The captives

By panyasan

Chapter 13

Disclaimer : Enterprise and its characters are property of CBS/Paramount.

Time-line: Takes place between 2155 (after the events of Terra Prime) and the beginning of the year 2156, just before the start of the Earth-Romulan war (2156-2160).

Summary: Members of Starfleet are infected by nanites from a contaminated Romulan ship. Kov, the only Vulcan, who is working on the facility that researched the ship, has become ill. Additionally, Trip was attacked by a telepath a year ago and part of his memory was wiped. When discussing events from a year ago, Trip remembers something.

Author's note: A big "thank you" to my beta KKGlinka and thanks to KTR for providing an excellent idea in one of his reviews. Also, I would like to thank everyone who left a review for the previous chapters. I really appreciate them.

- Present, Starfleet Headquarters, Phlox's sickbay -

According to Human beliefs, if he had had been a cat this moment, he would ceased to live. Burning with curiosity, Phlox looked at Commander Tucker, going through his own medical file. Finally he seemed to find what he was looking for and asked Phlox to come closer to see the results of his search. Without a word, T'Pol joined him. She was greeted with a warm smile from Tucker, before he addressed Phlox.

"Doctor, I just read that after the meeting with Arling, you waited for me to show up for my exam, but I came by the next day instead." Tucker pointed to the screen in front of him. "In your notes, you write, 'Patient stares into space most of the time during the examination. Patient is agitated, noticeably inattentive and speaks rarely. Signs of severe migraine. He is clearly suffering from extreme emotional stress. Shoulder has healed nicely.'."

Tucker tapped his finger on the screen. "All those symptoms, could they be related to the attack by the telepath and my memory wipe?"

"That is easily possible," Phlox answered. At that time he had thought that the symptoms were classic signs of the enormous stress Tucker had endured, being interrogated in his time of grief and the events surrounding T'Pol.

"So, if the attack took place after the meeting with Arling and before my visit to Sickbay... Malcolm told you that I went to visit someone after the meeting, but I don't remember anything. So, the attack may have taken place during that visit," Tucker put down as his theory.

"The attacker may be the person you visited," T'Pol rephrased, having understood. "It is possible that Lieutenant Reed can identify him."

"I think Malcolm is working in the Enterprise armory this morning. I could ask him right away," Tucker suggested.

Before Phlox or T'Pol could answer, a beeping sound interrupted their conversation. It was Doctor Green. He looked pained. Wiping some sweat from his forehead with a cloth, he informed them that there was some improvement in Kov's condition, but the damaging waves weren't totally gone and Kov was still in danger.

Phlox looked at T'Pol and the science officer didn't disappoint him when she came up with a solution. "We used similar Human substances as the Vulcan device, but they were not identical. I thought we found the right combination, but we have been in error. I have an idea for two other substances, that might be more effective. More tests are needed."

T'Pol turned to him. "Doctor, could we slightly decrease the Hertexium and Fetolioum and use Tokalium instead of Daktarium? We could run some tests on my brain to see which combination is most effective."

Tucker interrupted her. "What are you doing? No way you are you going to be a guinea pig. Not with your medical history."

"As a Vulcan, I have the same metabolism and brainwaves," she explained shortly, while mild annoyance crept into her Vulcan features. He was the only one who got this response from her.

Tucker stared back at her, not wavering.

"I think there is no other option than to do some tests on Kov and try several combinations to find the right one, " Doctor Green interrupted their dispute. "Even when the risks are high because of the patient's condition, doing nothing is more dangerous for everyone else."

As time passed, Phlox concentrated solemnly on finding the cure. The outside world didn't exist anymore. It was their team and Green's team, fighting to find the right combination and using every source and knowledge available to them. The first new combination failed, also not effective enough. The second one as well.

Now they tried the third one. Doctor Green took longer than before and he hoped that was a good sign. It was. The moment Doctor Green's face appeared on the screen to report the results, relief written all over his face, he knew they had won this battle. Kov's vital signs had returned to normal and Green reported that his brainwave patterns looked good. At the end of his report, one of assistants called him and he disappeared from view.

When he returned, back on the screen, he smiled broadly. "More good news: The patient is awake. I wanted to test if his brain functions were back to normal, so I told him that we were helping him and that we asked Doctor Phlox, Commander T'Pol and Tucker to help him. He did respond, but he can only communicate in Vulcan, which is a natural side effect of disorientation. So it looks like he has stabilized."

"What did he say, Doctor?" T'Pol asked.

"I wrote it down." Green looked down at his PADD and murmured the Vulcan words in front of him with his strong Southern accent, "Sasaya navum."

"Sasaya navun," T'Pol recognized. "He is asking if some transmission was successful. I do not know what transmission he is talking about."

Tucker laughed. "Tell him I sent his message the first chance I got. I have no doubt that she'll be in contact with him soon."

Doctor Green smiled. "I will tell him. He can use good news." He went back toward Kov. When Green came back, he said. "When I told him about the message, he responded, before he drifted into a healthy sleep. I think it was a message for you, Commander Tucker, because I have heard your nickname is 'Trip'. 'Trip skan-net bolau-tor'. Does that sounds familiar, Commander T'Pol?"

Not a muscle twitched on T'Pol's serene face, but Phlox could hear doubt in her voice when she responded. "I think he is asking if Commander Tucker needs his nephew. I do not understand his question."

Tucker's reaction, on the other hand, was full of understanding. "Smart ass," he uttered. He shot an amused, heartfelt glance at T'Pol before telling Doctor Green - with eyes full of mirth - that there was nothing wrong with Kov. "He's his usual romantic self. If he wakes, tell him I'll be in touch with him."

An amused Doctor Green promised he would, deliberated briefly with Phlox about the treatment of the other persons effected by the nanites, and ended the transmission. There was no time to rest, because Ensign Micheal Rostov and the Lieutenants Giovanni Azzurri and Jessy Warner, former facility workers, had arrived for their check-ups. They were accompanied by a balding, blond, skinny man.

"Lieutenant Arling." Phlox recognized the man who had led the investigation on Terra Prime on behalf of Starfleet Intelligence.

"Lieutenant-Commander. I've been promoted. Your report piqued our interest, Doctor. I've heard that Command has ordered you to investigate the matter, treat the ones affected and neutralize the nanites. Starfleet Intelligence have asked me to help you," he explained, then added, "I came here earlier and you were busy with a patient. So the situation looks more serious then we expected. I thought those viruses weren't harmful to Humans, but you feared that because they were manufactured and made from material that could facilitate telepathic waves, they could be used to alter behavior by influencing Human brainwaves. Now someone has become ill. Why is that?"

"The nanites do seem to be designed only for Human brainwaves. This man was Vulcan and it looks like the effects on non-Humanoid species are more severe," Phlox answered. "I will show you our research. I just received word that a Starfleet science and medical research team will be assisting me. My main idea for a cure was to find the right combination of certain radioactive substances that would lead to the disintegration of the nanites in the bodies, including the accumulation in the brain. This had to be done in such a way that it wouldn't disable the Human immune system or have other harmful side-effects."

Arling became his observer, while Tucker and T'Pol assisted, during all his examinations of the facility workers, starting with Rostov. After finding nanites in his body, Phlox asked Rostov if he could try an experimental treatment and after Rostov agreed, he tried several doses of radiation. Rostov endured the treatment, without complaining once. The fourth combination seemed to neutralize the transmitter and he also saw some degradation of the nanites. More treatments were needed, but for the time being he had created a method to neutralize the nanites.

During the time Rostov needed to recover, he set the monitor to check his brainwaves. He treated Azzuri and Warner with the same final method he'd used on Rostov. He shared his results with Green, who had already started treating people at the facility.

Arling asked several questions about their research, but he also wanted to know about Commander Tucker's condition. "I read in Phlox's report that there is a possibility you were attacked by a telepath a year ago. It must have been emotionally traumatic. How are you coping with it?" Arling asked the commander.

Tucker seemed reluctant to talk about this matter, probably because of the sensitivity of the subject, and there seemed to be some tension between the men. "I have friends that help me," Tucker finally said.

"That's great, but I think you should seek professional help. This year has been quite an ordeal for you."

Tucker, surprised by Arling's friendly attitude, thanked him for his advice. Then, after some further hesitation, he shared with Arling his idea that a blond woman might be involved, but he added that his theory was based on a dream.

"Hardly scientific," Tucker mocked himself, but Arling felt differently.

"When it comes to nanites that work with theta waves, the waves that are associated with dreaming in Humans, dreams may be of vital importance, don't you agree, Doctor Phlox?"

Phlox couldn't agree more.

After his talk with Arling, Tucker left, explaining that he was needed in Engineering for the final check of the engines and to meet new team members. Phlox had no doubt he would take also the opportunity to pay Lieutenant Reed a visit.

After a while, Tucker contacted them, informing them he was almost done. "The test went very well. The people who installed the improvements did a great job. I still have a couple of things to do here in Engineering, because there is a delegation from Starfleet Command coming. It seems that Black, Tenson and Chueng wanted to see the improvements we made, before we launched. Kelby volunteered to give them a tour. Also I have some … eh... family business to take care of and I want to speak to Lieutenant Reed as soon as possible, so I'm probably going grab a sandwich and a coffee on the fly. This way, I can return to Sickbay sooner for a update on the research. Having studied their mechanics, I have an idea to neutralize them better."

T'Pol stared for a second at the empty screen, before turning around to Phlox and Arling. "I have never heard of an Admiral Tenson of Starfleet Command. Is he a newly promoted admiral that I am not aware?"

"Senator Tenson is not an Admiral; she was appointed by Earth's government to be their representative," Arling explained to her. Until now, he and T'Pol had hardly exchanged a word. "Last year she was also the liaison of Vulcan affairs, as you probably know, but Admiral Richardson has taken over that position."

Meanwhile, Phlox had a hard time hiding his amazement that hours before the launch and with looming nanite crisis at hand, members of Command would want a tour. Phlox wondered if they understood the gravity of the situation and, because he hadn't heard from the captain, he wasn't sure Archer did either. He also had the feeling Archer would simply forget his appointment with him, because of his busy schedule. Not on his watch. He knew that Archer always lunched in the officers' lounge, so he excused himself, saying he needed food to function. He ignored Arling's raised eyebrow and went to the lounge.

Before he entered the officers' lounge, he saw Lieutenant Thott leaving the cafeteria at Starfleet Headquarters.

"They have miso soup on the menu, Doctor Phlox," she informed him, "a good chance to have some Japanese food."

Although he had already familiarized himself with Japanese food after their conversation at Madame Chang's, he was enchanted by the fact that she remembered their little talk. "I will try some," he answered back, while Rianna continued walking in the direction the dry-dock, where the improved Enterprisewas to be found.

Archer was sitting alone at his table in the officers' lounge, but he gestured Phlox to join him. "Doctor, did Trip come to visit you?" he asked him.

"Yes, he did, Captain. Ah! Humans have such delicious food. Have you ever tried miso soup? It is quite tasty."

Archer seemed to be annoyed about Tucker. "I'm not into Japanese food. Why did he want to speak to you? Do you know where he is?"

He was surprised that Archer didn't bring up the report he sent him about the nanites or his upcoming examination. All he seemed to be interested in was the fact that Tucker hadn't been in contact with him. Whatever was going on between those two men, he'd found it was best to stay out of it. He remembered Tucker's remark about grabbing lunch – a very unhealthy habit – because of his busy schedule. "He said he had to go attend some family business, before the launch. His other work was already finished."

His reply didn't have the effect he wanted, because Archer became even more curious. "Family business? His parents are in San Francisco?"

He had to change the subject. "Most likely. There is one thing I still wanted to do. I wanted to thank you for the new additions in sick bay. Very well done."

"Yes, Enterprise is in better shape then ever," the captain said with pride, apparently distracted despite his earlier persistence.

They spoke for a few minutes about the new mission and the renovated Enterprise. When they reached a break in the conversation, Phlox asked, "Did you receive my report about the nanites that were found in the research facility workers?"

"Yes, I did." Archer moved in his chair and his back straightened. "I find it very hard to take seriously. So, Trip has some kind of virus in his body, but there are a lot of them out there. I think it's far fetched to link some bugs with – what was it? – telepathic transmitters and a telepathic attack on mankind. No offense, Doctor Phlox, you are a very capable doctor, but I think we should concentrate on the launch and our new assignment, not developing wild theories based on a harmless virus. Flu's come and go."

"I see," Phlox answered. Had his report been so unclear? he thought. He had emphasized that they had strong indications, but not real proof for their theory. Somehow, Archer had interpreted it as mindless speculations of his. "What about the scar tissue found in Commander Tucker's brain?" he pointed out.

"I hate to remind you, but you did brain surgery on the man. That would leave some scars. Look, I really appreciate your concern and all your hard work, but we have a job to do. Just focus on that," Archer responded. "In a few hours, we're going to be back in space."

With a couple of hasty bites, Archers finished his lunch, bid him a good day, placed his tray back and walked away.

Phlox hurried to consume the last part of his lunch and to catch up with the captain. He put his hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, Captain, but you have an examination scheduled. This way please, my sickbay is over there."

Archer looked rather agitated, but Phlox guided him to Sickbay. Arling was still there, but T'Pol had left. He had asked her to run some tests at the Science Department in cooperation with the science team. Archer seemed to be blind to Arling's presence, didn't greet him, but started the minute he set foot in Sickbay into a whole monologue about how he had other things to do besides spending time in Sickbay.

"Please lay down on the biobed. The procedure doesn't take much time," he interrupted Archer with his standard reply for reluctant patients. Archer definitely fell in that category.

"Why do sickbays always smell so horrible?" he said, frowning. Archer sat on the bed, crossed his arms and legs with his back rigid. His eyes moved restlessly from right to left, before fixating on the monitor above his head. "Are you going to put that thing on my head?" he grumbled.

"Please lay down," Phlox repeated and very slowly Archer moved backward into a laying position. He took his scanning device but before he had a chance to proceed, Archer started waving his arms around like he was chasing flies away and knocked his hand against the device.

"The light's too bright! It's blinding my eyes!" he said sharply.

There was no light on the device.

"Shall I hold him?" Arling asked softly. He also had noticed the captain's peculiar attitude.

Phlox shook his head. Holding him down would only agitate the captain more. He spoke with a calm voice to Archer. "It's standard procedure - nothing to worry about – Captain." He saw Archer's eyes growing wider, his mouth grim.

Then he started yelling, "Don't touch me! Get your hands off me! You're not going to fry my brain!"

At that moment, Lieutenant Thott entered Sickbay. She was holding a PADD and her eyes searched the room quickly. She was moving closer toward the unusual scene at the biobed, when Archer suddenly stopped ranting, looked at Thott as if he had seen a ghost and jumped off the bed.

Both Phlox and Arling blinked in surprise, as Archer stormed onto Thott, wrapping his hands around her throat, pushing her to the floor. He was screaming, while pushing his hands into the flesh of her neck, "You vicious bitch! Leave me alone! You hateful -"

With one move, Thott reversed the situation. Archer was thrown on the floor as she placed her hand on his neck and pinched. Archer was out in a second.

At the door of Sickbay, Phlox suddenly saw two other persons, both nailed to the ground: Tucker and Reed.

"What is going on?" Tucker cried out. "Are you alright, Lieutenant?"

Phlox and Arling stood in shock over the course of events, but Rianna seemed to be un-phased by the fact that the captain of the Enterprise had tried to strangle her. She stood up and arranged her cloths. "I am not harmed," she assured Tucker.

Tucker stepped toward her, Reed one step behind him. "It looked like the captain attacked you, but then you pinched him and he dropped to the floor. How did you manage that?"

"Old army trick," she explained in a steady voice.

"Don't mess with the Swiss," Tucker commented, astonishment written all over his face.

"Swedish," Reed corrected automatically, staring at Rianna in disbelief.

Tucker knelt down beside the captain. "What happened, Phlox? Is he hurt?"

Phlox checked on Archer. There was a strange bruise on his neck, but he breathed naturally. "He is unconscious, but his vital signs are good."

"I'm not medically trained, Doctor, but it looked to me like he snapped at the thought of being examined. Something is very wrong," Arling remarked. "If Lieutenant Thott hadn't act so quickly, she could have been seriously hurt. How is your neck, Lieutenant?"

"Never better, Lieutenant-Commander Arling," Rianna responded, not without mockery. While speaking, she looked beyond him, searching Reed's face. She smiled at him, but Malcolm nodded stiffly in response to her silent attempt at communication.

Arling suggested that they move Archer to another bed, to a quiet place, more out of sight to be examined. After he and Tucker had placed the still unconscious captain on his new bed, and Phlox checked Rianna to make sure she was indeed unharmed, Tucker asked her if she had been looking for him.

His guess had been right. Thott explained that she required his expertise on some technical problem in Engineering. When she left to go back to work, Lieutenant Reed followed her, the grim look still on his face. He hadn't said a word to Rianna since his arrival in Sickbay.

Meanwhile, the captain slept peacefully, his head supported by a pillow. Phlox covered the captain's torso and legs with a blanket and started the examination. There were no nanites to be found in his body, but several scans of his brain showed the same kind of microscopic transmitter as he had found in the others, only of a larger and more complex shape. He started the treatment, closely watched by Tucker and Arling.

Slowly the captain opened his eyes. "What are you doing, Phlox?" he whispered to him.

"There appears to be the same accumulation of nanites in your brain as I found in the others," he answered. "I will give you doses of radiation using several materials that are capable of neutralizing the nanites and the influence they have on your brainwaves."

Archer nodded slowly. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, before talking. "You were right, Phlox," he said. "I was wrong not to believe you." He smiled weakly. "In my defense, I haven't been myself lately."

Tucker asked how he was feeling.

"Worn out," Archer responded. He leaned slightly upward to ask, looking him in the face, "What about the girl with the blond hair? Is she okay? I remember that…." he stopped mid sentence. He continued in a low voice, layered with unbelief, "Did I try to kill her?"

"She is in good health, Captain," Phlox responded. "She didn't sustain any injury."

Archer moved back, his head against the pillow and closed his eyes. Then he rubbed his neck. "My neck hurts terribly. Can you have a look?"

He did. The bruise had become less distinct, so he told Archer that he expected that the pain would subside soon.

Arling came closer. "Is he in any condition to answer questions?"

"I am," Archer answered for Phlox.

"It appears to me that your attack on Lieutenant Thott was triggered by something. Do you have any idea what is was?"

"I don't know," Archer said. He swallowed and added, "I've been having nightmares lately. About me undergoing medical treatment against my will. By a blond women. Blue eyes. Just like Lieutenant Thott."

Arling exchanged a look with Phlox and Tucker, but didn't comment on Archer's confession. He only suggested that, in his opinion, considering the circumstances, the launch of Enterprise should be aborted. He would advise Starfleet Command accordingly.

Archer's face showed his great disappointment when he said, "The ships in the Dosa system need our help. If the Romulans did attack our colony, we need to investigate it."

"The risk is too great, sir," Arling answered. "We put ourselves in a very dangerous situation if we go out there, with people still suffering from the effects of the nanites in their systems. Maybe we should recall the other ships too and start a silent, full fledged investigation of all personnel in Starfleet."

Arling asked some more questions, but when he saw Archer was getting tired Phlox ordered Arling to give the captain a rest and return later. Tucker left for Engineering. When he was checking the captain again, T'Pol came by to hand him the results of the tests from the science team.

"I heard that the nanites in your body had an unusual effect, Captain," T'Pol said to Archer.

Archer nodded shortly, said he was really thirsty and asked if he could get something to drink.

T'Pol got him a glass of water. "The straw should make it easier to drink," she said.

Archer leaned up, took the glass and remarked, "I've said it before and I'll say it again, you make a great nurse."

The unflappable face of Enterprise's science officer became even more neutral, before she responded, "It doesn't seem that the nanites have affected your sense of humor."

Archer wanted to answer, but his attempt was cut short by a loud beep from the sickbay's communication station.

Phlox pushed the button and a man shouted through the speaker, "Phlox! Kelby here! We have a serious injured in Engineering. We're going to beam you over now!"

Before he could respond, Phlox felt his body disintegrate into a million pieces and becoming one in a flash. He focused on his surroundings. He had expected to see the transporter room of Enterprise, but instead he found himself in one of the cramped corridors of Engineering. Smoke filled the air, almost suffocating him. The smell of fire and burned iron surrounded him. Screams were filling the air.

Out of the smoke, Kelby grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. There were relays scattered on the floor. Next to them was a body, completely frozen in rigor, in the familiar Starfleet blue. He knelt down. The first thing he noticed was a large burn mark on the side of her face, surrounded by blackened hair that used to be blond. Hands and arms were also burned. While he concentrated on her, another man knelt next to him.

Softly, that man started to caress the top of her head and Phlox could hear him whisper, "I am so sorry, love. So sorry. For not believing you." Noticing Phlox, he veered away, making room. "Can she hear me, Doctor?" Malcolm Reed asked, eyes wide and full of fright.

But he'd already realized that she couldn't hear him anymore. Her mouth was open, but her chest was not moving. And her eyes stared into oblivion.

Phlox closed them gently with a brush of his palm. Rianna Thott was no longer of the living.

The accident in Engineering, causing the untimely death of one of the engineering crew, was a blow to every member of the Enterprise. The launch order was canceled, as a result of the accident. The treatments of the persons infected by the nanites continued, while Starfleet Intelligence and Internal Affairs also investigated the accident in Engineering. Rumors were heard that Rianna had been repairing a technical problem and accidentally made contact with two relays which caused a burst of energy.

Phlox and Doctor Gonzales were asked to do the autopsy on Rianna Thott. Seeing her, laying on the biobed, made him weary. Rianna had so been full of life and joy. He removed her watch and a necklace with a triangle shaped pendant, that she wore underneath her uniform. He noticed that a small piece of white wire was sticking out of the pendant.

He called T'Pol and asked her to collect the necklace and deposit it in the science lab for further examination. The cold, darkened room with on the biobed the victim of a tragic accident, wrapped in sheets, underlined his own bleak feeling and maybe it was the reason he was struck by T'Pol's face. He had learned, through the years, that her body language spoke for herself: the way her eyes lit up or darkened; the little twitches in the corner of her mouth; the way her back became rigid. Her expression was as as closed it normally was, but a sense of beauty radiated from her face, almost an air of invulnerability, that no one would hurt her and in her brown eyes a warm light shined. For a moment, he was intrigued about the cause, before his mind went back to the situation at hand: the tragic death of Rianna. "How is Lieutenant Reed doing?" he asked her.

"He is in shock. Commander Tucker is with him now," she answered.

Her remark made him think of their conversation early that morning in Sickbay. "Did they have a chance to talk before? About the visit the Commander made a year ago?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Reed remembered that he went to see a highly placed person that could influence Vulcan authorities. We reported to Lieutenant-Commander Arling that maybe a Vulcan is involved," T'Pol informed him plainly.

That could be interrupted as a Vulcan conspiracy, something that would surely effect the only Vulcan in Starfleet. He had no doubt that T'Pol would be aware of this. He made a mental note that he needed to ask Commander Tucker about this matter and concentrated on the autopsy.

Cause of death was easy to determine: electroshock. The burst had generated a burn wound on the right side on her face. When he studied the wound he noticed small fractures along her cheek bones. When he used several scanners to inspect her face, he saw more scar tissue, not only on her cheek bones, but also around her eyes, above her eyebrows and some strange tissue on the side of her forehead in a half circular form.

Gonzalez thought they were the scars left behind by cosmetic surgery. "Clear signs that she had her cheeks filled and her eyebrows lifted. My wife has done the same surgery," he commented dryly.

Phlox was not so sure. He didn't think she was the plastic surgery type or in need for it and the scars looked oddly familiar. A strange thought crossed his mind. Tokula was a rare disease on Denobula that infected the ridges of a Denobulan. The only way to cure it was through ridge removal operations. This kind of operation left the same kind of scars as he had seen on Rianna.

Humans don't have ridges.

"I am going to do a DNA-test," he heard himself saying in contest of Gonzales. His fellow worker protested that he saw no need.

Forced by a compulsion he couldn't explain, he did the test. Eagerly, almost nervous, he awaited the results. They were confusing, until he realized there were two sets of DNA. He did another test, separating the two kinds of DNA. Two species. He had seen the dominant DNA before. In fact, he had studied it intensely. He looked at Rianna's chromosome integrity. No sign of the deterioration of the chromosomes, the hallmark of the plague. He still had an example of how her species' chromosome developed, using his cure. It looked exactly like Rianna's. They had used his method of healing, a method he deliberately never shared with them.

He admitted, he had doubted his scientific solutions and decisions from the past. Especially the events with Sim had made him re-evaluate his views. Phlox stared at his screen with the DNA-results and thought of the look Rianna gave him when they first met, the hatred he had seen and later dismissed.

Something snapped in his head. All doubts washed away. He felt stronger than before about his convictions. She had no right to judge him. He had made the right choice. Nature must take it course. Besides, he had helped them the best way he could, not by giving them the cure, but a medicine that eased their symptoms for a long time. It was not his fault.

He reported his findings in the most neutral he could muster in an investigational meeting with Lieutenant-Commander Arling as the representative of Starfleet Intelligence, Head of Security Lieutenant Reed and Commander and Chief Engineer Tucker. A gray haired man with piercing eyes joined them, who introduced himself only as Harris from a special Intelligence branch in Starfleet.

Phlox could see that everybody were still shocked about the sudden death of Lieutenant Thott, but appeared to be calm and collected. Or rather, Reed tried to look that way. He had big bags beneath his eyes that suggested he hadn't gotten any sleep and stared at the others with intense sadness in his eyes. He took his seat in silence.

"Cause of death was electroshock, when she came in contact with two loose relays," Phlox informed them. "She died instantly. When medical help arrived at the scene, there was nothing to be done."

"I don't get it," the chief engineer spoke from his heart. "How could she be so clumsy? She was a great engineer. It doesn't make sense that she would touch two loose relays."

"The question we should asked ourselves it not whether or not Lieutenant Thott made a terrible mistake, but why the loose relays weren't found before or during the pre-flight check. It looks like an oversight by the chief engineer," Harris responded.

Commander Tucker gave him a sour look, before refuting, "Before every launch, we do several tests to see if all systems are functioning normally. There was nothing wrong. About 40 minutes after the testing, Lieutenant Thott informed me her team had noticed a one percent temperature increase in coolant cell 4C. Things ran smooth as silk during the test, but I told her to wait until I returned to Engineering - I would be right back – so I could investigate the matter. Before I returned, the accident happened. I can't believe she would investigate without any back up."

"Apparently she did. Is it unusual to have system failures after a general test? It continues to look like an oversight on your part," Harris remarked.

"Look, I'm the chief engineer," Tucker pleaded with passion. "I know that engine by heart. I'm responsible for my crew and every crew member on the ship. It's my job to get the ship going, get us safely where we want to go and keep its engines running. Everything was functioning in peak condition."

"Before we continue this discussion, I think we should look into another matter," Phlox interrupted. "The autopsy revealed more about the background of Lieutenant Thott, that should be taken into account. There are strong indications that Lieutenant Thott has changed her appearance. When I examined her damaged hair, I noticed that the scaly cuticle of the hair was raised, suggesting that she bleached her hair. This is only a small change, compared with my other findings." He handed his audience severals PADDs. "Look at page one. It's a scan of Lieutenant Thott's face. The marks are signs of ridges that have been removed. She also wore a necklace with a pendant. Tests showed that the pendant served as a device to mask her own biosigns and pass biologically as Human.

Reed laughed short and bitter. "You must be joking. She was an alien. Don't tell me she's Romulan."

"No. We have no knowledge of Romulan DNA, but Lieutenant Thott was a hybrid. Part of her DNA is genetically close to Vulcan, to be precise 25%," Phlox said. "Also, the bruise I found on the captain's neck after Lieutenant Thott had defended herself, is consistent with with the marks of old Vulcan technique to render someone unconscious."

"A Vulcan-Human hybrid?" Tucker remarked, clearly intrigued.

"No, Commander, Rianna Thott was 25% Vulcan and 75% Valakian."

He saw Tucker and Reed blink in surprise.

"The Valakians!Are you sure? Enterprise met them five years ago. They hardly knew other species, let alone Vulcans. Weren't they looking for a plague cure? We gave them warp technology to find it!" Reed exclaimed. "How on Earth..."

"Two years ago the Valakians became allies with the Romulans. The Romulans offered them a cure. They took it. Paying your due to the Romulan empire is a small price to pay when you are facing extension," Harris declared. With sarcasm that Phlox felt was aimed at him, he added, "I have heard the species that shared their world, the Menk, make excellent, hardworking slaves."

Harris was confident when he stated his opinion. "So Thott is from a species that are allies with the Romulans, gets involved with the Head of Security on Enterprise and becomes a Starfleet officer. Both Captain Archer and Commander Tucker indicated a blond, blue eyed woman was their attacker. Given her Vulcan heritage, Thott had telepathic abilities. We were looking for a Romulan spy working within Starfleet and I think we found her. Just before the accident, she was exposed by Captain Archer. We have Commander Tucker's statement from just a couple minutes ago that her actions were not consistent with her normal behavior in Engineering. So she took her own life to prevent being caught. She has motive, means and opportunity. Case closed."

Reed started to look more ill with every word that came out of Harris' mouth. Stunned he said, "You think she..." The horror was clear in his voice when he continued his sentence, "violated Commander Tucker."

Tucker cast a worried look at Reed, but said nothing.

Arling on the other hand raised his voice. "As usual you are jumping to conclusions. Thott was 25% per cent Vulcan, which makes her abilities as a telepathic very weak. The scars in the commander's brain suggest the attack was done by the same kind of telepath that attacked Commander T'Pol, who is fully Vulcan, in the Expanse. The commander hardly survived that attack. We're dealing with a much more powerful telepath, with capacities above what Lieutenant Thott was capable of. A statement of a women with blond hair and blue eyes is not enough. There are a lot of blond women with blue eyes, shall we arrest them too? Also if she attacked Tucker a year ago, why didn't she change her blond hair color and appearance?"

"I don't know, Lieutenant-Commander, but you would agree that all of this looks very suspicious," Harris answered.

"I think we should investigate further," Arling suggested, "since we're also partly guilty."

"This is not the time to ponder past decisions made by Starfleet or to grow a conscience," Harris interrupted him. "We are on the verge of war."

"My conscience is the reason I'm in my line of work and especially in time of war, we need one. This war is about defending our Human values, not sacrificing them in the process. But that is not what I meant," was Arling's sharp response. "Lieutenant Thott made it very clear that she abhorred any kind of mental rape and the Romulan's methods. That's the reason we worked with her and sent her to infiltrate a group involved in these kind of practices."

Phlox looked at Arling, not understanding what he just said.

Tucker's mind worked faster then his. "We worked with her?" Tucker quoted Arling, "You mean..."

Arling's response left no doubt. "Exactly, Commander Tucker. Lieutenant Thott was working for Starfleet Intelligence."