Enterprise – The Maiden Voyage
by Soledad
For disclaimer, rating, etc. see the Introduction
Notes: Long-time Trekkers may find some lines and concepts familiar from another Star Trek series. Brownie points for those who recognize the episode where they come from. *g*
Chapter 06 – The Gateway
Enterprise Starlog, Captain Jonathan Archer. Date: April 16th 2161
We've been tracking the Suliban's ship for ten days, thanks to our Science Officer, who came up with a way to tweak the sensors. We've already come far beyond where any Earth ship has gone before, with the possible exception of some very adventurous space boomers. Not even Ensign Mayweather knows a thing about this are of space; we are completely dependant on the Vulcan star charts we were given by Ambassador Soval.
"Computer, pause."
A quiet ping acknowledged the execution of his order and Jack glanced at Porthos who was lying on his doggie bed in the corner, his chin resting on his paws and watched him with bright brown eyes.
"Did you think she'd be of any help on this mission? It's not what we're used from Vulcans, is it? Even if old Soval did give us those star charts."
The Beagle wiggled his tail as if in agreement and Jack grinned. Porthos was really the ideal audience. And he really needed to complete this log entry before anything else would come up. This mission had already turned out very differently from everyone's expectations.
"Resume log," he said and the computer beeped.
I have no reason to believe that the Viseeth is still alive, but if what T'Pol told me is true, it's crucial that we try to find her. Unfortunately, so far we haven't found any reliable clues as if her fate.
"Computer, pause," he switched to intercom. "Archer to T'Pol. Report."
"If you feel like coming to the Bridge, Captain, now would be a good time," the cool, even voice of the Vulcan answered.
"On my way," Jack looked at his dog. "Well, Porthos, it seems we may have found something. Computer, delete log entry."
The sight that greeted him as soon as he reached the Bridge proper was… surprising, to say the least. All Bridge personnel were staring at the viewscreen which showed a distant orange planet before the background of the star-dotted blackness of deep space. It was a beautiful sight: like an amber pendant in a velvet-lined jewellery box.
"A gas giant, isn't it?" Archer said. "A Class Six or Seven, from the looks of it, I'd say."
"Class Seven," T'Pol supplied
Archer rolled his eyes. "I stand corrected. Does it have any significance for our mission or is it just sitting there, looking pretty?"
"Aesthetical aspects are of no significance in this case," T'Pol replied. "We do have a problem, though. The Suliban vessel dropped to impulse three point four seven hours ago and altered course. Their new heading took them through its outer radiation belt of the gas giant."
"Does this mean we've lost them?" the captain asked incredulously.
"Yes," T'Pol admitted reluctantly.
Archer closed his eyes for a moment to bring his anger under control; then he turned to Mayweather. "Move us in closer."
"Aye, captain," Mayweather's fingers danced on his console.
They couldn't feel the ship move, but the orange planet suddenly grew larger, filling the viewscreen.
"Anything?" the captain demanded.
Reed consulted his sensor screen with a frown and shook his head. "The radiation's dissipated their warp trail. I'm only picking up fragments."
Archer's mien hardened. "You always give up so easily, Lieutenant?" Then he turned to T'Pol. "Suggestions?"
The Vulcan nodded. "Lieutenant, run a spectral analysis of the fragments," she said to Reed.
"There's too much distortion," Reed protested. "The decay rates don't even match. I don't understand…"
"I believe I do," T'Pol rose from her seat at Science Station #1 and stepped closer to the viewscreen. "Calculate the trajectory of each fragment, Crewman Bennett," she ordered the dark-haired, elegant woman working at Science Station #2.
"What for?" Reed asked, clearly having no clue what they were supposed to be looking for.
"You will see soon enough; if my theory is proved," T'Pol turned to another science division crewman. "Crewman Shiva, recalibrate the sensor array – narrow-band, short-to-mid-range."
Jan Shiva, a gentle-faced young woman of Indian origins, acknowledged the order and carried it out with calm competence.
"Measure the particle density of the thermosphere," T'Pol continued.
Soon, the graphic displayed on the viewscreen changed again and Archer gave a low whistle.
"Your instincts were right," he said to T'Pol. "Those fragments weren't from one Suliban ship."
T'Pol refrained from the reminder that Vulcans didn't act on the basis of their instincts. Especially not Vulcan scientists.
"They were from fourteen," she said instead. "All within the last six hours. I believe we have found what we were looking for."
"A Suliban base," archer said grimly. "Within the atmosphere of a gas giant. I must admit, it's ingenious."
"That remains to be seen, Captain," T'Pol answered calmly. "I also must warn you: the sensor array may not work at its peak capacity within the radiation belt of a gas giant. It was not constructed for that."
"Duly noted," Archer turned to Reed, grinning like a shark. "How are your targeting scanners, Lieutenant?"
"Aligned and ready, sir," the armoury officer replied with a matching grin.
For a moment he was showing his true face; or, at least, the face of the man he had been not so long ago: a true predator. Jack wasn't sure he liked it; but at the moment this was exactly what he needed.
"Bring the weapons online and polarize the hull plating," he ordered. "Ensign Mayweather, lay in a sixty degree vector. We're going in."
Caught up in the moment of recklessness, Mayweather grinned from ear to ear as he carried out his orders, and Enterprise began her slow descent through the orange gas. The viewscreen showed the gaseous layer rushing past; the ship's running lights could barely cut through it. Everyone was understandably tense.
"Sensor resolution's falling off at about twelve kilometres," Hoshi reported; the atmosphere on the Bridge grew even tenser.
Archer shot Mayweather, who was intensely working on the helm controls, a worried look. "How are you doing there, Travis?"
"I'm okay, Captain," the young man replied, without looking up from his instruments. "So far anyway."
"Our situation should improve," T'Pol promised, busy at her own console. "We're about to break through the cyclohexane layer."
"Somehow I don't find that thought very promising," Reed muttered under his breath but nobody listened to him.
All eyes were on the viewscreen as the orange layer of gas gave way to an even denser layer of roiling blue liquid. The ship instantly began to tremble violently.
"I wouldn't exactly call this an improvement," Archer huffed, trying to stay in his command chair. "What the hell is this anyway?"
T'Pol, looking calm and fascinated, activated a small viewer at her station and peered into its eyepiece.
"Liquid phosphorous," she murmured, sounding more surprised as any Vulcan ever had. "I wouldn't have expected that beneath a layer of cyclohexane."
Archer withstood the urge to roll his eyes… this time. "Does that help us on any way?"
"Theoretically – yes," T'Pol replied calmly. "At least we should have the sensor array back to full capacity in twelve point three seconds."
As usual, her prediction proved correct. After a few more seconds of intense shaking, Enterprise finally descended into a clear layer. Only the external sensors showing the roiling gasses above reminded them that they were still in the atmosphere of a gas giant. It had the impression of being underwater in a submarine, really.
Surprisingly enough, Hoshi was the first to recover from her white-knuckle anxiety and react to the insistent beeping in the background.
"We've got sensors," she reported, her voice almost steady.
"About time," Archer turned to Mayweather. "Level off," then to Crewman Shiva. "Go to long-range scans."
"Aye, sir," Shiva switched to long-range scanners and began to sweep the area in front of them.
"Any sign of other ships?" Archer asked.
"I am detecting two vessels... bearing one-one-nine mark seven," Shiva reported, "moving away in the distance."
Archer looked at T'Pol. "Are they Suliban?"
"Presumably, Captain, based on their iron trail, which is similar to the one from the ship we have been pursuing," the Vulcan answered, peering into her hooded scanner.
"I want to see them with my own eyes," Archer swivelled his chair to Hoshi's direction. "Put it up."
Hoshi threw a switch and a moment later they were all staring at the viewscreen – with the exception of the Vulcan, of course – eager to have their first glimpse of their adversaries
"Interesting design," Archer commented. "Quite small, too."
"About twice the size of one of our shuttlepods," Lieutenant Hess supplied. Checking the readings of the Engineering station.
"And those nutshells are supposed to have warp capacity?" Archer found that hard to believe.
"Actually, they've got both, impulse and warp engines," Lieutenant Hess confirmed.
Archer turned to Reed. "Weapons?"
"Presumably," Reed mock-quoted the Vulcan. "But we're still too far away for any details."
"Well, take us closer, Ensign," Archer ordered impatiently.
Mayweather, however, was staring at the control screen of the navigational sensors with eyes as wide as saucers.
"Sir, I'm picking up something at three-forty-two mark twelve," he reported. "It's a lot bigger."
"Onscreen," Archer ordered.
Hoshi adjusted the focus of the sensor array and the image of the two small ships on the viewscreen got replaced by that of a huge, intricate structure right ahead of them. It was impressive, to say the least.
"Ever seen anything like that?" Archer asked their resident Vulcan.
T'Pol shook her head. "No, Captain. I would suggest a quick yet thorough sensor sweep for further reference."
"D it," Archer agreed. "All sensors – get whatever you can! The slightest data fragment could decide between life and death later."
Ignoring the dramatics, T'Pol set to work with the usual Vulcan speed and efficiency... and not only for the safety of the ship. If the Suliban had somehow become a much bigger threat than anyone had suspected, the Viseeth would need data; and so would the Vulcan Science Directorate.
Unfortunately, the insufficient human sensors didn't provide her with the details she would prefer.
"Captain," she said quietly. "We need to get closer."
"And risk being detected by that thing there?" Reed protested. "It would be suicidal!"
"Your concern is duly noted," T'Pol answered dryly. "However, I believe the value of the data we will be able to collect if we get closer outweighs the risks. We need to know what we are dealing with… as you humans like to say."
Archer hesitated for a moment; then he made a decisive nod.
"Go tighter," he ordered Mayweather, who carefully edged the ship closer to the structure; then he looked at Hoshi. "Maximum magnification."
Hoshi tapped a control and they got a closer view at the structure – and a unique view it was, for sure: that of a massive, spiral-shaped space station. A few individual cell ships were engaging and disengaging from it in what seemed regular traffic.
"Analysis," Archer ordered.
"The structure seems to be comprised of hundreds of smaller, modular Suliban ships - again, presumably Suliban – which are interlocked to form a space station," T'Pol reported.
"Interlocked in what way?" Archer asked.
"Magnetically, it seems," Lieutenant Hess answered instead of T'Pol. "A rather clever concept, in fact. In case of an overwhelming threat they can just disengage and flee in hundreds of different directions."
"Does it also mean we could destroy the helix by simply de-magnetizing the ships?" Archer asked.
Lieutenant Hess shrugged. "Theoretically, yes. But for that to work you'd have to be in the centre of the structure when setting off the demagnetizing device. Which would be beyond suicidal. Sir," she added belatedly.
"Work on the device nonetheless," Archer ordered; then he turned back to Hoshi. "Bio-signs?"
"Over three thousand... but I can't isolate a Viseeth, if there is one," Hoshi admitted unhappily.
She was saved from her captain's potential dissatisfaction, though, when the ship suddenly jolted.
"That was a particle weapon, sir," Reed reported. "It seems we've been detected."
"You think so, yeah?" Archer returned dryly; then he looked at T'Pol. "Seen enough?"
"For now," the Vulcan replied, completely unfazed by the sparks flying from various damaged consoles. "I suggest we return to the phosphorous layer and… regroup, I believe, is the expression."
"Agreed," Archer looked at Mayweather. "Take us up, Travis. Mr Reed, I want you to track all approaching cell ships. Hoshi, analyse the lifesign readings. Lieutenant Hess, have Trip send me the damage report and the repair schedules. T'Pol, I want a thorough internal scan, focused on but not restricted to Sickbay. We must understand how did the Suliban manage to infiltrate the ship; and how can we prevent that from happening again."
"Aye, sir," a chorus of five voices acknowledged his orders, and he nodded briskly.
"Briefing in exactly thirty minutes. Dismissed."
Half an hour later the senior officers congregated in Enterprise's conference room, each of them aimed with a PADD containing their detailed report. They didn't seem particularly optimistic – which the exception for Hoshi, who was practically beaming… for the first time since she had come aboard.
Her excitement was positively endearing, so Archer asked her first. "What have you found, Hoshi?"
"Non-Suliban bio-readings," she replied promptly, pointing at the long column of bio-data appearing on the viewscreen of the conference room, next to a small section of the Helix.
"Any idea what they could be?" Archer asked.
"No, Captain," Hoshi admitted, her excitement flagging. "They do not match the data Dr Phlox gave me… or anything we've got from the Vulcans about the Viseeth."
"I am currently running them through the medical database but it hasn't come up with any matches yet," Phlox added. "Of course, the database has hundreds of species filed away, so it may take a while."
"Understood," Archer said. "This doesn't mean that our… passenger isn't somewhere on the Helix, though."
"True," Reed allowed, "but how are we supposed to find her? That is an aggregate structure out there, comprised of hundreds of vessels. Finding a single alien in there would be like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"At least we know where the haystack is… not that it would help us a lot," Tucker commented philosophically.
"I believe I can be of some help here," T'Pol said. "As per Captain Archer's orders, I have scanned the entire ship for unusual readings that could have explained the seemingly effortless abduction of Gerasen Gerasal, and I found… this."
All eyes turned to the viewscreen, trying to make sense of the unusual readings… with very little success.
"Are those residual subspace particles?" Tucker asked uncertainly. "But… that's not possible!"
"It should not be," T'Pol agreed. "And yet it is the unquestionable fact that there was a short period of subspace particle emissions in Sickbay – for twelve point six eight seconds, to be precise. At about the same time when Gerasen Gerasal was taken, I may add."
"Does that mean that she was actually abducted into subspace?" Reed asked doubtfully. "And the attack of the Suliban was merely a distraction?"
"Not necessarily," Dr Phlox supplied. "According to my examinations, the genetic enhancements the Suliban have received would enable them to survive in subspace… for a limited amount of time."
Reed shook his head. "That seems a little far-fetched for me."
"And yet we cannot deny the presence of residual subspace particles," Tucker pointed out. "There's no way those subspace emissions could have spontaneously happened within the ship."
"Which means, we might be able to find our missing passenger through scanning for subspace emissions within the Helix," Archer realised.
"Theoretically," T'Pol replied with emphasis. "However, to test this theory we must come a great deal closer to the Helix… and Enterprise would not be able to withstand a coordinated attack of hundreds of Suliban ships."
That was the depressing truth, of course, but Archer was not about to give up the first chance they might have had to find the Viseeth.
"Which is why we'll be sneaking in through the back door," he turned to Reed. "Lieutenant, would the grappler work in a liquid atmosphere?"
"I'm not sure, sir," the armoury officer admitted.
"We'll make it work, Captain," Tucker promised. "Give me twenty minutes for the modifications. What are you planning? Capturing a Suliban ship?"
"Exactly," Archer replied with a wide, white grin. "It's time that we repaid the Suliban the visit. T'Pol, can you adjust the tricorders so that they'd detect subatomic particles?"
"They will be ready by the time Commander Tucker is done with the grappler," the Vulcan said simply.
Reed shook his head in bewilderment. "Sir, this is insane! Even if the Viseeth is there, it would be almost impossible to break them out."
"I know," Archer grinned at him ferally. "That's why I take you with me – and T'Pol." Several jaws hit the floor simultaneously, but he continued, unfazed. "Travis, as soon as the grappler is online, we'll go in again."
Despite Reed's doubts, in two hours' time they had fought a short skirmish with three patrolling Suliban cell ships and captured one of them. Hoshi had been ordered down to the Launch Bay to help translating the inscriptions on the little vessel's instrumental board, while Archer was trying to familiarize himself with the ship's systems with the help of a detailed graphic displayed on the launch control screen.
"Are you sure you can fly this thing, Jack?" Tucker asked, concerned.
"Let's hope so," Archer replied. "Otherwise we can forget the entire mission… and that will be only the beginning of our problems."
"If the Vulcans are right," Tucker pointed out.
Archer shrugged. "They usually are. It's just the way they present it that irritates the hell out of me."
"And yet you're taking T'Pol with you," Tucker said.
"She's our Science Officer," Archer reminded him. "And she knows more about the biology of the Viseeth than Phlox; if the cow lady is injured, she can provide first aid."
"True," Tucker allowed. "But taking her and Reed with you, without anyone else there to watch your back… isn't that just a little risky?"
"I need the best people for the job, Trip. The best scientist – our junior crewmen have no experience, you know that – and the best security officer, which is Lieutenant Reed, whether we like it or not. This ship is very small; I can't take more than two additional people with me, or we wouldn't be able to squeeze the cow lady between us. Even so, it will be a very tight squeeze."
"As if that had ever bothered you," Tucker laughed. "You just want to get up close and personal with her, admit it!"
Archer grinned at him unrepentantly, but he had no time for a witty reply because the snap doors opened and in walked Lieutenant Reed, carrying two silver equipment cases. Archer's eyes lit up in excitement.
"You're finished then?"
The armoury officer nodded and put down the cases on one of the storage surfaces. "Do you want to see them, sir?"
"Sure," Archer said, biting back a comment about the stupidity of that question.
Reed flipped open the lid on one of the cases, revealing a rectangular device.
"This thing should reverse the polarity of any maglock within a hundred meters – according to Engineering, that is," he said with a side glance in Tucker's direction; then he indicated the controls. "Once you've set the sequence, you'll have five seconds."
"You mean you'll have five seconds," Archer corrected. "This is your job, after all. What's in the other case?"
Instead of answering, Reed flipped open the other equipment case and pulled out two Starfleet-issue hand guns with pistol-grips. He handed them to Archer, who grinned ferally.
"Ah. Our new weapons."
"They're called phase-pistols," Reed explained. "They have two settings: stun and kill. It would be best not to confuse them."
"True," Archer replied coldly. "The stun setting may not work on the Suliban, seeing all those genetic enhancements. Set them to kill, just to be on the safe side."
Three pairs of eyes turned to T'Pol expectantly, waiting for a Vulcan lecture against violence and mindless killing. To their surprise, it never came – quite the contrary.
"It would be illogical to hold the lives of terrorists in higher esteem than those of your people; or that of Gerasen Gerasal," T'Pol said in agreement.
"Why, thank you," Archer said after having picked up his jaw from the floor. "And since we all seem to be in agreement here, let's go and get our passenger back."
They piled into the small ship, all three of them. It was a tight fit, despite both T'Pol and Reed being slightly built. Fortunately so was the Viseeth they were supposed to bring back, so – with some effort – it was theoretically doable. Still, it promised to be an uncomfortable ride, both there and back.
The launch went without noticeable complications and soon they were heading downward, while Enterprise remained hidden in the blue gas of the phosphorous layer. It was indeed as bumpy a ride as expected, and they were all relieved when the cell ship finally came into position to dock in to the Helix.
The docking procedure itself promised to be a bit tricky, too.
"Docking interface online," T'Pol reported. "Coaxial ports ready."
"Open," Archer ordered.
T'Pol hit a control. "Continue," she said."
Archer took the steering mechanism in both hands, and eased the ship downwards carefully. T blue phosphorous clouds began to thin out – and then they abruptly broke through into clear space. The trembling of the ship finally stopped. But they saw nothing in front of them.
"Where is it?" Reed asked in confusion. "It was right here."
"Bank starboard, ninety degrees," T'Pol instructed their captain, studying the control screen. Archer corrected their course and in the next moment the enormous Suliban Helix appeared directly below them.
"There you are!" Archer said triumphantly.
"Not quite yet," T'Pol corrected. "That's the upper-support radius. Drop down right below it and start a counter-clockwise sweep. Another two point six degrees… another zero point four. Right there. You can dock the ship now."
Through the window, they could see a circular airlock protruding from the Helix. They exchanged a look, then Archer nodded. After some skilled and careful manoeuvring he managed to line up the ship with the airlock and, with a series of whirring mechanical sounds as the docking ports locked into place.
After a moment the hatch opened to reveal a poorly-lit corridor. They stared at it for a heartbeat, then Archer rose from the pilot's seat – uncomfortably low and narrow for a man of his size – and grabbed the equipment case containing the magnetic unlocking device.
"Let's go, people," he said. "We have a damsel in distress to save."
They poured out of the cell ship, relieved to be able to stretch their cramped limbs. T'Pol held the Vulcan-issue tricorder in front of her to follow the faint track of subspace radiation that might aid them in finding their missing passenger.
"The emission is emanating from this direction," the Vulcan said, leading them down the corridor and then turning to the left, into a narrow little passageway that ended in front of a closed door. T'Pol scanned the door... and frowned. "This is odd."
"What?" Archer snapped, which seemed to have no effect whatsoever on the Vulcan.
"I register tetryon emissions, Captain," she replied.
Archer raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"Tetryon particles are supposed to be unstable in normal space," she explained.
That didn't really tell Archer anything, though. He said so, and T'Pol tried to explain further.
"Tetryons are elementary particles that can only exist in subspace," she said. "They can be registered during warp transfer but become unstable when coming in contact with normal space. It should be impossible for them to exist here… yet, obviously, they do."
"Where is the source of the emissions?" Archer asked.
"According to my readings in the room behind this door," T'Pol answered. "But I cannot be certain until I have seen the room itself."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Archer flashed that shark-like grin of his. "I'm sure Mr Reed will be able to force his way through the door. They do teach such things in spy school, don't they?"
Reed didn't take the bait. "Indeed, sir, they do," he replied simply.
Then he opened a wall panel the other two hadn't even spotted yet and inserted a laser welder into the circuits behind it. The circuits were fused in mere seconds and the door slid open, revealing an empty room – some sort of cargo bay, perhaps.
With the not insignificant difference that a large section of the wall was pulsating – as if the metal itself has come alive, and was undulating in perpetual waves – rippling. Both men stared at the phenomenon with their mouths literally hanging open. T'Pol's face was as expressionless as only that of an extremely surprised Vulcan's could be.
Archer was the first to find his voice again. "What the hell is that?"
T'Pol edged closer to the wall to perform further scans.
"The structure of the bulkhead is being altered on a subatomic level," she replied matter-of-factly. "The metal itself is in a state of quasi-molecular flux."
"In a what?" Reed asked.
"The quasi-molecular flux is a molecular state in which constituent atoms are altered from their normal composition and energy state," T'Pol explained pedantically.
Archer eyed the wall with wary suspicion. "What is causing it?"
"I cannot offer a theory, Captain," the Vulcan admitted. "According to the Vulcan Science Directorate this should not be possible in normal space. And yet it is happening, here and now, in front of our very eyes. I am picking up a subspace particle stream emanating from that bulkhead ahead of us. It appears to be composed of spatially-inverted tetryon particles, originating from a tertiary subspace manifold."
Archer kept eyeing the rippling wall with steadily growing unease. "I have no idea what are you talking about, but that's not a good thing, is it?"
"Correct, sir. Something from that deep in subspace shouldn't be able to exist in our universe. But there it is."
"Yeah, there it is," Archer echoed. "And the unusual readings in Sickbay led us right here."
"Correct, sir."
"Does this mean that the Viseeth we are looking for is probably behind that… whatever it is?"
"That is a logically justifiable theory," T'Pol allowed. "However, we do not have any empiric proof."
"Then it is high time we find some, isn't it?" Archer said grimly, stepping closer to the rippling wall. "What is this… thing in the middle of the distorted are?"
"Lacking any more scientific definition I would call it a tear in space," the Vulcan said reluctantly. It was not like her to use such un-scientific terms, but for the first time since they had arrived, Archer found that he had begun to understand what was happening.
"Are you telling me this is how the cow lady has been abducted into subspace?"
T'Pol nodded. "It would explain why we found no Viseeth bio-signs on the entire Helix… or why subspace seems to be leaking into normal space."
"I see," and, surprisingly enough, he did, really. "Does she have any chance to survive there?"
"Not for long," T'Pol replied grimly. "Perhaps long enough for whoever was behind their abduction to forcibly gain access to their memory engrams."
"Which, again, wouldn't be a good thing, would it?"
"It would be a disaster of galactic proportions, Captain."
Archer nodded. "I thought so. In that case, people, we don't really have a choice. We must go through this… tear and bring her back."
~TBC~
