red. "I… I apologize sir. I didn't see that! Sub-Commander, how did you see that?"

"There are areas of increased intensity underneath the lit areas, that are mostly masked by the head from the engines, but you can detect areas that are even more brightly lit. The congregation in the areas around the engine, where the infrared signal is strongest is suspicious."

Archer listened to the conversation without interrupting it, studying Malcolm. The tactical officer looked devastated. Although it had been a long time since he had spent much time studying scans—that was what the tactical officers were for, after all—Archer remembered from his basic tactical courses that the first step in reading a scan was to look for what showed clearly, and the second step was to look at any areas that lit up for anomalies. It required a systematic approach to reading the scan, an approach that was developed with time and experience. A friend who was a physician had once shown Archer an old-fashioned X-ray that showed Archer's broken collarbone. Archer had been stunned that the doctor had been able to pick up the tiny line that showed where the bone was fractured. He remembered shaking his head in amazement when his friend showed him the process he went through to make sure he didn't miss anything. "I still don't see how you do it," Archer had replied.

The physician had shrugged. "It's just a matter of being systematic about it, and having the experience to see what doesn't look normal. If I just looked at without going through the process, I'd miss too much."

Archer had just nodded. Now, though he recognized the similarity in the processes. Malcolm was looking at the scan for something wrong, and not using the systematic process he'd developed over the years so the subtle abnormalities were escaping him. As Archer stared at his tactical officer, a suspicion began to form. Unfortunately, he didn't know what to do about it, but he needed to do something, and quickly. He glanced at the helm where Travis was still grasping the console much too hard, having adjusted the ship's course. Knowing it was a risk, he gave an order.

"Malcolm, I want you to take the helm. I want a more distance between us and that ship, and take evasive action. Travis, I want you to take tactical for now. Finish the scans Malcolm had started.

The two officers stared at their captain, but they didn't question his order. In fact, Archer thought they both looked relieved, Travis more so. Malcolm looked embarrassed, and Archer knew he considered it being relieved from his post, but he didn't have time to explain right now. That could come later.

Malcolm had the ship moving on a new course within seconds. Travis had barely settled into his seat, when he called out, "Captain, that ship is carrying a lot of people—and they have weapons of some sort that I'm not familiar with, but they don't seem to be activated."

In the next instant Malcolm stated, "Sir, they're moving to intercept," but he was nearly drowned out by Hoshi's call.

"Sir, they're hailing us!"