A/N :I don't own anything related to Star Trek Enterprise

Been busy lately but here comes the next chapter : )

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Chapter V

Disaster Strikes

"TPol, any news from the surface?" Archer asked as he entered the bridge in the early morning.

"Negative sir, not a word." Archer frowned at the last remark but decided to let it pass. T´Pol was not known for saying unnecessary words.

"Have you heard anything from the doctor and ensign Cutler?"

"Yes, they are making progress in stopping the Denobulan nerve disease. Phlox is sending the formula of the medicine produced by this planets unusual flora to his colleagues on Denobula."

"Well that's good news!" TPol lifted an eyebrow as Archer smiled.

"Where is Trip and Malcolm?" He mumbled as he turned to sit in his chair.

"We are four floors up!" Hoshi exclaimed glancing down.

"Yeah obviously." Travis said following her gaze.

"Hey don't be smart with me!"

"Sorry Hoshi."

"No it's just...I am sorry...I don't like small places." Ensign Sato sighed leaning heavily against the wall.

"What is that?" Travis said looking at the floor.

"What?" Hoshi straightened

Travis pointed at something that looked like doorknobs laying on the floor. He put one on the wall beside Hoshi. "They suck to the wall!"

"If you think I am going to climb four floors using those you are nuts!" Hoshi's expression was one of fear.

"Given the alternative..." Travis began.

Ten minutes later they both made contact to the ground.

"Where is everybody?" Hoshi whispered.

"Don't know and I am not going to find that out."

When the ensigns had made it just outside the fence they slumped to the ground exhausted.

"Is there a shuttlepod down at the planet?" Travis shook his head.

"It is better to try and reach the bar." He said slowly, thinking.

"After all that we have been through? They will try and stop us!" Sato took a peek over her shoulder but there where no movement.

"There will be crewmen on shore leave! Come on Hoshi."

"Captain." The crewman stepping in for Hoshi said. " I have contact with the chancellor." "Thank you put him through."

"Captain Archer!"

"Chancellor?"

"We are very delighted with your gifts."

"The starcharts were a trade Chancellor Ajin."

"Nevertheless Captain. How are your senior officers doing with the calculations on that alloy?"

"Just fine I believe, I haven't heard from them since yesterday."

"Aren't you worried?"

"Should I be Chancellor?" Jonathan was becoming suspicious.

"Of course not, maybe if they had visited our twin, they are a violent people. Very well captain I should not disturb you any longer." The ambassador smiled closing the channel.

Archer's gaze stayed at the screen even as the chancellor was replaced by the planet. "T'Pol, he is hiding something, find out what it is."

"There is nothing that points in that direction captain."

"Call it human intuition."

"Ensigns, you slept well?"

"What? Oh yes." Travis replayed to the happy crewman just outside the bar.

"There he is!" Hoshi walked briskly to face Lt. Nama who was having a conversation with a crewman.

"Andy? Lt. Nama.?" Hoshi motioned for him to come with her. Travis awaited them at a table in a silent corner.

"What's this all about? Why are you so serious?" He smiled at their grim faces. "We are on shore leave."

"Lieutenant, what happened to you in the forest last night?"

"It was boring actually, we didn't find anything of interest so we headed back here." Hoshi and Travis glanced at each other.

"What happened to your uniform then?" Travis tried carefully.

"Oh I must have stumbled on something you know after a couple of beers. I better go back to the crewman I left at the bar, have a nice time and try to relax would you?"

After avoiding to get caught for two long hours Trip and Malcolm finally reached an exit, only to discover that the surrounding area was full of guards.

"They are closing in on us! Malcolm whispered hoarsely.

They ran quickly through the forest in what they thought to be the direction of the village.

"Can we contact Enterprise?" Trip said trying to catch his breath.

"No, nothing we must still be in the near area of the building." Reed dared a glance towards the complex.

"Any chance that the compass in the tricoder starts to work?"

"You tell me, you are the engineer."

"Listen!" Trip put his hand on Malcolm's shoulder.

"What?" The lieutenant said.

"Can you hear anything?"

"No and I don't like it." The next thing Malcolm knew the Tenndarian guards were all over them.

Struggling to keep an upper-hand of his opponent Trip knew that it would only be a matter of time before they would be overpowered. They were ten to two.

Blood soaked the uniform as one of the guard shot him in the shoulder but it gave Malcolm an advantage because the guards had obviously not expected to se a red substance leaking from the human.

He managed to get hold of one of the guns and take down two guards before the others started to react and Trip wasn't slow to catch up. Even the commander had received his share of shots and bruises feeling a bit light-headed. They rushed for everything that they was worth. However it wasn't easy because the ground was inclined upward.

"Are they still after us?" Malcolm tried to catch his breath almost falling backwards.

"You okay?" Trip glanced at his shoulder with a grim expression.

"Never better, keep going."

Suddenly Tenndarian's appeared in front of them totally surprising the lieutenant and commander. For a split second Trip was aware of something lunging forward against him then in the next there was nothing but black. Malcolm watched in horror as Trip and a guard tumbled down the way they came. He was alone against, now eleven military trained guards. Reed was the armoury officer and a trained security officer but one to eleven wasn't any odds that he liked to play with.

At first he gazed in the direction of his friend but soon realized that they needed help. If he stayed they would both be trapped. Instead he broke free in a last attempt to escape and threw himself forward, starting to run.

Malcolm's vision began to fail him, the blood loss that he suffered from was taking it's toll on him. He suddenly stopped at an edge, gazing at a lake several metres below, the path had ended, there were nowhere to go. Malcolm's tired brain registered five Tenndarian's coming up closely around him. As he fell he knew that he would die.

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Well I wonder what happens next...

And if you don't have anything else to do please review : )