03 - A Dish Fit For The Gods, Part 3 of 3

[Captain Hair]

STAR TREK ENTERPRISE: TO BOLDLY GO…
A DISH FIT FOR THE GODS
EPISODE #003

Written By Captain Hair
Story Idea By Sevens and Cougar
Created By Sevens and Cougar

Based upon "Star Trek: Enterprise" Created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga
And "Star Trek" Created by Gene Roddenberry

STAR TREK ® and STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE ® are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. We are not stealing anything, just using them for the story.
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Archer stared at the screen for several seconds. He shook his head, as if he’d misheard Satek, “I beg your pardon?”

Satek’s face remained stoic on the viewscreen, “I said, prepare to be boarded.”

“I’m not sure,” Archer started forward, “But the last time 1 checked, Earth and Vulcan were not enemies.”

“You may have extremely sensitive information in your possession,” Satek said, “I am under orders from the High Command to ensure that it does not get in the wrong hands.”

Archer arrived at the side of the helm, “Well, just let us know what we have to delete from the computer.”

“The would not be satisfactory. We must ensure that your data logs contain no references to the information.”

“Please, I’m sure that my crew can adequately clear–”

Satek’s voice was ruffled slightly, “Captain, my vessel will be docking with yours momentarily. I expect you full cooperation.”

Archer started to protest, but the viewscreen switched to a view of a single massive Surak-class cruiser. The long pen-shaped ship was a rust red color with a large ring around the center, glowing blue along the leading edge. It began to move towards Enterprise’s port side.

“Get them back,” Archer said.

“They’re moving to dock,” Reed reported.

Hoshi shook her head, “I’m sorry, Sir, they aren’t responding to hails.”

Archer looked to Reed, “Dispatch security teams to all docking hatches. If they get too close, target their ships.”

Reed nodded, “Yes, Sir.” He turned, pressed a companel, and started distributing orders through the ship.

The captain turned back to Hoshi, “Try and contact Starfleet Command and let them know what’s going on.”

“Yes, Captain.”

T’Pol stood as Archer walked past to the turbolift, “Captain, may I speak to you in your ready room?”

Archer paused stepping up from the command deck, “I’m a little busy right now…”

“I know why they are here,” T’Pol said quietly with a hint of insistence.

“Are you going to tell me now?”

T’Pol’s face remained placid, “The situation now warrants disclosure.”

Archer turned and walked behind the captain’s chair to the door that led to the ready room. T’Pol followed, closing the door after she stepped through. Archer walked around behind his desk, but didn’t sit, instead turning to face T’Pol as soon as the door closed, “Well?”

“In 2124, the Vulcan Science Directorate began experiments with a highly unstable particle. It was extremely dangerous work, but showed great potential for power generation. Simulations showed that if it could be stabilized, one particle could power an entire planet for years.”

“You said it was highly unstable.”

T’Pol nodded, “Yes. All efforts to create a stable particle failed disastrously. But the sensitive nature of the project warranted nondisclosure.”

Archer looked out the porthole window at the blackness of space, “Are you trying to tell me that the Vulcans are at fault for what happened out there?”

There was a long silence before T’Pol responded, “Yes, at least indirectly. The test sight was several light-years from here, but it is possible that some remnants from the original experiment did reach this far.”

“Including these ‘unstable’ particles?”

“In their incomplete formation, such as the particle extracted from the debris,” T’Pol said, “It is extremely stable, unless subjected to quantum flux. However, there is little energy potential otherwise.”

Archer slowly sat in his desk chair, “So… the Acholar was destroyed by these particles?”

T’Pol nodded, “The sensor logs did indicate that they utilized a quantum flux stabilizer immediately before their destruction.”

The captain leaned back in his seat, “And why are there three Vulcan cruisers demanding entrance to my ship?”

“There are several reasons. One is to prevent further cataclysms from misuse of the particle. It is also a security operation, as I have stated this is considered top-secret information. And while I am no longer privy to the details of the more sensitive projects pursued by the science directorate, it would only be logical that they are continuing to explore the use of this particle, but under tight security.” She clasped her hands behind her back.

“Are you trying to say that they’re here for our own good?”

“That is correct,” T’Pol said, “And they are protecting their own interests. The High Command has authorized the use of all necessary force to destroy any external evidence.”

Archer thought for a moment, “So… If I decided to deny them boarding, and they can’t manage to board on their own,” he paused, “They’ll destroy Enterprise?”

“I am aware of at least one incident that resulted in Vulcan forces destroying a Klingon vessel because its crew had inadvertently obtained information on the particle.”

“Something tells me that they aren’t going to attack us just yet,” Archer said.

“Logic would support your theory,” T’Pol agreed, “There is too much diplomatic weight riding on Enterprise for it to be destroyed in a preemptive man–”

The ship suddenly shook lightly, immediately followed by Reed over the intercom, “Captain, the Kal Rekk has us in a tractor beam.”

Archer leaned forward and tapped the comm control by his monitor, “On my way.” He stood and walked out the door to the bridge, followed by T’Pol. As the door opened, Archer asked, “Which side?”

Reed responded, “Port. They’ve deployed their docking clamps.”

Archer sat in his command chair, “Port thrusters.”

Mayweather nodded, “Aye, sir,” and tapped a button on the helm.”

The Enterprise immediately began to shake as the thrusters resisted the pulling force of the Vulcan tractor beam.

T’Pol spoke from the science station, “Captain, polarizing the hull would disrupt the graviton flow of the tractor beam.”

Archer looked to the tactical station, “Malcolm?”

A sly smile crossed his face, “Polarizing the hull plating, Sir.” The tremors increased to violent shaking as the Vulcans adjusted the tractor beam to compensate for the disruption.

“I’m detecting micro-fractures in the port hull,” T’Pol reported.

Hoshi called, “The Kal Rekk is hailing.”

“On screen.”

Satek’s face appeared on the viewscreen. His image was shaking slightly, as the movement of the Enterprise was transferred into his larger vessel, “Captain, we’re detecting micro-fractures developing in your hull. I recommend that you disengage your thrusters to prevent any serious damage.”

Archer smiled, “Commander, I’m not going to turn of my thrusters until you turn off your tractor beam. I recommend that you disengage your tractor beam before you have a PR nightmare on your hands.”

T’Pol spoke loudly, “Hull breach in twenty.”

Satek deactivated the link and the shaking stopped a few seconds later.

“Minutes,” T’Pol finished.

Archer laughed lightly, “Nicely done.” He tapped the comm controls on his armrest, “Bridge to Engineering.”

Tucker answered, “Trip here.”

“How much longer do you need to finish your repairs?”

“On everything?” Tucker asked, “Or something specific?”

“Communications, to be specific,” the captain said.

Tucker paused, then sighed, “How soon do you need it?”

“How soon can you fix it?” The line was silent for a few seconds, so Archer prompted, “Trip?”

The engineer sighed, “Acknowledged, Sir. Trip out.”

Archer looked to T’Pol, “What will he try next?”

“Satek is likely analyzing the damage dealt to Enterprise by the tractor,” T’Pol said, “And will determine that my estimation was incorrect.”

“And then?”

T’Pol’s face remained calm, “I do not know.”

* * *
Satek stood next to an officer on the neutral-toned command center of the Kal Rekk. The officer highlighted a portion of to schematic displayed, “Enterprise was in no immediate danger.”

The commander felt anger rising against his Vulcan calm and quickly squashed the emotion, “Prepare to activate the tractor beam.”

The Kal Rekk’s communications officer turned around, “We are receiving a level one transmission from the High Command.”

Satek started for a door at the back of the bridge, “Route it to my office.” He stepped through the door and tapped a lock code into a control panel once he was on the other side. The Vulcan tapped another control panel in the circular room, opening the communications link; Solkar was displayed, standing next to Admiral Leonard. Satek bowed slightly, “Minister, Admiral. How may I be of service?”

Solkar answered, “You are currently engaged with Enterprise, correct?”

He nodded, “Yes, Minister, we are attempting to purge records of Raptor from their computer.”

“Suspend your actions,” Solkar ordered.

Satek protested, “Minister, if the wrong p–”

The elder Vulcan raised a hand, silencing Satek, “We are pursuing a different route. You are to ensure that Enterprise does not leave the area.” The screen turned off.

He unlocked the door and walked back into the command area, giving orders as soon as he was through, “Stand down alert, deactivate weapons, hold position.” Satek looked to the viewscreen, focused on the comparatively small shape of the Enterprise, “Don’t let them leave.”

* * *

Archer quietly watched the Kal Rekk hover in place before the Enterprise. The Vulcan vessel hadn’t made a move in several minutes. He turned to T’Pol, “Did they scan us?”

“Yes, but I can’t ascertain why Satek has not made another attempt.”

Hoshi put a finger to the silver earpiece resting in her ear, “Captain, I’m intercepting an encrypted transmission to the Kal Rekk.”

“Can you decrypt it?” Archer asked.

The ensign looked to T’Pol, “I’ll need some help.”

T’Pol immediately brought the transmissions up on her screen, “The encryption methods are identical to those utilized by the High Command.”

“Sir…” Hoshi trailed off.

Archer stood and walked to her station, “What is it?”

A confused look crossed her face, “If the telemetry is correct, the transmission came from Earth.”

Archer tapped a comm control on Hoshi’s console, “Archer to Tucker.”

“Trip here.”

“Commander, how much longer for the long-range radio?”

“Uhhh…” Tucker paused, “How soon do you need it?”

Archer smiled, “Now would be good.”

“Yes Sir. Tucker out.”

Hoshi said, “I can get the incoming audio, but not what the Kal Rekk sent.”

“Let’s hear it,” Archer ordered.

A distorted male voice came over the speakers, “You are currently engaged with Enterprise, correct? … Suspend your actions … We are pursuing a different route. You are to ensure that Enterprise does not leave the area.”

“That’s it,” Hoshi said quietly.

Archer looked to T’Pol, “Do you recognize the voice?”

“No.”

The Vulcan starships on the viewscreen began to slowly circle Enterprise.

* * *

Tucker and five other engineers were desperately working to complete the repairs to the communications relay. After completely removing the mangled remains of the relay, a hole one deck tall, four meters wide, and one meter deep was left with dozens of severed conduits along the border. The hole was slowly being filled in with parts, some not designed for use as communications relays, but this whole assembly was going to be replaced as soon as Enterprise returned to Earth in a few days to launch Columbia.

T’Pol opened the swinging hatch door into engineering and stepped through, her presence immediately drawing the attention of Tucker. As he started towards her, a shrill screech came from the construction. Tucker immediately turned and shouted back, “Other way!” The noise ceased, followed by hushed debate on how to reverse the tool. He looked back to T’Pol, “You can tell the Captain that we’ll have this done in an hour.”

“I am here to help,” the Vulcan said calmly.

“Oh.”

There was an awkward pause before T’Pol said, “If my presence here disturbs you…”

“No,” Tucker said as soon as the engineers reactivated the tool, filling the room with an echoing cacophony, “You’re on this ship, that’s enough.”

T’Pol clamped her hands over her ears and instinctively bent over. She looked up at Tucker, yelling over the racket, “What’d you say?”

He rolled his eyes and yelled back, “It’s not a problem, I could use another hand, though.”

The noise ended and the engineers stepped back, examining the results. A shade of distress lifted from T’Pol’s face with the end of the noise. She stood straight with her hands behind her back, “What did you say?”

Irritated, Tucker repeated, “I could use another hand.”

“That’s not what I heard.”

He sighed and looked to the upper deck of engineering, seeking an answer or salvation, and finding neither. He looked back down at T’Pol and bit his lip, quietly saying, “Look, I have repairs across this whole ship to do, the Captain wants this damn relay rebuilt in less time with parts we don’t have, and I haven’t even started packing! So either help me, or leave.”

T’Pol was stunned by the intensity of Tucker’s voice, “Commander, it appears that you are under extreme stress. I recc–”

Tucker cut her off, yelling, “Stress?” All noise in Engineering, save the low pulsating hum of the warp core, stopped immediately, as the room’s attention shifted to the pair. Tucker didn’t notice, or care, and continued, “I’ll tell you about stress! I know that I’m stressed, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve got a job to do and that you are slowing me down!”

“Commander…” the Vulcan tried to comfort him.

He bit his tongue and looked off to his side, then back to T’Pol, “Can’t you take a hint?”

“Trip…”

“Get out!” Tucker yelled, his voice echoing in the confines of Engineering.

T’Pol looked him in the eyes, seeing the boiling mix of emotion in his eyes, frustration, anger, sadness. She held the gaze for less than a second, but she was sure that he had read the compassion and sadness that barely showed on her face. Without a word, T’Pol opened the hatch door, stepped through, and closed it behind her.

Tucker turned around, finding the entire engineering crew staring at him. They immediately resumed work, hoping not to avoid the wrath of Trip.

* * *

The long-range communications screen on the bulkhead behind Hoshi’s station suddenly lit up and beeped softly. She turned, tapping a few commands into the controls beneath it, and then turned to face Archer, “Long range subspace is operational.”

He smiled and tapped the comm controls on his chair, “Bridge to Engineering.”

Tucker’s voice came over the intercom, “Trip here. I’m working as fast a–”

Archer cut him off, “Nice work, Trip.”

“What?”

“Hoshi just said that the long-range radio was up,” Archer said, “Isn’t it?”

There was a pause, followed by Tucker sighing, “So it is… Sorry ‘bout that, Cap’n, it’s been a long day down here.”

“I know, tell your men that they’ve done a good job.”

“Will do, Sir. Trip out.”

Hoshi cleared her throat, “It’s going to take half an hour to reestablish a link to Starfleet Command.”

“Then get started,” Archer smiled.

* * *

The door into the Starfleet communications control room opened and Admiral Leonard, Solkar, and Harris all walked through in quick succession. The various officers in the room continued to work as a Commander stood to address the party, “Admiral, Ambassador, I’m Commander Korsakov.”

Leonard shook his hand briefly and immediately went to business, “I’m told that you’ve made contact with Enterprise.”

“We’ve received some telemetry,” Korsakov said. He turned and tapped a few keys on a console behind him, replacing the subspace communications traffic grid displayed on the far wall with a map of a sparsely populated region of space, some 20 light-years from Earth. “This is the best estimate that we can give you, pending more data from Enterprise.”

Solkar asked, “How soon will you be able to open communications with them?”

“Typically we can establish a solid link within forty five minutes,” Korsakov said, “But there seems to be a lot of interference between us and Enterprise, and the compensations we’ve been making to account for the gravitational flux of the nearby stars aren’t working… it’s almost like something isn’t there.” He shook his head, knowing that it didn’t make any sense for a star to just disappear.

Leonard looked to Harris, who reached into a pant pocket and pulled out a translucent green data chip, “When you establish communications, send this with the data upload.”

Korsakov cocked an eyebrow and turned to Leonard, “Admiral?”

“Just do it,” Leonard said.

He took the chip from Harris, setting it on a the console, “Is there anything else I can do for you gentlemen?”

“That is all,” the admiral said. The trio exited the room, leaving Korsakov in place. He grabbed the chip off the console and turned it over in his hands, finding nothing to reveal its purpose.

* * *

Mayweather looked up from the helm at the viewscreen, noting the movement of the Vulcan vessels. He spun his chair around and half-stood, looking over the captain’s chair to the situation table at the back of the bridge. Archer, T’Pol, and Reed all stood around it, analyzing the current situation. Mayweather called out, “Sir, the Vulcans coming awfully close.”

Archer lifted his head, “How close?”

“They’re spiraling in, they’re at one kilometer right now.”

The trio immediately left the table, Reed headed for the tactical station on the starboard side, T’Pol to the science station on port, and Archer for the central captain’s chair. As soon as Reed was seated he asked, “Shall we go to tactical alert?”

“Not yet,” Archer said. He looked to Hoshi, “Ensign, how long until we have a secure link with Starfleet Command?”

“Just a few minutes…” Hoshi said, “I think they may have picked up on our comm channel, their communications picked up as soon as ours did.”

“Eight hundred meters,” Mayweather reported.

Archer briefly cocked his jaw before looking to the viewscreen, watching a brick-colored Vulcan vessel glide down across the horizontal plane in front of Enterprise’s bow. He took a deep breath and ordered, “Tactical alert.”

Red lights began to flash from insets along the upper bulkheads on the bridge, accompanied by a quiet klaxon. Reed reported, “Hull plating is online, phase cannons and photonic torpedoes armed.”

The lift door opened and T’Pol walked out, immediately heading for her science station. She read of the screens as she sat, “The Vulcan vessels are arming their weapons and moving off.”

“Hold position,” Archer ordered, “Deploy phase cannons, target the Kal Rekk.”

T’Pol spoke, “Captain, Enterprise is no match for a Surak-class cruiser.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Archer said, “I’m just hoping we won’t have to prove it.”

“We’ve established a link with Starfleet Command,” Hoshi reported.

“Get Admiral Leonard,” Archer ordered.

* * *

Korsakov looked up to the screen, noting the now precise location of the NX-01. A lieutenant working one of the consoles in the room turned to face the commander, “Sir, we’ve established a link with Enterprise.” Korsakov quietly inserted the mysterious green chip into a slot on his console. The lieutenant reported, “Data uplink started.”

* * *

Hoshi tapped her console buttons, not able to interrupt the communication. She sighed, “Sir, I can’t interrupt the data downlink.”

“Why not?”

“It looks like a new protocol,” Hoshi said. “The only thing I can do too stop it is break the link and start over.”

“Don’t tell me,” Archer said, “Half an hour?”

“Yes Sir.”

Archer sighed, “How long until the update is finished?”

Hoshi bit her lip and tapped a few commands into her controls, “I’m going to guess fifteen minutes.”

Reed’s station beeped. The lieutenant leaned forward and read off a screen, one eyebrow twitching slightly. He looked up to Archer, “Sir, they’re having a problem with the torpedo launchers in the armory.

Archer nodded, “Go.” Reed silently stood and walked across the back of the bridge, and exited into the lift.

* * *

Satek stood in the center of the Kal Rekk’s commander center, watching the view of Enterprise spin as they circled the smaller ship at a distance of five Earth kilometers. The comparatively miniscule vessel had it’s armaments trained on the Kal Rekk, taking a frightening aggressive stance. Archer had repeatedly proven himself an excellent tactician, despite the High Council’s rating him as impulsive. Furthermore, the upcoming coalition talks slated to take place on Earth left Satek in the position of preventing the spread of Raptor, while still finding a solution that left Earth/Vulcan relations unaffected.

The Vulcan resisted the urge to sigh at the frustrating situation. If Archer had simply allowed him to board and clear the computer logs, this predicament would not have arisen.

One of his officers interrupted his thoughts, “They have established a link with Earth.”

“Display,” Satek ordered.

“The only activity is a data upload from Earth.”

“Fascinating,” Satek paused, “Is there any reason they wouldn’t be able to open a channel?”

The officer briefly examined the detailed schematic displayed on his screen, “All of their communications software appears to be operational, it is possible that the upload may be interfering.”

“Continue to monitor their communications,” Satek ordered, “Notify me of any changes.”

* * *

The door to Reed’s quarters opened and the lieutenant walked through, not bothering to turn on the lights as he closed the door behind him. He sat at his computer terminal, activating the screen. Harris appeared on the display, “Hello, Malcolm.”

“We’re kind of in a sticky situation right now,” Reed said.

Harris started talking before Reed could resume, “I know. There will be no easy solution to this problem without you helping me.”

Reed leaned forward, “What do you mean?”

“This is bigger than you, me, Enterprise, and even Starfleet and the Vulcans,” Harris said, “I’ve uploaded a program into your computer, it will help with this situation immensely. I need you to run it before things get out of hand and people get hurt.”

“What will it do?”

“I’m afraid I can’t elaborate more. Time is of the essence, Malcolm,” Harris cautioned, “You have to do this.”

Reed was becoming frustrated, “And if I don’t?”

“You can kiss your career in Starfleet goodbye, if you even live to get back.” The screen blacked-out for a second, followed by the display of several lines of code, and a command for run. Reed took a deep breath, his fingers poised over the controls.

* * *

Hoshi froze, studying the incoming feed from Starfleet Command. Archer noticed her change in posture, “What is it?”

“There’s an open channel to Starfleet Command,” her voice trailed off briefly, “But I can’t access it…”

Archer stood, heading towards Hoshi, when Mayweather called, “Sir, the Kal Rekk is powering weapons!”

The captain shouted, “Evasive maneuvers!”

The Enterprise shot forward and up, flying over the Kal Rekk. Red energy beams lashed out from the Vulcan ship, narrowly missing the smaller Earth vessel.

Archer sat back in his seat, “Target their weapons.” After there was no response, he looked to the tactical station and remembered that Reed had gone to the armory. He immediately jumped from his chair and moved to the tactical station, pressing the comm as he sat, “Archer to armory.”

A low-powered Vulcan phaser strafed the top of Enterprise’s saucer, sending vibrations through the ship. Mayweather piloted the ship through a gut-wrenching turn, angling to the side of the Vulcan trio. A voice came over the comm, “Ensign Maluha here, Sir.”

“Send Lieutenant Reed back up here, now!” Archer fired a burst of phase cannon shots at the Kal Rekk, grazing it’s warp ring.

“He’s not in here, Sir.”

Archer looked up from the weapons controls, a dazed look on his face, “What?”

“Lieutenant Reed isn–” Maluha was cut off as the bridge was plunged into darkness. The gravity plating went offline, immediately followed by the cessation of the ventilation.

Hoshi was the first to respond to the new development, “What the hell?”

Her sentiment was echoed by T’Pol “Indeed.”

The beep of a communicator sounded from Archer’s position, “Trip to Captain Archer.”

Archer removed his communicator from the pocket on his upper left arm, “Archer here. What’s going on down there?”

“Not a whole lot, just kinda watching the warp core die.”

“If you can get it back on, I‘d really appreciate it. Archer out.” He looked to Hoshi in the darkness, “Were you able to tell where that comm line was coming in?”

“No,” Hoshi sighed, “If the comm logs are intact I might be able to.” The emergency power lights flickered on, followed a second later by the return of the grav plating. The entire crew dropped or shifted as they had had no frame of reference to maintain their position while the power was down.

Archer turned to T‘Pol, “Sensors?”

The Vulcan answered, “Inoperative.”

“Life support?”

“Running off reserve,” T’Pol paused, “Intriguing…”

Archer stood, walking to her station, “What is it?”

“The computer date is,” she pondered the situation for a moment, “Wrong."

“Wrong?”

“That is what I said,” T‘Pol confirmed, “It set is two days, seventeen hours, eight minutes, seventeen seconds in the past.”

Archer leaned over her station, checking the time for himself. He looked away from the screen to the blank viewscreen, “Any theories?"

“No, but it appears that the entire computer system has been set back to that time,” she said, “All data logs after that point are blank.”

“State-of-the-art computer,” Archer sighed, “And it resets… Are any of the backups available?”

“No.”

Main power came on, illuminating the numerous screens and lights around the bridge. Archer pressed the comm control on T’Pol’s station, “Bridge to Engineering.”

Tucker answered, “I’m here Cap’n.”

“Do you have any problems down there?” Archer asked.

“Well,” Tucker sighed, “Apparently the computer has amnesia, and that cold stop fused the antimatter injectors. We’re running off fusion right now, and we’re out of injectors.”

Archer’s shoulders dropped, “That’s not good.”

“Well, we do have ten injectors waiting for us at spacedock. Assuming we can get there.”

“How long would it take to repair the one we have?”

Tucker paused, talking in a hushed voice. He returned his attention to Archer, “Working ‘round the clock, probably two days, but that could only get to warp two, maybe two three. If you give me five days I might be able to get you three five, but that’s as good as it’s gonna get.”

Archer returned to his central chair, “Looks like you’re going to miss Columbia, unless you can get Captain Hernandez to meet us halfway.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Trip out.”

Hoshi held a hand to her earpiece, “Captain, the Kal Rekk is hailing us.”

“I almost forgot that they were here,” Archer looked to the ship on the viewscreen, “Put him on.”

A seemingly undisturbed Satek appeared on the viewscreen, “Captain, are you in need of any assistance?”

T’Pol leaned forward, grabbing Archer’s attention, “The antimatter injectors on Surak-class vessels can be modified to installed on Enterprise.”

Archer looked at her with skeptical eyes, and then to the viewscreen, “Do you have any spare antimatter injectors?”

“Yes.”

There was an awkward pause before Archer reluctantly backed down, “I’ll have the port hatch prepped for docking. Your technicians will need escorts, and–”

Satek cut him short, “Thank you for your cooperation, Captain.” The viewscreen returned to a view of the Kal Rekk.

Archer sighed, tapping his comm controls, “Archer to Reed.”

Silence.

“;Archer to Lieutenant Reed, please respond.” He looked to Hoshi, “Where is Reed‘s communicator?”

Hoshi tapped a few buttons on her console then said, “It’s in his quarters.”

* * *

Archer, Cutler, and Maluha stood outside the door to Reed’s quarters. Archer pressed the control panel next to the door, “Lieutenant Reed.”

After several seconds, he looked to Cutler, who pulled a medical tricorder from her pocket and pointed it at the door, “He’s in there, and stable.”

The captain entered an override code into the control panel and the door slid open. A thin veil of smoke rolled out the room, forcing the trio to instinctually cover the mouth and nose with their arms. Archer waved the smoke away and stepped in, activating the lighting.

Reed was sprawled face-up on the deck, his upper torso charred and lightly smoking. Where his computer access screen used to be mounted was a scorched and warped pit in the bulkhead, the desk below was cleared and burned, Reed’s personal items scattered across the deck. Cutler tapped the control panel by the door, “Cutler to Phlox, medical emergency in Cabin C23.”

Archer dropped to Reed’s side, feeling his pulse through his neck. The weak beat barely could be felt through his burned flesh. Archer put a hand to the side of Reed’s face, eliciting a slight moan. “Hang in there, Malcolm.”

Reed whispered, his voice raspy and weak, “I still have to realign the targeting scanners.” Archer smiled as Phlox appeared in the door.

* * *

Satek, Archer, and Tucker stood in the airlock joining Enterprise and the Kal Rekk. The last of the Vulcan technicians wheeled a cart of tools back into his ship. Satek announced, “Your ship has been cleared.”

“May I ask what we’re clear of?” Archer inquired.

Satek answered, “No.” He turned and walked through the airlock, closing the hatch behind him.

Tucker tapped a few commands into a control panel by the hatch, sealing it and releasing the clamps on the Kal Rekk. He turned to Archer, “It looks like we’ll be able to hit warp 4.5 with their antimatter injector.”

Archer started down the corridor, “That should put us at Earth in under two weeks.”

“In plenty of time to restock Enterprise before Columbia launches,” Tucker said.

“Trip, are you sure you want to transfer?” Archer asked.

“I’ve made my decision,” Tucker said, “Kelby’s a fine engineer, Enterprise will be in good hands.”

Archer sighed, turning a corner in the corridor, “Very well.” They arrives at the door to sickbay, tapping the control to open it.

Phlox turned away from Reed, who was sitting on a bed to the left of the ward, “Captain, what can I do for you?”

“Just checking in on Malcolm,” Archer said, “If that’s okay.”

Phlox stepped to the side, opening a straight path to Reed, “Certainly.”

Archer walked past while Phlox pulled Tucker to the side, whispering something about T’Pol. Reed tried to straighten his posture and cringed, “Hello, Sir.” Reed was wearing a light blue medical tunic that covered the burned flesh on his chest. His skin was scarred lightly, and a few bandages covered open wounds around his face.

“How are you doing?” Archer asked.

“Phlox says that the scarring should be healed with a few more sessions with the osmotic eel,” Reed rolled his eyes, “That thing and I are getting to be good friends.”

Archer moved to lightly grab Reed’s shoulder, then decided against it after the lieutenant made a noticeable lean away, “Good to know that you’re having fun.” Reed laughed lightly. Archer sat on the bed next to him, “I’ve got a question.”

Reed nodded, “Okay.”

“What were you doing in your quarters?” the captain asked, “You said something about the torpedo launchers, and I talked to the armory, they said nothing was wrong.”

“I…” Reed shook his head, “I’m sorry, Sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Archer nodded solemnly, “You’ve been through a lot; I’m sure there was a reason.” He stood, “If you remember anything, you know where to find me.”

Reed nodded crisply. “Yes Sir.”

The captain walked towards the door, calling, “Trip!” as he walked through. Tucker jumped away from his conversation with Phlox, jogging to catch up with Archer.

* * *

The turbolift door opened and Archer stepped through, preempting Travis with an, “At ease.” He continued to his chair, pushing the comm as he sat, “Archer to Tucker.”

“Trip here, Sir. We’re ready to go.”

Archer smiled, “What can I get?”

“I’d say we could manage Warp 5 easily, but I don’t want to push it,” Tucker said, “I’d like it if you stayed below 4.5.”

“Four point five it is,” Archer acknowledged, “Bridge out.” He tapped a button, terminating the link. “Travis, lay in a course for Earth.”

The ensign pressed several controls across the helm and announced, “Course laid in.”

Archer stared at the starfield on the viewscreen for several seconds before ordering, “Engage.”

With a streak of light, Enterprise stretched across space and jumped into super-luminous velocities, streaking through the stars towards Earth.

* * *

Harris sipped his cup of coffee and returned it to his hands. The pre-dawn breakfast on the café’s patio overlooking San Francisco Bay hadn’t been his best idea in recent days, but he wasn’t one for backing down when danger reared its head. Another cold ocean breeze whipped up the mountainside, flipping a napkin off his table and into the air above the small glass building. Harris grabbed his tablet from the table, activating the screen. The detailed report of the latest incident he’d been involved with was displayed, complete with log entries and sensor logs pulled from Enterprise before the computer was reset. Additionally, Harris had retrieved logs uploaded to Starfleet Command as Enterprise returned to Earth, including medical reports on Malcolm Reed.

In his years with Section 31, Harris had filed 23 action reports with the director. This report was to be his 24th. Most agents managed 15 reports during their career, but Harris was on the fast track towards becoming the director, and had stopped work on another project to handle this situation. The director had expressed his satisfaction with Harris’ performance, in a manner of speaking, as he’d received fewer directives and more information, indicating that he was trusted to decide the best course of action.

The reports always had somewhat random titles, designed to make them inconspicuous if compromised. But something about the nature of this report made Harris believe that future incidents could arise from what the Vulcans called Raptor. It was dangerous, to the mind and the body. The quest for perfection had consumed many over the years, Hitler, Kahn, Colonel Green, all destroyed by their own lust for power and perfection. This particle represented perfection, existing in a state that shouldn’t exist. Harris looked to the sky, noting that it was becoming brighter as the sun rose, illuminating the fog covering the bay below in an ethereal glow. Inspiration struck him, with the details coming together clearly. Harris entered a replacement for the name Report 24 and tapped save, smiling a bit as the new name appeared on the file list: Omega.

[Canadian Mind]

ha ha, awsomeness.

"Archer to Trucker"