A revamped version of "Cross Culture". I'm looking at multiple 'episodes', these five chapters make up the first. More details in my profile. Cheers, Field.
Oh, right, Disclaimer: etc etc. Let's get on with it:
Shuttlepod one landed and the launch bay repressurized. First out of the hatch jumped a very harried Archer. His eyes went immediately to the Denobulan waiting patiently behind the glass of the control room. The captain stepped to the side to let the next passengers out: Trip, followed very closely by T'Pol, holding tightly to a beautiful baby girl.
They wasted no time in climbing up the steep ladder to where the doctor was waiting. Wordlessly, Trip extended his young daughter to the doctor's scanner.
Phlox grunted ambiguously at the readings as they came in, "Let's get her to Sickbay right away." He led the way through the corridors as briskly as though it were his own family behind him.
Again, Trip quietly submitted the child into Phlox's trusted care, stepping back as the doctor worked.
Phlox bent his head, focussing only on the little girl. He prepared a hypospray and pressed it to her tiny neck, "An analgesic for the pain, furosemide for the fluid buildup in her lungs, and something to stabilize her heart." He ran another scan, his face growing grave with concern that he attempted to hide from the anxious commanders. Quickly, he bustled to the other end of the room to recheck his results.
T'Pol stepped up to the incubator first, resting her hand gingerly on her daughter's glass casing. Trip pulled up two stools beside the incubator, and they sat. "What are we gonna do?" he asked in wonder.
"She will need a name." T'Pol said, emotion ill-hid in her voice.
"I guess we can't keep calling her 'she' forever, but what do you call someone so perfect."
"Elizabeth." T'Pol answered.
Trip sniffed, "My sister woulda liked that."
Suddenly, Phlox loomed over them, the grim look on his face still hadn't dissipated. "I'm afraid my original prognosis was incorrect. Her genome is unstable, I'm afraid the cloning process used to create her was improperly done, there is not much more I can do."
Trip bent his head back as his heart broke quietly inside.
"I've not treated this kind of patient before." Phlox continued, "I'm not familiar with the latest research on these kinds of procedures. I believe that, with more time, and if I am able to consult some of my colleagues, it may be possible to develop a cure."
Trip's demeanor changed in an instant. "A cure, Doc?" Trip seemed to think that sounded better than what his incoherent mind was screaming about.
"However, time for her is not in abundance right now. I'd like to put her in stasis."
"Whatever you have to do, Doctor." T'Pol agreed.
Phlox's face was set in a firm grimace. "Alright, then."
Opening Theme: The Killers, Sam's Town Remix
"First Strike"
Captain's Log:
Well, this is October the fifth, 2156. Finally, our mission has turned to one of exploration, as this is our fifth day in the Mett System. It's a twelve planet, binary sun system. Mostly class M planets, one of which we visited today. The crew really seemed to benefit from a little time away from the ship in some real atmosphere. I'm even looking forward to Chef cooking up some new vegetables tonight.
We're currently on our way to examine the binary suns. T'Pol tells me there have been some peculiar readings coming from the centre of the system, and I'd like to investigate. Hopefully, the new shield plating will hold against the gravitational bend we expect to encounter.
x x x
"What in hell was that?" the Captain shouted frantically across the Bridge.
The Science Officer appeared much more put together than the rest of the bridge crew after the recent shakedown. "I am not certain, Captain. It appears as though the system has shifted polarity."
"There's another shockwave coming, sir." Malcolm shouted out.
"Brace for impact." Jon yelled, as he himself went flying back into his chair.
"Captain." Trip's voice came over the comm, enunciated with urgency, "We got a real problem down here. The core's just gone off-line, and there's heavy damage to most of these systems. I don't know how much longer I can keep these shields up and runnin', Cap'n."
"Do what you can, Trip." the Captain replied. "Travis, full impulse, get us out of here."
"Aye, sir."
"Captain," T'Pol hissed with urgency, "I am reading large a large flux in the gravitational polarity. I believe the system is destabilizing."
"On screen." the Captain called.
The Bridge officers watched as the two orbiting suns veered wildly. They spun around each other, quickening and coming ever closer. Even T'Pol's eyes opened wide as they watched the two suns come together and implode.
The resultant shockwave reached them in a matter of nanoseconds and brought with it tonnes of debris. The ship lurched violently and flew uncontrolled through space, all it's occupants heavy on the ground.
x x x
"Status report." the Captain wheezed, pulling himself onto his chair, nursing a bad wound on his head.
"It appears as though the anomaly has subsided. The binary suns have reformed, but the first three planets in the system have been destroyed." T'Pol offered, although her confusion was evident.
"Trip." Jon called into the communicator. "What's going on down there?"
"This ain't pretty, Cap'n." Trip's frantic voice came floating back to him. "I can give you impulse maybe in a few hours. Weapons, shields, everything else took a big hit – I can repair it, but it's gonna take a couple days. Until then, we're just gonna have to play sitting duck, not much more I can do. I'll let ya know."
"Alright, Trip, keep us up to date. As soon as the engines are ready, I'd like to have another look at those suns."
The Captain slumped into his chair, knowing it would be a while before he could get to the bottom of this very bizarre mystery. Certainly, the suns had been stable enough for the last week, and he doubted that kind of event happened very often, considering they'd just visited one of the planets that was blown to smithereens. He settled for watching the aftermath outside the Bridge windows.
x x x
Amidst the debris, a small shuttle craft drifted across the view screen. Malcolm was the first to notice it. "Captain, there's a shuttle out there." His hands floated over the controls as he scanned it for life. "I'm reading one biosign, alive, but it's faint."
"Beam them aboard, to Sickbay, if you can." barked Jon.
"Aye, sir."
"Phlox!" the Captain called over the comm, "We've got something coming your way."
"Yes, sir. I've got her now; a young woman. Her injuries look severe, but not life-threatening. She appears to be Vulcan, although I will need more tests to determine that for certain. I will let you know."
"Good, Phlox.. Archer out." The captain sighed, after closing the comm link, "Where the hell did she come from?"
"It would appear, Captain," came T'Pol's smooth reply, "that she came through the anomaly, possibly when it shifted polarity."
"Like a wormhole?" asked Jon, surprised.
"I believe so." she replied.
"What's it's origin?"
"I do not know."
x x x
Trip and T'Pol met in the corridor outside of sickbay. "Well, now, if you didn' send me here, who did?" Trip laughed.
"You have been over-exerting yourself lately, but it appears we are both at a loss. Dr. Phlox summoned me as well, but he would not allude as to the reason."
It had been three days since the original anomaly, and Trip along with every other member of the crew had taken to triple shifts just to get the ship back to functional. They had only just moved out of the system and engaged the warp drive a few hours ago.
Just beyond the doors of the medical office, Trip stopped and grabbed T'Pol's near hand. He wasn't sure why, it just felt like they should take a minute's pause before walking through those doors. He remembered the last time they had walked through those doors a few months ago, still fresh in memory. An electric shock went through them, and she turned to stare into his eyes.
They were interrupted from their trance when the doors beside them opened with a mechanical swoosh of pressurized air. "There you two are!" exclaimed Dr. Phlox, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is something I'd like you both to see, particularly before I show the captain."
This piqued the commanders' interest, and they quickly followed him inside. Dr. Phlox showed them a DNA scan, looking subtly nervous. "This is a scan I just did of the young woman we brought aboard last week." He tapped a few buttons on the control panel and a second scan appeared beside the first. "This is a scan I did three months ago of Elizabeth. You will notice that they are identical with a few minor tweaks to the new DNA. The computer confirms it."
The officers studied the display for a moment before Trip spoke. "So, what ye're sayin' is this here's a child of ours from the future?"
"No, Commander, biological siblings often exhibit diverse DNA despite having the same mother and father. I am saying that, for one reason or another, this girl is genetically identical to Elizabeth."
The two biological parents stared at their genetic prodigy, not quite as she was the last time, lying unconscious on the biobed. Trip remembered that roller-coaster weekend, when Phlox had told them there was nothing more he could do for their new found daughter, and they had to watch her die, struggling for every last breath.
The services had been nice, if not overdone; Starfleet knew just how important she was to all of them. It was probably the only time T'Pol had let him touch her in public, just two fingers of their near hands, but it was enough to comfort him. He'd let himself feel hope then, for the future, Phlox's assessment running through his head ... 'it'd probably be okay'.
He'd been able to spend that month on a beach he'd talked about since they'd left spacedock more than four years ago – but he didn't enjoy it very much, he just wanted to see T'Pol's beautiful face again and tell her it was all going to be alright in the end. But she froze him out when he returned, he knew it hurt her too, but he couldn't do anything to change her mind – he wasn't even allowed neuropressure sessions anymore. All he had now were the little moments, sometimes stopped dead in their tracks by the reserved Vulcan, sometimes not.
Subconsciously, he reached for T'Pol.
The only expression on T'Pol's face was her quizzically raised eyebrow. "She is waking." She spoke to the Doctor, but her eyes were fixed on the gently moving girl, Trip's hands fast around her shoulders, engaging calming neural-nodes.
Slowly, the girl began to stir. Her eyes blinked, and the doctor rushed to watch her recovery.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
The girl sat up. She winced, but only slightly, very little emotion showed on her face. "I believe two of my right ribs have been broken, and I am experiencing some soft tissue injuries on my face and left shoulder."
"A very accurate diagnosis." Phlox smiled at her. Then his eyes shifted to the two wide-eyed commanders.
The girl's eyes followed, and a slight tremor of shock visibly shook her. She regained herself quickly and slid out of the bio-bed. She brought herself to her full standing height, although it certainly caused her great discomfort.
"I am Elizabeth T'Mir." she announced in a strong, commanding voice, "I know you will not expect me here, but there is much to explain. I was sent by –."
A sudden rocking of the ship interrupted and sent her sprawling across the bed. They were all a little shocked and extremely nervous, but the girl more than anyone.
"What day is this?" she asked furiously, "What day?"
"The year is 2156." answered Phlox.
"Clearly!" she practically shouted at him, "What day? How long after the Event?"
"You have been on board for three days." T'Pol answered in her typical Vulcan monotone, despite the blaring alarms and flashing lights behind her.
The girl seemed to blink back the shock, then turned and shouted at Trip, "You have to listen to me. Disable the warp drive. Shut it down, right down. Disassemble it, all the major couplings if you can."
He had already began to spring for the door before she'd laid into him, but now he was frozen in place. "Now, there ain't no good reason to do a rash thing like that."
"Not yet." she corrected him with Vulcan superiority, "Evacuate all your non-essentials from Engineering. Have them ready at the weak points of the hull. A hit will cause a surge overload, and the intermix ratios have been unsteady, have they not? – we'll be lucky to still have a ship."
A combination of his own confusion, unstable intermix ratios, and the furious certainty in her eyes sent Trip running.
"Come with me." the girl ordered T'Pol.
The two took off at a run down the hall to the nearest turbolift. I do not see the logic in your actions." said T'Pol as they ran, "Disabling the warp core is not a sound tactic if we are required to retreat."
"This is the first mission I was briefed for, I apologize that I could not warn you ahead of time." the younger, nearly identical girl returned, "Their weapons are more powerful than the Enterprise could hope to shield against. However, these weapons are trained on our warp core. By disabling the core, we give nothing for their sensors to target. And you and I both know manual targeting on ships, particularly of the Romulan Empire, leaves much to be desired."
"It is the Romulans who attack us?" asked T'Pol. They stood calmly now, bracing against the hand rail of the turbolift. "What is their motive?"
"They are testing their latest warship, and we have become convenient targets."
x x x
Another direct hit rocked the ship as the Vulcans stumbled onto the Bridge. Phaser fire and torpedoes crossed the view screen. The Captain shouted frantic orders while the crew gave hurried updates.
"Shields at 65 per cent." Malcolm announced.
"Travis, evasive manoeuvres! Lieutenant, fire at will!"
"Hold your fire, Mr. Reed." Everyone turned at he unfamiliar voice. The young Vulcan, clad in no more than her hospitalization gown, strode across the Bridge to the tactical console. "We are trying to conserve energy. You must hit the vulnerable areas of the warships, it should be these relative spatial grid coordinates, don't rely on what you can see..."
"Now, wait just a minute." The captain was beside himself. "Who are you?"
She took a deep breath, perturbed by the necessary delay. "I must thank you for my rescue, Captain." she said, "Now allow me to return the favour."
"Why aren't you in Sickbay? You've got no place on the Bridge." he shouted back.
"I beg to differ." she said, barely paying him any attention as she ran to check another console. "Have a little faith in the Universe; my primary goal, like yours, is the safety of this crew."
The comm sounded, it was Commander Tucker. "Cap'n, I'm about to power down the warp engine."
"What! Has the entire crew gone mad?" Jon muttered, "No, Trip, we need that engine online."
"Captain?"
"Commander, I don't know why you –." Another hit ended his loud thought.
"We are running out of time, Commander Tucker." the girl announced, picking herself up and continuing to tap at the console in front of Malcolm.
The captain sighed and looked at T'Pol who nodded in agreement. "Alright, Trip."
"Use this modulation for our phaser banks, Lieutenant." the girl tapped a long number on the key pad and nodded at him.
"Captain?" Malcolm asked for his go ahead.
"At will." Jon resigned, feeling very put out and useless in his massive captain's chair.
Malcolm was astonished at the ease with which he'd effectively destroyed the first target. Whoever the girl was, she was very good to have around.
"They are powering down weapons." T'Pol announced, "They are retreating."
"Congratulations." the captain turned to the girl. "Stand down red alert."
"I do not wish to challenge your authority again, Captain, but I suggest we wait to stand down our shields. The Romulans may use their cloaking devices to regain the element of surprise."
"Very well." the captain conceded and hit the comm, "Trip, we might need that engine back online."
"Again, Captain, it would be wise to wait. The signature of our engine will be sure to draw them to us." she paused for a moment to let the information settle, "Besides, I believe you will be interested in questioning me extensively. I, personally, would prefer to get that over with as soon as possible so that we may begin working together. That should fill sufficient time until we are 'out of the woods'."