Author's Notes: To all the commenters, thank you, thank you, thank you. Your points are well taken. I am not answering any questions quite yet because I could change my mind and the answer as we go. As I said, this story is still writing itself:)

Shuttle One

"Thank god for emergency rations," Archer said as he sat back in his chair, tearing the plastic wrap off the canister. He actually didn't believe that at all, but he had to maintain morale. They had enough food and water for seven to ten days, even for three of them. The air canisters were untouched, the electrical systems seemed to have been fried by god knows what, but they had emergency lighting and emergency power. Just enough to try hailing the Enterprise every time the emergency system filled up enough. Which he did. Though it was getting to be a desultory effort.

"... Yeah...," Trip commented, fornlornly looking at the bento-style box in his hands, "... I'd like better to sample the local fare though..."

"Well, we'll have to wait a little longer for that," Archer replied, forcing the cheerfulness in his tone. "Enterprise must have figured out we didn't get to the ceremonies site. If the Eylordenes haven't told them so already."

"And how d'you suppose they'll find us?" Trip wrily replied, "We could be buried hundreds of feet at the bottom of the ocean -"

"You don't think they'll find us?" Hoshi piped in, trying to sound nonchalant and failing at hiding the burgeoning nervousness within her.

"Of course, they'll find us!" Archer's tone was definite. "Don't listen to Trip, he's upset because he thought he was going to escape the confines of the bridge," he added with a smile.

Trip chuckled mournfully in return, craning his neck to look all around the inside of the shuttle, "Yeah... my luck, eh? Didn't think I'd end up in a tin can with sardines for company." He chuckled again.

"Listen," Archer was still talking to Hoshi, "you know better than I do how Malcolm gets when there's a mystery underfoot. He'll be diving the entire planet in his skivvies to make sure we were not the target of some conspiracy from the Eylordenes. They'll find us." He stopped, trying to swallow the mouthful of food he'd just taken in, "And then, we have T'Pol. She's got to find Trip, she has no choice in the matter -"

"- You make it sound like she'd rather not," Trip commented wrily.

"Come on, we both know..." Archer let the rest of the sentence die off. There were things he was privy to because he once held Surak's essence but that should not be mentioned, especially to offworlders. He froze at the thought. Hoshi was not an offworlder. Not to him, at least. Would he ever be free of the echoes of Surak's soul? Ever? - - "Actually, I thought you guys had a bond, she'd locate you easily," he added, waving his fork in the air.

Trip sighed. "It doesn't work like that. Like it's not like that, I don't have...," he frowned slightly, thinking back. Actually, he had no idea how it happened, for him it was just the white space. All of a sudden he'd be there with T'Pol. But that was only when they were separated by millions of miles of space. Otherwise, it was just a warm feeling at the back of his skull, some instinct that told him if things were going well or not, an inkling of how she was feeling.

He looked around the habitacle again. They were separated by thousand of miles at least, didn't that count for something. Apparently not. "I haven't felt anything," he added, shrugging, "I don't know... perhaps it doesn't work underwater... or in the planet's atmosphere..." After all, it was toxic to Vulcans.

"Well...," Archer stared at his feet, thinking about how to raise morale again. He pushed back, yawning and stretching, "All I know is they'll find us, sooner rather than later. So, gentlemen," he looked from Trip to Hoshi, "I suggest we enjoy the peace and quiet as best we can, and rest up. Once they get us out of this thing, we still have long ceremonies to attend."

But Hoshi was staring at him weirdly, her mouth working as if on the verge of a seizure. "What?!" Archer asked.

"Captain!" she squealed.

Archer turned to follow her stare.

Trip turned also, "Holy shit!" the engineer was out of his chair, the emergency food container clattering on the floor.

Water was sploshing on the outside the shuttle, streaming down the windows, blurring the view outside.

"What's going on?!" Archer rushed to the side porthole, trying to see through it.

Trip was already feeling the inner gaskets on his side, went to the larger front windshield. "Nothing's breached," he shouted inside the shuttle, "There's no water on the inside."

He squinted, trying to see outside. That didn't mean something overhead hadnt given way, perhaps they were about to be crushed under thousands of tons of water. The shuttle lifted, started lurching from side to side as if the water was tossing it around. Which it was.

"Strap yourselves back in!" Archer ordered. He was fighting against the forces of gravity to get the harness back on. But somehow the movements of the shuttle were not as severe, they were being jostled around, yes, but that was it. They soon were secured to their seats again.

Trip turned to Archer, "It's not the ocean, there's not enough water."

"And it looks dirty," Hoshi added from her seat.

Trip and Archer stared outside again. Whatever was washing over the windows had a yellowish green tinge to it. Trip nodded, "There must be a lot of silt in it."

"What do you think happened?" Archer asked.

Trip turned to look at him, keeping Hoshi in his line of sight. "I don't know... Perhaps the shuttle ended in a natural cavity under the sea. A partial breach would explain why there's a lot of sediment in the water. But wherever we are looks to be holding."

Archer looked at the ceiling of the shuttle, listening to the groaning sounds, the swishing of water. All they had to do was hope that the shuttle would hold as well...

xxx