"Commander T'Pol," The young man at the communication station said. He didn't look at the Commander. "I lost every communicator from the away team."
"Did you try to locate them?" T'Pol asked from the captain's chair.
"Yes, sir. It seemed that they went off one by one at the same spot," The young man took a breath.
T'Pol was out of the chair and at communication station before the young man knew it. "Do you have the location where their comms went dark?"
The young man nodded. He brought up the area where they all disappeared. The young man took a breath, he never had the commander this close to him. He glanced around to see that Ensign Mayweather was trying not to laugh at him. He was the only one on the bridge that has been on the ship since the beginning. He knew the commander's ways. Commander T'Pol backed away from him and made her way back to the captain's chair. The young man glanced at her to see what she was going to do.
"Ensign Mayweather, how long have they been on the surface?" Commander T'Pol asked.
Ensign Mayweather glanced at his station. "Only an hour," He said. The young man glanced at him to see how confident he was with the Commander.
"If we don't hear from them by the end of the day, please let me know," T'Pol stood. "I'll be in the captain's ready room if you need me," The rest of the bridge crew watched as she stepped off the bridge.
The young man turned to Ensign Mayweather. "How do you talk to her like that?"
The alien walked past Tripp and grabbed Hoshi. Tripp wanted to scream out her name, but he felt someone kick him in the foot. He looked around and saw Malcom shaking his head. Tripp looked from Malcom to the captain, who was agreeing with Malcom. They were going to lose their communication officer. Tripp didn't know what they had planned for them. He watched as the aliens left them. Tripp tried to find the door that they used to get in but there was nothing as soon as the last alien.
When Tripp couldn't find a way out, he looked at Malcom and Jonathan. "What do you think they are doing to her?"
Malcom closed his eyes. "I don't want to know."
Tripp mind went somewhere that it shouldn't in thinking about what was happening to Hoshi. They needed to get out of there to save her. "We need to save her," He stood up and went to the area where the aliens had come from. Tripp didn't want to know what they were doing to her because it made him think about his own daughter, who just celebrated her first birthday recently.
"How?" Malcom said. "We are trapped in this room and there is no way out of this," He turned to the captain to see if he had any good ideas.
"Tripp is right," Jonathan started to pace the dirt floor. "Hoshi has been apart of this crew for almost ten years. She is family to us. Here is what we are going to do…" Before Jonathan could get out what the plan was going to be the invisible door opened and two aliens came in. Jonathan stepped in front of the other two. "Take me," It seemed that the aliens knew what he was saying because they took him.
Malcom let out a moan. "Now we have to save both of them."
Tripp nodded trying to think about what plan that the captain had. There was no place to hide or try to attack them to take them out. Tripp started to pace the dirt floor the same way that Jonathan to think about a way out of this. Now they had to think about a way to the captain and Hoshi back.
Tripp heard the door opening again and as he looked at them Malcom tripped him. Tripp fell on the floor. They went and took Malcom by the arms. "You have a family," Malcom whispered as they took him.
Tripp let out a scream. He hoped that they heard him because he didn't know if he was going to be alive to see his family again. Also, his family was about to die. Tripp had been through hell with the others. He had to find a way to save himself and the others so they could live long lives.
Tripp started to pound on the walls. "Hey, come and take me," He yelled at the wall. He didn't know if they could hear him. He just kept pounding until he saw blood on his hands. It meant nothing until he could see his friends again and they could get out of here so he could see his family again.
Tripp felt the door opened and he backed away. An alien looked him up and down before grabbing him by the arm. He pulled him out of the room. Tripp took one more look at the room before the door closed behind. Tripp could see that there was a outline of a door on this side.
Tripp looked away from the room to the rest of the area. They were in a bigger room with a fire pit in the center. There was a spicket on there. Tripp saw aliens building a fire in the center, he had to wonder what it was for. The alien pulled him across the room to another room.
The alien shoved him in and closed the door. Tripp looked around the room to see a bench and cubie holes. In the cubie holes were three Starfleet uniforms. Tripp took a breath and wondered what happened to the rest of his crew. Tripp had a feeling that they wanted him to disrobe.
A bright light turned on and almost blinded him. He covered his eyes and saw a two-way mirror. On the other end of the mirror were the aliens and they were showing him what they wanted him to do. They wanted him to get undressed and they were watching him to make sure that he was doing in. He looked back at the other uniforms and knew that the others had done it too. Tripp knew that there was no way out of this.
Tripp took off his jacket, the one that his wife said he looked handsome in. He found an empty cubie hole and placed the jacket in there. He took off his boots next and kept them next to him. He stood up, unzipped his uniform, and took his arms out of his sleeves. He pulled his uniform down and stepped out of it. He stood there in a Starfleet tee-shirt, boxer briefs, and socks. He placed his uniform with his jacket. He took a breath before taking off his shirt and socks. He closed his eyes for a moment before taking off his boxer briefs. Tripp placed his undergarments with the rest of his clothes. He stood there naked in front of the aliens. The last time he was this naked in front of a person was when the doctor wanted to physical on everyone in the crew.
A door on the opposite side to that he came in opened, Tripp took a breath because he knew that he was entering that room. He glanced back at the aliens before covering himself and entering the room. The door closed behind him and a shower that was above him turned on. The water started to fall over him. He tried to look around the room but couldn't find anything to wipe his face with. All he saw was other shower heads turned on and he was hit from all sides. He covered his eyes as the water beat down on him.
As Tripp thought that the water was cleaning him, the water stopped. He tried to wipe the water off his body, but a big dryer turned on and dried him off. He covered himself because the dryer had made him cold. The dryer turned off and another door opened.
Tripp didn't even question it as he went in. He didn't have to wait long before something was turned on. It felt that someone was throwing ice at him, but the color was brown. One fell on his finger, and he raised it towards his mouth to taste it. He tasted something that was spicy and made his eyes burn. What Tripp had thought was true.
The aliens were going to cook him.
Tripp thought about the others and thought about what they were going through right now. If this was seasoning, they could be cooking Hoshi right now. Tripp closed his eyes because Hoshi was too young to die. She was making a difference in communications. Tripp had a feeling that her name would be in the history and language books. Tripp didn't want to think about what the world would be like without Jonathan Archer or Malcom Reed.
The seasoning was done, and another door opened. Tripp took a breath as he entered the room. There were three aliens in the room. One of the aliens had a phaser pointed at him making sure that he didn't do anything. He had to wonder if they had put that alien from trial and error or was it because the crew of Enterprise was fighting back. He didn't know and didn't want to find out.
One of the aliens pulled him to the center of the room. The alien made his arms stand straight out. After he was done, he pulled Tripp's legs apart. The other alien came over with big blue leaves. He handed a couple to the other alien. They started to wrap the leaves around his arms before moving down his body until his whole body was covered in those blue leaves. They didn't cover his face, hands, or feet.
The aliens backed away from him. The one with the phaser moved out of the way, revealing a door. He waved towards the door and Tripp knew what he had to do.
Tripp entered the room to find a bench along the wall and the rest of the away team. He saw that the rest of them were wrapped in blue leaves. He found a seat next to Malcom. He looked forward to see another two-way mirror and there were five aliens watching them. He leaned closer to Malcom.
"Are we ready to be cooked?" Tripp mumbled to his friend.
Malcom smiled. "This isn't how I planned to die. I had hoped to die in my bed as an old man."
Tripp laughed. He had hoped for the same thing but with T'Pol and his kids by his side. He looked from Malcom to the Captain Archer and Hoshi to see that they had their heads together talking. Tripp thought that they might be trying to come up with a plan to get out of here because Tripp knew that none of them were to become dinner to this alien species. He looked back at the mirror before turning back to the captain and Hoshi.
"Are you talking about a plan to get out of here?" He whispered to them.
"Yes," Captain Archer hissed. "Now be quiet and let me think."
Tripp raised an eyebrow at Malcom, who only shrugged his shoulders. It was weird seeing Malcom shrugging his shoulders in the blue leaves. He wanted to say something, but he thought that Jonathan might yell at him again. Tripp just leaned against waiting for his death or finding a way out of here so he could see his family again.
Tripp closed his eyes and tried to picture his children's faces. He thought about Charlie's smile or T'Mir eyes that were so much like her mother's. He could see them reaching for him as he entered the room. He could see T'Pol climbing in bed next to him at the end of the night where he would wrap his arms around her as they fell asleep. He would thank whoever was out there for the days that he got to be with the woman he loved and the children they had.
Malcom shoved him. Tripp didn't know that he had fallen asleep. He looked up at the face of the alien. The alien's sharp teeth were ready to bite into him and have him for dinner. Tripp took a breath before the alien was forcing him to stand. Tripp saw the others had stood and were making their way to the door. Tripp and his alien followed them.
The fire pit that Tripp had passed earlier now had a great fire going. Here he was going to die. The aliens left them in a line while they were talking. Tripp looked up and saw a vent where the smoke from the fire pit was going. Tripp thought that might be a way out of here. He glanced at the aliens to see them still fighting about something. He hit Malcom so that he would look at him. Malcom gave him a look and Tripp pointed to the vent. Malcom looked up and nodded. Tripp watched as he showed Jonathan and Hoshi. The only problems they had were getting away from these aliens and finding a way up there.
The aliens looked back at them and reached out for Tripp. Tripp took a breath as he looked at the others. It was now or never. The alien had let him go for a moment and Tripp took his chance. He elbowed him in the sensitive area. The alien bowed over, and Tripp took his chance and took his weapon. He shot at the alien and the alien went down. He turned his weapon on the other aliens to see that Jonathan and Malcom had the other three aliens down. They also had their weapons.
"Come on," Tripp pointed to the vent. They didn't have time to get their clothes. They ran to the spicket and started to climb. One wrong move and one of them could die.
Tripp had reached the vent first. He took his weapon and fired to make a hole big enough to climb in. He pulled the cover off and threw it in the fire. He saw that Hoshi was near as he jumped in. He held out his hand for her to take. Hoshi took his hand, and he pulled her up. The next hand that Tripp reached for was Jonathan with the help of Hoshi they pulled him up. Someone was firing at them as they reached for Malcom. Tripp and Jonathan reached for Malcom again. They pulled him up as he got shot. They could see the blood coming out of Malcom's side.
"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked.
"Yeah, let's get the hell out of here," Malcom hissed.
Hoshi started forward the only way she could. Tripp hoped that it would lead to the surface so the ship could pick them up. Jonathan went next with Tripp and Malcom bring up the rear. Tripp kept looking behind him to make sure that no one was following them. As they crawled through the vent it sightly up.
"I think I found the end," Hoshi said. "There is a grate in the way," Jonathan moved up to help her move it. They got the grate moved. Hoshi was the first one out and the captain followed her. Tripp helped Malcom up. Tripp took one more look behind him before climbing out himself.
Tripp got out and saw that the shuttle was right there. Hoshi was making her way there and Jonathan was helping Malcom towards the shuttle. Tripp followed them. They got on the shuttle and Jonathan got Malcom settled before starting the shuttle. Hoshi was ready with the med kit. Tripp closed the door behind them.
They made it back to ship and were gone from this planet before the shuttle bay doors were closed.