Enterprise – The Maiden Voyage

by Soledad

For disclaimer, rating, etc. see the Introduction.

Some lines of dialogue are taken from the episode "Brave New World". Brownie points for those who recognise the one sentence borrowed from "Voyager", *g*

Beta read by the wonderful and generous LoyaulteMeLie, whom I owe my gratitude. All remaining mistakes are exclusively mine.


Chapter 14 – Following the Trail

For the next fortnight Enterprise remained in standard orbit around Gamma Ventris IV. Not because anyone would have wanted to stay there, merely out of necessity. Doctors Phlox and Yannes wanted to observe the condition of Crewman Cooper, while T'Pol and the rest of the science department worked on simulations at Stellar Cartography, trying to identify the various stellar bodies and constellations depicted on the walls of the caves on the planet below.

Both tasks turned out more time-consuming than anyone would have thought, and both yielded disappointingly little results. At least the changes in Cooper's condition were visible to the naked eye, too – if one knew what to look for.

"Actually the changes are rather dramatic," Dr Phlox explained. "She is rapidly losing weight and her muscle tissue is turning into a spongy consistency. She has also become very sensitive to light, so we had to lower the light in the decon chamber by sixty per cent."

"Are these changes irreversible?" Archer asked. "Can we stop them, at least?"

Phlox and Dr Yannes exchanged helpless looks.

"We wouldn't know how," the Denobulan finally admitted. "This is the normal evolutionary process for the species… and a rather quick one at that. In our estimate it will take about another ten days for the patient to be fully changed… and to stop being Crewman Cooper entirely."

"Is she a risk for the rest of the crew?" Reed asked. "Can she infest others the same way she was infested?"

"Not in the current state of her evolution," Dr Yannes replied. "At least we don't think it could happen before she has completed the change. After that… we simply have no way to know. Insufficient data, as the Vulcans would say."

The armoury officer nodded, as if he'd have expected the answer; then he turned to Archer.

"Captain, may I ask what you intend to do with Crewman Cooper, once her transformation is finished?"

Archer frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She is becoming a member of a species that has clearly demonstrated its hostile intents," Reed clarified. "Keeping her on board, even in quarantine and under guard, would put ship and crew at unpredictable risk."

"So what do you suggest?" Tucker demanded angrily. "Should we simply shoot her? Are you forgettin' that our weapons ain't no good against the Shroomies? Besides, who would do the shootin'? You?"

"If I had to, in order to protect ship and crew then yes, I would do it," Reed answered coolly. "And I would succeed, too. The aliens invading Enterprise were wearing protective suits. She has no such thing."

"Unless she grows one organically as part of the process," Gerasen Gerasal pointed out. "We have no way to tell what an Elachi is truly capable of; what little data we have about them is a hundred millennia old. In one thing, however, Lieutenant Reed is correct. The… person currently undergoing transformation would be a great risk for us all."

"We can't simply start shooting people just because we are afraid!" Archer protested.

"Not people in general," the Viseeth agreed. "But Elachi are a little more than just people. You have seen them in action."

"If I may, Captain," T'Pol intervened smoothly, 'I would suggest leaving Crewman Cooper back on Gamma Ventris IV. As a fully transformed Elachi she would have the necessary abilities to survive there."

"Perhaps," Reed allowed. "But if she gets picked up by her fellow Shroomies, we'll be back to Square One."

"It is a risk," the Vulcan agreed. "But statistical probability tells us that if that happens at all, by the time it happens her knowledge of Starfleet technology would be outdated and thus represent no imminent danger."

"Cap'n, you can't really be considerin' leavin' her behind, all on her own!" Tucker protested. "You could as well have her shot on the spot and be done with it!"

"Not exactly," T'Pol corrected. "Shooting her could lead to having the quarantine room filled with spores that may or may not have the capacity to get through the biofilters and contaminate the entire ship. We simply cannot tell. Sending her down to Gamma Ventris IV, on the other hand, would mean that she could survive, at the very least."

"Like a giant walking mushroom," the chief engineer muttered.

That earned him a raised Vulcan eyebrow.

"Commander, the… individual in Decon Chamber Two is already a giant walking mushroom, as you have so elaborately put it. Crewman Cooper has already ceased to exist. I understand that this fact is not easy to accept for you; it is nonetheless the truth. And the longer she… it remains on board, the greater will be the risk of further contamination."

"She's right, sir," Reed said grimly. "It will be hard enough to get her to the transporter chamber safely; the sooner we get rid of her the better for us all."

"You won't care that deep within she's still a human bein', would ya?" Tucker muttered nastily. "Just kill 'em and have the problem solved; ain't that your solution for everything?"

"That's enough, Trip," Archer intervened before the armoury officer could reply. "This is my decision to make, and like it or not, T'Pol and Mr Reed do have a point. Leaving her behind is still more humane than having her killed – which, apparently, would be every bit as risky as keeping her on board would be."

"So we are leaving her behind?" Mayweather asked. Of all the senior staff, he was the one who had known Crewman Cooper best, and the thought made him accordingly uncomfortable.

The captain nodded soberly. "I don't like it any better than you all, but I don't see any other way, either. Now, let us discuss the practical side of the process later. Doctor," he looked at Phlox, "work with Trip and T'Pol on the method that would mean the lowest risk for ship and crew. I want this done as soon as possible."

"Of course, Captain," the Denobulan replied, more subdued than usual.

Archer nodded. "Good. Now, I'd like a preliminary report on the star charts we've found in the caves. Any new discoveries?"

"One, so far." T'Pol consulted her PADD. "We have identified a planet fourteen point two light years from this system, bearing…" she rattled down a string of numbers only Archer and Mayweather could understand. "It is one of several planets marked with a symbol, the meaning of which we do not know. But the planets marked this way seem to create a network with hundreds of light years between the furthest individual junctions."

"You mean the distance isn't always the same?" Archer clarified.

The Vulcan shook her head. "No, Captain. Our calculations suggest that originally that might have been the case; but the systems in question have drifted apart at different speeds. There are a number of factors that can influence the drifting process: the gravity of neighbouring stars, the presence or absence of singularities and so on."

"But can this… this 'network' be used for its original purpose, whatever it might have been, despite the changed positions of the planets involved?" the captain asked.

T'Pol raised an eyebrow in the Vulcan equivalent of a shrug.

"We can hardly answer that question without knowing the actual purpose of the network, sir," she answered dryly.

"Perhaps a visit to this particular planet would help us find a few answers," Reed suggested.

Archer nodded. "My thoughts exactly. I'll report in to Admiral Forrest. Mr Mayweather, plot a course. We'll break orbit as soon as we've delivered Crewman Cooper – or whatever she is now – to the planet below us. Dismissed."


To say that Admiral Forrest wasn't happy about the news would have been an understatement.

"Are you sure there isn't any other solution, Jack?" he asked. "It wouldn't be good for crew morale to leave one of them behind on an uninhabited planet."

"With all due respect, Admiral, that… creature in the isolation chamber is no longer one of my crew," Archer replied. "Phlox, Gerasen Gerasal, Dr Yannes and T'Pol are all in agreement about that… and about the risk keeping a hostile alien on board would represent."

"Yes, but none of those people are human," Forrest pointed out. "Crewman Cooper is… or was, in any case. The crew might react badly to her being effectively abandoned on Gamma Ventris IV."

"They would react even worse if they started turning into Shroomies, too," the captain of Enterprise returned wryly. "We can't guarantee our ability to to prevent further contamination, sir; and we can't risk our first warp 5-capable starship falling into hostile hands. Even Lieutenant Reed agrees with that."

"Which means we can count on the support of Starfleet Intelligence in this," the admiral sighed. "Very well. We've given you command of Enterprise because we needed somebody in that command chair who could make hard decisions if push came to shove. It would be hypocritical to complain about such decisions now. We'll allow you to handle things at your discretion, Jack, but be careful. I have the feeling that the Vulcans will be watching your progress – or the lack of it – closely. My latest discussion with Ambassador Soval made me suspect that there are certain factions within the Vulcan High Command that would love to see you fail. Starfleet Command out."

Jack stared at the empty screen for a moment and sighed. This wasn't the news he'd hoped for, but he wasn't particularly surprised, either. Vulcans weren't a homogenous people; any more than any other species would necessarily be.

"Well, we'll have to deal with them when they start interfering again, won't we, Porthos?" he asked rhetorically, giving the Beagle a forbidden morsel of cheese.

Porthos wagged his tail and grinned at him as only a dog totally devoted to its master could grin… with or without a treat.


For the next two days Phlox, T'Pol and Charlie Tucker worked on the safest possible way to transport the creature that had been Crewman Cooper down to Gamma Ventris IV, and after that had been accomplished Enterprise could finally break orbit.

It was a rather grim departure, morals plummeting into previously unknown depths after the captain's ship-wide announcement in which he had explained the reasons of his decision and the memorial service they held for Gwen Cooper who, for all means and purposes, no longer existed. There weren't many on board who had actually liked her, and what had happened to her was at least partially her own fault, but she had been one of them, after all. She might have been a nuisance – well, she had been one – but she had been their nuisance, and her fate made people more aware just how dangerous space they had been so eager to explore for so long, truly was.

But there was nothing they could have done to about it, save for preventing others from sharing her rotten luck. They set out a number of warning buoys that would inform any passing ship that the planet was contaminated and under quarantine, and then headed for their new destination.

"How long until we reach the planet?" Hoshi asked another four days later.

The initially sombre mood aboard ship was beginning to lift, and although Crewman Cooper's fate was not forgotten, people were coming to terms with it. Hoshi was having lunch in the Mess Hall with Lieutenant Hess, Tucker's second-in-command and Crewman Novakovich from the science section.

"We should be there within the next hour," Anna Hess replied. "We've been travelling at low warp because we still had to do a great deal of small repairs, but we're almost as good as new now."

"I hope I get to go down with the Away Team again," Ethan Novakovich enthused; then he looked at Hoshi's soup bowl and pulled a face. "How can you eat that stuff?"

Hoshi shrugged. She was giving Vulcan Plomeek broth a try and found it surprisingly pleasant.

"It's healthier than that," she replied, indicating the T-bone steak on Novakovich's plate.

"At least this tastes like something." To demonstrate his meaning, Novakovich smeared an inordinate amount of mustard onto his steak.

Hoshi gave him a doubtful look.

"I guess it just takes a more discriminating palate to appreciate Vulcan cuisine," she returned primly, causing Anna Hess to suppress a giggle.

Vulcan seasoning was indeed a bit subdued, like everything associated with Vulcans it seemed, but she liked the taste nonetheless. Besides, after the incredibly bland prison food everything still seemed excitingly spicy. She was rediscovering old delights every day… not that she'd had the chance to try Vulcan food before.

Her riposte successfully silenced Novakovich, and they continued eating their lunch in peace. Barely were they done when Hoshi and Novakovich were summoned to the Bridge.

"I guess that means we've arrived," Anna Hess commented, rising from her seat. "I'd better return to Engineering; the Chief may be needed on the Bridge, too."


When Hoshi and Novakovich reached the Bridge, Tucker was already there indeed, as well as Gerasen Gerasal and the rest of the senior staff, with the exception of Dr Phlox. They were all looking at the viewscreen that showed a beautiful blue planet. It couldn't have been any more different from Gamma Ventris IV.

Novakovich hurried over to Science Station #2 and started a surface scan without being ordered to do so.

"Well," Archer said, eyeing the view with interest," this is certainly a lot prettier than expected. I wonder if somebody lives here?"

"There's a lot of plant life but I don't read any cities or agriculture," Novakovich reported.

"Maybe they live underground or in the water," Mayweather suggested. "Or in heavily shielded areas."

"Is that snow on those mountains?" Hoshi asked in awe. She hadn't expected an alien planet to look this much like home.

"The planet has a breathable atmosphere," T'Pol cut in, clearly fed up with all the speculation. "Seventeen per cent oxygen, eighty one per cent nitrogen."

"Sounds like home," Tucker commented, grinning.

Archer rolled his eyes. "Any people?"

"The planet supports a diverse ecology, but there are no signs of humanoid life," the Vulcan told him.

He frowned. "Well, somebody must have a claim on it, otherwise it wouldn't be marked. Mr Reed, scan for marker buoys, beacons, man-made satellites… anything."

"None in range, sir," the lieutenant reported after a moment. "Looks like no one's planted a flag just yet."

Archer sighed. "Then we'll have to take a closer look at the surface. Something of interest has to be down there. Trip, prepare a shuttlepod."

Tucker stood to leave while the captain turned to Ensign Mayweather. "I like the looks of the northern continent. See if you can find a good place to set down."

The helmsman was grinning like a loon. "Yes, sir!"

Archer was already moving to join Tucker at the door when T'Pol's voice stopped him.

"Captain. There are a number of protocols you may want to consider."

"Protocols?" the captain echoed.

"Vulcan ships would begin by sending automated probes down to collect more detailed scans," his Science Officer explained. "If the planet proved to be Minshara-class, we would then conduct a geophysical survey from orbit."

"Minshara-class?" Travis repeated blandly.

"Suitable for humanoid life," Hoshi translated.

"How long would all that take?" Archer inquired.

"Six or seven days," the Vulcan said promptly, and Tucker – still at the door – looked at her in exasperation.

"You expect us to sit up here for a week, depending on the probes, instead of looking for clues on the surface? You said yourself that this planet must have been important in some way! You said it was marked!"

"This planet was marked a hundred thousand years ago," T'Pol replied with unshakable calm. "It is unlikely that seven more days would make any significant difference. "

"They might, if the Shroomies have come out of hiding; and we know that they have," Archer said. "I understand that you have a more cautious approach, but I've got the feeling that we can't afford wasting our time." He looked at Tucker. "Get the pod ready; we're going down."

Tucker left the bridge and the captain turned back to his Science Officer. "I'd like you to put together the survey team. I assume that's not a violation of protocol?"

"And I would like to go down with the survey team," added Gerasen Gerasal, who had been quietly observing things so far. "My people have an interest in this, and my scanning equipment is by magnitudes better than anything even Vulcans can offer. If you would allow me to join you, Captain, that is."

Archer shrugged. "Be my guest. Take-off in twenty minutes."


Less than an hour later the shuttlepod landed on what appeared to be a meadow on a decidedly earth-like planet. It was early afternoon, but two crescent moons could be seen in the sky nonetheless. Near to their landing spot was a lake, with eel-like fish in it, and there were yellow flowers in the grass. The surroundings were positively idyllic, and the humans took deep breaths.

"I almost forgot what fresh air smells like," Archer commented softly and Tucker nodded with feeling.

"The atmosphere contains trace elements of nitrogen dioxide and chloromethane," T'Pol reported, consulting her readings. "Not exactly the trace elements the Elachi would need, but for a short time they would be able to breathe here."

"Too bad we're on a research mission, not on shore leave," the chief engineer said wistfully. "Well, what next? We haven't found any surface structures so far – any idea how we should continue?"

"I would suggest scanning for cave systems," the Viseeth answered promptly. "If the Elachi truly used this planet for anything, they would have their facilities underground, where they were protected from direct sunlight."

"That is a logical assumption," T'Pol agreed. "In the meantime Doctor Yannes and Crewman Novakovich can continue identifying and cataloguing the local life forms for the database."

"Shouldn't we prepare a campin' site, too?" Tucker asked eagerly. "We can't hope to finish surveyin' the whole planet by nightfall; we'd need a place to sleep."

Archer shook his head. "Nobody is staying overnight. This place may look idyllic, but we can't tell if it's safe or not. We can always return in the morning if we have to."

Tucker had a rebellious look about him, but before he could have continued arguing, T'Pol looked up from her scanner.

"Returning in the morning may not be necessary, Captain. I am reading a large, interconnected cave system two kilometres due west. If we march now, we can safely reach it in time."

"In time for what?" the captain asked.

"I have been analysing the weather patterns of this planet since we have entered orbit," the Vulcan replied. "There is a ninety-five point six per cent possibility of a heavy storm coming down from the mountains in approximately two hours' time."

"Shouldn't we return to Enterprise right away then?" Archer worried.

T'Pol nodded. "You should, with all unnecessary personnel. The shuttlepod would be no match for the average strength of winds here. The actual survey team, however, could safely sit out the storm in the caves – and even do some work while we are there."

The captain wasn't happy with that suggestion but realised that it made excellent sense. (Of course it did. It came from a Vulcan, after all.) Therefore he ordered everyone but the scientists back to Enterprise; he even flew the shuttlepod himself to make a point. Gerasen Gerasal protested, of course, wanting to stay on the planet's surface, but Archer put his foot down. The last thing he wanted was to enrage the government of the most powerful alien species in the known galaxy by unnecessarily endangering their observer.

Charlie Tucker, on the other hand, was allowed to stay behind, in case the survey team ran into technical problems. The chief engineer had studied the data the Viseeth could provide about Iconian technology (little though it might have been) and was therefore reasonably confident that he would be able to deal with whatever they might find.

(Jack had made good-natured jibes about overconfidence leading to a fall. Trip had pretended not to hear them.)

As soon as the shuttlepod had left, the survey team began trekking towards the caves. Considering that the Vulcan took over the lead, it promised to be a long and arduous march.


"Captain," Reed greeted Archer when the latter entered the Bridge, vacating the command chair for him. "You chose the right moment to return; I was just about to contact you."

"What for?" The captain dropped heavily into his chair; it was good to be back where he belonged.

"To show you this." The armoury officer put the image of part of the planet on the viewscreen; a little flash could be seen in the very area of the northern continent towards which the survey team was currently heading.

"And what exactly is 'this'?" Archer asked, frowning at the image on the screen.

Reed shrugged. "Some sort of projectile, launching from the surface, sir. It's very small and has an oddly erratic trajectory; perhaps malfunctioning."

"Could it be a weapon?" Mayweather asked worriedly.

"If it is one, it's not very effective, seeing that it can't even keep a steady course," Ensign Ansara, currently at Tactical, replied.

"Zoom on to it," the captain ordered. "Maximal magnification."

Ansara carried out his order and in the next moment the image of a spheric blue orb appeared in the middle of the viewscreen. The… thing – presumably a probe of some sort – was whirling around itself erratically, with energy tendrils arching from it at random.

"Looks like a scanner or something similar." Alex Gaeta, standing in for Tucker at the engineering controls, offered her judgement. "Chief would perhaps know; he's been studying Iconian technology a lot lately."

"Unfortunately, he's not available right now." Archer was already regretting his decision to leave Trip behind, near to this mysterious 'scanner' that had suddenly appeared. "Hoshi, call GG to the Bridge; perhaps she can tell us what the hell this thing is."

Hoshi did as she'd been told and Gerasen Gerasal came to the Bridge willingly enough… only to freeze mid-motion as soon as she spotted the unknown object on the viewscreen.

"Captain," she said urgently, "you must destroy this thing immediately. If you allow it to scan your ship, Enterprise will destroy itself within days."

Archer did not waste time with asking questions first. He merely glanced at his armoury officer.

"You heard the lady, Lieutenant!"

The Englishman nodded and activated the comm. "Reed to Armoury. Lock onto oncoming target and fire at will. It must be destroyed without delay."

"Torpedo launchers One and Two armed and ready," the voice of Lieutenant Fuller answered. "Locked on target… and firing."

They could follow on the viewscreen as the missiles homed in and hit the scanner… probe… whatever. It went up in a spectacular fireball.

"Target destroyed, sir," Fuller reported, somewhat unnecessarily.

Archer leaned back in his chair in relief.

"Care to explain what this was about?" he asked the Viseeth.

Gerasen Gerasal shrugged. "I wish I could, Captain. But all I know is that whenever one of our allies encountered a probe like that, within a very short time there were mysterious malfunctions in all ship systems, leading to the destruction of the ship. We never found out the reason, although our scientists assume that the probe downloads some kind of malware into a ship's computer core while scanning it."

"It is a weapon, then," Reed said.

The Viseeth nodded. "In a manner, yes. Which can only mean that this planet used to be an Iconian outpost once."

The armoury officer frowned. "It seemed to be malfunctioning, though; had its course not been so erratic, we wouldn't have had the time to shoot it down."

"That is possible," allowed Gerasen Gerasal. "Iconian technology is superior, but it is also very old. Without maintenance it could be deteriorating."

"But if there is a weapon, shouldn't there be also a control centre?" Ensign Ansara suggested. "Most likely down on that planet? That thing had to come from somewhere."

"There must be indeed." The captain activated the comm system. "Archer to T'Pol. Subcommander, while you're marching to those caves, scan for advanced technology. We've just been forced to shoot down some sort of alien probe; it could only have come from the planet."

"That is a logical assumption, Captain," the calm voice of the Vulcan replied. "It would also explain the presence of the considerable amount of neutronium we are reading in the direction we are currently heading for."

"I thought neutronium couldn't be found naturally, except in the core of neutron stars," Archer said with a frown.

"It cannot," T'Pol answered calmly. "Therefore we must assume that we will find an artificial structure once we reach our destination." She paused; then she continued in a slightly more… urgent manner. "Captain, I must disconnect now. My readings tell me that the storm is coming down from the mountains faster than expected. We must increase speed if we want to bring ourselves into the safety of those caves in time."

"Understood," the captain said. "Keep me informed. Archer out."

They disconnected and Archer leaned back in his chair morosely. This was going to be a long wait; and he hated waiting.


Down on the surface of the nameless planet – nameless according to the Vulcan star charts anyway – T'Pol informed the rest of the survey team about the recent events. Commander Tucker was understandably upset that he had missed the appearance of the alien probe (which engineer wouldn't be?) but he didn't have the time to dwell upon his loss, with the storm coming down on them. They shouldered their equipment and followed T'Pol.

The Vulcan didn't hurry, by Vulcan standards, and yet the speed she picked up proved to place considerable strain on the others. She marched with long, measured, ground-eating strides, while the humans nearly jogged after her. Even so, it took them several hours – three point four Vulcan hours, according to T'Pol's inner chronometer – to reach a small, amphitheatre-like formation, presumably carved out by the retreating glaciers during the planet's most recent ice age, surrounded by ragged peaks.

Such formations were not unknown on Earth, either, Crewman Novakovich commented, where they were called a cirque and typically had a tarn in their middle. Apparently, he had seen such cirques in a northern area called Alaska.

It was an aesthetically pleasing sight, T'Pol found. But natural aesthetics were not her concern at the moment. Her interest was caught by a definitely artificial construction in the middle of the cirque – a construction that also turned out to be the source of the neutronium readings.

"It looks like two swimming pool filter covers, glued together," Tucker commented, and the other humans laughed.

Since she lacked the necessary reference, T'Pol ignored the comment.

"This could be the control centre for those probes the captain spoke of," she said instead. "Unfortunately, we shall not have the time to search it before the storm hits. We must seek shelter immediately."

"What about inside that thing?" Tucker asked.

The Vulcan considered the suggestion.

"We can try," she then decided. "But I want to find those caves as well, just in case. Doctor Yannes, you and Crewman Novakovich will keep searching for the cave entrance. Crewman Namod will secure you. Commander Tucker, Ensign Soccorro and myself will try to enter the structure. We all have to hurry, though. In my estimate the storm will hit in twenty-three point six eight of your minutes."

"Sounds like a Vulcan estimate to me," Tucker grinned, while the others went on in search for the cave entrance.

T'Pol ignored him again.

"Let us search the structure and document our findings for the database," she said, taking out her communicator to contact Enterprise. "T'Pol to Captain Archer."

"Go ahead."

"Captain, we have found an artificial structure. The construction is unknown to me, but we are going to transfer pictures. Perhaps Gerasen Gerasal can identify it."

"Will you have the time for a thorough search before the storm hits?" the captain asked.

"Unlikely," she replied. "We are going to do a preliminary search and then seek shelter in the caves – assuming that the rest of the team finds the entrance."

"Let's hope they do," Archer said. "The safety of the team has priority. The structure will still be there in the morning. Enterprise out."

~TBC~