AN:I don't own anything related to Star Trek Enterprise
I hope you like the next chapter : )
Oh and this is long...
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Chapter XIII
The Cappa'Lann
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Enterprise, the bridge
"Captain another battlecruiser."
"I see it Travis, all stop."
"Captain?" T'Pol questioned.
"All stop ensign."
"All stop."
"Cut the power on everything except main phasers."
"Captain may I remind you that we are on emergency backup, it may not come online again."
He took a deep breath. "I know T'Pol."
"They are on an intercept course." Travis reported.
"Let's see if how clever this one is."
"Cappa'Lann to U.S.S Enterprise prepare to be boarded."
"Shall I open hailing frequencies?"
"Not yet Hoshi."
"They are approaching the starboard docking hatch." Travis said alerted.
"Sir, they are opening fire!" Lieutenant Hogan shouted.
Archer stared at the approaching torpedo through the main screen.
"Sir, the forward shields, they are not going to make it!"
In a moment of crisis it is said that time slows and that millions of fragments of your life are displayed on your mind. That was only partly true, the time had stopped but the only image Archer saw was the destructive force of a torpedo. The ceiling cracked, pieces of titanium swirled around them as if caught by a tornado, a bright light engulfed them and then everything went deadly quiet. The air rushed through the fractures on the hull.
"Captain! Take my hand!"
"Trip!" He desperately clutched his hand.
"Phlox said the chances were small!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Your survival!"
Trip smiled then he became deadly serious. "Listen to me, our suspicions where right the alloy was just a decoy, they are planning an attack on their twin world."
"That doesn't make any sense Trip, why engaging us in a battle and waist their resources?" "Because we discovered a widely spread corruption." Trip watched the cracks in the walls grow bigger, they didn't have enough time.
"You have to go now sir."
"Go where?" Archer asked confused.
"Trip!" He tried to hold on to him but he was not there anymore.
"Sir!" Travis shouted over the klaxons and whistling sounds caused by flooding vacuum.
T'Pol crawled towards the turbolift, it was only Travis and himself left.
"We have to abandon the bridge! Come sir!"
They crawled slowly towards the others, the lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. Hogan and T'Pol used all their powers to close the doors. "Sealing of the area! It's going to buckle!" Hogan shouted as Travis and Archer climbed through.
"We have to get away from here now!" T'Pol shouted.
"The auxiliary bridge!" Hoshi said sitting down.
"Damage reports." Archer wheezed lying on the floor.
"I don't know how bad." T'Pol said cautiously.
"Are everyone all right?" Hogan asked leaning against the wall.
"Do I still have my arms and legs?"
"So it seems." Hogan nodded.
"Then I will be all right." Travis replied.
"They must be onboard by now."
"Don't lose hope just yet Hoshi." Travis said patting her shoulder gently.
"Damn the admiral!" Archer said furiously turning towards Hoshi.
"The communication system does it still work?"
-----
Enterprise, sickbay
"What happened!?" Phlox shouted over the noise.
Liz crawled from the floor.
"A detonation of a torpedo." Came a low raspy reply from the nearest biobed.
"Lieutenant Reed!" Phlox just stared at him for a moment.
Liz pushed the nearest communication panel. "Sickbay to bridge."
There was no reply.
"The communication system might be off-line." Phlox suggested.
"Sickbay to engineering." Liz tried.
"Hess here...torp...impact...shields down...bridge."
"There is too much interference." Phlox shouted. "Where is captain Archer?"
"Phlox..." Liz said her hair rising from the back of her neck.
"...according to the external sensors..." Her voice faltered as a picture of the upper saucer section was displayed.
"No wonder no one answered." Phlox mumbled obviously in chock.
"No!" She steadied herself against the wall.
The doors to sickbay suddenly opened as one of the security officers limped in.
"Ensign Russo what is going on!?" Phlox said trying to shake away the picture he had just seen. "They never stop coming. We managed to stop the first parties but some of them spread. We are being boarded and taking heavy damage, we barely have enough power to keep the most vital systems online but even so the damage to the primary systems are extensive."
"Are you in command now?" Liz suddenly asked.
"No, the captain and the others..."
"Didn't you hear the explosion? They are all gone."
"No, they are trying to keep the emergency systems online in the auxiliary bridge."
Ensign Cutler suddenly laughed, relief washing all over her.
-----
Enterprise, auxiliary bridge
"Navigation?"
"Barely." Travis acknowledged.
"Propulsion?"
"One of the nacelles have ruptured, sub-light speed only sir." T'Pol said.
"Weapons?"
Hogan's fingers danced over the console. "We have two active torpedoes lying in the forward tubes and the starboard cannon seems operable."
"What about phasers?"
"The explosion on A-deck damaged most of the conduits maybe there is enough flow to get them up in ten percent."
"That will have to do." Archer turned to his communications officer.
"Hoshi, internal and external sensors?"
"Both operative but the backup power reserve has been damaged I don't know how long till we run out of power to operate them."
"The primary systems must be repaired fast." T'Pol confirmed.
"What is the situation with the boarding parties?" Archer asked gathering his thoughts.
"I have managed to localise 40 tenndarian biosigns onboard but only 20 is in action." T'Pol said.
"Casualties on our side?"
"I don't know we are out of contact with sickbay, there is massive interference on ship wide communications." Hoshi said while trying to connect with the auxiliary systems.
"The stun grenades must be finished by now." Hogan said suddenly.
"That means a lot of casualties." He continued.
Archer nodded applying pressure to his head wound, the blood trickled down his forehead. Hoshi was immediately at his side with a new medkit.
"Michael, see if you can re-line the cannon towards the Cappa'Lann."
"Give it a minute sir."
"Travis, activate the screen, display the starboard docking hatch."
"There sir."
-----
the Complex, command centre
Heza smiled in satisfaction as the torpedo ripped the saucer section open. Enterprise lay still looking like a crippled ship who had seen her best days, he was surprised that she actually held together. The Cappa'Lann had docked and there would not be long until the starship was to fall into their possession.
T'ela gasped at the sight but said nothing, he had no saying in the matter and the fact that T'Cey was badly injured didn't exactly make his position any more comfortable. He had never really liked Heza or any of the guards and upon seeing the Enterprise officer he had despised them. Still the ship belonged to an enemy, an enemy which had fired on the complex and now kidnapped the admiral. At least that was the official version of it.
He didn't exactly know what to believe in. He sensed somehow that it was lieutenant Reed who had spoken the truth or perhaps he wanted it to be so, so badly that he had chosen not to see clearly. What was the truth? That the alloy was important and that the people of the twin planet would take control over them one day and enslave them all? No, he refused to believe it. He had once been on Tennaite and there where no friendlier place in the galaxy. And what did all the friendly explorer vessels do with the alloy when they visited?
T'Cey was his commanding officer in this project but also engaged in the secret orders from chancellor Drara, to find the truth behind the complex. Maybe this was the breaking point, that moment in time in which he had to expose himself to get help from the outside. There was another thing, why did chancellor Ajin want the body of Enterprise's Chief tactical officer? Information that he had come across? Judging by the ship those people where very skilled and their tactical knowledge went beyond there own. A voice echoed in his mind.
"I am the Chief tactical/armoury- and security officer onboard the Enterprise." "Don't you ever wonder what is going on behind closed doors?"
"Yes I do."
Heza glared in his direction. "Did you say something doctor?"
"I believe captain T'Cey is in a very bad shape and I need permission to take him to the medical bay." He glared at the guard as he continued.
"Lieutenant Heza I will personally report this incident further."
"You wouldn't."
"Why not are you going to shoot me too? Or perhaps push me off a cliff?"
Heza's face seemed to tense for a moment but nothing more.
"It is not safe for you to work alone in the medical bay doctor, there will be two guards present, in case anyone tries anything."
-----
Enterprise, near the brig
Cole awaited the right moment and pulled the trigger, two tenndarians fell heavily to the floor. She waved at two other MACOs hiding behind a fallen bulkhead and they moved towards the brig. Ensign Russo had reported in with the auxiliary bridge and it was crucial that the boarding parties where neutralised as soon as possible.
It was in times like this that she missed Major Hayes presence, his skills and tactics but he had been dead for months and this was her responsibility now as his second in command lay injured on F-deck. They hadn't had time to move their casualties to sickbay, they where about to lose the battle that way as the tactical senior officer would say. He and Major Hayes had respected each other but neither of them had wanted to admit that. She had come to like Lieutenant Reed and she wished he was with them in this battle.
She moved mechanically towards the section in which the admiral sat, anger of the cause of all this steamed from her, he was not to leave this ship as long as the MACOs where onboard and up for a fight. She threw the last stun grenade towards five fully armed tenndarians and fell back.
-----
Enterprise, auxiliary bridge
"We seem to have the upper hand now sir." Travis reported.
"Security officers are placed at the hatch, no one is coming through that way anymore. And the MACOs are giving them hell." Michael Hogan reported with a wry smile.
Archer nodded, he was glad that they had stayed onboard till Enterprise would be in for a check-up next month.
"What about transporters?"
"Negative it seems they are inoperable." The vulcan said looking up from her instruments. "Inoperable?" Archer questioned.
"The Cappa'Lann was probably going to be their pride."
"I am afraid you lost me there, T'Pol?"
"She was taken out of spacedock in a hurry, she is not ready to sail any crusades around their borders."
"What about the prisoner?"
"Most of the MACOs still standing up are in that section. They are armed to the teeth and very provoked." Hogan reported.
"Armed to the teeth, ugh, seems that Major Hayes and Malcolm shared some believes." Travis said.
"The cannon is re-lined captain." Hogan said.
"Have they detected it?"
"Negative captain, they appear to be fixed on seize control of the Enterprise by the boarding parties."
"Good, that gives us the upper hand." Archer said.
"I suggest that you fire on their main weapons array just below their bridge." T'Pol said.
Archer smiled. "I see, that would definitely stir the nest."
He turned to Michael Hogan. "Fire on my mark lieutenant. Mark."
Archer turned to face him. "I said mark Hogan."
"And I pushed the button sir."
"All systems are starting to shut down!" T'Pol stated.
"Redirect all available backup to the weapons, do it now!" Archer returned.
"I have contact!" Hogan acknowledged.
"Fire!"
The explosion following rocked the Enterprise and the hull shrieked in protest but she was still in one piece. Archer watched as the Cappa'Lann's main weapons where torn away from the hull, smaller explosions went around the main phaser tubules around her saucer section.
"That will give them something else to think about for a while." He pushed the communications button.
"Archer to the brig."
"Cole here sir."
"Status report."
"The section has been cleared, the prisoner is in his cell and the area is secured."
"Good." Archer out.
-----
Enterprise, the brig
"You will never get away with this! Do you know what actions that is going to be taken against you?" Admiral Tann shouted furiously.
"I've got the picture." Amanda Cole replayed calmly.
"Your captain is sentencing you all to death!"
"My captain, admiral, did not start all this! You did by trying to kill my commanding officer!" She said angrily.
"Why does a science vessel carry armed troops and why are you taking orders from scientists?" Cole turned and stood face to face with the admiral.
"On the second matter, lieutenant Reed would blow your head off if he had heard you calling him a science officer and when it comes to the first, that's none of your business!"
-----
the Complex, infirmary
T'Cey desperately grabbed the doctors hand.
"Relax captain, I am going to give you something."
He met the dark-brown eyes of his senior officer, then he quickly glanced around the room, careful not to call on the guards attention. He slid a small hand-phaser under T'Cey's palm. One of the guards suddenly approached the bed that the captain was resting on, eyeing them suspiciously.
"Is there a problem?" T'ela asked innocently.
"You may never know until it's too late."
"Exactly." He said placing the hypodermic needle in the guards neck.
The other guard aimed his riffle, the finger on the trigger.
"I wouldn't do..." Then he fell to the ground.
"Neither would I." T'Cey replied, the hand-phaser still in hand.
"I wasn't sure that you would understand my intentions." The doctor said relieved.
"It was quite obvious but is has most likely alerted lieutenant Heza by now and he would undoubtedly send another patrol." T'Cey glanced up on his friend before speaking again.
"T'ela, there is nowhere to go. No one can get us out of here, not even chancellor Drara."
T'ela gave him a painkiller and attached another bandage.
"Someone can."
"The ship?" He questioned.
T'ela nodded. "The Enterprise."
-----
Enterprise, sickbay
A team of engineers quickly ran through the doors as Phlox looked up. He watched the bioboards over Trip and Malcolm whenever he could due to the stream of injured MACOs and security officers dropping in. Liz and Martin helped out as much as they could. Ensign Russo was back in sickbay seeing to his leg, he stopped momentarily looking at his commanding officer. "Come on sir, we need you out there." Then he turned to Phlox.
"He will be all right wont he? They will both be?" He asked.
Phlox serious manner made him uncomfortable.
"It is slowly going in the right direction but there is a long way." He concurred.
Russo nodded slightly and turned to leave. Phlox gently picked up a hypo and injected it into lieutenant Reed's bloodstream. Liz looked at him.
"I don't like it anymore than you do but I promised the captain."
Dull, grey eyes searched the surrounding for something familiar, in an ironic way it was, he was in sickbay.
"I had hoped...this was all...part of a nightmare." He managed.
"Do you have nightmares involving me lieutenant?"
A weak smile danced on white lips. "I think you know what I mean."
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I am dying."
"Do you remember what a positive attitude is?"
"It's not easy when it feels like your lungs are going to explode, that your head has been overrun by a starship and that your limbs are numb."
"Aren't you fine lieutenant?" Phlox asked innocently.
"If I was I wouldn't be here." He whined.
"You know Mr. Reed I believe that concussion of yours is a bit more severe than I first anticipated." He moved over to the communications panel.
"Phlox to auxiliary bridge."
"Go ahead doctor."
"Captain I have someone here that..."
"Malcolm?"
"Yes."
"I will be right there."
Seconds later.
"Malcolm?" He turned to Phlox who answered his unspoken question.
"He is stable for now." Phlox acknowledged moving over to monitor Trip.
"How are you feeling?"
"I am tired...of that question already."
Archer smiled. "Malcolm what is this all about?"
"You must have spoken to lieutenant Nama by now."
"He and some of the other engineers had a memory gap." Archer acknowledged.
"Yes, they claimed to have taken a stroll in the woods but had no explanation of their torn uniforms."
"Yes Travis and Hoshi told me what happened."
Malcolm tensed. "Are they okay?"
"Yes they managed a lot better than you two did." Archer squeezed his good shoulder.
He relaxed a bit at the statement.
"What happened after you had split up?"
"We managed to access an information panel and Hoshi recently taught me how to make a primitive translation with the aid of a portal translator. We probably gained classified information, we found a very detailed schematic over Enterprise's weapons and tactical systems."
"So that's why he knew so much." Archer mumbled.
"Who?" Malcolm asked rather confused.
"I will fill you in later."
He nodded and continued. "There where schematics on tactical systems and cloaks from various vessels in their data-bank. Trip reasoned that they were trying to recreate the most efficient systems."
"Into a prototype?"
"Possible." Malcolm concurred.
"The Cappa'Lann." Archer said suddenly smiling as if he had solved the worlds biggest mystery.
This time Malcolm didn't even bother to ask.
"But why, there are no hostile races anywhere near this system?" Archer turned serious again.
"Captain I think it has something to do with their twin planet."
"The Tennaite?"
"Before we where able to access anything more several alarms turned on..."
The monitors suddenly beeped and Phlox instantly reappeared at his side.
"I believe the time is up captain." Phlox said sternly.
"Two minutes Phlox." Archer returned.
He moved to face Malcolm again, who had closed his eyes. "Malcolm?"
He opened his eyes slowly.
"What really happened to you?"
"We exited the building there where guards all over the place and we ran but they surrounded us. Then it all happened so fast..."
"Lieutenant." Phlox began but Archer waved a finger at him.
"...they shot me and I saw Trip tumbling down with four guards on top of him. I...had no choice but to try and get help. I reached a dead end."
"The step cliff?"
"How did you..."
The captain put a hand on his good shoulder again.
Malcolm continued. "I thought I was dead but then a military doctor hauled me up and began to ask me questions. He took me back to the building, then its a bit cloudy I am afraid. Escaping from them I was looking for Trip, I knew he had to be there somewhere. I ran into the admiral." Malcolm suddenly laughed but was effectively stopped by sharp pain.
"He tried to...kill me." He closed his eyes, he was no longer conscious.
"Malcolm?" Archer asked gently.
Phlox looked troubled. "I don't think you are aware of how critical his condition is. Go now captain."
-----
the Complex, near the transporter
The corridor outside was deserted, T'ela half dragged T'Cey with him. One of the transporter pads lay nearby but it was along shot, they couldn't be used when the cloak was on and therefore they where only designed for emergency evacuation. Still no one followed them, this wasn't like Heza. Perhaps the boarding of the Enterprise didn't go as smoothly as planned. They had taken out the Cappa'Lann which was not to leave the dock for another month.
Gently placing T'Cey against the wall to lean on he forced the door open, the hand-phaser ready. But as he had suspected the room was empty. Several lamps blinked on the main console, the forcefield had increased in strength, ten percent more and the transporter would be inoperable.
"Captain, you have got to help me! How can I target the Enterprise?"
"Search her co-ordinates!"
Transporting had not been necessary for his duties as a doctor and was therefore not familiar to him. T'Cey leaned heavily on the main console.
"I have a lock."
"You are aware doctor that there is a strong possibility we may not reach her?"
"What's the alternative? To be eliminated by the guards? Get on the platform!"
-----
Enterprise, auxiliary bridge
"Captain! They are making another attempt to board us!" Hogan said.
"They have managed to break through the security at the hatch, we are unable to communicate with the security in that area." T'Pol stated.
"Sir!..." Travis shouted. "...someone is beaming onboard."
"T'Pol I thought you said that their transporters where inoperable?"
"They still are, it is coming from the military complex."
Archer turned to Hogan. "Can you stop it!?"
"No the shielding of the frontal saucer section is gone."
Archer grabbed a phaser and the junior tactical officer quickly followed.
"Captain!" T'Pol protested.
"Noted sub-commander."
-----
Enterprise, section 19, B-deck
T'Cey fell to the deck. T'ela was quickly at his side, searching for his pulse and checking his vital signs.
"You are going to be all right."
"I had appreciated if you told me the truth." T'Cey said his eyes unfocused.
"The truth is, I don't know if any of us survives this." He took in the battle scared surroundings, it was a complete mess.
"Neither do I."
T'ela turned around looking right into a phaser. The uniform was the same as lieutenant Reed's except for the yellow shoulder bands and the two more dots on his shoulder.
"Are you the captain of this vessel?"
The man had a nasty head wound and the dusty uniform showed signs of battle.
"Yes, of what's left of her thanks to you."
"Captain..."
"Archer." He filled in.
"Captain Archer I am T'ela Chief Medical Officer of..." For a moment he thought he saw a change in mood.
"You helped my Chief tactical officer?"
"I am sorry I didn't dare to patch him up more, is he alive?"
Hogan gave the captain a stern look.
"Yes, both lieutenant Reed and commander Tucker are alive...for now." Archer looked behind T'ela at the captain lying on the floor.
"Perhaps it would be wise to continue this in sickbay?"
T'ela nodded.
-----
Enterprise, sickbay
Archer squeezed himself in through the damaged door.
"There has been no change I am afraid." Phlox said upon seeing him.
He was about to say something more when Hogan came dragging on a tenndarian in a military uniform with another on his tail.
"Doctor Phlox, this is doctor T'ela."
"I am pleased to meet you, my friend and captain, T'Cey needs medical assistance immediately." Phlox looked around, sickbay was not exactly empty but he made room on a biobed near Malcolm. Hogan and Archer gently placed the captain on it. T'ela stopped looking at lieutenant Reed. Archer suddenly stood next to him.
"You'd better have a good explanation for all this."
"I...was sent to look for a dead body."
"My Chief of security has already filled me in on that."
"Oh, we have had conspiracy and corruption far up in the parliament and military for quite some time. When chancellor Drara gained knowledge about a super secret military complex out in the woods, he managed to sneak in some of his most trusted people."
"You and your senior officer?"
"We where more people from the beginning. Admiral Tann must have suspected some of us. Chancellor Ajin watched everything that Drara did to make sure that the base was not exposed." "Since you are here he didn't succeed." Archer said.
"There has been some propaganda from the high parliament that the Tennaites are planning to take our world and enslave us but I have been to Tennaite and there is no friendlier race in light-years. They are a very enlightened people cautious about their environment and people."
"Our scans of your sea showed massive affection from your industries."
"Yes we are destroying our own world and now the government wants to colonize Tennaite for the purpose of good living to our people. Some of us call it the paradise."
"But why aren't you keeping an open dialogue?"
"The politicians are too proud to negotiate for their own survival, they would rather force themselves upon Tennaite. It was your armoury officer that encouraged me to fulfil my assignment and take up the necessary courage to do it. I had long closed my eyes when the guards took care of unwanted visitors but I could no longer do that. Together with the proof that you have assembled, and your officers down on the planet we could seize the corruption."
Archer glanced at him. "This is all very interesting but I have bumped into people claiming to talk about the truth before doctor."
T'ela swallowed. Did the captain not believe him?
Phlox moved over from T'Cey to commander Tucker.
"How is he?" Both Archer and T'ela said at the same time.
"Captain T'Cey is going to be all right but he needs a couple of days to rest. When it comes to commander Tucker I am not that positive. The ribcage is healing nicely and I will be able to remove him from the breathing machine in an hour but he is going to be away for at least a month assuming that everything goes well and that he suffers no setbacks."
Phlox continued. "The positive news though is that his body is responding well to the treatment and I'd say the chance of survival are up to 60 percent."
"Tell me if he wakes up, Archer said and exited sickbay."
When Archer first had realised that it wasn't Trip on the bridge he had immediately feared that one of his best friends had died but speaking with Phlox later that wasn't the case.
T'ela watched him leave and turned to Phlox.
"Doctor, your captain does not seem to believe us."
Phlox smiled slightly at him.
"Captain Archer will make the right decision and I am sure he believes you." He said comforting. Amanda Cole suddenly appeared at the door dragging her senior MACO officer. Phlox hurried to them while T'ela just stared at her uniform. The biobeds where long full so they gently eased him down on a temporary bed.
"Doctor T'ela I might need your assistance."
"I was told this was a research vessel."
"It is designed that way but the times required military assistance, we won our battle but we lost a lot of great people on the way."
"Seems we aren't the only ones having problem." T'ela replied sadly while applying pressure to the MACO's wound.
Phlox gently placed on of his Denobulan blood worms on it and stood back. Gun fire could be distantly heard out in the corridor.
"What is happening?"
"You are breaking through our defences." Phlox eyed him sternly.
T'ela cast a glance at T'Cey who still wasn't conscious due to the drugs that he had been given and then back to Phlox.
"I need to speak to your captain!"
Phlox nodded reaching for the communications button.
"Phlox to auxiliary bridge."
"Arch...ere."
"Our guests...see...you. Urg..."
Archer banged his fist against the console. "What is he saying?"
"Can't make it much better, the damage to the system is too extensive." Hoshi said.
"Phlox repeat!"
" ...Guests...talk to you urgently!"
"Hogan go and get him."
"Yes sir."
-----
Enterprise, en route to auxiliary bridge
Hogan cautiously turned around the last corner in order to reach the turbolift with T'ela right behind.
"Are you sure?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes."
They ran through the corridor of the deck leading up to the auxiliary bridge. But Hogan didn't see the danger presented. The projectile hit him hard in the shoulder and he fell to the ground. T'ela ducked behind him carefully checking the wound.
"Get away from here!" Hogan shouted.
T'ela grabbed his phaser trying to fight them off.
"Second to the left, go!"
The doctor managed to hit the other Tenndarian, hauling Hogan up he made his way towards the captain.
"I am not leaving you here lieutenant."
-----
Enterprise, auxiliary bridge
Travis and Archer covered them as they ducked into the room.
"What happened?" Archer demanded looking directly at the doctor.
Instead it was Hogan who answered.
"They are reaching further into our defence, those little bastards."
"Captain I need to contact the Cappa'Lann."
"The final blow?" Archer questioned.
"There are officers on her that are on our side."
"What makes you say that?" Archer said unbelievingly.
"We crippled your ship, even destroyed the other."
"Did you have any choice?" T'ela asked sincerely.
"No." Archer replayed sadly.
"Hail her." T'ela said once again.
Archer nodded at ensign Sato. "Hoshi?"
"They are not responding."
"Keep trying."
"I have a contact."
"On screen."
"Have you changed your mind, captain?" A smiling Tenndarian captain asked.
"Perhaps." Archer said slowly.
Other Tenndarian officers stood in the background.
Jonathan Archer nodded at the Tenndarian doctor.
"Thy crak kakacha kommo aste Esirpretne! Konka mente Nija."
One of the officers in the background nodded slightly as another approached their captain. Archer looked at Hoshi for translation but she just shook her head. The Tenndarian captain frowned glancing at Archer.
"Interesting little charade you made there but I am sorry to disappoint you."
"I beg you pardon?"
He laughed. "Your so called Tenndarian friend is a fraud but I will give you 30 minutes for our entertainment."
The screen went black only to be replaced by the image of Cappa'Lann. Furious Archer turned to T'ela.
"What the..."
"Trust me the captain understands as much as you do but some of his officers will soon switch side."
Hoshi looked at him curiously. "You talked about Enterprise and Ajin."
He nodded. "I spoke in a code known only by high ranking officers supporting chancellor Drara. It is somewhat...hard to explain but basically I said that Enterprise have the necessary information, the cover is blown, Ajin is exposed."
"Captain!" Travis said eagerly. "Troops are withdrawing to the docking hatch."
Archer watched T'ela with newly gained respect. T'Pol scanned the area near their position. "There are no Tenndarians in the near vicinity." She said.
"Good, any change onboard the Cappa'Lann?"
"Their forward twin phasers are reaching critical levels." Hogan said leaning in over the vulcan's shoulder, supported by T'ela.
"They are powering them up?" Archer wondered.
"More likely they are overloading them." T'Pol raised an eyebrow as she answered.
-----
To be continued
