Talking to her wasn't working so Malcolm threw himself into his work.

It was his way of coping with difficult situations, a technique he had inherited from his father. His Father ... How was he going to explain this?

He'd only recently reconnected with his parents. It had been ... difficult but his father had grudgingly admitted that Malcolm's decision to join Starfleet had merit. His old man was suitably impressed by the declassified reports of the Expanse mission and the way Starfleet had lauded the crew of the NX-01 as heroes without compare after their return, clinging to the "Reeds are always Navy" just didn't make sense anymore. And, from a couple of comments made by his mother, Malcolm suspected that Father was starting to look at Starfleet as the Navy. A space navy, sure, but a navy nonetheless. It was good to be part of the family again.

His console beeped at him and Reed input additional commands that sent a request to the Science Board for extra scanning resources. Twice now he had detected some unusual readings from the polar regions of New Elysium, readings he couldn't quite explain. Or identify. He hated mysteries.

Though he was not looking at her, he was aware of Hoshi shifting in her seat. For the briefest of moments, Malcolm squeezed his fingers into a fist, a fist so tight he felt tingles run through his hand. They'd been so damned careful...

She wasn't even talking to him right now and Reed blamed himself for that. His recent promotion to lieutenant commander had thrown their relationship into a bloody mess; it was fine when both of them were lieutenants but now that he outranked her, he hesitated. It wasn't that he didn't care for her, it was just that it was so ... improper. And now she was pregnant.

Malcolm still didn't know how that happened. Well, actually he did, having been rather intimately involved. All the appropriate precautions had been taken and yet, here they were. He'd proposed at once; it seemed like the right thing to do and the thought of spending the rest of his life with Hoshi was actually one he'd entertained often. But she hesitated. And his heart broke.

The turbolift door slid open and Captain Archer stepped onto the bridge; Malcolm gave him a quick glance before returning his attention to his board. The results of the scan he requested were starting to come in.

"All right, Hoshi," the captain said cheerfully, oddly exuberant for having been convinced to stay onboard. He must have gotten Trip good, Malcolm thought to himself as he studied the scan results. "Let's see what Starfleet wants. I'll take it in my ready room."

"Aye sir." Malcolm almost winced at the flatness of her voice; she sounded terrible. He hoped the captain didn't notice. Glancing up, he realized that Archer was looking at Hoshi with ... something in his eyes; he'd clearly noticed her somber mood. He said nothing though as he turned toward the door but Archer's eyes promised that he would later.

"Commander Reed, you have the bridge," he said unnecessarily. Malcolm nodded briefly as he studied the odd results of his scans. He heard the hiss of the door as Captain Archer departed.

"Ensign O'Connor," Reed said suddenly. The young science officer snapped his eyes toward the Tactical board. "I want a full spectrum analysis on the pole regions. All bands."

"Aye sir."

"Find something, sir?" Travis asked, twisting in his seat to look at Malcolm.

"I don't know," Reed replied sharply. His tone said everything. Something wasn't right.

The door to the captain's ready room hissed open and Archer reappeared, a bemused look on his face. The expression faded fairly quickly as he took in Malcolm's tense posture.

"Hoshi," Archer said as he strode forward. "The connection was scrambled; see if you can get it back." She nodded once to him, began working her board as Archer turned to Malcolm. "Status?"

"Scanner distortions, sir," Malcolm replied. He knew that he didn't sound particularly confident. "Atmospheric anomalies are playing havoc and we're reading multiple sensor ghosts." Reed's neck began to itch as the data from O'Connor's scans began pouring in; there was something ... familiar about these readings, something he had seen before. "Recommend we recall the shuttlepod, sir." Archer's eyes narrowed at that.

"Hostiles?" He didn't like the idea.

"No way to tell yet, sir." Malcolm let loose a mildly frustrated sigh; he decided right then that he hated this planet. "We can't get a good sensor reading." Captain Archer frowned then, glanced at the image of New Elysium.

"All right. Hoshi, contact the shuttlepod and recall them." He didn't sound happy. Malcolm's console beeped and his stomach turned to ice.

"Tactical alert!" Reed abruptly shouted, slapping his hand down on the key that brought the hull plating online and activated the newly installed shield generators. Archer spun toward him as the alarm began to sound, his face demanding an explanation.

Malcolm hoped he was wrong.