Labyrinth

Chapter VI

"Oh wow," Hoshi breathed quietly.

Malcolm's mouth dropped open and even T'Pol's eyebrows rose.

The view outside of the throne room was...

"... Something else," as Trip put it.

They had gone through the door which led out to a large balcony of white stone which overlooked the city and the mountain capped with snow in the distance with a pinkish tint from the sun overhead.

The city itself seemed to be made entirely of glass. Spindles and spirals were everywhere making up buildings. The quality of the glass varied to make different effects- cloudy glass for external walls and clear glass for variety. Coloured glass made an astonishing light show when the sun shone through it and imperfect variations making bubbles and patterns created entirely another effect.

Overall, the city was beyond beautiful and none of them had seen anything like it.

"The artistry here is... well... I don't know what to say," Hoshi murmured. "Curious that the cathedral-like place I was in during the Labyrinth was made of stone as well as stained glass. But it was full of such intricate carvings that I want to see it again- if they do half the job with the stone as they did with glass then it will also be breathtaking."

Everything about the place made them feel very reverent and not even Trip wanted to break the silence of the place.

"Still," Archer said, shaking himself from his reverie and responding to the unspoken sense of wanting to stay there forever, "we really should take this opportunity to explore the place."

He looked up slightly, automatically. "Uh hullo?" He called out. "We would like to go to that square with all the stained glass please," and he pointed downwards.

Instantly, they were in the stained glass plaza. It was empty of all people apart from them.

"Sir," Malcolm said, "shouldn't we contact Enterprise? We don't know if they're fine after all."

Archer looked over at him. "Our host assured me that everyone else was fine, including the ship. But now you come to mention it..." he tailed off as there was suddenly a communicator on the floor in front of him.

"Well whaddya know?" said Trip as Archer picked it up.

"Archer to Enterprise," Archer said.

"Sir!" Came the instant response from Ensign Jones, Hoshi's replacement. "Are you all okay? You, Sub-Commander T'Pol, Commander Tucker, Lieutenant Reed, and Ensign Mayweather all just suddenly disappeared. A person with a hood told us you were okay, but it surely is good to hear you in person Sir!" Ensign Jones was clearly very relieved.

"We are all here Ensign, and we are all fine. We're being treated very well by our host and we're just having a look around before we return to the ship. Treat this as a regular planetary scientific expedition."

"Yes Sir!"

"We'll be in touch, Archer out."

He flipped the communicator closed and looked around. His people were wandering around the plaza but all within view of each other.

"Where is everyone?" Trip asked, looking around, not far from Archer.

"It all sure is empty," Travis answered. "Everything seems to be in perfect order, and it's all clean, but there isn't a soul to be found."

"Creepy again," Malcolm said.

"I find it to be quite tranquil," T'Pol ventured. "Particularly with the glass fashioned in the way it is."

Everyone looked up. The buildings were mostly of a blue hue here in the plaza but with trims of gold and pink and there was a glass sculpture with a water cascade down it. Trees that were reminiscent of Earthen trees but were a much brighter green with a dusty brown-pink bark.

They wandered around for some time admiring the views and the stunning cityscape until Archer finally spoke up, speaking to the being they'd seen earlier.

"We'd like to speak to you again please," Archer said, and instantly, all six of them were in the throne room again with the single being they'd seen before, still sitting in exactly the same place.

"Are you the only person here?" Archer asked, getting straight to the point.

The being sat there in it's throne not making any signal that he'd heard Archer.

"Hullo?" Archer asked, taking a couple of steps forward towards the throne.

"Yes, I heard you." The being said quietly. "Yes, I would be the only one of my kind left on this planet. In the universe actually. We didn't venture far. Which is why I told you that you would understand the reasoning of no limits. You would not have offended anyone here."

"But earlier, you mentioned 'us' and 'we'. From that, I kind of gathered that there were lots of you here."

The being seemed to sigh- it's shoulders rising and falling slowly.

"It has been a long time since I had company- apart from people such as the Klingons and visitors through the Labyrinth- and so I have taken to talking to myself. It seems far less lonely to use 'we' and pretend I'm talking to my people again."

Archer was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry. How long has it been since your people were here?"

"I was quite young. Which is probably why I'm the only one here now- we live an exceptionally long time and I am quite old now. There was an epidemic and we were unable to breed anymore. I still enjoy visitors though," the being said with a slightly lighter tone of voice.

"Well," Archer began, "as envoys of our planet Earth, we can offer you transport to anywhere you would like to go."

"No thank you," the being said. "I am the sole person on this planet now, and it is still my home. I would however request that you return here one day, if you are able?"

Archer smiled at the being. "Of course. And I think that I might be able to do one better than that- if you would like, I can tell my people on Earth that you are willing for visitors to come here for vacations. You would get a lot more visitors than the occasional explorers that we are if we did. Does that sound acceptable to you?"

The being tilted it's head to the side and then started it's asthmatic wheezing of a laugh. "Yes, Captain Archer, I do believe that that would be acceptable."

T'Pol stepped forwards. "I believe that Vulcans have also been here, if the data on Enterprise is to be understood correctly. If you are amenable to the suggestion, then I may also update the records so that you will also have Vulcans visiting here. They would particularly admire the tranquility of your city."

The being slowly nodded in thanks. "I would also like this."

The being stood up slowly, spreading it's hands. "I thank you all for coming here my friends and for playing along with an old being's follies. Farewell."

Before anyone could say a word, the six of them were back on the Bridge of the Enterprise.

Archer stood there for a second blinking at his crew. "Status report!"

T'Pol moved to her station instantly. "All crew present and accounted for Captain."

"And the planet?" Archer asked.

"We are in orbit above the planet."

"Captain, there's a transmission incoming from the planet," Ensign Jones said, still sitting in Hoshi's seat, although Hoshi was right next to him.

"On screen."

"It's audio only- I'm patching it through."

"Until next time, Captain Archer, Enterprise; I'll be waiting for your return!"

"Captain, we're getting a data transmission as well." Ensign Jones leant forwards to look at the information coming through to the console. "It seems to be a vast amount of information about the planet Thriamar and it's people."

"Is the audio still open?" Archer asked him.

"Er... negative Captain. The connection was terminated."

"Well at least we increased the amount of information from what the Vulcans had on the planet. Think that'll do you T'Pol?" Archer asked her, smiling.

"I believe I will have a satisfactory amount of data for the records Captain."

Archer laughed.

Travis took his seat back from his replacement and swung around to look Captain Archer in the face.

"Well that was definitely a strange one anyway Captain!"

"I'll second that. Well, let's keep our promise and update those records while I send a message to Starfleet. Travis, set a course. T'Pol, you have the Bridge."

"Aye Sir," came multiple voices.

Archer settled into his Ready Room. Travis wasn't wrong- that was definitely a strange day, he decided, but I'm glad that's all it was. Everyone got home safely and we actually had a peaceful first contact! That's a good day's work in my book.

With that thought, he sat at his console to message Starfleet.

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